The Digital Movie Collector

Finally Released One of the movies everyone has been waiting for that was delayed due to COVID. Currently showing in theaters and on HBO Max. If you search HBO Max, you will find all the movies that will be released in theaters at the same time as being released on HBO Max. Looking at affordable solutions as well has safety during this time, I was able to redeem a free 14 day trial to HBO Max so I could watch this movie specifically. I am pleased that it will also allow me to watch season 2 of His Dark Materials which is a much better adaption of the Golden Compass book series. Review While the movie did not meet my expectations, the movie is still very good. I felt they did a great job in bringing the characters back together in a believable way. The story was very original from my perspective as I don't recall any movie with a similar plot. There was something still a little off that did not make this sequel as good as the first movie. There were some great moments in the movie t...

  Rewards Programs I have a whole page dedicated to  reward programs  that make digital movie collecting more affordable. An exclusive program my brother introduced me to is the Warner Bros. A-List Community. The program sends out surveys that ask for your opinions on movies and entertainment. I bring up this program up as this is how I added Scoob! to my library for free. Last year they gave away Wonder Woman and Shazam digital movies for free. Not bad for a few surveys a month. Review While I like animated movies and Scooby, this movie was not on my must have list. That being said, the movie was very good. I especially appreciated the homage done to the Scooby Do, Where Are You! series that I grew up with. The story was good. The voice cast was good as well. I was a little surprised how much they put into this movie with a 94 minute run time. The story moved at a good pace. Great family movie that introduces you to Scooby Do while making the movie it's own. Rating I wou...

  Long Time In The Making I know it has been a while since my last post. Thought this was appropriate subheading not only for my lack of reviews but also since this movie has been in limbo (pun intended) for two years. This is the last X-Men movie under the 20th Century Fox control. Between the Disney purchase and issues with X-Men: Dark Phoenix under performing plus COVID, this movie may have never seen the light of day. Fortunately, the movie has finally come out and I think Fox was finally producing quality X-Men movies again. Review The movie is very good. The movie was originally intended to be a horror movie but was definitely dialed back to keep it out of that category. The chemistry between the young actors is fantastic. The story is based on an actual comic books which probably is the reason the movie is good. My only issue with the movie is that we will probably not see a sequel. Who knows, Disney may include this in their cinematic Universe as the story stood on its own....

  Better Than Expected This movie was not on my purchase list initially. I was looking for a second movie to get with a Family Video sale. My son was interested in this one so I bought. Over five months later, I ended up watching it for the first time with my son who was home for the holidays and ended up liking it more than I expected. Review The movie starts out like a James Bond movie but ends up being a feel good family movie. I was surprised to find the movie to be entertaining. The first time I found myself initially not liking a movie because of the trailer and plot but ending up liking the movie after actually watching it was Kung Fu Panda. An all star cast lend their voices to the characters. Fun fact is that Will Smith and Tom Holland recorded their scenes for the entire movie without ever meeting.  Rating I give this a low HD rating. I would recommend it as a family friendly rental or adding it to your collection for under $5. I picked my HD copy up on sale from fam...

  Controversy This movie has been delayed due to COVID to the point of finally just skipping theaters entirely. It originally released on Disney+ with a $30 additional fee. If I am paying $30 to watch a movie, I want to own it at least but this fee only allowed you to watch it on Disney+. Wait a month and the movie is finally released to digital retailers for $30. Granted this is Disney's retail price for 4K movies but still a little much since you don't even get the disc to go with it. The movie just arrived at Family Video this week as well as other retail stores. Other controversy is that fact that Mushu has been replaced by a phoenix in this live action adaption. On top of this, Mulan now has a sister in this version. There are several things changed from the animated to the live action. On top of the price, I will be surprised if Disney makes its money back on this movie. But should you watch it? Review Based on everything and more, I was extremely hesitant to add this mov...

  Something Different I will admit most of my digital collection is science fiction, superhero, or action. My list is also varied. I have a romantic side. Don't think less of me. I don't remember when or where I saw this trailer but it spoke to me. I added it to my digital wish list hoping it would be less than $10 someday. Granted it is only $15 regular price but I do like to look for bargains. I have been burned in the past with trailers that make a movie look appealing so when I got a free movie rental, I decided to use it on this movie. Review This is a romantic drama not a comedy. So if you are looking for a lot of laughs in this movie, you might be disappointed. I ended up watching the one special feature on the rental where the cast talked about the book the movie is based off of. Unlike other movies from a book, this movie is based on a book that is about a mindset and not this particular story.  I have seen this mindset working in my life without really understanding ...

