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The Beekeeper (2024)
Great action - one of Jason's best!
Ok, after reading a few reviews, maybe the plot's been used but this is one fast-moving, butt-busting ride. Usually the 'strong' hero makes a mistake and ends up tied up being lectured to by his nemesis (i.e. James Bond) but not here. Jason makes fast work of every agency, SWAT, whatever gets in his way. He doesn't stop. I wish he'd made more of a point of how telling how he felt about being cared about by Ms. Parker. He tells Verona that he's doing this to revenge her mother's death but he never tells Verona what her mother meant to him; he tells one of the low life guys. Ok. I forgive that because Jason is unstoppable. Like one reviewer says it's like the Equalizer meets Terminator meets John Wick. I liked Jason's 'Transporter' series - this moves much faster and Jason is never 'stuck' or unable to get out of a situation - like having a gun at his back and being made to walk to some bad guy honcho. No one has a chance to take him anywhere. I loved it. When he says he's going to burn it to the ground - he gives people a chance to get out - but then he makes good on his promise. It's a wild ride!
Shooter (2016)
Late to the game but - it is one of the best newer series!
I like sniper movies and this series really set the mark. There's a good amount of drama and suspense but also a LOT of great sniper shooting. Bits thrown in about types of guns / range/ type of bullets. Ryan makes this series for sure. Good choice for leading man. Supporting cast is good too - well cast. First season is the best. 2nd season was very good. 3rd season - not as good as first two but still worth watching. Wish they'd done a 4th. Loved the long gun sniper shots. It's like watching an expert do what they're good at - like a Bourne or Mission Impossible. Not a waste of time at all - check it out, even if it's just season 1.
Imaginary Crimes (1994)
Didn't expect this to be good but - yeah!
I had never heard of this movie but my DVR recorded it because Vincent D'Onofrio was in it. Even though it's an old movie, it just played on cable (July 2022). D'Onofrio had a very small role but the major actor was very good and convincing in the role of a man always chasing the next great opportunity to con people out of their money - which never becomes reality. The situation with his two daughters was portrayed believably. While I came away hating him even when he tried to make amends at the end, the situations that were portrayed were very real and I had a touch of it in my life with a father who was always creating a system he could sell for predicting the winners of horse races. The system never worked. We had to dodge creditors all the time. That situation is horrible to live through and this movie portrayed the feelings of disappointment, futility, anger, etc right on the money. The acting was so good, you could really feel the impact of the main character's actions on his daughters. It must be hard to portray a role that is so self-centered, playing cons all the time on good people and a really bad father. Keitel did a great job making himself completely believable in the role. D'Onofrio was okay in his role- he really didn't have a lot of screen time. He's always good to look at. I recommend this film even if it's not the kind of film you usually watch. I'm usually watching sci-fi/action movies. This one is worth the time.
The Mark of Zorro (1974)
One of the best Zorros
I'll admit to being a huge Frank Langella fan, but he definitely adds a demeanor to the role that is less 'superhero' as in the other Zorros. He plays the buffoon part well and Ricardo Montalban is a super antagonist to his Zorro. Everyone plays right into the game and Langella's voice and mannerisms (acting) really makes the role. While there is some romance, it does not detract from the main goal of Zorro. The scenes with him and his promised bride are short, intensely romantic without being over the top. He also plays the role with his father while showing the pain it causes in his heart to deceive his father. He plays the parts so well
Sphinx (1981)
Good, not great but not awful either.
I just rewatched Sphinx after seeing it many years ago. I read the reviews and thought it was pretty straight forward,easy to follow. I'm a huge Frank Langella fan and just seeing him in the made it worth watching for me. However, as much as I enjoyed watching him romancing Leslie Ann Downs, I agree that there was not much chemistry between them. Most of the actors just ok - no shining stars, except Langella who can simply walk into the room and make the scene. His presence is always stunning and he seems in complete control of the scene.
As far as the story, it moves slowly and follows the usual Egypt films plots. Leslie does ok but seems stiff in many scene like she is not comfortable in her role. She's supposed to be really smart but does so many dumb and stupid things that it is maddening. I think the film doesn't work as well as it could because the energy level of the characters is inconsistent. For example, in The Mummy, there is a matched energy between the main actors and the people after them. Here there is a mish mash of actors thrown together, some good, some bad in the same scenes so the good ones can't really shine.
