cgrill8 Reviews

Ahsoka (2023– )

A Surprising new Star Wars show!

[9/10 · 5 October 2023]

The effects, the camera work... I prefer this over The Mandalorian! People complain this show being slow. The Mandalorian was good but THAT show put me to sleep.

Ok, Ahsoka. To get the most out of this show, you really need to watch some Rebels and definitely the last 8 or so episodes from its last season. Ahsoka happens after Return of the Jedi and of course after Rebels for timeline. What many complain about this show is the kind of pacing akin to the original 3 movies we've been missing! The camera work feels more like a film compared to the cell phone work of The Mandalorian. (Ok, I'm being overly cynical... I DO enjoy The Mandalorian, but compared to all the other muddy attempts at Star Wars shows Disney has...done, this has to be the best in look, feel, action, pacing and effects over everything they have done so far.

Hate Ray passed away. Guessing he'll be recast. Seeing the Rebels cast together in live action wasn't what I was expecting... but it's good very good. Filoni is peppering some Heir to the Empire in here and so far it's working! Finally some Zahn-ish storyline (not really) being dabbled in a Disney Star Wars show. Liked the cameo in episode 6 and the nod to Leia was nice!

Seeing Hayden again in some flashbacks and actually hearing him call Ahsoka 'Snips' was the icing on the cake for me. We finally get some atmospheric scenes to let us FEEL like we're IN the Star Wars universe instead of an ADHD epic adventure like we sometimes can see nowadays. That's the beauty of making this into a television show. The story was ok and fell in line with the ending of Rebels! It seemed to lack some emotional glue, but after seeing Rebels will give it some more emotional oomph than it tends to shoe.

Great job!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)

Not bad. Not...spectacular...

[7/10 · 19 July 2023]

Okay, I really enjoyed Bumblebee. RotB has a similar feel.

The good: MORE Characters! Optimus has a bit of a character arc with trust.

It has a simple plot, but it works.

The villain! Scourge was the best villain I've seen in a live action TF movie! So while we have YET to Megatron in this new reboot... he's got to be much more... insane and calculating than Scourge was here!

The actors...I will admit I did not like Elena at first but by the end she grew on me.

Did I say there were more transformer characters!?

The music (well, the incidental music anyway) was really good.

The little brother's plight added a sentimental touch and helped the main character (Anthony's)move his story arc fairly well.

The length was not overly long for a TF movie!!!!

The bad: Wheeljack's head/face. He should have just been called a different name!

The Beast characters finally get some action near the end... but we rarely got to see them in Bot mode which was a shame... Rhinox had some speaking lines... but only in a deleted scene! (ARGH!) The subtitle should have centered on Mirage. While this is not our G1 Mirage... I liked him! This was HIS movie, like Bumblebee carried his. The movie was misnamed.

The 90s stuff in the beginning was...okay. I'm sure some people will get a kick out of some pop tunes from that era (again they are trying to center the movie on maximal characters which are NOT the main cast for the sake of the time Beast Wars was on TV.)... While the 'era' was fine... the whole PC angle just left a bad taste in my mouth. Don't remember anyone with issues getting jobs during that era like that... maybe in the 1950s... but I was unemployed myself in the 90s and I'm 'whyte' as I saw many other people that didn't look like me getting jobs I waa trying to simply get an Interview for! (Anyway)... still it was that overall part of the plot (while slow to start) really picks up when someone tries to steal a Porsche... THEN it turns into Transformers! And it doesn't stop after that!!

Overall I'd watch it again easily. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad. Hope the next movie centers around Megatron. If you expect seeing Primal, Cheetor and Rhinox having adventures... nope not this movie. But still overall not a bad movie in the same vein as Bumblebee.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Better than I anticipated or heard.

[6/10 · 20 January 2020]

Don't listen to the criticism. I went in thinking the worst not really wanting to enjoy it just to see it in the big screen. We used gift cards to see it so we didn't pay much. The movie isn't half bad! I was very surprised. The music was right on par. Everything was better than VIII. Finn did more than nothing! He was the glue and positive energy that kept the crew together while Rey just kept going off on her own. After seeing IX explains why the First Order was taking their time 'finishing' the rebels off in IX (which originally turned me off on VIII). The movie goes FAST. Made for people with ADHD? Maybe but we may just need all the deleted scenes back in. The movie wasn't bad and the end did get a bit sentimental, but it could have taken it's time a little bit for us to breathe. It does make sense. Thankfully I had to get up to use the restroom and missed the whole "they fly now?" Bit. Could have done without seeing 2 girls kiss at the end... why!??? Other than that ONE complaint it was not a bad movie for THIS chapter of this alternative saga created by Disney and wraps everything up rather well. Plenty of neat cameos too. Again I'd watch it again with the extra scenes added in. Give us that 3 hour movie y'all were touting. Worth a few extra viewings actually compared to the ONE viewing of VIII.

