kmkraft Reviews

Wild America (1997)

Deserves to be Remade.

[2/10 · 19 February 2024]

The concept of this film is great. The execution showed promise in the first quarter. But, although this is "based on the real-life story of. Documentarian Marty Stouffer, some of the protagonists experiences revealed themselves to be entirely impossible or, at best, unrealistic. The characters additionally showed themselves to be either stupid or entirely thoughtless, which affected my sympathy for them. Beginning with their encounter with moose to their encounter with hibernating bears in a cave, I just guffawed at the ridiculousness of the situations. The terrible creature effects were somewhat forgivable given the time and budget. I just could not take this film seriously. It insulted my intelligence, quite frankly. As a filmmaker, I would be interested in seeing this movie remade. The plot and situation have a good foundation.

Breaking Surface (2020)

Edge-of-your-seat theiller

[7/10 · 26 October 2023]

I found myself very invested in the characters and the seemingly hopeless situation they found themselves in this film. The acting was great, the direction superb, the music evocative. If I have any complaints, it that the main character seemed irritatingly stupid sometimes and did not move with a much alacrity one might expect given the time sensitivity at hand. Also, I'm no diving expert, but I don't think anyone would have survived after the number of dives and ascents she made without safety stops. But still, a solid survival thriller.

The relationship between the two sisters could have been more rich, I think. They never discussed the near-fatal dive that occurred when they were young, even though the incident definitely defined the relationship between they two and their mother. I don't know...I thought they should have discussed it more. But it might just me me.

Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)

This could have been a decent film.

[4/10 · 7 May 2023]

The biggest thing wrong with this film to me was the unrelenting and unnecessary profanity throughout, as if the characters using F-bombs were the entire point of the dialog. Good grief!

The second thing was the overused device of the main character traumatized after some tragic past doing her job and experiencing flashbacks and presenting guilt-induced self-destructive behavior. How many times have we seen that in these kind of suspense adventure thrillers? And, of course, the young child at the heart of the danger, which, I suppose, isn't necessarily something to be avoided in this case.

There were a number of improbable incidences that seemed just thrown in to pad the script and add more excitement to what ends up being your average adventure thriller, and it's too bad. Angelina Jolie is no slouch. She deserved a better project. As it is, her role could have been played by any number of B actresses just as capably, and even Jolie herself adds nothing significant to a tired plot and script.

The Principle (2014)

A Documentary to Rock the Pillars of Big Bang Cosmological Dogma!

[10/10 · 18 September 2022]

THE PRINCIPLE does a great job in not only reintroducing the geocentric model as not only a perfectly legitimate one but one demonstrated by recent sky-mapping technology--much to the chagrin of cosmologists. What is tragic is when scientists, even when presented with evidence challenging their scientific dogma, continue to cling to their dogma and simply deny the evidence. Lawrence Kraus says, "It only looks like the Earth is in a special place in the universe. But it isn't." Because it can't be, right? That would fly in the face of the atheistic view of the universe that only "legitimate" cosmologist adhere to.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

C'mon, Guys!!!!

[4/10 · 11 June 2022]

Obi-Wan Kenobi suffers from two big problems. 1) As is the case with many of the Star Wars series and films, Kenobi's story is unnecessary. We already know his story and this series portends to fill in the missing years leading up to "A New Hope." Does anyone really care?

2) The impression I got from watching these first few episodes is that it's much ado about nothing, and because of that, there isn't much to grab hold of as far as substance.

It looks ok...for the most part. But the instances where it doesn't are jarring.

Ben Kenobi's powers have weakened, which doesn't inspire confidence from the outset. He's darned disappointing and even pathetic.

Third Sister tries to emerge as a competent villain but ends up becoming unintentionally comedic, and not in a good way.

I see comments on here about the actress portraying young Leia, Vivien Lyra Blair. She is actually a very good actress. It's the role of Leia herself that is sometimes cringe-worthy--and through no fault of Blair.

Now a few episodes into this highly-anticipated series, it is difficult to image this being an ultimate success.

Ms. Marvel (2022)

Ms. Marvel Confirmed My Suspicions

[4/10 · 11 June 2022]

Watching the first episode of Ms. Marvel confirmed my impressions of the trailer when it was released. I really like Iman Vellani. I haven't seen her in anything else, but she's very watchable with a pretty and repressive face and good comedic timing. But I really disliked the character of Kamala Khan. She has few redeeming qualities and just came off as childish and selfish. There was nothing about her that made me want to stay tuned to see where she went next. She seems downright shallow.

