Film Reviews by JD

Some times silly can be funny and ive found many silly films hilarious. But this just takes the silly too far. Laughs are few are far between and we were often left perplexed at what we were seeing.

It also highlights a talent like Leslie Neilson. Had he of been present much of the stupidity would of been channelled through his make anything funny gland. But alas, he wasnt present and we are left with a pretty bad attempt at funny.

We all know who JVCD is.... or do we. I rented this film after watching a comparison of his and Segals careers. Its turns out JVCD isnt just the cool martial artist doing the splits.

JVCD admits his failings and weaknesses and we dont get any martial arts scenes (just the odd scuffle)

We never hear this guy telling us how to think or vote and has no problem not taking himself to seriously. Even in a film about himself, he is no hero and he's not after an Oscar. Its grounding stuff.

He comes across as a real person and with it stands out as a unique and respected action hero.

And interestingly, even here - with Segal being mentioned many times. Not once does JVCD bad mouth him. Despite Segal always having a poke at him when he gets the chance.

I almost switched this off while enduring the awful first 30mins.

You have what appear to be superpowered girls defending there utopia from potential raiders (aka guys not living in a utopia) Its poor stuff which quickly has you rooting for the 'bad guys' while rolling your eyes at how silly everything is getting.

The film then blends into a far more mad max style middle section where we see 3 factions engaged in a basic economy and un easy truces.

Interestingly, our main character has almost no role here. She sort of disappears and the film is better for it. Its still a bit silly, but atleast its fun and has enough going on to distract.

Then we get the end. Our hero is back and with it a good dose of revenge. Of the sort usually saved for horror films. Traditionally a hero acts like a hero, where here we have the more modern approach of having the lead female show the nasty man who's boss in a rather extreme way. This time i did walk out and didnt watch the end, it was just childish morbid fantasy with our hero facing no risk of being beaten while riding through countless 'plot must continue' fantastical events.

Ill give it 3 stars as the middle section is ok, but the start feels like it was written by a 4 year old, and the end by a bitter 30 something singleton.

The acting and direction of this film are fantastic. A classic for the ages and another case of 'they dont make em like they used to'.

Does anyone actually rate this as there fav film ever? Possibly not. And when watched the whole plot is extremely fantastical.

And of course, how does it stack upto modern expectations? Yeh, it lacks a lot of what movie makers think a modern movie should be.

But it has to be said, this is a text book example of how to make an entertaining film. Its an utter masterpiece that will be revered in 50 years as it was 20 years ago, or today.

Its flaws are obvious, but they are compromises on the trip to brilliance. Without the compromises the film wouldn't be as great as it is.

I dont often give out 5 stars, and yes, this is not my fav film or possibly even in my top 5. But id never argue this films position at the top of most list.

Having watched all the GotG films and played the game thought id revisit what started it.

And indeed, this is great stuff and definatly worth watching again as little bits that passed me by originally i can now see and appreciate.

Its not a Cinematic masterpiece and falls down in many ways. But the characters, each with there different personalities and meaningful, tragic back stories bounce off each other superbly and if nothing else makes for a highly watchable and enjoyable experience.

Its Jack Black being Jack Black.

Its very silly. And i mean very silly. But even when its not funny it remains entertaining.

My Son also had a great question for me that i couldnt answer. Was this a true story of the formation of Tenacious D? I think we would all agree, yes, it probably is :)

I come to this as a car nut. And one who knows a fair bit about the history of motorsport - although little about the life or origins of Enzo and Ferrari

Origins would be hinted at, but not detailed which left even my non-car GF asking questions about how it got to this stage. The film is just a window into a specific, short time period which allows the film to focus on his personal life and a couple of racing and business events.

The film is mostly a personal drama. With a few cars and drivers, mostly setting up for a single event. Which in itself is interesting, but its not enough to warrant a 2 hour film about one of the most famous marques in history. Many key moments are dropped in clumsily and the impact will largely be missed by those who dont know automotive history, Fiat, Ferraris hatred of the kit cars, the driver dynamics etc are all mentioned but lack flesh. Only the Danger aspect gets any weight.

I get the feeling the film is trying to appeal to everyone. Drama for the girls and cars for the boys. In doing so it pleases nobody.

