Corbad
Cinema Addict
Member Since: 03 Apr 2015
Location: Canada
Bio: http://remedialreviews.tumblr.com/
My "better than this one worse than this one" system doesn't always stand up to time and volume; trust the review, not the rating.
My "better than this one worse than this one" system doesn't always stand up to time and volume; trust the review, not the rating.
Recent Ratings
Check out Corbad's...
The Godfather (1972) - Rated 24 May 2025
"The story is disjointed and unsteady? Yeah, cry the critics, finally a film that doesn't baby its viewers! The women hardly get a word in and the one dies for no reason and with no impact? Yeah, it's a powerful commentary on hypermasculinity! It's certainly not a bad movie, but it's only considered a great one because others considered it great first and wrote obsessively about it like they were in grade school English class."
Sinners (2025) - Rated 26 Apr 2025
"I think, if you have a visceral connection to this - to the Black south in particular - it is easy for a primary meaning to take precedence and have a profound impact. Otherwise, this is a mess of contradictory ideas, so much that I have to resist making this review a series of "if this, why that" questions. It's too long, too unfocused, and often poorly lit - but it's also brash, bold, and original. Worth celebrating, even for this white nonamerican."
Atonement (2007) - Rated 22 Apr 2025
"While it results, ultimately, in fair narrative satisfaction, the final act - purposefully or not - is simply not delivered with the same stunning craft as the rest and diminishes the effect of all that proceeds it. Up until London, this is a staggering film - in structure, image (especially image), music, and subject. It's really quite special and unique - until it's still unique, but its specialness has faded into a pallid palette and a drawn out denouement."
A Working Man (2025) - Rated 21 Apr 2025
"David Ayer, a chatbot, and Jason Statham had a free weekend and threw this together sloppy-style, delivering it sight-unseen to their distributor in a fever-sweaty envelope that was forwarded to cinemas without review. Truly without a redeeming feature."
In the Lost Lands (2025) - Rated 16 Apr 2025
"It just doesn't make any sense! The screenplay is incomprehensible, but so is my affection for Paul W.S. Anderson. If I were really reaching, I might say the film is very stylized, and leave it up to you to interpret whether that's a compliment or not. Those riding close-ups ... The thing is, there is neither plot nor character in this! How did that happen?"
Black Bag (2025) - Rated 15 Apr 2025
"A tightly written conversation thriller, refreshing in its simplicity, rewarding in its cleverness. It delivers its herrings, clues, and reveals with incredible economy and adroitness; it's beautifully structured and perfectly paced."
The Glassworker (2024) - Rated 11 Apr 2025
"Cynics will call this derivative - as it does take after Studio Ghibli in nearly every conceivable way - but I see and hear only inspiration and loving homage. It earns the comparison, but sets itself apart, too. It's beautifully crafted, and its passion and earnestness more than make up for a lackluster original voice cast and a bit of narrative mud. It's a genuine and stunning effort; I loved it."
Fight Club (1999) - Rated 06 Apr 2025
"What a film! Masterfully and frenetically edited and structured. It's regrettable that Marla is abused both by the characters and the film itself, which reduces her to a narrative tool; otherwise, the testosterone is the ironic fuel of a feminist manifesto about the inherent tragedy of traditional masculinity, the longing and struggle (and near-impossibility) to break free of the patriarchal cycle of consumerism, loneliness, and stoicism. Extremely provocative."
Death of a Unicorn (2025) - Rated 05 Apr 2025
"It's a little bit funny, a little bit schlocky, a little bit thrilling, a little bit satirical, a little bit heartwarming - but every one of these qualities is half-assed and none are in support of a whole. Consequently, this is a nothing movie: badly edited and poorly written to just exist, I guess - as a missed opportunity. Plus, why did they think redemption could be earned through cold-blooded murder? Unclear, like this movie's whole point."
Cleaner (2025) - Rated 25 Mar 2025
"Takes one step towards improving the "wait, but the bad guys are making a good point" matrix, but it's a pretty lackluster writing effort overall - though a shrug instead of a DNF is a commendation for the approach taken in presenting the autistic character (played by an autistic actor!) - but "not offensive" and "actually human" is hardly praise. The movie needed Daisy Ridley kicking ass the whole time; instead, she spends more than half of the film doing nothing at all. Overall, forgettable."
