Tag Archives: Drama

The Return of the King Review

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Lord of the Rings is one of those series that never has a whole lot of luck with its movies. In fairness you can say that it doesn’t really have much luck in any form of media. The only exception are the video games which are actually pretty decent. This movie does not end the trend as it ends up feeling incredibly drawn out even though it is not the longest film in the series by a long shot. Get ready for a lot of recycled music tracks.

The movie starts in the future with an old Bilbo Baggins being told the story of Frodo and pals. This will be done through music as the story jumps back and forth but Bilbo can hardly even say awake for all of this. So then they talk about the Hobbit and try again to go through the Lord of the Rings story. Definitely not the best attempt at it if I’m being honest here. Lets go right into my biggest problem with the story though. Are you ready for this? It’s the annoying songs that pop up and have absolutely no variety. You’re going to hear the same tunes over and over again.

Like I said before, it’s almost impressive just how repetitive it can be. By the halfway point of the film you’ll be wincing every time the same song shows up. You just know that you’re going to be in for another long sequence. It would help if the songs were actually good but of course I don’t think anyone was expecting that. The idea of a bard singing about the glories of war and the legendary victory makes sense in concept, but the execution was never going to be there. It’s just not the kind of song that would really take a film to the next level.

The animation isn’t as weird as in the last film but I still can’t say that it looks good either. I would say it gets by as a cookie cutter type of cartoon you might have seen on TV in passing when trying to get to the channel you were aiming for. I don’t want to go too hard on the animation though because by default it’s probably the best part of the film. So credit where credit is due because it’s not like they had a whole lot to work with.

As always Gandalf just doesn’t look all that good here. He’s sending these characters on absolutely outrageous quests because he doesn’t have the willpower needed to handle the ring on his own. I didn’t really go on about the story much did I? Well basically Frodo and his best friend have to deliver a cursed ring into the legendary fires by Sauron’s castle. If they can do this, the ring can finally be taken out of the equation and the dark lord will lose a lot of his power. The heroes will have finally conquered evil once and for all. It’s a pretty good deal and at this point it’s not like they have many other options either. Every other character refuses to associate with the ring. Its corrosive nature is too much for them.

The ring essentially tries to break your will at all times as it corrupts you into turning to the darkness. It’s a serious problem and so on one hand you can say it’s good that the characters know their limits. At the same time, it’s still pretty annoying to see the whole time because these “heroes” should do better. Gandalf especially since he is supposed to be such a powerful sorcerer.

I think the most ironic part about all of this is that Frodo is heralded as being the guy with incredible willpower. The songs are all about him and how he saved the world and yet in the actual movie he spends most of his screentime bending to the ring’s will. Like what happened here? He’s supposed to be the one in control the whole time, not just allowing himself to get absolutely crushed at each station. No matter how you slice it, this was a rough path for him. In fact, Frodo straight up lost and Gollum had to take the guy out. Otherwise Frodo was going to doom the planet.

I never liked Frodo and this film just makes me dislike him even more. His friend did all of the hard work throughout the movie and never got the proper credit that he deserved. He was able to resist the ring through good ole fashioned common sense. Seriously he mentioned that this was all that he needed to resist its effects. He made it look and sound so easy while Frodo was absolutely getting dominated the whole time.

Meanwhile we still have the war and everything but it’s not all that interesting. You’ll be paying more attention to the villains having fun singing songs as they prepare for battle. Classic musical rules apply which means that everybody bursts into singing at the drop of a hat. I suppose it was a decently catchy song…compared to the usual Lord of the Rings tunes.

Now I can at least say this was better than the live action version. It’s not saying much but hey that’s a slight start. It’s just that the original story is already so flawed that any adaption will be doomed as well unless it takes significant liberties. That would be the best way and I don’t think most titles would feel brave enough to do that since the main story is well acclaimed. At least for me though, I don’t see any other way out. The films need to try something super different and then maybe…just maybe the Lord of the Rings can be interesting.

Okay let me squeeze out one more positive for the film. I did like one of Sauron’s top lieutenants. He was some kind of embodiment of death and so he talked a really big game the whole time. Something about how he can’t be destroyed and he will always return. It was an impressive amount of tough talk so I could really respect that. It is obviously all talk but I’ll take my cool points where I can get them. Make this guy the main villain and Frodo’s best friend as the lead and maybe we would have some potential as a film. The key is just to make sure the movie isn’t super boring this time.

Overall, The Return of the King is a film that I would recommend skipping. It somehow pulls off the impossible by making the film fairly short but still being as dragged out as all the others. That should not even be remotely possible and yet the film pulled it off. Really makes you think right? Sauron doesn’t even get to do anything here even if he would have just ben getting wrecked anyway. Let me at least see this legendary figure of evil in the present when he wasn’t getting one shot by the random fighter. If you were thinking about watching this, check out Star Wars instead.

Overall 4/10

Grace & Glorie Review

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It’s time for one of those emotional titles. This one definitely is working on hitting you in the feels the whole time but doesn’t bring a lot to the table beyond that. Glorie is a really good character but everyone else can be really annoying the whole time and so that limits the film a bit. There is also not really anything in the way of replay value so the film has to do its best to succeed in spite of that. It’s not a bad film but I would also say there aren’t many reasons to check it out.

The movie introduces us to Glorie who is a hospice volunteer. She moved away from the big city with her husband after tragic events involving her son and now she can try to put his death behind her. It won’t be so easy though. She meets an old lady named Grace who is slowly dying and not taking things too well. She is refusing all help and is determined to go out on her terms. She doesn’t trust other people like lawyers or doctors and is causing a lot of trouble by not letting anyone help her. Glorie is determined to help her but is she up to the task?

I’d say the toughest part for Glorie is that she is a volunteer so there is a point at which her hands are tied. She can only do so much here after all. Still she goes in with a good attitude and only crashes out once. The crash out wasn’t a great look for her to be honest but in a drama film you are expecting this at least once. All in all she was good and definitely one of the highlight characters in the film. Without her Grace would have really been in trouble. You never really get over the kind of trauma that Grace experienced here but you can do your best to at least make some kind of progress.

For that reason her husband could be a bit annoying here even if he did end up coming in clutch each time when Glorie needed him. He was just way too petty and sulky the whole film. Snapping at his wife real quick each time and being in a rush despite what she’s going through. The fact that he even wanted another kid after what happened to the last one is pretty crazy. You can float the idea once but if Glorie isn’t up for it then you definitely shouldn’t bring it up again. It’s a rough situation but that’s gotta be the last thing she would want to hear at that point.

