yourlife Reviews

Spaceman (I) (2016)

Sad Tale of a Good Professional Baseball Player

[6/10 · 22 August 2016]

You know, it's funny. I imagine that most of the people who watch this movie may not like it. It's not humorous, in fact it's quite sad. The only redeeming value that it should bring is that if you are really good at something it's important to realize that there are always going to be times when you just aren't allowed to be yourself.

That's what Bill "Spaceman" Lee found out after pushing the limit one too many times. He was a good pitcher and I grew up in Boston and watched him often, while he was in the prime of his career. He has a great mind for this great game and yet he allowed his inner demons to take that away, albeit is was towards the end of a decent career. There are a lot of people who play this game and to get to the Pro level is not an easy thing to do, never mind win almost 120 games. He did that and I will say that he did it with style.

That style is also what ended his career in the Professional level. Was he the worst of the offenders at that time, probably not, but he certainly was one of the most outspoken about it.

Josh Duhamel did, what appears to be a fairly decent representation of the character that Bill Lee was and still is today. A man with an abundance of talent who really didn't like being told what to do or when to do it. It's not hard to figure out that at some point that will get you more than a slap on the wrist.

With all of that said, if you like baseball and ever felt as if your life would end if you couldn't play anymore then it's possible you will enjoy film for what it is. It's just a story. A story of a guy who never wanted to do anything but play baseball. Inside the lines he followed the rules, outside the lines had a negative impact on his later years, as a Pro.

Give it a shot. The acting is fine and the sadness is real. It's not a long time commitment, so I suggest checking it out. I liked it enough to write this review and although I still see Mr. Lee, once in a while in and around Boston, he has the same smile, he's always talking the game and he does hold one pretty impressive record you will see in the credits at the end of the movie.

I love baseball and I wish I could be a kid all over again, whenever I watch it live or get to see it in a film.

Just my thoughts!

Welcome to the Jungle (I) (2013)

Please do not waste your time!!!!!!!

[2/10 · 3 February 2014]

For $5 million dollars, whomever produced this movie should have just bought lottery tickets. The chance of winning would be better than this movie having a chance to be enjoyed.

I generally would have just turned it off, but being bored already, I figured what the heck. I WASTED VALUABLE TIME FROM MY LIFE.

It was so bad that I could tell you how the story ended and you would be better off if you spent the time with your family and maybe find something fun to do with them.

There is not one character who is worth saying nice things about. Dennis Haysbert has a couple of lines with minor humor attached, but only because they are so out of character for him.

That's the only reason I didn't give this 1 star.

I have to believe that once this movie gets around a little, the ratings will drop like the stock market in 2008. Please believe me. It's really not worth even trying to prove or disprove what I am writing here.

Even Jean Claude couldn't save it. Btw, he is in amazing shape for any age, but the fact that he is 53 is nuts! OK, that is the other reason I gave it 2 stars! I really wish someone would give me $5M so I could make a movie. I could find 20 people on the street who would have performed better than anyone in this film.

Find something else to watch, I beg you.

Just my thoughts!

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Never Let Life Decide Who You Are!

[9/10 · 10 January 2014]

Very good films are often the toughest to review. I wanted to make this one very short because the title of this review is exactly what I want everyone to believe.

If you have ever tried and failed, do it again. If you have been justly or unjustly put out of a job, find a better one. Most importantly, don't ever stop believing in what can be! Watch this film, then watch it again. If it doesn't hit your soul, please watch it a third time.

My goal in life has always been to help others do better than they think they are capable of and this movie made me believe that I can be more than I am.

Just my thoughts!

Open Grave (2013)

Well Constructured Thriller

[7/10 · 23 December 2013]

It's nice to see a low budget movie with new ideas. This is a relatively unknown cast of characters who perform their roles well. In the early stages of the film, it's tough to determine who the star actually is because of the plot line. Later on it becomes more apparent that one of the actors is the one who either caused or tried to fix this problem.

The director plays with your mind a little as each character has random thoughts which we can't see enough of to give away anything about the plot, but look closely as it will help you discern what's actually going on.

That being said, this knowledge will not likely give you any answers until you are told the "who, what, where, when, why and how" of this thriller.

It's a little slow at times, mostly, I think because the viewer should be trying to determine what the heck is going on. It's as if they slowed the pace on purpose to allow time to think about what just happened. That does work, but I had only a little idea of what the real motivation of the film was by the time we actually find out.

The movie is well worth seeing and although it pushes a couple of weird buttons about some potential challenges, I'd be surprised if you figure it out before the climax.

Just my thoughts!

The Dinosaur Experiment (2013)

Really Not Good!

[2/10 · 1 December 2013]

I love movies and I also will check out most independent produced pictures as well. When I saw this had a small but functional budget, I gave it a chance.

All I can say is this. The best acting in this movie came from the animated creatures.

