shokwave-1

IMDb member since June 2005
    Lifetime Total
    10+
    Lifetime Plot
    5+
    IMDb Member
    18 years

Reviews

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
(2021)

Good but could have been better
Very good action, fighting and stunts. Good casting and acting for the most part, loved Bucky and Sam. There were also some genuine heartfelt moments, especially at the end. They spliced in some decent MCU cameos here and there.

I didn't care for the new Cap John Walker, but I think that was the point. The actor was decent but not great. Like many people have said the show is too short with only six episodes. They could have filled in some more details and story, for instance we never saw John Walker actually inject himself with the serum. It could have made the villains more interesting as well. Sharon Carter's identity as the Power Broker was a surprise but felt unfulfilling.

I think my least favorite part was the character of Valentina Allegra played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I know people lost it when she walked in and I was surprised too, but she acted way too quirky and funny for my taste. Sounded to me like they just told the actress to ad-lib the whole thing and it really felt our of place.

Scoob!
(2020)

Replaced talented / proven voice cast with random actors.
Scooby-Doo has been on TV and home video consistently since it's creation in 1969. Even though there have been some changes to the voice cast over the last 50 years, the quality of the actors has always been excellent.

So why then did WB bring in new voice talent for Scoob? It's not like the Scooby-Doo franchise has laid dormant for any length of time. The character's voices are integral to the success of the shows and are well known by fans. We can assume this change was the result of a broken Hollywood formula: We don't trust our franchise to be successful on it's own so we must hire bigger name actors to draw attention. WB kept Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo but not as Fred, a character he has voiced since 1969! What an insult!

Let's hope they just keep making the direct to video movies with the regular cast and never try this again.

Rio Lobo
(1970)

A major let down.
Given Rio Lobo's creative team and certain plot elements, the film will always be compared to the excellent Rio Bravo and my favorite John Wayne film, El Dorado. Sadly Rio Lobo doesn't hold a candle to either movie.

First the good. John Wayne is always enjoyable, even in movies I don't like. The Duke does the best he can with the writing here and there are some genuinely funny moments throughout. Jack Elam's character was fun when he finally arrived later in the picture. A few of the background actors were also good with their limited screen time. The sets, especially the western towns, brought a familiar feeling and life to the world. And the soundtrack also increased the immersion.

Now the bad. The acting by several of the main characters was poor, even cringe worthy at times. Jorge Rivero and Jennifer O'Neill were especially hard to watch. Maybe these are good actors with a bad script, or maybe both are true. Overall I found myself wanting to skip over scenes and couldn't believe what I was watching. I expected more.

The plot is a good one but there were some elements that bothered me. The villains in this movie are former Union soldiers but they were never on screen during the war. There was no connection to them or their treachery outside of John Wayne's desire to catch them. Ketchum also wasn't much of a villain, more of a coward. The romance elements felt rushed and boring, perhaps due to the poor acting and/or writing. There were some good comedic moments, mostly by Wayne and Elam, but others that fell flat.

I kept watching and hoping the movie would get better, which it did in some ways, but felt disappointed in the end. Maybe I expected too much from Rio Lobo. Maybe I'll give it another try down the road and change my tune.

Jetsons: The Movie
(1990)

Why does it always come down to voice casting?
I have a lot of nostalgia for The Jetsons. The cartoon was one of my favorites as a child in the 1980s. I don't have that same nostalgia for the movie or even remember when I actually saw it for the first time. I decided to watch it to see if I wanted to buy the newly released Blu-Ray version.

The Good: The animation is wonderful. The artists took the look right from the cartoon and gave it a boost for the big screen. The story is also nice and fits in with the world of the Jetsons. Daws Butler, the original voice of Elroy, sadly passed away before the movie was made but his replacement does a decent job. Otherwise most of the original voice cast is here, but more on that later. The musical score is well done, the iconic theme is heard throughout in different variations.

Not So Good: It always seems to come down to the voice cast when cartoons are turned into feature films. As I said most of the cast from the show are in the movie. Sadly Mel Blanc (Spacely) and George O'Hanlon (George) died during production and another actor finished their parts. I didn't notice this with Mr. Spacely but there are several scenes where George's voice was much different. I certainly don't blame the studio for this. But my biggest issue is what they did to Judy Jetson's character.

The original voice actor, Janet Waldo, recorded all her dialog for Judy only to be replaced by singer Tiffany. Of course Tiffany doesn't sound anything like the Judy we know and love, and the volume of songs make the movie feel like a vehicle for the singer's career. They should have kept Janet for the voice work and let Tiffany sing the songs, either as herself animated or just for the soundtrack. I would love to see the movie with Janet Waldo's voice restored but I'm guessing that is a pipe dream.

Summary: They did a lot of good things with the Jetsons movie but the studio screwed it up by replacing one of the iconic voice cast with a popular singer for the time. Maybe I'll give it another watch and change my feelings in the future.

Hollywood has kept this trend going with other cartoon properties. They just don't trust the property enough to let it speak for itself, they have to attach big name actors to it. Ugh!

Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon
(2012)

Hanna Barbara treat
This movie is a treat for Scooby-Doo and cartoon fans alike. I found it funny and entertaining, with gorgeous animation and wonderful voice acting, most notably the Mystery Gang. Outside of Blue Falcon and Dynomutt there are countless other Hanna Barbara references, mostly in the form of fan costumes. From the more well known to the rather obscure, and some I surely missed. Look out for a blue version of Elektra from Teen Force / Space Stars!

This movie makes we wish WB would put more classic Hanna Barbara characters in their own animated adventures. I would love to see Dynomutt and BF in a classically animated movie, as well as for them to release the rest of the classic series.

Highly recommended!

Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico
(2003)

Retro Scooby-Doo in movie form
The Monster of Mexico borrows elements from the classic Scooby-Doo era. The Mystery Machine, the outfits and the soundtrack are all back in this entry. For me this one is better than the similarly styled Legend of the Vampire.

The soundtrack is heard almost all the time again, but it does not distract from the excellent voice cast. There are a lot of funny moments and lines, a staple of Scooby-Doo. The story, characters and setting are all charming. I didn't see the end coming either.

This one is hard to find on Blu-Ray now but is available in HD via streaming services. Highly recommended.

Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire
(2003)

Went sideways?
Like others have said the story and animation aren't up to par this time. I don't mind the look of the gang being classic, it fits with the inspired soundtrack. But the biggest issue for me is the soundtrack never stops. There doesn't seem to be a moment where there isn't something playing in the background, at times it makes it hard to hear the excellent voice cast.

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