Toocooltoobefooled Reviews

Revolution (1985)

Human suffering showcased

[5/10 · 13 April 2024]

If you need a reminder of how cruel humans can be to one another, this movie will do it. It's not a bad movie really, just seems to wonder aimlessly like the characters themselves. The movie looks authentic, and will give you the feel of how difficult life was, how little control people had over their day to day circumstances. This does not by any means glorify the revolution, war, or the period, in fact just the opposite. It's a reminder of what an amazing time we live in. With all the hardships we may experience today, the ills of society and the world, this movie can remind you of just how much worse life could be, how cruel the world could be, and how hard day to day existence was. No tv, no iphones, no social media, no quick access to healthcare, just danger and death around every corner and the monotony of life filled with nothing but time, time to find a way to fill the space. The movie follows Al Pacino, a father who is thrust into the middle of the American revolution against his will and in order to watch over his son who ignorantly enlists after he along with his father are both caught up in the periods events. I had never heard of this movie, when I came across it in the 90's, started to watch it, but due to it's somewhat slow and meandering pace, lost interest. I have a huge interest in the American Revolution having grown up in MA and experienced all the Bicentennial events. I searched for this movie years later, but it has been elusive to find. Finally found it on streaming for free and began watching it. Again, like the characters the movie seems to just wonder without much purpose other than to showcase the human suffering not just of war, but of what is now to us a primitive time. Several fine actors who play their roles well, but don't have much character development or dialogue to show case their talents. I really can't recommend the movie, although I've seen much worse, in my opinion there are no real redeeming qualities to drive a recommendation. You can see so many other movies to capture similar aspects portrayed here and that you may be looking for that are driven by a much richer story.

Poor Things (2023)

Terrible movie masquerading as a masterpiece

[1/10 · 14 March 2024]

This movie is well I have to say it, just crap. First of all the story its not original at all. Ultimately this is yet another female empowerment movie from Hollywood, that tries to say that our current societal structures are here to be changed and can be changed and changed and changed again. They are just in our heads and have no meaning other than to subjugate women. Women are in control of their bodies and lives and can do whatever they wish, even become whores which in this movie is perfectly fine since it's her choice and empowers her. This is not the message we want to be sending to anyone. It's also all done in a grotesque form. Men in the movie are generally the subjugators and even the deranged and evil god, William Defoe's character who is loved by Bella, depicts an abusive relationship, such as a father who loved, but abused his children but they still love him because he's their creator. His name is god and eventually dies and she gets her ultimate freedom and power, religion must die, dieties must die in our society for there truly to be ultimate freedom. Just look around at our society with crime, "wilding", division, etc, all from a society that is attempting to destroy all social norms, ignore laws, and rules, how's that working out for us? Yet Hollywood churns out more of this crap and doubles down. Independence, self love, and confidence does not need to come at the destruction of all around you and the demonization of history nor those that tried to help you amidst their own flaws. That is just called selfishness and self centeredness.

Here of course it is rewarded by Accenture at the end. On the positive the cinematography was good, the acting phenomenal. Emma Stone was great, but frankly I believe her part was not the most challenging. Rufolo I think takes the cake. I have never been a fan of his and in fact so dislike him that I tend to avoid movies he stars in, but this is the first time I feel he truly acted and was great at it. It's the first time I saw real emotion and comedic acting from him. None of that can save this movie though. This movie is nothing more than a 70's porno film updated. Look at any porn movie from the 70's where the woman is on a journey of sexual discovery and you will see the same here. This is a tired old theme simply recycled and put forth with todays chaos theory wrapping it. Try something new Hollywood, we've had enough of this chaos pushing crap masked as self promoting empowerment.

Expend4bles (2023)

I enjoyed it.

