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Showing posts from February, 2015

12 Angry Men Review

What I liked: The story telling was very interesting  and quite different from other movies I have seen. All we see is the inside of the jury room we hear nothing of the trial or anyone besides the jurors. I was impressed that the film was able to keep my attention and move a plot along with a single setting and an effective cast of 12. It is an interesting look into how we make decisions and what people actually notice. The jury was very diverse and fairly well represented all the stereotypical characters one would find in a microcosm. What I didn’t: I think there were several breaches of jury rules, like reading a newspaper and buying/bringing a switchblade to court. This and the complete little microcosm puts the film safely in things we should think about territory rather than let’s depict a court case territory. Who should watch it: This is a cultural literacy piece. Theoretically everyone should watch it or at least know what it’s about. Would I watch it again? Sure. I w

Charade Review

What I liked: the story is good and it is suspenseful and very interesting twists at the end that I didn't see coming. What I didn't: none of the characters are likeable, the plot drags at the beginning, and we were not invested in the romantic relationships neither of the relationship of the heroine to her late husband nor to her more recent love interest. Since this is a large plot element, we should be more interested in the outcome. I think this movie would have promise as an updated version where the heroine when is not completely useless and where you have some investment in the different characters. Who should watch it: people onto old thrillers. I put it in the same class as the sting. Would I watch it again? Not rewatchable: the surprise is the best part. But I would be very interested in an updated version.

The Long Walk Review

What I liked: if you recall this film is based on the book "the long walk." The story itself is great. I thought the casting was good. What I didn't: the screenplay adaption was not great. It didn't captivate my attention. It kind of felt like hearing a story from an elementary schooler. The were caught and then they ran away and then they met mosquitoes and then they climbed a mountain. In short it was episodic and not stimulating. Also the use of language and subtitles was inconsistent and distracting. Who should watch it: a book group that just finished reading "the long walk " Would I watch it again? Naw. Didn’t finish it the first time.

Guardians of the Galaxy Review

What I liked: The walking plant. He was pretty much amazing. Back when everyone was talking about how it was so cool that Pixar could make a robot so expressive, they had no idea. This is a tree that is only capable of saying 3 words in a set order, it’s face is a chunk of wood. Yet it was my favorite character and not because everyone else was lame. The dialogue. The set up is familiar: one or more characters who, like Spock or Data, take everything literally; yet this time it worked, and worked well. Also the raccoon character is very sarcastic and occasionally voiced my thoughts precisely. I laughed a lot. His helmet. I want one. It saves you in space, is lets you break down walls, it seems like just the thing for my bullet proof splunking expeditions. What I didn’t: There’s quite a bit of swearing and some innuendo. This is not unexpected since the main character is a mesh of Indiana Jones (grave robbing and artifact stealing), Han Solo (smuggler, scruffy looking, scoundre