Meanwhile Grace’s last direct relative looks awful here. His wife really wants some kind of inheritance and he shuts that down at least but he is really quick to turn on Grace and even Glorie later. The guy is completely self absorbed and acts like a jerk throughout the movie. He just needs to toughen up and get with the program. I understand that his role isn’t easy but it still doesn’t give him any reason to be acting like a child here. He should have explained things better to Grace and made his points without being so petty. Sending her back to the senior home would be good for him but certainly not for her. It’s an especially bad look when she was always talking about how helpful he was. He looks better by the end but it’s a bit late by then.

As for his wife talking about the money the whole time, that has to be one of the most annoying things you can imagine when you’re dying. The last thing you want is for people to be worried about your money. I’d have half a mind to change up the will and put it somewhere else to spite them after that. Not like they’d see the will until I was dead anyway. I was glad that the kid got half though because she was the only one who seemed to really care for Grace’s wellbeing the whole time. The fact that she wrote so many letters and was so consistent about this for years is really quite something. Definitely above and beyond what you would usually expect from a kid.

I think to really make the film more fun they should have made Grace a bit more fun. Instead of her being a little bitter and uptight the whole time, just have her be super optimistic. Maybe the reason she didn’t want to stay at the senior home was because she just wanted to explore a lot and make some final memories. Maybe have her talk Glorie through her trauma instead of just adding onto it. There are a lot of ways this could have gone like even fighting the construction crew in court a bit more. I think those would have all been a lot more interesting and would have really gotten you engaged in what was going on.

So with that and making Glorie’s husband more agreeable that would have been a nice combination. Also the picnic that she prepared could probably have had some more normal foods and it would have really been a hit. If I’m nearing my deathbed, the last thing I want to see is a lobster macaroni salad. Seriously that would just make me want to go back home. Brie cheese isn’t bad though. It’s hardly my favorite cheese but I would appreciate the gesture there. In the film Grace talks about how the conventional oven makes things taste better than electric. I’m skeptical that this is anything more than placebo but I can’t rule it out since soda out of a glass bottle does taste a lot better than plastic.

Overall, Grace and Glorie isn’t a bad film but it’s not the most energetic one either. At the end of the day it is about an old lady who is reaching the end of her life after all so you wouldn’t really expect it to be bubbling with energy or anything like that. Still, it can be a bit of a dreary watch so it isn’t super entertaining. I won’t go as far as to say that it’s boring or anything but it can be uneventful. The ending is satisfying enough but it is a film that feels long as you are watching it and that keeps the movie from really achieving greatness. I would sooner recommend pretty much all of the classic Hallmark Christmas titles over this film. Hallmark is still able to handle itself reasonably well with these films but they aren’t quite the all star hits that you have come to expect from the brand.

Overall 5/10

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day Review

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It’s time for a classic romantic drama. This one has a whole lot going on with all of the characters getting into complicated romance dynamics. It shows how just losing one person in a friend group can change everything drastically. That is definitely realistic though because friend groups work on the exact basis of everyone involved. So when you lose even one person then you get yourself into a whole new situation. The show is fun to watch and makes for a good title all around.

The show starts off with 6 kids as close friends. One day a few of them get together to put pressure on Jintan to announce if he likes Menma or not. He gets embarrassed and runs off so Menma gives chase but unfortunately an accident occurs and she dies. We cut forward 5 years and the group has really broken up. For the most part they’re on their own now except for Yukiatsu and Tsuruko. Jintan in particular is depressed and doesn’t do much of anything anymore. He just lounges around and watches the hours go by. Well, one day Menma suddenly shows up and only he can see or hear her. She figures that there must be some kind of regret holding her back and the logical conclusion is that the group of friends needs to reunite once more. Can they pull it off?

Reuniting after 5 years is of course a difficult task. Especially when your only real argument is that the ghost of Menma is asking him to do this. Now there is a massive plot hole here that the whole doesn’t actually address until the climax so I’m going to mention it right away. Menma is able to interact with the physical world. She is able to eat and move dishes around, cook, etc. So…..what better way to prove that she’s actually here than to have her move things while everyone is watching right? You’ll think of this in about 2 seconds while Jintan never does and instead has to listen to everyone doubt him. Of course they would doubt him, I would too.

They also should have come up with the idea but I can cut them some slack since they would be super skeptical right from the start that it’s possible. That’s totally fine and makes sense but I don’t see how the main characters wouldn’t think of it. Jintan gets punches and shoved several times for “making up lies about Menma” and this would be so easy to figure out. I kept thinking about that during the entire show’s run and as the viewer it’ll likely be at the top of your mind too.

Ah well, solution aside (and it would change the whole show) the idea of a ghost is always pretty fun. It’s like having an invisible friend and since this does appear to be the real Menma, it’s a chance for him to get some real closure. Since it’s established early on that he likes her, it does mean that he can be awkward at times but naturally having a good friend hanging out 24/7 is definitely fun. He may be reminded of the trauma but this also allows him to get past it as well.

So you’ve got a big storyline about healing here as every character has some scars from her death. This includes supporting characters as well like her parents and brother. Menma’s mother in particular really broke down by this point while the other two are doing their best to handle this in a healthier manner. It ends up making her a bit of an antagonist for a little while there as she just couldn’t let go. Losing your kid so suddenly would be traumatic so you can understand the pain there.

As the main character Jintan isn’t bad. He can be a bit oblivious at times though. The amount of times he casually talks to Menma while forgetting that anybody can see her is considerable. He also tends to have a lot of doubts with the plans and doesn’t see things through. As the series goes on he gets more confident and makes less mistakes but it’s a tough road for him to the end. All of the characters have their faults which is sort of the point though. It’s a fairly weak character cast so the show mainly has to succeed in spite of that and pulls this off with quality writing.

Menma is the main heroine here and she does her best to keep things light. In a lot of ways she stayed a kid even after being a ghost. Her body may have matured but her spirit is that of a kid so she can still be a little naive. She looks at things on the surface level and for that reason the idea of getting everyone back together seems a little easier than for the others. To her it just makes sense since they used to be friends and she does her best for that mission. Her optimism helps her be one of the better characters.

