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Reviews
The Adam Project (2022)
Another Ryan Reynolds attempt at trying to keep the fire burning.
Man time travels back in time in attempt to find out what happened to the woman he loves but due to a glitch, ends up in the wrong year with his 12 year old self.
The story has a lot of potential and the several twists along the way were very good from a story telling perspective yet the biggest problem with the movie is that it Spoon feeds everything to the audience. This does not allow for a natural build up which would have kept the tension rising. The character build up is raced after the first quarter of the movie. Jennifer Garner had very little screen time and yet she made more of an impression on me than Ryan Reynolds or Mark Ruffalo put together.
Also I am tired of Ryan Reynolds playing the same smart mouthed, slightly sarcastic and annoying character in every movie. It's like watching dead pool everywhere (6 underground, red notice). His comedy style is appealing yet overdone.
The filming is good when it is not done on a sound stage. The chases and cgi spaceship battles satisfy though bring nothing new.
The best part of the movie would probably be young Walker Scobell who awakened the kid within. His energy and comedic timing was enough to keep you from changing the channel.
Beni Çok Sev (2021)
Is Love the source of all good...and evil?
The basic outline of the story is of an incarcerated man who is allowed to visit his daughter for a day (under the supervision of a prison guardian). The man has not seen his daughter since she was a baby and thus is very anxious and at the same time apprehensive to meet her. One cannot say much more without giving much away but I can add that it is not what you might expect.
The pace seems slow yet you understand why eventually. Behind every blink of an eye, every pursing of the lips, every slow moving frame there is some layer of the tragedies that have unfolded and are yet to.
The acting is perfection. No more to say. Sarp Akkaya is as always sublime in presenting a damaged character even behind a simple smile. Young Aleyna Özgeçen proves to be capable of working with such heavy and disturbing material. Ercan Kesal also provides a perfect supporting character who is there to help the audience connect with such a gritty world.
The story will keep you guessing and even when you think that all is laid before you, you keep getting small bread crumbs that add to the picture. It is a story that concludes with leaving the audience satisfied, grieved yet hopeful all at the same time.
Brazen (2022)
A 'who done it' wrapped up in a hallmark setting.
I have not read the book. But the initial concept does make promises - murder, an erotic atmosphere, a writer protagonist. One does not expect much but you do want a few tense moments, a twist no matter how small. Sadly nothing satisfies. I am putting aside the story and lack of tension, the writing is careless which causes the acting to be cringe worthy to watch. I felt like I was watching a regular 40 min episode of a light hearted drama series most of the time. There is no character build up, no relationship foundations set and zero attempts at allowing the audience to think for themselves and make predictions.
Apart from that, the reality side of the matter makes it very hard to digest - the head of the police is just going to simply allow a writer to be a consultant after clearly stating that the lead investigator should ensure boundaries with the writer 5 mins earlier??? Then they allow this writer to use herself as bait to catch the serial killer after 15 secs of convincing??? Then this supposedly grieving sister is going to make the best of losing her beloved sister by moving into her deceased sister's home, get it on with the neighbour/lead investigator, live a happy life and completely ignore the fact that her nephew now is going to be raised by an arrogant pompous father???
Sadly a complete waste of time and I feel sorry for anyone who invested in this project. Surely more worthy things could have been made.
The Witches (2020)
Why do a remake when the original was great?
Not many movies can live up to the book. However, the 1990 version was very good in my opinion (apart from the ending). When I heard about a remake I thought it should be interesting considering movie making has evolved so much in 30 years. But sadly it left me questioning the movie makers sanity.
The original actually spooked you out in the early exposition. There was pain and emotion felt for the lead characters' loss. But in this version I felt no threat from the witches nor any emotional connection with the protagonist. The witches were laughable and weak. Anne Hathaway, who is a marvellous actress, comes across as comedic and pathetic in this version of the grand high witch. Octavia Spencer is her usual wonderful self however the material given to her is so weak.
I wonder if the film makers were trying to play it safe for rating issues? I wonder if they were trying to creatively evolve the the story for today's audience? What ever they were aiming for, they certainly missed the core of the story and the themes that captivated audiences to the book.