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Reviews
Firestarter (2022)
You Hot!
It's sad to see all of the negative reviews when people don't realize that this movie is closer to the original novel than anything that came before it. It's been updated to occur in current times, with certain technology that didn't exist of course when the original book was written. That said, the imagery is described in the book, some of the verbiage used by Charlie and her father, some of the additional characters that we're not in the original movie but we're in the book had been implemented here. Ryan Kiera Armstrong out performed Zac Efron by Leaps and Bounds. She's definitely one to watch. Overall, the story is the same and certainly not something that you mess with the plot on. The movie was made true to the book as far as it could be in today's world. One noticeable difference between this remake in the original movie is that you truly see the love that Charlie's father has for her. That was lacking in the original movie oh, but was certainly a main point in the book. I thought the acting was pretty good overall even though know you kind of know how it's going to end, it was a fun ride. If you want to short 90 minutes ride of action/mystery/horror, it fits the bill.
Dexter: New Blood: Sins of the Father (2022)
I guess you can't please everyone...
Who didn't see this coming? At the end of the first series everybody complained and moaned about the fact that the ending was left so open. So what do they do? They give everybody what they want...an absolute final ending. Now everybody complains about that?
This is a perfect ending. This is the way it had to end. If the show was not going to go on with Michael C. Hall reprising his roll as Dexter Morgan in another season, this is how it had to end.
The Guilty (2021)
Edge of Your Seat Ride
What a fun ride. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Great movie.
The Boss (2016)
Come on!! Flat Out Physical Comedy!!!
I've decided that society is not yet ready for a woman to be the star of a physical comedy. The public just can't handle it. When Jim Carrey does it..hell, when the 3 Stooges do it, it's comedic genius. But when a woman does it, it's vile, dark and I've even heard people say immoral. I suspect the ones rating this film are the men who are threatened by it. I'm glad I'm secure in my manhood enough to laugh at true comedic talent like Melissa McCarthy.
I cannot believe the complaints I've heard about this movie, and none of them true. Yes, it was dirty. Yes, it was nasty. Yes, it was violent. But I'll tell you this, it was damned funny! As funny as the best male-driven dark comedy out there IMHO. I laughed more in this than I did Bad Santa, and to be honest, except for the gratuitous use of the "C" word ion one scene, this film was much less disgusting and vile. The scout-scout fight scene was hilarious (and by the way, those were OBVIOUSLY grown stunt women, they didn't even try to hide that) and the other physical scenes like the couch-bed and the stairs at the country club were laugh-out-loud funny.
People, get over yourselves and stop the sexist-based biased. Just sit back, enjoy the film for what it is and laugh. More importantly, stop rating films poorly because you're threatened by a strong female lead in a physical comedy. Enjoy it, because if you can get over your biased, The Boss was one HELL OF A FUNNY MOVIE!
June (2015)
Amazing For What It Is
No spoilers here...the film speaks for itself.
This film had little budget...total indie job. You have to give credit where it's due. Excellent script, hell of a story. The premise of the story is enough to make the hardest horror-fan cringe. Evil kids...ever since The Omen, they are a popular part of the horror genre. The kid in this is a great little actor, and I think she portrayed the "infiltrated" child quite well.
Yeah, the acting could use some work, and the cinematography, but for what they had to work with, I give it thumbs way up. If you like indie-horror, watch this one.
Jurassic World (2015)
Jurassic Fail
First let me say I am a HUGE fan of this franchise. I loved the first 3 films, and still watch them once a year or so.
I've awarded this film 1 star for the effects, which, in all fairness, were some of the best ever made in any move I've ever seen.
I've awarded this film another star for the humor, which, in all fairness, was successfully pulled of without Jeff Goldblum.
Star #3 - #10 will forever go un-awarded. I'm not even sure where to begin. So I guess, let's start with plot.
PLOT - The plot was almost identical to Jurassic Park. Updated for a new audience that demands more action, but the same plot nonetheless. Even cute kids. Add to that the sheer absurdity of the plot (more on that in the ABSURDITY section) which made this movie so predictable it was hard to get to the end. At some point, even the effects and action do not make up for this.
EDGEOFSEATNESS - Unlike any of the other 3 films in the franchise, not once was there a scene that kept me on the edge of my seat. In Jurassic Park, the tree scene, in #2 it was the bus on the cliff scene, and in #3 it was the bird-cage scene and the airplane scene. Not a single scene in Jurassic World had me hanging like that.
ABSURDITY - Of course you go to a movie like this knowing it has no bearing at all on reality, but Jurassic World took it one step further, and took the absurdity to new levels. Any movie where humans don't generally act like humans should is hard to watch, but when most of the humans do things that NO human would do...EVER...it's absurd.
