Jason Bourne: a movie review

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Jason Bourne, movie, movie review, postaday2016

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.

Star Trek Beyond: a movie review

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movie, postaday2016, review, Star Trek Beyond

They broke another ship, this isn’t a spoiler, they have been showing the previews and the trailers for weeks, but I couldn’t help but think “I can’t believe they broke another ship, what is it, the fourth Enterprise to go up in smoke?” Anyway, I’m a huge Star Trek fan, so I was excited no matter what they broke.

Simon Peg was the co-writer of this sortie and I have to say, I think he did a very good job, he made me think of many things in the Gene Roddenberry universe and he held true to the philosophy. There were new characters, friend and foe and they fit in the Star Trek universe seamlessly.

The chemistry between the crew is part of the franchise’s charm, I laughed out loud quite a few times thanks to Bones. Scottie gave me a few laughs as well, with all of the action, I needed those little comic breaks.

I have one critique if you can believe it, I found the action sequences too dizzying when the shots were tight and up close, the effects were much better when the camera panned out and gave the audience some distance. The visuals of the enemy’s technology was beautiful and I found it enhanced when we were given the panoramic view.

The set designers, the costume designers and everyone involved creatively, did an amazing job, their imaginations are extraordinary. When I see imaginary universes like this, I am in awe because I know I don’t have that gift.

I was excited for this movie and I am glad I went to see it on the big screen. 

Live long and prosper.

Central Intelligence: a movie review

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Central Intelligence, movie, postaday2016

Boy did I laugh! My husband laughed a lot as well. It was so funny, at least for my sense of humor, I admit I laugh very, very easily, but this was so funny, the dialogue was quick, the references were clever and funny and the physical humor wasn’t too over the top, just enough to make my laughter spontaneously erupt.

The cameos were brilliant, I won’t spoil them for you, but they were spot on and complete surprises! I watched all of the interviews and neither Dwayne Johnson nor Kevin Hart spilled the beans, the only part they shared, which was very important to the story, was the theme of bullying and its damaging effects. Both actors were disciplined in their promotion, I’m glad they were because it gave the movie a few extra lifts.

Dwayne Johnson has a gift for comedy and Kevin Hart did a great job being the straight man, they make for a perfect buddy movie team, they fit and compliment each other very nicely.

They set the movie up for a sequel and I look forward to it.

Warcraft:a movie review

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movie, movie review, postaday2016, Warcraft

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.

Tomorrow is day one

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movie, postaday2016, The Martian, treatments

 

Pictures like this one are giving me the intestinal fortitude to deal with tomorrow. Today, even if on the outside I’m smiling and laughing, on the inside my stomach is clenched in nervous uncertainty because though my time table for tomorrow is certain, I haven’t the slightest idea how my body is going to feel afterwards.

It starts tomorrow morning at 8:45 a.m at the cancer center at Cooley Dickinson, about 3 hours later I go downstairs to the basement to radiation and a half hour later I emerge from radiation, where we could perhaps get a bite to eat and at 3:00 p.m, we go to the psychologist to talk, which is nice, I’m sure I will have things to say and then we go home.

I’ll be going home with a box from chemo which will continue infusing me with chemo medication for 46 hours and on Wednesday I get to be disengaged from the box after my radiation session. From what I have gathered, the chemo won’t be that bad since I will be getting my treatment every two weeks, a week off will give me some time to recover, but radiation five times a week for six solid weeks, that will be the real challenge.

 We are watching the movie “The Martian” with Matt Damon and I thought I had problems lol. But seriously, the movie is wonderfully done and very well acted by Matt Damon, I’m glad we are watching it together. Our daughter is not with us, she is working but she will be with me tomorrow which is what counts.

  

The Hunger Games Part Two: movie review

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Hunger Games, movie, postaday2015

   
 
My husband and I went to see the final installment of the Hunger Games, we loved it of course. It brought a very solid sense of closure to the series. I didn’t read the books, which while watching each part at the movies made me very glad, because the suspense and the emotional response was completely spontaneous. 

This last movie was no different, I went in without a clue as to how the story ended and I wasn’t disappointed, I sat on the edge of my seat through all of the trials Katniss endured in her quest for societal justice.

What I enjoyed about Katniss’ evolution as a character was, despite her being drafted as the rebellion’s mascot, she never lost sight of the greater good, never lost sight of how easily tyranny encroaches, if there aren’t checks and balances, in addition to open and transparent elections, she knew she had to make sure those mistakes weren’t going to be repeated. Her strength sustained her, no matter the challenge or the danger.

I am going to miss the fictious world we were invited to visit for the past several years on the big screen. I really enjoyed the journey with Katniss.

