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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Fantastic.
My favorite thing about this show? The Dwarves. They aren't treated as comedy relief, or gross or anything like we'd seen in previous incarnations. They are shown as strong, multi-faceted, powerful and highly funny at times but mostly; honorable and hard working. This is the kind of Dwarf I always imagined as a child and later on as a D&D player and a Tolkien fan.
There's one scene where you get a clear idea for the vaunted Dwarven Cleric from D&D and it's totally rad.
Dwarven women being amazingly beautiful, stout, powerful women with many facets is simply...wonderful.
The art and vision of the entire series is formidable. It's a vast arc that is telling a story of the Second Age of Middle Earth that takes thousands of years. The show truncates the events but the heart is definitely there.
I'm guessing the reason this series is speaking a bit more to me than other adaptations is because the creators are working closely with Tolkien's grandson, Simon, and the Tolkien estate. The attention to detail shows. Not only in the art department, but in character development.
I'm very much looking forward to season 2.
The Bear (2022)
Brilliant. More Please.
Everything about this show; acting, editing, camera work, dialogue, character development: It's all perfect. You don't get much better than this.
I usually try and compare a piece of work to another to get a point across but really, this is just a perfect window for often times how life works - grants, this is amped up and dramatisized -but there are so many truths here.
And the wonderful lack of holly wood BS romance is SUCH a breath of fresh air!
Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021)
Great show!
This was fantastic! The voice actors brought it and so did Kevin Smith. This was so much fun. I loved Teela and Evil Lyn's banter. So happy this was a progression of the story and not just He-Man getting into and out of adventures. So fun!
Happy Death Day (2017)
Worth it.
Super fun popcorn movie with laughs, murder and some solid acting by the lead who transforms as the story unfolds. If you dig Murder mysteries, sci-fi, and comedy-horror as a genre, you'll enjoy this film.
Wonder Woman (2017)
A Movement disguised as film.
Wonder Woman. Light spoilers ahead. I had to think about this but I wanted to talk about the experience we had at the theater last night and I think I'm finally able to put into words the feelings that were running rampant in my mind as I watched the movie and afterwards as I talked with Shawna. One of the best things about last night, other than the fact that I got to see one of the best super hero movies out there with my wife, was that the crowd watching the movie was amazing. Prior to the film starting there was a very strong sense of occasion. There was excitement in the air. People were up & walking about, not content with just sitting to wait for the movie to start. They were talking with neighboring movie-goers, laughing, getting drinks & food, wide-eyed and ready but all of them were in good spirits. It was like the best unorganized mutual party you could fathom. The crowd cheered and clapped and hooted and hollered. Especially when Diana made very strong metaphorical references to the cowardice of men in positions of power in the New World. We were all silent when the mood was somber. We all laughed together and with the characters on the screen when the time was right. What I can surmise is this; we ALL became involved in a movement that was titled Wonder Woman. I could feel that in that theater. We could all feel it. Every one of us. It was tangible and it was real. I felt it strongest as the movie unfolded before me and for the first 40 minutes of the movie, I could not stop wiping my eyes. Not because the movie was sad but because of the very real truths Diana and this film brought to us. Not just what her character was saying on screen but what this movie being in theaters world wide means to people every where. If there was a negative thought in my mind last night it was simply to wonder why this film had not been released a decade ago. But then I think, maybe the timing is right. Maybe this is a boost we all need to do the right thing. To be better than the sum of our parts. To carry the weight that others are unable or too weak to carry. When Diana tells Steve Trevor and his men "But it's what I'm going to do." as she launches herself into the bloody battlefield to bring peace and safety to the poor and downtrodden, I don't know if there was a dry eye in the theater. Because this is what we need. This is what we should be doing. Standing up for those who are weaker, smaller, lost, confused and war torn. Wonder Woman told us to stand. And the theater stood. As we all should. Thank you Gal Gadot. Thank you Patty Jenkins. Thank you Allan Heinberg. Thank you for bringing the heart of what a super hero is to the people of the world.
Ghostbusters (2016)
Great movie
I laughed harder than I have in a long time watching this film. This movie was fun, funny and wonderful. All the actors were amazing. Yes, there were some flat jokes and some clichéd jokes but other than that? It was great. I honestly cannot believe all the hate this movie has gotten over the fact that it's a group of women as the main actresses. I guess I don't understand the chest pounding over something as simple as a movie that takes NOTHING away from the original. And let's talk about that for a moment, shall we? We've got Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd & Ernie Hudson as characters in the movie. A movie which, original cast member, Mr. Aykroyd co-wrote. So you HAVE the originals boosting and supporting this film. So the haters need to pack it up and go home. The movie had some of the best comedic timing I've seen in a long time. Everyone's character had a different flavor and brought something different to the screen but allowed the characters to mesh with each other. I loved the designs of the movie and the design of the ghosts was one of my favorite things. If you enjoy comedy, strong characters, and a fun movie? Check this out. Don't be swayed by people with nothing better to do with their lives than to tear a 2 hour film down because they think their childhood is under attack.
Dark Was the Night (2014)
Great acting, solid idea.
