Reviews
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
The overarching story of the Joker is found in the reviews
The joker and what this version of the joker is about, can be summed up in the reviews . . . People not paying attention to who he is and what he is about and in this process ignoring Arthur in search of their own version that they concocted in their own heads . . .then being disappointed that the savior they were hoping for . . . Just isn't this man.
This wasn't a musical . . . Did you even watch the film?
Do you even know who this joker is? He's not some maniacal, sociopathic character?
This movie easily picks up where the last one leaves off, showcasing Arthur and who he REALLY is and what it is he is REALLY about.
I'm sorry so many people were going to the movie to be entertained by some hope of some comic book character, another DC mega film . . .and instead happened upon a continuation of a story of an abused and thrown away member of society.
I nearly missed this movie at the theater, believing too many of the misguided reviews . . . I'm glad I went.
This is another disturbing, yet all too real film about what our society and government agencies do to people that fall outside the narrow realm of "good and useful" citizen.
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Super disappointing rehash with poor writing
I actually walked out. Only a handful of times have I ever done that, especially when I paid almost $20 for the ticket.
Nothing felt original, just updated. The characters were not very compelling. Was really hoping for something greater and that could add to the story line, but it didn't.
Yes, the movie was created for the "scare" factor, with old worn out film tricks, done to obviously cover up for poor writing and boring script.
Kind of felt like some teen flick, almost a Texas Chainsaw Massacre type, with poor dumb kids that trip and fall and have lost all common sense.
Perhaps the ending is fantastic. . . But then again, so is the originals.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Guess I'm glad I waited this long . . .
So I decided I needed to finally watch this, as I LOVE halloween and I noticed this year more NBC items for Halloween, plus, it seems everyone loves this movie . . . Well . . . I don't get it.
Plot is simple, character development is void, songs are boring (you never hear anyone singing them) . . . Plus, I can't tell if this is a Halloween movie or an Xmas movie. Most definitely NOT a kids movie.
Classic? Umm no. I do like Jack, though. But the plot at times is illogical (and no, I don't mean unrealistic).
I feel like the movie should, or could have been 15-30 minutes longer and actually developed the characters. Really, none of them, except maybe Jack, have any explanation behind them. Sally literally has no place in this movie. I feel like I watched an edited movie and someone pulled a fast one on me and edited out all the good parts.
Can't imagine ever needing or wanting to see it again.
Ex Machina (2014)
Plays a little too much like a B movie
So the premise is intriguing and the movie is "ok", but certainly not an over 7 movie. Isaac does a decent job and Vikander does as well. The other actors, including Gleeson and the other AI are just not really good and/or miscast. The music and poor writing add to the feel of this being a B movie. It's slow, not really that suspenceful and certainly it is predictable.
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
Hope you see it with an open mind
What a great film and very enjoyable for my 2 kids and myself. I expected the hatred towards the film and you can see that in the reviews, mainly the first and earlier reviews of people waiting to review a film they never actually saw.
The movie indeed starts slowly as it develops its characters and then gets going after that. I have not read the book and I could care less about the race of any of the actors. The storyline is exactly what we all need and I hope to play this movie every year for my kids so we can discuss it.
Here is a positive movie about light triumphing over dark, plain and simple, and its done in a fun way.
Vertige (2009)
Looking for a B horror flick, this is tops, otherwise stay away
Poorly acted, poorly directed and as has been stated, poorly dubbed, this movie is a knock-off of a host of previously filmed movies jammed into one. Let's see, here is your plot. (I suppose this is the spoiler alert if you will) Young adults head off into the woods for a mere 3 hour rock climb that turns into much more than they bargained as they are tormented by some mountain man that eventually picks off all the poor defenseless (albeit stupid) young adults. Sounds like it has been done before? That's because it is pretty much the same premise as most other bad horror or suspense films. It even tries to pull off a certain type of "Blair Witch" ending as if any of us are going to believe there is even a hint of realism or truth behind the film. If you think of this as a B horror film that is maybe 1 to 1-1/2 stars, then you won't be misled. If you are expecting an intelligent and interesting thriller of the 3-4 star range, you will be sorely disappointed.
Alarm (2008)
There is a reason the IMDb viewers rate it 4 stars . . . out of 10
I rated it 2, but still, before seeing it, Netflix viewers gave it a little over 3 out of 5 and it was predicted it would be on a 2.9 scale out of 5 for me.
But either way, I watched it, looking for a suspense film and hoping this would be it. It sadly is an extremely boring film with very, very little suspense. It is quite possibly more of a black comedy than anything, but boring at that. This movie, almost 2 hours long, really good have been made into a short movie, 30-45 minutes long and cut out the boredom. I understand how sometimes movie lag in certain points as there is plot development that must occur, however, the spans of nothingness in this movie were not filled with plot development, but instead filled with . . . well, nothingness.
Acting in the movie was actually quite good and I think considering what they had to work with, nearly every actor in the film did a great job.
There is certainly no thought provoking intellect at work in the storyline, the musical score was non-existent and the movie ends in a certain kind of humorous frustration at the waste that just occurred.
Spare yourself on this one, read a few reviews and the watch the film in fast forward. You will get the gist of the movie and be better off.
Yogi Bear (2010)
Good film for youngsters and the adult won't be bored
Not that a review should be about ME, but it seems to help with the review a little. I haven't reviewed a film in a long time, probably because I have been busy getting married and having kids. With that being said, I don't really see too many movies anymore and needless to say, this was NOT tops of my list. If I finally get to see a movie, I prefer an adult film, but alas, I have children. I got on here before hand and was even less than ecstatic about Yogi given the reviews and the star rating.
