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meghac23
Reviews
Money Monster (2016)
Expected better from Jodie Foster
Just a few observations from the film.
1) The beginning part of the film until the hostage situation made zero sense to me with the financial jargon and the concept of the show"Money Monster" itself.
2)Julia Roberts as Patty was totally wasted in the film. To her credit, she does rise above the scope of the role. There are far too many close-ups of her.
3) Only the two lead actors have any kind of emotion on their face. The extras have deadpan neutral expressions even when they are in a crisis situation and may possibly face death.
4) George Cloony appears agitated only in the beginning of the film. As the film progresses, there is hardly any change in his expressions even when the disgruntled investor threatens to press the red button several times and brandishes a gun in everyones face
5)The film plot gets more and more ludicrous as the film progresses. They allow the girlfriend to yell at him and disturb him even more instead of just cutting off the video
6) The whole parade of George Clooney and Jack O' Connel's character Kyle with droves of people coming to see them at the risk of being blown up seems too far fetched.
Aladdin (2019)
Has an identity of its own!
Absolutely loved this movie. The feminist message rings loud and clear. Naomi Scott puts in a fantastic performance as the independant minded Princess Jasmine. Aladdin is charming and nimble in the well choreographed sequences. Will Smith reminded me of his role in Men in Black with witty one liners and ample enthusiasm. The chemistry between these three actors was wonderful. "Speechless" should be the next "Let it go"! So far Perfection.
Now for the drawbacks. Jafar Jafar Jafar! Where do I begin. The actor playing the role was completely miscast. He neither had the look nor the voice to play the evil and greedy Jafar. The animated version had a compelling and hypnotic villain. Except for the lines spoken by the live action one, there is nothing in his acting and body language that justifies those lines. I actually believed the actor playing the role of Hakim would be better playing Jafar. The second half also seems to drag a bit in parts. A tauter screenplay would be better.
My advice: The positives far outweigh the flaws. Go watch it!
If Tomorrow Comes (1986)
A Timeless Classic
An absolutely stellar mini-series. Sidney Sheldon's books are a journey onto themselves and while the series stays close to the book, it is the extra parts of the screenplay that are a delight to watch. Madolyn Smith brings Tracy Whitney to life. She plays the part with remarkable ease and her accents are a hoot. Her character is intelligent and vulnerable at the same time. Her chemistry with Tom Berenger as Jeff Stevens is palpable. I loved the fact that all the characters are exactly as I had envisioned them. The screenplay is taut and dialogues are witty.
The book like the adaptation can be divided into two parts. The horrifying ordeal of the initially idealistic Tracy in jail is the first part. The second part is her eventual transformation into a con artist and her escapades- and what fun these are! Put it on your must-watch list ASAP!
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999)
Terrible
Make no mistake-this is a very very bad adaptation of the classic novel. The 1982 version starring Antony Andrews and Jane Seymour was far more superior to this one. Lets start with the actors. In the book Sir Percy is 31 or 32, Maguerite is 25 and Chauvelin is close to 40. But in the movie each of these characters appear to have aged by two decades. In the novel Sir Percy is a good natured fop who speaks lazily, but Richard E Grant plays him with he energy of an adolescent in a basketball game. And he appears to recite his lines. And Elizabeth McGovern as Marguerite-the most beautiful and cleverest woman in Europe? Not happening. You really want to watch a great adaptation, go for the 1982 one of the same name.