So this year I am going to keep doing some movie reviews as I have time. After all I love storytelling in all shapes and forms and I do love movies. The first movie that I am reviewing is Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water. Now I am a huge fan of del Toro and he certainly does not disappoint in this film. As should be expected from this director, this is a visually stunning film. Such attention to detail and mood is paid that it creates such a touching and beautiful universe on the screen. I also loved the unique love story that takes place in this film. Though this movie may not be for the faint of heart, it is strange to some I am sure, but I was truly touched by the characters in this film. Excellent casting and acting make you care for and ultimately understand these characters and their motivations. At the heart this is a story about outsiders who simply want to be loved and accepted. I urge you to go see this movie and to just take it in. I give it 5/5 stars, one of the best films I've seen in a while.
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As many of you that follow this blog may know, I am a huge movie fan and like to post reviews pretty often. I have had a bit of a lull in the movie department of late, but this past weekend I managed to finally go see Thor: Ragnarok. Now I am a huge comic fan and love the Marvel Universe. This is the type of movie that I have come to expect from Marvel, but a little different from the Thor that we have come to know in his previous solo movies. This take on Thor is a bit more lighthearted and action packed. It looks like the writer and director might have taken a more Guardians of the Galaxy approach, which did work well though I personally thought some of the jokes were forced. The only other issue I had with the movie was how they treated the character of Bruce Banner, come on the man is a genius and I don't think he would have been as lost as some scenes showed him no matter what the circumstances. Other than that this is a fun movie to watch, full of laughs and action. Thor is still Thor, Loki is there being Loki and I hope that the ending means that we will be seeing more of one of my favorite villains, Hulk is there and smashing things. The addition of Cate Blanchett as the evil Hela was the best part of the movie for me, she gave an awesome performance and is my favorite villain to date! I also loved a little cameo that takes place early on, I would love to see Loki interact with that character a lot more. If you like MArvel movies or just fun blockbusters then this is a must see for you! I give it a B+. Over the weekend the husband and I went to see Only the Brave. Now I have been waiting for this movie for quite some time because my twin nieces were actually a part of the film and I wanted to see them on the big screen ever since last summer. I also got to go on set with them on their first day of shooting and got to meet Myles Teller who plays their dad in the movie and Taylor Kitsch who was in the scene that day as well. So I wanted to see this movie for family reasons. That being said, I can't remember the last time I cried during a movie, but this one made me cry even though I knew that it was going to be sad going into the movie. For those who don't know the back story, this is about the 19 men, hot shot firefighters, who lost their lives a few years back. Nineteen men in the prime of their lives, with families, lost tragically in a fire trying to save the homes of others. Yes it was going to be sad and it delivers on that part. My only real criticism of the movie is that many of the characters are not fleshed out, you don't feel that you know them, but of course it is hard to fit so many characters into one movie. But like I said it still packs an emotional punch at the end. I feel that this movie portrays the lives and deaths of some true heroes in a sensitive and caring manner. It is meant to be a tribute not only to the men who lost their lives in the event portrayed, but to those who still risk their lives to fight the same kind of fires every year, something that is very fresh in many people's minds thanks to what happened in California this year. And of course I have to say that my nieces did great playing Myles Teller's daughter. They have about five scenes in the middle of the movies and it was fantastic to see them! Go watch this movie, but take some tissue with you. Okay so before Blade Runner 2049 came out I will admit that I was pretty skeptical. I am a pretty bog fan of the original Blade Runner and a sequel 30 years later had me a bit worried. Sure the trailer looked good, but would the movie hold up? Would they do justice to the original? Would I finally learn if Deckard was a replicant? First off, yes the movie holds up. It is not as action packed as I think that a lot of today's audiences have come to expect from their sci-fi movies, but it is full of intellectual action and has some twists and turns that I did not expect. Like the first it deals with a lot of current social issues in a way that is not heavy handed but still makes you think. As for how it treats references to the first movie, everything was handled with care and the two movies meld quite well. Honor is given to the characters from the first movie and Deckard is still Deckard. As for my last important question, is Deckard a replicant? Well you need to go watch the movie and draw your own conclusions. I would like to add that there are three short films on Youtube that were commissioned by the director of 2049 that take place between the original and 2049. I recommend looking them up and watching them before you head to the theater. Overall I am quite happy with Blade Runner 2049. Like Blade Runner before it, I think that I will learn and see more each time I watch this movie. I plan on seeing it one more time before it leaves theaters. I recommend this movie, especially if you are a fan of the original! So I haven't done a movie review in a bit, but I am back with a big one! This past weekend I went to see It, based of course off the book by Stephen King. Now I will try not to have too many spoilers, but since most people watching this movie have either read the book or watch the old miniseries, there's probably not much that I can spoil anyways. For me this version of It got many things right. It is a good horror movie in and of itself, plus as a fan of the book it captured the spirit of Stephen King's work very well. Does it have everything from the book in it? No and there is no way that it could. (Plus there is one very controversial scene from the book that just is not something that should be acted out by child actors. If you have read the book you know what I am talking about.) Sure, they could have delved into the lives of the children