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The Murdaugh Murders (2023)
Wobbly on the facts
This movie takes the story from an interesting perspective, but they play around with the facts. One example is that they present that the fictional reporter had access to various cell phone information and presented it to Alex on her own. If I understand it correctly from the trial, the info that she presents should have come through legal hands and not the internet as she said. The video that Paul took at the kennels is one example. That video never made it out of Paul's phone, until it was discovered by police computer forensic experts a year after the murders.
Just don't take this as factual. If you want the deep and dirty facts from a true journalist who was on Alex's trail before the murders, listen to "The Murdaugh Murders Podcast". That research is in depth and very well validated.
Despicable Me (2010)
Saw the 2D, seeing the 3D ASAP
Saw this today with my 15yo nephew and 11yo niece. We all loved it! It joins my list of top animated movies (in order):
Shrek (original) - Monsters, Inc. - Despicable Me - Toy Story (original) (I haven't seen TS3 yet)
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#1- The "hidden" jokes throughout the movie - Little references woven in and around the main dialog that kept me giggling and thoroughly involved in the entire movie.
#2 - The sweetness of the plot and the relationships involved. The relationships/attachments were developed well in a short time frame so that the movie plot could progress at a rate that didn't lose my attention.
#3 - Follow through on the jokes. Some jokes are referenced again later in the movie and not just dropped - So they were funny the first time, and heart warming the second time.
#4 - The minions were "scripted" well (they speak their own language), but their roles were a hoot!
#5 - Steve Carell's acting. EXCELLENT! Unexpected and endearing!
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That I didn't see it in 3D the first time. :o) Seriously, I have to think REALLY hard to come up with any. However, If I HAD to pick something I'd say:
#1 - The selection of the moon as the item to steal seemed odd to me.
#2 - Another thing that I think could have been set up a little better before it plays out, is the plot line involving the cookie robots and their orders (or programming) in that scheme. A little bit more suspense could have built if the audience had known that there was a time limit that Gru and minions were working on.
Again, the CONS are so minor, they were not distracting - the movie carried my attention past my questions (for me, that can be tough for a movie to do when even small plot "issues" jump out at me).
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Just go and enjoy it! I'll be buying it when it comes out on DVD!
The Box (2009)
UGH! Weak! Don't bother even renting.....
Interesting visuals at times. Interesting concept - but just a big disappointment in the end. I spent the majority of the movie 1)looking at Mr. Steward's facial deformity and wondering how they did it - was it CG or what? - and 2)listening to Cameron Diaz's southern accent to see how well she was pulling that off (as a true southerner, I find most "fake" southern accents are very weak, but she did better than I expected).
Just a quick observation on the special effects of the face of Mr. Steward: How was saliva not leaking out of this face? I DID appreciate the details of showing his teeth in the side, though.
Also, is this what is considered a "good" screen play for Cameron Diaz these days?
That's pretty much what I came away with from the movie.
Good Luck Chuck (2007)
Maybe 30% to 35% "GOOD" content
When I saw this movie, I gave it a 3 to 4 rating in my mind. However, I was just discussing it with a friend who went with me and my rating of it is dropping, so I thought I better go ahead and comment on it before it gets to ZERO. The "R" rating was too generous. The only thing that keeps it from being X rated is that no actual genitals are shown (although the beach scene gets close).
*** 30% to 35% GOOD PARTS: It had funny parts (Cam's clumsiness, especially) and touching parts (how Charlie was with Cam). As the relationship between Charlie and Cam progressed, she got less clumsy, so the "good" diminished significantly as the movie went along. The penguins were cute and I liked Cam's brother's scenes.
*** 65% to 70% BAD PARTS: It reached critical burn out for me about half way through with the same physical type jokes (sexual).
