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Stripes (1981)
Not Many Likes In Stripes
Predictable, unbelievable & short on laughs "comedy".
Not even John Candy can save this movie.
Bill Murray's character is annoying.
The scene where they try to rescue their soldiers would have started WW3 if it were real.
The typical bad boys get the attractive women and save the day storyline has no surprises.
A group of misfits join the army and look good in the end.
It came out three years before the first Police Acadamy movie which uses a similar formula of misfits being trained. However, Police Acadamy was funny and had funny characters, Stripes does not have funny characters and is not particularly funny.
Not recommended.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
Enjoyable Movie
First time watching Trains, Planes & Automobiles so many years after it was made and I was pleasantly surprised.
The movie that held my attention throughout.
Steve Martin & John Candy work well together as an odd couple who get themselves into silly situations.
Apart from one small part with strong course language, a good fun movie for kids.
Even years after being made, it hasn't dated too badly apart for some bad eighties hairdos and clothes.
The holes in the script and the predictable outcome can easily be ignored as the movie was enjoyable to watch.
Don't know why it took me so long to see it!
Elvis (2022)
Excellent
Not being a fan of Baz Luhrmann type films and knowing that it would be a long film (2.5 hours), I went into see this film with reservations.
Baz Luhrmann held back on the usual "in your face" razzle dazzle which made this movie one of the best I have seen in a long long time.
When an actor can portray a famous person and make you forget that you are not watching the real thing, that means talent. If Austin Butler doesn't win an Oscar for his role, then something is very wrong because his portrayal can't be faulted.
Tom Hanks is never a disappointment and his portrayal of Colonel Parker also deserves an Oscar.
All other cast members were also excellent.
The script, locations, costumes, editing, music, make up, direction, production all faultless.
A special mention about the seamless use of old footage.
A film for everyone and not just Elvis fans or those who were around when Elvis was alive.
Although it was a bit long, it did move along quite quickly with minimal slow parts and it didn't seem like two and a half hours.
Baz also deserves an Oscar for this movie.
The Nightingale (2018)
Brutal
A very good movie telling a tale of early Australian settlement by the English and how brutally they treated the Indigenous people and the Irish.
At times very confronting and difficult to watch.
The acting very good. Good locations and period costumes.
Leaves a lasting impression.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
The Secret Is Out
Not a bad movie, light hearted entertainment with quite a few funny moments.
Some good locations used and the acting was good.
Obvious ending but still nothing to dislike about the film.
Stan & Ollie (2018)
Dynamic Duo
A very good movie about the latter part of Laurel and Hardy's careers.
Both. Steve Coogan and John C Reilly were so believable as Stan and Ollie, it seems as though you are watching the real people.
Great make up artistry on John C. Reilly.
The period features were also excellent.
The rest of the cast also did a fine job.
Fun, interesting and sad...one of the better movies I have seen recently.
Rocketman (2019)
Fizzer
The movie would have been better as a biography not like something Baz Lehrman would do.
There was nothing wrong with the acting and Taron Egerton played Elton well.
Too much concentration on the addictions from half way through the film became irritating. Even though it happened it would have been better to include more of the positives.
And where was the Donald Duck outfit??
The Meaning of Life (1983)
No Meaning
Was this funnier when it was made?
It definitely has not aged well.
Some laughs and good sketches but very overlong with unfunny segments.
Not much more to say about it.
Ted 2 (2015)
Teddy two
Cashing in on the success of Ted 1, the movie has a good storyline, although follows a similar pattern to Ted 1.
Again, the acting is good and there are laugh out loud moments.
The overuse of swearing and bonging becomes tedious and could have been toned down to deliver the odd shock here and there.
Not as good as Ted 1 but not too far behind.
Ted (2012)
Teddy
A good concept and well acted with good special effects (Ted).
Good story line but spoilt with the overuse of swearing and bongs.
I get that it was part of the story but could have been more subtly done. The shock value wears off after a while.
Still, it has some good laugh out loud moments.
Not suitable for kids but older teenagers and unshockable adults would find it worth watching.
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Zoned Out
Unfortunately not a patch on the original series.
Nothing wrong with the acting.
The the stories didn't work well, maybe it was better in 1983 when it was made but the movie hasn't aged well.
