thorsun42 Reviews

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

The Return of Jar Jar Abrams

[4/10 · 23 December 2019]

Who thought it was a good idea to let Abrams produce another Star Wars film? I was hoping he had lost that privilege after the horrible Force Awakens where he took everything that happened in 4,5 and 6 and just repackaged it. Did they think he was going to not repeat that behavior? Well, guess what... he did it again. This time he focused on just repeating Episode 6 again.

Lots of dead storm troopers who can't shoot worth a darn? Check! Seriously, why do they even bother wearing those storm trooper suits. No armor whatsoever.

Another Death Star? Check! Well, this time it's a whole fleet of Death Stars!

Demonstration of the power by destroying a planet that we really don't care about? Check!

Single point of failure to take everything down? Check!

Emperor Palpatine telling the main character that their choice is either join the Dark Side or die while a big space battle happens overhead? Check!

Lightning shooting out of Palpatine's fingertips up until the moment he is defeated? Check!

Ewoks celebrating while stuff explodes in the sky? Check!

Ridiculous. I'm giving this 4 stars only for the rare moments that were actually good or funny.

Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)

What a wonderful world... not

[4/10 · 23 December 2019]

Yeah, this movie is supposed to be inspirational. You can lose weight. You can run a marathon. What you can't do is truly change who you are in your core and despite her accomplishments, Brittany winds up showing just how mean and selfish she is. She is a classic narcissistic taker, who sucks the energy and good will out of other people. Towards the end of the film she has a moment of clarity into just how poorly she treats others and actually acts like she gives a crap about other people, but that brief moment doesn't make up for the rest of her life. The last scene of the film gives a super quick glimpse of how reality sets back in and she goes back to being her true self just before the credits roll. All this movie did was make me hate this fictional character and it made me wish she had actually failed to finish the marathon, because karma is a b****, just like Brittany.

The Outside (2009)

What's with the bad ratings?

[8/10 · 16 August 2011]

This is a really good movie. Granted if you're looking for lots of surfing action you'll be disappointed, which is what I suspect a lot of the people who rated it poorly were expecting.

This has got good camera work, some pretty impressive acting from the young cast, and you can never go wrong with the ever beautiful Nia Peeples. The story has a great message that people should heed about agents that promise fame and fortune. Success should never just be measured by how much money you make. It should also be measured by the type of people you keep around you as you make the money. It's too easy to give in to the almighty dollar sign and turn your back on the people that mean the most to you.

I have great respect for everyone involved in the making of this. It's a great looking film that makes you laugh and actually care for the characters.

Zombie Diaries (2006)

Promising

[8/10 · 19 September 2007]

Considering the budget that the film makers had for this, I think it was a definite success. I love zombie movies and I feel that lately the Hollywood films are more about how much blood they can get away with showing rather than telling a captivating story.

This was a unique approach as far as zombie movies are concerned and I didn't mind the shaky camera work because it was part of the whole point of the film - three stories as seen from the perspective of those experiencing it. I am also a sucker for a film that has a clever way of tying things together such as this film did.

I would really like to see what these guys can do with a larger budget and access to the more professional actors.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Finally a HP film that does the book justice

[8/10 · 18 November 2005]

First the bad points. There were many scenes that seemed so rushed in its script and on screen delivery that you can easily imagine someone standing just off screen with a stopwatch saying, "Come on! Quicker! We need this scene to be 10 seconds shorter." Yep, that was it for the bad points!

NOW for the good points. Considering that the screenwriter and director had to deal with condensing such a huge book into a movie that wasn't agonizingly long, it was marvelously achieved. I applaud the cutting of cutsie elements from the book such as the elves, S.P.E.W. and a lengthy Quiddich World Cup. They just weren't necessary to keep the film moving - and keep moving it did. This 2 hour and 45 minute experience (including all the advertisements) went by so fast that I almost felt sad that it was over. The actors have certainly churned out their best performances and for the first time Daniel Radcliffe showed a true connection with his character. The others were just as comfortable in their roles and captured the troubles with teen hormones brilliantly.

I can't say enough praises for Brendan Gleeson's performance as Mad Eye Moody. He could be burst-out-laughing funny and then turn the mood immediately chillingly cold. Fantastic casting all around.

The action scenes were some of the best choreographed that I've seen in a long time. The dragon felt very real and you completely forget it is computer animated.

Well, that's enough from me. This movie is well worth the money to go see and I am happily going to spend the money to see it again.

War of the Worlds (2005)

A brilliantly made film

[8/10 · 4 July 2005]

No, this won't go down in my books as Spielberg's greatest movie. He has a couple of films from my childhood that are in close competition for that slot. However, this is solid entertainment and one of the better movies I've seen in a while. I truly can't remember the last time I sat so rigidly in my seat with an awestruck sensation. The action came precisely when needed - just when your senses are starting to calm down and the flow hints at dragging.

I sat here for about an hour this morning reading the reviews. As I read them, I began to get a very good idea of what to expect from the film. It was clear that most of the people that wrote a negative review got hung up on the little details that seem to detract from the plot upon first thought. For instance - how did the one camcorder work when everything else was dead and how did the van start when all the other cars wouldn't. A question probably asked a lot is, "How could a veteran filmmaker such as Steven Spielberg miss such a blatant plot hole?" Well, the answer is probably this - HE DIDN'T MISS IT! In order to accept such a thing happening, you have to understand how electro-magnetic pulses function. The pulse fries any electric circuitry that is close enough to the area to be affected and is NOT SHIELDED. It is feasible that the camcorder in question was in a carrying case that protects from electro-magnetic interference. They do exist. For the van, what the harsh reviewers failed to mention is that the van is at a car repair shop and the damaged part had been replaced. There are no lingering effects of an electro-magnetic pulse. Once a damaged part has been replaced, the product should work again. The other camera that was seen being used was a wind-up camera (not digital) with no electronic circuitry.

OK, moving on. Dakota Fanning's character doesn't scream that much and the only part that she does that might be construed as annoying is when she has the panic attack in the back seat of the van. People, she is an 11 year old girl. My 7 year old daughter is a lot more annoying with her outbursts than Dakota Fanning was with hers. It wasn't that bad and I'd like to see how you would react in similar circumstances.

The ending of the film wasn't really that abrupt either. They do have a nice little final confrontation between one of the affected tripods and the Army soldiers firing Avenger missiles at it. By the way, the soldier that checks on the dying alien that pokes out of the downed tripod is a co-worker of mine here at Fort Irwin. I have to mention the military role in this as well. I really appreciated the fact that Mr. Spielberg showed the soldiers as they truly are - men and women who are just as scared as everyone else, but have a mission to perform. There is one part that I felt was unbelievable and that was at the ferry scene. There is no way that a single line of soldiers was going to keep a terrorized crowd from stampeding them to get aboard that ferry. They would have been knocked senseless and trampled.

The people that did not enjoy this film most likely were expecting a film where everything is laid out before them in explicit detail. That doesn't happen here and I personally think that is what made this such a unique film. This is nothing more than a trip down terror lane with a side helping of spectacular ILM handy-work.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Does not disappoint

[9/10 · 29 April 2005]

To all the faithful Douglas Adams fans out there - this is a MUST SEE! I absolutely loved this movie and can't wait to see it again. The "So Long and Thanks For All the Fish" opening musical number is very catchy. I loved the special effects and I loved the changes in the story that were made. It added freshness to the story and flowed right back into the familiar storyline. There is also a cameo appearance from the original Marvin robot :) The movie does have some parts that are a little quirky, but I wasn't expecting perfection. Overall, it was a fantastically fun experience and I really really hope they make the Restaurant at the End of the Universe!