John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (2019 TV Movie)

Just.. why. Why?

[2/10 · 1 January 2020]

This is not good and not funny. Gave it 2 stars for how good it looks and the effort into the music. But the political slant, the very weird jokes, pushing conspiracy theories (like the moon landing), making fun of Caroll Spinney passing (done in a very indirect way I might add), among many other ideas (& ideologies) that kids really shouldn't be... watching. Not sure who the audience is supposed to be. Adults who think Mulaney is bbn funny or teens that think Mulaney is funny, yet they gear this towards very young kids as if making fun of Sesame Street, Barney, Mr Roger's, Captain Kangaroo etc... this isn't very funny and wrong on so many accounts. The songs seem catchy and then your hear WHAT they're singing about and we all were taken aback by what they were making these kids sing... very very strange. I didn't find this funny, and not sure what audience this show is for unless they just wanting to help indoctrinate more kids to this kind of thinking because of the major #walkaway movement going on politically that is hurting the actors that refuse to see our nation's realities not being newsworthy for all to hear so they create more of this drivel to help mold our kids mind for the sake of political movement. I could be overreaching and overreacting here but considering who owns Netflix... I would not be surprised. Netflix is churning out a bunch of crap and changing all sorts of properties just for the sake of continuing the PC movement. Anne with an E never had a certain type of person in the novels, Voltron never had a certain type of person and immoral sexual preferences were never intended in Voltron a KIDS show too, among many other Netflix shows they are streaming now, and don't get me started on the Messiah coming out soon. We just need to all stop paying for Netflix... go back to buying DVDs and Blu Rays...

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

A beautiful haunting story

[9/10 · 8 November 2018]

This show was captivating from the start. The characters, the music, the setting, the plot... are all wonderful. Now I want to say for the record that didn't seem like a horror genre show at all. I think people are mislabeling the show. This is an atmospheric intense ghost drama. All the personalities have a lot of depth. This show excels in character development, camera direction and editing. This is not a slasher nor jump scare fest. It isn't a Steven King novel. I know nothing about the original novel, but this show had me hooked. The events seem disjointed at first from present to the past until the viewer gets used to the flow of the show. (Many shows are doing this style now). I love it when... well (not wanting to spoil anything) when the actors actually 'mix'. It's really neat. Some segues are a joy to watch. And everyone's favorite episode 6 is the best of the entire show, for good reason. This series will have you watching it again and again. While many did not like the ending, I did. It Seemed very fitting, like a bow on a package. I thought it wrapped the whole season very well. They way it ended did seem very final, yet like more stories could be told. Most of the community doesn't want it to continue but as long as it doesn't become Pet Semetary 2... I think it could work. My wife and I became hooked I Stranger Things and Lost in Space... this trumps both of those shows. I just wish f bombs didn't fly about when the family starts yelling at each other. Other than that this is a wonderfully told story filmed very well. It's not fast paced and not very 'scary' like the original Phantasm it's all about the atmosphere.

The Emoji Movie (2017)

Not as bad as you've heard.

[7/10 · 18 September 2018]

We heard how bad this movie was online but my 9 year old son was chomping at the bit to see this. We finally saw it when it came to Netflix. This was a very cute movie! Wasn't completely sure what it was about going in, but this a much more enjoyable movie than what I was lead to believe. Yeah, the plots is a bit predictable and borrows heavily from other kids CGI movies like Wreck it Ralph and other kids fare. It has its moments and had me chuckling from time to time with its somewhat dry humor which is my kind of humor. All the product placement didn't bother me (which is what I think a lot of people really don't like) but I'm fine with it since it tends to bring us closer with the real world. It's not a 'great' movie but it's cute family movie overall. Even my teen daughter even got into it after hearing how bad it was and liked it. Never judge a movie by its 1 star reviews....

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

Better than expected!

