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Yesterday (2019)
At Last!
I don't often write reviews, but had to after watching this. The usual fare of "what if...." movies has indeed been added to with 'Yesterday' but this was different, and I guess in this era of disposable music, the subsequent generations are forgetting the Beatles as the trail blazers they were back in the day. Enter this feel good Beatles promo movie (let's face it, it was). Himesh Patel was perfectly cast as the down on his luck good guy that passed off the back catalogue of Beatles songs as his own as a result of a cosmic mishap, and became an overnight sensation as a result. There is a scattering of humour to keep the audience happy. Lily James played the ever loyal manager-in-my-spare-time love interest and the cameo appearance of music heavyweight Ed Sheeran to give the movie its credibility. I just need someone to explain how the non-existence of the Beatles would cause Coke to disappear from the public tastebuds amongst other things. Still, this is just a triviality and even if you're not a fan of the Beatles (which I'm not) this does not detract from the movie at all and I for one found it a refreshing change from the constant drip-feeding of superhero movies flooding the cinemas right now. At last a movie I didn't have to think too much about because there'll be yet another sequel. If you have a couple of spare hours, give it a watch. I'm glad I did
A Kind of Magic (2015)
No magic - sorry
For anyone having 90 minutes to spare when the alternative is watching paint dry, then watch this so called entertainment if you must. There are truly no words to describe how dire this awful movie is. Two easy on the eye lead actors (female - usual Hallmark hairdo. Male - chiselled looks) with no chemistry hammed it up as the worlock transferred his powers to a mere mortal girl, or should I say psychiatrist, then trying (with the help of mummy witch) to get them back. Really? Is this the best Hallmark can do? Ok, I don't expect special effects in the league of Marvel, but blowing a few sheets of paper around and having a blender go nuts does not a witch make. To be honest I wouldn't be bothered about getting my powers back as they were so lame to start with. Oh yeah, there's the obligatory scene where the handsome worlock gets topless (for the sake of his art of course - yawn) Take my advice and give this dreadful movie a miss and watch paint dry instead
Mercy (2016)
Have Mercy On Us!
Sometimes there are simply no words.... but I'll muster up a few for this truly dire film. A doctor appears on the doorstep with a bag for the husband of the household, urging him to administer medication contained therein to his dying wife. Husband angrily rebuffs him whilst taking the bag. Two sets of half brothers reluctantly meet at their parents isolated home to see their dying mother and discuss the idea of euthanasia - or so it seems - all of whom for their own selfish reasons want a cut of the inheritance pie. The plot appears pretty straight forward. The father of 2 of the sons wants his dying wife's money for himself and his boys. His wife's son's obviously aren't having any of it. There's little dialogue and it's all shot in the dark, and I mean DARK even in the fog laden daylight to add extra tension, which to be perfectly frank was a waste of time as there wasn't enough of the premise given to keep you interested. One of the brothers brings along his gal. What for? Who knows, as she's just there to make up numbers and scream on cue. If she wasn't there it would have made no difference to the film. Home invasion ensues, the invaders burn the word "mercy" on the front lawn, and one by one the body count rises. One of the amateur invaders has a pang of guilt but is told to man up and continue the killing spree as it's all for a good cause. Needless to say the contents of the doctors bag is administered. By whom and to what effect? I didn't actually care at this point. Who's behind the invasion I kinda guessed quite early on, but there are not so many gaps as there are yawning chasms in this so called "thriller" I didn't care who died as the viewer didn't get to know the characters enough to bond with them in the first place. I like James Wolk as an actor (Bob Benson - Mad Men) so for him to lower himself to act in this awful film he must have either needed the cash or did it as a dare. He's the only reason I've given this garbage 2 points. The storyline was thin and disjointed, the acting forced, and the ending, well put it this way, it was swift enough to be forgettable
This Is Happening (2015)
Brilliant Movie
I stumbled across this movie and watched it without any expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. Philip, the downtrodden good son (James Wolk) is given the responsibility by his father (Judd Nelson) of placing his opinionated grandmother Estelle (Cloris Leachman) in a retirement home. He reluctantly agrees, only to find that his wayward sister Megan (Mickey Summer) decides to tag along for reasons known only to her, resulting in a feel good road trip movie complete with a stash of pot of good measure. Cloris Leachman truly shines as the cantankerous grandmother with a heart, and there are some laugh out loud moments too. The entire cast are perfectly placed in their parts and add richness to an otherwise standard road movie. This really deserves more credit than it's given imo, but hey, check it out for yourself, you might like it
