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Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (2018)
8.0
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All hell breaks loose when a strange force animates the puppets up for auction at a convention,...
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 21, 2019)
Tommy Jarvis has grown up, but killing a psychopath at twelve years old really takes a toll on your psyche. Tommy is enrolled in a mental institution in hopes of moving past the events in the last film. The same day he arrives, a fellow inmate is killed by somebody else enrolled in the institution and things only seem to get worse from there. Tommy is haunted by the image of Jason and sees him behind every corner, but when the inmates start disappearing Tommy realizes that his worst fear may have finally become a reality.
This might be my least favorite film in the franchise. I loathe the ending. I mean, they couldn't even get Jason Voorhees for a Friday the 13th film? Are you kidding me? That's beyond weak. Then, on top of all that, they make "Jason" be Roy the ambulance attendant. I'll admit that the "twist" is kind of interesting, but by the time that rolled around I had pretty much already lost interest. Let's pretend Jason was in the film and everything but the ending was the same. It'd still be pretty lame.
The kills are rather mediocre, at best. Ethel and Junior are two of the most annoying characters to ever be featured in a horror film. Both of them give Franklin from Texas Chainsaw Massacre a run for his money for most annoying douchebag in a horror film. Most of the kids in the halfway house are just a-holes and you can't wait for them to die. I can understand going in a new direction for the franchise and I admire the writers and director for having the balls to do something like that, but it wound up falling flat especially when it's sandwiched between two of the greatest films in the franchise.
This might be my least favorite film in the franchise. I loathe the ending. I mean, they couldn't even get Jason Voorhees for a Friday the 13th film? Are you kidding me? That's beyond weak. Then, on top of all that, they make "Jason" be Roy the ambulance attendant. I'll admit that the "twist" is kind of interesting, but by the time that rolled around I had pretty much already lost interest. Let's pretend Jason was in the film and everything but the ending was the same. It'd still be pretty lame.
The kills are rather mediocre, at best. Ethel and Junior are two of the most annoying characters to ever be featured in a horror film. Both of them give Franklin from Texas Chainsaw Massacre a run for his money for most annoying douchebag in a horror film. Most of the kids in the halfway house are just a-holes and you can't wait for them to die. I can understand going in a new direction for the franchise and I admire the writers and director for having the balls to do something like that, but it wound up falling flat especially when it's sandwiched between two of the greatest films in the franchise.
Carmine Appice: Stick it!: My Life of Sex, Drums and Rock 'n' Roll
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Carmine Appice (born December 15, 1946) is an American drummer and percussionist most commonly...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Respect (2021) in Movies
Oct 14, 2021
Re, re, re, re, ‘spect… Just a little bit.
What with holidays and Bond, it’s taken me a few weeks to get to see this Aretha Franklin biopic. But I finally caught it this week.
Plot Summary:
‘Re’ is a 10-year old growing up in relative middle-class affluence in Birmingham, Alabama with her high-profile preacher father C.L. Franklin (Forest Whitaker). She is blessed with a wonderful singing voice. We follow her career, as Aretha Franklin (Jennifer Hudson), through her struggles with controlling men and alcohol. This is against the backdrop of supporting the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King (Gilbert Glenn Brown).
“Respect” Review: Positives:
Jennifer Hudson gives a tremendous performance as Franklin, delivering both the vocals and the acting admirably. (Apparently, the lady herself, before she died in August 2018, named Hudson as the best person to play her.)
Coming out of this movie, you have to admire Aretha Franklin’s legacy. Although there are moments when her ‘demons’ got the better of her (and the movie is unafraid to paint her in a negative light for these) she led a tumultuous life and yet was still a strong force for both feminism and equality. I think the movie highlights that admirably. “Have you lost your mind?” her father (Forest Whitaker) asks. “Maybe…. maybe I’ve found it.” she replies.
I loved the clip during the end titles (at a Carole King concert and in front of the Obamas) of Franklin well into her 70’s belting out “Natural Woman”. Classy stuff.
Negatives:
It’s long. Very long. Approaching Bond long.
