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1/10
Found Footage Fake
18 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Okay - after searching the internet I discovered that Stan Romanek is a real person - who was convicted for possession of child pornography. This may or may not be relevant to the credibility of his claims. He claims he was framed, and if so, it lends credence to his claims, but if we accept that he committed the crime; his credibility is less than zilch.

1 star for extremely poor film making.

Jump to the end, and you will find out this is a Ufologist True Believer conversion film. The poor presentation is deliberate - to draw in the curious before they realize it's just cult propaganda.

Personally - I feel bad for Lisa Romanek and her kids - I think they're victims of Stan's mental health issues.
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10/10
Breath of Fresh Air 2019 Classic Buy It Enjoy It
13 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Illumination has another hit!

Really an easy film to watch. Plenty of laughs. Good soundtrack. Neat plot that goes in all directions and then ties together. It doesn't make any sense, but is it supposed to? It's a kids movie!

We saw it in a matinee in our small town theater. The auditorium was packed with kids and moms and a couple of dads - and us old fogies. Everyone came out laughing and smiling and talking about the movie.

Not sure why the haters have a problem with this movie. Yes, you can quibble about a few things, but it is a kid's movie! Hello?!

This flick delivered a full portion of everything we expect in a kid's movie, and without any sour notes or negativity to spoil the fun. It's a breath of fresh air.
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10/10
Making Godzilla Fun Again ...
6 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Godzilla KM 2019 is an incredibly entertaining scream.

The flick is full of homage to earlier Godzilla movies. If you've seen 'em all, and love the movies, it only makes the experience all the more 'rich.'

Eco-terrorists and eco-religion both make an appearance with advocates and villains, but it's nothing more than the plot driver. Again anyone familiar with Godzilla flicks has set through eco-sermons and eco-faith interludes in the other movies - and there was none of that in this flick.

I would recommend the movie for all audiences except very young children, and I would just say - don't forget the popcorn!

Spoiler Alert:

The action starts when Mothra awakens and the good (evil) doctor calms her down. It doesn't stop until the last frame. There's hardly a pause to tell us what ridiculous thing is happening next. The evil (good) Dr. Mark Russell survives certain death about sixty times or so. In every scene our hero escapes absolute certain death. Usually by way of a quick entrance by a nuclear-fired Godzilla.

The only sour note in the whole film is the good (evil) Dr. Emma Russell. Anyone over 30 already knows this is a sick witch with Munchhausen by Proxy in about 30 seconds: Hint ... how come she's just the only one standing when an eco-terrorist shows up to 'kidnap' her. But if there's any doubt, it goes out the window just a few minutes later. Unfortunately, she gets a 'redemption' scene rather than having a bucket of water poured over her. But hopefully she won't make a reappearance. Happily - the eco-terrorists "may" have survived, so the sequel can pick up from there.

Oh, and did I mention it was fun flick? ... This movie will have you bouncing out of the theater.
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Breakthrough (2019)
7/10
Deserves 5 stars but it could be so much better
18 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Just saw the movie, and I really loved it. I'm a Christian and I like faith movies, and I enjoyed the show. The story is about a miracle that happened to a young man in 2015. But I totally understand why the flick is not getting the rating it should get, and it's deserves a low rating unfortunately.

First, the good points: The acting is good, but with a little spit and polish it could have been better. The young man who plays the lead - John - did a very good job, and almost knocked it out of the park. Just a little coaching in a couple of scenes would have made a big difference.

The music is also fun. The cinematography is good, and someone also knows some film grammar ...

So we love the characters, the story, and the actors. So what went wrong? Why isn't this an 8+ star movie? Except to Faith movie Fans like me?

I'll just give one example - and I think that will explain it: When John is in the hospital, and we are all supposed to pray for him to survive, his church family gathers outside to sing a rousing praise song. That's okay - these are his people praying and they're gonna sing. Cheesy, but anyone who likes chick flicks or faith flicks is down with this ...

The director sets up the shot fine. But ... Then we get close ups of the choir, and they do the song - the whole song - and just when you think enough should be enough - they start dancing and do another couple of verses! I'm thinking 'oh, no, I'm glad I didn't drag my son-in-law along' ...

Ah ... can we say missed opportunity? I understand. These are someone's friends. They all look like nice folks you want to have in your church and in your choir. Maybe they donated too. It's great to see them on the screen. Hi Joe, hi Jane! But that's what the DVD is for - and the extended cut - or at least the credits. Golly, you could do a whole documentary about the film and the donor's church, and John's real church ... and Put It On the DVD!

