Reviews

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a masterclass is world building. This movie's world breathes and slowly discovering every inch of it is a joy, from Diagon Alley to Hogwarts Castle. I would not say the story is overly brilliant, but that is just a catalyst for the world in this first film. Despite its minor drawbacks, it does enough to intrigue the viewer and kept me engaged. The performances are a little off, which is expected as this film is primarily carried by three twelve-year-olds. But they get better as the film progresses and the adults in the film are able to bring the average up with their amazing performances. Overall, this movie suffers from being dated with poor effects, CGI, and some rough child acting. Never-the-less, it manages to create an experience like no other and I expect the films to do nothing but improve from the initial entry. Score: 77%...

Ahh, the magic begins. Harry Potter is an Orphan who on his eleventh birthday discovers he's a wizard and is called to term at Hogwarts School. But Harry is soon to find out that his past, and his destiny, is a truly remarkable, magical, and terrifying thing. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone arrived in a blaze of publicity, one of the most hyped and talked about motion pictures of the decade had finally arrived. The box office was guaranteed to bulge based on fandom book base alone, regardless of if the film got bad word of mouth or not, it was destined to be a monster smash hit. To someone like me who to this day has never read any of the Harry Potter books, it was easy for me to view objectively without comparison to the source - I enjoyed it immensely upon theatre release, and I still enjoy it equally as much now. Director Christopher Columbus, I believe has wisely stayed...

It seems like I have been watching the trailers for this film for years now - and you know what? Yes - it was worth the wait. The film is all about some truly exhilarating aerial photography that culminates in some super dogfighting and a good old dose of nostalgia. Tom Cruise is very much in his element as the ageing - and frequently not afraid to look it - eponymous "Top Gun" pilot drafted in by a rather sceptical admiral to train up a new squad for a very perilous mission to destroy an underground uranium enrichment facility. The team arrive - full of hormones - and he must whip them into shape, a task made more difficult by the presence of "Rooster" (Miles Teller) who is the son of his old mate "Goose" who came to a sticky end last time out in 1986. He also gets to rekindle his romance with bar owner "Penny" (Jennifer Connelly) whilst all under the protection of his former wingman,...

A lot of things in this movie do not make sense, like "why not use F-35?", "why didn't cruise missiles target enemy air defence and planes in hangars?" to name a few. The original movie had some seriousness built into it, the sequel I think is closer to a comic book movie. Very similar to the original star wars, especially the action sequence at the end. Just a tad more realistic than black widow, you can clearly see the action comedy style of Marvel movies. I think a lot of conservatives reminiscing Reagan years would watch it, that should be enough to make it a hit. I think that is also the reason of the high score. To me the movie quality is more of 5 ~ 7 out of 10. Just don't think too much when watching it, but I don't think that is too big a problem for the target audience.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/top-gun-maverick-spoiler-free-review "Top Gun: Maverick is the return of pure, nostalgic blockbusters, instantly becoming one of this year's personal favorites. The best aerial action sequences ever amaze even the highest expectations, not only due to the absolutely insane real stunts but largely because of the flawless contribution of all filmmaking elements. The surprisingly emotional screenplay helps Tom Cruise deliver one of the best performances of his career. Perfect editing is essential to creating such realism, as well as raising the tension levels for one of the best final acts within the respective genre. And, finally, the memorable score loaded with epic tracks makes the theater experience the only way this magnificent work should be seen. Superior to the original in every way." Rating: A-

What an excellent sequel - I, in fact, like it more than its predecessor. 'Top Gun: Maverick' is fantastic, simply put. I was expecting it to be good, but it's actually much more enjoyable than I had anticipated. The callbacks to the original are expertly done, the new characters are strong/well cast, it has plenty of meaning, music is fab and the action is outstanding - the aerial stuff is sensational. The story is superb, with each high stake coming across as intended - parts even gave me slight goosebumps, which is a surprise given I'm not someone who has a connection to the 1986 film. It's all super neatly put together, I honestly came close to giving it a higher rating. Tom Cruise is brilliant as he reprises the role of Maverick, while Miles Teller comes in and gives a top performance. Jennifer Connelly is another positive, though her role does kinda feel a tiny bit forced in...

