Tag Archives: Drama

Scrooge Review

Posted on by
2


It’s time for one of the original Christmas Carol adaptions. This was definitely a classic and while you can feel its age, it’s always impressive to still see it handle all of the story elements from the newer versions. Sure, it may have to go through some of them rather quickly but you definitely get the point of it. I would probably not put it ahead of any of the other versions that I’ve seen but any fan of the story should definitely get a kick out of this one.

The story starts with Scrooge being rather stingy as always and not even letting his partner Bob put some wood into the fire in peace. Scrooge wants to save every penny and that is how he has built his wealth over the years. A penny saved is a penny earned and all of that. Sure enough, it is a motto that works but he takes it to the extreme. He even declines to go to his nephew’s Christmas dinner and instead heads home. That proves to be a mistake as a ghost shows up and explains that Scrooge is about to be haunted and guilt tripped by 3 ghosts. Scrooge will either be convinced to walk a lighter path by the end of this, or his future will be looking bleak.

Scrooge honestly doesn’t put up a ton of resistance in this one I’d say. I think it’s the way the movie is approaching this where Scrooge is more of a harmless cynic as opposed to being a downright antagonist. Once the ghosts show him the error of his ways and rub his nose in it, Scrooge very quickly sees the light and works on being a better person. It’s a very quick turnaround time but it makes sense when you consider that he isn’t actively resisting the ghosts as much. It’s not like Scrooged where he is as corrupt as possible after all.

Scrooge definitely lost a whole lot over the years in trying to build his riches. It’s not something that comes without a price after all. In the end he blames himself the hardest for Tiny Tim and that’s definitely valid. When you’re rich, it’s not like you suddenly have a huge obligation to take care of everyone in your family. It’s not like I fault him for their being poor completely but at the same time he could have helped out in little ways over the years. Perhaps in running his business a little more fairly. At least the guy had a consistent approach to everyone and wasn’t just picking on a few people.

Keeping all the money was just what he did. The ghosts aren’t as fantastical as they would start to be in later films. They all have a little charisma but the personalities weren’t yet set in stone. In later adaptions the ghost of the future is always absolute horror fodder as he shows up in a crazy cloak and looks more and more demonic as the years go by. In this case he is marginally scarier than the others but it’s not by a great deal or anything like that. Scrooge is probably more scared of all the random people looting his house after death. No respect for the recently departed around here!

The writing is solid as always. Scrooge may not be a nice guy but he’s a well written character as are the others. The heroes try to keep a cheerful face on even when things are hard and so the whole thing comes together well. At its core the Christmas Carol is always a story of optimism and how anybody can be changed. It’s a fun story to watch around Christmas time in all of its different adaptions.

The film is fairly short and direct so there really isn’t a whole lot more to say about the film though. I thought Bob was a solid character who may be a little timid, but he puts up with everything that he can in order to provide for his family. It takes a lot sometimes to not fire back at the boss when he’s being crazy but you know you need the job. Then Fred was definitely a solid character for trying to keep on inviting Scrooge to things long after he has probably been turned down hundreds and hundreds of times in the past. Nobody would have blamed him if he’d given up long before that.

Scrooge was really lucky to be surrounded by so many good people if you think about it. In another setting things could have been tough for him even after the ghosts had rehabilitated the guy. It’s hard to just start fresh when you’ve completely alienated everyone around you after all. It’s not like anyone ever owes you a second chance inherently. You have to have someone willing to talk to you first and so Fred really came in clutch there.

Overall, Scrooge is a pretty good story. Admittedly there is little reason to watch this version over the newer ones since they have consistently improved more and more as the years have gone by. I really liked an animated one that came out in the late 2000s and for live action it’s hard to go away from Scrooged. Still, as this is one of the original ones, it’s playing the story straight without all of the flourishes and new directions. it can be good to remember what the baseline is here as opposed to all of the modern renditions. So if you are really curious how it played out then this is a good film to watch.

Overall 6/10

The Cheaters Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for a film about the dangers of rampant greed. Pretty much everyone in this film is either trying for money or status. Just about none of the characters are all that likable which can work out well enough for a comedic film where everyone is getting wrecked. I would say it definitely does work in this instance. The characters are all obnoxious but not outright malicious or anything like that. That’s the line you want to be careful about crossing after all and the film does a really good job on this one.

The film starts off with James being reminded that he is super broke to the point of being near bankruptcy. What had once been a vast empire of wealth has been absolutely squandered. He really did a terrible job of utilizing his assets and was too showy about buying everything. He has one chance though, a rich relative is dying and so he might be able to get a lot of money. The family is super stoked but then it turns out he has given the money away to a random girl he saw at a show once. If she can’t be located, then the family will get all of the money so they must ensure that this “Florie” character never hear about the news. That…or they could find her first to keep her in the dark.

The latter seems like an absolutely terrible idea so naturally that’s what they go with. If you ask me, that’s just a bit weird and will give her the idea that something is up. How many people actually pay attention to the newspaper right? I think if James and the others hadn’t actually done anything then this film could have played out very differently, but again that’s where the greed comes into play. They just stretched themselves a little too thin and ultimately that came back to bite them.

One big story element that intertwines with this is that Therese wants to impress her boyfriend by taking care of a poor soul for Christmas. This is apparently something that is used as a bragging chip to an extent. All the rich people are doing it, or at least so she says. So she brings in Anthony, a washed up actor who has serious drinking issues and he will stay with them for a little while. The tricky thing about this is the guy doesn’t move around much so they all tend to forget about him and he ends up overhearing a lot of juicy information. He is now a potential liability so they have to be careful or he will wreck the whole thing for them. Can they really stop him though?

Now as far as this plot goes, my hot take is it’s still good that they brought him in. Even if it was for completely selfish reasons and they didn’t do it out of the goodness of their hearts, it barely matters to me. For example, lets say someone donate a million dollars to a local orphanage and you later find out it was because they desperately needed the tax break it would get them. Well…the kids still got the money so I don’t mind that the rich person benefited from it. At the end of the day, if you do a good action, I’m glad to see it even if the action itself was not heartfelt. Obviously if it’s a scam and the orphanage did not benefit then that’s a whole other issue.

So Anthony has a nice house now and a place to rest. I would argue that this is really all that matters in the long run. Anthony isn’t the greatest character either as he is dealing with his own issues but he definitely has more of a conscience than the other characters. He was doing his best to make sure that Florie wasn’t totally left out to dry although it took him a long time to really make a final decision. Also he continues to be drunk for a long while and I was hoping he would really beat that addiction during the movie.

