Category Archives: Mediocre

2010, Bad high school, Drama, Drugs, Flirting, Gloomy, Love Story, Mediocre, Sad small town, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes

Daydream Nation (2010)

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From NetFlix:

City girl Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) feels like she’s spinning her wheels when she moves to a small rural town, where she’s got nothing in common with anyone — except her disarmingly handsome teacher, Mr. Anderson (Josh Lucas). But when Caroline tires of their clandestine affair, Mr. Anderson isn’t ready to let her go. Andie MacDowell co-stars in this humorous dark romance from writer-director Michael Goldbach.

One more entry in the list of films with the two characteristics “sad small town” and “bad high school”, this film you have seen before with different names. Unpleasantly realistic, you can only feel sorry for the characters.

As unexciting as this film was, the acting was good. Unfortunately the girl played by Kat Dennings just could not make up her mind what she wanted and dragged us along in her uncertainty. Josh Lucas did a good job as a lonely, mediocre, confused, writer wannabe, somewhat clownish high school teacher who is stupid enough to have an affair with one of his students.

Reece Thompson (22 years old at time of filming and without many credits in his resume) did a good job as a sad, drug using, insecure high school student who has lost a friend and searching for something solid to hold onto. Are our high school students (at least the males depicted in this film) really so drugged out?

While not a complete waste of time, you could find a better film to watch. In this category of film you might choose the classic “The Last Picture Show” from 1971.

2008, Acceptable for children, Mediocre, Plot Twist, Psychic Phenomena, Sci-Fi, Suspense

Knowing (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Fifty years after a time capsule was buried at a local school, teacher John Koestler (Nicolas Cage) examines its contents and discovers that it holds many shockingly true predictions. Soon, John is convinced that his family will play a role in an impending apocalypse. Rose Byrne co-stars as Diane Wayland, the daughter of the woman who first buried the capsule, in this tense blockbuster thriller from ace sci-fi auteur Alex Proyas.

Give this film a B. Nonetheless, this sci-fi film tells a well-detailed story that held my attention. While not violent, you witness several fatal accidents such as subway and plan crashes, including burning live victims.

Without spoiling the story for you, you should expect the final fifth of the film to take what was for me a very unexpected turn that seemed to place the film in possibly a less worthy category. From a certain standpoint the ending was very daring and perhaps not pleasing to the general audience. More than that, the very ending was a bit too Steven Spielberg-like for my tastes. In my humble opinion we could have done without that last scene.

Comments ?

2010, Comedy, Corny, Feel Good For All, Flirting, Love Story, Mediocre, Slapstick

Morning Glory (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Whiz-kid producer Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) finds her abilities put to the test when she’s charged with bringing a network morning show back from ratings purgatory. Her first job: getting the show’s feuding, acid-tongued co-hosts (Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton) under control. Jeff Goldblum co-stars as Fuller’s network-exec boss and Patrick Wilson is Becky’s put-upon boyfriend in this comedy from the writer of The Devil Wears Prada.

“Why don’t we formerly successful actors get together and make some money by making a B-film?” Perhaps I am overly critical, but with a cast consisting of Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Jeff Goldblum would you expect more ? Rachel McAdams seems to carry every film in which she appears. And of course there is the requisite handsome boy friend, this time barely played by Patrick Wilson.

Since playing Ira Buchman (alongside Helen Hunt) in “Mad About You”, John Pankow has had a few lean years.

You have seen Matt Malloy just about everywhere and I bet you do not know his name. As a secondary character actor he has been incredibly successful. In this film he plays Ernie Appleby and provides the best belly laughs of all. If for no other part of the film, it is worth waiting for his scenes late into the film. Hint: “amusement”.

Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed this fun feel-good that is probably OK for kids (ignore the F-word). Don’t let me scare you off from this easy to watch film.

2008, Could be boring, Drama, Love Story, Mediocre, Melodrama, Play Adaptation, Sex Scenes

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Based on an unproduced original screenplay by Tennessee Williams, this drama follows Fisher Willow (Bryce Dallas Howard), the headstrong daughter of a Southern plantation owner. Forced to fulfill her role as a debutante, she chooses farmhand Jimmy Dobyne (Chris Evans) as her escort. As if this weren’t scandalous enough, her announcement that she’s fallen in love with Jimmy threatens to destroy the family. Ann-Margret and Ellen Burstyn co-star.

Sitting through this dullard is almost agony, which proves that not every Tennessee Williams play is worthwhile. Possibly it was the acting, or the slow pace, but I kept waiting for something important. Probably I am used to difficult situations and films that don’t compromise on the difficulties. Things were just too easy, too goody good good. Jimmy’s character was so unbelievably upright that I almost gagged. Could it be that I have become too jaded by the current harshness of entertainment ? However, I did suffer through the entire film and it ended very sweetly.

2001, Could be boring, Cynical, Drama, Love Story, Mediocre, Military, Religious Theme, War

Sword of Honor (2001)

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From NetFlix:

Daniel Craig stars as Guy Crouchback, a soldier whose desire to prove his worth to his ex-wife leads him into a life of unrealized military ambitions in this miniseries based on the darkly comic novels of Evelyn Waugh. While Guy’s timorous and largely undeserving cohorts climb through the ranks, he continuously falls short of his goals despite his earnest intentions, doomed to suffer the humiliation and discouragement of his misfortunes.