OFFENSIVE MATERIAL - PARTIAL LIST IN ORDER FROM MOST TO LEAST OFFENSIVE:
STU CHARACTER: I realized that I was bored with him about half way through the movie, and grew to detest him about 15 minutes after that. He was highly shallow and crude. Very sexist and hypocritical. He was an awful friend, and did not render endearment as I think the writers intended. Not that it matters, but I can't really see him having many clients in real life with his crude perspective and total lack of respect for women and the female body.
FAT JOKES: Hate 'em. I do not find it humorous to use people's physical weaknesses to garner laughs. Not a big fan of short, tall or handicapped person jokes, either (no short, tall, or handicapped jokes in this movie that I recall).
CASUAL SEX: This movie went way beyond casual sex and presented it as a community service..... yeah. I think had Charlie been getting paid for it, it would have made a little more sense with the plot and theme of the movie. I guess since he WASN'T getting paid for it, it was supposed to make him seem compassionate and caring.... Sorry, but that was just too much of a moral conflict for me.
BREASTS: I'd be interested to know how many breasts were on the screen per minute. STU's office "art" got incredibly tiring. I guess they ran out of prop money to spend on sets because they just spent so much time in his office with his "art" and visual aids - or whatever that was supposed to be.
**************** IN SUMMARY: *************** I guess if you like the things I list as offensive, then this movie may be worth the price and trip for you, and you may find it hysterical. I just wish I hadn't seen most of it at this point. I'm still trying to get most of the images out of my mind. I think had it been the 30% to 35% "GOOD" material in about half the time frame, I'd have liked it (maybe a 5 or 6 rating. Not too high because even the good stuff was mostly predictable). I like Jessica Alba and I like Dane Cook and they did what they could with the roles. It may be a while before I'm able to eat another grapefruit without flashbacks - used like the APPLE PIE was in American Pie (which I didn't want to see, either).
300 (2006)
Testosterone Sandwich
You take 15 minutes of plot (bread)at the beginning, you spread 2 sets of mammary on them and one sex act. Pile on 1.5 hours of men fighting in their underwear and capes, with blood, body parts, etc. Top it with 15 more sets of mammary, and 10 more minutes of plot(bread)at the end, and you have a testosterone sandwich. EAT UP!
OK. There were good things about it. The filming, the acting. I'd have been thrilled to watch the first 15 minutes and leave. It was the only good part about the plot. Historically, it had some interesting stuff, but I'd rather have read it in an encyclopedia.
I was very stressed out when I left the theater.
The Nativity Story (2006)
Wonderful Movie! SEE IT!
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and have thought back on it over and over for the last 2 days since I saw it. It brought some realism to what the lives of Mary and Joseph may have been like, not to mention the other people - how the situation they found themselves in may have fleshed out in reality.
It's given more depth to my concept of Christ's birth, and has added to my joy this Christmas.
Sure, there were some time frames that were sort of shoved in to make it more dramatic and also fit it all into a reasonable movie time frame, and there was artistic liberties taken to give some dialog that is obviously not present in scripture, but it was a touching movie and one that I'm grateful to have seen. I can't wait to buy it on DVD.
NOTE TO PARENTS OF CHILDREN/YOUNG TEENS: The two birth scenes were short, and somewhat vague. The newborn babies were a little bit slimy/bloody. If your children don't know where babies come from, you might want to be ready with an explanation. The women do present some level of pain involved in the deliveries, and you can tell that the babies come from under their skirts. The births are not overly graphic and seem to last less than 2 minutes each, but I didn't specifically time them.
Happy Feet (2006)
Two movies shoved together
I don't like to be tricked. Had the movie trailer given some implication that it was going to be a political platform about tree-hugging themes, then I could have made the decision to attend it on my own based on truth, but as it is, I feel deceived and resent that. Of course, had honesty come into play, then the box office sales wouldn't have been as high. Seems like an underhanded maneuver that the "evil" humans that are portrayed in the movie may have demonstrated in accomplishing THEIR own agendas as well...........
