Reviews

In regards to the handful of movies I've seen this summer, Gran Turismo is the best of them all. I don't recall getting emotional at the theatres my whole life, however, this one took the cake and on so many levels.

It takes a superior movie to keep your focus throughout. I didn't want to miss anything once things got started. Right off top I was blown away. This is something I'll appreciate for years to come.

The next thing on my agenda is to go see Gran Turismo again before it gets released on DVD. There are only two movies on my mind to eventually purchase this year so far. With that said, this one is my favorite of the two. The very best, or should I say again, the absolute best.

I'm at a loss for words to describe how great this film really is, and I highly recommend seeing it for yourself.

Now this is what you call a thriller. I don't usually go for these type movies but I stepped outside the box this time, and I'm pleased at myself for doing so. It was superbly executed throughout, disregard the negative reviews.

Our culture via the internet leaves a lot to be desired. Good things get trashed for no reason. Taking the Black Phone down a notch or two via review(s) won't change anything. The production values here were over the top and on all levels.

This is the sleeper of the year in my opinion. I plan on getting a copy when it gets released on DVD. I found it to be quite that exceptional.

Judy Garland was one of the biggest show business legends ever. No doubt there was something extra special about her. I'm glad this movie was made to showcase just even a part of her life.

Tremendous gratitude to Renee Zellweger for her portrayal. The producers and everyone involved should be well pleased in how this film turned out.

Judy Garland had more star power than anyone in her era. Despite the challenges she faced, the entertainment industry was plain lucky to have her.

I considered Judy to be a fine showcase for a legend.

This is one of the best movies I've ever seen and likely the best sequel ever.

I've seen the original, of course. After watching Maverick this evening, I'd say just like so many others, that it was "well worth the wait".

Top Gun - Maverick is majestic film making. The director Joseph Kosinksi went over the top. This may go down as Tom Cruise's finest film.

This is what film making is all about. It was quite an extraordinary viewing experience, and of Oscar calibro.

There is nothing to compare this movie to, not even Brokeback Mountain. In my opinion, it would be like comparing apples to apples. Call Me by Your Name had similar elements, of course. This one, however, is more of the coming of age variety with it's own unique storyline.

Not much else to say here, no words can describe this theatrical masterpiece. Everything was great about this movie.

The ever ingenious Quentin Tarantino does it again with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. How can a filmmaker be so brilliant? After all he writes and directs all his movies, but the way he conjured this one up, completely astonished me. You never know what is going to happen, no predictability whatsoever. After watching this last night, I was totally speechless. To sum it up here, this is Incredible!

I didn't know what to think when I learned that a movie was being made about Aretha Franklin. For one, I thought more time was required after her passing before this film would even be executed, but Aretha herself, decided that Jennifer Hudson would be suitable and capable of portraying her properly. With that said, it made more sense to make this film now instead of waiting. I came to appreciate the timeliness after I seen it.

Aretha is hands down the biggest female legend in the entertainment industry past or present. What she accomplished in her career has always astounded me. I read her book and now that I have seen this movie, she is owed tremendous admiration and praise. No film could ever duplicate her but in all honesty, this is as good as it is ever going to get. It would be wise to ignore the naysayers and see it for yourself. Kudos to the entire cast, they all knocked it out of the park.

In the past I went to the theatre to see the Bruce Lee movie Dragon on two separate occasions, it was that good. I'm sure I did the same thing with another movie or two along the way. However, Respect holds the distinction of being watched three different times at the movie house. I was totally drawn to it. Make no mistake, this film is great!

The first thought in my mind after watching Bad Boys this afternoon was "incredible". This is probably the easiest to watch movie I've ever seen and is an absolute must see. It had everything; action, comedy, suspense, great story line, and super cinematography. I am at an absolute lost for words right now.

This movie was superbly written. Now it's easier to see why it won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar at this year's Academy Awards.

Green Book was powerfully and yet smoothly executed. It is also no wonder why it won Best Picture among the other nominees. However, I will say it was a much safer choice than BlacKkKlansman, which I also reviewed here. Nonetheless, this film captivated me with it's own unique and unexpected charm. The mutual support and nurturing chemistry between the two main characters was beyond belief.

My attention was held completely intact from beginning to end, quite captivating to say the least. It took plenty of courage for anyone to even get involved in the making of a movie of this nature. In that respect, I would say this is one of the more daring non-fiction films ever made as it involved true and real characters being depicted from an earlier time. We've come a long ways in our society and still have yet a ways to go, but we'll get there.

