Movie Reviews

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

Story

They abandoned the small town setting and embraced the NYC feel of the originals. The story is interesting and I like how they weaved the two parts.

Score: 0.5

Characters

This cast was massive, upgrading the originals from cameo to secondary characters, adding two new characters, and balancing the cast from the previous film. The result is that only a few characters got growth and the others were either background or comedy relief.

This time the villain is actually terrifying.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue is quippy, smart, and fun. It mixes mythologies and technobabble in amusing ways.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The movie is extremely pretty and avoids being too dark or using too many quick cuts. The special effects are flawless.

The music was a good mix of the classic themes and songs with new ones.

Score: 1

Fun

This is a fun Ghostbuster movie that balances old and new really well. I feel like we could use more time for some of the characters, but overall it was lots of fun. I watched this alone but I look forward to watching it again with the family.

Score: 1

Overall

A near perfect melding of old and new. This will make all Ghostbuster fans happy. It could use a little more time with it’s expansive cast of characters, but overall it’s fun, fast, and quippy.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Tomorrowland – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2015 film Tomorrowland.

Story

It’s a little heavy handed in some aspects and takes way too much time getting to Tomorrowland. I know there was limited time, but I would have liked to know more about what happened to Tomorrowland itself. It seemed to go from clean and heavily populated to some sort of fascist police state.

Score: 0.5

Characters

I liked the characters but it took a long time for them to get to the point where they get over themselves and start working toward a goal.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

There’s a lot of funny, interesting, and deep quotes. The dialogue rolls well and is mostly logical.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The movie is absolutely beautiful. The cinematography, locations, and special effects are top notch.

The music does it’s job but isn’t particulary impressive.

Score: 1

Fun

This might be a silly gripe on my part but I wish more of the movie was in Tomorrowland. I get it’s a metaphor for needing to strive but I wanted to spend more time in the beautiful hopeful world.

It was fun and action-packed but felt like it got lost in the journey and didn’t give the characters a chance to shine.

The rest of the family really enjoyed it.

Score: 0.5

Overall

An uneven movie that brings the thrills, the wonder, and hope. The movie is a visual feast with fast-paced action and a simple message that more people need to ask; “What can we do to fix it?”

Final Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Story

The story is a nice reversal of the kidnapped princess trope. It has a lot of back and forth travelling but never feels slow, despite being almost two and half hours long.

That being said, it’s not original and a lot of the plot relies on intelligent characters being idiots.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The characters feel jarringly cartoonish but they fit perfectly in the world. It’s impressive how much depth and understanding the audience gets from the character’s quips and actions.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The movie isn’t historically accurate and no one wanted it to be. The dialogue is quippy, irreverent, and funny.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals are all absolutely stunning but suffer from the early 2000’s obsessions with quick-cuts and shaky-cam.

The music is spectacular and makes the movie worth it on it’s own.

Score: 0.5

Fun

Everyone seemed to enjoy the movie. I was worried because we’d watched it with a 2yo Dragon and she’d been bored. Not this time; she was riveted and loved it. Pegasus seemed indifferent. The rest of the family loved it.

I’ll be honest, I don’t like Johnny Depp. He normally has little charisma and plays only two characters. Cpt. Jack however is one of the characters he does extremely well.

Score: 1

Overall

A wonderful historical fantasy with amazing dialogue, music, and scenery.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

The Muppets (2011) – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2011 film The Muppets.

Story

It’s a complete rehash of other Muppet stories, and the attempt to insert family and romantic drama comes off as both distraction and annoyance.

Score: 0

Characters

The human characters are only there to give the audience a proxy and their main character traits are meh. I loved Amy Adams and she managed to pull of the ridiculous character and make it believable.

The Muppets themselves felt like caricatures of the original movie. It felt like they were ignoring everything except the first show and movie.

The cameos were fantastic however and the villain was fun.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

There were some great moments and gags but the dialogue was burdened by over explaining. It’s like the film makers thought people would get confused.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The camera work was good and the dance routines were fun.

The music was great and definitely one of my favourite parts.

Score: 1

Fun

I love the Muppets and although this wasn’t them at their best, it was fun. The kids didn’t laugh much but they were glued to the screen.

