Bart-James
Joined May 2016
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Ratings3.8K
Bart-James's rating
Reviews573
Bart-James's rating
The stage curtains open ...
Marie: "Obviously, you haven't explored the True Crime genre. Haven't you heard of Elizabeth Smart?" Chloe: "I think I blew her brother in the 5th grade."
Maybe I'm not being fair by picking that particular quote to highlight in my review, but it was pretty bad. This movie popped up in my feed as an erotic thriller - and if done right, I'm down for that. Well, after watching it for the first, and probably the last time, it is not much of a thriller at all. It plays out as more of an erotic drama with some mystery elements to it. Though it is no "Basic Instinct", it did have some redeeming moments.
Marie is a Sugar Baby, not quite the same as prostitution ... she makes arrangements with a Sugar Daddy for financial compensation or material possessions in exchange for favors, not always sexual, but always in the form of companionship over a period of time. She is approaching 27 years of age, and looking into other online opportunities with a website similar to Only Fans. However, she is asked to spend a week in the home of Jeff, a whale of a Sugar Daddy, who offers her $30,000 for her time. She accepts, only to find out there is more going on inside his house than meets the eye.
James Tupper is not a headlining actor, but he has been in few large productions in bit roles. He tries to make the best of it here, though I was getting a demented Conan O'Brien vibe off of him. The music was very Tangerine Dream-like, it felt like a throwback approach to the soundtrack. The highlight of the film was our lead, Mary Beth Barone, who carried the film well with a sense of realism required to pull off this type of role.
However, "Sugar Baby" ultimately falls short with a very naughty made-for-tv feel to it. The big twist at the end wasn't jaw dropping, but rather tame - and there was nothing here that made me want to come back for more. It isn't a thriller - it is lackluster in that area. It is shot well, but the final scenes were very formulaic and served to exist to tie up the loose ends with less than stellar acting. This is more about the journey than the destination, though I feel the filmmakers were hoping their twist at the end would be their selling point. Not a recommend.
Marie: "Obviously, you haven't explored the True Crime genre. Haven't you heard of Elizabeth Smart?" Chloe: "I think I blew her brother in the 5th grade."
Maybe I'm not being fair by picking that particular quote to highlight in my review, but it was pretty bad. This movie popped up in my feed as an erotic thriller - and if done right, I'm down for that. Well, after watching it for the first, and probably the last time, it is not much of a thriller at all. It plays out as more of an erotic drama with some mystery elements to it. Though it is no "Basic Instinct", it did have some redeeming moments.
Marie is a Sugar Baby, not quite the same as prostitution ... she makes arrangements with a Sugar Daddy for financial compensation or material possessions in exchange for favors, not always sexual, but always in the form of companionship over a period of time. She is approaching 27 years of age, and looking into other online opportunities with a website similar to Only Fans. However, she is asked to spend a week in the home of Jeff, a whale of a Sugar Daddy, who offers her $30,000 for her time. She accepts, only to find out there is more going on inside his house than meets the eye.
James Tupper is not a headlining actor, but he has been in few large productions in bit roles. He tries to make the best of it here, though I was getting a demented Conan O'Brien vibe off of him. The music was very Tangerine Dream-like, it felt like a throwback approach to the soundtrack. The highlight of the film was our lead, Mary Beth Barone, who carried the film well with a sense of realism required to pull off this type of role.
However, "Sugar Baby" ultimately falls short with a very naughty made-for-tv feel to it. The big twist at the end wasn't jaw dropping, but rather tame - and there was nothing here that made me want to come back for more. It isn't a thriller - it is lackluster in that area. It is shot well, but the final scenes were very formulaic and served to exist to tie up the loose ends with less than stellar acting. This is more about the journey than the destination, though I feel the filmmakers were hoping their twist at the end would be their selling point. Not a recommend.
The stage curtains open ...
Having seen Thomas Ian Griffith in "Karate Kid - Part III", I was well aware of who he was when this film came out. I missed seeing it in the theaters, and though it was on the shelves at the video rental store, I didn't rent it either. In fact, I never really gave it much thought until recently when I stumbled across the trailer for this movie and I was like ... "Oh, yeah! I never saw that one." So, I finally settled in and gave it a chance.
Griffith plays the part of Terry McCain, a detective with the Chicago Police Department. He is involved with a drug bust that goes wrong, and $3 million of a mob boss's money goes missing. The boss systematically begins to pick off his suspects which leads him to McCain - who was there. When the boss turns up dead however, McCain is the prime suspect - framed for something he didin't do. Now the mob and the police department are both trying to gun him down and he can trust no one as he tries to clear his name.
"Excessive Force" is an action movie that packs a punch, but doesn't hit very hard. There is plenty of violence and mayhem for your eyes to see. McCain, as a character, is really non-existent. This movie serves as an indulgence in gun fights and high flying kicks. Each downtime scene is there basically to bridge and set up the next fight scene. If all you want is martial arts combat and gunfire, then this is your movie.
