Scott Castle

I had watched and read some critics reviews of this movie which is what lead me to be interested in seeing it. Many, if not all, stated positive reviews and ventured toward it being a can't miss. I'm very surprised by this since they are critics I can generally trust. I thought this was going to be a more mature look at a love triangle, but it turned out to be about three bratty, selfish teenage acting adults. Basic premise: two friends meet Zendaya and both fall in love with her. They are all professional tennis players. The timeframe of the movie is when they are high school students up through around 30 years old. All 3 characters are not likeable. All have their narcissism fully in check and they obviously do not care about anyone but themselves. That would be okay with me had they not continuously acted like greedy brats and maybe the dialogue be a little more advanced. There's a lot of homo-erotic undertones within the film in regard to the two men, which brought about an interesting dynamic, but in the end, when it means absolutely nothing to the story then I have to question the reasoning. The two male leads have a kissing scene that looks so forced and awkward. What drove home my dislike were the final scenes of the movie (not that I was at all compelled prior). One, Zendaya & Josh O'Connor driving in a car, getting into a heated argument that looked and sounded like two 10 year olds fighting over sharing toys. There is nothing smart about the verbal insults and swearing thrown at each other. And at the end of it, everything they said to each other means absolutely nothing since they end up doing the exact thing they got in a fight about. The second was the final 10 minutes of the film when every shot is slow in slow motion. I mean lingering shots of legs, of faces, of tennis ball serves, every single shot is prolonged. It's supposed to add tension but it just feels so overly long and unnecessary. And then the final two shots just did not resonate with me at all (which I won't spoil). Two stars for the tennis matches themselves. All 3 actors look like they could be professional tennis players and most of those scenes were done well and brought some real intensity to the film. The music, when used correctly, also built tension. A pulsing, electronic beat set to the matches was a smart call. Although not so smart when it was just two people in a room together, which was done way too many times.

This was a disappointment. The acting was probably the worst part about it, but the dialogue comes in a close second. Followed by the fact that the majority of scenes that were supposed to be scary just weren't. I've never read the book or seen the TV miniseries so this was my first experience of it. What really disappoints me is that I know from his other books I've read that Stephen King does an excellent job when it comes to a large ensemble of characters and I could literally see how this movie could have been so much better than it was. I don't know who the director was but I'm going to say horror is not his strong suit. One screen that really stood out was when 3 characters are watching as a corpse SLOWLY turns into a vampire. There is so much time for them to run out the door and escape but instead they scream and yell and wait for it to attack them. And there is literally an EXIT sign clearly visible in the frame. What did I like to at least give it 2 stars? I liked the character Mark. An 11 year old who is the only character to have any common sense and the only bad ass of the bunch. There were some excellent shots/framing like when the main character is standing outside and all of the vampires are looking down on him. That at least had a creepy feeling to it that was lacking in so many other scenes. Also happy with the large body count and not knowing whos going to be next. And for the most part I did enjoy the last 20 minutes of the film. So the payoff was good. Not great, but good. One more complaint. It seems to me that the budget for this project was pretty decent. It's odd then that they didn't hire someone who could handle the job. I could understand if this was a real low budget film, but really...you can't find someone capable of fleshing out the source material and creating the right atmosphere? It makes sense this was released straight to MAX, but I feel someone at the studio should have been able to cast a director that could handle the job. It's a real missed opportunity.

