Pacific Rim: Uprising follows Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of Stacker Pentecost, who left the Jaeger program a few years before his father's death, but is now forced back into the program. This is the second Pacific Rim film, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are more to come.
If you have not seen the first movie, that's ok. There is a quick recap of it in the first few minutes of this sequel. I have seen the first, and it was good, but I wasn't totally in love with it. I know this goes against most guy's opinions. Seriously, every guy I know that has seen Pacific Rim loved it. I personally felt like it was another transformers movie with a twist (and without the eye candy, Shia I love you!). Those guys that loved the first movie, do not like this sequel. They say that it is not enough alien (Kaiju) action and the whole first hour is just ok. I, on the other hand, completely disagree.
I really enjoyed Uprising. I don't need aliens attacking every five seconds to find enjoyment in a film. I guess the lack of alien attacks bores some, but not me. I felt like there was a great build-up to the aliens in this film and that when they showed up it was adding to the enjoyment and excitement. I liked how they showed advancement in the program, and how the Jaeger program was becoming more Transformers-esque. In this movie, Liwen Shao (Tian Jing), has been working to create Jaegers that are controlled by humans from a long distance. Basically robots. The humans would not be inside the Jaegers, but would instead control them and fight from a distance.
My main problem with the whole movie is that the plotline doesn't add up with the first movie. I do not remember any mention of Jake Pentecost before Uprising. Jake tells us that he left the Jaeger program a couple years before the great Kaiju battle and that he was working alongside Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood) before he left. How is that possible when Nate Lambert left the program after the death of his brother? Nate worked with his brother in the program up until his brother died and then he left and didn't come back until the original Pacific Rim movie, when Stacker Pentecost brought him back. Jake's story doesn't fit in here, and that bothers me. I can understand wanting to make a sequel (seems like there's a lot of them lately), but you cannot make a sequel by recreating the storyline. That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.
Overall, I liked this movie, and all the guys that are disappointed can get over it. Honestly, the first Pacific Rim was boring. It received a 6.9 out of 10 on IMDb, and this sequel received a 6.1/10 simply because all those guys are sad they didn't get Kaiju attacks for 2 hours. Sorry guys, not every movie can be two full hours of battles. Wars get old fast...or haven't you noticed?
Monday, March 26, 2018
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Tomb Raider
The newest Tomb Raider to hit the theaters gives a new twist on the Lara Croft we've always known. This Lara is extremely independent; refusing to live in the Croft Mansion or to collect her inheritance. She is determined to find her father, and she will stop at no cost, without using the Croft money to do it.
Overall, this new Tomb Raider was entertaining. I was never an Angelina Jolie fan especially as Lara Croft, but I really enjoyed Alicia Vikander as Lara. That could have to do with this new version of Lara that was portrayed. She is not the rich girl that is trained to fight to the death and solves clues like they're nothing. This Lara was strong of spirit more than anything else. She is a boxer, but she is not the best boxer at the gym. Everything that she knows she has learned from dedicated practice and by using her own money that she made by delivering food. This Lara is more human than Jolie's Lara, even down to defending herself. Vikander's Lara had more soul than Jolie's ever did.
As with all Tomb Raider movies or Indiana Jones movies, there is always that mission impossible feel. You see tricks performed that would never be possible, but somehow they make it happen and all works out in the end. This movie was no exception. Me being the science geek that I am, wasn't happy about a couple of them. For example, if you hold a parachute backpack in your arms and then pull the release strap, odds are that parachute will fly out of your arms. No one is strong enough to combat that sudden force that comes from releasing a parachute. Especially young girls who struggle to pull themselves up when hanging from the side of a rotted plane wing. In my mind, she was lucky not to be knocked out by the parachute that flew out in front of her face, but hey, it is a movie after all. This Lara was smart in some aspects, but common sense wasn't.
If you are going to see Tomb Raider because you love action movies, then this one will suffice. Overall, I really did enjoy it, and I do look forward to the sequels (I'm sure there will be some). You can never have enough sequels, am I right?! *insert eye roll here* I would recommend seeing Tomb Raider if you are looking to continue the Lara Croft franchise, or if you simply want to do away with the old and bring in the new. Trust me, Vikander is way more engaging than Jolie, and this Tomb Raider outdoes all the previous movies.