Naked (2017)
Thankfully I won't have to groundhog this dud again
Yes, we've seen it all before. The endless repeating Groundhog Day where the protagonist has 24hrs to solve the worlds ills. Only in this case he doesn't have the day, no, he has a whole groundhog hour to rectify his loser like tendencies and marry his sweetheart on time. This is a supposed comedy starring Marlon Wayans as substitute teacher, eternal child and commitment-phobe.... yadda yadda yadda..... I actually fell asleep watching this but guessed almost line for line what happened, then wasted even more time rewinding this terrible film just to prove myself right. Wayans wakes up naked in an elevator on his wedding day but just can't seem to get to the church before the day starts again. Wayans is a nice guy I'm sure, but this film is anything but. It's predictable and a little boring. I didn't laugh once and the only thing I was interested in seeing was the end credits. Save yourself a couple of hours and do something more interesting. Like watching paint dry, counting sheep and looking at clouds
Front of the Class (2008)
Having a bad day? Watch this...
I'm a late arrival. Even though this movie was released in 2008 I only saw this a couple of days ago but was so impressed with the quality of the acting that I had to write this review. It tells the true story of a young boy diagnosed with Tourette's, which is such a debilitating disorder that it can leave those who have it, and those who are in their company at their wits end with frustration. The story is told in part flashback with James Wolk leading the narrative beginning during his school days, which were quite frankly years of torture and ignorance. Brad Cohen(whom this story is based on) is determined to become a teacher but has everything stacked against him. His difficulty with reading because of his ticks. His minimal support from his teachers and a father that simply doesn't understand his disability. All this would break anyone but this young boy found a way to rise above this with the help of his mother and a wise head teacher. The 2 leads in this movie were nothing short of brilliant. Young "Brad" was played with such maturity and attention to detail he deserves to go far in his acting career, and James Wolk, the adult "Brad" showed great range in his acting, from happy, angry, to sad and upset, all with ticks intact. All the supporting cast were excellent, and Treat Williams - the dad no one wants - really came through in the end. I usually find Hallmark films a bit disposable, forgettable and samey, but this one is stand out gold. Anyone feeling sorry for themselves or having a bad day. Watch this. Guaranteed to make you put things into perspective
Miracles from Heaven (2016)
Hallmark Movie?
This is a true life story of a young girl Annabelle Beam who developed a rare condition that effected her digestion in a way that would prove fatal. After falling 30 feet head first down a hollowed out tree she was miraculously cured in a way that the surgeon who's care she was under couldn't understand.
The direction was capably executed and the interaction between the actors was relaxed and believable, especially Jennifer Garner who gave a very good performance as the distraught mother Krissy
The only problem I had with it was it's over sentimentality. I understand that this is based on actual events, but it almost felt like a Hallmark movie where it never rains and all the actors have perfect hair, teeth and makeup, so to bag an A list actress to play the lead was a coup in itself. Whether you believe in God or not, there's obviously something unexplainable that happened to this young girl to inspire her story to movie status. Still, it's enjoyable and above average for this type of film, which I enjoyed
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Inspiring Movie
I went to see this movie with a group of friends as I'm not one for war films, gratuitous violence or horror, but I wanted to see this as I'd seen the reviews based on the true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss in WW2. Well, all I can say is that this film was nothing short of inspiring. Yes it was violent, but to be honest the gory war scenes were necessary in order to give the viewer an idea of what Desmond Doss went through, the true atrocity of war, and a mans courage to serve when everything and everyone was against him. British actor Andrew Garfield gave an outstanding performance with a pretty much flawless American accent. Vince Vaughn was a surprise casting as Desmond's CO but gave a brilliant performance with his usual comedic delivery. I particularly liked the line when he asked one of the rookies how long he'd been dead!
