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Return to Green Acres (1990)
A wonderful reunion!
This was a great reunion of most of the original cast, played by the original actors. A good story, with lots of laughs. Lots of running gags and details from the original series. Naturally, some things have changed, since there were 19 years between the end of the series and this movie.
My only three complaints: 1) It was filmed outside, rather than on a set, so they couldn't make it look quite like it did on the show. For example, the Douglas' house is now off the main road; the exterior layout of the house is now different and doesn't match the layout of the inside; there's no longer a railroad next to Drucker's Store and the town just in general looks a little TOO different. Hooterville was always "behind in the times" and therefore, the change should have been minor. 2) Some of the actors were not very good at acting, but it was a lower budget film and it was the '90s, so what do you expect? And 3) They made Mr. Haney out to be the villain. On the original series, he was a con man, but it was always in fun. He was never evil. In this movie, he is compared to the Devil.
However, these are relatively small complaints. If you are a fan of the original series, you should definitely watch this fun movie! It's currently free on Amazon Prime and you can find it on DVD in a few places online.
Wonka (2023)
Truly "pure imagination"!
Wow! This is such a wonderful film! I feel like the Wonka universe is something we can never get enough of, with us now having three movies...anyway, this movie in particular, really captures the magic of Willy Wonka and his story. Timothee Chalame is wonderful as Willy Wonka, being mostly a young version of Gene Wilder's take on the character, with a splash of Johnny Depp thrown in here and there. The supporting cast all complement him and each other nicely and really round out this origin story. Lots of great songs, magical moments, suspenseful moments and good, all around, family fun. I highly recommend this movie, even if you're not necessarily a Willy Wonka fan.
The only reason I gave it 9 stars is because they focused almost solely on Wilder's Wonka and not enough on Depp's Wonka, even though Depp's was a more accurate representation, based on the original source material. I feel it should have been an even mix of both, but it was like 80% Wilder and 20% Depp. Other than this, this movie is phenomenal!
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
In depth review; NO SPOILERS!
First of all, I'll get that old saying that well all know out of the way: "It wasn't as good as the original".
That being said, it IS a good movie!
Let me begin by saying that it is very apparent that there was a lot of time and effort put into the making of this movie. It was very well put together and you can tell the cast (namely Bette, Sarah and Kathy) had a lot of fun doing this again!
Like the first film, we start out with a flashback scene, then it fast forwards to Salem, 2022. We see the protagonists at school, on Halloween and then that night, the Sanderson Sisters are resurrected once again! Only this time, they have a new mission; They do still mention sucking the lives out of the children of Salem, however their ultimate mission is much bigger than that. No need to worry about our beloved sisters; They have not, all of a sudden become the heroes. They are still witches and still evil! After all, what would Mother say, if she could see them any other way?
We are graced with TWO awesome musical numbers by the Sanderson Sisters this time around, however, neither one is as bewitching as the first film's "I Put A Spell On You".
It is clear to see that even though there are almost 30 years in between movies, Bette, Sarah and Kathy hardly skipped a beat. You would think they just finished filming the first film yesterday! They fell right back into those roles and knocked it out of the park! Sarah has more lines this time around, which is nice! I will say it is a shame that Omri, Thora and Vinessa, from the first film did not make an appearance, however, I understand there wasn't any place to write them in.
All throughout the film, there are many callbacks and references to the first film. This one could probably stand by itself, however if you haven't seen the first one, I would watch it before you watch this one. Number Two pays homage to Number One quite nicely! The soundtrack is also very similar to the previous film, but with modern takes on it. John Debney, who composed the first film has reprised his duty as composer for the sequel.
There is a very touching moment towards the end of the film that will probably make you cry, so make sure you have some Kleenex handy! The end credits are fun! BE SURE NOT TO SKIP THE END CREDITS. There is an after-credits scene that, I'll just say, leaves the opening for a third movie. Whether that'll ever happen or not, we'll just have to wait and see!