[8/10 · 29 December 2023]

I'll start by saying I enjoyed the movie. It's an enjoyable action flick. That being said, I understand why many do not like it. It's definitely missing many of the key elements of previous Expendable movies. Absent are many of the key expendables. Antonio Banderas is not there, due to scheduling conflicts, he's replaced by Jacob Scipio who plays his son. He really does the job well and is believable, but he plays a very minor role in the movie. In fact almost all the characters are muted and play minor roles. Only Jason Statham has a major role, in fact this really comes off as a Jason Statham move and given how enjoyable he is to watch as an action hero, it's probably why I enjoyed the movie, he carried it well. Meghan Fox is a new addition and Jason's love interest. She's clearly there as "eye candy" and is given the role of team leader. She is totally miscast. Out of all the actors, she is the worst in my opinion. She is the only one who appears to be acting. Her lines fall flat. She gives orders and the others appear to play their roles almost ignoring her and making her seem irrelevant. Sadly she's doesn't even fill the "eye candy" roll anymore and feels more like a token to fulfill some woke requirement for a female leader. Levy Tran on the other hand plays her role well and comes off much better, although like the rest of the supporting cast holds a relatively minor/muted role. Andy Garcia is always great, but unbelievable as someone going on a such a dangerous mission. He couldn't possibly handle it and it comes off that way. However, as a double crosser he plays the role perfectly. There is no Jet Li, no Mickey Rourke, No Bruce Willis, No Arnold, No Wesley Snipes, No cameos by Harrison Ford, Kelsey Grammer, nor Chuck Norris. Lundgren is there, but seems so old and tired it's hard to believe he could be on such a mission. I know Stallone is older in real life, but still he comes off better, sadly Stallone basically only does what amounts to a cameo in this movie. The story line is sort of weak, however, the action is very good, plenty of explosions and I think this one is the bloodiest of the franchise. All in all even with all the above, I still thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Statham is able to carry it forward I just wish there was more Stallone.

The Nun II (2023)

Ho Hum it's the Nun

[3/10 · 28 October 2023]

I read several reviews that while expressing disappointment about the movie indicated the reviewers found this movie better than the first. I have to disagree. I enjoyed the first. The scenery to me was much more horrifying in the first. The decrepit ancient looking buildings, the cemetery, the Nun, especially at the beginning and then again throughout was horrifying to look at. She barely appears here in her typical form. This movie seems to attempt to horrify more with jumps and the building of anticipation, but just doesn't seem to deliver. It takes way too long to get going and then people are routinely tossed around by invisible hands and by possessed open mouthed zombie like individuals that deliver no fright value. I found myself just tuning out. I was really looking forward to this movie, but I found it a total disappointment. Even the fear of the young girls and nuns does not translate into any suspense; I just did not feel any connection. In the end this really just feels like an excuse for a remake, a bad one.

The Omen (2006)

Excellent remake

[9/10 · 10 September 2023]

Most often I find there is no need for a remake of an iconic movie, the remakes just can't hold a candle to the original. However, in this case I think it's an excellent remake. Was it necessary, no, but it does update the story to more current times, and I find it as creepy as the original especially the visit to the priest who was burned in the fire. The main short coming in my opinion is that Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles, while fine actors in their own right, just can't compete with Gregory Peck and Lee Remick for these roles. That being said, had this been the original and we didn't have that comparisonI think the movie would be recognized as a classic on it's own. I highly recommend it, but try to see it as it's own work and avoid comparisons to the original, you'll enjoy it so much morel.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)

Visually well made, but doesn't deliver

[5/10 · 9 September 2023]

