elladora1022's Activity (918)

  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus's movie review was featured in Captain America: Civil War.
    It is one of the best movies to ever come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, balancing engaging action set pieces and witty dialogue with intelligent character studies and ethical debates. The real key to Captain America: Civil War is its sense of inevitability, and its acceptance that sometimes things change-they change big. The many years and films that Marvel Studios spent world and character building are what makes Civil War work so well. At 147 minutes, Captain America: Civil War is probably a bit too long, but it has enough tense head-to-heads and eye-popping fight scenes to override the odd drop in momentum. The dialogue is outstanding, even fuller of subtext than usual, and stunning action sequences like the airport fight carried by the charm of the newly introduced Peter Parker and Ant Man, but the plot is still a little thin. The framing of Bucky and Stark's parents' death seems so temporary. The true argument between Captain America and Iron Man, about supervision, seems mature for the Marvel movies, but still doesn't reach the depth of the fundamental moral divide between Professor X and Magneto. Captain America: Civil War proves that Marvel knows how to lay down a stunning foundation in order to detail an epic saga. Action packed, smart and filled with great performances. Best MCU movie so far. P. S. Spiderman is so awesome.
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus added a movie review.
    It is one of the best movies to ever come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, balancing engaging action set pieces and witty dialogue with intelligent character studies and ethical debates. The real key to Captain America: Civil War is its sense of inevitability, and its acceptance that sometimes things change-they change big. The many years and films that Marvel Studios spent world and character building are what makes Civil War work so well. At 147 minutes, Captain America: Civil War is probably a bit too long, but it has enough tense head-to-heads and eye-popping fight scenes to override the odd drop in momentum. The dialogue is outstanding, even fuller of subtext than usual, and stunning action sequences like the airport fight carried by the charm of the newly introduced Peter Parker and Ant Man, but the plot is still a little thin. The framing of Bucky and Stark's parents' death seems so temporary. The true argument between Captain America and Iron Man, about supervision, seems mature for the Marvel movies, but still doesn't reach the depth of the fundamental moral divide between Professor X and Magneto. Captain America: Civil War proves that Marvel knows how to lay down a stunning foundation in order to detail an epic saga. Action packed, smart and filled with great performances. Best MCU movie so far. P. S. Spiderman is so awesome.
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus added a movie review.
    As you are fully aware, I am a huge Looney Tunes fan. I can't help it, when I was little, it was an all-time favourite in the household, today I still love to watch these cartoons. Some are better than others, that I agree with, it's the same with Tom and Jerry pretty much too, but when you watch Looney Tunes you are guaranteed to have great animation, energetic music, wicked humour and amazing vocal characterisations from the one and only Mel Blanc. As for Daffy Duck's Quackbusters it is a real treat. True, it has one or two slow moments and one or two weak links, particularly the link before the Duxorcist(one of about two cartoons I knew nothing about before I watched this compilation film), where I wasn't completely sure whether the cartoon had started already or not. That said, out of all the compilation films this one has the best premise and I think overall storyline. Plus it is the overall best paced, as it does move swiftly in general. The animation is in general very nice, more in the cartoons than in the edited bits, but the film does have some nice colourful backgrounds and also some atmospheric and spooky ones. The music is playful and energetic as well, though the song Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives from the beginning short Night of the Living Duck was very interesting and beautifully sung by Mel Torme. The cartoon itself was an interesting start to the film. I loved the humour too. All the Looney Tunes films have good to great humour, that sticks relatively close to the cartoons, and this is no exception. I loved the material in 1001 Rabbit Tales, I liked it even more here, in both the dialogue and sight gags it was fresh and witty like Looney Tunes humour should be. This is evident in the cartoons especially, Transylvania 6-5000 has really great dark, subtle humour particularly from the Count, and in The Abominable Snow Rabbit with the Abominable Snowman when he mistakes Daffy for a rabbit and starts naming him George. The Duxorcist was also interesting, and it was nice to see Water Water Every Hare and Hyde and Go Tweet(although that had a concept that had been done to death I was impressed how fresh and clever it was), while Claws for Alarm was very creepy and atmospheric almost as creepy as Scaredy Cat, which creeped me out big time. Daffy Dilly is a lot of fun, and is very relevant to the story, I especially loved it for the ending, while Prize Pest was also very well done. In fact, the weakest one was Punch Trunk, I still liked it don't get me wrong it was very sweet with an adorable tiny elephant but it was on the undemanding side and not as memorable as the others. The characters are wonderful. Daffy of course is the star, like Bugs was in 1001 Rabbit Tales, while Bugs is impressive too. It was also nice to see Porky, Sylvester and Tweety, while the Count in Transylvania 6-5000 is also very memorable. The voice work is spot on, particularly with Mel Blanc who is superb in his final set of vocal performances. I can't help mention Mel Blanc constantly when praising these cartoons, it's just that his voices are a big part of their success and I think it is right to think he is one of the greatest voice actors who ever lived, he was that amazing and very rarely disappointed. Yes even with lacklustre material(like it was in some of the Speedy Gonzales cartoons) he put 100% into everything he did. Overall, a slightly uneven but on the whole delightful compilation film. 4/5
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus added a movie review.
