pitabox987 Reviews

Apollo 13 (I) (1995)

Powerful Masterpiece!

[10/10 · 16 October 2021]

Apollo 13 is a movie that still remains an awesome movie even after 26 years later! - The story is a powerful and intense one that depicts the actual event quite accurately, showing the skill and determination of the people involved.

The casting of Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris is an excellent choice with each portraying their character beautifully; while the overall production of the film holds it's own to this day. The music score is excellent and moving as well, drawing you into the film.

This is a film I highly recommend to anybody and one that shall remain great for many years to come.

Deep Impact (1998)

The more serious Armageddon

[6/10 · 14 October 2021]

Just like Armageddon an object from space threatens to destroy humanity (one is a comet the other is an asteroid, quite simply its a somewhat more realistic story than the other attempts to view the scenario from a serious point of view While the other is a more 'fun' story.

The story isn't bad but the over sentimentality detracts from the story, in some ways is too much. - I also wonder how much actual research the writers actually did as the more serious aspect is ruined purely by bad science, some are obvious ones, like the tail of the comet facing the wrong direction, or the fact that tsunamis actually slow down as they reach the shoreline.

The acting is about on par with Armageddon, the more serious aspect is captured pretty well, but it's hard to compare with it's rival movie as it approaches everything from a different viewpoint.

If you were to ask which of the two movies was better I would probably reply Armageddon, but such a question is like asking is whether Skittles are better than M&M's, a lot of people like both and don't really favour one or the other.

I just say enjoy the movie for what it is.

The Simpsons: Radioactive Man (1995) Season 7, Episode 2

The end of the glory days of the show...

[7/10 · 12 October 2021]

As a longtime fan of the Simpsons I think that it's a decent episode, however it does show signs of the show beginning to falter. It's an episode I can watch if I've watched all of the earlier episodes recently and am looking for a different one.

Probably the least enjoyable aspect of the episode is the boring behaviour of the Hollywood people and Millhouse's parents who start acting completely out of character. - I found this balanced out by other characters who stayed in character and added to the episode instead of detracting from it.

It's probably one of the last decent episodes but I still consider Season 7 the end of when the show was really enjoyable.

The Simpsons: You Only Move Twice (1996) Season 8, Episode 2

A decent episode from the end of the show's glory days...

[7/10 · 9 October 2021]

The episode has some good and bad points, the villain Hank Scorpio (not "Scorpion" as Homer calls him) is a decent character, far better than Russ Cargill of the EPA from the movie; both voiced by the same person.

That Homer is chosen to because he is the next highly qualified person at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant doesn't make sense (Carl is his supervisor), Homer is then put in charge of a team of employees and hasn't got a clue how to manage them, not that they seem to actually need his presence.

Whilst Homer enjoys his newfound position, the rest of his family appears to hate having moved, Bart is put in the 'slow' class and treated like a moron; Lisa appears to be allergic to everything and Marge is so bored by her new home's ability to manage itself she resorts to drinking.

Needless to say it doesn't last long and Homer is forced to return to Springfield, oblivious that his boss has been revealed to be an international terrorist.

The final note that Hank had managed to conquer the entire East Coast gave me a chuckle.

It's certainly one of the better episodes of the season, but also shows signs of the show's decline in quality of material.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

The series is dead...

[1/10 · 6 October 2021]

This movie is a perfect example of how a series can show that it has run out of decent material and now relies on childish jokes and bodily noises in an attempt to create "comedy" - Even if it was a movie to end the series it would be an absolutely poor one.

I suggest avoiding this movie as it will only discredit the the show.

Men in Black: International (2019)

A very weak instalment in the franchise...

[3/10 · 5 July 2021]

The things that made the first, second and to a lesser extent the third Men in Black movies were things such as a well written story and a cast of great actors, this movie hasn't got much of either.

The story of the fourth movie is quite weak, basing the story in Europe is just an attempt to revitalise the franchise. The characters, humans and aliens don't have the creativity of the previous movies either.

Characters like Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) were original, their characters had interesting stories and personalities; attempting to adequately substitute them with characters like Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and Agent M (Tessa Thompson) is a joke.