Fantastic Four: a movie review

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Fantastic Four, movie, postaday2015, review

  
This time, my husband and I went to the movies with our son, our daughter was busy. We went hoping for Man from U.N.C.L.E but it isn’t out until next week, so we settled for Fantastic Four. The movie was alright, I don’t know who directed it, but the overall feel of the movie didn’t have the same badda-boom of other Marvel movies. 

Was it better than the Fantastic Four movie with Jessica Alba and Chris Evans? I don’t know. I didn’t get emotionally invested in any of the characters the way I usually do, I also didn’t get an overarching sense of a greater theme or deeper meaning. There were definite bad guys, the military, defense contractors, greed and unchecked power, but I never got the sense that our “heroes” were quite “there” as Marvel heroes are, in the usual process of getting us, the audience to pull for them while they are saving the world. I never got to the rooting for the good guy part on behalf of the four, the story and direction were lacking somehow.

I left the theater unexhilarated, this doesn’t happen to often. I am not sure if I would recommend this movie, I can easily see myself watching it on HBO instead of needing the big screen.

Mission Impossible rogue nation: movie review

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Mission Impossible, movie, postaday2015, reviews

  
My daughter, husband and I went to see Mission Impossible without our son this time, he had to work unfortunately. We, on the other hand, not having to work, got to go and we loved it. The lady in the picture, her name is Isla, she is one heck of a fighter, agent, assasin, and all around secret operative. I loved her, she gave Ethan Hunt a run for his money, almost as much as the bad guy did throughout the movie.

  
What makes Mission Impossible so enjoyable, at least for me, is not Tom Cruise, but the entire gang and their intricate dance throughout the movie. During certain parts of the movie I kept thinking “thank goodness for Simon Peg” He keeps the stress level down to manageable, because without his many moments of levity, I couldn’t take the non-stop adrenaline rush of Tom’s crazy stunts. I don’t know if being aware of Tom’s personal involvement in each of his insanely dangerous stunts makes it easier or more difficult to watch. Intellectually I know Tom survived all of them because I have seen him doing the press junket, but while I was watching the airplane take off, the high speed motorcycle chase, the underwater sequence an even the wild car chase, I held my breath more than once.

All I can say is that Tom Cruise knows how to do action movies, go and see it, you won’t be disappointed. 

Minions and Hot Pursuit: movie reviews

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Hot Pursuit, minions, movie, postaday2015

   
 We felt like laughing this week and with these two movies, laughter came very easily. While we were staying in Secaucus, N.J we watched Hot Pursuit with Reese Witherspoon and Sophia Vergera in our room; I hope I didn’t disturb the neighbors too much with my big bursts of laughter, there were a lot of scenes, all of them with Reese Witherspoon where my mouth just burst open with deep down belly laughter, she was so funny. I know that Sophia Vergera is a very talented comedic actress so I was expecting to laugh out loud with her, but I hadn’t seen Reese Witherspoon in comedy since the days of Legally Blonds and even then she was cute, just not hysterically funny, here she was priceless. We really, really enjoyed watching the movie.

I have been looking forward to seeing Minions ever since the first trailer was shown sometime last year. Despicable Me, both of them, were great animated movies, not just meant for kids, adults were invited in on the inside jokes, and there is where my little love affair started with the cute little buggers. This time we got to know Kevin, Bob and Stuart, adorable trio of love, laughs and enthusiasm. What makes them great is despite the fact their raison d’etre is to be minions to some evil boss, they approach their quest with all of the love and optimism you can imagine. I just love them, too bad they don’t exist because I would be adopting Kevin, Bob and Stuart in a heartbeat.

Jurassic World: a movie review

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movie, postaday2015, review Jurassic Park

  

Genetically Modifed Organisms are EVIL! That is all that I can tell you. I will not give away any spoilers, but the movie was not a disappointment by any measure. Thankfully it had the appropriate amount of laughs because if not, my heart could not have stood it. The casting was tremendous and I was so excited to see one of my new favorite French actors Omar Sy

  He was in the touching French movie “Les Intouchables” and I found him to be a magnetic and charismatic actor. I have to confess that throughout the suspenseful parts, I kept my fingers crossed whispering please don’t get eaten, please don’t get eaten.

The boys of course were the heart and soul of the movie, both dealing with personal issues that were happening within their nuclear family yet completely out of their control. 

Actually control was a word and concept consistently mentioned and addressed throughout the movie; from the animals, the situtation and the people.

When the movie ended there was a round of applause, it’s not often that I hear applause after a movie, thinking back now, I wonder if they were applauding living in a world dinosaur free. I don’t think that I would be a survivor, I don’t run very fast and I lack stamina nowadays. I am very happy to be living in a dinosaur free universe.

Steven Speilberg has once again helped shape another layer to the Jurassic dimension that was gripping, suspenseful, clever, and even heartwarming at times. He is most definitely a master at the art of storytelling. I realize that he wasn’t the director, but you can feel his touch all over the movie.