Overall, this new Tomb Raider was entertaining. I was never an Angelina Jolie fan especially as Lara Croft, but I really enjoyed Alicia Vikander as Lara. That could have to do with this new version of Lara that was portrayed. She is not the rich girl that is trained to fight to the death and solves clues like they're nothing. This Lara was strong of spirit more than anything else. She is a boxer, but she is not the best boxer at the gym. Everything that she knows she has learned from dedicated practice and by using her own money that she made by delivering food. This Lara is more human than Jolie's Lara, even down to defending herself. Vikander's Lara had more soul than Jolie's ever did.
As with all Tomb Raider movies or Indiana Jones movies, there is always that mission impossible feel. You see tricks performed that would never be possible, but somehow they make it happen and all works out in the end. This movie was no exception. Me being the science geek that I am, wasn't happy about a couple of them. For example, if you hold a parachute backpack in your arms and then pull the release strap, odds are that parachute will fly out of your arms. No one is strong enough to combat that sudden force that comes from releasing a parachute. Especially young girls who struggle to pull themselves up when hanging from the side of a rotted plane wing. In my mind, she was lucky not to be knocked out by the parachute that flew out in front of her face, but hey, it is a movie after all. This Lara was smart in some aspects, but common sense wasn't.
If you are going to see Tomb Raider because you love action movies, then this one will suffice. Overall, I really did enjoy it, and I do look forward to the sequels (I'm sure there will be some). You can never have enough sequels, am I right?! *insert eye roll here* I would recommend seeing Tomb Raider if you are looking to continue the Lara Croft franchise, or if you simply want to do away with the old and bring in the new. Trust me, Vikander is way more engaging than Jolie, and this Tomb Raider outdoes all the previous movies.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Love, Simon
Love, Simon is about a boy named Simon who is gay and has not told anyone his secret, until he learns about Blue. Blue is also a closeted gay boy that is afraid of what will happen if he tells his secret. Simon tries to learn Blue's true identity, while keeping both their secrets, and finding himself along the way.
This movie is one that a lot of people won't see simply because of what it's about. To all those people who refuse to see Love, Simon, I challenge you to find the courage to go to the theater and tell that ticket seller that you are there to see Love, Simon, and then sit your butt in that comfy theater chair for the entire hour and fifty minutes of the movie. Love, Simon has a message that everyone needs to hear, and if you refuse to see this movie simply because Simon is gay, then you are exactly who needs to hear this message.
In a world where acceptance is the key to happiness, Love, Simon tells us that acceptance is not everything. It does not matter what society tells you. Whether you are gay, straight, or lesbian, or whether you are black or white, you are still You. You are still who you were meant to be. It is not a choice to be something different; it's how you feel inside that matters. Society does not get to decide who you are, and the people that love you will still love you when they know the true you. If they don't love you, then they don't deserve you. That is their problem, not yours, and you need to stand up and say here I am. What are you going to do about it?
I found out a few years ago that my best friend from college is a lesbian. I did not know this all through college. When she told me, I was a bit shocked, but I would never tell her that we couldn't be friends anymore. She is still the same beautiful, strong woman I have always known, except now she's married to another beautiful woman. They are both happy, and that is all that matters to me. Love, Simon is a movie that speaks up for people like my best friend and her wife, and I hope that people give it the chance that it deserves.
P.S. Bring tissues. I was unprepared...
This movie is one that a lot of people won't see simply because of what it's about. To all those people who refuse to see Love, Simon, I challenge you to find the courage to go to the theater and tell that ticket seller that you are there to see Love, Simon, and then sit your butt in that comfy theater chair for the entire hour and fifty minutes of the movie. Love, Simon has a message that everyone needs to hear, and if you refuse to see this movie simply because Simon is gay, then you are exactly who needs to hear this message.
