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craemac
Reviews
Season of the Witch (2011)
Better movie than expected
I watch Nicholas Cage movies because they are always good. This movie was no exception and is much better than the critics would lead you to believe.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Loved the first Hobbit movie but...
Loved the first Hobbit movie...really enjoyed the second Hobbit movie... but the third one got wacky off track and left the story line by miles...effectively ruining the series...
like when Bard used his son as a aiming stand and used a broken bow to shoot Smaug...with an arrow that supposedly could 'only be fired' from a Dwarvish Windlance (from second movie)...the kid would have had his head split open (assuming the bow could have generated enough tension to actually shoot the arrow which it could not have done in reality).
Not sure why Jackson thought he had to leave the story line but the series suffered as a result...he should have left well enough alone.
Defiance (2008)
An Excellent Movie
Except for Schindlers List and Lord of the Rings, this is the only other movie I've rated a 10. Started watching this and never walked away. If the fact its based on a true story doesn't captivate you, watch in anyway. It pays tribute to a piece of history that almost never got told...and needs to be told. Story moves at a good pace though is necessarily slow in places...the cast did a wonderful job bringing this story to life. Historically accurate - even the weapons and vehicles - as far as my research has proved. The only thing lacking were the profiles of the actual people who lived this event...there were a few but not enough for my interests...
The Legend of Sarila (2013)
Turned it off after 15 minutes
The trailer made this look like a good family movie. But it falls far short of good...it's terrible. If based on Inuit legends and myths, no effort was made to explain or define anything. Story line was terribly slow to develop and it was quite easy to predict how particular events would unfold. The sound audio was terrible and it proved very very difficult to understand what the characters were saying. . Character development was non-existent... I would recommend avoiding this movie...young children will not understand it and will probably be scared by some of the evil spirits (which just show up and are not explained in any way).
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Way too much story line liberty taken
I wish they has stayed more true to the storyline and been a little less creative. While fast paced, fun, and entertaining movie; too much liberty was taken on the story line. And yet, thankfully, the core and intent of the story is followed.
Beorn doesn't look like Beorn should look...missed that one terribly.
Mirkwood adventures miss a lot...the spiders are awesome.
Smaug is great. Could have maybe been a redder and bigger.
Biblo's character is perfect and spot on.
In all a good movie but not the best of the LOR series.
Can't wait for the final movie.
Immortals (2011)
Worse than Attack of the Killer Tomatos
This is an example of a great story line being destroyed. I really lost interest after the first 10 minutes but continued to watch just in case it would get better. It didn't. Senseless violence, blood and gore at every opportunity is what the director and producer seemed to be attempting to achieve. If that is what they wanted to achieve, then they were most successful; At least half the movie is nothing but hack and slay...blood, guts, gore and violence... Not sure why any actor or actress would ever want make such a movie. What a waste to talent...and the two leads were quite good. Other than that, there is nothing positive to say about this movie. Don't waste your time.....
Xin shao lin si (2011)
Good story line but very violent
The story line is really good and presented very well. The actors make the movie believable and entertaining: Five Stars to the cast. I am not sure of the historical context but it appears to have been based loosely on actual events...need to do some research. Violence was, in my opinion excessive...and was not needed to the degree presented to get the story across. While the movies disclaimers state that no animals were injured during filming, I have severe doubts of that claim. There are three scenes in which horses are tripped - one down a flight of stairs - and having raised horses, I know there is no way the animals could have survived those falls uninjured. Rating a 4 because of the violence.
Avatar (2009)
Entertaining but with an agenda
Not a bad movie. Visual effects and colors were at times beautiful. Flight scenes were awesome. But the story line was weak and shallow...humans are portrayed as greedy, self serving, and merciless. The story is basically a retelling to the plight of the Native Americans. The driving force is corporate profits...for an energy resource they never explain or explain how humans will use it. Humans are destroyers...we apparently destroyed Earth or at the very least have used up all our energy sources.... In typical Hollywood fashion, America and the American Military is vilified (specifically the US Marines). They are portrayed as killers with no compassion for the weak or peaceful...with no room for peace...seeking war...seeking to kill...
Chi bi (2008)
No story line here
They take one of the most significant battles in world history and forget to tell the story. Character development is non-existent which makes it nearly impossible to keep track of who is whom... There is very little in the way of plot development...one has to guess what's happening....On the bright side, you do get some great shots of scenery and a tour of China in pictures...Don't waste your money on this one unless you like hours and hours and hours of slash and gash. We survived Part I and have decided not to suffer through Part II. Just can't take any more. Leave it on the shelf. Better yet, I hope the stores take it off the shelf....they're wasting valuable space...