paiello-44319 Reviews

A Gentleman in Moscow (2024)

Extremely well done! Bravo!

[8/10 · 23 May 2024]

The series starts off a bit slow and gets by on his charm of the protagonist. But the episodes gain momentum as the story develops and the characters come together. And then Sophia comes into the story, adding another turn and excitement. It's a terrific production with fantastic music. I've read a few reviews about having African-Americans in the story, which is not necessarily accurate to the time. Period in Russia, but who cares? It's a fictional story! If they added space aliens, yes, you'd have a complaint. You could also ask why every single character didn't speak with a Russian accent? I'm sure the producers felt it was better to not try to fake a Russian accents And I commend them for that!

Just saw the final episode and I'd give it 10 stars. Very moving!

Highly highly recommend!!

Poor Things (2023)

People that gave this movie a high rating were taken by the centricity of it, but it's a poor film.

[5/10 · 19 April 2024]

Yet another needlessly long movie that's not an epic story. By the third act of this 2 hour 21 minute film I was more than ready for it to end. The concept was kind of interesting, but what hat bothered me about the movie, was that Bella's development and character arc takes place almost entirely through sexual liberation. That could've been one aspect of her growth, but think of all the other possible areas? Life is about your occupation, your artistic pursuits, love, family, so many things but unfortunately, she devolves into a prostitute. Prostitution? Who's ever heard of that? A movie that's mostly entirely about sex (that is not a pornographic) is uncomfortable to watch.

There were some laughs, Mark Ruffalo was surprisingly good but not enough for the movie to last over two hours. I'm a big fan of Emma Stone but I don't see her acting in this movie is being so difficult that she deserved receiving best actress award? I would make the argument that Annette Benning should've won the statue. I will continue to follow Emma's career, and I am in the minority of people that thought this movie was below average. But, TBH, with the overabundance of sex. It just became sort of a creep fest. .

Frasier (2023– )

Very funny! Far better than I expected!

[8/10 · 22 February 2024]

Pleasantly surprised, and although there were a couple of episodes, that were meh, most are almost as smart and witty and funny as the original. The Christmas episode reindeer games was especially good. It was great to see his former costar Roz from the original show. Also a previous episode with Lilith, Bebe Neworth was also terrific.

Yes, it would've been nice to have Niles in the cast, although I'm sure he'll make a guest appearance. But the writing and the acting is great. The timing is good and hopefully it will be renewed for another season or two. There's plenty of comedies that are not worth my time. This one definitely is!

True Detective (2014– )

Season 4 was mostly a mess. Skip this and watch Fargo season 5 instead

[6/10 · 21 February 2024]

A lot of thoughts, and most of them not good regarding this series of six episodes. The acting was fine, Jody Foster is always fantastic and so was the actress that played Navarro. It was very cliché and that includes the characters and the plot. Seems like they were using the momentum from the previous seasons, which were highly acclaimed. One of those series you kept saying, who is this person again? Or what was the plot again? Most of the violence and murders coming from the good guys, senseless, revenge killings. There were some nonsensical moments as well. People falling through ice after we see Alaska in total darkness with frigid freezing, cold temperatures - the ice would definitely be several feet thick. Anyway there were some threads of high quality acting, but I gave this a score of six and that was generous.

My suggestion? Skip season four of the series. I think season one is still regarded as the best. If you want to watch a series that's in the same genre. Watch Fargo season five. Really good stuff.

Masters of the Air (2024)

Not nearly as good as it looks in the previews

[6/10 · 28 January 2024]

NPR gave this series a really strong review, maybe in part because of showing respect to those who served which, of course they deserve all that we can show. That being said, this is not especially great so far. The first bombing run, they do encounter flack, and some of the planes take a few hits, but nothing we haven't seen in other TV shows showing the B-17 flying Fortress. At the end of the mission Austin Butler confronts his friend says you didn't tell me how bad it would be. It didn't seem like they went through all that much? Modern day special effects provide more reality than former movies and shows, but the characters story seems superfluous, and not really believable. They're all riding bicycles around and having a race. Huh? WTH? This might be something you'd see after numerous bombing runs, mini wounded mini shot down but it's only been the second mission and they need this big bicycle race. Austin Butler in Elvis but so far this is a big disappointment.

The Iron Claw (2023)

The movie was mostly a sad experience...

[6/10 · 31 December 2023]

Be prepared to suffer through the second hour of the movie with a lot of terrible terrible things that happened to this family. The first hour of the movie is pretty good, but then it's tough to get through until I guess the very end. Reading about the true life story of this family it seems they were all having mental health issues for the most part. Suicide took its toll. The fact there was a younger brother that wasn't even included in the movie that also took his life sadly. I also think that Hollywood made the family out to be bigger than they were. From what I could read they were mostly just a small regional Texas family where all the sons got into wrestling to emulate the father. No disrespect, but they were not a big deal in the wrestling world.

