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Your Christmas or Mine? (2022)
A Bright Bit of Brit Christmas Wit!
I have to admit, I am addicted to Christmas movies - and I have watched the full spectrum from boring to best (Love, Actually; Last Christmas, etc.)
But this newcomer is several steps above the vast selection of Hallmark-ish Holiday fare.
Great cast, refreshing unpredictable twists in the storyline. And even though I sometimes avoid aspects of "Brit Wit", this had me smiling & laughing.
From Asa Butterfield to the grumpy father in Victoria, and some refreshing actors I had never seen before, they all add to the film.
Give it a try. It is so much more uplifting than Hallmark or Netflix. Let me know what you think.
A Sort of Homecoming (2015)
A promising cast, but a story which went nowhere.
I liked the original premise, and especially the younger cast. But the background of cold, un-caring debates never allowed the characters to sort out anything. You held your breath, but.
You hoped the story was going somewhere, but in the end, no...
The main couple ran away from each other. The main character seemed to have little joy in later life. And there were too many loose ends left unresolved & unanswered by the time the credits rolled.
If you want to see a film with a strong story about passionate debaters who actually cared about their arguments, check out "The Great Debaters" with Denzel & a very strong cast.
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Wandering around the Valley...
I was encouraged at the start by the main actors, who are talented though new to me. But then the wandering started. Throughout the whole movie.
I enjoyed the music & cultural backdrop of the '70's - it brought me back. But there was NO storyline, and too many of the characters would slip in & out of just being mean - like Alana. She is a good actress, but the character written & directed for her was pretty unlikeable.
Cooper/Gary was also a good actor as I mentioned, but the character went from being a clueless teenager to an unreal wheeler-dealer in the blink of an eye.
I had high hopes for this movie, but like its title, it was confusing at best, distracting & boring at worst. The music & culture were all that kept me going until then end.
And then, it was over...
Don't spend money on this movie, watch it for free -if you want to spend a couple hours revisiting the 70's San Fernando Valley.
No Time to Die (2021)
Sad ending to a great run.
There is much to enjoy about this James Bond flick. Lots of cool cars, gadgets & action.
But it felt like they were trying too hard, as everyone seemed to know this was Daniel Craig's last outing as JB. He has been the best Bond since Sean Connery. Maybe that's how they justified making a movie that could have been trimmed by about an hour.
Various unnecessary plot & character elements thrown in to apparently satisfy Hollywood's compulsion to promote agendas du-jour - were just distracting.
However, I really enjoyed the clear-cut love story with JB, finally taking it out of the gray. With a bit of a magical twist.
But, and this is the most blatant spoiler. The ending ruined the whole movie. Worst. Ending. Ever.
The Green Knight (2021)
Slow, confusing & pointless. Great cast.
I love the cast. But, they were wasted.
I waded through this painfully slow, confusing storyline hoping for something to entertain. But ending up with - no real point, no real resolution.
I am a fan of almost any Arthur or Merlin stories I can find, told from almost any viewpoint. This was a first. It is not one I can recommend from any angle.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
A Very Good Sci-Fi Flick - With the Chris Pratt Smile
I am a fan of well crafted Sci-Fi, and this is a good one. I really don't understand the bad reviews, unless they are the over-significant critic types that spend too much time thinking & not enough time watching.
Good story line, great cast, very good ending. And of course Chris Pratt will make you smile.
Its worth your time to watch it if you like this genre. Compared to a lot of the other overwrought, agenda driven trash Hollywood is trying to foist off on you.
Yesterday (2019)
Yesterday is a gem!
My wife & I both very much enjoyed this film. We loved the story line, the cast, the humor - and all wrapped up in the best of the Beatles. Pay no attention to the critics (or critic wannabe's) - they seem to have a compulsion to over-analyze. You will be entertained, you will smile - and it has the right ending. If you want something more significant, or deep or philosophic - go rent some dark film from Sweden or France. Think "Love, Actually" mixed with "About Time", with a dash of "Slumdog, Millionaire". If you liked those movies, you'll probably really have a good time with this one.
Mile 22 (2018)
A very intense, but enjoyable Mark Wahlberg action film.
Despite some of the over analytical or negative reviews that came before, this is a good film.
Some sharp twists that keep you guessing, with very current story lines & technology for 2018.
A very strong cast, with very strong characters. Yes, Mark W is in your face a lot, but that is the personality of the guy in the film. Kinda reminded me of his brother's character in Blue Bloods.
This kept me & my wife on the proverbial edge of our seats until the very end.
