esteemdancers-1 Reviews

Mothers' Instinct (2024)

Don't waste your time

[1/10 · 19 May 2024]

You think you are watching a really good movie, great acting, and edge of your seat drama but then comes the ending....if you are like me you will be more than pissed off. OK to kill everybody off but why not have the cops come with a warrant for her arrest. Come on, 60s or whenever, no one is going to have all those deaths happening around them without suspicion. I have to write two hundred more words to warn you not to watch this movie if you are like me and want the bad people to get their due "reward" at the end of the movie. I am so thankful I didn't pay to watch this movie. Have to say that the acting in first rate.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Great Start- Piss Poor Ending

[6/10 · 22 December 2023]

The movie begins with good script and is interesting. Acting is excellent. You watch believing that there will be a "wrap up" of the happenings to these people but it never happens. I just wanted to reach into the screen and slap the actress playing their selfish and proved to be a Narcissist daughter at the end of movie. And earlier, the writer just injected unnecessary sexual innuendos -- just too far and just plain nasty to think about. And Ethan Hawkes character does a complete reverse of being a caring , naive, trust everyone to being a selfish prick. You can chalk this up to some poor choice of your time. Don't know if they were trying to be funny about not really telling the full story but damn, this just ended with absolutely nothing to go on. None of the characters arcs were fulfilled. Like Period. Who the hell wants to spend two hours watching a movie that has no ending!? I can't believe these excellent actors even considered being in this flick after reading the script. What a waste of talent. I can keep writing to comply with their 600 words required so...the brown dog barked, the brown dog barked, the brown dog barked, the brown dog barked. Again, the acting was excellent but just wasted on this script.

Babylon (I) (2022)

It flopped because of repetitive scenes of debauchery

[3/10 · 7 April 2023]

For example the opening scene, filled with wondrous and horrifying sights, massively overstays its welcome. The film has many pornographic scenes. And that opening scene begins what I viewed as poison-pen letter to Hollywood's silent era, a three-hour-plus extravaganza of debauchery, general misery, and overflowing movie magic that sets the industry aflame and invites the audience to dance around the bonfire. It is just so sad that the Writer, Producer and Director had to include the debauchery along with the magic and yes, the misery of some. Just too much misery. It's a daring thing for a major studio to put out these days, when big budgets tend to be lavished on superheroes, and Babylon's caustic indulgence will likely put many theatergoers off. They may have been trying to make a point with all the excess: that the joy of cinema has always gone hand in hand with exploitation, abuse, and off-screen villainy. But movie goers don't want to pay their hard earned dollars to view misery and pornography. Unfortunately, those tones erase the really great parts of the movie. It took me 4 times to finally not turn the movie off within the first scenes. Could have been a big hit but instead it made a lot of movie goers sick to their stomach and depressed. We want to spend our money for a little escape from all the problems of the present world. To leave a film feeling good.

Murder Mystery 2 (2023)

Watch and decide for yourself

[10/10 · 6 April 2023]

Do yourself a favor. WATCH THIS MOVIE. Reading the reviews, I really believe some people just don't enjoy slap stick comedy. Perhaps it's a generational difference. My Generation grew up with the 3 Stooges, Laurel and Hardy and Jerry Lewis and so many more who gave us just clean and funny "fun". I liked the first film and loved this one. I am just so thankful that producers and actors keep us "boomers" in mind and make a movie for us now and then. It's my opinion that 90% of movies made each year are just trash. But, perhaps it is just my Generation that feels that way. Fans of the first film and/or the ensemble cast will enjoy this sequel, which keeps a brisk pace and successfully hits more comedic beats than its predecessor. Thank you "Happy Gilmore" productions and Netflix for thinking of we "boomers" when you decide your movie line up for the season. Sandler and Aniston did a great job in this movie and it had to be a tough go for two who aren't "kids" themselves any longer to pull off all the action they did.

