hugh-33-58009 Reviews

Red Notice (2021)

Derivative and predictable, but the terrific cast makes it enjoyable

[6/10 · 13 November 2022]

You've seen it all before. Loads of special effects sequences. Explosions. Chases. Fights. Double-crosses. Triple-crosses. Wry quips. But somehow it all works much better than expected. The stars deserve the credit. There is such a thing as on-screen chemistry and the three of them definitely have it. Ryan Reynolds' riffing and jokes are especially good - he continues to impress. (I had thought he was just another pretty boy actor when he was just coming into public view, but I changed my mind about him when he was in a great little movie called Adventureland - an underrated film in which he had a supporting role.) Great mindless entertainment.

How to Please a Woman (2022)

Charming, funny, and human

[6/10 · 15 September 2022]

Sally Phillips is an excellent lead for a very attractive cast. Deft direction and well drawn characters make the most of a solid, albeit slightly predictable script. Enjoyable with many moments of unexpected pathos. A few plot holes but nothing that takes you out of the movie. Great scenery of the area around Perth. Nice to see a well made film with crowd appeal like this come out of Australia. Female writer/director. The denouement is a bit contrived unfortunately for my taste, hence my rating. Still, both my wife and I had a good time watching it. Good date night movie for couples of a certain age. Demonstrates what a talented filmmaker can do with a fairly simple but compelling idea and a group of journeymen actors.

The Essex Serpent (2022)

Beautiful production but too slow and melodramatic

[5/10 · 29 August 2022]

Great actors in every role. Claire Danes accent is acceptable. Tim Hiddleston is a good choice. Terrific production values. Lush and beautiful scenery. But moves along very slowly and focuses on the melodramatic aspects of the story at the expense of the paleontological angle. A tighter script and less sentimental direction would be very welcome and have made it much more enjoyable. The main character is very loosely based on Mary Anning and I kept wishing to see more of that side. It does follow the book fairly closely though and if you're a fan of the book you'll enjoy it. However, as is often the case, the book is more satisfying. Read the book and you'll be happier.

Harold and Maude (1971)

Worth watching but definitely of its time

[5/10 · 23 August 2022]

A classic and everyone interested in American films of the 70's should check it out. Some funny moments but mostly weird for the sake of being weird. Dated but does a timeless quality. The Cat Stevens songs on the soundtrack are terrific.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Massively entertaining

[7/10 · 20 August 2022]

Way better than expected. Twisty and unexpected plot. Terrific cast. Some very funny bits. Very meta, of course, and at its core, it's a series of clichés, albeit put together in a creative way that make it ascend above a mere high concept. Pedro Pascal is a standout!

Falling for Figaro (2020)

Follows a predictable path but still enjoyable

[6/10 · 13 August 2022]

We've seen this movie before, but you could say that about most movies ever made. Pleasant leads, beautiful scenery, and quirky minor characters fill out the bill. Still drew me in though.

Ideal Home (2018)

Unexpectedly charming

[6/10 · 12 August 2022]

Shows what you do with a simple but solid script, good actors, and a low budget. The kid is excellent. Coogan and Rudd are completely believable. Some very funny bits keep it moving.

Journey's End (I) (2017)

Outstanding and close look at the face of war

[8/10 · 3 August 2022]

Unflinching, poignant, and horribly beautiful production of a great play. Excellent cast throughout. Great faces and pitch perfect dialog. The best production values I've ever in a movie about the Great War.

The Sunlit Night (2019)

Unexpected and charming

[7/10 · 16 July 2022]

A simple story enlivened with humor and pathos. Excellent cast. Jenny Slate deserves more roles like this. Understated and thoughtful. Zack G's comic role is probably unnecessary but does deliver some nice laughs. Enjoyable and engaging.

Death on the Nile (2022)

Enjoyable pastiche

[6/10 · 2 July 2022]

Fun to watch and a beautiful production. Very high production values and excellent cast. Branaugh is a great director and uses all his tricks in this enjoyable romp. It's not Citizen Kane and if your expecting that, look elsewhere.

Elvis (2022)

Brilliant, original, and vastly entertaining

[8/10 · 26 June 2022]

One of the very best biopics ever made about a musician. It manages to tell a fairly complete and accurate story while never bogging down. Fantastic musical performances, editing, and imagery. Excellent casting brings it all together. Well worth seeing on the big screen.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

What good movies are like: two interesting people in a room talking

[8/10 · 25 June 2022]

Fully enjoyable exploration of the feelings, hopes, and worries of two people getting to know each other. Funny, poignant, and charming. A simple idea, well executed. What the best movies are made of. Think of films like Midnight Cowboy.

Anatomy of a Scandal (2022)

Excellent production and cast, good story, but...

