woodiah Reviews

Jobs (2013)

Wait Till it Comes to the Small Screen

[4/10 · 17 August 2013]

Let's see, well it was worth seeing for me; however, I wished I had waited till is came out on television -- Because it was really a "movie of the week"... do they still have those? To say this movie was weak on facts would imply they got it ALL wrong - Yes, they made some things up doing the "hollywood thing" but they didn't even attempt half the history so they couldn't have gotten it ALL wrong! Parts of his life missing were glaring!

They glossed over years -- Heck decades at points, concentrating on Apple more than Steve Jobs in my opinion... maybe a better name would have been "Apple & jobs - Some of the Years"!

Wait for the movie to hit your TV and know you will still be missing more than half the story!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Expectation to High?

[8/10 · 17 December 2012]

The movie was good, the story great, and the cinematography excellent - I suppose this was a great film; however, I didn't leave feeling it was a great film!

I didn't hit me like the *Lord of The Rings* trilogy had… was I anticipating it to much, expecting to much? …and it just didn't live up to my expectation?

I don't know, it felt slow at times giving us gaps that did nothing. We would see the beautiful world (middle earth) but there was no "building of the story" or filling in the blanks in these "down" periods.

Maybe we are just all to familiar with "Middle Earth" and the characters and that familiarity lends itself to boredom.

Still I would recommend seeing this movie - Just don't expect to much, the anticipation might kill it.

Lincoln (2012)

All Should See

[10/10 · 18 November 2012]

Lincoln was an excellent movie about a very important figure in national history - George Washington may be the father of our nation but Lincoln held it together and kept it from collapsing while still in infancy… The movie captured this pretty well, probably the best a 2.5 hour movie could!

The acting was exceptional and direction superb! This should have a great Oscar night and one of the few, Oscar winning movies, I would say I actually enjoyed!

My only let down was the the lack of young people seeing the movie - My wife and I were one of the youngest couples in the movie… and I fear education and immigration are destroying our national identity by allowing "the people" to forget our history!

I recommend all Americans see this movie and take your children.

There are some "hollywood moments" but you will not find a better movie to start a discussion about a time in our history that was both sad and exceptional!

Enjoy!

The Three Musketeers (2011)

Not a Good Movie

[22 October 2011]

Went to see this movie, only because I have seen the numerous previous ones. I wasn't expecting much and got exactly what I expected... The makers have totally disregarded the fact this story is set at a "time and history" and have gone high tech including ridiculous CG affects. We have flying machines machines, multi-firing cannons, and all with explosions that are totally unbelievable for the "period in history" the story is set in... Other than that, the acting is elementary.

Have an hankering for The Three Musketeers, rent the 1993 version - It abuses the story enough and is watchable!

Skip this one!

Moneyball (2011)

Decent - But Not for the NON-Baseball Fan

[25 September 2011]

First, I disagree with those that say this is a great movie whether you are a baseball fan or not... They are wrong! I took a NON-baseball fan and if they weren't trying to stay awake they were tolerating the film "for me"!

An okay movie, but I felt it moved slow and sporadic through the story. The film had little or no excitement, which was there in the real life, that translated to the screen... by example, when I watched the film Secretariat over half the audience was on the edge of their seat during the final race and we all knew the outcome!(oh and I am not a horse race fan)

The film is somewhat enjoyable, but in a Redbox or Netflix kind of way - Not one I would recommend paying premium or planning a "date night" to see.

Contagion (2011)

Okay - But I thought Slow

[6/10 · 10 September 2011]

The movie was okay, unless you are already germ-phobic, then you might need psychiatric assistance after seeing this movie.

I thought the movie was slow; however, it did have some very interesting stories (& information) within "the story". In fact, maybe two many - There were several "avenues" I would have liked to seen gone further down.

Another problem, several of the "story-lines" left you asking more question at the end of the movie than giving you answers. Characters, issues, and situations were simply left in limbo and I personally don't enjoy movies which end this way.

All in all, I would recommend this movie; however, I would also recommend you wait till you can get it on Netflix our at of a RedBox!

Colombiana (2011)

Not a Good Movie

[1/10 · 10 September 2011]

If I could have thought of anything else to do I would have left!

The heroine looking for revenge forgot that her parents put themselves AND her in the position she was in - Not to mention her uncle, also a murderer!

So we are to sympathize with her as she threatens law enforcement to accomplish her revenge - Not for me!

Basically "Hannah" with darker skin and from a much more evil family.

Here is an idea, tell a story of the daughter rising above the evilness that was her life and maybe only becoming violent to protect herself - If you need the violence.

Don't go see this!

The Help (2011)

Good, Non-Confrontational

[9/10 · 28 August 2011]

Went to this movie at the request of my wife, and am not sorry I did. I recommend it to anyone. One of the best movies that addresses racism realistically - You know, not everyone was evil while some were "evil"... much like the real world. The movie, was for the most part non- confrontational while accurately demonstrating a dark time in history... and shining the light on a person or group can make a difference and pride in ones self isn't a bad thing. The movie is well over two hours but keeps your interest the whole way... The movie takes you through several emotions and is very entertaining. GO see this movie!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Pretty Good, and I am sure there are More to come

[7/10 · 28 August 2011]

The movie was good, good to someone that is an apes fan - This film outpaced Tim Burtons "Planet of the Apes" (remake - http://www.flixster.com/movie/planet-of-the-apes#!lsrc:GSR-MOV-Title) by a long shot! This remake brought the story into the modern age and opened to door for several more to be made... of course, since it is a prequel to another "Planet of the Apes" remake. However, the continued making of these "remakes" says a lot about the creative talent of "Hollywood"... like there is none. If you aren't paying attention you might miss both the launch of the "mission to mars" and the newspaper headlines "mars mission missing"...

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Okay for Science Fiction Fans

[7/10 · 13 August 2011]

If you are a fan of science fiction you will enjoy this movie, and if not you might enjoy. There is action and Harrison Ford does a good job... Daniel Craig not so good. The story has some holes/gaps in it but the overall flow is okay; however, I had a choice between this and "Apes" last week and I choose this (I think a bad choice that I plan to rectify this weekend!). All should enjoy the movie but SyFy fans more than others... you can wait till it is at your nearby RedBox if you want.

It is your basic unrealistic, kill sometime, and entertaining movie that I enjoyed.