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Showing posts from March, 2014

Need for Speed 2014 (Definitely NOT a review)

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( source ) This would be short and simple.  I liked it.  I can't say I loved it, but I liked it.  I think Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots really have on-screen chemistry(they also had a Valentine movie called LONG WAY DOWN ). Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson's Dakota appears as Anita, the former love of Tobey's life and I believe she delivered.  I am so tempted to compare this movie to THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, but the only things similar are the speeding cars, friendship and camaraderie.  Other than that, the story is totally different.   By the way, there's only a quarter of a story .  The three quarters are mostly racing cars and different kinds of air transportation. ;-) Anyways, even if I didn't love it, I enjoyed it very, very much.  I can't wait for the sequel.    THE END :) Links to reviews: The Playlist Rotten Tomatoes Forbes.com Metacritic From the WWW: The story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country race against time-on

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2014 (PG)

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Chris Evans alone, for me, is reason enough to watch this movie, but  I like the on-screen chemistry of Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, even if I think the Black Widow is meant for someone else.  Anthony Mackie as the much slower Falcon was convincing and of course, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury was superb.  You've gotta love that very intense scene when he was trapped inside his very intelligent  car.   I don't think I could say the same for Robert Redford.  He was just so, so as Alexander Pierce.  That was very disappointing because I respect him a lot.  I still do, but... Anyways, he was not bad, so I guess it's OK. Cobie Smulders, as Mara Hill, should be given more exposure in the offing.  Sebastian Stan as Bucky or the Winter Soldier , is so sexy. My guess is that he would have a bigger role in the next episode.   Bucky as Winter Soldier. Promotional art for Captain America vol. 5, #11 (Nov. 2005), by Steve Epting . It's a bit

Divergent (2014) - PG 13

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Thankfully, in my opinion, this is 3/4 faithful to the book.  Almost everything that happened in the movie is how I imagined it to be.  Sure, there were some changes for cinematic purposes, but some of them were forgivable. Shailene Woodley, nowadays, looks more glamorous and beautiful, but here, since she plays sixteen-year-old Tris, she looks a little bit plainer than usual, so she was overshadowed, at least physically, by the handsome Theo James. Some people were comparing this to THE HUNGER GAMES, but I believe that the only thing similar about them is their being dystopic and post-apocalyptic. Other than that, the stories and the twists are totally different.   If people were to ask me what story I like better, I would choose Veronica Roth's trilogy over Suzanne Collins' best sellers, even if I like both sets. Zip-lining at Jimmy Kimmel's Show Oh how I want to be in Tris' place(haha!) Theo James and Shailene Woodley have

Mercury Rising-1998 (for the nth time)

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This movie is important to me because of Simon( Miko Hughes )'s character.  A genius locked inside an autistic boy(autistic savant). My two younger brothers who are now in heaven were autistic savants too.  They might not have been as brilliant as Simon, but I'm mighty proud of them and I miss them so much. Reviews?  Leave it to the experts:   My favorite movie critic's review (Roger Ebert) Rotten Tomatoes Portrayal of autism in Mercury rising Handsome Miko John Hughes. He played his role as an autistic savant well. Is it just me, or was this little guy really a scene stealer? ;-) The guns Bruce Willis used Miko Hughes being intwrviewed about his role

People Like Us (2012)

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Director:   Alex Kurtzman Rating  PG-13.  Running Time:  115 minutes Stars:  Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Hall D'Addario, Michelle Pfeiffer and Olivia Wilde ( source ) On the day his latest deal collapses, fast-talking-salesman Sam (Chris Pine) receives the news that his father has died. Reluctantly, Sam returns home to settle the estate of his father. In the course of carrying out the man's last wishes, Sam is surprised to learn of the existence of a 30-year-old sister, named Frankie (Elizabeth Banks). As the sister and brother get to know each other, Sam must re-examine both his perceptions about his family and the life choices that he has made.-  WWW Of all the dumb decisions... Haist.  If I were in Sam shoes and I met this very hot and gorgeous person of the opposite sex who turns out to be my half-sibling, and I have no intentions of letting him know who I am, I would not make him fall in love with me. Sigh. I wanted to throttle Sam's n

