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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Accountant (2016) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Rain Man with a Kalashnikov.
(Another Bob the Movie Man Showcase Theatre).
The scene: studio execs in a board room in Warner Brothers. Greg Silverman, head of Creative Development walks into the room full of his most creative guys and slams a script by Bill Dubuque onto the table.
Silverman: “Affleck needs a real zinger of a film to follow his Batman work and this is it… but we we need a really riveting title… something to grab everyone’s attention and get them begging to pay their ticket money to see. Hit me!”
Creative 1: “The Autist?”
Silverman: “Like your thinking…. good Oscar associations… but perhaps a tad non-PC.”
Creative 2: “Under the Skin?”
Silverman: “Been done. Besides, don’t want everyone thinking they’re going to see THAT much of Johansson again”
A grey looking financial director, sitting in the corner: “Er… sir… I’ve got an idea….”
=====
So… it’s not the most PR-friendly title in the world, but it is a whole lot more interesting than it sounds. Ben Affleck plays the titular accountant (who may or may not be called Christian Wolff) – a sort of evil Jack Reacher of the financial world: off-the-grid behind multiple aliases and with financial fingers in more murky pies around the world than seems tasteful.
Not only is he a mathematical genius with the numbers, but is also extremely handy with his fists and an arsenal of high powered weaponry he keeps in his executive trailer home… ready to up-roots and disappear at any time.
Supported over the phone by a mysterious ‘Pepper-Potts-style’ personal assistant, who appears more machine than person, Affleck is guided from job to job, dropping in the occasional “normal” job to keep the authorities off his tail. One of these is for a bio-technology company headed up by Lamar Black (John Lithgow) who brings him in – against the wishes of his FD and long term friend Ed Chilton (Andy Umberger) – since all appears not quite right in the books. Junior accountant Dana Cummings (Anna “Pitch Perfect” Kendrick) is the young lady who has seen the discrepancy but can’t track it down in the labyrinthine accounts.
This so called ‘safe’ job lands both him and Dana in extreme danger as person or persons unknown, fronted by a hired ‘heavy’ played by Jon Bernthal, try to prevent some dodgy activities coming to the surface.
As a parallel thread, the head of the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, Ray King (J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”) strong-arms (for no readily apparent reason) analyst Marybeth Medina (an impressive Cynthia Addai-Robinson) into pursuing Wolff. With a keen intellect and a strong incentive she begins to close in.
Directed by Gavin O’ Connor, this – for me – is a frustratingly inconsistent film. When it flies, it really flies well, both at an action level and at a dramatic level. The flashback scenes to Wolff’s childhood are well done, showing how the autistic and needy youngster who needed compassion, quiet and understanding got the exact opposite from his militaristic father (Robert C Treveiler) to ‘jolt him out of’ his condition. It is easy to understand how he turned out the way he did.
On the flip side, the plot progression almost deliberately shines a spotlight on some questions (no spoilers) that if you ask them you immediately see the answers, resulting in most of the rest of the plot falling into place without shock or surprise. There was only one genuine twist for me, right at the end of the film, that I didn’t see coming.
The script by Bill Dubuque (“The Judge”) delivers some really nice scenes between Affleck and Kendrick, some smart (and genuinely funny) one-liners and one of the best abruptly ended speeches since Samuel L. Jackson’s in “Deep Blue Sea”. However, the whole Treasury Investigation story-line (however good it is to see J.K. Simmons act) is somewhat superfluous to the whole thing and just doesn’t work.
Kendrick and Affleck have good chemistry, with Affleck trying desperately to breathe some likeability into what is a pretty cold and calculating character. It’s hard though to empathise with someone who – albeit indirectly – is the source of such misery around the world through drugs, terrorism, dictatorships and God-knows what else. Kendrick plays kooky and naive really well, but she really ought to get some protocols sorted out around letting people into her apartment: she really doesn’t seem to learn!
It’s a nice idea and entertaining to watch, but the delivery is flawed.
The scene: studio execs in a board room in Warner Brothers. Greg Silverman, head of Creative Development walks into the room full of his most creative guys and slams a script by Bill Dubuque onto the table.
