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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Kudos for redeeming the crystal scull fiasco
I'm rating this pretty high just because they brought the whole band back together for this movie. You've got a decent story, a plot that is whimsical, but at least believable (no aliens this time!), an all star cast with great folks like Antonio Banderas joining the normal cast of characters, and amazing sets, costumes, and sound that a traditionalist expects from Indiana Jones.
But by far the part that makes this shine is Spielberg & Lucas producing, 91 year old John Williams cranking out another great soundtrack, and the fact that they got so many of the original cast to come back and play cameo roles alongside Harrison Ford. They should have written in Ke Huy Quan and it would have been amazing, but that might have been too much.
A little long at 2+ hours, but a lot of fun!
The Rescue (2021)
Good depiction of a harrowing rescue in the world spotlight
As recreational divers ourselves, my wife and I were on the edge the whole movie. It was such an audacious plan and pure luck that it worked in this case, but what a harrowing story!
I hope that others watching realize how absolutely insane what these men and women did to save the soccer team. Wow!
Money Plane (2020)
Slightly enjoyable, but predictable.
Kind of fun to watch, but pretty boring implementation of an interesting concept. The problem is that the space even on a big plane is limiting for the plot. Also, Mark Mancina should sue David Bateman for copyright infringement. The theme Bateman uses a few times is a total ripoff of the theme from "Speed (1994)" with maybe a note or two different.
Looper (2012)
A gritty future that actually makes some sense
One of my favorite things about Looper is that it shows a fairly interesting gritty future reality and much of the writers' plotting actually makes sense.
If you think about it, it makes a good deal of sense that the Loopers are paid via silver and gold bars. These precious metals hold a good deal of value through time, plus they have the added benefit of being probably a good bit cheaper in the future.
The kid that plays young Cid does an excellent job with a very tricky part and Bruce Willis is of course amazing as usual. Joseph Gordon-Levitt shows some real acting chops, that we always knew he had anyway.
The ending was a bit underwhelming, but is at least a bit feel-good. Fun sci-fi flick for science nerds.
21 Jump Street (2012)
Crying out loud laughs
I went to see 21 Jump Street tonight after having a date to go see Hunger Games postponed for a few days. I figured, it has Jonah Hill, how bad can it be.
And it was amazing! Wow, there are only a few movies that I have laughed that hard at ever. As long as you're willing to chuckle at something like "The Three Stooges", you'll enjoy the comedy in this movie. Just when you think it can't get more ridiculous, it does just that. And Hill does an amazing job at making the audience laugh time and again.
Maybe not a "family" movie, but great fun for the teens-and-up crowd.
Act of Valor (2012)
Lots of great SEAL action, very little storyline
Act of Valor was a interesting window on the fast paced world of US military Spec Ops forces and the way they operate. While some reviews have bemoaned its lack of words and lack of trained acting (or a compelling storyline for that matter), it is a fun movie for an action or military movie buff. It is definitely a thrill to get some of the classic scenes of SEALs rising their heads above and then ducking below the water when approaching a guarded dock or to see an insertion via patrol boats dropped by Chinooks and then extracted the same way.
Definitely a boatload of fun, just don't expect a lot of story to go with it. Just simply the normal post-2001 action movie "terrorists want to blow up the US...".
For All Mankind (1989)
Amazing Historical Footage
This film had some of the most extensive, most well restored Apollo footage I have ever seen.
Not having been around in the 1960s to see much of this footage firsthand, I was astounded by some of the videos and insights portrayed by this film. To see the Apollo 11 astronauts goofing around and playing cassette tapes that had been custom made for them by their favorite artists is pretty awesome. This is a must-see for any big Apollo or space buff.
Seeing from some other reviews that incorrect footage is mixed to information about different missions doesn't really hurt the picture. Many of the different Apollo launches looked similar. It is hard to tell from the outside what each ship's mission was, so that does not detract from the film.
Hopefully we will have more footage from the moon in the near future as we proceed back into outer space to gain more knowledge through exploration like the early explorers that can be heard and seen in this film.
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Must-See Die Hard for Fans
This movie was great at keeping you on the edge of your seat and in the thick of the action. There is always another explosion blowing McClane through a wall or a bad guy shooting at him with a really big gun.
The only problem I had was that the bad guys weren't just thugs like in the other movies. The writers seem to have decided to up the ante by making some of them almost superhuman. I was reminded of X-men by Mai Lihn, who refuses to die and Rand, who looks like Toad (X-men) reincarnated. That ruined the legacy a bit, but you still must see the movie.
Also FYI, when hacking computers the likelihood of F-35 diagrams and graphical demonstrations of traffic crashes coming on screen is very low.