However, so many of them were so far off, that I felt inclined to write this review the same night after seeing this movie. First off, for those that review and/or rate a movie like this without having seen it is quite silly and hinders the reasoning behind the rating itself. Ratings are to help people, not skew them.
OK, on to the film. This is a legitimate PG moving for children, i.e. under 10, so take that into consideration. Someone in a rating said it was not a movie they would take a date on . . . really? I mean, I would hope not. Anyway, I have seen lots of kids and young adult movies with far less plot and acting than this movie.
I thought it was perfect for the age bracket and while yes, there is a mention about urination and about Boo Boo having trouble with baked beans, other than that, I was actually quite impressed that the movie survived without a bunch of potty humor. I thought it was a lightly funny film that stuck to the entire Yogi Bear theme of trying to save the park. I thought while some of the adults were silly to stupid, many of them were again, lightly funny and silly but not over the top stupid. Mentioning the word "stupid" also brings me to another thought that the movie wasn't filled with boring dialog of people calling each other silly names that make kids laugh, but irk parents knowing now after the film their kids are going to be calling each other those names and we will be left with trying to tell them why that is inappropriate.
I actually laughed quite a bit and enjoyed seeing Yogi. I am 34 years old and my daughter is 3 that was with me and we liked it. I could even watch it again. I've seen bad films of all ages and genres and this is NOT one of them. Is it academy award material? Not even close, but you won't be disappointed in an entertaining film for children.
Again about the silly reviewers,if you don't like it, no biggie and it is your perogrative to also write a review, they are needed, but why the lies in writing a review? Bored to tears in 10 minutes? Yogi getting hurt all the time? keep it lighthearted? How about paying attention. If there is any major complaint, it should be that this movie was nothing more than a glorified version of the cartoon, but that is what one would expect. Have you never seen the Yogi Christmas special. You know, the one where Ranger Smith tells Yogi to stay away and where the place is going to be forced to close and all the animals are sad? Sound familiar, hmm.
Now, for my final soap box that does make me mad. This dumb 3D is not all that impressive and given the extra added cost to go see one, it is NOT worth it. While there is a non-3D version, the theaters don't really want to play that one too much, because they can't charge the exuberant fee. I will for a fact plan ahead next time better and NOT do the 3D film and make sure I send a statement, although minimal it is.
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
If you just want to know if it is worth watching . . .
I am not even going to vote on the movie because I didn't finish it, but it is for this very reason that I wanted to comment on it. It was an inflight movie on a 7 hour flight and the time that the movie came on was at 1 am. Needless to say, I was hoping for something entertaining since I don't sleep on planes. However, this movie may rank on the extremely boring list pretty high up. I was begging for them to put the little display that shows the map of where the plane is and how fast and at what altitude we were at, back up on the screen. It would have moved at a faster pace then this movie, been more entertaining and to top it off, would have been in color also.
Now I like politics and I love history but I couldn't even stick around long enough to get to any. As I have commented before, if I have to be so much more intelligent then everyone else to "get" a movie, than I don't want to watch it. For some reason, there are a lot of people who want to feel more superior to everyone in their ability to understand a movie better than us peons. Leave this movie to them.
OK, so my comment to you, is that if you want to know if you should watch this movie for entertainment value, DON'T. If you are an Ed Murrow kind of person, than you can probably stand it. If you like movies that deliver messages, I suggest you find another. There are plenty of message movies that can also deliver entertainment. See Crash.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
If you want to know if you should watch this film
Decide on what kind of film you feel like seeing and what kind of films you like. Liking Bill Murray is not enough to see this movie. This is not, What About Bob or Ghostbusters. This is not a slap your knee comedy either.
In describing what this movie is though, too many people are trying to make themselves feel good about themselves by saying that in order to like this movie, you must "get" the jokes. This is not an intellectual film that will go over your head in any way. Instead, like one person commented, this is a dry humor comedy. If you like Bill Murray in his roles of other Wes Anderson films or Lost in Translation, than you will like his role here. However, that does not mean you will like this film. You don't need to "get" anything, you just must like a dry comedy where the jokes are not just thrown into your face. That has nothing to do with intellect, that has to do with what kind of movies you like.
I personally like dry comedies and would recommend this movie as a renter when you feel like sitting back or laying down for a "chuckler" of a movie. I am glad I never had to spend 15 dollars on the movie and glad I watched it on a weekday when I was not in for a great movie, but then again, how many times do I ever see a "great" film. Only through trial by error with a lot of films.
The film however is carried by Murray, IF, you like Bill Murray. I do and I enjoyed his role as well as Willem Defoe's. I like Owen Wilson, but felt like he was wasted in this movie (I don't mean like he was on drugs though). The computer animation used throughout the movie for not just animals, but for sets, was very poorly done and took away from the film. The plot was slow, which is fine, but it was a little too slow for this film. And last but not least, being a dry humor fan myself, this film lacked enough of it.
Like many films, I recommend this one, but go in with the right frame of mind. I give it 6 out of 10 because I liked it, but it was not a "great" film deserving of even an 8, but I think 6 is good. I also realize that me liking it does not mean everyone should or will and thus I grade it on being a "watchable" movie. Many people grade a movie on its artistic nature but that is so bogus. Movies are for people as entertainment. This movie is entertaining, but not for everyone.