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Reviews
BrainDead (2016)
Best summer show in a long time
First of all, I waffled over giving it a 10 or something lower because I really hate bugs! I love this show. I love all the casting on this show. I love the humans and the bug-infested humans. They have humor, passion, and wonderful character flaws! The best part of each episode is the musical recap of what happened previously. Quirky and memorable. I realize that CBS is not fully invested in this, basing my opinion on its Sunday night at 10 PM slot. This show is a great mix of information and comedy and imagination. I haven't enjoyed any broadcast TV show about politics since "The West Wing" left the airwaves. Watch it. Binge watch all the episodes (don't skip the recap though). You will love it. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is great. Tony Shalhoub is sublime. It needs to go on!
Burnt (2015)
Good Matinée
Since I think Bradley Cooper is a good actor and not too hard on the eyes, I decided to go see this for a $6 matinée. It did not disappoint as a distraction. I have read the other reviews that say no real character development and superfluous characters. Maybe. The world of high end cooking is so interesting. Watching them make fabulous meals inspired me to come home and cook something new for dinner. Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is a flawed man. Everyone in this film was pretty flawed. I liked the whole cast, and forgot Sienna Miller was in American Sniper with BC until I read it on IMDb tonight. I liked the European and US settings. Not Oscar material but good enough. No blood, no guts, some cursing, lots of ego. If you like Bradley, go see it.
Calvary (2014)
Wow
I walked out of the theater with mixed emotions. At first I hated this movie. Very dark and twisty. All the people in it were wackos. It wasn't a typical Hollywood movie. Then my friends and I talked about it. I have been thinking about it for hours now. First of all, this was reminiscent of Joyce's "The Dead" or the movie "The Field" back in the day. Irish literature, and films, are known for their darkness. The Irish are a maudlin people. They find great joy, but have been through great suffering. Fr. James, we learn, was a late vocation. This indicates, to me at least, that it is truly his calling. He works with the most needy in his parish/town...the wackos. I read comments about poor character development, but his was the only character we needed to see. This film is about him, his choices, and being true to himself and his vocation. Brendan Gleeson did a wonderful job portraying Fr. James. In the end, he got through to the one person he had failed...his daughter. I loved this movie. The message of forgiveness is powerful.
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
About One Hour TOO Long
I gave this a 5 because I like Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci. I went to see this because I have seen the other films and this was the only film starting at the time I got to the theater. It ran FAR too long. Just when I thought it was ending...there was an hour more to go! There were too many different plots going on to really follow. Michael Bay should have spent that extra hour explaining more. This was disappointing. Without Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci, I would have left half way through. Save your money. Rent this instead of seeing it in the movies. I wish I had read some reviews before I wasted my money. Oh well. Not the worst movie I've seen this year.
Her (2013)
What a bad movie
I heard such good things about this and saw all the good ratings from critics and viewers. I love sci fi. I love romance. I did not love this sci fi romance. Here is a guy who learns to open up again after a painful divorce. Awesome! We don't know nor can we judge what will help one person move forward in their life. This movie unfolded nicely with him slowly coming out of his shell and rejoining the living. Someday, we will probably have something similar to this. Smart technology will do amazing things. I can't believe this is Academy Award worthy. There were a few other movies out this year that were better and not nominated.
Spoilers coming! * * * * * *
I enjoyed this up until the part when everyone was OK with him calling his OS his "girlfriend" and going on a double date. This ruined the movie for me. And what was the wacko date with Olivia Wilde? It got awkward really quickly. Which was funny and painful to watch. I loved the ex-wife's reaction to him dating his OS. I can relate.
Iron Man Three (2013)
Loved this from start to finish (mostly)
Go see it. Don't listen to the comic book fanatics who rant and rave because it doesn't follow the comic books. I am an IM movie fanatic and this movie is worth the price of admission.
