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Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) in Movies

Jan 29, 2020

Hard Cake

The personal history of david copperfield really disappointed me especially after such a cracking trailer and while no means a bad film it just really wasnt a film I enjoyed. What I was expecting was a sharply written, quirky yet dry and playful adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel something similar to a yorgos lanthimos film like the favorite for instance but sadly I found this movie to be extreamly dull, uninteresting and severely lacking overall. I wouldnt say its necessarily bad however it all just felt very flat to me. Characters didnt feel believable, humour seemed forced and while david patel burts at the seemes constantly with energy the film around him didnt seem to follow along the same. Very interesting ideas are present here and the emphases is on life almost being like a stage play with people we meet being the characters in it. See everyone in life is unique and has their own distinctive traits/interesting stories and no matter what happenes in our lives neither one is no less meaningless or important than the other. This does come across brilliantly and shows the bad traits of human nature, see everyone is on the path to happiness its just what they do and who they exploit or how much they choose to lie to get there and achieve sucess is diffrent from person to person. Then on a positive side it also shows how we should all realise where we have come from, to be greatful for what we have, to let our creativity flow and to appreciate these characters that enter our lives and inspire/care for us. So heres where I feel conflicted as much as I like these great ideas I feel they they just aren't integrated well enough with the dull story or the forced comedy and sure the film is well made but to watch its just not exciting or that engaging and the characters all became forgettable once off screen just like when watching a sketch show. Failing to keep my intrest constantly made the runtime feel a drag too and by the time I left I struggled to remember much of what had just happened infront of me wishing I'd of just stayed home and watched Perfume or The Favorite instead in the warm. No doubt some will enjoy this but will they be talking about it in a month? I highly doubt it.

Kudos

Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Jojo Rabbit (2019) in Movies

Jan 6, 2020 (Updated Jan 6, 2020)

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

2019 | Comedy, Drama, War

8.0

(40 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

F*ck Off Hittler!

Jo Jo Rabbit while by no means a bad movie its just one that I think would of worked better as a short instead. Think Son Of Rambow meets Wes Anderson and Jo Jo sits somewhere in between, its not bad but its also not greatness either. Containing way more serious drama and a much darker tone than the trailer has you believe what I found most interesting of all were the bleakest parts of the story which hit home way more than the comedy side. I just felt the humour took away from the films more serious messages of manipulation and the mind poluting of the naive. A good job is done of showing how fragile, young and inocent minds are easily lead astray/influenced by propaganda, stories, lies, the spread of hatred and how the excitement of holding a weapon, fighting in a war or wearing a uniform almost takes away from the overall bigger picture for them as children. Most of these kids see probably grew up without a dad as a role model so seeing hittler praised by all, hearing cool fables about him and seeing him on tv/posters to them at that age is almost like how kids are today with superheros, then to think thats actually what probably happened sends chills up your spine in horror. Sadly these scenes are always dampened with comedy killing the impact of them for me and while I do get what type of film its going for I think id rather of just seen a movie on the darker stuff. Acting is great especially by the boy playing Jo Jo however accents do slip constantly all round again breaking the illusion. Couple this with a middle act that I really struggled with losing intrest frequently and looking at my watch. While it does have the heart and certainly the depth in places I cant help but feel really let down by this movie and sadly I left wanting more. Far too serious for teens and not serious enough for adults Jo Jo Rabbit is an alright watch with definitely a few good messages at its muddled heart 'love will always defeat hate' and 'even if you are ugly on skin you still can be lovely from within' so I guess its not all bad.

Kudos

Dale Lawson (13 KP) rated The Stranger in TV

Mar 1, 2020 (Updated Mar 1, 2020)

The Stranger

2020 | Crime, Drama, Thriller

7.5

(8 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Cliffhanger endings (1 more)

Mysterious plot twists

Shocking acting (2 more)

Incomplete plot

Character motivations

What started as an addictive watch, left me deflated...

This show has recently been released on Netflix and has a lot of buzz surrounding it. I was recommended it by three different people in the space of a few days. Even when I started to watch the series, I was quick to suggest it to friends. However, having finished the series and reflecting on the show, I wondered how I enjoyed it so much. It was full of plot holes, lost character motivations and had a selection of poor actors.

The premise of the show is that a stranger visits Richard Armitage’s character and unveils some unexpected and life changing news. As the series develops various crimes, including murder, end up being committed and they fuel a lot of the ‘twists’ or cliffhangers that end each episode.

These endings are what make the show enjoyable to watch, I think. They keep you wanting more. We watched three episodes in one evening because of the desire to ‘find out more’. Whilst the writers have done an excellent job in this regard and for the sub-plots, the content of each episode is often rushed, to progress the plot or just simply poorly written.

But it is the actors that let this show down the most; regularly, they are even laughable. The cast that play the children are extremely rough around the edges and provide much of the unintended humour. This said, the blame is not solely down to them. Many of the other supporting adult cast come across flat and dry, which is partly down to the poor writing.

Richard Armitage does the best he can with the script he has, yet it was good to see him on screen again after a large hiatus. The two main police officers also provide quality performances, and thankfully are on screen for much of the time to hold this show together. Stephen Rhea’s character is also very likeable for the first half of the story. It’s a shame to see a cast of strong actors struggling to provide quality performances.

With an ending that felt wrong and depressing, to the poorly acted episodes, The Stranger proves to be an addictive watch that leaves you feeling a little underwhelmed and deflated upon its conclusion.

Kudos

LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019) in Movies

Mar 7, 2020

To put it simply, if you're not too keen on anything related to Jay & Silent Bob or Kevin Smith, then this entry is not going to change your mind!

The first film from way back in 2001 was already loveably dumb enough. It's collision of immature humour, social commentary, slapstick silliness and plentiful references to past Kevin Smith projects leant it an awkward charm, and things are no different this time around, with exception of everyone involved looking older.

The plot revolves around the titular duo traveling to Hollywood to stop the reboot of a comic book film featuring characters based on their likenesses (literally the same plot as the first). Cue plenty of remarks about the state of cinema and the unstoppable geyser of reboots/remakes/re-imaginings, followed by an absurd road trip, and everything feels familiar and homely.

Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith are just as likable as they every have been as Jay & SB, and the supporting characters, lead by Smith's daughter Harley Quinn, are much the same (although they took a bit longer to grow on me).
There is a veritable plethora of cameos and Clerks call backs peppered throughout, including the likes of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Hemsworth, Joey Lauren Adams, Melissa Benoist, Val Kilmer, Jason Biggs, Robert Kirkman....the list goes on and on. None of these inclusions feel particularly forced, and everyone seems pretty willing to be a part of the silliness.

The script is a mixed bag of decent gags, meta lines (sometimes a bit too over the top, to the point of almost insulting the audience!), Kevin Smith talking a whole bunch of shit about himself and some genuinely touching moments. Seriously - towards the films climax, I genuinely fretted that i might let out a little sob...
The truth is, I grew up watching films like Clerks, Dogma, Mallrats etc, and whenever a new entry is put out, I remember just how much these niche comedies mean to me. Jay & Silent Bob Reboot fits right in there with the rest of them.

It's not perfect by any means, but this is a film that can pull off Chris Jericho playing a KKK leader, Redman and Method Man giving parenting, whilst still including a lip wobbling tribute to the late Stan Lee (a we'll know fan of Kevin Smith and his work). How can anyone not appreciate that!?