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Reviews
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
At First I Wonder, "What is Going On Here."
When it dawned on me early in the movie that this biopic was an intentionally ridiculous parody of biopics, it seemed absolutely brilliant and so fitting that he produced a parody of his own biography. And it is very well done and, in Weird Al Yankovic fashion, over the top and silly as can be. Daniel Radcliffe does an outstanding job as Al, blowing his Harry Potter persona to smithereens. He absolutely nails the part of Al, showing how versatile an actor he is. I don't think he has anything to fear about Harry Potter typecasting in the future. This was well acted by the entire cast, and the overall directing and technical work was excellent. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes Weird Al's off-the-wall humor.
Migration (2023)
Predictable, but Harmless
This is pretty typical of recent CGI animated movies of late. Cookie-cutter, very predictable, shallow story line with impressive animation. It will keep the little kids occupied for a couple of hours (the preceding trailers at our theater ran for about 30 minutes), but don't expect them to learn much from it.
I feared the worst at the beginning when the dad duck who wanted to stay near home and not migrate was being portrayed as a clueless and ridiculous character, sadly a common story component in children's films, making the adults out to be stupid, but subsequent suspenseful moments during the migration tended to lend some vindication to his concerns. However, those moments were always ultimately inconsequential and, of course, the movie had a very happy ending.
I will leave it to the other reviewers to provide more detailed spoiler information.
Inception (2010)
Way Overrated
Had heard so much about how brilliant of a movie this is, we decided to stream it tonight.
What a hot mess this movie is. Its plot tries to mimic the sweeping complexity of The Matrix, but goes way overboard with excessively "smart" sci-fi dialogue. The characters, despite the skill of the actors that portray them, are just not very engaging or memorable.
The special effects are great, but these days it's pretty much a matter of phoning it on to get great special effects, so no points awarded for that, folks.
The raves of the professional reviews is truly a mystery.
We had to pull the plug halfway in. Would not recommend this movie.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
This Must Be What Being On An Acid Trip Is Like
It was well shot, well acted, well choreographed and well edited. Almost everything about it is awesome. That having been said, it falls short on what really would have made it amazing... watchability.
It is simply far too far "whacked out" and we found ourselves waiting for the cacophony to stop... but the maelstrom continues from beginning to end. We didn't enjoy it as much as we had hoped we would. This movie is what a novel written by Picasso would look like: random visual chunks thrown against the canvas.
Sorry, but we definitely would not go to see this movie a second time. As much as there certainly was a great effort put into producing it by all who were involved, it is far, far too avant garde and did not impress us very much.
Encanto (2021)
Weak Story Line Wastes Everything Else This Movie Has Going For It
Excellent animation and decent voice acting are squandered on a story and dialogue that are very weak and cookie-cutter.
Our 6-year-old granddaughter sat through it but was not very complimentary afterward, and our 4-year-old grandson seemed completely confused by it and did not appear to be very interested. "Coco" it definitely isn't.
Finch (2021)
Might Be a Good Movie, But We'll Never Know
Thanks to Apple TV only streaming in HD, our rural connection couldn't handle it. We were stuck watching short clips interrupted by buffering. Thanks, Apple.
The Stray (2017)
A Meandering, Depressing Movie
I'm sorry, I really wanted to like this movie, but I absolutely hated it. My wife bought it from the bargain bin without researching it, so we were unprepared for how bad it was. Extremely slow, shallow script, one-dimensional characters, and a dead dog at the end. I had the most hopeless feeling of depression coupled with boredom. My wife wants to donate it to the secondhand store, but I think we should send it to the landfill.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Meh
A rather shallow popcorn movie, milking the popularity of ABBA music and the big name cast (how much money was dangled in front of them to do this movie, anyway?) , but that's about it. I can think of better ways to spend a couple hours at the movies than watching this star-studded ABBA karaoke party.
Bless the Harts (2019)
Crap-E
Wow... What a sloppily produced trainwreck of a "comedy". I see a lot of "10" reviews here... and a lot of "1"s. I'm firmly in the "1" camp.