The other thing that must be stated, with regard to any movies about wrestling is this. WRESTLING IS FAKE! OK PEOPLE? THE MAT THEY LAND ON IS ESSENTIALLY TRAMPOLINE AND THE MOVES, THE PUNCHES AND THE OUTCOME IS ALL FAKE. IMAGINE IF THEY HAD A FOOTBALL GAME AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE PLAYERS STARTED HAVING PLAYS ON THE SIDELINES INSTEAD OF ON THE FIELD? LOL THAT'S WHAT WRESTLING DOES. THE PLAYERS ARE THROWN OUT OF THE RAIN AND HAVE CHAIRS BROKEN OVER THEIR HEAD IT'S A COMEDY SHOW! IT'S ALL BS BECAUSE THE OUTCOME IS ALREADY PREDETERMINED.

Terrific acting performance by Zac Efron . Same with Lily James who I always like. My son is a huge wrestling fan and I took him to see this and it was such a sad movie. Wish I'd have known that I wouldn't have spent the money.

Tár (2022)

Character driven, disjointed film

[6/10 · 22 October 2023]

In the world of novels it's called literary fiction. More about character(s) and less about plot. Cate Blanchett is nothing short of a tour de force in this movie. She is amazing. Very convincing performance as a type A, international, world-class symphony conductor.

That being said, what little plot there was, becomes apparent far too late in the film, and leaves the viewer disappointed. Simply put there must be plot in storytelling as other viewers have mentioned and I totally agree. The beginning was laughable. Fortunately, I streamed this movie at home and fast forwarded past the annoying amount of credits.

The most disappointing part of this movie in the reason for my low rating was the lack of music. For a movie about classical music the director and writer should have taken the time to show off these amazingly talented musicians. Instead, we see music stopping every performance to make corrections in the pursuit of perfection. There needed to be more music!

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Authentic, very slow burn, slog...

[6/10 · 21 October 2023]

There's no other way to describe this film, other than just get on with it! There's really no dramatic tension because the viewer would have to be brain dead to not see the story unfolding. Don't get me wrong. The subject matter in the story is fascinating, and it opens up providing the viewer with a lot of interesting information. The problem is the story is told in a series of too many scenes that seem repetitive and meandering. Leo DiCaprio has a overstated grimace on his face the entire film (over-acting the role), Robert De Niro is a bit above average but reminisent of other bad guys he's played. Even the latter part of the movie where the FBI gets involved took forever to arrive. Just so disappointed in this slow plodding, film. It felt like Scorsese was saying to the audience, this is largely based on a true story, so I need to really go over the top with authenticity and pile on a whole bunch of scenes to qualify the point.

Even the court trial at the end, there were several scenes that were redundant, providing the same info to the viewers and I kept saying please, end this movie. It just took forever to get its beats across. We get it! There was an attempted genocide of a Native American tribe, which is horrible. It's a story that should be told. But the film needed it in at least an hour and a half less time. Also, there was barley any music soundtrack in the background (ineffectual authenticity) with some parts so quiet, I could see people in the audience, checking their phones, which I don't ever see but it couldn't be helped. Because the story was so GD slow! Could have been a quasi-documentary.

Oppenheimer was three hours long but it didn't feel long because the film was edited correctly and the way it was crafted made it far more interesting. Wait until KOFM becomes available for streaming, and that way you can pause it to get your second full meal, fifth beverage or go to the bathroom for the third time.

No disrespect intended to the iconic Director producer or actors, but a movie that is three hours and twenty minutes long needs to earn the attention of the audience in order for them to say, yeah it was worth the time spent.

The Offer (2022)

It's a tie between The Offer and Fleishman

[9/10 · 21 February 2023]

Absolutely terrific series that I highly recommend. Well deserving of its lofty high IMDB score of 8+. There's been talk that Hollywood is lacking true male movie stars. Myles Teller is looking to fill that role.

The only reason I didn't give this series a ten out of ten was because from what I've read online, it's pretty far removed from the true story.

That being said, the historical fiction around this series is true enough to make it a solid winner.

As I mentioned Myles Teller is great but he's more of a straight man to fantastic characters such as Mathew Goode's Bob Evans. He basically steals the show and it's well deserved. Everyone in this ensemble is wonderful. Can't say enough about how well this series was executed. I may even watch it a second time, something I never do.

Bravo!

The Godfather (1972)

Beautiful Film except for the ending

[7/10 · 21 February 2023]

More has been reviewed of this film than any other. There is so much about this film that makes it great. The direction is top shelf as was the screenplay. The word that describes it best is "authentic." The entire movie - setting, plot and especially the characters are very authentic feeling.

