lb-37433 Reviews

Joker (I) (2019)

Engaging but.......Joker lacked one quality

[6/10 · 23 October 2019]

I normally don't watch these twisted, psychological, dark and dreary type of movies. But, my friends wanted a boys' night out and I wanted to go.

I was hooked from the beginning. The subtlety, the introspection, the clues revealing a tormented inner conscious. I never really did take my eyes off of the big screen, except for the three brutal killings that were too much for me to endure. I shielded my eyes with my buttered up popcorn hands.

Other than those scenes, I was glued from start to finish.

However, I had one hangup, with Joker as a leader. If he was going for Machiavelli, he failed. Napoleon he was not. He lacked the leadership quality that I would expect of an effective villain. I wanted to get behind his plundering and nefarious motivation, but he didn't hook me. Maybe a reading of Covey or Kabat-Zinn or even Thoreau would inspire the Joker to be less of an opportunist and more of a deliberate, Genghis Khan like figure.

He didn't earn the role of villain. He fell into it.

About Time (I) (2013)

I try to watch it every fathers day

[10/10 · 26 June 2019]

It brings me closer to my own father, at least in my mind and soul.

Thank you for creating such a beautiful work on time and relationships.

Green Book (2018)

A Life Changing Movie

[10/10 · 16 February 2019]

Viggo Mortensen had me chomping very slowly and quietly on my popcorn and buncha crunch so I wouldn't miss a word.

My wife and I danced in our seats during the Piano at the Bar scene.

A thoughtful, romantic thrill ride; journey of understanding ending with a tender embrace.

The Vow (2012)

It finally ended

[2/10 · 15 February 2019]

My wife and I snuggled into our beds on Valentines day and opened the regular apps (Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix) to find a movie.

We thought The Notebook would be worth watching again, as we had enjoyed it on a previous Valentines holiday. Unfortunately, it was not to be found and couldn't even be rented.

So, we scrolled through the "Other movies watched" columns and saw this seemingly romantic drama with McAdams, who we both adore.

I would say it was the worst Valentines movie I've ever seen. McAdams and this Channing Tatum have negative chemistry. It is all contrived. He's a jock that is trying to sell us on being an artist and studio producer? Terrible sales job. And McAdams I think phoned this one in. I feel for her, she didn't have a lot to work with.

Geez. This is a negative review. I generally like to be positive. But this was a grinder at best. I checked the clock over and over and over, waiting, no praying for the ending to come.

Then the end came. And it was too soon. Because the conflict hadn't resolved. A Valentine's movie without a fairy tale ending?

Just rubbish.

Detectorists (2014–2022)

Brought meaning to my life

[10/10 · 23 January 2019]

I could have given Detectorists an 8 or a 9, but what the hell, I'm going with a 10. Not that the show blew me away with its character development, tension and climax, mystery or intrigue.

Quite the opposite, it was in the mundane lives of Andy and Lance that I felt an emotional boost in my own.

I go to work every morning. I took zero vacation days last year. Not because I'm that overwhelmed at work, just that I'm that underwhelmed in life and adventure.

Is there happiness in monotony? Is there purpose in hobby? Even one as infrequently fruitful as metal detecting?

These are the most bland, ordinary superheroes that one could revere.

Move over Spiderman. Here comes Andy with a metal detector.

Rev. (2010–2014)

When my Friends ask about my Favorite TV Series.....I say Rev is #1

[10/10 · 23 January 2019]

This is a series I had to watch alone. My wife didn't enjoy it, found it to be odd and boring. Maybe it caught me at the right time. I was going through a faith transition, mini crisis, of my own and I was looking for alternatives to how I had been religiously programmed.

Not that Rev provides answers to existential crisis. But, he shows a religious order that though it is built on money and returns, it is handled by Rev with care and love. There is a tension throughout between the institution of church and the care of the parishioners. I felt Rev's acceptance.

There is the struggle over the popularity of Orthodoxy (as Rev compares the packed church next door with its harsh rules and dogmatics to his own sparsely attended sacrament administered based on the two great commandments of love).

The series seemed to climax in season three and it became a little sentimentally dramatic in the end with the comparison of Rev to a Christlike role. But, I still watched with interest through to the final scenes with the Cross.

It was humorous, ironic, thoughtful and timely for me.

I couldn't eat cereal while watching, because the crunch in my ears caused me to miss some of the dialogue.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Bumblebee (I) (2018)

My family reviews

[7/10 · 27 December 2018]

Me: Meh. Was wanting the end to come faster.

Wife: The best transformer movie yet. Went to Target and bought an action figure right after.

12 yr old daughter: I loved it.

11 yr old son:. That was awesome!

8 yr old son: That is my favorite movie.

5 yr old son: wow dad. Bumblebee is my favorite superhero.