The aircraft segment was scary in the original series but not so much in the movie.
It was an ok movie but disappointing.
Knowing (2009)
Unknown
Not a movie I had heard about but enjoyed it for the most part.
Some good special effects and suspense.
The acting was good except Lucinda's daughter screaming too much.
It could have been better without the whisper people and the cheesy ending.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Home Alone Groan
Not a patch on the first movie.
Similar storyline.
Very unbelievable that the crooks from the first movie and the kid are not only in New York at the same time but in the same area.
A bit over-violent for little kids.
Just one brick being thrown from a two story building and hitting someone in the head would kill them, let alone numerous bricks.
Falls from a great height, being set on fire etc.. and still surviving?
More cartoon-like than the first one.
Home Alone (1990)
Silly but ok
Home Alone is full of faults but is not a bad movie.
It's more like a cartoon with it's unbelievable battle between two dumb crooks and a little kid.
Something to watch on Xmas Eve.
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Typical Elvis movie of the era
Elvis deserved to make better movies than this but unfortunately was required to do cloned movies through most of the '60's era.
He proved that he was a good actor but these type of movies didn't show it.
The plot was thin and very corny.
He was also given some woeful songs to sing, except for the title track and one other, the songs were forgettable ..again Elvis deserved better.
If Elvis wasn't in this movie, it would have ended up in the bin.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Still Good
Not as good as Terminator 2 but on par with Terminator 1.
A good action movie and Kristanna Loken does well as the villain. Arnie, as always very good.
The machines add to the suspense and the twist at the end was also good and gives the viewer the incentive to watch the next installment.
Some of the dialogue was a bit corny and the chase with the crane went on a bit long.
Overall still very watchable.
.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
A Sequel That's Better Than The Original?
Yes, this movie is better than the first Terminator movie.
The special effects and the new shapeshifting Terminator were excellent.
Robert Patrick almost steals the show as the steely eyed foe and of course Arnie is as good as usual.
Linda Hamilton excelled in her role.
A movie that keeps you glued to the screen.
The Terminator (1984)
Better Than Expected
It took nearly 40 years to see but I was surprised how good it was.
Sure, it's a little dated now with the effects but there was still some very good stunts and action.
Of course there was "that" line which has been used by every man and his dog since 1984.
Arnie in his iconic role lived up to the part and the other acting was also good.
Predator 2 (1990)
A Slight Step Up from 1
The movie benefited from using Danny Glover in the lead instead of Arnie
No need to flex muscles all the time.
Still the same silly alien but the action is more suspenseful.
Not the best monster film but not the worst.
Predator (1987)
Dated
It may have been ok in 1987 when it was released but doesn't hold up today.
The first part is non-stop people getting blasted and flying through the air.
The "Predator" is a weird looking monster with dreadlocks,
So many holes in the plot.
Mostly poor acting.
Dime quién soy (2020)
Bustante Bueno
It's always good to watch a program about WW2 from a European point of view rather than how the Americans won the war.
The script was flawed and unbelievable in parts but still a good story and well acted.
Good ending.
Man in Room 301 (2019)
6 for 301
There were quite a few holes in the storyline but an interesting concept.
The acting was mostly good.
A whodunit that keeps you guessing for a while but becomes obvious before too long.
Liar Liar (1997)
Truth is..
The best thing about this movie is that the acting by Jim Carey is good and not as overdone as some of his previous offerings.
It's a fun plot and moves along quite well.
I would have rated it close to a six if it wasn't for the airport scene which was just plain ridiculous.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Joker Ventura
Too overacted and silly by Jim Carey.
A movie for adolescents who might find it amusing.
For adults, maybe a few chuckles.
The storyline was thin but again juveniles wouldn't notice that.
Lost in Space (1998)
Spaced Out
After avoiding this film for over 20 years I was very surprised that I found it enjoyable.
A modern update of the 1960's TV series without detracting from the original storyline and characters, as well as quotes such as "Danger Will Robinson!".
At the start I thought it was going to be like some of the other badly done 60's TV show remakes to film but it wasn't the case and it didn't take long for it to come together.
The casting was spot-on.
Good special effects.
Much better than many of the other try-hard sci-fi films made around the same time.