Sully : a movie review

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movie review, postaday2016, Sully

Tom Hanks is such an amazing actor, Aaron Earkhart who played his co-pilot, did a great job as well. This movie was excellent, my husband and I were both captivated throughout its entirety. These two pilots were fundamentally good, solid, professionals who did the extraordinary in a horrific circumstance of unforeseeable and inescapable engine failure at low altitude amongst one of the busiest metropolitan areas on the planet.

What struck me immediately was the difference between my recollection of the Miracle on the Hudson and what was going on behind the scenes. Our news media were quick to proclaim a hero, yet I don’t remember the media reporting there being a serious investigation into Sully’s decision making process, mental and emotional state, or even the possibility of human error. I was so aware, while watching “Sully” anguish with his second guessing, his nightmares, his initial panic after the forced water landing at possible loss of life, his experience during those 208 seconds were so much graver and more intense than I had even possibly imagined it. The investigative board kept the pressure on with their reliance on computer simulations as an analytical tool to interpret Sully’s actions and his decisions. That is where I have to give it to the strength of Sully’s character, despite being tapped by twinges of doubt, he knew he had done everything he could, he had done his job informed by four decades of experience and was able to communicate it to the audience, this is why Tom Hanks is such an amazing actor, you could not tear yourself away from “Sully” and what he was going through, we agonized with him, worried for him even knowing how it all turned out at the end.

An excellent movie, my husband and I highly recommend seeing it.

Suicide squad : a movie review

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movie review, postaday2016, Suicide Squad

My husband, our son and I went to see Suicide Squad today, we were excited to see it despite the negative reviews. Our daughter had seen it on Thursday night and she told us it was a fun movie. We trust her judgment over other reviewers any day of the week.

I come into these types of movies not having read any of the comics, I have watched the cartoons when I was little, but Suicide Squad was not among the cartoons shown on t.v way back when, at least what from what I remember, so I don’t have preconceived notions about characters or origin stories. Having said that, I did find that character development was lop-sided during the movie. Will Smith’s character was better developed for example than that of Captain Boomerang or Slipknot, so as an audience member, you’re left with questions as to why the character is there and what motivates them aside from the easy label of bad guy. The critical characters had stronger back stories, but if you’re going to have a large cast, it would have been nice for better balance.

Viola Davis was one tough cookie, I would argue that she was as much of a psychopath as the suicide squad members and I would love to know more about her. Maybe in future movies, we will get to know her better, her character as a “good guy” is just as fascinating as a “bad guy” like Deadshot.

I was entertained for close to two hours and that’s all I ask for, my mind was diverted from other worries and that’s what counts.

Jason Bourne: a movie review

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I have loved Jason Bourne since I first cracked open Robert Ludlum’s book back when I was a teenager. I remember the addicting thrill of suspense, I was hooked on the saga and the character’s journey through its web of intrigue and conspiracy theories. I even remember watching Richard Chamberlain playing Jason Bourne in a made for t.v movie costarring Jacklyn Smith as Marie. For me, Jason Bourne was even more thrilling than James Bond, he was grittier and more resourceful because he was battling not just his handlers, but at times even himself.

Which brings me to this latest installment, we have now journeyed with Matt Damon as Jason Bourne for several years and his interpretation of Jason Bourne, I think, captures who Jason Bourne should be; at this point in the saga, Jason Bourne should be emotionally and mentally tired and he definitely looked it in the movie which suited the story.

The themes were trust, truth, patriotism, freedom, privacy and what does it mean when you ask yourself “who am I?”. That is the quintessential question throughout the Bourne saga, “Who is Jason Bourne” and at the end of the movie, we feel a little closer to the answer of that question.

The action sequences were riveting, the locations used in the movie were as important as the characters and were well used to push the story forward. Las Vegas got partially blown up on the strip which was different, they did it old school with actual cars being thrown around left and right, very exciting to watch. Old school was another theme because part of what we like about Jason Bourne is that he is an all in kind of fighter, he uses everything and anything not bolted down as a weapon and to his advantage in a fight scene.

They set it up for another film, I just don’t know if Matt Damon will come back, he is 45 years old. At one point I would bet he must be thinking “I’m too old for this $^#@”, but I hope he comes back for another one, he feels like an old friend at this point.

Warcraft:a movie review

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My husband and I went to see Warcraft the movie and for 2 1/2 hours we were caught up in the world of magic, orcs, mages,dwarves, griffons, elves and men. Personally my favorite part was caught in the last picture above, Lothar the hero riding astride his griffon, I loved every scene that featured his griffon, they gave it personality and through the magic of CGI made it as majestic as I had always imagined them to be, I’m a big sci-fi/fantasy reader and griffons feature prominently in fantasy lore, they serve elves and knights often, griffons are a hybrid of the bald eagle and the lion, two top notch predators that embody noble characteristics, the combination of the eagle head and wings with the body of a lion creates a formidable adversary and they are loyal to a fault, fighting in concert with their master, very cool stuff.

