redtownergm Reviews

Woman of Straw (1964)

Nice thriller with Sean Connery standing tall!

[7/10 · 23 December 2015]

Why I watched this one? A Sean Connery movie made after he hit it big with James Bond....and I was not even aware of it. Had to check it out.

What is this one about? Tyrannical but ailing tycoon (Ralph Richardson) becomes very fond of his attractive nurse (Gina Lollobrigida). Gina however falls in love with Ralph's nephew (Sean Connery), who plots ways to gain control of his uncle's fortune.

My thoughts on this one? Although the pace of this movie is deadly slow...I really enjoyed this movie. The performances by the three leads are outstanding! Ralph Richardson somehow gets us to really really dislike him at the beginning of the movie....but by the end of the movie he might be the most likable character in the movie. Lollobrigida has many fine moments in the movie as well. Sean Connery's performance is the reason to check out this movie. It is a Connery that I have never seen in a movie before and is fascinating to watch. Add the performances to an interesting plot with some twists and turns and you have a movie that is recommended.

Ranked 38th of 54 movies on my Sean Connery Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/sean-connery-movies/

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Worst Pixar Movie To Date! Even Worse Than Cars2!

[5/10 · 23 December 2015]

Why I watched this one? Come on.....this is a Pixar movie....and I have a 6 and 9 year old....was it possible for me not to see this movie? What is this one about? In a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.

My thoughts on this one? DO NOT TAKE SMALL CHILDREN TO THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!! Yesterday my 6 year old had another 6 year old over for a sleepover. We thought it would be a good idea to take them to the latest Pixar movie...The Good Dinosaur. The 6 year olds survived the first tragic movie event pretty well....even at 6 they know that parents have a short shelf life in Disney movies. When they saw a creature get it's head ripped off and eaten they started to squirm. When they saw a cute furry little creature get saved, then eaten alive, and then watched some other creatures fight over the remains of the carcass they started asking when the movie was going to be over. When they watched our two heroes get stoned from eating some rotten fruit they were just confused. When they heard a story about how a T-Rex killed a raptor by drowning the raptor in the T-Rex's BLOOD (spoken in the best deepest Sam Elliott voice)...they were ready to go.

So when the movie was gearing up for the relentless violent finale..they both had enough. In tears they wanted to leave the theater. On the way out the door they were joined by two more small crying children. On the way into the theater my oldest daughter (she's 21) and I saw a poster for Krampus...we joking said..."We should take them to that movie"....turns out that is what we did! This movie has been promoted as a great family movie...maybe for the Manson family....but not for my family! Last night my wife and I felt so bad that we took another parent's kid to this movie. Is this what Pixar was shooting for? A movie that would scare the hell out of kids....well if that was their goal....then they accomplished it with flying colors.

Final thought: As for a review...the animation is excellent, the story is pretty plain, the characters are not very likable....though Spot was easily the best character. Pre-teens might like this movie....but kids younger than 9 should not see this movie...wait until it is on DVD.

Ranked 38th of 41 movies on my Pixar vs DreamWorks Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/pixar-movies-vs-dreamworks-movies/