I was suprised at what a dud this was. It had a great cast. Co-starring were also James Earl Jones, Lance Henriksen, and Tony Todd in support of Griffith's bid to become an action star. Even with that type of casting, the movie fails. I am so disappointed. Yet, I have honestly seen a lot worse. It wasn't bad, but there is no substance to it. A forgettable plot, which is just an excuse to have an action movie. It's just "okay" - not a recommend.
Having seen Thomas Ian Griffith in "Karate Kid - Part III", I was well aware of who he was when this film came out. I missed seeing it in the theaters, and though it was on the shelves at the video rental store, I didn't rent it either. In fact, I never really gave it much thought until recently when I stumbled across the trailer for this movie and I was like ... "Oh, yeah! I never saw that one." So, I finally settled in and gave it a chance.
Griffith plays the part of Terry McCain, a detective with the Chicago Police Department. He is involved with a drug bust that goes wrong, and $3 million of a mob boss's money goes missing. The boss systematically begins to pick off his suspects which leads him to McCain - who was there. When the boss turns up dead however, McCain is the prime suspect - framed for something he didin't do. Now the mob and the police department are both trying to gun him down and he can trust no one as he tries to clear his name.
"Excessive Force" is an action movie that packs a punch, but doesn't hit very hard. There is plenty of violence and mayhem for your eyes to see. McCain, as a character, is really non-existent. This movie serves as an indulgence in gun fights and high flying kicks. Each downtime scene is there basically to bridge and set up the next fight scene. If all you want is martial arts combat and gunfire, then this is your movie.
I was suprised at what a dud this was. It had a great cast. Co-starring were also James Earl Jones, Lance Henriksen, and Tony Todd in support of Griffith's bid to become an action star. Even with that type of casting, the movie fails. I am so disappointed. Yet, I have honestly seen a lot worse. It wasn't bad, but there is no substance to it. A forgettable plot, which is just an excuse to have an action movie. It's just "okay" - not a recommend.
The stage curtains open ...
I was bored today, and was swiping through some YouTube Free With Ads movies, and came across this one. I thought .. why not? I've been on a kind of ghost story kick lately, and I was just recently surprised with how much I liked "Our House", so I was hoping lightning would strike twice. Well, it didn't. I found out later it was made-for-tv, so that explains part of it. So ... here;s what it's about.
A woman and her two daughters are adjusting to life after a divorce with the ex-husband moving away to the Big Apple. Determined to start a new life together, the three move into an older home in a storied town. At first glance, it is too good to be true. Lots of space, beautifully re-modeled on the inside, and yet a nice warm, homey feel to it. Except to the youngest daughter, who feels something is off. As time goes by, they find they are not alone in that house. They need to cast aside what they know to be true, and believe in things they never have before if they want to make it out alive.
Yawn. This is as color-by-numbers and cookie cutter as it gets. The daughter who sees things and nobody believes her. The psychic friend at work. A music box that turns on by itself at all hours. Ghost;s reflections in the mirror. Visiting the library to discover a hidden news article. A trapped spirit trying to communicate and break free ... on and on and on we go. We've seen this movie already 100 times, some done better, some done worse.
It was well shot, and the use of colors and shadows were well done. The acting was decent, not great, not bad. Dialogue pretty average. This is a movie to throw in when you don't really care what you watch, and it won't scare you. It might amuse you, but nothing special. I can't recommend "Secrets in the Walls". It is average and just kind of there. If I never see it again, I won't miss it. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, then you might.
I was bored today, and was swiping through some YouTube Free With Ads movies, and came across this one. I thought .. why not? I've been on a kind of ghost story kick lately, and I was just recently surprised with how much I liked "Our House", so I was hoping lightning would strike twice. Well, it didn't. I found out later it was made-for-tv, so that explains part of it. So ... here;s what it's about.
A woman and her two daughters are adjusting to life after a divorce with the ex-husband moving away to the Big Apple. Determined to start a new life together, the three move into an older home in a storied town. At first glance, it is too good to be true. Lots of space, beautifully re-modeled on the inside, and yet a nice warm, homey feel to it. Except to the youngest daughter, who feels something is off. As time goes by, they find they are not alone in that house. They need to cast aside what they know to be true, and believe in things they never have before if they want to make it out alive.
Yawn. This is as color-by-numbers and cookie cutter as it gets. The daughter who sees things and nobody believes her. The psychic friend at work. A music box that turns on by itself at all hours. Ghost;s reflections in the mirror. Visiting the library to discover a hidden news article. A trapped spirit trying to communicate and break free ... on and on and on we go. We've seen this movie already 100 times, some done better, some done worse.
It was well shot, and the use of colors and shadows were well done. The acting was decent, not great, not bad. Dialogue pretty average. This is a movie to throw in when you don't really care what you watch, and it won't scare you. It might amuse you, but nothing special. I can't recommend "Secrets in the Walls". It is average and just kind of there. If I never see it again, I won't miss it. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, then you might.