Author: Shawn

Last Knights (2015)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmtk4mdm3mtc4of5bml5banbnxkftztgwmtuxndm3nde-_v1_

This one was disappointing. It had the star power. The performances were okay. I generally like Clive Owen, and almost always like Morgan Freeman. But it just fell flat. I think the biggest problem was the writing. It sounded like someone wrote it for a freshman creative writing class. It’s basically a retelling of the Japanese tale of the 47 Ronin, but set in some fictitious time and place (that looks an awful lot like Medieval England, I guess), and whoever converted it has the knowledge of how knight-themed movies go, but that’s about all he/she has, as it was nothing but clichés of the genre, and really nothing new. Continue reading →

Kajaki (2014)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmtq5mjq2mju5nv5bml5banbnxkftztgwmzi2mzg5nje-_v1_sy1000_cr006741000_al_

aka Kilo Two Bravo

I love it when a movie surprises me. Because I didn’t read the description too closely, I went into this one thinking it was a horror film. As it turns out, it’s a surprisingly effective, taut thriller. Now when I say  “thriller,” I don’t mean “action” or “horror” or any of the other genres that thrillers are often confused (or blended) with. This is a very simple story—a unit of young British soldiers are stationed in Afghanistan, guarding the Kajaki Dam. Two of them leave their post to set up a sniper’s nest to cover some suspicious locals who may be Taliban. Continue reading →

Stop the Pounding Heart (2013)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

40x60_STPH_MECHANICAL.indd

I don’t really know what to make of this film, honestly. I found myself absorbed in it, but I think I would be hard pressed to recommend it to the general viewer, or even explain WHY I was so absorbed. It feels like a documentary, but also like a scripted film. There are no “characters,” per se. All those in the film appear as themselves, but at the same time, they seem to behave so naturally, as though they aren’t even aware of the presence of the camera. If they’re acting, they’re as good as any actor out there. It gives the film this amazing ring of honesty and purity, with no intrusion by the director, which lately seems rare among documentaries. Continue reading →

Dates and Such

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

Just a quick note: I’m copying over as many old reviews as I can from my Facebook feed (and my notes I used to write those), so I may be using dates and phrases (e.g. “this year”) from those posts, which might not always make sense today. The scores from IMDB also may have changed since the original posting.

Don’t Blink (2014)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bnzixnzixmdixov5bml5banbnxkftztgwnduznjm1mje-_v1_

Another film that surprised me. I expected a slap-dash, made-for-tv, paint-by-numbers horror film. After all, it stars Brian Austin Green, and the guy who I always refer to as “the dude who played Christopher Titus’ stupid brother” (Zack Ward). But although the story did have a “made for TV” vibe about it, the overall quality was pretty good. Ward was a little over the top, but from him, we can buy it. He does “crazy” well. Green and the others did a good job. I liked him in the Fox show “The Sarah Conner Chronicles,” too, so I guess he’s slowly been converting me. Good for him. The others are solid, especially Joanne Kelly as Claire. Continue reading →

The Man Who Saved the World (2014)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmjqwody5nze0n15bml5banbnxkftztgwmzk1mdy4mje-_v1_sy1000_sx675_al_

Can one man truly make a difference? After watching this film, I think your answer has to be “yes.” It’s about Stanislav Petrov. What? You’ve never heard of him?! Well, don’t worry; unless you’re a student of Cold War history, you probably wouldn’t have. But take my word for it—many of us are here today thanks to a single decision made by this man. A single, incredible, almost inconceivable decision. Continue reading →

Scienceless Fiction (2014)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

(No IMDB poster available)

You think you may have seen the worst movie you will ever see in your life. And then you find out you’re wrong. This film is the worst most vile piece of filth that I’ve ever seen. I’m not kidding. I wouldn’t even have reviewed it, except that I kind of feel a duty to make sure that nobody ever, ever, EVER sees it.  I know that there’s probably a couple of you out there, thinking “well, now I’ve GOT to see it, just to see how bad it is!” Please don’t. Again, I’m not kidding. Continue reading →

Aloha (2015)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmtg4mjc0nte1nv5bml5banbnxkftztgwnzcwntq3nte-_v1_sy1000_cr006401000_al_

I was prepared not to like this one, but as it turned out, it was a decent watch. A lot of the negativity I had heard had to do with Emma Stone’s character, Allison Ng, who is one-quarter Hawaiian. Some people were up in arms that a little white girl was playing a Hawaiian. How dare she?! Of course, there is no “real” Allison Ng (the character was based on someone director Cameron Crowe knew. A redhead, no less), Continue reading →