Merry Christmas, and Happy Boxing Day

 

TV Show Review - The Hardy Boys (Hulu Original)

I've been a fan of the Hardy Boys ever since I ready my first Hardy Boys novel in fourth grade. I've always wished for a really good live action adaption.

The Hardy Boys is a 2020-2022 2 season supernatural mystery drama on Hulu. It is rated TV-PG and is appropriate for most ages.

 

The Good

The Casting. For the most part this series was well cast. The contrived diversity doesn't fit the setting, but at least each of the actors is interesting enough it doesn't hurt the show like most shows.

The Story. The story is solid with several mini mysteries leading to one main mystery. It's very well told. The viewer is never lost because of the clear storytelling, nor is he bored because the story is sufficiently complex.

The Eighties. Setting this series in the 80s makes it a lot of fun and removes so many of the easy plot cheats such as tracking people with cell phones or hacking into an organization's computers to find the answers. The Hardys and their friends actually have to be detectives and do things the hard way.

The Bad

Change of Cast. Season Two sees Fenton Hardy and Biff's mother recast with poor actors. This made both characters less likable.

Aliens and Magic. I understand why they producers added aliens and magic into the mix, but it really wasn't necessary. The Hardy Boys have sufficient detective skills and a secret society that controls the town is sufficiently interesting.

 

Propaganda. For some reasons the producers threw in modern propaganda that is inconsistent with the books and inconsistent with the 80s. It was also inconsistent with the characters.

 

Overall

The Hardy Boys is a 2020-2022 2 season supernatural mystery drama on Hulu. It is rated TV-PG and is appropriate for most ages. For the most part this series was well cast. The contrived diversity doesn't fit the setting, but at least each of the actors is interesting enough it doesn't hurt the show like most shows. The story is solid with several mini mysteries leading to one main mystery. It's very well told. The viewer is never lost because of the clear storytelling, nor is he bored because the story is sufficiently complex. Setting this series in the 80s makes it a lot of fun and removes so many of the easy plot cheats such as tracking people with cell phones or hacking into an organization's computers to find the answers. The Hardys and their friends actually have to be detectives and do things the hard way. Season Two sees Fenton Hardy and Biff's mother recast with poor actors. This made both characters less likable. I understand why they producers added aliens and magic into the mix, but it really wasn't necessary. The Hardy Boys have sufficient detective skills and a secret society that controls the town is sufficiently interesting. For some reasons the producers threw in modern propaganda that is inconsistent with the books and inconsistent with the 80s. It was also inconsistent with the characters. I highly recommend this show and give it 4.5 out of 5 remotes.

    

Movie Review - See How They Run (2022 film)

 

I'm a big fan of classic mystery and whodunits. I think that's why I don't read many modern mystery novels--they aren't actually mysteries but crime stories.

See How They Run is a 2022 mystery comedy movie. It is rated PG-13 for language and is appropriate for teens and up.

Review

The basic story is the typical Agatha Christie detective whodunit with a murder, a detective, and a room full of suspects. What makes this movie unique is the approach the filmmakers chose to take. The film is very meta. It comments on the tropes of the classic detective story, analyzes them, comments on them, and twists them. There is some breaking of the fourth wall, but it is done sparingly and all to comment on mystery tropes. There were several unexpected twists along the road. The characters were mostly interesting. The ending was clever mostly because of how it was foreshadowed earlier in the film. This is a very entertaining movie for those who enjoy classic detective stories and those who enjoy meta analysis of film and literature.

I highly recommend this film and give it 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

 

Movie Review - Top Gun: Maverick

I remember watching the original Top Gun when it first played in theaters. The film has gone on to become somewhat of a classic. When I heard about the sequel I wasn't sure what to think. The film certainly didn't need a part two. And what would you do that wasn't just a cash grab?

Top Gun: Maverick is a 2022 action movie. It is rated PG-13 and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Story. The story is so tight and well told. I never found myself bored, looking at my watch, nor confused as to what was going on.

Action. This film is filled with great action with actual jets and stunts and not just video games planes.

Thrilling. This film had me at the edge of my seat several times. It is one thrill ride after another.

The Bad

New Kids. The new kids just don't have the charisma of the original cast. I found it hard to care for any of them or feel for them when they stumbled.

