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Reviews
Fool's Paradise (2023)
Sadly Cringeworthy
Love Charlie Day. We had no set expectations and were looking forward to his Directorial Debut. This was not a film we could embrace. All the star power is wasted. We were the only people in the theater opening day hoping against all hope the Critics were wrong. What they say doesn't influence what we choose to see. This time they are spot on. Day's endearing attempt at portraying his character is the only mark it hits. That alone cannot make up for the lack of character depth by his supporting cast. Ken Joeng was more the star of the movie and that still didn't help. His relationship with Latte Pronto is the only semblance of story movement and resolution. At one point my husband asked "When does this movie end?" My reply? "Not even ten minutes after it started." It was that bad. It is with brutal honesty that we both chose to give it a 1. Fool's Paradise is Foolish.
Red Sparrow (2018)
Spectacular Psychological Twists and Turns
Red Sparrow swiftly moves through psychological mind games as Russia vs. U. S. Espionage continues in true fashion. However, is it REALLY the traditional spy games or are there times when those straight lines wind and get blurred? You're left guessing as everything unfolds- drawn in to figure it out for yourself. History and some recent events show us this post Cold War practice is still utilized. Russian female agents have been trained to use their sexuality and intellect as Swallows, also referred to here as Sparrows. Not a Spoiler as IMDB includes this description on the page.
The training the main character Dominika receives is a dual exploration into the psychology of Russia's mechanisms to infiltrate U. S. intelligence and other countries. Is she a victim or willing participant: a true Russian Patriot: and what drives her to continue in this capacity for Mother Russia? Trainees are mentally molded through a number of reprehensible activities. Does Dominika survive and employ her new powerful role without mental consequences?
All players are fashioned into believable integral roles. No performance is written in without purpose. They are seamless and you find them either villainous or in some cases actually endearing.
Red Sparrow is worth the watching yet do so without reading the Synopsis, Trivia, or Goof sections first. The movie draws you in and keeps you guessing the outcome until the end. Well worth your time.
Black Forest (2012)
PARENT ADVISORY (Contains Spoilers)
I LOVE me some SYFY "scary" movies, but in this case "NR" or "Not Rated" means definitely NOT for children. For whatever reason, I couldn't access the tabs to edit the section. Violence and gore galore; some images may be too disturbing for young viewers who are tweens.
Use your parental discretion to decide: a baby is snatched from it's mother's arms by a once smiling fairy who swiftly tuns into a creature that sucker punches Mother to the ground. The parents are at a loss to find her as they hear her cries from another dimension. Later, as the group becomes part of fairy tales, the mother is stabbed in the heart with a spindle by a grandma looking woman. The "babysitter" and secret lover of the father gets sleepy when she enters a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs bedroom. NEVER fall asleep in a bedroom with seven tiny little beds: you'll wake up calling your boss/lover's name to be greeted and eated (yeah, I know it's spelled incorrectly but it rhymes) by seven "Little People"- men in prison style-striped shirts that are cannibals.
At about that point I was bored and disappointed. I'd read other user's reviews and was really looking forward to the use of color and other items mentioned. By the time I was 20 minutes into watching, I realized the only place this movie was going for me was...off. My first clue that I was wasting my time should have been an early line uttered by Dr. Saxon: "The only thing I knew about the Black Forest before today was cake." It was the "best" piece of dialog for the 20 minutes I watched.
The Longshots (2008)
Not surprisingly good movie
The only complaint I have is that the biggest gaffe of all has you following the dots- on Keke Palmer's face. In many scenes her acne is more than apparent while seconds later you're left wondering when she slapped on the miracle cream. It's VERY distracting. Also not her fault.
Otherwise, Keke pulls off her part of this true life story of Pop Warner's first female quarterback wonderfully. Ice Cube's character, her uncle, develops realistically when it comes to his relationship with his niece.
We had the choice of seeing this or Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D. I LOVE Brandon Fraser, but we were not disappointed in our choice. Our ten year-old son has heard the word "a*s" before, so that part really didn't bother me. The movie also contains teachable moments for parents to afterward discuss: how school can be rough when it comes to teasing and being made fun of.
Fred Durst, yes, THE bad boy Fred Durst of music fame, did a credible job as well, proving he is multi-talented and can handle a family movie.
All in all, the movie was well paced, nothing "dragged", and other than the above mentioned continuity issue our entire family enjoyed the movie.