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David McK (3372 KP) rated Doctor Strange (2016) in Movies
Apr 27, 2019 (Updated May 15, 2022)
<2022 update>
The timestone? Yep, was essential to resolving Infinity War in Endgame
<original review below>
The film that introduced magic (and the Time Stone, which will probably be essential to resolving Infinity War in Endgame), in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays Benedict Cumberbatch as the future Sorcerer Supreme, with Tilda Swinton as the current holder of that title.
As an aside: that was actually a cause of controversy at the time: why not cast an Asian or Eastern actor in that role instead of whitewashing it? went the argument.
The plot may also seem to be a reprise of Iron Man: rich, arrogant, privileged white man suffers personal catastrophe and heads East, returning a changed man. What sets this apart, however, is the somewhat psychedelic effects that often seem to owe more than a bit to Christopher Nolan's movie Inception!
The timestone? Yep, was essential to resolving Infinity War in Endgame
<original review below>
The film that introduced magic (and the Time Stone, which will probably be essential to resolving Infinity War in Endgame), in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays Benedict Cumberbatch as the future Sorcerer Supreme, with Tilda Swinton as the current holder of that title.
As an aside: that was actually a cause of controversy at the time: why not cast an Asian or Eastern actor in that role instead of whitewashing it? went the argument.
The plot may also seem to be a reprise of Iron Man: rich, arrogant, privileged white man suffers personal catastrophe and heads East, returning a changed man. What sets this apart, however, is the somewhat psychedelic effects that often seem to owe more than a bit to Christopher Nolan's movie Inception!
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Motherless Brooklyn (2019) in Movies
Jan 15, 2021
A little too slow and self-indulgent for my tastes
There is no denying that Edward Norton is a talented performer. Ever since he burst onto the scene with his Oscar nominated performance in PRIMAL FEAR, he has been a presence both on and off the screen as an Actor, Writer, Producer and Director.
With his latest effort, MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN (based on the base selling novel by Jonathan Lethem), Norton puts ALL of his skills to work as he Produced, Directed, Wrote and Starred in this Private Eye thriller from 2019.
If only Norton had handed at least 1 of those jobs over to someone else.
Norton stars as Lionel Essrog, a Private Eye with Tourette’s Syndrome, who’s investigation into the murder of a mentor of his exposes corruption, racism, greed and abuse of power in City Hall in New York City in the 1950’s.
As the star, Norton brings a nice edge to Lionel, who’s Tourette’s causes him to twitch and belt out words randomly, as well as gives him a photographic memory. While the twitching and random swearing are a bit over the top at times, the photographic memory helps Lionel solve the case (of course it does).
And that’s where I have issue with writer Norton - as he cannot resist the urge to showcase Actor Norton’s propensity to go over the top and puts in many, many “Tourette’s moments” as well as putting in long dialogue scenes that tries to show the audience how smart Lionel is.
Unfortunately, Director Norton indulges Writer Norton and Actor Norton so the film has a languid pace that just sits on Lionel’s actions and words. This is a 2 hour movie packed into a 2 1/2 hour run time. Now, to be fair to Director Norton, there are some absolutely gorgeous and interesting pictures put on the screen and the atmosphere (and characters) that are created are interesting (enough) to ALMOST forgive the self-indulgent ways of Writer/Actor/Director Norton.
As for the rest of the cast, Bruce Willis is…Bruce Willis as a Private Eye that works with Lionel and Willem DaFoe is at his “Willem DeFoe-iest” in portraying a critic of New York City Hall with a secret past. It’s as if Director Norton said to both of these 2 fine actors to just “do your thing” while he focused on the myriad of other jobs he had on this film.
Special notice needs to be made of the work of Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Femme Fatale Laura Rose (a part that Norton specifically added to the film - her character was not in the book - and wrote just for her). She is quite good in this role and her scenes with Norton crackle somewhat louder than the rest of the film.
And then there is Alec Baldwin as a corrupt, racist, politician who is looking out for only 1 person - himself. While Baldwin is very good in this 100% serious role, I couldn’t be help but be reminded of a certain comedic character he has played for the past few years on Saturday Night Live.
The music by Daniel Pemberton and the Cinematography by Dick Pope add greatly to the atmosphere of this film - and that is good - for when the story bogs down (and it bogs down A LOT), there usually is something interesting to look at or listen to.
Not a bad film, but it could have been a much better film if someone would have taken at least ONE of the jobs off of Norton (I would vote for Director) and tightened things up and tone down Norton’s tendency to “ham it up” on screen.
Letter Grade: B-
6 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
With his latest effort, MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN (based on the base selling novel by Jonathan Lethem), Norton puts ALL of his skills to work as he Produced, Directed, Wrote and Starred in this Private Eye thriller from 2019.
If only Norton had handed at least 1 of those jobs over to someone else.