  Remakes The original The Wolf Man came out in 1941. The Wolfman remake came out in 2010. I may be missing a few remakes in between but these are the two that I have in my collection. I am typically not a fan of remakes especially when there are several within a few years or a couple of decades between releases. Almost 70 years is acceptable in my book for a remake especially when one is in black and white. These made a great double feature just before Halloween. The Wolf Man (1941) This by far is one of my top horror movies as this is actually my first horror movie that I watched as a kid. It has remained a good movie with a tragic story. I am not surprised they remade this movie with only minor changes to the story. The 1941 special effects were fairly decent even if they are crude by today's standards. Classic cast with Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, and Bela Lugosi. The acting sells the story. I wish some current movies would rely more on acting than special effe...

Learn Something New I recently posted my digital movie list  with the hopes anyone who reads my posts could suggest which movies I review next. I would like to thank the one follower who gives me input about the site and requested a review for this movie. I will tease that the date referenced at the end of the movie was interesting to see. You will have to watch the movie to understand what I mean. In regards to learning something new, Matrix did release two months before The Thirteenth Floor. I was curious about that based on the content of both movies. Both movies were released a decade before Cameron's Avatar but which really came first. The Thirteenth Floor is based on the book Simulacron-3 that was actually made into a 1973 movie called World on a Wire so we can all thank the author, Daniel F. Galouye, for at least some of the content in Matrix and Avatar. Review I still love this movie way better than the Matrix. This is not a action packed movie but it does have a great stor...

  10 Years in the Making Hard to believe this sequel took 10 years to be made. I was planning to watch the original again before watching this one but opted not to. After watching the original trailer, I would probably recommend watching them back to back as some jokes might have more impact. However, the movie can be watched by itself as it takes the appropriate amount of time to get you caught up on certain story lines important to this movie. Review This movie is just above stupid comedy. The story moves at a good pace to keep you interested throughout the movie. The movie has some language with explains their motion picture association rating. We see some new characters join the original cast on this crazy adventure. There is definitely enough humor in this post apocalyptic word to make you forget about the dire situations these characters are in. This is a sequel but could be watched as a stand alone movie. Based on how the first and second movies end, I am expecting a third m...

 A Netflix Movie Review? I know I have been reviewing several movies on streaming services lately instead of my 1100+ movies but I thought it would be a nice change of pace for me if not for everyone else. Don't worry. I still have plenty of movies to review and most likely more to come. I also want to apologize to those loyal readers (the few I know of anyways) for the delay in getting a new review posted. I write these reviews for you (and a little for me too). Review The movie is actually as good as the trailer looks. It is based of a book series by Nancy Springer so be prepared for Netflix to possibly cash in on this series for more original content since Disney is starting to pull all their properties which now include Fox. Don't get me wrong. I hope Netflix does make all the books into movies especially if the stories are just as good. They seem to have Henry Cavill in their clutches with The Witcher. They could cash in on his star power with other Netflix only movies but...

  Another Free Rental The free movie rental strikes back from Family Video. When I was returning the Force of Nature rental, I still had a free rental that expired in a week. I had been eyeing 1917 movie for some time and decided this was the best time to watch it. When I rented it, I was told this would be much better than my previous rental. If ever in doubt, ask the friendly staff at Family Video. They will let you know what they have heard and what they have seen. They were right. Review A little spoiler for this movie. The movie is so well filmed that it appears the whole movie is a single shot. It is extremely well done. In addition, the cinematography is very well done. Wide shots to let you know where you are and close shots to get the characters emotions. This alone started swaying me to purchase this movie. The beginning of the movie felt a little like Lord of the Ring with Sam and Frodo off on an adventure. This last about halfway through the movie before you are brought...

 The Mighty Have Fallen I feel like this movie was trying to draw viewers in by casting Mel Gibson. The trailer made it feel like Mel's character was a retired Martin Riggs from Lethal Weapon. The movie turns out to be not even close to the same league as the Lethal Weapon movies. I had thought about picking up this movie but was fortunate enough to have a free rental from Family Video. This was not one of Mel's better films in either story, character, or even his acting. Review The movie starts out in the middle for several minutes before showing events 8 hours prior and moving forward. I feel this was only done to show Mel's character in the first scene and to add a little suspense to persuade viewers to continue watching the movie. I have to admit it works and you end up waiting a good portion of the movie to see how events unfold. By this time, you will realize they must have put much of the films budget into casting Mel (or at least if feels like it). The film did not ...

