Movie Reviews

Hidden Figures (2016)


Hidden Figures (2016)

Director:

Theodore Melfi

Starring:

Taraji P. Henson

Octavia Spencer

Janelle Monáe

Plot:

The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.

Review:

This movie was amazing. Every obstacle possible was put in front of these women and yet they were still able to succeed. It was so inspiring to watch.

All three women are computers, they do complicated math for those that can’t, or check the work of others. Because of the color of their skin they deal with racism at every turn. They have to walk a mile to use the bathroom because they aren’t allowed in the ones in the building they work. They’re unable to check out the library books that they need to learn how to keep their job. They can’t go to the classes they need to earn a degree.

Each obstacle that’s presented to them they continue on and overcome. They support each other, and have friends and loved ones that help when they can, but for the most part it’s all on them. They are brilliant and compassionate and they persevere.

These women were real and what they had to overcome was real, they are heroes and an inspiration. Watching this made me hopeful for the future, like anything could happen.

5/5

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)


Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)

Director:

S.S. Wilson

Starring:

Michael Gross

Sara Botsford

Billy Drago

Plot:

A prequel to Tremors (1990), this movie tells us about how the town of Perfection, Nevada became founded and how they defended it against the Graboids with the help of Burt Gummer’s ancestor, Hiram.

Review:

So with the fourth movie we finally learn the origins of the Graboids, because we so desperately wanted that information. The Graboids happened when a silver mine accidently struck a hidden hot spring. I guess the eggs were then rushed out or warmed or whatever and thus Graboids came back into existence.

Michael Gross owns the silver mine, when it stops earning money he travels to the town of Rejection to see why. When he finds out it’s because all the miners are either dead or have run away he tries to figure out a way to fix things. Since it’s the wild west naturally that means he hires Billy Drago.

The town people try to teach Michael Gross how not to be a greedy and he ends up becoming friends with most of them. Also, his love of guns and red heads is born. Well, his ancestors love of guns and red heads.

This movie lacked most of the things I love about Tremors movies. Tremors always has a smart, confident woman that is very capable and ends up falling for the less smart man. There are explosions and everything happens fairly fast. This movie had that, but it was definitely the lite version.

Sara Botsford was smart and capable but she was also left in town for most of the movie and not part of much action. Michael Gross was also not an idiot with common sense, he was probably the opposite. We had some big guns, but the Graboids seemed to travel at a much slower speed and so the humans were able to travel long distances in a horse and wagon. I don’t know, it was just not nearly as good, in my opinion.

2/5

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)


Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

Director:

Brent Maddock

Starring:

Michael Gross

Shawn Christian

Susan Chuang

Plot:

The now famous Burt Gummer returns to his hometown of Perfection, Nevada for the first time in years, but the deadliest Graboid evolution yet forces him to save the town he swore to protect.

Review:

The movies are clearly going down in quality, but I still have fun watching them.

This time we’ve got a lot of people from the original returning, but only one really main guy, Michael Gross. Returning to Perfection he finds that things have changed in the time he’s been away killing Graboids and Shriekers. Not a fan of those new changes, he doesn’t do much about it because it doesn’t affect him, until it does.

After everyone mocks him for thinking the Graboids will return, they do, but they’re all pretty prepared, and things are running smoothly until the town asshole ruins things. Then they learn that the Graboids have another evolution, the Assblasters.

Lots of explosions, the smart girl gets with the hot not as smart guy, and Michael Gross plays what could be a deadly prank on the town asshole. It hits all the things I expect from a Tremors movie, even if it doesn’t look as good as the first one.

3/5

Tremors (1990)


Tremors (1990)

Director:

Ron Underwood

Starring:

Kevin Bacon

Fred Ward

Finn Carter

Michael Gross

Reba McEntire

Plot:

Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.

Review:

It is mind boggling that I love this movie. Seriously, I hate horror, monster movies scare me, but I’ve loved this movie since I was a kid.

Anyway, Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are handymen that do all the odd jobs in the little town of Paradise. They live beer can to beer can and who knows when they bathed last. After one too many shit jobs they decide to leave and head to the big town of Bixby where they will surely find new glamorous lives in no time.

On their way out of town they find the town drunk dead high up on an electrical tower. That sucks. Oh well, they are newly inspired to leave because what if they wind up like him? They find more bodies and more bodies and holy shit is there a serial killer on the lose? Nope! It’s GRABOIDS!!

Such a stupid name lol

They realize that giant worms under the ground are eating everyone and if the rest of the town wants to survive they need to get out of there. That is easier said than done. More people die, but eventually some of them make it out alive.

This movie is ridiculously entertaining and spawned several sequels. There were even talks about a TV series on SyFy recently with Kevin Bacon set to reprise his role. The trailer looked incredible, but sadly it was not picked up.

Every few years I watch this and I’m always entertained and I marvel over that fact considering how much I normally dislike this type of movie.

5/5

Power Rangers (2017)


Power Rangers (2017)

Director:

Dean Israelite

Starring:

Dacre Montgomery

Naomi Scott

RJ Cyler

Ludi Lin

Becky G

Elizabeth Banks

Bryan Cranston

Plot:

A group of high-school students, who are infused with unique superpowers, harness their abilities in order to save the world.

Review:

This movie really benefited from me recently watching some episodes of the original series as well as some episodes from one of the newest series. I didn’t have the show completely covered in nostalgia so I was more receptive to it.

Power Rangers are teenagers that are given devices that allow them to morph into armor that puts them on the same strength level as galactic monsters bent on destroying them and the universe. Why you would give teenagers that power, who knows? But there you have it.

I appreciated that they weren’t racist like the original series was with color choices. I liked that the yellow ranger was unsure of her sexuality. I liked that the blue ranger was autistic, at least I believe he was. Red ranger was eh, but he’s never been my favorite. Pink ranger was a mean girl that was redeemed because she’s hot? I’m really not sure about her and hope there’s more to her story. Hopefully, the next movie introduces a hot green ranger.

I hate teenage angst, but it’s very much part of the Power Rangers formula so it wasn’t out of place in this movie. The only thing that I really thought they could have done better with was the action scenes and the revelation of the Megazord. Power Rangers is great when it comes to action and this movie was seriously lacking. Two car crashes, but you could barely see them kicking butt.

I’m interested in what the next movie will be like and hope they’re able to improve on this one, but keep in the same vein on everything else.

3/5