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Reviews
The Warrior's Way (2010)
This is a fun movie, but...
Pulling together Asian and Western motifs, this movie creates a fun ride-to a point. The bad guys of the West are identified early on, but honestly, stretching out their evil ways gets tiring. Get to the point already. This is a Western and I expect some whoop-*ss sooner rather than later. That time does come, but boredom overtakes revenge too quickly. There is occasional quirkiness, which kept my interest up, but the set up for the final confrontation gets boring. There was a lot of potential here, but unfortunately it was not sufficient to make me want to hang around for the final confrontation.
Xi you ji zhi: Sun Wukong san da Baigu Jing (2016)
The holy man is an a-hole
Great effects, generally good dialogue, love the monkey king. However, I would be remiss if I did not chastise the idiotic story line of the holy monk who is oblivious to evil. Like the moronic liberals in today's political environment, the moronic monk refuses to see, or is incapable of seeing, the demonic evil in those who wish to do harm to the good. The story line takes this to such an extreme that I found it difficult to watch the movie. This is entirely the point some would say. Maybe so, but in stressing mindless self sacrifice to such and extent, I find myself wanting to throw out the baby with the bath water.
Brightburn (2019)
Intense and sickening
This movie definitely kept my attention throughout the entire running time but I can't say that I enjoyed the experience. There was a good measure of foreboding dread. I wanted the parents to interact with their child in s deeper and more constructive manner. But instead the movie beings me face to face with an antihero who hurt and killed others with absolutely no remorse or expression of humanity. Was he this because of his otherworldly origin, his lack of connection with parents, teachers, and students, or both? The cynic in me thinks it's was just a plot device and I may be overthinking the storyline. Definitely a good ride.
Perry Mason: The Case of the Missing Melody (1961)
The music, especially the singing, is AWFUL!!!
My wife and I are Perry Mason devotees, at least of the Raymond Burr variety. We have watched the entire encyclopedia of episodes, multiple times-multiple of multiple times. We can't get enough of Perry! Except for a very few episodes, they all meet our seal of approval. One of those exceptions is the third episode from Season 5. Up until tonight, we have never made it past the jazz wedding opening. Gauche is one way to describe the music and wedding march. Tacky is another. But our disdain tonight for that segment after watching the entire episode is nothing compared to the horror we experienced from the painful singing voice of Miss Baker. Truly grating on the nerves. We're glad that such musical monstrosities are very few and far between in Mason episodes. Otherwise, we may have never become devotees.
Max Payne (2008)
How then shall we rate it?
How should this movie be rated? Based on fidelity to the game? An engaging plot? Good acting? Lack of plot holes? Excellent cinematography? Good special effects? Realistic dialogue? All of the above? No, all but the first point.
But how is this movie being rated by many of the reviewers? Mostly by the fidelity, or lack thereof, to the game. Therein lies the main reason for the low scores on IMBD.
This is a good movie. It kept me engaged. It has a good story to tell. I had the advantage of never having seen, heard of, or played the game. My mind was open to what the movie had to offer and unencumbered by my own presuppositions of what the game was and this movie must be.
Take the movie on its own terms. Its a good ride on its own.
Mr. Holmes (2015)
A singularly exceptional mystery
In the annals of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, few, if any, of his stories have captured his humanity as has "Mr Holmes." In the twilight of his life, Holmes is determined to recover and chronicle his last case, which, due to the vicissitudes of age and senility, have consistently eluded him. He fears that he has failed miserably on this last case, for subsequent to its closure he retreated to beekeeping and eschewed his former profession. Into this seclusion Holmes finds himself blessed by friendship with Roger, the son of Holmes' housekeeper. Holmes comes to the realization that life is more than facts to be assembled into a cohesive whole, that interaction with and love for people is essential. This film is truly an exceptional character study.
Clash of the Titans (2010)
A good time
The average IMBD score is a bit low in my opinion. There are plenty of reasons to rate it higher. Plenty of action, good character development, fetching vixens, and a visual fantasy with good special effects. The bad guys, snake woman, and monster die and the good guy saves the damsel and the gods (pretty punny gods, but we'll leave that for another day). Of course the best reason to watch the movie is to see the babe, who watched over the hunk for his entire life, expressed good ole desire for him (and he for her), took a blade in the gut for him, was thus transported to heaven, and finally returned to him at the end by the power of Zeus for obvious physical bliss.