I had heard tremendous things about this film, and I have to say, while it's certainly possible that my expectations were set too high, I was disappointed in the end-product. Of course, Kipling's story is a classic, and the CGI was gorgeous, but the problem I had was w/ the development of the Mowgli character. Through the first hour of the film, I found him rather off-putting. He was incredibly selfish and obstinate and dismissive of those around him. I really didn't like him at all. I also found it odd that the opening scene showed how athletic he was supposed to have been, considering he was raised by wolves, but in the scene, where he's attempting to get the fruit out of the tree, he literally can't jump more than six inches off the ground? For whatever reason, this really strained my suspension of disbelief, and I found myself not particularly enjoying the film. Ultimately, the rating I gave the film was based on the remarkable cast, the CGI, and Kipling's story, even if they strayed from its roots.
I watched this, b/c generally speaking, many family-friendly movies have some value to them making them worth watching. In the case of this film, there really wasn't anything to grasp onto. First off, it seems that the script was designed w/ particularly young children in mind. There was no humor, and the monsters were something you'd see on Fraggle Rock or Sesame Street. The acting was all right, and the lead, Tamara Smart has some chops, but overall, it's really not worth a watch, unless you have children under the age of 10.
This is typical WWE trash. It's "humor" made for first- and second-graders and those people bigger in stature who vote Republican. It's inane, disgusting, misogynistic, homophobic, and oh, what a surprise, everyone's white! Hmm...didn't see that coming from a bunch of racist trash like the McMahon family. Glad that they could at least drag themselves away from a Trump neo-Nazi rally to make this garbage. The entire premise of the movie is a bully and his friends getting back at a guy they'd bullied for years all for what they believed was standing up for himself. What self-respecting actor would participate in a film made by them?
I felt that this was a good way to wrap this trilogy. And, while this didn't have the traditional happy ending most films of this genre have, this is exactly what makes this film stand apart from those others. Life can only be mapped out so far in advance, and there will always be unforeseen circumstances that cause us to take detours from the destinations we've predetermined for ourselves. That's part of the wonder and splendor of living life. To put it in proper film terminology, Ms. Gump was right, "...you never know what you're going to get."
This was Mission: Impossible meets a financial seminar.
This was not a good film. I was really disappointed, b/c it seemed to a fairly novel idea. The problem was, the writing was just tremendously awful. First off, why would anyone bother to go to the lengths Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee went to in order to subsist on insects and melted snow, while trying to fend off disease, death, robbers, and cannibalistic road warriors? The entire premise of the film fell flat on its face. When they discussed taking their own lives, I kept thinking, "What in your right mind is stopping you?" There is literally no reason to continue living.
Second, the son was terribly written. I don't know what the writers were thinking, but they clearly didn't bother to consider the environment they'd created. This was a child born into a world of isolation and death. His mother had committed suicide, and he knew that in order to survive, he had to travel w/ his father, avoiding all the aforementioned pitfalls of this world. Yet, this child was the single most fearful child I'd ever seen.
At first, I thought that maybe he was autistic. I actually stopped the movie to look up the character online in order to determine if he'd been written as an autistic child, but there was no mention of it. He was just afraid of his own shadow. He was so scared of everything, I'd even go so far as to say that he was a coward. And, to top things off, he was 110 percent useless. He helped his father do absolutely nothing. As his father is spitting cupfulls of blood and limping on a bloody leg, does the kid help him pull the cart w/ all their belongings? Of course not! That's the father's job!
This kid was constantly crying about something, so in the end, when his father died, and he began to weep, I felt not a tinge of sympathy for him, b/c he'd spent the past two hours whining and crying. It completely took all the power out of the moment. Plus, the happy ending to the movie made this entire thing completely worthless. I really have no idea what people saw in this film.
This was a truly superior film b/c of the story, the struggle, and the achievement. The acting was also exceptional. I really enjoy films based on true stories, and this film was no exception. The obstacles that Ms. Mutesi and her family had to overcome in her efforts to become a master chess champion were notably difficult. For as much as those of us in third-world countries take for granted, there are so many families in other parts of the world that struggle mightily on a daily basis w/out even the basics to survive. To be able to manage that, while overcoming a clear lack of educational and financial resources, is remarkable, and it makes Ms. Mutesi's achievement all that much more impressive.
