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Reviews
Captain Marvel (2019)
Worst film in the MCU...
My family and I watch every Marvel film when it is released in theaters and again later on our screen at home. This movie felt ok in the theater but watching it again you see how truly bad it is. Upon initial viewing it has new elements from the comics and introducing us to the Kree and Skrulls is exciting. Watching it again you see what a miscast Brie Larson is and how ridiculous Annette Benning is as Mar-Vell, not to mention making the Skrulls the victims and the speeches and agendas they crammed in here and this is simply not a good movie.
In fact, when we watched the last movie, including End Game, again most wanted to skip Captain Marvel.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Great Performances and Music dragged down by Narrative
The performances by all (especially Chadwick Boseman's RIP) were powerful and the music was truly great.
There is a great deal of anti-white speeches, which can be explained for the time, but the anti-Christian speeches and content was over the top and took me out of the film. I can't seem to watch a product out of Hollywood that doesn't have some speech from a main character trashing God or mocking people of faith.
In this film, the character threatens to kill another character to see if God will save him then looks up at the sky to threaten God himself. It's one of the main screens in the film -and didn't ring true for the time.
It felt very 2021 and NOT 1927 which is a shame.
Dead to Me (2019)
Seriously Great Show
This is a seriously great show that moves between drama, suspense and comedy so deftly. Add that to the fact that James Marsden, Christina Applegate and, especially, Linda Cardelinni put in the perfomances of their careers and you have an incredibly engrossing experience.
Highly Recommended.
The Pillars of the Earth (2010)
An Incredible Book and Really Great Series
If you haven't read the source material, Pillars of the Earth, by Kenn Folett I highly recommend that you do. It's really and incredible book.
The series does a great job of capturing all it can, is shot beautifully and is filled with great actors and fantastic performances.
It is a sprawling tale centering around a town building its catherdral but involves the succession of kings, war, politics, personal tragedy and even a mystery that is weaved throughout the series.
A truly great series that deserves your attention.
The Vow (2020)
Fascinating
I read a lot of the NDA reviews complaining how this series was drawn out into 9 episodes and should've been much less but I disagree.
The creators bring you along and groom you like the cult, NXCM, did their followers.
They start with the intellectual and helpful parts and bring you along until you're in and then they start to reveal the uncomfortable stuff until
they finally show you the evil.
Just like the cult, if they showed you the evil day one everyone would leave and the viewer would never understand the lure of the cult and, thus, not sympathize with these people.
I understand people want everything fast, and I get that, but if you've got the time this slow burn is really great.
The Flash (2014)
This Show Called The Flash suffers from a severe lack of the Flash
The Flash is one of my favorite comic book characters from my youth. He is smart but funny and thoroughly enjoys being a super hero and protecting his hometown that he loves. Sadly, this show understands none of that.
Every season this shows sets up a reason why The Flash (played by Grant Gustin who is great but hampered by poor dialogue and story lines) will not be super heroing that season (caught in the Speed Force, put in jail, dead, etc.) meanwhile they elevate every other character that you may, or may not, care about over the Flash. His team constantly lectures and pull down the Flash and in the latter seasons the comedy and fun has completely been sapped out.
My 13 year old son no longer wanted to watch the show anymore but I pushed on and tried another episode to give it one more chance. 22 minutes into the show the Flash hadn't donned his costume, nor had he stopped one crime. However, he was lectured by his wife (played by Candace Patton who I really like) about how she doesn't need him to save her and she had her own team, a staff for her magazine/website, and she is saving the city her own way. The next 10 minutes were focused on her and her team investigating crimes...zero Flash.
Ultimately, this is the Greg Berlanti (Arrow, the Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow) playbook of super hero television, create an ensemble cast and dilute the actual hero the show is named for. For shows like Legends of Tomorrow that is fine but for shows like The Flash and Arrow you MUST focus on THE hero and their exploits. Also, let Flash be witty and funny like his character is supposed to be and one of the reasons he has been so popular over the years. Just a thought.
1917 (2019)
An Intimate War Movie for the Ages
This film is incredible. It managed to tell and intimate story surrounded by the huge theater that is Europe in World War I. The characters are deep and ones that you are easily invested in. Sam Mendes accomplished this while still showing the brutality of war and making a staggeringly beautiful movie.
I cannot recommend this movie enough and the fact that it didn't win the Academy Award for Best Picture boggles the mind. Enjoy!
Back to the Future (1985)
A Classic That Still Holds Up Today
We watched Back to The Future after fireworks on the 4th of July as my older kids hadn't seen it in awhile and my younger kids had never seen it. Sometimes movies don't hold up and seems better for their time. that is NOT the case here as everyone thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
It is a pure adventure comedy with great pace and timing. It is funny throughout and tense as the adventure tightens up. I cannot recommend this enough, especially for those families that haven't seen it, yet.
The First Purge (2018)
A New Low For The Franchise
I actually enjoyed the original The Purge movie so I thought it might be interesting to watch this one but I was wrong. Using the purge as its base is always an interested premise but it tried way too hard to stuff a bunch of racial tension nonsense in it and a bunch of horribly dumb decisions and poor acting until it ultimately devolved into some sort of Die Hard in the projects situation...save yourself some time and SKIP IT.