Reviews

I have watched Marjorie Morningstar on video a few times and have read others' review of it. As a Jew, I was not bothered by the stereotypes. They rang true because in that day an age, that is how parents viewed marriage for their children. Interesting that the Bar Mitzvah was held in an Orthodox synagogue where there is separate seating men and women though the religious observance of the Morgensterns is questionable. In any case, while the premise of a young woman falling for an older man with great passion is believable, Gene Kelly as Noel Airman to me was not even likable. And it is wonder why they needed to cast a 46-year old man in a role of a 33 year old. Ed Wynn and Carolyn Jones were a delight, while most of the other characters were not particularly noteworthy. The movie ending is far different from the book, and honestly, I think I prefer the movie ending though the book's end was probably more true to life.

It appears that most of the reviews have been written by people who shelled out a lot of money and they are steamed with disappointed. I waited until it came out on video (I could have rented free from the public library but bought it anyway), and as several of us watched it, I don't feel such a waste of money.

Having said that, I will say that this movie does not live up to the original. But also know that when ID came out, critics gave it only 2- 1/2 stars, but it grew over time. I suspect this movie will have a similar following.

I have watched the original so many times that I imagine my expectations were higher than they should have been but there were enough moments in it that I felt it accomplished its goal to entertain. I wasn't bored but I wasn't riveted either, nor was I riveted by ID either. So take it for what it is. If you are an ID fan, you will probably want to see it regardless of what others have written.

I don't know if this will make it by the moderators. This isn't a review of the movies but a review of the review with a plea to future reviewers who criticize it: When you say predictable, please provide what YOU would think makes a better story. For those who complain more of the same. What would YOU do to make it fresh and different.

Critics of entertainment are as useless as climatologists. Neither group has the definitive word on anything and often are wrong because they are looking at the wrong things. No one is expecting movies like Jurassic Park to be Pulitzer prize-caliber material. The goal is entertainment. If you were entertained, then stop complaining. If you were not, you most probably have engaged in so much entertaining activities in your life that nothing will satisfy you.

I am a Jurassic Park fan. I own videos of all three movies and watch them often and they still entertain me. From what I have seen of Jurassic World, I expect to be further entertained. If you are looking to critically take apart a movie and don't just sit back and watch it for its entertainment value, you are only cheating yourself.

There has been criticism of Mockingjay Part I, but put in the context of continuation of the story, it was a good, absorbing movie, unless you are the type that has to be blown away by every movie you watch. I did not read the book, but I have watched all the movies on video, and felt this installment was a good setup for the finale. After having watched it, I can see why the finale was split into two movies. If one would compare split movies, I think this Part I was more satisfying than the first part of the Harry Potter finale, which was slow and plodding.

Special mention to Julianne Moore as the president of the rebels. And Donald Sutherland continues to do what he does best--personify evil.

I gave it a 7 because while I enjoyed it and felt it was a good setup, it still pales to the first two, which were more exciting.

I usually find user reviews a little harsh as they tend to be overcritical about a film, but, putting aside artistic value, I must say I was disappointed in Godzilla as entertainment. In fact, I found the much-criticized 1998 version much more entertaining. Some of the reviews here were spot on regarding plot and terror level. Too much of the film was made in the dark and there was nothing of special effects that raised my excitement level. I watched Godzilla on DVD, which came with a special features disc and watched some of that to gain some insight. After watching it, I still wondered why the movie was made the way it was, or even better, why bother making it in the first place. As far as monster movies goes, it falls well below the terror level of Jurassic Park and even the 2005 King Kong, which I found to be a beautiful love story. I judge how much I like a movie based on my desire to see it again. Alas, I have no such desire at this point, and don't see it coming in the near future.