Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Ocean's 8 and Skyscraper

Recently on a flight I watched some movies I had not gotten around to seeing yet. Spoiler Alert- They were both mediocre but alright. Keep reading below for my opinion on each.


Oceans Eight- This movie is a quasi-sequel of the other Ocean's movies but it features an all female cast. Sandra Bullock is an ex con and sister to Danny Ocean of the previous movies who has passed away by the time this film takes place. She puts together a crew to help her pull off a heist at the Met Gala in New York. The movie has some nice moments but it's not nearly as fun as the prior ones. There are many great actresses in this movie but it was not quite as entertaining as an 11 person crew. I just never felt like I bonded or cared too much for any of the characters. Bullock seems kind of cold and unlikable. Aside from the reference to Danny Ocean the only other connection it has to the other movies is a brief cameo by Elliot Gould. Anne Hathaway probably had the best performance of the bunch. The details are far fetched but I can usually overlook quite a bit in this kind of movie. Oceans Eight was a little flat and only gets 6.4 stars from me.


Skyscraper- I actually rented this movie from Red Box last month but never had time to watch it. I hate it when that happens. On the plane I had plenty of time so I was looking forward to an exciting fake action movie. It's about a veteran/swat team member who loses a leg in an accident and later retires and works as a security consultant for skyscrapers. He is hired for a job at the opening of the world's tallest building in Hong Kong. Some bad guys with a grudge against the owner try to spoil the grand opening by lighting it on fire. It's very similar to Die Hard but the main character's family is in the building and in danger the whole time.The Rock is great as always. This movie also had plenty of unrealistic aspects but it was still entertaining and better than expected after seeing the trailer. I give it 6.7 stars.

Thursday, November 8, 2018

More Movie Reviews

I know these reviews are past due, but my teacher said I could get partial credit if I still turn them in. Here is my brief take on 4 more movies.

Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom- You will never guess what happens in this sequel. Dangerous dinosaurs are taken from a controlled environment by greedy capitalists where they eventually get loose and create dangerous problems. I can't blame the studios for making yet another sequel that pretty much follows the same formula of the prior movies since they have been money makers. It may have been fun to watch and had cool special effects, but I can only give it 6.7 stars.

Venom- I really like Tom Hardy and Marvel has been on a role lately with their movies so I thought I would like Venom more than I did. It had a little darker tone to it than I prefer for a super hero movie. Maybe it was trying to be more like Deadpool. I also struggled with the Venom alien being such a violent and dangerous creature while at the same time speaking in slang like a teenager trying to impress his peers. The movie was alright but I just give it a 6.9 score.

Operation Finale- I was not familiar with this movie or the true story it was based on. It is about Israeli intelligence officers who locate a Nazi war criminal many years after WW2 who is living in Argentina with a fake identity.  They attempt to kidnap him and bring him back to Israel to stand judgment. It was very suspenseful and had good performances. It was like Mission Impossible meets Anne Frank. Ben Kingsley might make a pious Gandhi but he also does a pretty mean Nazi.  I give it 7.0 stars.



Bohemian Rhapsody- I grew up listening to Queen and love their music. I have always admired Freddy Mercury's vocals even though I was not a fan of his lifestyle. This movie was well done and very entertaining. All the actors did a great job at portraying the band members and this film addresses their struggles, challenges, and victories. Since so many of their songs are infused into my early life, I found myself getting emotional during many of the numbers. I give Bohemian Rhapsody a solid 8 stars and any fan of Queen will love it.

 
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