NETFLIX'S "UZUMAKI" TAKES STRANGE & WEIRD TO THE NEXT LEVEL!...

🎥🎞️Series Review🎞️🎥 - UZUMAKI [2024] - [PG13] - NetFlix - Directed by Higuchinsky. Screenplay by Takao Niita. An animated Manga-style series based on the graphic novel by Junito Ito. Produced by Sumiji Miyake. Voice actors; Abby Trott, Robbie Dsymond, Christina Valenzuella, Max Mittelman, Aaron LaPlante, and Mona Marshall.

A young girl named Kirie Goshima [Abby Trott] initially wandering around walking in circles. Over time, some people and close friends have disappeared, others have become deformed or have transformed through metamorphosis into another species, but all have been marked by a spiraling bruise prior to transformation or becoming deformed. This girl has to learn what is causing these transformations, some which has proven to be painful and others have shown to be dangerous and deadly to innocent people in the immediate area, and try to prevent exposure to this apparent "spiral syndrome" that is devouring everyone within her little world.

THE GOOD - The animation and graphic detail are outstanding and consistent throughout the series. The visualization of many of the nightmarish scenes strike a chord with horror. The editing and progression of the story from one scene to another is smooth. There is a constant creepy feel to each episode and some of the transformations and death scenes are jaw dropping. The best part of some of the scenes are the ones that contain one-liner jokes that are tossed about freely and perfectly performed by the voice actors. 

THE BAD - As with most animated films, there are scenes with a lot of dialog that occurs during the slower portions of series; some of it useful, but a lot of it worthless.

POSTMORTEM - This series is so intertwined with well designed morbid graphics that one can't shake off the immediate uncomfortable feeling of what to expect next. The mystery is expertly hidden throughout the series run and you will not be able to figure out the stories angle to find an alternative way to combat the entity that has smothered Kirie's little town. The real answer at the end of series will take your expectations to the next level. As much as I liked this series, the black and white presentation helps build the creepy vibe. I don't think this series would work has as much if it were produced in color or with live actors.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [3.5 of 5 Stars]

NETFLIX'S "REBEL MOON" IS NOT ONLY MONSTOROUS FLOP...IT'S A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - REBEL MOON; Part I [2023] - PG 13 - NetFlix - Directed by Zach Snyder. Written by Zach Snyder. Screenplay by Kurt Johnstad & Shay Hatten. Starring Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Ed Skrein, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Huisman, and Djimon Hounsou. Budget $166 Million for two films.

The plot is simple, an edgy farm girl [Boutella] raised by a local farmer after she was found in a crashed warship, proves that she is actually a skilled warrior in hiding after the farmers in her village are threatened by a local imperial General [Huisman]. After an incident of misfortune, she sets out to start a rebellion to help save the local farmers in her community by soliciting the help of other "locally talented soldiers" - led by Hounsou - who eventually become "rebels with a cause" and try to overthrow the imperial forces threatening a larger commune of free worlds.

***Keep in mind - At some time in Hollywood history, Zach Snyder throw in his hat to try and write episodes 7, 8, and 9 of the Star Wars trilogy, and Rebel Moon was his treatment script to Disney that was turned down. Snyder found a few producers and put together his treatment script to film alone.

THE GOOD - This film is an action packed SciFi film filled full of some spectacular special effects, obvious practical monster makeup, and some breathtaking space-filled visual wonders that are plenty and marvelous to view.

THE BAD - There are lots, and I mean LOTS, of slow motion scenes that are truly unnecessary and over utilized in every action sequence for no particular reason at all. There was no clear description of who or what the Imperial forces are or what power they control in the area of their universe; except that they exist. The dialog is cold and strung out at every turn with very little character development, except for the leading character [Boutella] who actually worked for the bad guys after the imperial forces killed her parents and then...well...it's never explained. As a matter of fact, there's very little explanation of anything in this film; you are forced to accept what is because this person is carrying a big gun and that person has two swords that they wield with precision. There's nothing remarkably smart about the dialog or the screenplay.