I was also incredibly impressed by the paths of all the children in the film. Due to the influence of Mr. and Mrs. Katende, as well as the game of chess, they learned that they could have more than what they were born into. They are now in the midst of achieving dreams heretofore unimaginable to them or their families. It really speaks to the power of education, mentorships, and community involvement in a child's life, b/c these same individuals will then be able to provide for their communities the same way their communities once provided for them.
At first, I have to say that I was reluctant to watch this. I'm not a fan of horror movies or zombies. I just don't find either topic very interesting. However, given that this seemed more in the vein of a Zombieland than a true horror film, I decided to give it a chance, and I'm so glad that I did. This film was really, really cute! The story itself was pretty original, the characters were interesting, for a movie w/ a bunch of children who played a major role, they really did a great job, and the three leads were fantastic, especially Ms. Nyong'o. She was just incredible in this role! This movie was funny, sweet, endearing, dramatic, and just a lot of fun.
This was actually a pretty solid film. Being from America, I didn't necessarily understand all the regional dialect, but I got the gist of it, and it didn't detract from the story. Mostly, it was in the beginning of the film, and as the film wore on, it became clearer what was being discussed.
This film really is about brotherhood, both in a familial sense and in a community sense. It tells the story of Danny, a hardline enforcer for a New Zealand gang, and how he progressed from his difficult childhood to become the sergeant-at-arms of his crew. The film delves into his relationships w/ his brother Liam, as well as the president of his gang, Moses, who he grew up w/ in a detention center. The film did a strong job of showing how loyalties to one family can often muddy the waters in regard to loyalties to another family.
I remember first watching this movie 35 years in 1985. Back then, it was called Rocky IV. It wasn't all that great then, and it hasn't aged very well since. I don't understand why they didn't just call this a remake, or come up w/ an entirely new script.
There was something about this movie that was quite compelling. I felt that there was a sub-divider in the acting, however. There were those who did a perfectly fine job and those who were, more or less, made-for-television actors. Yet, the lead actors were all quite good. I really liked the storyline a lot, as it kept me interested and guessing until near the end, and the ending of the film didn't disappoint. Normally, I would rate a movie of this caliber a seven, but in this case, b/c of the intriguing storyline, intricacies of the side story between Johnathon Schaech and his dying wife, and the non-generic culmination, I gave it an extra point and bumped it up to an eight. I feel that this is definitely a film worthy of a watch.
If I wanted to see something from a first-person perspective, I'd do it myself. The shaky camera bit is awful. It's best left to home movies filmed by children who've received their first camera as a gift. Regardless, you may be asking yourself, what's this movie about? It's a reasonable question to ask, when watching a film. In fact, it's the same question I had...35 minutes into the film...the point that I finally had enough and turned it off.
I enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would. For what seemed like fairly generic Disney fare, this film really stood out, not only on the merits of its story, but also on the fine performances of a number of different actors, in particular both Jay Reeves, as Ray Ray McElrathbey, and Thaddeus J. Mixson, as his brother, Fahmarr McElrathbey. This film really highlighted what a stand-up individual Ray Ray McElrathbey was, a young man who risked everything to secure his family's future.
Watching this film, I couldn't help but think, as wonderful as sports could be, many of the most indelible stories were not of the greatest athletes nor of the greatest teams nor games; they were of those individuals who stood taller than the sport themselves, those who overcame the greatest obstacles to achieve goals of much greater value than a singular victory, those who learned life's greatest lessons and taught and inspired others in their journey. This was certainly one of those stories.
I thought that the film started off well enough, but it sort of lost the plot along the way. It seemed to be too much of a take on Training Day, and it wasn't overtly clear what was really going on, b/c what appeared to be the main storyline ended roughly 30 minutes before the film ended, and another storyline finished the film out. The aspect that really kept this film afloat was the stellar cast. If not for them, this would have been just another run-of-the-mill cop film, but as it stood, it was interesting enough to warrant a watch.
This was a sweet movie for the holiday season. I didn't find it particularly funny, but I don't think that it really needed to be, and I also don't think that's the direction they were aiming in. I thought that it was solid, wholesome, family entertainment w/ Jillian Bell stepping out of her comfort zone, and she did a really nice job in the lead role.