The writing is really what makes this film entertaining. The story itself isn’t necessarily exciting on its own but it’s fun to watch this group of amateurs try to succeed in their big plot. It’s clearly over their heads in a big way but they continue to try regardless. James has that complete confidence yet paranoia that makes for a good combination. He’s good at bluffing but definitely panics when it doesn’t work. Therese is a little too eager for outside approval the whole time and uses deceptions to try and make herself ready. That’s also not a good way to go about things.

Stephen is pretty direct about not trusting Anthony from the start so I appreciate that. He basically said out loud what the rest of the characters were thinking. Anthony was a solid wild card to throw some tension into the mix. I also liked Florie for that role, especially as she got a solid twist early on. I also think the whole idea of the uncle giving all of his vast fortune to a random show girl he met over his own family speaks volumes to the family themselves. You definitely shouldn’t take for granted if the money is coming to you or not when someone passes away. That will always be a true wild card after all right until the end.

The ending wasn’t particularly satisfying even if they were trying for an uplifting message there. It’s completely not the direction I would have taken the movie but it’s not like it wrecked everything or anything like that. It may not have been where I wanted the movie to go but it’s not particularly egregious. Just expect to shake your head the whole time.

Overall, The Cheaters is one of those films where the main characters get off pretty easy. Sure, they may not have hurt anyone directly but they were effectively trying to steal millions of dollars and especially back in the day that was a ton of money. I don’t think they really deserved to get any of the money at the end. Apologies are all well and good but it was a little late by that point. I think they should have just vowed to do better with their money. After all, did they actually learn anything by the time the film was over? I’m not sure that they did and that’s definitely a real problem here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to pull this kind of stunt again. Actually that would have made for a funny ending even if it might be contrived to have someone else dying.

Overall 7/10

Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time to jump back into the world of the rankings. The first season was fun with a lot going on and some pretty dynamic fights. The cast may not be the strongest but the show still holds its own. That said, this one is more like a mini season so that does put it in a bit of a tricky place right out of the gate. Could the season win without a big story? Well, I found it fun enough so I would say it was still good. The first season definitely wins without a doubt but at least since we know the characters by now, they were able to hold their own stories without too much trouble. The 10 episodes definitely go by real quickly so in a lot of ways this really does feel like a mini season even aside from the story.

I’ll jump into each segment and talk about them so you get a feel for the stories. That’s always the most enjoyable way to review an anthology after all and it gets you right into the thick of things! The only exception to this is the final episode where it actually continues the story and works like a preview of what the next full season will be like. I thought that was a real interesting touch so I was glad to see that. It ends the season off on a really strong note which is definitely what you’re looking for here.

The first short in the series shows us once again why Kage is such a great character. He’s looking for an herb that he needs for Boji’s mentor and yet he can’t help but stop to assist an old lady who needs him. He performs each and every chore even while he is super busy and you have to acknowledge his good strength of heart here. Ultimately the good deed pays for itself and things work out but he was willing to help out with no reward which is always good. He’s definitely one of the most heroic characters.

In the next story we had Boji and Kage get tasked to raise a ton of money. They come up with a genius plan to have people try to throw rocks at Boji and he needed to dodge. They racked up a lot of money this way but ultimately needed to give most of it away to a poor kid who needed their help. Another instance of Boji and Kage being good heroes here so I can appreciate that. The town’s not in the best shape so I imagine that a lot of people there are in a rough spot. Hopefully they can keep helping everyone out, one spot at a time.

After that we get to see how their heroism can sometimes put them in dicey situations. They didn’t realize that a bunch of bandits were villains and just thought they were people down on their luck. Kage and Boji got suckered rather easily but at least they are strong enough where they can win the fights without any trouble. So ultimately that helps to reduce the damage from all of this. I can’t blame them too hard for being super kind hearted when they have the power to get out of a jam on their own after all. It’s a nice enough story and we got some action in this time.

We also had a short involving a desert but the tough part about having 3 shorts in one episode instead of 2 is that one will really get the shaft. That was the case here as there wasn’t much time for anything. We had a nice feels moment with the monster but that’s about it. I would probably consider this to be the weakest short in the season. There just isn’t much to absorb or talk about here.

After that was a fun one though as Hiling is getting ready to mount a counterattack to take back the kingdom. So she heads off and finds out of her friends. So the friend agrees to help if Hilling saves the day first. It’s a nice team up and this is also a good place to mention to you that the setting of the episode changes each time. So some take place at the end of the series, some before the series, etc. So definitely something to really keep in mind here. Obviously this plot would not make sense if Boji was already the king. It was good to see Hilling as the main character, she tends to be fun.

We also have a short special with Daida learning some basic healing magic and helping Boji out when the lead gets hurt. You can tell it’s not going to be Daida’s forte so I wouldn’t expect to see him doing anything crazy with healing in the future but every bit certainly helps. This one felt fairly short, not a whole lot is going on here. So it’s not bad, but won’t hook your interest particularly well next to some of the other episodes.

Then we get one about Ouken and the Desha/Despa brothers. We already saw a lot of this in the main series so this is really a way to expand upon it a bit. They each got super abilities from their father but they aren’t perfectly balanced. One of them is immortal, one has super strength/magic, and I forget what the final one has. Maybe intelligence? He’s not really a fighter but is a good teacher. Either way I always like seeing the Underworld, it’s established pretty well in the series and always makes for a good episode.

The next one actually continues the plot in a lot of ways. Ouken’s friend Fren decides to search for a cure to the immortality and goes on a whole quest. He takes on a lot of dangers and threats as he searches for a lead. Ultimately he is able to get some intel which will set up the cure/next steps for a future arc. Fren was definitely loyal and you always want someone like that in order to have your back during a pinch. So this was another fun one.

We have another weak one coming up sadly. In this one, the horse that Despa owns has gotten really fat. So the mission is to have him lose weight and this starts to work when the horse sees a girl horse that he likes. Unfortunately for him it turns out that she already has someone. The guy is absolutely crushed and gains all of the weight back. It’s why if you are going to change something or set a personal goal, it needs to be for you. Otherwise you will inevitably get disheartened at some point and will lose all progress. You can’t let it get to that point so the ending is actually a rather sad one. It also just feels like straight up filler since the episode ends as it started so they could have done more here or had a better message.

After that is an origin episode for Hokuro. Hokuro really wanted to be a knight. Someone who would be able to watch over Boji and keep the kingdom safe. Unfortunately he isn’t very strong but the guy does know sign language which ends up helping him out. Without that you know that Hokuro would have been tossed out, so his instincts of wanting to be able to communicate with Boji were good ones. Ultimately he did as well as he could, but personally I would not have recommended him to be a soldier. He has a good story of course but there is not much point in a soldier who cannot protect his king.