Was it an epic? Of course not - it's an action film.
My only complaint - which is why I didn't give it an 8 - was a somewhat unsatisfying ending. It left too many things hanging. So now I am waiting for Mile 44 - the sequel!
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Crazy Rich "Mean Girls"...
I was really looking forward to this movie, after recently reading a series of books on Asia. With all the hype I expected to laugh, while learning about a corner of the Asian culture I was unfamiliar with.
Great cast. That's it.
Not funny. Predictable screenplay - think "Mean Girls" set in Singapore. The only likable characters were the leads - and the comedic girlfriend, who was quite good. Lots of cringing - and yawning - throughout.
Despite all the promotion about being a great first, with an all Asian cast - the mean stereotypes portrayed seemed to do more damage to cultural images - than anything positive.
Fortunately, we rented it. I enjoyed the many beautiful scenes from Singapore. Learning something about that town & culture was worth the rental to me. But, still it was kind of like a travelogue, with cranky hosts.
A lot of people apparently liked the movie. But it wasn't my cup of tea...
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
Beautiful movie - with bad acting!
I loved the photography and special effects. Very reminiscent of Besson's Fifth Element, with modern flavors of Avatar.
If you love raw science fiction, you will find this entertaining.
But here's the bad news. The actors had no life. In particular, Cara Delevingne. She is just one more model that was mistakenly told she was an actress, so she goes through the movie posing. I have seen other movies with her and she shows no life, no spirit in any of those either.
She also has NO CHEMISTRY with Dane DeHaan. His acting shows no great chops, but at least he seems to have some attraction for his co-star.
The story-line is not really much of a line. More like a broken trail of mini-stories stitched together from a series of comic books. Some parts show promise, but many were just hard to follow.
Many people will be bored by this slow, overly long, pet project Luc Besson built to worship his boyhood comic heroes.
I liked it. My wife was falling asleep. It's no Blade Runner, but as I said, if you are Sci-Fi fan, you might find the beauty of the special effects and images entertaining.
Happy Endings (2005)
No happy endings here, folks...
**Warning** Semi-Spoiler Alert
Well folks, I had my hopes up for this movie. Due to the cast and some of the reviews. But...
The story line was too convoluted. The characters were not very likable. And ultimately, the "endings" were not happy at all.
I go out of my way to look for under-appreciated or even quirky movies because I enjoy a broad spectrum of genre's. I was expecting something different but entertaining.
Unfortunately, although the film was different, it was also difficult to get myself to stay through to the finish.
The biggest problem was, from my observation, the director had a "message" he was trying too hard to push on the public. He went out of his way to make some of the characters dysfunctional and downright mean, in an effort to make his point.
Ultimately, not only was the message false, but it made for poor film making.
Rogue One (2016)
Rogue One is a Win...except...
I really enjoyed this movie, for the most part. The characters were likable and funny, with a great cast. I have seen all the Star Wars movies, many several times. This one is up there with some of the best. Although it obviously draws from some of the story lines and characters of previous SW films, the story line is fresh.
Except...(Spoiler Alert, an indefinite spoiler).
My "except", which is why I only rated it as a 7, is the ending. I hated it. It gutted the film for me.
There, I said it. I won't tell you more than that.
A Hologram for the King (2016)
Humor and culture with a very fine ending!
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It does move slow at times. But that is forgotten as you are taken in by the cast and culture. Tom Hanks of course adds his strength to the film, but Alexander Black as Yousef added humor to a story that might otherwise have been too dark. Sarita Choudhury, a talent that has been around for years since she played opposite a very young Denzel Washington in Mississippi Masala, played a wonderful character as a smart, beautiful Saudi doctor in a very challenging culture. The background of Saudi Arabia adds the spice that brings it together. I had just visited Oman a few months ago and this movie brought me back to the warmth of people I had worked with in Muscat. If you like unique movies, with great actors and a story that enlightens, take the time to watch. After all that, it has a very fine ending.
Paper Towns (2015)
Good Story...except
I liked the story overall, it kept me interested. It might be criticized as too typical for a "coming of age film", but the various twists kept me entertained. I enjoyed the entire cast...except Cara Delevigne. She seemed to spend a lot of more time posing than acting. I really think she needs to go back to modeling - Cara just doesn't show much emotion here, almost like she was drugged.
As I said, the rest of the actors are pretty strong and they keep the story moving along. I think most people will enjoy this film if they can get past the Cara/Margo character. I expect you will see many of these actors in future films, because they took what could have been a thin movie and made it much stronger and more enjoyable.