ztpbrmhw
Joined Apr 2024
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ztpbrmhw's rating
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ztpbrmhw's rating
To this film's detriment, fans of the MCU are either very familiar or casually familiar with the Falcon and Winter Soldier series. I did not follow the series, but as others have said, I could not help feel that this was a 2-hour "special edition" of the TV/streaming series. The storytelling was bland. There was the most minimal of subplotting - in a movie that was marketing itself as a heavily charged "political thriller" wherein conventionally in that genre there is extensive subplotting and conflicting threads and intrigue.
As someone that fastidiously avoids trailers and pre-press, I had no prior clue that the movie would rely on essentially a continuation of The Incredible Hulk movie from nearly 20 years ago - which hardly anyone remembers and which itself was only a mediocre movie. Similarly, perhaps gratifyingly, I had no clue the Red Hulk would be introduced nor was I aware that President Ross (Harrison Ford) would undergo the transformation - plot points that apparently had been revealed pre-release. Was anyone clamoring for this?
Let's face it, there's only so many ways the Falcon can fight and Captain America can fight - and what we saw here I guess was some hybrid of the two with the convenient addition of Vibranium to reinforce the wings.
Anytime a movie goes with extensive reshoots, stars are signed on but then replaced, or character scenes are shot (eg. Rosa Salazar) but then deleted, unfortunately those films never do well.
And is it me? But it was never fully explained how scores of people - from all over the government and military- were secured to the secret lab in the middle of nowhere and implanted with the killer mind triggers without them knowing about it.
All in all, I didn't find The Leader or Red Hulk that entertaining or compelling.
As someone that fastidiously avoids trailers and pre-press, I had no prior clue that the movie would rely on essentially a continuation of The Incredible Hulk movie from nearly 20 years ago - which hardly anyone remembers and which itself was only a mediocre movie. Similarly, perhaps gratifyingly, I had no clue the Red Hulk would be introduced nor was I aware that President Ross (Harrison Ford) would undergo the transformation - plot points that apparently had been revealed pre-release. Was anyone clamoring for this?
Let's face it, there's only so many ways the Falcon can fight and Captain America can fight - and what we saw here I guess was some hybrid of the two with the convenient addition of Vibranium to reinforce the wings.
Anytime a movie goes with extensive reshoots, stars are signed on but then replaced, or character scenes are shot (eg. Rosa Salazar) but then deleted, unfortunately those films never do well.
And is it me? But it was never fully explained how scores of people - from all over the government and military- were secured to the secret lab in the middle of nowhere and implanted with the killer mind triggers without them knowing about it.
All in all, I didn't find The Leader or Red Hulk that entertaining or compelling.
For a patently straight to streaming Hallmark-ish movie, I'm baffled why the producers felt a need to inject F-bombs liberally throughout the entire movie. This was not an "adult comedy" nor was it raunchy or sexy in any way. So the swearing - which would clearly have rendered the movie an R rating as a theatrical release - was needless for this movie which otherwise would have been a PG or PG-13 movie at best.
Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon were fun to watch together - and somehow you knew that by the end of this long-ish feeling flick they would probably end up together. The movie does indeed have its funny moments.
But I will say that after the wedding ceremonies I was ready for things to start wrapping up - but no, I checked the "time remaining" of the video and it said 45 minutes! And that was a long drawn out 45 minutes where really nothing impactful happened but a number of reflections and monologues and not the least romantic tension developing between Ferrell and Witherspoon. And, rightfully or wrongfully, they weren't even a full fledged couple by the end of the movie - seemingly only a "probable romance in the making."
As others have said, the movie mish mashes many of the same tropes of the wedding themed rom coms we've seen before. And, likewise, as others have said, when we see the cute duet at the end-credits, undoubtedly most viewers were saying to themself (as I did), "This might be the best part of the movie."
Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon were fun to watch together - and somehow you knew that by the end of this long-ish feeling flick they would probably end up together. The movie does indeed have its funny moments.
But I will say that after the wedding ceremonies I was ready for things to start wrapping up - but no, I checked the "time remaining" of the video and it said 45 minutes! And that was a long drawn out 45 minutes where really nothing impactful happened but a number of reflections and monologues and not the least romantic tension developing between Ferrell and Witherspoon. And, rightfully or wrongfully, they weren't even a full fledged couple by the end of the movie - seemingly only a "probable romance in the making."
As others have said, the movie mish mashes many of the same tropes of the wedding themed rom coms we've seen before. And, likewise, as others have said, when we see the cute duet at the end-credits, undoubtedly most viewers were saying to themself (as I did), "This might be the best part of the movie."
The trailer for this movie would have you believe this might be one of the most frightening unsettling movies you might see this year. Far from that, this was a movie not driven by the plot or plot points than by the filming technique or premise in which we view the entire movie through the eyes of the Presence through a series of particularly long - but well-crafted - takes.
The movie takes quite a while to develop. We know almost immediately that the Presence is present and doing Presence-y things. And these "clips", if you will, are presented in a Paranormal Activity style wherein you're simply witnessing what's happening in various rooms - if not following people all about the house.
I found myself marveling at the well-acted long takes more than any actual storytelling because, as I said earlier, there's not much plot there. That said, I guess it could be said, there is a mystery/ whodunnit aspect to things as we never quite feel we get the whole story and context surrounding Nadia's death. Further we are constrained by the fact that the entire movie takes place inside the house and what we know has to be parsed from random conversations among only a limited number of people. The film was reportedly shot over only 11 days on a shoe string budget of $2 million.
As an entry in the supernatural genre there is absolutely nothing new - and similar movies have been told much more grippingly and entertainingly from a conventional third person perspective. But I will give the film kudos for pulling off this unique "first-person" perspective.
The movie takes quite a while to develop. We know almost immediately that the Presence is present and doing Presence-y things. And these "clips", if you will, are presented in a Paranormal Activity style wherein you're simply witnessing what's happening in various rooms - if not following people all about the house.
I found myself marveling at the well-acted long takes more than any actual storytelling because, as I said earlier, there's not much plot there. That said, I guess it could be said, there is a mystery/ whodunnit aspect to things as we never quite feel we get the whole story and context surrounding Nadia's death. Further we are constrained by the fact that the entire movie takes place inside the house and what we know has to be parsed from random conversations among only a limited number of people. The film was reportedly shot over only 11 days on a shoe string budget of $2 million.
As an entry in the supernatural genre there is absolutely nothing new - and similar movies have been told much more grippingly and entertainingly from a conventional third person perspective. But I will give the film kudos for pulling off this unique "first-person" perspective.