Tsuruko is one of the more petty characters I’d say. She tries to be the mature character of the bunch of she has disdain for the others. She does seem to put herself on a bit of a perch but then attacks the others in secret. This happened as kids as well when she went to talk to Menma in private. Then in the present she tells dark secrets about Yukiatsu to other girls. She felt like the fakest character in the series and it was all because she couldn’t talk about things in the open. I don’t have a whole lot of respect for characters like that.

She laments about how Yukiatsu never sees her as a girl but it’s not like she ever did anything about that. The fact that they were close friends for so long gave her a lot of chances here. Blaming this on the guy not asking is a very old fashioned approach and one I’ve never agreed with. Then we have Poppo who is mainly okay but in some ways seems like the most broken one. I thought it was a really bad look when he started chanting for Jintan to admit his feelings for Menma and relive the trauma of the old days. He may have apologized afterwards but it felt hollow. There are some things you can’t do and then apologize right afterwards because you simply don’t believe it. If he was going that far then he clearly meant what he was saying.

He did his best to be the friendly one but for a while it felt like an act. He really wanted to be able to see Menma too. Although most of the characters were jealous on that front. The biggest offender was Yukiatsu who is super jealous the whole series. It even leads him to dressing up as Menma at one point which was definitely his lowest scene in the series. The guy was crazy and otherwise had been one of the more responsible ones. He helps Anaru out of some jams although his randomly trying to get with her felt forced. The first time I thought it was almost like a joke or a way to get her past her trauma but then he got serious about it which was weird.

Definitely not a good look for him, especially if you take it as his trying to get back at Jintan. I don’t think that was the intent but either way he could have handled things better. He is one of the more interesting characters though and from the 6 I would argue he is the most irreplaceable. His aggressive nature spurned on some of the more serious conversations that would not have happened otherwise with everyone playing nice.

Then we have Anaru who in some ways is the most tragic character. A lot of it is on her though as she also makes the mistake of liking Jintan but not saying anything about it for years. She ends up losing her identity and trying to fit in with the cool crowd who were not really supportive when it counted. The show tries to make her friends look decent at the very end but they seemed fake for the rest of the show. The sudden final scene for them didn’t really work. Anaru does finally confess her feelings later on so that’s the one point I could feel bad for her since Jintan just runs off as normal. It’s definitely one of the absolute worst reactions you can possibly get to a confession like that. I felt like he never properly apologized for that either.

Anaru’s character arc is probably the clearest out of the 6 as she learns to make her own decisions and not just try to fit in with everyone. It’s a healthy character arc and so I definitely appreciated that. That said, I still couldn’t root for her and Jintan since that would be an obvious rebound. In fact, for that reason I couldn’t root for any of the romances in the show. I suppose Jintan and Menma would be fine but she’s dead so that’s not a realistic option either.

That’s why the show is best when it’s focused on the drama and not the romance. Some of it can be a little forced like Anaru being tricked into nearly going to a hotel with some random guy. Terrible look for her even leaving the club at all. Going was already a mistake but how do you not have any street smarts? It’s a good thing Yukiatsu was there at the time. The more normal drama is better with the friends arguing at their fort. At times the arguments can start to go in circles but it makes sense when you have a problem like this one that doesn’t have a clear answer. After all they can argue forever but there’s no way to really know why Menma is stuck on Earth except to keep on trying their best guesses.

The animation is a little better than I would have expected. The colors are striking and there’s a good amount of movement. It’s certainly more than you might expect for a fairly laidback show like this. The opening never really grew on me though and the ost within the show is okay but forgettable. This is the kind of show that needs to survive on the story as there is nothing else to really back that up on the audio front. For a romance/drama that is fine though, I think music is a much bigger deal for an action title but that’s highly debatable.

You’re here for the story of the characters reconnecting after all and that part is handled well. Sticking to a single season was also probably a good idea since it is the kind of show that would get tougher and tougher to pull off as it got more episodes. The longer you go, the more mundane the arguments would start to get. This one had a good balance with all of the characters being rightfully upset and pulling out the cards you would expect. Like thinking Jintan was messing with them or using Menma as a taunt of sorts. He definitely did seem crazy for a while there so that wouldn’t have been too surprising.

Will they stay friends forever? Probably not, friend circles come and go with the ages but it’s a natural thing. A lot of people that you even know well will eventually fade away. Maybe they go to a different school, get married, travel abroad, etc. So you just have to enjoy the friendships while they occur. This show gave the characters a chance to relive those days once more and it’s the kind of emotional beat that any viewer can enjoy.

The storyline about all of the characters effectively wearing a fake social mask is also on point. As the show goes on, the characters all realize that they didn’t know each other nearly as well as they thought they did. They all had different intentions and motivations at the time that was only realized later on. That makes sense as well as even close friends won’t know everything about each other. Even by the end that won’t be the case but it does help them all finally move on from how much guilt they had been holding onto from the past incident.

Overall, Anohana is a pretty good show. I had no real issues with it and it’s just a pleasant ride the whole way through. I’ll never forget how Menma didn’t just prove her existence at the beginning though. There were a good amount of plots going on at the same time here and they all got satisfactory endings. I didn’t feel like any character got shafted out of their trauma developments. As long as you like a more quiet type title then this will be a good title to look up.

Overall 7/10

A Whisker Away Review

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It’s time for a true romance film which I can’t say that I had really heard of before. I can safely say it’s one of the better romance titles that I’ve seen in a while. We finally have a main heroine who is really aggressive and going for what she wants instead of just being evasive the whole time. I love the confidence and that sets the film on a good start right from the jump. The movie’s attempts at being more action packed tend to fail but the film tends to be on point when it comes to the romance.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Miyo who is madly in love with Hinode. She does everything she can to get him to notice her like body slamming him, lunging at him, yelling about how she loves him, etc. He apparently told her off many times and so now he just completely ignores her which makes her sad. Fortunately Miyo grabbed a cat mask from a shady cat dealer and so she uses this to become a cat and become friends with Hinode that way. He loves the cat so that is how Miyo gets his love for now but she hopes to one day win as a human too. In the meantime though, is this deal a little too good to be true.