As for the production, the look of the film, while I appreciate the effort to be different, a lot of the gimmicks became annoying to me and did nothing to really compliment the story.

I can't imagine Ms. Marvel becoming better than it is now. And it seems unnecessary, unless one finds THE MARVELS to be an important addition to the Marvel universe, which, at this point, I don't. Ms. Marvel seems to be an underwhelming character at present.

Hanna (2019–2021)

Started Season 3...Disappointing!

[3/10 · 26 November 2021]

I actually had high hopes for the third season of Hanna. What I have discovered, as I am now halfway into episode 3, is that the creators have decided to resort to contrived, dumbed-down devices one can find in any dystopian novel for young adults. Hanna has somehow become stupid, making decisions her character never really would all for the sake of giving her a romantic interest that occurs with little provocation or thought. I've wanted to scream at my laptop as she makes predictable and careless choices that merely serve to put the people she's supposed to care about in needless danger. Her romance with this guy is eyerolling and without any good reason. Everything that I had hoped would make Hana stand out as an exceptional and compelling melodrama has been sacrificed to appeal to the teen audience, for which teens should be insulted.

The Cleaning Lady (2018)

Great Performances, but...

[5/10 · 2 November 2021]

I'll give high kudos to the performances in this movie, especially Rachel Alig, who totally disappears inside the deranged and nearly sympathetic character of Shelly. However, I felt that some of the sadism exhibited by Shelly was seemingly without motivation, which would have help and left a significant hole wo fill in. And the ending seemed as if the producer ran out of money before the film could be finished, offering no resolution and nothing satisfying to take away from the journey we were on. THE CLEANING LADY could have been a cut above the familiar psycho-friend subgenre but in the end squanders the opportunity given it .

Do You Know Me? (2009 TV Movie)

This Should Have Been a Decent Thriller, but...

[2/10 · 28 May 2021]

The premise is great and shows promise. That alone drew me to this film. The acting wasn't great, that was clear at the outset. But I held out hope. This was a high concept with a lot of potential. What resulted, however, was a poorly-executed, very weak, convoluted, misguided effort that doesn't justify its premise. I was really surprised at how bad this ended up being--so bad that I had to review it, which I don't normally do. So bad that I want to research the filmmakers to find out how this happened. There's just so much so wrong about this production.

Princess (I) (2014)

A Truly Perverse Film

[4/10 · 9 April 2021]

PRINCESS has to be one of the most perverse films I have ever seen. I can't even talk about it without wanting to retch.

I gave it four stars for the four main actors, who were outstanding, especially Shira Haas, who, amazingly enough, was 19(!!!) playing a 12-year-old entirely convincingly. Incredible. When I finally learned her birth date, I honestly didn't believe it at first. And what an incredible actress she is!!!

But the story, the themes, the situations depicted in this film make me wonder at the depravity of some people who would not only dream up such perversity but participate in making it.

I won't spoil anything. I'll just say that this film if for degenerates in my personal opinion. I would have turned it off halfway into it, if I didn't have a personal code of finishing what I start.

Hush Money (2017)

SPEAKING OUT ABOUT HUSH MONEY!!!

[10/10 · 2 March 2021]

HUSH MONEY has become one of my all-time favorite films. I just now finished it. I am surprised I had never heard about it before now. It's a rare occasion when the story, script, characters and actors all come together in an almost PERFECT combination--MY GOSH, this movie moved me. I was even in tears near the end, which hardly ever happens. This has to be one of the most underrated movies of all time. I don't know if it has won any awards, but it sure should have if it didn't. I'm about to research HUSH MONEY's stats after I submit this review.

The language IS rough, and there have been times when I have stopped viewing movies that are awash in F-bombs. But I stayed with this one and am glad I did. I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to be emotionally moved by a film. WOW!

Dickinson: I Have Never Seen 'Volcanoes' (2019) Season 1, Episode 2

DUMB

[1/10 · 17 January 2021]

This is a dumb-down period piece. It inserts contemporary dialog and a contemporary musical score in what ends up being simply a contemporary comedy with the actors simply playing dress-up in period clothing. I would think that a series presumably dedicated to the legacy of Emily Dickinson would have a little more respect for her.

