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Reviews
Wonka (2023)
The right touch of whimsy...
Never intended to match or surpass the original, I watched it recently with an open mind. Well crafted & sweetly entertaining, I thought it had a lovely touch of whimsy without being corny. The music seemed to fit well and like other musicals really helped the story flow. My 11 yr. Old grand daughter recommended it enthusiastically & has seen it over & over again since the release. I have to agree I was surprised and delighted to see a holiday movie that wasn't full of sarcasm and left a sweet taste that we would be happy to enjoy together again. It connected squarely with the target audience.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Real potential but a big disappointment...
I felt, like many, that despite Jack Nicholson's over the top performance, the film of The Shining didn't do the book justice. Dr. Sleep is guilty of this as well. Adding numerous scenes & characters from the previous film seemed downright lazy & really took away from the tense plot line of the book. No spoiler alert here but how did the director fail to recall that the Overlook Hotel burned down?! Just asking, but why on earth did he eliminate almost all the adversaries before the climax? From that point on Dr. Sleep nearly lulled me out. As to the casting, Ewan McGregor was an excellent choice but Kyliegh Curran as Abra was very wooden & one dimensional (Millie Bobbie not available?). Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat lacked any real depth & never seemed like a truly ancient, evil monster. The director resorted to glowing eyeballs right out of Children of the Damned...so cheesy! He should have used good old fashioned dramatic lighting & sound effects to portray torture rather than gratuitous (Shaun of the Dead) realism. Apparently they don't teach that in film school any more. Again, much of this (overly long) film seemed just plain lazy & a real shame it didn't do a great read any justice.
Knives Out (2019)
Entertaining but...
....wasn't it pretty obvious that "Captain America" would become much more involved in the plot after departing so early on?
And why did the housekeeper think she could blackmail anyone when the blood test showed no overdose of morphine?
And just wondering: Why the heck wasn't the "secret door" ever locked? Still felt it was probably worth the time & money invested.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
Never assume!
Having avoided any reviews, this wonderful movie took me completely by surprise. A totally satisfying portrait of redemption and renewed faith in humankind. As a result I will likely face each daily dilemma by asking "What would Fred do?"
The Good Liar (2019)
Disappointing
I had high hopes despite the tepid reviews. Serious plot holes hurt this otherwise enjoyable pairing of great artists.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Each performance us spot on.
Everyone in this fine film is completely believable despite the unbelievable premise. As the understanding Dr. points out "She IS real...she's right out there". And despite his brother initially trying hard to shatter his delusion, the entire town rallies to help him cope with his dependency on Bianca to fill a huge void in his life.. Both hilarious & touching, all the characters are great but Ryan Gosling is simply terrific.