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ashtree80
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Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
I guess I'm going against popular opinion...
...but I can't help it! I really, genuinely enjoyed this movie! I am not a die hard Wizard of Oz fan, and I haven't read any of the books, but I like the original classic movie. Maybe people who are hardcore fans of the original don't like this one? Maybe it stays from the novel's? I don't know. I am genuinely surprised that more people didn't like this movie. It is fun and well-paced. I thought Franco was very charming. I liked the pacing, the visuals, and most of the characters. The acting is a little cheesy in a couple parts, and the story is a bit simplistic, but for a family/ children's movie, I think it is a fun, adventurous and imaginative story. Without giving any spoilers, I was left waiting for certain iconic appearances that did not surface.
Why no ruby slippers? Why no black and white striped stockings? And there's a scarecrow, and a lion, but they could have added more tinman. Also, it would have been neat if Auntie Em was at the fair in the opening. Was she there? Did I miss it?
Anyways! It worked for me. Will definitely re-watch!
Mulan (2020)
Deeply disappointing!
My first thought after seeing this movie was "boy am I glad I didn't pay for this!" That took the sting out of the experience. My second thought was "the writers must have really liked Frozen!" Seriously, did they just want to re-make Frozen? (And I love Frozen!) That might sound crazy at first, but hear me out.
1. They inexplicably gave Mulan a sister, who is barely integrated into the story at all.
2. Mulan has barely explained magical powers, and feels isolated. She is distressed over having to conceal her magic. She feels isolated within her family and community. Sound familiar?
3. It ends with Mulan embracing her sister and declaring their love for each other. Mulan does not have a traditional love interest.
Not related to Frozen, but also, what is with the inconsistent narration? And the Phoenix? So stupid! It's like the writers forgot that they added several elements to the story! They didnt seem to have any clear idea of what they wanted to do with these story elements!
I also feel like they sucked all the joy, humour, and personality out from the original movie.
The awkward pacing is one of the worst elements of this movie. There aren't enough establishing shots either. Characters just seem to appear places. I kept asking myself "what just happened? How did they get there? What day is this supposed to be???" I could go on, but why?
What a terrible, hollow, forgettable, disappointing experience!
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Incredibly Dumb
Dumb seems to be the best word to describe this one. I am in utter awe and disbelief that other people seem to love this tired, repetitive movie. Like, wow! How can two people see the same movie and draw such completely opposite conclusions?
SPOILER ALERT
Pro's: some early parts of the movie are fun and adventurous. If you like cheesy B movies, you can get some ironic enjoyment out of it, but you will grown a lot.
Con's: there are so many lost opportunities and ideas that are barely explored.
1.Why is the "granddaughter " a clone??? Why???? They don't do anything with this plot point! They barely explore human cloning at all!
2. How will the released dinosaurs survive??? How will they breed? A lot of them seemed badly injured and dying at the end.
3. I'm not going to bother to look up the spellings, but the "indoraptor" on the roof scene is incredibly cheesy and stupid.
4. A "save the dino" charity! Really?
In the original Jurassic Park, the dinosaurs felt like wild animals. They acted like wild animals. In this stupid movie, they are given too many human traits.
Seriously, how could anyone give this 9 or 10 stars????!
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Somehow I knew that most people wouldn't like it
I saw the first Toy Story in the theatre when I was a little girl; it blew me away completely. I was amazed by the entire experience. I re-watched it as an adult, and was pleasantly surprized by how well it held up. The animation looked a little dated, but the story, heart, and characters shone through. I was eerie about this fourth movie, thinking "How could they keep the franchise going?" I expected the worst, as so many long-lived franchises tend to dim in quality.
I very much enjoyed this movie. It was difficult to watch. Quite sad. I felt so old! It had me reflecting on how much has changed since I saw the first movie. Change and large breaks from familiarity are painful and upsetting. I think this movie was too realistic in uncomfortable ways, and perhaps too grown up for children. The ending is bittersweet, heartbreaking, and I did not see it coming. I immediately thought 'people won't like this!" . I felt ambivalent at first, not sure if I liked it or not. It is stunningly beautiful. It captures some very sad aspects of growing up and aging, loss, disappointment, change, lost dreams...
To sum up: super beautiful, technically beyond well made - next level amazing animation; bright colourful scenery, fun easter eggs, and just everything! So well-made. Very sad; might leave you with a hollow, empty feeling like the loss of something dear, or death...too realistic in its portrayal of pain and difficult decisions and division. This is a hard one to review!