BlackKkKlansman was cleverly done, one of Spike Lee's finer moments and probably even his best work yet.

There is something supreme about this movie and I cannot pinpoint exactly what it is. Probably the best movie I've seen all year with exception of Black Panther, and ironically enough, Michael B. Jordan was the lead or co-lead actor in both. No doubt his clout in Hollywood has leapfrogged, making him highly sought in major productions.

Much credit goes to Sylvestor Stallone, anything he touches turns to gold. He had the Midas touch from the beginning with the Rocky series, and I mean from day one until now with Creed II. The writing was great as was the directing and acting. Everyone, and I mean every single person involved here is deserving of kudos.

I look forward to seeing how they pull off the next Creed film. Where it pertains to sequels, this specific one is first rate - the sequel Par Excellence.

Fighting fire with fire is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Only the Brave. This movie had many elements, no pun intended, besides humongous brush fires. These infernos are deadly and to prevent them from entering populated areas is not a small feat.

The leadership role Josh Brolin played was superb as he gave his squad great guidance and strategy. But no matter how much you plan something, things can go array when trying to deal with catastrophic winds, fire, and water. The same with earthquakes and so on, as we have seen many times in history.

Much respect given to these guys who were an awesome team of hotshots, as they were called. Their heroism is clearly deserved, they fought the good fight in this must see film.

Plenty of action in this movie, typical Bruce Willis style. Good film overall, well written and directed. Was great to see a film like this come to fruition these days. Having said that, it is quite rare to become glued to your seat from beginning to end in order to see what will unfold and Death Wish did just that. Clearly and smoothly paced, this is one of the better flicks of 2018. I highly recommend seeing it for yourself. Death Wish is great entertainment.

I'm almost positive that the film Gotti was made under certain stipulations by the John Gotti family. Not so much to portray their father in a favorable light but to stick to his memoir as much as possible.

There are gonna be plenty of people disaffected by underworld activities, especially if a family member or friend is somehow involved, and dies as a result. This one major factor played a huge role in why this movie was not brought to light as much as it could have been. Otherwise I will give plenty of credit to all involved in the making of this film.

John Travolta was my main decision for seeing how this movie would turn out, and he was downright superb. It was also well written and directed. However, movies of this genre go from two extremes. It will either be highly exalted, or moderately subjugated due to subject matter.

The Gotti film was too personal, in my opinion, to be glorified like certain and obviously fictional gangster movies. With that said, I consider Gotti to be underrated but solid nonetheless.

Anything involving the Kennedy's becomes surrounded by mystery and intrigue, especially the men. The JFK and RFK murders have been and continue to be wrought with conspiracy theories or other implications and the Chappaquiddick event is no different.

Ted Kennedy did draw sympathy for having to endure the murders of his beloved brothers for his entire life. But he would also have Chappaquiddick hanging over his head for his remaining political life and even following his own death. Now that the movie is finally out, I would say it was cleverly done not to show too much bias. It is what it is, or it was what it was, a girl died negligently at the age of 28. If this was to take place now, Senator Kennedy would not be so lucky to get a suspended sentence for his part in the accident.

Mary Jo Kopechne and Ted Kennedy were supposedly not romantically linked. However, his brother Robert was reportedly involved with Mary Jo before he was assassinated, which is neither here nor there. The truth of the matter is she died in an accident with not many answered questions. I can't imagine what her folks went through. I can't imagine what went through the minds of everyone directly or indirectly involved in the Chappaquiddick event. I'm sure that this whole incident haunted a lot of people for a long, long time.

The film Braven has plenty in it. I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I'll just say it is one of the better films of the year. It's probably one of the better films you'll see in general. It does start off slow, but smartly so to build it up. When it gets moving you find yourself getting more and more engrossed. Not that I was underestimating this movie, it's just that it was more than I expected. Glad I gave it a chance and I highly recommend that you do the same. You won't be disappointed.

Making this type of film is no small feat. It is no surprise that someone of Jerry Bruckheimer's caliber was involved. The directing alone by David McNally was outstanding although it was different or not what I expected. This movie turned out to be super lighthearted and more for kids. Nonetheless, I found it to be quite adventurous and entertaining just the same. Both Jerry O'Connell and Anthony Anderson were outstanding. Plenty of comedy with these two guys. Good buddy film overall.

