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Awix (3310 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies

Apr 4, 2019 (Updated Apr 4, 2019)

Dumbo (2019)

2019 | Animation, Family, Fantasy

6.5

(81 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Baffling-o remake of beloved-o animated-o Disney classic is misconceived-o on every level. Basic story remains the same: baby elephant arrives at travelling circus with freakishly big ears; the laws of physics and aerodynamics are put to one side as the small pachyderm takes to the air. That probably sounds a bit churlish-o but this is a calculated and mercenary attempt to exploit generations of goodwill towards the original film, which is charming, gentle and whimsical.

The new film blows through the plot of the old one in about forty minutes, at which point the film wanders off into a new storyline about Dumbo being sold to a grasping and exploitative entertainment tycoon who owns his own lavish theme park - did *nobody* at the Disney corporation stop to think that this kind of plot might not be the best of fits for one of their films? Everything is bemusingly dark and depressing. Many call-backs to the original, but everything that made it so special has been scoured away; not just bad, but also dumb.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Giant Claw (1957) in Movies

Mar 14, 2018

The Giant Claw (1957)

1957 | Horror, Sci-Fi

5.0

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Notorious Z-grade monster movie is actually quite entertaining if you treat it as an unintentional comedy. Plot just shows what horrors can result when research into particle physics gets it on with Japanese monster movies, as there is a mind-boggling attempt to give proceedings a veneer of scientific plausibility by saying the giant bird-monster has an anti-matter shield, explaining why they don't just shoot the damn thing down.

The fact that some of the scenes between Morrow and Corday could conceivably be quite effective in a more conventional movie just adds to the general weirdness of the whole Giant Claw experience. Normally I would attempt to describe the impact made by the boggle-eyed monster puppet, but words are just not enough. All you really need to know is that star Jeff Morrow left the first screening of the movie he saw early, afraid he might be recognised, went home and allegedly started drinking. I would say get the drinking out of the way before you watch the movie.

Kudos

Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August in Books

Mar 15, 2018

What an amazing book! I was intrigued by the rather minimal plot synopsis on the jacket and so had to check this book out, and I am very glad I did. I found the principal character of Harry August to be engaging and interesting and quite enjoyed all the ancillary characters as well, but it was the plot that really hooked me on this one. Without giving anything away I'll just say that it involves reincarnation, time travel, quantum physics, espionage, world history, revenge, and in its own weird way, love. It is somewhat unfair to pigeonhole the book into the science fiction category, as it is really somewhat more of a cat-and-mouse suspense story, although seeing as the plot spans several decades, repeatedly, it does seem as though sci-fi could be the best fit. No matter where you would categorize though, this is easily my favorite read of the year so far, and quite possibly one of my favorite books of all time. Absolutely brilliant.

Kudos

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Apr 10, 2020

"Edison Jones and The Anti-GRAV Elevator is a fantastic story that straps you in for a very exciting adventure throughout its pages."

Stop by my blog, and read my review for the Middle Grade/Young Adult action novel EDISON JONES AND THE ANTI-GRAV ELEVATOR by Author Michael Scott Clifton. Also, enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win a $15 #Amazon GIFT CARD, a bookmark, and/or a copy of the book!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/04/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-edison.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Twelve-year-old Edison Jones is a prodigy with a passion for technology and inventions. Paralyzed from the waist down since the age of five, he hasn’t let his disability slow him down. Then his world changes overnight when his grandfather, a billionaire tech company owner, decides to enroll him in a public school. Algorithms, quantum physics, and digital engineering are easy. Finding his way in the bewildering world of boys and girls his own age is quite another thing . . . the biggest challenge of his life.