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twinpeaker
Reviews
Violet (2021)
Unique presentation of the subject
I honestly chose to watch this movie because of Olivia Munn. Since her days on G4 and the Attack of the Shows program a long time ago, I have always enjoyed watching her do anything on screen. So this was going to be one other thing that I would enjoy watching with her in it. I had no idea what to expect or what the film was about except for the title. Well it was better than I ever expected. At first it was unclear what was being portrayed but shortly I found myself impressed at the unique way that the director had chosen to show a persons inner being and the conflict that each of us have daily with decisions we make that are minimal or impactful. And Ms Munn kept up with that approach fully. She was convincing as the character going through this. I truly enjoyed the film from start to finish largely because of her but also the innovative way the film was made. Kudos to Justine Bateman (Mallory, from a long time ago) who I believe wrote, directed and produced this enjoyable movie. Thanks to all. (That was also something different at the end of the movie credits when the entire crew parades one at a time in from of the camera). Well done !
The Fallout (2021)
Exceeded my expectations
I sat down to watch this film without expectations of any kind. Within 10 minutes of the start of the film, I was hooked and had to continue watching through the end. The story was riveting about a subject I have been casually interested but the way this movie presented it has made me much more aware of how such a needless tragedy can traumatize young people and the effects it can have on their lives. The dialogue is brisk at times and I was aided by turning on the subtitles to make sure I caught everything being said. The only criticism I would have is that through the entire film not one mention is made of God and the role He can play in helping to navigate the horror of what they went through. That, I found hard to believe because even if you are not a believer, this kind of tragedy has often brought people to prayer. Otherwise, all the performances and direction were very good. I would recommend.
Silk (1986)
Bad film with false advertising
Bought this film based on the DVD art that shows a tough looking female cop topless in a bra pointing a gun. The tag line on the cover says: "She bangs 'em, breaks 'em and books 'em". Who could resist that advertising ?
Well, spoiler alert, she doesn't do any of the three things claimed. The expectation was that this was a female cop who used her feminine wiles on perps as part of the process of catching and arresting them. Expectation was not met at all. However, the action scenes are acceptable and Ms Verrell holds her own in some of the gunfights and physical altercations. The story was a bit difficult to follow but like James Bond movies (not that this one is even close to one) you suspend belief in reality to try to allow yourself to be entertained. So it was 83 minutes that was sacrificed with the hope of seeing one thing and the disappointment of it being a false hope. Pass.
Allegiant (2016)
The weakest of the three films in the series
Watching this sequel I found myself often speaking to the screen stating - "knew that was coming". If this is the reaction I have to a movie, then it is pretty bad and this one is. But, let's get one thing out of the way first. Say what you will about Shailene Woodley but casting her as the lead in this series was wrong. She does not have the fire that a Tris should have. There are moments of determination that she displays in the appropriate scenes but that was about it. So this has been a distraction for me throughout. As far as knowing what would happen ahead of time, there are multiple scenes where this is the case. I like to be surprised by the depth of thought that a writer had in constructing a scene to show that my simple mind was not imaginative enough to determine an ending to a scene which was unexpected. This is OK because that is what I pay for to see a movie. But in this one, I was rarely surprised with dramatic outcomes of critical scenes. This leaves me wondering who watched this before releasing it to the public, children ? I mean some adult executive had to screen this movie and had said - great, let's go with it. If you're wondering about the 4 star rating, I am a sucker for special effects and there were a few in this movie that were pretty good and enjoyable. Otherwise, pass on this one and hope another sequel is not in the works.
Tomorrowland (2015)
Entertaining and fascinating but has some problems
Who didn't have a fantasy about a place like Tomorrowland as a kid ? I know I did and for that reason this film was fun to watch and was entertaining. However, I had to overlook a few things to make it so. One glaring issue to me was Britt Robertson. Her character reminded me of when I watched The 70's show on TV and anytime the actress playing Donna made an appearance, I would say to myself "she not a high school student, she's a college girl". And so, the same was for Britt. She does not look like a teenager in this at all even though she plays one. BUT, I was able to suspend my disbelief to get through a very good performance and a happy story. The other thing that played a role in all this is George Clooney who makes no secret of his political views. I enjoyed his performance a lot and I believe he was cast perfectly for this role BUT I was sure that there was a "message" that this movie had since he was in it. There it was toward the end of the film - the same bs we keep hearing from the Lamestream Media and the presstitutes they employ. Finally, as another reviewer pointed out, once again parents and adults are portrayed as less intelligent than teenagers. This is a continuing trend in entertainment that began a long time ago. It has become so prevalent that one can easily overlook that fact when watching product made in Hollywood. Aside from these observations, the movie was paced well, had some great special effects, catered to my childhood dream of a fantastic world that was possible and did not have gratuitous sex or violence.
Dark Tide (2012)
Not worth the time to watch
Don't get seduced by the bikini shot of Halle Berry on the movie case cover like I did. This is one of the worst movies I have seen in recent years. The ONLY reason to watch at least part of the movie, is Halle Berry and ONLY for her looks (sorry, not much else going on here). The story began and instantly I knew what was going to happen next - who was the expendable character and I was right. When that happens while watching a movie, it is a sign that the story is simple and it will be a boring and predictable movie. I fast forwarded through scenes hoping to catch the shark sequences but even those were clearly spliced together - what appeared to be stock shark footage and the movie scenes. In the end, it was a waste of time and not a movie you should waste your life watching. I did and that's enough.
