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.
Below is a great article I just found by Glenn Beck that opens up a whole new world of movie-watching possibilities! Did you know this? There are secret Netflix
codes that unlock thousands of hidden movies and TV shows. I don’t know about
you, but sometimes I search Netflix and think, “That’s it?” I just can’t find
anything I want to watch. But there’s a trick I just learned. It turns out Netflix
is a little like Big Brother. They’re watching, all the time, with an algorithm
to learn your preferences. Based on your viewing history, they display shows
that might be of interest to you. Which is great, really, unless you want to
watch something outside of your normal fare. Let’s say you’ve been watching
When Harry Met Sally non-stop for weeks (because who doesn’t love a good Rom
Com, right?). Well, if you want to switch it up and watch a military action
movie, your choices may be limited. UNLESS, you know that Military Action &
Adventure movies are coded as 2125. Search with that code and your options
explode. Here’s how it works: • You have to have a Netflix account. • Log into
your Netflix account on a desktop computer (it might work on other devices…try
it out). • Search with this URL and the genre code at the end:
http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/2125. Here are a few more examples: •
Biographical Dramas: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/3179 • Classic War
Movies: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/48744 • Classic Westerns: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/47465 • Vampire Horror Movies: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/75804 This opens up a whole new world of
entertainment possibilities. The LIST OF GENRES is on Netflix. Click a genre
button and you can see the code in your browser URL address. Try it and let me
know what you think.
In a Nutshell: “Nerve
is a 24 hour game like truth or dare minus the truth.”
This suspenseful movie is made for teens who
are obsessed with themselves and think everyone else is too. It appeals to adrenaline junkies who want to
be “instafamous” and offers an interesting commentary about social
media.
Teenagers will probably think this movie is super cool. Be forewarned: Do NOT
try these dares at home…or any other place.
Themes:
“Are
you a watcher or player?” - Nerve game
“Life
is passing you by. You need to take
a few risks every once in a while.” – Sydney (Emily Meade)
Everyone
has an inner desire to be famous.
“It’s
easy to be brave in a crowd.” – Vee
Even
though we can be anonymous online, there are still very real consequences
to our virtual actions.
Things I liked:
This
is surprisingly entertaining. The action is non-stop.
Pretty
good music soundtrack, although it usually tells you how to feel in almost every scene.
I like
the size of Sydney’s cell phone. Ha
ha
It’s definitely suspenseful.
Emma
Roberts and Dave Franco have great chemistry together.
New
York City and Staten Island vistas at every turn.
Hey,
this isn’t a remake! Finally, a summer movie that isn't a remake of something else! There is,
however, another movie made years ago with Michael Douglas called “The
Game”, which has a similar story but without all of the digital effects and social
media aspects.
Almost
every scene has neon in it. The movie feels young and energetic.
Some
movie critics say there isn’t really any resolution in the end, but I
actually thought it worked. It was
fast, but then so was the entire movie.
Things I didn’t like:
The
idea is that the camera sees everything, yet there is no one actually
there filming at every angle. Don’t
think very hard, because most of the things in this movie don’t make
sense.
This
is what happens when you have kids with more time than brains.
The
loss of a loved one and the inability to move on is a clichéd background story. The movie doesn't spend very much time on character development, but does insert a brief backstory that fuels the motivation for each character.
NOT a spoiler alert: I don’t
appreciate that they make the cops out to be the bad guys.
I hate
it when people are afraid to report crimes being committed because then they're labeled a snitch. Isn't the crime a LOT worse than being a "tattle-tale"? One of the rules in the Nerve game says "Snitches = stitches.” I wish people felt more safe reporting crimes in general.