All I can say is that this film justly deserved its 2 Oscars and Mel Gibson should have been given the Lazarus award for resurrecting his career too
Highly recommend
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Supe v Batty = Yawn of Justice
What can I say? DC have done it again. Spent millions of unnecessary dollars on a couple of caped idiots fighting over nothing. Well done! I mean that. Well done me for not going to see 2+ hrs of yet more explosions with no storyline at the cinema. Trust me when I say I would have demanded every hard earned penny back. I learnt my lesson from the last time with Man of Steel and that was only slightly better than this dud. I really don't understand how a relatively simple original story can be taken to the planet of nowhere special. This was just yawnsville at its best. It's the usual. Two overblown male egos fighting for dominance, to rid the planet of baddies and destroying it in the process. Yeah, that makes perfect sense, what was I thinking? It's obviously me at fault here as we all know there's only 1 life in the whole city worth saving Superman, and that's your gal Lois Lane. Oh yeah! There was a random stranger trapped in a burning building, and when rescued, a crowd of delirious folk started fawning over him as they obviously weren't used to seeing someone other than Lois Lane being saved. Yeah, that must be it. Who thought of this so-called "story"?? Well, no formal warning needed. Just fire him/her and do us all a favour.
There was one comedy moment that our household laugh about even though it was supposed to be a pivotal scene. Batman has spent weeks pumping iron (and maybe a few steroids) his body's now buffed to perfection. He's just gotta kill Superman and has pulled out the stops to find his Achilles heel. Finally they meet. He's thrown old supe all over the place, battered him senseless, and was just about to give the fatal blow when.... wait for it... Superman utters the all important words: "Find...Martha!!!!" "Why did you say that name??!!" demands our batty friend repeatedly (camera cuts to the scene of mummy's death - AGAIN (yawn)). Lois saves her beloved by gushing "it's his mother's name!" so the batty one decides that he'll spare his life, and they are now lifelong friends. Just like that!!! Oh, how I laughed heartily!!! If only Superman knew the secret password was 'Martha' at the beginning it would have saved so much bother. The city would have been intact, the ozone less damaged and Lex Luthor's plans thwarted. Speaking of the bald-headed one. A raging psychopath? Really? Lex is supposed to be a white collared criminal genius, not a cold-blooded murderer. Just awful. But at least Batman got a chiselled bod out of it. So there's that I suppose
This rubbish takes itself far too seriously. I miss Chris Reeve's tongue in cheek Superhero. It's dated, with ropey special effects, but it's a classic that I still laugh at for the right reasons. Take a leaf out of Mavel's comic book DC and allow us a little light relief now and then I beg of you
I wanted to award this tripe with zilch, but as there is no nil point, 1 would have to suffice, but I'm loathed to give it believe me
Do yourself a favour. Give this piece of Kryptonian/Gotham/Metropolis nonsense a miss. Wish I did
The Convenient Groom (2016)
Typical Hallmark Fare
I often check this site and find the comments mildly entertaining at times which is more than I can say for this film. I mean REALLY? The female lead, who is apparently a relationship expert, yet seems to have the social skills and charisma of a coma patient just doesn't work here. I wanted to like her, really I did, but the constant hair flicking barbie- doll-like movements, with 10 layers of make-up and extra tight clothing to match just left me annoyed. Vanessa Marcil is a competent actress, or so I thought, but in this film? It was just cringe worthy. The only saving grace was David Sutcliffe who made the best of a bad job to make it mildly watchable. I only gave this 2 stars because He was in it. David! Think before you sign on for another movie like this, I beg of you!
Pluses: if you have nothing to do and don't mind giving away a couple of hours you won't regret. Watch this
Minuses: everything but David Sutcliffe, that beautiful Labrador and the scenery