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Showing posts with label REMINISCENCE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label REMINISCENCE. Show all posts

Sunday, August 22, 2021

Cindy Prascik's Review of Reminiscence, Woodstock 99 & Beckett



My dear reader(s), this weekend I had the opportunity to catch a triple feature without ever leaving home...a state of affairs that is as troubling as it is comforting. First on my agenda: Reminiscence.

A machine that allows people to relive their memories leads its operator to obsession.

With its fantastical premise and its core cast of Hugh Jackman, Thandiwe Newton, and Rebecca Ferguson, Reminiscence is the kind of movie I used to love seeing on the big screen. Sadly, hokey twists, broadly-drawn characters, and wooden performances make this one a real drag. The narration sets an awkward tone from the outset, and there's a weird undercurrent of climate-change warning that — no matter how essential — is a poor fit. The pace does pick up somewhat about the midway point, Ramin Djawadi's score is pretty nifty, and an unintentional (I guess?) homage to the great 80s comedy Top Secret! is actually quite funny, but there's just no saving this one.

Reminiscence clocks in at 116 minutes and is rated PG13 for "strong violence, drug material throughout, sexual content, and some strong language."

Reminiscence is a memory you won't care to revisit. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Reminiscence gets three.

Reminiscence is now playing in theaters worldwide, and streaming on HBO Max through mid-September.

Next on the docket: Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage.

A documentary showcasing the dark side of the third Woodstock festival.

Woodstock 99, the concert, booked talent that clearly indicated it wasn't aiming for the mellow hippie vibe of its predecessors. Woodstock 99, the film, wants you to believe only one outcome ever was possible, and it doesn't mind throwing a little shade at Woodstock 69 and Woodstock 94 along the way. Horror stories abound: Rioting, sexual assaults, even deaths. Attendees are generalized as angry white fratboys, and organizers come across as woefully out of touch. A testosterone-fueled lineup, featuring acts such as Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Korn, and Limp Bizkit, is rightfully painted as aggressive, with the only three women on the bill — Jewel, Sheryl Crow, and Alanis Morissette — portrayed as all sunshine and lollipops. Morissette, in particular, writes some pretty angry music, but here she's featured simpering her way through the idiotic "Ironic." While there's no denying some very bad things happened at this festival — some due to poor planning and others due to uncontrollable factors like the weather — I daresay there are thousands who enjoyed themselves and remember the event fondly. This film is interested only in tales of terror.

Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage runs 110 minutes and is rated TVMA for pervasive language, nudity, violence, and alcohol and drug use.

Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage is a riveting watch, even if it presents just half the story. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Woodstock 99 gets seven.

Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage is now streaming on HBO Max.

The final picture on my weekend agenda was Beckett.

Following a deadly car crash, an American tourist in Greece finds himself on the run from dangerous and powerful people.

Beckett is one of those films that probably seemed like a good idea on paper, but the execution is so poor it's hard to imagine anyone ever thought so. This movie is so slow and dull it almost stopped me calling Reminiscence slow and dull. The plot is both jumbled and eye-rollingly predictable, with its sole constant being, "How much can we physically abuse our lead?" John David Washington and Alicia Vikander are the most annoying on-screen couple in recent memory. They're among the top actors of their generation, but they've got zero chemistry and they've phoned it in here. Someone, somewhere, determined it wasn't necessary to caption the Greek dialogue, but there's enough that it's a little too easy to zone out a little too often. Mostly, though, poorly written characters and bland performances make it impossible to invest in anyone. The end seems a long time coming, and by the time you get there, you won't care what happens to any of them.

Beckett clocks in at 110 minutes (feels like about six hours) and is rated TVMA for moderate violence, profanity, and frightening/intense scenes. And because I haven't written anything nearly this funny, here's my favorite user-posted content warning from IMDB, totally more entertaining than the film itself: "Film starts off with a prolonged sex scene with limited thrusting." Kindly beware the "limited thrusting."

I desperately wanted to like Beckett. I didn't. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Beckett gets two.

Beckett is now streaming on Netflix.

Until next time...



Saturday, August 21, 2021

MOVIE REVIEW: REMINISCENCE

 



A scientist discovers a way to relive your past and uses the technology to search for his long lost love. Whilst a private investigator uncovers a conspiracy while helping his clients recover lost memories.

Director: Lisa Joy

CastHugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis, Marina de Tavira, Daniel Wu

Rated PG-13 for strong violence, drug material throughout, sexual content and some strong language

Release Date: August 20, 2021

Genres: Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Runtime: 1h 56min

Review:

Writer, director Lisa Joy's Reminiscence is a sci-fi noir thriller that's sweeping and ambitious with a A List cast.  The strange thing about the entire affair is that during it's ambitious world building it forgot to create a story that's as engaging as the concepts presented.  Joy's visuals evoke memories of Blade Runner and dashes of Alex Proyas' Dark City if you bought them from a dollar store.  Hugh Jackman leads the film with relative ease even though he feels miscast for the role and doesn't ask much from him outside of acting sad and angry. Jackman is typically a magnetic performer but this role just doesn't seem to fit him the way it should, the odd voiceover throughout the film doesn't help.  Likewise, Rebecca Ferguson is usually an engaging performer but in this film she's stiff and bland throughout.  Cliff Curtis is the primary villain who pops up in the third act and he chews up his screen time with weird out of place monologues that scream of overkill.  Thandiwe Newton is the lone bright spot who comes out unscathed with a strong performance which the film doesn't take full advantage of.  Reminiscence ends up feeling like a missed opportunity with ideas that needed more time to marinate and mature.  As is, it ends up being another forgettable sci-fi film that feels more like a middle of the road tv show than a big budget film. 

C

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