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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated In the Heights (2021) in Movies
Jun 21, 2021
Music and lyrics are fantastic (1 more)
Choreography
Lin-Manuel Miranda's high octane musical hits the heights.
"In the Heights" follows the hopes and dreams of a group of ordinary but ambitious Latinx youngsters, living their lives as best they can in the poor neighbourhood of Washington Heights in New York. They all have their own 'El Sueñito' - a little dream - of what they want to achieve.
Positives:
- A "proper" musical, with a large percentage of high-octane song and dance numbers.
-As with "Hamilton", "In the Heights" features some truly clever rap-style lyrics - lyrics so clever that you gasp at the way in which they trip off the singer's tongue. At one point, Carla (Stephanie Beatriz) sings "My mom is Dominican-Cuban, My dad is from Chile and P. R., which means: I'm Chile-...Dominica-Rican! But I always say I'm from Queens!". Glorious stuff.
- The dancing is stupendous. The choreography team is led by Christopher Scott, and he joyfully brings back the large set piece dances that we used to see in movies of old. The Esther Williams style swimming routines even make a spectacular return in a glorious Lido sequence (although I could have personally done without the dislocating contortionist dancers here!).
- The four young people taking the leads are all extremely personable (as well as being very good looking). Anthony Ramos in particular shows real star quality, those mesmeric eyes holding your attention for every moment he's on screen. You get the feeling that Lin-Manuel Miranda (whose superfluous minor role could have usefully ended up on the cutting room floor) was itching to play the lead but was just "too old man"!
- It was also great to see a range of roles for older women as well, with the dramatic sequence with Olga Merediz, the neighbourhood saint and guardian Claudia, being a highpoint in the movie for me.
Negatives:
- When you step back and analyse it, the story is pretty slight. You are distracted from this by all the razzle-dazzle going on, but having a bit more meat on the bone would have been welcome. This is particularly the case, since....
- At 143 minutes, I have to say that the movie outstayed its welcome for me by about 20 or 30 minutes. If the movie had been tightened up a bit and shortened, it would I think have been much improved.
Summary Thoughts on "In the Heights": This is a musical for those people who say "They don't make musicals like that anymore". High octane and full of noise and colour, its a spectacular that doesn't disappoint. The quirkiness of "Crazy Rich Asians" (which Jon M. Chu also directed) is on full display in some of the sequences, which are cleverly filmed. It's a movie that had me periodically grinning, not just at the story or the songs but at the movie craft on show.
Is it a bit of an 'Emperor's New Clothes', given the shallowness of the story? Yes, perhaps. And does it laugh in the face of my 90-minute movie ideal? Definitely. But it's still well worth the price of your movie ticket..... and this IS a movie that demands to be watched on the BIG SCREEN to get the full effect.
(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies review here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/06/21/in-the-heights-lin-manuel-mirandas-high-octane-musical-hits-the-heights/. Thanks).
Positives:
- A "proper" musical, with a large percentage of high-octane song and dance numbers.
-As with "Hamilton", "In the Heights" features some truly clever rap-style lyrics - lyrics so clever that you gasp at the way in which they trip off the singer's tongue. At one point, Carla (Stephanie Beatriz) sings "My mom is Dominican-Cuban, My dad is from Chile and P. R., which means: I'm Chile-...Dominica-Rican! But I always say I'm from Queens!". Glorious stuff.
- The dancing is stupendous. The choreography team is led by Christopher Scott, and he joyfully brings back the large set piece dances that we used to see in movies of old. The Esther Williams style swimming routines even make a spectacular return in a glorious Lido sequence (although I could have personally done without the dislocating contortionist dancers here!).
- The four young people taking the leads are all extremely personable (as well as being very good looking). Anthony Ramos in particular shows real star quality, those mesmeric eyes holding your attention for every moment he's on screen. You get the feeling that Lin-Manuel Miranda (whose superfluous minor role could have usefully ended up on the cutting room floor) was itching to play the lead but was just "too old man"!
- It was also great to see a range of roles for older women as well, with the dramatic sequence with Olga Merediz, the neighbourhood saint and guardian Claudia, being a highpoint in the movie for me.
Negatives:
- When you step back and analyse it, the story is pretty slight. You are distracted from this by all the razzle-dazzle going on, but having a bit more meat on the bone would have been welcome. This is particularly the case, since....
- At 143 minutes, I have to say that the movie outstayed its welcome for me by about 20 or 30 minutes. If the movie had been tightened up a bit and shortened, it would I think have been much improved.
Summary Thoughts on "In the Heights": This is a musical for those people who say "They don't make musicals like that anymore". High octane and full of noise and colour, its a spectacular that doesn't disappoint. The quirkiness of "Crazy Rich Asians" (which Jon M. Chu also directed) is on full display in some of the sequences, which are cleverly filmed. It's a movie that had me periodically grinning, not just at the story or the songs but at the movie craft on show.
