sandiegocat

IMDb member since October 2008
    Lifetime Total
    5+
    Poll Taker
    10x
    IMDb Member
    15 years

Reviews

All About Steve
(2009)

A Sweet Movie for All the Misfits in the World
This movie has a 4.8 rating on IMDB, which is a shame. I get why people might think it's worth 4.8 on the surface. The lead character is annoying. She's a super-intelligent, socially very awkward person just trying to be "normal" to please others. That can be uncomfortable to watch. But if you're a person who wasn't a jock or cheerleader in high school, a person who has ever felt marginalized, watch this movie. It is a joy. As Mary goes forth into the world being her awkward, nerdy self, looking for love in definitely the wrong place (Bradley Cooper) you might feel that there is a place for you, too. That it's okay to be you. Red boots and alll.

Change in the Air
(2018)

A Beautiful, Sweet Movie
This is such a beautiful, sweet movie. All the actors give simple, wonderful performances. The story is innocent and uplifting. It feels more like aBritish movie than American, as they take their time and just let things unfold instead of rushing through plots. I would definitely recommend it.

The Neighborhood
(2018)

Great Family Sitcom
This is a great little family sitcom. All the acting is good, but the Butler sons are the funniest. Their reactions crack me up, especially the engineer. I'm only halfway through season 1, but so far there are no super serious "special" episodes. It's always light fun with everything resolved by the end of the episode just the way a sitcom should be. The "cultures clashing" aspect is a sitcom staple for a reason, and this show does it very well.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
(2019)

A Fun, Beautiful and Beautifully Animated Film!
Detective Pikachu is everything I could have asked for and more. It is so cute you want to pinch its cheeks. The dialogue is witty, the plot, fun. The animation is done so well that Pikachu and the other Pokemon look like you could touch them and feel the texture of their skin or fur. I'm not an expert, but the special effects experts who have a channel discussing effects even noted how Pikachu's fluff looked so real. When it got wet, it looked wet, and as it dried you could see the individual hairs more. But that was just a small part of a movie that was so fun it left all of us smiling as we left the theater. It was great to see so many of the other Pokemon, like Mr Mime, portrayed so well and in such a fun way, too! Thanks to everyone who worked on this movie!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
(2018)

Another Amazing Magical Journey
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is another amazing magical journey through the wizarding world of J. K. Rowling's beautiful mind. Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander is still as self-effacing and awkwardly adorable as ever as he makes his way through the wizarding world of Europe. Jude Law is probably the best Dumbledore yet, at least on par with the first and way better than the second of the Harry Potter series. Favorites from the first movie are back in this second installment that will just leave you hungry for the next one.

On a deeper level, The Crimes of Grindelwald of course brings to mind the rise of a certain real-life evil ruler, and we see how good people can be enticed to join the movement. On the surface, the message is perfect and appealing with all the ugliness hidden deep underneath. So whether you want to enjoy this on a purely magical level or want to discuss the deeper messages, go see the movie and enjoy!

Solo: A Star Wars Story
(2018)

Really Fun Movie!
This is a really fun movie for the everyone. I went with eight people to a preview screening, and we all really enjoyed it. It's more action and less talk than some movies in the Star Wars franchise, so it moves along at a brisk pace. Paul Bethany's Dryden Vos is a bad guy that you will love to love even though you know you should hate him. If you've been under a rock and haven't seen the Star Wars movies, you will still really enjoy it, but it has some moments that will especially excite Star Wars fans. Go see it!

Justice League
(2017)

Justice League is a Great Superhero Movie!
I haven't always been a fan of DC's superhero movies. They've been very uneven in my opinion and have lacked the fun and heart of some other franchises. They sometimes seemed to be more about big fights and ultra-serious dialogue than connecting with the audience on any level. With Justice League, DC finally really finds its heart and its sense of humor.

Ben Affleck's Batman was okay in this movie because he plays more of a father figure to the group rather than action-fighting Batman. But Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman truly brings a warmth to every scene she is in, as always. And Ezra Miller's Flash is so entertaining, often speaking what the audience is thinking. He has so many moments that are laugh-out-loud funny that he humanizes the often too-serious Batman and Superman.

I would highly recommend this movie to everyone. It's appropriate for any age that is not adversely affected by comic book type violence.

X-Men: Apocalypse
(2016)

A Great Action Movie from Start to Finish!
If you enjoy well written, well acted, well directed fun summer action movies, go see XMen Apocalypse. Everything is spot on in this movie from beginning to end. The plot is well conceived and carried out, which is sometimes a problem with action/superhero movies (see Batman v Superman as an example of that.) The Big Baddie in the movie is intriguing, powerful, and scary. He feels real and is well acted by Oscar Isaac of Star Wars: The Force Awakens fame.

All of the Xmen we love are back. We get to see origin stories for some we've known for a long time. All of the young actors, led by Jennifer Lawrence reprising her role as Mystique, are excellent. We get to see more of the delightful Quicksilver who was introduced and had one of the best scenes in XMen: Days of Future Past as well as a young Storm and a young Nightcrawler doing their thing. The action scenes with Quicksilver running here and there and Nightcrawler popping in and out of fights are some of the best you will see. Watching the conflicts of Magneto, Storm and the others trying to decide which parts of themselves they will embrace and which side of the fight to stand on brings layers to the movie beyond just the action.

This stands with the best of the XMen movies and with the best of superhero movies. Don't miss it.

Christmas Eve
(2015)

Charming Christmas Movie
Christmas Eve is a light, charming Christmas movie. It works mainly because of all the talented actors involved. (You can look at the IMDb listing to see who they all are.) The plot involves different groups of people being stuck on elevators in New York City for several hours on Christmas Eve. We get to know the people and see how they react to missing their Christmas Eve plans. I didn't really care for a couple of the groups, mainly the hospital elevator and the group of musicians. However, the elevator with James Roday and a neighbor was especially sweet and touching. And I would just like to hang out with the people in the mall elevator! Give this a try if you're looking for a sweet Christmas movie to watch.

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