linda_mosh Reviews

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Ignore the haters--it's a solid, funny movie! (No spoilers, but to be safe...)

[8/10 · 29 August 2016]

I went to see the film just a few days before they took it off the movie theaters in my city-- and I was a little bit worried the movie might, in fact, suck as much as the haters who jumped on the hate train said it would.

But to my delight, it didn't suck at all!

The people in the theater laughed a lot, gasped when they saw a cameo, and seemed to love the action scenes (McKinnon has an awesome action scene).

I found the rhythm of the movie to be good; not once did I get bored or felt it went too slow. Editing is solid, audio is great, story is actually very good since they are introducing new generations to the Ghostbusters world, so they take time to explain how some things work (without slowing the movie down). We learn about this world along with the characters, which is great.

The characters seemed like real people, with real worries and problems and insecurities as the rest of us. I don't get the Leslie Jones hate, her character isn't as cliché as the trailers made it seem.

I did find McCarthy's voice a bit annoying, though. She seems to yell a lot, even when the scene doesn't require it.

The antagonist threw me a bit; the acting seemed a bit too much, too exaggerated. His motivations *are* cliché. To me, the character was lacking (too one-dimensional) and a bit disappointing. No better than the first original Ghostbusters movie (though Gozer had style).

Hemsworth has good comedic chops. I was not expecting that. His character is a parody of the blonde bimbo ever so popular in many, many movies (I think it also pokes fun at millennials' attitudes towards work). So don't take it too seriously. His character is absurd, after all. But funny.

The only thing that I found a bit jarring was near the end, when the antagonist takes a certain form that kinda breaks with the tone of the movie (well, to be honest, other apparitions kinda break with the traditional ghostbusters' ghosts....) They don't seem to fit well with the tone of the movie, but then I remembered the gargoyles of the original first Ghostbuster movie, as well as Gozer, and got over it.

There are the typical small problems script-wise and editing-wise, but no more than usual in a movie like this one.

Overall, I laughed and gasped happily with the cameos and had a really good time. I left the theater feeling very satisfied with this movie, and happy that new generations have been introduced to Ghostbusters.

A la mala (2015)

Insipid

[4/10 · 2 June 2016]

Overdone plot, the dialogue is the worst thing about this movie. Insipid, forced, unnatural, adds nothing to the movie, explains plot points as if its plot was convoluted or complex. The movie could have been a silent film and it would have been an improvement. Clichés abound in this movie and it seems it was shot and directed by a someone who has had experience only shooting medical commercials and a couple of music videos-- the look is sterile, the shots by-the-book, kinda boring, bland. Aislinn Derbez does what she can with what she was given. She's a looker, alright, gorgeous eyes. But acting, in general, in this movie is wooden and a bit cringe-worthy at times. There's little chemistry between the two main characters. Emphasis was placed on actors looking gorgeous and flawless (even when "crying"). The writer/s seemed to not know how to develop a story like this. Characters stay two- dimensional throughout the movie and their actions and reactions are inconsistent. I think that there are other better chick flicks you can invest your time watching. Not the worst movie ever, but it's not very good.

Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

Letdown

[6/10 · 4 July 2007]

After 10 minutes into it, I thought, "This is going waaaaay tooooo slooooow".

The fast-pace from the previous two films is gone in this one. No brilliant plan, pretty straightforward and s-l-o-w.

They tell you the plan in the first few minutes of the film and basically you watch them carry it out. A lot of useless scenes that don't contribute much to the story, not enough witty comments or jokes or last-minute problems being solved brilliantly.

The ending is good, though.

Overall, the film doesn't live up to expectations. Mine anyways.