Babsmarkert Reviews

Now You See Me 2 (2016)

Great sequel! Don't assume based on the negative reviews - see it for yourself

[9/10 · 21 June 2016]

I don't understand all the hate for this movie. It accomplished the same ends as the first one, and even exceeded it in some ways. Just like the first, it started with a simple plot, added in some humor and dazzling magic tricks, and then brought in a twist at the end. Very fun movie, with complex characters.

Sure, it's not a FANTASTIC movie. But I don't think it was meant to be an award- winner or anything. It celebrates the mystery and magic of illusion, and reminds viewers that even today, audiences can still be fooled, if the magician has just enough intuition (and money) to pull it off.

I would've given 10 stars, but the romance was poorly executed, and some of the plot elements bothered me. Loved it though. Don't believe the negative reviews. Watch it for yourself and see what you think.

Houdini and Doyle (2016)

Fun! Not half bad

[9/10 · 14 May 2016]

If you watch this show, don't think too much into it. Yes, it's been done before. Yes, it's basically just ripping off the real Houdini and Doyle.

BUT it's cute and quirky. I happened to start watching it because there was nothing better on TV, and I'm glad I did. The script is pretty good. The dialogue is a little too modern, I think, but come on, it's a detective show with Houdini. Can't expect it to be accurate.

What it is is fun. So neat to watch a reimagining of the time period. And there is a great deal of chemistry between the actors. I felt immersed in the story. Would definitely recommend if you want to have a laugh and appreciate imaginative story lines.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Packed with awesomeness... but it's getting old

[8/10 · 7 May 2016]

I loved this movie. Great cast. Good character development (although some of the characters said little more than mildly funny one-liners). Nice action scenes. Beautiful. I absolutely love the tech upgrades they've done on many of the characters.

And yes, you will love Spidey. He's the Spidey we've been waiting for. (No offense to Andrew Garfield, who was perfection.)

I think the biggest challenge to this movie is that it doesn't bring much that's new to the table. The villain wasn't that novel. And as I know from having to sit through the movie with my parents next to me, not everyone is going to latch onto the idea that they're fighting each other. Seems rather petty, no?

But meh, I loved it. There were some aspects of the Civil War comics I'd wished they'd added in, but it was still good. Lots of laughs. Lots of action. And Vision brought up some interesting plot bunnies for future films.

Highly recommended, but with hesitation. It is more of the same stuff that we've already seen. For now, that's fine, but I hope they kick up the story a bit in the next movies.

Keanu (2016)

Meh

[2/10 · 3 May 2016]

A friend recommended this movie to me. I'd seen a few Key and Peele skits (some were funny, some not so much), so I thought I might as well try it.

It wasn't bad, but not great either. The best way I can think of to describe it is "Meh." Some of the jokes were funny, but others fell flat. I often found myself laughing out of pity rather than at the scene itself. My sister described watching it as "second-hand embarrassment," which I think is accurate. It was almost painful to watch.

I feel bad giving such a low rating, but I just couldn't find much to like. The cat was cute, but it didn't salvage the film. The plot was decent but choppy.

I think maybe if I was more of a fan of Key and Peele, I'd have liked this better? I don't know.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Not as good as the first one...

[7/10 · 15 June 2014]

This movie was truly amazing, but it didn't really impress me as much as the first one did.

I loved how family-centered it was. And how it showed that while not all people can change for the better, and some battles just can't be won, it is always worth the effort to reach out to others and fight for what you care about. There were also a lot of cute and funny scenes that I really enjoyed.

What bothered me about this movie was that some of the minor characters seemed - I don't know, shallow? For instance, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Snotlout only seemed concerned with getting a date the entire movie. Their characters were SO flat compared with how they were in the first movie. Even the evil trapper guy showed more personality than they did.

It also seemed rather far-fetched that the villagers would accept the events at the end of the movie so easily, without acting more confused. I mean, this guy just showed up without warning with an army of dragons, and announced that their chief was dead. And then Hiccup shows up and wins back the support of all the dragons, and becomes chief. That's a lot to take in.

I'd also hoped this movie wouldn't be so dark and violent. I know it's meant to show the trials of growing up and taking on a leadership role, but it was still a very dark movie, especially for Father's Day.

But besides these things, this movie was awesome. The song that Hiccup's parents shared was very cute and really showed how much they loved each other, even after being apart for so many years.

I hope that there's another movie after this one. I really want to see how Berk fares under Hiccup's leadership. I love the dragons and the setting of these movies, and I hope we get to see more of them. :)