DellrayRotar Reviews

Breaking Infinity (2023)

An Intelligent Indie Sci-fi

[7/10 · 14 May 2024]

I give this 7/10 in the indie sci-fi sub-genre. Being a low budget indie, I overlook cheaper special effects and lack of A-list actors. I grade more on story and engagement.

The movie had an intriguing start. What happened to the Liam? Why was the nurse withholding information? Where was he? Why was he skipping between alternate realities? Who is the old guy that looks like a Monk?

The movie revealed the story at a pace that kept me engaged. I like a 'heady sci-fi' and this had all the pieces. Some good little twists along the way including the identity of the old man and what he was doing.

My favorite actor was Zed Josef who played the assistant. The other actors were good too but something about Zed drew me in.

There were a few things I wish they would have done better. I believe they were going for a Nolan-type movie but it fell a bit short of that. Still very good though.

1) I found there was a lack of chemistry between Liam and Emma. Both are good at acting...but I had a hard time believing their connection for some reason. Emma seemed more concerned for his well-being than as a love connection. And when they kissed is was those pecks on the lips I give my grandma. A bit more believable passion please. Also, the very last line in the elevator, she should have been genuinely shocked instead of a pleasant smile.

2) At times it jumped around a bit too much. A little less of that and more development in each scene perhaps.

3) But my biggest problem was the ending. Yes, I liked that they wrapped it up nicely. But I felt that the protagonist didn't have to try hard enough for it. It kind of just fell in his lap and he made an easy choice and credits roll.

What I wanted to see was Liam figuring out that he could make a choice but it only mattered at one exact point in time. And he should have had to struggle and maybe do something special in 4 different time zones to make it happen. Perhaps he had to trick someone in one time to get a piece of information in another and hide the special something in the past so it would be in the present for where it all came together. As it was, he simply decided to hit 'stop' on his iPad and happy ending. But it didn't feel deserved so my dopamine didn't fire like it should have.

Overall...a very interesting movie and I can easily overlook the few flaws. Well done. But it could have been much better with a little more effort and an extra 10 minutes in the third act.

A Hard Problem (2021)

Must watch for any aspiring storyteller

[9/10 · 27 April 2024]

This movie pulls you in from the first scene. A grieving teenager with an older-than-expected mom who passed. Why is the hospital nurse, his sister and family friends treating him with fear, anger and contempt?

If you want to become a storyteller, I recommend watching this movie. All the elements of great storytelling are in this film.

What it does best is to show and not tell. You will not find contrived exposition explaining what is happening. Instead, the story unfolds organically and naturally. When they do choose to reveal backstory it is done very well as they blend past memories with present day. The hospital and raining scene is well done.

There is clever foreshadowing and symbolism such as the Roomba.

The story has numerous set-ups and pay-offs along the way. It creates questions which it eventually answers which makes the unfolding story so interesting. Questions such as who or what is Ian? What is in the box that is left behind? Why do people treat him so rudely? What is the scar on the woman's leg? Why did the woman tell the owners to remove the electronics from the household?

The storyteller also thought carefully about the motivation of each person from the sister to the Qualia psychologist. It helps you see contrasting viewpoints from their point of view even if you don't agree with them...you understand them.

Late in the movie you realize that the story really isn't about Ian and his growth. It is about Olivia and her journey of realization and growth. You see her viewpoint slowly transform from the point where she curiously cannot get a diagnostic on a machine to the point where she corrects the sister from calling Ian an "it" to a "he". And telling her daughter that he was a friend.

I am curious about when Ian wrote an "I" on the window. I assume it was for his initial and a spin on machines being 1's and 0's which is part of Qualia's symbol. Ian ultimately became a person much like in the Bicentennial Man.

This film is a piece of art. As such, this particular style may not be everyone's cup of tea (which is another cool scene where the tea falls and you get to see just how Ian functions and thinks). It is slow and thought-provoking by design. It is evocative. It does perfectly what it is meant to do. On a personal level, I would have preferred a happier ending but that would have defeated the purpose of the film and made it less powerful. For me, I would have wanted Olivia to save his memory chip (which it looks like she did) and perhaps find a way to bring Ian back to life.