[7/10 · 12 July 2017]

Trying not to spoil anything here. The movie was much better than I anticipated! I had spoiled much for myself before going to see it. The plot was better than Age of Extinction. There were Transformers all over the place. Some of the transformations were really cool. A few filler characters did not speak, nor transform (like the submarine!) But there were tons of little scenes that stole from Beast Wars, Transformer Prime and even the 1986 movie! Yes the movie is an explosion fest. It's a Bay film... expect it. Yes the movie is long, but it actually moved right along connecting the dots fairly well for us this time. The effects were great and better than the fourth installment. I found the movie to be rather good! And here's the rub. This would have rated R 'back in the day'. Fair warning, if you're taking your young kids (who might be collecting the sad-looking toys)... there are more curse words in this movie compared to all the ones before it. Bay went out with a blast in three ways. 1 in story. 2 with explosions. 3 and with the language. It was really cool seeing some of the older and previous actors showing up in this movie and tying everything somewhat together. Where they will go from here is anyone's guess. I want to say more, but really don't want to spoil anything. And the Decepticons have more personality (finally) than ever. Yeah, there are a few dots WE have to connect. Megatron probably hated being called something that humans named him, AND from their 'creation' from the previous movie. It's not hard to image him 'rebooting' himself. (Heck, the Creator could have!) Bumblebee may have had secret meetings with what was left with KSI from the previous movie in order for him to have some of HIS abilities. The connections are not really there, just something for the audience to put together (it's not THAT hard, people). Now remember this is the TRANSFORMERS world/universe. So check out all the previous series to understand some of these movies (you don't HAVE to... but it helps). I only had one gripe with ONE human character (the nerdy guy that shows up near the end)...

This is a fun 'splosion fest Transformer movie that was very fun to watch. Loved the car chases! Don't listen to the critics! Just go see it on the big screen. Hate I missed the 3D showings... darn. It was missing some decent humor, but overall one of the better TF movies! Lots of bots! You might go "Where'd he get THAT!?" or "How did they know this?" at times, but it's just an action movie. Just go with it.

Beauty and the Beast (I) (2017)

E Gad... could have been SO much better...

[7/10 · 23 March 2017]

The movie was great. The score was a wonderful mixture of the original tunes plus 3 new tunes as well, but no "Only Human" figure that one out. The cast was brilliantly picked, though Belle came off a bit stiff from time to time. The effects looked great, most of the time. Now my main complaint. Gad. Why. Why do they continue to hire this guy? He wasn't very funny in The Comedians. I couldn't stand his character in Angry Birds. The butt jokes in Frozen, and then we saw his dairy rotund and crack in Pixels with his antics in that movie (which would have been better without that actor...) And then they use him like a bad Kleenex in this film. Can we just stop hiring Josh Gad. He embarrasses the parents that try to take kids to a decent movie... every time. Beauty & the Beast was wonderful, but would have been so much better without Josh Gad. He ruins every movie his mug shows up in. Secret hidden Disney agenda or just continued hiring of a bad/disgusting actor over and over?

Jem and the Holograms (2015)

A great family movie you miss due to the critics...

[7/10 · 7 March 2016]

Now I am over 40 with some pretty old fashion music sense. I didn't watch Jem, maybe an episode or two.... I watched Transformers and GI Joe, but I sort of knew the characters. Well, we missed this in theaters last year and finally rented it over the weekend. My kids have been biting at the bit to see this, so we did.

I have to admit, I thought this was a wonderful family made origin story for an update on the Jem idea. The girls (eventually Rio) helping Jem solve the robot's puzzle had the mystery energy of the old cartoon. Many of the outfits were reminiscent of the cartoon's style too. The whole idea used using internet viral videos was pretty neat, considering this whole "ME" era of our country currently in this very hi-tech and very selfish times. Yet, Jem's viral music video was different, and her FAME helped give others a very inspirational type of not just viral fame, but a positive energy helping others 'feel better' not found in any other movies. The music, while admit, not very memorable, had energy and was enjoyable to listen to. Wish the music had been a little more.... Bubblegum Crisis style to it... or use some of the music from the old cartoon, did they? I have no idea. But it was good. Finishing the robot was not the real main plot, but in a way it was... the plot revolved around Jem and her band. They fall out, and eventually get all back together again due to an interesting twist.

This leads me to the ending. Wow. The majority of the people that either, failed to see the movie due to the trailer, or failed to see the ending, really missed the end to the end. The Misfits DO fit into the plot. They WERE there prior to Jem's rise to fame (we just don't see that part). And the ending leads to a possible sequel, I guess we're just not going to see... I would have LOVED to see the Misfits modern techno music go against the more funk/rock of the Jem & the Holograms. If I was a betting man, I bet they were going for a trilogy... and all we've seen is their origin story. Origin for Jem's band and the Misfits origin... unfortunately we're not going to see a sequel. Where it could very well spurned more meat & potatoes from the original cartoon stories with both bands in play in the sequel and a possible all-out cat fight.

All girls, all music, mystery and a rise to fame. Jem, it's not a bad movie if you watch it. Or you can be in the other camp, and say it's bad, not see it because in your mind you 'know' its bad and critique it before even seeing it. Which tends to be the norm today and the easiest way to destroy good family movies.