So, bottom line, watching Frank Langella is always a joy for me so I don't care what film he's in - I'll watch it. I probably would t have watching Sphinx all the way through without his presence.
The Equalizer (2014)
Wow - unexpectedly awesome!
I like Denzel but never thought of him as a Jason Bourne type but in this movie, he's definitely up there with Liam in 'Taken'. He doesn't just kick butt, he really kicks it and he looks them straight in the eye when doing it. He's no nonsense, no explaining the situation, no negotiating. The payback in this feels good because the bad guys are so bad - well acted, too. The scenes are done well - setting the mood. The late night diner scenes are great. If you've ever been up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep, and you go out to the local 24 hr cafe - this is just what you'd picture it would be like. You don't get a lot of detail behind Denzel's character only that he's definitely been through a lot, had a wife, has OCD. His apartment is stark - no decorations, just the necessities to live. No mess. Everything in it's place. Denzel does this characters incredibly well. It's a tough one to play. There's very little emotion even in very emotional situations. Great action - great power. Check it out - highly recommend.
Jason Bourne (2016)
Action to make up for script? Aging Matt...?
I really liked the first three Bourne movies and Legacy. Renner was great and the plot explained a lot of why the program participants were able to tolerate pain, figure out escape routes ... Wish they'd explained how they learned languages so quickly and fluently but I digress. I had heard that Matt Damon wouldn't do Legacy because his favorite director wasn't involved. I agree with some of the reviewers that Matt probably needed the money and a hit - he hasn't had many hits lately and the Bourne movies made him enormously famous - even though he made other good movies. OK - so "Jason Bourne" is filled with action - it virtually never stops. There's not much dialogue and a few holes are filled in as far as Jason's past but not enough to make him seek the revenge that drives him, haunts him, and that he might actually want back in the program - that's a stretch. It was confusion how Nicky was able to find him when the CIA had been searching for years, unsuccessfully. Nicky's become another Snowden and wants to post all the notes about Treadstone, BlackBriar, etc on the Internet. That's also a stretch. Last time we saw her she seemed pretty happy in an outdoor cafe somewhere in Europe. So Nicky get hacks into the CIA computers and gets the program files - OK - Nicky is nice enough but a hacker, sophisticated enough to hack the CIA - I don't think so. She gets the files and gives them to Jason because it's important for him to know his history. OK, let's say that is important to Jason - Nicky's working with another guy want to post all this info on the Internet. The files are encrypted so Jason goes to this guy who un-encrypts the files. While Jason is reading the documents, the CIA (in Langley) detects the computer Nicky had been using to hack the CIA and starts deleting the files. Reality check - 1st - where did Jason get Nicky's computer? She burned it when CIA traced her to this hacker cell. Why is Jason on the 'internet' when he's reading files that are stored on a thumb drive or locally on a laptop? Is the encryption-guy being stupid on purpose? Jason's no computer-geek, that's for sure, but the guy that undid the encryption should know about the dangers of being 'on the grid'. There's no reason for them to be on a network but - well - they are. So Jason just stands there reading documents and this guy tells Jason that it's important to let everyone know about what the CIA has been up to - and then this guy attacks Jason? What? Who is this guy working for.... ? CIA? I must have missed it. Jason beats up the guy, the files are deleted from a computer that was destroyed in the opening scenes of the movie but that the CIA detected to find Jason, and Jason starts looking for another analyst who was involved in the program when his father was with the agency. The plot sucks. The action is good. The bad guy is really bad and you really want Jason to get him - which happens - but not before there's a whole lot of gratuitous violence that didn't add to the plot, just to the character of the bad guy. Compared to the other Bourne movies, this is the worst. It's still good entertainment but it's not as smart as the others. Jason only gets to show off his fighting skills - not languages or map-memorizing. And Matt has really aged. Maybe that was intentional but part of the intrigue of the first three was all that Jason could do and still be fairly young. He looks at least 50 years old in this movie. Nicky looked virtually the same as she did in the 3rd installment.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Surprisingly - very good!
I wasn't expecting a lot from this movie and watched it because it had a couple of actors I really like in it. However, it is acted well and even without knowing the story, held my interest throughout. I can't think of any scenes that were poorly done. Richard Harris was good in his role as the prisoner and Jim C. was excellent. I haven't seen him in a role besides 'Person of Interest' (which I really liked and was disappointed when it ended). I had hoped he had more of an acting challenge with this film - which he did. When he changed to the 'Count of Monte Cristo', the transformation was remarkable. It was hard to believe it was the same actor. Well done all around!