  The Amells After CWs Arrow, Stephen Amell and his cousin Robbie Amell star in this movie about people with powers living in the real world. Sound familiar? It also combines the main character trying to do something good but ending up on the wrong side of the law. Again, sound familiar? It should as this is just a combination of movie plots into one science fiction film. With both Amells staring in the movie, I almost purchased this movie. Fortunately, Netflix already has this movie. Review This is an independent film that apparently went through a fundraising campaign to actually get made. The effects are rather good. The acting was decent and come close to getting you emotionally connected with the characters. I am a little disappointed with Stephen's character as it feels like they may be typecasting him into roles with limited emotional range. See his portrayal of Casey Jone in Teenage Mutant Nija Turtles: Out of the Shadow as another example of limiting his range. I have seen...

Book To Film I listened to the audiobooks on this six part series before watching the original three movies that were made in Swedish. This is appropriate as the movies take place in Switzerland. What also makes these movies much better than their remakes is that the movies cover books 1-3 where the remakes only cover books 1 and 4. Currently the original three movies are free with Amazon Prime. Yes, you will need to use English subtitles to follow but surprisingly you should be able to catch several words as they are very similar in both languages. I saw they were free at one time on a service (I believe Netflix) but missed my opportunity to watch them. They were on sale a few weeks ago on Vudu and I almost bought them just to watch as the books (at least the first three) were amazing twits filled with mystery. I was glad I was able to watch them on Amazon Prime and was not disappointed. I am not sure how the English dubbed are but the original is spectacular. Review I must point out ...

  Retro Movie Time I decided to go back into my archives and watch the first Christopher Reeve version of Superman. This time on my home theater 8' screen since I did not get to watch this in the theater the first time. Something to enjoy having your own personal theater during this pandemic. Makes you feel like you are at the theater minus the cost of tickets and concessions. I admit it does also lack the smell of theater popcorn and the excitement of a crowd watching something for the first time. Review Watching it again, I see how even with the special effects at the time made you believe a man could fly. The cast was amazing but even better is what is sorely missing in today's high budget movies, great cinematography. To actually see the movie without all the blur effects is refreshing. The focus was on Superman and just blurring the background when he flew or ran. Today's movies have all these great details that they blur away. You would think studios would want to get...

Stupid Comedies Those who know me know that I am not a fan of what I term "stupid comedies". Movies like Step Brothers, Get Hard, and Chips to name a few are movies that I refuse to watch. I honestly feel like I loose brain cells watching them. I won't judge you if they are movies you enjoy so don't judge me if I think they are stupid. There are times that a few fall close if not into the stupid category that I will admit are good movies. One of those movies is Down Periscope. Review The cast includes Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holy, Rip Torn, Harry Dean Stanton, and William H. Macy. It also include Rob Schneider which is why I put this movie in the stupid comedies section. Some of the reasons I like this movie is the lack of language and the story of misfits coming together as a team. The movie is old but I feel it stands the test of time fairly well. I highly recommend this movie for those looking for a feel good comedy night. Rating I would give this a low HD rating. A...

Second Look I definitely gave Apple TV streaming service a harsh review with due cause. With my free year subscription running out, I decided to take a second look and a third look. I was hopeful with the new Amazing Stories series as I grew up with the original by Steven Spielberg but I was again not impressed. Recently, I decide to watch the Apple TV movie Greyhound with Tom Hanks. Finally, I can say I watch something with a well know star that was actually good. Review I know this is a paid for service but if you want to use the free 7 day trial, I highly recommend you watch this movie. Unfortunately, I had issues just streaming the movie on my iPad without the app crashing. Fortunately, I was able to download the movie and watch it without any issues. My guess is the everyone was trying to watch it the same time I was and the service was not prepared for the volume but this is a guess on my part. I am unclear how much of the movie was digital but with only a few locations, I feel t...

Something Different and Free I feel like I beat up the streaming services in my past review. Things change and sometimes they get better. NBCUniversal has launched a new streaming service called Peacock TV. One movie in particular can only be seen on this service is Psych 2: Lassie Come Home. This is the second movie from the TV series Psych. If you have not watch the series, you can watch all eight seasons plus both movies on this new streaming service for free. Yes, you will have to suffer through commercials. Considering the service is free and the number of shows and movies it offers, I am pleasantly surprised how few commercials there are on this service. I highly recommend you check it out. Sign up is free and no credit card information is required. By signing up, you can watch on multiple platforms and keep you place in any show you are watching. Review If you liked the TV series, you will enjoy this latest movie where we catch up with the main cast of characters. I will admit t...

