Magicalhobo3 Reviews

Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats (2023 TV Short)

No Fan of Mickey but Love This!

[9/10 · 11 December 2023]

I usually cringe whenever my 2.5yo son wants to watch Mickey, but this is a fantastic Halloween special that I actually look forward to watching with him.

The songs are a lot of fun, and the characters that I usually find annoying are enjoyable. The stop motion is detailed and done very well. It isn't too scary and the plot is fun. Witch Hazel is a cool baddie who isn't over the top, and the side characters are interesting (shoutout to the mummy). The Donald frog design is also chef's kiss.

Overall, it's a holiday special that is meant for kids so I'm not expecting Citizen Kane or anything. For what it is, it's outstanding.

1917 (2019)

What an Experience!

[13 January 2020]

I can say with confidence that this is my favorite war movie and one of my favorite movies overall.

I was worried that the way it's shot (to seem like it's all in one shot) would be little more than a gimmick, but it really brings you in to feel like you're there with the characters. You'll find yourself constantly looking past the characters to see if there is some danger that they aren't aware of, and you never get a chance to feel comfortable.

With the movie essentially all one shot, I was worried that character development would suffer. I can say that you will become attached to the characters and really care about them. They become your war buddies and you will root for them to succeed.

The cinematography left me in awe throughout this movie. There were multiple scenes that really stood out, but there is one where lights are coming randomly from different directions. That scene was so terrifyingly beautiful, which essentially this movie in a nutshell.

If you're looking for a war movie with constant action and gun fights then this isn't the movie you're looking for. This will take you for a journey with all its ups and downs.

The Shining (1980)

Character Assassination at its Worst

[5/10 · 22 December 2019]

I just finished reading the novel and was extremely excited to watch this with the praise it has received. I was severely disappointed as the film did nothing to establish the characters and failed to hit on major plot devices that occurred in the book.

One of the biggest issues I had was with the development of the three main characters. In the book Jack, Wendy, and Danny were a family. Each of them had strengths and flaws, however I don't think any of the three had any real strengths at all.

Jack was a recovering alcoholic who truly wanted the best for his family. He battled demons from his past, but over the book the hotel slowly took over his mind. A key scene that was left out was Jack letting Danny go at the end, which showed that he still couldn't bring himself to hurt Danny and reinforced that it was the hotel essentially possessing Jack. In the movie he's just a jerk. They don't explain anything about the hotel or why he's losing his mind. It's clear in the beginning that he hates his family from the start, which is really the opposite of the book.

Wendy is just a weak character in the movie. We are given few reasons to like her any why she stayed with Jack. Duval swinging the bat was so pathetic and not even close to how she took Jack down in the book.

Danny was just weird. Instead of showing that he is reaching out to Halloran for help we get scenes of him essentially foaming at the mouth. He doesn't help take Jack down or stands up to him face to face. Yes, he outsmarts Jack in the maze, but nothing close to standing up to him.

It's just character assassination at its worst for these three. There is little character development and the movie relies on viewers having read the book to understand anything.

Halloran was turned into a pointless sideshow. It would have been better to cut him out of coming to the hotel and put more time into establishing happenings at the hotel. They could have had rangers come rescue them or something if they were concerned about Wendy getting the Snowcat.

I could go on and on about what the book did better but it all boils to little development. This film feels like scenes shot and stuck together. The acting is over the top at times and we are given little backstory on the hotel and the characters. Very disappointing.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Solid but Overrated

[6/10 · 29 November 2019]

This is a solid film, but I would bet that the current score is inflated by at least a star due to nostalgia alone.

I went in expecting a movie about Mr. Rogers, but he is more of a side character throughout the film. The movie's main storyline is about a writer who was assigned to write about Mr. Rogers and ends up battling issues from his past. It's on me for not doing enough research going in, but just know that before going to see it.

The acting overall is very good. I thought Matthew Rhys was very believable in his role and did a great job selling his emotional scenes. The others were solid as well, although I felt Tom Hanks came off a bit creepy at times. If that was intended then they nailed it, but some scenes felt a bit odd.

Overall, if you liked Tuesdays with Morrie then you'll love this. Personally, I felt like I've seen this movie a hundred times before with the exception of Mr. Rogers and the cute little interludes between scenes.