The premise is really intriguing, and honestly, I was quite amazed by this film. It blends horror and comedy really well. But unfortunately, Joko Anwar doesn’t feel as strong when it comes to writing the third act it loses some of its impact. On top of that, the political satire and underlying themes are delivered a bit too on-the-nose. It feels very blunt, almost like listening to a public service announcement. Still, I can’t deny how impressive the film’s disturbing elements are. It’s rare to find something that can make you feel disgusted and mesmerized at the same time, the aesthetic of discomfort here is genuinely striking.

I suppose when you tell us all in advance that this is only going to be part three of a franchise, we can’t be surprised when the story doesn’t really go anywhere. Well here there isn’t really much of a story at all, just an extension of the last outing with a denouement that almost exactly duplicates “The Way of Water” from 2022. “Jake” and “Neytiri” are having to come to terms with the aftermath of that battle, and she is having quite a bit of difficulty with “Spider” (Jack Champion) whom she would sooner just kill than have hanging about. Meantime, the warlike “Varang” - who could give Boudicca a run for her money, is leading her “Mangkwan” people on a quest to take over the place from the more peaceable elements of the "Na’vi”. Finally, the avatar of colonel “Quaritch” is doing the bidding of general “Ardmore” (Edie Falco) whilst trying to reunite with his lad (“Spider”). Now Mr....

I thought overall is really good movie which I've come to expect from this series it takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. the cinematography and the graphics are exceptional and sometimes to leave you breathless and really makes you wonder if another world like that can really exist it kept me locked in even though it was a bit long-winded. I like the roles the daughter and son played making it more than just a basic war film, kind of a coming of age thing and gave it a little different twist that shakes your emotions up at times. Id definitely watch it again and recommend it. overall great movie you need to see it but take time to watch the first two before this one

I give it 5/10 because, this 5 stars are for technical side. Movie has amazing effects, especially if you're watching it in 3D. It's visually beautiful, however I'm not giving rest 5 stars because of its narrative and agenda. Movie portraits us - humankind as evil, conquering race and simply bad. Yes, sure, we humans made a lots of mistakes in the past and we're not perfect, but we're not that bad and we do a lot of great and kind things as well, but people in Hollywood (those liberals) want us to hate ourselves, to feel guilty, to say how bad we are. Those people who push this agenda, they're obssessed with self-hatred and humilation. They're the one who want to divide people. We even hear in movie how those tribal aliens are calling us "pink-asses" and how they hate us. I think we all know what's happening here folks, it's a same leftist narrative and their propaganda.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/avatar-fire-and-ash-movie-review-james-cameron-finds-himself-between-technical-brilliance-and-creative-stagnation/ "Avatar: Fire and Ash leaves me with mixed feelings of technical admiration and creative exhaustion. It's a film that lives off its scale, scope, and technical audacity but fails to take the step forward the narrative required to become memorable on its own merit. Cinema cannot just be a technology demonstration; it needs characters whose journeys we feel as our own, themes that are explored in depth, and stories that aren't limited to repeating past successes. There are fascinating ideas here, from Neytiri's grief to Kiri's divine isolation and Varang's antagonistic beliefs, but they're lost under a cynical structure and unjustified plot decisions that make the experience truly frustrating. The lack of clarity...

I wasn't inspired by the start of this film as it resembled a sort of foaming-at-the-mouth edition of the "Kids from Fame", but once it settles down it's actually quite a decent hybrid of a horror movie and a sci-fi thriller. It's following a presentation by a tech CEO (Kim Jong-tae) who is advancing the theories of communal communication and learning, itself quite a terrifying thought, that the disgruntled "Suh Yeong Cheol" (Koo Hyo-hwan) decides to seek his revenge on that man whom he accuses of stealing his revolutionary ideas and then firing him. He injects him with a serum that sees a remarkable effect on his ertswhile boss and proves contagious to just about everyone he comes into contact with - with this teeth!! This conference is taking place adjacent to a shopping mall so as these now rabid creatures spread that spells trouble for a disparate bunch of shoppers who manage to seek...

*Colony* is so smart and exhilarating, with breathtaking cinematography by Byun Bong-sun. The fact that an outbreak film is doing something different rather than rehashing everything that came before it is enough to warrant a watch. But it’s such a clever spin on the genre, it ends up clawing and biting its way to being one of the best films of the year.

