jackstanleyportland Reviews

The Garfield Movie (2024)

A perfect movie for the kids

[10/10 · 27 May 2024]

I took my 6-year-old son to this and he absolutely loved it. It was funny, exciting and held his interest the whole time. I'm normally on my phone during kids movies but this one interested me as well.

There was even quite an emotional scene that impacted both of us.

It was a heartwarming story that stayed true to the comics, yet added originality.

It's like everything Chris Pratt is involved with turns to gold. I hope they make a sequel to this because we had a great time watching it.

I've own the full library of Garfield comics and I loved all the Easter eggs and callbacks throughout. Definitely the best animated adaptation I've seen.

Trolls Band Together (2023)

Too many adult jokes/themes for kids

[5/10 · 20 November 2023]

Animation was great. Voice acting was great. It was even a good story. The actors and animators did their jobs excellently!

But there were far too many inappropriate references for a kid's movie (drugs, sex, etc.) and so the script needed to be more age appropriate. Granted, some of it will go over their heads but the "chaining me up on our wedding night" and "let's make out" and "the ring pop that gets you high" are just not appropriate.

I know this is common for kids movies (like Shrek) but this was overboard. I wasn't comfortable with my five year old seeing this so we won't be rewatching it.

Also, this is just a personal preference I have as a musician, there is way too much autotune in these movies. It's like listening to a computer sing.

Bullet Train (2022)

Why we go to the movies

[9/10 · 15 August 2022]

We go to the movies to be entertained and this movie accomplishes that!

The actors all did great and it's quite a ride. Loved the flashbacks and character building. Brad Pitt was silly (in a good way).

If you're into a wild ride, you'll dig this film.

Resident Evil (2022)

Please make a show or series that is true to the games...

[5/10 · 16 July 2022]

I've played and beaten every major Resident Evil video game and their remakes. I remember seeing RE1 on PlayStation in the 1990s right when it came out. Suffice it to say, I'm a fan.

Yet, no one can seem to just follow the story in the games. Most of the games contain great stories. And the main characters are the best (Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire, etc.).

All "Hollywood" needs to do is to recreate one of the games as a show or movie. The story and characters are there. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. There's a reason it's one of the top selling video game series of all time.

And before anyone says that "Welcome to Raccoon City" tried this; no, they did not. Most of the characters looked and acted nothing like the characters in the game. And they tried to squeeze 2 games into 1 movie, leaving out key events and characters. Not to mention all the story changes that happened.

The cutscenes from the games are better than any RE movie to date. Please listen to the fans!

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

True to the book

[9/10 · 15 July 2022]

I loved the book and I think they did a great job staying true to the story.

The actors were excelled and the cinematography was beautiful. I'm sure the author is proud!

The Terminal List (2022– )

I am so tired of critics...

[10/10 · 15 July 2022]

Why are there so many movies that audiences love but critics hate?

This is an entertaining show and a great story. All of the actors did an excellent job and the show was real.

There's no political messages - it's just excitement. If you're up for a crazy ride, I recommend this show!

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

This is why movies are made

[10/10 · 27 May 2022]

No agenda. No political messages. Just an excellent story with exceptional actors.

This was a perfect film. It was emotional and intense. It also didn't shy away from the original but instead leaned into it.

One of Cruise's best. And that's saying something.

Reacher (2022– )

True to the books

[10/10 · 5 February 2022]

I've read every Jack Reacher novel twice. They absolutely nailed it with this show. I binge watched all episodes in a day and it was totally worth it. I REALLY hope they do a second season and keep this going for a while. They just need to continue doing what Lee Child wrote. Alan Ritchson killed it as Jack Reacher. Highly recommended!

1917 (2019)

Perfect film

[10/10 · 1 February 2020]

Every element of this movie was excellent - script, acting, cinematography, music, etc.

Definitely recommended to view in theaters. You'll be on the edge of your seat for the whole movie.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Possibly my least favorite Star Wars movie *SPOILERS*

[3/10 · 18 December 2017]

The night before I saw this movie, a close friend of mine who had seen Last Jedi said, "Possibly the best Star Wars movie ever." Even still, I went in with no expectations because I've found going to a movie with high hopes tends to lower my overall opinion of said movie.

I found the movie to have many issues, including: -An discontinuity with other Star Wars movies. Many factors were inconsistent. For example: Leah, who had no force powers in the previous films, suddenly was able to use the force. -Luke's "death" was ridiculous and unnecessary. Why did he just disappear? Not only was it disappointing, they didn't even explain it well in the movie. -Most of the dialogue was written by a middle schoolar. There were so many cheesy and just stupid lines that I was surprised they actually got into the movie. Star Wars, the most funded movies by the richest movie studio had such a trash script - it's shocking. -How is Rey as skilled in using the force as Kylo when she's had virtually no training? This was also odd in Force Awakens. -Snokes death was cheap. They should have had an epic fight scene with him instead of the random red dudes. -It didn't answer who Snoke was really or his background. -Finding out Rey's parents were random bums was a letdown. That from a series that has repeatedly mentioned family being a factor in proficiency in using the force (the best Jedi's dad was the best Jedi...) -The light speed kamikaze thing was cool but why was that never used in earlier battles? Could've taken out the death star much easier... -And suddenly the force can be used to project oneself and touch people? Lack of consistency there... -Oh and you can make people have illusions with the force and put thoughts in their heads even if they are competent with the force?

Anyways, the list goes on but I am stunned that the script was approved because that was the problem here. The actors did great and the visuals were amazing.

Advice for the person who creates the next Star Wars: Re-watch all the Star Wars movies and create something that doesn't violate the basic tenants of Star Wars and has the essence of what people love about it: spirituality, romance, humor, groundbreaking sci-fi, philosophical dialogue, amazing plot-twists - just good writing... I am still a Star Wars fan and the main reason I didn't give this 1 stars is because the main actors did excellently.