The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
Previews looked funny - not for 90 minutes!
I don't usually go to animated movies. I drop the kids off and pick them up but I love cats and the previews had a couple of interesting looking felines so I decided to stay for this one ... It had good moments but, overall, the movie was tedious. The cats were good and the hawk was very good. The dogs were sappy and their personalities seemed more boring than interesting. Dogs are supposed to have a special connection with their humans - the humans are in the movie so little, there's no time for a relationship to develop so it's really a romp of pets on their own. For kids, that's enough. Adults are looking for a little more of a connection to identify with. I did understand the message that most pets are left alone too long during the day and that pets have become disposable, discarded when no longer useful or convenient. But adults know that already. I don't think the message was strong enough for the kids. If you're an adult thinking that this might be a funny movie - it's not funny enough, not poignant enough, though the ending is nice.
Safe House (1998)
Interesting but not what I expected
I didn't read the jacket description carefully enough and was surprised that the majority of this film was about the main character, Mace (Patrick Stewart) developing Alzheimer's. It started out predictably with Mace neurotically drilling on security protocols and attack situations. He's retired intelligence, after all. But then we learn that some of what he's afraid of is not enemies, but memory loss associated with the disease he hopes he doesn't have but finally accepts. His daughter hires a woman to look after him and we are immediately suspicious because she's smart, gorgeous - why does she want a job looking after an old man developing Alzheimer's? As the film progresses, I agree that Patrick Stewart does a very good job as someone who depended on their memory to stay alive and has put safeguards in place in case of ... well ... we know. Clues from the TV that is constantly on, keeps us thinking that there must be something to Mace's fears though I didn't think the film would end quite the way it did. It was good but I wouldn't call it an action movie (aka Die Hard) but rather a suspenseful psychological drama. It was not a very uplifting movie because even if our hero makes it out alive, we know his memory is not going to last. Movies about Alzheimer's are sad and this one is also.
Identity (2010)
Pretty good, though academic now...
I checked the DVD out from our local library as the description was an interesting premise. The first episode was pretty good - it introduced the characters and the series. I'm on the 5th episode and, while not the best as others have written, it's better than most of what's on TV. The lead character has a bit of an ego and everyone else is sort of background but the stories move quickly - there's no nodding off. He has a good way of figuring things out and reading people. That's always interesting. I was going to check additional episodes out but found out the series didn't make it past 6. There's so little on broadcast TV these days and this is a good alternative to watch for sure. Not great but pretty good.
Scorpion (2014)
One of the better new shows this Fall!
Scorpion starts with an interesting premise - really smart people who can't function well in the real world. It is actually true for many. They get so focused on what they're thinking about or working on, unimportant things such as paying bills don't get done. Scorpion has a good mix of characters with different types of smarts. It is fast moving action and it's actually hard to do email while watching it. Evaluate it based on what it's up against - mainstream television. The characters are likable, the premise good, and it moves fast. Scorpion also does not depend on others in the series being stupid or missing stuff which is good. It moves the story along well.
Wallander (2008)
Not just intriguing but poignant
There are a lot of crime dramas with great characters. Take CSI (Las Vegas) for example - great show, great character development but only a few truly poignant episodes like when Nick was buried underground - where you pause and empathize with the character. Wallander episodes start out with a crime/murder being committed. In the course of investigations, you learn about Wallander's demons, his regrets, what impacts him without being spoon fed. It's presented as part of the running story. The series is very well acted, the characters play their roles proficiently. The filming is lovely, beautiful landscape shots emphasizing rural-ness and sweeping vistas. I only just discovered this series and look forward to viewing all of the episodes. Highly recommend.
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Wow - blew me away!
Let me start by saying this is not the kind of movie I generally watch. I'm all for the mindless action, occasional drama genre. So why did I even pick up this film? It was at the library, I looked at the actors and thought - OK. I didn't know anything about the film when I started watching it. I'll also share that I am not the type of viewer that concentrates on movies (on DVD). I multi-task - emails, etc. - while I 'watch'. Luckily, I also had 'subtitles on' (some parts are hard to understand).
