School of Rock (2003)

School of Rock (2003)

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writer:

Mike White

Starring:

Jack Black

Mike White

Joan Cusack

Sarah Silverman

Miranda Cosgrove

Blurb:

After being kicked out of his rock band, Dewey Finn becomes a substitute teacher of an uptight elementary private school, only to try and turn his class into a rock band.

Review:

I watched School of Rock way back when it came out, but I have never had a desire to watch it since. However, scrolling through Instagram, as you do, I came across some people talking about it, and I decided to re-watch with new eyes. Thankfully, it was streaming on HBO, so I was able to.

My feelings on School of Rock remain the same. The movie is fine, I don’t find it funny, but it’s kind of cute. Jack Black’s character is mainly a positive influence on the kids, and the ending is the best outcome, but I’m not sure if his actions outweigh the lies he told. I guess I’m not rock n’ roll enough.

It’s a sweet film, and I enjoy Jack Black and the kids, but sadly it’s not a movie for me.

3/5

A Lady’s Formula for Love (The Secret Scientists of London #1)

A Lady’s Formula for Love (The Secret Scientists of London #1)

By:

Elizabeth Everett

Blurb:

Lady Violet Hughes is keeping secrets. First, she founded a clandestine sanctuary for England’s most brilliant female scientists. Second, she is using her genius on a confidential mission for the Crown. But the biggest secret of all? Her feelings for protection officer Arthur Kneland.

Solitary and reserved, Arthur learned the hard way to put duty first. But the more time he spends in the company of Violet and the eccentric club members, the more his best intentions go up in flames. Literally.

When a shadowy threat infiltrates Violet’s laboratories, endangering her life and her work, scientist and bodyguard will find all their theories put to the test—and learn that the most important discoveries are those of the heart.

Review:

Alright, so, I’ve read a few books where women are scientists in London in the 1800s. So I have expectations at this point. Sadly, A Lady’s Formula for Love did not meet those. I don’t know if Everett intentionally put in a red herring for a future romantic pairing or if that’s just what happened. Either way, I didn’t like the outcome. Actually, I didn’t like that character at all. Phoebe was mean and so sure of herself that even when I was supposed to feel sympathy for her, I couldn’t. Yet, in any other series, I would expect her to have her own story, but after that ending, she better not.

Ugh, I was ready to give the book a three-star, but the more I think about it, the more I realize I can’t go above a two. Not just because of the Phoebe character, but because of the main characters. I liked certain things about them, but I didn’t like how it was written. Not the characters themselves. They were fine, but the actual writing. I didn’t enjoy it, and I can’t put my finger on why. It didn’t feel natural. I don’t care to think about it long enough to figure out anything further than that.

Kind of bummed cause I like that storyline, but I won’t be reading more of the series.

2/5

Bloodsport (1988)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Bloodsport (1988)

Director:

Newt Arnold

Writers:

Sheldon Lettich

Christopher Crosby

Mel Friedman

Starring:

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Donald Gibb

Leah Aryes

Norman Burton

Forest Whitaker

Blurb:

“Bloodsport” follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.

Thoughts:

I’ve been stuck on Bloodsport for a while because it’s another one of my husband’s movies, and he can’t watch movies as frequently as I do. He prefers to play video games. Eventually, I got tired of waiting and put it on while he played Monster Hunter on the switch, occasionally looking up. I realize, technically, I could skip these kinds of movies. It’s not mine, after all. It feels like cheating, though. I don’t hate Bloodsport. I don’t feel a need to own it, but I don’t have an issue watching it. So I force myself to all in the name of sticking to my Great Movie Re-Watch plan.

Bloodsport is one of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s first big movies. Despite the lack of plot and inclusion of most action movie cliché’s it was incredibly popular and made a decent amount of money. Enough to spawn a couple of sequels, at least. The fight scenes are fun, but the acting is pretty bad, and the story is often unintentionally hilarious. There is also a cat that meows throughout all of the fight scenes. It’s distracting and annoying.

One of the best things to come out of Bloodsport is a Mentos spoof commercial that I will link to below. It’s another entertainingly bad action movie.

Mrs. Winterbourne (1996)

Mrs. Winterbourne (1996)

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writers:

Phoef Sutton

Lisa-Maria Radano

Starring:

Shirley MacLaine

Ricki Lake

Brendan Fraser

Blurb:

Connie, unwed and pregnant, is heading to Boston by train when she meets wealthy newlyweds Hugh and Patricia. The train crashes, and when Connie comes to in the hospital, she is mistaken for Patricia, who died in the crash with Hugh.

Review:

With Brendan Fraser.

Sorry, I had to. When I found this movie, Starz ended the description that way, and it struck me as hilarious, so everything in our house has been with Brendan Fraser.

Anyway, Mrs. Winterbourne was a perfect adaption of a romance novel. I haven’t read the book it’s based on, but it hits all the marks you would expect from that type of book. We have mistaken identity, an instant dislike by one of the protagonists, and then falling helplessly in love. Someone is blackmailed, there’s a murder, and rich bitches get told off. It’s all perfectly over the top.

My only complaints are that Brendan Fraser’s feelings and personality changed without much reason. Also, I’m not much of a fan of Ricki Lake. Other than those two things, the movie was pretty solid. Not something I need to own, but I’d watch it again.

3/5

Return to Snowy River (1988)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Return to Snowy River (1988)

Director:

Geoff Burrows

Writers:

John Dixon

Geoff Burrows

Starring:

Tom Burlinson

Sigrid Thornton

Brian Dennehy

Nicholas Eadie

Blurb:

Young Jim Craig returns to his home in the Australian high country. He finds that things are not as he left them – his girlfriend is being pursued by another man, and her father doesn’t want Jim back into her life.

Thoughts:

My favorite part of Return to Snowy River is near the beginning. Where Jim is going to get into a fistfight but is told there are better ways to prove his point, so he completely shows up the asshole. It’s one of those moments where I have a stupid grin on my face while watching. I love it.

I like the rest of the movie, a lot actually, but I never get that feeling again with it. Jim and his whole “I’ve got a start for us” to Jessica is annoying. He didn’t even talk to her before disappearing. It was presumptuous on his part to expect her to wait for him, in my opinion—fairly old school man. Still, you can’t beat the romance. Easily top ten in that category.

There’s not much to say about the filming. There didn’t appear to be any drama behind the scenes. A horse died, sadly, but that’s about it. Michael Douglas didn’t reprise his role, but honestly, Brian Dennehy did a great job, and Douglas wasn’t missed. Oh, and it appears as though the actual title is Return to Snowy River II, though that’s not on my DVD copy. Seriously, I wish they’d release a Blu-ray or add it to Disney+ in HD.