Interesting lines:
“I don’t
want space. I want you.” – Nancy
“I’m
sorry. When you said ‘live my life’
did you mean live my life in your shadow?” – Vee
“Vee, do you really trust that
guy? He’s the one who got you into
this mess.” – Sydney
“I’M the one who got me into this
mess.” – Vee
Funny lines:
“You
guys are the dumbest smart kids I’ve ever met.” – Nancy (Juliette Lewis)
“Crazy
first date, huh?” – Ian (Dave Franco)
“Is that what that was?” – Vee (Emma
Roberts
Tips for
parents:
There
is a LOT of VERY risky teenage behavior.
Direct
democracy = mob mentality. Talk to your kids about why America's Founding Fathers did all they could to prevent our government from being a direct democracy and why they chose to create a Republic instead.
Do
your kids know about the “Dark Web”?They probably know more about it than you do.
Farting. More farting.
Profanity.
You
see people text crude comments on their cell phones.
You see 2 teens in their underwear.
You see another 2 teens making out on a bed at a party without all of their clothes on.
In a Nutshell: If
you’re a fan of the Bourne movie franchise, then you will want to see this
movie, regardless of any critic’s review.
I love Jason Bourne and Matt Damon, so I was looking forward to it,
although I wondered what more the writers could possibly say or do to the story
line. The fact that it is “more of the
same” is its strength AND weakness.
So, is this 4th installment the last? Who knows.
If this one makes any money, then you can bet there will be another
one. Who knew Robert Ludlum’s “The Bourne Trilogy”
series would keep going?
Themes:
Personal
rights vs. public safety
Revenge
“Privacy
means freedom.” – Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed)
Cyber
security
Family
Things I liked:
I love
Jason Bourne kicking bad guy butt. Forty-five
year old Matt Damon produced the film. You see a lot of pictures and even clips
of him in his younger days.
Tommy
Lee Jones can always be counted on to do a great job playing a good/bad Sherriff/Director/agent in any film.
Alicia
Vikander is beautiful to watch. She
started out with a bit of a British accent, but then it quickly toned down
to a believable American one. She’s
actually Swedish and a very good singer!
She won the “Rising Star Award” at the 2010 Film Festival in Sweden
and even won the role of a Danish queen in a 2012 movie without knowing
any Danish. Her career is definitely one to
watch.
It was
nice to see Julia Stiles again.
I
wanted to beat the crap out of Vincent Cassel, who plays a brutal, vengeful agent with Jason Bourne in his sights…literally.
The
car chase scene down the famous Las Vegas Strip was pretty doggone
impressive. The most unbelievable
thing about that scene, however, is that it is absolutely impossible to
drive down Las Vegas Boulevard that fast.
I live in Vegas and can tell you that it is ALWAYS crowded and cars
inch slowly along the road bumper to bumper. Ha ha
At one point, cars crash into the Riviera Hotel, which no longer exists. Las Vegas is the Capital of Implosions and just demolished the "Riv" in June. Check out this clip from the real life
implosion.
The film begins with some old clips
from past movies in case you forgot what happened 9 years ago in the last flick.
One thing I love about the Bourne franchise
is that you get to travel all over the world in the movies.
Things I didn’t like:
Does
anyone actually like the “shaky cam” effect? Every time there was a close-up, the
jiggling around would begin. That’s
so annoying.
Sometimes you have to read really fast
to catch written words on computer screens or other documents.
·At some
point, almost every character in the movie says “Understood.”
·The same
flashback gets played over and over.
·The same
tense music and drum beats during almost the entire movie. * Some lines in the trailer weren't in the actual movie.
Interesting lines:
“I remember. I remember everything.” – Jason Bourne
“He’s seen things. He knows things.” - Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander)
“What
if he’s not coming for us. What if
it’s something else?” Heather Lee
“I
know who I am. I remember
everything.” – Jason Bourne
“Remembering everything doesn’t
mean you know everything.” – Nicky Parsons
“Tell me.” - Jason Bourne
“I
volunteered because of a lie.” – Jason Bourne
“No, you volunteered because of who
you are.” – Director Dewey
“We’ve
just been hacked.” – Craig Jeffers (Ato Essandoh)
“How bad?” – Director Robert Dewey
(Tommy Lee Jones)
“Could be worse than Snowden.” –
Craig - By the way, there is a movie
about Snowden that hits theaters on September 9, 2016.