Norton stars as Lionel Essrog, a Private Eye with Tourette’s Syndrome, who’s investigation into the murder of a mentor of his exposes corruption, racism, greed and abuse of power in City Hall in New York City in the 1950’s.
As the star, Norton brings a nice edge to Lionel, who’s Tourette’s causes him to twitch and belt out words randomly, as well as gives him a photographic memory. While the twitching and random swearing are a bit over the top at times, the photographic memory helps Lionel solve the case (of course it does).
And that’s where I have issue with writer Norton - as he cannot resist the urge to showcase Actor Norton’s propensity to go over the top and puts in many, many “Tourette’s moments” as well as putting in long dialogue scenes that tries to show the audience how smart Lionel is.
Unfortunately, Director Norton indulges Writer Norton and Actor Norton so the film has a languid pace that just sits on Lionel’s actions and words. This is a 2 hour movie packed into a 2 1/2 hour run time. Now, to be fair to Director Norton, there are some absolutely gorgeous and interesting pictures put on the screen and the atmosphere (and characters) that are created are interesting (enough) to ALMOST forgive the self-indulgent ways of Writer/Actor/Director Norton.
As for the rest of the cast, Bruce Willis is…Bruce Willis as a Private Eye that works with Lionel and Willem DaFoe is at his “Willem DeFoe-iest” in portraying a critic of New York City Hall with a secret past. It’s as if Director Norton said to both of these 2 fine actors to just “do your thing” while he focused on the myriad of other jobs he had on this film.
Special notice needs to be made of the work of Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Femme Fatale Laura Rose (a part that Norton specifically added to the film - her character was not in the book - and wrote just for her). She is quite good in this role and her scenes with Norton crackle somewhat louder than the rest of the film.
And then there is Alec Baldwin as a corrupt, racist, politician who is looking out for only 1 person - himself. While Baldwin is very good in this 100% serious role, I couldn’t be help but be reminded of a certain comedic character he has played for the past few years on Saturday Night Live.
The music by Daniel Pemberton and the Cinematography by Dick Pope add greatly to the atmosphere of this film - and that is good - for when the story bogs down (and it bogs down A LOT), there usually is something interesting to look at or listen to.
Not a bad film, but it could have been a much better film if someone would have taken at least ONE of the jobs off of Norton (I would vote for Director) and tightened things up and tone down Norton’s tendency to “ham it up” on screen.
Letter Grade: B-
6 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Sonofdel (6291 KP) rated Hangman (2017) in Movies
Feb 24, 2019
Not bad for the genre
Contains spoilers, click to show
I watched this as i am a fan of the genre and when i watch these sort of films i inadvertently end up comparing them to one of the best films of the genre, namely Seven. This is not a patch on that but it is worth watching. Al pacino as the retired cop is always the one to watch, but he is well supported by Karl Urban and Brittany Snow. The idea behind the film is a clever one and its done well though i can imagine a lot of people trying to figure out what the hangman word is and what it has to do with the film. None of this becomes apparent until the end five minutes and its a little convoluted. i would give this a watch if you like your serial killer films
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Dirt (2019) in Movies
Mar 30, 2019
A little fluffy
I can't claim to know much about Motley Crue, however this film version of their best selling book just seems a little too fluffy and light. It seems to gloss over or make fun of some of their exploits and doesn't seem to want to be as hard hitting as it could be. Yes it does show some more serious moments, but it altogether just feels like it's trying to be a bit silly and entertaining.
Some of this works, like the talking directly to the camera, but most of it just feels a little lame and cheesy. The cast are alright but nothing special, and I think Iwan Rheon is a much better actor than the small part he had.
Overall this wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either, it just seemed like a poor imitation and copy of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Some of this works, like the talking directly to the camera, but most of it just feels a little lame and cheesy. The cast are alright but nothing special, and I think Iwan Rheon is a much better actor than the small part he had.
Overall this wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either, it just seemed like a poor imitation and copy of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Beverly Hills Cop (1984) in Movies
Jun 5, 2018
Axel Foley
If you were to look up the phrase "fish out of water movie", this film would have to be one of the top movies on the list.
After a Detroit police's officer's friend is murdered, he relocates himself to Beverly Hills, California to investigate only to discover law enforcement operates under quite different principles out there.
Alhough Eddie Murphy had made both "48 Hours" & "Trading Places" before this film was released in 1984, this one was definitely his breakout hit.
His crass, foul demeanor juxtaposed against the prim and proper by-the-book procedureness of the CA cops lent itself to many hilarious and memorable moments. His partners Judge Reinhold and John Ashton worked extremely well with Murphy who had really come into his own as a leading man comic actor for this role.
Still one of my all-time favorite comedies.
After a Detroit police's officer's friend is murdered, he relocates himself to Beverly Hills, California to investigate only to discover law enforcement operates under quite different principles out there.