I could have done without the male genitalia and multiple F words. They were unnecessary and will limit the reach of this film to a certain audience. But perhaps the storyteller thought that this was for mature-thinking audiences and that a PG rating might send the wrong message. I think it would have been even more powerful without the language and nudity.

If you read the book Story by Robert McKee and are wondering how to implement it, this is your movie.

Andromeda (2022)

A Great Actor in a Bad Movie

[5/10 · 24 April 2024]

This one is very hard for me to rate. Some elements are a 1/10 and others are an 8/10.

Tim Llewellyn is a great actor who was cast in this unfortunate movie. He deserves a much better film. As the main character Aiden, he portrayed true emotion. He didn't say his lines...he lived them. I don't know from what emotional well he was drawing from but I believe we saw sincere and true emotions in the film. And that's no small feat considering how absurd parts are the film are. He gets 8/10 for acting and I believe he is a future A-list actor that needs another film to showcase him.

Michael Dooley was also adequate and has promise. I wasn't a big fan of Tom Zembrod in this role but maybe a lot of my critique comes from the script and what he had to work with. He had a one-note role and his voice reminded me of Agent Smith from the Matrix. He also seemed uncomfortable with what to do with his hands. Other actors such as the shrink seemed unauthentic and very much like reading their lines and emotions not being genuine.

My critiques are many. The whole idea of the neural inhibitor made no sense. Is it basically the Metaverse? If you travel to the far reaches of what's in the VR goggles, is that actually what is out there in the universe? Or are we just killing people and loading their conscious into a videogame? How can this save humanity?

When the movie went to Metaverse it lost me. Some of the visuals were okay but they never showed faces. Other visuals looked very old school video game. The voices didn't really match the action. A few Terminator bots with laser rifles didn't really cut it.

This movie has one redeeming element - the lead actor. I really hope he gets a higher profile movie to showcase his talent.

Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone (2021)

Surprisingly good fighting

[7/10 · 23 April 2024]

I just finished watching Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. I enjoyed the Green Ghost movie more. Why?

First, the fighting was top notch. I was quite frankly shocked with how good the choreography was. I've seen indie movie kung fu and it looks bad. Real bad. But this was superb.

The acting was decent. Also a lot better than I expected. The only guy I kinda knew was Danny Trejo. But the others were solid too. The lead reminded me of Johnny Lawrence's brother or cousin. I was surprised as I thought he was just comedic relief. But the dude can really fight.

The special effects were adequate...even good for an indie movie.

There was heart in this movie, a strong message about who your family really is, some laugh out loud humor, fantastic fighting and really good directing.

I definitely want to see them do a sequel or a bigger budget version of this film. Will be following the people associated with this for sure. I'd give it a solid 7.5 out of 10. Will be watching again.

Radioflash (2019)

Directing was fantastic

[6/10 · 22 April 2024]

I would watch this movie for just the directing. Gorgeous cinematography. So many breath-taking scenes. Great use of drones. I was very very impressed with the director. The angles and what he chose to show...and what he chose not to show...really was powerful. He did a wonderful job at creating tension and suspense.

The music also fit in perfectly creating a tense thriller with suspense.

The acting was actually quite good from the leads and the supporting cast.

The movie had its flaws. I didn't like that multiple characters had these deep philosophical conversations like when the grandpa was gutting the rabbit or the dad by water or the old guy driving the truck or the weird old lady drinking tea. Too many philosophical ramblings from too many people.

I loved the opening scene. But it didn't fit with the rest of the movie. Was it simply to show that she was a problem solver? But for the rest of the movie she didn't really solve problems but was dragged from scene to scene. Okay...she did comment that ants ate her apple and the wood might be rotten. But that's pretty much it. I felt like the opening scene (which was filmed super cool) was part of a different movie. And that's the movie I wanted to see.

Show me a smart young girl who has tech skills and is a abstract thinker solve various problems like Sherlock Holmes.