POST MORTEM - This film is a mosh-posh of Firefly, Dune, Star Wars, John Carter, and Riddick wrapped up on one epic failure with bad story telling. I fought myself from time to time, trying not to check my phone for better entertainment than just watching this piece of shit film. Prior to the films release, there were some awesome trailers that definitely caught my attention, but in the end, this film is going no where and there definitely won't be a line of toy merchandise to help the film bring in profits. 

⭐️💫[1.5 of 5 Stars]

TOM CRUISE AND "AMERICAN MADE" HAD IT'S MOMENTS OF BRILLIANCE!

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - AMERICAN MADE [2017] - [R] - Netflix - Directed by Doug Limen. Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Doug Davison, Tyler Thompson, Brian Oliver, Kim Roth, Ray Angelic. Written by Gary DPinelli. Starring Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright Olsen, Jesse Plemons, and Caleb Landry Jones. Budget $66.5 Million.

Based on the hot-trotting life of Barry Seal [performed brilliantly by Cruise], a former TWA pilot and an alleged former member of the CIA who flew missions to arm guerilla soldiers in South America in the 1980's; who became a drug smuggler handling marijuana and cocaine shipments through a private company, became an informant for the DEA to avoid prison. Mexican Cartels eventually launch a "Wanted Dead" hit on him, forcing Seal to frequently move around and record his own history on video.

THE GOOD - There are lots, and I mean LOTS, of areal sequences that are captured on camera; all of the piloting on the private planes were actually piloted by Cruise and his acting team. The locations for this film cross over many small countries and large bodies of water to capture the right feel for what Seal went through during his "missions" to arm guerillas and bring back "supplies." There are many 1980's memorabilia moments that are brought back to life with movie wizardry and the cinematography is spell bounding at almost every turn. Cruise is definitely at the top of his game, performing brilliantly and presenting a character who is under tremendous strain in trying to stay alive in dealing with both the Cartel's and the guerilla fighters he has to deal with.

THE BAD - The pacing is all over the place in some parts of the film. IMO there are some flash back moments that could have been better edited or inserted into the film. There's not enough information on who the Cartel leaders are in the film and the directing seemed to drop the ball as to better explain who each were and what their real involvement was when dealing with Seal.

POST MORTEM - This is a good film. I recommend watching it over a weekend when you have nothing else or better to do. The film drags at times, but there was a lot of emotion to cover in the history of telling Seal's true life story. There are some tremendous areal stunts in the film to keep you on the edge of your seat; and to think that Cruise did all of his own stunts is just crazy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [3.5 of 5 Stars]

NETFLIX’S "ADAM PROJECT" IS JUST TOO MUCH…

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - THE ADAM PROJECT [2022] - PG13 - Netflix - Directed by Shawn Levy. Written by Jonathan Topper, T. S. Nowlin, Jennifer Flackett, and John Levin. Stars Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Walker Scobell, and a remarkably surprised & unaccredited, Jada Pinkett Smith. 

This is a silly movie that has Reynolds - AKA Deadpool - continue to play himself in Deadpool-fashion in another SciFi action film. This time it’s a time travel movie about a man who accidentally travels too far into the past to try and contact himself for help after the time displacement equipment his father helped create falls into the wrong hands.

THE GOOD - In the 80s we had to endure a plethora of big budgeted action movies with either Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, or Chuck Norris in it, so in the 2020’s it has to be Ryan Reynolds. This film has a bunch of explosions, heavily choreographed fight scenes, and a bunch, and I mean BUNCH of typical Ryan Reynolds one-liners that just regurgitate in one massive repulsive swirling storyline with more twists and turns like a swirling heap of diarrhea that fails to flush down the toilet after the fourth attempt. 