Krampus (I) (2015)

A New Wonderful Kreepy Kristmas movie, welkome Krampus

[9/10 · 16 December 2015]

Kouldn't help myself. Saw this on a Tuesday by myself at a local theater where the tickets are $5 on Tuesdays. Anyway, let start. I walk into the theater house with a drink and Goobers. It was pitch black in there. No one else was inside. The screen was not lit showing...anything. I sat pretty close to the screen in the darkness. Then after a few trailers, the movie started.

I have to admit, this movie is mislabeled. It really isn't a horror movie exactly. It was great, spooky and dark. Being in the theater all alone, the surround was creeping me out. I kept thinking someone was over to my right when no body was there! Now the rest: The movie was wonderful. The message how Christmas is lost to commercialism, anger, and family strife really hit home in a new way. The family reminded me of my own getting together at my grandmothers house across town! Really! The actors were each wonderfully picked. Loved Emjay as Max. Howie Jr was perfect as the fat dumb thick headed kid. As he went for his 'treat'... I kept hearing Rupert from Harry Potter in my head saying "How thick can ya get!?" What this movie has that others miss out on is ambiance. The atmosphere, the darkness, the loneliness of being the one family around (possibily) on the street. The fear of losing someone, the fear of the impossible, and the fear of 'death'. OK, let me explain why this isn't horror. They way things happened, reminded me of the original Willy Wonka movie - you just don't see the kids come back. As a kid, the movie (Willy Wonka 1973) really freaked me out. Krampus just didn't, but don't stop watching it! And don't let them put the fire out! The personalities, from the actors to every THING else was spot on. Very little CGI here (there is and it's used quite well), which helped create a little more chaos.

The music. There really wasn't much music. When it was there it filled in the incidental moments well. The regular Christmas music was used VERY well, which is part of the comedy itself! I failed to sit through the credits. I hear there are some cool tunes in the credits. The Krampus version of Carol of the Bells has many people's attention.

The effects were mainly practical which made everything seem more realistic. From the parents funny comments when things were getting tough, to the things they were fighting! And boy they did give the good fight! The story holds its own, though simple. I wonder if Krampus was planning on hitting these people even before Max wrote his letter... or maybe that was just the icing on the cake. His letter is very key too. The emotional turmoil these people face really puts them all through a quick emotional blender for some really funny one liners. It almost seemed to me there were 3 different endings... I could be wrong. But this was a wonderful 'adventure nightmarish Christmas ride' I have ever seen. This movie will be my Christmas guilty-pleasure viewing each year once it's released on Blu Ray. Despite the events, I wished the language had been tone down somewhat. It was OK, but since it's not a 'real' horror movie, they could have pulled in a bigger audience. While some wish it had been R rated with more gore and language, I'm thinking just the opposite...but only wish the language was toned done a bit.

The rub: Everyone continues to compare this to Gremlins! Really? In Gremlins, we see Gremlins killed, people killed, and havoc on an entire town in the old comic-style humor. We weren't really supposed to take Gremlins TOO seriously despite the gravity of it all. Krampus on the other IS supposed to be taken seriously, but with humor and heart. It is a Chrismtas spook-fest! It has it's funny moments, but the tone is more serious than Gremlins. And... well, I don't want to spoil the ending. With Krampus, they pull a many ideas from A Christmas Carol, the 'lessons being learned' etc... and they did that very well. I left the theater on a good-vibe emotional high I haven't felt from a movie in YEARS.

The TRUE comparison. When you watch this, don't think Gremlins think, Willy Wonka, Private Eyes, And Then There Were None, Clue, Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Carol... all that brings us to Krampus. Not exactly the correct-looking Krampus, nor does he come down... on the correct date, but overall you won't care. The movie does it's job rather well. Every detail counts even the creepy 'parade' we see near the end! Maybe my family should integrate Krampus on December 5th... hmm... I should make myself a mask! Wha ha ha! And there are a lot of masks! READ THE TRADE PAPERBACK!

Pixels (2015)

Very funny, and easily re-watchable

[6/10 · 10 August 2015]

Pixels was a cute movie with wonderful visuals. Independence Day this is not, so don't go looking for anything serious here... this is a COMEDY! If there's a moment they can interject 80's nostalgia... they're going to do it. And they did with style I have to say.