Then we have two shorts that don’t have a ton of plot but are excuses to really see what is going on in the kingdom. We have one where Boji helps out a lot of different people while he still misses Kage. Life just isn’t the same on his own. Boji is a king though and I want to say that the point is that he still continues to help people and fulfills his duties rather than running out of the kingdom on a wild goose chase to find his friend. Meanwhile Daida’s short is rather similar. He is working to rebuild the kingdom but a lot of people still don’t trust him. He was just too evil and possessed for too long. So he takes it slow and in the meantime continues training with the Big 4. So he’s doing his best but it’s just a long road.

We get a story about how Bebin trained hard so that he wouldn’t be so much weaker than the other members of the big 4. He had good technique but completely lacked power and so as he got desperate he would make more and more mistakes that would really come back to bite him. It definitely put him in quite the tough bind but ultimately he got better at using his techniques after some formal training. I still don’ really see him beating any of the other members of the Big 4 but at least now it’s definitely a lot closer. He certainly made a lot of progress.

My favorite short in the series was definitely when the Big 4 are challenged to a game of arm wrestling. It should be an easy thing for them and yet they are getting absolutely dominated for most of the episode. It’s pretty crazy especially because there weren’t any big gimmicks here. Yes, the guy they were fighting was a master of the craft and knew how to use his leverage but at the end of the day it was still his strength that was proving to be superior. It was extremely impressive the whole time. I was glad that the heroes finally started working together but the Big 4 definitely did lose a good amount of hype here. This short easily had the most amount of hype behind it.

We get a story Kage’s mom and how she raised Kage right. He used to get picked on by the local kids and everything but instead of worrying about that, he still just had a good time. When villains would attack, Kage ended up saving them. He’s definitely someone you can count on in a pinch and he has certainly saved Boji many times at this point. It’s a nice little short even if it does make the town look rather mean and corrupt as always.

King Bosse gets a segment to go more in depth on his having Boji. We already saw part of this in the show but this way it’s a little extended. He has to fight off all kinds of enemies but in the back of his head he still knows his own guilt. At the end of the day, he made a deal that was not worth it and has been paying ever since. He would only get worse as the series went on unfortunately. I still don’t like King Bosse and probably never will with how drastic he got. At best you could say that he is a very imposing villain with his high levels of raw power and all but in the end this isn’t going to be enough to start rehabilitating his overall character. The guy doesn’t really get any sympathy from me.

Miranjo had a segment with her as a kid running around with the kid demon. The little thing was real afraid of her back then but since she was a kid i’s not like she could totally tell and so she chased him for a while. It’s a nice look at things before she got ultra depressed with everything going really badly for her. A lot of characters here had pretty tough backgrounds which definitely do not excuse their later actions but at least it’s nice to see some happy times occurred.

The final segment is about Boji giving some gifts to all of his friends. It’s a pretty solid way to end the season since it ties into the treasure chest and everything. You get to say your final goodbyes to all of the characters as well which is nice. Of course this wouldn’t literally be the last episode but in a way it’s the last episode of the arc so either way it works out pretty well. It’s a low key episode of course but it’s nice seeing all of the characters again. It could be a while before we see any of them again.

Now like I said this brings us to the final episode where things get real intense. The next #1 king has been chosen at last but of course we know that things never go well for the top king. He always seems to vanish. So why even go through with the process? Well, Desha is still trying to cure the curse of immortality on his brother and so this is a risk he has to take. We get to wrap up that plotline here and in general the episode feels rather fast paced. It keeps up some mysteries to be sure but you know this will be a pretty interesting plot that’s going to keep on going. The gods may feel a bit nerfed right now but I suppose we can assume that this was the weakest one or something like that. You always feel like King Bosse should be the only one able to take these guys out.

The heroes may regret not asking for help from Boji and Daida but I get why they wouldn’t want to be asking the kingdom for help every time something happens. They need to be able to hold their own in a pinch after all and that’s completely valid. Desha is also no slouch in the power department, he looked really good in season 1 after all so it’s not like you would assume that he could be defeated. Power itself doesn’t seem to be much of a counter for the price of the king’s reward but in the back of your head you would probably feel pretty secure about the whole thing.

The animation for the show is okay. It’s certainly below average compared to most titles but we do get one solid looking fight in the very final episode. More of a quick cut than the full fight but close enough. The show has always gone for an intentionally simplified look and I’m not the biggest fan of it but it could still work for those fights. We just need more movement and everything here along with some nice/colorful special abilities.

As for the soundtrack the tunes are basically the same as in season 1. They’re not super dynamic but they’re okay. They feel nostalgic while watching the show at least. Nothing that I would be likely to Youtube afterwards or anything like that though. The theme song could definitely stand to be a lot more exciting though. It’s all just so mellow and everything. I want the theme song to embrace more of how crazy the show can be with demons and gods running around. It may not be the tone the show is totally going for but I think it would work well.

Right now the technical elements aren’t doing a whole lot to back up the show itself and that’s what has got to change here. Lets pump the show up with a bit more hype. The world building is already there after all, we just need to make it all a lot more hype. This is more of a wishlist for season 2 at this point I suppose. Nothing wrong with just being a good show of course, but I know this could be a great show.

Overall, The treasures season was fun enough. There may not be much stakes or plot progression for most of the season but the stories themselves were solid enough to hold your attention. So I didn’t have any real complaints here. I think it went about as far as it could with this format and not being able to jump far ahead just yet. Fans of the first season should check this out to see all of the old characters again while people who have not jumped into the franchise just yet will not really have any reason to do so. This is really an experience for the fans compared to season 1 which is easier for everyone to just jump into. Hopefully the actual season 2 comes sooner than later.

Overall 6/10

The Asphalt Jungle Review

Posted on by
Reply


Now it’s time for a pretty fun noir title. It’s definitely got its share of intrigue, drama, and emotional beats. So on the whole it’s really the definition of being an all around complete title. I tend to enjoy heist films like this that have a lot of story and planning going on in the background. You can bet that none of the characters can afford to let their guards down for even a moment or it’s all over.