THE BAD - There’s nothing truly surprising here. You’ve seen it all before, except that Reynolds gets a chance to wield a double-edged lightsaber that "...ISN’T a lightsaber." Where many of the other characters in the story take things very seriously, Reynolds plays it off calmly, like he knows he’s in a hollow-deck where the entire program will eventually just shut off and he’ll be completely okay. There’s never a feeling that his character is ever in real jeopardy.

POST MORTEM - This movie is filled with overly flashy action scenes and the actors performance are garnished with a lot of cheese. It’s a perfect fun film for the youth who think that life is easy, because mom and dad will always be there to let them stay in their basement playing video games. Mature adults with bore pretty quickly. I definitely won’t be watching this pile of shit a second time. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ [3 of 5 Stars]

YOUR DIRECTOR IS CLAIMING A "NETFLIX" DEAL ON THIS NEW PROJECT...???...

Houston, Texas - We've been approached on more than one occasion about what the rules are concerning Independent Film projects who are claiming they have a contract deal with Netflix, Amazon, or a distribution compan far away agreeing to help stream this new project or put it out in store on DVD/BlueRays, so they can receive big checks from investors and the like, bringing the project to the next level of success. A lot of new actors and some talented veteran thespians are often dragged into these projects, that sometimes work on scenes for six months to a year, but eventually die out after some investor backed out or the director and his production crew were unable to make a trip to "LA" [Los Angeles] to meet with the right people.

A large majority of these new Indie films start off with a bright burn of fast cash that all seems legit. A smaller percentage manage to contact some big name in Hollywood; usually an actor from the 80's or 90's that's still trying to make payments on his/her new home or a new car. With all of the cash flying around, the local Indie actor sees very little and extras on the set are just an after thought to brag about it on their resumes or IMDB page. But was all the effort worth the trouble?...Many male directors look at casting strong local talent as an open door policy to attracting "hot babe" actresses who just want to stand in the limelight and garner local attention, which can be plenty of pay enough to sate their thirst for being the "big name" in town. Besides, just knowing that the Netflix or Amazon deal is on the wings now, is just a bonus - "Everyone in the world will get to see my work in front of the camera!"

Well boys and girls, I really hate to break it to you on this blog, but NONE of the streaming services like Netflix, VUDU, HULU, Amazon.com or distribution companies work this way; and for sure, investors don't sign paychecks to anyone in the payroll for projects they helped fund. Although investors maintain ownership of a project until they're paid back in full with the percentage of interest promised in a contract, the production team has to maintain the projects budget through a project manager who ensures the entire project's budget is maintained and every cent accounted for and that it is NOT being used for personal again. They also ensure that the project has insurance to cover any loss in the production. Most veteran thespians should already know all of this, but sometimes their minds lax a bit and they slip through and they wind up grabbing a hold of hope.

Hope won't save anyone's ass should the project fail to produce a promised project and funds are misused and not reported to the investor(s). Case in point is an Indie project called "LEGENDS" out of Los Angeles, where Adam Joiner was able to acquire a little of $14Million in investments from South Korea and China with a brilliant script, through a studio company he called Dark Planet Pictures. The entire thing was sham and Joiner was living the high life until he was arrested by the feds; buying two homes and a beach house in Manhattan with the big money. There are accusations that he swindled more people in the U.S. with this project that had a long list of talent that was going to take part as the production team and cast. You can read more about this true story here. And you have to remember, this guy had previous film credentials and, at one time, was even a winner of an Oscar.

Here in Texas, the claims that an Indie film project is being "seen" by Netflix have been brought more times that anyone can count. In Houston alone, it's part of the status-quo; some projects brought up on prior blogs that wound up being bad productions that eventually were only released on the Internet, having some "small change" views on YouTube.com and they turned out to be webisodes of bad formatted shows filled with acting performances you'll wish you never spent time viewing. We posted warnings about film directors claiming "Netflix status" on more than one occasion, but it seems that either the word just isn't getting out or people would rather ride the wave of sex, film and fun until the magic dries up. Some those choices made by first time actors/actresses prove to be a huge burden and many are never seen again in the Indie film making world.