NCIS: Love Lost (2022) Season 20, Episode 7

The writers really rocked this episode...WOW

[10/10 · 18 November 2022]

Watched NCIS for 20 years now. This episode kept me glued to the screen. If not the best ever, it sure is a contender. It has everything to entertain. Hey, I miss Harmon, but the writers are the heart of this show and always have been. And this episode proves that the writing is the #1 reason for the success this show has had. Mark Harmon and different cast members have always contributed 100% to keeping the quality of acting presented each week just top notch. Mark Harmon has maintained a ace performance but Gary Cole is also finding his own way to be a loved fan favorite. Harmon bringing him on board just proves he knows his show and what it takes to stay sharp. Keep on rocking.

The Black Phone (2021)

Language not authentic to it's time period

[7/10 · 8 August 2022]

This was a very entertaining but unsettling film. The clothing and cars are very true to the early 70s, which is what I assume is the time period the writer was going for BUT having been a teen and young adult during the early 70s, I can assure you that teens didn't use such language. Yeah, the boys when off to themselves, were more prone to use inappropriate words but not as severe as these boys. And the girls just didn't speak that way. I traveled to a lot of different schools being scorekeeper for the Varsity Wrestling Team for 3 years and even other teens in different cities did not use foul language in mixed company and very little even when it was just the boys. The screenwriters could have made this movie more accessible to a larger audience if they had just done their research. It would have been a better movie without so much gore. Good movie but such severe profanity was not representative of that time period. It was a good enough script that it did not require such extreme violence.

The Wrath of God (2022)

What could have been

[2/10 · 16 June 2022]

Believe me, don't watch this movie because it will leave you so pissed off.

The script had all the right formula and content which it needed to have been a really good movie. However, no one wants to see not one but three just crappie endings....first he gets her to die, gets away with all the murders, and then to really make the viewer sick, has seduced the little sister, which she gave her life to protect from him. Just pisses one off.

Sundown (I) (2021)

I should have taken the advice of other viewers

[1/10 · 21 February 2022]

I kept trying to get interested in the plot but it was just so boring. He was a real weirdo and so was his sister. I am so thankful that I could fast forward through the movie because it was so BORING. I really like Tim Roth and I am shocked he agreed to act in this piece of crap script/movie. One of the worst movies I have ever watched or tried to watch.

Zeros and Ones (2021)

I Liked this film but don't know why

[8/10 · 19 November 2021]

The film maker should have cut the first 8 minutes. The rest of the film kept me intrigued just to know what is going on and hoping all the loose ends would come together, which I "think" they did. I fast forwarded through the gratuitous sex scenes, don't know why the film maker chose to inject that into the film. Perhaps to demonstrate the corruption of our society's morals? I believe if you are open to new film ideas and tired of the same old cookie cutter scripts then this film is for you....however I would fast forward past the first 8 minutes...

My Son (I) (2021)

Awesome Acting and Script

[10/10 · 16 September 2021]

Driving in the heart of the Highlands, Edmond Murray receives a call from his ex-wife, in tears. Their 7-year-old son has gone missing from a campsite. Soon, it becomes clear that the child has been kidnapped, and the parents give way to despair. What follows has to be viewed. You will be on the edge of your seat following their investigation and their search for their Son.

The Guilty (2021)

WOW...what an adrenaline rush

[10/10 · 15 September 2021]

Gyllenhaal delivers the goods while Fuqua keeps the camera moving, creating a sense of energy even while Joe remains at his desk. The Guilty manages to keep things interesting with a propulsive plot. Just about the time you would be getting bored, another call comes in, or our protagonist has some kind of crisis. What a ride...you have to view this movie.

Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)

Entertaining

[7/10 · 11 May 2021]

This is a good movie. Worth the price of admission. Good story and Great Actors. Not for under 17 due to language and violence.

All I Wish (2017)

This is a truly entertaining movie but I am 68 so what do I know. Everything.