This is another great example of how Koreans understand zombie movies. Just like with Train to Busan this movie does something interesting with the concept rather than just repeat the tropes we have already seen. There is a great deal of urgency in this movie and the actors and directors pull this off very well. The effects are very high class and the overall presentation is highly proficient. I did enjoy this quite a lot, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the genre.

Colony is a marginal departure from your classic zombie flick. While intelligently written, there's not a lot on offer here, aside from a zombie hive mind proposition, that distinguishes this outbreak zombie horror disaster drama from others in the genre. That's not to say it's not worth a look if you like this kind of thing. The acting is excellent; the characters have a genuine depth, offering up predictably human responses, for better or worse, to the unfolding disaster that befalls them. Action is solid too, with lots of zombie thrills but little in the way of genuine scares, backed by solid choregraphy and cinamatics. In summary. Colony isn't doing anything overly new, but its script offers enough interest and excitement to make this film a worthwhile watch.

As someone who struggles with thalassophobia -- I found WHALEFALL immediately gripping and intense before the whale even showed up. As a harrowing survival adventure, it shares a kinship with Danny Boyle's 127 HOURS, pitting the main character -- Jay (Austin Abrams) against the force of nature itself, in the literal belly of the beast, the third largest cetacean of the sea, the Sperm Whale.  How, one might ask, can a feature length film sustain an audience's attention, while its protagonist is slowly digested in the guts of the leviathan in a predicament worse than Boba Fett in the Sarlacc's digestive tract? This is where co-writer and director Brian Duffield leans into the source material of Daniel Kraus's 2023 book of the same name, with bittersweet reminiscences from a partially masticated Jay languishing in the guts of the whale as he reconciles with the memory of his estranged...

I think it's fairly safe to say that neither Josh Brolin nor Austin Abrams are having a great 2026! If the former isn't being attacked by zillions of zombies he's struggling with a chronic lung disease - no good thing when you're a pro-diver; and the latter is also having to avoid a similar grizzly fate if he is to survive long enough to end up in this film, getting swallowed up by a giant sperm whale. "Jay" (AA) has always had a bit of a strained relationship with his dad (Brolin) but now that man has died - by taking a leaf from the "Capt. Hook" book of plank-walking, he is determined to discover his body deep beneath on the edge of the continental shelf. What he doesn't bargain on is a giant octopus and then the even more giant cachalot that isn't so discriminating when it is feeding. Before we know it, "Jay" hasn't his problems to seek and with less than one hour of oxygen left he...

Check out my review @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/whalefall-movie-review-austin-abrams-anchors-a-gorgeously-gross-survival-thriller/ Rating: B WHALEFALL takes an insane premise, keeps making it crazier, and never stops committing to it. The practical whale interior is genuinely claustrophobic, the underwater sets are magnificent, the body horror is plentiful, and the sound design is excellent from start to finish. Austin Abrams proves he can carry a heavy dramatic role with barely any comedy, and Josh Brolin is as good as ever as a strict, rigorous father. The father-son relationship isn’t as strong as the film thinks it is, though. Mitt never earns his redemption, the flashbacks and over-explaining don’t help, and the vision-filled third act trades survival for spirituality and sentiment. I still enjoyed it, and I’d happily go back, even if just to see that killer whale sequence...

Great but a little long. Sexier than LotR and no hair. Yell acting. Jabba bathes in black goo and kills women horribly. Walken is hilarious. Zendaya still an addict. Bridges is a bit self-serious. Amazing visuals. Really enjoyed...was glad and a bit bored by the end. Shorter Dunes please.

This is certainly a great looking film to see on a big screen with some really effective, almost industrially sounding, audio - but what happened to the story? It's wafer thin and really stretched out for 2¾ hours. We pick up with "Paul" (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother (Rebecca Ferguson) trying to convince the "Fremen" that they are worth the hassle. Fortunately, leader "Stilgar" (Javier Bardem) is convinced of the messianic state of the young refugee, whilst their own reverend mother is on her last legs which might give "Jessica" a chance to prove her own worth, and provide an opportunity to peddle some embellished mythology about her son's ascendant propheteering. All of this manoeuvring and politicking is having quite an impact on "Chani" (the under-used Zendaya) and on the relationship between her and the increasingly worshipped new Duke. Meantime, now fully reinvigorated and...