Score: 0.5

Overall

An interesting attempt at writing the Muppets that relies too much on nostalgia and doesn’t offer much new for the audience.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997) – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1997 film Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

Story

It’s one of many Cinderella movies and the second remake of this particular story. Interestingly, it’s the only Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical to be written for television; the original starring Julie Andrews in 1957.

There are some parts that drag, a lot of singing about what they just did, which slows down the story.

Score: 0.5

Characters

I like the spin each actor put on their characters, making them unique but still recognizable. I really appreciate that the prince has more than a cookie-cut out personality.

Score: 1

Dialogue

I’m really glad I had the subtitles on because the tone and volume of voice varied wildly. The kind mumbled Cinderella was very soft spoken, and half of the cast used Broadway projection while the rest spoke regularly.

The words themselves were good but often spent more time recapping or connecting the songs than actually telling the story.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The set design is okay, the costumes are gorgeous, and the choreography very well done. The movement in this movie was timed, precise, and excellent.

The music was okay, but the powerhouse Brandi sounded meek and soft, and it didn’t meld well with the prince. I’m not sure who decided she shouldn’t use her full power, but it was a bad choice.

Beyond that, the songs were very similar and often didn’t advance the plot.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I’ve been really tired and this wouldn’t have kept me awake if I didn’t have a big bowl of popcorn. I loved the diversity and the cast was fantastic, but for a short movie they filled so much time with repetition and not enough with the main characters.

Score: 0.5

Overall

A classic take on Cinderella with a fantastic cast and some wonderful moments. It has it’s issues but overall a fun film.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

Descendants: The Rise of Red – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film Descendants: The Rise of Red.

Story

It’s very Back to the Future meets Monster High. They take a lot of time with the set up and the ending feels rushed and unfinished.

Score: 0

Characters

The two main characters are great and have wonderful chemistry as a grumpy/sunshine style odd couple. They also grow and learn throughout the movie.

The villains were superbly cast and are amazing. I hope to see more of that group in future movies.

Seeing the cast from the 1997 Cinderella was fun, although it’s important to note that the backstory is different.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue is cutesy and does a great job at sounding young while still being understandable to older people. There are some very interesting conversations about ethics, rules, and doing what’s right.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

They colourful villain aesthetic of the first three movies carries through into this one but with upgraded camera equipment and camera work. The choreography is superb.

The songs are extremely catchy and weave elements from classic Disney and the first three movies.

Score: 1

Fun

The story is weak and there are a lot of weird choices on the part of the characters, but overall it’s a lot of fun and everyone in the family loved it.

Score: 1

Overall

An overdone story that is more than made up for with excellent acting, singing, dancing, and set design. If you enjoyed the others in the series, you’ll enjoy this one.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

IF – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film IF.

Story

Don’t get me wrong, I love fast-paced action, but sometimes I just want a nice slow-paced movie that takes its time with the characters. This movie did a fantastic job at keeping a steady pace that felt almost like a Miyazaki film.

The story elements are well introduced and very well developed.

Score: 1

Characters

The main character is inquisitive and sad, the actress conveys that even small ways and does a great job.

At first it might seems like Ryan Reynolds is just playing himself, but as you watch his mannerisms and speech patterns, you see that he’s actually playing a mixture of himself, the main girl, and the dad. It’s subtle but impressive.

The rest of the cast has a chaotic-hopefulness that is sorely lacking in the world and films lately.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Most of the movie’s dialogue has two meanings and works as a joke and story. It’s quippy but also sweet.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The camera work is an updated version of the YA movies we grew up with in the 90’s combined with a lot of slow movements, letting the characters be the focus.

The music was fun and matched the emotions well.

Score: 1

Fun

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this movie and didn’t do any research, which was for the best because I wasn’t spoiled. It was a lot of fun and and had a lot of heart. I cried, I laughed, and I felt proud at guessing some of the surprises. The kids loved it and now scream “Keith!” whenever they trip.

Score: 1

Overall

A live action movie that has the heart and emotion of Pixar with the joyful pacing of Studio Ghibli. It’s whimsical and wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*

*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Story

Like every other movie in this series, it feels like they come up with set pieces and added story as they went along. “I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go.”

