Reviews

I'm all for a revenge bad-ass movie. I like my "hero" flicks where one guy takes on the world. I also like Keanu Reeves. Most people find it easy to bash his acting, and that's fine, but I like the guy because I like who he is off-screen. He's easy for me to root for on-screen.

I was a huge fan of how the movie started. Wick confronts the mobsters at the gas station, and there's tension, but he handles it like a pro. And then of course we are shown the other side of John Wick as he transforms into the hit-man hellbent on revenge. All of this was exciting and had me dialed in.

Maybe I'm putting too much focus on one scene, but I can't seem to shake it. Here is a guy described as a hitman so deadly he takes out three men with a pencil. Here is a guy who wipes out 12 men in Matrix-like fashion when they invade his home. Here is a guy who kills approximately 30-50 people during the movie on his quest to kill one man, the son of a mobster. He is relentless, cold-blooded and unwavering on this mission. A true assassin. Nothing will stop him from completing his goal of murdering the man who killed his dog and, in effect, killed his last remaining tie to his beloved, deceased wife.

So what does John Wick do after mowing down said bodies, finally confronting his ultimate target? He points the gun at him and doesn't shoot. That's what he does. What???

For about 1.5 hours I'm taught and shown this is the world's most ruthless hit-man, and he doesn't shoot the one guy he wants dead. Okay.

He hesitates (absolutely nothing about his character even hints at hesitation to this point in the movie), kills a guy he's pinned to the floor, and then of course raises his gun to kill the son, and now it's a chase scene. From point blank kill to let's continue this movie for another 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, that is my overall take from the film. You can build a character well and then completely defy what the character is all about, just to finish out the movie for whatever reason in a different, more prolonged manner.

Morgan Freeman is great, but it is Monica Potter that steals the show at the end. She was excellent portraying the crazed killer after posing the entire movie as the polar opposite personality.

This movie is good fun. It moves along at a brisk pace, no lulls, and is plenty clever as the film moves through the cat and mouse chase.

I'm a 39 year old child of the '80's that just sat down to watch The Breakfast Club for the first time this weekend.

I found myself pleasantly enjoying this flick. It's actually a cool plot to bring five high schoolers with very different backgrounds and interests together in a Saturday detention setting. I remember serving detention after school once in middle school and it put me in a room full of not only kids from various grades but kids I wouldn't have normally hung out with at all. This plot idea made sense to me.

Anthony Michael Hall was in his prime and was just great, for the most part. Judd Nelson is one of the most believable jerks in the history of cinema. The others play their parts extremely well.

I just think the falling in love thing at the end (after 8 hours) was too silly for me. The ending felt forced. Otherwise this was a good time had.

The movie's plot is about rival magicians ruining each other's lives. Because the director does a poor job with character development (humanizing them, an art Spielberg is the master of) I am left to not care about them personally nor their fates. When we paused the movie almost halfway thru our comment was "so the movie is basically going to be a pissing match between two magicians. Got it."

Character development was sacrificed in order to fit in 5,000 twists and turns to get us to our climax in the end. The plot is too convoluted with science fiction and double-crossing.

You could have removed Tesla's replicating machine from the movie, focused more on the commitment to create doubles or other less forms of "mad science" and spent more time developing the characters so that feelings like rage, jealousy and revenge would actually make sense to the audience. Jackman's wife dies but we don't feel his pain. We're just shown he's in pain (yet he's sleeping with Scarlet Johansson in no time). If his pain is not truly felt, how can I understand a burning psychotic obsession to ruin another man's life at all costs?

The acting was very good so I give it a 4/10.

Jessica Alba's character goes from madly in love with an older man (Brosnan) to madly in love with a fellow coworker in what feels like 12 seconds. It's easy to dislike her character because of this. If there was some time spent watching the couple struggle to make it work it would have helped me appreciate the situation (and you can do this and still provide comedy).

The same can be said about Hayek's marriage...it's just a blip and then she's divorced and then she's in L.A. to help her sister.

The movie feels rushed to get the sisters and Brosnan all in the same town.

It still has some moments but it doesn't really ever tug at your heart the way a modern rom com executed properly will do.

I'm nearly 40 yrs old and just watched The Sixth Sense for the first time. Please read my review from this context.

I have long known about the film's unforgettable ending. That is the legend of this movie. Naturally, I watched it and focused on the character interactions with Bruce Willis' character to see if I could find holes in the behaviors or scenes.

The anniversary dinner scene: I watched closely to see if his wife did anything that would be unnatural. Most of this scene checks out but there was a moment she looked up and straight across the table as if acknowledging Bruce was talking. She quickly looked back down. Nitpicking but hey, it's a review.

The scene in the boy's house: this is kind of a giveaway that Bruce is a ghost. How in the world would the mother not introduce a first time guest to her son?

Another thought I had is this: in what world does a child psychiatrist meet a boy that needs help but the two never meet in his office? Bruce is just waking around and meeting him from place to place?

The acting in the film is average. Bruce Willis did fine but nothing spectacular. He was born to be John McClane in Die Hard, not so much Malcom in Sixth Sense. Haley Joel got a lot of praise at the time of the movie release as I recall. I'm sure he deserved it, but I have a hard time getting past his squeaky voice. It's an ear frequency thing.