Scoop (2006)
Has its moments but not as enjoyable as it could have been
When I decided to watch this movie on DVD, I made that decision because of Scarlett Johansson. I thought I could watch her in just about anything and enjoy the fact that she is in it. I learned very quickly that this is not the case. No more than 15 minutes into this film,I found myself distracted by her acting. I kept thinking about high school plays and how we attend them as parents and enjoy the kids as they act their roles. We watch them act and we know they are acting and we accept it. On the other hand, good movies with good performances tend to make us forget that we are watching an actor or actress in a role and make us believe that we are witnessing something taking place. I never got that feeling with this film. Additionally, the chemistry was just not there between Scarlett and Hugh Jackman. The saving grace of this movie are the half dozen lines that Woody Allen has through out the film which left me laughing the way I used to when watching his old "funny" films. I still like Ms. Johannson but watching her ACT in this movie was tedious and difficult and took away from a potentially enjoyable film.
Heroes (2006)
Imagination is all it takes
Every television season, a slew of offerings are presented to us in the hopes that we, the viewers,will watch these shows. And every season as we sample the new offerings inevitably a small few survive for whatever reason into a new season and most are not heard from again. This has led many of us to assume correctly that most of each year's offerings are a rehash of something usually done better before. And sometimes, we are surprised by a program that seems to defy the normal conventions of television, the "usualness" of television and the absolute mind numbing repetition of television. "Heroes" is such a program. It charts a story that is compelling, has a large ensemble of main characters, mostly unknown to the general TV viewer and absolutely demands your attention. I have been enjoying the recent SCI-FI channel's rerunning of the first six episodes of the show and have thoroughly been captivated by this series. I have also been wondering why this show seems to be so much better than others ? Is it the beautiful Ms.Larter, the blonde cheerleader, the Japanese time bender or the other characters that so deftly present the twists and turns that are the story (stories) in the show? The conclusion I have reached is that they all contribute to the feeling I get after an episode is over and my disappointment that there isn't more. But the biggest reason I enjoy this series is an all too often missing ingredient in most shows we see year after year - IMAGINATION!!
The premise of this continuing tale of wonder is one that evokes a sense of pleasant satisfaction to know that despite our human propensity for destruction, we can also create something that helps us temporarily forget our daily lives and immerses us in a world of "what if". Congratulations and thanks to the folks responsible for this terrific program. Keep going as long as you can and never stop using your imagination. That's what keeps me watching.
Dragonslayer (1981)
Entertaining film but doesn't measure up to others of the same
I saw this film for the first time last night. Although it was entertaining, there were a few things I did not like. The main complaint is the musical score - where is John Williams when you need him ? The music didn't seem to be well "paced" with the story and annoyed rather than added to the atmosphere of the film. The choice of Peter MacNichol as the lead really lent an air of surreal to this movie since I have seen other projects of his and he does not have the leading man of adventure and fearlessness in his appearance (my opinion). The other actors were well cast and fit the characters they played. I was surprised at the rather grisly scene toward the end of the film but was at the same time grateful that it was included in deference to the PC world we live in today. You ask, what was entertaining then ? Well, the medieval setting, the wonderful sets and backgrounds, the locations where they filmed the movie, the dragon and the sorcerer - I could go on, but you should take a chance on this one. Forget it's MacNichol in the lead, try to tolerate the soundtrack and sit back for an enjoyable evening of fun.
The Peacemaker (1997)
Another unknown action movie delivers !!
I had been stumbling over this DVD in the bargain bins for a while and finally saw it for the right price and bought it based only on the story as described on the back of the DVD case. After watching this film, I must say that I am sorry I waited so long. This was a good movie !! The story centers around a US army colonel (played by Clooney) and an expert on nuclear weaponry (played by Kidman) as events team them together to find a missing nuclear warhead. This warhead may be in the hands of terrorists that are trying to bring it into the US. As action movies go, this film ranks right up there with some of the better action movies I have enjoyed recently like The Long Kiss Goodnight and Executive Action. All have similar entertaining stories that captivate you and make the time fly as you get absorbed by the action. Just like in the James Bond movies, bullets seem to bypass our main characters, coincidence is the norm and long action scenes find many in the story killed with the main characters seemingly unscathed. Nothing wrong with that. Forget about some improbabilities you may see and enjoy!! I did !
Aspen Extreme (1993)
Could have been better
The title caught my attention since I find films with skiing and mountain climbing some of my vicarious favorites. Also, how often do you see a movie whose main characters are from Michigan (where I grew up)? So the story began with my attention focused and expectations reasonably level - not too high not too low. After sitting through this mild adventure/buddy-buddy movie, I felt like, well -- like I just sat through a mild adventure/buddy-buddy movie.
It was an entertaining time killer but nothing to write home about. The pace was steady and the story was generally believable except for a few brief scenes that did not make any sense. SPOILER: what did the drug snorting scene with Peter Berg have to do with anything ? This came out of left field for me. The next scene that follows his extended time, wasting away in misery, snorting coke,following his friends departure, was a stretch. Teri Polo (ahhh - Teri, it really is the about the hair) comes over to his residence to shake him back to his senses . Here's a guy who was wasting away for several days and within minutes he's out jogging with Teri with little evidence of his self-trashing.
The skiing scenes are great (wish I could ski like that) and the scenery is spectacular - Rocky Mountain heaven.
I suppose if you've cleaned the lint out of your pockets and it's raining outside, you might want to take a gander at this one.