The plot was simple... like an old arcade game... three tries and you're safe. Still not sure how the 'cheating' was done... but when you 'see' the codes... they are all various codes for home games- I think. Saw a glimpse of the Konami code in there too! Trying not to spoil too much. Will say the comedy had me laughing. My little girl got many of the jokes too. The action was pretty cool, and made you just want to jump in a join the silly antics. Now the bad... some of the adult jokes did seem a bit much for a mixed audience, and younger kids. Now, when Dinklage mentioned the 2 girl sandwich... I HAD to laugh when we see the women he wanted to see and... yes, they had a sandwich in hand! The best pun of the WHOLE movie. Yes, one guy "gets the girl." But I hate to say, she wasn't a 'girl' to begin with... and it was a lifetime fatuation... it was weird, and even Sandler's character made a funny comment about it too. Some may have object to it... but again, it just bad humor, which was actually funny and is the cause for the follow up scene in the credit. You can NOT take this movie too seriously.

Now the REAL bad. Josh Gad... he should NOT have been in this film. When the trailers were shown months ago... my little girl was excited because she KNEW he voiced Olaf... well, Olaf he AIN'T and he makes Sandler's comedy seem classy. He was the wrong age, the wrong comedy, and just all around would have been a better film without the terrible, the lewd, and the wrong: Josh Gad. If he screamed one more time or showed his crack another time... I'd have left the theater.

Overall the movie IS enjoyable and plenty of game CGI eye candy for all to see. And that's where the real gems in this movie are. The game characters! Q-Bert actually talks - which took some time to get used to. But Pac Man had some personality, so did Donkey Kong, and some of the others. Many details to take in all at once, is why I actually suggest a second viewing, just for the details alone. Yeah, the plot line is thin, but it's fun. Yeah, they could have blasted the ship out of the sky I guess... but where's the fun in that? It's silly, it's fun, it's a visual treat. Ignore Josh Bad, and enjoy the movie! I might have given it a higher rating had Gad not been in it. And people are complaining about Sandler!? It's better than you think... especially if you know these games, or born in the 1970's and remember all the fads of the 80's.

Jurassic World (2015)

A true sequel to a classic film

[10/10 · 12 June 2015]

OK, I read the 2 novels before the original movies came out, and was hooked back in 1991/92 when the original movie came out. Fell in love! And really have enjoyed the 2 sequels for what they're worth. Then, came out with Jurassic World, used our favorite Starkilled... and we have an amazing movie. I'm still riding a high from seeing it last night. It was just so good. I spoiled a few moments for myself, but overall was still surprised at the ending, despite it's Mortal Kombat predicted finish. The CGI was top notch and had us really believing these creatures were real. A worthy movie to see over and over again. I really do not want to spoil a THING. I would not say this movie is sexist in anyway... not sure where people picked up on that, but will say it is heavy on the testosterone(did I spell that correctly?). Which isn't a bad thing. Jurassic World has a wonderful build up, some good personalities, and a few main 'side characters' are killed off! We see some personalities actually change through the movie. Claire, Zach, and even Gray and Owen to some extent. I'll say this: Claire learns some humility and heart. Zach learns real love over shallowness to some extent, Gray learns true courage, and Owen (with already enough faith and trust) gains even more (and a fan club). Though the one character who comes back... I wonder if they grew his character more from a twisted version from the original novel. (Real the original novel!)

Don't let the trailers anger you, you will root for the raptors, and you will LIKE IT! The raptors aren't exactly 'tamed', barely. Think Dug from Up. This is the true sequel to the original movie Michael refused to give Spielberg years ago... instead Creighton wrote about irregular students outside of the norm, attached to a character akin to Spielberg's personality, and gave us a more boring version of Malcolm (that sung Dixie no less), and Harding, who was a woman who to was hard to understand and not very likable. And the end of the second book was... lackluster to say the least. Not want Spielberg wanted. Still a good novel and fun read.

The island is back, the locations, the look, and we see some of its 'history' (wish we saw more of the attractions). This is the true sequel and it the summer smash for 2015. If you like the original Jurassic Park movie, you can not miss out on this movie. It fits so well, and open enough for a few questions and a sequel. Which makes one think... they could... no wait, can't say it. It might spoil the ending! Ha ha! They do mourn a character that dies. A plot twist here or there... the final fight is simply amazing. Cool tributes to the original movie (and Stan Winston - there's a building named after him, look for it, I saw it!) This was an excellent movie and a definite 10 in my book. Easily rewatchable.

Please note, it seemed a little more gory than the previous movies with a little more blood. The cursing was actually minimal. I wouldn't take anyone under 7 or 8 to see it. The gore was kind of cool though. More detail than we had in the originals other than "I think this was Gennaro..." Great movie, plenty of dino on dino fighting action. Don't listen to the naysayers. No contrived endless conversations about dinosaur behavior here.