In a world where acceptance is the key to happiness, Love, Simon tells us that acceptance is not everything. It does not matter what society tells you. Whether you are gay, straight, or lesbian, or whether you are black or white, you are still You. You are still who you were meant to be. It is not a choice to be something different; it's how you feel inside that matters. Society does not get to decide who you are, and the people that love you will still love you when they know the true you. If they don't love you, then they don't deserve you. That is their problem, not yours, and you need to stand up and say here I am. What are you going to do about it?
I found out a few years ago that my best friend from college is a lesbian. I did not know this all through college. When she told me, I was a bit shocked, but I would never tell her that we couldn't be friends anymore. She is still the same beautiful, strong woman I have always known, except now she's married to another beautiful woman. They are both happy, and that is all that matters to me. Love, Simon is a movie that speaks up for people like my best friend and her wife, and I hope that people give it the chance that it deserves.
P.S. Bring tissues. I was unprepared...
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
The Strangers: Prey at Night
The Strangers: Prey at Night (sequel to The Strangers) is about a family that is going to stay the night in a mobile home park when they are attacked by the three masked psychopaths known as the Strangers.
I had to do a little research for this one. At the beginning of both movies (the original and this one), it is stated that these stories are based on true events. I wanted to see how true that is. Bryan Bertino, the writer for both stories, has stated that he based the movies off of the Manson family murders along with classic 80's movies. The Strangers, therefore, are not completely based in fact, and that can be seen in this sequel. The original Strangers movie could definitely be seen as something that really happened, but not this one. There were 4 people against 3 strangers in this movie, and they were in a huge mobile home park. Somehow the 3 strangers always knew where each of the family members was, whether they were in a mobile home, or by the pool, or in the rec center. Maybe there were cameras somewhere that the strangers were using? This is never clarified. I guess that's part of the "classic 80's" type movie right?
This is one movie that I can agree with IMDb on its score: 6/10. I was not crazy about this one, which is sad because I loved the first movie. I think it was just too unbelievable with the all-knowing Strangers being around every corner and the kids that have a gun and refuse to use it. I'm not sure what it is about horror movies, but do we really need to make all the characters seem extremely stupid? If someone had just killed my mother, and I was pointing a gun at the person responsible, I'd pull that trigger! They're literally killing you just because they can. Don't show them mercy! Movies like this make me angry. Humans have way more common sense than horror films give us credit for.
I feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions. Even if the answers are not totally relevant to the story line, I still want to know why. For example, the family is stopping at the mobile home camp for the night while they are on their way to drop off the daughter at boarding school. Why the daughter is being sent to boarding school is never addressed. All they mention is that she skipped school a bunch. Is that reason enough to send someone to boarding school? I don't know. I never went to boarding school, but I'd hope they had a better reason than that to send her. Otherwise, I can understand why she was so angry at them.
I think it is safe to say that this will be the last Strangers movie. It wasn't a horrible movie by any means, but I'm pretty sure the Strangers have had their day in the limelight, and it's time for them to say goodbye. Who knows though...it wouldn't be the first time the dead came back to life in horror films...
I had to do a little research for this one. At the beginning of both movies (the original and this one), it is stated that these stories are based on true events. I wanted to see how true that is. Bryan Bertino, the writer for both stories, has stated that he based the movies off of the Manson family murders along with classic 80's movies. The Strangers, therefore, are not completely based in fact, and that can be seen in this sequel. The original Strangers movie could definitely be seen as something that really happened, but not this one. There were 4 people against 3 strangers in this movie, and they were in a huge mobile home park. Somehow the 3 strangers always knew where each of the family members was, whether they were in a mobile home, or by the pool, or in the rec center. Maybe there were cameras somewhere that the strangers were using? This is never clarified. I guess that's part of the "classic 80's" type movie right?
This is one movie that I can agree with IMDb on its score: 6/10. I was not crazy about this one, which is sad because I loved the first movie. I think it was just too unbelievable with the all-knowing Strangers being around every corner and the kids that have a gun and refuse to use it. I'm not sure what it is about horror movies, but do we really need to make all the characters seem extremely stupid? If someone had just killed my mother, and I was pointing a gun at the person responsible, I'd pull that trigger! They're literally killing you just because they can. Don't show them mercy! Movies like this make me angry. Humans have way more common sense than horror films give us credit for.
I feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions. Even if the answers are not totally relevant to the story line, I still want to know why. For example, the family is stopping at the mobile home camp for the night while they are on their way to drop off the daughter at boarding school. Why the daughter is being sent to boarding school is never addressed. All they mention is that she skipped school a bunch. Is that reason enough to send someone to boarding school? I don't know. I never went to boarding school, but I'd hope they had a better reason than that to send her. Otherwise, I can understand why she was so angry at them.
I think it is safe to say that this will be the last Strangers movie. It wasn't a horrible movie by any means, but I'm pretty sure the Strangers have had their day in the limelight, and it's time for them to say goodbye. Who knows though...it wouldn't be the first time the dead came back to life in horror films...
Saturday, March 10, 2018
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time is based upon the novel by Madeleine L'Engle in which a young girl is sent on a mission to find her missing father through other dimensions. Meg, played by Storm Reid, is joined by her brother Charles Wallace, played by Deric McCabe, her friend Calvin (Levi Miller), and the Mrs's: Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit.
I was so excited to see this movie. I was a huge fan of the novel when I was younger and I've never forgotten it. Before I got out to the theater to watch it, however, I read the reviews associated with it. IMDb has rated it a 3.6/10, and Rotten Tomatoes has an audience score of 32%. After reading those reviews, I was nervous about what I was going to see. Now, to all of the people out there that have rated this movie, I need to ask, what did you expect to see when you went to this movie?? While it was not the best movie ever, it was anything but a 3 out of 10. I'd probably have given it at least a 5.
One review on IMDb says:
"Overall: The movie is mainly geared towards elementary and middle school children with some adult aspects, yet the movie is childish and not up to Disney's standard. Disney should be embarrassed to have produced such a movie with big Hollywood names and have it bomb. The movie falls flat and lacks humor leading to a failure for Disney. Even though this movie is supposed to be a big statement towards diversity with a colored director helming a $100 million budget project, the movie does not do justice."
Let's break this down, shall we?
1. "The movie is mainly geared towards elementary and middle school children." Madeleine L'Engle was a children's author. Her book was written for children in elementary and middle school. What exactly did you expect to see in a PG rated movie? Blood and guts?
2. "Disney should be embarrassed to have produced such a movie with big Hollywood names and have it bomb." Can you please show me where you got your data? The Hollywood Reporter posted on March 9, which happens to be the same day A Wrinkle in Time was released in theaters, that A Wrinkle in Time would be bringing in close to $35,000 in its opening weekend. It states that it does not beat the Black Panther, but it only missed the weekend's top movie by $5,000. Black Panther brought in around $40,000 this weekend. Obviously the Black Panther is going to have more viewers and bring in more money...it's geared towards adults. Yes, it may have been out for 4 weeks already, but there's way more adults going to the movies than children in elementary and middle school.
3. "The movie falls flat and lacks humor." You have no sense of humor....or I'm a small child at heart...I'll get back to you on this.
4. "Even though this movie is supposed to be a big statement towards diversity with a colored director helming a $100 million budget project, the movie does not do justice." Now we found the issue. I did not go to see this movie because it was "a statement towards diversity." I went to see this movie because I loved Madeleine L'Engle's novel. Did I expect this movie to beat the novel? Heck no! When has any movie ever surpassed the novel? Did Madeleine write this book in order to make it a statement towards diversity? No. She wrote it because that's what she loved to do. Scholastic.com has a page dedicated to L'Engle in which she wrote a small excerpt about her life. Near the bottom of that page L'Engle says, "It's wonderful being able to make a living doing the thing I love the most, which is telling stories." She did not write A Wrinkle in Time in the hopes that it would make a statement. In fact, she tried to get it published for over two and a half years before it was picked up at all. She wrote for herself, and for her children, and for children around the world. It's wrong to put words into her mouth when she is no longer around to defend herself.