What should have happened is a short montage - while the choir sings a verse and a chorus. Maybe two, but that's it. Show the heroic medical staff, the heroic emergency personnel, and the heroic prayer warriors - and then mom and dad praying - AND THEN STOP. And. Go. On.

Why bring a great story to a halt for a music video? Insert exasperation.

This is not the only example, and the 'climax' of the film was equally lame. Let's just say the montage I just mentioned could have covered it.

This film could be so much more. Just a few more minutes of vital footage, and a little montage, and RUTHLESSLY CUT the FLUFF ... and it would be a much, much better flick.

If you're a Christian Faith movie fan like me, you will love this movie as is. But if you were hoping for something that might melt the heart of your Crazy Uncle Charlie ... keep looking.
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Unplanned (I) (2019)
10/10
They don't want you to see this movie...
4 April 2019
Because it will rip your heart out and serve it up on a platter with side order of fava beans.
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1/10
Should Come With a Trigger Warning
31 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Why watch this movie? To say you have.

It's a bit like mountain climbing, but only if you're climbing molehills. Or collecting bottle caps. Or counting the tiles on the ceiling at the DMV.

This film came in the 50 Movie Pack SciFi Classics DVD collection by Treeline. Not all of the films are bad. If you have any sense of nostalgia or affection for theater or genre movies, most of the flicks have something to offer despite the poor budgets, terrible plots, dialogue that wouldn't satisfy your fifth grade teacher, or hopelessly bad acting. Nonetheless most of the films are entertaining, and it's a shame they have not been restored - what with the computing power we have today, you'd think someone would clean up these lost 'antique' films.

But Mesa of Lost Women is a truly bad film. The only logic reason for watching this film is if you're working on a Camp SciFi Horror flick, and you want to find something ridiculous to add. But even there, Mesa is a let down: The mad scientist makes his case the same way a loan officer explains the terms of your car loan. And he inexplicably wears a pair of glasses with the left side glazed over. His mad scheme to take over the world is as plausible as granny's plan to rid her trees of squirrels by feeding them her leftover meds.

Watching the film is absolutely tedious. So tedious, if an American military or intelligence agency forced prisoners to watch it, it would probably be considered a war crime.

I'm retired, so my mental health is irrelevant, and it's too late to do anything about it anyway.

Treeline failed to put a warning on this film for those who might be triggered by slowly watching nothing unfold.

Another excellent review has adequately covered the plot, but I wanted to add a comment about the obnoxious score. The musical score consists of guitar strumming as if the musician is about to begin a classical Latin piece. But it doesn't. The guitar just strums. A bit up. A bit down. And always too loud. It was so irritating my college student (daughter) came out and gripped at me for disturbing her - that despite the fact that she's never bothered by Godzilla or any of the other campy, silly flicks I run on the big TV. I think its so bad, I'm afraid it could cause sensitive people to have a mental reaction.

Caution is warranted.
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Eegah (1962)
1/10
Awfully Awesome
5 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Others have covered the plot, the acting, and the music with some excellent reviews.

Eegah is a film so awful - it sets new standards for bad. I only gave it one star because negative stars are not available.

This film is so bad, you can almost feel it sucking your life force out of your body. It's so bad, you need a refund on the time wasted watching it.

Hall's direction and acting is so bad - it makes Roger Corman look like a genius.

Watching your squirrels in your yard is infinitely more entertaining. At least watching your squirrels won't suck your brains out of your eyeballs.

As art: Eegah is so awful it makes Andy Warhol's "Empire" (1964) look like 'art.'

It's hard to come up with anything positive to say about this film.

The only way to make this film any worse would be to rotoscope Richard Kiel out of the film. That would certainly move it down from a 1 to a zero or even into the negative numbers.
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6/10
Italian Spaghetti Sci-fi without Meatballs
5 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Okay, this movie is definitely for fans of films so bad they can only be enjoyed for their flaws.

We have cardboard characters wandering around in the classic futuristic jump suits and spacesuits designed by a Halloween costume designer.

The plot ... is there a plot?

We have plenty of shots of a model spaceship (whose spaceship ?!) coming or going. Are we watching ourselves come and go or someone else come or go?

It seems to be to cut between these shots of a model and volcanoes exploding and the voice of the All-powerful Robot sharing his thoughts of conquering the universe.

No redeeming jokes. No redeeming babes. It's really a truly bad film.