“He is
involved in this somehow. I can
feel it.” – Director Dewey
“You
don’t know the truth about what they did to you.” – Nicky
“You
have no idea who you’re dealing with.” – Director Dewey
“I’m
trying to find another way.” – Jason Bourne
“And how’s that working out for
you?” – Director Dewey
Tips for
parents:
LOTS
of shooting, killing, crashes, riots, and bloody hand-to-hand combat. This is a very violent movie.
In a Nutshell: Disney
is on a live-action roll! This is a charming
family movie for all ages. In fact, it’s
the adults who will probably get the most out of it, feeling like children
again. It’s very touching and a simplified version of the 1977 original.
Uplifting theme:
“There’s
magic in the woods if you know where to look for it.” – Meacham (Robert Redford)
“If
you go through life only seeing what’s right in front of you, you’re going
to miss a lot.” – Meacham
Family,
belonging
“Just
because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there.” – Meacham
Why we
love and need a faithful pet.
Things I liked:
Little
Levi Alexander, who played the young Pete, is absolutely adorable.
Oakes
Fegley does a great job as Pete.
Popular
Mormon YouTube artist Lindsey Stirling created the song “Something Wild”,
which is featured in the movie. Did
you know she is the highest paid female YouTuber?! Her newest album “Something Wild” just
dropped last Monday. Andrew McMahon sings the vocals.
Beautiful
forest scenery.
Sweet
ending.
I
liked that Elliott, the dragon, didn’t look sugary sweet, but had just the
right amount of scariness and believability.
The
car accident was handled well in the beginning, although young children
may be frightened by the scenario.
I saw
it in 3D, but it’s just as good without the added 3D element.
Great
blend of CGI and real humans.
I’m
always happy to see Bryce Dallas Howard.
Her emotional performance got to me.
Who
doesn’t love Robert Redford?
You get to see the dragon. A lot. Yay.
Things I didn’t like:
If you're looking for a remake of the original musical movie, you will be disappointed.
The relationship development between Grace and Pete seemed too fast. It seemed unrealistic that Pete would so quickly leave the only friend he had ever known for most of his young life (Eliott) to go with Grace, whom he had just met.
Karl
Urban’s character, Gavin, was too one-dimensional.
There
was a little bit of humor, but there could have been more.
·The film has an E.T. quality about it, as most
of the adults in the town don’t understand magic or friendship. I’m not sure why I put that in the “Things I
didn’t like” section. Maybe because that
idea is no longer original?
Interesting lines:
“That’s
the other thing about an adventure; you have to be very brave.” – Dad
(Gareth Reeves)
“You
might be the bravest boy I’ve ever met.” – Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard)
“It
was like magic. There’s no other
word to describe it. It was magic. It changed the way I see the world.” –
Meacham
Tips for
parents:
No
profanity. Very clean.
Your kids
are probably going to want a pet now.
Good time to buy the book so your kids can relive the magic over and over again.
In a Nutshell: This
true story is one that needs to be told. Unfortunately, the film is underwhelming considering the importance of
the subject material. It is informative,
but not engrossing enough to create raving fans or high box office sales.
The film is a powerful educational tool for teenagers and
even comes with free discussion guides for teachers to use in a classroom
setting. #WithMalala Hopefully, teens, especially girls, will be
inspired and motivated to make a positive difference in the world.
Uplifting theme:
Stand
up for what is right. Stand up for
rights.
Countless
unsung heroes have paid the price for freedom.
“It’s
better to live like a lion for one day than to live like a slave for a
hundred years.” – Malala
“It is
so hard to get things done in this world.
You try and too often it doesn’t work, but you have to continue and
you never give up.” – Malala
“Change
matters.” – Malala’s father
Education
is power. Malala’s father stated,
“When you educate a girl, it transforms her. It transforms our world.” So true.