My overall statement: A Wrinkle in Time was not the best movie ever, but it was not as bad as the ratings want you to believe. It was a lot of CGI (obviously because children can't travel to space), and it was child actors that are not well-known, but that doesn't mean they were bad. I never thought for a second, "who is this kid, I don't know her so she can't be the lead." The people that are writing these reviews are extremely harsh. You went to a PG movie and expected way more than PG movies allow. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Way to promote diversity, while tearing down a 15 year old child. Why don't you leave the review writing to the unbiased people of this world.
Thank you.
I was so excited to see this movie. I was a huge fan of the novel when I was younger and I've never forgotten it. Before I got out to the theater to watch it, however, I read the reviews associated with it. IMDb has rated it a 3.6/10, and Rotten Tomatoes has an audience score of 32%. After reading those reviews, I was nervous about what I was going to see. Now, to all of the people out there that have rated this movie, I need to ask, what did you expect to see when you went to this movie?? While it was not the best movie ever, it was anything but a 3 out of 10. I'd probably have given it at least a 5.
One review on IMDb says:
"Overall: The movie is mainly geared towards elementary and middle school children with some adult aspects, yet the movie is childish and not up to Disney's standard. Disney should be embarrassed to have produced such a movie with big Hollywood names and have it bomb. The movie falls flat and lacks humor leading to a failure for Disney. Even though this movie is supposed to be a big statement towards diversity with a colored director helming a $100 million budget project, the movie does not do justice."
Let's break this down, shall we?
1. "The movie is mainly geared towards elementary and middle school children." Madeleine L'Engle was a children's author. Her book was written for children in elementary and middle school. What exactly did you expect to see in a PG rated movie? Blood and guts?
2. "Disney should be embarrassed to have produced such a movie with big Hollywood names and have it bomb." Can you please show me where you got your data? The Hollywood Reporter posted on March 9, which happens to be the same day A Wrinkle in Time was released in theaters, that A Wrinkle in Time would be bringing in close to $35,000 in its opening weekend. It states that it does not beat the Black Panther, but it only missed the weekend's top movie by $5,000. Black Panther brought in around $40,000 this weekend. Obviously the Black Panther is going to have more viewers and bring in more money...it's geared towards adults. Yes, it may have been out for 4 weeks already, but there's way more adults going to the movies than children in elementary and middle school.
3. "The movie falls flat and lacks humor." You have no sense of humor....or I'm a small child at heart...I'll get back to you on this.
4. "Even though this movie is supposed to be a big statement towards diversity with a colored director helming a $100 million budget project, the movie does not do justice." Now we found the issue. I did not go to see this movie because it was "a statement towards diversity." I went to see this movie because I loved Madeleine L'Engle's novel. Did I expect this movie to beat the novel? Heck no! When has any movie ever surpassed the novel? Did Madeleine write this book in order to make it a statement towards diversity? No. She wrote it because that's what she loved to do. Scholastic.com has a page dedicated to L'Engle in which she wrote a small excerpt about her life. Near the bottom of that page L'Engle says, "It's wonderful being able to make a living doing the thing I love the most, which is telling stories." She did not write A Wrinkle in Time in the hopes that it would make a statement. In fact, she tried to get it published for over two and a half years before it was picked up at all. She wrote for herself, and for her children, and for children around the world. It's wrong to put words into her mouth when she is no longer around to defend herself.
My overall statement: A Wrinkle in Time was not the best movie ever, but it was not as bad as the ratings want you to believe. It was a lot of CGI (obviously because children can't travel to space), and it was child actors that are not well-known, but that doesn't mean they were bad. I never thought for a second, "who is this kid, I don't know her so she can't be the lead." The people that are writing these reviews are extremely harsh. You went to a PG movie and expected way more than PG movies allow. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Way to promote diversity, while tearing down a 15 year old child. Why don't you leave the review writing to the unbiased people of this world.
Thank you.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Death Wish
Death Wish is Bruce Willis's newest movie about a father/husband that takes the law into his own hands following a break-in that leaves his wife dead and his daughter in a coma. He goes from a surgeon dedicated to saving lives, to a man out for revenge. This is a remake on the original Death Wish movie released in 1974, but with a different base story line.
