Reviews

Yes. Ypu do need to watch this movie more than once. Lots of subtle plot twists early on that make no sense. Then make perfect sense two thirds of the way through the movie.

One of the worst movies I have ever watched. The horror of it was very poorly explained. A story that ahould inspire the viewer to figure out what is happening fails miserably to do that. So mNy A-billing actors failed to descripe what the hell waa happening. She xh a waste of talent.

Just binge watched Season 3. It is just as action-packed and exciting as the other two seasons. Well worth watching. Esme is most definitely a better Hanna than Sairse Ronan. And I am a huge fan of her.

Humanity has a very long and sad history of forced cultural change dating back to the church delegations that roamed the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries who sought to "save" the so-called savages and pagans of the world by introducing them to Christianity. Erasing indigenous culture is not saving them. It is instead indoctrination. It is erasing their culture and belittling their contributions to the history of humanity. It is persecuting them for being different. Instead of support the people and coming to their need, such efforts burden them with other problems.

Way too many unfinished story lines, even to resolve in a sequel! Lots of dead characters who were never fleshed out, pardon the pun. This story has a lot of potential. But it's impossible to understand where things are going when so many characters are killed off with little to no explanation. Even the ending was a bust because I still don't know where the story is supposed to end.

If there ever is another movie, there will be too many broken story lines to resolve, essentially requiring you to watch the original all over again. Otherwise it would take half of the new movie to make sense out of what happened in the first.

If this story is not meant to parrot a real persons' life tragedy, then it needs to disclaim it as such. Real persons' lives were ruined forever! Shame on you for not even advising the real people that their story was being used to sell movie tickets!

I've never been a fan of POV movie filming. This movie is too much like a shoot 'em up video game.

It seems to me to be far more relevant today after the past four years of political and social unrest. I think we all should take a lesson in how such a dystopian vision of a brutal future can become real. Other reviewers have complained about poor character development in the film compared to the novels. I found this almost universally to be true about movies. Think about it, if the movie was as long as it took the average reader to read the story in a book, then the movie goer would lose interest and walk away. Movies, out of necessity, are always basically summaries of the book.

As for the storyline, this too is another expose on the battle between hope and fear. Hope of a better future versus a society that instills fear in the people in order to control the population. I envision Panem to be a allegory for the ancient Roman Empire, where the citizens of Tome were 'entertained' by the great gladiatorial games. A population properly entertained is one not susceptible to starting an insurrection that destroys a perfectly ordered society. Catniss and the other tributes are the gladiators. While those being entertained are the fat, dumb and happy citizens of Capital City live. The districts are the remote enclaves where everyone else on Panem toils in poverty and despair, resolved to their fate as lowly exploited peasants. Panem is a world where the masses, ruled by a few elites are held against their will within the ghettos.

A father turns his life completely around after the very tragic death of his daughter. He had essentially destroyed his life, but in the reconciled his angry with his wife. I saw this as a story of a mother and father dealing not so well with the sudden, tragic death of their young daughter. Only at the end is it explained what happened to the daughter. Giving the impression that the parents did not know what happened to the girl. It is hard to understand what goes through the mind of grieving parents. This is just one version of such a tragedy. A very moving story. We all grieve in different ways, so it's hard to imagine that anyone is ever ready to deal with it.

I've seen her in lots of movies. She is very very talented at portraying such variety of roles. She's always Brittany Robertson, a unique person. But, what she puts into every role is a special party of herself. That which, in turn makes each role special. She has quite a future as an actor, in my opinion. Hope she never loses that spirit that seems to be so easily adapted to each new character. Although her personality and appearance has always reminded me of Brie Larson, Britt is even better at instilling her personality into a new role and making it believable.

In Cherry, she plays a 14 year old troubled teen who is much older than her age and yet still vulnerable to the wilds of coming of age.

I can't believe this movie isn't higher rated. It certainly reminds me of the best of Alfred Hitchcock's stories. Heather Graham is one my personal favorite actress. I would watch anything she does.

It is interesting how some of the same images purposely created by Hitchcock are used in this movie too. The same kinds of plot twists. Although different in context, they are similar enough to the same memorable emotions. I guess this is what defines a film genre.

