Monday, September 15, 2014

Movie Micro-Reviews: Edition 109 - Amazing Spiderman 2; Heaven Is For Real; Book of Eli






A few older movies, and a couple of new ones.





Book of Eli (The)
91
This is what a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story should be like!  OK, there are a couple of kinds of endings such a story can have, and they chose one which was very satisfying.  Denzel Washington was exceptional. Gary Oldman was frightening. Don’t let someone spoil this movie for you.  See it for yourself – if you can handle the violence.

P.S. Mila Kunis is not “Jackie” – and by her last scene could be a young Angelina Jolie.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
70
I really liked the first half of this story, partially because John Lithgow improves anything he’s in.  And I was totally taken with the animated apes.  Somehow, this just didn’t make me say “it’s good enough to own.”  But worth seeing, sure.  [And we do own it, now.]
Divergent
71
Sci-fi allows us to examine aspects of humanity very directly. Here: classes and labels. Broadly done, visually interesting, with a few well-considered surprises.
Heaven is for Real
60
This was a lot less preachy, and a lot more like just telling a story than I expected.  The child actor played his role very well, Kinnear and Riley were quite believable.
Amazing Spiderman 2
66
I liked the new take on Electro, and the introduction of Harry Osborne Jr.  But the movie almost felt like a transitional story, but I don’t know if they will continue. 
Noah
64
If you’re going to retell a well-known story, decide what points you’re trying to make. Some enjoyable additions (e.g. the Watchers). The effects were great. The acting was good. But if the directors had an ultimate point to make, it got muddled.

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