This Review Roundup consists of three films all hitting physical media this week, but not one of them really stands out or is a big release. First is Destroy All Neighbors which was so disappointing. I wanted to really like this, but it’s not the film I was expecting. The title is a bit misleading and the acting isn’t good. I found the lead character annoying and didn’t care if he succeeded in completing his prog-rock album or what happened to him. Jonah Ray Rodrigues (from the newer version of MST3K) plays a manic type character who I instantly hated. Instead of going to his neighbor like a man to complain about his loudness, he’s the typical soy-boy of today complaining and calling the cops. Say something first and if they don’t fix their actions, then get the authorities involved. After he accidentally kills his neighbor it all snowballs from there and I didn’t find most of it enjoyable. I didn’t like the musician character in the studio. The girlfriend was fine, but mostly useless. Thomas Lennon was the only one that made me laugh. With its title I expected neighbors in houses doing battle or something like that, instead I get a weak lead in an apartment complex who’s his own worst enemy. It just didn’t work for me.
Second we have Noryang: Deadly Sea, the third film in the trilogy about battles led by Yi Sun-sin during the Japanese invasion of Korea. I know I saw Hansan: Rising Dragon, the second film in the franchise, but I’m not sure if I’ve seen the first film. This film sees Yi Sun-sin trying to stop the Japanese from retreating after the leader of their army died. There are double crosses and multiple armies all going at it which makes it confusing trying to figure out who to root for. Yi Sun-sin is the protagonist of the films, but does his own desire for revenge cloud his judgment and would letting the Japanese go be better for all armies involved? The biggest issue with the film is it relies heavily on CGI so you don’t really know who is who in the battle scenes on the water. The special effects are iffy at best with a lot of it looking very fake. Sure you can’t have thousands of extras on hundreds of 500 year old ships, but the way these wooden boats move through the water looks fake. The battles are ok, but I wish these films were more realistic. I know nothing about this war historically so I can’t tell you how accurate the portrayal is. But if you’ve seen the first two films you should close out the trilogy.
Last we have Alam. Depending on your political/religious beliefs this is either a well timed or poorly timed release. I won’t get into my own beliefs because it’s no one’s business. The film is about a teenager who is Palestinian, but living in Israel. He tries to go about his life which his father prefers, but soon an attractive female student has him questioning things. Along with a couple of other students they go to protests and want to take down the Israeli flag at school and put up a Palestinian one. You can see why your own beliefs will make you want to watch or not watch the film. It also shows no matter what culture/religion they are, teenage boys will do whatever an attractive girl tells them to do. The acting is fine and it’s well made, but obviously the reaction to the film will vary from person to person.
The Nerds Templar 