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Reviews
Flight of the Navigator (1986)
Nostalgia doesn't save this.
Fond memories aside of being wowed by the then cutting edge technology of the early eighties, the very sloppy editing really shines through today. It's clear and obvious that the directors banked almost entirely on the computer aided imagery to impress the target audience enough to ignore the rest of the elements that make a good movie even for 1986. Even TV's Star Trek the original series of the sixties had better direction and that was TELEVISION. This was a feature length film by Disney, who seemed keen on being the first to claim realistic special effects at the expense of literally everything else. The only other saving grace is the interesting plot.
Don't Look Up (2021)
Highly entertaining and even more relevant
A great mix of satire and seriousness combined with a wonderful cast ensemble, fantastic story telling and superb cutting, this movie perfectly addresses today's issues, symbolically at least, on many levels and how much we fail at handling situations that threaten our way of life. Lawrence and DiCaprio take the cake on their character portrayals, with Leonardo especially selling us on the brainiac scientist he plays who is trying to cope with being thrust out of his comfort zone.
I've watched it several times to catch the many lightning speed nuances and details strategically placed throughout that enhance the plot.
The music is also a winner, while at times it evokes a sense of awe, it also reminds of the ominousness amidst the ridiculousness.
Boss Level (2020)
An Imperfect Movie with a Perfect Message
Of the many cringe-inducing b-movies featuring b-list Hollywood's stars, this one is actually meritorious. Frank Grillo has on-screen presence that perfectly suits his role as a detached father, macho military man caught in a mysterious time loop. The directing of this film is very well executed, revealing plot points at just the right moments that keep the story evolving right until the final frame.
Along with the gratuitous action scenes, you're suddenly sideswiped with an emotional element that blows away all the CGI explosions, guns, and graphic sword fights.
Naomi Watts as the scientist love interest and Mel Gibson as the penultimate antagonist balances out the star power wonderfully.
Whatever wince-worthy instances that occur are overcome with the timeless lesson of facing your most personal fear with renewed resolve.
Transformers (2007)
What 1987's 15yr old me was waiting for
... and FINALLY, 20 years later, the wait was over! And every other dude in his 30's I came into contact with expressed the same sentiment. That alone should warrant a 10 star rating but the departure from certain classic features in favour of over-the-top (and seemingly non-stop) special effects and a good taste of palpable cheese throughout drops the score.
Speaking as a Generation X, avid 80's cartoons and toys buff, and proudly having purchased a 12" Optimus Prime a couple years beforehand, this movie was a boyhood dream come true.
I'm only commenting on the first of the series as the subsequent films get steadily worse with more flavours of sharpness, sourness and yeast.