The quality of this movie compared to the other movies in the franchise is like comparing any top quality movie to any poor remake of it.

I wouldn't recommend it, the word I would most adequately describe it with as "boring"...

The Marksman (2005 Video)

A Decent "Sit Down And Watch" Movie.

[7/10 · 1 May 2021]

The Marksman is a decent military/action movie with a somewhat cheesy plot that doesn't require to much thought to understand, acting that's fairly standard for these types of movies, and decent cinematography.

The plot is simple, it's about a soldier with a black mark on his record who's called in to help avert a potential nuclear disaster from occurring in Chechnya; it has the usual 'good guys are called in to save the world' theme; along with the theme of the 'bad guys secretly trying to trick the good guys' sub-plot as well. - In the end the good guys win by luck as is always the way in these sort of movies.

If you just want a rather enjoyable sit down and watch movie, then this will probably work out nicely and entertain you.

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)

It's light hearted fun! Just like the first movie...

[9/10 · 12 September 2020]

I don't know why these movies got such criticism? Garfield 2 is like the first Garfield movie, it's light hearted fun for families.

The mixing up of Garfield and Prince was a fun twist but seemed to work well, it will be interesting to see what Garfield 3 is like, I've read that it's going to be set in Paris which could prove to be interesting as well.

The English animals were fun too, though the use of Billy Connolly as the movie's villain could have used a bit more work, minus a star for that as his character development seemed a bit rushed.

Still it's a great family movie that parents, kids and any Garfield fans should enjoy.

The Simpsons: Marge Be Not Proud (1995) Season 7, Episode 11

Absolutely Pathetic!

[1/10 · 28 August 2020]

What an absolute rubbish episode!

Whether it's Marge and Homer's pathetic showboating and pretending to be "good" parents, Lisa is a joke of a sister and the entire episode focuses on Marge thinking her son isn't her son anymore, she just treats him like dirt, even being as hopeless as to accuse Bart of stealing again when he tries to make amends at the end of the episode!

Noting that it's a "Christmas" episode it stands alone being the worst one of those, for a season 7 episode, it has the quality of a season 20+ one.

Don't waste your time with this drivel...

The Simpsons: Bart vs. Australia (1995) Season 6, Episode 16

Even as an Australian I find it hilarious!

[10/10 · 7 July 2020]

I love the fact that there are Australians find this episode so "offensive", but it's hardly offensive by today's standards of television, in fact it just makes me laugh, whether it's the references to Skippy, cane toads, or various other digs t Australian culture. - But the Simpsons has been doing that for years who will they offend next??

it's not like it's using violence or adult material, it's just a satire of a country; and there are hundreds of tv shows and movies that do that in far worse ways.

Forrest Gump (1994)

One of the greatest movies ever made!

[10/10 · 25 June 2020]

Forrest Gump has to be one of the greatest movies ever made, I've watched this movie hundreds of times and always still find it absolutely beautiful!

Following the life of a simple man as he recollects all the way through his childhood years, his school and college years to his service in the United States Army, then his post-war experiences; the entire story is amazing! The way his character is tied into and around several major historical events is very cleverly done, with good dashes of humour to balance out the more serious aspects referenced in the film, it's done excellently and designed perfectly!

From the start to the finish, it's a story that's heartwarming inclusive of the audience; it will make you smile, it will make you laugh, and there are definitely parts that will make you cry from the powerful emotion conveyed in the acting of the characters.

On my list of greatest movies ever, this one will always hold a special place for most people. I highly recommend it to everyone!

The Simpsons: Miracle on Evergreen Terrace (1997) Season 9, Episode 10

One of the worst...

[1/10 · 2 May 2020]

The Simpsons has many great episodes, and many that are absolutely pathetic!

Of the Christmas special episodes, this one holds the crown for absolute worst!

I occasionally might accidentally watch this episode, it sort of starts out good, but the behaviour of the townspeople towards the Simpson family, stealing all the Simpson's possessions to repay money they gave them is pathetic! Considering Christmas is a time of charity and kindness; the Simpsons writers have just created an episode that completely mocks the values of the holiday!