[10/10 · 3 April 2018]

I loved this movie. I do not understand the bad reviews and the audience rating here on IMDB. I found this movie so refreshing a change from all the big budget hoopla out there. Something for we lovers of real life being depicted in film and novels. That All I Wish works to the extent that it does is a testament to its star's incredibly appealing performance, in which she seems looser onscreen than she has in years. Given the relatively rare opportunity to showcase her comedic chops, Stone more than lives up to the challenge, somehow making her character's quirkiness charming rather than irritating. Goldwyn, looking relieved to be playing something light after years of melodrama on Scandal, is also enjoyable. All the characters in this film just have chemistry as a cast. I can't get over how great the acting is in this movie and how it could be so enjoyed by such a critic of romantic comedies.

Brimstone (2016)

Great Acting and Script that Mesmerizes

[8/10 · 11 March 2017]

This movie puts me in mind of people who stop to look at a horrible deadly car crash. To watch a horrible tragedy can make some of us feel better to say we "can't look away," but really it's that we don't want to look away. It's normal sadomasochistic urges and fantasies that everyone has a certain degree of — the desire to think about or imagine hurting or being hurt — combined with normal exhibitionist and voyeuristic feelings, the interest in what is hidden and secret. It's the weaving of both of these sides, which is as old as time. I hate to admit it but this movie gives us excellent acting and great music, cinematography, scenery, and script that as I said mesmerizes and you can't stop watching. However, when it was at it's conclusion I just felt like I needed a stiff drink or to find the funniest movie ever produced and watch it. Quickly for relief. This movie is just too depressing. Dark movie. I am so depressed from watching this movie. I wish I had just stopped watching it but I kept thinking at some point the story would change direction to create a positive mood. I only wish someone had warned me as I am warning you, the reader of this review. Unless you like morbid don't watch.

La La Land (2016)

I needed a "feel good" movie

[3/10 · 13 January 2017]

Love these actors. Several of my favorites of all time even though they are much younger than I.

Wanted to watch a movie that would be uplifting and just mellow me out. The beginning of the movie - I must admit - didn't grab my interest or raise my endorphin level by much - BUT didn't give up on three of my favorite actors - J.K. Simmons, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling - they are all among my favorite actors....and AT LAST - they finally enter the heart of the movie where the script began to rock and grab you by the heart and soul.

Then in the final scene - it is all ripped from you - your happy and mellow mood is kicked a good one. It all leaves you. I am at the end of the movie so mad....why didn't someone warn me? I don't understand. What was the writer thinking? Did they intentionally want to put me in a depressed state of mind?

I must say - Emma Stone has a beautiful voice and I loved every minute of watching her. Really loved her character and how she developed it. Ryan Gosling plays the piano fantastically...wow. As a once upon a time ballerina who also picked up tap and jazz - I was very impressed with their dancing....loved it. J.K. Simmons is one of the few actors who can take a small part and deliver greatness. They never disappointed me - the script did.

I still love Emma and Ryan and J.K.. But the screenwriter - I will watch out for in the future...to make sure I never pay to see another of his screenplays...

Deeper: The Retribution of Beth (2014)

Sexploitation Film or Film to Bring Awareness to Crimes Against Women

[8/10 · 15 September 2016]

This movie is graphic and is not easy for a person such as myself who does not like movies Rated R or worse for violence, drug use, bawdy language and sex but this movie just seemed like it was going somewhere with a hidden them of impact - so I watched it. I must admit that I fast forwarded through a lot of the graphic violence and gratuitous sex but still didn't lose the flow of the story. My final assessment of the film is that it had a important message to send out to we the consumer to hopefully help us become aware of problems that exist within our society for women even in today's so called "enlightened" society. Regardless of the woman's profession - there are men in that same profession who are willing to assault their coworkers. The movie left me feeling somewhat soiled but I still found it hard to not want to keep watching to know what is this all about - the plot? I am glad I didn't turn it off and did watch. It was a good movie with a lot of "hold your breath" moments and "OMG what is going to happen now". A good thriller. In my opinion, an important social problem revealed through watching this film.