[4/10 · 23 June 2022]

Really terrific production with an outstanding cast. Sienna Miller is perfectly cast and is a revelation. The editing deserves special attention and applause. Engrossing saga with strong echoes of the Bill Clinton and Brett Kavanaugh stories. Somehow, however, deeply unsatisfying with some major plot holes that undermine the quality of everything else.

The Late Show (1977)

Deft perfection

[7/10 · 18 June 2022]

Brilliant cast delivers on an excellent script. Funny and exciting. The supporting characters really make it, with Bill Macy, Gene Roche, and Joanna Cassidy worth special mention. Overlooked gem.

The Adam Project (2022)

Good cast and intriguing possibilities wasted

[3/10 · 13 June 2022]

Started out as charming along the lines of The Last Starfighter but quickly gets bogged down in violent CGI sequences that add nothing to the story. Plot holes galore, of course, as there are in any time travel movie, but many of them are unnecessary and make the already rather thin story even thinner. Catherine Keener seems very uncomfortable in a thankless and two dimensional role. Disappointing.

Operation Mincemeat (2021)

Overlarded with melodramatic subplots

[3/10 · 7 June 2022]

Such a great story but this retelling is vastly inferior to the 1956 movie. The use of CGI is obvious and distracting and the endless and pointless romantic subplots add nothing. Shoehorning Ian Fleming into the story was unnecessary as well. Poor acting as well from some great actors. Lots of "phoning it in". Disappointing and ultimately dull.

Reacher (2022– )

Solid characters but super violent - unnecessarily so

[4/10 · 28 April 2022]

Good plot and great characters. Starts out strong, with nice touches of humor. The leads are excellent. Lots of cliches but still, the video equivalent of a page-turner. Overly violent though and gruesome. It really turned me off after a while. The violence isn't necessary to telling the story and is mostly gratuitous. A shame. I liked the Reacher characters but have no interest in watching any more of this series.

House of Gucci (2021)

Shakespearean story about nothing very important

[6/10 · 24 April 2022]

Beautifully mounted production with an excellent cast. It's a great story but, ultimately, who cares? Jared Leto is great though as a compleat idiot. Pacino overacts as usual. Jeremy Irons is quite good and it's nice to see Adam Driver smile for a change. Lady Gaga is amazing. I hope she finds a part soon that's really worthy of her talent. Enjoyable but what showered it all as up to?

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Maisel vs. Lennon: The Cut Contest (2022) Season 4, Episode 6

Lots of good stuff but the plot goes off the rails

[4/10 · 4 April 2022]

Some terrific scenes and bits as usual. However the storyline isn't believable. Midge is a smart, ambitious woman but instead acts like a petulant and rather stupid child, which is untrue to her character. A disappointing episode in generally excellent series. Maybe the writers are running out of ideas. I hope they bring the series to a close before Midge puts on skies.

The Tender Bar (2021)

Wonderful story, great characters, good story well told

[8/10 · 2 April 2022]

Engaging story about real people. Brought a tear to my eye more than once as well as lots of laughter. Deft direction. Fantastic cast with excellent but players truly making it come to life.

Free Guy (2021)

Much better than I expected

[7/10 · 13 March 2022]

Well executed and enjoyable. It does steal from some great sources, including in particular Groundhog Day, Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Stranger Than Fiction, The Truman Show, Flowers For Algernon, and, in particular, a terrific episode of Star Trek TNG involving Data portraying Sherlock Holmes. As Picasso said, "Hacks borrow. Artists steal." Or something like that.

No Time to Die (2021)

Overlong, over rated, and tired

[4/10 · 14 December 2021]

Bond James Bond has seen better days. A serious Bond doesn't really work well given the ridiculous situations he gets into. The villain is more creepy than menacing. The body count must be in the hundreds. Once again Bond James Bond is involved with a woman young enough to be his daughter. He should have remained in retirement.

Repo Man (1984)

Inventive and funny, but dated

[6/10 · 29 November 2021]

Deserving of its cult following. Really shows what you do with some good ideas, a crew of willing actors, and no budget. Goofy story punctuated with some great punk music. Some terrific lines.

Lover Come Back (1961)

Strongest of the three Doris and Rock movies

[7/10 · 29 November 2021]

Many wonderful lines. Terrific cast. The production design alone is worth the price of admission. Slightly more realistic scenario than the other two keeps the jokes more grounded. Each hat Doris wears us more ridiculous than the last. It's interesting to speculate on which elements of the film were intended to be funny to the audiences other time and which ones were just incidental but hilarious to us today.

Absence of Malice (1981)

Compelling, thought provoking, and well made

[7/10 · 11 November 2021]

Raises excellent ethical questions without being overly preachy. Well acted and directed. Tight script. The Mac character played by Josef Sommer is a standout - not what you expect from a character in a role like this. The romance feels like it was shoehorned in to please the studio and untrue to the characters' personas. Still, quite a good movie.