Overall

Top Gun: Maverick is a 2022 action movie. It is rated PG-13 and is appropriate for tweens and up. The story is so tight and well told. I never found myself bored, looking at my watch, nor confused as to what was going on. This film is filled with great action with actual jets and stunts and not just video games planes. This film had me at the edge of my seat several times. It is one thrill ride after another. The only real downside is the new cast. The new kids just don't have the charisma of the original cast. I found it hard to care for any of them or feel for them when they stumbled. I highly recommend this movie and give it 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

  

Movie Review - Sonic The Hedgehog 2

I never played the Sonic the Hedgehog games (or even a Sega for that matter), but the trailer for the first movie looked fun, so I went and saw it. And boy did I love it! I couldn't wait for the sequel. But would they continue what worked so well in the first movie, or would they make a bad remake of the first film like so many sequels do?

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is a 2022 action adventure comedy. It is rated PG and is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Amount of story. This movie was pure fun and pure entertainment. Nothing felt awkward, out of place, or shoehorned in. Every scene, every action, every line of dialogue felt like it was needed and was tweaked for maximum entertainment and enjoyment.

Amount of story. I was surprised at how much story the filmmakers stuffed into the movie. So much happened and so many ideas were developed. It has been a long time since a movie had so much to enjoy.

Pacing. This film starts off in high gear from the beginning and doesn't let the foot off the pedal until halfway thru the credits.

Comedy. This film had genuinely funny moments from great verbal jokes to hilarious situations that were carefully built up over time.

Visuals. This film looked great from the character designs to the sets to the special effects.

The Bad

I got nothing.

Overall

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is a 2022 action adventure comedy. This movie was pure fun and pure entertainment from start to finish. Nothing felt awkward, out of place, or shoehorned in. Every scene, every action, every line of dialogue felt like it was needed and was tweaked for maximum entertainment and enjoyment. I was surprised at how much story the filmmakers stuffed into the movie. So much happened and so many ideas were developed. It has been a long time since a movie had so much to enjoy. This film starts off in high gear from the beginning and doesn't let the foot off the pedal until halfway thru the credits. This film had genuinely funny moments from great verbal jokes to hilarious situations that were carefully built up over time. This film looked great from the character designs to the sets to the special effects. I highly recommend this movie and give it 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

  

Movie Review - The Lost City

Sandra Bullock films tend to be pretty good, and this one involved Indiana Jones-style action, so I figured it would be good. I didn't realize it would be REALLY good.

The Lost City is a 2022 romantic adventure comedy. It is rated PG-13 for language and sexual innuendos. It is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Comedy. The real strength of this movie is the comedy. It was really funny with unexpected jokes.

Visuals. This film was a visual treat from the hotel to the bad guy's lair to the lost island in the middle of the ocean.

Concept. While making a movie about a writer is far from original, this didn't fell like the same old tired story I've seen too many times. They managed to throw in enough to make it interesting and not feel stale.

The Bad

Dash. I understand what the filmmakers were going for when they made Dash, the main male protagonist, so wimpy at the beginning of the film to give him growth and an arc, but they went too far and made him a bit unlikable. It was hard to root for him or feel glad at his growth.

Overall

The Lost City is a 2022 romantic adventure comedy. While making a movie about a writer is far from original, this didn't fell like the same old tired story I've seen too many times. They managed to throw in enough to make it interesting and not feel stale. This film was a visual treat from the hotel to the bad guy's lair to the lost island in the middle of the ocean. The real strength of this movie is the comedy. It was really funny with unexpected jokes. I understand what the filmmakers were going for when they made Dash, the main male protagonist, so wimpy at the beginning of the film to give him growth and an arc, but they went too far and made him a bit unlikable. It was hard to root for him or feel glad at his growth. I highly recommend this movie and give it 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

  

Movie Review - The Batman (2022 film)

There have been several Batman films that I've loved, a few I've liked, and some I didn't care for. The trailer made this movie look like it would fall into category 3, but all the positive hype convinced me to watch it anyway.

The Batman is a 2022 crime drama and mystery film. It is rated PG-13 for language, violence, and disturbing images. It is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Mystery. This movie has a really good mystery. The first 2.5 hours really hold your attention as it moves from one clue to the next with an interesting conclusion.