While the film was slow in getting started, there was something about the timeline stories that caught my interest. The characters are well- done and I wanted to find out what happened to them in the different 'times'. It was obvious right off that the characters move between timelines. This has been done before but never 6 at the same time. What was done exceptionally well was the way the movie built momentum as it neared the end - in ALL six timelines - frantically switching back and forth. So you're watching, waiting to find out what happens in your favorite timeline - you will have one or two - and things are happening fast and furious in all 6. My three favorites were 'Adam Ewing - the lawyer on the ship', 'Somni 451 and Hae-Joo Chang' in the future and the composer, Frobisher. Jim Sturgess was fantastic as were Doona Bae and Ben Whishaw. The sensitivity they brought to their characters was truly exceptional. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry are not my favorite actors but were OK in their parts. The comic relief of Cavendish was done well but I have to admit, I had no idea how any of it worked into the timeline threads until I read about the story online and re-watched the movie. Yes - it's complicated, yes - it was not done as well as it could have been - but it has never been attempted before - to do 6 timelines, with actors moving between sets and locations like this. It was a remarkable feat of film-making and gave me a new appreciation for how difficult it must be keeping all that straight!
I feel that the critics of this movie were expecting something simpler, more action- packed and more main-streamed. I usually do, too. However, there was something different about this movie that drew me in and made me want to know more about how it was made and the actual plot between timelines. It is not light watching and it's long, you'll probably want to watch it again.
Turn subtitles on - it'll be easier to understand because of the pigeon English being spoken in the far future. I understand the film didn't do well when released. I hope it gets more acclaim in subsequent views because it deserves more accolades than it received. It will have you thinking about it for days after viewing.
Runner Runner (2013)
Expected more from Timberlake
After loving Timberlake in 'In Time' and 'Social Network', I was looking forward to a good performance with/without solid plot. I've never been a fan of Ben Affleck - he seems to try too hard at whatever role he's playing. Thankfully, he plays a very shallow character in this one - easy to portray. The plot had potential - like when one of the programmers found out about the complicated ponzi scheme which could have taken the film in a more intelligent direction but wasn't allocated much more than a mere mention. Timberlake did well enough with what he could work with. Disappointing. It's not too long so if you rent from RedBox or stream it - you're not out much time or $. I agree with the reviews here giving the film an average of around 5.
Escape Plan (2013)
Not bad - pleasantly surprised
The last Arnold movie was dreadful - same for Stallone. This one wasn't half bad - pretty well laid out, actually. The plot was complicated but not too much so that you had to rewatch any parts. Arnold is still a pretty stiff actor and his lines are delivered like a 'Terminator' but that's OK. The film is not into character development - this is a pure action movie with likable actors. Jim Caviezel does his typical deadpan but is actually intelligent in some of the scenes. He could have done a better job at developing his character but there wasn't that much to develop in his role, either. Faran Tahir played one of the best roles in the movie. His character felt real and you weren't ever sure which side he was on. There's some good comic relief between Arnold and Sly - it felt honest - and was what carried the film which relies on a partnership between them. I recommend this movie- it's worth the $1.20 rental or streaming fee - the time goes fast and it's not a movie you'll say 'gawd that was awful!'.
Le chiavi di casa (2004)
Emotional, spot on for those living with the disabled
This as an exceptionally well-acted and presented film about how parents deal with disabled children. It is not an easy subject to show without over-emotionalizing something. Unlike 'Rain Man', this film showed that there is nothing fun about living with a disabled person. Any positive sign warms the heart, the negatives are soul- crushing, coming to terms with the limitations of your child. The father of the disabled boy goes to see him with the intention of committing him to a hospital. During the days of testing that happen prior to the commitment, they form a bond. I don't agree that the boy shows signs of getting better or communicating above what he had been doing at the beginning of the movie. He is significantly disabled and will remain so regardless of the love and support from his newly found father. At the end of the movie, the father begins to understand - his son who he thought was connecting with him and seemed to communicate fairly normally - is irritating and still very disabled. The sadness is well done as he realizes this. The woman he meets in the hospital, who has a severely disabled daughter, has done nothing since her daughter was born except care for her daughter. Disability consumes caregivers. The father likens them to 'puppies, giving unconditional love'. The disabled have a genuine innocence and trust that normal children grow out of by the time they are 5 years old. It's like each day is a new lifetime for them - the memory of frustration, of anger - are forgotten. It's a film that those living with a disabled person will see as pretty true to real-life.