The script is weak and they managed to include almost every stereotype that has ever existed, yet not one of them could act!

Seriously, you will spend time that you can never get back and life is just too short to care! Don't waste your time.

Just my thoughts!

The Last Days on Mars (2013)

Old School Space Story

[6/10 · 1 November 2013]

This movie had a shot at being quite good, only made it to pretty good. It was a bit of a throwback movie from the 50's with better special effects. Performances were good, but the story went from scientific to space horror a tad too quickly.

Liev Schrieber was adequate but his character had no emotion until the very end of the film. Other performers were sort of character actor types and their length of time on the screen was based much on either who is the prettiest or the most foolish.

There was decent suspense early on and a curiosity as to what happened earlier in their lives, but not in the movie and I guess it had played a part in the plot, but with no explanation, it was kind of oddly placed.

It's a decent watch and only killed about 98 minutes, so you won't find it to be a total waste of time. If you watch it with the thoughts of real early science fiction, you can see how it fit into the genre.

Some people may be surprised by the ending or you'll wonder what happened next.

Take the time, enjoy the ride and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, but not overwhelmed.

Just my thoughts!

Pawn Shop Chronicles (2013)

Pawn Shop Chronicles.....WHAT?

[1/10 · 25 August 2013]

Because I like and trust many of the well known actors in this film, I really wanted it to be good. It was so far from good that I can barely write this review.

This movie made me stupid! I tried to see some continuity and justification to what was happening, but there was none. In fact this is the perfect definition of "Dangling Participle!" Stories were left with no resolve. Characters popped in and out of the movie as if it was magic and trust me, there was no magic! I even tried to compare it to a macabre, gore-fest, slasher type genre and it didn't even fit there.

Even if what you can do with the 2 hrs it took to complete the viewing of this mess, is nothing more than eat a bug or stick your fingers down your throat to puke, you will find that time better spent!

YIKES! Btw, I will be writing a screenplay and fully expect it to be produced. There are few things I have ever seen that even compare to how bad this movie actually was and I have watched some bad films in my time.

Vincent D'Onofrio and Chi McBride had a couple and I repeat only a couple of relatively entertaining moments.

Really, don't bother with this one! Just my thoughts!

42 (2013)

Great Baseball Movie

[8/10 · 2 July 2013]

Simply stated, this movie made me remember why I love baseball so very, very much.

I think they should make this a mandatory view for all of the current and up and coming players.

This was not only a baseball movie, it was the definition of courage, commitment and competitiveness.

Playing the game of baseball has been lost because of the financial opportunities. I only wish that it was played the old fashioned way. That is what makes baseball such a great sport.

I highly recommend this movie!

Just my thoughts!

Dark Skies (2013)

Scary Little Movie

[7/10 · 22 June 2013]

With all of the typical horror movies there is a lot of blood and gore and that's what many people think is scary. This movie didn't have to resort to that and trust me when I tell you there will be several times that you will feel the hair on the back of your neck start to raise! All of the actors were strong in their parts and considering this is about a family, one may expect that the children would not be up to par, but they are.

Timing is good and the story line becomes more and more believable as the movie progresses. Relatively early on there is a quick scene that may give you a hint, but it's quick and it's over, so it just adds to the suspense.

If you are seeking a shocking little thriller, I think you will be impressed, at least a little shocked and even scared. I liked it and it was nothing like what I expected.

Lastly, because there is so much going on, it seems to run longer than the time stated, but I think you will find it very much worth your time.

Just my thoughts!

Parental Guidance (2012)

Good Effort and Entertaining

[6/10 · 21 March 2013]

When I watch a movie, there are several things I consider and base my review on them.

Too many movies are written that have decided that blood and gore are the best way to entertain an audience and I think that viewers have become tainted.

Parental Guidance is just a good movie. It's not going to win any awards and as with any family movie there are many of the regular characters. Kids whine and cry a lot, parents struggle with their "Plan" to be perfect and grandparents, who are flabbergasted with the methods they have chosen to employ to raise or ruin their children.

This movie takes a different look at that process and in my opinion scores well in most areas. I would have preferred a slightly amended ending, and it's because in movies like this, I prefer the underdog to ultimately be the victor and even though that happens to many of the characters, there were a couple of others which would have made this a more complete piece for me.

All of that being said, I would recommend this movie. There were some pretty funny scenes, a couple of well placed "touching" scenes and a couple of better than average performances. No one failed here.

Billy Crystal was very solid and pretty much stole the show. Gedde Watanabe was really quite hilarious and the concept of raising children using really odd techniques made it pretty easy for me to giggle at the whole process.

If you have 100 or so minutes to spare, I think you'll enjoy it and if you watch and realize that you are raising your kids using anything remotely similar to how these parents are, I strongly suggest you stop sending your kids to a Therapist, change the appointment to when it's more convenient for you to go and stop doing it now!

Just my thoughts.