Don't get me wrong. Enjoyable movie. Great characterizations. It just felt like the wrong script. The actors and director and producer could have done so much more. But it gives me hope for whatever they do next.

Watch this for the directing. You won't be disappointed.

Alpha Code (2020)

Sort of maybe an okay idea badly executed

[1/10 · 22 April 2024]

I consider myself a generous man when it comes to reviewing indie sci-fi. I have given 7 stars to Russian dubbed science fiction with a good idea where others gave it 2 stars. I say this so you don't think I am being harsh.

I was attracted to this film by the intriguing cover and some actors I have heard of. MMA stars and Denise Richards? Must be a high-end B movie with decent producers and directors...right?

The opening scene was laughable. I'm not sure if the plane was a toy or from Playstation 2. The cockpit scene was terrible. And what is up with those TRS-80 graphics they show over and over? The first 15 minutes made zero sense but instead of it creating a mystery you want to solve, it made me want to turn it off and go to bed. But I slogged through this as it is a sci-fi film.

The good? Well...there was a hint of an essence of a whiff of an idea that was okay. Forgetting his wife to cover up the alien secret of hybrid kids...dang it...that's the whole plot. Sorry. I just saved you 90 minutes of your life. So not sorry.

Anyway, the fight scenes were so bad that my wrestling matches in grade 4 were better. The acting was not good at all. And why did the MMA fighter get beat up consistently with punches that a blind lady in a wheelchair could dodge?

The plot is a guy running from this group of agents. Getting caught. Escaping. Getting caught. Being let go. Running. Getting caught. Running some more. I mean, how bad are these agents that some bum with a head injury that just got out of the hospital is getting away 5 seconds after he jumped out a window and should have broken both ankles? And he hides behind the only retaining wall in sight...and you drive away?

I could go on but I just can't. The ending is ambiguous. Some guy with a head full of stars reveals the alien plot. The guys dead daughter is resurrected with the power of a baby with glowing green eyes. Some emotionless lady holding the baby makes the earth explode and agents disappear and reappear on Mars or something. But none of that matters because I guess there is time travel where it all goes back to the beginning of the movie but with one small change.

If you mash up 12 monkeys, Star Gate, Alf and The Fugitive...then hire a 7 year old using a ChatGPT to feed it prompts...you are getting close.

Proximity (II) (2020)

Not Your Typical Alien Abduction Movie

[7/10 · 9 April 2024]

Some strong points to this movie and some flaws.

• Lead actor was great. He sold the part for me. I expect to see him in more and bigger budget movies. Unfortunately, many of the other actors are not at his level. But when Ryan Masson was the focus, my disbelief was suspended.

• Plot was interesting and not the same old rehashed 'aliens experimenting on us' concept.

• CGI was perfect for a smaller budget. Was impressed. The downside was the androids or cybermen. The costumes were lacking and their imitation of robots reminded me of when Captain Kirk took them out with his logic of 'I always lie. But if I am telling the truth...boom'! It was a good attempt but I would have preferred highly skilled secret 007 agents instead.

• Music was quite good. But it didn't always fit the scene perfectly. Not sure why but it just seemed a bit off.

• Disjointed at times. One minute is an intense scene of escape and near death. Next scene he is carefree and flirting or enjoying the scenery.

• There is a spiritual aspect to the film which may have turned many viewers off. Not sure why. But I believe that to be the reason for the low ratings.

• Would like to have followed up on some of the earlier actors in the lab. We invested into them and then never saw them again.

My final thought is this:

To the director, screenwriter, producer and editor...all of which are Eric Demeusy, great job. You had a vision and you did amazing with a smaller budget. A lot of promise was shown in this film and I very much look forward to your future films.

ReRun (2018)

Squandered a good idea

[2/10 · 12 December 2023]

It started with a pretty good idea. And Christopher Lloyd acted his part well. Unfortunately, he was only in it for a few minutes at the beginning in the end.

The concept was simple that adore into the closet could lead to the past. And from there I have no idea what the point was. The main character basically mumbled his way to an hour of flirting and sleeping around or finally, deciding he loved his future life. I guess that's it.