Now You See Me (2013)
Loved it! Action - great illusions - kept you guessing.
OK - while not the best of the best - this movie is way ahead of most of the movies out right now. I really like Jesse's style of acting - fast talking, great sense of humor - and Woody is always a great supporting (or even lead) actor. Spoilers coming - The objective of the magicians' illusions were not completely altruistic, but pretty close. While Ocean's 11 was fun because of the interaction between the characters, the illusion was for profit, for themselves. The fast pace of 'Now you see me' was good at keeping you from guessing who was 'good' vs who was 'bad'. I'm pretty good at these and I didn't guess it until about 2/3rds in. And I wasn't sure. I like the energy of the characters and the way revenge was metered - which is what it was all about. It wasn't about money - it was about knocking down arrogant, egotistical know-it-alls, which - admit it - feels really good when done right. And since we can only get that satisfaction from movies (not in real life), this is a good movie to see. There's no torture like some revenge movies - this is all pretty tame stuff. But knocks a punch to the 'bad guys'. Anyway - it's not a Bourne, Bond or Die Hard - but it's pretty darn good. Check it out. It definitely will not be the worst movie you've seen lately!
Looper (2012)
Lots of hype - very disappointing!
We were really looking forward to this movie - most of Bruce Willis' movies are fun, exciting and tongue-in-cheek humor scattered throughout to make for great re-watching. There have not been many good sci-fi movies about time-travel and after reading the glowing reviews here (on IMDb), I even dragged my husband to this movie. He enjoys Bruce Willis movies but not scifi. This movie is at least 60 minutes too long. Bruce's role is well-played. His 'past' self is also well acted. It's all the stuff between that is an unbelievable, awkward time-travel/scifi story. For those of you who liked the 'Terminator' plot where it starts in the future, with Kyle looking at a picture of Sarah Conner that's taken in the past, at the end of the movie - closing the 'time' travel circle - Looper does nothing even close. Changing the future by altering the past is the typical time-travel story, done well in many movies, and unfortunately - done very badly in others. Looper is in the middle. While the stories being told in the past and future are interesting and well-acted/directed, the story linking the past-future is an 'eye roll' moment. In 'Looper', Bruce is not a good person, though he becomes one through the love of a woman. That should be the first clue to - oh brother - not one of those! So he tries to convince his 'past' self to change without figuring out what really needs to be changed to alter the future. It's so hokey in some parts that it's embarrassing. Like watching Bruce in 'Color of Night' or 'Hudson Hawk' - it's like - geez. Nothing about how the world is in the future is described except that a very bad guy is in charge and that's what needs to be changed in the past. Things keep happening at this diner in the middle of nowhere with no customers, black-and-white - and all the bad guys continue to meet up there. The people in the cities are living in the usual dark, cramped and lots of crime - future. How does this woman get a huge house, with electricity, out in the middle of a corn field - that theoretically - she is maintaining by herself? And why is she out there? None of that is explained. Maybe these are all metaphors - which are lost on me - I go to see an action movie not to try to figure out why the director shot a scene in black-and-white or why Bruce is running through a corn maze that's actually dead in the past. So - be fore-warned. This is not a 'Die Hard', not a 'Terminator', nor even 'Vanilla Sky'. It's OK if you go in not expecting much. It's got really hokey moments ala 'Knowing' and 'War of the Worlds remake'. And it's too long so you'll keep looking at your watching wondering how much longer can this movie drag on ...
Okuribito (2008)
Very sad look into Japanese culture
Views into cultures that visitors cannot experience are fascinating. Quickly reading the description of the film from the DVD jacket - I thought it was going to about the cello player and his family. Wow - was I wrong. However, the film is an accurate view into the stoic, unemotional Japanese persona. This was a hard film to watch. The marriage of the main character, young, attractive, healthy - is unconnected. They barely touch. They talk in generalities about unimportant things and never about what each is feeling. As the main character begins his journey into a new line of work - after being laid off from the symphony - we see how the Japanese face funerals without shedding a tear, silent. The 'coffiners' are more human, treat the deceased with more love, tenderness than we ever see the live people show each other. This somehow gives the mourners permission to allow themselves to show their sadness, their tears. This is not an action movie - don't watch it if you are sleepy or want to vege out and be entertained. This movies will take attention and your thoughts will wander to your own or loved ones mortality/death. It does not have any scenes of violence or grossness - CSI shows way more of the dead bodies. It is not a 'happy' movie - it will generate conversations.