I'm in many ways conflicted about this show. Neither extremely dreadful or extremely amazing, in the end it was worth watching even though I have so many issues with it. Even after reading a few reviewers, and agreeing with so much they were disgusted with, I found myself, in the end, glad to have watched it. Let's start with the bad: in my opinion the worst thing by far is the acting. Some of this I blame on the actors themselves. Amandla Stenberg acts like she is in a teenage rom-com who's mad at the high school cheerleader because she's been hitting on her boyfriend. In tone, facial expression and body movement, she does not seem to have the talent for serious acting. Especially in the near final end scene where she needs to show rage and it comes off as mild concentration. Lee Jung-jae as well. Yes, I get it, he learned to speak English for this part. Props for that. Not so much though for not being able to sound convincing. Ever. Others (Dafne Keen, Carrie Ann Moss, Rebecca Henderson) I think have the acting chops but aren't allowed to be real. This seems to be an ongoing trend that I believe Dave Feloni is responsible for. These characters (and let's go back to the Ashoka series as well) aren't allowed to show any type of emotion or emulate any kind of sensation/reaction/ feeling of any kind. What you get is stiff, cardboard acting. It's so disappointing because it should not feel that way and these are actors known for their abilities. Secondly, the look of the sets. Was there any outdoor scene that looked real enough that it didn't look like they were on a soundstage? There's been a lot of talk about the amount of money Disney threw at this show. Why does it look so cheap? Why does that little furry creature that sniffs out the bad guys look so perfect that you can't possibly believe it's a living thing? Thirdly, questionable decisions on character and world building. I understand the complexity of human nature and that not everything is black and white, but are we supposed to feel like the dark side aren't so bad and that Jedi are awful? In the end, it feels like that's what the show was trying to say, but you're treading on dangerous territory when you're speaking to an audience that has sunk 40 years into this IP and really don't want that twisted around when we're so far invested. Besides, this show is nowhere near adult enough (ie Andor) to be taken that seriously. Fourth, well. It just made some odd choices along the way. Little things that add up to alot. I don't want to get into them quite honestly, but read any film critic review who hated the show and you're bound to get an idea of what I mean. Five, I was not impressed with the first 3 episodes to be honest. One and two had some promise but still fell flat and three I was pretty bored with. So what I did like about the show was the story, overall. And that kind of sums it up. Watching the story unfold, even if not all episodes were fully entertaining. It was the execution I had trouble with. And I don't necessarily blame the show runner because I think she was trying to do something different. Again, I believe the higher ups, Feloni in particular. Also,the lightsaber fight scenes were pretty incredible most of the time. They felt fresh and exciting and it felt like it had been a while since I'd seen that. Didn't know I missed it, but I apparently did.

In today's Hollywood, it's not uncommon for a trailer to either be A) so long that it gives much of the movie away, or B) completely misleading. I was at first shocked at so many of the negative reviews, but as I thought about it, the trailer probably had many average movie goers thinking they were going to see a full on war movie. Which this is not. I'm a big enough movie buff that I will normally look into whatever movie I'm interested in. Today, there are so much misleading advertising that I no longer trust a preview alone. Plus, I'm well aware of A24's history with movies. Most of them, even the ones that are classified as horror, have some variant of it being thought provoking. Movies that aren't necessarily made for commercial, blockbuster status. I'm also a huge Alex Garland fan - of his movies and his novels (Ex Machina & Annihilation being on my top 50 of all time; Men, unfortunately, on my bottom 50). Anyway, going into this movie I already knew what to expect. This is not a typical war movie, there is no political agenda nor does it take any political sides. In fact, it deliberately avoids that. The journalists that we're following are used for that exact reason. They are a catalyst and the viewer is following them precisely because they are to remain neutral, as their job requires (maybe that in itself confused many people since today's media is so biased and therefore incomprehensible to so many people). Some specifics: who cares why Texas & California are allies, it was probably Garland being sly and screwing with people, but whatever the reason, it's not important. You go where the journalists go, you see what they see for the sake of what it may - realistically - look like if civil war breaks out. First 2/3 of the movie is them making it to their destination, a road trip. The last 1/3 is pretty much all out action and the most exciting part of the movie. Nice to know Garland can make an action movie if he wanted to. I was interested throughout and I really enjoyed the final 1/3. I did take issue with them just randomly taking a newbie with them, but at the same time the dynamic and her role in the film worked anyway. I also had one issue at the very end but I don't want to spoil anything. It may not be a movie I return to often, but it is one that I'm very glad to have seen and I do believe you can watch it, enjoy it, talk about it and maybe even learn from it.

I'm not understanding the love for this movie. Two main characters that are kinda unlikeable in my opinion. Granted, I am normally adverse to "romcom's", and at its heart, that's what this is. And if someone was to tell me it wasn't, then I'd argue then why it relies on ridiculous situations and tired troupes like almost every other one of them do. I'm stunned Richard Linklater wanted to make this film based on all his other amazing work. I thought he'd bring something new to the table, but sadly he did not. His name attached as director was the only reason I wanted to watch it. And maybe he thought the two main protagonists killing people was edgy and would be funny and that somehow the audience would fall in love with them as they do with each other. If this had been a dark comedy, I could have gotten on board, but it's not that edgy. Nor am I a fan of Glen Powell. I can see his star rising and I feel like anything he's attached to is something I'm not going to be interested in (based on what he's been in so far). Honestly, he looks like he was especially molded for Hollywood now that Tom Cruise is older and sticks with action films. One stars because it had its (albeit small) moments (I actually enjoyed the parts when he was a professor and talking to his students) and the two main characters did have chemistry. As much as I don't like these types of movies, or the actor, I do at least recognize they worked well with each other and were believable. Also, let me expand on review. I wasn't fully paying attention to the overall message while watching, but it seems to be, in a nutshell, be yourself...be daring...be adventurous! And what that boils down to in this movie is -if you're in love, don't worry about other people. Just take them out and live off your dead husbands insurance money. Such a powerful and positive message for everyone!