Anyway, overall, I rate this film an 8/10. Two reasons behind that; One, because there are drag queens in the film, however they are only on the screen for a minute or two and don't play any major role in the film. The other reason is because, as well all know, the Sanderson Sisters' costumes are different, this time around. They're in the same styles, but a lot of the details are different and colors are not exactly the same. Winifred's is the most different. The original costumes looked much better.
Disney really screwed the pooch by not releasing this in theaters. Lightyear should have been a Disney+ original and THIS should have come out in theaters.
Anyway, this truly is a solid film that any fan of the original will enjoy and hopefully will bring on a wealth of new fans!
Pinocchio (2022)
One of the few re-makes that is actually good!
I liked it overall. There are some small differences from the original, but the main elements of the story are still there: wooden boy gets tricked by a fox, kidnapped by puppeteer, taken to hellish island, escapes, finds father, is swallowed by a whale, survives, becomes real boy.
I thought it was strange that the Blue Fairy was mot attractive (not because of her skin color, just a genuinely unattractive face) and bald. She was however a good actress and very good singer.
Also, the CGI probably could have been just a touch better. You could tell, when Tom Hanks was holding whatever object was substituting his cat and Pinocchio, he gripped it differently than how he would have, if he was holding the actual object, so his hands look weird, whole holding Pinocchio or Figaro.
Tom Hanks does a great job as Gepetto. But you knew that. His a ting is always on point. Anyway, this is one of the few re-makes that actually turned out to be a good movie! I definitely recommend you watch it at least once!
Knight Rider (1982)
Quite possibly the greatest T.V. Show of all time!!
I wish I could rate Knight Rider 50/10 stars. Little, 9-year old me (who was already obsessed with Batman) thought this was the greatest thing I'd ever laid my eyes on. And at 26, I can say I still feel the same way! This show had a great cast, particularly Hasselhoff, mostly good writing (although it started to slip in the fourth season), great music and of course, the main star of the show, KITT! The coolest car anybody anywhere has ever seen. KITT makes the Batmobile look like a Hotwheels toy. Sure, it's a little campy, but it was the 1980s. What WASN'T campy then?
The first season is more dramatic than the rest of the show, but still a great season. Knight Rider really finds itself in season two, by adding SFX to Turbo Boost, some awesome storylines and using less drama and more action/adventure. Season three was Knight Rider's peak! Season three has the most 10/10 episodes of the series. KITT got a new dash and some cool new features and then in season four, the writing got worse and instead of replacing the writers, they let them ruin the show. Unfortunately "The Scent of Roses" had to be bumped up in the season, so they wouldn't have to cut it short. It was supposed to be the finale; would've been a great send off for such an awesome show.
As of June 2022, I've been a fan of Knight Rider for 17 years now. My mom watched it when she was a little girl and then showed it to me, when I was 9. It's still one of the biggest facets of my life and I highly suggest this show to anybody that wants to watch some quality television!
CollegeHumor Originals: Why the Moon Landing COULDN'T Have Been Faked (2017)
One of the few topics this show actually gets right!
I didn't care for the anti-Trump joke in the episode, but other than that, it was cool. This show actually gets a lot of things wrong. I know they address SOME of those things in future episodes, but not everything. This was a rare time they got it right!
Uncharted (2022)
Definitely worth a watch!
Awesome movie! I mainly only went to see it because I have a little man-crush on Tom Holland, but it looked good otherwise. Boy, was I right. This was a wild adventure-action movie! Great special effects, unexpected turns and altogether a great film. There definitely needs to be a sequel, ASAP!
Lucy and Desi (2022)
"'I Love Lucy' was never just a title.
This was such a great film! Amy Poehler did an amazing job! It was very heart-felt and touching and just altogether a wonderful picture. It truly enraptures the lives of Lucy & Desi together and separate. If you are a Lucy fan, this is a must-see! It was much better than "Being the Ricardos". I know they are two different kinds of films, but, man, this one blows it out of the water. I could watch thus again and again. "'I Love Lucy' was never just a title."
Being the Ricardos (2021)
Die-hard Lucy fans may be disappointed!
