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jaycece
Reviews
Road to Perdition (2002)
Worth the price of admission!
The street showdown scene in the rain alone is worth the price of admission. I have seen this movie a few times and I think I watch it particularly just for that scene. I don't know who should get the most credit for it, the Direction of Sam Mendez, the Cinematography of Conrad Hall, or the musical score of Thomas Newman. They all blend into a masterpiece for that segment.
I thought I had recognized the style from another movie and then I realized
they had worked together as the same trio on American Beauty. They are (or were) a winning combination. Sadly, Conrad Hall passed away before accepting his posthumous Academy Award for this movie. It is a good legacy.
X (2022)
Wow! Surprisingly, I liked it.
It was a bit different story line. But I appreciated the fact that it was a story that hadn't been portrayed previously. It had some genuine chills and thrills that caught me off guard; just what you want from a horror movie.
Something else I truly appreciated about the movie was the lack of special effects and CGI which is very rare in most movies today. Admittedly, it seemed that the makeup artist was working overtime on the actors and particularly the "old" characters makeup was definitely overdone. To that point, I wondered could the producers not have found actual people in their 70s/80s+ to play the elderly couple without making them look like walking corpses? That aside, I did enjoy the movie.
Good story development with decent acting. As current horror movies go, I thought it was pretty good.
My 7 stars is for the originality of the story and to also give credit to a low-budget movie that overachieved. Bravo!
Carrie (1976)
A 1976 movie seen through 2022 eyes.
I first have to say I am old enough to have seen this movie many times over the years since it was released in 1976. I actually saw it in a theater. I have always liked the movie. But I look at it now in 2022 and I realize the premise and plot would be very controversial to promote if made today.
Plot: A teenager gets bullied at school and seeks revenge by killing all her classmates.
This is the underlying story of so many current day actual mass school shootings. The only thing different is that Carrie didn't use a gun to exact her revenge. I remember that we all kind of cheered for Carrie's revenge actions at the time. In current times, and in reality, she would be more of the villain than the bullies and get arrested (or worse) for her murders. Let's not forget, she killed innocent teachers and students that hadn't bullied her as well.
As I said, I look at this movie through a different set of eyes now.
A Perfect Murder (1998)
Not a bad remake, but that soundtrack!
There is a persistent and annoying soundtrack throughout the movie. For every segment of dialogue and action there is a persistent ominous background soundtrack.
Walk to the door: Scary music;
Pick up the phone: Scary music:
Say hello: Scary music;
Breathing: Scary music;
Eating dinner : Scary music:
You get the idea....
I mention this only to say that the movie itself is pretty good . Basically, "Gordon Gecco" plots to kill his wife. But that music soundtrack detracted me from the enjoyment of watching.
The Little Things (2021)
Some "little things" could have made this a better movie.
It just goes to show that even 3 Academy Award winning actors can't overcome a bad script and directing. I'm figuring they must have lost a bet to be in this movie or there were a lot of numbers on their paycheck. We have seen this movie plot before but done much better.
And has anyone but me noticed that Denzel plays "Denzel" in most of his movies? Different settings and character names, yes. But he doesn't really stretch past his persona; cool, smart, Alpha. What would have made this movie a little more interesting would be to switch up the typecasting:
- Denzel as the serial killer;
- Rami as the troubled cop; (maybe give him a bad history of a drug or alcohol abuse problem).
Spoiler: And last but not least, I spent a great deal of time at the beginning of this movie trying to understand why, in the first 3 minutes of the movie, a woman who is being chased in her car, would stop her car, get out, run into an open field, and then flag down another stranger in a truck to basically hitchhike to get away from a presumed killer chasing her? ....Huh?? Since I saw this on HBO MAX, I was able to rewind this part a few times thinking I had missed something; but nope.
So, overall, a disappointment of a movie.
Uncle Tom (2020)
8 out of 10 Stars for a reason!
I have come to learn that most documentaries espouse a particular point of view; and this one is no exception. That being said, I think it was a very good, timely, and important documentary. I had come to some of these same conclusions myself about how the Conservative philosophy was more beneficial to everyone, and not just for the inclusion or exclusion of any one particular ethnic group.
I, as a black person, grew up thinking I was, and was supposed to be, a Democrat by default. However, when I became an adult and started speaking my genuine thoughts about topics of economics, education, politics, and self-determination, my acquaintances (friends, foes, & family) said I sounded like a Republican/Conservative; which to them, was the "enemy ". I then, to varying degrees, became ostracized and ridiculed by some of these acquaintances. This documentary illustrates very well the position that I found myself in.
I only give this film 8 out of 10 stars because, as I noted earlier, this documentary promotes only one positive side of the argument. I personally believe that a person can hold a particular set of values without demonizing those who hold alternative views. (After all, isn't that what this documentary was trying to portray anyway?)
However, for presenting one side of the Black Conservative dilemma argument, I would give it a full 10+.
The West Wing (1999)
The Sopranos set in Washington DC government
I had a chance to binge this show on Netflix recently; all 7 seasons. So, yes I liked it.
However, I don't know if it was intentional, but the characters and story lines were pretty similar to The Sopranos TV series. Replace the illegal Mob organization in the Sopranos with the legal government officials in The West Wing and you have similar plots and character relationships. Strong family ties, deal making, trust, betrayal, quid pro quo, competing factions, money, love, hate, tragedy, death, even murder ("Hits"in The Sopranos/"Assassinations" in the West Wing)...
And even the patriarchs in both series have a debilitating illness that they try to hide from others for the sake of preserving the appearance of leadership.
I just wonder if I am the only person who noticed these all to MANY similarities.
I did like the West Wing but I had the feeling I had seen this story before and then I realized, I had; just with different names and scenery.
Friends and Romans (2014)
A nice surprise!
This was actually a pretty good movie. I am a big fan of gangster/mob movies. I have seen a few mob movies where they attempt to play it for laughs but they typically come off as clowns or overly stereotypical characters and sometimes even insulting. And although this movie is intended to be a comedy, the acting is so good that they don't have to go overboard and try to force the humor. The script is so well written that it is funny on its own. I think Shakespeare himself would laugh too; (You will get my joke if you watch the movie).
Well done to all....
Us (2019)
Now I get it!
A friend of mine went to see this movie when it first came out and she thought it was great. I mean REALLY great! Then I went to see it and I was wondering if had seen the same movie she was raving about. I thought it was dumb, very contrived, and almost insulting to think that the producers of this movie would think that the general audience wouldn't notice how bad it is.
Then I realized why my friend thought this was such a great movie. It is because she is a pothead and stays high all the time. Now I get it! She was probably high when she went to see this movie. So, no, I am not advocating illegal marijuana use. But, that is what you will need to do before going to see this movie if you want to enjoy it.
The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)
The key is on the wrong side of the door!
In view of the premise that the teacher's whole kidnap plot got foiled on the fact that she got locked in the bathroom, someone should have told the creators of this film that the lock & key to a bathroom is on the inside of the room. You don't lock a person in the bathroom (as the child did to the teacher); you lock people out of the bathroom to avoid people entering when you are in there.
And I so wish that Hollywood would learn how to tell a complete story with a proper ending. So many movies are made nowadays that have a beginning, a middle, but no ...! (Frustrating isn't it?)