Only die-hard fans (like me) could power through this flick.
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10/10
Only For Those With a Funny Bone
3 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
While choosing slave boys, two women approach a runt...

"I am the god's gift to the women of southern Greece. Let's be off my babies. Y'all is my women now ..."

If that line doesn't tickle your funny bone ... Colossus will not reach you.

Melitta (Daniela Rocca) picks Rod Taylor (Pirro) last. And our heroes are left hot, horny, and hopelessly humorous.

Come on, if you like schlock, this flick will put a smile on your face and it might even make you laugh.
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10/10
Childish Fun
3 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Warning from Space could be a prequel to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but it's too seriously stupid to be taken as seriously as Killer Tomatoes.

I'm not quite sure who would watch a film like this - and give it a poor review?

If you want a technically perfect film full of overpaid dimwits engaged in totally unbelievable plots based on fantasy science who fight evil businesspersons or "rogue" military people trying to kill their customers for profit or being digested by Evil Alien Nasties ... go to the movies.

If you want to watch actors trying to entertain you with dialogue cut out of a crackerjack box for characters cut out of a refrigerator box in a plot cut out of the ads in a comic book - watch a goofy sci-fi flick like Warning from Space.

The pace is so slow you can cook your pizza and eat it too without missing a single plot device - How can you go wrong with that?

This is the sort of flick you watch in the afternoon while babysitting your four year old - or at midnight while babysitting a beer.

If the plot confuses you - I suggest buying a ton of old sci-fi pulp magazines from 1930-1960 and reading them. (And by ton - I mean only about 500-600 pounds of magazines ... By the time you're through, you'll understand the plot like the back of your hand.)

Warning does include the obligatory 'warning' against wanton creation of ever more powerful weapons - right before using the weapon to save the Earth.

Warning does not come up to the high quality of The Mysterians or Rodan, but so what.

If you like this sort of flick, you will enjoy Warning from Space.
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10/10
Not Quite Quartermass
3 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Anyone who has burned the midnight oil watching old Dr. Who episodes - especially those featuring Jon Pertwee will not only recognize the goofy plot, dialogue, and acting 'style' - but you will also recognize several of the character actors in this little piece of British nonsense.

What this film lacks - which is everything - it makes up for in just fun and entertainment.

I only wish we could get a restored version with saturated color to rescue the goofy sets and the lovely English countryside featured in the film.
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10/10
Space Gulliver Meets Alien Lilliputians
3 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Classic black and white B movie silliness.

Pay attention to the "monster" - the Solorite prisoner. That's Richard Kiel, better known as Jaws, and star of many wonderful films.

The film begins with an annoying narration. In the first 'action' scene, we are introduced to two characters by literally introducing them. It's on par with that short story we wrote in third grade. Then those two guys get blown out of the sky by an asteroid.

After that, the rest of the film is a dramatic improvement. It appears to have been filmed in one small studio with a minimum of sets, and virtually no special effects.

Only a kid at heart who loves theater and science fiction would appreciate this small 'gem.' One has to think of it more as civic theater than as a movie production.

Phantom Planet took its inspiration from early 20th century pulp fiction and a lot of 'Tarzan' but it managed to fail utterly.
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10/10
All Great Movies Begin With A Black Screen ...
17 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Funny, funnier, funniest ... and fun. Spoiler Alert: Don't read farther if you haven't seen the movie - just go see it.

Batman faces his Greatest Enemy - and it's obviously NOT the Joker.

If you love old movies, B-movies, monster movies, sci-fi flicks, kid flicks, romantic movies, comedies, plot-driven films, character-driven films, or Batman - and you enjoy spoofs - you will love Lego Batman.

The dark, broody super-hero comes back in his funniest incarnation yet - in the most homage laden A-list film I think I've ever seen: More homage inserts, unexpected cameos, and funny riffs than all the bodies in Terminator, Rambo, and Die Hard.

A sample: Joker: "78 years and you've never said, 'I hate you.'" ... I thought I was going to bust my gut.

Evil British Robots: "exterminate" ... my daughter's boyfriend almost came out of his seat.

Batman's movie collection: Mom screamed, "that movie sucks!"

Voldemort:"We're in." My daughter popped out of her seat ... "look, look .."

Dick Grayson:"Batman lives in Bruce Wayne's basement?" ... Batman retorts: "No.Bruce lives in Batman's attic" ... the theater exploded in laughter.

Batman: "All great movies end on a white screen" ... it doesn't - there are actual laugh out loud laughs in the credits!