So like I said the weakest part is the whole cat salesman and the action going on over there. It’s pretty out there and weird which is fun because it’s so jarring from the rest of the story but I feel like it goes on for a tad too long by the end of it. We get a fairly long climax of running after the guy, tackling him, etc. The problem is that he seems to be all powerful with how he can shape shift, fly, etc. So the fact that they can do anything to him doesn’t really make sense. You have to suspend a whole lot of disbelief for all of the scenes involving him.

The cat world is interesting but also a little under developed. I guess everyone who gets turned into cats just sort of give up but you’d expect more general chaos and anarchy. Narratively it is satisfying to see the various characters make their declarations and fight back but the whole thing takes itself a little too seriously. I like the angle of Miyo turning into a cat and even the whole mask system and how cats can turn into humans. I would keep that but I would reduce the focus in the climax on the other world.

Back to the main story though, I really liked Miyo as the lead. I appreciated the fact that she always kept up a positive outlook and did her best to stay strong no matter what was going on. She certainly went through a whole lot of hardships and really had to tough it out on her own. Her parents split up and so she’s been trying to be fair to her new stepmom while also guarding herself from being attached. While she plays off her love to Hinode as a bit of a joke, it’s still really serious for her and every rejection hurts.

Through it all she never really takes it out on the other characters. Her loyalty is also nice like when she jumped off of a building to take care of some bullies. I definitely wouldn’t advise doing that for obvious reasons but she wasn’t about to let them bad mouth Hinode. They were sure talking loud to be heard from the roof though. Eventually Miyo isn’t able to get it together and breaks down by the end but she stayed strong for a real long time. Ultimately she’s one of the better main heroines that I’ve seen in a while and I will always give tremendous respect to any character who is able to properly charge forward and speak out her feelings.

I also really liked the step mom Kaoru who was also doing her best. She was trying not to be pushy but was naturally trying to bond with Miyo at least a little. Kaoru did her best throughout and also didn’t let herself get pushed around. When the old mother came to visit, Kaoru stood her ground and fought back really well. She was one of the better developed characters in the film and was a crucial piece in getting things to end well.

Her cat Kinako also ends up getting a pretty sizable role. At first I thought she seemed rather random the whole time but the pieces came together. She is fairly quick on the uptake all things considered and could bluff her way out of situations really well. I would have liked to have seen more of her initial meetups with the various characters instead of the 3 day time skip but it was a very intriguing part of the movie either way.

Then we have Hinode who is a solid guy but probably one of the weaker characters by default. He basically gets embarrassed by Miyo the whole time so he stays away. The guy likes to be quiet and stay out of the limelight which is impossible in this situation. I just have a hard time sympathizing with him when he doesn’t stand up to the bullies or defend Miyo in any way. When some bullies stole her love letter he should have been a bit more forceful and definitely shouldn’t have taken it out on her. That was easily his worst scene.

In his plot, it also seemed reasonable to close down the ceramics shop even though he liked it. Clearly it was not going over very well and his own skills were not enough to keep it afloat. Feelings and platitudes are all well and good but in the end they just weren’t enough. If he really wanted to keep things in place then he needed to work on his skills more. That would really have been the only way for him to have made a difference here. Instead he just got nervous too often and that came back to bite him.

Part of why I could get behind the romance more this time is because there were no rebounds or anything of the sort. Miyo liked Hinode from the start and while he was mainly avoiding her, it’s not like he had anyone else that he liked. It took a very long time so this wasn’t a sudden development either and so this felt like a well crafted romance. We got to really learn about both characters and their trials. I would argue that Miyo faced much harsher and greater challenges the whole time but they both did have their tough times.

Miyo also had a great friend who was really with her through all of the tough times. The friend was definitely not on board with the romance but it makes sense since she was trying to protect Miyo from what she saw as future heartbreak. She really wanted to avoid that at all costs which makes sense. In a way that’s what makes her such a good friend, it’s only natural that you would end up getting upset at the guy who keeps rejecting Miyo.

Meanwhile the animation is pretty solid and smooth. It’s not always the most colorful but it definitely doesn’t hold the film back. I like how fast paced it can all get. Then the soundtrack is solid like you would expect. We get a pair of emotional songs and the overall soundtrack matches the film’s cheerful energy. The movie was definitely on point with all of these technical aspects and the writing so I have no real issues here.

Overall, A Whisker Away is a pretty good film. It’s rare that I say this but it could probably have focused on the romance more and the supernatural less and it could have been even better. That said, it’s a film I would highly recommend you check out because it’s just so much different from your average romance experience. The guy isn’t chasing after the girl and things get all complicated. This time the heroine takes matters into her own hands and it’s just a lot of fun.

Overall 7/10

Twisters Review

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It’s sure been a long time since the first Twister film. That one was a classic and people still know it very well to this day. The question is, can this one achieve the same living legacy? I doubt it, I think it’s a little harder to do that with how many films are out nowadays with so many options to watch them but I would say they did a good job with this one and I actually liked it more than the first Twister. This film can perhaps be a bit obvious with the twists at times but it doesn’t take away from the fun experience overall.

The movie starts off with Kate and her crew deciding to take down a tornado. She has an idea on how to shut them down from the inside but it doesn’t work out and most of them end up dying. This includes her boyfriend who she was really close with and will have a hard time continuing without. As a result, she left the business and is more of a tornado consultant now. One day she is tracked down by the last surviving member, Javi. He is bringing in a new team and they’re getting data on the tornadoes. Kate is skeptical about going back in but reluctantly agrees. Will they be able to make a difference this time?

It’s easy to see why Kate wouldn’t want to get back into the field. I sure wouldn’t want to get back out there after nearly dying and watching everyone else get blown away. It’s not the kind of work that you can do without being 100% committed either. For that reason she is blinded a bit in the beginning and doesn’t really ask too many questions about what they’re doing. Honestly she’s not the nosy type at all because I would have been googling things immediately. An old friend shows up with some kind of big project? Yeah sounds like a pyramid scheme if I’ve ever seen one.

We’re also introduced to the rival Tornado Wranglers group who were a lot of fun. I immediately liked them as soon as they showed up. These guys are loud and in charge as they take the risks and make a lot of money off of livestreaming. I think you’re supposed to find them off putting at first before the film goes into this but I just love confidence. So I was on board right from the jump and why wouldn’t I be? The main characters take everything so seriously while these guys are just having a great time. It’s hard to turn that down.