Silverman: “Affleck needs a real zinger of a film to follow his Batman work and this is it… but we we need a really riveting title… something to grab everyone’s attention and get them begging to pay their ticket money to see. Hit me!”
Creative 1: “The Autist?”
Silverman: “Like your thinking…. good Oscar associations… but perhaps a tad non-PC.”
Creative 2: “Under the Skin?”
Silverman: “Been done. Besides, don’t want everyone thinking they’re going to see THAT much of Johansson again”
A grey looking financial director, sitting in the corner: “Er… sir… I’ve got an idea….”
=====
So… it’s not the most PR-friendly title in the world, but it is a whole lot more interesting than it sounds. Ben Affleck plays the titular accountant (who may or may not be called Christian Wolff) – a sort of evil Jack Reacher of the financial world: off-the-grid behind multiple aliases and with financial fingers in more murky pies around the world than seems tasteful.
Not only is he a mathematical genius with the numbers, but is also extremely handy with his fists and an arsenal of high powered weaponry he keeps in his executive trailer home… ready to up-roots and disappear at any time.
Supported over the phone by a mysterious ‘Pepper-Potts-style’ personal assistant, who appears more machine than person, Affleck is guided from job to job, dropping in the occasional “normal” job to keep the authorities off his tail. One of these is for a bio-technology company headed up by Lamar Black (John Lithgow) who brings him in – against the wishes of his FD and long term friend Ed Chilton (Andy Umberger) – since all appears not quite right in the books. Junior accountant Dana Cummings (Anna “Pitch Perfect” Kendrick) is the young lady who has seen the discrepancy but can’t track it down in the labyrinthine accounts.
This so called ‘safe’ job lands both him and Dana in extreme danger as person or persons unknown, fronted by a hired ‘heavy’ played by Jon Bernthal, try to prevent some dodgy activities coming to the surface.
As a parallel thread, the head of the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, Ray King (J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”) strong-arms (for no readily apparent reason) analyst Marybeth Medina (an impressive Cynthia Addai-Robinson) into pursuing Wolff. With a keen intellect and a strong incentive she begins to close in.
Directed by Gavin O’ Connor, this – for me – is a frustratingly inconsistent film. When it flies, it really flies well, both at an action level and at a dramatic level. The flashback scenes to Wolff’s childhood are well done, showing how the autistic and needy youngster who needed compassion, quiet and understanding got the exact opposite from his militaristic father (Robert C Treveiler) to ‘jolt him out of’ his condition. It is easy to understand how he turned out the way he did.
On the flip side, the plot progression almost deliberately shines a spotlight on some questions (no spoilers) that if you ask them you immediately see the answers, resulting in most of the rest of the plot falling into place without shock or surprise. There was only one genuine twist for me, right at the end of the film, that I didn’t see coming.
The script by Bill Dubuque (“The Judge”) delivers some really nice scenes between Affleck and Kendrick, some smart (and genuinely funny) one-liners and one of the best abruptly ended speeches since Samuel L. Jackson’s in “Deep Blue Sea”. However, the whole Treasury Investigation story-line (however good it is to see J.K. Simmons act) is somewhat superfluous to the whole thing and just doesn’t work.
Kendrick and Affleck have good chemistry, with Affleck trying desperately to breathe some likeability into what is a pretty cold and calculating character. It’s hard though to empathise with someone who – albeit indirectly – is the source of such misery around the world through drugs, terrorism, dictatorships and God-knows what else. Kendrick plays kooky and naive really well, but she really ought to get some protocols sorted out around letting people into her apartment: she really doesn’t seem to learn!
It’s a nice idea and entertaining to watch, but the delivery is flawed.

theVman (16 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Apr 6, 2018
Visual effects (1 more)
action scenes
Script (2 more)
Exposition
Casting
Ready Player Bomb!
I understand certain decisions and changes have to be made when adapting a book for the screen but with this one i just didnt understand or agree with 90% of them. For the most part the changes underminds the actual story the book was telling.