Welcome to Marwen (2018)
wow...I'm honestly surprised people didn't like it
I thought this movie was really powerful. I am not familiar with the true story this is based on, so I can only review it as a film. I cried a lot during the movie. It really affected me. I have worked and lived closely with people who have PTSD and it can be devastating. :(
Truth be told, I am not crazy about the in-perspective doll scenes; they look creepy to me. I really liked Steve Carell's performance. I liked the ending. I really, honestly expected this to have been warmly received. A little shocked by the negativity. I suppose the film's details may be inaccurate, but I enjoyed it as an artistic work at any rate.
Give it a chance! See for yourselves!
Sing (2016)
Hard to pin down
I decided to rate this movie higher than maybe it deserves, it's hard to say.
The good points:
I thought the actual animation was beautiful and detailed. It is a very nice looking movie with bright, colourful, fluid animation.
I thought they featured an interesting assortment of characters, mostly likeable. It features characters I do not often see portrayed, and I cared about them. I even cared about who would win.
It was fun.
The bad:
the story. It goes everywhere and nowhere. A lot of things do not get resolved at the end. It is a very unsatisfactory ending. The pacing is a little weird. There are too many threads and too many different subplots to care about. Some plot events don't make much sense. SPOILER:
consider the water damage that destroys the theatre. Why? There was already a lot of conflict in the story. They crammed in this extra "now the theatre is destroyed!" conflict just so it could be quickly resolved. Why? What does that add to the story? It just felt like padding. And then he returns to car washing for one scene. What happened to that? The movie almost shames him for leaving his dishonest theatre work and returning to legal, profitable work. I know car washing is nothing prestigious but at least it is honest work. And how did he know Nanna's grandson? How did they meet? I missed that part. And what happened to the mouse at the end? He just gets away from the bears? And was there any point in Big Daddy escaping? Why? It's so stupid.!!
*End of rant*
Yet, I found myself liking the movie. The music was fun. I liked some of the characters. It was bright and colourful and pretty. Maybe I should rate it lower....
Get Smart (2008)
:(
What a let down. I really love the original tv series, and perhaps had too high hopes for this. I didn't laugh once during the first 20 minutes. I decided to give it another 10 just to see if it would pick up : (
I love Steve Carell. One of my favourite actors. I really Anne Hathaway. I even like The Rock, but what I saw of this movie was just so disappointing and dull. I am currently prepping to write my midterm exam, and thought I'd take a study break. You know, watch a good movie, unwind. I'd rather study than finish watching this. Maybe I'll finish watching it as punishment if I do poorly on my midterm!
I gave this 3 stars because it is dull, boring, uninspired and lacks the magic of the original, but this is only meant to reflect the portion of the movie I watched. The movie is not offensively bad, and the acting is...I guess they did the best they could with an unfunny, unoriginal script. : (
Lady Bird (2017)
Hyper Realistic!
I am struggling a bit to rate this film.
I enjoyed watching it; very absorbing. It kept my attention. I feel that it captured real life fairly accurately. I did not like the main titular character, but she was super well acted/ portrayed. She was a bit obnoxious, BUT her character growth was very natural and realistic. Her relationship with her parents seemed so realistic. I could delve in deep and write an analytical essay on the parent-child relationships.
***Small Spoiler****
I especially liked the prom scene! The best-friend friendship was so sweet and honest.
Early on in the movie, I found myself mouthing "he's gay!" at the screen. Pro tip: if you are interested in a guy you meet in drama class who is especially interested in curling his hair...again very realistic. He was my favourite character. What a sweetheart. I was afraid that Ladybird would react in a homophobic manner, or there would be drama with the Catholic school staff, but the film didn't go in that direction. I would love to see a film based on his life.
But how do I rate this movie? 7? Yeah, I'll give it a 7 I guess.
The Emoji Movie (2017)
The poor man's Inside Out
Ummm... a lot of people are just reacting on an emotional level to how awful the movie was. I also love all the sarcastic "loved it" reviews. Hilarious! But I'll try to explain exactly why it is...what it is... ***may contain spoilers****
the kids begged me to take them to this movie. I hadn't heard of it. I went into this movie completely blind. Umm.... 1. The actual animation was good. Some of the imagery was well crafted...