Tyler is the leader there and he gets a lot of screen time. He trades banter with Kate right away and the two of them go back and forth a whole lot. Naturally this is Hollywood so you’re expecting a romance and that is the weakest part of the film. It’s just too sudden and I don’t buy it. The film also seemed to be hinting at Javi being in love with Kate too but it doesn’t fully go with that storyline which was a good idea. Even if he did like her, not saying anything was the heroic response there.

What I like about Tyler is that he isn’t your generic kind of loudmouth. Instead he knows his stuff and is actually quite the genius. The film did good to avoid the obvious tropes there and his whole crew was solid. They weren’t as stuffy as Javi’s crew and there is something to be said about staying relaxed in tight situations. It’s not like Javi’s group was bad or anything like that but you can tell that it would be a much more stressful environment.

By the end of the film, things do start to get a little exaggerated as the story beats you over the head with who the bad guys are. I would have appreciated a little more nuance there but nonetheless the film has enough good plots to keep it going well. The pacing is smooth and the effects are really solid. It was definitely great seeing the tornadoes up close and we got some great disaster scenes. That tends to go without saying but it does take a lot of effort.

A film like this lives or dies on the characters though because you have to care about them beyond just following the disasters. The film succeeds on that as I liked Tyler and Kate. I never quite warmed up to Javi but you can’t win them all. The film’s technology approach was also good to show how much progress we have made in tornadoes over the years. It’s an area that I expect we will never fully master but every improvement certainly goes a long way.

This is a very uplifting kind of movie. The characters go through their hardships and everything but it’s all about overcoming them. In that way this feels like a very classic kind of film that’s not trying to be too fancy or get too ambitious. This helps the movie really feel like a true successor to the first Twister film. We don’t even have a true villain who’s trying to blow everyone up or anything like that and the film still feels like a good thriller all the way.

Overall, Twisters is a pretty fun film. It’s easy to tease the whole premise of there being two twisters this time around but it is a well crafted movie. It can be very predictable at times and I think it could treat the audience with a bit more respect in terms of being less obvious but at the end of the day it is a movie that makes for a good watch. It has a lot of replay value and you’re never bored at any point during the story. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes some quality excitement and there is definitely room for a sequel with how it ends.

Overall 7/10

Bus Stop Review

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Bus Stop is one of those films where the romance has realllllly not aged well. At its core this should be an uplifting movie about a quality character arc but instead you’re just being reminded of how much progress has been made over the years. There are fun moments here to be sure but the ending isn’t particularly satisfying and the path towards getting there can be very rough.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Bo who is a Cowboy that is finally seeing the real world for the first time. He is eager to show the world just how good he is and his mentor Virgil is hoping that Bo will even end up meeting a girl that he will fancy. Well, that turns out to be the case as they bump into a lady named Cherie who is a good singer and dancer. She aspires to go to Hollywood some day but for now is stopped at a small little club of sorts. Bo announces that they will get married and won’t be taking no for an answer. Part of Cherie is flattered but she also realizes that he isn’t quite mature enough for this. How can she get out of this whole marriage thing?

So the funny part here is supposed to be that Bo is completely oblivious to what the word no means. He treats Cherie like the bulls that he wrangles for the show and any answer she gives is ignored until it’s yes. He pressures her into everything like watching his show and saying yes to marriage. This isn’t a great look for Cherie either but Bo is really a big problem here. It goes a step too far with how he’s literally kidnapping her by the end of the film.

Bo straight up became an antagonist and there were few characters that were doing anything about it. Fortunately that’s where Carl steps in, the best character in the film. Carl is quick to challenge Bo to a fight and absolutely crushes him. It was a great moment and showed that at least one guy was going to step in when the going got tough. It’s definitely good that Carl had some experience in physical sports because otherwise Bo was a tough guy himself. Carl just knew what it meant to have a quality romance and that’s why it’s almost a shame for the guy that the owner of the bus stop seemed to like Virgil instead. Perhaps the fight changed her mind though, it seems like you could take things either way.

Still, Carl did the right thing there. For Bo it still seems like an odd plot point because not knowing city customs is one thing but being completely insensitive to the ladies is another. He really didn’t seem to have any regard for Cherie’s feelings and the film wrote him to be way too exaggerated. It’s why you can’t see any possible path to a relationship here after all the things that he did. The film could have ended with a friendship and a heartfelt apology but that’s really about it.

As for Cherie, I would have liked to have seen her show a bit more agency here. While Bo did pour on the pressure the whole time, she still could have said no more decisively and really made a scene about it. I know to an extent she is still limited about the situation because you can’t really know how the guy will react. It’s why I won’t be quite as hard on her but she still didn’t end up being super likable.

I then blame Virgil a bit here because he takes some responsibility for not setting Bo straight sooner. The guy was his mentor so any character flaws Bo has can be taken to him to an extent. Virgil also helped stand up by the end and call Bo out but it took him a long time to do so. He should have been front and center from the start in showing Bo that he was wrong about everything.

If not for the drama, Bo was actually even doing pretty well at all the events. It was clear that he wasn’t all talk but at the same time that doesn’t excuse his off the field issues. It’s a classic example of a character getting distracted and then wasting everything away when it counted. Not a good look at all. I’m also not into the whole bull chasing and such. It feels like it would still hurt the animal to be tripped no matter how carefully it is done. Those sports can be cancelled and I’d definitely be fine.

The meat of the story is really about the romance though and since that part isn’t very good then the rest of the film suffers as a result. The scenes aren’t particularly funny and the ending is a miss so it ends up losing out on both accounts. The pacing isn’t bad as the film isn’t too long and things are always happening but that’s about all I can give for the film. It needed a much better cast to really take things to the next level and this movie wasn’t quite ready for that.

Overall, This is an example of a film where they take the “Unfamiliar in the big city” trope and take it way too far. It could have been a good dynamic if Bo likes Cherie but she was constantly using new lingo and was too fast paced for him while Bo kept getting himself into trouble by using the wrong sayings. Then you have some misunderstandings and such. Or have Bo be super oblivious to the fact that she’s not into him but not in a way where he is dragging her around. Just have him be loud and overconfident as usual without actively trying to kidnap her or forcing in a wedding. In short, if you fix Bo then you fix the movie. Until then I would say to definitely give this film a skip for now.

Overall 4/10

A Hatful of Rain Review

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This is one of those movies that is just way too depressing the whole time. The characters make a bunch of mistakes and the movie doesn’t really have much time for fun moments. It’s just a dreary ride from start to finish and I can assure you that this is not a winning formula. You are not going to create the next all time classic this way.

