Reviews

Our Christmas Day non-Christmas movie was the star studded Don't Look Up. Well I should say it is not a upper but very metaphorical. Basically substitute Virus or Climat Change for Comet and a little political awareness and it is a blunt as a 1950s horror movie is about the threat of communism.

I am not sure if I would recommend it. I think so but it is not for everybody.

Roger Moore leaves his James Bond image to become a misanthropic soldier of fortune. At risk is an off-share oil rig, this was in the days before off shore drilling became the bad guy. Anthony Perkins makes a great bad guy leading a company of cliche characters. We all know what is going to happen but it is fun watching while it happens.

I remember when Westworld first came our. We stayed in our seats to watch it a second time. It was exciting, interesting, and sexy in its own way. Forty years later it is still a good watch. It is fun to see what they thought technology would be in the days before micro-computing.

So watching it now, it is a little tired. What was once novel is now a trope. But the story is great, the show moves along at a good pace, and I would recommend watching it. After all, it is a classic.

There is a lot of eye candy on the screen and something for everyone. Hunks, beautiful women, lots of action, and a lot of jokes. Overall it is a lot of fun. It is silly, full of plot holes, and just plain goofy.

Red Notice is well done, the money is on the screen to the point that it is over produced by what you see on the screen instead of making the script better. So much of if you watch and just as "Why?" or "How?"

Fun to watch, and a second viewing would likely reveal more jokes and patter, but you have to as "Would it be worth it?" Maybe if you had a couple hours to kill.

So tonight Marla and I went to see In The Heights at the downtown Odeon theatre. Social distancing worked very well, actually for introverts like us it kept people at a nice extra long arm's distance.

A quick hopefully non-spoiler review. I really like the stage version of the musical In The Heights. Seeing the musical on stage and seeing it on film are two entirely different things. So I found the stage version stronger emotionally but the film version is so much grander in scale.

What stands out for me most is the dancing. This is a dancers show, even when they have big dancers like me, it is great to see everyone moving together so nicely and meaningful. And oh the many kinds of dances that were portrayed. Pop and Lock, Hip Hop, Salsa, Merengue, two-step, Ballet, and many more. Although no tap. (that might be a spoiler, sorry.) The singing is very well done, especially of note to me is Olga Merediz in the role of Abuela Claudia. She has a great second act number.

Technically there are some knock your eyes out cinematography moments, some "how did they do that", "some why did they do that", and some that was just the beauty of Nueva York.

In the Heights is a film I would recommend if you love musicals, singing, especially dancing, and there is nothing that is overtly sexual, violent (no gun fights or car chases), and a whole lot of love, family, and home.

What an incredible waste of two and a half hours. Mired in muddle, over done, over wrought, and just plain indulgent.

If you are into special effects, stunts, and digital imaging, you may like it. Besides I needed a mental break where thinking was not necessary.

Well it is kind of written like a teenage novella. So as a diversion from everyday it is kind of nice. The production values are quite good. It has nothing to do with Sherlock and stands okay on its own. It is good if your expectations of authenticy, local, and story, are low.

We have been having our daily dose of watching Maigret over the past month. We started with the Rowan Atkinson version which is very good but this Micheal Gambon version is far more approachable and likeable. He is intense but caring. The stories are a bit transparent but when taken as a "who dunnit" it is a good watch. I am looking to reading some of the books now that we have exhausted the series and seeing if they are equally as good as an escape.

If you like the British mysteries then I think you would enjoy Maigret and would recommend it. It is very British and make no attempt to embody French mannerisms, accents, or style. It does nicely capture the style of what we expect 1950's Paris.

There are swashbuckling movies that are exciting, there are swashbuckling movies that are funny. the Musketeer is neither. Filled with more fighting gimmicks than a Jackie Chan movie, trite situations, a plot that is transparent, and the depth of a Xena or Hercules television show from the 1980s.

If it is rainy outside, there is absolutely nothing on tv (we picked this off Netflix out of sheer boredom that nothing was on), then maybe consider watching the Musketeer.

Marla and I went out to see Mary Poppins Returns. It was colourful, bright, and totally unmemorable. The performances were great, dancing was wonderful, but the story was contrived and felt very manufactured. It is worth going to see but better to see with lower expectations. Mary Poppins (the original) was magic in a bottle. Mary Poppins Returns is just another Disney re-do.