Reviews

With every documentary on her, you get a different viewpoint on who she was. And you have to wonder, which was the real Natalie Wood? This offered no more than the others. Like, where was Robert Blake in this Doc? He was a very close friend of hers. Maybe there's a good reason he wasn't in it. Considering that it was her family who did this Doc, you would think I'd be convinced that this is the real definitive story of who she was.. But i'm not convinced, not by a long shot. Wagner admits smashing that bottle on that boat, but that he calmed down shortly thereafter. To me, that anger shows that he WAS physically capable of an angry shove that thew her overboard. His genuine outpouring of grief could also be in equal parts guilt as well as sadness. I don't say that he did it, Just that it was possible. But the family is too close to see or believe it. One of my top 5 favorite films is Brainstorm, which was her last. Which has given me my interest in her. But one thing is for certain. Just like the mystery of her death, who she really was will remain just as mysterious, based on too many myriad documentary viewpoints. And I don't think any further documentary (and considering how many there are, there will no doubt be more) will answer that question.

What if an American descendant of Norse lineage visited the old country? What if that descendant, moved through the modern day world, without comic book movie overtones wondering what was wrong with him? What if he collided with a Norse mythology based on fact, where gods were mortal and left some stuff for him to find? And what if all hell broke loose in his journey? You would have this unique "Mortal" movie. André Øvredal decided to write and direct this, taking his ball home with him to Norway, and gave us a well thought out and well written script where the Modern day and mythology collide. The acting is great. The effects are as well. And the plot moves along and keeps us wondering and guessing about Eric is as we anticipate and came to a satisfying climactic ending. It's definitely worth the watch and we can only hope for a sequel.

This movie barely keeps your interest through the first 45 minutes. If the first half was anything like the rest, were talking a great gem here. The last half makes up for it though. And the last 20 minutes will knock your socks off. The acting is surprisingly good for an independent film. Lexy Kolker as Chloe is the obvious star and gets all the attention and rightly so,with a convincing performance at such a young age, but Emile Hirsche and the obviously great character actor Bruce Dern are also extremely convincing in their roles. The effects were credible as they blended with the story, whereas many extraordinary abilities genre films, tend to overpower the story instead of serving it. They also allow you to suspend your disbelief far better than many of its kind. The producer and writer credibly illustrates the age old human reactions towards differences within humanity. Is it worthy of a sequel? Yes and no. Bigger budgets and the awards that they garner, seem to result in a lesser product on sequel. Especially in sci fi. Unless the producer and writer really has a handle on the story and suspense, with the effects that serve the story, and can rigidly hold to it, then the answer is no. It would diminish the original film. This had a great ending. Lets leave it that way.

This thing stretched credulity a little too much as to how the authorities would react to the main event in this piece. Too many things are left unexplained, and are left to the imagination. It started that trend when one of the characters somehow gets from point A to point B without explanation. It's an okay sci fi piece, but we do want our sci fi to be understood on some level. It starts to explain the phenomenon as the movie proceeds. Then it goes off on a senseless horror imagery tangent. Finally it ends on some kind of existential take on the question of who and what we are. And though we sometimes like movies that make you think, the movie itself failed to be entertaining enough to provoke such thought. The acting was superb and Portman, was well, Portman. Its about a 6 of 10. Is it worth the watch? Maybe as a time waster, but that's about all.

Very, Very, good. As usual I at least give a few minutes in the hopes that something good like this will turn up in smaller independent films. Savannah Liles, is very slightly less than convincing in her role, and Richard Nell is far more so. I give it an eight of ten. Though the concept isnt totally original, the tragedy and drama of being totally different and unacceptable in society, is well portrayed. In this case, its not about being less than acceptable, but being several times more than acceptable, as evolution and what it means to be human are explored. I highly recommend this.

Great idea, great premise good progression on a tech Sci Fi theory that is looking more and more plausible every day. It holds your attention, then it ends......badly. Why go through with the whole story progression when the end doesn't justify, well, the means? What was the conclusion? The answer was that there wasn't any. If you like tech for its own sake, and a story that forgets to end itself, then this is for you. The only conclusion I can draw here, is that they are making a sequel or a series. But rest assured, this audience member won't bight on watching the sequel. What is it with these low budget producers and their reach that exceeds a grasp ego thats a million light years away from reality? Great acting from Gabriel Byrne and the others was wasted on this thing.