I was so excited to see this movie. I'm a huge Dracula movie fan and to my knowledge this is the first time they've decided to base a movie on the events aboard the ship of Dracula's voyage to England. The ship, the periods ambiance, all looked very good. The actors were all very talented and each held their own. The movie held much promise, but fell way too short. First of all, enough with the injected feminism in every Hollywood movie. It's to the point of ridiculousness and ruins period pieces. Let's face it a village girl brought on board for Dracula to feast on during his voyage is an original and amazing concept, but once again Hollywood ruins it by making this girl like Rambo, smarter, quicker, and better than all the hardened sea worthy men on the ship. Really? If she were so savy she would have avoided or killed Dracula to begin with, oh please. And of course we must have a black man with the back story that he's faced racism all his life and would be a talented doctor if not for discrimination. I don't recall race, nor gender discrimination as a focus in previous Dracula period pieces. Times were as they were, and we don't need a lecture injected into a Dracula movie, it's played out and unoriginal and changes the focus away from entertainment. All that aside, it's by far the least of the movies failures. In the end the lead characters come up with this great plan to burn the ship in order to destroy and stop Dracula from getting ashore. Um, really? So you do so at night when he's out and about and can fight you? How about doing so during the day when you have the advantage. Stupid, just stupid. No level of acting, nor ambiance, could save this woke injected, uninspiring sad state of a movie. Dracula himself is not done badly, more a nosferatu looking figure, but at times he's just too CGI'd which diminishes the effect. And he's pure monster on the loose. There are no visions of him as the count, which could have added some mystery. Who is this man, how did he get onboard. Maybe he could pop up here and there and talk to a lone crew member who'm he then attacks/feeds on or seduce the village girl he feeds on. No he's just a wild animal on the loose. This movie is yet another great idea, but lacking in originality and depth, ruined by Hollywood.

Prey for the Devil (2022)

Booooring

[1/10 · 9 September 2023]

Another feminist movie from Hollywood, seems that's all they churn out these days, a theme that is totally played out and unoriginal now. This is yet another breaking the barriers movie, but they are all broken now, thus its time for a nun to break barriers, guess that's all that's left. All that aside, I was really looking forward to this movie when I saw the trailer in the theater. I'm a horror fan and prefer movies about the supernatural more than slasher type flicks, although I have a special place for Dracula. Unfortunately this movie disappoints. There is nothing really original here, except for the nuns relationship to the possessed. That was original, but poorly played out IMHO. The scares, possession, all seen and done before, nothing unique. Also nothing really scary here either. Just about everything can be anticipated including the confrontation at the end with the possessed, again been done many times before and not in the least bit scary. A total disappointment. As for the very end, after an attempt at making a smart movie which failed, the ending reverts back to a cheap typical horror movie , the type you would see in any mainstream movie. Another sad and disappointing release from Hollywood. Don't see this in the theater, think about renting it then don't. Save your money and watch the Exorcist again.

Panama (I) (2022)

Very much enjoyed this

[10/10 · 15 January 2023]

I'm giving it a 10 to offset the barrage of negative reviews which I don't think it warrants. It's certainly not going to win any awards, but Mel, while playing a minimal role is as good as ever. Cole Hauser plays a short on words, tough as nails son of a gun who doesn't flinch when challenged and moves like a guided missile when searching for his prey. The ending is too abrupt in my opinion. Over all things move at a pace that does not allow for any real deep character development, but all that said it is enjoyable, holds your attention, has plenty of action and sufficient interesting characters that makes for a decent solid movie. This is an enjoyable movie as a rental or streaming choice on a late Friday or weekend.

Father of the Bride (2022)

Just OK

[5/10 · 16 July 2022]

Not a bad movie, but not great. Andy Garcia does a fine job. Gloria Estephan is OK, a bit muted, but she's not a long time actress so fine I guess. Overall I summarize it as a movie that holds on to the stereo types about men and in typical fashion blaming them for their circumstances and their efforts all the while forcing a woke awakening on the protagonists character and the audience. Even in its attempt to be modern it's just a tired and old stereotypical theme at this point. If you are Cuban or Mexican there are some cultural aspects that you can connect with as I did as a Cuban. There are some funny moments, maybe more so if you are directly connected to these cultures. I enjoyed the movie on TV, but had I paid to see this I would have felt it was not money well spent.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

Boooo

[5/10 · 31 December 2021]