However, trying to be objective the best i can and looking at it just as a movie - i still didnt like it. For me it felt like the structure of the whole move was fractured. Everyone was totally miscast for my liking, leaving all the characters un-charismatic and un-endearing, leaving the story without a heart or a soul. I felt like the exposition was clunky at best, leading to the relationships between characters to either feel forced or not given them enough time to grow naturally, especially the "love interest" story. Also I felt it glossed over some key elements of the plot at the beginning, mainly due to the aforementioned clunky exposition, but also with its eagerness to go straight for throat with high octane action, which although brilliantly staged and choreographed through the camera, left me feeling like it was pointless, due to lack of context or feeling of any real threat. I never really felt like it got any of this right until the final battle in the climax of the film, but by then id given up the films ability to win me back.
Add to that the changes/difference from the book that failed to make any sense to me, or understand why they choose that direction to take - my frustration only grows and grows. The only real big change that i liked was the car race at the beginning which does not feature at all in the book...because it would be visually more exciting than what was actually written in the book. Some of the changes i felt like they were taking the safe option and lacked the balls of the book, such as the film choosing to let some character(s) not die, and pretty much totally ignoring the social commentary the book was making about big corporations, media influences, economic status of the world etc..... all things that i felt made the book as popular as it is in the first place. Popular enough that Spielberg wanted to turn it into a major motion picture.
However, trying to be objective the best i can and looking at it just as a movie - i still didnt like it. For me it felt like the structure of the whole move was fractured. Everyone was totally miscast for my liking, leaving all the characters un-charismatic and un-endearing, leaving the story without a heart or a soul. I felt like the exposition was clunky at best, leading to the relationships between characters to either feel forced or not given them enough time to grow naturally, especially the "love interest" story. Also I felt it glossed over some key elements of the plot at the beginning, mainly due to the aforementioned clunky exposition, but also with its eagerness to go straight for throat with high octane action, which although brilliantly staged and choreographed through the camera, left me feeling like it was pointless, due to lack of context or feeling of any real threat. I never really felt like it got any of this right until the final battle in the climax of the film, but by then id given up the films ability to win me back.
Add to that the changes/difference from the book that failed to make any sense to me, or understand why they choose that direction to take - my frustration only grows and grows. The only real big change that i liked was the car race at the beginning which does not feature at all in the book...because it would be visually more exciting than what was actually written in the book. Some of the changes i felt like they were taking the safe option and lacked the balls of the book, such as the film choosing to let some character(s) not die, and pretty much totally ignoring the social commentary the book was making about big corporations, media influences, economic status of the world etc..... all things that i felt made the book as popular as it is in the first place. Popular enough that Spielberg wanted to turn it into a major motion picture.

Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Green Book (2018) in Movies
Feb 26, 2019 (Updated Feb 26, 2019)
Wow
After awarding Widows a 10 when I saw it last year, I didn't think that there would be another 2018 movie that I would award a perfect 10 to, but here we are. That is because this is a perfect movie, as in there is nothing in this movie I would have changed and there are no aspects of the filmmaking lacking either. Who in the world would have thought that Peter Farrelly, (the guy that brought us Shallow Hal and Stuck On You,) would make one of the best films of last year?
This film is so phenomenally well crafted, that it is actually pretty hard to find things to discuss. The cinematography was solid, the sets and outfits were well designed, the script was sharp and well written, the direction was great, the soundtrack was ace and the performances were top notch. Both of the two lead characters, played by Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali respectively, go through their own arcs throughout the movie. I don't want to give too much away, but the conclusion leaves you feeling fulfilled and that the journey that you just went on with these two characters was worth your while.
The movie also does a great job of mirroring the attitudes that still permeate a great deal of the American mind-set in our own day and age. It shows us that although we have come a long way since the overtly racist attitudes of the 50's, we still have a long way to go and it does this with a great subtlety. There is an obvious parallel here to another 2018 Oscar nominated movie BlackKklansman. As much as I loved BlackKklansman and how direct and overt it was in it's message, I feel that Green Book handled the comparison of older vs modern day attitudes towards racism with far more subtlety.
Overall, I don't have a bad word to say about Green Book. All aspects of the film are brilliant, which results in a fantastically well crafted movie. Then of course, the fact that it is led by a brilliant duo of performances by two of the greatest actors working in Hollywood today doesn't hurt it either.
