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Sunday, November 12, 2017

Cindy Prascik's Review of Murder on the Orient Express







































Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the much-anticipated remake of Murder on the Orient Express.
Spoiler level here will be mild, on the off chance there's a living soul who doesn't know how this one plays out.
A murder on a derailed train leaves a carload of suspects stranded with the world's greatest detective.
2017's Murder on the Orient Express isn't likely to match its 1974 counterpart in the hearts of critics and fans, and is even less likely to match Thor: Ragnarok at the box office. It seems to exist in a weird little comfort zone of middling expectations, but a much-loved story combined with an extraordinary cast made it a must-see for me, and it did not disappoint.
I simply love the way this movie was filmed. At every turn there is a gorgeous panoramic view or a perfect angle on a face or a table setting or a train car that reminds me how great a movie can be just for being a movie. Much like The Revenant, I could have gazed upon its beauty for hours even if I despised the rest of it, which I most certainly did not. The film sets a light tone to start, earning some laughs while familiarizing viewers with the great Poirot's talents and idiosyncrasies, then things go progressively darker as the unfortunate events play out. Kenneth Branagh's moustache game is as on point as his portrayal of the iconic detective. I am faithfully married to David Suchet's Poirot, and was quite surprised to find I wasn't making unfavorable comparisons in my head over the course of the movie. As a die-hard Depp-a-Holic, I am delighted to see Johnny in a decent film where he doesn't play the weird guy with the funny hat. Neither the story nor the size of the ensemble allows him as much screen time as I'd like, but this role is a friendly reminder of those details to which Depp tends better than anyone else: accents and small mannerisms that really make a character. May his career swing ever further back in this direction towards a long-deserved Oscar. The supporting cast is solid, with no one outside of Branagh really getting enough face time to delight or offend. Lovely costumes and a luscious score by Patrick Doyle are the perfect accents to this old-school mystery. Orient Express is a tale that doesn't keep its secrets especially well, but it moves at a good clip and doesn't suffer much for the fact that you'll probably guess the outcome, even in the unlikely event you didn't already know it. A ghastly musical number called "Never Forget," showcasing the dubious vocal talents of Michelle Pfeiffer, nearly made me forget how much I liked the movie when it crashed the end-credits, but fortunately I recovered before I had to start writing this review.
Murder on the Orient Express clocks in at an efficient 114 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence and thematic elements."
It may not match the brilliance of the 1974 classic, but 2017's Murder on the Orient Express mixes an iconic tale with an extraordinary cast to create an enjoyable bit of cinema. 
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Murder on the Orient Express gets seven and a half.
Fangirl points: Don’t suppose anyone else looked over this cast and thought, “Hey, that’s the dude from Magnificent Seven??” Also... Olivia Colman! Hadley Fraser! Leslie Odom, Jr.!
Until next time... 











April Sokol's Reviews of Murder on the Orient Express & Daddy's Home 2































Another weekend, another double feature at the local theater! First I was off to see Murder on the Orient Express followed by Daddy's Home 2.

Murder on the Orient Express, my review:

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

starring: Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Justin Gad, Daisy Ridley, Penelope Cruz and Willem Dafoe

Murder on the Orient Express is a straight forward retelling of the Agatha Christie classic. Branagh takes the reins both in front of and behind the camera as he both stars and directs. Murder on the Orient Express clocks in at 1 hour and 54 minutes. That was at least 20 minutes too long. I found myself checking my clock several times as this murder mystery lumbered on toward it's conclusion.

There are some great things to see here. Branagh seems to be incapable of putting in a bad performance. His portrayal here of the titular Poirot is the best use of facial hair since the 1st Hunger Games movie. Poirot is the world famous detective who lands squarely in the middle of a who dun it on the world's most posh passenger train.

The cast is all putting in solid work here.  Michelle Pfeiffer is a national treasure and I remain her biggest fan. However, the movie as a whole left me....wanting more. There is not one specific thing, other than maybe needing a trim time wise, that I can point to as a reason to not enjoy this. However, I also can't really point to any real reason to go out of your way to make time for this either.

There is nothing new here. No Earth shattering performances. No breath taking scenery. As much as I wanted to fall in love...I just never managed it. I would skip this one in theaters and wait for the rental. A very “meh” 2 out of 5 stars is my rating, I'm afraid.


Trying to dust off my disappointment..I head into Daddy's Home 2. Full disclosure here...I did not see the 1st Daddy's Home movie but I wanted to give this one a try anyway.

Daddy's Home 2, my review:

Directed by Sean Anders

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Will Farrell, Mel Gibson, John Lithgow, Linda Cardellini, Alessandra Ambrosio and John Cena

Daddy's Home 2 picks up the continuing story of a blended family consisting of biological Dad Dusty (Wahlberg) and stepdad Brad (Farrell) and Mom Sara (Cardellini). It's time for the holidays and that means they're respective Dads are coming to town to visit. We have a super simple, extremely affectionate Don (Lithgow) playing Brad's Dad and brass, unapologetic, absentee Dad to Dusty, Kurt (Gibson) thrown into the mix. Kurt is inexplicably dismayed by the healthy coparenting that is happening to his grandchildren and decides to try to make things far more toxic by attempting to break the relationship between Dusty and Brad. Setting aside the incredibly toxic masculinity, we find that the straight man/physical comedy combo of Wahlberg and Farrell really seem to work here. Wahlberg's Dusty has a familiar every man feeling to him. And even this self professed Farrell hater found herself laughing along with Brad's antics.