The movie starts by introducing us to Doc who has finally left jail. He was there for a long time but now he is free to terrorize the world once more. He doesn’t do this with violence though, instead he goes and uses his wits. So he’s got a full proof plan to rob a bank and make 500K but he needs a team to do this and someone to come up with the funds. He meets up with a guy called Cobby who knows a rich guy named Alonzo. Alonzo says he can handle the money part but Doc doesn’t trust him. So Doc asks Dix, to keep an eye out as he’s the only one that can really be trusted. Dix is the strong man of the group and assures Doc that nobody will be messing with his future money. Now it’s time for the crew to try and strike it rich, but do they have what it takes?

In a lot of ways this might be the easiest heist for a heist film. I wouldn’t say the villains ever have any real resistance. For the most part they are really only having to worry about each other which is definitely one of the risks of being a common crook like that. They don’t exactly have the strongest set of morals and ethics right? So it’s not surprising when everything begins to crumble around them. In fact, you could even argue that it’s probably expected. They’ve all got issues after all.

Alonzo is actually dirt poor and right now he’s cheating on his wife with someone else. The guy is morally bankrupt and desperate which is a really dangerous combination. When you’ve got both of those things lined up, it definitely means that he can’t be trusted. Obviously I have no real sympathy for the guy. I mean all of these villains are crooks but this guy is definitely the worst of the bunch. He’s confident but doesn’t really have any skill of his own which is why he’s broke.

Then we have Cobby who talks a good game but only when the others have their backs turned. This guy isn’t confident in the slightest and definitely folds when the pressure is on. It was fun to see the crooked cop show up and take him out. It was interesting the way the movie presented the cop. Yes, he turned to the dark side for money and definitely made the wrong choices but ultimately he went straight once enough heat was on him. The whole ending has a speech about this as there may be a few bad cops around but the majority are still out on the beat stopping crooks every day. I thought it was an effective illustration on scale there. This cop wasn’t out murdering anybody either, he was basically not taking a law that he disagreed with all that seriously.

Still a bad thing without a doubt, yet a cut different than the hardened criminals all around him. As for Doc, I actually liked him for most of the movie. He kept his cool and always had a plan no matter what was coming up. This was a guy who could not be cornered too easily and had experience. It’s why his ending makes no real sense. I just don’t get the logic here at all of how he would take such a risk. Surely he would have the self control to wait to do anything that might delay him until he was out of the state? It all just felt like a big stretch. The film was probably going for some kind of irony or message but I wasn’t buying it. It was a weak way to get him out of there.

Then you have Dix who in a way felt like the main character. He’s a very prideful guy who takes no disrespect from anybody. He’s also honorable in his own way. The guy made a lot of bad choices and is absolutely a villain yet he doesn’t have a lot of malice like the others. He has nightmares about his past with the horses and is definitely going crazy but you feel like with the right circumstances he could be okay. Ultimately these were not the right circumstances but he did have a great shootout with Bob.

That’s probably the best scene in the film as the film was building up to the big fight between villains for a while. So seeing them all get to confront each other at the end was some good stuff. It’s a quick blink and you miss it kind of scene but when the characters have guns, that only makes sense. It’s not like these guys are bulletproof or anything like that after all. I also liked Bob. His screentime may have been a lot lower than the other characters but he made for a very imposing villain when he did show up.

I’d say one of the subtle messages here though is how the supporting cast all lost out due to the villain’s actions. The wife of Alonzo is certainly in for a rough time with her husband being taken out. The young girlfriend is also out of luck although she wasn’t very smart and was basically complicit so I don’t feel too bad for her. Then you have Dix’s girlfriend who is also going to be in a rough spot. Basically villains get the direct repercussions and anyone associated with them will fall as well. You can be sad about it without regretting it though. The villains absolutely did need to be stopped and the cops really did their job here.

The writing is strong and the pacing is good. This is the classic kind of noir title that really does the genre justice. I suppose if it’s not officially considered a noir then I may be giving it the wrong credit but the fact remains that this was good stuff. The film properly developed the characters and really got things moving. I didn’t even mind that the heist itself was fairly easy because it’s an interesting change of pace.

Overall, The Asphalt Jungle is a pretty good movie. It definitely had a solid climax with a lot of tension even if the way the mastermind goes down was definitely underwhelming to the highest degree. It just felt so out of character. I suppose anyone can have a vice but to go down like that are all of the build up and planning? I’ve never really seen anything like it, that was absolutely crazy. So you should check out this film either way and see what you think about how the ringleader is taken care of.

Overall 7/10

Absence of Malice Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for a film about the fine line you walk between what is true and what is speculation. It’s a pretty interesting movie and I had a good time with it but I wasn’t crazy about the ending. I feel like some of the characters really got off very easy considering all of the damage that was done. Not like you want to be super vindictive or anything but they definitely could have done more here. At the very least I can safely say that the main romance really had no reason to be included in the movie and made no sense.

The movie starts off with some guys investigating a mysterious disappearance/possible murder. The news is leaked to reporter Megan by a secretary who was probably fired shortly afterwards. The government shares the building with the newspaper so sometimes these things happen but this is a big story so Megan is told to drop it by this one guy who has a crush on her. So she stomps on his feelings and quickly rushes the report through. The government is investigating Michael Gallagher! Michael isn’t thrilled about this and shows up to the newspaper office but he is given the brush off. It’s all fair use so they can ruin his life with complete immunity. Michael doesn’t think this is fair and is working to find out the source for this story. Meanwhile the governor is getting involved as well and Megan will be on the hot seat if she can’t verify some details.

So there’s a lot going on here. Right off the bat I would say Megan is very irresponsible here for putting out such a hit piece on flimsy information. Here’s the thing, while it’s true that Michael is under investigation, you don’t want to go around publishing that because it immediately puts him in a certain kind of light. People tend to think you’re guilty if you’re under suspicion and that shows how jaded the average person is. It’s regrettable but that’s really just how it is. It’s a rough start but I think she could have recovered a bit by just telling him. Just sell the government out, they would do the same in a heartbeat.

Instead she doubles down and keeps trying to crack him. Michael ends up liking her so he asks her out on a date and the idea is to get to know each other. Maybe she will give him some more information or at least see that he is a decent guy. It’s a thought at least even if it’s not a very realistic one. Megan immediately wants to do more than just hang out because she’s “modern” and all. He initially resists but unfortunately doesn’t do they have their affair and common sense kicks back in as they are still enemies.

All of this is already rough but it gets way worse when Michael’s friend Teresa shows up to try and defend him. She explains to Megan that he has a rock solid alibi and she can prove it but not to use her name or anything. So Megan ignores her and uses the girl’s name, occupation, and tells all the details of what was a super private and controversial affair. It ultimately doesn’t go well for Teresa and the problem here is that Megan knew it wouldn’t end well. Sure, she acts a bit surprised and gets depressed, but the whole thing was nutty. In no possible universe was this going to end well for Teresa. Megan is a reporter and it’s not like this is her first day on the job so I don’t get the confusion here. This is pretty basic stuff.

