Tag: 3 star

Dune (2021)

Dune (2021)

Posted October 23, 2021

I am not a huge Dune fan, let’s start there. Not like some people are fans. I was first introduced to the sci-fi saga through the Syfy mini-series (way back when it was still the Sci-Fi Channel). Immediately, I enjoyed the story and the characters and wanted to know more… but not enough to read the books. Not when I had a shortcut in a friend who told me it wasn’t worth it because the series was long and went a little sideways. Then Syfy (still Sci-Fi) came out with the Children of Dune mini-series and I loved that even […]

X-Men Dark Phoenix

X-Men Dark Phoenix

Posted June 17, 2019

I went into Dark Phoenix with fairly low expectations. Other than James McAvoy I wasn’t in love with the cast. And it’s a story Fox has tried to do before. With one of my favorite characters. And, despite box office success, few of the X-Men movies have really been spectacular (Days of Future Past is pretty much the exception). Also while I love Jean Grey, I’m only familiar with the Dark Phoenix saga through wikipedia (and honestly I read through the Endsong rather than Dark Phoenix years ago because it’s gorgeous. Which means Dark Phoenix was either going to be […]

Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel

Posted March 9, 2019

I’m a bit disappointed because I wanted to like Captain Marvel more, despite my reservations. The trailers weren’t great. Very little story and even less personality. But I still hoped the movie would deliver. I should have known better. It’s not a bad movie. It’s just…bland. It’s not exciting. It’s not fun or funny. The movie has as little personality as the trailers. It looks cool in parts – when she’s all on fire (but without the lame helmet) and the way her memories flicker through the scenes. It’s quippy (but not in a way that made me laugh). It’s […]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Posted December 23, 2017

I sort of wish I’d rewatched The Force Awakens before going to see The Last Jedi. In part because it would have been fun. But also because I kept getting Rey’s childhood mixed up with Jyn’s from Rogue One. Every time they said she didn’t know who her parents were I thought, “Yes, she does they made her run away when she was little but she knew who they were.” About half way through the movie, I remembered that was Jyn and not Rey. In the end, though, I really liked what they did with her parents. Someone like Rose. […]

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok

Posted November 5, 2017

Ragnarok is a moderately decent Marvel movie. But it isn’t a good Thor movie. The standalone movies each have distinctive styles. An Iron Man film is contemporary and flashy with trusty sidekicks Pepper and Happy and Rhoddy and quippy one-liners. Captain America lost both his sidekicks (the Roaring Commandos) and his wonderful love interest (the incredible Peggy Carter) when he jumped forward in time. Since then his movies haven’t really been his – they’ve served as vehicles for the MCU with Cap as the centerpiece. And Thor… well a Thor movie has a bit of epic grandiosity and beauty. There’s […]

Passengers

Passengers

Posted December 26, 2016

I’ve been interested in seeing Passengers since I first saw the trailer. Shiny sci-fi with a bit of romance, a bit of fun and a bit of danger. Even a mystery to unravel. Plus a chance for two endearing actors to prove themselves in a starring vehicle. Then after hearing whispers that critics weren’t kind, I wasn’t sure. I refuse to read any reviews or judge a film on anything but the trailer until I’ve seen it myself… so I went to see it for myself with a bit of trepidation. It was pretty much exactly what I thought it’d […]

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Posted December 17, 2016

You know those movies where the crew says they’re probably all going to die but they go in and fight against impossible odds and manage to (mostly) survive? Rogue One isn’t that story. This is good, gritty sci-fi. It’s rough characters that would be more complex in a smaller movie but are interesting enough in this one. It’s a decent story but with all the sci-fi and the characters it doesn’t need to be much more than that. Rogue One starts off a bit choppy. The prologue works well and sets a good foundation for both Jyn (Felicity Jones) and […]

The Huntsman: Winter’s War

The Huntsman: Winter’s War

Posted April 24, 2016

I really, really wanted to love Huntsman: Winter’s War. Really. Like one of my new favorite movies kind of love. It’s fantasy action adventure which is like my perfect genre. It’s pretty and well made. It has an AMAZING song in the trailer (and I love good trailers). I wanted it to be as good as that song. As exciting. As full of passion and danger and fearlessness. It is full of interesting female characters who drive the story. And it stars Chris Hemsworth! How is this not one of the best movies ever made? Because it isn’t. And you […]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Posted December 27, 2015

Star Wars is once again delighting audiences, though I don’t know that it deserves quite the box office records its setting. Definitely better than the prequels, The Force Awakens introduces delightful new characters, leverages nostalgia to reinvent this universe and does it well. Full disclosure: I am not a Star Wars fan. Of course I grew up watching the original three on VHS. I saw the extended cuts in theaters and liked the originals better. I watched the prequels with excitement (until I actually saw Episode I) and curiosity. I know the first Star Wars is Episode IV and not […]

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Posted May 2, 2015

I happened to watch Agents of SHIELD, the Dirty Half Dozen before I went to see Age of Ultron and it was pretty impressive how one picked up right where the other left off. It felt like one universe. It was one of the few things Agents of SHIELD did right. One of the things Age of Ultron managed is that despite all the previews and hype everywhere, I still went in not knowing what to expect. And I was surprised. I liked that the pacing of the third act wasn’t typical. I liked that it did the unexpected. I […]