Daniel Craig is more reflective and less a man of action in this two-disk British series. Evelyn Waugh must have intended to write a satire because instead of seeing some stark war film my impression was that of seeing British tongue-in-cheek military personnel often doing their best to avoid action. Do not expect up-to-date digital effects.

Throughout the two disks one constant theme is Guy Crouchback’s Catholic religion which causes him to regard forever his divorced wife as his one and only wife despite her other marriages.

Give this production a B, there are better British war films to watch.

2005, Imperfect, Mediocre, Plot Twist, Psychological Thriller, Redemption, Suspense

The Lazarus Project (2005)

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From NetFlix:

Ben (Paul Walker) thought his life was over when he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. But following his execution, he awakens to a whole new world. After learning he’s been hired as a groundskeeper at a crumbling psychiatric facility, Ben realizes he’s earned a second chance. But whether he’s truly come back from the dead — or never died in the first place — remains a mystery. Linda Cardellini and Piper Perabo co-star.

Do NOT see this film. Instead see Shutter Island (2010).

In a certain sense this film is the reverse of “Shutter Island”. If Dennis Lehane had not written “Shutter Island” in 2003, I would have suspected he was inspired by “The Lazarus Project”.

Watch it if you must, but see if you don’t object to the following: Our hero is ending his prison probation with a job that seems to require no computer skills. Skip ahead to the “Shutter Island”-like captivity and finally he is so clever that he suddenly develops an amazing ability with computers. Moreover he is so clever that his captors give up without much fight. I just don’t buy it.

2007, Complicated, Detective, Mediocre, Occasional gore, Revenge, Serial Killer, Suspense, Violent

88 Minutes (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Jack Gramm (Al Pacino) — a college professor and occasional forensic psychologist for the FBI — finds himself in a race against time when he receives a mysterious phone call telling him he has exactly 88 minutes left to live. Can he track down his would-be killer before the clock runs out? Amy Brenneman, Leelee Sobieski, Deborah Unger and William Forsythe co-star in this real-time thriller from director Jon Avnet.

As usual Al Pacino plays Al Pacino in this somewhat mediocre serial-killer drama. There are probably too many complicated details. A better plot would have made Al Pacino look guilty and would have made it more difficult for him to convince others of his innocence. He was too all-knowing and always knew what to look for next. I have seen much better “Law and Order” episodes.

2000, Crime, Detective, Direct to Video, Imperfect, Mediocre, Mystery Film, Plot Twist, Psychic Phenomena, Serial Killer, Suspense

Eye of the Killer (2000)

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From NetFlix:

After a blow to the head, haggard Det. Mickey Hayden (Kiefer Sutherland) acquires an extraordinary new ability: He can visualize the owner of anything he touches. This homicide-solving talent comes in handy when Hayden gets assigned to the hardest case of his life. A serial killer named Jabberwocky has resurfaced, pinning a note to his most recent victim challenging Hayden to stalk the murderer again in this direct-to-video thriller.

Despite being a mediocre film about psychic phenomena, the plot has some good surprises (including the very end). Alcoholic, depressed detectives are now such a cliche. And why do they often hang out in gay bars when they are really straight ? The fact that this film is a direct-to-video should be enough of a warning.

Is this damning with faint praise ?

2007, Complicated, Drama, Imperfect, Love Story, Mediocre, Suspense

Premonition (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Housewife Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock) is devastated when her husband (Julian McMahon) dies suddenly in a car crash. But when he reappears the next day as if nothing had ever happened, she realizes the tragedy might have just been a premonition. The question now is, can Linda prevent the horrible event from happening again, or is she powerless to redirect fate? Amber Valletta and Nia Long also star.

Most Sandra Bullock films have been date films. They are light hearted films that make Kathy and me laugh and have a good time. In The Blind Side (2009) she gets a little more serious. As far as I can recall “Premonition” is one of her few serious films. Although Rotten Tomatoes
gives a really low rating, the story itself kept me interested.

For me Julian McMahon will always be the womanizing plastic surgeon from “Nip/Tuck” (whose first few years were outrageous fun to watch).

Probably the story kept me challenged because it was a bit difficult to understand the time sequencing. Call me a romantic but I just wanted to see love triumph.

Sadly, the writers saw fit to have this poor depressed housewife visit a Catholic priest to hear a lot of maudlin nonsense. This part was high on the “Yuck”-o-meter.

If you think about it, who caused the husband’s death ?

All is all, a B-movie that is not horrible.

2007, Crime, Detective, Mediocre, Plot Twist, Suspense, Violent

Cleaner (2007)

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From NetFlix:

After years as a detective, Tom Carver (Samuel L. Jackson) runs a business specializing in cleaning up crime scenes. But when he realizes his latest gig at a ritzy suburban house might have been a cover-up for a homicide, he must clean up the injustice. Our hygienic hero gets far more than he bargained for in director Renny Harlin’s twisty crime thriller, co-starring Ed Harris as Carver’s old partner and Eva Mendes as a grieving wife.

There’s nothing wrong with this fairly mediocre police who-done-it. It would have made a nice one-hour TV show. Samuel Jackson and Ed Harris make a good pair. Keke Palmer as Jackson’s daughter does a fine job. Amazing how often Luis Guzmán shows up in films (and I always assume he is the bad guy). See how long it takes before you predict the plot twist.