Fantasy
The Green Knight
THE GREEN KNIGHT I’m confident that none of my friends or family will enjoy The Green Knight unless they are familiar with the ancient story. Even knowing the story, most would be bored since The Green Knight is a slow-moving Indie-like drama. The Green Knight is a medieval fantasy film loaded with symbolism and magic…
Cinderella
CINDERELLA Cinderella, a live-action non-Disney movie, is reimagined in 2021 into an entertaining pop musical designed to empower pre-teen/teenage girls. Teenage boys may enjoy parts of this film, and the main message they receive is “Happy Wife, Happy Life.” This Cinderella still has the Ball, the magical carriage, the mean stepmom and stepsisters, the Prince,…
Freaks: You’re One of Us
Freaks: You’re One of Us Freaks: You’re One of Us is a German superhero movie released by Netflix on September 2, 2020. It seems like Freaks is Germany’s first step at creating a German superhero universe. At this point, Freaks: You’re One of Us is slightly entertaining, and a quick Netflix watch but do not…
Mulan
MULAN Mulan is a name known in China since the fourth century. Around that time the nomadic Rourans were fighting the Emperor of the Northern Wei dynasty, in power from 386-534. The Ballad of Mulan (Ode to Mulan) came about during this time. The Ballad of Mulan is a relatively easy to read six stanza…
The Old Guard
THE OLD GUARD The Old Guard is a more mature superhero action movie based upon an age 18+ comic book of the same name. It is not from the Marvel or DC Universe; The Old Guard is a Skydance production distributed by Netflix. Andromache of Scythia “Andy” (Charlize Theron), Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe (Marwan Kenzari),…
Shazam!
SHAZAM! Tired of watching Oscar-worthy 3 hour movies, so for the first movie of 2020, I watched Shazam! a light action comic book movie. Shazam! is the seventh film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The preceding six DCEU films are: Man of Steel (2013) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Wonder Women (2017)…
Yesterday
YESTERDAY Yesterday begins as the lights go out throughout the world. When the lights come on virtually everyone on earth forgets the Beatles. Everyone except the lead in this romantic musical comedy. A world without the Beatles (and a few other things) would be an interesting movie. How is the world different, what type of…
Welcome to Marwen
WELCOME TO MARWEN Welcome to Marwen is the animated/live action dramatization of the 2010 documentary Marwencol. The documentary Marwencol received mostly positive reviews. Welcome to Marwen is not received as well; in fact it is one of the biggest money losers in 2018. Director: Robert Zemeckis directed Welcome to Marwen and it seemed to be…
Tomb Raider
TOMB RAIDER A Little History First: 2018 Tomb Raider is a prequel to the earlier Tomb Raider movies (2001 & 2003) with Angelina Jolie. This Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander, 2017 Supporting Actress Oscar winner for Danish Girl) is a refreshing change to the previous Tomb Raider heroine which was really just an extension…
Black Panther
BLACK PANTHER Being superficial, one could say that the T’Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is just like Batman or Ironman – a man wearing a high tech suit – but unlike Batman or Ironman, Black Panther is also on a performance-enhancing substance, the “heart-shaped herb”, allowing him to be a Superhero and rule…
- 2018
- Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Practical Magic
PRACTICAL MAGIC Practical Magic with its amusing witches is completely unbelievable and has a totally outrageous premise. This allows Practical Magic to do whatever they want and they do it amusingly well. You could say Practical Magic is a happy rom-com-ish movie even with the abuse, murder, witches, remurder, ghost, haunting, and possession. Sandra Bullock…
The Lovely Bones
THE LOVELY BONES The Lovely Bones, a supernatural thriller drama, is an early film, but not the earliest film, for Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird, Mary Queen of Scots). This is a two’fer sad special – two movies in one – with a little Shakespearian comedic relief courtesy of Susan Sarandon via an early Othello reference…
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, four kids in present day high school are sent to detention – a brain, an athlete, a princess and a basket case – (the criminal was left out of the equation, replaced with a coward later in the movie). Comparison is instantly made to…