Cannot recommend the film enough: I will be buying it when it comes out on DVD, and giving copies to all my friends.
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Dracula (1931)
10/10
75th Anniversary edition ... a historical treat
17 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi - born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó - is a classic. This review is of the 75th Anniversary Edition with 2 discs.

To fully enjoy the film, one must turn back the clock, and understand the artists labored under incredible pressure not to produce the work we see on the screen.

Much is made of unfair, official censorship, but Dracula faced enormous pressure from the filmmaking industry's prejudices too. They were not interested in supernatural horror, and its prejudiced view of its audience - they thought the audience would not accept the supernatural elements despite the critical dependence on our cultural heritage. Sound familiar?

The film was a first in so many categories, it's hard to hit them all. And the film was an escapist fairy-tale of good and evil dropped into a world where good and evil were literally fighting on the streets. The Great Depression was in full swing, and though WW2 was ten years away for Americans, many nations were already gearing up for the war.

The 75th Anniversary edition (75th) offers a digitally remastered version of Browning's 1931 classic. This means fans like me - I've seen the movie a dozen times - get a chance to see the film largely restored. (To quibble: The gray scale saturation restoration could be better, but hey - I'm not complaining - just warning you that it is not as good as e.g. the Sherlock Holmes restoration done as the auspices of the UCLA film school. If you only know the film from poor quality re-runs, you will be very impressed.) But that's not all. The 75th has two excellent commentaries: One by film historian David Skal, and one by screenwriter Steve Haberman. (Haberman was co-author of Dead and Loving it) The first disc also offer a short documentary about the making of Dracula - featuring Carla Laemmle. Carla is the niece of Carl Laemelle, founder of Universal Studios. She delivers the opening lines in Dracula: She is the young girl riding in the carriage with Renfield. She is thrown into Renfield's lap.

The second disc has a cool documentary about early Universal horror films narrated by Kenneth Branagh. One guest in particular - Ray Bradbury - was especially welcome.

My daughter gave this set to me for Christmas, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. More - even she got into watching the documentaries about the movie.
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Sing (2016)
10/10
I laughed, I cried
17 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Best film of 2016, and we've had some good ones this year.

The film is a kid's flick, and family entertainment. But if you can get past the excellent CGI, and the juvenile aspirations: Sing sings to the heart of everyone who has tried to overcome a doubting Thomas.

Got a boyfriend, or girlfriend, wife, parent, or boss who doesn't believe in you?? ... You will understand the film and its inspiration.

A few criticisms are in order, but as it's not my job: Who cares?

I loved the flick, and I only wish Hollyweird would do more films like this one.

Those who do not see the film under the misapprehension they will see nothing more than another Disney film for kids are missing a rich treat celebrating both theater and talent. And a lot of pop music.
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10/10
What's not to like?
15 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The Mysterians is a corny, cheesy, Japanese sci-fi flick for kids from nine to ninety.

Once you've got your head around that, it's a wonderful and delightful entry in this genre. Coming from 1957, it's remarkable.

Colorful sets. Neon is used extensively to make the screens explode in color. Cool alien costumes. Shocking full saturation color. Ufo's everywhere. Landscape models are destroyed by fire, floods, and a robot.

The film opens with a large set piece featuring a village celebration. The numerous shots with hundreds of extras is expertly interlaced with the models of towns, and plenty of plastic models getting the whammy from the alien's death rays.

Scientists are the heroes who think up the super weapon that saves the day, but soldiers bravely fight the aliens with useless weapons.

Oh, the Mysterians came to Earth because their planet - Mysteroid - was destroyed 100,000 years ago by nuclear war. Mysteroid is our asteroid belt. A few Mysterians survived by moving to Mars, but they are contaminated with Strontium 90. (Never mind the half life is about 29 years.) Now the aliens have to have Earth Women to replenish the stock.

The Earthmen fight back with weapons delivered by giant flying rockets foreshadowing Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds.

This film is totally cool, and safe for the whole family at the same time.
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Storks (2016)
10/10
Booming Baby Bee Bopping Blast
29 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Fun. Fun. Fun. *** Took the whole family. Gram, daughter, Down's bro, and me. We all enjoyed it and laughed through the whole flick.

Agree with the other reviewers: The beginning is a bit pushed, but we soon find out that the writers and story board artists are laying some tracks.

Come on folks, they have to push a bit - otherwise they wind up spending 12 minutes on setup (think The Hobbit), or a whole movie (think Tarzan) and never get on with it.

