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Reviews
Murder, She Wrote: The Days Dwindle Down (1987)
How build a better mystery
The original movie (which I have on DVD) is an interesting thriller. But the story does drag a bit in places.
I like the way Murder, She Wrote took the needed scenes and made a new and more interesting ending out of the original, almost forgotten film.
Getting top notch actors for the episode certainly didn't hurt either, especially the three main characters who reprised their roles: the police detective (Harry Morgan), the husband (Jeffrey Lynne) who was convicted (in this version), and his loyal wife (Martha Scott). Richard Beymer, June Havoc, and Gloria Stuart were excellent replacements for those actors no longer available (or perhaps not interested).
Seeing how cleverly the 30 year old film was incorporated into flashbacks really makes this a unique and authentic looking mystery. Who better to play their younger selves than themselves?
The writers really outdid themselves in making this a more intriguing story than the original. I also wonder how much they had to pay for permission to use it!
This is definitely a must-see of Jessica Fletcher's exploits; one of the top episodes for (ironically) originality, style, great acting, and a solid mystery with an unexpected ending (as all good mysteries should be).
Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022)
Amazing and beautiful tribute!
What a wonderful tribute! Every singer and dancer was exquisite. Every set and costume was beautiful. And the whole production was a wonderful mix of media between the animation and the live action.
By letting us see the most important segments of the film between the live numbers, we really got to experience the whole romantic story again.
I especially appreciated the tribute to Angela Lansbury. She was an especially important part of the musical history and a much beloved actress. Their acknowledgement of her was brief but lovely.
Josh Groban and H. E. R. Deserve particular accolades for their wonderful performances. They were perfect as Beauty and the Beast. And having Rita Moreno as the narrator/host felt like having American musical royalty on hand.
My husband is already asking when we can watch this again.
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
The pig is legit!
Porky got the best moment in the whole movie!
What a great movie! So much fun! We don't have kids, but we loved it. This is not just a kid's movie. It's for people who are young at heart or love Looney Tunes or just fun family films! My husband isn't up on all the pop culture references and internet slang, but I loved it all. I'll have to watch it again to find more little inside jokes, there were soooo many, so fast!
Cyber space gave the toons a really cool CGI look. So this was a different era, but just as much fun as the original!
Beauty and the Beast (1976)
Thank you Sunshine Vintage!
To all the reviewers who mentioned getting this film through Sunshine Vintage... thank you!!!!
This movie was just as wonderful as I remembered. My husband enjoyed it very much too.
The DVD I got was very good audio and video quality.
Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru kaijû daishingeki (1969)
My favorite Godzilla movie
This is my fave Godzilla movie. My second fave is the one this movie takes clips from "Son of Godzilla".
I like this movie because the story about little Ichiro is so sweet. I like how he learns lessons from Minya (baby Godzilla) about dealing with bullies. And the 'real life' danger the boy faces is both interesting and handled in a comical manner to appeal to children.
But overall, it appeals tob this adult just because it's a cute story, with good actors.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Any other reviews between 1 and 10?
The reviews are a bigger mess than the movie ever could be. I keep scrolling but all I see are 1s and 10s.
Did I enjoy the movie? Pretty much.
Did I like the storyline? No, not really.
Did I think the big plot twists were "good"? Nope, really disliked those.
Did I think the acting and action were good? Yes, absolutely.
Will I watch this movie again? Probably not.
Do I think the 3 sequels successfully completed the Star Wars saga? No.
In fact, at this point I'm ready to sell my whole collection of movies and memorabilia.
There were some issues with the prequels, but I still enjoyed the story they told (it felt like one cohesive story).
There are bigger issues with these three sequels. And I really didn't enjoy the various stories that were told. (Rival storymakers, trying to "one up" each other and the fans, cannot write a good story.)
I won't make everything I liked or disliked because I don't like to include spoilers in my reviews.
I will say that I thought Solo and Rogue One were much better than I expected. Maybe I'll keep the original trilogy and those two.
George Lucas.... could you please pair up with another really great story teller, someone like, oh ... Ron Howard ... and write 3 complete screenplays for sequels that would pick up from "Return of the Jedi"? If Disney will just set aside Kathleen Kennedy, and get, oh ... Ron Howard... to direct, I promise I will go watch them all ... unless they have someone coming back from the dead.