There’s a curious ‘cookie-cutter-ness’ to these biopics of classic female singers (controlling and abusive men; alcohol/drug abuse; prejudice through sex/race; etc). (Would they even have emanated the same level of soul without all the grief? Perhaps not.) The similarities lead you to naturally compare this movie with “The US vs Billie Holiday“. The Billie Holiday story felt like it had a lot more grit and angst in it, making it, for me at least, more memorable. The script for “Respect” – although still rather episodic – flows better. Whilst still great, Hudson’s performance (an Oscar nomination perhaps?) doesn’t come close to the Oscar-nominated stellar job done by Andra Day.
I didn’t like how the script introduced us to its characters. For example, Ted White (Marlon Wayans) is introduced at a church barbeque. He’s painted as a disreputable character, but why? And you have no idea if he is supposed to be a famous singer, a songwriter, a promoter, or a producer (as in fact he is). As another example, Kelvin Hair plays Sam Cooke in the movie, but – unless I missed it – this doesn’t seem to be highlighted in the script.
Summary Thoughts on “Respect”
“Respect” is the feature debut for female director Liesl Tommy. And it’s certainly an ambitious target for a first-timer to shoot at, so ‘Respect’ for that! And it comes across as a solid and enjoyable biopic, not least to remind yourself of some of the classic tunes that Aretha Franklin belted out. At 145 minutes though, it takes its time telling its story, and I think a tighter, shorter film would have worked better.
Did I enjoy it though? Yes, I did. But it’s worth pointing out that the illustrious Mrs Movie Man – who normally begrudges every minute over 90 minutes in a movie – really loved this one.
Plot Summary:
‘Re’ is a 10-year old growing up in relative middle-class affluence in Birmingham, Alabama with her high-profile preacher father C.L. Franklin (Forest Whitaker). She is blessed with a wonderful singing voice. We follow her career, as Aretha Franklin (Jennifer Hudson), through her struggles with controlling men and alcohol. This is against the backdrop of supporting the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King (Gilbert Glenn Brown).
“Respect” Review: Positives:
Jennifer Hudson gives a tremendous performance as Franklin, delivering both the vocals and the acting admirably. (Apparently, the lady herself, before she died in August 2018, named Hudson as the best person to play her.)
Coming out of this movie, you have to admire Aretha Franklin’s legacy. Although there are moments when her ‘demons’ got the better of her (and the movie is unafraid to paint her in a negative light for these) she led a tumultuous life and yet was still a strong force for both feminism and equality. I think the movie highlights that admirably. “Have you lost your mind?” her father (Forest Whitaker) asks. “Maybe…. maybe I’ve found it.” she replies.
I loved the clip during the end titles (at a Carole King concert and in front of the Obamas) of Franklin well into her 70’s belting out “Natural Woman”. Classy stuff.
Negatives:
It’s long. Very long. Approaching Bond long.
There’s a curious ‘cookie-cutter-ness’ to these biopics of classic female singers (controlling and abusive men; alcohol/drug abuse; prejudice through sex/race; etc). (Would they even have emanated the same level of soul without all the grief? Perhaps not.) The similarities lead you to naturally compare this movie with “The US vs Billie Holiday“. The Billie Holiday story felt like it had a lot more grit and angst in it, making it, for me at least, more memorable. The script for “Respect” – although still rather episodic – flows better. Whilst still great, Hudson’s performance (an Oscar nomination perhaps?) doesn’t come close to the Oscar-nominated stellar job done by Andra Day.
I didn’t like how the script introduced us to its characters. For example, Ted White (Marlon Wayans) is introduced at a church barbeque. He’s painted as a disreputable character, but why? And you have no idea if he is supposed to be a famous singer, a songwriter, a promoter, or a producer (as in fact he is). As another example, Kelvin Hair plays Sam Cooke in the movie, but – unless I missed it – this doesn’t seem to be highlighted in the script.
Summary Thoughts on “Respect”
“Respect” is the feature debut for female director Liesl Tommy. And it’s certainly an ambitious target for a first-timer to shoot at, so ‘Respect’ for that! And it comes across as a solid and enjoyable biopic, not least to remind yourself of some of the classic tunes that Aretha Franklin belted out. At 145 minutes though, it takes its time telling its story, and I think a tighter, shorter film would have worked better.
Did I enjoy it though? Yes, I did. But it’s worth pointing out that the illustrious Mrs Movie Man – who normally begrudges every minute over 90 minutes in a movie – really loved this one.