“There’s
a moment when you have to choose whether to be silent or to stand up.” -
Malala
Things I liked:
It was
smart to use animation sequences to separate the past from the present, as
the film jumps back and forth in time.
Malala’s
father is truly remarkable. The film explains that his family pedigree
only included the names of men for 300 years, until he was the first to
add his daughter’s name to it. He has such a better way of seeing the
world than is common in his culture.
He has done a lot for women’s rights and forward thinking.
It’s
impressive to hear the profound things Malala says and then remember that
she is still a teenager. She received
the Nobel Peace Prize and was listed in the Top 100 Most Influential
People by Time magazine.
I
thought it was interesting that, although Malala would be killed if she
returned to Pakistan, she still wanted to go back. She said, “I miss the dirty streets.”
There
are so many positive lessons to be gleaned from Malala’s story and
life. Her father stammers sometimes
and she said that she was impressed with his persistence and never let his
speech impediment slow him down.
She suggested to him that he simply choose another word when he
stumbles on a particular word, but instead, he persists until he finally
gets it right. Impressive man.
Things I didn’t like:
Sometimes
it’s hard to understand Malala’s accent.
It
took me awhile to get into the movie, but by the end, I was glad I spent
the time to learn more about Malala and her story.
The
beautiful home in England where Malala’s family now lives and all of the
media coverage make you wonder who it was
who pushed for all of the attention and how much money was made
from her story. Some people have
been critical of Malala’s father, saying that he orchestrated all of the
coverage in order to gain money and notoriety. When confronted with that criticism, Malala
stated, “My father gave me the name Malala. He did not make me Malala. I chose this life.” Good answer.
It
feels more like a documentary than a feature film.
Malala’s
little brother talks about how she slaps him every day. She explains it’s a loving gesture. I understand the filmmakers were trying
to show her playful relationship with her siblings, but considering the film is
about violence, I wouldn’t have highlighted that interaction.
A clip
shows Malala saying, “I believe there is no difference between a man and
woman,” but then immediately says, “A woman is more powerful than a
man.” Huh? While Malala says some very insightful
things in the film, that inconsistent logic shouldn’t have been included.
There isn't very much humor, so the movie can feel very heavy after awhile.
Interesting and
inspiring lines:
“Dear
sisters, don’t be fooled by superstitions.” – radio host who inspired
Malala as a young girl
“School
was my home.” – Malala (Her father
was a school teacher, so she spent many hours playing and studying in the
school where he taught.)
“I
think she’s not independent and free because she’s not educated.” – Malala
said this about her mother
“I
think she’s addicted to books.” – Malala’s brother said this about her. Later, she explains “One book can change
the world.”
“I saw
her completion in me and I saw my completion in her.” – Malala’s father
said this about when he first met his wife.
“God
is not that tiny.” – Malala
An
interviewer asked Malala’s father who shot her. He answered, “It was not a person. It was an ideology.”
In
speaking about the Taliban, Malala stated, “They were not about
faith. They were about power.”
“If my
rights are violated, and I keep silent, I should better die than live.” –
Malala’s father
“Let
us pick up our books and our pens.
They are our most powerful weapons.” – Malala
“A
conscience exists in the world that extends beyond all boundaries.” –
Malala’s father
TIPS FOR PARENTS
Young
children may be bored. The topics
are serious, political, and often dark.
There
is a scene that describes when Malala and some of her classmates were shot
on a school bus. You see some blood
on the bus, which could be frightening for young children.
There
is some live footage of past events, but most of the violent history is
shown in animation.
In a Nutshell: Although this film is only the fifth in the
series, it somehow feels like so much more.
It also feels like a money grab from a franchise that should probably be
extinct now.
That being said, rug rats will love the goofy antics and
colorful action.
Uplifting theme:
Friendship
Hope
Faith
in our children to make good choices and courage to let them.
