Skip to main content

Logan Lucky Review

What I liked: I loved loved the impromptu chemistry lesson on the cinder block wall. I liked that the list of demands was entirely composed of Game of Thrones books and that they had to consult The Wikipedia. I'm glad that Kylo Ren looks normal sometimes. It is a sad commentary if you look better as a washed up hilly billy bar tender. His prosthetic arm was an important character in the movie and I  am glad that it got it's own story arc and character development finally becoming a cool black stealth hand. The checklist of how to pull off a massive heist was surprisingly good. I read it and thought, oh dear, this is going to be a train wreck. Then I watched the rest of the movie and there were no trains. The lack of trains on the heist checklist should have tipped me off. The prison escape was great. Like any prison break it took extensive planning and coordination, but it had just the right West Virginia twist. on that note I like that we now have a view into another side of heists. Most heist movies feature suave master criminals with so much money they don't really need to be doing the job (acting or heisting) and so much charisma that was just accept their terrible plans (like smuggling a chunnel digging machine into Las Vegas, or repelling down and express elevator shaft). This time we get a heist planned by people who clearly need the cash and who lack the social skills and flare to convince us their plan will work. Any plan that involves cockroaches, a junior beauty pageant, gummi bears, fire trucks, and refrigerator magnets should probably be met with skepticism. Unless it is a McGuyver plan, in which case you would think he came over prepared. The side plot with the Nascar driver was a little random, but entertaining. Similarly, the bear in the woods was...yes. That left several important questions wide wide open: how do they communicate with the bear? what was in that bag? what is the bear doing? where did the bear go and will it come back?

What I didn't: It's unfortunate that after retiring from Her Majesty's Service, Bond resorts to a life of crime. I guess we all saw it coming though. You can't be an international assassin for 50 years without out picking up bad habits that put you on a collision course with law enforcement. It is good that he reconnected with his brothers and really seemed in his element in rural West Virginia. I'm not sure what the brothers were bobbing for in the fair (possibly pork chops?). Whatever it was I didn't like it. I do feel like either the shopvac had extreme suction capabilities or there were some sealants necessary to achieve the results we saw over miles of pneumatic tubing. I'm hoping for the extreme suction option and that there was widespread pandemonium and unexpected additions to the takings, like toupees. Obviously this all happened off camera. While the use of the John Denver song was entirely appropriate the performance was a bit grating. I am left with deep abiding concerns about NASCAR security. I'm also a bit concerned that no one found it suspicious that a guy who got released from prison got picked up in a limo. With my very limited law enforcement experience I would probably do a little checking on that.

Who should watch this? People who like heist movies, people looking for a wacky comedy.

Would I watch it again? Yes.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Titanic

What I liked: Liked is definitely the wrong word for it but the scenes of the sinking of the Titanic were masterful. They were technologically impressive, apparently remarkably accurate, and emotionally gripping. The variety of ways in which different people dealt with a completely hopeless situation was both touching and thought provoking. Especially beautiful was the string quartet. In isolation from the love story, the sinking of the Titanic is a tragic reminder of the cost of hubris and the necessity of regulating emergency procedures and capacities. It carries similar gravitas as a war film. At the 25th anniversary of the film, I can appreciate how Titanic has impacted movies made later.  What I didn't: So here's the thing. I feel very bad for you if you died in the sinking of the Titanic. I feel less bad for you if you managed to get on a lifeboat on the Titanic and then decided to get off. I question all of your decision making and priorities if you decide to get off a...

Mrs Harris goes to Paris

What I liked: This is a happy movie. I liked the dresses and especially how very happy seeing all of the dresses made Mrs Harris. I liked how her enthusiasm wins over the tailor and almost everyone else. Mrs Harris was so delighted with Paris and the people she met that she motivated them to live just a little more enthusiastically and optimistically. From the philosophical model, to the intellectual accountant, to the withdrawn Marquis and the cold director the characters were all imaginatively Parisian (assuming your an American author in the 1950s). I liked that they drove a vespa. I was glad that while Mrs Harris got a fresh view of the world and had a wonderful time in Paris, they steered clear of the potential cliche plot pot holes they could have fallen in. I especially liked her friends who helped her live her dream of going to Paris to buy a dress while really not understanding it at all.  What I didn't: Mrs Harris did such a great job agitating in Paris she really could h...

Ready Player One Review

What I liked: I bet all of the developers loved making this film, I saw so many video game and movie references in the background of scenes. I bet all the developers just inserted their favorites like the ninja turtles, a whole platoon of halo soldiers, and orcs. That it was a video game made it possible and exciting to have all kinds of absolutely random physics and logic defying things happen. Obviously, I loved the T. Rex and who would not enjoy seeing Mechagodzilla or a cyborg orc driving a monster truck? Early in the movie they made good use of the video game architecture in a way that reminded me a bit of secret rooms in super mario. The characters visit the world of the Shining, which was amazing and hilarious. I loved the variety of characters, vehicles and weapons that we get to see and it is more fun (at least for me) that they draw from more than strictly the 1980's. I also really liked the music, for the most part the selections were great for the scenes. The book was...