Monthly Archives: April 2021

Amazon Prime Movie Review: Without Remorse

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Based on the several trailers I have seen for the new Amazon Prime movie “Without Remorse”, I was expecting a much better film. The problem with this story (based on the Tom Clancy novel “Without Remorse”) is that we have seen all of this before. Michael B. Jordan plays John Kelly a Navy Seal, who after completing an operation involving the Russians that went wrong, his wife is killed. This is similar to a much better movie, “A Man Apart”, starring Vin Diesel released in 2003, where the main character goes on a rampage to avenge his wife’s murder.

The remainder of this movie is a story line very similar to so many other movies involving the CIA and covert military operations, where a series of high level executives in the US Government are suspected as being double agents. All of this leads to a standoff in a run down Russian building with massive gunfire and killings. The one scene that stands out in this movie is the scene where Michael B. Jordan sets a car on fire with gasoline, then opens the door of the car covered in flames, goes into the car and gets in the backseat with the person inside in an attempt to gain information. For this extremely dangerous scene, Jordan did his own stunt, risking his life or being a life long burn victim. Once again I thought about “its only a movie”. Why some actors – mostly Tom Cruise, insist on taking risks like this for a movie, is hard to understand. No matter how careful the planning, or how many times a stunt is tested, all it takes is one instant of time and someone dies, or is permanently disabled. As more and more actors take risks like this, its only a matter of time before a huge tragedy will hit the movie industry.

I dont think this below average movie will hurt the movie career of Jordan who has already announced he will be directing and starring in Creed 3.

I agree with the low ratings on Rotten Tomatoes for this film and I do not recommend it.

Netflix Movie Review: Stowaway

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Movies about traveling to Mars have been becoming more prevalent the last few years. The catalyst has been all the Mars probes – the latest one Perseverance even includes a helicopter as well as a very impressive new method for landing. When any screenwriter writes a screenplay about traveling to Mars (the most important of these is “The Martian” released in 2015 starring Matt Damon) – the science and logistics have to be the most important parts of the story.

The new Netflix release “Stowaway” is lacking in both science and logistics, because the story here is that a maintenance worker become a stowaway during a trip to mars (this could never happen), and then other things go wrong (could definitely happen) and as a result the ship does not have enough oxygen for 4 people because the mission was planned for 3 people. The problem here, is that Nasa or Spacex would have redundant oxygen for any manned mission to Mars of the Moon, because there is nothing more important than Oxygen. Therefore, the odds of an oxygen problem like the one in this story, barring an explosion like what happened with Apollo 13 – would be highly unlikely. The other problem with this movie is that the story dragged on way too long in between the major action points, making the entire film rather boring.

The acting in this movie is good enough, despite the weak story, including Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Shamier Anderson and Daniel Dae Kim, but is far from enough to save this movie. Also I thought that the ending was far too abrupt, almost as if the screenwriter ran out of ideas.

I agree with the low ratings on IMDB of only 5.6 and I do not recommend this film.



Oscar Winners 2021

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All avid moviegoers who look forward to the Academy Awards as a once a year major event, are now – after Pandemic Academy awards last night – looking for a quick return to normalcy. There was nothing watchable with the Academy Awards last night. This is understandable under the circumstances but this Oscar show was hard to sit through.

The winner for best picture “Nomadland” (reviewed in this blog) was a good movie/documentary about the plight of so many homeless and near homeless in this country, but it was also a movie that does not compare to a best picture winner within a normal year. Hopefully, maybe even next year, the Oscars will have a host again, maybe even Billy Crystal, and this show will be a major event again.

Best original screenplay

Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman – WINNER
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best adapted screenplay

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father – WINNER
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The White Tiger

Best international feature film

Another Round – WINNER
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?

Best actor in a supporting role

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER
Leslie Odom, Jr, One Night in Miami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Best makeup and hairstyling

Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Mank
Pinocchio

Best costume design

Emma
Mank
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Mulan
Pinocchio

Best director

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland – WINNER

Best sound

Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Sound of Metal – WINNER
Soul

Best live-action short film

Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers – WINNER
White Eye

Best animated short film

Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You – WINNER
Opera
Yes-People

Best animated feature film

Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul – WINNER
Wolfwalkers

Best documentary short

Colette – WINNER
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha

Best documentary

Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher – WINNER
Time

Best visual effects

Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet – WINNER

Best actress in a supporting role

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Youn Yuh-Jung, Minari – WINNER

Best production design

The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank – WINNER
News of the World
Tenet

Best cinematography

Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank – WINNER
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best film editing

The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal – WINNER
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best original score

Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul – WINNER

Best original song

Husavik, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Fight For You, Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER
Io Sì (Seen), The Life Ahead
Speak Now, One Night in Miami
Hear My Voice, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best picture

The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland – WINNER
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best actress in a leading role

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland – WINNER
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Best actor in a leading role

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father – WINNER
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari

Best makeup and hairstyling

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Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Mank
Pinocchio

Best costume design

Emma
Mank
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Mulan
Pinocchio

Best director

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland – WINNER

Best sound

Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Sound of Metal – WINNER
Soul

Best live-action short film

Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers – WINNER
White Eye

Best animated short film

Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You – WINNER
Opera
Yes-People

Best animated feature film

Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul – WINNER
Wolfwalkers

Colette – WINNER
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha

Best documentary

Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher – WINNER
Time

Best visual effects

Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet – WINNER

Best actress in a supporting role

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Youn Yuh-Jung, Minari – WINNER

Best production design

The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank – WINNER
News of the World
Tenet

Best cinematography

Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank – WINNER
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best film editing

The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal – WINNER
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best original score

Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul – WINNER

Best original song

Husavik, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Fight For You, Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER
Io Sì (Seen), The Life Ahead
Speak Now, One Night in Miami
Hear My Voice, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best picture

The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland – WINNER
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best actress in a leading role

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland – WINNER
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Best actor in a leading role

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father – WINNER
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari