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Reviews
Le salaire de la peur (2024)
It's basically the french story "La Dynamite" with guns.
For almost anyone who studied french in high school in Quebec in the 80s one of the standard books was "La Dynamite" about driving a truck with unstable nitroglycerine across treacherous terrain and bumpy roads.
This is basically that but with guns and over acting.
Now Georges Arnaud wrote "Le Salaire de la peur" in 1950 so it's more likely that our "La Dynamite" was a copy of that, but it was amusing.
Beyond that, it's not a great film, mediocre at best, but it is mindless late night viewing. Maybe it was because the story was so familiar in general but everything about this movie was overly predictable.
Stardust (2020)
This was offensive to any fan of David Bowie.
I eagerly anticipated the release of this film, as I am an avid consumer of anything even remotely connected to David Bowie.
Regrettably, what unfolded on the screen can only be described as a cinematic disappointment (celluloid being a term of the past). It not only managed to offend dedicated Bowie enthusiasts but also fell short in delivering a compelling cinematic experience.
Johnny Flynn's portrayal was lackluster at best. Regardless of the fact that his appearance bore little resemblance to Bowie's, even if he were embodying a wholly fictional character, his performance left much to be desired.
The film itself trudged along, an arduous journey that proved to be quite the task to endure. Its pacing felt sluggish, and I found myself struggling to maintain interest.
When placed alongside the caliber of biopics dedicated to other musical legends like Elton John and Freddie Mercury, Stardust pales in comparison. Granted, it's an uneven juxtaposition, but even without considering that, the film's shortcomings remain glaringly apparent.
Night Court (2023)
I really wanted to like this but... what were they thinking?
As a fan of the previous show and someone who has seen they first two episodes ... the show is just not good.
But it could have been.
This was a rocky start at best and the writing kind of sucks.
I think the problem is that they tried to stay too true to the original show (right down to the set) when even the original wouldn't really work anymore.
Melissa Rauch is good but the writing of her character is just stupidly written and tries to establish WAY too much in the first 2 episodes.
Same with Larroquette. Is this really where a now 70ish Dan Fielding ended up? Really? I am not looking for anything intellectual here but at least something remotely realistic.
Many of the other characters are broad caricatures and the few stereotypes I imagine they could get past the censors.
They didn't even bother to update the sets.
On the whole this could have been a great show, with this cast, if it was approached in completely different way.
It would have been nice to see what the people behind something like Parks and Rec or Brooklyn 99, or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia could have done with it.
Werewolf by Night (2022)
Meh.
I can't help but think that there is a far better version of this "on the cutting room floor". What was ultimately produced is a glimpse into a possibly very interesting world.
I am not familiar with the source material (comics?) but if it wasn't decent I don't see this getting made.
The cast is good. The story is garbage but there seems to be a solid premise there. The fact that this is in black and white has it's appeal but it seems like a clumsy cliché.
Overall, the main blessing is that it is only an hour long and you can skip ahead in several sections that are overly prolonged to cut that down.
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
A solid popcorn action movie.
I am not sure why this movie is so underrated.
It borrows shamelessly from a traditionally male dominated genre but that's part of what's good about the film.
Kung Fu (2021)
Trying to be too many things at the same time.
There are several possibly good shows in here.
- A show about a prodigal daughter returning with a new life perspective.
- A race for the lost relics show with a supernatural element.
- a local street warrior show fighting crime.
Unfortunately, Kung Fu tries to be all of these and it just becomes very hard to give a damn. By the time episode 6 comes around it's all but unbearable.
The acting itself is passable but one suspects it's because of the ludicrous script and poor directing.
Save your time... There are better shows out there.