Not What I Remembered So, Gamer UHD was on sale at Vudu for $5. Gamer? I think I remember watch and liking the movie. Seems like a good deal and trailer is good. Nothing to do on a Saturday night so let's watch the new movie. 95 minutes later not counting breaks and movie concludes. Verdict: Movie is not as good as I remembered. Ugh. Review Gerard Butler, Logan Lerman, Ludacris, and John Leguizamo are just a few actors in this movie. Their acting is good and makes my purchase more tolerable. The story is different and leave you guessing for over half the movie. The R rating does not do this movie justice. Looking at the rating by Vudu, both Violence and Language are 5 out of 5 and Sex is a 4 out of 5. I must remember to look at these ratings for future purchase. Even if the Sex and Language was brought down, there are still other flaws with this movie that take away from the acting. The movie uses way too much shaky camera movement. There are some scenes that are just blurs of acti...

Low Expectations I admit the controversy over Sonic movie did not make this a required purchase list item. However, my son was mildly interested in it and the price was acceptable. It has taken me a few weeks to actually sit down and watch it. Now it is time for the review. Review As movies based on games go, this was not the worse adaption. Does anyone remember the 1994 Street Fighter movie? At the start of the movie, I was annoyed that it looked like they had stole the first 5 minutes from the pilot episode of the CW Flash TV series. This is mainly because I love the CW Flash TV series. From there, the movie started to become its own and I started to enjoy it. That is until Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik came in. I was on the fence when I saw the trailer and knew Jim Carrey would be portraying Dr. Robotnik. After watching the movie, I am still on the fence. There are scenes where Jim is way over the top with the character which I found annoying. There were other times where Jim portra...

Low Expectations Kristen Stewart has not been in many notable movies for a while. When I saw the trailer for Underwater, I had low expectations but it looked like it might have potential. The movie reminded me of Leviathan from 1989 by the trailer which was good for its time. An updated version would be nice with better effects so I decided to watch it. Review With Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller, and John Gallagher, Jr, I was hopeful the movie might be worth the purchase. Alas, the movie attempts to be Aliens underwater and not nearly as good as Leviathan from 1989 that attempted the same thing. The opening monolog made you question if this might be a dream or really happening to the characters. Within 10 minutes, you get your answer. I will admit the story moved at a good pace. There are a few characters you actually care for during the movie. The ending was good but predictable. Rating I would give this a SD rating. If you have any interest in watching it, I recommend you ren...

Latest News I received this email today about Fandango's purchase of Vudu. I wanted to share for show interested and because in prior posts, I have recommended the use of Vudu.

Something Different I decided to make use of my Amazon Prime subscription and watch Overlord free. As I begin trying to stretch my finances due to a new job change, I thought I would watch before buying. I had come close in the past to purchasing Overlord when it was $10 or less for UHD but I am glad I paused on my usual buy then watch attitude. Review This movie is really a Resident Evil in World War II setting. It is not in my opinion near as good. I was expecting more from producer J.J. Abrams but this movie falls short of expectations much like the Star Wars sequel movies. Granted J.J. did not make The Last Jedi movie and almost redeemed himself with Rise of Skywalker but this review is about Overlord. Some movies know when it is appropriate to put in cussing. This movie is well suited for it but it could still have toned it down. Jovan Adepo and Mathilde Ollivier characters are the only redeeming qualities to this movie. The movie takes 20 minutes to start to keep one in...

Over 50 Both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are over 50. Surprisingly there is only about 3 years difference in age between them. I find this interesting as I will soon hit 50 myself. Martin is definitely showing his age in this film while Will looks about 10 years younger. I just thought this was interesting trivia as there are already rumors of there being a Bad Boys 4. There was only 8 years between the first two films. There was another 17 years between the last two. I would be concerned if they wait much either time line, the next one might have the boys in wheel chairs at a retirement home. Just kidding but you never know. Review The movie has all the action and comedy you expect from the Bad Boy franchise. Martin's character seems to be trying to retire since Bad Boy 2 with no luck. Will's character is provides most of the action. The story is pretty good and moves at a good pace. If you are in need of a new cop buddy movie, look no further than Bad Boy's for L...