This movie was not necessary and they should have left well enough alone. The Matrix was ground breaking and revolutionary and its two sequels completed the original story. The end. It was complete, leave it alone. It should have been left alone. This movie, resurrections, is not a bad movie in itself. In fact up until Neo realizes he is truly in another Matrix and not crazy it was actually quite entertaining, the viewer actually felt like Neo confused, unsure, but beyond that it appears to become yet another woke attempt by Hollywood to rewrite the original or better yet morph it into another woke message. The remaining general is a women, the lead ships captain, a woman, the architect of the plan to free Trinity, a woman, and Trinity, ah Trinity, she saves the day and without her Neo is nothing, She appears to be "the one" now. The evil villains of course are all men. I have nothing against female leads, but this is a bit too obvious. Alas this strategy of remaking our world by engulfing us in a new woke reality has become a tired Hollywood narrative that has ruined every franchise it touches, ala ghost buster and terminator. Interestingly enough the routine swipes at conservatives promulgated by Hollywood has recently morphed into attacks on the elites instead and here we see it appear. However the woke message of remaking the world, into more of a rainbow, is actually spoken out loud and obvious. Beyond that, this movie offers no ground breaking realizations as did the first Movie, no ground breaking special effects. No ground breaking message either. Ultimately this movie is just a way to make some dough off of the original movies. Why no Morpheous? The lack of many of the original actors is also a detraction in my opinion. Unfortunately while the movie on its own is not really badly done, in the shadow of the original and with all the injected wokeness, it was just better left undone.

The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

:-( like a weak Pilot

[5/10 · 2 October 2021]

I was so looking forward to this. The actors playing the younger versions of the Sopranos characters do a pretty good job looking like them and capturing their mannerisms, especially Sil. He had his mannerisms down. However there is something shallow about them. Paule they could have done a better job with. Livia was a little too nice, why? Too much woke crap. She's a victim here. She could be a good mother, but caught in a bad life. Let's face it that was not the case in the Sopranos. She was the antagonist cheering Johnny on and driving him to do worse, never satisfied. She relished being his wife, the power he wielded and yet never allowed him peace. She was almost a prelude to Carmela, but so much worse. In general in the Sopranos the women were often worse then the men in that they were willing participants who built the support structures for these thugs and relished in the power they possessed and the stature it gave them all while acting as if they did not own or share in the culpability of their husbands crimes. Here they come off more as passive victims, victims of the times and their circumstances and fairly blind to what is going on. As for the black sub plot, while it was well done it's completely out of place. It holds much too large a role in this movie and is clearly added as more woke empowerment. That's all well and good, but it changes the back story for the Sopranos and I guess the writers don't care so long as they can feed the woke beast and check the box. Save it for another movie, on its own it could have been awesome, but here well just stop messing with an already good formula, because it turns the Sopranos into something it was not, causing it to lose its authenticity. If that isn't enough still the biggest problem with the movie though is the timing. It feels off, making the movie feel shallow and not authentic. The actors come off like they are parroting the original cast and do not feel like real people. This makes the movie feel low budget, like a pilot used to sell a show. Maybe that's what it is designed to do, to get a new series going. Watch goodfellas and there is a comedic edgy feel, almost like you have a window into a private world. Same with the Godfather, they feel real. This feels like watching a low budget play it just does not feel authentic. Overall it was nice too see some of the things spoken about in the Sopranos played out. The sub plot with Dicky was interesting, but still felt out of place overall for the Sopranos. Also as I recall Johnny was release the same day from jail after the amusement park and they bragged about it. Here he goes to prison for 2-5. I don't recall that and even so as presented changes the impact of the original story as told in the Sopranos, at least to me. All in all I still enjoyed the stroll down Sopranos memory lane, but it's just not a worthy production for such an iconic show.

The Rocketeer (1991)

Jennifer only Jennifer

[4/10 · 29 March 2020]

The only good thing in this movie is Jennifer Connolly. The scenery is well done too, but from the start the movie feels like a bad skit. The movie is filled with good actors who are walking through their roles. No one feels authentic, all cliche. The rocket man character itself feels like a rip off of iron man or some other super hero of the time. This feels like a Disney movie, actually like a Disney skit you would see at one of the parks. This movie would have been a sensation in a different time. It is 35 years too late. The pace is just boring and feels much longer than it is. Indiana Jones, while having a similar cheeky delivery, executes comedy and suspense in a way that makes it feel like it's in another dimension if compared to this movie as an example. Jennifer Connolly is amazing to look at and her presence In stunning form fitting 30's outfits is the only saving grace for this movie. I would watch it for that reason alone. She gets all the stars for this review.