Once they've got their tracks laid, we're on our way. The material is not entirely original - but then what is? It's a long way from repetitive.

Animation: Totally childishly fun. It's ice cream.

Voice acting: Perfect casting. All characters on point. Unlike 'Secret Life of Pets' no character is 'forced.' Crazy wolves could have gone terribly wrong, but hey, they were great.

Plot: The trailer gives the basics. Storks don't deliver babies anymore, but they deliver packages.

Trigger Warning: Babies are good. Corrupting the core mission of baby deliver is wrong. Our hero 'Junior' fixes it. He has to give up his hopes and dreams and his career and defy the boss, but ... he does what we all know is right. Ooooops. I am so sorry... Not.

I'd see this flick a million times just for that.

A few prudes might worry about 'pagan' storks: Nonsense. The storks are generic angels dressed in avian clothing for kids.

Be warned this is a really feel good movie: Family people might go home and make babies.

Go. Take everyone. Have a good time.
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10/10
Masterpiece of Animation and Family Friendly
7 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Kubo follows in the footsteps of timeless fables.

Little Kubo is eleven. He lives in a cave with his mother, and he earns a living telling stories with the help of origami characters animated by magic.

Kubo and his mother must hide from Kubo's grandfather. His grandfather is the Moon King. The Moon King has stolen Kubo's left eye, and wants to take his right eye. The eyes serve as a surrogate for the soul: As in, 'the eyes are the windows to the soul.' Stealing Kubo's eyes will deprive Kubo of his ability to see the good of the mortal world and of mortals. i.e. He would not be able to see truth, justice, or any other reality beyond the surface of material objects.

Since his grandfather is the Moon King, he rules the night sky, and Kubo must not stay out after dark. Naturally, he does so while trying to contact the spirit of his father. (That's a clue if you've not seen the film. Pay attention.) As in all fables or fairy tales, Kubo's mistake costs him dearly. His grandfather finds him, and sends his aunts to take his remaining eye. From there the movie becomes an action-quest worthy of any hero.

Action and violence: Older children have seen far worse unless they are extraordinarily sheltered, but small children might be upset by the loss of a parent or strong action images.

The film is entirely clean of sexual innuendo or profanity. The only scene in the film that might trigger a prudish nature involves a fire-breathing chicken.

Animation is fantastic, and easily compares to the best out there. Scenes are often staged at twilight with a Barbizon light - the soft golden glow of sunset - which enhances the fairy tale quality.

Musical accompaniment is soft and unobtrusive. It's a delight to listen to, and it enhances scenes without drowning out the dialogue or the sound effects.

Voice acting was excellent. No attempt was made to inject faux accents into the oriental themed movie.

The film reflects many elements of Shintoism, Buddhism, and some Hollywood spins on these religious traditions. Anyone with such a religious tradition should be warned not to expect authenticity. However: Unlike many films involving history, current events, etc., the filmmakers clearly respect the beliefs of the characters, and though these beliefs may not be fully authentic, they are not derogatory.

Children of other faiths should not be too concerned, as the fantasy and fairy tale elements are substantially stronger than the overt religious elements - which ironically promote a non-materialistic view of the world.

One last element this reviewer really appreciates: The complete lack of propaganda in the film. The only readily apparent bias in the film is the artistic decision to not denigrate the beliefs of the characters. Nor do the filmmakers apologize at any point for offering such a heart-warming - even sappy - view of the spiritual aspects of the story. Very few western cultural elements would get such a pass.

Overall, one would have to be a real stick in the mud to fail to enjoy Kubo. Kubo is likely to become one of the favorite family-friendly children's flicks of all time. If not in the top 10 with Snow White, certainly it ranks with Miyazaki's films and with any of Disney's better offerings.

Go see it. Take the kids.
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10/10
A friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
30 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The Secret Life of Pets is an easy kid flick. It entertains without pressure. Limited animated violence, no sex, no foul language to speak of, and an easy-going plot make Secret Life an easy film to like.

First and foremost, Secret Life is a buddy movie. Max and Duke are thrown together by circumstances, and neither one of them likes it. They try to sabotage each other with disastrous consequences.

Lost in Brooklyn and separated from their friends, the two adversaries have to work together to get back home. In so doing, they become friends.

As the cliché-proverb goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed.