1. First, our co-star ran around the island in high-heels the entire time. Through jungle, rivers, mud, and even though the shoes were mentioned by our star, SHE STILL KEEPS THEM ON. And she could run fast in those heels!
2. The Pterodactyls attack of the park patrons. Had something like this really happened, it would have been horrifying, and absolutely one of the scariest things anyone could experience. People being picked up, dropped, and torn apart by birds the size of cars. But instead of showing any true terror of this event, humor was added in an attempt to make it funny. In one scene, a man is shown hording his margaritas while running from and being whisked away by a dino-bird. This did not make it funny, it made it absurd.
3. This new dinosaur they created could not be killed, and was barely maimed by bullets, RPG's, and 50cal rounds, yet, T-Rex (HERE HE COMES TO SAVE THE DAY!) was able to, with some raptor help, nearly bring this super-dino to it's knees so that super-shark could do the rest. COME ON! And, who didn't see T-Rex saving the day AGAIN?
4. There was a HUGE contradiction in the film, and I'm not sure how it was not caught before release. In the beginning of the movie, the comment is made "We've created the largest dinosaur to ever exist" while referring to their new super-dino. But in the end, we see that's simply not true. Super-dino-shark was obviously 2 or 3 times the size. Why wasn't the goal originally just to drive super-dino to the water to begin with? Meh!
In short, I found Jurassic World simply ABSURD, lacking a plot, and honestly boring in so many ways. I can't believe the current ratings this film is getting, because when I went to see it, it was a packed house. Several people left early, and the comments I was hearing after the film were primarily negative. Hopefully I'm not just getting too old and sounding like a crotchety old man, but to me, Jurassic World was truly a let-down.
Come Back to Me (2014)
Not as Bad as People Are Saying
Despite some plot holes, and at times some unrealistic responses by the actors to what's actually happening to them in the film, this movie is very original. In my opinion, the ending is a classic mind-bender. It's not the expected outcome...most people will be very surprised by the twist.
If you're just simply after a couple hours of entertainment, then this is not a bad choice. Ignore the 1 and 2 star reviews, they obviously either didn't get it, or didn't really watch the movie. Don't get me wrong, it's no award winner, but as far as creepy horror/thrillers go, it's a fun ride.
Better Call Saul: Marco (2015)
What A Let Down
I think many people are just giving this a high-rating because they think they saw a masterful piece of television in this episode...but they didn't, I assure you. Breaking Bad was so popular, that I think many are afraid to rank it where it belongs. I give Vince and the writers props, they are genius, but not so much that people can't see an obvious stretch for material like in this episode. This finale was not art. This finale was not sobering. This finale was not masterful...all adjectives I've read in other reviews to describe this finale. It's none of those things. It was a way to make a short season just a bit longer, by dragging the viewers through the coals of Jimmy's mind for 51 minutes. In about 15 minutes that material could have been added to previous episodes to set this all up in a much less painful way to the viewer.
Thank GOD for DVR. I was able to fast-forward through the 9 minute BINGO scene, and the extremely boring 6 minute bar scene. I found myself bored and completely let-down for what I hoped would be a season-ending whammy to a great build up all season long. I'll watch the season premiere in hopes Vince gets his stuff together, but this season finale was the writers and producers and directors resting on their laurels and trying to extend the season for effect. FAIL. Come on guys, you can't bank on Breaking Bad forever!
The Signal (2014)
One of the Best Movies I've seen
NOTE: The ONLY reason this does not get 10 stars is because of the semi-gratuitous use of UBER SLOW MO...too much.
I suspect the majority of negative reviews and ratings are coming from the kids (under 35 crowd) out there. This movie reminds me of the type of movie that truly comes before its time. This movie gave me the same type of feeling I had after watching 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dune, and Chariots of Fire. Not from a story perspective in any way, but feeling like I just didn't get why this movie was popular to my parents at the time. When I watched those movies originally, I thought many of the same things people are saying about this film in the reviews. It was not until I was in my late 40's, and had matured and knew more about what was truly profound, that I was able to appreciate those movies.
I found this movie extremely profound, and in a simple way. If you're looking for a ton of action, fast paced story-line, or a ton of CGI effects, you won't get it here. There are a few "jumpy" moments, and a couple of "gotcha" scenes, and some of the CGI is decent, but not what this movie is about. What you will get is absolutely stunning cinematography. If you don't focus narrowly on what's going on with the characters, and take a moment to "look around" the scenes, you will find some amazing views and backdrops comparable to those in The Lovely Bones.
I should also point out that of course, Laurence Fishburne was great as usual, but the big surprise was the co-star, Olivia Cooke. A relatively new actor for the most part, but able to pull at the heart-strings by showing very realistic emotion in the story-line, and creating empathy with body language. This girl will go far, and her performance in this Indy will give her some good future exposure I suspect.
