Loving : a movie review

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Loving, movie, postaday2016, review

My mother and I went to see Loving this morning at one of her favorite theaters on the Upper Westside. We loved it. The direction, the acting, the history and its message make it such that it should be required viewing for everyone. We both knew of the Supreme Court Case, but it really hits you after the first half hour, which passes by without any drama, quietly, when the police sneak into the house under the cover of darkness to arrest the couple for sleeping together, as to why that Supreme Court case was so impactful.

I highly recommend seeing it, it needs to be seen.

Morgan : a movie review

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Morgan, movie, postaday2016, review

My husband and I went to see Morgan today, a movie directed by Luke Scott and produced by Ridley Scott, we sort of knew what we were in for, the Scott name clued us in to expect sci-fi which we love. This movie was so good, it made us think, it kept us on our toes, I was thinking about what prejudice, scientific  research, experiments, humanity, emotional intelligence, intelligence and corporate responsibility meant in the grand scheme of things. I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice it to say that the plot is tight, there aren’t any lulls in the storytelling, it takes you down the rabbit hole and brings you to the other side quickly. The acting was great, I’m a big fan of Kate Mara’s, she put in a heck of a performance. I’m not sure if this movie is going to be a hit, but I highly recommend it, it kept me out of my head for almost two hours and took me on a journey where I couldn’t see the ending until the last possible second when it was presented to me right before the screen went dark.

Mechanic Resurrection : a movie review

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Mechanic Resurrection, movie, postaday2016, review

My husband and I have been fans of the Mechanic franchise, Jason Statham is one of our favorite action stars and so we were looking forward to this latest installment. Jason did not disappoint, not one bit, he still has it in him to be believable as a ruthless champion of the underdog. I have to admit I was disappointed that his character’s base of operations was no longer in the south of France, we also didn’t get to see his old friend the Inspector, they briefly explained why that was, it made sense, but I still missed the gorgeous French scenery. Speaking of scenery, Brazil, Thailand and Romania weren’t too shabby, my husband and I could see ourselves walking along the glorious beach where Jason had set up another base of operations.

The only critique we have of the movie was the lazy formulaic “love story”, it felt scripted and heavy handed. Jason’s character doesn’t need a damsel in distress scenario to fuel his righteous anger, we would believe him battling the bad guy because it’s the right thing to do, we don’t need a quickie love story to drive the plot.

Both my husband and I were most engaged when Jason was doing his preparations, his reconnaissance and research for his “assignments” those were the best parts of the movie. They also brought in one of the big guns, Tommy Lee Jones, not a bad guy per se, not a good guy either, it will be interesting to see if he plays any role down the road in future installments.

It was a lot of fun to watch, despite the kissing parts lol.

Bad Moms : a movie review

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Bad Moms, movie, postaday2016, review

My husband and I went into this movie expecting silliness and slapstick, we weren’t disappointed, it was very funny, but it was more than that, it dealt with the issues of expectations, judgment, responsibility, accountability and what does parenting really mean in the final analysis.

I liked how the movie highlighted the “mean girls” aspect of motherhood judging, you hope to escape it once you leave high school, however fast forward to your parenting chapter and you find those individuals who decide that they are the final arbiters of what is acceptable and what is not. During the movie I was trying to remember if I felt judged as a mother, it was hard because I was laughing a lot, but afterwards, driving home, I can think of a few times listening to other mothers speak about what they were doing and feeling inadequate. I now have the luxury of hindsight, our children are young adults and I have learned that you do the best you can and hope your children grow up to be kind, compassionate and happy. It is hard to be this philosophical when you are deep in the trenches with young children, work and all the after school activities and that’s what the movie explained quite creatively. 

I loved the friendship between the three “bad moms”, friendship does wonders when you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed and the message that a happy mom is a relaxed mom. Mom is one big subject worthy of a movie and this one did it justice with a lot of laughter.

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.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War : a movie review

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movies, postaday2016, review

I am a fan of the fairytale, so I really liked the movie, my husband not so much, this movie was a great love story wrapped in a fairy tale so I was hooked. I was a little surprised a third of the way in the movie because the story wasn’t moving along the lines I had thought after seeing the previews, but I told myself it’s a movie, let it go and enjoy the story as it unfolds. It worked and I enjoyed the movie very much, the chemistry between Chris Helmsworth and Jessica Chastain was off the charts which made the love story so real.

I would watch this movie a second time, but I’ll have to do it alone, the husband won’t sit through it again, which is fine by me, I don’t mind watching movies by myself.

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.