The Sea of Trees (2015)

Don't let others influence you to not watch this movie

[10/10 · 27 August 2016]

I don't understand why this movie was booed at the Cannes Film Festival. This is a beautiful story. It is a story in which we learn so many lessons about life's most difficult moments and how one can find the courage to survive. Excellent acting and beautiful script. The cinematography is beautiful.

An American man, Arthur Brennan, played by Matthew McConaughey travels to the "Suicide Forest" (Aokigahara forest) to kill himself at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, the site of numerous suicides. There he encounters a Japanese man, Takumi Nakamura, played by Ken Watanabe, who wants to kill himself as well, and both men begin a journey of self- reflection and survival.

But more than the suicide theme, there is the story of Arthur Brennan and his relationship with his wife, Joan, played by Naomi Watts, which is told to the viewer with a series of flashbacks. The core problems that exist in so many marriages are brought to the surface and examined during the unfolding of the story. It is a stark reminder of how easily we sometimes let love and relationships deteriorate when we don't have to. Thinking we will one day have time to fix the problem.

Beautiful story and excellent acting from all. I loved this film.

Backtrack (I) (2015)

You don't want to miss this movie

[10/10 · 31 January 2016]

If I would take the time to review a movie, especially since I hate composing anything, then you can be assured it is a movie I believe you will more than enjoy. As soon as I read that Adrian Brody starred in the film, well, that was all the hook that I needed to give it a watch. I must admit that the first 10-15 minutes I was wondering if I should leave the theater because the film was a bit too heavy with the glum, depressive and exhausted mood of Brody's character. However, this film jumps into high gear (or what I describe as earning a perfect 10 rating) just as soon as Brody makes a connection to what may be the underlying reason he is experiencing symptoms that are over and beyond suffering from depression. In fact it travels into the macabre. Once he makes the connection, hang on to your seat, and make sure it is one where you will feel safe, because it has some intensely frightening scenes. There is no ripper blood and sadistic gore needed to scare you but just a fantastic script. It is a terrific thrill ride where the suspense builds by the minute. You will not be able to know what is coming next. One reviewer said she didn't like the ending. I did like the ending. Give it a watch. Like I said, it is a little slow getting started but so worth the wait. The film is available on Direct T.V. pay per view.

Extraction (II) (2015)

You Can't Go Wrong Watching Bruce Willis Movie

[10/10 · 19 December 2015]

This is just a fun movie to watch. Opens with great action and keeps right on giving it. It has a script which utilizes an age old formula that always works to entertain. Just good fun watching this action flick. It is such a great contribution that so many of our Super Stars are willingly accepting secondary roles to support a new group of young action stars that they believe in. They know these talented, fresh, new faces need as their co-star a Major Motion Picture Actor to get the attention of the paying public. You will enjoy this film. It has an entertaining script, plenty of great action stunts, great cinematography and great acting.

Ashby (2015)

Don't miss this movie

[10/10 · 27 September 2015]

One word for this film - awesome. Don't miss this film. It rocks. Performances by all are solid. Just the scenes which take place while the character played by Nat Wolff (Ed) is at school and in his literary class are worth the watch but then there are so many more excellent scenes. Jason Davis portrays Mr. Mark, who is the teacher of the literary class, and he has some of the best lines in the movie. I imagine, as an actor, he had great fun portraying this character and did so perfectly. Watching this movie is like eating a box of chocolates; with each piece you feel ecstasy and upon emptying the box you feel a total sugar high. Ashby, is played by Rourke. It is my opinion that his performance is worthy of an Academy Award nomination. The screenwriter, Tony McNamara, has been nominated for the Austrailian Writers Guild Award for Best Screenplay for the script. McNamara is an award winning screenwriter for previous works. Excellent performances by Sarah Silverman and Emma Roberts. I loved the characters they played and feel they did so with winning performances.