Is it a bit of an 'Emperor's New Clothes', given the shallowness of the story? Yes, perhaps. And does it laugh in the face of my 90-minute movie ideal? Definitely. But it's still well worth the price of your movie ticket..... and this IS a movie that demands to be watched on the BIG SCREEN to get the full effect.
(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies review here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/06/21/in-the-heights-lin-manuel-mirandas-high-octane-musical-hits-the-heights/. Thanks).
Leah Surette (3 KP) rated Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built (2018) in Movies
Mar 14, 2018
Dame Helen Mirren locks you to the screen.
I don't go see movies in theaters often. If you haven't noticed tickets have got insanely pricey. I don't know what prices are everywhere else, but here in Boston, it's almost 19 bucks a ticket. The last movie I watched in Theaters was Jurassic World a few years back. I figured what the hell, I brought my mom along, and we went and saw Winchester. My experience is probably going to be a bit different than yours who might be viewing it at home in a few months when it comes out on VOD of DVD/Blu-ray obviously. So I might have hyped up this review a bit.
I knew nothing of the Winchester house or it's story. Sure I heard the name before, and that it was some type of firearm. I also went into this movie almost blind. Just seeing a few second clip, not even a trailer. I knew Helen Mirren was in it. As a huge fan of Mirren, I was sold at just that. The movie follows Sarah Winchester the grieving widow of the co-owner of the Winchester gun company. (Helen Mirren) Troubled about her mental state, people close to her and affairs ask a doctor to come and examine her mental state. Dr Price ( Jason Clarke) soon finds something else lurks in the walls other than her hallucinations.
I will say this, the script was silly, and by silly it was not good. I think if the script was written a bit differently, the film would have been a 5 star. If you're looking for a gross horror movie, then this is not. However what the film is , is a beautifully made light paranormal movie with a couple messages. At least this is how I feel. Yes this movie used the jump scare tactic.
Which probably had more effect on me, sitting in a loud theater than it would at home. The acting was solid I thought especially from Mirren who is always a powerful performer. The effects were O.K. , There was maybe one part that the effects made a ghost look almost like something out of Lord of the Rings, and it looked quite silly.
I knew nothing of the Winchester house or it's story. Sure I heard the name before, and that it was some type of firearm. I also went into this movie almost blind. Just seeing a few second clip, not even a trailer. I knew Helen Mirren was in it. As a huge fan of Mirren, I was sold at just that. The movie follows Sarah Winchester the grieving widow of the co-owner of the Winchester gun company. (Helen Mirren) Troubled about her mental state, people close to her and affairs ask a doctor to come and examine her mental state. Dr Price ( Jason Clarke) soon finds something else lurks in the walls other than her hallucinations.
I will say this, the script was silly, and by silly it was not good. I think if the script was written a bit differently, the film would have been a 5 star. If you're looking for a gross horror movie, then this is not. However what the film is , is a beautifully made light paranormal movie with a couple messages. At least this is how I feel. Yes this movie used the jump scare tactic.
Which probably had more effect on me, sitting in a loud theater than it would at home. The acting was solid I thought especially from Mirren who is always a powerful performer. The effects were O.K. , There was maybe one part that the effects made a ghost look almost like something out of Lord of the Rings, and it looked quite silly.
Awix (3310 KP) rated War on Everyone (2017) in Movies
Mar 6, 2018
Slightly baffling deadpan black comedy parody of American cop thrillers (probably - it's hard to be sure). A pair of incredibly corrupt New Mexico detectives discover previously unsuspected reserves of decency and honesty as they encounter a ruthless gang of thieves.
One of those movies which seems to be trying ridiculously hard to go over the top, but with an absolutely straight face: the main characters aren't just corrupt, they're absurdly corrupt, and the plot at times seems to be intentionally provocative and also absurd (the story relocates all the way to Iceland at one point, but only for about five minutes). It's so in-your-face extreme in some of its attitudes and jokes that it's quite hard to engage with as a story for much of the time. But McDonagh is too good a director to make an entirely bad movie and there are some impressive moments and sequences along the way. But still a strange and difficult-to-figure-out movie.
