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Connect (2018)
Not what I expected
I'll give my best fair review of this movie. I'm a Christian and we went with our church small group together to watch it. The movie was not what i expected. It's a one hour documentary which is fine, but I don't think we learned anything new from this. I mean, we all know that kids and teens are addicted to their phones. We know cyber bullying happens on social media, and we know that porn is easy to access online from any device. So I guess this movie just reiterated to us what we already know but this time through Kirk Cameron's amicable voice and inquisitive eyes. I didn't rate it lower because in the days right after watching this I was able to use this movie as a conversation starter to some of those around me as easy way to let them know I'm a Christian.
Also there was a lot of propaganda.
Moonlight (2016)
Great movie but it tried to hit too many targets
I'll start by saying that the acting was very, very good. Childhood Chiron barely talked at all but he uses his eyes so well to convey his emotions. Same with teenage Chiron, who talks a little bit more but acted so well with his eyes and body language. Of course Chiron's mom and Ali were tremendous. I agree with most other people that Ali's character, Juan, should've been in more of the movie.
It was obviously a good movie. It had outstanding acting and was well-directed. I just think that the movie tried to hit a lot of different targets, and it ended up not really hitting any target. It's not a movie that focuses on the struggles of a black boy/teen/adult growing up in the hood with a drug-addict mom....but it seems like it tries to be. It's not a movie that focuses on the bullying that happens to this boy/teen and then his challenge to overcome it....but it seems like it tries to be. It's not a movie that focuses on a boy/teen/adult who is confused about his sexuality...but it seems like it tries to be. It's not a movie that focuses on the life-changing deep relationships that a boy/teen/adult finds...but it seems like it tries to be.
And so, the movie touches on all of these different topics, but with no direction, and no outcome to these problems. Yet, the characters are intriguing and the actors portray them well.
Trainwreck (2015)
Not Funny...and very very boring......and very very long.....Why?
It took me three separate sittings to get through the movie. It was so boring and why was it so darn long? There's no other way to put it - the movie was not funny. I love all comedy and all types of humor. This movie was just not funny. Make it 90 minutes, cut to the chase - in this case, the comedy. No need to do so much character development. We should know your character within the first few minutes. If your movie is a comedy then make it a comedy. This movie tried to get kind of dramatic and realistic.
The other thing that was painful about this movie is that Amy Schumar is not very attractive, and the role she plays is a promiscuous girl who has one-night stands with hot dudes. This story had me cringing, and yet I don't think I would have been cringing had it been played by another actress. In general the acting was not good.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
A beautifully created masterpiece disguised as a Batman movie
This trilogy has truly become part of the top trilogies of all-time. It is an artistic masterpiece disguised as a Batman movie. There is enough foreshadowing, motifs, & symbolism in these movies to make a Harvard English professor cry tears of joy.
Prison pit scene spoiler***
The prison pit scene might be the best scene in this entire trilogy, but without understanding the 1st movie you'll miss the beauty of it. I'll set the stage........As a boy, Bruce Wayne falls into a pit in his backyard which is full of bats. His father has to climb down to save him and teaches him that the reason we fall is to learn to pick ourselves up; beautiful. He becomes batman because he is afraid of bats and he wants to become his fear; beautiful. Fast forward to the pit scene now after his first two jump attempts failed. The doctor tells him that he has to make the jump without the safety rope; scary. But he explains that this is the only way that he will make the climb because he will be fearing death; beautiful. Just before he attempts the climb a third time, he has a flashback of his dad saving him in the pit when he was a boy; beautiful. Just before he start to climb he asks the translator what the prisoners were chanting....he responds, "Rise"; beautiful. When he is at the top just before the jump, bats fly out of the cave walls; beautiful. All of it is beautiful. I'm telling you, these movies are works of art disguised as Batman movies.
Suicide Squad (2016)
Characters were cool........plot/story.....not so much
I'm not a die-hard super hero fan, so when I got invited to watch this movie I had no expectations of it. I wasn't expecting it to be very good or very bad. And that's kind of where it was for me, somewhere in the middle. If I had watched only the first 35 minutes of the movie, I would have left with a much better review of it. I thought that the characters were awesome. They were funny, quirky, strange, tough, and unique. And for me that was just about all I got out of the movie; the characters. The plot line was not interesting, not original, and no one who enjoyed the movie is out there saying "oh wow that story was awesome." But again, the movie did a good job introducing us to these comic characters.
*Spoiler* Not really but whatever From a technical standpoint it seems as though they tried really really hard to make this movie, and then got tired at some point and said who cares, lets wrap it up as is, people will watch it anyways. There was a scene where the squad is in a helicopter and it gets shot and the way it came down was done well; at first it slowly circled around in flames, then crashed and tumbled its way to a stop. Moments later when the boss lady, Amanda Waller is in a helicopter that gets shot the same way in the same place, the way it came down was a weird animated super fast need-for-speed video game looking metal crash and slide. It was very weird and threw me off.
Again, the characters were cool, story......not so much.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Buckle up for this one! A two-hour thrill ride
Buckle up for this one! This movie right from the get-go was a non- stop action-packed thrill ride and you'll love ever moment of it. Watching it was like riding in the front seat of the world's fastest roller coaster for two hours. And I think that's exactly what the movie was aiming for. It felt like we were right in the movie alongside the cars and trucks. The movie gives you no breaks or pauses to check the time, read a text or even eat your popcorn. It is intense! My hat goes off to the makers of this film. Beautiful directing, filming, scenery, sound, wow! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! For making a movie like this. OK so there was minimal dialogue, minimal character development and a lot of unanswered questions, but it doesn't matter. This movie breaks the typical movie format and they did a hell of a job doing their own format. Important note - This is not a movie to watch on your phone, tablet or laptop. You will be doing this movie a disservice. Please watch this movie the way it was meant to be watched, on a big screen TV with high-def surround sound. You will love it. Oh and if there was ever a movie to watch while trying to show-off your new TV or sub-wolfer, its this one.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)
Hilarious!
Seth Rogan and Zac Efron are so hilarious together! They compliment each other's comedy so well. Zac Efron went from being the pretty boy from High School musical, to a truly funny actor who is enjoyable to watch. His character in the movie is of course arrogant about his own body but somehow caring and genuine at the same time so it's easy to connect to the character. The move was a ton of fun to watch, though I will say that I did enjoy the first movie more than this one. I thought the first one was hilarious in every single scene. This one was hilarious in most of the scenes. Go see it you'll love watching this funny movie.