I enjoyed the film despite knowing its memorable ending beforehand. It started with appreciating the connection he and his wife had in the beginning. Then, Donnie Wahlburg gave a TREMENDOUS performance in his brief cameo. I was hooked from the start. While the movie may have slowed down a bit while we were introduced to characters and the relationship between Bruce and Haley developed, it picked up again as we were exposed to Haley's sixth sense. I though the tension in the ghost scenes were done very well, and like other reviewers have said, without the need to be gory or bloody.

When we finally get to the plot twist at the end I was satisfied. I think I just appreciate a situation where a loving husband (ghost husband) looks over his sleeping wife and tells her to move on. It's okay. I thought it was a nice touch to a very good movie.

This is a personal all-time favorite movie that showcases Bill Murray's hilarity at his best. He is totally brilliant in this role as a man who cannot seem to escape reliving the same day-Groundhog Day-over and over and over again. Watching Murray evolve throughout the movie from realizing he's stuck in the same day, to manipulating his surroundings accordingly, to giving up on life to, finally, softening his attitudes and trying to be the best man he can be and win the love of Andie MacDowell never ever gets old. There are so many memorable scenes you get excited when a favorite is coming up, such as the scene in the diner where he's stuffing his face with pastries.

"What if there is no tomorrow, there wasn't one today!"

"Well it's Groundhog Day....again."

"Watch that first step. It's a doooooozie."

They cast this movie perfectly. I don't believe another comedian could have brought dead pan humor and dramatic ability quite like Murray. MacDowell was simply perfect as the angelic, optimistic lead actress. If you were in Murray's shoes you'd want to find a way to get to know this beautiful, caring woman better as well. Chris Elliot was great too. For a guy that has taken some heat over the years he can look back on his performance in this movie and be proud. He was funny at the right times but they didn't let his character overdo things.

I haven't met many people who don't like Groundhog Day but there is one that comes to mind. She said when she saw it she didn't like how sarcastic Murray is, etc. I helped her see my side of his role and the movie as a whole. Yes, he's Bill Murray and he's being Bill Murray...dead pan, sarcastic stuff and he's a character that is flawed and thinks too much of himself. If that was his character the WHOLE movie I wouldn't like it much either. But the beauty of this movie is that for Murray to find salvation and exit Groundhog Day he must become a better person. He has to shed his ego and his selfishness and become the type of person we all strive to be. My friend rewatched the movie and had a better appreciation for it.

Groundhog Day is mandatory watching when it's on tv 24/7 on Groundhog Day. It's a celebration of great comedy and drama and just plain ole laughing at lines that never get old. While Murray has made many great movies and portrayed some of the most memorable characters in cinema I don't think there's a role that was more perfectly suited for him than as weatherman Phil Connors in Groundhog Day. It's perfect.

I would sum The Game up like this: it moved along pretty good and finished strong.

The first 30-45 minutes are a bit slow. Things heat up when he meets a woman and the action picks up. It all culminates in a very fine ending that leaves the viewer satisfied. I would have rated this a notch lower without the ending. I literally just felt like it was an okay movie until that ending really put a smile on my face.

I've seen a few on here commend the acting performances but my opinion is mixed. I think Kate Hudson did a fine job. Nothing Oscar worthy but she put in a solid performance. I think the Violet character was average. The real issue I have is with Peter Saarsgard. I have no idea what accent he was trying to pull off other than "I have no idea how to speak bayou and so I'll slap this crap up on the wall and run with it." It was laughable. A bad accent can really ruin a movie experience.

I never understand why a director portrays an ominous setting and then has the protagonist say yes to it anyway. Hudson's character interviews for the hospice position and all the signs are there to get the hell out. There's a sign at the mailbox that says Keep Out. She is clearly bugged out by the vibe. She meets the man she will care for and the vibe gets worse. Finally, she has concerns that she raises with Saarsgard and he gives a flimsy reason to stay and she goes, "well, $1,000 a week to live in a swamp I'm uncomfortable with and don't trust instead of finding work in New Orleans as a 25 year old with my best friend and tons of guys to date....that sounds good!" All the director has to do is create a setting that is sketchy on the surface (run down house, etc) but warm upon greeting people. That would be more believable for a character to say "it looks messed up but these people seem nice." Right away I'm already rolling my eyes early in the movie.

I'm not as bent out of shape as some reviewers on the plot. Hoodoo, magic spells, the ending.....all that was just entertaining. It's the movie business. I get more annoyed by technicalities. Saarsgard's character sneaks up behind Hudson and tries to strangle her. Strangling with cord is violent and when she is unable to fend it off she should be dead. But Saarsgard is apparently a master at the unconscious strangling, just the right amount of asphyxiation to leave someone unconscious for a little while. Later, it is proven that he wanted her alive so, again, how amazing he can strangle to the perfect level. Those are the kinds of things that bother me more than a big plot element.

It was an average thriller. If you never see this movie you're going to live a fine life and never miss a beat. If it's on tv and you're in the mood for a suspense/thriller, put it on and give it a whirl.