That to me is where Megan completely crossed the line. I just can’t see how Michael is still friendly with her at the end after this. At least he left but in my mind the bridge was so completely burned that they should not get along at all. It’s really a disgrace to Teresa’s memory. They were good friends and all so it just doesn’t make sense. It’s why the romance should have also been omitted. How can you fall for the person who framed you and hung you out to dry. You could say “It’s her job” but is that really a good excuse? I just want you to really think about that one. Do you actually buy into that in your heart of hearts? Enough to still go through with a romance? No shot!

I was at least glad Michael was smart enough to start launching counter attacks and getting his revenge though. The writing in the film is extremely solid. While I may not like some of the characters, that doesn’t take away from the writing itself. I like this 4 way battle with all of the characters trying to move forward while navigating through their opponents. The governor for example is a pretty fun character as he jumps in to try and take hold of the situation but it’s not so easy. He’s one of the only ones who could get to Elliot though which was a good battle of wits. Elliot doesn’t actually work for the governor since he is directly to the federal government level but they each have some leverage over the other.

Elliot is definitely a fun character with how crafty he can be. The guy definitely holds his own with the other various characters and doesn’t go down easy. He actually tried making a decent case by the end but ultimately wasn’t able to pull it off. He was completely outwitted but the attempt was fair. In general the climax of the film is really good and I dare say it might be the best part of the movie. We finally get the entire cast into the same room to all talk it out. The most underrated character there was Megan’s lawyer but unfortunately she kept cutting him off so he couldn’t save the day. Like him or not, the guy was definitely experienced and probably the only one in the room who could really hang with the grand jury for a while there. When you have so many people with huge egos in the same room, it definitely gets entertaining. Maybe at the heart of things, that’s why I tend to love big meeting scenes and moments like this.

Overall, Absence of Malice is a good film. It doesn’t really have the cathartic pleasure you might expect from the characters getting their just desserts but the film is going for a realistic angle and that kind of thing doesn’t always happen. So it does make sense in that case. It may not be the most satisfying ending but it doesn’t take away from the rest of the movie being a real interesting game of cat and mouse. It definitely does show just how powerful a simple editorial or rumor could be. It may not have the same punch nowadays with so many news sources but back in the day it would definitely be difficult to come back from that. When your career is shot, it’s shot all the way.

Overall 6/10

Never Say Goodbye Review

Posted on by
Reply


Uh oh, it’s time for a film about the ole rebound so you know this is probably not gonna end well. In some ways you could make the argument that it’s good the main two characters try to get back together but based in large part to the execution I would disagree. Splitting up isn’t great but going back together isn’t either when you know it can’t possibly last. There are a lot of red flags to the relationship in this film.

So the film starts by introducing us to Phil and Ellen who are currently divorced. They each have their appointed time frames with their daughter Flip but she isn’t thrilled with this arrangement. She loves hanging out with both of them and wishes they could all just get along. Life just isn’t that simple sometimes but they don’t really have the heart to tell her that. Flip basically begs them to try and get back together so they give it a shot by going to a date. The problem is that Phil has a girlfriend right now and forgot he was going on a date with her at the same time. He has to try and balance both dates now but it won’t be easy. Can he bring back the marriage?

I mean the obvious answer here is no right? If you already have a new girlfriend then it sounds like you’ve completely moved on. I would feel like the whole thing is completely insincere at this point. Moving on like that is a massive red flag to the point where I would say it pretty much disqualifies you entirely. It’s just such a bad look and it makes them both look bad. Ellen shouldn’t put up with this and should have immediately given up on Phil when she found out. Meanwhile it makes Phil look super greedy like he wants his wife back but still wants to be having fun on the side? I’s clear that he’s not responsible at all so why would you want to re marry him? It would jus be running into the same issues again and again. The reasons why they broke up in the first place would just return for them to break up a second time.

There is really no hope there. Now I know they want to band together for their kid but that’s actually not a great reason to do it. Ultimately all that’s gonna do it lead to more resentment and create more problems. If things were so bad that they had to fully divorce, then it’s not something that can be so easily repaired. They should have just sat Flip down and really given her a detailed reason on why this was not going to be able to happen.

Flip’s a kid so I won’t be super harsh on her but she definitely stirs up a lot of trouble here. No kid wants to be living in a broken home to be sure but it’s something that is really out of her control at this point. Then her final scene is rather rough as she is getting greedy already. It’s supposed to be a very wholesome moment of course but instead you’re just rolling your eyes here. She needs to just calm down a bit.

Since this entire film is really revolving around the main romance, the fact that it isn’t very good definitely ends up hurting the movie as a whole. You can absolutely pull off this kind of premise but only if both characters had not moved on. Like lets say we are introduced to them both and they’re super sad sacks who stay home all day and have nobody to hang out with. Now we actually have something here because that would make sense. You can see how they realized splitting up was a mistake. Since that’s not how the film went though, then you know this was not a good idea.

Phil’s girlfriend Nancy is rather rude the whole time but it’s hard to blame her. On a narrative level you know she is absolutely doomed and from her point of view this is all happening so fast. Why is the ex back in the picture? It’s a risk you always take when you date someone who has a past but it goes without saying that Nancy isn’t going to like Ellen. She has no reason to.

Meanwhile on Ellen’s side you have Rex who likes her but the feeling definitely appears to be more one sided. I dunno it seemed like she didn’t take him seriously and the guy got absolutely crushed by Phil so it’s definitely not like he is anyone special. I can’t say I liked him though, either way as the divorce lawyer it seems like bad practice to fall for your clients in any way right?

Now as I was saying earlier, Flip is always causing a bunch of trouble? Well she strikes again by writing to a marine while pretending to be Ellen so the guy shows up all ready to start a relationship and of course he gets thrown into this whole mess. He ends up taking it extremely well after having his feelings manipulated and everything. You do have to keep in mind that this is primarily a comedic film so all of this is treated rather lightly but from his perspective it definitely sucks.

Also while Luigi is treated well as a loyal friend to Phil for trying to hide his two timing, that’s actually pretty bad. Even if the person is your friend, trying to hide their bad sides is not a good idea. You can hide the ones that don’t affect other people and are mild but when they do affect others, you are making a grave mistake there. The other friend Jack wasn’t really any better and would just show up to create more drama.