The movie starts with John showing up in town to visit his two kids Johnny and Polo. Things had been a little tough between them but now it can all be normal. Welllll there’s a quick hitch in that plan as John asks Polo for the money back that he lent him. Unfortunately Polo doesn’t have it and won’t say what happened with it which causes a full rift there. John basically doesn’t want to talk to him anymore and only spends all his time praising Johnny. For some reason Johnny doesn’t seem to like his old veteran status brought up at all though and keeps leaving for long blocks of time which is making his wife Celia worried. Is something going on behind the scenes?

Well the big thing is that Johnny is addicted to drugs and so he spent all of Polo’s money on it and he’s still hooked. He suffers from serious withdrawals whenever he is away from the stuff and can’t work up the courage to tell Celia about this. So instead Johnny allows himself to be manipulated by the mob the whole time as he does their bidding for more and more drugs. It’s obviously a losing game here as the more drugs he consumes, the further back he goes. They’re also ramping up the payments and threats so he is really putting his family in danger here. That’s probably the worst part of it since his wife is pregnant so Johnny needs to be worrying about them. The mafia know where he lives so that’s too bad.

I didn’t like Johnny because of all these bad circumstances. It’s a shame that he got addicted during recovery from a bad injury but from there on he needed to talk to people and figure out a way forward. Instead of doing any of that he ended up doubling down over and over again on the wrong things. He had Polo there for support and Polo really did his best but Johnny still didn’t go forward. If he had absolutely no support network then I would have been a lot easier on him but he had several people around who loved him.

As for Polo, he was mostly a good character but unfortunately he crumbles halfway into the film. He basically crashes with Johnny and Celia while he’s down on his luck but Johnny is always away which means he spends a lot of time with Celia. Nothing wrong with that, it’s good to have close family and since they are siblings in law, it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is that Polo allows himself to fall in love with her and this is where you start groaning as the viewer. Did the film really have to go down this rabbit hole?

I don’t care if she was the greatest super model on the planet, you absolutely can’t fall for her. She’s married and to his own brother which makes this 10X personal. The instant he started feeling any attraction it was really on him to move out. Attraction is about several factors including time and proximity. So the quickest way to get rid of that is to dash out and then getting drunk was hardly an excuse for him to be making a pass at her. So this is where he lost any likability.

Meanwhile I also have to blame Celia on this. For starters she says she noticed that Polo was falling for her for a very long time and didn’t do anything about it. That was probably a good time to bring it up before things got too serious. If she didn’t feel safe then she should let Johnny know when he is around for it. Thing is, the film basically states that she started liking him too which is just terrible. Yeah Johnny wasn’t fulfilling his obligations as a husband so you have to solve that problem but the rebound is absolutely not the way to go.

You can see how toxic the whole thing was. Ironically John was probably the least toxic even though he’s the one who is constantly yelling at everybody. Make no mistake, he’s a bad character as well. He was way too mean spirited towards Polo and saying things that you can’t really take back afterwards. I thought that was pretty awful even if Polo had lost the money. Being upset is one thing but continuing to ram in the point the way John did was overboard. Even by the end he is blaming Polo for what happened to Johnny instead of being supportive.

I think the worst part about all of this is that nothing really happens to the mafia. Yeah some members started getting picked up by the cops but the main ones are still in operation and tormenting more people. Polo pays them off at the end but that just means they’ll be back again with further demands. You never really escape the drug dealers until they’ve gone to jail and that’s why it was crucial that we got a scene for this. The fact that we didn’t was definitely a shame.

The writing for the film wasn’t bad but definitely a little too bleak. At some point you would have expected one of the characters to do something like roping in the cops or taking a stand. Instead there was a ton of fighting going on between all of the characters the whole time and none of them were taking the right step in order to resolve this. We also get some fairly long scenes of Johnny crashing out on the drugs and while that may be realistic, it also didn’t make him look much better. It’s a reminder of how he’s been going through this many times and still hasn’t told his wife yet.

Overall, The main moral of this film is dialogue. If the characters had confided in each other much sooner then the film would have been over in a snap. It’s a good cautionary tale on addiction though. Sometimes it’s something that you can’t beat on your own. Everyone needs help with things at some point. That’s why you have counselors, family, friends, etc. Depending on the situation is who you may end up confiding in but ultimately at the end of the day you are going to have a very hard time if you’re truly a one man show. With that being said, I’d recommend watching a lighter film instead.

Overall 3/10

3 Women Review

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It’s time for one of those very weird films where everybody is kinda crazy. Unfortunately instead of getting super invested in what’s going on this is the kind of film where you’ll be checking your watch a few times. The story beats don’t really follow very logically and so the movie just doesn’t feel very satisfying. Definitely wasn’t my cup of tea.

The film follows 3 women as you can tell based on the title but one of them barely gets to do anything. So Pinky has just started working at a health recovery type spot for old people. She is fairly timid and has a hard time making friends so she ends up gravitating towards Millie, a girl who is constantly talking. Millie has no problems striking up a conversation with anybody but the thing is, nobody listens to her and nobody even wants to talk to her. People straight up ignore her most of the time and want nothing to do with her. I get the feeling it could be because Millie just seems fake or brings too much drama. Either way Pinky figures this is her chance and grabs the application to become roommates with her. Will this work out?

It’s sort of a worst case scenario for Pinky to be honest. Millie is a bit oblivious to the fact that everyone ignores her although to an extent I think she realizes but is so deep into the act that she can’t give up now. Thing is, she is not interested in talking to Pinky and that’s the one person who will listen to her. So it’s a pretty rough cycle as Millie is super critical of Pinky and basically talks down to her the whole time. If you weren’t sure what a toxic friendship looked like, this would be it. The amount of gaslighting here goes pretty crazy.

For that reason Millie isn’t even remotely likable. She’s just way too desperate for attention even if that means sleeping around and being a bully. This certainly won’t help her attract the right attention either. The tables turn on her in the second half and it’s hard to feel too bad for her. When you have a lead like this then the film is already in a bit of trouble.

As for Pinky, she is also getting herself into this mess. Yes, she is starved for attention but the moment that means trying to get close to someone like Millie who is verbally abusive the whole time, you know you’ve gone too far. Pinky can also be quite nosy like when she was reading Millie’s diary on the sneak. Then after Pinky’s incident, she does a complete 180 and basically starts to act like Millie which means absorbing all of her flaws. By the end of this there was nothing likable about her either.