I couldnt help thinking a film about Chapman would be far more interesting. Much like Enzo in that he was a man of questionable morality, high Engineering skill and had a role in shaping motorsport and cars in general. But much more so on all counts! But of course the name wouldnt sell movies to the masses..... which takes us right round to the purpose of this film.

An awful cast of annoying and pointless characters. The Girl who's the key to everything (she doesnt actually do anything, but remains the key to everything!), a pink Godzilla (im guessing blue, or just his reguler dark green color wasnt diverse enough), a flying dentist in a brash shirt who can pull magical BS devices out of his rear end, a guy who's job is just to cause what the writers would class as amusment - to us bafflement and cringe. etc etc.

The CGI is extreme and bad. The plot, wait there is no plot.

As for Godzillas part, well he's not really needed and just shows his face to keep the fans happy. We all know an ape can now beat him easily which makes him fairly obsolete.

A truly horrific mess of a film on par with the recent aquaman film.

And what really makes you smart is the latest Godzilla film from Japan. It wipes the floor with this rubbish. Deploying a fantastic human story with the awesome backdrop of Godzilla

First up I will say this is oddly watchable. Putting aside the questionable inclusion of Ezra (he is just performing for the crowds entertainment here after all and what he does in his free time is for the police to deal with) its all fairly entertaining.

So why only 3 stars? Well, its a bit poo outside of being brainless entertainment.

It appears screenplay was done on the fly and nobody actually questioned making a coherent story and character arcs around the plot.

Things just happen and thats the film. Given the material this is a really bad effort. And i cant help but feel the only thing that held it up was the source material and turning its back on political messaging that has infested marvel.

I know this DC universe is now done, but this film really does show what a complete mess the franchise has been. How can a universe with a Michael Keaton Batman, a Henry Cavil Superman a Gal Gadot wonder woman fail so very very badly.

Just really bad.

Watched the flash the day before and that was rubbish - but at least it was watchable rubbish. This is bad even in a store full of bad.

And i know most 'super heros' dop this, but the way Aquaman just slaughters people without a care is a bit concerning.

Interesting concept, but there is probably a reason this hasnt been explored before.

Just take Jaws - we stand no chance so the film spends most of its time hinting at horror and has our actors absolutely staying as far from it as possible.

Just imagine if Brody decided to cut his arm and jump in the water, had a bit of a splash... then used his ninja skillz to avoid the legendry predator on its own turf. Using human smarts to out wit millions of years of sensory evolution. Yeh, BS.

Well, this film...... seems to make a big big break to our planets rules. In this film Lions do not have top tier hearing, smell or night vision. They do however have asbestos fur.

The ending was ok, setup and pay off and satisfying. Apart from the lack of giblets shall i say.

Its a film i felt to be drab, bland and awkward. But that might just be because Nic plays a drab, bland, awkward man. A man who lets face it is like a lot of us men.

The film seems to touch strongly on several issues. Marketing BS, Cancel culture, a mans fear of not taking action when needed (an interesting contrast to the other side of men who take action when they really shouldnt), the human desire to have some relevance, and the various ways people react to the impact dreams have on our emotions. There are other things in there to and it makes the film far more interesting than it appears on the surface.

I also liked the end where instead of doing the arty thing and being a complete let down, it simply reinforced where it had been heading and added some additional food for thought.

Im still not quite sure what to make of it all tho.

I loved this film as a kid, is was a proper gritty sci-fi of the like id never seen at the time.

Watching it again as an adult a few things stand out. First is i didnt realise Dan Obannon was behind the writing - which explains some of the top drawer sci-fi.

On the negative its dated. Unlike say Alien or the Thing which are better today than the day they were released - this film is dated. An not just the special effects.

And another thing is the twist on the vampire tale. Typically, Vampires are a fantasy for young women. As seen in the twilight saga. This flips it on its head and makes no excuses for being more of a male fantasy. Its weird at times, but its different!

All in, great stuff.

I found the film pretty entertaining, although wtf Keanu was doing in it I have no idea. Normally a film is worth watching thanks to his incredible dedication to his craft - but here he is mostly expected to act, which isnt his strongest suit. And it lets the film down.

Its bit naff and feels at times like its trying to re-tell an already told story........

Its ok tho, ive got no issues spending a couple of hours watching it. But flawed it is.