I give the first half of the movie a 5. I found the animation, music and plot to be fun and enjoyable. I give the second half of the movie a 0. The animation went completely away in some scenes, the good music disappeared and the plot completely changed to a different theme and focus altogether. Overall, that averages out to a 2.5 (rounded down to 2) for the entire movie. With the disappointment that accompanies the old "bait and switch" tactic (when the movie changes completely), I'd like to have given the movie a flat 0, but I'm trying to be fair about the good half of the movie.
Neither I nor my 12 year old nephew were impressed by the movie overall - our disappointment lying in the deceitful presentation of the movie in trailers....
Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006)
Sure it was rude and offensive, but it was VERY FUNNY!!!
OK, I know we should have abandoned bathroom humor in 9th grade, but crude and offensive comments about bodily functions still get a good laugh! Especially when those comments are made with Larry's colorful and creative phrasing. If you want a break from adulthood, go with pals you can laugh with and not feel you have to maintain a certain image. The audience was laughing loudly and holding their stomachs at the crude comments. I've even been sharing some quotes with other friends and family who appreciate tacky sayings! There is at least one of them that I couldn't share because I kept laughing while trying to repeat it and they couldn't understand me.
Go and have a ball! If you take kids or your more uptight friends/family, you'll hate it, so plan carefully. :o)
V for Vendetta (2005)
TOTAL waste of time! Don't bother going!!!!!
It takes an "awful" lot for me to be unable to find SOME redeeming quality in a movie. The only one that comes close is how Natalie Portman's hair looked before they took THAT away, too!
The actors in this movie must really be getting some shoddy screen plays to read if this was one they considered good enough to accept a role. What an injustice to their careers. I hope they got paid well.
Oh, a couple of other "positives" but certainly not "redeeming qualities": Natalie Portman's accent And congratulations to her for figuring out how to kiss a Halloween mask without laughing on screen. Wonder how many takes that took.
Madea's Family Reunion (2006)
Funny with some VERY good messages!!!
Great points: Acting - Humor - Address sensitive issues well - Celibacy presented in a positive light - Encouraged positive male role models in society - Condemned abuse - Condemned child abuse - Supported that loving discipline and encouragement works for children - Condemned gambling, skimpy clothes, crude dancing - Encouraged loving and supporting each other - Pointed to God as loving and in control - GREAT wedding VOWS!!!!
Not so good points: The ogling of the young girl, who was a relative - Didn't really discourage living together before marriage - Also, some of the language
Overall, a movie with very good points!!! I enjoyed the humor and acting and would recommend it!
I think it was better than the first one!
Hoodwinked! (2005)
Some good points, but didn't equal a great movie all combined
The concept, animation and cast really showed a lot of potential for this to be an awesome movie, but the great aspects didn't come together well enough for this to have been the great movie it could have been.
RENT IT on DVD for the songs, Twitchy, Japeth and Granny. I don't see buying for my personal collection. My nephew and niece said they're not interested in owning the DVD, either.
DETAILED REVIEW COMMENTS: Good points: - Great animation - Cool concept to do the movie as a crime investigation. - I really liked how the more accurate picture of the crime emerges once all characters tell their sides. - Funny jokes for adults and older kids - Funny and memorable songs - Great cast and voicing - AWESOME: Twitchy - INCREDIBLE: Japeth the Goat - One super chick: Granny
Bad points: - Overall character development was weak (I didn't feel invested in most of the characters). - The motive for the crime should have been played up much more. - Jokes were too sophisticated for kids. My nephew (11 yrs old) went and he didn't catch all of them, but a good number. - My niece (6 yrs old) was scared toward the end (she also didn't get many of the jokes at all). - While I really enjoyed the CONCEPT of the story line, it didn't flow well and seemed choppy. - The songs were GREAT, but seemed like they were just shoved in (They seemed out of place for this type of plot). - Animation and story line didn't feel like they "worked together" (each was good on it's own, but I was conflicted by watching animation with a more mature and detailed story line. I couldn't get over feeling the that plot shouldn't have been animated).