I really enjoyed this film. The creature effects were great. I will say that the reveal of the creature was a bit lackluster but that's beside the point. The real enjoyment for me from this movie was the acting. Lukas Haas is always a joy to watch. His NYC accent is good as is his delivery in that it doesn't sound like a caricature of a New Yorker. He supports Kevin Durand well and the two actors play off each other so well that I hope to see them work together in the future. And to be fair, the entire cast works well with each other. You get the feeling of a small town from their performances. Durand himself delivers his characters pathos with such flawless subtly; a man on the edge and about to crack from the loss of a family member yet he's working desperately to hold it all together to do his job and to be there for his son. Excellent performance. An actor to keep on the look out for. The reason I gave this 8 out of 10 stars is the ending. I found it unbelievable that an entire town consists of 30 people that they fit into one church at the end of the movie. If this was the case, and I have driven through many small towns that feel like they do consist of 30 or less people in my lifetime, I feel that fact should've been made more apparent. The sprawl of this hunting community felt much larger than what could, by the movies end, fit into the church. I felt that maybe a finale on a smaller scale; the mother, Sheriff, Deputy, the son, etc. at the police station after the incident at the Sheriffs house similar to what we see in the church, would've played out better for me on the believability scale. As it is, the idea of the creatures uprooted from their home was a good one. However, that MANY creatures uprooted from a smaller forested area only miles north of the small town where no incidents had been heard of before? Also, if there were that many creatures throughout the entire movie, why play with the Sheriff so much? Why not just kill him? I could understand one or two of those creatures surviving by not attacking the local human population and living in secret in the woods. But if there were as many as we see at the end of the movie, I feel like their power and numbers would enable them a bit more confidence than just taking the local wild life. Finally; the Wendiga creature idea. I'm not sure why they didn't go with a creature that just vocally mimics the dead. The film seemed to want to do that. But then, it could've been the Sheriff cracking up. Which is totally possible. However, that's not examined enough. I feel that the writers didn't know exactly what the creature was capable of and what levels they wanted to go with it and/or the levels they wanted to go with the Sheriffs crumbling sanity.
To a degree, I wonder if this movie would've been better without the creatures and had been more of a sociological thriller based around the main characters (the Sheriff) loss and his crumbling psyche.
Ultimately, the basic story is sound. But the execution has some story flow problems. The acting is the reason to watch this movie and the scares are very well done.
All Is Lost (2013)
Brilliant film
How do you describe this film? It's like nothing I've seen before. Maybe, MAYBE in tone like the Old Man and the Sea. But really, this movie is incomparable to anything out there that I've seen. There are so many allegories you can attach to the film. There are so many intense emotions within the fabric of this movie that it's really quite something else and extremely hard to describe. And for that, I'm glad. It's wonderful to see a movie that isn't a remake. That's not based on something else. That's just a film for a films sake. Go see this movie, rent it, watch it. Really watch it. Watch how an actor acts with nothing else but his eyes. His expression. There's only one other actor I can think of that is capable of this level of communication on the big screen and that's when I saw Bill Murray in Broken Flowers.
Just an unbelievable film. Robert Redford. J.C.Chandor, Director/Writer.
Brilliant, brilliant creators and artists.
Not Fade Away (2012)
Terrible
This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. And it's sad because James Gandolfini does a great job, as he always does, with his performance. The problem is not the actors. The problem is the script and the direction. I liked the beginning of this film. It had real promise and direction. As the movie breaks into the hour and thirty minute mark it begins to wander aimlessly to the point of having no point, no direction and nothing to say. Until, at the very last moment, the meaning of the film is told to us by a break of the fourth wall. This practice, breaking the fourth wall-having one of the characters in the film talk directly to the audience-is tricky business. It's done far better in other films but not in this one. Especially not when one of the characters walks up to you and tells you what the movie is all about in a few words. That's not art. That's gutless. In regards to the length of this film; that's beating a dead horse. When you do something that blatant in film or story or any other kind of medium, the only thing you are doing is being lazy. It's telling me and the other members of the audience that you couldn't let the rest of the movie stand on its own. It's telling me you're a chicken. This movie would've been fine if it had wrapped up it's point by using metaphor. It was almost there. And then the end lines happened and if I didn't love my TV so much, my foot would've gone right through it. I write this as a warning to people who enjoy good movies; don't waste your time. The people who made this movie don't deserve it.
Sexy Evil Genius (2013)
Amazing script & a highly entertaining execution.
This is a great movie. And as film, comics or any media writers/creators will tell you, the hardest scene is a couple of people sitting around a room or a table talking and keeping it interesting. This movie does just that in spades. And it's vastly entertaining. That's my point. If you understand that the practice of making that, people talking for the length of a movie, is the hardest thing to make entertaining, then just know I was fully entertained by this film. The script is brilliant and so is the directing. But take it from this guy; I don't like action movies if there's no point other than to just watch pretty explosions. I need substance. I need a story. And this has story and humor and a fantastic build up for the end result as well as great character analysis-I hate the main character until his character starts to open up. I hate the female lead until...well...see; I can't spoil that part. You just have to watch it for yourself. People who don't like this sort of movie, this "12 angry men" style of movie, just aren't going to like this film. There's no point in berating it if you aren't into fun, thriller, character driven films. If you're into great dialog, wonderful acting, suspense, "whodunits", Buffy the Vampire Slayer, movies about old friends, movies about old enemies, movies about people with layers, then this movie is for you.