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

Almost the best of the 4

[8/10 · 30 June 2014]

OK, I saw it opening weekend, and I cannot understand all the hate. (well, I think I have an idea, but no one will touch it so I won't either, because it is a major spoiler). Speaking of which, Kelsey Grammar was a wonderful villain! On with the review: It's been 5 years since the battle of Chicago. The Transformers are being sought out for various reasons. The 'bad guys' are supposedly going after Decepticons for 'materials', except they're going after more than just Decepticons... If Tucci had a silly metal cap on his head he could have been Dr Arkevil from the G1 cartoon. There are many more references from the previous Transformer shows that I thought were done rather well. An old villain does come back. Another obscure Autobot? comes back too. It is tied to the previous 3 movies. Now let's inject something from G1 shall we? Think back to the creation of the Stunticons and Aerialbots. What plot was going on during those two episodes? A plot device comes from that episode that was also seen curiously during Beast Machines. Enter a new character from the Animated series... possibly the best new character in the Movie Universe. He's awesome (yet another villain).

Despite the naysayers, the plot was pretty good. And Prime had an ace up his sleeve he wasn't sure he wanted to use, but had to. The effects were great over all (a few times it seemed to slip). There were some neat elements used. And don't forget, in the first season of G1... Autobots and Decepticons all flew in robot mode. After the first dozen episodes I took it, it took too much energon for them to fly in Earth's atmosphere... Now let's take a page right out Season 3 G1, from the Five Faces of Darkness, I won't say what, and to the plot. Even then we can only still guess... Now I thought the acting was well done, it's been worse. I was hoping the language was toned down... somewhat, but not really. I took my 9 year old daughter, and was "we don't say" about every 6 minutes, so in a sense it still felt like the first 3 (PLEASE WATER DOWN SOME OF THE LANGUAGE)... BUT it was so much better overall, no lewd humor, and no real sexual humor. There was some sexual innuendo twice, but that was about it. There is much more Transformer footage this time around. Prime's character really gets some added development unlike any we've seen before. He's not the stoic cardboard cutout of G1 anymore. He's not continuing to make speeches or saying "I AM OPTIMUS PRIME." Every 20 minutes like the other 3 movies (or so it felt). Cade and Prime really have an interesting relationship and it showed. What the movie lacked was showing respect for your parent(s). I couldn't stand that. But everything seemed much more... personal this time around on many different levels. Overall the action seems more intense, the plot held better than Revenge of the Fallen. The ending really opens a few questions and leaves us with a decent cliff hanger. Overall the movie had a good opening and decent ending while teasing us for more. Yeah, it is a long movie... but it flowed so well, it didn't seem like I had been sitting for 3 hours. My two gripes would be the boyfriend character, and KSI's transformations were odd. They make some sense after re-seeing Ravage sneak into the facility holding the shard in Dark of the Moon, but still... it's...different.

I'd watch it again when the time can be be made. Very enjoyable movie. Almost as memorable as the 2007 movie. My two gripes would be the length, the boyfriend character, and KSI's transformations were odd. They make some sense after re-seeing Ravage sneak into the facility holding the shard in Dark of the Moon, but still... it's...different. Overall, a great movie.

Phantom Quest Corp. (1994–1995)

Too short lived anime OAV...

[8/10 · 28 October 2013]

Yugen Kaisha aka Phantom Quest Corp, I pull out once a year to watch. One of the funnier Japanese anime I own. It's dark tones, quirky characters, and decent action and comedy is par to none. All 4 episodes are great, and slowly introduces characters to the Corp of monster hunting crew. Always wished they'd go back and either finish the OAV or bring out a feature length film, to introduce another addition, and more lipstick/light saber action. Many older Japanese anime need a comeback, and this one should be at the top of the list despite it didn't even get started. The perfect mix of Ghostbusters meets Japanese anime! Pick it up if you can find a copy!

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)

Great movie. Better than the first.

[8/10 · 12 August 2013]

I enjoyed the first movie even though it deviated from the novel. Sea of Monsters tries to correct a bit of the Percy universe towards the good. I thought the movie was great, the CGI decent (could have been better in spots), and the action was fun, and the emotion was uncannily sucked me in. Now I've read all the books and the novels are a hoot. There were a good many original plot points missing... and the ending was completely different. The thing is, they brought two or more of the books together. The only thing I can think of, is maybe when "Skrone-looking" (Gauntlet Legends anyone?) Kronos was not at full power when he showed up near the end, but then he's not really supposed to show up. And my friend was put out "Luke again? over hi father... AGAIN?" I had to explain how Luke is being used, and Kronos is somewhat possessing Luke (something not mentioned in the movie). Plus if the whole idea was to revive someone at the end (not Kronos)... then this breaks the plot of the original plot badly... because it's was Luke's plan from the beginning and WHY the tree is poisoned to begin with. Overall, I'mm the only one in my family that reads the books, and only knew about the inconsistencies. But everyone absolutely love the sequel over the first movie, and may very well have my little girl wanting to read the books now finally. And that's what these movies are all about.

