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Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
This is not a Tolkien Tale
I saw the trailers for The Rings of Power and I was not impressed. I started watching it last night with an open mind. Maybe it's not that bad, I thought. I will say it started okay with a narration by Galadriel, much like how Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy movies started. It told the tale of the evil Sauron, etc. By the time it got to the Hobbits, I lost interest. The fight sequences seemed unrealistic. The music is not good, and the whole production looks cheap. It looked nothing like I imagined when I read the Tolkien books long ago. Jackson's movies nail the feel of Tolkien's vision. I heard that Amazon spent $1 Billion on this. All I have to say is that Amazon wasted that money.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park is a Fantastic Ride!
Released almost 30 years ago, the creation of a dinosaur theme park with genetically modified dinosaurs is the subject of the film "Jurassic Park". The film explores the issues that develop when things go wrong on the remote island where the park is situated. As some of the dinosaurs start to hunt the humans on the island, the movie is bursting with adrenaline and thrills. The second half of the movie is largely filled with breath-taking thrills that frequently cause movie goers hearts to beat a little faster. As something of a family movie, many of the suspenseful situations are more exhilarating than frightening, and it is always amusing to see how people and dinosaurs interact.
The movie is an adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel, and it does a good job of capturing Crichton's persistent attention to even the smallest details. Despite the rather improbability of the plot, Crichton and Spielberg's work makes the movie appear plausible. With its stunning visual effects and surround sound, the movie helps the audience suspend disbelief while immersing them in the exciting action.
While the visual effects and dinosaurs undoubtedly take center stage, several good performances help the movie stand out even more. Sam Neill and Laura Dern are the expert paleontologists in the film. Jeff Goldblum who plays the caustic mathematician Ian Malcolm, and provides several one-liner comic relief. All three gave fine acting performances. Sir Richard Attenborough gives a strong performance as John Hammond, the owner of the Park, and good supporting performances by Wayne Knight (who basically plays a computer genius version of his "Newman" character from Seinfeld) and Samuel L. Jackson (about a year before his career skyrocketed with "Pulp Fiction").
With dazzling visual and sound effects, and a witty, well-written story, and enjoyable performances, Jurassic Park is an immensely entertaining film.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Incredible movie!
What an incredible movie. It was very entertaining. I got the chills when I watched the Live Aid gig unfold. I saw #Queen hit the stage live in 1985 along with the other 1.5 billion people watching on TV. Rest is peace Freddie Mercury. You were truly a legend!