The problem I have with The Godfather is the plot; specifically the ending. Novel readers and movie watchers know that you don't just give the protagonist what he or she wants unopposed. Michael orders a hit on the heads of all five families and Mo Greene at the end while his child is being baptized to get them before they get him? This is not rewarding, I'm sorry.

Also, there needs to be more of a twist than simple betrayal by a minor character (Tessio). A betrayal should hit the reader / watcher like a gut punch. What if Kay betrayed her husband? Would he kill her or forgive the mother of his children? What about letting the head of one of the families live so they could fight another day?

The most common negative comments I read are about the film being boring, however I don't agree. Godfather isn't boring but the ending, even though dramatic with all the killings, is boringand unsatisfying from a plot perspective.

Lastly, structurally it is best to have the protagonist duel it out with the antagonist at the end. Instead, Michael doesn't get his pinky dirty while everyone else gets bloody.

So there you have it. Very good film but not excellent. The ending is lazy.

Note, I agree with Copolla about the book. While it was good it wasn't great.

Me Time (2022)

What a complete, unfunny mess

[4/10 · 6 November 2022]

It was like they took yet again a formulaic plot and made a few edits. Then the scenes were mostly disassociated from each other as if the editor just threw the whole pile together.

What blows my mind is how the bankable stars of this "movie" signed on for this debacle. IMDB score of 5 is generous.

The story was all over the place and90% was unfunny. The party scenes were the worst and made no sense. The director should really be questioned about directorial choices he made. Based on the IMDB rating I thought the movie would be marginal but with three solid stars it would be decent.

Just a mess!

Dog (I) (2022)

Mostly disappointing

[5/10 · 9 October 2022]

The concept of the film had great potential. But the plot was questionable in several aspects. First and foremost was why he didn't call the dog by her name Lulu instead of just dog. When the dog takes off he's chasing it and yelling dog. Seemed unlikely. Also the dog gets away from this big strong Army Ranger too many times to be believable. Just wrap the leash around your arm Channing! And then there was the scene where he stops on the way to visit the dog's brother. What was the motivation? 'Tatum's character was only required to deliver the dog to his masters funeral. Of course the hero's journey would require obstacles to present themselves but they wouldn't encounter them unnecessarily. Also the scene near just before the funeral where he had to carry the dog, I assume because it was tired. Serious? A healthy dog can out walk a healthy man I am sure. Tatums character went from being a hero to anti hero then back to hero.

I did think the movie did a nice job in the way it respectfully portrayed Veterans. Touching and interesting.

I would give the film 2.5 - 3 stars depending on my mood. I didn't come away from this movie being any more of a Channing Tatum fan. In fact, less. He's not a convincing actor.

Spin Me Round (2022)

UNWATCHABLE!!

[1/10 · 24 August 2022]

I can count on one hand the number of bad movies I have walked out of or turned off. I usually persevere just to see the entire story. Add this one to the one hand list. Max we could stand it was thirty minutes.

It was a complete unwatchable mess that made little sense, completely cliche' and horribly acted.

Shame on you Molly Shannon. Same for all of the other actors, directors and producers and especially Apple.

BAD,BAD,

Nope (2022)

Nope - not a good movie at all

[2/10 · 31 July 2022]

Really annoying slow developing and VERY confusing film. The whole subplot with Chimp made no sense to the four of us or anyone else I've asked. Now that I've googled it I understand the remote connection.

Took exactly 1.5 hours for any UFO. Action to happen. When it did at least the movie was tolerable.

Of all the Sci-Fi movies I've seen this one is the worst by a hundred miles.

The only positive is the actors performances were all fine. But the movie sucks. Artsy - fartsy crap.

A message within a movie is fine. But I shoildnt have to be Sherlock Holmes to pick jp on it!

In my tating sytem of poor, fair, good, very good and excellent; nope is poor. And that's generous!!!

The Forgiven (III) (2021)

Garbage - Jessica what are you doing in this?

[3/10 · 25 July 2022]

Complete garbage. IMDB score of 5.1 is too high.plot was confusing and motivation of characters was questionable as well. For a cast this strong this was bad.

The Lost City (2022)

It's not a trainwreck but barely watcheable

[6/10 · 18 July 2022]

Some scenes (but only a few) Lol funny. A few more smiles. A lot of trying hard but missing the mark. Formulaic is ok, just like covering a classic song is ok too, but bring a fresh outlook that actually works.

Maybe Ryan Reynolds could've saved this some, not sure. He and Sandra have that chemistry that Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have.

When I see you IMDb rating of 6.1 I assume it's gonna be mostly a stinker with a few good parts. That's pretty much exactly what this film was.

Elvis (2022)

The critics are wrong about the mediocre reviews.