The film is kid-friendly, and only the youngest viewers might be upset. Unless your child is especially sensitive, I would recommend it for any kid over 5. I took my daughter, but then - she's 25, so she doesn't count as a kid I suppose.

The only serious action is the death of a large snake. The snake is the author of his own demise though as he tries to eat our heroes. The episode is a clear turning point for Max and Duke.

Animation decisions were excellent. Not too realistic, but not skimpy either. Secret Life is not a Miyazaki film, but then again Studio Ghibli is in a class of its own.

Voice casting and acting was also excellent. Snowball was the only questionable acting job, and that was definitely not Kevin Hart's fault, but the fault of the writer or director who demanded rapid switching between a 'crazed' rabbit and 'leader' rabbit.

Snowball is also the only character who made a sudden almost inexplicable decision to redeem himself after Max saves his life. The overall plot arch is fine, and a life-changing experience is a great tool to drive a character to switch his allegiance, but it's apparent that the artistic team was in a brain fog on the day they had to figure out how to get from Max saving Snowball to Snowball saving Max and Duke.

About the rating: Folks, if you like a film, don't waste your vote. Give a 10. If it's mediocre, give it a 5. If it sucks, give it a 1.

Secret Life does not deserve a 6.8. It's not a classic, and it's not a film that you will want to see again and again, but then it's not some dreadful propaganda flick, nor is it an awful chick flick, a foul-mouthed gore fest, nor a CGI sleep fest that requires two toothpicks to hold open your eyelids. If you're in the target audience, you probably will not want a refund of your money and your time.

Secret Life delivered what was expected. Clean, family, kid-safe, safe-space fare for a few bucks.

If Hollywood made more movies like Secret Life, they might not win awards at Sundance or Canne, but they might lure audiences back to the movies ...
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10/10
First Historical Documentary Founded on Facts About the Democratic Party
22 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
1. All video documentaries compromise a subject. If you're a graduate of the public indoctrination centers, it's easy to discount a documentary that covers the Rest of the Story. h/t Paul Harvey.

2. All video compromises a subject. By necessity, not everything can be covered. This plays into the hands of propagandists in both directions. The Left can cherry pick, and anyone who dares to resist will never be able to cover all the cherries - it's hard enough to cover agriculture without having to give the life-history of every cherry, peach, and avocado in the grove. Not to mention the grains, vegetables, and pork bellies - just as an example.

3. Given these caveats, Dinesh and crew did an excellent job in presenting, and dramatizing the assigned topic: The Democrat party.

How do you know?

4. Go back to your public indoctrination history books, if you have any, and look for the party affiliations. ... Most affiliations are not noted. The few party affiliations in the 'official' version of 'history' reverse history. Democrats are heroes. Republicans are villains. Heroes are Democrats. Villains are well ... nothing unless they can be tied to the narrative.

5. Margaret Sanger - another review implies that Sanger's views were mainstream. No, they were not. Sanger's views - both her racist views, and her views on baby murder - have never represented the majority of Americans. Her views were mainstream all right - among Progressive leaders at the top, and among those who believed the lies at the bottom. Americans in the middle by and large - as now - did not hold such extreme views.

How do you know? Just ask yourself how many of the people you know - including Democrat voters - believe everything spewed from the Established Media sources? And the few who do? What of them? Do they strike you as thoughtful, well educated citizens, or louts who haven't read a book since High School?

6. My adult children and I saw the film last night in Frisco, Texas. To see the film any earlier we would have had to attend one of the special, limited openings last week. Keep that in mind - the only people who attended those openings were guests and press. You can guess who didn't like it.

Why would someone post a fake review? ... Duh.

7. One of the trailers was a revision of the pro-Klan film - The Birth of a Nation. This racist screed was featured in Hillary's America because Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) screened it in the White House. The new version of the film retells the heroic story of Nat Turner's ill-fated slave revolt in 1831. Even assuming the film is not a propaganda hit piece - despite the October 2016 release date, giving it the same title as one of the most infamous - and racist - films of all time is agitprop. It is not a stretch to suggest the film could incite the murder of police officers - a decidedly perverse result given that the objective of the first film was to defend lynching and incite white supremacy.

8. ... Having said all that. Will you like the film? Will you learn anything? Is it going to change minds? Will it move America in the right direction - towards freedom, prosperity, the rule of law, and tolerance? I doubt it. The fact is that to understand the film - and know that the facts selected for inclusion are representative of the Criminal Elite ... you have to actually know something. And just reading biographies or histories may not help since almost everything published in the last 50 years by the academic press only reflects one side - and that's Democrat's side.