Timing Warner Brothers just recently released Just Mercy in April. Due to the current situation in America, the studio did something unexpected. All major digital retailers have the movie available for rent for free during the month of June. I applaud the studio for their selflessness to provide education through a movie on the strife faced by certain groups. If you watch the movie for free and want to own this film based on actual events, the studio has also reduced the purchase price to $4 for any quality. Review The movie has several cast who you may recognize from various Marvel movies. Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, and Tim Blake Nelson are among the cast. The movie's theme is similar to Chadwick Boseman's Marshall but much darker tones. The part I enjoyed the most was the journey Hayes Mercure's character had during the course of the story. I actually had to lookup the character Brie Larson portrayed as she was almost unrecognizable. The movie was h...

DC Animated Universe I am a very avid fan of the DC Animated Universe. I believe it is far superior to any of their live action movies mainly because they condense the source material and not completely rewrite it. That being said Justice League Dark and its sequel Justice League Dark: Apokolips War are actually brand-new stories. Both are quite good and worth a watch even if you don't collect animated movies. Review This movie went in a direction I was not expecting. They don't call it Justice League Dark for nothing. I kept expecting something midway through the movie to go in a direction that was not dark, but it did not. I very much enjoyed the story once I realized it was not going the direction I was expecting.  Alas, the last 5 minutes brought everything crashing down. It was not a bad way to end the movie, but it was not the way I would have ended the movie. I do love that they keep bringing Matt Ryan back to reprise his role as Constantine in both live action...

Timing I recently watched this movie and found it relevant to my life now. With so many changes in the world, how does one move forward. This movie shows how a man was forced into change and how it made his life happier. I think about this a lot with changes that have happened in my life in the past few years such as divorce, career changes, and the unknown of what is to come. This movie shows that sometimes life changes you to make you happier. I hope this holds true with what may come in my life. Review Jon Favreau leads an all-star cast including Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jr, ad Scarlett Johansson. Everyone delivers a performance to remember. It is a great movie that is relevant today about moving forward when your life plans change. I enjoyed this movie immensely and highly recommend it for anyone experiencing change in their life who now can chase their dream that they didn't know they were after. Rating I would give t...

Another Remake While movies studios seem to be lacking ideas, one questions remaking a movie that has been made at least three other times (1935, 1976, and 1993). I can't remember which version I watched so many years ago. I may be confusing it with White Fang that I watch so many years ago. Limitations in the past meant that all dog performances were done by actual dogs. The technology has caught up with most visions for stories. This version is the first to cast a human as a dog. Review This movie was a victim of the COVID-19 virus and released early on streaming services. I thought I was getting a good deal at the time, but the movie went on sale for $10 a few weeks after I purchase it. Harrison Ford delivers a great performance as an old man alone in the Alaskan Yukon. Terry Notary delivers a nice performance as the dog, Buck. I was surprised to see Karen Gillan in this movie. I was impressed by the number of scenes where the dog appeared to be a real dog. The movie moves...

Email From Vudu The link ( https://vudu.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/418 ) takes you to the Vudu customer service pages. What Does This Mean Fandango has been in business since 2000 vs Vudu that has been in business since 2004. Walmart purchased Vudu in 2010 so this is not the first time Vudu's owner has changed. All current information states nothing is changing. So, there is no reason to panic about your digital collection. Fandango purchased Flixster back in 2016. Digital libraries from Flixster were merged into FandangoNow. I can see the company determining which platform is more viable and merging your library into one streaming site in the future. Vudu is obviously more advanced that FandangoNow in my opinion as it has disc to digital, Vudu only content, disc to digital, and lists options. Vudu appears to be default on many platforms including gaming systems, Roku, mobile, and other streaming devices. I will still use Vudu as my primary provider for...

More Recent Release To be more current with my reviews (last one was Sean Connery Bond movie from 1960s), I decided to review a more recent movie that I had long had on my wish list. Upgrade is an interesting movie with a plot that has not been used so much that you know the ending just from the trailer. I was fortunate to be able to watch this movie before I almost purchased it. Sometimes it is a good thing to try before you buy. Review The story is almost Robocop in design or possibly Bloodshot (which I have not seen yet). So, the premise has been done to a point. Like Robocop, there is a mystery involved that surprisingly keeps you guessing until the very end (like the last 5-10 minutes). The action and story are decent for the movie. The ending was what took this movie off my wish list. It ranks up with The Mist as a surprise ending that leaves you horrified. In my case, it soured (not ruined) the movie to the point I will probably never watch it again. I am not sure how this...