The Big Bang Theory: The Santa Simulation (2012) Season 6, Episode 11

The Christmas Vicegrip

[10/10 · 27 December 2012]

This had to be the funniest episode of BBT I've ever seen. We watched it a good 4 more times On Demand over the Christmas holiday we found it so funny. Sheldon and the guys include Stuart in a 'guys night out' playing Christmas D&D. While the girls decide to have their own 'night out'. In a few uncanny twists of fate, Raj goes with the girls, Amy becomes jealous of Raj, Sheldon does NOT save Santa, and the whole D&D game nearly goes to pieces when we get another glimpse of a very interesting bit of Sheldon's history that finally allows Sheldon to show a bit of emotion over someone lost long ago. The entire family loves quoting the last line of the episode as said by Santa Claus! A brilliant episode to the lackluster 6th season, hope Stuart becomes a regular. Now if they can just find a girl for Raj... could Amy be the girl for Raj?

The Lorax (2012)

Decent movie to help brainwash the young'uns

[3/10 · 5 March 2012]

I took my 3 year old to see this, while my wife took my 7 year old to see The Secret World of Arrietti. I wish I saw the Ghibli movie instead. This movie can give young kids all the wrong impressions on capitalism, the simple satisfying way of earning money through hard work, and being made to think all companies are big, bad and evil!? I can see the movie's point, which was more extreme than the book I might add, but it rubbed it into the ground until the dirt was gone and all you could see was ugly clay. The plastic jokes were funny, but there seemed to be no threat to the characters at ALL, they cough on rare occasion and would open an air bottle akin to Spaceballs on occasion, but that was it, nothing a Halls cough drop would cure. I love Pom Poko, and like Wall-E, but this was rub it in your face environmentalism than I have EVER seen done in a children's film. Funny thing is, when Seuss published The Lorax America was much more self sufficient back then than we are now. We had more steel, metal and industrial companies compared to what we have now. The red haze over industrial cities are gone, as well as are the products which are made mainly over seas now. Was this movie made for third world countries? And when I have to explain to my son how more forests are taken down mainly due to housing projects and more and more garden (Cookie cutter) homes with itty bitty yard is more of a culprit for missing woods and forests, while we have many empty houses elsewhere (like our own personal neighborhood) and even more half empty strip malls every 3/4 mile around us. I'll agree we're a wasteful society, but to make it out the whole world hinges on one seed...seems a bit much to me. People are planting trees and gardens and greenery all the time. Dustructive weather seems to be doing a better job of taking down trees right now than any company I know of. Plus those "smiling pretty kids" (that can't act and only read cue cards) over at Disney Channel seem to be planting plenty of trees over and over on their commercials with the FLOTUS. Let them do it. But while the Lorax looked the part, the movie looked good, sounded good, but it was so focused on plot, the characters seemed to lack some depth especially one connection they made obvious near the end, but didn't even resolve. If you're not a tree hugger, pass on this one. And the only thing that was memorable for my 3 year old was the same scene we saw on the trailer... the whole "THIS is a woman!?" line, and the poor Lorax was treated like Beetlejuice, his use was lacking over-all as well. The main point I could get out of this movie was and old man tricking a young boy to do something illegal(escaping town over and over) so the old man could see the boy every day and tell him stories... there's something a little sick about that to me too... but the graphical representation was pure Seuss to the end and that at least looked great, just wish the movie's plot had been a little better.

The Smurfs (2011)

A Great Kids movie

[8/10 · 8 August 2011]