Bee Season (2005)
Not what I was expecting - no 'feel goods' here...!
I read a few of the reviews before posting this because I wanted to validate some of my thoughts during this film. Here, I'm watching it 7 years after it came out, however that affects my perspective. I like films about human interaction/interesting characters placed in unusual situations - like in 'War of the Worlds' - the best of humanity comes out when we come together in a common cause/disaster. Not knowing anything about Kabbalism except when Madonna got into it - I didn't think this movie was going to center so much on the supernatural kind of 'one with God and nature' thing. It was too much. It sounds like this was based on a book - better read the book first because this movie does not explain most of what is going on. All the actors/actresses did a great job. The tragedy of the family situation was well done and I was curious as to what the heck was going on with the mother. I did not get the subtle reasons why she needed to get into the light or whatever. I was hoping it was something more than the mystical thing the daughter ended up being into. You can predict the ending with the spelling bee but what the heck is going on after is way beyond what I could figure out. While I don't need to be spoon fed plot, the movies that just 'stop' at the end - leaving you to have lively discussions afterwards no doubt - leave me not knowing how to feel about the movie. Was it a good ending? Were the lessons learned? Doesn't seem like the Dad would change the personality/demeanor he's had for 20 years in a moment. Anyway - don't see this movie if you're looking for a satisfying, feel good movie. If you need a movie to spur conversation after - there are probably better choices but this one is OK.
Contagion (2011)
Not 'Outbreak', for sure!
This was like the last Batman movie - about 30 minutes too long. It just kept going and going and people kept getting infected and - geez. All these great names and they barely did any acting. The Matt Damon and Gwenyth characters had such short time on screen that their characters could have been played by anyone. I was expecting something better than 'Outbreak' - which was great, fast moving, suspenseful with a touch of the 'Die Hard' humor in suspenseful moments. This was not fast-moving and there was NO humor. Everyone is serious, all the time. The first part where the infection gets moving makes you think it's going to be good. The way the virus is spread is great - makes you very self-conscious of how this could happen in today's world of being able to get around the world in 36 hrs. That's when it slooooooows down. You hope that the main scientist gets through the film because her character is good - but - at the first cough - you know she's doomed. Pretty much everyone is. It is scary what happens when a town is put in quarantine. I'm glad I didn't see this in the theater - almost did. For a home DVD -it's good, had some good moments. Don't watch it if you're sleepy - you will nod off. It's not a fast-pace thriller.
Up (2009)
More than fabulous animation - see it with someone you love!
I'll start by saying that I am usually taking my daughters to these animated films and have not been engaged in any of these until WALL-E. However, even with WALL-E- beyond the relationship of the two robots, the rest was done well but ... Anyway - UP was different. ******Lots of spoilers******** The film starts with Carl as a young boy, getting into mischief, meeting his wife - also very young. Still in the opening scenes, with essentially no dialog just images- we are taken through Carl's life and tender moments with his wife. It is truly moving, their love through difficult moments but mostly happy, together times. Then Carl is 78 years old - it is today - and he's alone. For me, half of the film was about Carl's fulfilling his promise to his wife, to make their home in a special, beautiful spot in South America: their special adventure. As Carl embarks upon this endeavor, he meets wonderful, endearing characters whose personalities shine with and without words. The way that Pixar weaves stories with so little words is incredible. The animation is wonderfully detailed and beautiful - you could see individual fur on the dogs, intricate feathers on the bird and stubble chin hair on Carl. The adventure has the usual villain but (for the adults), the second emphasis of the story is about Carl letting go of his loneliness and sadness after losing his wife and becoming engaged in life again. His wife had started a scrapbook when they met as children, about the greatest adventure she wanted to have in life - being the trip to South America. Carl always thought the pages after the "Great stuff I want to do" in his wife's scrapbook was empty because they had never gotten to go to South America. At the end of the movie, he moves past that page to find that her scrapbook is filled with pictures of all the times they had together - that those were her best adventures. Amid all of the characters, comedy and activities which had the audience laughing and cheering, was the kind of love we all search for: enduring, fun, tender - and how hard it is to lose that love. You could feel Carl's sadness. Very moving, poignant - absolutely worth the tears. It will help you value your loves more while you have them. And the movie is filled with smiles too. The kids won't understand why there are tears in your eyes...