Blast From The Past I came across a deal at Walmart where they had Sean Connery as James Bond vol 1 and vol 2 for $15 each. Each volume contained the Blu-ray and HD digital copy of the three movies. If you do your math correctly, I spent $30 on six Blu-rays with digital copies or basically $5 per movie. I had seen Sean Connery in many movies and consider him an excellent actor. We will ignore the second Highlander movie that he was in even if he was the best part of the movie. I had long thought he was the best James Bond even though I had not seen one of his movies. Based on the Bond movies I had seen back in the 80s and 90s, I couldn't imagine he could be worse. I was pleasantly surprised to be correct having watched two of the six movies so far. Sean Connery's Bond movies are more spy adventures than cheap gadget gimmick movies. Although they treat women as second-class citizens in the movies, the movies do actually have some good adventure and intrigue. Even thoug...

Double Feature The first part of my double feature on April 4 was Darkest Hour. I have been putting this movie off for a while now but decided it was worth a watch today. Before getting judgmental, this was a free movie from my upherewards.com (Universal Pictures). Many Universal movies come with a digital code for the movie you purchased and an additional code that gives you a credit to a limited number of movies. The list of about five movies rotates every six to eight months. I admit there are some digital movies that I have purchased on sale that I have put off watching. This starts to show more of an addition vs a collection attitude. I don't recommend this type of collecting but there are also worse things to spend you money on. My family benefits from my collection and are the reason I get at least a quarter if not half of my digital movies. Review The story is not what I was expecting but is interesting none the less. The movie is about Winston Churchill becoming ...

Double Feature Decided to watch a double feature today on the home theater. Gary Oldman appeared to be the theme as I watch Darkest Hour and Hunter Killer. Today's review was on the second feature Hunter Killer with Gerard Butler. Review Not often do you have a trailer for a movie project how good or bad the movie actually is. Watching the trailer made me interested in the movies it looked like a good plot and action. I was pleasantly surprised the trailer did the movie justice. The plot was good with some interesting surprises. The movie had a good flow of action for its 122 minute runtime. You had characters that you became invested in. Not since the Hunt for the Red October have a seen a submarine movie this good. Rating I give this a solid HD movie. It is worth picking up for under $10. I picked up my 4K disc with UHD copy from Best Buy for $8 during a Black Friday sale.

Bad Timing During the current events, it was a bad time to decide to watch Carriers staring Chris Pine, Piper Perabo, and Emily VanCamp. The movie shows a worse case scenario for a global pandemic and how the human race would react. The movie came out in 2009 but shows some similarities to current events.  Review The story was a little close to current events. The movie was enjoyable and is more of a drama than a thriller. I highly recommend not watching this movie at this time but once current events are over, it is worth a watch. Feels like a reverse War of the Worlds where humans and not aliens are being made extinct by a highly contagious virus. You feel for the characters as they try to survive in a world that appears to be coming to an end. Rating I give this a solid SD movie. It is worth a rental and purchase if under $5. I ended up getting my HD copy from Vudu for a free offer.

Live vs Animated I so wish Warner Brothers and DC would reboot the entire DCU live action movies. They need to get the writers and producers from animated movies to do the live action movies. I recently watched Superman: Red Son which was a far better movie than Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. WB/DC produce the best animated movies but their live action movies with the exceptions of Wonder Woman and Aquaman have been okay at best. A few are almost good when you watch their extended versions. Birds of Prey did not have an extended version, Review The story line looked good from the trailer but that is where it ended. The female cast were great. The story and dialog ruined the whole movie with the exception of two scenes that equaled about 10-15 minutes of the movie. These two scenes and the cast could not save this movie from being possibly the worse DCU movie to date.  Ewan McGregor's character and dialog were horrible. I believe i...

Out of the House A friend invited me to see this movie in the theaters with his family. I decided to be adventurous and go. With everything going on, it might be the last movie I see in the theater for a while. Since it is a Pixar movie with Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, it had a formula for being an entertaining movie. I was not disappointed. Review The movie starts out as a typical coming of age movie with a little magic. You really feel for Tom Holland's character with everything going on. In true Chris Pratt fashion, the characters find themselves on an epic adventure. By the climax of the movie, you are really rooting for the characters. The end is not quite what you would expect but is very touching. Enjoyable for the entire family. Rating I would give this a HD movie. Being a Disney movie, I recommend getting it for under $15 if possible. I will have to update this review when I end up getting my digital copy.