I watched this through, and I dont know why. Trying to understand an artist, 50 years gone, especially when the movie doesn't reflect known biographies, is a practical impossibility. His work was chaos. Im not knocking his work. But I can knock the movie. Regardless of great performances from Geoffrey Rush and Armie Hammer. Its barely a 5 out of 10, if it's that. I was surprised to see a review that it was too short. For the continuous exploration of the same theme, it was far too long. Trying to get the message of the filmmakers, if there was one, was too long and drawn out. I'd give it a pass.

Its an excellent movie. Its drama, its history, its human frailty in the face of power. And it asks important questions. The most important being where does the peoples right to know begin, and the security of our nation and the people who serve it end? If the knee jerk reaction after seeing this movie, is to say its the people, then you are doing a disservice to yourself and the nation. The Post was correct as far as the reasons surrounding the troops lives and the conduct of the war, which necessitated the release of the Pentagon Papers. However, in the hindsight of history, which is shown with Edward Snowden, this isn't always the case. Many will try to draw comparisons between then and now. But that only serves their own ideology. We now live in a very very different world today than then. What you do get with this is an entertaining and fast paced trip down memory lane. Fortunately for us, Spielberg is still around to take us there. Brilliant acting across the board here with Streep and Hanks, as we take a look at a time long since vanished.

Kind of weird that complete amenities for these characters down to the smallest size, would be made in only ten years. but thats about all the disbelief that you will have trouble suspending in "Downsizing". The acting was credible, and in the case of Hong Chau highway robbery scene stealing. Her accent combined with her lines, were downright hilarious at times. I will admit to some disappointment that there were no regular sized animals making appearances to terrorize these people, but hey you cant have everything. The political tone of the movie was a little onerous, but you could ignore it if you concentrate on the characters. The comedy was downplayed and subtle. I highly recommend this for all viewers.

Probably the closest we have ever had to a near physical resemblence to Churchill. Oldman had the mannerisms down, but his tone of voice wasn't even close, and his Churchill accent attempt was a complete failure. Should little pithy statements that are not part of historical record have been added in? The answer is no.. If you are going for historical accuracy, as you cannot help but having to do here in historical record areas, then BE accurate The historical material is dramatic enough, without messing with history in some areas. That being said, it was entertaining enough. Is it an Oscar winning role for Oldman? No, for the reasons already mentioned. To me, it was a better time waster than most of the usual garbage that's out there. But its not the Tour de Force people seem to think it is. Its worth a seven out of ten, but that's about it.

Guillermo del Toro is known for the weird and his style. But this thing, if you want to call it a movie, barely rates a 6 for me.The acting is excellent, and has good production values, but that's pretty much it. The story is too predictable. The black lagoon creature is sympathetic, but barely so. The love story is hard to accept on suspension of disbelief, as well as the idea that the portrayal of government ineptness on this scale. And anyone who couldn't predict the outcome would have to be seriously stupid. Its as if del Toro decided he wanted to do a darker version of the Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah "Splash" movie from 30 plus years ago. It's watchable but fair at best. And thats the best that can be said for it.

I was somewhat surprised at how good this was. Noomi Rapace in her roles was very good, but not great. Distinguishing characteristics in her role(s)could have been better. But nonetheless, it was a believable performance. The politics of the main issue surrounding this film, was successfully blurred by the screenwriter, not to skew either way. Hopefully, viewers wont let their own ideology skew their own view of this film, and instead enjoy it for its merits. I give it a non partisan 7 of 10. Production values, score and improvement on believability in the action sequences, could have upped the film's game a little more. But its worth the watch.

This was enjoyable. Dont know why the critics panned it. Maybe if they read the Stephen King books, but to me, The Dark Tower series is a rip-off by King from the multiverse first used by Sci Fi writers Asimov and Moorcock anyway. Its an 8 of 10 to me and worth the watch. I judge a film by its merits and not it's source material The acting is great all around. King has, to me anyway, been writing garbage for the last two decades. I stopped reading him long ago. But even then, I didn't let my own prejudice against his work, color my mind in watching this film. The story progression and climax were very good. It's worth the watch.

It's good, but not great. A little convoluted and gets a little too tricky with assumptions and suspension of disbelief, but its worth a 7 out of 10. This is a case of a movie that could never live up to the original, due to the great effects that were made for the original and its dated time frame. it's a practical impossibility to follow up a classic, thus an impossible act to follow. However, it is definitely worthy to call itself a good sequel. In my mind. Very very rarely, is a sequel equal to the original. Examples are the Godfather part 2, and, coincidentally, a sci fi film starring Harrison Ford The Empire Strikes back, can be said to be better than the original. Ryan Gosling is somewhat wooden in this role. I get that he is essentially portraying an android, but a more inspired actor could have done something better with it. It was a treat seeing Edward James Olmos ,though you have to wish for something more than an extended cameo. Overall though, it's definitely worth the watch, and I highly recommend it.

