Today, I have concluded my re-visitation of the original Star Wars trilogy with "Return of the Jedi" (1983).
Review:
Like it's predecessors, Return of the Jedi, is compelling, well acted,
fun, funny, action packed, and features likable characters and an
interesting world. It keeps the heart, tone and charm of its
predecessors. The only problems are that the version I watched features
added stuff like CGI, unnecessary additional voiceover, a musical number
replacement, and a cast replacement at the end. Overall, Return of the Jedi is a satisfying conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy.
Max Scale:
Special Edition-8/10 Blu-Ray Edition-5/10 Theatrical cut-10/10 Overall-9/10
This past afternoon, I continued my re-visitation of the original Star Wars
trilogy with the second installment: "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)
Review:
This is a great sequel, as well as a great Science fiction Classic on its own.
Irvin Kershet did a great job directing, as well as keeping the heart
and charm that made Star Wars great. It features a very interesting
story, an expansion of the Star Wars universe, new characters, great
special effects for the time, intense action scenes, funny
moments, interesting and quotable dialogue, and a darker approach. I'm
not going to spoil it (although the movie has been around forever), but
that twist at the end (and yes, there IS a twist) gets me every time.
The only problem is that the version I watched was the special edition
with added CGI background effects which are a bit distracting. Overall,
The Empire Strikes Back is a great successor/continuation that surpasses
its predecessor, and I would highly recommend it to science fiction
fans.
Max Scale:
Special Edition-9/10 Original Cut-10/10
I have always had a fascination with Star Wars as a child, and the
original Star Wars trilogy were some of my favorite films growing up. So
with "The Force Awakens" approaching, I have decided to revisit "Star
Wars" the original trilogy. Starting today with the one that started it
all. So without further ado, here's my short review.
Review:
This is an excellent science fiction/space adventure flick and quite
impressive for the late 70's.
George Lucas did a very good directing and
told a great story using this interesting world he built.
It features
likable characters, intense action scenes, neat production design, great
costumes, unique sound effects, and
creative Science fiction elements (light sabers, protocol droids etc.).
It also features a killer music score composed by John Williams. The
only problem is that this is the special edition with added CGI effects,
and the original theatrical cut is kind of hard to find. Overall, this
is a great flick and a great franchise starter, and I would highly
recommend it to anyone Max Scale: Special edition-8/10 Original cut-10/10 Overall-9/10
Synopsis:
In this remake of the 1982 horror classic, a family moves into the suburbs. However, their new home is haunted by evil forces, and they must come together to rescue their youngest daughter who was captured.
Review:
In a way, this film exceeded my expectations...I expected it to be
bad, and it was.
While it's not as awful as I thought it would be, it's
still quite bad.
Not only does it fail as a remake, but also as a
stand alone horror movie. It features cheap scares, bad acting,
forgettable characters, and plot points borrowed from other horror
movies from this decade ("Insidious" (2011), "The Conjuring" (2013)
etc.).
Also, it's so different from the original that it's not
even a remake. It's just an average PG-13 supernatural fear fest with
the same title. Not to mention that the girl isn't even Carol Anne from
the original, but "Maddy," which was quite a stupid move on their part.
The only parts that were like the original are the static TV, the clown,
and another thing at the end, in which saying it would spoil it.
Almost nothing happens, and a lot of the scares are pointless. The
clown did absolutely nothing, and was just an obvious attempt at giving
the film a similar feel to the original. There is a tree in one scene,
which did something, but was of no significance to the story. It doesn't
really get good until about the last 30 minutes or so.
On a
positive note, it features nice looking visuals, and a few cool scenes.
But those things alone can't promise a good movie. It's better than the
"Nightmare on Elm Street" 2010 remake, but that's not saying much.
Overall, this was a pretty mediocre horror film/remake. I can't recommend this movie.
If you're considering watching this, that's your business. But be
advised that if you go into it expecting it to be as good or memorable
as the original, you're going to be disappointed. In other words, you
are probably better off seeking out the 1982 classic instead.
Synopsis:
A teenage boy and his single mother move into a small town. There, the boy meets a nice girl who's father happens to be R.L. Stine, author of the famous Goosebumps series. As the teens discover Stine's secret, they accidentally open his Goosebumps manuscripts, thus setting all of the imaginary monsters free from the books and bringing forth disaster upon the small town. It is up to Stine and the teens to capture the monsters back in the books and save the town.
Review:
Let me star off by saying that I have never really read any of the Goosebumps books, but they were quite popular when I was a child. However, I have watched some episodes of the Goosebumps TV series, and I found it quite interesting.