Knowing (2009)
Some parts were good - some were really bad!
I'll start out by saying that I am a Nicolas Cage fan - big time. I love his movies - usually buy the DVDs and watch over a few times. I also go to movies to be entertained - and don't ask a lot from plots as in the "National Treasure" series. But this one - there are few if any one-liners - the ones that make movies such as 'Con Air' great viewing. In 'Knowing', the plot is actually pretty good - a time capsule is buried by a grammar school and unearthed 50 years later. One very odd student had written pages filled with numbers, in no recognizable sequence. Cage figures out what the numbers mean and races to prevent or survive the last prediction. However - and here's the 'bad' part of the movie - (SPOILERS NOW!!!) aliens have been hanging around for years, 'whispering' to the odd kid 50 years ago and 'whispering' to her kid in today's world. Then, as the prediction comes to fruition, the aliens take the kids who can hear their 'whispering' along with two of all the animals/life (ala Noah's ark) away to 'rebuild' on another planet. Gawd - the music was awful during the last alien scene! Cage drops to his knees when he sees the space ship, the kids are standing there with rabbits calmly, and the music is blaring crescendo for way longer than was needed. It's like a climax that was supposed to last 5 secs extended to 2 mins. So what were those aliens - who are obviously advanced enough to get here, figure out all the disasters that Earth has endured, figured out which kids and animals to take - out of the goodness of their heart or whatever - and they couldn't figure out a way to shield the earth from the 'disaster'? I guess I could have accepted the alien thing but the aliens looked to 'human'. Why make aliens who are all 'energy' shaped like a human body without skin? Head, two arms, two legs, ... The space ships were a cool design and the last visual effects of the earth were great. Again - too much loud blaring, climatic music. I felt badly for Cage at the end - so hokey. 4/5ths of the movie was pretty good though I missed Cage's one liners. Disappointing ending but not a bad way to spend a rainy day. Entertaining but poorly executed ending.
Taken (2008)
Excellent - didn't expect it to be this good!
Lots of spoilers! I must have seen the previews for 'Taken' between TV programs several times/week and it was beginning to get really irritating. However, there was something about the vigilante plot that made me want to see it. 'Taken' started out a bit slow, with the background of the family - Liam was the Dad who quit his Secret Service job to get closer to his daughter, whom he rarely saw because of his job. His ex-wife remarried an ubra rich guy who upstages him at his daughter's 17th birthday by giving her an incredibly beautiful horse. Liam brought a karaoke machine. This all wraps up nicely in the end - I won't give it all away. So the daughter decides to go to Paris with a friend, pretending to stay at a cousin's place with aunt/uncle who, of course, aren't in Paris - they took a trip somewhere else. So the two girls land in Paris and are immediately hit on by a cute boy who shares a cab with them, checks out their place and calls in their location (and that they're alone)to a ring of international human traffic-ers. The two girls are typical teenagers their first time away from home - freedom clouds judgment - taking rides from strangers in a foreign country - in which neither could speak the language, bragging they're alone, bragging the whole '5th floor' is theirs, and they want to party. Good Lord, write 'stupid' on their foreheads and send in Jason (Friday the 13th). That's where the previews begin - but nothing could prepare me for Liam's strength and drive at finding his daughter. No Jedi tricks here - This guy does not fool around chatting or providing background for the audience who might have dozed off and forgotten the plot. He goes right for the information - and kills anyone in the way - right away - no time for them to plead for their lives or 'James Bond' their way out of his clutches. Liams takes the shot - every time. It feels good - these guys are scum of the scum. 'Taken' gives the audience what they don't get in 'real' life - quick justice for creeps, another chance for parents who should be more careful in sending their kids off places unsupervised - just because other parents aren't taking the time to make sure the 'i's are dotted and 't's crossed for teenage journeys. The films wraps up really nicely, too. The introduction into Liam's type of job at the very beginning of the movie comes in again at the end - like the stuffed bear Ryan brings back for his daughter in "Red October". Great directing - action shots are incredibly well done ala Die Hard and Bourne. Pace is fast, steady but with a breath here and there so you're not exhausted by the end of the movie. I haven't seen a good action movie like this since 'Live Free or Die Hard'. This is a good one- don't miss it - in the theater.