Wednesday, May 01, 2013

Mini Movie Reviews

I am not providing synopses for the following movies.  If you want to know more about them, please follow the movie poster links.  


The Shining (1980, directed by Stanley Kubrick) - Oh dear.  I know many of you really like this movie.  Even prefer it over the book.  I was bored the entire film, only keeping it on because I wanted to be able to say I'd seen it.  The acting, especially Duvall, was horrid.  I'm usually not picky about the movie matching the book, but they left out some of the best scenes from the book.  I also never felt a connection with any of the characters or even to the story.  It wasn't remotely scary.  I was unimpressed and wish I could get the time I spent watching The Shining back.  


Red Dawn (2012, directed by Dan Bradley)- I loved the original Red Dawn (1984, directed by John Milius) movie.  Probably more than it deserves.  I thought the cast was great and it was fun.  Okay, so it was a bit cheesy, but I don't care.  When I was a teen, I created an entire fantasy world around that movie, including myself among the rebels.  I started to write a book along those lines.  So, I went into the remake a little apprehensively.  Yet, I had to see it.  I had to know.  And I liked it. Not quite as much as the original, but I thought it was just as fun as the first movie.  It's action packed.  Not really believable, but at the end of the day, I was glad I watched it.  But glad I missed it in the theaters.


The Call (2013, directed by Brad Anderson) - I like Halle Barry.  And I like action movies.  Even some of the bad ones.  This one is pretty intense. I liked this movie quite a bit--picked up a few tips in case I'm ever locked in the trunk of a car (I sure hope there's paint cans full of paint!)--until the end.  As my husband pointed out though, this paves the way for a sequel.


Olympus Has Fallen (2013, directed by Antione Fuqua) - I divide much in my life into two sections--the before Mouse and after Mouse periods.  Before Mouse, high body counts in action movies bothered me less.  I knew it was just a movie, after all.  That isn't to say I felt nothing--it still bothered me to some extent.  Nowadays, I cringe and can't help but think that those people dying on the screen are someone's father or mother or child . . . I feel more emotional.  I still know it's not real, but it's harder to stomach.  This movie had a high death count.  An extremely high death count.  Still, Olympus Has Fallen was somewhat entertaining, but, ultimately, I found it to be unoriginal and completely unbelievable.

Have you seen any movies recently?


© 2013, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

14 comments:

  1. I'd watch Chris Hemsworth reading the newspaper. Just sayin'. Although we did not see this Red Dawn because the kids deemed it unworthy of their time based on the trailer. And as for The Shining, I do love that movie. I've seen it probably three dozen times minimum. I'll add my disclaimers though. There is a complete disconnect with the book, so I understand why Uncle Stevie was outraged. And Duvall IS horrid. Whoever cast her (she was blond and pretty in the book) was smoking crack.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sandy - I'm with you about Chris Hemsworth. :-) Honestly, I still am not sure why someone felt the need to remake Red Dawn. I'm scratching my head about that one. I understand there was a problem with the original "bad guy" in the film. The enemy was going to be China. After filming they realized that would be a problem marketing wise so switched to North Korea. It caused a big delay in the release of the film.

      I had hoped to like The Shining. I don't know if it was because it was an older film (although I love many older films out there), but it just did not work for me.

      Delete
  2. I've seen The Shining movie so many times and love it everytime! REDRUM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane - I know I'm in the minority. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I was so put off by the way they portrayed Tony with the boy changing his voice and holding up his finger . . . There was very little I liked about the movie.

      Delete
  3. I could never sit through The Shining - just seeing the movie poster scares me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy - I sometimes make the same face Jack Nicholson is making in the poster at work. It scares my coworkers.

      Delete
  4. I enjoy watching people go crazy so I love The Shining. LOL. Duvall is horrid. The backstory on the movie is interesting though because Kubrick picked her, yet hated to work with her after the fact. Said that he made her do takes 100-150 times before he had what he wanted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ti - Haha! I felt that Jack was already crazy at the beginning of the film, so there wasn't much need for progression there. But Jack Nicholson has that effect on me. That's interesting about Kubrick's thoughts about Duvall. I don't know what he was thinking casting her.

      Delete
  5. I didn't care for The Shining either.
    I loved the original Red Dawn but thought I might be too old to enjoy the remake :) Too bad about Olympus. I had high hopes for that one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stacy - Oh good! I'm not the only one. :-)

      I understand about not wanting to see the remake of Red Dawn. I'm surprised I wanted to!

      Delete
  6. I remember The Shining being such a disappointment to see on film after reading the book. Although Kubrick did manage to make some scenes really come to life but they had nothing to do with the main characters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa - Yes, I thought there were a few good scenes in The Shining as well, although not enough to save the movie. I'm glad to see Stacy and I aren't alone in our disappointment!

      Delete
  7. Ahhh have to disagree with you, I love The Shinning!! I love Kubric, what was it that bored you? I think he makes really great us of landscape and setting. Also, the scene with the blood and the hallway? Ahhhh so weird!! Check out my film blog :)

    http://whips-and-furs.blogspot.co.uk xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katie - The series is a favorite for many, I know. I wanted to like it, but it wasn't for me. I bore easily when I can't connect to any of the characters, and then I found the pacing too slow. I just didn't find it worth my while. We can't all love everything, I suppose. :-)

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.