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Reviews
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (2001)
A favorite novel comes to life.. Well done.
For those who never read the book, this movie is enjoyable and thought-provoking on a human and environmental level. Even though there are "love stories" involved, there is also murder and a leopard hunt. I was very pleased with this version of Luis Supulveda's thoughtful, beautifully written story. Richard Dreyfuss really brought his character's personality to life. The Mayor was just as awful as expected, and enough of the story was brought forward to make it cohesive while maintaining poignancy and point. Thoroughly enjoyable.
The scenes are gritty, beautiful. It has humor in the right places. You may feel horror, sadness, and contentment.
Christmas in the Wild (2019)
Heartwarming--Makes you want to change your life
Not going to win any awards but I enjoyed it. The elephants, the pleasant characters, the meaningful undercurrent. A good Sat afternoon movie.
6 Underground (2019)
It's Like Finally Seeing A Matthew Reilly Book on Screen
Fast, reactive, and fun. There were alot of innocent people getting killed along the way in car chase scenes--that was a little overboard and wrong and made you question being on the side of this team. But once you got past that, the fun and energy kept you on their side. It was a great diversion movie.
Luchshe, chem lyudi (2018)
Binge it. Great show: Dramatic, Scientific, Cool Tech, & Storytelling
Really enjoyed the tech in this show. It's about bots, like the show "humans" so reminiscent but very different. Technology ceo is out of control, the government is involved, the police are corrupt, and the innocent get caught up in the middle. Lots of conflict. The tech is clean and cool--we should be using it already but for some reason are still waiting for it. My recommendation is to watch it in the original russian with english subtitles rather than dubbed english. Otherwise you miss some of the great acting--you can hear the emotion better in the russian language even if you can't understand it. Note: I think some of the bad reviews are based on the dubbed versions. The acting was actually very good--not lame as others have said. I dumped the dubbed version on the 2nd episode as it got worse. Maybe people don't realize that Netflix is defaulting to English dubbed versions (which in my opinion is a mistake).
Black Mirror: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too (2019)
Miley's Story
This wasn't your typical ooh ahh black mirror but it was so much fun and made me laugh because the character was basically showing Miley's story (exaggerated I hope). I bet she had a great time making this!!! Remember the story with the girl who had to rate everyone to get credit, and jobs, and apartment approval? This was fun in the same way. Light and bright.
Okja (2017)
Tears at your heart and societal norms
What happens when you discover your pet was actually bred for the slaughterhouse? Tears of frustration, fear, and a single-minded mission to save her. It's pretty tough to watch some parts of this show, and yet what's depicted is normal everyday produce production. I wanted to shut it off on more than one occasion but instead kept watching. You root for the pig at every turn but are just as certain she won't make it. The little girl is brave and determined to change fate. The conflict is nonstop. The story is excellent. The filming is wonderful. The emotions go from from serene to gut-wrenching. In the end the movie makes an important point about meat production, greed, and commercial interests. It also makes a point about love for fellow creatures and will probably turn a few more people into vegetarians. Luckily I am already there.
American Wrestler: The Wizard (2016)
Exceptional Film
Wonderful root-for-the-underdog movie. George Kosturos' portrayal of Ali was superior--the entire cast exceptional. The movie is about a newly-arrived teenage immigrant who becomes the brunt of prejudice in the time of the Iranian hostage crisis. It is a touching and inspirational sports story showing that tenacity and strength of character win out over adversity. I cried more than once and left the theater feeling inspired. Good for kids and adults.
Revolution (2012)
Love this Show--Great Acting, Lots of emotion
I've only just discovered this show and am really enjoying it. It's not just about the world after the lights go out. It has tremendous political intrigue, and a hefty dose of gritty "do what you gotta do to live" scenes. There's also a nice nanobot sci fi angle that makes it so much more than a "walk around shooting zombies/aliens to survive" show like Walking Dead and Falling Skies.
David Lyons plays his character, Bass, with incredible depth. He's a tortured killer/villain/hero and best friend to Miles, the main male character. Lyons plays guilt and anguish with real feeling--and then quickly pulls himself out of it to order the death of the person in front of him--or for that matter, to kill everyone around him with a wicked two-handed knife move. Hard to love him and yet he makes you do it. Great character development throughout the show. It really is a top-notch Sci Fi, Action Adventure series.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Not The Hobbit
Such a disappointment. Only 10% of the movie was The Hobbit. Every scene changed. Every character-building moment of Bilbo changed. Missing all of the charm and humor of the book. I rated it higher than I should because if you never read the book it's not a bad movie. If you wanted to add the extra Necromancer story, fine. But why not preserve the original story of The Hobbit? Anyone who loved the book will find this a real let down. Good points -- the fight with Gandalf and the Necromancer and the dragon scenes (however inaccurate). Better than the first installment. The movie was a little dull in places--forced foreshadowing in the dialogue took away some of the mystery. Overall: if you loved the book you probably should wait for the DVD. If you never read the book, this is a fun adventure story that should have been given a different name.