Diary of a Wimpy Kid—better than expected—is a great watch and tells
a comical story. This film starts the Wimpy Kid movie series. A big WOW!
for the acting, the believability, and the portrayal. Hopefully, part
2, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules will hold the quality of this
film. This story is based on the Jeff Kinney book series.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
The ups and downs of trying to get through public
school.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Thor Freudenthal for directing
effort. Thank you to Producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson for making the
film possible. Cast includes Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, and
Steve Zahn.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald challenges one’s ability to make strong
connections between the Harry Potter stories and the Fantastic Beasts series. While
this movie allows a bit more freedom to connect the dots it still leaves many
open-ended questions. But, the script is written well enough to follow the gist
of the story. Relatability tries to establish itself in the scene where Dumbledore
teaches children magic in what looks like early Hogwarts and a scene that shows students flying on their brooms. The attempt to catch Grindelwald and Credence before
serious damage occurs shows an integrity to the concept of fighting evil with
good, a major theme of the Harry Potter stories. Overall? The movie is difficult to follow but
it has some great special effects.
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Storyline
Grindelwald develops a deep desire to rule the
world of humans. That desire for power is accompanied with ethical values that
are subpar.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director David Yates for directing
effort. Thank you to Producers David Heyman, J. K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, and
Lionel Wigram for making the film possible. Cast includes Eddie Redmayne,
Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoe Kravitz, Callum
Turner, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp.
A United Kingdom—Central South African political history—tells a
sophisticated story about the relationship between Britain and Botswana
(formerly Bechuanaland) and Britain’s power to control lives of that country’s leaders, its population, and its wealth in
material goods. Great acting by David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike make this movie
soar in both quality and watchability. It’s entertaining and educational at the
same time and does not have a single boring moment throughout the film. It is
sophisticated and discreet. Great work for all involved in making the film and
producing it.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A Botswanan Crown Prince falls in love with and marries a
woman from a different culture.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Amma Asante for directing
effort. Thank you to Producers Brunson Green, Charlie Mason, Rick McCallum,
Cameron McCracken, Justin Moore-Lewy, and David Oyelowo. Cast includes David
Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Terry Pheto, Jack Davenport, Tom Felton, Abena Ayivor,
and Vusi Kunene.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. This is a great watch and tells a wonderful
story. Great work for all involved in production. Thank you.
Flipper’s New Adventure—sequel to the 1963 Flipper
movie—loses steam and quality after the main character, Sandy (Luke Halpin)
runs away from society and tries to live on a deserted island to save his pet
dolphin, Flipper, from living the rest of his life in an ocean aquarium. The story
loses realism and thoughtful, critical thinking skill from that point onward.
The basic concept is too small to fill the length of time necessary to make the
full-length movie. The film becomes weak as it tries to justify the longer
story.
Film Poster Courtesy of
Google Images
Storyline
A young boy tries to
keep his pet dolphin out of the control of a professional public oceanaquarium.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Leon Benson for directing
effort. Thank you to Producer Ivan Tors for making the film possible. Cast
includes Luke Halpin, Pamela Franklin, Tom Helmore, and Brian Kelly.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Maybe. Kudos to
audiences who can watch this film to its conclusion. The writing and the
portrayal are the largest challenges in this Flipper film. Chuck Conners
(Rifleman television series) does not reprise his role as Sandy’s father
in this film.
Shiloh has the theme of a boy who falls in love with a dog that belongs to another
person and what he does to make the dog his own. This is a simple story for
children. The most well-known actor in it is Rod Steiger. It works as a simple,
fill-in-some-time, afternoon watch.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A boy becomes attached to a dog that belongs to
another person.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Dale Rosenbloom for directing
effort. Thank you to Producers Zane W. Levitt, Dale Rosenbloom. And Mark Yellen
for making the film possible. Cast includes Scott Wilson, Blake Heron, Bonnie Bartlett, Rod Steiger, J. Madison Wright, Ann Dowd, Michael Moriarty, Shira Roth, Tori Wright, Montrose Hagins, Rachel Winfree, Amzie Strickland Frannie the Dog.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Maybe. It is not a high-quality watch. It's simple, a bit slow at times, and can be somewhat boring.
