JMF430 Reviews

The Employer and the Employee (2021)

Very good movie

[7/10 · 14 April 2022]

Even though it wasn't exactly my type of movie, there is nothing for me to complain about in it. There's one major event, but the movie never acts as if it's a big deal, and the rest of the duration is the characters reacting to it. In real life people don't overreact to most things, and in that sense, it's realistic. That also is because neither the protagonist nor the antagonist are bad people. Just regular ones who have a very shitty situation happen to them. Thought it never seems shitty, because everything is taken with calm. You might even think that they don't even care about it.

The acting is well done. You might think you are watching real people. The cinematography is extremely good, some shots are framed in a way that you don't know what the characters are intending to do, and that generates a lot of tension.

One review here says that the movie is predictable. Well, life can be very predictable sometimes. And that predictability makes you even more anxious, because you know something is coming and you won't be able to do anything about it.

Overall, I give it the movie a 7/10, but for some people it might even be an 8/10.

Bad Christmas (2021)

Meh

[5/10 · 5 April 2022]

I expected this to be a "parasite-type" movie, where class struggles are portrayed in a dark comedy way. It actually was just a dark comedy, not very determined to make fun of society, just whacky situations. There wasn't much tension, as no character ever semt to be in danger, you always knew that nothing was gonna happen to them. Even if the never is any tension, at least the comedy parts are funny. Right? No. The dad in the movie always had the same things to say, i guess it can be funny at first, but then it becomes tedious. The gay character could be funny, but he didn't get much lines. The mother character was always serious, never acted crazy, so no way she could be funny. The criminal character was supposed to be threatening I guess, so he couldn't be allowed to be too funny.

In the end, the movie should have been a lot more exaggerated if it wanted to be funny. But the acting was too toned down.

Noche Americana (2022)

Bad

[4/10 · 4 April 2022]

I don't like movies where a bland guy gets the girl just for the fact that he is the protagonist. The one in this movie is not funny, charming, mysterious, benevolent, he doesn't have an attractive face or frame... yet all the women in the movie want to sleep with him. Then some personal problems of his love interest come up, yet I never cared. The only times during this movie in which I had fun were when the villian appeared. At one point it seemed like this movie was trying to make you hate rich people (all the characters on the side of the protagonist were rich), but it was just my imagination.

In the end, I never felt anything for the characters. But that's just me.

High Tide (2020)

Boring with some good aspects

[5/10 · 31 October 2021]

There was not a lot happening in the movie. I didn't care much for the protagonist, she wasn't much of a likeable or smart person. The ending was unexpected, in both a bad and a good way. The acting and the cinematography were the best aspects. The locations and shots were great. The main actress did a good job of portraying a strong yet scared woman. The antagonists were very creepy, especially the younger one. He really felt like a psychopath, while being realistic. Maybe if this was a 30 minute short I would give it a higher rating, as there wouldn't be many boring parts, and the parts that don't make a lot of sense seem to come from the movie needing to last for an hour and a half.

A Skeleton in the Closet (2020)

even with it's faults the movie is enjoyable

[6/10 · 30 October 2021]

The cinematography is very static, you won't see many cuts or different camera angles, which could be an artistic choice or a budget constaint, but it's not necessatily a bad thing. Speaking of budget constaints, a lot of action is shown off-screen. For example there will be a party but you never see the non-main cast guests, it can be a bit bothersome sometimes, as the movie is not really a "shut off from the outside world" type of movie. There is also a funny sequence at the beginning, where the characters are going out for a jog, and it's obvious that every shot is recorded at the same block.

Sometimes a character will be friendly, just to turn confrontational in the next scene, without indication that the friendliness was fake. This is not necessarily the actors' fault, it's also a script problem. This is also apparent when characters will make a fuss about insignificant things, and you're supposed to take it seriously. Another sign of a posible script problem is when at the end the main character shows some traits that make him seem like an asshole, which I'm not sure if they were intentional.

So far I've been kinds negative, but even with it's faults the movie is enjoyable, you can relate with the characters and situations as they are common to many families, like going back to your hometown, talking about sex to your sibling, having a judgemental grandma, having a dissappointed parent, or having a one sided relationship. The movie does have heart in it.

The Chaser (2008)

This movie is really stupid

[5/10 · 28 October 2021]

About an hour and a half into this movie, something infuriating happens. I am not gonna spoil what it is, but it was so stupid that I had to stop watching it. Basically a character reveals information that they didn't need to reveal at all, and that has serious consecuences.

Rio Bravo (1959)

Corny in a bad way

[6/10 · 30 September 2021]

The dialogue is so tiring, as everything sounds corny and spelt out. Every caracter is a goody two shoes. There is never any moral dilemma, the characters never question themselves. It's also pretty sexist. They woman falls in love with John for no real reason, and this happens pretty instantly. Of course she cries. Nevermind he is like 40 years older.

Common Wealth (2000)

Quirky characters, can be funny, but don't look for logic

[6/10 · 26 July 2021]

The movie is well shot, well edited. It is not lacking in any technical aspect. The pacing, acting, and dialogues are good too. However, if you are looking for a realistic plot, this one isn't it. Things that certain characters do in secret, suddenly everyone knows, and this isn't questioned by those certain characters. Other characters simply know things that they should not have known. Or they act like nobody's watching them, acting out secret plans, even when in fact they KNOW that they are being watched.

But it's not supposed to be a movie that makes sense. It's supposed to be a movie about crazy characters doing crazy things. So if that doesn't bother you, then you will find it pretty funny. It also features a good jab at star wars fans. I bet the director doesn't have much respect for those movies.