a bit more, but the movie is already two hours long. Instead it really focused on each child's fears, the very thing that the evil Pennywise feeds off of. I really liked the child actors in this film, I think they portrayed normal kids in a very abnormal situation. They were funny and irreverent. The look and the feel of the film was creepy and some scenes were disturbing as they should be. (For instance Bev's home life.) Pennywise is a disturbing clown, not scary to me personally but portrayed very well. There were some instances of jump scares that while I didn't jump caused others in the packed theater to jump and scream. For purists of the book, they did not get every detail right, but they made a damn good horror movie and I am so glad that the second part has been given the go ahead. I look forward to the continuation of this story with the characters as adults, I just hope that they cast as well as they did for the children. I give this movie 5 stars and recommend it to horror fans and Stephen King fans alike! First off let me say that I am a huge Stephen King fan and have been reading his work since I was 11. I have read the entire Dark Tower series more than once. So this weekend I finally went to see the Dark Tower movie. I was excited but also felt some trepidation at the same time. I personally was not worried about casting, being a fan of Idris Elba I had no doubt that he would portray Roland well. And I actually thought Matthew McConaughey was a good Man in Black as well. The kid who played Jake too was good, though if they were ever to make more movies he may be a little too old to continue as his character. Now going in I knew that this is not an adaptation of the books, rather an imagining of a continuation of the books. If you have read the books (SPOILER) you know that Roland reaches the Dark Tower and then basically starts his journey all over again and we have no idea how many times he has gone through this cycle. This movie is basically him starting with him at the beginning once more. Now, how to actually describe how I felt about his movie without too many spoilers. I am torn about how I felt really. On the one hand if you go to the movie just seeking entertainment, it does not disappoint. It's a fun summer movie with a lot of action and a fast pace. The cast was great and portrayed their characters well. My husband who has never read the books really liked it. As someone who has read the books, well this is where the review gets a little trickier. Again, no complaints with the cast. I loved that there are a lot of nods to other Stephen King works in the movie, lots of little easter eggs if you are paying attention. I am fine with this not being an interpretation of the book, but I wish that the movie would have stuck to the heart of the books a little more. I was also hoping that this would become a series of movies (though I guess it is about to become a tv show so there is hope) but (SPOILER) when a main character dies way before they do in the books, it makes me worried where this series could be heading or if it will even happen. I also thought that it was a bit short and rushed. I kinda wish that there had been an R rating as well so that they could have maybe pulled more from the source material. All in all though, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend you go see it. You might enjoy it more if you have not read the books, but see it even if you have read them. It's still a fun and entertaining movie. Recently my husband and I went to see Dunkirk, a movie that we have been waiting to come out all year. Christopher Nolan did not disappoint in my opinion. This is a touching and real war movie without being too graphic. It focused more on the young men trapped on a French beach as the Germans surrounded them. Beautiful story telling, for the enemy is not really seen except for some planes, you just sense the fear in the men fearing their impending doom. As with any movie based on a true story, some liberties were taken, but over all this is a wonderful tribute to what happened on that beach. If you are interested in true stories, WWII, or war stories in general then go see this movie. You won't be disappointed. This week I finally got to see The War for the Planet of the Apes, a movie that I have eagerly been awaiting. I liked both of the previous movies in this franchise, always rooting for the apes by the way. I was not disappointed in this movie. It has all that you would expect from a summer blockbuster, lots of action and special effects, but it also has heart. There are some very sad moments in this movie, as well as hopeful ones (well if you are rooting for the apes at least). Woody Harrelson made me root for the apes even more in this movie, for he played an excellent and crazy bad guy. I also love that Maurice, the orangutan that has been in all the movies, plays a bit bigger part. He is one of my favorite characters and provides a lot of heart in this movie. I highly recommend this entertaining movie, especially if you liked the previous two movies. It might be my favorite one in the series, even though or maybe because it shows the worst that humans can be. Finally made it to see Alien Covenant. My husband had to watch Prometheus first, so we are a bit behind I know. However, as a huge Alien franchise fan I was not disappointed in this film. A little more action that Prometheus, the aliens were fun. Great overall look and feel to the film. A fun twist towards the end. I just liked the film and found it to be a perfect entertaining summer film. Go see it and just enjoy. I could say so much more, but I don't want to spoil anything. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment. So if you know me at all from reading this blog, then you might know that I love movies and comic books, so of course I went to see Wonder Woman opening weekend. I have loved Wonder Woman since I have been reading the comics from five years old on. I have been waiting for this movie since then. And I was not disappointed. I am not going to spoil the movie, but it portrays the kick ass female superhero that I think many have been waiting for. Diana is still a kind and caring woman, but one with convictions and that can literally take on evil to save the innocent. As a woman and an author, it was empowering to see that kind of portrayal on the big screen. This movie really moved me and I highly recommend it. Of course it is not perfect, but the good more than outweighs a few weaker parts of the movie. Go see it. I will be going again that is for sure. |
AuthorAuthor, artist, jewelry maker and all around creative person. I write in many genres and have a lot of fun doing so. Please take a look around and enjoy! Archives
January 2022
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