Flipper can be understood best when the audience understands the time in which
it was produced and the thrill children, who came from its decade, may have
experienced when allowed to view life along the sea compared to environments
they may have been raised in. It’s a suitable watch that relies on Chuck Conners and
Luke Halpin to tell its story. Watch for Kathleen Maguire’s performance. There
is a sequel film to this movie named Flipper’s New Adventure and a
television series as well as a remake of this film with Paul Hogan and Elijah
Wood.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A boy becomes attached to a dolphin he rescues,
feeds, and heals.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director James B. Clark for directing
effort. Thank you to Producer Ivan Tors for making the film possible. Cast
includes Chuck Connors, Luke Halpin, Joe Higgins, and Kathleen Maguire.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. It’s a broadening experience for children
who have never experienced life along the ocean and a good introduction to
actor Chuck Conners outside his usual Rifleman television role.
Last Stand at Saber River—Tom Selleck—works at the suitable to good level
of western films. Watch for a cast that includes Harry Carey Jr., David Carradine
and his brother, Keith Carradine. Hayley Joel Osment shows his strong acting potential as he acts as
Selleck’s son. It presents the difficult challenges involved when reputation
precedes an attempt to resettle and begin a new life. While the theme of the
movie is not new, it is still watchable.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A Civil War warrior moves further west to establish
a home with his family and a new beginning.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Dick Lowry for directing effort.
Thank you to Executive Producers Michael Brandman and Tom Selleck for making
the film possible. Cast includes Tom Selleck, Suzy Amis, Rachel Duncan, Haley Joel Osment, Keith Carradine, David Carradine, Tracy Needham, Chris Stacy, Harry Carey Jr. Patrick Kilpatrick, Eugene Osment, Denis Forest, David Dukes, Lumi Cavazos.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. The movie will satisfy both Tom Selleck and
western movie fans quite well.
Boiling Point—okay, not great—serves as a watch for Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper
fans. The movie suffers from lack of believability in some of Dennis Hopper's lines; the film has weak
portrayal at times. It is a suitable afternoon watch.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A treasury agent vows revenge when his partner is
killed.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director James B. Harris for directing
effort. Thank you to Producers Leonardo De La Fuente and Marc Frydman for
making the film possible. Cast includes Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, Lolita
Davidovich, Viggo Mortensen, and Dan Hedaya.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Maybe. This movie does not deliver with the
impact of the Wesley Snipes' movie, Passenger 57, but it still has watchability that is
backed with a fairly good story.
Wish—cliched formula film—lacks creativity and originality. The music is
out of place even though it obviously wants to make exposition for the story.
The dialogue lines are ho-hum and fall flat in every scene. The protagonist has a weak script to follow even though he is the bad guy and it is pretty evident.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A young
girl relies on wishing to move to a place of happiness.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Chris Buck for directing
effort. Thank you to Producers Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes
Lancaster-Jones for making the film possible. Cast includes Ariana DeBose, Chris
Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer
Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, Jon Rudnitsky, Della Saba, and Keone Young.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
No. This film has the usual great Disney
animation but that alone cannot drive the investment of a family’s
entertainment time and money. This movie is like every other Disney ‘feel good’
movie with its cliched method formula and the lead female role character trying
to figure it all out. Because it relies on formulaic writing, it lacks the
power of Disney’s earlier movies (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,Sleeping
Beauty, and Cinderella). If they had done what the 2010 sassy Tangled
movie did, then it had the potential to be another Disney Classic. But, as
is, the film is the epitome of bland.
The Love Bug—the first of Herbie Volkswagen films—introduces the concept of a
small car with a mind of its own and a very likable personality. The film
hallmarks movies that can be shared by the entire family. The casting
department teams Dean Jones and Buddy Hackett who deliver sweet, clean comedy. Actress
Michele Lee and the Mary Poppins Actor David Tomlinson fill out the rest
of the movie’s main cast. This movie makes a good addition to the family home
video library. It has not lost its ability to entertain despite the passage of
time.
Film Poster Courtesy of
Google Image
Storyline
A race car driver discovers a car that is sentient.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Robert Stevenson for directing
effort. Thank you to Producer Bill Walsh for making the film possible. Cast
includes Dean Jones, Michele Lee, David Tomlinson, and Buddy Hackett.
The Big Red One—Lee Marvin, Robert Carradine, and Mark Hamill—presents a really rough film to
its audience that is difficult to watch. The story itself is very well-written
and follows a nicely choreographed set of scenes that do not lose context or
meaning and manage to quickly differentiate each main character's battle
proclivities. Be aware that this film has sexual dialogue in addition to the
violence and serves the exceptionally sophisticated and aware audience.