Alhough Eddie Murphy had made both "48 Hours" & "Trading Places" before this film was released in 1984, this one was definitely his breakout hit.
His crass, foul demeanor juxtaposed against the prim and proper by-the-book procedureness of the CA cops lent itself to many hilarious and memorable moments. His partners Judge Reinhold and John Ashton worked extremely well with Murphy who had really come into his own as a leading man comic actor for this role.
Still one of my all-time favorite comedies.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Brain on Fire (2016) in Movies
Jul 5, 2018 (Updated Jul 5, 2018)
Not very deep
This Netflix movie about a young woman who comes down with a mysterious brain disease was all right for me, but lacked much depth or details of the story. Her relationship with her boyfriend, divorced parents and her employer all become strained when her behavior starts to change.
It's not the story, which is of course compelling, I had a problem with. It was the screenplay which lacked any real depth and some of the acting. The actor playing her father, boyfriend, father and Tyler Perry as her boss I thought overacted and were not believable.
If I wanted to find out any details about the complexity of her illness, there weren't many to be found in this 88 minute film.
Do yourself a favor and watch Awakenings, Lorenzo's Oil or Something the Lord Made instead of this film.
It's not the story, which is of course compelling, I had a problem with. It was the screenplay which lacked any real depth and some of the acting. The actor playing her father, boyfriend, father and Tyler Perry as her boss I thought overacted and were not believable.
If I wanted to find out any details about the complexity of her illness, there weren't many to be found in this 88 minute film.
Do yourself a favor and watch Awakenings, Lorenzo's Oil or Something the Lord Made instead of this film.
Loz Hughes (80 KP) rated Hugo (2011) in Movies
Aug 2, 2018
Asa Butterfield (3 more)
Baron cohen
It flows well and captures some of the magic of paris post ww1.
Nostalgia for the great age of train travel.
Beautiful sets, interesting and well developed characters and a nicely flowing plot line
I waited a long time to see this film as whenever it was on tv I missed it, however im not disappointed having now seen it from start to finish.
Its a beautiful storyline and the portrayal of all the characters were great. Set in Paris it captures a little of the magic and nostalgia of the time with references to life and society after ww1.
Asa was fantastic as Hugo and having seen him in Miss peregrines home for peculiar children he continues to grow as an actor. I would definitely see this film again and can be quite confident it'll appeal to audiences of all ages.
Its a beautiful storyline and the portrayal of all the characters were great. Set in Paris it captures a little of the magic and nostalgia of the time with references to life and society after ww1.
Asa was fantastic as Hugo and having seen him in Miss peregrines home for peculiar children he continues to grow as an actor. I would definitely see this film again and can be quite confident it'll appeal to audiences of all ages.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated The West Wing Weekly in Podcasts
Sep 17, 2018 (Updated Sep 17, 2018)
The hosts (7 more)
The guests
The topics
The behind-the-scenes discussion
The humor
The puns
The political history
The social issues
Relive all the best of The West Wing.
Co-hosted by actor Joshua Malina, who played Will Bailey in The West Wing, and Hrishikesh Hirway, host of the podcast Song Exploder. The West Wing Weekly reviews and explores the series episode by episode and shares behind-the-scenes stories with guest stars, writers, producers, and more from The West Wing, along with political figures who discuss the politics and social issues portrayed in the series. The co-hosts are intelligent, brilliant and hilarious. Josh Malina's puns are delightful. They put their own spin on the show and are a delight to listen to. I highly recommend this podcast to all West Wing fans. You won't regret it. Well, maybe. It depends on how much you like or hate puns. LOL
Lacie (4 KP) rated Fifty Shades Freed (2018) in Movies
Nov 10, 2018
Not Like The Book But Not Bad
Contains spoilers, click to show
First off I loved the actress and actor playing the roles both are incredibly and sexy to boot the sex scenes were better in my opinion the story line was a bit more on track with the book but so much was cut out I would love to see the movie made as in the book but take it a bit darker and more erotic only thing I had issue with was christian in the book based to the movie was a way darker person but it's a good movie I'd suggest it to all your friends it's a good date night movie to get you in the mood ?
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Sinister (2012) in Movies
Jul 16, 2019 (Updated Jul 16, 2019)
Who has a projector and super 8 mm tapes??
Sinister- is creppy, scary, terfying and overall a underrated movie. Its also directed by Scott Derrickson.
The plot: True-crime writer Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims' home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.
Ethan hawke was really good in this movie. He is a underrated actor.
Sinister- might make you have nightmares at night, but overall its a okay horror movie.
The plot: True-crime writer Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims' home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.
Ethan hawke was really good in this movie. He is a underrated actor.
Sinister- might make you have nightmares at night, but overall its a okay horror movie.