I knew Warcraft is a very popular video game, our son played it often when he was younger, I had no idea how rich the storyline was, the creators have built an entire universe to rival many fantasy series that had captured my imagination. There is even a love story worthy of rooting for, who doesn’t love a good love story in the midst of a war between good and evil?

What didn’t enter my mind before sitting down for the movie was the franchise component, throughout the movie I was wondering about the happy ending, how the heroes were going to win the day and at the end, that is when I realized I had been watching the start of a franchise, there was no happy ending, only a hint of more battles to come. So now we look forward to the next installment to find out how the story unfurls.

Spy: a movie review

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My husband and I went to see the movie Spy starring Melissa McCarthy just to spend a few hours laughing and boy did I laugh and laugh and laugh. I love Melissa McCarthy and she has chemistry with everyone, man or woman, it doesn’t matter. I especially loved watching Miranda Hart and Melissa together, they were absolute perfection as friends and co-workers. My only experience watching Miranda Hart, has been on the Graham Norton show as a guest and she has always been funny and lovely there, I didn’t know that she was also cast in this movie and she was a comedic bonus.

What I enjoyed perhaps the most, aside from the laughter, is how the women carried the movie and the men played the supporting roles. It was a breath of fresh air in an action movie, albeit an action movie with a lot of shenanigans going on, but still refreshing to watch.

I have seen Jude Law in comedic roles before, but Jason Statham, his turn as a comedic was new to me , he more than held his own going toe to toe with Melissa McCarthy and the rest of the gang, I was impressed. Rose Byrne is an old pro when it comes to comedy and she and Melissa definitely make a great team.

My next favorite part of the movie had to be all of the location shots; I got to see Paris, Rome and Budapest, three beautiful cities, all for the price of a movie ticket. 

I urge everyone who needs a good laugh to go and see this movie, you will enjoy yourself for a few hours, I promise.

Mad Max: Fury Road: a movie review

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Mad Max, movie review, postaday2015

    

We were only three to go see this movie, our daughter had to work and honestly I wasn’t all that excited to see it, though my husband and our son were enthusiastic about George Miller’s latest incarnation of his Mad Max universe. I remember seeing the original years ago and it left me cold and disgusted by humanity’s descent into barbarism. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing much of the same. This time out however George Miller made a different type of movie, the setting was the same, but the players occupied different roles.

I had read articles referencing Men Rights Groups calling for an international boycott of this movie on the grounds that it betrays the original vision and unfairly villainizes manhood. Before seeing the movie, I had seen the trailers and based on those, I couldn’t understand why these Men Rights Groups felt persecuted. However, having now seen the movie, I really don’t understand why they felt men unjustly portrayed. This movie was all about control and power, the main villain had all of the power and megalomanically exerted his control over everything and everyone. What gave him his power? Water ownership. What did he control? Water, food, women and all of the other types of property including mother’s milk. The drama that drove the entire movie was a human rights issue, precisely women saying that they were not property, they were not to be owned by anyone, not to be used as brood mares or breastmilk factory farms and their attempt to reclaim something that should be inherently theirs without question.

There is nothing controversial about human rights, every man, woman and child should be the recipient of their own rights. In a brave new world it would be a non-issue, sadly we are in the 21st century and we still have slavery, indentured servitude and inequities across the board. I find it sad that while watching Mad Max, I was thinking of Boko Haram, child sex trade trafficking, women disenfranchized in many places as well as other minorities. When are we going to evolve on a global scale and put these dark realities a thing of the past? 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: a movie review

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Yes I know, a little late to the party. My husband, our son and I went to see it together, really just for our son because my husband wasn’t all that excited to see it, primarily because of the memories he had from the made for t.v movie series featuring Charleston Heston. I vaguely remember watching the made for t.v movie series, I remember Charleston Heston yelling and crying at the buried Statue of Liberty “something, something”, I am not sure if he said “Damn you” or if that came at somewhere else in the movie. I remember Roddy McDowell’s character, I liked him, he was a nice ape and there was a pretty girl who couldn’t speak, I think that most humans couldn’t speak for some reason, and besides seeing apes on horseback, that is all that I remember.

I thought that the movie was excellent as did our son. My husband definitely liked it much more than what he remembered from the t.v series. The special effects were outstanding, our son said more than once. I have to say that seeing the apes as an army with the front line on horseback was awe inspiring; the wave of sheer power and strength that emanates from the potential sheer physicality of the apes is incredible. In the real world an ape is pound for pound at least three times stronger than a human so in the movie when they are also equipped with speech and in certain individual cases revenge, it was fearsome.

Cesar of course we remember from the first movie, and he still embodies the beautiful beginnings that he knew with James Franco; his experience and knowledge of love and happiness informs his world view. Diametrically opposed to his experience is his second in command’s experience which unfortunately dominates the second half of the movie. Koba was one of the first that Cesar liberated from the laboratory and Koba’s experience with the human world was only filled with torture and pain, therefore his world view is radically different from Cesar and therein lies the drama.