In my case, for example, my grandfather worked for a guy who worked for Lyndon Johnson when he was Governor of Texas. I would not suggest LBJ was the type of racist implied in the film, but he was a racist, and he was corrupt. I have eyewitness testimony - from my grandfather - to this fact. When my grandfather turned away from the Democrat party - when he hired black truck drivers. The Klan attacked. His business was torched. His home was vandalized. His car was shot up. Had he not been good friends with the county sheriff, things might have gotten much worse.

Without such testimony, I might never have realized how to separate fact from fiction. I might have gone through life believing everything I was told in the public indoctrination center. Instead, I educated myself - and I learned that the whole history is far more colorful - and morally unclear - than the one offered by the Democrats.

9. I gave Hillary's America a 10-star rating for its argument - not for its impact. The film is persuasive, and it offers strong visual illustrations to back up the points made by the dry interviews. But the film covers over 200 hundred years of history.

Necessity forces it to compromise. Such comprises are entirely justified - because it is one lone flick trying to fix decades of distortion. If truth and lies shared the same playing field, the film might warrant the criticism of biting off more than it could chew (about six to ten times more). But that's not the case.

Every topic cannot be given equal weight. Important topics were left out - and no I don't think any of them were exculpatory. More like gasoline. And exceptions were not covered. For those of us who have seen the Klan Party morph into the Fake-Rainbow-Tolerance Party, the film is a salve. But for those who don't know anything, I doubt they will learn anything.
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10/10
Fun flick - fiction about JC
19 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Young Messiah is a fictional tale about JC. It has almost nothing to do with the Gospels, and what little does line up is subject to a strong literary license. i.e. It's not Scriptural at all. The title - btw - should be a clue.

According to earlier reviews, some of this arises from non-canonical texts. Those reviewers should read those non-canonical texts before commenting, since the only consistency between those texts and the film are vaguely similar notions - like raising a boy from the dead. ... The film has less relation to those texts than to the Gospels. The texts in question are the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, James and Matthew.

If you cannot handle a 'fiction' about JC, don't see the flick.

On the other hand, the flick is clean. The casting is brilliant. The actors and actresses do a first rate job. At no point does anyone do anything disrespectful. The music is first rate, if not as memorable as some. The film was shot on location in Italy, and could easily be the Holy Land during a wetter clime. ... In other words, if one leaves his biases and bigotry at home, one might enjoy a flick that would remind one of an old 50's bible epic.
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10/10
Swan Song for British Eccentricity
29 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Lost Honour is a sensitive portrayal of an eccentric retired professor of English falsely accused of murdering one of his tenants. His odd ways lead narrow-minded police to arrest and interrogate the professor solely on the basis of his oddity. He is held for three days while the police interrogate him about his sexual interests.

While in custody, twelve tabloids destroy Prof. Jefferies' reputation in a media frenzy. The twelve tabloids manufacture lies about the professor to sensationalize coverage.

What makes this story different? Unlike most cases of false accusation, Prof. Jefferies was as utterly exonerated as any human being can be. DNA and forensic evidence identified another man as the killer. Confronted by the evidence, the killer confessed. Further, Prof. Jefferies sued the tabloids, and won.

Anyone falsely accused of a serious crime, or caught up in an investigation based on police or government employee bias will be deeply moved. Anyone sensitive to 'eccentrics' or people with OCD, HFA, Aspergers, or any other personality deviation common to what used to be called 'genius,' or 'crackpot' will likewise be moved.

Another reviewer called this a love letter for the Professor - but it is a love letter for all eccentrics too.

As tolerance in Britain disappears, and fake political correctness permeates and poisons every aspect of British life, the British eccentric will go the way of the Dodo bird.

For those of us with eccentrics in the family, who have seen them destroyed by lesser forces of innuendo, intolerance, and outright bigotry, the film is far more profound than a simple TV movie.

For anyone watching the film without any appreciation of the contribution of 'eccentrics' to our culture, science, technology, and art; Lost Honour is still a well-paced, well-acted drama made for TV about a quirky guy struggling with an injustice. *** Re: The Levenson Inquiry. It's irrelevant, other than providing the only funny scene in the film as the good Professor fails to recognize a superstar celebrity. Prof. Jefferies was asked to speak as a victim of defamation. It's obvious he would have no idea of the political ramifications of providing such evidence, nor should he have made any connections: He was only serving a witness.
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10/10
True Crime Drama with Light Comedic Moments
14 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The film was marketed incorrectly, I'm sure. The Scottish-nationalist premise and the political message certainly would have prevented me from seeing the film had it come to our small town. But that's not what the film is about. I caught this flick on a lonely Tuesday. It was on a cheap disk marked 'fantasy' - no doubt because Billy Boyd starred in LOTR.

