Thursday, February 7, 2019

Be Kind, Please Rewind


He’s a Gadfly on the Wall. He’s the…

Vidiot

Week of February 8, 2019

Spiders need rebranding. First up…


The Girl in the Spider’s Web

If hackers are going to rig elections why not just elect them to office?

However, the cyber-terrorist in this thriller has her fingers in something more illicit.

While she currently crusades against criminals as a masked vigilante, Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) occasionally does hack-and-grab gigs like the one an ex-NSA agent (Stephen Merchant) just hired her to undertake. Unfortunately, the nuclear launch codes she stole for him have now made her the target of an active agent (Lakeith Stanfield) and a secret cabal called the Spiders.

Not only does this continuation of the Millennium series reduce its intricate lead to an action movie cliché, but this adaptation of the 4th novel also softens the edges of the risqué series creating a sterile knock-off that pales in comparison to both of its American and Swedish predecessors.

Incidentally, the only people on earth who can safely date a hacker are the Amish.  Red Light


The Front Runner

When having an affair with a presidential hopeful be sure their not the candidate you want to win.

Case in point, the philandering front runner found cheating in this political drama.

With his good looks and supportive wife (Vera Farmiga), Colorado senator Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) expects to secure the Democratic presidential nomination that eluded him in 1984. While the media and public at large feel the same way, Hart’s hopes are soon dash after he encourages the press to scrutinize his private life. What they discover however is that the saintly senator is cheating.

While Jackman turns in a decent performance in this timely depiction of actual events, the rest of the talented cast is wasted on a floundering script that is more focused on analyzing Hart’s actions than constructing an effective political allegory. 

Besides, smart candidates get their spouses to cheat on them so they can get pity votes.  Yellow Light    


The Grinch

The easiest way to ruin Christmas is to redirect all Amazon shipments to the Third World.

Thankfully, the party-pooper in this animated movie lives a cave with no WiFi.

A green hermit named The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) watches over Whoville from his mountaintop with much disdain, particularly for its obsession with the yuletide. To quell the joyous season this year, The Grinch hatches a plan to impersonate Santa so he can pilfer all presents and decorations from the neighbouring township. Meanwhile, a Whoville child hopes to capture Claus so she can make a wish for her overworked mother (Rashida Jones).

Outside of the sappy single mom storyline, Cumberbatch’s nasally performance and some slick animation, this adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ children’s book pretty much follows the same narrative of the far superior 2-D animated TV special.

Moreover, if The Grinch hates Christmas so much he should just convert to Islam.  Red Light

***Bad Press Release***


Susan Slept Here

Christmas is the best time to cheat because you already have gifts to make up for it.

That’s why it makes sense for the screenwriter in this romantic comedy to have a holiday affair.

On Christmas Eve Oscar winner Mark (Dick Powell) is visited by the Vice Squad, who have brought him a 17-year-old runaway, Susan (Debbie Reynolds), as inspiration for his new script about delinquency. But when Mark learns that Susan will be jailed until 18, he marries her. Their abrupt nuptials however don’t sit well with Mark’s fiancée (Anne Francis), his US Senator father-in-law or the press.

If the comedy were as risqué as the romance than this 1954 adaptation of the stage-play wouldn’t be as creepy as it is. But with little else to offer besides the illicit affair, this Techicolour romp is pure trash.

Besides, when you marry a 17-year-old you have to pay for their University.

He’s Underageless. He’s the…

Vidiot












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