I was moved most by the portrayal of the relationship between Christine and Paula. The two sisters. Because it reminded me of the one I had with my sister when we were younger. This is a story about the relationships, the special relationships between those who are, or should be, in our lives. They are supposed to make us better. Quench the loneliness of being who we are. Because no one else can be us, truly us, we must let others into our lives. Often though, we don't question enough who we let in. Or, why we keep them in our lives. Because if we did, then we might not chose to let them in at all. If we let them get too close, then they could hurt us. But if we don't, then we could go on being lonely. If we give in to them, can we trust them with the fragility of who we are? If we don't, will we ever learn who we are?

It's also a story about going away to somewhere we haven't been before so that we can start life over again. Because it's about starting over that we can have another chance to be the person we can like to be. Because it's other people who make our lives better or worse, for better or worse, we must have relationships with them.

While a number of taboos are explored in this movie, it is worth seeing it through to the end. Because preconceived notions about them do not have to be what we take them for. Because there are real people involved in taboos. People who know not what they are doing, as well as those who do. This is a great story about those who don't know and are seeking to learn.

This movie started out really slow. I almost turned off at one point. And then it got curiously interesting. The tale of two Londoners stuck in a pandemic lockdown. Paxton keeps calling it like a prison lockup. Which I thought was hilariously appropriate as we are about to start Year 2 here in America. An American stuck in London awaiting the end of a lockdown is as close as most of us will ever get to being locked up. Then, Linda hatches a hair-brained scheme that can't possibly work. Will it work? Or will it fail miserably and change their lockdown experience into a lockup? Well, You will have to watch the movie to find out. I thought it was a worthwhile effort to tell a meaningful story about how many of us, those who are not sick with Covid are dealing with this pandemic. No doubt, there will be plenty more cinematic case studies stay@home. This one was actually a pretty good venture into the realm of love, boredom and emotional conflict during a lockdown.

I'm simply one of her biggest fans since the beginning of her career when she played the daughter of a wealthy man from small town America who plays with the bad kid from the other side of the tracks, all to get back at her father. So, this movie is rather ironic as the story of a well to do family from eastern suburbia. With parents who doted their daughter with everything she could ever want. But, who stutters apparently because of being ashamed of who she was. A story about the dilemma of well-meaning parents who don't know what to do with a troubled child. A child who grows up in the turbulent 1960s who thinks she change force the change that is needed with violent protest. It's amazing that the very same messed up society then is still very much in existence today. The only thing that has changed in the 60 years is that the government has learned how to suppress descent. In ways that avoid the violent anti-white picket fence Americana that still exists.

A protest movie, a family angst play, parental grief and offspring despair. This is a rather good story of middle class life in the 1960s.

But one that is never tiring. The world needs more inspirational true stories like this because, obviously not enough of us understand despair created by exploiting of people for profit. What is needed are more people with the paitience and perseverance to help those who have lost hope.

While it starts out very well, the mass chaos scene made me wonder (pun intended!) 'what's the point here'? I get it that the comparisons to 2020 America are splashy. But, do they have to do with 1984? I mean, America was not nearly as screwed up and confused then as it is today. I thought life was pretty good in 1984, so I kept wondering why 1984? The closing credits scene was pretty amazing. Now we know who Winder Woman's mother really is! I will need to watch this movie again to understand what the heck is going on!

Just watched it again and definitely way too many references to Donald Trump and his presidency! It is so fast-paced that a second viewing is necessary to separate too many scenes merged together.

The first thing I was reminded of is Westworld. It's not a copy though. But similarly, a look at an AI existence that doesn't cater to our basest emotional and negative tendencies. I much prefer this to Utopia!

Although initially intrigued, after watching two episodes, I am turned off by all the gratuitous violence and senseless deaths. A Utopia scenario where so many people die in the first half hour of the show is not really a utopia. It is very much dystopian. Obviously, one needs to watch five or six episodes before being able to discern the premise of this story, but I could last that long. If you are into seemingly senseless violence and death every few minutes, then this is a show for you. But, it's not my cup of tie. Not after binge watching too much of Ray Donavon. If you are attracted to something that builds an interesting storyline by fleshing out the characters before they are all killed off by the plot twists, then this is a show for you. It's not for me.