Mr. Peabody and Sherman (G)

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To be quite frank, I did not even want to watch this film if it weren't for my nephew.  I have vague memories of Mr. Peabody.  All I knew was that I had shirts and pencil cases with both Mr. Peabody and Sherman. I was not so excited to see this film and I could not lie to my nephew.   Minutes after the film started, I found myself laughing at the witty retorts made by Mr. Peabody.  True, it was twisting history, but at the same time, the movie was introducing characters that were probably new to the younger ones watching. Even the adults like me inside the theater were enjoying almost every moment. There were some innuendos, but like what little Sherman always says, "I don't get it!" the younger ones would probably be oblivious to them. This story deals about adoption too (Father-Son relationships) Mr. Peabody and Sherman of my childhood The old Wayback machine(courtesy of wikipedia)

John P. Marquand's B.F.'s Daughter (via TCM) -1948

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B. F.'s DAUGHTER,  screenplay by Luther Davis , from the novel by John P. Marquand ; directed by Robert Z. Leonard ; produced by Edwin H. Knopf for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. At Loew's State.  "Polly" Fulton . . . . . Barbara Stanwyck  Thomas W. Brett . . . . . Van Heflin   B. F. Fulton . . . . . Charles Coburn  Robert S. Tasmin, III . . . . . Richard Hart   Martin Delwyn Ainsley . . . . . Keenan Wynn  "Apples" Sandler . . . . . Margaret Lindsay   Gladys Fulton . . . . . Spring Byington  The Sailor . . . . . Marshall Thompson  Eugenia Taris . . . . . Barbara Laage   Major Isaac Riley . . . . . Thomas E. Breen   Jan . . . . . Fred Nurney Burton F. 'B.F.' Fulton : [ to Polly ] It's just that I want you to know that lots of marriages... well, aren't the way they say in books... but still they're worth fighting for. --  Charles Coburn   (as Burton F. 'B.F.' Fulton)  in  B.F.'s Daughter Burton F. 

12 Years a Slave(R-13) 2013

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12 YEARS A SLAVE deserves all the accolades and awards it received.  It opened my eyes to a lot of things.  Some of the things I knew about slavery and human trafficking have been sanitized.  Human trafficking is real and until now, there are people who are being taken out of their comfort zones being sold.  Some become prostitutes and some are forced into labor.  Like this movie, some even do both, even more. Solomon Northup was born free in New York City.  He was more than comfortable.  In fact, he was affluent.  He was also very smart and had a very loving family and when he was kidnapped by those demented beings who pretended to be his fans, the things he thought he did not have to experience crushed all his hopes and dreams. Chiwetel Ejiofor , for me, even if I have so much respect and admiration for Matthew McConaughey, IS the best actor among all contenders.   He made me see how people who were misquoting the Holy Bible, used the Word of God to justify their action

The Girl (2012) via HBO

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Growing up with so much respect for THE GREAT Alfred Hitchcock, I will treat this film as a work of fiction and would judge it by how the actors portrayed their roles.  Maybe, just maybe, the accounts except the dates are true.  The master is dead and he would not be able to defend himself, but I read some accounts corroborating with how Gwyneth Huges described him.  Only the people involved would really know what really happened. The Girl 2012 Film The Girl is a 2012 British television film directed by Julian Jarrold, written by Gwyneth Hughes and produced by the BBC and HBO Films. The film stars Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren and Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock. Wikipedia Initial release :  October 20, 2012 Director :  Julian Jarrold Genres :  Biographical film, Drama Networks :  BBC Two,  HBO http://www.hggirlonfire.com/ THE GIRL is a fictionalized story about Alfred Hitchcock's obsession with