Now it’s not like the film is never funny or anything like that. It has its moments and in general I do think the film had good writing. It just is based around a premise that I don’t think worked much at all. The romance should have taken more of a backseat to the comedy and had the film show us why this was such a bad idea. Make the whole thing go absolutely bonkers the whole time and that would have had way more potential. There’s quite a few ways you could have really positioned this in a favorable way. At least that’s the way I see it and you could still have a fairly happy ending.

Just have the main two admit they are not compatible but they will still talk to each other more so they’re not buying Flip the same presents and things like that. I dare say that if you do this, it really fixes all of the issues at once. Then you can enjoy all of the shenanigans more. Flip will probably still be annoying the whole time but what can ya do.

Overall, Never Say Goodbye is a film that tries to make this case but sometimes you do actually have to state your farewells. I get that the film is trying to have a positive message and I appreciate that but in this instance it just didn’t work. The film has its light tone and can be funny but in the end I wouldn’t really be able to recommend this one. There are many other comedies that have a lot more fun with their premises and ultimately they would get the nod over this one.

Overall 4/10

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for a film about a guy who got quite a few rough breaks. Some of them were situations that he got himself into and others were really out of his control. Still, none of them knocked him all the way out of the fight so he was able to continue going on. At times the film can get a little annoying with the mistakes he made, but all in all I would say it was a good movie. If you like a good boxing drama then this is definitely one to check out.

The movie starts by introducing us to Rocky. No, not Balboa but the original Rocky Graziano. I wasn’t kidding about the rough start either as he grows up in a broken home with an abusive father, then he gets mixed up into a life of crime. Even the army can’t really convert him as Rocky defies everybody. He just has so much aggression and no real outlet for it. Fortunately that leads him to boxing where he can actually fight and get paid for it. Perhaps now he can lead a stable life but the problem is that crimes of the past always come back to haunt you. Will he be able to have a stable relationship or is he about to lose everything?

That’s the tough part about making mistakes, you don’t know when it will be time to collect. You may figure that everyone has forgotten or something like that but this always comes back to bite you eventually and it will usually be at the absolute worst possible time. Why do you think a lot of famous people have crimes show up when they have reached their peak? If you have dirt on somebody, why bother bringing it up while they are still some random joe? You keep it in the back pocket to be used later on. I’m even talking about legitimate grievances you might have with someone. They tend to just stay on the backburner until they can be used. It’s definitely rough but yeah the best thing to do is not make mistakes.

Of course that’s impossible, everyone makes some mistakes. There are certain mistakes you should never make of course but you’ll make a mistake of some kind. So the best thing to do is just try to live as well as you can. This film’s based on a true story and so I’ll try not to be too harsh on the lead here but he definitely did annoy me quite a few times. I think he could have handled the blackmailing a bit better. When someone has blackmail you just need to beat them to the punch. It won’t be easy since obviously the blackmail is gonna be hurtful but at the same time it’s only going to get stronger and stronger if you just leave it alone.

In the end he chooses an option that avoids making the mistake but doesn’t quite go far enough in my opinion. You need to shut down the villain so he can’t do that to anyone else and for that you have to expose him. Rocky makes a tough decision to basically just not say anything and it’s 100% understandable but I still thought it was rather annoying. He is a well meaning guy though and it’s why it was fun to watch him box. He definitely had a real talent for it.

Rocky could certainly be more awkward in the romance scenes though. That subplot I didn’t think was quite as smooth but I could certainly see it being realistic. When fighting is the only thing you know, it’s not as if love is going to come by very easily. You have to learn how to navigate that space from scratch since the banter and attitudes are a lot different. The main heroine was nice and patient the whole time though so she gets credit there. This is where I’d usually say the romance could have been skipped and wasn’t needed in the film but again since it’s based on a true story it’s not like you could really do much about that. If that’s when it happened then of course you have to keep this in order.

So again I don’t know much about the events but the pacing and writing were really solid to me. I definitely didn’t have any problems there. The characters are all fairly reasonable and even the antagonists are well spoken. I still enjoy the fake politeness and the film really covers a good amount in a fairly short amount of time. I could have easily not even realized that this was based on a true story because of how eventful it was as well. In the end this is the kind of title I could really recommend to anyone as just good natured fun.

Also, while it may have been tough to see Rocky have to deal with enough hardships, they were all fair aside from the blackmail. Obviously you sympathize with the lead character and all but when you do a crime you have to do the time. He may have been a changed man from the opening scenes but ultimately he still has to pay for them. None of the punishments were excessive though and that’s really the way that it ought to be. I thought the army and other such figures were all treated really fairly even if they were the antagonists relative to Rocky at times.

Overall, This is a fun film. They definitely give Rocky a whole lot of issues to get through but he never gives up. Ultimately he continues to push through even if he may need some encouragement from time to time. At its core this is an uplifting film about always continuing to stay strong and move forward. I was also not really familiar with the real life person so all of the film’s events were brand new for me. In some ways I actually think that’s the best way to do an auto biographical film. Do them based on fairly well known people but not ones where everyone already know the story. I’m sure a lot of people knew about Rocky, certainly all boxing fans probably did but I didn’t do that made it extra fun.

Warrior Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for an action film that was really solid. This one had some great fights in there and a story that actually succeeded in being really emotional. Definitely great stuff all around and the only issue I’d have here is that there is a significant amount of plot armor near the end. As the film goes on you wonder more and more how the final fight will be anything close to even and the movie is ultimately unable to come up with an answer to this. You know who needs to win narratively but the problem is that it doesn’t fit who would actually win realistically. Ideally you want the answer to both of those questions to be the same.

The film starts off by introducing us to our two leads. The first is Tommy who hasn’t had an easy life. He had to escape with his mother from the abusive Paddie and she died in a very rough way. Then he went to the army where some rough stuff happened and while everyone considers him to be a hero, for some reason he seems to be ashamed of what happened. He’s hiding some thing there and so when Paddie shows up to apologize, Tommy doesn’t want to hear anything of it. Tommy does hear about a massive boxing tournament that is being started though and the winner will be receiving millions. Tommy decides to win and give all of the money to the widow of his best friend who died in the army. To that end, Tommy allows Paddie to train him but on the condition that they don’t become friends.

Then we have the other main character Brendan who is Tommy’s older brother. He is a teacher but that doesn’t do much to pay the bills since one of his kids is super sick. His wife doesn’t approve of Brendan’s fighting in the ring but he is convinced that this is the only way to get the money that he needs. So when the big tournament shows up, Brendan really wants to join. The problem is that he was never quite the boxer that Tommy was and he’s going to have to improve dramatically in a super short amount of time to even have a chance of winning this big tournament. Does he really have what it takes here? He also has issues with Paddie but didn’t realize that Tommy heavily resents him for not coming along when the household broke. This tournament is definitely going to be very personal and both combatants have strong reasons for wanting to win.