I didn't know anything about this movie when I began watching it so I didn't know what to expect.

With that in mind, Abduction doesn't become interesting until it approaches the half hour mark. I'm not trying to imply it was moving slowly early on but I was beginning to wonder where it was going.

Everything started normal but then suddenly shifted into a spy film, replete with many twists and turns.

The male haters are envious against the lead actor for obvious reasons. Don't listen to them. This is one of the better covert operation movies out there.

I was lucky enough to catch this movie at the video store a few years back. I liked it so much that I actually bought it when it went on sale.

Some of the reviews on here compared this film to Fast and Furious, which doesn't hold water as far as I'm concerned. Sure there were fast cars and racing. However, Born to Race was done on a lower budget but was as equally enjoyable and stands on its own merits.

Just taking the time here to recommend this film. It was very good by all accounts and pleasurable watch.

My father was a WWll veteran who was wounded in the line of duty and received military honors when he died. There's no doubt in my mind he would have loved this epic war flick. I, on the other hand, hardly ever watch these type movies. Basically, I avoid them, at least to some degree. Maybe it's the blood and gore. This film had more than its fair share of it - so be warned.

This is an epic biographical sketch of Desmond Doss, a man who saved the lives of other soldiers and was the first to receive Medals of Honor while at the same time refusing to carry a weapon in combat.

Enough cannot be said of the entire cast and crew behind this film. Hacksaw Ridge is probably the finest war movie there is.

This heroic tale was done quite well on all levels, top notch director Renny Harlin made sure of it. Kellen Lutz and Scott Adkins both had the physical presence needed for their roles as did all the guys who were in fight scenes. Having said that, the film had some brutal battles. It also contained a romantic storyline, sibling rivalry, jealousy, and so on...plenty here to sustain interests.

The legend of Hercules is a well made Greek mythology flick if I must say so myself. It is always unfortunate when great films such as this get underestimated.

I never listen to negative reviews. I don't know about you but I'd rather see something for myself rather than listen to people who are cynical about everything.

I did not care for the bullying, especially early on in the movie. However, it served as a catalyst and focal point for the main character who needed to learn some restraint and self-discipline. What better tool to help him do this than the mixed martial arts.

The guy who played the mentor role was key in helping his protégé become a more skillful and technically sound fighter.

This movie is about deciding upon a specific purpose or goal. It's also ultimately about giving and receiving support, that's if you're lucky enough to find the right people. But first, you must believe in yourself no matter how many roadblocks you face. And most of all, Never Back Down, as the film suggests.

I found Rush to be the best movie of its kind. It is a rarity to see a racing film done so magnificently. I was not surprised to learn that Ron Howard directed this masterpiece.

This is a story of two polar opposites who had one thing in common which lead to competition and intense rivalry. Interestingly enough, this dynamic also sparked generous amounts of mutual respect.

The portrayals from the lead actors were spot on from Chris Hemsworth who was the charismatic James Hunt, and the ever particular Niki Lauder played by Daniel Bruhl. Not enough can be said for everyone on the entire team for making Rush a brilliantly superb film.

I wouldn't consider the Jennifer Lopez character in this movie to be flawed, just more or less vulnerable. The younger guy who moved in next door to her was charming enough at first, but he became progressively and unbelievably twisted as the film moved along.

I need to note here that Jennifer is way too beautiful for the "age difference" to even be noticeable. Besides, the connection was clear between the two leads. In fact, everyone gelled well together to make this cautionary tale work on the big screen.

This movie should serve two lessons: people aren't always who they appear to be...and everyone makes mistakes.

I came upon this film by total accident. As one reviewer put it, "this movie found me". It came from out of nowhere and touched me as it has done to so many before me. With greater promotional efforts at the time of it's release, I would have become aware of it sooner. I'm sure that with time, it will render enormous props evermore as others learn of the tale of Hachi, the dog who waited for almost a decade at the train station for his dead owner to return.

The Japanese dog depicted in this true story has an actual monument in his honor for the impenetrable loyalty he bestowed to his master. Hachi and owner shared a mutual bond beyond description. We should all be so lucky to have unconditional love from someone, or in this case, a dog.

Richard Gere was key to making sure this movie was even made as one of the producers. He also ensured it was done right, as he played the leading role. The film was superbly directed as well. Kudos to all for bringing this story to life. Hachi was a pleasant surprise, a one of a kind film.