    Once again our favorite MIB agents Jay & Kay are battling it out for earth. Quick action, colorful villains, beautifully designed settings and CGI, comic relief in the face of imminent destruction, all those made the first two movies great as well as successful in the box office. Could they better the formula in the face of all the other bad sequels we have been seeing for years? This is one of the reasons I had stepped into the cinema with trepidation. The other reason was the pitfall of time travel. Time travel is one of the favorite themes in sci fi movies but it needs to be handled carefully. My humble word of advice to the script writers: Keep-It-Simple. Avoid overtly complicated jumps back and forth and paradoxes that confuse the audience. Remember the eventual mess in the Back To The Future trilogy? I was then so pleased to see that they kept the time travel relatively simple and easy to follow. There was a small part when they crossed the line juuust a tiny bit when young agent Kay meets a certain father and son (don't want to spoil it). Even if traveling back in time was possible, you wouldn't necessarily bump into everyone you know in the present. Will Smith is in his usual good form in his character Jay which however needs Kay to balance him. It is then fortunate that Brolin gives a great performance as the young agent. Was it better than the 1997 original? It was as good, without the novelty value obviously. Was it as good as the MIB2? I would say that it surpassed the second. 4/5.
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus added a movie review.
    Agent K (Jones)'s partner retires, so he has to find a new one. Street cop Will Smith seems an unlikely contender to join this very special service and help K battle illegal aliens. Barry Sonnenfeld's experience as a cinematographer put him in good stead for planning this quirky fun sci-fi comedy. Men in Black is given life by Sonnenfeld's shot-choices, for greatest comic effect, terrific fun musical score by Danny Elfman, and two perfectly cast actors: Tommy Lee Jones' wry delivery and Will Smith's comic persona make for a movie with some real personality. Vincent D'Onofrio is a memorable bad guy - especially when we don't have to look at his regular face. A few death scenes will be too gruesome for kiddies, but once they're a certain age its bound to be one of their favourite movies. Such terrific imaginative fun. 5/5. Woman: "You here to make fun of me, too?' K: "No maam, we here at the FBI do not have a sense of humour we're aware of. May we come in?" What makes this film stand out, aside from its superb effects, humor and script, is the contrast between Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. While Jones is the emotionless, smarter and wiser one out of the two, Smith is the younger and more enthusiastic. These 'Men In Black' are on a mission to save Earth from a really, really nasty bug infestation. This is one Sci-Fi film that shouldn't be missed.
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus added a movie review.