I wanted to like this movie more, but I couldn't justify giving it a higher score based on its views of how this group of supposed friends treated one another. Ultimately, it boiled down to a love story between Rachel and Dex, but the problem was, as was repeatedly indicated, Dex was just a coward, and he failed every single time to rise to the occasion. For Rachel to end up w/ him was pretty repulsive. The fact that she engaged in an affair w/ her best friend's fiancé is a whole other matter. And, Ethan's involvement in this story really made no sense. This movie was just a mess.
This was a truly phenomenal effort in all aspects of filmmaking. Anya Taylor-Joy was simply mesmerizing in her role as young woman battling both her inner demons and her otherworldly talent for a game that, at certain points in her life, seemed dead set on destroying her. This is one of those rare, remarkable shows that comes along every once in a while that leaves you feeling satisfied, yet wishing there was more.
For the type of movie it was, I thought that this was a solid effort. Ava Michelle was really impressive in her debut as a leading lady. She encompassed all the traits her character experienced throughout the movie quite seamlessly. I really hope to see more of her in the coming years.
There's obviously a good deal of pushback in the commentary section for this film, but I don't necessarily feel that the commentators are giving this film, or its subject matter, its proper due. I feel that everyone has their own struggles to deal w/, and sometimes, these struggles are exacerbated by external forces, such as bullying, that make them even more difficult to deal w/ or, in some cases, even intolerable. Standing out anywhere, for any reason, can be difficult for lots of people, b/c they feel separated from others. Whether we're talking about a physical disability, an intellectual disability, an age difference, an ethnic difference, a difference in sexual orientation, a height difference, or the like, in principle, it's really the same. It's something, as viewed by the majority, that sets us apart, as the minority.
I won't minimize one person's struggles, b/c I've never walked a mile in their shoes. I don't know their psychological makeup and how they're equipped to handle adverse situations. It's not fair of me to assume that if the same thing were to happen to me, I would handle the situation differently. Of course, it's easy for me to sit back, w/ the advantages of not having had to deal w/ the frustrations, and critically assess each scenario, but that ignores the human element of having had to live through the experience and how individual interactions will affect different people in various ways. The point is, to judge how others have handled an emotionally charged experience would be really arrogant and ignorant of me.
The two leads, Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn, both put in strong efforts in this film. However, Buckley is really becoming one of the finer actors of the moment, and she appears to have a long, storied career ahead of her, which will be much-deserved. As for this film, it keeps you guessing until the end, and given the solid writing, direction, and acting, it's an interesting watch.
This was not good at all. It was slow and boring, and due to this, I found it difficult to follow, b/c I had such little interest in watching it. Btw, did they blow their entire casting budget on Scarlett Johansson? In and of itself, she's usually a good choice, but for this material, it made literally no sense, since the character she played had zero emotional reaction to anything. They literally could have hired anyone to play this role, and it wouldn't have affected the film in one way or another.
This film was really disappointing. It was advertised as a sort of interesting, light-hearted mix between children who have access to both Neverland and Wonderland. Yet, this film had a much more somber tone to it that wasn't necessarily suitable for younger children. I was willing to give this film the benefit of the doubt, b/c as we all know, how a film is marketed isn't necessarily what's contained in the final product. However, the film's plodding, methodical pacing really belied the entire storyline, so much so that as the film was approaching its end, there hardly seemed enough time to properly wrap up the loose ends. Ultimately, it seemed that this film had been over-edited. I got the feeling that there might've been much more going on in an original cut, b/c it was difficult to imagine such a disjointed script having been filmed.
While I realize that this film is based upon actual events, it has a pretty hard Christian bent to it, especially for a Disney film, so much so that it actually feels like what would be considered a Christian movie. It's not a bad film by any stretch, but it's quite saccharine in its emotional tone. One thing I didn't particularly care for was how Sammy Brown was presented as an afterthought in regard to her participation in the making, and performance, of the music. Yes, this film was about Zach Sobiech, but he was a performer in a three-person band, and the movie cut one of the performers completely out of the film while relegating the other to backseat status. It just didn't feel right.
This "film" in a word: Teriblé!