Put yourself into this movie and truly consider the implications and consequences of the story as if it were you. If you need Michael Bay to produce a movie that entertains you, skip this one, you won't like it. But if you can put yourself in the protagonists shoes like you do in a good book, you will find this a really fun ride.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Powerful, Engaging, Haunting, and Beautiful
I did not have high hopes for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a good movie, and fun to watch, but I knew what to expect, and I was right.
The last time I said "That was one of the best movies I've ever seen" was 13 years ago when I saw Beautiful Mind. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best movies I've ever seen.
This film is powerful. You go in knowing what has to happen, especially if this story line follows the same general story of Planet of the Apes, but how it gets there is extremely moving, and quite powerful.
The film will engage you like few movies can. Unlike most typical fiction, the creator the story will usually clearly define for you who the protagonist and antagonist are. In Rise of the Planet of the Apes, those lines are not clearly drawn. This fact will engage you in the plight of the story for both, almost equally, and surprise you in the end.
The movie is haunting, I think mostly because the premise of how they got to where they are is not so far outside the realm of possibility for us. While it's obviously doubtful apes will ever rise up against humans, the post human era haunts most people just a little bit, and this is done very well in this film.
Finally, it's a beautifully done movie. The effects, CGI, cinematography, and the acting are nearly flawless. The landscape they have created in a post-human world are as creepy as they are beautiful. From the plant and animal life taking over a major metropolitan area over the years without human existence, to the homes the apes have built themselves high among the trees, there's always some point of beauty to every scene.
I cannot recommend this film more. See it in the theater, and if you can, see it in 3D. There are not too many overt 3D scenes, but it adds a depth to the film that just makes it all that more enjoyable.
A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
To Be Fair...
I'm giving this one a 10 for one reason alone....because it's only fair. As I read through some other reviews, I realize that someone who went in expecting anything other than what they got from Seth MacFarlane and was disappointed it was not a masterpiece, award-winning, beautiful piece of art with a single redeeming quality has no right complaining or writing a bad review about it. So hopefully my 10 will off-set it a little bit.
This movie is what you expect from Seth. Dirty toilet, masturbatory, off-color, laugh-out-loud comedy. Nothing more, and honestly it can't be less. If you want to just go to a movie and just laugh, forgetting any redeeming cinematic quality, this is the movie for you. If you can get over the inaccurate history, use of words that did not exist in 1882, and some of the truly stomach-clenching, barf-out-loud scenes, then you will truly enjoy this "film."
If nothing else, the (sometimes) subtle cameos make it a fun watch too. Emjoy!
Blended (2014)
IMHO, One of the Funniest Romantic Comedies in a Decade
I don't understand some of the low 1-2 star ratings on this movie. While I agree Adam Sandler has had some flops lately (Jack and Jill Anyone?) but this movie breaks from it. I can only assume the few people that just claimed it was crap, have not seen it and are putting in bad ratings to bring the overall down.
This movie will have any normal person laughing pretty much constantly for the first hour. While it does have the predictable "RomCom" feel to it, it's a fresh take on some of the humor, and a chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore that is classic since Wedding Singer.
It's not an award winner, but the humor is plentiful, the kids are cute, and the ending is happy. Definitely a movie for a good pick-me-up on a lazy day.
Carrie (2013)
Decent Remake - Updated for Today's Audiences
I was concerned going into this movie that I would be disappointed compared to the original. I really was not. I see it for what it is, a very similar remake, updated to fit today's short-span audiences, but still a good entertaining Friday night movie.
I am a huge fan of Chloe Grace Moretz, so I was excited to finally see this movie, and how she portrayed Carrie. She is an incredible young actress, and she rarely fails to entertain. Such is the case in Carrie. While I expected her performance to be excellent, I must say I was not so prepared to see Julianne Moore's portrayal of Margaret White to be quite so gripping. She quickly made us believe she was a very ill, child-abusing bible thumping nut-job.
I am glad that the writers and directors chose to reduce 3 of the scenes from the original into shorter, more concise scenes. The scene where Carrie and her mother argue about the prom, the "Sweet Prom Scene" where her and Tommy nearly seem to fall in-love, and the amount of time Carrie spends on the stage just staring out at the laughing crowd and building up her anger in the original. "THEY'RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU!" Every time I watch the original, I find myself wanting to fast-forward these scenes.
I thought allowing the gym teacher to live was a good choice. It adds a little compassion to Carrie's character, even in her enraged state. Telling Sue she is pregnant and the sex of this child, however, made little sense to me.
Otherwise, not a bad movie for a Friday night out with the lady. 8 of 10 for me, and another great Moretz movie to add to my collection when it comes out on BluRay.