I didn't understand the fascination with this show. After watching it, I didn't truly believe a lot of it. I felt it was very contrived. Afterward I searched to get a better idea of how much was actually true and I couldn't find any real articles questioning it as I was. I hope we are not to a point where we've become so scared of "my truth" that no one dare question anything because I feel that the tweaks to make the story more interesting were probably big ones. I did not like the main character, especially for not evolving at all apparently. Up until the very last scene he seemingly has learned nothing. And I thought when Martha was shown onscreen, when talking, sounded smart, funny and witty which was the complete opposite of how her emails and texts read. I couldn't possibly believe that was the same person. And what exactly was the reason to visit the writer? To catch up? A friendly chat with an old friend? If there's no growth in the main characters arc, then what's the point? Having a breakdown on stage, coming to terms with your torment and finally understanding your pain but then go visit him shortly after just to say "hi"?!?! Netflix customers have a way of propping a show up that becomes a trend but this one is worth skipping.

I'm actually at a loss for words on how much I've enjoyed this miniseries. I've seen others use words like exquisite, mesmerizing, poignant, rich, etc. It's all those things and also a master class in storytelling and genuine, unique, and just so entertaining to watch. In the beginning I didn't know what to expect except I assumed there would be some huge war taking place, but a few episodes in, even though they kept hinting at it, I realized there was more going on here. I also considered a full on battle scene would probably not be in the F/X budget. It didn't matter; the political intrigue and the importance they put on character development and personal storylines really packed a gutwrenching punch in the last two episodes. This so far the best show I've seen in 2024. A must watch. Anna Sawai, yeah you deserve and Emmy. Cosmo (Cosmo 🤣😂) Jarvis...your take on how to play that character was just completely unique and engaging. Bring on more shows like this, please.

I was somewhat interested in the first three episodes even though there was serious problems with the pacing and the editing. Especially the first episode was so chopped together and so many different time jumps. Still, I was interested in Maya and her backstory as well as where it was going. But then the final 2 episodes just didn't have much of anything interesting happen. Especially the final episode. I wish I could say "literally" nothing happens, but there were actors and they are acting and moving around, so something is happening...just nothing of any interest or excitement. Besides, who could be afraid of Kingpin really as a threat? At one time he seemed menacing but now he's just an overweight d-bag. The supernatural elements of Maya's were completely unnecessary. The fight scenes were done well but there was so little of them and this was nowhere near as bloody as they promised it would be. I'm afraid of what they're going to do with Daredevil. Somewhere there is an interesting story that could have been told but this certainly was not it. And I'm shocked to see so many 5 star reviews. Maybe because it's a person with disabilities people feel the need to be nice, but with the shoddy craftsmanship like this series, it should not be applauded. Marvel should be called out for throwing another pile of 1/2 thought-out, subpar "entertainment" our way. Get your act together before your audience starts to abandon you.

Whenever there's a who-done-it I tend to watch til the end just because I think at least that will be entertaining. The pacing of this show is violently slow and the characters don't really hold your interest enough to keep it engaging. It's very easy to continually skip 20 seconds without losing any information. The first two eps I thought were pretty good even though they are rather slow too. I was intrigued and I liked the main character (although the intelligence on this girl seems to be off the charts with everything she's so good at). I think by ep 3 I started to wain. Turns out everything can be "hacked" and that is pretty much the cause of everything that happens. It's difficult to keep hearing that phrase and not consider the laziness of the script. The ending? Well, I felt it was a bit...corny, cheesy? It was definitely made with the idea that technology is going to ruin us all if in the wrong hands. I guess the idea was to bring the mystery/who-done-it genre into the tech world, but I felt it was just a little too simplistic and a bit laughable quite honestly. There's 2 killers...3 if you include the power of suggestion. And one of whom I thought was simply to cause shock. My recommendation is to skip it and watch a Hercule Poinot movie instead. Not as long as this series and much more clever.