The real story of ALICE, Old WIves Tales, How Times Have Changed.
Episode #198: George A. Tramountanas & Win A Trip To Brown Town
George A. Tramountanas dropped by to discuss his new film “Win A Trip To Browntown” and what it was like to lose 50 pounds while filming a movie.
Episode #197: Krystin Ver Linden, Writer & Director of Alice
Writer and director of the new film Alice, Krystin Ver LInden, sits down for a one on one chat with Silas in this mini-episode.
Episode #196: Welcome Back
Samantha Rund RETURNS and talks to Silas about comfort television, current television thoughts, and review writing.
Review – The Adam Project
Reviewed by Silas Lindenstein
The Adam Project (2022)
PG-13 • Scifi/Adventure • 1 Hour 43 Minutes
Written by Jonathan Tropper; T.S. Nowlin; Jennifer Flackett; Mark Levin
Directed by Shawn Levy
THE CAST
Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Walker Scobell, Zoe Saldaña, Catherine Keener
THE STORY
(In their own words) After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self on a mission to save the future.
THE REVIEW
I’m a sucker for any sort of time travel based film. Add in a nice size portion of snarky Ryan Reynolds, and I’m grabbing my popcorn ready for a good time.
And that’s what The Adam Project provides. It’s a good time. It has a weird plot relationship with time and how your action in time will affect the future….but you have to let that go…we don’t really know how that could all work. Let it go and just enjoy the story.
For me the best part of the film was Walker Scobell playing young Adam to the older Ryan Reynolds version of the character. Walker did a great job of picking up the ticks and speaking patterns of Ryan Reynolds and incorporating them into his character, making him extremely believable as a young Ryan Reynolds.
The underlying drama of the film is young Adam and his mother(Jennifer Garner) dealing with the grief over the somewhat recent loss of Adam’s father. There’s a particular stand out scene between Garner and Reynolds as they talk about losing someone and how that affected each of them. It’s a wonderfully played scene, honest, raw, and a nice dramatic break from the rest of the film.
The rest of the film is lot of fun laser shooting, and hand to hand combat, and space ships, and trying to figure out how to deal with this time travel mess they’ve gotten themselves into.
It’s a fun movie, nothing more, nothing less. Luckily it stars some pretty great talent that helped elevate it from more than it is. Don’t think too hard during this. Just enjoy.
THE BEST
BEST things about the film
- Fun Time Travel Story
- Very Funny
- Some touching moments
- The kid actor does a great imitation of Ryan Reynolds, really seeming like a young version.
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
- Kind of predictable.
- Nothing super memorable about the movie.
- Villain is really lacks depth.
THE LESSON
Misdirected anger hurts the wrong people.
REWATCHABLE?
Yes
THE FINAL WORD
A light hearted scifi time travel adventure that is not a bad way to spend a Friday night enjoying.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
I give The Adam Project a Like It
THE TRAILER
Episode #195: Terrance Parsons & The Best Films Based On Video Games
Comic and video game streamer Terrance Parsons joined the show to talk about the best films that are based on video games.
Review – Uncharted (2022)
Uncharted (2022)
Pg-13 ‧ Action/Adventure ‧ 1 Hour 56 Minutes
Written by Rafe Judkins, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
THE CAST
Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg
Sophia Ali
Tati Gabrielle
Antonio Banderas
THE STORY
Street-smart Nathan Drake, is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter, Victor “Sully” Sullivan, to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan, and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada.
THE REVIEW
I really crossed my fingers coming into this film. I really loved the Uncharted video games, they already felt like films that you could control, but Hollywood doesn’t have a great track record with turning video games into films. I’m happy to report that Uncharted was everything I hoped for.
Uncharted is fast paced, funny, and unlike many of its genre of movies….is actually interesting. Tom Holland does an admirable job playing Nathan Drake, the lead of the Uncharted series. Holland is naturally charismatic and fully embraces the role. He even moves like the video game character in very subtle ways, like the way he leaps out of windows gives a nice nod at the mechanics of the video game.
While playing the video game Uncharted, I often felt like I could just be playing a movie, with long cinematic scenes, decent dialogue and pretty clear paths you have no choice but to take in the game. Watching the film I occasionally thought, I could be playing a video game right now, thinking what I would be doing to solve the puzzles that the characters were faced with.
I also liked that the writers didn’t feel compelled to try and make Drake have a forced love interest in the film, as is a trap they often fall into for these action films. Drake is very focused on his mission; find his brother and the treasure.
Holland’s co-star Mark Walberg is consistent as Sully, the untrustworthy friend of Nathan’s brother. Walberg plays the role like he does most, nothing incredible, but generally believable, charming, and funny when he needs to be. Holland and Wallberg certainly have nice chemistry throughout the film, but we get the sense that both of them would have “nice” chemistry with anyone you pair them with. They don’t make a duo that you hope to see again and again, but they don’t miss the mark either.
What missed the mark for the movie for me was the lack of super memorable moments or lines in the film which is critical to build these kinds of franchises. Think Indiana Jones seeing the giant ball coming at him, or the moment he shoots the swordsman to avoid a dual. Uncharted needed this, or at least some dialogue I won’t forget. Yes, there are a couple action scenes that are super well executed and I will remember those, but at least one is taken directly from the game. Which I don’t think is even bad, in my opinion. It just adds to the sense of your favorite video game come to life.
Overall it is a fun film. Is it a riveting drama that will change the way you look at gold profiteering. No. It’s just a fun film that should be treated much like a video game. Sit down and enjoy and get lost for a couple hours in the adventurous tale they present.