What is this movie about? A college student hatches a plan to steal Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey in 1950. He gathers three accomplices, two of whom are engineering students.

Based on a true story, this ridiculous plot actually happened, and the thieves were charged but never prosecuted for reasons that are obvious after watching the film.

Why should you see it? Anyone who has been young enough, and dumb enough, and bright enough to give a flip about anything will be rooting for these idiots all the way through. The film takes a bit to get started, but once they decide to steal the Stone of Destiny, it actually runs quite fast, and if you don't pay attention, you'll get lost.

The film is remarkably funny. Ever see a 1950's crime-comedy? The story might as well be a comedy. Even the villains - the British - are so charming and normal, one wonders why the kids are so intently interested in the Scottish nationalism.

Why was the film panned? Young men, and one young woman valiantly risk their lives and their future for their nation and their community in a daring plot that could only succeed with a divine blessing they never bother to ask for. ... Need I say more? Patriotism. Virtue. Honor. Duty. Charity. Faith. Sacrifice. All wrapped in a plot so stupid only a couple of engineering students could hatch it. No propaganda. No Hollywood spew. The good guys are all Scots. What's not to hate? I'm surprised the flick was even made.

If you can stand a flick with pretty good acting, not great, but not civic theater, and a bit of humor, you will enjoy this movie. It is set in the 50's, and but for a couple of probably unavoidable goofs, it feels like the real 50's.

I gave the movie a couple of extra stars... it's a special gem we see so little of.
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October Baby (2011)
7/10
Reviewers
30 March 2012
October Baby: enjoy it as a "civic theatre" level production. It's not my cup of tea - I only went to support "indy" alternative movies. Don't go expecting an "A" movie and you won't be disappointed. If you cannot sympathize with an abortion survivor, stay home. After the first emotional scene, I realized its a chick flick which makes you feel guilty for not wanting to see another chick flick. My adult daughter loved it.

Please note the negative reviews focus on politics and aspersions. The positive reviews focus on the message and story.

As a film viewer, my patience with propaganda movies has worn thin: Unfortunately the number of agitprop films continues apace, and even movies which should be politically neutral are loaded with hate-filled agendas. This film, while agenda driven, represents a side rarely seen - unless you only go to movies featured at your local Mega-Church.

Just a few of the politically correct propaganda films showing offensive content:

The Cider House Rules: Celebrating abortion Motorcycle Diaries: Celebrating a murderer, a sociopath, and possible psychopath.

In theatres/recent: The Lorax: eco-fantasy The Island President (docufakery) The Iron Lady: Maggie Thatcher derangement syndrome W: ... well, OK this is a fair treatment of Bush, unlikely to satisfy either the Bush haters or Bush-philiacs; but it makes Oliver Stone's biases all the more noticeable. So he can make a reasonably center-left movie if he wants to... A Civil Action: eco-fantasy

And some personal "fav's" - which I can't stand: On Deadly Ground: ... they filmed this while I was working on the North Slope for an oil company. A team came up and shot footage of our field... I'd love to return the favor, but I'm not a proctologist. Waterworld: eco-fantasy Avatar: eco-fantasy The Day After Tomorrow: eco-fantasy Chinatown: smearing an engineer D-fence: smearing all DOD civilians The China Syndrome: eco-fantasy Inherit the Wind (again and again): Just plain lying The Manchurian Candidate: the reverse version - not the classic version Eagle Eye: Even a computer knows Bush is the Antichrist - got that? Casualties of War (amazing... Hollywood can be intensely accurate when the story is about soldiers committing rape... but the MSM can't find a single victim of oppression in Sudan? ... !! Stand alone this is a great film, but it doesn't stand alone... And when will Holloywood attack the Japanese Army for refusing to even acknowledge the Army's abuse of Korean women? ) An American Carol: failed attempt to mock Michael Moore, but while we're at it: Fahrenheit 9/11: Offended even Bradbury, a liberal.

So if you can't stand the politics of the movie, you are not likely to enjoy it. If you're worn out from political films, stay home.

Unfortunately, if you agree with a particular filmmaker's viewpoint - that doesn't mean it will be a good film.
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