I am not sure how this movie received a 6.8 out of 10 on IMDb because I would not have rated it anywhere near a 5. I thought Red Sparrow was a man's movie? I had no idea what Death Wish had in store for me. I went in with some high hopes. I mean, come on, it is Bruce Willis. He's THE action heroine, right? When a new Bruce Willis movie is coming out, everyone wants to see it. This one was so far from impressive, I had to keep notes on my phone with all the issues so that I didn't forget any of them. There were that many...
1. Elisabeth Shue, who plays Willis's wife, left something to be desired in her acting. When someone breaks into your house, and you're standing in the kitchen, do you trip all over yourself in search of your phone instead of grabbing a weapon? Granted the robbers did have guns, but it took her way longer to find her phone than it would've taken to hide a knife behind her back. Then, when she was begging them to leave her and her daughter alone, her acting was horrible.
2. Who wrote this script? Was it intentionally bad or were the robbers meant to look stupid? One of them is told to tie up the daughter, so he starts searching the kitchen for rope. He then asks the daughter where they keep the rope. First of all, who keeps rope in the kitchen?? Second, who even has rope? Is that a thing everyone has because if so I am way behind the times. Guess I should go get some and keep it in my kitchen next to the cereal in case a robber decides to break in some night.
3. Willis goes to visit Detective Kevin Raines (Dean Norris) who is one of the detectives assigned to the robbery cases. In Raines's office there is a board that is nearly filled with notes on all the recent activity that they need to investigate. At the bottom right hand corner of the board (in giant block letters) is a note that says "we are going to need a bigger board." Who decided that was necessary? How many cops take the time to type out a note saying they need a bigger board when the board is that full of work? I think you have more important things to be doing.
4. When Paul Kersey (Willis) goes to the gun shop to prepare himself for battle, he learns about how easy it is to apply for a gun. Bethany, played by Kirby Bliss Blanton, gives a small speech that must set off every liberal in America. Something along the lines of, fill out this form and you'll be approved in 72 hours. Other than that all you need is a gun safety class and you're all set, so which gun looks good. I could feel the audience holding their breathe at that.
5. Instead of getting approved for a gun at Bethany's shop, Kersey returns to work. Soon after, a man is brought in with a gunshot wound, and he just happens to drop his glock on the floor. A simple kick to hide that under the gurney before they wheel the man away, leaves Paul with a weapon. Seriously people, I can't make this stuff up.
I've never seen the original Death Wish movie from 1974, but I really hope it was better than this. Yes, I watched the whole movie, but only because I wanted to find how someone could rate this a 6.8 out of 10. I think that means that the majority of voters on IMDb are men. About 68% perhaps? We shall never know.
I am not sure how this movie received a 6.8 out of 10 on IMDb because I would not have rated it anywhere near a 5. I thought Red Sparrow was a man's movie? I had no idea what Death Wish had in store for me. I went in with some high hopes. I mean, come on, it is Bruce Willis. He's THE action heroine, right? When a new Bruce Willis movie is coming out, everyone wants to see it. This one was so far from impressive, I had to keep notes on my phone with all the issues so that I didn't forget any of them. There were that many...
1. Elisabeth Shue, who plays Willis's wife, left something to be desired in her acting. When someone breaks into your house, and you're standing in the kitchen, do you trip all over yourself in search of your phone instead of grabbing a weapon? Granted the robbers did have guns, but it took her way longer to find her phone than it would've taken to hide a knife behind her back. Then, when she was begging them to leave her and her daughter alone, her acting was horrible.
2. Who wrote this script? Was it intentionally bad or were the robbers meant to look stupid? One of them is told to tie up the daughter, so he starts searching the kitchen for rope. He then asks the daughter where they keep the rope. First of all, who keeps rope in the kitchen?? Second, who even has rope? Is that a thing everyone has because if so I am way behind the times. Guess I should go get some and keep it in my kitchen next to the cereal in case a robber decides to break in some night.
3. Willis goes to visit Detective Kevin Raines (Dean Norris) who is one of the detectives assigned to the robbery cases. In Raines's office there is a board that is nearly filled with notes on all the recent activity that they need to investigate. At the bottom right hand corner of the board (in giant block letters) is a note that says "we are going to need a bigger board." Who decided that was necessary? How many cops take the time to type out a note saying they need a bigger board when the board is that full of work? I think you have more important things to be doing.
