Movie

A Trip to the Moon (Color) (1902)

a trip to the moon

A Trip to the Moon (Color) (1902)

Director:

Georges Méliès

Starring:

Georges Méliès

François Lallement

Jules-Eugène Legris

Plot:

A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the moon.

Review:

Spoiler, I’m giving this movie a 5 stars just because of the technological feat that was accomplished. The start of the film says that it was found in horrible condition but they were able to restore most of it. Crazy.

Anyway, not really sure what was going on. It looked like a bunch of wizards/scientists decided to be shot to the moon in a bullet from a large cannon. While there they attacked and killed many of the moon people and then came home unwittingly taking a moon creature with them. Naturally they chained it up and made it dance in a parade.

Wouldn’t it be crazy if someone somehow managed to do that? Shoot themselves out of a large cannon, somehow survive, only to die when they get to the moon and there’s no oxygen.

Anyway, the movie was only fifteen minutes long so really there’s no reason not to watch it.

5/5

 

 

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

mission-impossible-rogue-nation-1

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

Director:

Christopher McQuarrie

Starring:

Tom Cruise

Simon Pegg

Rebecca Ferguson

Jeremy Renner

Plot:

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.

Review:

This was such a pleasant surprise. I’d honestly completely forgotten they were releasing a new Mission Impossible movie until my husband brought it up. Since our daughter is having her first sleepover with the grandparents I thought this was a great movie to keep me distracted.

The IMF is experiencing some backlash from their previous less than covert operations. Blowing up the Kremlin tends to piss off some people. Because of that this entire operation was spent with the agents dodging the bad guys and the good.

Simon Pegg was great, Tom Cruise was great, Rebecca Ferguson was great, you get the picture? The actors were perfect, the story was entertaining, and there were masks. I actually think the movie will end up looking better when I see it on a smaller screen, so much was going on that it was sometimes difficult to focus on everything.

Watching this made me want to re-watch the previous ones and I think once I’ve finished the Matrix Trilogy I will move on to the Mission Impossible series.

4/5

 

Ant-Man (2015)

Ant-Man

Ant-Man (2015)

Director:

Peyton Reed

Starring:

Paul Rudd

Michael Douglas

Corey Stoll

Evangeline Lilly

Plot:

Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Review:

The movie had some pacing issues and was nowhere near as funny as I thought it was going to be. I was actually pretty disappointed in everything. I feel like this keeps happening with the most recent additions to the Marvel franchise. It was an introduction to the character but they were hamstrung by the universe that’s been built. The issue facing Ant-Man couldn’t be too big because they didn’t want to call in the Avengers and it ended up having problems because of it.

The action was lacking and there was a lot of downtime. There were a few funny moments but the dialog that was supposed to be funny felt forced.

There’s been a lot of buildup in the last two movies toward, I guess, Captain America: Civil War, and because of that the story for movies like Ant-Man and Avengers: Age of Ultron felt like they were filler.

I’m being a little unfair, Ant-Man wasn’t that bad, but it certainly didn’t live up to my expectations.

3/5

The Matrix: Reloaded (2003)

Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix: Reloaded (2003)

Director:

Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski

Starring:

Keanu Reeves

Laurence Fishburne

Carrie-Anne Moss

Plot:

Neo and the rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours until 250,000 probes discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. During this, Neo must decide how he can save Trinity from a dark fate in his dreams.

Review:

I love this movie. It’s in my top ten favorites. I’m pretty sure I like it more than the first Matrix movie. The last forty-five minutes are jam packed with some amazing action scenes. My favorite is the scene where Neo fights all the bad asses in the palace on the mountain. Some great shots and great action. The highway scene is just as good with the ghost twins providing new enemy abilities.

The CG is dated and occasionally looks pretty bad, but they don’t focus on it for long periods and the way its shot helps mask the shortcomings.

I remember getting out of school and rushing to the theater to see this. I had been blown away by the first and I devoured anything I could find about the sequels before they came out. I was not disappointed by this film and it hurts my heart that people actively hate this movie.

Oh well. I enjoyed watching it again and plan on re-watching Revolutions soon.

5/5

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

KungFuHustle-Still7

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Director:

Stephen Chow

Starring:

Stephen Chow

Wah Yuen

Qiu Yuen

Plot:

In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious “Axe Gang” while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.

Review:

After watching The God of Cookery I had to re-watch Kung Fu Hustle. Such a good movie. It starts pretty much immediately, tons of great action and it’s hilarious. Really I shouldn’t have to say more.

Let’s see. Stephen Chow is amazing, perfect timing, similar story line to The God of Cookery in that he experiences a redeeming moment and then does good. Great over the top scenes that are excellently shot. Really you couldn’t ask for more.

5/5