If you're a die-hard I Love Lucy/Lucille Ball fan, this may not be the movie for you. If you're an occasional watcher, watching only when flipping through the channels, then you may love this movie!
First of all, Nicole Kidman doesn't look anything like Lucille Ball. Not at all. Not one bit. The only resemblance in this film was the fact that her hair was orange and even then, it was the wrong color. At the time, Lucille Ball's hair was a coppery-burnt orange color, where as Kidman's was bright orange. Her hair was also the wrong style. Lucille's was curly, while Kidman's was straight, with small curls at the bottom. Her Lucy Ricardo voice was atrocious. It sounded like a washed up whale attempting to mimic Lucy Ricardo's voice.
Javier Bardem also does not look anything like Desi Arnaz. He doesn't speak the same kind of Spanish that Desi spoke; Javier is Spanish, while Desi was Cuban, so the dialects are different and therefore, Javier's accent is different than Desi's accent. He also spoke very fast and it was hard to understand what he was saying sometimes. Desi spoke slower.
I'll also point out, as of December 2021, Nicole Kidman is 54 portraying a 41 year old and Javier Bardem is 52 portraying a 35 year old! Quite the difference in age and it's clearly visible. They are much older than the people they are portraying actually were at the time; And they look like it! There's a flashback scene, where we see Lucy and Desi in 1939, where Lucy and Desi were in their 20s and they had 50-something year olds portraying. OOF!
I understand that Aaron Sorkin told Nicole and Javier not to worry about the voices or the mannerisms, which I think is why the actors fail to disappear into the people they're portraying. Meaning, during the whole film, we see don't see Lucy and Desi, we see Nicole and Javier in wigs and make-up. I should feel like I'm watching Lucy and Desi and can't tell the difference!
The supporting actors in this movie are okay, but not awesome. For example, Nina Arianda, who played Vivian Vance was not totally convincing as Vivian. She is also, currently 37, while Vivian at the time was 43, BUT looked older, since that's what her character on the show required. It was in her contract that Ethel Mertz was to be 16 years older than Lucy Ricardo. J. K. Simmons however, was a great Bill Frawley!
This is all not to say that Nicole and Javier are bad actors in general, I just don't think that they were right for this particular film. They just didn't fit in those roles.
Now, there were also factual/historical inaccuracies in this film as well. I don't want to give spoilers, so I'll only say that there was a scene where Desi brought up an idea, whereas in real life, it was Jess Oppenheimer. Another one is where, in discussion of dialogue in an episode, they said Fred would say a line that Ethel actually said in real life! And there are more; those are just a couple of examples.
Overall, it's a "just okay" movie. I'm a die-hard Lucille Ball fan and of course, my favorite work or Lucille is I Love Lucy, so I will say this movie was a bit disappointing. I've heard nothing but good things about Aaron Sorkin, but this didn't seem to be one of his best. I wish that he had heeded the advice of the fans, but it's over and done with now. Hopefully the next time somebody takes a go at this kind of thing, they do a better job!
If you're wondering whether you should see the film, I would say "Don't waste your money". I saw it because I'm such a big fan and thought I should at least see it before I cast aspersions on it, but now I can say, my doubts were well placed.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Must-See Halloween Movie!
This is my all-time favorite Halloween movie! I've watched it since I was about 5 or 6 years old.
It's 1990s Disney, so it's not gonna be "scary", like a horror film, but there's tons of "fun terror" for the kids, as well as physical comedy. For the adults, there are great special effects, for the time, some good jokes and if you're a Bette Midler fan, she is awesome in this movie. In fact, she has said that this is her best performance, over Beaches or The Rose, which says a lot!
Hocus Pocus has it all; witches, a zombie, a black cat, spell book, magic candle and top it off with a catchy musical number by Bette Midler. Bette, Sarah and Kathy make up a great trio in this film, delivering superb acting and lots of laughs!
If you haven't seen Hocus Pocus yet, you must watch it! And stay tuned for Hocus Pocus 2, releasing on Disney+ in 2022!