4. When Paul Kersey (Willis) goes to the gun shop to prepare himself for battle, he learns about how easy it is to apply for a gun. Bethany, played by Kirby Bliss Blanton, gives a small speech that must set off every liberal in America. Something along the lines of, fill out this form and you'll be approved in 72 hours. Other than that all you need is a gun safety class and you're all set, so which gun looks good. I could feel the audience holding their breathe at that.
5. Instead of getting approved for a gun at Bethany's shop, Kersey returns to work. Soon after, a man is brought in with a gunshot wound, and he just happens to drop his glock on the floor. A simple kick to hide that under the gurney before they wheel the man away, leaves Paul with a weapon. Seriously people, I can't make this stuff up.
I've never seen the original Death Wish movie from 1974, but I really hope it was better than this. Yes, I watched the whole movie, but only because I wanted to find how someone could rate this a 6.8 out of 10. I think that means that the majority of voters on IMDb are men. About 68% perhaps? We shall never know.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Red Sparrow
Red Sparrow is Jennifer Lawrence's newest film about how a ballerina becomes a Russian undercover agent. Dominika Egorova (Lawrence) has a great career as a ballerina, until a freak accident leaves her unable to dance again. Her uncle takes this opportunity to recruit Dominika to work for the Russian government. He knows she is struggling to work and take care of her sick mother at the same time. Dominika finds herself in Sparrow School; which she terms "whore school." She is taught to use her body to get what she wants and to trick men into giving up answers.
Her first mission is to get close to a CIA agent from the United States that has been working undercover with an unidentified Russian man. She is tasked with getting the name of the Russian that has been revealing hidden information to the United States.
While I did enjoy this movie, it is definitely a man's movie. It has everything from torture to sex, and from politics to the importance of family. Dominika would do anything to help her mother live a carefree life, even if it means working for her corrupt uncle.
I did find some scenes hard to watch simply because I hate gore and I was afraid of what I was going to see. The torture scenes were a bit much for me, but they did not show a lot of gore (which I appreciated). The camera angles did not show the gore, but we would see pieces of skin after it had happened, or we would see the blood. I can handle that.
The movie is very long as well. At just under two and a half hours, I found myself wondering how the movie was going to end. There was a lot of back and forth where we weren't sure which side Dominika was working for: the Russians or the USA. After watching her go back to the USA for the third time, I was thinking ok this has to be it, but I was wrong. The end of the movie, however, was brilliant. I did not see it coming. Dominika, this sweet ballerina, became a mastermind that tricked everyone and no one thought it possible.
Jennifer Lawrence did a good job in such a different role from her norm, but the movie was long, and at times hard to watch. Overall, if I was rating this out of 10, I'd give it a 6.5-7. Not my favorite, but not horrible either.
Her first mission is to get close to a CIA agent from the United States that has been working undercover with an unidentified Russian man. She is tasked with getting the name of the Russian that has been revealing hidden information to the United States.
While I did enjoy this movie, it is definitely a man's movie. It has everything from torture to sex, and from politics to the importance of family. Dominika would do anything to help her mother live a carefree life, even if it means working for her corrupt uncle.
I did find some scenes hard to watch simply because I hate gore and I was afraid of what I was going to see. The torture scenes were a bit much for me, but they did not show a lot of gore (which I appreciated). The camera angles did not show the gore, but we would see pieces of skin after it had happened, or we would see the blood. I can handle that.
The movie is very long as well. At just under two and a half hours, I found myself wondering how the movie was going to end. There was a lot of back and forth where we weren't sure which side Dominika was working for: the Russians or the USA. After watching her go back to the USA for the third time, I was thinking ok this has to be it, but I was wrong. The end of the movie, however, was brilliant. I did not see it coming. Dominika, this sweet ballerina, became a mastermind that tricked everyone and no one thought it possible.
Jennifer Lawrence did a good job in such a different role from her norm, but the movie was long, and at times hard to watch. Overall, if I was rating this out of 10, I'd give it a 6.5-7. Not my favorite, but not horrible either.
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