Home of Mephibosheth (2017)

Winner: Best Feature-Length Documentary at ICFF!

[8/10 · 24 May 2019]

This gem won Best Feature-Length Documentary at this year's International Christian Film & Music Festival and it was well-deserved. Director Li invited me to her screening at the festival and I attended it with my son. The turnout was quite small with perhaps four of us attending by my estimation. Ms. Li met us outside the showing room and greeted us warmly. She sat and talked with us through an interpreter for a couple minutes before the showing and was followed was the chronicling of an amazing story of an amazing ministry, the Home of Mephibosheth which provided for children born with severe physical and/or developmental challenges, abandoned by their parents. This struck me personally, as one who worked in the past with adults similarly afflicted. I was moved to tears of both joy and sadness but nonetheless ultimately inspired. I really hope director Li finds distribution for this film. It's a story that needs to be shared with as many people as possible--especially given the anti-life climate growing around us. If there is any way for you to see Home of Mephibosheth, I strongly encourage you to do so.

Zoo (2015–2017)

Three seasons??? Seriously???

[3/10 · 3 March 2019]

OK, admittedly, I've only seen one and a half episodes to give a fully educated review of this series. But the fact that I didn't even make it through two entire episodes because it was less than impressive and not very well made or acted, makes we really wonder how or why ZOO has lasted one season, let alone two, going-on three. If I were to watch any more it would be out of sheer curiosity to how the producers pulled it off. The premise alone seems like a movie premise, not one that could be stretched out believably to suit a tv show. In fact, there have been such films in the past. So I've been scouring the internet trying to find reviews that explain it. I'm still looking.

David and Goliath (2015)

Top of my list...

[1/10 · 14 July 2018]

I loaned this from the library because it was referred to a few years ago in a tv news magazine as one of several faith-based films to anticipate. I hadn't heard about its release, so when I saw it at the library, I got it. I turned it on that weekend. I made it through five minutes before I had to turn it off. Had to. I told my kids about that and they decided to watch it themselves just to see how bad it could be. The night they did, I heard these uproarious blasts of laughter, and they finally came upstairs to tell me I had to watch "this one part." Reluctantly, I did. And I ended up watching a bit more, joining them in their laughter--it was so awfully made.

My son asked my recently what the worst movie I ever saw was and I couldn't think of any one film.

Until now.

This film could have been salvaged, perhaps, if they had added a cooky musical score and remarketed it as a comedy in the tradition of Monty Python.

Hidden Light (2018)

Aaron Kamp is a filmmaker is someone to watch!

[7/10 · 5 April 2018]

Aaron's Kamp's first feature-length film and inspirational drama, HIDDEN LIGHTS is refreshing on a number of level, which I really enjoyed and recommend highly. The film follows 3 men at a 'crisis of faith' point in their lives. There's Jovan - a former drug dealer / enforcer struggling in his new life as a Serbian Orthodox Priest who is being tempted back into his old ways. Then we have Jacob - a workaholic who tragically loses his wife and then sets himself on a path to take revenge on the man he holds responsible. And finally, Drago - a young drug dealer who receives some news that leads him to rethink the path he has chosen. Kamp's film lacks in budget, it makes up for in talent, particularly in the lead roles. Jack Jovcic, in the lead role of the troubled priest and former hatchet man for a drug lord, is as unobvious a leading man as they come. But he is REMARKABLE in this. I saw him in an earlier film, a short subject called THE ARTIFACT, as well as one other, LAKE OF FIRE in which he had the lead. I knew he was a find even then. He solidifies his abilities in HIDDEN LIGHT and I look forward to seeing him in more. I wish I could comment on all of the fine actors in this film! Director Kamp has a great eye and great film sense. I enjoyed watching it as much as I did getting involved in the story. This is a micro-budget movie-and I'm a fan of independent, limited-budget films. HIDDEN LIGHT proves that you don't need huge dollars to create a compelling story featuring good talent. It also reaffirms that faith-based filmmakers are a force to be reckoned with and can only hope that Christian millionaires and those with the means to do so will invest in the creation and marketing of more Christian films, with particular attention paid to filmmakers like Aaron Kamp, who is one to remember when film trends inevitably move away from CGI-laden, action fare to more meaningful, human films, and especially as the market for faith-based films continues to prove itself a lucrative market.