If it was possible to give a rating of "0 stars" this episode would easily earn it!

Predator 2 (1990)

From the lush jungle to the urban jungle!

[10/10 · 21 February 2020]

I probably enjoy the pacing of this movie considerably more than the original, don't get me wrong the original is a good movie as well, but I enjoyed the tempo of this movie more, I prefer the faster pacing and to be honest I find it more fun without Arnie; Danny Glover is just a regular (albeit excessive at times) cop and it shows us what happens when the predator messes with the wrong regular guy.

Instead of tossing in a beefy he-man character like Arnold we get Danny Glover; showing us you don't need to be a muscular titan to stand up to the predator, regular guys can kick ass too, and also that the Predator isn't an invincible force, it can be hurt and is no stranger to pain, truly relying on stealth and deception as it's allies to get the best of it's opponents instead of simply going in all guns blazing, killing everyone in one shot with plasma weapons which honestly gets boring after a while.

I also love that this movie delves more into the backstory of the Predator, we're shown that it doesn't just hunt humans exclusively, it also hunts other species; seeking the best from each world as trophies from throughout the galaxy for it's collection (humans included.) It also shows that Predators have a much longer history with Earth than the first movie ever implies, going back centuries (millennia in actuality).

Say it's crap if you want, but you might be watching it from the wrong perspective; it's not a straight action movie like the first so don't expect that; it's more of a black comedy in places, and is well worth it!

It Chapter Two (2019)

I was hoping for an improvement after Part 1, I didn't get it...

[1/10 · 30 December 2019]

The title of this review says enough.

Part 2 was pretty hopeless as a continuation of the story from Part 1; the first part was marginally better than this one.

A set of movies that rely almost entirely on jump scares and the worst story I've seen in a long time. - The book was enjoyable, but this is a disgrace to both the book and Stephen King himself, that he was involved in it's production doesn't say much either.

As many reviews say, the film relies too heavily on CGI, particularly the zombies during the film, and the 'Pennywise spider' bit toward the end, that wasn't even scary at all; it got overly repetitive, I almost felt like turning the film off...

I rated Part 1 two stars, but this film barely even deserves one star! (If if I could rate it a zero, I would, and it's been a while since I've seen a film worthy of that!)

Watch if you must, but honestly it's a waste of time, not even a good Halloween style movie.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Welcome to another stupid instalment of the franchise!

[1/10 · 7 December 2019]

Here we go again! Another stupid attempt to reinvent the Godzilla franchise written by some idiot from Toho who thinks all a Godzilla movie needs is special effects to make a blockbuster!

Here we have part two of the trilogy, admittedly we almost didn't even get a part two considering the pathetic adaptation lizard barely survived the first movie by luck!

This just goes to show that some people are mesmerised into stupidity by bright lights and effects, and some writers and directors are just as stupid to believe the same garbage! What happened to movies actually requiring a plot?!

Burn this garbage!

Pet Sematary (2019)

Has the person who created this movie even read the book or seen the original movie?!

[1/10 · 24 August 2019]

I wrote this review review as I watched the movie to compare it to both the book and original movie.

After watching it fully this movie belongs on the list of the year's most pathetic film adaptations, I honestly can't believe a studio was actually brave enough to produce it! - They have obviously never read the book or seen the original film.

Read on for my review if you want to find my views, but if you want to stop here I completely understand, just allow me to say 'do not waste your time on this tripe!' - Track down the original 1989 film because this remake actually makes that movie seem decent!

This adaptation of the story is quite different from the the original story, which at least the 1989 film kept in line with the story of the book. - so much new rubbish has been introduced! Everything from the 'funeral ceremony' the daughter witnesses to the family not meeting their neighbour Jud who is in fact the one who introduces the father to the Pet Sematary is not how this story unfolded; it seems that the director thought the daughter discovering it, alone mind was a better idea...

There is so much inconsistency in this adaptation that I don't know whether to laugh or scowl.