Not bad sci fi, though it goes a little too far with Avatar-like aliens. I do applaud the simple premise and story which moves the movie. Maybe this is the first step in sci-fi escaping the derivative imitation culture in the movies, and allowing for the truly great sci fi to be turned into movies from the more than a hundred years of great books. The acting is subpar as far as Dane DeHaan goes. The very first review here mentions that he is imitating Keanu Reeves, and it cracked me up. Basically, I was thinking the same thing, only I think its much worse. Reeves would have given a better performance, and all Dehaan sounds like, is if he surfed and grew up on the same beach as Reeves. Cara Delevingne was good enough, and not as bad as the other critics here portray. Overall its worth the watch, if anything, because the action and story is tight.

A little disappointed, compared to how good the previous ones were. It definitely could have been shortened from 2 hours and 20 minutes, especially shooting the majority of the film in one location. The plot meandered too much. I found in IMDb that it wasn't my imagination that the colonel character is a very thinly veiled Colonel Kurtz from "Apocalypse Now". The acting is stellar, and as usual, Harrelson doesn't disappoint, despite the plagiarism of his character. If I saw the Apocalypse Now parallel so easily, then it cheapens the film. I give it a fair at 7 of 8. But it's barely there on action alone. Being a blockbuster, almost ensures it being a 7. But obviously they missed too many opportunities here in making a better story. I hope we see an improvement in the next film in the series.

What Nina Fawcett gives at the end is absolutely ridiculous. You CANNOT rewrite history. It leads the audience to believe that Fawcett actually found Z. For the sake of cinema, you can have some license by excluding certain factors. These include Jack's friend Raleigh Rimell, who's health was a drag on the final expedition trip. You can even downplay Fawcett's pre-expedition's career. But you cant try to blur the lines between history and reality. Especially at the end. It's unforgivable. That being said, the acting was excellent on all fronts, with the exception of maybe Sienna Miller as Nina Fawcett at the end. Her portrayal of a now delusional wife, was a little off kilter.The cinematography was great.But what she hands to the man at the end never happened, period. Is it worth the watch? Only if you don't care if the story is correct.

I don't know what people were looking for to rate this so low. It has a good story, especially related to other stories of its ilk. The problem is that they sink too much cash in something like this, without thinking of the consequences. There is clearly supposed to be a sequel, but we all know that this is based upon good box office, and well, that is somewhat weird as fr as how they now deem that a success. I guess 50 million in profit world wide is chump change to these people. One thing is clear as always. If your going to do another in the same genre, you better get more than 15 years over the deal, so its new in people's minds. Anyone with any commons sense at all would know this. And to spend 327 million on it, is beyond insanity. Unfortunately, audiences that liked it will be deprived of one by such short sightedness. As well as the critics weird dislike of Cruise. Personal dislike of an actor in real life, regardless of how uncouth it is, or in speculation of motivations in production, has NOTHING to do with a movie. To me, the story is everything, and its a good one, with effects that merely emphasize it, which is always my criteria in whether a movie is good or not. Sofia Boutella is riveting in this role, especially in the way her unconventional beauty is emphasized by her extreme talent. Its her and Eva Green, who are at the forefront of this type of great young actress of the future. There is no prejudice here. I rate it as I see it, and not with any preconceived notions. Its worth the watch.

This is sort of a Beverly Hillbillies, without the comedy and with a serious tone. Fish out of water tales are nothing knew. But if you want to see a culture clash, on a kinder level, this may be for you. Good performances on all side. As I have said in other reviews, this new generation of child actors, bodes well for the future. This also however has a slightly darker side. But not in the movie itself, but for the audience. It's clear that the director and/or producer has a political agenda in mind, casting the ideology of the family portrayed as good. Versus the dark affluent and ambivalent lifestyle of the grandparents as well, not so good. Sadly, Christian based dramas are attacked, and this one being the opposite of Christian is...not. That being said, the story is very good. Though the lack of punishment at the end for the obvious crime committed, is a little unrealistic. This can be forgiven though, as a happy ending is entirely in order here. Its worth the watch, if your ideological sensibilities aren't too sensitive.

