Want to find out about a movie before you spend your hard-earned money on it? MovieReviewMaven will tell you the good, the bad, the ugly and the inspiring, so you can decide if it's right for you or your family.
“Being
a kingsman is more than the clothes we wear or the weapons we bear." - Harry (Colin Firth)
"Having something to lose makes life worth living." - Harry (Colin Firth).
Friendship, loyalty, love
Good over evil
Things I liked:
The talented cast is fun to watch and includes Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Julianne Moore, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges. Throw a thick mustache on Pedro Pascal and he looks like a young Burt Reynolds, right?
The
movie starts with a great action sequence and runs fast the entire 2 hours.
I got
a kick out of the British vs. American banter.
Taron
Egerton is the perfect Eggsy and really shines in his role.
Julianne
Moore is a fun villain. You can see
her play twin sisters in the dark comedy Suburbicon in theaters now.
Yes,
that’s the real Elton John in the movie! His acting isn't very good, but he's still awesome.
Great stunts and special effects.
Cool James Bond types of weapons.
John Denver and Elton John music. Ahhh.
Things I didn’t like:
It’s
extremely over-the-top and exaggerated.
Jeff
Bridges seems to play the same crusty, old fart in all of his movies
lately.
There is a LOT going on!
Funny lines: * "If I save the world, can I have two tickets to your next concert?" - Harry to Elton John "If you save the world, you can have a backstage pass." - Elton John
Tips for
parents:
Lots
of crude profanity, including many F-bombs.
Lots
of violence, deaths, and destruction.
Several
inappropriate sex jokes and images.
Gross images involving a meat grinder and other forms of death.
In a Nutshell: Nope. Hated it. The film tries to be a drama, dark comedy, murder thriller, and social
commentary all at the same time, but it’s a messy downer. I felt like I just wasted a part of my
life. Dang it.
Actor/Director George Clooney and the Coen writing brothers
have talent, but it’s not revealed in this movie. Super disappointing.
Uplifting theme:
Hypocrasy
Racism
Things I liked:
The
1950’s tone was well done.
The
talented cast did a great job with the material they were given,
especially Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac.
Things I didn’t like:
The
trailer was extremely deceiving. It
makes the film look like a fun, dark comedy with quirky characters. Well, I guess it was those things, but
without the fun.
It reminded me of another ugly film that had great acting talent in it, but left me wanting to take a shower. In 1989, Tom Hanks starred in the mystery thriller The Burbs.
Tips for
parents:
Lots
of profanity, including F-bombs.
The
film shows a black family being bullied and violently attacked.
There
are slurs against Jews and Episcopalians.
A
child walks in on a couple having sex (no nudity).
In a Nutshell: Julianne
Moore won a Golden Globe for her stellar performance in this important drama. The script isn’t brilliant, but Julianne’s use
of subtle nuance is. Her grace and skill
in this realistic, heart-breaking film is what earned her a well-deserved award.. My mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s,
so this movie felt very personal to me. It’s hard to watch someone you love lose
herself.
Uplifting Theme:
·My grandmother lost her memory long before her
body finally gave out. On the other
hand, my father-in-law’s mind was super sharp until the day his body
stopped. I’ve often wondered which way
of dying is worse. If you could choose,
which way would you want to go? I think the goal is to be kind and brave until the end.
·Alice uses the keyword “butterfly” on her
computer as an important marker, as well as wear butterfly jewelry that has
symbolic meaning. A butterfly represents change and metamorphosis; our
lives are constantly evolving. Later,
Alice comments “butterflies don’t live a long time, but they have a nice life.”
Things I liked:
·My mother has become very childlike as her Alzheimer’s
has progressed. So did Alice. I appreciated the accurate details in the
movie that showed the writers and directors had truly researched this
debilitating illness that affects an estimated 5.1 million people in America in
2015.
·Alice does all of the right things to exercise
her brain, including use mobile apps like “Words with Friends”. What are you doing to give your brain a
workout? She also takes good care of her
body. Alice’s doctor says “Get some
exercise. It’s good to get the blood
pumping. Hydration helps memory.”
