Friday, December 29, 2017

Movie review: MindGamers

 
 Quantum physics students discover how to configure a collective consciousness and quickly spread the technology in hopes of creating a better world. Instead the realize they are actually an experiment within an experiment.

Sam Neill (Kreutz), Tom Payne (Jaxon), Dominique Tipper (Maddie), Melia Kreiling (Stella), Antonia Campbell-Hughes (Agnes), Oliver Stark (Dylan), Predrag Bjelac (Mosca), Julian Bleach (Preacher).

MindGamers begins fairly well with some character introductions and initial plot setup. Once the students discover the means to create a collective consciousness things get more interesting. At the same time, a strange focus on unified field theory coupled with poorly done scene switching left us confused as to whether characters were in reality or virtual reality. The remainder of the film is a confusing mess that is simply frustrating.

Acting was decent but couldn't save us from plot confusion. Neill delivered fairly well as usual. Payne did nicely and continues to mature as an actor. Campbell-Hughes was interesting and added nicely to the film. Kreiling was interesting with a delivery that implied more to her character that never developed. The remainder of the cast was okay.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were pretty good and blended fairly well with CGI. Dialogue was mediocre and could have explained the plot better while providing better continuity. Sound and soundtrack were okay.

MindGamers ends up being something of a mixed bag. While the concept is interesting, the action good, and technical work nicely done, the convoluted plot is not delivered well. This one will likely be hit or miss with some liking it a lot and others feeling it lacks depth.

With some violence, foul language, and sexuality, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2017
Reviewed: 12.16.17
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Sci-Fi Thriller

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Movie review: The Fate of the Furious

 
 Toretto and his crew are back for more fast paced action in this latest franchise installment which takes them to Cuba, Iceland, and New York City to battle Cipher, a new nemesis.

Vin Diesel (Dom), Jason Statham (Deckard), Dwane Johnson (Hobbs), Michelle Rodriguez (Letty), Tyrese Gibson (Roman), Ludacris (Tej), Charlize Theron (Cipher), Kurt Russell (Mr. Nobody), Luke Evans (Owen).

The Fate of the Furious begins fairly well before settling into the plot for this episode in the franchise. Sadly, the plot is about as imaginative as a glass of water. Thankfully someone realized that two-thirds of the way through the film at which point a lot of nice cars and action were added and things started looking better. Of course, that joy was killed with a Happily Ever After ending that left us with a couple of cavities. Though I've been a fan of this franchise, this entry was simply ridiculous.

Acting just can't overcome a bad plot. Diesel, Statham, Johnson, really everyone in this one did well. Theron was fun and made a great nemesis. Gibson just gets funnier with each episode, and Russell proved he still has chops.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were good but overshadowed, like most of the film, by outlandish and unrealistic CGI. Action scenes were plentiful and intense. Dialogue was reasonably well done. Sound and soundtrack are solid.

Overall the franchise has lost the point on this one. The series was enjoyable when the things done with cars were (almost) believable, but with CGI creating things that are obviously impossible much of the joy has been lost.

With intense violence and some foul language, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2017
Reviewed: 12.15.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Action & Adventure, Crime Action

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Monday, December 25, 2017

Bill Burr: Why Do I Do This?

 
 Bill Burr offers his perspective on relationships, children, pornography, political correctness and alternative lifestyles.

Bill delivers the laughs once again, setting his sights on children, politics, relationships, and much more. Although a few years old, this special and Bill's humor is still timely and relevant. He does a nice job of hitting on some sensitive topics, like racism, with humor and class.

Bill's stage presence is good with facial expressions, body language, and movement adding a good deal to the show.

Technical work was good with nice framing, lighting, and sound.

The special seems to answer the question; Why Do I Do This? with every laugh and round of applause. Bill's logical, unashamed focus on some sensitive topics is enjoyable and delivers the laughs quite well.

With a fair amount of foul language, save this one for older mature teens and above.

Released: 2008
Reviewed: 12.13.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Comedy, Stand-up Comedy

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Friday, December 22, 2017

Movie review: War for the Planet of the Apes

 
 Finishing the trilogy, Caesar leads a fractured ape army against a well armed military with a ruthless leader. With heavy losses and the slavery of all apes looming close by, Caesar realizes he must be even more ruthless if he hopes to win the war.

Andy Serkis (Caesar), Woody Harrelson (The Colonel), Steve Zahn (Bad Ape), Karin Konoval (Maurice), Amiah Miller (Nova), Terry Notary (Rocket), Ty Olsson (Red Donkey), Michael Adamthwaite (Luca), Devyn Dalton (Cornelius).

War for the Planet of the Apes picks up fairly close to where the last film left off. We're almost immediately drawn into the battle between apes, humans, and the battles within both races as well. That also feels like where the film diverges from the original series, giving us something new along with a few disappointments. The remainder of the film is a nice mix of drama, action, emotion, and morality.

Acting was decent though CGI was so heavy emotional delivery frequently felt empty. Serkis does a nice job as Caesar. Harrelson was an enjoyable addition and delivered nicely throughout. Zahn was fun as always, while Konoval, Miller, Notary and the remainder of the cast supported well and added nice depth to the film.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were good and again, heavily blended with CGI. Action scenes and CGI was good with only some scenes feeling over-animated and fake. Dialogue was solid and moved things along. Sound and soundtrack are fitting with varied tracks.

War for the Planet of the Apes is an enjoyable finish to this reboot of the original franchise. While the storyline does diverge a bit, upgraded graphics compared to the original almost deserves forgiveness. Fans of the franchise should enjoy this entry.

This one includes quite a bit of violence, some mild foul language, and disturbing scenes but should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2017
Reviewed: 12.9.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi Action, Sci-Fi Drama, Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi Adventure

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Movie review: 1922

 
Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, in 1922 farmer Wilfred decides to kill his wife Arlette to keep her from selling the farm and breaking up their family. Convincing his son, Henry, to assist with the murder, Wilfred thinks things are over but in fact, it is just the beginning.

Thomas Jane (Wilfred), Molly Parker (Arlette), Dylan Schmid (Henry), Kaitlyn Bernard (Shannon), Neal McDonough (Harlan), Tanya Champoux (Sallie), Brian James (Sheriff Jones), Bob Frazer (Andrew).

1922 launches by showing us where Wilfred is now before walking us back in time to just before Arlette's murder. Recruiting his son Henry to help, Arlette is removed and the two expect things to get better. Instead guilt, and the potential haunting of Wilfred, lead to unexpected consequences. The remainder of the film follows along as Wilfred battles his emotional demons. At the same time the murder drives Henry to believe he is destined for a life of crime.

Acting was good with Jane delivering better than usual. Parker was good and worked well with Jane and others. Schmid was quite enjoyable with good delivery and emotion, as well as apparent chemistry with Bernard who also performed well. The remainder of the supporting cast was solid and did well.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds including natural scenery were fitting and had a nice, realistic feel. Action scenes were mild but solid. Dialogue moved things along and had reasonable depth. Sound and soundtrack were mild but appropriate.

1922 is an interesting story that didn't quite translate the emotion and energy to the big screen. That said, the film is enjoyable, holds interest well, and seems to follow the book in a reasonable manner. King fans should enjoy this one.

Including some mild sexuality, violence, gore, foul language, and disturbing scenes, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2017
Reviewed: 12.4.17
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror, Crime Drama, Drama based on a Book

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel

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