Loise's first day of work nor his dreams about the Pet Sematary are remotely in line with the original story, the fate of the family's cat Church is vaguely in line, but again quite inconsistent with the original book and even the original movie (which while not a great movie at least it was consistent with King's book!)

Jud showing Louise where to bury Church is vaguely in line with the original story, the cat's return is grossly inaccurate and hardly consistent with the story it is based upon!

None of the following events for the first half of the film follow the story with any degree of consistency either.

As for the second half of the film is just as bad.

It's similar to the original story but again hardly follows the book's story

The new story appears to be that Louise was unhappy with the 'changed' cat and decided to release it into the wild to fend for itself (nothing like the book or original movie)

The next part of film involves Loise's daughter being killed by a truck (not the toddler as in the book or even the original movie adaptation!) - So we get a massive plot hole with the wrong character being removed from the story, so there goes the remainder of the story's validity!

The rest of the film is absolutely pathetic, this should never have been allowed to be made! - if anything it's an absolute insult to the original story, movie and to Stephen King himself!!

What an absolutely shocking monstrosity of a movie! It belongs in the rubbish!

Jurassic Park (1993)

It was great twenty years ago, pretty mediocre by today's standards...

[3/10 · 30 April 2019]

As I said in the title of my review, it was a good movie for the early nineties, but by today's standards it's pretty bland.

When I first saw Jurassic Park as a kid in the early nineties I gave it an 8/10, watching it again today and it's truly boring.

The CGI has hardly stood the test of time, the dinosaurs look like animatronic children's toys, the only 'realistic' looking dinosaurs are the close up shots which are obviously models, not computer generated.

I think I chuckled at a few one-liners in the entire movie, or when Dennis got eaten for his stupidity, probably why I gave it an extra star, but other than that I almost went to sleep.

Still ok for kids or those who haven't seen many films to watch, but as an adult and someone who's seen a number of dino movies, it's a very bland film, particularly for Spielberg...

Cult of Chucky (2017)

Cult of ...uh "Crap"?

[2/10 · 9 August 2018]

Being a fan of the Chucky movies, I personally thought this was boring drivel, I only watched it because it was a continuation of franchise timeline.

Chucky is one of those franchises that should have stopped years ago, back when the story was relevant. Instead Cult of Chucky merely continues beating the corpse of it's franchise in an effort to make more money!

The original trilogy was a pleasing dose for horror buffs, then we had the horror/comedy Bride and Seed of Chucky movies, which were an interesting revival for the franchise. - Then they took it too far with 'Curse' and now 'Cult' of Chucky, it almost seems like the writers think they can make a new film by inventing new 'victims' from Chucky's past - I can think of over fifty without counting unnamed ones.

Sadly this will spawn yet another 'sequel' and this franchise will continue being flogged for money far past it's used by date.

I'm not recommending this film to anybody, and I'm a fan of the Child's Play franchise. This thing needs to be put out of it's misery.

The Simpsons: Homer Badman (1994) Season 6, Episode 9

It's Ok, not brilliant, not terrible.

[5/10 · 25 January 2018]

It's an okay episode, probably funny the first time you watch it, but after watching it again comes off as having some stupid plot gags, a couple of which are somewhat amusing, others which are just downright dumb; things like the 'edited' TV interview that make Homer look like a sex obsessed moron is dry (yet, I love that nobody is smart enough to notice the clock jumping backward and forward), the overly sexist babysitter and protesters got boring after they continued chasing Homer everywhere (even his work); and it's capped off with Homer's last lines of "I haven't leaned a thing..." when the situation is finally resolved.

While season six contains some good episodes, this would be one of my least favorite of the season, and definitely signifies that 'classic era' Simpsons had some bugs

The Simpsons: My Mother the Carjacker (2003) Season 15, Episode 2

Pathetic

[1/10 · 22 January 2018]

This episode is yet another example of how pathetic The Simpsons has become, don't waste your time watching this rubbish!

The Wolfman (2010)

Not much of a film, particularly one with Anthony Hopkins as a main character!

[3/10 · 25 October 2017]

This movie looks good on the outside, dark and suspenseful and full of mystery.