Finally we have the third woman Willie who draws abstract graffiti onto the ground, walls, and wherever she likes. She’s been pregnant for a while but her husband isn’t the loyal type and so she’s basically on her own. She is chronically depressed the whole time and the end of the film is certainly not kind to her. Her mind is thoroughly broken by the end of the film like everyone else’s so there was really nobody spared. She is really lacking in screentime but gets more involved for the end of the film.

The film definitely gets as edgy as possible with no proper character models in the whole film. Each character is out for herself and only does what will put her ahead. None of them seem to have proper values at all. All of the people partying at the building lobby seem just as bad and even in the workplace nobody seems to care about anything. The movie definitely portrays a very depressing landscape for all of the characters involved.

There aren’t really any happy moments in the film. Even without the terrible ending the movie wasn’t on pace to be anything super good either. It should have leaned into the weird angle a bit more instead of being this odd drama. Like we meet Pinky’s parents and they just seem really weird the whole time. You can definitely see how Pinky would have had a rough upbringing with these two at the helm. Yet the film just disregards them quickly, their weird scenes are just there and then they’re gone.

Instead of being a realistic look at each character having a psychological breakdown, have there be some supernatural moments. Have some ghosts appear, demons possessing the main characters, things like that. That would have absolutely been infinitely more interesting and given the film more of a central focus. This way you aren’t sure how much of what you see on screen is really happening naturally or what is being supernaturally meddled with. Lots of possibilities there without a doubt.

Overall, 3 Women was definitely a pretty terrible film. It messes up on virtually every element from the main characters to the story, to the ending. It missed the main part of just being a fun story. One key change that could have been good would have been to have had Millie and Pinky actually getting along the whole time. Have things be going well, then one day Millie gets upset and yells at Pinky which leads to the accident. It would play up more on Pinky not knowing how to handle the situation as opposed to Millie being a bully the whole time and that being the moment where it went too far. Would have been more realistic but more importantly it would have given us some positive scenes to enjoy before things got all depressing again. That would have been the much better approach if you ask me. Although if the ending was unchanged then I don’t think the film would have had much luck anyway. It definitely crosses the line of being too tragic. Unless you want to watch a film about a depressing town with a lot of depressed people in it, this is a film to avoid.

Overall 1/10

Drifting Home Review

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It’s time for an anime film with a lot of drama and big events going on. The kids really had to go through a lot here but at the end of the day they pull through and show what real determination can do. It’s a solid film but this is one of the rare times I’ll say that the film went on too long. They start to retread some of the same story beats multiple times and I even think the whole plot of bringing in the veggie people muddied the overall message. Personally the story could have shaved about 30 minutes off and flowed better.

The story starts by introducing us to Kosuke who has a long history with a girl named Natsumi. She had to live at his place for a while when they were kids but then Kosuke’s grandfather died and the two grew really distant. At school they can barely even talk to each other and Natsumi heads to the abandoned projects to be by herself. Those are the old buildings where they used to live and Kosuke’s friends figure it’ll be fun to treat them as haunted houses and go exploring. Kosuke isn’t thrilled about this but he accompanies them and that causes Reina and her friend to give chase. Suddenly the whole building is seemingly carried away and when the kids get up they realize they are all alone at sea. Their home is just drifting along like a boat and there is nothing in sight across all directions. Are they doomed to die out at sea?

Being stuck out at sea while only being a kid is definitely a rough situation and even more so when the characters don’t get along. The premise works really well with the mystery as you wonder how the characters even got to this point. Was it magic that whisked the characters away or is it all a dream like Natsume says? The hunger and fatigue the characters feel certainly seems to be real but perhaps it is all in their heads. For now they have to treat this as real and try to survive.

This is really the main backdrop for Kosuke and Natsumi trying to be friends again. Throughout the movie we slowly start to see more of the flashback of the final incident that caused them to drift apart. It takes a long while to actually see the scene but you do understand where it’s going fairly early on. A lot of the time it does tend to be Kosuke’s fault as he does tend to say things that he doesn’t mean and gets upset quickly. It felt like he went through many attempts of burning the bridge and often it came at little to no provocation.

He isn’t very good at the whole being a good friend thing. Kosuke is good at taking charge and doing what has to be done though. Jumping onto another building to find snacks was a good idea and he does his best with assuming command. Kosuke isn’t very mature most of the time but neither are most of the others since they’re just kids. There will be a lot of moments that make you cringe for sure but without Kosuke the others would have definitely been doomed.

The kid who is the most mature here is definitely Natsumi. While she makes a critical error near the end, for the most part she is the only one really keeping everyone together. She tries to keep the various personalities from destroying each other and absorbs most of the insults. I would have liked her to have fought back a little more though. She’s always being really mature and just internalizing everything but it also means that the other characters tend to consider it open season on her. Particularly Reina who was always picking fights.

Natsumi was definitely going through a whole lot here. Reina is probably the most petty member of the kids though. She is constantly picking fights in part because she is jealous of Natsumi and wants Kosuke all to herself. Reina is all too eager to blame everything on Natsumi for this reason and holds a grudge for a long time. She is fun for the film because that makes the dynamics more interesting but you would absolutely not want her to be on the ship with you.

Juri is her shy friend who is always around. She’s very timid at first but gradually taps into her inner confidence and does better. It was nice to see her taking charge and not just fading away into the background. I don’t think she got enough time to really be too much of a focus for the most part but either way I would say she was a good character. Taishi tended to get himself into trouble but he’s a friendly guy and someone who gets along well with everybody. He may not take things seriously most of the time but that does help to keep morale up.

Finally there is Yusuru who probably gets the biggest shaft out of all the characters. He doesn’t get to have a proper character arc or anything like that. He’s dependable and always around but that’s about it for him. Feels like the film needed an extra person for some of the stunts and that’s why he is around but otherwise the story didn’t have a role set up for him. That’s a shame but at least he wasn’t bad.

There is the mysterious Noppo kid who is constantly hanging around. He’s quiet and doesn’t do or say much until we get deeper into the film and then his role gets bigger. I wasn’t a big fan of his character, he tends to hold them all back a bit and is way too cryptic about everything. He definitely could have told the heroes more and that would have made the situation a lot easier on the rest of them. There wasn’t a good reason for him to hold back.