That being said the plot in this one is, despite time travel, way more coherent than some of the others.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Instead of the confident, mellow, Indiana from the last movie, we have the Indiana who’s given up. Apparently, the screen writers liked Mutt less than I did and killed him off between movies to give Indiana more motivation. Once he stopped moping, he went back to his quippy roots.

I was glad the leading lady wasn’t a love interest and that makes this movie unique in the series as he doesn’t have a love interest that follows him through.

As for his niece, she bordered between fun and frustrating. The kid was awesome though, and it was nice to see Salah again.

The biggest frustration was offhanded way they kept killing people. I hate it when a story introduces someone interesting and then kills them off because they’re inconvenient.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

This movie had much improved banter and dialogue. The archeology-babble was about the same but the conversations and jokes were great.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

This was shot differently then the others and it worked really well. The camera work, effects, and colour palette was really good. I did find the “age reduced” Harrison Ford a little weird looking, and it was discordant to have the older voice coming from the younger character. Seeing as those effects look weird now, I can’t imagine they’ll age well.

The music was great as usual.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The movie straddled the line between nostalgia and new content and did a good job. The whole family enjoyed it. I feel like any Indiana film with Salah in it is awesome.

Score: 1

Overall

One of the better Indiana Jones films, and that means you’re in for lots of action, lots of adventure, and more than your fair share of quippy dialogue. It’s slowed down by experimental special effects, a depressing storyline, and more character deaths than were needed.

Final Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1983 film Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Story

This cleans up the loose threads of the other two movies and concludes the story in a satisfying way. It’s a little meandering and at times the philosophy is laughable.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The main characters are consistant and likeable. The secondary characters are good and the emperor is deliciously evil.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Cheesy and a little over the top but lot of fun with quips galore.

The emperor is wonderfully evil but his manipulations of Luke aren’t as clever as it’s made out to be.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The special effects from the original movie hold up well but like the other movies, the effects added digitally in the 2000’s don’t look as good. I’m also not a big fan of replacing Sebastian Shaw as the Anakin force ghost. I get the whole Anakin died when he became Vader but I don’t like it.

The music is amazing and I was particularly happy with the major-chord version of Vader’s theme that played when he died.

Score: 1

Fun

This movie remembers the hope of the first and gives us the happy ending needed. It’s only sad because of what we know about the sequel movies and how the characters never truly find happiness.

I love how all three movies are excellent at building a universe with so much depth without being overly confusing to the casual viewer.

The kids loved this one although they were a little confused about Vader’s motivations.

Score: 1

Overall

A wonderful way to end the series, filled with hope and fun. The movie is satisfying on it’s own and as a closing chapter to the trilogy.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Story

There are things about this story that work better than the others and some that just don’t work as well. The soviets as villains don’t have the same feel as the Nazis. Aliens just doesn’t work as well as supernatural artifacts. Frankly, the whole “ancient aliens” thing is an insult to human ingenuity and progress.

Score: 0

Characters

The older, more relaxed, Indiana is a joy to watch. It’s great to see Marion again and Ox is brilliant.

Mutt and the villains aren’t all that fun to watch and are treated as plot devices instead of characters.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

They seemed to want to recapture the dialogue that worked so well between Indiana and his father, but Mutt is a little too young and innocent for it to work.

Indiana has some amazing lines and the banter between him and Marion is excellent.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

Despite my memory telling me there were some terrible green screen issues with the movie, I didn’t see them this viewing. The locations are great and special effects are okay. The large action set pieces are fantastic as usual.

The music was amazing.

Score: 1

Fun

I don’t like Mutt. He feels like a bad set up to replace Indiana Jones. (Mutt Jones and the…. sounds terrible.) I also feel like the soviet scientist was underdeveloped and kinda boring. They should have brought back short-round.

And all that isn’t talking about the random use of the skull’s magnetism. It didn’t stick to the metal car, it attracted coins, and at times did nothing.

Score: 0.5

Overall

The movie suffers not from the protagonist’s age, but from the studios awkward attempts to create a spin-off character. Beside that and the bland villains, the movie has some very fun Indiana Jones style action pieces.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5