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spaldjaaex
Reviews
Britain's Royals: The House of Windsor (2019)
they should pay you to watch this bomb
What a worthless piece of trash. It uses the same old, unrestored pictures and movie clips over and over, and most of the time they are unrelated to the narration. The show jumps all over the place from history to government back to history and over to pictures (without captions) back to government, etc. Etc, I hoped I could learn something new, something interesting, such disappointment. The narrator is a monotone sounding like he's reading from a computer repair manual, Overall it feels like the company that made this video was forced into it, No context, no continuity, very little color. And how many times do we need to see a picture of Princess Diana dancing with John Travolta? And why?
Murder Mystery 2 (2023)
Great Chemistry
Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston would not seem to be a natural fit for a natural couple. But somehow they pull it off. They just seem so right together. It's just natural to imagine them as a middle aged married couple.
While it follows the same format as Murder Mystery 1, it has enough twists and turns to make it an excellent comedy in its own right and not just a bad sequel also many are. A person could watch and enjoy this movie without ever having seen the original.
The film is fast. Paced and the movie was over far too quickly. In addition to Sandler and Aniston, the supporting cast was excellent, with many of them returning from the first film.
Let's hope there is a Murder Mystery 3 coming somewhere down the road.
Romeo & Juliet (2013)
Watch the 1968 version instead
I tried to watch this film with an open mind but unfortunately I'm old enough to have seen the 1968 version when it first came out. There simply is no comparison. The characters go thru this film just reciting their lines as if they don't understand what they're saying nor do they care. The scenery, both indoor and outdoor, while beautiful, seems too "clean" and "modern" to represent a time when everything was lit by candles and torches. And a really good film will have background music that is barely noticeable but which actually sets the mood and adds to each scene. Here the music fights with the film to get the most attention. One good attribute is Hailee Steinfeld's role as Juliet. The director must have held Olivia Hussey look-alike auditions for this part. It's just a shame that they didn't hire an acting coach to work with her.
It's a dead giveaway that Amazon Prime offers this version for free but still charges for the 1968 edition.
Velma (2023)
A Great Parody of Scooby Doo, and others
It's kind of an R rated version of Scooby Doo. So far without Scooby or Shaggy (they maybe will appear in future episodes?). It appears that the low ratings may be due to people expecting a sequel to Scooby of some sort. It Definitely is NOT. It pokes fun at all of the teenage crime/mystery shows - animated and live. We get to meet the parents of Velma, Fred and Daphne. They add to the whole mix.
I think if people approach this show with an open mind and no preconceived notions they might really enjoy it. Reminds me of the difference between the 90's version of "Sabrina" and the 2016 -2020 version of "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" , or the "Archie" comic books and "Riverside". Each is very good but in its own way and not to be compared to the other.
Bullet Train (2022)
Amazing in its Boredom
The Producer and Director of this film managed to do the impossible; Take and exciting action-adventure premise and turn it into one of the most boring films of the season. Watching it made me realize why it went to Netflix so fast. It's storyline was almost incoherent and the character development was worthless. It could have been a much more thrilling flick if they had done it aboard an Amtrak train. At least then we could have had the added excitement of being stopped for a slow moving Freight train and maybe some road construction. My big question is why was there never a bartender in the club car? Seems like they were losing a lot of money with that move. But alas, maybe that will answer be revealed in the sequel. Can't wait for it.
Summertime (2018)
B O R I N G
After spending 3 days, on and off, watching this thing, my opinion is that this movie was a total waste of good film stock. So many things wrong with this pic; actors in their 30's trying to portray teens, bad make-up jobs, scenes that went in and out of focus. The writers had no clue as to where this story was supposed to go and couldn't seem to remember how real teens talked and acted. I can only assume that this movie went straight to video and was intended for some kids to put on while they made out on the couch.
Dune (2021)
Great special effects, incoherent story
If Monty Python had made a big budget, science fiction movie, this would be it. After the first hour of this almost 3 hour ordeal, I had no idea who was good, who was bad, and I frankly didn't give a damn. Try re-watching "2001 A Space Odyssey" now, 50 years after it was made. It's almost funny it's so bad. I predict this movie will suffer a similar fate. It could even eventually be made into a parody of itself.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Just a commercial for the Jungle Cruise ride at the Disney parks
A good cast stuck with a formulaic story. No suspense; no surprises; no twists or turns. Kind of a mish-mash of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mummy, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, and others. Even the music, which was composed by a first rate composer, was sub-par. In short, wait for it to come on Disney+ for no extra cost.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Good, but just too much
Technically, it was a good movie. And the opening sequence when she was a little girl was excellent. From there on out it just started going downhill. Too much action and special effects just for the sake of action and special effects. Saw it in a theater which was a good thing 'cause I got in with my senior discount and didn't have to get HBO Max for a month. Gal Gadot was excellent, Chris Pine was O.K., and Kristen Wigg just didn't cut it. If you can see it cheap or at no extra cost go for it. But don't pay retail just to watch it.
The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
An enjoyable "no thinking required" film
I would rate this just a hair below Atomic Blond. It's exciting, full of action, lots of car chases, and all-around good adventure. It's just perfect for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Couldn't make heads or tails out of the plot, if there was one. Just sit back, relax and watch people kill each other, blow things up, and chase after each other in cars and motorcycles. ENJOY!
Running on Empty Dreams (2009)
All Time Worst Movie I've Ever Watched
I will attempt to list all of the truly awful aspects of this movie:
1. Character development is non-existent. Everybody starts out angry and stays that way except for some scenes, for no apparent reason, somebody is blissfully happy (only to turn angry again in the next scene). No reasons are ever given as to why the started out angry or why everybody has periodic mood swings.
2. No plot at all. Just a series of random disconnected scenes strung together in random fashion
3. Whoever wrote the script had no concept of Catholics or the Catholic religion at all. The star goes to see the priest to confess that she may be having an affair. The priest sends her away saying the the church does no get involved in things like that and that all he can do is give her the name of a marriage counselor. At the end there is a suggestion that she may have committed suicide. Totally against the teachings of the church. And she ends up having her funeral at a church which is non-specific but definitely not Catholic (and which she attended only once)
4. At the end the local police were confused as to whether she died of her cancer or as a result of slashing her wrists. What kind of police can't figure that out in about 2 seconds?
I could go on for hours, but I hope this is enough to keep you from sacrificing 2 hours of your life for this thing.
Crooked House (2017)
Perfect movie for a rainy Sunday afternoon
Great cast, excelllent plot, and an unexpected ending. Add in a very good script and perfect scenery. From my experience it's one of Agatha Christie's best. My only two concerns were that the volume of the sound rose to ear piercing levels when any music came on, and there were so many characters that I sometimes got confused as to who was married to who and the relationships between them.
Supergirl (2015)
Fun, "Human" show
Please keep in mind that this review is from someone that grew up with George Reeves as Superman when I reference my comparisons. Super girl is a "dramady" in the best sense of the word. Before the season started, I wondered how they were going to do a show without it being just a rehash of former Superman, Superboy, etc., shows. But by giving her ordinary human qualities the writers and producers have created a character that is much more 3 dimensional than any of the past shows and movies. She can be a klutz, she has a temper, she makes all kinds of mistakes in judgment, she hasn't yet learned how to handle all of her powers and much more. And the real kicker is her human stepsister worker for the secret agency that manages and controls her and other aliens, good as well as bad. The other fun character is the head of the company "Kara" works for, as played by Calista Flockhart. Reminds me a lot of Perry White, except female, thin, and younger. Fascinating how this show and Gotham can be so different in form and style and yet both be so entertaining