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jquinlan19
Reviews
Aquaman (2018)
Visually gorgeous!
Okay, so the plotline is a little weak in spots, some combat scenes are too protracted. But...it's beautiful to watch, the computer-generation is first class, the plot is pretty sensible, and the acting is good overall. Arthur comes across and not only amazing to look at, but has a sense of humor and a lot of fun to watch. The villains aren't so bad they can't be redeemed, I guess. All in all, a movie that's worth the price. No idea how a sequel could happen, but no doubt it will. Definitely recommend for anyone over 10 years old.
Wonder Woman (2017)
The best DC movie yet!
The tale of Wonder Woman's origin, training, and the philosophy of the Amazons is very interesting to those of us who immersed ourselves in the myths of the gods. Even Shakespeare used them in his plays, like "Twelfth Night", and references to them are in many, many novels. Statues of Zeus abound in palaces and museums everywhere. Hopefully young people who see this film will be inspired to read about them and widen their literary horizons. That said, of course this is a mythic tale, but what a heroic one! Casting is simply perfect. Premises are intelligent. Action is unbelievably good! There's humor, but a lot of pathos. Mistakes are made, but humans are portrayed sympathetically. Steve Trevor is a definite hero and worthy of Wonder Woman's love and respect. The horror of war is fully shown, and probably children will find it too violent. Definitely not for the under-10s. Women are portrayed with respect for their abilities and sensibilities. All in all, a must-see movie for everyone who has ever read a DC comic. And everyone else, too.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Visually beautiful, very engaging, excellent overall.
Of course we all know the plot, as the story has been around forever. This movie follows the story faithfully for the most part, but adds music, dancing, wonderful costumes, and some modern plot elements that to some may seem unusual, but are totally in keeping with reality in today's world. "Reality" seems an out of place word here where teacups and candelabra sing and dance, but the human (and beast) characters are well rounded and believable. Belle is strong without being overdone, Gaston is evil and leads others to be so also, but that, too, is an expression of today's world. The plot is as it always was and doesn't need explaining since we all pretty much know it already. A happy ending too, and that's as it should be. All in all an excellent movie for both adults and kids (7 or 8 years and up). No situations that would require embarrassing explanations, despite ridiculous claims by people who claim an "agenda". That's just silly. Go see it.
Lion (2016)
A good tale, could have been a bit better.
A very engaging story about a small child who becomes lost. His family life is extremely hard and the period on the streets is bad, could have been even worse. This is definitely a look at the underbelly of India. Much of the movie is about his memories of India and the confusion of feeling losses he can't express. The search for his home could have been done better and shown much more of how the internet was, and can be, used for such a nebulous memory search. The girlfriend angle is okay, but doesn't add much to the story, and the back history of his adopted brother could have been explored more fully too. All in all, good entertainment and raises some very deep questions about lost children and how easy it is for a child to be lost.
Royal Wives at War (2016)
Catty, gossipy rubbish.
The only good parts of this made-up tabloid film are the actual newsreels, everything else is terrible, from the bitchy so-called presenters (especially Lady Colin Campbell...what a terrible women), to the really bad makeup that is so obvious it is actually a mask. I looked forward to this program, but realized it is a lot of fiction characterized as truth, but is actually sensationalist gossip without much basis in fact. I only gave it 3/10 because of the newsreels. The true history is a riveting tale and it could have been quite good without the "presenters", who seem so self-important, but they have nothing sensible to say.
Childhood's End (2015)
Could have been so much better....but is not.
If this production had remained true to Arthur C. Clarke's wonderful book it would have been intelligent, very interesting, and a terrific telling of Clarke's idea of Man's destiny....but it did not remain true. Instead we had what so often is the fate of good books, that is, they are changed into triteness and "dumbed down".
Added elements of romance and ghosts do nothing but take up time. The original story is riveting and the modern ability to do wonders with computer effects could have enhanced what the mind provided when reading.
I was excited to see this book made film...but overall it was so disappointing.
The Lone Ranger (2013)
Poor...very poor.
Any relationship between this movie and the classic saga of the Lone Ranger is accidental. Johnny Depp plays, as he has in most of his movies, Johnny Depp, and the more bizarre the better. A dead crow has more to say than he does, and the "feeding" of this bird on his head is such a silly affectation as to be an immediate turnoff. There actually could be a viable story, the elements are there; among these elements are corporate greed (certainly a timeless theme), maltreatment of a native population, misuse of our military, and so forth. Add in misogyny, bigotry, cruelty, insanity, murder, etc, and there's everything there to furnish the building blocks for a good movie. Too bad it was so stupid....literally. You know a movie is bad when you find yourself looking at your watch and wondering how much more you can take without walking out.
Arnie Hammer is probably a good actor, but you wouldn't know that here. I hope he hasn't built any expectations of a series based on this experience. Helen Bonham Carter is in this too, not sure why except to show off an artificial limb, as her role is totally unnecessary. The villains actually have the best parts. One is glad to see they meet their ends, and in spectacular fashion, as the action is pretty good...not very suspenseful and mostly really silly, but well done. All in all, if you MUST see it, wait for the cheap seats.
The Heat (2013)
Didn't intend to see this, but........
Some friends wanted to see this, so I went along for the company. It has an "R" rating, and any parent who brings a child younger than 13 to this is committing child abuse. The level of vulgarity, if that matters to the viewer, is stupendous. That said, it is a funny movie! It could even be better without the constant use of f.....k....g with almost everything Melissa McCarthy has to say. She's terrific, by the way. Sandra Bullock plays uptight very well and her gradual development of empathy is believable. The bond between the two females develops at a rapid pace, sometimes faster than would seem to be possible, but hey...movies only have a couple of hours to play out the story. We can sure see a series here - the usual movie industry habit with any successful movie, in which it is worked and reworked until it becomes totally boring - think Die Hard.
However, The Heat is funny - quite funny - unreal, of course, in terms of how law enforcement actually works, but in this case there's a lot that we'd actually LIKE to see happen - if only it weren't for laws themselves. I liked it, not enough to see it again, but I did like it.
Man of Steel (2013)
Go see it, you'll like it!
Man of Steel goes back to how Superman came to Earth, ends with the advent of Clark Kent. Effects throughout are really, really great. Henry Cavill is perfect in the role - a good guy, physically beautiful, wonderfully handsome, with excellent diction. I would see anything he was in!
Amy Adams? So-so. Lacks depth. Of course Lois Lane is a comic book character, so lack of depth probably doesn't matter. Russell Crowe is excellent as Lor-el, and his pain at sending his son away is palpable. The rest of the cast are uniformly good and believable in their roles.
The plot is pretty much ordained by the comic book history, but retelling for those who are too young to remember old comic books is necessary here, and well done. Even those of us who are old enough to remember the old comics will enjoy this tale. I doubt we ever thought how difficult Superman's childhood, and the problems of his Earth parents, were. Very well done in this movie. In fact, this is a great movie. Kids ought to love it, and parents too. I foresee that future movies about Superman, if done this well, will be a great series.