[8/10 · 26 June 2022]

Elvis is a long movie but it doesn't feel like the time is going by slow because it's fast paced. The Director presents the story in a unique and innovative way. It's mostly from the point of view of Colonel Tom Parker who we suspect is promoting Elvis as he should have but at the same time we suspect is ripping him.

But the movie is not too much about his manager and mote about the story of Elvis.

His ties to Southern roots and black music and how he broke through Rock & Roll barriers before they put him into the army. What a shame he died so young at 42. A casualty of his fame and the result of his manager working him to death.

The movie does a good job of reminding you of what a powerful performer Elvis was. He was meant to be a star and he was!

Go see it!

Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

It was a great way to end the series.

[7/10 · 19 June 2022]

It was a great way to end the series. It was great seeing all the original characters back from the first movie in 1993. So long ago. I give them credit for showing how mankind lives with dinosaurs now instead of the usual dinosaurs escaping from captivity and they have to out run them. There were a few points in the movie where the dialogue seemed choppy however there was plenty of action and plenty of dinosaurs and I thought the actors were terrific. I saw Top Gun Maverick a few weeks ago which is a repeat from an older movie and I thought they did a better job on that one however Jurassic World is still very good!

Defending Jacob (2020)

I agree with the masses...They blew the ending

[6/10 · 19 May 2022]

They spent a lot of time planting red herrings to make us all speculate on who the real killer was and then the ending comes along and we get...nothing? Love the two leads Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery and the series was great until the end. In a novel the author can get away with a sub par climax if the rest of the story and characters were strong. BUT NOT IN MOVIES! Movies have close strong. This one definately doesn't. Lastly the subplot with Chris Evans character on trial confused me. The end of that didn't ssem to make sense, "it was an accident." Anyway gripping series but the story structure calls for resolution and we did not get one!

CODA (2021)

The Academy finally got it right this year...

[9/10 · 17 April 2022]

What a perfectly beautiful movie. Every nuanced minute is so well written, acted sung and filmed.

The music teacher is a joy. The Father is a riot. Most of all Emilia Jones is amazing. The Scene during the talent show when the audio is muted to give the movie watcher the show from a deaf person's perspective is brilliant.

Its just a must see gem. You'll cry at the end.

Marry Me (2022)

Better than expected

[7/10 · 10 April 2022]

Yes, this was a platform for a lot of JLO's music, most of it very strong material by the way. The supporting cast, especially Sarah Silverman is terrific and really adds to the movie. Owen Wilson mostly plays his caricature self but is solid. Jennifer Lopez is beautiful especially considering her age. Her singing voice is very strong, especially on the song On My Way, which was beautiful.

All in all the film should make you feel good.

In my rating system of - Unwatchable (Licorice Pizza), Bad, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent I give this a "Good" rating.

Enjoy!

House of Gucci (2021)

A little above average only due to the cast but WAY TOO LONG

[6/10 · 3 April 2022]

Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino and all the other actors are superb. The story is a bit uneven and not enough happened to justify the insanely long 2 hour 38 minute run time. Seemed like there was a lot of filler like the scene when she discovers the knock off Gucci bags. It became nothing.

The current IMDB score of 6.7 is accurate I'd say. Film is a hair above average but needs editing.

Licorice Pizza (2021)

Complete piece of Sh@t movie

[2/10 · 27 March 2022]

Meandering hard to follow "plot". There's nothing hete. A bunch of strung together scenes - most of which could ne cut and wouldn't be missed. Thetes nothing hetd. Like a Wes Anderson movie but way eorse.

Waste of time. Ghis. " movie" blows!!

Begin Again (II) (2013)

Mostly a Terrific Film - Recommend!

[7/10 · 21 February 2022]

The actors are all wonderful and yes Keira Knightly pulls it off and sings just fine. Other reviewers saying can't sing are just wrong. Mark Ruffalo is always dependably fantastic. The only scenes that I was surprised about were one, how Kiera discovers the truth about her boyfriend, (played fairly convincingly by Adam Levine). We were both said, huh? Seriously?

The other was a random scene near the end where James Corden challenged the people at the party stand frozen in place and not succumb to dancing while a non Kiera Knightly song played on the sound system. It was awkward and weird, screaming to be cut on to the editor's floor.

The ending of the film was terrific. Just right. Very enjoyable watch!

The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

Solid Prequel of Iconic Series.

[8/10 · 6 February 2022]

The Many Saints of Newark was not well received by critics. Even though it seemed that they tried to squeeze a lot into the one episode, it was still really good stuff. Young Mr. Gandolfini was solid as was the plot. Young Dicky Moltosanti didn't completely grab me, adequate at best. Ray Liota was great in both roles.

In reality the IMDb score should probably be 7.2 or 7.3 but I gave it in a because of the Sopranos legacy. Well worth watching!