Mine is that this is also a movie about the different sides of sibling rivalries. Perhaps the ultimate version of them because this one is between "wombies", aka twins. I've always known twins to be so close and so supportive of each other that it's hard to imagine that there could also be dangerous rivalries. That one could be emotionally traumatized by the other sibling. The same as can occur between non-twin siblings. I grew up with a case of sibling rivalry that continues to affect my relationships with my brother and sister to this day. So I can relate to this drama play. The psychological thriller element is intriguing because it raises questions like 'what could have been', or 'what might have been'. Even 'wait, what just happened?' Movies such as this that attempt to portray the interpersonal relationships of siblings is fascinating in what it can reveal about the pro- and antagonists in both the best of relationships and the very worst. The things that can affect our other relationships later in life too. The only potential "spoiler" I will reveal is my observation that one must really watch out for the silent ones. The emotionally too detached relationship. And don't ever give up trying to break through to find whatever it is that 'haunts' them and that prevents you from being close with them. Those conversations can be troubling perhaps. But the effort expended while attempting to better understand each other can be a wonderful revelation. So always love the one you're with, and make sure they properly perceive your love and affection for them.

Today, I observed Ad Astra on a sign on the wall of the suit-up room at Kennedy Soace Center while watching the SpaceX Crew 1 launch. That reminded me that I had marked this film on HBO Max for watching at a later date. So I decided to watch it today. It turned out to be exactly what I had predetermined it to be though, a movie long on special effects and not very intellectually interesting. One of those films that leaves way too much to the viewers' imagination as to the theme being portrayed. Only after watching a couple of critical reviews online, did I start to understand this movie. I found it interesting enough to want to figure out the story I had just seen. So I watch several critical review videos. One critic points out concept of what I also believe to be one of the seminal science fiction movies, 2001: A Space Odyssey. That what E.T. looks like is not as important as the description of the human experience hat takes place during the search. Or, space exploration without any preconceived notions about what you may find.

Too many sci-if stories are about "the search for extraterrestrial life". Life that could be either friendly or very unfriendly. I've always considered antagonistic alien depictions to be more about scaring the viewer or reader of the story, kind of like horror stories. The very best scI-fi stories, in my opinion, leaves the concept of what alien life is and what it is about completely up to ones' imagination. Because I happen to believe that if there really is extraterrestrial life out there, then it likely will not be bi-pedal, or humanoid, or mammalian, or even lizard-like. Even Little Green Men are most likely too humanistic a concept to be realistic.

Instead, I agree with those who interpret this movie to be about considering the human psychological analysis of the question of extraterrestrial life. How finding, or alternatively not finding it could affect humanity. What would such a profound discovery, or the realization that we are truly alone in this universe mean for humanity? Like most movies, I tend to think of its impact as a study of the affect the experience has on us, or the way it changes our thinking about things. Instead of a movie or it's backstory being purposed to scare us, they should make us think. To think about the unthinkable. Or, open our minds to previously unconsidered possibilities. And not just about finding new ways to scare us, as most of the horror genre seems to be about.

AD ASTRA THEN, can be seen as a exploration of the consequences that such contemplations have one us. How our lives might be changed by an encounter with extraterrestrial life. Or, alternatively, by reaching the conclusion that there is nothing else out there in the universe. Again, the special effects are interesting, the characters, as vaguely defined as they are, both present an air of mystery for the viewer that is more thoughtfully provocative than shocking or awe-inspiring. So, in that regard this is a good movie. Not great, but good enough to watch. Had I written the crypt though, I would have explored the renewed personal relationship between the Brad Pitt and Liv Tyler characters to create a less mysterious ending to the story line.

Full of farcical prank jokes! And parodies of political incorrect jokes. After five years of Trump, this is not funny anymore. Political humor is just not my cup of tea.

A different take of the AI genre. A man tries to create a robot to replace his wife. In secret. Goes through two iterations, each progressively more sophisticated than the last. The third time is the charm, except...it turns out the things are not really as they seem.