Things I liked:
The
beginning sequence of our favorite acorn-loving squirrel shows an
alternate beginning of the universe, included with the voice of Dr. Neil
deGrasse Tyson. Later, you get to see an animated deGrasse Tyson creature of some sort. Weazel?
The
voice talents include Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen
Latifah, Jennifer Lopez, Adam DeVine, Max Greenfield, Jesse Tyler
Ferguson, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg,Wanday Sykes, Seann William Scott, and
Nick Offerman.
Parents
will get a kick out of some of the musical references.
There are some new characters.
Things I didn’t like:
Unfortunately,
the thin plot and weak script don't serve the talented cast as much as
it should or could.
It
feels like it should have just gone straight to DVD or as a Saturday morning
cartoon.
It’s
really not very funny.
A lot of things don't make sense and start to bug you.
The original, of course, was the best one.
If you haven't seen any of the previous movies, you won't see any of the charm or character development that occurred before.
Funny lines:
“Everyone has somebody, but all I have is
my boyish good looks and this mariachi band.” – Sid
“I
didn’t know sucking was a strategy.” – Granny (Wanda Sykes)
In a Nutshell: Some of the funny women of Saturday Night
Live, including 4 time guest host of SNL Melissa McCarthy, star in this reboot
of the 1984 smash hit.
The beloved
original (which I loved) is hard to beat, but this version gives it a
respectable shot.
Written and directed by Paul Feig, this movie isn’t as good
as you want, but also not as bad as you thought it would be.
Uplifting theme:
“No
woman should walk around unarmed.” – Jillian
“The
purpose of life is to love.” – Jillian
Female
empowerment.
Things I liked:
Cameos
and references from the fantastic cast of the original movie.
Terrific
cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, and Cecily Strong.
Keep
watching during the final credits for a peek at the sequel…
At the
end of the movie, it says “For Harold Ramis.” A lot of people don’t realize that he
died in 2014.
Chris
Hemsworth.
You’ll
laugh out loud at least a couple of times.
The
action sequences are better than the original, thanks to new movie technology.
I
thought Zach Woods’ comments as the tour guide at the very beginning of
the movie were really funny.
Things I didn’t like:
It
doesn’t have quite the charm as the original.
Does
this reboot add anything new to the original? No, not really. Oh yeah, Chris Hemsworth.
The
script didn’t allow these comediennes to really knock our socks off. The material just isn’t as good as they
are.
Every
male character in this movie is either an idiot or a jerk.
Although
this film isn’t the greatest ever made, it certainly doesn’t deserve all
the hate that has been spewing over it online.
The
villain isn’t anything special or memorable.
Needs better
pacing.
Funny lines:
“Something big is gonna happen!” - Erin
“The word we’re looking for is
Apocalypse!” – Jillian
“That is
a deadly high five.” - Abby
So, I
don’t know if it’s a race thing or a lady thing, but I’m mad as hell.” –
Patty
“How
can you be eating right now?” – Erin Gilbert
“Try saying no to these salty parabolas.”
– Jillian Holtzmann
“Am I
on crack or is this a good logo?” – Jillian
“That’s
where I saw that weird sparking thing.” – Patty Tolan
“What was it?” – Erin
“If I knew what it was, I wouldn’t
say ‘weird sparking thing.’” – Patty
“Why
am I using the untested nuclear thing?” – Erin
“You have the longest arms.” –
Jillian
“Ah,
it’s always the sad, pale ones.” – Jillian
“You
hate to see the smart ones go bad.” – Jillian
“You
guys, this is exactly how I pictured my death.” – Jillian
“Who’s
the flying beefcake?” – Rourke
“What
year is it?” – Abby
“It’s 2040. Our president is a plant.” – Jillian
“I’m
just looking for a reasonable ratio between wontons and broth. This is absolute madness.” – Abby
“It
transports ghosts and I don’t know where, but I think it’s Michigan.” –
“Safety
lights are for dudes.” – Jillian
Tips for
parents:
A lot
of crude jokes.
Some of
the ghosts could be frightening for small children.
: Collision Course