How do you protect yourself?...well, the first thing to do is to do research on the film's director and crew that you've chosen to work with. What previous works have they submitted to Netflix, Amazon, etc. If they have no previous experience, do your best to ask the right questions; "How did Netflix find out about you and contact you?" - "Can I see some of your previous works?" - "Who's going to be the production manager?" - "Is there a budget?" - "Are there camera requirements for the submission?" - If you get crummy answers [or non-answers] to any of these legitimate questions from the director, then you should have a good sense to know that you could be wasting your time on this film project.

Every streaming network has a format that is required prior to accepting any film project that is submitted; especially the type of camera and data sizes for streaming purposes. There truly isn't a point of contact with the streaming service and they never call anyone about the progress of the film as they only accept completed film projects that have all of the proof as required on their home pages; anyone can look this up. The information posted under their submission procedures doesn't change just because you're a director or producer.

And take warning, if you're in an Indie project that has an actual budget that has money being spent everywhere, be sure that the director isn't also the editor, leading actor, and project manager in the project. If any these things are currently occurring in the film project your in, it's time for you to take any losses you may have incurred and step away.

NETFLIX SERIES REVIEW - LOST IN SPACE FAILS MISERABLY LOST IN BAD STORYTELLING AND PLOTLINE

The QUANTUM STORM Studio Review - LOST IN SPACE - Netflix [PG] - I'm a big fan of the original television series, not a big fan of the movie, but this new Netflix series was a HUGE disappointment! 

Another series falls prey to the idea that spending large amounts of money on useless and baseless CGI is the way to go. Especially when some dumb-ass director tries to bring in J.J. Abrams-type lens flares to make things look more spectacular, well...you know that the whole production team was hoping something in the presentation of the show would make fans cry out for more.

But plain and simple, the plot and story is transparent, the acting is dry and filled with tons and tons of useless monologue that just stretched out each episode and left very little room to get to the point of the overall picture. The flow of the series bounces up and down after each new scene that was poorly constructed to tell three different stories at the same time; sometimes, you are even left to wonder "what happened to that other character when all of this was happening?"

The only light in the tunnel for this series was the cast which was rounded up for the show. I have to admit that there are blips and flashes of promises when the actors finally got into their roles...if you want to call them "roles." Again to put it plainly, "...having a career U.S. Marine play a useless father and husband because he was deployed most of his career and his wife resented it because she was the scientist of the family"...? Hello, who wrote this shit!? Sure, we live in a generation now where the woman is the strong anchor in the family and men are looked down as 'non-leaders' for this new generation of snowflake who are being brought up in our now soft society. But everyone knows [or should know] that military moms are bad ass, they kick ass, and always stand by their husbands when the tough gets going. This part of the series was written from looking at the "outside of what could be", instead of looking into a real military family and seeing what truly is!

One of the worst aspects of the series is showing that there is "token black actress" who's in the show as a main character in the family which was never explained...but was obviously added to prevent a white-washing of the show. The teens in this show are talented and cute, but none have the acting chops to pull off their roles in moments where they have to believe what they see in the CGI world. The scripted dialog produced for them seems to simple to employ and you're supposed to believe that if they shoot off some techno-babble, that these kids are smarter than your average bear. I sure as hell didn't fall for it and neither will the future followers.

But the absolute worst parts of the series has to be the tremendously bad editing, bad sequencing, non-tempo and the really horrible "J.J. Abrams-type" CGI that just left this pile of dogshit streaming for over nine episodes. I gave it a chance to prove me wrong, but the whole thing just puttered off and left the whole shit-smack open for a season two which would be an adventure-less idea to bring into next year. To say the least, the writers of this show had no idea how to create a solid SciFi show with enough drama and intrigue to keep the viewer entertained. I pray there won't be another season, but the Lost In Space trolls are already out claiming how good the first season was solely due to the robot, who was obviously a guy in a suit...and looked like a guy in a suit. 

☆ [Generous Star][1 of 5 Stars]