THE BEST
BEST things about the film
- Very fun.
- Seamless special effects.
- One of the best adaptations of a video game to film.
- No forced romance plot.
- Felt like the video game came to life.
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
- Not a lot of background on the characters.
- Predictability.
- “Bad guys” motivations not really fleshed out well
- Lack of memorable lines or moments.
THE LESSON
Searching for treasure will help you find a lot of things. Just not usually treasure.
THE FINAL WORD
One of the best video games adapted to the big screen. It’s a fun, fast paced popcorn film that doesn’t disappoint.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Uncharted gets a Like It
ABOUT SILAS
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
Review – KIMI
KIMI (2022)
R ‧ Thriller/Crime‧ 2 hours 29 minutes
Written by David Koepp.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
THE CAST
Zoë Kravitz and Rita Wilson.
THE STORY
A tech worker with agoraphobia discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime, but is met with resistance when she tries to report it. Seeking justice, she must do the thing she fears the most: she must leave her apartment.
THE REVIEW
On paper, KIMI seems like it would make for a great thriller. A modern day thriller using an “Alexa” type device called “KIMI”, Angela, is a tech worker for the device who overhears an apparent assault crime while monitoring streams. Now she is pushing her bosses to get the police involved while her bosses try to silence her and keep the event out of the public eye.
It felt like this could be a new The Net with Sandra Bullock, but it falls so short of that. Kimi continually sets up interesting elements of the story and then tells them in the most boring way possible. People are wearing masks and Angela seems to have developed agoraphobia from the Covid pandemic, but we don’t really explore that much. The KIMI device raising some questions about privacy in our ever-increasing digital world, and yet not much of any eyebrows are being raised. Angela is suffering from agoraphobia as a probable result of the lockdown, but it isn’t really explored deeply.
The villains of the film….meh. Connection to the characters…zilch.
The setting of the film, beautiful Seattle is one of the treats. The other is watching the very talented Zoe Kravitz attempt to defy such an uninteresting script.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
- Zoe Kravitz does a very nice job in the role.
- Interesting concept.
- Takes place in Seattle.
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
- For a thriller it lacked ‘thrills.”
- Huge missed opportunity to make statement on these AI type devices
- Lacked connection with characters.
THE LESSON
Smart devices are used to make life more convenient, but it can’t help write a script.
THE FINAL WORD
Alexa, find something else for me to watch.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
KIMI gets a Lose It
THE TRAILER
ABOUT SILAS
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
Review – I Want You Back
I Want You Back (2022)
PG-13‧ Rom Com ‧ 1 hour 51 Minutes (111 Minutes)
Written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berge
Directed by Jason Orley
THE CAST
Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Scott Eastwood, Gina Rodriquez, Manny Jacinto
THE STORY
(In their own words) Newly dumped thirty-somethings Peter and Emma team up to sabotage their exes’ new relationships and win them back for good.
THE REVIEW
I Want You Back is fun Rom-Com that ponders the question, is love lost worth fighting for? Is a no-holds-barred, take no prisoners approach to winning back your ex really what’s best.
Peter and Emma work in the same office building and have a chance meeting in the stairwell as they are both finding a place for good cry. Turns out, they were both dumped by their significant other the same previous weekend. Misery loves company as this chance meeting of strangers turns to friendship. But they both have a yearning for their former loves, and one night out partying and lamenting they come up with idea. Emma will seduce Peter’s Ex’s new boyfriend and break them up so his ex will come back to Emma. And Peter will befriend Emma’s ex, and start convincing him to leave his new girlfriend and go back to Emma. It reminded me of the deal in Throw Mama From The Train, with a fundamental difference (aside from not murdering people). To the audience Peter and Emma need to remain unlike-able while they attempt to do something kind of crappy. Break up a couple for no other reason than to make themselves happy.
0ne of the interesting things about this rom-com is that there is no bad guy. There’s no arrogant or cheating boyfriend where the woman should be leaving for our hero. None of that. The exes actually seem in really nice relationships. To pull this movie off though, we have to like Peter and Emma. Which is definitely where this film has its strengths. Charlie Day does a fantastic job as Peter. He is extremely likable and gives us a fully fleshed out character. His portrayal is nuanced, subtle, and very committed to each moment. To a lesser degree so is Jenny Slate as Emma. While she is clearly a very strong actor, her character isn’t nearly as likable as Peter. But she does a great job portraying a lonely character who is both lost in love and life until she meets someone who believes in her.
The test of a good rom-com is whether you feel better about life after seeing it. And it succeeds in doing that. It is very smoothly shot, funny, and heartwarming.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
- The likability of the main characters was off the charts
- The lack of villains.
- An Easter egg, where Manny Jacinto makes a nod towards, The Good Place, an NBC sitcom that he starred in .
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
- There was no bad guy/gal to root against. The only people you root against are happy, otherwise you are rooting against the main characters.
- Predictability.
- Unnecessary anger at the end.
THE LESSON
Don’t be determined that you know what your life is supposed to be like.
THE FINAL WORD
A fun and funny film about learning to let go of the ones who once loved you.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
I want you back gets a Like It.
WHERE TO WATCH
I Want You Back is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Here’s the trailer
ABOUT SILAS
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
Video – The Book Of Boba Fett Finale Aftershows
Brian Trendler and Silas Lindenstein discuss the season finale of The Book Of Boba Fett, episode #7 “In The Name of Honor” on Brian and Silas’ aftershow The BookEnd.
ABOUT SILAS
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
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