·It was fun to see Alec Baldwin and Julianne Moore
together again as a couple. They played
a dysfunctional, but passionate couple on the comedy TV show 30 Rock: The Complete Series (Seasons 1-7 Bundle)
many years
ago. As a married couple, they modeled a
good example of informing themselves of the issues and asking good questions of Alice’s
doctor. It’s important to take an active
role in your health and work with your health care professionals, rather than
blindly accept whatever they say.
·I thought it was interesting that the camera
didn’t focus on the doctor in the beginning.
He didn’t make eye contact with the patient which, sadly, happens to me. That’s so annoying and
unprofessional. My aunt was visiting a
doctor who never looked at her husband, the patient. Instead, the doctor sat at his desk, typing on his
computer. Finally, my aunt was fed up with the doctor and
sharply scolded him by saying “You might want to look up from your monitor to actually
see your patient.” True story.
·As a college professor, I have a twisted love
for big words. Ironically, Alice teaches
phenology (the study of the sound of language) at Colombia University and is
surrounded by academic nerds who use words like “vituperatively” (bitter and
abusive), “seminal” (of a work or event that strongly influences later
developments), and lexicon (the vocabulary of a person or branch of knowledge).
- I thought it was important to show the affect this illness has on the family.
Things I didn’t like:
·This is a serious movie with only a little bit
of subtle humor. It ends with a good
message, but it can be quite depressing. With an inevitable end of life, I was curious to see at which point of Alice's illness the movie would finish.
Insightful lines:
·“Who can take us seriously when we are so far
from what we once were?” – Alice
·“Live in the moment. That’s all I can do.” - Alice
·“Nothing is lost forever.” – Lydia (Kristen
Stewart)
·“It’s all about love.” – Lydia
·“Now, you may say this falls into the great
academic tradition of knowing more and more about less and less, until we know
everything about nothing.” – Alice
·“I wish I had cancer. “ – Alice
“Don’t say that.” – Dr. John Howland
“No, I do.
I mean it. I mean I wouldn’t be
so ashamed. People have cancer and they
wear pink ribbons for you , and go on long walks to raise money, and you don’t
have to feel like some kind of a social…I can’t remember the word…” - Alice
·“I don’t have to be fair – I’m your mother.” –
Alice
Tips for Parents:
·This isn’t exactly a movie for children;
however, if they have a loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it
might create an environment for discussion.
·There is one F-bomb in the movie, which is
spoken by Alice. When my grandmother
neared the end of her life with Alzheimer’s, her sweet little lips turned into
a foul-mouthed sailor’s! We had never
heard her use profanity before! You have
to keep a sense of humor even with the
most serious of illnesses.
In a Nutshell: This heroic fantasy epic produced by
Legendary Pictures hit movie theaters in France last month after almost a year’s
worth of delays, but its United States release isn’t until February 6. It feels like a mash-up of every underdog
apprentice who fights dragons and witches story you’ve ever seen. It’s
fairly entertaining, but not truly memorable.
Uplifting Theme:
·Loyalty vs. betrayal
·If you dump your witch girlfriend, you’ll have you-know-what to pay for later.
Things I liked:
·There is a lot of morphing from various creatures
into other creatures.
·Oscar-nominated Julianne Moore spends most of her time in front of a green screen and is often overpowered by all the CGI going on around her as the powerful Mother Malkin.
·There’s a nice little twist towards the
end. I love twists, although this one
didn’t surprise me.
·Much of the movie is filmed in front of a green
screen, although there are some beautiful landscapes captured in British
Columbia.
·Some of the shape-shifting was cool.
·There is some humor that allows the film to not
take itself so seriously.
Things I didn’t like:
·Jeff Bridges growls like a crusty, old pirate
with a drunken accent that’s often indecipherable. What’s with his billy-goat underbite? Now
that I think about it, that’s about the only character he has played during the
past several years.
in theaters now.
in theaters now.
. 
many years
ago. As a married couple, they modeled a
good example of informing themselves of the issues and asking good questions of Alice’s
doctor. It’s important to take an active
role in your health and work with your health care professionals, rather than
blindly accept whatever they say.