Tag Archives: Movie Review

Unsung Hero Movie Review

Tags : Movie Review

Based on a remarkable true story, a mum’s faith stands against all odds and inspires her husband and children to hold on to theirs.

Why did I come to this movie again?

I hadn’t even heard of this movie when a couple of my friends suggested that we go to it. I literally bought tickets and then watched the trailer. It looked like it could end up being kind of cheesy, as stories of faith often are, but I went in with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised.

4 of 5

Characters

I loved the characters.

The dad, David, felt very real. The mom, Helen, almost felt too good to be true, but that didn’t go against her character, so it worked.

Seven kids is a lot to juggle. The oldest daughter got the most screentime, and she did a good job.

As I said with David, all of the characters felt real. They had hopes and dreams, went through heartache and despair, and in the end were better because of it.

There were a few moments of overacting, but all in all, excellent characters.

4 of 5

Did I care what happened?

Yes. This wasn’t an action film (my usual choice), but the writer and director kept the tension high, and because I liked this wild and crazy family of nine, I cared what happened.

5 of 5

Plot Holes

My writer brain didn’t point out any plot holes that I remember. Were there jumps in logic? A few, but they were minor, and probably had to do with fitting everything that actually happened into one coherent film.

4 of 5

How many times did I yawn?

None! No one fell asleep. I was riveted. I even cried.

5 of 5

Cool Factor

For me the cool factor in this film isn’t the huge budget that provided killer stunts and cinematography, it’s that the story has so much heart.

This movie is a story about a wealthy Christian family who loses everything, moves to a new country, and starts over. They rely on each other and their faith. Members of their new religious congregation pitch in to help. They have to push back their pride in order to survive.

I’m religious, and often movies like this feel fake and cheesy. This one didn’t. At least not to me. It’s an inspirational story that, if you don’t mind some spirituality in your movies, will leave you feeling uplifted.

5 of 5

The End

Well, considering it’s based on a true story, and you can google the entire family and find out that they’re still living their dreams, the end wasn’t exactly a surprise. However, the writer did a good job showing how much the father had to swallow his pride in order to help his family thrive.

Let’s not forget the glue that held everything together, and that was the mom. She’s the unsung hero.

5 of 5

Overall Enjoyment

I loved this movie, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys—maybe even craves—inspirational films!

5 of 5

Total: 37

That’s a Black Belt!

White Belt: 1-10
Yellow Belt: 11-19
Purple Belt: 20-25
Green Belt: 26-30
Brown Belt: 31-35
Black Belt: 36-40

The Fall Guy Movie Review

Tags : Movie Review

A down-and-out stuntman must find the missing star of his ex-girlfriend’s blockbuster film.

Why did I come to this movie again?

I hadn’t heard much about this film, just the fact that a few friends said it was fun. All I knew about it was that the main character was a stunt man. I thought he had to go be a spy, but that’s not the case. It’s actually much better than that. The only expectations I had going in is that it would be funny, which it was.

5 of 5

Characters

To be honest, I didn’t expect much in the way of character development. Ryan Gosling’s character makes it through one scene of getting back in the saddle, and Emily Blunt’s character decides not to be horrible after beating the Fall Guy up a bit by making him do a scene where he gets lit on fire over and over. They start out in love, there’s trouble, and in the end they get together. (It’s not that big of a spoiler, I promise.)

But…I seriously enjoyed all of the over-the-top characters and acting. This film embraced the cheese, and the actors did a great job.

4 of 5

Did I care what happened?

Yup. Part of it was the plot and part of it was the spectacle that this film is. I kept wondering what crazy thing they’d come up with next, and I was pleasantly surprised through most of the film.

Granted, they barely gave you time to breathe, which can be exhausting.

4 of 5

Plot Holes

It’s a film about making a film with a smorgasbord of action scenes thrown in literally for fun. Of course there are plot holes! But, frankly, I was so entertained I didn’t care. My writer brain stayed quiet because my fun brain was so distracted.

4 of 5

How many times did I yawn?

None! The hubby stayed away the whole time, which is high praise for a movie, and I didn’t ever get bored.

4 of 5

Cool Factor

Obviously, the stunts in this film were awesome. It’s always fun to see what happens behind the scenes of a movie, and this show provided that. I found myself glued to the screen both for the plot and watching how they did things.

Part of the cool factor of this story is simply that it’s fun. Yes, it’s totally by the beats (with my writing brain actually catching them saying that the bad guys were closing in, which is actually a section of a script) but it didn’t matter, because I was there for the ride and that’s what I got.

I also love that they brought attention to the stunt people (artists?) of the film and television industries. It’s an amazing career filled by people who rarely get to be in the limelight. So kudos to all of the stunt people out there, you’re awesome!

5 of 5

The End

Was it predictable? Yes. Did I love it anyway? Yes. The biggest character arc is the Fall Guy admitting to the love of his life that he was sorry that he’d been weak and pushed her away. It was kind of sweet, and timed hilariously.

The stunts at the end were gold. Way over the top, but what else were they supposed to do? I came away from this one grinning and I’ll likely see it again.

I need to give a shout out to the credits where they showed a bunch of the actual stunt people doing the action scenes in the film. I loved that.