An excellent action suspense movie, with a little sci fi thrown in. Costner really convinces in this role. Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones are also credible. Memory action films seem to have their own genre now. But this one uses real science, though somewhat of a leap, to give it credibility. It also asks the question and tries to answer, who we really are. Is it the Fromtal lobe of the brain and theta waves that determine good and evil? Are we the sum of our memories and experiences? Or is it all of the above? It does all this while still giving us a good action suspense plot. This review is probably the largest margin between the average reviewer and myself on this site. I don't get how they can trash this. I highly recommend it.

Not bad for its genre, which is lets fight the alien, and prevent it from infecting others. Sci fi as an overall genre is improving on the screen, but only on the small screen. Stereotypes in any genre, as anyone can see, sooner or later cripples that genre. Fortunately, recent offerings are showing that the immense amount of material out there is beginning to be looked at a little more seriously. That said, I don't get why this film was so denigrated. It simply picks up where Prometheus left off. As the old saying goes, you cant squeeze blood out of a sows ear. Alien's pretty has pretty much exhausted its subject matter. Its a little predictable at the end, as the attempted twist failed for a more discerning viewer. its entertaining enough as action sci-fi and worth the watch at 7 out of 10. It's a good time waster, and worth the watch.

The interviewer asks Lazenby early on in the film, if what he is saying is actually true. I was asking myself the same question, and when Lazenby answered yes, it sealed the deal on this Documentary. As it stands, it is the best comedy bio documentary life story I have ever seen. And quite frankly for all I know, it may be the only one. Really quite historical in a way, since I would think no one could have ever known why he quit after only one Bond film, until this Bio Documentary. What he said at the end really sealed it, which I wont spoil. What an amazing life trip for this man, which seems better than most, regardless of his turning down more Bond films. Its very funny and worth the watch.

This movie draws you along, and doesn't leave you in your own head trying to figure out what happens next, till near the end. And even then, you are riveted. The ending had a small twist, that was well done, but seemed a little too preachy at the end. I guess some filmmakers and/or story writers feel the need to supply morals in a world that has no basis for them anymore. Nonetheless, the plot devices and its non-linear storytelling blend well together, and make for a big win in my book. The performances were all lights out fantastic from a cast of relative unknowns. This gives you hope for the future of cinema, and dramatic acting in general. Especially in this era of the super hero film. It also seamlessly blends science and medical technology with the paranormal, in a way I haven't seen since "The sixth Sense". More than any other film I have reviewed here (and there have been a few that I have felt unjustly rated) this film's overall low rating is grossly unfair. It blends all the tools of good storytelling and suspense, with great revelations at its climax and ending. Not to mention dialog that leads you where it wants you to go I highly recommend it.

This is prettified garbage folks. Two and a half hours, for a movie with an obvious ending, that could have taken forty five minutes. There is no plot twist here, though it tries for one. Anyone who didn't know who the doctor was in this thing, is a blithering idiot. Verbinsky the director creates great shots, but if I want pretty pictures without any real substance to the story, I can get it without hoping that its going somewhere for two and a half hours. Sorry Gore, you're no Kubrick. The style clearly plagiarizes him. I'll give you a hint Gore. If you want to be Kubrick, find a good story to do it with. This is another movie about Europeans being weird, with a pathetic horror plot to emphasize it. I had to watch it through, because I was hoping against hope for redemption for the two and a half hours I wasted. I already told you how that turned out. How this thing is getting six stars is mind boggling. Its awful and not worth the watch. Its for garbage like this that critics earn their credibility. We warn you, as if we are medieval heralds with bad tidings. But instead of killing the messenger, we kill ourselves with watching life taking stuff like this, so you don't have to.

Lets have a weird existential movie about a girl's messed up life, with booze, controlling men, and her redemption as a Tree Ent from Lord of the Rings? Are you kidding me? Is this comedy, horror, or sci-fi? Did the screen writer dream this, and hurried to his PC to write it down as soon he woke up? That's pretty much how freaky this thing is. It has that dream like fugue, where reality and the impossible collides in dreams. Quite frankly I don't know how to rate this. Did I like it? I haven't figured that out yet. Hathaway is good, and Jason Sudeikis is fantastic in this role. Maybe this is a reality play on how even regular people can affect the world. Your guess would be good as mine, even though you haven't seen it yet. Most of this movie meanders, and you cant get any sort of feel as to where its going. Possibly that's the intent of the producer, director and writer, so that it resembles real life as much as possible, juxtaposed with well, magic. But one thing is for sure. Putting monsters into your everyday life, has never been stranger. It has a great ending, that's as strange as the rest of the movie. I give it a 7 of 10. Its worth the watch. I think.