Sets & Architecture. The buildings and sets had a real artistic feel to them and added to the gothic feel. If only they had been better lit so we could have seen them better and enjoyed them more.

Music. There were several cues that hearkened back to Danny Elfman's score on Batman Returns that were really nice and added to the atmosphere and were the only parts that made the film feel like Batman.

The Bad

Not Batman. This was NOT a Batman film. The main character could have been called the Purple Giraffe and would have made as much sense. This film lacked the Batman costume and movements, the cool gadgets, cool vehicles, and bizarre villains. Batman was very generic and just walked around in his nondescript costume.

Pacing. This movie is paced like a miniseries on a streaming service like Netflix. It felt like a collection of individual episodes each with rising action and a climax instead of one cohesive unit.

Color. This movie was so dull looking with nothing but greys and browns. Blah.

Disappointing Ending. If this movie had ended 30 minutes sooner, it would have been really good. But unfortunately the movie continues with one epilogue after another that just make the movie disappointing. They add nothing to the overall story or characters.

Commissioner Gordon. This part was badly miscast and badly written. He was uninteresting and uninspiring. He isn't very smart and just does what Batman tells him to do. He can't figure out anything himself or take any initiative.

Overall

The Batman is a 2022 crime drama and mystery film. This movie has a really good mystery. The first 2.5 hours really hold your attention as it moves from one clue to the next with an interesting conclusion. This movie is paced like a miniseries on a streaming service like Netflix. It felt like a collection of individual episodes each with rising action and a climax instead of one cohesive unit. This was NOT a Batman film. The main character could have been called the Purple Giraffe and would have made as much sense. This film lacked the Batman costume and movements, the cool gadgets, cool vehicles, and bizarre villains. Batman was very generic and just walked around in his nondescript costume. Commissioner Gordon was badly miscast and badly written. He was uninteresting and uninspiring. He isn't very smart and just does what Batman tells him to do. He can't figure out anything himself or take any initiative.The buildings and sets had a real artistic feel to them and added to the gothic feel. If only they had been better lit so we could have seen them better and enjoyed them more. This movie was so dull looking with nothing but greys and browns. Blah. If this movie had ended 30 minutes sooner, it would have been really good. But unfortunately the movie continues with one epilogue after another that just make the movie disappointing. They add nothing to the overall story or characters. I give it 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

   

Movie Review - Death on the Nile (2022 film)

 

I really enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's first film, Murder on the Orient Express, and I love ancient Egypt, so I thought I would enjoy Branagh's latest effort.

Death on the Nile is a 2022 film directed by Kenneth Branagh and adapts the Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot novel of the same name. It is rated PG-13 for mild violence and language and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Film

Story: I've never read the book, so I don't know how it compares to the original story, but I felt the mystery was really intriguing with no obvious murderer and several twists and along the way. The reveals were truly revealing at the end, and yet none felt like cheats.

Cast & Acting: This was a well cast film with everyone feeling like they fit, but no one was a standout or really felt like they were perfect for the role other than Kenneth Branagh himself and Tom Bateman playing Bouc, both iconic in their roles.

Art Direction & Cinematography: The film was beautifully shot with gorgeous scenes of Egyptian ruins, an elegant riverboat, and a great club. The director tried hard to frame every shot in an interesting way. Most the time it worked with only a few shots feeling forced.

Pacing: I felt this movie was a little slow. It always felt like it was slightly dragging, and I never found myself completely lost in the film.

Conclusion

Death on the Nile is an enjoyable film. The mystery was very intriguing with no obvious murderer and several twists and along the way. The reveals were truly revealing at the end, and yet none felt like cheats. This was a well cast film with everyone feeling like they fit, but no one was a standout or really felt like they were perfect for the role other than Kenneth Branagh himself and Tom Bateman playing Bouc, both iconic in their roles. The film was beautifully shot with gorgeous scenes of Egyptian ruins, an elegant riverboat, and a great club. The director tried hard to frame every shot in an interesting way. Most the time it worked with only a few shots feeling forced. I felt this movie was a little slow. It always felt like it was slightly dragging, and I never found myself completely lost in the film. I give it 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.