5 of 5

Overall Enjoyment

I seriously haven’t watched a film that was simply fun in a while. The silly vibe and great action reminded me of The Lost City, but maybe a little bit better.

Basically, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, and I’m super happy about it. A great way to spend a Monday night after a busy weekend.

Is this a life-changing film? No. Does it address issues of our day in ways that made me think about the world in a different way? No. Did I love it anyway? Yes!

Sometimes just being entertained is exactly what you need.

5 of 5

Total: 36

That’s a Black Belt!

White Belt: 1-10
Yellow Belt: 11-19
Purple Belt: 20-25
Green Belt: 26-30
Brown Belt: 31-35
Black Belt: 36-40

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Review

Tags : Movie Review

The Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

Why did I come to this movie again?

The original Ghostbusters is one of my all-time favorite movies! I enjoyed Afterlife, and thought I would give this one a chance. Because it’s a sequel, my expectations were pretty low.

4 of 5

Characters

There were a LOT of characters in this movie. So many that I think it was detrimental.

I knew all of the people from the original film, which helped. I loved that they brought them back and got them involved. The nostalgia bait was high, and I totally embraced it. If you haven’t seen the very first one, you’re going to miss some good jokes and maybe be confused.

The kids were fun, but just as I got interested in them the show flipped to someone else.

The new addition adults were cool. I mean, who doesn’t love Paul Rudd doing his Paul Rudd thing? The fire bender dude didn’t have nearly enough screen time. He was pretty important, but we barely know him.

I liked all of the characters, but didn’t get to spend enough time with any of them. I think this show could have benefited from cutting a few things to let others really shine.

3 of 5

Did I care what happened?

Yes, I did. The conflicts started building from the very beginning of the show and kept going through the end. As a matter of fact, I was interested in a few things that didn’t get enough screentime.

4 of 5

Plot Holes

Like a superhero movie, I expected plot holes. Although, for me, most of them were me asking, “Why?” about various things that happened. My writer brain got distracted several times, and most of my questions didn’t get answered.

In the opening sequence, they destroyed a bunch of things, including the structural integrity of a building, and then are shocked when there are consequences.

My brain: Why?

The Plot: Moving on…

3 of 5

How many times did I yawn?

I stayed engaged, and I don’t think the hubby fell asleep, which is high praise for a movie.

Although there were some flickering lights in our theater that I started to notice about halfway through the show. Considering I’d been ignoring them before that, the middle was a bit slow…but not slow…because everything felt rushed. It was strange.

4 of 5

Cool Factor

The effects were great. Ghosts were fun. I enjoyed watching the show.

5 of 5

The End

Because there were so many characters, and the writers gave each of them a little bit of screentime, there wasn’t enough time for anything. The bad guy didn’t appear until near the end of the show, and then he was suddenly gone. The fire bender learned to use fire in a day.

The end felt like the middle, and I was ready for more story.

4 of 5

Overall Enjoyment

Despite this moving suffering from a bloated cast and a whiplash pace, I did enjoy it. It hit quite a few nostalgia buttons while also including new fun. I’ll probably watch it again at some point.

4 of 5

Total: 31

That’s just barely a Brown Belt!

White Belt: 1-10
Yellow Belt: 11-19
Purple Belt: 20-25
Green Belt: 26-30
Brown Belt: 31-35
Black Belt: 36-40

Dune: Part Two Movie Review

Tags : Movie Review

Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.

Why did I come to this movie again?

Because it’s Dune: Part Two!

5 of 5

Characters

This story is full of great characters with rich backgrounds and varied ideals. The film did a good job of showing us this.

Chani was probably my favorite.

There were a few who felt flat. I’m not sure if that was the actor or the director.

4 of 5

Did I care what happened?

Since I haven’t read the book for at least twenty-five years, I was interested in what happened. Mostly because I didn’t really remember.

The film kept the tension going, which kept me interested.

4 of 5

Plot Holes

There will always be plot holes in adaptations from books to film, and I’m generally forgiving with those.

What I didn’t love in this movie was little things like not showing us, the audience, how to ride a worm via a training run for Paul. They skipped a bunch of little things, due to time I’m sure, that made parts of the story feel shallow.

4 of 5

How many times did I yawn?

Surprisingly, none. Part two is faster paced than one, so that was good. I don’t think the hubby fell asleep at all, which is miraculous.

5 of 5

Cool Factor

I can’t fault the beauty of each scene in this movie. The attention to detail is mind-boggling, and I loved seeing it in the theater.

The battles were awesome, which is important to an action junkie like me. If you’re looking for a spectacle that’s also pretty, this is your film!

5 of 5

The End

It’s abrupt. There’s no denying that. However, I did love that Chani marches off because Paul is not only betraying here, but he’s also being an idiot. All he’s doing is replacing one overlord with another, and that’s not what they need.

4 of 5

Overall Enjoyment

Like the first film, I loved each individual scene, but the movie felt like a pile of squares for a beautiful quilt that were hastily strung together. Did I like it? Yes. Would I watch it again? Yes. Can I say I loved it? Not quite.

4 of 5

Total: 35

That’s a Brown Belt!

White Belt: 1-10
Yellow Belt: 11-19
Purple Belt: 20-25
Green Belt: 26-30
Brown Belt: 31-35
Black Belt: 36-40