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Danny Collins (2015)
It's Never Too Late to Make Amends
I absolutely loved this movie. It can be so sad and painful that one incident, just one incident, can have a profound effect on your life. Danny not receiving John Lennon's letter until decades later affected his life in ways he could not begin to imagine. How different his life could have been had he known John Lennon wanted to talk with him and he then actually contacted Lennon? Danny's one-night fling with Tom's mother, which resulted in Tom being born, had an effect on Danny's life. How different would both Danny and Tom's lives would have been if they have had a father and son relationship throughout the years.
The acting was superb and the plot was genuinely heartfelt. I absolutely loved this movie. Al Pacino is my favorite actor, and I've seen mostly all of his movies, but this movie was the one that moved me the most. He missed out on so much in life because of missed opportunities, and later in life, he had the chance to rectify and make up for what he had missed. It is never to late to repair the damage. Excellent movie.
To the Wonder (2012)
Boring, Dull, Annoying, Nauseating, Sickening
I had no idea what this movie was about, but when I saw the trailer with Ben Affleck and Javier Bardem, I thought, "cool." Was I ever wrong about this movie. What were these two wonderful actors, Ben and Javier, thinking?? I got the concept that an "artsy" film was the intent of the movie, but there wasn't anything artsy about it. The movie was just dull and annoying. It was bad enough that the audience had to read subtitles, but the subtitles contained the thoughts, not the actual words, but the thoughts of the character. Sickening. And Olga and her daughter dancing and prancing and fidgeting around ALL of the time got on my nerves, it was simply annoying. I can understand why both Olga and her daughter were unhappy in America, they just did not fit in. Who can have a conversation or try to make friends with someone when they are prancing and twirling all the time....non-stop! I found no redeeming value in this movie whatsoever. It was a complete waste of film. As for what happened to the characters in the end?? I don't know because after 30 or 40 minutes of trying to watch the movie, fast forwarding, and then trying to watch it again....I could not take it. I am so glad that I didn't waste money at the movie on this dribble. I had a "three for two" coupon from my video store and I will consider this as my "free" movie. Wow, what an absolute stinker.
The Conjuring (2013)
Enjoyed the Movie, But Not Scary
I really enjoyed the movie, but I was not frightened one bit. I enjoyed some of the tense moments and the unexpected "entities" that popped in and out, but the movie itself was not scary. It appears that Hollywood can no longer produce a truly horrifying movie since the Exorcist. But compared to the swill that is being passed off as horror, the Conjuring is pretty darn good. I just want to point out something that really pisses me off when it comes to horror movies. First, why does every demon possession movie have to get the Catholic Church's permission in order to address a demon?? What about a Methodist church or a Jehovah Witness temple?? Do demons only respond to a Catholic priest or to a crucifix?? And why does everyone assume that all demons can understand or speak Latin?? What about demons that may be affiliated with a Buddhist temple or a Hindu shrine?? What language would be spoken to them?? Second, why do people believe that witches worship Satan?? Witches practice a religion that worship nature, not Satan. It appears that whenever a movie mentions "witch", they pull out Satanism, evil spells, hexes, and possession. Witches adhere to the "Do No Harm" mantra. The movie itself was enjoyable, but it would be refreshing to have a horror movie that does not base its premise on a fallacious religion that not everyone follows. More and more people are turning away from Christianity and maybe Hollywood should too.
Les Misérables (2012)
Les Miserables was Les Awful
I really had high hopes for this movie, especially since it won Best Picture at the Oscars. Best picture, WTF?? This movie is horrible. I barely made it through 40 minutes before I popped the DVD out. And what was up with all that singing, especially if the actor could not hold a note.
When I think of musicals, I think of the King and I; Singing in the Rain; Westside Story, etc....real musicals, not this dribble. The 1998 version starring Liam Neesom and Uma Thurman was much, much better.
The 1998 movie was quite enjoyable. But this crap was beyond awful. I am so happy that I did not go to the movies to see this garbage and waste $10 on it....wasting the $3 that I spent to rent the DVD was bad enough. Wow, what a stinker!! If you value your sanity and want to spare your delicate ears from high pitched screeching, do not see this movie.
Parker (2013)
Ethics and Action, but Mostly Action
I really enjoyed the movie. It was full of action, excitement, martial arts, fighting, explosions, bad guys, and also had a damsel in distress. Who could ask for anything more?? I also enjoyed the one-on-one scenes Jason had with Jennifer Lopez. If his character was not already involved with Claire, he would have easily began a romance with Jennifer. But being the ethical man that he was, he did not want to cheat. That is what I really call a hero.
The movie stars Jason Statham so everyone knows the type of characters that he portrays....a guy which draws down action, action, shooting, guns, martial arts, more guns, explosions, fighting, and chase scenes. The movie won't win an Oscar, but who really cares, it was a movie that entertained and kept its audience awake.
The movie also had a soft side to it. Here was a man who was a very highly-skilled criminal, but he did not want anyone to be harmed. He was upset when the fire at the Ohio State Fair was not set according to plan. He wanted to use his portion of the money from the take to simply disappear. And of course, his partners had to get greedy. Not good. However, as expected, it worked out in the end for Jason.
Why are some reviewers moaning about the movie, when they knew what they were going to get whenever they see the name Jason Statham?? Enjoy the movie for what it is, exciting entertainment.
The Following (2013)
Who Knew Serial Killers Could Be So Much Fun??
I know that the storyline and plot were far-fetched and unrealistic, and that the cult followers, police, and FBI agents were idiotic, but we are dealing with serial killers.....they don't play with a full deck anyway!! For instance, in the movies Silence of the Lamb and Seven, the storyline and plots were intriguing, exciting, gritty, sharp, suspenseful.....downright superb, BUT the serial killers themselves were insane!!! That's what make a TV show or movie about serial killers so satisfying because we never know what to expect. Most of the scenes did get ridiculous at times, but again, when it comes to serial killers we can't predict what they will do. Silence of the Lamb, Seven, Psycho, and American Horror Story are once-in-a-lifetime and rare. Why not just enjoy the show for what it is, entertainment?? And besides, I love Kevin Bacon, so I was ready to be one of the "following" until the series ended!!
The Starter Wife (2008)
Absolutely Ghastly
I absolutely loved Will and Grace, and so I thought the Starter Wife would be similar to it. Will and Grace was witty, funny, sharp....the Starter Wife TV series was appalling and was nowhere close. I had never watched the show and rented the DVD to check it out. The show was so ghastly that I could not finish watching the entire disc. Flat, stupid, idiotic are some of the words that come to my mind in regards to this show. I completely understand why there was only ONE season of this show. Honestly, I am surprised that the season did not end at the first episode. It was unbearable.
I will try my best to wipe my mind clean and only picture Debra Messing as the charming and funny Grace Adler from one of my most favorite shows, Will and Grace.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Lessons Learned (2012)
Cover Up
The episode, "Lessons Learned" is one of the most superb TV episodes of any show I have seen in years.
The episode was poignant, blunt, truthful, realistic, and well written. In real life, so many prestigious universities and schools cover up the abuse of their students to avoid tarnishing their reputations and losing tuition dollars or Federal funding. Lives are destroyed. Emotional pain occurs. I have seen first hand how closely guarded secrets can destroy. A child tells his parents how an uncle or next door neighbor abused him and the child is dismissed. The abuser continues on harming more children and the emotional pain ensues for the rest of his life. What can society say to him, except that society accepts child abuse if it's nicely packaged and presented to us with a pretty bow.
Excellent episode. Law & Order SVU continues to have story lines that blows its audience away!! Superb!!