Brendan definitely has the healthiest home environment at least. The others are dealing with past sins and military crimes while Brendan’s biggest issue is really just getting suspended from school for his part time job as a fighter. Considering it’s not like the guy is doing drugs or anything like that, I don’t really see the harm in being a part time boxer. If it is explicitly against the rules then of course that’s a bad thing but I’m pretty sure the film addressed this and it was not.

Brendan is the underdog fighter here but for that reason it can be a stretch to see him doing well. He is extremely good at grappling which is how he pulls through but he has trouble against the weakest fighters, let alone world class athletes. Any pro will tell you that the gap between an amateur and an elite is absolutely massive. To even think of bridging that divide in such a small amount of time is definitely a stretch to say the least. So I like the guy and he’s a solid character overall but I do think he should have been knocked out of the tournament early.

Meanwhile Tommy is someone who has a lot of experience. He’s been physically fit as he was active in the army until not to long ago and has been in a ton of fights. He is absolutely built for combat and has a lot of power. Throw in the fact that he has a massive chip on his shoulder causing him to be angry at the world and he knocks out most opponents in one move. The gap between these two in the movie is absolutely crazy. Very few fighters in the movie look to be even close to his level. Tommy breezes through the entire tournament up through to the final round. A key thing to keep in mind here is that this should have a good effect on his stamina.

Tommy takes almost 0 hits throughout the film while Brendan was getting the stuffing knocked out of him in every fight. He’s already incredibly injured by the time the battle starts. So that’s another thing to keep in mind. It’s good that Tommy is ultimately able to move forward with his emotions but you do fully understand why he would have such a hard time forgiving Paddie. Realistically it’s very likely that he never would forgive the guy in most scenarios. After someone has died it’s usually past the point of return. Any redemption just feels like it was too late.

Paddie also has a relapse later on in the film which was unfortunate. It’s a rough situation since it is hard not to sympathize when you see a character going through a lot in the present. It’s why I say the film does a good job on the emotional beats here. Everyone is hurting both physically and emotionally throughout the movie. They each have their own reasons and it’s hard to really say that one is worth more than the other. The widow really needs the money right now and Brendan’s daughter is still super sick and so they need a steady income. Both fighters might be able to find alternatives if they lose but this is clearly the best way to get out of the troubles all at once.

Overall, Warrior is definitely a great film. When a film executes the dual main characters strategy well it definitely pays off in a really big way. It’s hard to replicate this as you either run out of time leaving one character underdeveloped or you mess up in trying to set up the contrast and one just ends up being really unlikable. This doesn’t happen here and so I’d definitely recommend watching it. The fight scenes are all super solid as well and the film has great atmosphere throughout. The scene where the brothers finally meet during the rainstorm was definitely really intense. You could feel the tension all the way through there as we almost got an early fight. Whether you are a fan of boxing or just want to watch a film with a great story, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Overall 8/10

Max Dugan Returns Review

Posted on by
Reply


All right Max Dugan is finally back! Now this is gonna be a real hype sequel, I can feel it! Wait, this is the original film? Pretty odd title I have to admit. The film is fairly solid but the romance is definitely on the unbelievable side and I also think the main characters tend to make the wrong decisions. I know that nobody likes a handout but sometimes you just gotta say thanks, accept the gift and move on.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Nora who is completely exhausted working as a teacher and trying to make ends meet, as well as her son Michael. He isn’t doing very well in Baseball right now. Their day gets worse when someone steals Nora’s car but her police friend Brian lets her borrow his motorcycle. He has had a crush on her for a long while but never has the guts to ask her out. He’s thinking about changing that. Everyone’s lives are thrown upside down though when a man named Max Dugan shows up. He’s Nora’s father who vanished when she was still a kid and so she holds a massive grudge against the guy. He explains that he is dying with a terminal illness so he has no use for money. Nora doesn’t want things to get any more complicated so she allows Max to stay but he can’t tell Michael his true identity. Will the kid figure it out anyway?

I would call this a slice of life film as its core to be honest. Drama could also work but this is a very low key film. Even the drama we do get isn’t about a lot of characters yelling at each other or anything like that. They all tend to handle things rather calmly but at the end of the day Max is officially a criminal so he really needs to tread lightly. If he makes any moves too quickly then he could get arrested which will interfere with trying to make amends with his family.

It’s definitely nice that he wants to be a good person and spread his wealth. He’s certainly got a lot of it after all and at the end of the day you are free to do with your money whatever you want. If he wants to spoil his grandson and his daughter then so be it. Unfortunately this is where the main two can be rather annoying. He gets them all kinds of cool stuff like a new TV, appliances, a car, etc. Now I will say that getting presents from someone you know is a criminal can be dicey but as long as you know the products themselves are good then there is nothing to really worry about right? Also Max did explain the situation and the casino stole the money first. So he’s not really a crook. Legally he is, but it was his money in the first place.

What Nora could have done was instead of bad mouthing the presents and throwing them away, talk with Max so they could coordinate what would be good gift as opposed to him throwing the items all around. At the end of the day this was all to get Celia’s attention and it did work. At that point Max could have switched up his approach a bit. I do think not being able to tell Michael the truth was a bit annoying though and led to some very avoidable problems. Telling him upfront would have been a good idea and Michael was old enough where I don’t think he would end up turning to a life of crime just over it.

Look, being rich is fun. I’m not gonna front on that, everyone says it is not but I guarantee if I ever became rich it would be a blast. There’s just so much you can do with some good money after all and so long as you don’t forget the things that are important, it will only enhance your lives. Because Nora was fighting this every step of the way they didn’t get as much as they could have. I do want to be clear though that Nora doesn’t have to forgive him on account of the lavish presents. You can’t buy love or forgiveness just like that and if it was ever implied that Max was trying this then it would have backfired completely.

It’s why a lot of people don’t like accepting gifts because they feel like this could all just be a trick to make them owe something. I would say for this you just have to be firm. If they didn’t mention anything at first, they can’t suddenly say that you owe them right afterwards. That’s where you would just have to call them out on that. I shamelessly accept gifts when they’re given to me. That’s the whole point of receiving gifts after all right? Max still did need more tact so he didn’t make them the talk of the town but his heart was in the right place.