The Unnamable (1988)

Creepy 80's horror movie for a Saturday night alone or with a friend

[9/10 · 1 March 2020]

I had never heard of this movie when a friend and I, back in the late 80's, found it while hunting for something to watch at ye old video store (yes you actually drove to a store to rent movies on VHS back then, it was all the rage). I remember we had no idea what to expect, but the creepy looking creature on the cover sold us on it. We watched it in the dark that night and were freaked out. I've always remembered it and now 30 years later I found it on a streaming service and rewatched it. Needless to say it did not have the fright factor I recall in my youth, but taking into account the dated nature of the movie, it still holds it's own. The creature is extremely well done. It looks realistic and is a uniquely authentic monster. The shots of it in the dark and at a distance accentuate the outline of the creature and make it even more horrifying. At the end you see it in its full glory. The make up artist that created this creature made it looks so real, that even 30 years later it is better than most creatures in horror, rivaling IMHO even Alien. I've also always loved the nostalgic Hammer films and even though this is not Hammer it reminds me of many of those. Like typical Hammer films it starts out many years prior giving you a glimpse of the creatures origin and then moves to present day where one of the characters reads from a diary and ancient magic books as the film progresses. There is blood and gore of 80's class special effects and the acting is middle of the road, both not unlike a Steven King movie of that era. I did find it funny though that with the exception of one of the female leads who is totally freaked out by all this (as anyone would be), none of the other characters seem quite as horrified. in fact they appear to deal with the situation as some sort of challenge they need to work through vs being scared out of their Witts. I'm not familiar with hovercraft beyond this movie, but overall I found the movie very enjoyable even the second time around.

Crawl (I) (2019)

Boring

[3/10 · 9 November 2019]

I found myself wondering off. Not much to get excited about. Did they forget she almost had her leg ripped off? And her dads too? Yet they function throughout the movie like all is well. The whole thing is just stupid. The movie isn't even over yet and I am compelled to complain. Whats with the constant focus on the winding battery powered flash light? Are they excited about how cool it is that they have to constantly focus on it? Yeah everyone needs one. All that was missing was an add to tell everyone to go to Walmart and get one. Crock eggs? OMG there are hundreds of them, except it will take quite awhile for them to grow and be a threat. But hey there is just endless sequels right? Ugh.

Season of the Witch (2011)

Very enjoyable

[10/10 · 30 April 2019]

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I'm giving it 10 stars to offset some of the very low reviews which I think are unjustified. Cage and Perlman are a well matched pair and their acting is perfect for this movie. This is a great movie for a Friday/Saturday night. Don't expect an Oscar, it's not that type of boring movie :-). It's a well made medieval fare that holds interest and entertains The one short coming is the ending which while appropriate is heavily CGI'd and of poor quality at that, but the cheap CGI aside, I enjoyed the ride. Cage never disappoints.

Starsky & Hutch (2004)

Love it

[10/10 · 15 April 2019]

I never watched the original series, caught an episode here and there, but wasn't a fan, not because it wasn't good in my opinion, just never got into it and didn't have an interest in it. That being said if you are a die hard fan, this movie may annoy you because it basically makes fun of the leading characters in the way that the Dukes remake made fun of the Dukes of Hazzard which I was a fan of and that movie rubbed me the wrong way, although I still enjoyed having the Dukes in a move even if it wasn't the originals. Anyway as a comedy, I think this Starsky and Hutch version is great, Stiller and Wilson are a power comedy duo and all the cliche's are there for them to play with and make fun of. At times it's over the top, but if you watch it for what it is, it's great.

Company of Heroes (2013 Video)

Well I enjoyed it.