    The Grand Central locker aliens, David Cross's video store, Jones' memory wipe. Unfortunately, the new character additions are less remarkable; the villains are more annoying than they are funny or threatening, & Dawson's character is...just sort of there. Still, MIBII isn't so much bad as it is just a filler episode of an otherwise decent TV series...with an unwanted & quickly forgotten spin-off. Tommy Lee Jones & Will Smith give great performances, but it is not enough to grasp the attention of its audience as it fails to garner the touch from its predecessor. Men in Black II lacks the originality and goes excessively in too deep on its already familiar settlement. My Take: Not as wildly enjoyable as the first, but makes a terrific sequel. There is only one rule when making a successful sequel. That is, that the sequel has has to be head and shoulders above its predecessor to be considered good at all. It has to be fresh. The key to making a good comedy is to make the humor seem effortless enough so that the audience can enjoy it without having to be told what is funny. The key to creating a good plot is to give it time to develop, and to let the audience enjoy its twists and turns, whether they be good or bad. <Warning: Possible spoilers ahead> Sadly, Men in Black II accomplishes none of these. Aliens come to earth, threaten to destroy it, yada yada yada, MIB has to figure out what's going on before the earth is destroyed, yada yada yada, big guns, alien explodes at the end, just in the nick of time, after being hit by the big guns. Which of the movies am I describing? Both of them. Far from being fresh, this sequel is exactly the same as the original. As for the humor... there was humor? Simply put, this movie had its moments. Unfortunately, they were few and far between, and, in any case, significantly less interesting than the continual clashing of personalities in the first movie. This was due to the simple fact that in MIB II, Agents Jay and Kay acted identically. As for the plot, throughout the film, the characters were supposed to be hunting down clues to the location of the light. Instead of getting the feeling that I was watching the characters unlock a mystery, I get the feeling that I'm watching a bratty teenager and his crotchety uncle following a scavenger hunt to... who cares. The film never conveys a sense of importance to the audience about what they are looking for, or why this thing is so important. Not only that, but this wafer thin plot is crumpled into an 88 minute timeframe, leaving, well, a mess. Maybe the problem is that everybody involved was so determined to make a good movie, that every idea from the past five years ended up getting forced into one movie. Or, everybody involved in the movie was so determined to get a big fat payday, that they didn't care about how crappy their movie turned out. There. That one sounds more reasonable. I gave this movie a 2 out of 5. Not the worst movie ever, but definitely not worth my time.
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus added a movie review.
    We can't all have a supeheroic squirrel to help find our own purposes in life, but "Flora & Ulysses" posits that we don't need one - just a willingness to welcome their special kind of magic, in whatever shape it may take. The superhero power of this movie comes from its endearingly offbeat characters, goofy humor, and gentle insights about finding optimism even when things go wrong. "Flora & Ulysses" veers close to falling into the trap of cheesiness that kids' movies of this genre often find themselves in, but miraculously never does. It's encouraging to see someone at the studio remembers that not every film has to be do or die, even if it has superheroes on its mind. The film has its cape hung up out of sight, tights put away in drawers, and heart smack dab in the right place.
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus's movie review was featured in Raya and the Last Dragon.
    As an overall throwback, and as a return to the streamlined storytelling upon which Disney built its supremacy, Raya and the Last Dragon is a welcome expansion of the Disney universe. The message is that you have to put aside differences and learn to trust and find common ground. It feels like it's hitting the right notes, with spectacular visuals. There's a darkness here that I think is lacking in a lot of modern Disney films, and I respect that its message isn't just "believe in yourself." Highly enjoyed its message of teamwork & the importance of forgiveness & trust. I had plenty of fun, particularly with its side characters. Raya finds inspiration in all the right places, and imbues it with the emotional weight and bright, fantastic aesthetic we've come to expect with Disney's big-screen adventures. Awkwafina leads a lively voice cast in a visually arresting adventure."Raya and the Last Dragon" gives us a glimmer of hope and unity during this time of division. Highly recommend it.
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus added a movie review.
    In the hierarchy of good-to-great kid movies, this would rank somewhere straight down the middle. It's a safe and easy kind of entertainment, and that's about it. It's hard to imagine children not enjoying the film. A storybook come to life. It works really well thanks to the keen visual eyes of Renaud and Balda. Enjoyed The Lorax very much. A bit of a slow start with an equally obtuse cheesy ending and ultimately it's the intersecting story of the beanpole and his desire to be successful, whilst being surrounded by all-too-cute animals, that keeps the eye on the ball. The outer narrative works, though only, as a gateway into the inner message which is...We need trees! Thoroughly well made!
    Over 2 years ago
  • adroit_avimimus
    adroit_avimimus added a movie review.
    As an overall throwback, and as a return to the streamlined storytelling upon which Disney built its supremacy, Raya and the Last Dragon is a welcome expansion of the Disney universe. The message is that you have to put aside differences and learn to trust and find common ground. It feels like it's hitting the right notes, with spectacular visuals. There's a darkness here that I think is lacking in a lot of modern Disney films, and I respect that its message isn't just "believe in yourself." Highly enjoyed its message of teamwork & the importance of forgiveness & trust. I had plenty of fun, particularly with its side characters. Raya finds inspiration in all the right places, and imbues it with the emotional weight and bright, fantastic aesthetic we've come to expect with Disney's big-screen adventures. Awkwafina leads a lively voice cast in a visually arresting adventure."Raya and the Last Dragon" gives us a glimmer of hope and unity during this time of division. Highly recommend it.
    Over 2 years ago

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