Thank you to Director Samuel Fuller for
directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producer Brian Jamieson, Producers Gene Corman and Douglas Freeman for making the film
possible. Cast includes: Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco, Kelly Ward, Stéphane Audran, Sigfried Rauch, Serge Marquand, Charles Macaulay, Alain Doutey,.
Concussion—WOW!—is one of those films made very good because of the chosen casting. Will Smith makes the movie
shine and makes it very real. The
storyline revolves around football head injuries and the aftermath of those
injuries. This film has a great script with dialogue lines that are above
average. Camera work, lighting, all stand at above average levels. This
serves as a quality watch. Look for Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse,
and Adewale Akinnouye-Abaje who round out the rest of the cast exceptionally
well.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A doctor reveals the danger of concussions and
their aftermath in football field injuries.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Peter Landesman for
directing effort. Thank you to Executuve Producers Greg Basser, Bruce Berman, David Crockett, Michael Schaefer, Ben Waisbren, and Producer Elizabeth Cantillon, Giannina Facio, Ridley Scott, Larry Shuman, David
Wolthoff, for making the film possible.
Cast includes Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Morse, Arliss Howard, Mike O'Malley, Eddie Marsan, Hill Harper, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje,
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. This film belongs in the home video library
and serves as a good teen/adult share watch. Thank to all involved in making a
film that is more than worth watching.
Sea Salts—cute—has no reason behind its story other than to entertain. It’s a
little different from most Donald Duck toons. It uses the typical animation
representative of the 1940s through the 50s and can be equally enjoyed by both adults and
children.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A duck continually takes advantage of his small
friend, but they maintain a lifelong friendship.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Director Jack Hannah for directing
effort. Thank you to Producer Walt Disney for making the film possible. Cast
includes Clarence Nash and Dink Trout.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. Short film about long-term friendships works
at the pure entertainment level with little to take away. It’s a cute, simple watch.
Swiss Family Robinson—good child/adult share—has appeal for a wide
audience range and its own unique story that includes shipwreck and pirates. It’s
a light watch with good island scenery and enough domesticated and wild animals
to make a good story. The conclusion is perfectly suited to the story. Watch
for Tommy Kirk as Ernst Robinson.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A family survives a shipwreck and finds themselves
marooned on an island.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to Ken Annakin for directing effort. Thank
you to Producers Bill Anderson, Walt Disney, Associate Producer Basil Keys, for making the
film possible. Cast includes John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur,
Janet Munro, Sessue Hayakawa, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Cecil Parker, Andy Ho,
Milton Reid, and Larry Taylor.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. This is a simple, one time watch for a lazy
afternoon with the family. If an audience has not seen the movie for awhile, it is still watchable.
FantasticBeastsand Where to Find Them—slow—has strength because
of its creativity. The animation of the fantastic beasts, even by
today’s standards, is very good. This prequel movie shows Eddie Redmayne’s
talent well. However, an audience may wonder how it really connects to the Harry
Potter series. It needs exposition that hopefully Part 2 and Part 3 will
allow. Albus Dumbledore is mentioned in passing and that does make a small
concession to ‘connecting the dots’ to make a complete picture. Overall, it is
a J. K. Rowling thinking process that, as usual, does not follow the straight
path to its conclusion.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
Beasts, who would be unknown to muggles, escape
their place of keeping and create their own special havoc.
Additional
Thanks
Thank you to
Director David Yates for directing effort. Thank you to Producers David Heyman,
J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, and Lionel Wigram for making the film possible.
Cast includes Eddie Redmayne, Sam Redford, Scott Goldman, Tim Bentinck, Tristan Tait, Colin Farrell, Tom Clarke Hill, Matthew Sim, Katherine Waterston, Samantha Morton, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, Faith Wood-Blagrove, and Jenny Murray.
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. This is not a terrible film, but it is slow and
presents complications for following its storyline easily. It is difficult to relate
to the original Harry Potter movie series. The largest challenge is trying to
relate Mr. Scamander (Eddie Redmayne’s character role) to earlier stories…and
leaves its audience wondering where really does he come from and why does he
carry a portal with him everywhere?
Internet research reveals that he was mentioned in Harry Potter and The
Prisoner of Azkaban and other sources say that his character was not
fleshed out yet when The Prisoner of Azkaban movie was released.