Unfortunately the 'dark' aspect covers the fact that the first third of the film practically has nothing interesting in it, the suspense is minimal, and the mystery is non-existent as any smart person can pick straight away who the 'wolfman' is.

Some of the scenes are so clichéd that it makes the film boring to watch, It's difficult for me to watch half of the film in one sitting, it's that boring. - Whenever something interesting does happen you'll find yourself cheering for the werewolf because those trying to disprove or stop him have acted like such complete idiots that they deserve the fates they bring upon themselves.

As a fan of Anthony Hopkins I was greatly disappointed by his sluggish performance, it's absolutely mind numbing.

Do yourself a favor, don't bother with this film, unless you enjoy torturing yourself.

I'll give it one star for having Anthony Hopkins in it, the other two are for the film and it's overall quality...

Godzilla (I) (1998)

Why all the hate? It was a great movie!

[10/10 · 28 August 2017]

This is a movie I've seen many times, and honestly I don't know why so many people hated it. - Just because the idiots at Toho didn't like it instead calling it "zilla" (because it doesn't apparently deserve to have the word "God" in it's name; they expect the entire world to bow to them.

This Godzilla film made a hell of a lot more sense than that piece of crap released in 2014, the one everyone loved with the stupid acting and where the title character spent less than ten minutes on screen, I couldn't even watch that entire movie in one sitting, it was that boring! Compared to that tripe this movie is a pleasure to watch! So it had some bad acting in it, but it's still very watchable.

The idea that Godzilla is a mutated lizard caused by French nuclear testing in the Pacific is far more believable than Godzilla being some creature from eons past "when the world was ten times more radioactive" as portrayed in that pathetic 2014 movie, the 1998 Godzilla belongs in my movie library, the 'new' Godzilla belongs at the bottom of my trash can...

The Martian (2015)

What an awesome movie about the human spirit of survival!

[10/10 · 10 July 2017]

First of all I don't get why there are so many bad reviews about this movie, I think the plot is sound with strong characters and performances all round! I found myself enjoying this movie from the opening sequence to the credits, it makes sense from a scientific and technical point of view whilst maintaining an engaging plot with likable characters, interesting story and even has a good mix of humor thrown in for flavor.

Everything from the crew abandoning their crew mate after he is given up for dead and then the struggle of the lone survivor having to use the resources he has at hand to survive in a completely hostile environment really got me into this film; I found myself enjoying their successes and wondering what was going to happen at other times.

I recommend this movie to anyone, it will entertain you while keeping your interest; I didn't really find myself at any time bored during this film.

Men in Black³ (2012)

My Favorite Men in Black movie.

[10/10 · 22 April 2017]

Writing from the perspective of someone who's seen and enjoyed the first two Men in Black movies, I'd have to say this is easily my favorite of the three.

I noted that a lot of reviews criticize this movie for breaking the mold of being a straight comedy film, but I honestly think it's broken that mold very well, whilst still maintaining plenty of funny scenes. It also tells us more about the shared histories of the two main characters Jay and Kay over the the entire MiB time-line, going right back too Jay's childhood. It also has an interesting villain in Boris the Animal and great supporting characters such as Griffin.

Overall it's story is very well portrayed and the way it ties into historic world events is very well done as well. It makes it a movie I will easily watch it again.

Spectre (I) (2015)

Quite simply it a Bond film, and not as bad as some of the reviews say...

[8/10 · 2 April 2017]

I was surprised by all the bad reviews and ratings I've read about this film, and there seem to be quite a lot, I enjoyed it.

Like any film nowadays it wasn't perfect. It had had it's dull parts and at times the plot was a little predictable, but it also had some quite enjoyable action sequences and the story wasn't that overly boring.

The characters were used well and were definitely not as flat and boring as some from previous bond films, and it revisited the character of Blofeld and his link to the character of James' younger years. It also delved a bit into the Spectre organization and it's attempts to infiltrate the governments of the world.

So on the whole I thought it was a decent film, and for anyone deciding on this film, I'd recommend you see it as I think you'd enjoy it, it's one I will watch again...