Dumbo (2019)
Not For Kids
After watching this version of "Dumbo" with our 4-year-old granddaughter, I can see why so many young adults are neurotic, anxiety-ridden, maladjusted and depressed if this is the kind of thing that forms their childhood memories. This film was, for the most part, dark and somber from beginning to end, the plot development dull and predictable, and the acting awkward, wooden versions of characters we've seen in hundreds of other films. This was honestly an embarrassment for Disney, and I'm very surprised (shocked, actually) to see it averages a 6.6 in user reviews. If Danny DeVito figured this movie would recreate the magic of "Matilda", he was sadly mistaken; even his performance was subpar and bland. This "Dumbo" is definitely not for kids nor, for that matter, adults who don't want to waste almost two hours of their lives.
Isle of Dogs (2018)
An Allegory of the Holocaust
This is a very artful and unique metaphor, released (intentionally, perhaps?) to coincide with National Holocaust Remembrance Day. The plot of a forceful and influential political leader demonizing those he dislikes using trumped-up accusations and fear tactics, banishing them to an isolated place, and eventually trying to exterminate them with poison seems to strongly draw from the Holocaust. This is definitely a PG-13 film for a few instances of rough language and its dark theme, although the stop-motion animation and overall cinematography is excellent and beautiful!
Westworld (2016)
Gratuitous Nudity and Gore Masquerading as High Art
As I read the nine and ten star ratings, all I can do is shake my head in discouragement. These actors were obviously lured by big bucks to prostitute their star power to be even more titillating than "Game of Thrones", allowing viewers to satisfy their inner rapist and sadist while delisting themselves that it's a "brilliant" theatric achievement. No... This is a rather sad example of how dehumanized we have all become in the eyes of many among us. It is easy to see where the recent crop of school shooters are receiving their conditioning.
The Boss Baby (2017)
One-Dimensional
Trying oh-so hard to be a rollicking comedy, this film comes across more like a classic slapstick Saturday morning cartoon on steroids. Lifting from Disney/Pixar but falling far short, "Boss Baby" fails in the same way as "Secret Life of Pets" did - overacted, formulaic and shallow.
A Dog's Purpose (2017)
A Beautiful Big Screen Version of the Book
I'm giving this movie an "9"... I would give it a "7", but since there is obviously a battalion of PETA warriors giving it undeserved low marks to unfairly sabotage its ratings, I am giving it something to help balance that out. This movie is MUCH better than the 4-star rating it currently shows! The acting throughout is solid - not contrived. The family film plot is not very complicated... but it is not one-dimensional either. It primarily appeals to dog lovers who want to chuckle a little and cry a little out of love for their little furry four-legged friends. Without giving away any of the plot, I can point out that if any of the folks at PETA really cared about animal welfare - and had actually watched the film - they would see that a segment of the story late in the movie makes a very strong statement AGAINST animal neglect. Veteran actors Dennis Quaid and Peggy Lipton (you might remember her from the 70s TV show "Mod Squad") are amazing in their appearance as the adult Ethan and Hannah and help craft a very satisfying and heartfelt conclusion to the story. We went to this film a bit apprehensive given the "controversy" about the overly-zealous actions of one dog handler during filming, but knowing PETA's track record for throwing public relations firebombs, we decided to give the film a chance and were not disappointed. We enjoyed the story, the contributions of all of the actors - including voice actor Josh Gad ("Olaf" in the movie "Frozen"), the cinematography, editing, sound and soundtrack. There is not a weak part of this film, other than it drew the ire of heartless, politically motivated people. We strongly endorse "A Dog's Purpose".
Lucky Dog (2013)
Heartwarming and Uplifting
In a television landscape that is littered with prime time dramas with cringe-worthy, snide dialogue and unreal "reality" shows - where art poorly imitates life, "Lucky Dog" is a uniquely different program that instead celebrates the compassionate, better nature of the world and its people. My wife and I tune in to "Lucky Dog" on Saturday mornings because of its uplifting theme and because we are dog lovers. Our compliments to host Brandon McMillan, narrator Michael Berger and the entire production crew for creating a beautiful program that never fails to start off our weekend on a encouraging, optimistic note. Brandon is a 2015 Emmy Award winner (Outstanding Lifestyle/Travel Host), and Lucky Dog is a 2016 Daytime Emmy Award winner (Outstanding Special Class Series).