He’s also responsible for the main subplot that didn’t really add much to the experience. I still say we don’t need the whole veggie thing but I can’t say much more without spoilers. Lets just say the film introduces a whole concept of a bunch of people and this helps in part to explain the mystery of what happened but not in a super satisfying way. This is one of those films where the mystery itself is a lot more compelling than the resolution. It would have made a lot of sense to have had Natsumi be the conduit for taking everyone into the ocean world because she was unable to move on. This would directly be Kosuke’s fault in a lot of ways and that leads into their character arcs.

All these other characters just negate that to a large extent. The film also has a half dozen climaxes where it looks like things are going to end and then it keeps going. I always say that good films should be longer and bad films should be shorter but while this is a good film, it just started to feel its length. Ideally you don’t want a film to feel like it’s super long because by that point it means that some point of the immersion is gone.

Even the drama was a bit repetitive as it felt like Kosuke and Natsumi would make up, only to fall apart again, and then to repeat those steps over and over again. Even the flashbacks started to loop again. It’s a really good story beat of two old friends reuniting but the movie just didn’t seem to know how to stretch the plot on for too long. They didn’t have enough material for it or something like that.

The music was pretty solid here. I liked a few of the tunes and the animation isn’t bad. It’s nothing super high end or anything but it works well enough for the film. The technical aspects didn’t hold the film back or anything like that. The writing was good as well and the movie did a good job of having the kids find creative ways to survive. Perhaps some scenes may feel like a stretch for the kids but as long as it means they’re doing something I can be on board with that. The less time they spent panicking, the more time they had to be productive.

Overall, This was a good movie. I’d say that the length hurts the replay value and at the end of the day a bunch of kids will never be the most compelling set of characters. That said, the messages are good and the ending is solid. I always like when a film takes a stance on something instead of trying to have it both ways and so the final line was a great idea. Between that and the photos, the movie wasn’t copping out or anything like that. I’d say to check this movie out. It might even give you a bit of nostalgia for when you would hang out as a kid.

Overall 6/10

The Painted Hills Review

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It’s time for another Lassie film and of course you know that means that the movie won’t be particularly good. Lassie movies tend to fall into the same holes time and time again. You want them to be good but deep down you just know that they won’t be. It’s unfortunate but that’s just how it goes. This one is another particularly weak installment and the whole time you’re waiting for Lassie to show up.

The film opens up with Jonathan and his dog Shep travelling through the mountains and finding a gold vein. They might be rich now! They head back to town to let Martha and her kid Tommy know but unfortunately a guy named Lin hears about it. Lin has always been a decent guy and he convinces Jonathan not to put a claim in just yet so they can make sure of what they’ve got first. Jonathan unfortunately listens to the guy and they head back up. Lin gets crazier and crazier about the gold until he finally murders Jonathan and decides to take it all for himself. He even poisons Shep and tries to bump him off. Will the guy face justice or is it all over for the heroes?

Obviously it’s sad for Jonathan but my main problem with the guy is that the whole thing is so obvious and predictable. How did he not suspect that Lin would do this? Lin was not hiding his greed at all. Not even for a microsecond was the guy staying sane after he saw the gold. He was quick to attack anybody and so Jonathan should have taken care of him sooner. Instead Jonathan talked about the rules of the mountain and how there was an honor code. A lot of good an honor code does you once you’re dead!

He had the foresight to give the kid Tommy the claim so that the government could get involved but still went up the mountain with Lin upon his request? That’s just not a smart move at all and it makes sense that he would be pushed. I’ll be less harsh with the dog Shep for eating the poison but to be honest even he should have known better. Lin is not someone who can be trusted and Shep knows pretty well that Lin is the one who bumped off his owner. This calls for drastic action, not simply going along with all of this. Shep does well in the end but it took a while to take care of Lin.

Tommy also didn’t look particularly good here. He knows for a fact that Lin bumped Jonathan off and tries to escape only to hit his head really hard and get gaslit into basically staying silent and not saying anything for a while. Tommy handled the situation as poorly as possible and it was all pretty disgraceful. I expected much better from the kid but he disappointed me in the end. I know he’s just a kid but we’re talking life or death here, you can’t be letting yourself go down so easily. At the very least he could have said that Lin was trying to murder him and beating him in a more convincing way.

Even punch yourself real quick if that’s what it takes and leave a bruise or something. The other adults were slow to believe him which is annoying but makes sense with Tommy shooting himself in the foot the whole time. As for Lin, well he definitely didn’t cover his tracks well so he shouldn’t have even lasted as long as he did. He’s just lucky that things kept on working out for him but the film can’t say it was so lucky. At the end of the day we had to go through more animal violence here as Lassie is poisoned and shot at.

The dogs always have a really rough time of it and while some of the other Lassie films have been more violent, this one’s still going too far. No reason Shep should have to go through all of this and the film as a whole isn’t super interesting. I’ve seen better films about people being corrupted due to the gold. In this case I wouldn’t even say it is corrupted though as the guy seemed shady from the start. The gold was just his excuse to get really crazy about the whole thing.

The first red flag should have been the whole reason not to put in a claim. He talks about how other people would go to the mountains to dig and ignore the law anyway. Sure that might happen but at least you’ve got the law on your side and by the time other people discover the spot you should have gotten most of the gold anyway. It didn’t feel like a real argument although Jonathan believed it so I suppose there had to be something to it.

The guy was just too trusting. Even with how casual he was about another guy walking over and helping himself to things within the house. Apparently on the mountains it is a tradition where this one guy will show up to cook a good meal and then leave. While Lin’s response was off the rails crazy, I would be a bit weirded out as well if someone was just randomly in my house. Back in the days of everybody carrying guns, I could see this being fatal real quickly as well. You don’t know what’s going on and only have half a second to react after all.

Overall, The Painted Hills is a film I would definitely avoid. None of the characters are smart at all and fall for the easiest traps. Once you are on a horse there’s no way a villain should catch you and yet Tommy manages to find a way. Lin should have been taken out way sooner and needs all the plot armor in the world to stay on top. Not a very good look for him at all. There’s also the whole irony of Lassie not even being in the film since Shep is a descendent. A very odd choice without a doubt. I don’t think the film would have been good either way but it doesn’t help matters.

Overall 3/10