PedS's stats
- Review count386
- Helpfulness votes92
- First reviewMay 31, 2008
- Last reviewApril 27, 2013
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.4
Overall rating
2
/
5
highly futuristic version
PostedOctober 23, 2011
The movie is only loosely based on the Alexandre Dumas novel. It incorporates technologically advanced weaponry that would be considered cut from alien technology even in the 21st century. There are, for example, flying man-o-war ships, multi-barrelled crossbows, and ultra-long-range flame throwers. It had moment and some interesting action/battle scenes, just don't expect it to add any insights into the history or plight of the musketeers.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Be Smarter, First, or Cheat
PostedOctober 23, 2011
It's tough to say which one of these actors does a better job, but the results are mind-blowing. This movie takes place on the eve of the start of what we have come to call The Great Recession, one that we're arguably still recovering from. And, yes, the movie captures a fictitious money management firm that was first to figure it out and begin the selling that would ultimately lead the markets to crash. My initial reaction was say, okay, so I've seen this before in several movies. It turned out be different...and better done. I highly recommend this film to anyone who has followed the recession, and especially to those who regularly watch financial shows. This movie effectively dramatizes the feelings traders had prior to the crash, and it was mostly about lining their own pockets and buying the most toys. This is a different world than the one portrayed in the movie, or is it?
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Riveting performances all around
PostedOctober 22, 2011
This is a highly emotional movie about a British social worker who discovers that 150 orphans were illegally shipped off to Australia 40 years ago. He visits them, sets up shop in Australia, gets funding from her employer for a 2-year project, and even goes on TV/radio and publicly trashes the British government and the church responsible for the secret deportations. It's not for everyone, but it's certainly rich source material and gives the stars ample opportunities to showcase their acting talent. I would only recommend it to those who like British history, Australian history, social work, or just gold acting and story-telling.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Scary stuff!
PostedOctober 22, 2011
Paranormal Activity 3 continues to serve up much of the same scary formula of the first 2 movies. You'll have to buy into the formula and accept that it's normal, and acceptable, for a guy to set up cameras all around the house 24/7 to capture paranormal activity. And he does capture strange stuff: kids speaking to ghosts, spirits shutting doors, breaking things, and running around at night. This formula just works and they've even improved on it a bit. See it if you liked the first two, or if you didn't catch the first 2, or if you just want gold old-fashioned edge-of-your-seat horror.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Creepy Hawkes and Stellar Olsen
PostedOctober 22, 2011
John Hawkes nails this role as a calculating cult leader practicing everything from mind control to sustainable farming. Olsen plays an escapee who realizes how evil Hawkes is and makes a run for it. The whole movie is eerie, but the flashbacks involving Hawkes steal the entire movie. His piercing stares and mind control skills are mesmerizing. The ending left me dazed and confused; otherwise this was a solid movie that is a bit cerebral at times, and highly effective at it.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
Painful relationships and memories
PostedOctober 16, 2011
Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe play a sone and father who have hated each other as long as they could each remember. Dafoe's character was, apparently, physically and verbally abusive to Reynolds'. He seems to get angry at the mere site of him, and it's disturbing to watch flashbacks with them. The present day isn't much better. They're coping with the death of a close one (I won't say who to not ruin the beginning) who happened to be the only one they all liked. The subject matter of this movie is just too heavy to take and the presentation to messy to recommend. See it only if you're interested in the topic and are in the mode to see a 2-hr movie about one of the most dysfunctional and hateful families ever captured on film.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
Overly simplistic thing
PostedOctober 15, 2011
How can something that crash-landed in Antarctica over 100,000 years ago still be alive? And that's just the beginning of the implausibilities that you'll get hit with in this movie. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the implausible, just as long as the writer/director took the time to present it to me in an entertaining matter -- that's not the case in this mess of a movie. It also bothered me that the Thing was so easy to kill with fire. I would've expected a bit more resilience from something that could regenerate after having been frozen for over 100,000 years! This movie can't even be called a guilty pleasure. Just do yourself a favorite and skip it entirely.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
A master at play...
PostedOctober 14, 2011
Almodovar has done it again! This movie is edge-of-your-seat exciting. The story is so convoluted that it's hilarious to watch it unfold. Basically, it's about a surgeon whose wife gets badly burned in a car accident. His daughter is also suffering from mental illness. And then there's the revenge he exacts against a man who took advantage of his daughter when she was beginning to show signs of improvement and was released from a mental institution. Without divulging too much, I'll just say that this movie is intensely sexual and emotional. There are many subplots and flashbacks, but all of them are masterfully woven into the story. You will leave the theater thinking about what you just saw, some of it is silly but the whole is nothing short of good entertainment.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Better than the original
PostedOctober 14, 2011
I was presently surprised early on in this movie when it hit me that it was going to be better than the original from 1984. They retained the simple, small-town nature of the original characters, updated the music, improved the dancing and choreography, and even the dialog was better. Don't get me wrong, the original Footloose is a classic dance movie and this will draw attention to it because it's well done. And by the way, Julianne Hough is very hot!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Butch Cassidy's last ride!
PostedOctober 9, 2011
Butch Cassidy apparently lived out his golden years in Bolivia, bedding young country girls and stashing money away to eventually make his way back to San Francisco to see a son he never knew. This get really complicated when a Spaniard shoots him and spooks his horse and his money and other worldly belongings. As it turns out, the Spaniard is a thief and has a stash of his own, which he offers to Cassidy for helping him fight off a posse that's after him. Well, that's just the beginning. This is a rich plot with complex characters. If you liked True Grit, you'll like this movie. Sam Shepard give a stellar performance!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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