Hey, it's Nazi propaganda from that Adolf Hitler-worshipping, mass-murdering subhuman Stephen Bannon.
This film, of which I really hate to refer to it as that, is nothing more than child rape apologist's tribute to a horrific family. Of everyone involved in this film, the only one w/ any semblance of humanity is the ex-wife/mother, and it didn't start out that way. She eventually came around to the fact that her ex-husband was a child molestor, yet she refused to believe in her son's guilt.
The way that this story was portrayed was as disgraceful as the family's blind denial of facts of their father's wrongdoing. The director, Andrew Jarecki, has since been raked over the coals for what he tried to pull w/ this film, b/c he definitely didn't film a documentary. Instead, he picked and chose what to show in order to portray the Friedman family in a certain light, and even in the best possible light he could frame them, they still come off as horrible human beings. This should just go to show how truly guilty these men were.
If you read the trial transcript or a legal review of the case, you'll see what Jarecki chose to exclude from this film as a way to make it seem that the son was not guilty. Additionally, the one brother, David, was the most vociferous of the bunch, when it came to defending the father. He lives in a constant state of denial. Any documentarian worth their salt would have questioned him w/ the only hard evidence this case produced against the father, the foot-high stack of child pornography seized from his home during the postal service raid. Yet, that question never came, and it allowed David to continue to spout nonsense about his innocence in direct conflict w/ the evidence at-hand. It's good to see that Jarecki really doesn't work in film any more.
This film was a bitter disappointment. First off, it's 135 minutes long, and the first 120 minutes is a slow burn. Yet, Kaufman brutally mangled the finale, completely dissociating any meaning from the first two hours of the film from the remaining 15 minutes. He goes "off-script" from the book, for some unknown reason, and he chose to go w/ a plot device that just ruined the film.
The acting was solid, and the story was building nicely, but it ultimately led into a ditch on the side of the road. When Kaufman made the decision to deviate from the novel, he may as well have set fire to the first two hours of the film, b/c it ended up meaning absolutely nothing. If you've read the book, you'll understand what the first two hours were building to. However, w/out that knowledge, watching this film is a gigantic waste of time. I can think of myriad better ways to spend 135 minutes.
This is a tremendously empowering film for young women. Moana is the story of a teenage chief-to-be who braves the dangers of the open ocean in service to her people. She goes against her father's wishes, who wants her to remain safely on the island of her birth, and ventures out into the unknown guided only by her unfailing courage and her growing belief in herself.
I was incredibly disappointed by this film. I thought that it would be an effort to show children the cruelty of bullfighting, but instead, they attempted to tell a story of non-conformance to societal norms in a poorly chosen setting. In addition, the best relationship of the film between Nina and Ferdinand was scrap-heaped early on, so the inane and boring story of Ferdinand returning to his roots could be told. The voice actors were also poorly miscast, which didn't help matters. The only other thing I learned from this film is that Kate McKinnon is as annoying and unfunny in cartoon form as she is in live-action.
W/ the very first words of the film spoken/sung by the actors, I knew that this was going to be practically unwatchable. The first song is horrible. It's not even a song. It's just normal speech being sung. It's terrible. The fact that James "Defender of the Most Useless Family in the World (the Kardashians)" Corden is narrating and has an acting role really grinds my gears, as well. I can't, for the life of me, imagine these A-list actors wanting to be a part of this mess of a film. I couldn't even make it through the first abomination of a song, before I turned this off.
There was nothing enlightening here. I felt that the engineering from social, psychological, computational, and mathematical aspects were interesting and should have been explored more, since they essentially glossed over the misinformation campaigns running rampant on every social media platform the world over. Even if this doc would've focused on regulation, or the lack thereof, that would've been something, but they chose to not call any entities out, remain middle-of-the-road, and out of the fray. I think that this topic would've been much better served as a multi-part series that explored the various ramifications of social media, rather than 90 minutes of glossed over, big-picture fluff that didn't hit at the heart of any of the numerous implications caused by the inherent designs of social media platforms.
I will say, however, there were far better recommendations for how to combat this ever-present problem in the last few moments of the film, while the credits rolled. The director had the interviewees each list methods they utilize to prevent overexposure to the ills of social media to them and their families.