Who Did It? After watching The Goldfinch, I was a little concerned on how this movie started out. I thought it was going to be a mystery like Murder on the Orient Express. Half way through the movie, you are given so many clues that you are waiting for the surprise at the end. You will not be disappointed. Review It is not often a movie will provide so many clues that I don't know the ending but I was surprised by this one. With an all start cast including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, and Christopher Plummer, my expectations were high. The first half of the movie provides you with each character's perspective of the events. I started to worry about my purchase but was so glad I made it past the first half. You are pulled into the characters by this point and will be guessing what happened. I enjoy being surprised by movie endings and this one did not disappoint. Rating I give this a high HD movie. I recommend picking this ...

Flashbacks This movie has so many flashbacks within flashbacks that it almost becomes ridiculous. This movie would have been so much better if it kept key points as flashbacks at the end. Instead, the movie overuses flashbacks in an effort to keep even the plot secret from the viewer. Review I was a little interested in watching this movie. I ended up getting the digital free as a part of a sale where you spent so much and get a free movie each $X you spent. In the end, I was grateful for not having paid actual money to see this movie. I find that I could have enjoyed this movie better if the film were cut extremely differently. The acting and story is good just the order of presenting the movie was not executed well in my opinion. It is an interesting mystery movie that is just hurt by how it was cut together. Rating I give this a solid SD movie. I recommend renting if you have any desire to watch the movie. I was fortunate that my HD copy was free during a sale where I spen...

A Historical Race Car Movie? This film is based in actual events. Some of the movie embellishes some of the events of the movie but for the major events remain historically accurate. As for it being a race car movie, there is car racing but a lot of the movie deals with the characters. If you enjoy the Fast and Furious movies, this movie has a similar blend of character development and car racing. This movie of course is grounded more in reality with its car racing. Review I definitely did not have this movie on my list to get. Fortunately, my son did have it on his list. Deciding on what to watch (and possibly review) this weekend, I found myself interested in Ford v Ferrari. At 153 minute run time, I surprised myself by starting to watch it when I was more interested in a 95 minute movie. I found myself pulled into the movie and didn't end up seeing how much time was left until I was well over the two hour mark in the movie. There are a few characters in this movie I truly ...

Another Sequel? The original Dragonheart movie came out in 1996 with Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery. The movie told a great story with impressive special effects for its time. Since then, there have been now four direct to video/disc/digital. The first sequel was Dragonheart: A New Beginning in 2000. These two are essentially the final stories even though they were the first movies released. When they started releasing the new movies, the stories are actually based in the past making these all prequels to the original movie which was the only one to be shown in theaters. Each new movie is a sequel to the third movie, Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse released in 2015. In 2017, Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire was released. In 2020, Dragonheart: Vengeance was released. Review In each of the movies, a well know actor has played the voice of the dragon in the movies. What made this movie different was the dragon was female this time played by Helena Bonham Carter. The ...

The Wait Is Over Almost 40 years later, The Shining gets a sequel with Doctor Sleep. To be honest, Doctor Sleep is the reason I ended up getting The Shining. Ready Player One also influenced my decision to get The Shining. I ended up watching both this week and thought it would be appropriate to have a double feature review. The Shining Over the years, I feel like I have seen almost the entire movie but watched it for the first time this week from beginning to end. I don't recommend watching this movie at night by yourself. Don't get me wrong, I slept as well as I normally do but I would not recommend it. The all star cast includes Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Scatman Crothers. The movie is over two hours long and the thrills begin in less than 1/2 hour from the start. The movie has many twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. For those who enjoy suspense or horror, I would give this movie a HD rating. You can find the movie typically on sal...

Breaking Their Molds I have seen Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones and Solo. I have seen Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek Discover. Neither would be considered a romantic comedy roll for either actress. I found it refreshing to see them in this movie.  Review I have a varied taste in movies. Trailers give me a good sense of what a movie has the potential to be. This one was interesting even if it may have been done a variety of ways. Half way through the movie, I had determined one of the plot points but was surprised when the movie provided a twist to what I was originally thinking. If I have not stated it before, I like it when a movie provides me with a surprise I was not expecting. The movie did have a slow start for the first 10-15 minutes. Not a painfully slow start. I managed to make it through the slow part and then the movie just started moving. I really enjoyed seeing Emilia's character evolve in the movie. If I had not, this movie would have been a dud. Rating I wou...