One of those movies which seems to be trying ridiculously hard to go over the top, but with an absolutely straight face: the main characters aren't just corrupt, they're absurdly corrupt, and the plot at times seems to be intentionally provocative and also absurd (the story relocates all the way to Iceland at one point, but only for about five minutes). It's so in-your-face extreme in some of its attitudes and jokes that it's quite hard to engage with as a story for much of the time. But McDonagh is too good a director to make an entirely bad movie and there are some impressive moments and sequences along the way. But still a strange and difficult-to-figure-out movie.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) in Movies
Oct 26, 2018
Rami Malek (1 more)
Live Aid
Bohemian Rhapsody stars Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, charting his life from working as a baggage handler at Heathrow airport to becoming a global superstar and blowing the crowds away at Live Aid. I've seen criticism that the movie skims over the darker side of Freddie's life but I thought this did enough to portray not only the lows but also the highs of his private life, and his life with fellow Queen band members. It's funny, sad and very entertaining in equal measure. Rami Malek is outstanding as Freddie. This was already hitting a 7 or 8 rating from me as it neared the end of the movie, but then they go and recreate pretty much their entire Live Aid set, cameras sweeping over the Wembley crowds and inbetween the performers onstage. It's just jaw dropping and took this up to a 10 from me. And I'm not even a big Queen fan!!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) in Movies
Dec 4, 2019
Jane Doe
The Autopsy of Jane Doe- is anethor very good horror movie that hardly no one talks about and knows about. It came in 2016, and i forgot that this movie came out in 2016 cause 2016 was a big year for movies.
The Plot: When father and son coroners investigate the death of a beautiful `Jane Doe', they find increasingly bizarre clues.
It was directed by Andre Overdal, who you may say, well he directed this film called "Trollhunter" in 2010 which was a dark fantasy and was made in the form of a "found footage" mouckumently, highly reccordmend.
Than he went on to direct "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark", which came out early this year and i really liked it.
This film is scary, terrorfying, horrorfying, creepy and overall really good. Also it starred Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox. Their were both really good in it.
This film is a must see.
The Plot: When father and son coroners investigate the death of a beautiful `Jane Doe', they find increasingly bizarre clues.
It was directed by Andre Overdal, who you may say, well he directed this film called "Trollhunter" in 2010 which was a dark fantasy and was made in the form of a "found footage" mouckumently, highly reccordmend.
Than he went on to direct "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark", which came out early this year and i really liked it.
This film is scary, terrorfying, horrorfying, creepy and overall really good. Also it starred Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox. Their were both really good in it.
This film is a must see.
Diego Luna recommended The Big Lebowski (1998) in Movies (curated)
Erika (17789 KP) rated Hustlers (2019) in Movies
Sep 28, 2019 (Updated Dec 29, 2019)
I had zero expectations going into this film. First, I had watched a 20/20 episode on the real life strippers that this was based on, and basically, the movie took the concept and made it a sort of BFF film. The people Ramona and Destiny's characters are based upon were definitely not friends.
This movie was drawn out and boring. It was a LONG hour and 49 minutes. A lot of the scenes were unnecessary, and would not stop going. I thought the Christmas scene would never end.
Something was off about Constance Wu, she was very wooden and again, boring. Also, while Cardi B and Lizzo appear in the film, they're more like cameos, which is a shame. The Usher scene, while unnecessary, was one of the best in the film. Usher looks the same as he did back then, and it's super creepy.
I'm not sure why this had all the buzz at TIFF.
This movie was drawn out and boring. It was a LONG hour and 49 minutes. A lot of the scenes were unnecessary, and would not stop going. I thought the Christmas scene would never end.
Something was off about Constance Wu, she was very wooden and again, boring. Also, while Cardi B and Lizzo appear in the film, they're more like cameos, which is a shame. The Usher scene, while unnecessary, was one of the best in the film. Usher looks the same as he did back then, and it's super creepy.
I'm not sure why this had all the buzz at TIFF.
Jcadden76 (64 KP) rated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) in Movies
Jun 12, 2018
A perfect start to a perfect set of movies!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a perfect start to the Harry Potter series. The creators of the movie series really hit it out of the park with the kid stars in this one. Not only were they perfectly cast but they also grew into the roles.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone takes the gang on this magical journey that is very light-hearted and beautiful. This is the "brightest" of the movies and it does the heavy-lifting of setting up the entire series.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone takes the gang on this magical journey that is very light-hearted and beautiful. This is the "brightest" of the movies and it does the heavy-lifting of setting up the entire series.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Descent (2005) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
The descent makes you afaird of going into caves
Contains spoilers, click to show
The descent- makes you on the edge of your set until the end credits. With a group of people stuck down in a cave no way out, their have to survive. But their not alone, creatures who are hungry for flesh, are also down in the cave. The survivors have to crawl out the cave before there get eating alive. The descent will make you afaird of going into caves, will make you afaird of small gaps and close encounters. The descent is a underrated horror movie, that horror fans should watch.
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Feb 29, 2020
I find Zack Snyder movies generally border on Michael Bay territory, visually very impressive but empty and soulless. I also didn’t like ‘Man Of Steel’ at all and find Henry Cavill a wooden Superman. This I actually found to be a slight improvement , it’s not as long and thankfully had a bit more humour with the addition of Wonder Woman , Aqua Man and The Flash to the mix. It feels very choppy though perhaps evidence of the extensive reshoots and turbulent journey to the screen the film had. Ultimately it’s watchable but fairly forgettable stuff that pales in comparison to any MCU movie.