[7/10 · 29 December 2018]

The reviews for this movie are generally horrible on IMDB, but still I enjoyed it. If you are a WWII history buff or looking for an accurate portrayal of war/WWII this isn't it. As others point out reloading weapons is an unnecessary option here and more akin to the movies of the past were bullets were endless and guns did not need to be reloaded. I am no expert on military weapons of the period, but many will point out that they are not accurate for the period or even for the unit weilding them. None of these bothered me though, having grown up watching old war movies where much of these flaws were always present, I've suspended those facts in favor of entertainment. The biggest short coming for me were the cgi effects which were equal to what you might find on the SCIFI channel. Beyond that I enjoyed the actors and the action held my interest throughout. The action is relatively constant and the characters enjoyable enough to carry the movie, if that is what you are looking for. That was enough for me on a slow Friday night with not much else on to watch.

Hunter Killer (2018)

So much fun

[9/10 · 5 November 2018]

This is a great straight out American action movie. Yes it's a standard plot line, but Gerard Butler really drives the show. This movie is so underrated and ignored, but it's a solid movie that holds your attention throughout. Nice suspense, some beautiful scenario, nice special affects all for 1/2 of what it cost to make the big budge movies like this and this feels like it has twice to three times the budget that it does. I highly recommend catching this one on the big screen.

Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018)

Starts of slow, but like mold it grows on you

[10/10 · 24 August 2018]

I'm giving this a 10 not because I think it's really a 10, but to help offset some of the very low reviews. I think this is more of a 6-8, but not as bad as many have stated. 15 minutes in I was thinking, what the heck am I watching. This is not at all like the first escape plan, in fact Stalone plays a minor role at least initially, so much so, that I was feeling this was just a way for the studio to make a quick buck off of the first escape plan and billing it as another Stalone movie. Even the opening scene is much more gritty than the first, almost like Zero dark thirty. I started thinking maybe they are trying to go for a higher caliber setup, but then seemed to fissile for a bit. However if you sit through it, it's more of a chess game. Sure there are plenty of plot holes and if you blink things can get confusing, however, the acting is pretty good and the overall plot and twists are enough to carry it through. Overall I ended up enjoying the movie and getting into it much more than I expected from the opening. The ending is a layup for another movie, which I immediately suspected would not happen as I know many will not like this movie at all. However, I an see on IMDB that #3 is already in the works and yes I will plan to see it, albeit maybe when it's on video, guess we'll see.

211 (2018)

Love this movie

[10/10 · 14 June 2018]

Nik can act. It's not a perfect movie by any means, there are some plot holes, like why such a highly elite team didn't shut down or block out the cameras in the bank (maybe they said they were hidden? I may have missed that.) or why when the police arrive they don't immediately take the wounded office and the ride along away before engaging the bank robbers. Anyway, Nik plays a cop nearing retirement, grumpy from age and experience, yet a blue collar somewhat awkward guy and he hits the mark perfectly. Some movies call for him to be an eccentric over the top bad guy and he plays that role perfectly, sometimes he's a fish out of water hero, nails those too, yet here he's just a blue collar, run of the mill guy, who's thrust into the middle of a very bad situation and is flying by the seat of his pants, not knowing exactly what to do, not the confident hero, but simply reacting from the heart. He nails the role perfectly. Any other actor in this movie and it would be a dud, but in true form he makes any movie enjoyable. To me the movie went very quick.

The Titan (2018)

Move along, nothing to see here.

[1/10 · 20 April 2018]

Could have been great, but it wasn't. The year is 2048 and the earth can no longer sustain mankind. No real idea why, it looks just fine in the movie, doesn't look crowded and there are some beautiful sceneries, but I digress. The plan, instead of terraforming a planet, lets adjust man to survive on a foreign planet or in this case moon, Titan. Spoiler alert. They create several genetically enhanced humans which basically look alien and then proceed to kill them all as they show signs of being out of control, all except one who they send to Titan. The end.

Total mess and waste, they could have shown the struggle on Titan, focused most of the movie there, but there really isn't much development or anything. Create an alien out of a human, of course they don't get along with you, you kill them and convince one to go and that's it. This played more like a 30 minute episode than a 90 minute movie.