This is a fun, competent flick that doesn't take itself too seriously at all. I enjoyed it FAR more than I expected I would. Daddy's Home 2 clocks in at a pretty enjoyable 1 hour and 40 minutes. I give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

MOVIE REVIEW: THOR: RAGNAROK







































Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his former ally and fellow Avenger. Thor's quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization.

Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum

Release Date:
Nov 03, 2017

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity

Review:

Thor: Ragnarok is a much needed infusion of originality in the Marvel cinematic juggernaut.  Most the Marvel movies are enjoyable but tend to lean towards formulaic plots outside of some rare exceptions.  Thor: Ragnarock is a solid step outside of the tried and true Marvel formula delivering a huge dose of wacky fun.  Taika Waititi delivers a film brimming with fun from start to finish.  It’s a Technicolor fever dream that feels like a thoroughly enjoyable acid trip.  Stripping away the self serious tone of most comic book movies and going for a more comedic tone pay huge dividends.  Chris Hemsworth has always been a strong comedic actor and this slant plays well for him.  As a result, Hemsworth is free to deliver his best “Mimbo” interpretation of Thor.  The supporting cast embraces the lighter tone and everyone seems to be having a ball.  Tom Hiddleston keeps Loki interesting while lightening him up a bit.  Mark Ruffalo and Tessa Thompson are great counter balance to Hemsworth’s Thor with both doing strong work.  Cate Blanchett gleefully vamps it up as primary villain this go around.  If there’s a bit of a negative about Blanchett’s character it’s that she’s not given much to do except wait for Thor to come back to Asgard so they can get to the final battle.  It’s a real shame because she’s really impressive in her screentime, it would have really made the film even better had she’d been given something more substantial to do.  It’s a minor quibble for the film which really is one of most fun superhero films of the year.

A-

April Sokol's Reviews of Thor: Ragnarok & A Bad Moms Christmas


























Hello readers!

This weekend was a big movie deal. Two big hit movies in the making both opened and so without further ado, to the theater I went.

First up was Thor: Ragnarok.

Thor: Ragnarok is the latest installment in the immensely popular Marvel Universe.

Directed by Taika Waititi

Run time is 2hr 10 min

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson. Karl Urban, Idris Elba and Anthony Hopkins

Thor Ragnarok is the seventeenth offering in the Marvel Universe. So the players are well known and broken in. While a lot of familiar faces abound (super quick fan girl shoutout to the adorable Matt Damon cameo) Thor Ragnarok introduces some new faces to the Marvel world. First and most impressive is the stunning Cate Blanchett. Cate chews her way through every second of screen time she's given. Gorgeous, powerful and absolutely deadly, Hela is just 100% joy to watch. I can feel all of next year's Hela Halloween costumes springing to life as I type this. We're also introduced to Valkyrie, a member of an all female warrior squad played to perfection by Tessa Thompson. I'm glad to see that someone seems to have gotten the memo that we are loving these strong woman characters. That high that so many women felt after Wonder Woman is going to be back after this.

Mark Ruffalo is back doing his thing as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. He's always so solid I hope people aren't taking him for granted. We finally get more of Idris Elba as Heimdall. Unfortunately he is STILL absolutely wasted in this role.  The PG 13 rating felt correct as there was comic book violence but certainly nothing to genuinely frighten the little members of the audience.

Thor Ragnarok feels quite a bit referential to Guardians of the Galaxy for me. Same level of laughter. Funny quirky characters portrayed on a stunning canvas. Queue the fight scene with iconic 70s rock song and it's almost too on the nose....but I found that I still enjoyed the ride. This isn't new ground for Mavel. This is what a fast ball right down the middle of their fanbase feels like.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

And the answer to the question I always have at Marvel movies....2...there are 2 in credit scenes. You're welcome.


Next I moved down the hall to the highly anticipated (by me) A Bad Moms Christmas

Directed by: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore

Starring: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Christine Baranski, Susan Sarandon, Cheryl Hines, Jay Hernandez and Peter Gallagher

Running time of 1hr 44 min. It is Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, and some drug use

My review:

Ok America. It's time. We can't seem to agree on much of anything as a country anymore. But I think we need to come together as 1 nation and appreciate the sheer brilliance that is Chrstine Baranski. Has she ever been anything less than flawless...ever? I think not. However much she is making, it's certainly not enough. Can we make this a thing?

We pick up shortly after our last adventure with the suburban Moms as Christmas is upon them. Of course they're all over worked, over stressed, under appreciated and exhausted....aren't we all? Every single Mom in America is going to find something familiar in these women. Lots of laughs and another chance for a really beautiful friend tribe to shine here. The biggest take away for me is how these women are so very true to life. These are my friends and family. This is actually how we talk when we get together. I do not know a single parent who actually deep down believes that they're not screwing it all up in some way. It's nice to be reminded of our shared humanity.

If you loved the first Bad Moms movie, you'll almost certainly enjoy this as well. This is a wonderful case of a bunch of actors really seeming to enjoy their work. You will smile. You will laugh. And you will want to have drinks with your best friends ASAP when the credits roll.

Bonus points to those who stay through the credits to realize that Peter Gallagher is actually the best dancer of the whole bunch. Who knew?! I give A Bad Moms Christmas a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
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