This film is so phenomenally well crafted, that it is actually pretty hard to find things to discuss. The cinematography was solid, the sets and outfits were well designed, the script was sharp and well written, the direction was great, the soundtrack was ace and the performances were top notch. Both of the two lead characters, played by Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali respectively, go through their own arcs throughout the movie. I don't want to give too much away, but the conclusion leaves you feeling fulfilled and that the journey that you just went on with these two characters was worth your while.
The movie also does a great job of mirroring the attitudes that still permeate a great deal of the American mind-set in our own day and age. It shows us that although we have come a long way since the overtly racist attitudes of the 50's, we still have a long way to go and it does this with a great subtlety. There is an obvious parallel here to another 2018 Oscar nominated movie BlackKklansman. As much as I loved BlackKklansman and how direct and overt it was in it's message, I feel that Green Book handled the comparison of older vs modern day attitudes towards racism with far more subtlety.
Overall, I don't have a bad word to say about Green Book. All aspects of the film are brilliant, which results in a fantastically well crafted movie. Then of course, the fact that it is led by a brilliant duo of performances by two of the greatest actors working in Hollywood today doesn't hurt it either.

Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated The Circle (2017) in Movies
Jan 28, 2018
This movie really shows us where we are headed with technology. It seems like privacy is going to end if we don't do something quick. Having a camera on everyone all the time without permission is such a hard choice to make. The majority of the time there is always a camera watching when we are not in our homes. It comes down to who and how the data is being used.
In this movie The Circle, it show what happens when a non-government company gets involved in make the choice to watch are every move. They make is seem like you have a choice to join them, which most people do. They feel like if they do not they are on the outside looking in and are looked down upon for not being part of the community. It is weird in our society that we care that much what people are doing all the time. I myself have a Facebook account but don't use it all to often. Now I do look at daily to see what other people are up to and see if I missed anything news worthy. But a lot of time it is just people complaining about their life to the masses. Every once in awhile I do see a cute animal video.
This company in this movie takes it one step farther. They want to follow your every move and know your health stats, who your talking to, if you voted or plan to and combining your life in to one program. As much as it seem like it would make your life easier, do you want one company knowing everything about you. I say no. Even the government in this movie was torn on whether or not to take down this company.
This was a well casted movie and a very good script, but I think the timeline of the movie could have been better and there could have been better character development. I would have like to have seen the story of Ty and where he fit in more. Mae's character could have had more plot with the take down of the company.
If you are freaked out at where we are headed with social media or even being watched all the time, you should totally watch this movie. It will probably change your mind about a few things. Enjoy the show.
In this movie The Circle, it show what happens when a non-government company gets involved in make the choice to watch are every move. They make is seem like you have a choice to join them, which most people do. They feel like if they do not they are on the outside looking in and are looked down upon for not being part of the community. It is weird in our society that we care that much what people are doing all the time. I myself have a Facebook account but don't use it all to often. Now I do look at daily to see what other people are up to and see if I missed anything news worthy. But a lot of time it is just people complaining about their life to the masses. Every once in awhile I do see a cute animal video.
This company in this movie takes it one step farther. They want to follow your every move and know your health stats, who your talking to, if you voted or plan to and combining your life in to one program. As much as it seem like it would make your life easier, do you want one company knowing everything about you. I say no. Even the government in this movie was torn on whether or not to take down this company.
This was a well casted movie and a very good script, but I think the timeline of the movie could have been better and there could have been better character development. I would have like to have seen the story of Ty and where he fit in more. Mae's character could have had more plot with the take down of the company.
If you are freaked out at where we are headed with social media or even being watched all the time, you should totally watch this movie. It will probably change your mind about a few things. Enjoy the show.

Awix (3310 KP) rated Robin Hood (2018) in Movies
Nov 26, 2018 (Updated Nov 28, 2018)
Bog-standard looks-like-a-computer-game action movie populated by a mixture of blandly good-looking non-actors and people who should probably know better; would have been forgettable tosh but for the fact that the Robin Hood name has inexplicably been plastered onto something bearing virtually zero resemblance to the legend.