Flatliners (2017)

I enjoyed, it but nothing special

[6/10 · 11 February 2018]

It's a movie. Not a bad watch for a Saturday night. Acting is pretty good. The biggest problem is the whole premise of the movie, it's a mess. I never saw the original, have always wanted to, but not had the opportunity, perhaps this will spur me to see what I missed. This movie has so many contradictions it's comical. So much concern about timing and the cleaning staff and yet later it's not an issue as they willy nilly go to the basement with no further concern. Confess your sins, but what about the biggest sin of all, that which they just committed? Guess it's OK to keep that hidden. I don't want to say to much so as to not provide spoilers, but I guess the bottom line is that living with guilt can literally kill you, make amends and save your soul sort of. I was tempted to see this in the theater, but I'm glad I did not. It's a good rental, but I would have been left feeling "flat", pun intended, had I seen this in the theater. It's a horror movie wrapped in a thriller, although the horror is short lived. Perhaps that is another failing. All in all, still worth the rental.

The Lost City (2005)

Love this movie

[10/10 · 2 February 2018]

As a Cuban American who came over as a child with his parents in the mid 60's I heard all too often the stories of loss, pain, and the horrors witnessed and experienced by my family under the ruthless Castro regime. We lost the future my parents had worked so hard to setup for us. My parents had to leave everything behind, their business, their careers, their family and friends, to start a new from the bottom all while in their 50's. They arrived in a Country they had always loved from afar with high hopes, abandoning all they new to flee political persecution. They came with open hearts to build a new path, focused on insuring success for us their children. The Lost City captures the plight of Cubans from that era so accurately that it felt if it were telling my story. Andy Garcia does an amazing job conveying the loss so many experienced to then be welcomed to our new home, a place were we were given a new opportunity, not handed easy street, but given an honest chance to work hard and to become part of this great United States. Garcia a Cuban immigrant himself knows the pain, the loss, and is able to transfer that to film and to the viewer in a very effective way. My parents taught us to expect nothing but work hard to be worthy of this wonderful gift America had offered to us. They taught us to be respectful, and be worthy of America. This is the greatest nation on Earth and the Lost City reminds me and should all that that which we love, our home, our country, can be lost if we are not careful.

The Snowman (2017)

Wow what a disappointment

[2/10 · 28 January 2018]

So much promise, down the drain. Watching the preview I could not wait to see the movie. I never did get out to see it in the theater and ended up catching it as a rental. I had a hard time renting it locally as it was always out of stock and I didn't want to pay the higher price on demand. Finally got it and it's not even done and I feel compelled to write this review. The only thing I am enjoying about this movie is the scenery. It has some stunning shots of Norway where it was filmed. I have no idea if this is where it is suppose to take place because I just cannot get into the film. It's slow paced and uninteresting. I was surprised to see Val Kilmer in it. He seems to have lost some weight and there is apparently a voice over for him, maybe it was shot in another language and dubbed or done for accent reasons? No idea, but it doesn't sound like him at all. Also surprised to see JK Simons and Toby Jones in it too. Great cast, great scenery, just boring as heck. I should force myself to pay closer attention, but just not that interesting.

9/11 (2017)

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie

[8/10 · 28 January 2018]

It has a low budget feel to it, but then again, most of it takes place in an elevator, so no big budget is needed here. I'm not really sure why there are so many negative reviews, no it's not an Oscar movie, but it's pretty good. Five people trapped in an elevator during the horrific events of 9/11. A micro story of the millions that can be written of that day. I felt the movie captured the confusion, the desperation, and the horror we all felt. I thought all the actors did a fine job, if I have to criticize anyone, it would be Woopi. Her acting seemed flat and disconnected to me. At the end I felt angst, which meant I connected and more, it brought that horrible day back to me. I remember where I was, what I thought and how the realization of what was happening evolved with each report of yet another plane. The movie brought it all back. All that said, if I saw this in the theater I agree I would likely have a much different opinion, but I rented this movie and watched it at home. I think its worth a rental. Fairly well done, could it be better, sure, but for what it is, it's enough.