The dialogue seemed really strange, where people were making references of being self-aware that George time traveled. The time travel cop was pretty bad. Whenever she showed up and spoke, it was full body cringe.

I wanted to like this movie. But I feel that even two stars is pretty generous. Just didn't really have a point and go anywhere. Other than maybe what you think our regrets might not be.

Forgotten Experiment (2023)

Mind-bending sci-fi on a budget

[7/10 · 8 December 2023]

I have no idea why all the hate. I enjoyed this movie a lot and was very interested right up until the satisfying end. I watch a ridiculous amount of sci-fi and half of it is indie. I would normally give this a 6.5 but due to all the unfounded hate, I gave it a 7.

The Plot: It starts with a Tony Stark-type person and crew on a plane when it crash lands on an island. The unique power source of the plane is stolen. From here it gets interesting as this fog rolls in and basically, it is like the holodeck projecting a period from the past but also the future.

The mystery unravels as to what is causing the time projections, who stole their power source, what happened to their dad so many years ago and so on. There are unlikely alliances, betrayal, romance and sacrifice.

I won't ruin anything but the story seemed to wrap-up like all to many indie flicks with a moral message and a bad ending. But then the movie carried on for another 15 minutes and I found all of it very satisfying and wrapped up neatly. Overall a solid plot that stayed true to its own set of sci-fi rules.

Effects: For an indie sci-fi I thought the effects were adequate. It was enough to suspend my disbelief and I was pleased with the quality compared to other shows.

Why the low rating?

My guess is that it is a Russian film and they often get low ratings to start. The main actors were good but a couple of the supporting actors were cartoony.

But the biggest issue I had was with the dubbing. Often, the voice actors who dub go overboard and 'ham it up' which takes away from the believability. I am not sure who to fault with that but would like a 2nd opinion from someone who speaks Russian and watched it without dubbing.

I wonder if the plot got a bit complex for some. Movies with time-travel themes often get confusing. Tenet got that way in spots.

This is one I will probably watch again. I would love to see what someone like Nolan would do with it.

Time Freak (2018)

Cute and Fun But Missed The Mark for Greatness

[6/10 · 20 March 2019]

This is a fun lighthearted movie that reminds me of Being Erica or TNG episode called Tapestry - where you can go back in time and change past mistakes to produce an ideal outcome. As you can guess, the lesson learned is that manipulating the past does not lead to the perfect outcome. Good idea although nothing new.

What I like about the movie? Skyler Gisondo as the friend Evan IS the heart and humor of the movie. I would watch it again just for his comedic performance that kept me in stitches. I looked forward to each and every scene he was in and he did not disappoint.

What could have been better? I didn't feel the chemistry between the two main leads. I believe that part of the problem lies with how Stillman was written and partially the casting choice.

While Sophie Turner was okay as Debbie, I feel that Zooey Deschanel would have been a better choice. If I closed my eyes and just listened to the voices, it almost sounded like that's what Sophie was going for.

Asa Butterfield as Stillman came off as a bit conceited and whiny. It was hard to feel sympathy for him at any point. The scriptwriter could've made him more likeable and a different casting choice would've helped also. Maybe someone like Adrian Grenier in She Drives Me Crazy (1999)? Someone that you feel sorry for would've helped.

If the script was tweaked a little and different people cast in the leading roles, this would've easily been an 8. They didn't do anything wrong and there were genuinely funny moments, but it lacked that certain spark that could've really made it great.

The Gateway (2018)

A solid and engaging movie on a budget

[9/10 · 4 June 2018]

I am always on the lookout for the next sci-fi indie flick with promise. And believe me, I have sat through a lot of dredge.

The story was quite interesting and surprisingly well acted for a low budget film. I particularly enjoyed the contrast of the Matt's. The film didn't seem to have any dead time and even though the story was fairly straight forward, there were a few small surprises peppered in here and there.

It suspended my disbelief, didn't rely on forcing an R rating to get people to watch it, told an interesting story full of emotion that was believable and left the door open for a sequel which I really hope they make. A solid 8 out of 10 for those who like indie sci-fi.