Movie Reviews

A Christmas Prince (2017)

A Christmas Prince (2017)

Director:

Alex Zamm

Starring:

Rose McIver

Ben Lamb

Alice Krige

Plot:

When a reporter goes undercover as a tutor to get the inside scoop on a playboy prince, she gets tangled in some royal intrigue and ends up finding love – but will she be able to keep up her lie?

Review:

I was not expecting to see a Netflix Original Movie like this one, though, I should have been. Cheap Christmas movies are perfect for Netflix, they should make more because this one seemed like it had a slightly larger budget than a Hallmark movie and Rose McIver was a much better actress than we normally get. However, it still had all the things I love about cheesy Christmas movies.

Sweet romance, check.

Snow and Christmas decorations, check.

Misunderstandings that lead to an almost horrible ending, check.

A sweet child and an American woman that saves Christmas and an entire countries political future, um, check.

Really enjoyed this movie, though, I don’t think it’s going to become a yearly tradition. I might end up watching it again though. If you’re a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies then you’ll love this one.

3.5/5

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Director:

Taika Waititi

Starring:

Chris Hemsworth

Tom Hiddleston

Cate Blanchett

Karl Urban

Idris Elba

Jeff Goldblum

Anthony Hopkins

Mark Ruffalo

Plot:

Imprisoned, the almighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization.

Review:

BEST MARVEL MOVIE!

I know, that’s a pretty bold statement, but I stand by it. The music was awesome. The characters were fun. The acting was great. The story, always the weak spot in a Thor movie, was entertaining. Seriously, days later and I still can’t think of a single thing that I didn’t love.

Thor’s hair was cut, they somehow took an already super attractive man and made him that much more attractive. His comedy timing was perfect and it felt like they finally found a good balance for the role.

The Hulk was great, he’s a character that can’t really carry a movie all on his own, but adding him to a Thor movie worked out beautifully.

The new characters and world were fun and exciting and honestly I just freaking loved this entire thing. If I could I would see it again and again in theaters. It was that good.

I loved the colors, I loved the action, I loved the comedy, I loved it all.

I know, I know, this is a sucky review, but just go watch the movie.

5/5

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Director:

Jon Watts

Starring:

Tom Holland

Michael Keaton

Robert Downey Jr.

Marisa Tomei

Plot:

Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.

Review:

I have a confession, I am not a Spider-Man fan. I used to be, I liked the first two Tobey Maguire films, but then I was young and stupid and knew nothing. I’ve seen the Amazing Spider-Man movies as well, pretty sure I’ve got reviews posted here for them. The thing that makes me not a fan of Spider-Man, though, is the one time I bought one of his comics it was in the middle of a story arc and he chose Aunt Mae over Mary Jane and I could not comprehend. Ever since I’ve thought of Spider-Man as an idiot and scoffed at his stuff.

Now that’s out of the way I can tell you that I really liked this movie. It nailed the tone of what I feel a Spider-Man movie should be like based on people I know that can’t shut up about him. It was funny, it was a good story, and the teen angst wasn’t overwhelming. Michael Keaton as a villain was great, so believable. You do things to take care of your family. His suit was awesome looking too. Falcon will forever look like a joke after Vulture. Love that Tony Stark was the catalyst for this whole problem. Do not like Tony Stark.

I was afraid that there would be too much Iron Man in the movie, but they did a pretty good balancing act. Peter, Tom Holland, learned how to stand on his own, so that’s good for future movies.

I did not like that almost all of the big scenes were in the trailers, there were almost no new scenes with Spider-Man showing epic levels of skill. Getting tired of that, trailers are becoming highlight reels instead of showing just enough to grab your attention and make you want to watch.

Anyway, I ended up buying the blu-ray after watching this from Red Box and have already watched it again. Spider-Man: Homecoming was a great movie and the start of what I hope is a successful series.

4/5

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Director:

Matthew Vaughn

Starring:

Taron Egerton

Colin Firth

Mark Strong

Julianne Moore

Plot:

When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, the Kingsman’s journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US. These two elite secret organizations must band together to defeat a common enemy.

Review:

Now this was an excellent, in your face over the top action movie. I loved it! The world that is created is rich and amusing, the characters are fleshed out and enjoyable to watch, and the way it’s shot highlights all the right things. Honestly, I’m so glad that the first one did so well that we got a sequel and I can only hope that we have more to come.

I will say there was one scene that bothered me. It wasn’t the brief moment of canabilism or the head shots or even Elton John kicking butt, it was the scene were Taron Egerton’s character had to finger a mark. My issue wasn’t so much as that he had to do it, but was in the way it was shot. Did we really need to see his hand skim across her abdomen and disappear into her panties? Really? I could have done without that, but since the nature of the movie is to push further and further across the line I guess I understand, even if I didn’t like it.

All in all, I loved the movie and can’t wait to be able to buy it and watch it again.

4.5/5 

Side Note:

OMG the president in this is spot on, love him!

Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver (2017)

Director:

Edgar Wright

Starring:

Ansel Elgort

Jon Bernthal

Jon Hamm

Kevin Spacey

Lily James

Plot:

After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

Review:

The first seven or so minutes of this movie is awesome. It’s one of the best car chases I’ve ever seen. It’s then followed by another really awesome car chase.  So my hype for the car chase at the climactic conclusion was pretty high.

The first half of the movie was excellent, great car chases, interesting characters, good music. I couldn’t ask for more. Sadly, after the first half things took a turn, it went from focusing on the driving to emotional character stuff. It was still alright, just not exactly what I wanted to watch.

The ending, though, was a giant disappointment. The trailers and the first half of this movie sold it as an action movie focusing on car chases. They showed us two new muscle cars and then nothing. There was no climactic ending. It was a massive let down and had my husband cursing furiously at the TV.

The movie is worth watching just for the beginning, but I had really hoped for more from this after all the hype I’d read.

3/5