2. The "plot" was very unclear. Mixed messages...at first it sounds anti-tech, even sort of shaming society for being so addicted to their phones, but the whole movie is pretty much just one big product placement.It never explained how or why **SPOILER!** going to "the cloud" would restore High 5's popularity
3. The extremely glazed over blink-and-you'll-miss-it scenes of the "real world" high school...why even bother to include it? Seemed like an after thought. Very VERY badly handled. And why have a dramatic 4 hour count down clock when it isn't mentioned again, and the tech appointment is changed in the end anyway?
4. The other emojis made fun of Gene (names weren't memorable) because he has other emotions. Why? This was never clearly established, just vaguely referenced.
5. There is something really wrong and inconsistent about the timing and pacing, and distances in the movie...can't quite put my finger on it. Relationships are formed too quickly between strangers. Gene and I-didn't't-bother-to-learn-her-name character have to travel all the way across the phone to rescue High-5 but when the villainous drone chases them around, the distance seems off. Am I wrong?
6. I got a few random chuckles here and there, but several hours later, I can't seem to recall any actual jokes...
I think this movie tried to shoe-horn in a really corny introspective look at the inner working of...phones? Not having an "every man for himself" attitude? I'm starting to ramble and get angry now; my cue to stop typing. The little kids enjoyed the colourful moving graphics of this otherwise completely forgettable phone commercial.
David and Goliath (2015)
Can't remember literally groaning at a movie before
Is there a point in yet another bad movie review? I just watched this on Netflix - where the highest rating was 2 stars. I just don't know what to say. There is no possible way that someone HONESTLY thought this was a good movie. The good reviews I just read obviously had to be jokes or sarcasm...right?
I love bad, campy, cheesy "B" movies, so on some level I got a chuckle over the ridiculously awful and inaccurate costumes, "acting", painfully repetitive dialogue and the sound quality. Those sound effects...I can't even..form words to describe how bad the sound quality is. As an example of bad movie making in every possible category, it is hard to think of a better choice ESPECIALLY because this was made in 2015. 1. Why is the army so ethnically diverse? Why are the accents so inconsistent? For all the people who inexplicably called this movie accurate: ancient Hebrew + British accent + fairly diverse ethnic backgrounds = accurate???????? I have nothing against diverse casting, but don't call it an accurate representation of ancient Israel. 2. What nationality / culture did the producers think this story was set in? 3. Was this even a serious effort? I honestly can't tell if the film makers are taking themselves seriously, or if this is parody.
I don't have the strength to go on.
Frogs! (1993)
...wow?
This is a very ...interesting movie. If you're a fan of out-dated, often unintentionally funny cheesiness, you'll probably find some good laughs in Frogs! Some of the acting is appallingly bad (eg Arlo's father). Some if the acting is just frightening, in a hard to watch kind of way (eg Passionatta). Because this movie is a sequel and I have not seen the original "Frog", I suppose I cannot complain about not knowing what is supposed to be going on. "Frogs!" is a harmless, family friendly movie about a boy with bazaar, pushy, over-excitable friends, an odd-looking girlfriend, and apparently a lot of free time. His campaign for the highschool honour of "King of the Spring Fling" is interrupted by a middle-aged lounge singer, who turns into a frog for some reason. His comically bad singing provides some of the best laughs in the movie, but not enough to quench the audiences' collective desire to reach into the screen and give him a good slap. As far as annoying performances go, I'd say Paul Dooley could give even Pauly Shore a run for his money. Scott Grimes, as Arlo Anderson, delivers some fun, witty dialogue at times, but I get the impression that he was the only one trying. Having Shelley Duvall heavily advertised in credits and on the cover is a bit of a miff, since she has maybe 15 minutes of screen time. The ending is cheesy but kind of sweet.
So, what can I say? If you're a fan of cheesy, bad movies, this will provide some low key laughs. There's definitely a lot worse out there!
North (1994)
doesn't take an adult to see this movie is crap
May contain spoilers.
I was only 6 years old when I watched North - apparently this was old enough to notice its stupidity. Despite all of its manic plot points, the movie is very forgettable. In fact, I completely forgot that Bruce Willis was in this movie. But maybe that was just my unconscious mind it blocking out.
So, at only six years old I found this movie incredibly stupid. Watching the scenes in Hawaii, I was incredibly embarrassed - for the actors, for the people of Hawaii - everyone.
And it only got worse.
