Mandaris

I had never seen this movie, but I am familiar with the phrase we're going to need a bigger boat. I had no idea why a 50 year old movie about a shark could hold so much influence. In the end, I was happy to have seen it.

I had read on the internet that the mayor is The Real Villain and the shark is just trying to be the best shark that he can be. I think that’s just trying to simplify the problem of a community dependent on tourism having to balance the welfare of the residence versus the guests. Most of the townsfolk are content with little accidents until it becomes a directly affects them.

That was the scariest part of this movie.

The inconvenient truth that a whole group of people are ok with the idea that someone could die from going into the water… as long as it does not affect the bottom line.

But, going back to the movie in general, the acting and pacing are really good. I say this as someone who is battling a phone addiction.

Overview

When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.

I didn't think that we needed another Superman movie. How can we make a story about someone who is almost invincible compelling?

This is a movie that I saw because people were talking about it.

I’ve been a little bored with some of the super hero movies that have been coming out and was ok with not checking this one out in theaters.

But, there was something about it. The word that caught my interest about this movie had hope. Maybe just because of all the things happening in this world that just feel wrong. I’m a fan of The Boys and Invincible, but I’ve grown tired of immoral super people. We’ve seen that too often and in different ways.

The movie is refreshing in that it doesn’t take the viewer through the origins of the characters. There’s no homework of other movies and comic books that you need to know in order to enjoy this movie. If you want that, you can do it on your own time.

I feel that the movie does a great job of showing the Man in The Man of Steel. He’s multifaceted while also demonstrating a type of sincerity that I haven’t seen enough of. In other Superman films, it felt as if every problem that he’d face would be fixed by some newly discovered power. This one has to use his brain and the connections that he has with other people in order to save the day.

Ultimately, the movie shows that you do not need to be Superman to be part of making the world a better place.

Overview

Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.

100 Media reviews!

This is my One Hundredth post marked as Media Review! Feel free to check out the media review archives.

How dare you make me feel something! I thought that this was going to be some small show that I'd only have to watch because of TV Family Time, but it really kept me engaged throughout the run.

What was interesting to me was the fact that the author of the book it is based on, Emily Jenkins, used Scrivener to help with managing the flashback scenes. It’s the same tool that I used for writing my thesis to graduate college. I’ve also got a draft of novel that will never see the light of the internet.

But back to the show, it’s kind of sad in so many ways and really hits you at the end with a twist that some could guess at but I wasn’t prepared for.

Overview

One year after a mysterious accident left her with amnesia, 17-year-old Cadence returns to Beechwood, an island off Martha's Vineyard, seeking answers. As three generations of the distinguished Sinclair family gather at their private summer utopia, no one will talk about the accident – neither her childhood friends "The Liars" nor her first love Gat, forcing her to uncover the truth herself.

I have grown tired of most superhero movies at this point. It's mostly because I don't want to see anymore gritty or realistic viewpoints about people gifted with powers beyond our imagination. It's been done. I feel that this movie is actually an answer to that. This group of people have seen what happens when that gift is squandered. They know that it's an ugly world and they rise to the occasion... eventually.

The characters in this film are well acted and I don’t remember there being a moment where I felt that something was dragged on too long. If anything, I feel it would have been welcoming to spend more time with the characters, but it’s probably for the better as we’ve had too many films and shows that try to explain everything and then lose the interest of the viewer (a.k.a. me).

The action sequences are pretty much what you would expect from this kind of film, but done well with a couple really nice cameos. This leads into the biggest flaw with the movie being that certain things just happen… because… plot?

I’m not going to say that this movie miraculously changed my feelings towards superhero movies, but it certainly has given me hope that we can see something with a little more hope in it.

Ultimately, I’m hoping for more.

Overview

After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

Do not waste your time. If you really want to know what happens watch the trailer and just make a guess. Odds are that you spent almost as much time/energy with that compared to what they put into the overall plot.

This thing was created by the business side of the movie business and it shows. They took a whole bunch of ideas and shoved it into an extended trailer that cost them $100 million and they got $971 million. So, I guess Illumination executives have no problem destroying future revenue as they cash out and move to the next IP.

This was a happy find! The whole family gathered around to watch this one as we really like whodunits. The show has a wonderful cast and lots of twists and turns that kept us entertained.

I think the best thing about the show is the interaction between the different characters. Every episode focuses on one character and what they were doing before, during, and after a murder has taken place. I feel that it’s more important than actually solving the murder as we are drawn into why the murder happen.

One thing I liked about the show is brave enough to have moments of silence. A lot of shows are focused on making sure that the viewer is constantly engaged. The Residence shows the power of just being quiet in western culture. A lot of us are not wired to have a quiet moment and do not know what to do when nothing is stimulating us.

Overview

A brilliant, eccentric detective must solve a murder in the White House residence — where the staff and guests at a state dinner are all suspects.

I went back and saw this film after watching Companion to get a feel for the two different movies. The movie really feels a little bit out of time. It has jokes that are still funny and poke fun at some many things that should be made fun of.

There are messages and jokes and just a lot of little things that I really enjoyed.🎬

This movie concept has been done before. What it comes down to is the execution and I feel the cast does a wonderful job of really bringing it <q>to life</q>.

My favorite part of this movie is actually the side characters and not the relationship between the protagonist and her boyfriend.

🎬

It's a lot of little jokes that you've seen in other places and stitches together here for your entertainment. I chuckled at a couple of the jokes but I don't think I can recommend this movie to most unless you want to watch a movie with dirty jokes and bowling.

Don't think. Just watch.🎬

This was a delightful combination of palace intrigue, mystery, and exploring how we deal with grief and abuse. All of it self-contained and easy to follow from start to finish.

Set in a fantasy world with elves and goblins, I feel that you could swap out the races with anything and it would still feel as familiar as the author deals with how people look at different races and cultures and how they apply to class.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book is the perspective of the main protagonist, Maia. He’s thrust into a very precarious position of becoming a ruler of an empire that he’s only been given a hint of during his joke of an education¹. Although there are some emotional outbursts, I’m honestly impressed he didn’t immediately order heads to roll as soon as he was in command; history has shown worse examples.

Another thing about this book that I enjoyed is that it has a mystery that is being solved but doesn’t have the perspective of the detective in the narration. I think of it as if I were the police chef and having Columbo or Sherlock come to me and report every once in a while. It’s important that the mystery is solved but a large part of what occupies the main protagonist is dealing with the responsibility of being a ruler. I don’t know if I’ve ever read so much about what is involved in clerical duties in a fictional setting.

Overview

The book tells the story of Maia, a young man of mixed Elven and Goblin heritage, who unexpectedly becomes Emperor of the Elflands, and has to contend with the court's byzantine power structure as well as racial and social tension in his realm.

Overall, I feel this is a very nice, fairly low stakes read and would recommend it.