I was quickly reminded of an interview that I saw with Jane Goodall in which she speaks of her experiences living amongst the apes and when she had her heartbroken for the first time. It happened when she realized that in effect that they really aren’t that different from us, they can be cruel, mean, ferocious and bullies. She had elevated the apes onto a pedestal and really we are very much like them both in the good and the bad. We mustn’t judge in general and in toto; each individual deserves their own merit and circumspection.

It was definitely one heck of a ride and I loved every different aspect of the journey.

Guardians of the Galaxy: a movie review

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Guardians of the Galaxy, movie, movie review, postaday2014

I loved it! So did my husband, our daughter and our cousins. We have my husband’s family visiting, my family really, so our family basically, for my husband’s birthday celebration and seeing Guardians was part of the birthday package.

We loved the story, the acting, the action, the humor and the heart. How in the world can Zoe Saldana be so extremely attractive green and eyebrow-less? She is such a cool character, I want to be her if I ever get to be a Marvel action person when I grow up.

I did get attached to Groot, I wanted to take him home with me. Rocket the raccoon, not so much.

Love the movie!!!!!!!!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie review

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Captain America, movie review, postaday2014

My husband, our son and I went to see Captain America today; we LOVED it. I have the snippet of the theme song “When Captain America throws his mighty shield!” playing in my head in a loop, just a little annoying. It had everything; suspense, intrigue, massive action scenes, courage, humor and intense loyalty amidst all of the confusion and intrigue. Chris Evans plays Captain America perfectly; I don’t think that you can get a better portrayal than his. I really believe his sincerity and his solid moral compass and obviously he and his qualities are at the heart of the movie.

It was real nice to see Robert Redford in a huge movie; he makes acting look so effortless, you kind of stop thinking of Robert Redford the actor or even Robert Redford the person and I found myself thinking who was this character that Robert Redford was playing. That probably sounds like gibberish, but I get distracted when I see certain icons o the big screen.

I would say that the big takeaway for me during the entire movie was that we are still asking ourselves the same question; how much freedom are we still willing to surrender just to be safe. Moreover how much of the chaos that we see going on in the world is organic or is it orchestrated to serve others in the final analysis. The subtle messages about fear, subjugation, power and control, I think were well conveyed throughout the movie and I found Captain America to be not only the perfect defender of our liberties and freedoms, but the perfect catalyst for questions and doubt. We need to ask questions of authority and massive security. We should not allow ourselves to be led to complacency, our democracy depends on it. Enough of me getting all preachy, I really recommend the movie for all. It was great!

Having said all that, I love my Captain America as he throws his mighty shield!

Noah : a movie review

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My husband, our son and I went to the movie theater to see Noah. This movie review will be easier to write than the others in the sense that I don’t have to worry about giving away the ending, no spoiler alerts lol.

The three of us enjoyed it very much. I think that since we went into the theater with open minds, personally I have been a fan of the director’s for a while now, and I knew that he would treat his movie with respect and seriousness, I didn’t have any preconceived notions of what to expect. I am happy to report that Darren Aronosfsky did a tremendous job with the story of Noah and his vision was beautiful, poignant and powerful.

There were many things about the movie that impressed me; it wasn’t just a matter of good versus evil, there was a complexity that took the question to the next level. It was really a fight over how we perceived our role relative to the earth and the Creator. Was earth a gift bestowed to us from the Creator to do with as we pleased, we being the Lords of all that we surveyed or were we to be the stewards of earth, responsible for its health and well-being? If the Creator made us in his image, how high up in the chain of command were we? Why did the Creator stop communicating with us and when there was communication why was it so vague? The most important consequence of the lack of communication between the Creator and man led to the distinct separation between the people of Cain and the people of Seth and their opposing philosophies and faith or lack of faith. The antagonism between the two world views is really the primary conflict in the movie.

The other aspect that impressed me was the immense humanity, humility and sense of culpability that Noah carried within him throughout the movie. In a different manner in terms of how quietly it was done, I was riveted over how Jennifer Connelly imbued her character, that of Noah’s wife, with the heart of the movie. Her unwavering love, faith and compassion for Noah throughout the hardship, the trials, the fearsome trek through the badlands and at the final test of faith where Noah’s line in the sand, his crossroads is even too much for her and the rest of their family to bear, she is still fighting for love, overall fighting so fiercely for love and for him, his soul and his inner heart.

The heart of the movie is love and the sacrifices that are required for love and the difference between the love for the creator and the love of family. Which sacrifice should be the first and primary one, the Creator or one’s own family or do they have to be exclusive. Noah’s sense of responsibility and duty to the Creator was a key player within the entire movie and the dynamic that played out was so well portrayed.

I highly recommend seeing the movie, it is thought provoking and heartwarming I am certain that you will enjoy it and be impressed with it.