We took our 2 kids to see this with varied expectations after reading various reviews. There are SO many nods to the old show, and their creation, Smurfette's creation, I did not have an issue with the plot at all. Yeah take the old He Man plot and insert Smurfs, except, the Smurfs did a much better job with this than He Man ever did. They didn't use the word "Smurf" for just censorship, they used it as their verbs also. (Hey, transformers used "Slag" in Beast Wars.. what's the difference people, and Beast Wars was TV!?) At the intro we even see a glimpse of the nearby Kingdom where William and PeeWee came from, but the story doesn't go in that direction, obviously. The plot is simple, the violence is minimal, any real cursing is non-existent. So thus many people will hate this movie. No smurfs are killed, there is no blood, nothing gets blown up...well, something does now that I reflect on that. It's a fun little movie with many dry smurf jokes. Loved Grouchy's new love interest, hilarious. My 6 year old girl absolutely LOVED this movie. My 3 year old had an issue with the Smurfs not being in every scene...with his attention span. My wife and I even enjoyed it for what it was as well. No one else could have been picked to be the perfect Gargamel. Azrael was spot on and still my favorite character. So if you have the pitter patter of little feet or little blue feet take them to see this little treat, nothing tasteless here. The "chamber pot" scene was even funny. They "sort of" leave a possibility of a sequel, so bring in the "Lone Smurf" for the sequel! Almost gave it a 7/10, but changed my mind because we haven't seen a movie we could take our kids without being embarrassed about them seeing in a LONG time, plus I'm an old Smurf fan. Not much meat here, but a good clean kids movie you'll see in a LONG time. There may never be another movie made like this one, and the Smurfs look very realistic. Did we 3D? Absolutely... not!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

A bucket full of goodness

[9/10 · 22 July 2005]

I will say after seeing the teaser I was skeptical, but liked the tune. Then I saw full trailer, and thought, this could be very good.

As a sucker for Burton's skewed and demented theatrical style from the norm, I thought to myself, "This is a PERFECT story for him to do!" Before the movie came out, there were many people with mixed feelings. Not many were hyped about it, but somehow I was. I would try and see the most recent released photos, then the most recent news, and then any previews on it just before the release. Everyone, including my wife, thought I was a little odd about being hyped about the movie. I remember hearing near the end of last year (2004), that the movie would be much closer to the book, so in Janurary I bought the book and read it in a weekend. It was NOTHING like the 1971 movie. The elements were there, the characters and main story line where there, but some of the personalities just didn't seem the same. (being in my 30's and seen the original movie up-teen thousand times, and being 'scarred' for life when I first saw at a very young age, I know the old movie VERY well).

The movie has been out for a while now, but still very fresh on many viewers minds. After seeing it twice now, I can truly saw this movie could become a cult classic in 8 years. Take Wonka's personality, and make it realistic... he hasn't been in contact with the real world in 15 years. Think about that. The kids all do a wonderful performances and show off the needed almost 2 dimensional personalities very well. Take Burton's use of make-up. Then look at the kids as the come on the screen, who looks the most, weather-beaten, labor-worked, unhealthy soul, honest-looking of the bunch. The one with the LEAST amount of make-up. The other kids are made to NOT look real; it's in the make-up and it's done very well. The special effects are astounding for the most part. Deep Roy, has done the impossible playing 26 different parts. This movie, I think has done, what Lucas SHOULD have done for Star Wars Episode II & III. You can not tell where Roy is real or not or duplicated...it's all very nearly seamless perfection tech wise, and really amazing seeing it pulled off so well (compared to some of the fuzziness in Lucas's EFX used in his last 2 Star Wars movies) and saying something.

I really think this is some of Danny Elfman's best work. He's made some really signature music in the past, but nothing can prepare you for this. And at least 4 of the tunes are nearly right out of the original book, and making it work..... on screen with music that was contemporary 17 years ago or more, but hey, that's OK. If it wasn't; it wouldn't have that 'jingle' it needed for a movie of this side of the demented street, and frankly I love it. Augustus Gloop's song is by far my favorite. I understand Deep Roy had a LOT of fun playing all the parts and even the all the different musical scores. Fair warning, this is not a musical. Mr. Salt's line in reference to the music seems already classic. Some of the instrumental score by Elfman, really hark back to his Beetlejuice days, and it's STILL good.

I can't wait for this movie to come out on DVD, but being owned by WB, I'm always worried about commentaries or deleted scenes, or extra stuff left out. WB isn't known for their DVD extras... and Paramount even less. We'll all have to wait to see what was left out of the final movie as well some behind the scenes footage as well. I can't wait. Toys R Us is/was about the only place I've ever seen that sells the Wonka bars, unfortunately, the chocolate and graham crackers don't taste very well together, or something... and now I can't find them anywhere for sell, good enough, considering I don't even like the taste of them, yet I love chocolate, go figure. I haven't spoiled the story, unless you saw the original from 1971 (like I did) then you already know it!

This movie may not be for everyone, and the logic is between being realistic, a little demented, and definitely 'by the book' (Dahl's), I give it a 9 out of 10 for pure fun and quirky atmosphere that looks ready-to-eat. Once you understand Wonka's character better, I'm sure you'll enjoy the movie even more so, just remember what I said... if you've been out of touch with the world for FIFTEEN years and teaching over a hundred people (who barely speak English, yet sing it VERY well...) how to run your factory, how well would you socialize?