Avengers Age of Ultron: a movie review

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movie, postaday2015, review, The Avengers The Age of Ultron

  

Our son saw the Avengers Thursday night and he said that it was even better than the first. Wow if you consider how cool the first one was. So my husband and I went into the movie with big expectations and I can say that we weren’t disappointed. The only criticism that I have and it is complicated, I’ll explain why; I felt that Ultron as an instrument of Artificial Intelligence was too emotional, the complexity of my criticism is that my feeling revolves around the brilliant voice of James Spader, the master of the art of intonation, he wields his voice like a fine instrument and it was hard for me to reconcile his wondrously complex voice with a cold dispassionate Artificial Intelligence unit. Apart from that teensy tiny critique it was AWESOME!

I chose the image of Jeremy Renner because for me this Avenger chapter was about him, Joss Whedon really gave me several periods of severe stress, especially when he decided to introduce us to Hawkeye’s family out of nowhere. I couldn’t help but think “oh no, are we going to have our hearts ripped out? Are they killing off Hawkeye?” It is a storytelling ploy, reel them in and BAM pull their chairs out from under them. 

It’s not as if I was grasping at straws because he did get hit and wounded a few times and he isn’t a demi-god, he doesn’t go in battle with iron armor, he doesn’t have super-human strength; he is only a master with the bow and arrow. His best line was when he was comforting the Scarlet Witch after saving her, he said “we are in a city in the air, hundreds of Ultrons attacking us and I only have a bow and arrow but I’m going back out there, it’s the job” That is Hawkeye, he is braver than brave, more courageous than most, he still goes out there, knowing that the odds are heavily stacked against him because that is his job, his mission and if not him then who?

He was like a breath of fresh air in his uncomplicated nature, he didn’t have demons to conqueor, his foundation, which is his family, kept him grounded and on point. The rest of the team was awash in regrets, fear and insecurities which led to all of the drama and destruction, playing right into the enemy’s hands. I figured that every review would be focused on the more sexy issues, I was drawn to the quiet hero holding the line.

Fantastic movie!

Furious Seven: a movie review

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Furious Seven, movie, Paul Walker, postaday2015, review

    

What a fantastic movie, it was just my husband and me, the kids were unavailable, but we loved it even while we sadly mourned the late Paul Walker throughout the movie. The action sequences, the insane stunts, the incredible usage of the locations both as stages and as characters within the adventure.

Kurt Russell was such a treat and Jason Stratham was extremely believable as the bad guy bent on vengeance for his little brother; I hate to admit that both times that Jason Stratham had to go up against the Rock and then against Vin Diesal, I had a hard time rooting for anybody because I like the three of them very much as action heroes.

I am terrified of heights and the flying car routines were just insane and as Paul Walker repeated himself a few times, cars don’t fly, but in this movie, it was as close as you could get to flying cars. I felt as if I had been on a giant roller coaster ride each time a car was careening through the open air, it was majorly intense.

This movie was an incredible tribute to Paul Walker and they did him justice in making him a permanent feature in film history, his audience and fans won’t ever forget him and neither will his family and friends. He was taken too soon, only 40, what a tragedy.

I highly recommend seeing this movie, for all of the stress and chaos, you have great moments of levity, as always thanks to Tyerese, he had me laughing out loud so many times, him and Ludocris; they most certainly are a pair.

Divergent Insurgent : a movie review

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Divergent Insurgent, movie, postaday2015, review

  

My husband and I went to see the sequel Divergent Insurgent today and we spent an entire movie completely distracted  from the outside world, watching the movie and story unfold in front of us.  I haven’t read the book series, so I can only speak to the story as it is told via the visual medium and I haven’t any complaints. Shailene Woodley plays Triss, who conveys her emotional pain exceptionally well during the sequel, from what happened to her during the first movie. We meet her at the start having nightmares of her ordeal; losing both her parents and being forced to kill a “friend” who was going to shoot her, prior to escaping from the city and forced to seep refuge in another faction called Amity, the peace keepers.

Theo James plays Four, Triss’s first love, not a young boy but a strong, courageous man who sees something beyond in Triss and loves her for it, seeing their love buoy them during their very difficult and serious struggles against an entrenched political system that wants to eradicate people such as Triss, the divergent, gives the serious social critique, a much more personal meaning. The central issue of the divergent is that they belong not to only one faction, but to all and that can potentially create chaos and in a society that craves order and stability, hence the sharp divides between factions, divergence can only be seen as a threat.

So therein lies the conflict within their society; what to do with the faction-less, apparently their answer was to thrust them out of society and leave them to fend for themselves. However as we can only imagine what that situation begets; throw people out, people who may be very intelligent, clever, self-reliant and you create another society built on different values; a rival society bent on overthrowing the home.

At the end of the movie, not having read the books, I was left wondering was that the end or are we getting another installment? If so what is in store for our young lovers?  However, if this was the end, I could live with how it ended, the story was well told.