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pramudithmaldeniya
Reviews
Rogue One (2016)
Must see if Star Wars fan. That said, mediocre movie. Not entirely in the spirit of Star Wars
I am one of the biggest Star Wars fans out there. I love episodes 4 to 6. I also pretty much like episode 3.
I am one of the fans who was terribly disappointed by episode seven (The Force Awakens). I thought it was essentially a clone of episode four plotwise. They did throw some new faces in, but the trajectory was almost entirely the same as that of A New Hope.
I was pleasantly surprised, that Rogue One was an original movie. A whole new cast of characters, some of them who were quite memorable. Few tired Star Wars tropes this time around. (No Ewok-like cutesy creatures, no Jar-Jars, no mannequins, no overpowered jedi...)
The tone of this movie was dark. There were moments of humour though. However, it is quite different from the other Star Wars movies.
I didn't find myself feeling particularly attached to the characters in this movie/viewing. I did daydream quite a bit.
However, the last 30 to 40 minutes, made the movie worth a watch. Spectacular Star Wars style space battles, Death Star, and some beautiful emotional moments made the movie worthwhile.
Anyway, if you are a Star Wars fan, you must and probably will see this movie. If you are not, you probably wouldn't even be reading this review.
A solid 6 to 7/10, I would give. I would rank the Star Wars Movies as follows:
Episodes 4 to 6 > Rogue One > The Force Awakens > Episodes 1 to 3.
Office Christmas Party (2016)
Exactly like the trailer: Goofy cheesy (enjoyable) humour!
Watched this movie tonight. It was exactly as I had expected. Lots of goofy, cheesy humour. The plot is predictable. The whole movie, including its premises and various scenarios are completely unrealistic.
That said, it was quite satisfying to see everybody's this fantastical wild office party come to life. Lots of hilarious scenes with people becoming completely disinhibited.
Juvenile humour, and tired tropes abound. That said, it's all packaged reasonably well.
Just watch the trailer. The trailer pretty much lets you know what you are in for. The movie is essentially the trailer for one and a half something hours. ( Not a bad thing in my opinion)
Arrival (2016)
Great thought provoking sci-fi
Really enjoyed this one. It makes one think about all the considerations that would go into first contact, when and if it happens.
Amy Adams was great with her role. I really enjoyed the scenes where she and the other personnel approached the spaceship. Also, the process with which they went about communicating with the alien species.
Towards the end of the movie though, it became a little bit cheesy. I thought the music was overly sappy, and they kept cutting to sappy memories (this isn't a spoiler so don't worry) and romance and "the human experience".
All in all, a solid movie-going experience. Makes you think quite a bit. This is a movie you will end up reflecting on at least during the drive home. Maybe you will end up talking about it with friends and family. The ending could have been better though.
Still, no regrets. Money well spent at the movie theatre.
Bad Santa 2 (2016)
More of the same. (Thats a good thing).
I really enjoyed this. I tend not to have particularly high standards when watching movies. I expected a degenerate comedy, chock full of inappropriate humour and also laced with profanity. There were also countless scenes that made one want to laugh and throw up a little, given how distasteful they were! (Which is great!)
I wanted to see more of Bad Santa, the little person, and Therman Merman! Bad Santa 2 did not disappoint! I was laughing throughout. I'm not one to look at movies through a critical lens. Even so, I could see this movie wasn't as good as the first one, in terms of overall plot and character development.
Nonetheless, I got to see my favourite characters one more time on the big screen. And I laughed throughout. It was like seeing old friends again!