Truth About Kerry (2010)

Don't waste your time watching this movie

[8/10 · 3 January 2015]

This movie is entertaining and leads you to believe that the ending of the movie will bring an explanation to what happened to Kerry and give the viewer (me) closure. The acting is very good and the story moves at a great pace. You are sure that Emma will discover the truth about Kerry's death. The ending is so disappointing that I felt like I had my time, which I invested in watching this movie, ripped off. I felt anger that I let myself get sucked into this movie. You will hate the ending so don't bother watching this film. The ending is just not realistic. If the circumstances behind Kerry's death in the film happened in real life, forensic evidence - even with her having been in the water - would have provided a path to discovering who or what caused her death.

The Door (I) (2012)

A Rare Gem

[10/10 · 21 September 2014]

A few times in ones lifetime they have the great fortune to discover a Jewel of a film. This movie is a Rare Gem. Few films are made with such passion and beauty. You must watch this movie. However you do not watch it as much as you savor it as you would a fine wine.

The synopsis for this movie states, "This is a story of a special relationship between two women, a writer and her maid." I was curious as to why it was so minimized a synopsis. Upon viewing the movie after only 25 minutes it was so clear to me why. There are not words precious enough to describe the synopsis/plot of this story.

Relationships as complex, beautiful and enduring as that which exist between these two women are beyond explanation. Starring Helen Mirren and Martina Gedeck.

Soldiers of Fortune (2012)

This movie is like a tootsie roll

[9/10 · 16 July 2012]

This movie, to me, is like when I eat a tootsie roll. When eating a tootsie roll, it begins that you have to savor it slowly due to it's hardness. However, after the initial salivation of the candy is over and it is good and wet, it gets better and better. You can't put it down until you get to the chocolate soft center. And, that is oh so good and makes you feel so good. Just a great deal of pleasure. This movie is the same way. It begins with you feeling a little hard with the opening scene because you think it is another war movie. You wonder if it's going to entertain you and then it just gets better and better. Oh, and it isn't another war movie. The writer uses an age old formula, good overcoming evil, and it still works. However, the creative concept of the movie plot is unique. Has a lot of really great actors who many of us have come to love from other characters they have portrayed. You will enjoy this movie.

Thin Ice (2011)

A Movie For People Who Want Originality in A Script

[10/10 · 31 May 2012]

Mickey Prohaska (Greg Kinnear) is a small-time insurance agent looking for a way to jump-start his business, reunite with his estranged wife (Lea Thompson) and escape the frigid Wisconsin weather. This self-proclaimed master of spin believes that salesmanship is about selling a story — all he needs is a sucker willing to buy it. He hits pay dirt with a lonely retired farmer (Alan Arkin) who is sitting on something much bigger than an insurance commission. But Mickey's attempt to con the old man spins out of control when a nosy, unstable locksmith (Billy Crudup) with a volatile temper dramatically ups the stakes, trapping him in a spiral of danger, deceit and double-crossing. Blending dark comedy and delirious Midwestern noir, THIN ICE reaches a breaking point that no one — least of all Mickey Prohaska — could ever see coming. I thought this movie was very entertaining. I loved the ending.

Taken (I) (2008)

Taken is an action ride start to finish

[10/10 · 14 September 2008]

Taken has everything you want to see and hear in an Action Thriller. Liam Neeson is just super cool in this movie. He is so incredibly believable as a really tough and super smart guy in this movie. All of the scenes where he has to "mix it up" are realistic and not the computerized garbage we see on the screen these days.

He is a retired C.I.A. agent who has to rely on his skills and former contacts he acquired as an agent to try to rescue someone. The film visits a lot of really desired localities, places we plan to visit one day. The locations add to the visual delights of the viewer.

I just never lost interest in this film and the pace of excitement this film created was riveting. It was great from start to finish.

Don't miss this movie. You won't be disappointed!