I have had high expectations of this movie going into it, and I was not disappointed. I have read many of the negative reviews and I want to offset them. I am not a comic book fan and I don't know anything about them. I am an Iron Man/Tony Stark fan because of Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal, the witty writing, and the action. I can even stomach Gwyneth Paltrow for a couple of hours in this movie franchise. I admit, the ending wasn't what I expected, but it was appropriate. It will give viewers that Hollywood version of life.
Spoiler!!!!!!!!!! Read on with mild spoilers.
In real life, if your house blows up and slides into the sea...you don't come back from it. If you are a comic book/movie billionaire, you do. The "Easter Egg" at the end was funny, but no SLJ or teaser for another movie. I was really rooting for Pepper to die, since I hat GP. Oh well. Maybe next time. I admit the comic book fanatics, having read their tirades, know more and care more about sticking to the comic book series, but this movie was awesome and seemed to me to have evolved the story line from adolescence to adulthood. Tony Stark needed to grow up and he did so admirably while retaining that Peter Pan quality we all love. Bottom line: go see it and enjoy it for what it is.
Blackthorn (2011)
What a waste
I give it a 3 for the three good actors in this film. What a waste of Sam Shephard's talent. He doesn't do too many movies and must have signed on to this as a favor to someone. Stephen Rea was also wasted in this film. Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau is another talented actor who didn't get enough screen time. This film jumped back and forth in time leaving the viewer with a disjointed feeling. I am so disappointed with the script for this. What was that person thinking who wrote this drivel? Even in fast forward this movie dragged on and on and on. Also wasted in this film...the beautiful setting in, I believe, Bolivia. Don't waste your time or money on a pathetic attempt at cinema.
Alex Cross (2012)
It's an OK movie, but not Alex Cross from any of the books.
I read several reviews of this movie before I went and I was expecting the worst movie ever, but for the first show price of $6, I figured I try it anyway. Overall, it wasn't as bad as people said. When I heard this movie was being made with Tyler Perry, I was so excited. Alex Cross is one of my favorite characters of all time.I had seen the other movies with Morgan Freeman, which I loved, but Morgan Freeman was too old and physically not the Alex Cross of the books. I love James Patterson's flair for bringing to life such a strong, likable, noble character. The Alex Cross of this movie was not that man. Tyler Perry's Alex was strong and likable and mostly noble, but he was not the literary character I love. Tyler Perry definitely had the feel for him, but the writing of this screenplay was terrible. I understand that by moving the setting from DC to Detroit, film makers gave a much needed boost to the depressed economy in Detroit. I applaud that. However, one of the key elements in Alex Cross's character is his devotion to the neighborhood he grew up in and its people. John Sampson is his best friend, and a black man. Adding Edward Burns' character made this more appealing to white viewers, I guess. Another change seems to be that Nana Mama is now Alex's mother, not grandmother and Janelle (daughter) is older than Damon (son). There were one or two other nods to the various novels, but different. Stupid little changes that Hollywood made, but it looks like James Patterson signed off on, if the JP Enterprises that produced this film is his company. I am glad I saw this movie. It was certainly better than other action movies in the last few years, but it was disappointing. I assume they'll make another one. I'll see that too probably since I am a fan of both Tyler Perry and Edward Burns. The best part of this movie, acting-wise, was Matthew Fox. He was so out of character as the psycho killer and almost hard to look at with his physical changes (weight loss, hair cut). He was downright creepy and his unique ways of carrying out his plans kept my interest. Go see it. Worth at a matinée price.
The Expendables (2010)
Not worth $10.50
Between the mumbling, ridiculously gross graphic violence, and the awful acting, this movie is not worth the price of admission. The characters were not well fleshed-out. We learned nothing about who they were, how they became a team, or anything. Jet Li started to share at one point, but that never amounted to anything. The only character we saw with any sort of a life was Jason Stratham, and even that was minimal, or depressing. The dialog was lame. Why does no one thinks that the audience would be grossed out by Mickey Rourke's drooling? I couldn't even watch his "touching" scene where he explains why he is a tattoo artist now and not out killing people too. It started out OK, although a little gross. This movie is proof that Sylvester Stallone is beyond his prime. He is as hard to understand as he is to look at. Maybe a rental at best.