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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Matrix Resurrections (2021) in Movies

Dec 31, 2021  
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
2021 | Action, Sci-Fi
6
6.9 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Unnecessary
And now from the unnecessary sequels department…

And, that, pretty much sums up THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS - a title that is a confession of a studio and creator that is looking to milk a few more bucks out of a dormant franchise.

Written and Directed by Lana Wachowski (one of the creators/directors of the original Matrix trilogy), MATRIX RESURRECTIONS drops us back into the Matrix that is the same, yet different, and - intriguingly enough - brings us back to Neo and Trinity, 2 characters that died in the 3rd film.

Of course, this being Science Fiction/Fantasy, no one needs to stay dead, if another story can be built around them.

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are back as Neo & Trinity (this film would not have happened if they didn’t say yes to this) - and they are the best thing in this film. Their chemistry is strong and any film that can bring back Carrie-Anne Moss as a lead in a film, is okay by me.

The best newcomer in this film is Jonathan Groff as “Agent Smith” (Hugo Weaving was set to reprise his role, but had to drop out due to Theater Commitments). Groff channels his inner “King George” (the character that he was Tony Nominated for in the Stage Musical Hamilton) and it works well in this film.

As for the other “character/actors” - like the characters that Jada Pinkett-Smith (the only other returning actor from the original trilogy), Yahya Abdbul-Mateen II (playing a version of Morpheus), Thelma Hopkins, Jessica Henwick and…yes that IS Cristina Ricci - they are all pretty generic and serve as plot machinations to get us from one action set piece to another.

And, of course, there is Neil Patrick Harris as “THE ANALYST”, it’s an interesting, pivotal, role in this film and would have been better served being played by someone less “well known”. All I kept thinking as I watched this performance was - “it’s evil Neil Patrick Harris”!

As for the special effects/set pieces, they are “fine” but nothing “special”. The first Matrix film was a brilliant, groundbreaking and mind-bending piece of filmmaking that introduced cinema (for good or ill) to “bullet time” - a Special F/X that has been en vogue ever since. But this film is just a mismash of CGI that is neither brilliant nor groundbreaking and the dense mythology plot of this film is not “mind-bending”, it is more like “headache-inducing”.

Do yourself a favor and skip the Resurrection of The Matrix and, instead, check out the brilliant 1999 original - it holds up well (and is the subject of my January podcast).

Letter Grade: B- (thanks to Reeves, Moss and Groff)

6 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Home Again (2017) in Movies

Jun 23, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)  
Home Again (2017)
Home Again (2017)
2017 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7
6.8 (23 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Mother of two, Alice Kinney, is turning forty. She's separated from her husband and has just moved back to her father's old home in Los Angeles to start again. While out with her friends for her birthday she bumps into the youthful Harry, and his friends George and Teddy, who've come to LA to pitch their movie.

After an awkward encounter the morning after, Alice's mum convinces her to let the three of them stay in the guest house while they're in town. The three of them become part of family life, helping her with work and the kids. When her ex shows up unexpectedly, Alice is left in a confusing position, and when tension builds between everyone things start to change.

Is this the best rom-com? That's a strong no. Is it a bad film? Also no. It made me chuckle, and it brought a bit of a tear to my eye. It was just a nice film. The conclusion seemed to happen very suddenly, but then I feel that about quite a few films that I see. Personally if I fancied seeing a Reese Witherspoon film then I'd probably pick Sweet Home Alabama, Just Like Heaven, or even Hot Pursuit. I read online that the conclusion was that everyone in this film has done something better, and that is definitely true.
  
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Jeff Lynne recommended Please Please Me by The Beatles in Music (curated)

 
Please Please Me by The Beatles
Please Please Me by The Beatles
1963 | Pop, Rock
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Oh, this is brilliant! And the sound George Martin got on it! I love the opening drumbeat and the bleed with all the drums leaking onto the guitar mics and sometimes onto the vocals if they did the whole track live. The sound of it, to me, was real, raw excitement. They were a great group, they really were. From their days in Hamburg, they were so tight and on that record it really shows how brilliant they were. I think ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ was probably the greatest ever English rock’n’roll song. I would imagine that it’s a good as any old American rock’n’roll song, like the real thing. The real stuff. As good as a Chuck Berry tune or something. It was as solid as anything I’d ever heard or better. With the rock’n’roll records I’d started playing a bit by then – not bad, but a bit – and this song was nice and simple but don’t let that simplicity fool you. Some of the hardest stuff to do is the simple stuff, to make it effective and make it real and make it worthwhile. I thought it was unbelievable and I still do. Today, I still think, ""how the fuck did you do that""? It was like giving it back to the Americans: ""'ere y'are – we can do this as well!""

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