He’s a good guy and has changed a lot from his older days. At least for Michael it’s nice to meet Max and of course he never got to know the guy from before he changed which helps him out a lot. For Nora, this is at least a big help since she was struggling so much before. Of course the big thing here is really the romance which doesn’t go well for most of the film. Brian really wants to impress Nora but he is just very low confidence and she’s always super busy. I don’t see how he stayed in love with her when she keeps brushing him off.

She’s never mean about it or anything but it’s not like he knows the context. Then with the situation involving Max, he naturally has to bring the guy in which causes more friction. I thought Nora was a bit unreasonable when she was mad at Brian for doing his job. Ultimately of course he would have to go after this guy because Max seems incredibly shady and has way too much money. What else would you expect the guy to do right? So that was annoying the whole time and another reason why I could not get behind the romance. It’s hard to get past all of these issues that they were having. It’ll just be the beginning considering Brian’s line of work. He has to go and stop the villains each time and can’t worry about who they are or hurting anyone’s feelings. I don’t see how their relationship could survive this as they both said some very hurtful things. It’s not so easy to forget that.

There is a random scene in the movie where one of Nora’s students starts cheating and she is eventually caught. It turns out that she wanted to help her cousin because families stick together. It’s a nice story but cheating is still cheating. It’s not exactly the best reason to engage in this so I remember being rather dubious. I think Nora let her off rather easily. You can’t cheat for a reason like that. Everyone has a reason like that if you look hard enough after all. So yeah just don’t cheat is the real lesson.

Overall, Max Dugan Returns is a fun film. In some ways it reminds me a bit of Mary Poppins but it’s definitely still a bit more serious. I liked the themes and who wouldn’t want to have a super rich grandpa like this right? I can already tell you that I would be accepting all of the gifts real quick. Just The romance with Brian is not all that impressive but fortunately the film is able to get past that. At the end of the day the strength here is that the film is fun. The pacing is on point and I enjoyed the characters well enough. It’s just a peaceful kind of story in a small town. Like I said even the drama isn’t super crazy or anything like that. It works as well as you’d imagine. I’d be game for another Max Dugan film at some point.

Overall 7/10

The Man Who Lived Twice Review

Posted on by
Reply


It’s time for a title with an interesting premise. It deals with crimes that took place a long time ago and some incredibly big circumstances that prevent you from just saying that the criminal should be turned in. I’ll hand in my verdict as we go through the movie but I appreciate the dilemma. I would say the whole situation was actually handled rather well so it definitely gets good credit there.

The movie starts off by introducing us to the criminal Slick. As his name would suggest, the guy is fast and always getting out of bad situations. The cops have yet to catch him although they are getting a lot closer now. He has his sidekick Gloves and his girlfriend Peggy stay back and then Slick loses the police by going into a school. There he finds out that there is a way to recover his broken face and along the way he will be transformed into a better person who no longer leads a life of crime. Slick decides to take the deal and it works even better than he ever could have guessed.

Slick is a completely new man with no memory of his past life. He decides to study medicine and after a few years he becomes a full fledged doctor. He quickly gains everyone’s respect for being a man of upstanding character. Slick is a fast learner and his heart’s really into the subject. Unfortunately you can never outrun the ghosts of your past. First his partner Gloves shows up, but fortunately the guy is a super loyal person at heart. He immediately decides to keep the secret of Slick’s old life from the guy and becomes a very reliable chauffeur. Then Peggy shows up and she is the real problem. She wants Slick to go back to his old ways and until he does, she intends to blackmail the guy. It’s a dangerous game that she is playing though because if Slick does go back to his old self…she may be in trouble.

It’s definitely a raw deal for Slick because you’d think the odds of anyone ever finding him is super slim. This was before cameras and all of that after all but that’s just the way that it goes sometimes. Slick was a really solid character in both his good and bad forms so he was a really good main character. As a hero I definitely liked how earnest he is but of course as the villain he could really take charge of a room. In both forms he is written really well and the film definitely had no weaknesses there.

Meanwhile Peggy is a decent side villain but definitely a really short sighted one. She isn’t very smart and doesn’t know when to keep her cards hidden. There are very few advantages to be had in alerting the world about every step that you are going to make. She talks to the cops, Gloves, Slick, etc. She is always talking and this puts her in a really bad spot once everyone start to come together. The ending for her was definitely very avoidable.

I would say that Gloves is definitely the MVP here though. He is a character who is truly loyal through thick and thin. Nothing fazed the guy and he really made the big sacrifice when it counted. I would have liked for him to have had a better ending but it really did show just how far he would go in order to protect his friend. It’s rare to find a true friend like that anywhere so you really have to savor them.

The main heroine in the present is Janet and she’s nice enough. I wouldn’t say her role is huge though or that I remember anything being really unique about her personality. So she fits the role but doesn’t do much beyond that. Then you have the scientist Clifford who is responsible for the change in the first place. Clearly he is a genius for coming up with such a technique and there are seemingly no real side effects. He makes a good pitch for Slick near the end as well.

So in the end, where do I stack up in the case? The court talks about his crimes from years ago and rules on them. First is the debate of memory and on that front, I don’t think it matters. While it sucks to be paying for a crime you don’t remember committing, I would argue that this doesn’t exonerate you from it. For example if you murder someone, then have a really bad fall where you get complete amnesia, you should still go to jail for the crime of murder. So that one’s a non starter for me, memory doesn’t change anything.

The stronger argument you could make here is about the time. Since we’re talking years ago and since then he has been a doctor helping all sorts of patients, then I think it comes down to how severe the crimes were. Anything requiring jail time should still be served out I would say. If we’re talking minor items like fines then I would argue that the good he did as a doctor outweighs the previous crimes. It’s definitely a nuanced debate for sure but that’s how I see it. Either way I was still satisfied with how the movie handled the ending. It was nice enough and Slick really did a lot of good while he was a doctor.

The fact that the whole community was on his side really shows what an upstanding guy he was. I’m sure that victims of any crimes he committed will never forgive him and that’s 100% valid but assuming the technique holds true, he will only continue to help people in the meantime. It would be a waste to have him just rotting away in jail without the ability to help anyone. At least this way he can continue to pay the world back.

Overall, The Man Who Lived Twice is a really fun film. It had a lot of good tension all the way through and I liked the story itself. I’m always mixed about changing someone with a surgery like this but it’s different from mind control or other films where it is forced. The main guy volunteered for it this time so I didn’t have much to say about that. It was his decision to make. So if you are looking for a well written story with a good amount of tension then this is definitely going to be up your alley.

Overall 7/10