Then, I heard that there was a Goosebumps movie in the works and that Jack Black was going to be in it. Part of me was looking forward to it because of Jack Black (He's kinda one of my favorite celebrities), but another part of me was skeptical. Given that each installment in the "Goosebumps" series is a different story entirely, I was not sure how they would pull it off. Also, the trailer was not very convincing.
That being said, I went and saw the film, and I must say that I was very impressed with it, and I enjoyed it very much.
It actually has a very unique and interesting story line. We have these three teenagers, and R.L. Stine, and Stine has these manuscripts of his stories locked. One of the teenagers accidentally opens one of the Goosebumps manuscripts, releasing the monsters.
For all we know, it could have just been an anthology of all of the different Goosebumps stories, but instead, the writers got creative and brought the stories together, followed by a plot involving the Goosbumps monsters unleashed from R.L. Stine's manuscripts and wreaking havoc across the town.
Jack Black plays a fictional version of R.L. Stine (the author of the Goosebumps series). Black actually portrays his character quite well, and is quite funny (as usual). At first, Stine comes off as a jerk, but once you find out his secret, you actually care for him.
It also has some good chemistry between the two protagonists Zach and Hannah, and Dylan Minnette and Odeyah Rush deliver impressive performances that capture it.
The film is also very fun and entertaining. There is not a single moment in the film where I was bored. Slappy the Dummy basically stole the show. Whenever Slappy is on screen, he brings forth a laugh, and a scare at once. I also loved the grocery store scene with the werewolf.
I do not want to spoil anything, but that twist (and yes, there IS a twist) got me. Also, the real R.L. Stine makes an appearance somewhere in the film.
There are a couple of problems that I had with the film. One of them is that, while I cared for Zach and Hannah, it seems to rely a bit too much on the romance aspect. Another problem is that it relies a little too much on CGI to the point where it looked cartoon-ish in some areas. But those things did not ruin the movie for me.
Overall, Goosebumps is a very fun and creative family-friendly spooky thrill ride, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the franchise.
Synopsis:
A son tries to learn more about his dying father than the stories that he told about his life.
Review:
I gave this film a watch on Netflix about a couple years ago out of boredom. I didn't really think that I would like it that much, but I loved it. It instantly became one of my all time favorite movies.
The story is bout a father and son and follows two story arcs. One story arc focuses on the father's life told through the stories that he told his son as a child. The other story arc focuses on the son, now grown up and married, trying to find out the truth behind his father's stories. Ridiculous as it may sound, it's actually quite interesting and thought provoking.
It also has a pretty neat supernatural/fantasy twist going on.
The film is very well acted and it has a great assembled cast. We have Albert Finney as the old man near death telling the stories and Ewan McGregor as the old man's younger self, as well as Billy Crudup as the son. It also features Marion Cotillard, Danny Devito, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buschemi and some other people (whom I did not recognize).
I never would have thought that Tim Burton could pull off something like this, but he did a great job directing, and it's better than most of his other stuff. It is very beautifully shot and has some neat designs.
I am not going to spoil anything, but it has a great ending where everything comes together and starts to make sense.
In my opinion, this is Tim Burton's best film.
Overall, Big Fish is a great and unique feel good dram and I would highly recommend it to movie goers.
Synopsis:
A young woman named Adaline, born on the turn of the 20th century, has
become ageless after a car accident. After many years, she has met a man
who complicates the immortal life that she is living.
Review:
This is a very
good film overall.
The story is quite unique and very
interesting. It is a romantic film with a neat fantasy twist. We have
this young woman who is struck by lightning and survives but is put
under a condition where she stops aging, and goes through different
identities each decade. She also meets a nice guy and they fall in love.
Little does the guy know that she is different.
It is well acted and it
features good performances from Blake Lively, Harrison Ford and Ellen
Burstyn.
The characters are quite likable. You care for Adaline as she
goes through her ageless immortal life. The romance between Adaline and
Ellis has some good chemistry. My favorite character is William Jones.
Lee Toland Krieger did a very good job directing. It is beautifully shot
and it has some very emotional moments. It is also quite clever and
funny at times. For instance, there is this one scene where Ellis tells
Adaline a bad joke and she laughs at how bad it is. There is also a
scene where William talks about the stars, which instantly made me think
of Star Wars.
I'm not going to spoil anything, but based upon my
expectations, that ending got me.
There is not a single thing about this film that I did not like.
Overall, I really enjoyed
The Age of Adaline and would recommend it to anyone who is into romance
and/or drama with a fantasy twist.