I enjoyed the musical number in Texas, mostly because I'm a Reba fan. And it was kind of amusing to see George and Elaine from Seinfeld as a couple, amusing at first anyways.
And what else can be said about this movie? Most of it is horrible and or unwatchable. But it's not the worst movie I've ever seen. Hell, I suppose it's better than Mortal Combat 2, or Garbage Pail Kids. ( Hardly high praise ).
So remember, if you are stuck with the choice, North is probably better than MK2, but worse than say, most anything else.
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
:*(
Yes, as soon as I heard about this movie, I was convinced it would be horrible. I avoided it like the plague. Finally, I wanted to test "just how awful is awful?".
Upon watching the first 45 seconds of this, I am convinced that it is likely to be the worst "movie" I have ever seen. Next time I want to play the "how awful is awful?" game, somebody please stop me. Somebody have mercy and take my life before I make anymore poor life decisions of this magnitude.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
could have been better
Terminator 3 seemed sort of long and drawn out. I especially hated the ending.
Think about the ending for a second...it kind of cancels out the other two movies, doesn't it? There were lots of little things that bad about the movie. Other than the ending, there were no "major" flaws - but the little ones sure do add up. Personally, I missed Sarah Conners presence, since she was such an integral part of the other two movies. And there didn't seem to be much point in having a female terminator. That potentially could have been really cool - but they could have done more with it. Hell, they could have even had some fun with it.
Then it occurred to me that my expectations were probably too high. I absolutely loved the first two ones. I grew up watching them, and being excited over them. I'm a lot older now. I guess a little harder to impress, too.
Two Girls and a Guy (1997)
is this the same movie?
At my local video rental store, they have a special place for Two Girls and a Guy. It's a long running joke really. The clerk lets people rent it for free. They value their customers too much to let them waste their hard earned money on it.
I was extremely surprised to see that people gave this movie a good review. Maybe someone can explain it to me. (or maybe the positive comments were jokes? Did people involved with the movie write them? Perhaps the mother of the director/writer?)
Maybe I've just seen so many good movies that this one fails in comparison.
Poison Ivy: The Secret Society (2008)
would the first 20 minutes have helped?
First of all: I watched this movie on TV and missed the first 20 minutes or so. Therefore it might have been better than I thought. Maybe something super entertaining and Oscar worthy happened...
Anywho, What I saw was awful. The acting and setting was good or at least alright. The plot was...odd. Nothing seems to happen very logically. The main character is very stupid and does a lot of stupid things. This is not the actress's fault (because her acting was not the problem).
Spoilers!!!!!
Here's a good example: When she records the murderous confession, why doesn't she just quietly take it to the police? Why doesn't she use a tape recorder way earlier in the movie? Why does she join the society in the first place? Why doesn't she transfer to a non-insane people school? And come on! All that for an internship?! Imagine creating a complex, murderous web of crime, with incredible risk, over an internship! And why the hell was the ugly brunette Society leader chick believe everything the professor's son said?!!! ( She was waaaay too ugly for that role).
And it's a good thing that the other Ivy member (the prettier one) suddenly had a change of heart and decided to help Daisy for no logical reason.
On the other hand, this movie is great for men and young boys who are too afraid to buy porn.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
I can't believe I watched the whole thing
This is the worst movie I've ever seen in my entire life. Thousands of people agree with me.
I can barely put into words how awful it is. Visual effects, the 'acting', music...Yes, there is a script and a story. Incredibly, awful, pointless, angering writing.
This movie even fails at being a bad movie because it's boring! Sometimes, a really bad movie can be fun to watch, because you can make fun of it. This movie makes fun of the viewer, insults the intelligence of the viewer. WANTS to anger the viewer. "Annihilate" the viewer's enjoyment, if you will.
When I Find the Ocean (2006)
an odd mix
Ummm.... I really don't know what to say about this movie. As a whole it just does not seem to work very well. There are individual ideas that are alright. The story does not seem to move in a logical direction. It's just such an odd combination.
*****Spoiler Alert!!!**** A little girl who is running away from her abusive step father to be. She wants to see the ocean. Then some odd content about poaching, racism, and abuse that just seems "tacked on". These are very serious issues, but they aren't examined seriously or in any great detail.
Maybe the director was trying to say too much...Also I can't imagine who the intended audience is. The more serious content would probably scare or confuse little children.
There was some good acting. I thought the daughter was good because you couldn't help but feel sorry for her. And she's pretty without being too Hollywood fake pretty.