Terrible Plan! Movie Reviews

What I liked: They did a good job of building the suspense. I expected the plot to follow a different trajectory and was surprised when it did not follow the predicted course. I liked Ryan’s devotion to his role as analyst and his interactions with his CIA colleagues. I think of the Ryan actors, this one would be number 2 (1-Red October guy, 2-this guy, 3-shadow recruit guy, 4-Harrison Ford). The head of the CIA was funny. Surprisingly, I liked the Russian president.   What I didn’t: The bad guy. I guess the let the world burn so we can rebuild a better one motivation has never really done it for me. I’m not sure how they ever get allies. The opera music. What was that about? The governments. Really if you lose a nuke no one goes looking for it? This is either a clumsy plot device or a very very disturbing reality. Who should watch it: People who like action movies. It did earn its PG13 rating though. Would I watch it again: Yes

What I liked: The sound track. It was pretty great and will be added to my collection of music to listen to while studying and cleaning. Spiderman’s relationship with Harry and his aunt both seemed to work better than other versions and contribute better to the story. That they made the super villains crazy before they got evil powers or plans for world domination, that made it more understandable how they turned out bad. That spiderman tried to help people not just get out of emergencies but feel noticed and liked; he came across as a well meaning teenager. 1 in 20 bantery things that spiderman said. What I didn’t: the other 19 in 20 bantery things spiderman said. Let’s be honest most of them were really hokey. That being a biologist and having at some point seen building plans makes you qualified to know how to restart a nuclear reactor. The secret lab hidden subway station. While a workable plan for many a secret lab, it does seem like someone may have noticed. Evil scientists i...

What I liked: Several scenes- Bond handcuffed to girl riding a motorcycle being pursued by cars, motorcycles, and helicopters. Bad guy preparing to kill Bond and then discovering that actually they need him to unlock the Bond car. Several gadgets- stealth boat, giant boat chomper which appears to have excellent steering abilities on land, water, and air. I guess I feel like Miss Piggy summed up the movie nicely “I got the story! I got the story!” What I didn’t: Standard Bond dislikes. Why do Bond and the bad guys both know the same girls? Always? Why do neither of them feel particularly bad about offing said girls? Why has M not fired Bond yet? Why has Q not offed Bond yet? Where do the bad guys keep finding former Nazis? Shouldn’t they all be dead by now? Who should watch this: Solid Bond flick. Chase scenes not as good as Die Another Day or Casino Royale but overall lighter and funner. So I guess bond fans and people looking for a light action flick. Would I watch it a...

What I liked: This was actually a pretty good adaptation. I went in with the open question: when you read this in English and then watch the movie will it be valuable? I believe the answer is yes. I think the did a good job introducing the memories and there is enough interesting cinematography that is easy enough to pick up on most 8th graders could write their 5 page essay fairly easily. I was impressed with the acting by the kid’s dad. If you paid attention I think it brought up some interesting add on questions that are probably good to think about and would make pretty good high school level essays: were the people living in the dystopia actually that at ease with their world? what implications are there for the individuals living in the community upon the return of the memories? The movie took a decidedly positive approach which is appropriate for the grade level, though watching it you can clearly see the darker alternative that the producers chose not to present. What I di...

What I liked: Peter Jackson does epic battles really well. Since this whole movie was one large battle he was really in his element. That being said, two hours is a really long battle. Bilbo is great I like his deliberations about the Arkenstone and final delivery. The altercation on the wall was well done and I liked that the other members of the company also picked up on Thorin’s mounting insanity. Bard was convincing about half the time, but he still looks just like Will Turner so really should have fought some zombie pirates. The return to Bagend was fun. What I didn’t: Silent close ups. Way. Too. Many. Yep. Also Dune called and wanted their sand worms back, I can think of no other explanation for their sudden appearance and disappearance. Also there seems to be some confusion about fatal injuries. Mostly that the characters are under the impression that they are not fatal. It should not take 85 fatal injuries to kill you. Even if you are super cool. Whatever happened with the w...