Corrupt establishment has embarked upon a series of foreign wars for its own shady purposes, ordinary people are being screwed to pay for it all, plus their young men are being sent off to die. Good-hearted young chap gets his draft letter in the post and is sent off to Afghanistan, or so it seems, he gets sent home on the grounds of excess heroism only to find that someone has moved Nottingham sixty miles and it is now on the coast and has its own harbour. Needless to say he resolves to become a superhero with a secret identity and sort everything out.
The thing that will kill this movie for anyone who actually cares about the Robin Hood legend is that it seems to have no appreciation of the fact that Things Were Different In The Past, and is fairly up front about it: 'we're not going to bore you with history,' the script announces in so many words right at the start. Well, if you really think history is boring, possibly you shouldn't have tried to make a film with a historical setting, then, but thank-you for making your low opinion of your audience's intelligence obvious from the start.
All the things the legend is actually about, and most of the things you would automatically associate with it (sword-fights, the band of Merry Men, Sherwood Forest, King Richard's ransom) are chucked out in favour of a glib and opportunistic one-size-fits-all form of anti-capitalist and anti-establishment agitprop. You may argue that we've seen the classic version of the story so many times before, and this is about doing something new, but if you get rid of the Robin Hood element of the Robin Hood story, you're left with something pointless and stupid, which is really what we have here. The Disney version with the talking fox is much more entertaining, not to mention historically accurate.
Corrupt establishment has embarked upon a series of foreign wars for its own shady purposes, ordinary people are being screwed to pay for it all, plus their young men are being sent off to die. Good-hearted young chap gets his draft letter in the post and is sent off to Afghanistan, or so it seems, he gets sent home on the grounds of excess heroism only to find that someone has moved Nottingham sixty miles and it is now on the coast and has its own harbour. Needless to say he resolves to become a superhero with a secret identity and sort everything out.
The thing that will kill this movie for anyone who actually cares about the Robin Hood legend is that it seems to have no appreciation of the fact that Things Were Different In The Past, and is fairly up front about it: 'we're not going to bore you with history,' the script announces in so many words right at the start. Well, if you really think history is boring, possibly you shouldn't have tried to make a film with a historical setting, then, but thank-you for making your low opinion of your audience's intelligence obvious from the start.
All the things the legend is actually about, and most of the things you would automatically associate with it (sword-fights, the band of Merry Men, Sherwood Forest, King Richard's ransom) are chucked out in favour of a glib and opportunistic one-size-fits-all form of anti-capitalist and anti-establishment agitprop. You may argue that we've seen the classic version of the story so many times before, and this is about doing something new, but if you get rid of the Robin Hood element of the Robin Hood story, you're left with something pointless and stupid, which is really what we have here. The Disney version with the talking fox is much more entertaining, not to mention historically accurate.

Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Men in Black International (2019) in Movies
Jun 18, 2019
Land Down Under
Men In Black International shoots for the stars but comes up short turning out to be nowhere near as fun or thrilling as all the other instalments but does enough to provide some entertainment at least. I was obsessed with Men In Black when i was a teenager the humour mixed with a quirky ugly scifi edge was refreshing to me as a kid & like nothing I'd ever seen before. So in a world where superhero movies rule i was kind of hoping international would bring back that sense of shock & wonder i felt when i was a kid seeing the original for the first time while at the same time invoking a feeling of nostalgia too. Sadly however Men in black 4 has something missing & i cant quite put my finger on what it is. Theres definitely a lack of thrill & excitement to the entire film (even the action scenes) which doesn't help & the humour feels weird like its jokes stop the film dead feeling flat/bland & badly written or delivered with bad timing. Then theres the acting & again im not sure whats wrong but somethings off with it or the dialog because characters dont seem to react to things well, talk to each other in a realistic manner or have anything interesting to say so from time to time i found myself just staring at the screen with my brain switched of to what was being said after a while. Maybe its the script or the actors not being given much freedom because Chris Hemsworth is a great actor & funny guy but in this he comes across like an average joe. Plot wise is very basic fluff just re jigged & reused from the others & the final act feels awkwardly rushed. World building is given a backseat this time too which is a shame & themes of individuality & finding your purpose arnt particularly great either. Its not all bad however there were set pieces i found really fun & creative, the cgi was great & extremely believable, its visually really nice to look at, sound design is punchy & i really liked the villains that were stalking them too even though they felt under used/developed & their presence on screen ended far to abrupt. Mib4 is definitely watchable even if it is a tad forgettable/lacking but I'd happily watch another instalment in a few years thats for sure.