Reboot or Sequel Terminator: Dark Fate is a sequel to Terminator and Terminator 2. This most likely is due to the rights for the franchise reverting back to James Cameron who did the first two movies but none of the subsequent sequels which were owned by various other companies. The movie did gross more than it cost but not by much. This begs the question if the movie will spawn a trilogy or if it will simply be another standalone movie that fails to revive the franchise. Review I truly questioned bringing back Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger but in the end, I believe it worked well with the story. The movie was a bit predicable with future threats and potential allies being sent to the past. I would say it was a spoiler to tell you that but let's face it, that is almost every Terminator movie out there. I did enjoy the casting choices and felt the movie kept a good pace with the action through most of the film. If you were hoping for something drastically different ...

Another Remake? If you look at IMDB, you will find this to be about the fifth Dolittle movie. I would argue this feels more like a sequel to the original 1967 Doctor Dolittle with some changes based on the trailer from the original (minus the musical). What drew me to watch the movie was the "audition" trailer (https://youtu.be/gTzepPCULpY). Review The movie is cute and has some action. If you are looking for it to be a great comedy, I believe you will be disappointed. The previously mentioned "audition" trailer was funnier than the movie. Many of the best jokes from the movie can be found in the official trailers. The movie did have a good story and you will enjoy seeing the characters develop throughout the film. I highly recommend it for those with younger children. Rating I would rate this a HD movie. I would recommend adding it to your collection for under $10. I was able to get my HD copy from UltraCloudHD.

Seeing Double Not the first time an actor has played a younger version of themselves with the help of motion capture. This is probably a first where the younger and older versions of the actor interact with each other so much. Will Smith does a great job of playing both parts. Review I am very happy to see an action film where you can see most of the action. I feel like the 2004 Battlestar Galactica series started a trend of shaking the camera during some great action scenes which has (in my mind) ruined action sequences because they are blurring the well choreographed scenes. I understand the need to have some blurred action when splicing shots together (see Atomic Blonde fight scene that appears to be one shot) but many movies (Marvel included) blur fight scenes to the point you don't know who is who (that is without 3D thrown in). This movie does a great job of keeping the actions pulled back to the point you can appreciate the action. Yes, there is at least one scene ...

Not Sleeping Beauty Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is the sequel to the 2014 Maleficent movie that rewrites the story of Sleeping Beauty. In the rewrite, we find Maleficent is actually the victim who ends up saving and adapting the princess to bring the world of man and faeries together in peace. The sequel follows the lives of both Maleficent and the Princess Aurora when a new threat to peace comes. Review One thing that I do like about both movies is they use a familiar story to tell a very different tale. I enjoy Disney actually taking the time to tell new stories with familiar characters. If only they could have done that with the Star Wars sequels. Angelina Jolie makes an excellent Maleficent. Michelle Pfeiffer is also a great casting choice for this movie. Towards the end, the movie starts to become predictable but in a good way. Another thing I like about these movies is their endings could end the story but I suspect there is another Maleficent movie to come. Rating I w...

Plot Seems Familiar Don't Let Go is a movie about a grieving uncle who mysteriously gets a call from his niece two weeks in the past. If this sounds familiar to you, then you might be a movie addict too. In 2000, Frequency came out about a son able to talk to his dad 30 years in the past using an old ham radio. Both movies are good crime dramas and are worth a watch. Review As I said, this movie is a good watch. If the niece in the movie looks familiar, you might have seen her in either the latest Wrinkle in Time movie or in Sleight. Storm Reid is a very great actress who makes you feel for any character she portrays. This modern version of the Frequency story line is will keep you guessing until the end. My only issue with this movie is that once the reveal has been made the you know what will happen to the characters, you are left with just the credits. I would have enjoyed seeing a weeks or months later epilogue. This is the second movie I have seen recently where the movi...

Drama and Thriller Based on the DC villain Joker, this is not your typically comic book movie. There is no hero and the main character becomes the most dangerous villain in the DC Universe (depending on who you ask). I was reluctant to pick up this movie but decided to add it to the collection for my daughter (she is an adult) who had seen it in the theater. Still not sure about my decision to add this to the collection but it is not the worse movie that I own. Review I admit that it took a couple of attempts to what the movie. I am not a fan of watching characters do embarrassing things especially when you see it coming. I also found the movie disturbing as it dealt with real rare medical condition. Watching the movie, I felt it was very possible for someone to become a real life Joker if several conditions were met. This may have been what my daughter saw in the movie. This may be why I was not interested in seeing the movie in the first place. The movie does a great job of all...