Change Your Image
billandbonnie
Reviews
Freaky Friday (2018)
Autotune
Autotune. I HATE autotune. A lot. Now I'm just adding stuff so my review's long enough to post.
She just said "I've got perfect pitch". Then why does she need autotune??
The Space Between Us (2017)
Good film
It's rare that I find a movie that my wife and I both like. She's more of a Hallmark movie type; I'm a little more cerebral. But we both enjoyed it. Sure, there are some implausible plot points and bad science, but not enough to destroy the movie. I've seen worse science in some of the Star Trek films. I wish they had budgeted enough for a more plausible future; going to Sam's and playing 2016 Yamaha keyboards probably bugged me more than anything else There's some nice camera-work and a sweeping score. The ending is good enough - satisfying but not too cheesy. The two kids bring you into the story. Get off your high horse and enjoy it.
The Brink (2015)
A Blast!
I am mostly writing this review so that i can give "The Brink" 10 stars. This is the best television I've seen in a long time. Every character is wonderful and unique, no clichés. A plot with so many twists it's like one of the Sidewinder missiles. Almost the entire script could be put in IMDb's "Quotes" section.
Well, the closest thing to a clichéd character is Jack Black himself, who plays the narcissistic self centered buffoon he usually plays. But hey, if it works, go for it.
I could go on and on, but I'm not good at writing reviews and am doing this only to give it ten stars, so, hey, watch it, can't wait til next season comes out.
Emergency! (1972)
The worst 70's TV show ever
I don't understand how or why anyone likes this show. The acting is so deadpan it needs a defibrillator. The predictable plots are a guaranteed yawn inducer. You KNOW the rescue's going to be successful, and nobody ever croaks.Action? Nelson Riddle's score is the most exciting thing on this show, and I often wonder how often he fell asleep while conducting it. Only a laugh track would respond to the heavy handed attempts at humor - and the show doesn't even provide that. In most TV sitcoms there is at least one actor that goes on to greater things - even "The Facts of Life" featured George Clooney in a few final episodes, and Will Smith seems to have done pretty well for himself. But the guys on "Emergency"? Randolph Mantooth is WAY down the line in the cast of an episode of "Ghost Whisperer", and Keven Tighe was in "My Bloody Valentine". This was evidently Julie London's crowning achievement - she never did another thing after this show. So why am I watching it? My wife LOVES this show - and if I expect to get any tonight, I had better show a little interest too.
The Karate Kid (2010)
This remake represents the highest form of flattery
The old adage says that "imitation is the highest form of flattery". But there is a form of flattery that represents an even greater art - imitation which results in a superior product than the original. So it was with Mozart's aping of Haydn's symphonies - he took a form stylized by a predecessor and made it better. So it is with this "Karate Kid" movie. The original, while seldom proclaimed a "great" movie by critics, was nonetheless a good story told with style and depth - hence its success and longevity. Its immediate successors (sequels) were good entertainment but never reached the apex of the original. However, this movie is in many ways better than the original "Karate Kid". I believe that most likely this is because a much larger budget and more creative people were involved in this project. I am not afraid of giving away information that would consider "spoiling" because I believe that most people seeing this film have already seen the original - who hasn't? The entire story line is represented point by point - young boy is uprooted from his home with only his mother and gets his ass kicked by older boys who are tutored by a vindictive merciless instructor who encourages their bullying. The young boy is in turn mentored by an unassuming martial arts master who reveals the mysteries of the Orient as well as martial arts prowess. In the grand finale, young boy kicks ass himself and, against great odds and unfair play, wins the tournament - and his self respect (and the girl). Even the same subplots and back story are there - tragedy in the life of the mentor and a love interest for the young boy. Major plot lines of the original are kept intact, some almost verbatim;the boy is set upon by several young hooligans and saved by the mysterious older master, the malevolent opposing martial arts instructor attempts to win the tournament by foul play ("Sweep the leg" in the original and "Break his leg" in this remake). One part that does not work as well in this remake is Mr Han's drunken episode compared to the same sequence in the original that almost won Pat Morita an Oscar. One reason I think that this film works better than the original is that it is set IN the Orient,emphasizing the "stranger in a strange land" emotions of the young boy. Jada Smith plays the part of the young boy on a consistently cooler level than Ralph Macchio did - and he's prettier too. But "The Karate Kid" was a good story to begin with, and greater talent and a greater budget (beautiful cinematography of Chinese landmarks and displays of Asian culture and people) make this a much better film.
Marley & Me (2008)
Not just a kid's movie
Jennifer Anniston is HOT!!! As the previous comments reflected, this is not just a fluffy dog movie. It is also not another "dead dog" movie, although there is certainly a dead dog involved. I went to this movie because my 10 year old daughter had read the book and wanted to see it; I didn't realize that it was NOT "Disney fluff" or the like. In fact, I wasn't even aware that Jennifer Anniston and Luke Wilson had the leads. It was, instead, a quite enjoyable slice of life, well done and well acted, not a kid's movie at all. But once again, the most important part - - - Jennifer Anniston is HOT!!!
Oh, and my 10 year old like it too.