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
It is hard to believe that it has been fifteen years since audiences were introduced to Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) in “XXX”. Ice Cube continued the series with “XXX: State of the Union” in 2005 but since then the series has been dormant with the occasional rumor of a new film arising.
The new film follows the long assumed deceased Xander Cage returning to action in the XXX program when a group of highly skilled operatives attack a meeting and steal a device known as Pandora’s Box which allows the users unlimited access to personal data and satellite control such as being able to use thousands of orbiting devices as weapons of terror by crashing them into cities the world over.
In a race against time, Cage must assemble a team of operatives and discover the location of the device and obtain it at any cost.
Things become more complicated as the investigation unfolds and Cage and his crew soon find themselves battling enemies from multiple sides which results in several over the top action sequences and stunts which have been a staple of the series.
The supporting cast is very strong especially Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa as well as the sadly underused Samuel L. Jackson.
The biggest issue with the film is that it takes insane liberties with the plot even by action film standards and seem little more than a device to get the cast into one action scene after another without any thought to logic or coherency. Even by action film standards it is all over the place and takes some great leaps of logic. The dialogue is often groan inducing at Diesel seems to be at times walking through his performance until he is required to do something of a physical nature.
The action is the saving grace of the film as the cast makes their action scenes a ballet of chaos as they nimbly smash, shoot, and destroy everything in their path which is essentially what fans of the series want in the end.
It has been reported that a new film in the series is already planned by the studio which would be a welcome adventure as it would be nice to see this crew back in action. My only wish is that they are given a script that is worthy of the assembled talent.
http://sknr.net/2017/01/20/xxx-return-xander-cage/
The new film follows the long assumed deceased Xander Cage returning to action in the XXX program when a group of highly skilled operatives attack a meeting and steal a device known as Pandora’s Box which allows the users unlimited access to personal data and satellite control such as being able to use thousands of orbiting devices as weapons of terror by crashing them into cities the world over.
In a race against time, Cage must assemble a team of operatives and discover the location of the device and obtain it at any cost.
Things become more complicated as the investigation unfolds and Cage and his crew soon find themselves battling enemies from multiple sides which results in several over the top action sequences and stunts which have been a staple of the series.
The supporting cast is very strong especially Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa as well as the sadly underused Samuel L. Jackson.
The biggest issue with the film is that it takes insane liberties with the plot even by action film standards and seem little more than a device to get the cast into one action scene after another without any thought to logic or coherency. Even by action film standards it is all over the place and takes some great leaps of logic. The dialogue is often groan inducing at Diesel seems to be at times walking through his performance until he is required to do something of a physical nature.
The action is the saving grace of the film as the cast makes their action scenes a ballet of chaos as they nimbly smash, shoot, and destroy everything in their path which is essentially what fans of the series want in the end.
It has been reported that a new film in the series is already planned by the studio which would be a welcome adventure as it would be nice to see this crew back in action. My only wish is that they are given a script that is worthy of the assembled talent.
http://sknr.net/2017/01/20/xxx-return-xander-cage/

Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Rear Window (1954) in Movies
Dec 24, 2018
Great Mystery
A photojournalist is wheelchair-ridden, watching people in his apartment complex from his window for hours. He’s thrown for a loop when he witnesses what he thinks is a murder. He wants to get to the bottom of it or die trying.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
I’ll start with Stella (Thelma Ritter) who is easily my favorite character in the entire movie. She is an in-home nurse who is taking care of main character L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart). Out of all the characters in the story, she has the brightest sense of humor. I also loved that she takes zero guff from L.B., sometimes even making it seem like he works for her. She was stern and went beyond the parameters of her job doing everything from offering love advice to helping L.B. dive into the murder.
Of course I appreciated a number of the other characters as well, including the creepy Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr). He is the object of L.B.’s accusation. Lars does a great job of making you think L.B. could be right. At other times, Lars seems like just a normal guy going about his daily routine. He takes strange to new heights. Each of the characters, the important ones anyway, help to frame the story and keep you intrigued.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 8
Genre: 5
Memorability: 10
Pace: 9
Plot: 10
Rear Window succeeds with a script that’s extremely crisp and engaging. Mystery and tension abound as you try and figure out what’s going to happen next. The story is simple, yet is peeled back in layers. Very well done.
Resolution: 10
I won’t dive in too much here but I will say that the ending is perfect to the point that it answers all the right questions. It doesn’t overdo things and try and unnecessarily put a bow on things. We find out what we need to know and that’s that.
Overall: 92
Alfred Hitchcock puts together stories like a boxer puts together a fight. He hits you with little jabs that wake you up. Eventually he goes in for the kill with harder punches that you’re not ready for. He is definitely one of the greats and Rear Window is yet another one of his classics to show for it.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
I’ll start with Stella (Thelma Ritter) who is easily my favorite character in the entire movie. She is an in-home nurse who is taking care of main character L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart). Out of all the characters in the story, she has the brightest sense of humor. I also loved that she takes zero guff from L.B., sometimes even making it seem like he works for her. She was stern and went beyond the parameters of her job doing everything from offering love advice to helping L.B. dive into the murder.
Of course I appreciated a number of the other characters as well, including the creepy Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr). He is the object of L.B.’s accusation. Lars does a great job of making you think L.B. could be right. At other times, Lars seems like just a normal guy going about his daily routine. He takes strange to new heights. Each of the characters, the important ones anyway, help to frame the story and keep you intrigued.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 8
Genre: 5
Memorability: 10
Pace: 9
Plot: 10
Rear Window succeeds with a script that’s extremely crisp and engaging. Mystery and tension abound as you try and figure out what’s going to happen next. The story is simple, yet is peeled back in layers. Very well done.
Resolution: 10
I won’t dive in too much here but I will say that the ending is perfect to the point that it answers all the right questions. It doesn’t overdo things and try and unnecessarily put a bow on things. We find out what we need to know and that’s that.
Overall: 92
Alfred Hitchcock puts together stories like a boxer puts together a fight. He hits you with little jabs that wake you up. Eventually he goes in for the kill with harder punches that you’re not ready for. He is definitely one of the greats and Rear Window is yet another one of his classics to show for it.

Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Eighth Grade (2018) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
Eighth Grade was quite difficult for me to watch. I absolutely hate watching things that are awkward, and if one word sums up this film it's "awkward". I'm throwing it in the pool with talk shows and reality TV in all their cringy glory. Between those awkward moments we do thankfully see some nicer moments.
Kayla is trying to navigate the move from eighth grade to high school, the perils of friends and enemies, and how to get noticed by the right people. Like many of us have done she tries stepping out of her comfort zone with varying degrees of success. But every one of those steps helps her learn something about herself and life, things that she hopes future Kayla will remember when life seems tough.
I'm just going to skip over the things I didn't like about the movie because honestly, it's all mainly issues to do with the awkwardness I've already mentioned.
Kayla's dad is probably my favourite character in this, he is involved in some of the scenes I didn't like but overall he brings a lot of heart to the film. When he makes his speech at Kayla towards the end it's a genuinely moving moment and it brought a tear to my eye. One of the only things that I came away wondering was where was mum, she's mentioned but I don't think anything is specifically mentioned apart from "she left". Part of me thinks it's frustrating, but there was no real way to bring it up out of context.
There's nothing particularly wrong with the film, the acting was fine and although the script was frustrating it was accurate to what was trying to be achieved. This is definitely not for me though. Partly for the awkward reason and partly because I don't entirely enjoy watching films that involve things I could, or have, done myself.
What you should do
It's not one that' I'd recommend for the obvious reason above. It does seem to be liked by lots of people though so it's probably one that's worth checking out when it goes to streaming services.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I not sure there's actually anything from this I'd like to take home with me... I don't need any more angsty teen in my life.
Kayla is trying to navigate the move from eighth grade to high school, the perils of friends and enemies, and how to get noticed by the right people. Like many of us have done she tries stepping out of her comfort zone with varying degrees of success. But every one of those steps helps her learn something about herself and life, things that she hopes future Kayla will remember when life seems tough.
I'm just going to skip over the things I didn't like about the movie because honestly, it's all mainly issues to do with the awkwardness I've already mentioned.
Kayla's dad is probably my favourite character in this, he is involved in some of the scenes I didn't like but overall he brings a lot of heart to the film. When he makes his speech at Kayla towards the end it's a genuinely moving moment and it brought a tear to my eye. One of the only things that I came away wondering was where was mum, she's mentioned but I don't think anything is specifically mentioned apart from "she left". Part of me thinks it's frustrating, but there was no real way to bring it up out of context.
There's nothing particularly wrong with the film, the acting was fine and although the script was frustrating it was accurate to what was trying to be achieved. This is definitely not for me though. Partly for the awkward reason and partly because I don't entirely enjoy watching films that involve things I could, or have, done myself.
What you should do
It's not one that' I'd recommend for the obvious reason above. It does seem to be liked by lots of people though so it's probably one that's worth checking out when it goes to streaming services.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I not sure there's actually anything from this I'd like to take home with me... I don't need any more angsty teen in my life.

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Due Date (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
What could possibly go wrong when you pair a stressed out father-to-be, Peter (Robert Downey Jr.), with the world’s worst road trip partner, Ethan (Zach Galifianakis), on a trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles? In a karmic way, at least these two men appear to be meant for each other.
Zach Galifianakis’s role as Ethan Tremblay is wildly funny, though he plays a role very similar to the one he played in The Hangover, with a slightly more childish demeanor. If his character in the Hangover was a 14 year old in an adult’s body, in this film he is a 7 year old boy.
Peter Highman, played by Robert Downey Jr., is obviously frustrated because he’s trying to get home to his very pregnant wife. This inevitably creates an anger that is only exacerbated by the stupidity and carelessness of Ethan. The minor truces and cease-fires they found during their trip were constantly being broken by something Ethan would do that was hilariously rude and dumb.
This film walked a fine line with both characters, with Ethan pushing the charm up to keep us from totally hating him, all the while allowing Peter be an asshole from time to time to keep us from being too sympathetic to him. In one particularly funny moment, during a side stop soon after they take off from Atlanta, we see Peter discipline a young boy in a ridiculously inappropriate way that makes us question his fitness as a father. It’s during these times that the movie really shines. The chemistry between them was good for the most part, but the inevitable reconciliation between them was rushed at the end, and while the actors more than did their jobs, the script didn’t give them very much cause to act so suddenly benevolent toward each other.
Overall, the movie was funny, but not quite funny enough. Some of the gags were fairly disgusting, and while most didn’t detract from the movie, only a few really came across as well-executed. This movie had the potential to be very funny, but with some unresolved plot holes and some long stretches where nothing much was going on, I wouldn’t really recommend this to my friends, despite the big name actors and hype.
Zach Galifianakis’s role as Ethan Tremblay is wildly funny, though he plays a role very similar to the one he played in The Hangover, with a slightly more childish demeanor. If his character in the Hangover was a 14 year old in an adult’s body, in this film he is a 7 year old boy.
Peter Highman, played by Robert Downey Jr., is obviously frustrated because he’s trying to get home to his very pregnant wife. This inevitably creates an anger that is only exacerbated by the stupidity and carelessness of Ethan. The minor truces and cease-fires they found during their trip were constantly being broken by something Ethan would do that was hilariously rude and dumb.
This film walked a fine line with both characters, with Ethan pushing the charm up to keep us from totally hating him, all the while allowing Peter be an asshole from time to time to keep us from being too sympathetic to him. In one particularly funny moment, during a side stop soon after they take off from Atlanta, we see Peter discipline a young boy in a ridiculously inappropriate way that makes us question his fitness as a father. It’s during these times that the movie really shines. The chemistry between them was good for the most part, but the inevitable reconciliation between them was rushed at the end, and while the actors more than did their jobs, the script didn’t give them very much cause to act so suddenly benevolent toward each other.
Overall, the movie was funny, but not quite funny enough. Some of the gags were fairly disgusting, and while most didn’t detract from the movie, only a few really came across as well-executed. This movie had the potential to be very funny, but with some unresolved plot holes and some long stretches where nothing much was going on, I wouldn’t really recommend this to my friends, despite the big name actors and hype.