monty piepereit

Perhaps this movie was intending to be both serious and whimsical , but I found it to be rather haphazard. Actors Heath Ledger, Matt Damon and others manage it, and I learned that through this movie Ledger and Damon became good friends. For many people, as with all Heath Ledger movies, it brings cheer, but also melancholy at the too early passing of this chameleon talented actor. The sets, costumes and acting were good, but there was only little passing references to the ancient European fables we love and know so well as Grimms' Fairy Tales. This was among my first books as a child and include Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White , Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, Rumpelstiltskin and many others less known but equally as good. Some of the better known tales Disney adapted to movies. These all came from before Disney's time and even before Grimm brothers' time. Some of these fables are many centuries old and which the actual Grimm brothers researched and put to paper in order to preserve some of the cultural lore of early Europe. The actual Grimms Brothers' book is a magical and delightful link with humans from an earlier era. While this movie's creators could have done more to weave the famous fables into the movie or attach depiction of the authors' lives; the movie can still be a sometimes entertaining, magical romp.

Great engrossing high drama rescue series. Quality acting, storylines and good cinematography highlight this show centering around a group of firefighters, paramedics and their firehouse. This show entails high tension fire and accident rescues, arson investigations and interpersonal relations of the firefighters and their families. Until somewhere in season 7 into Season 8, where some watered down, banal storylines and some, not all unlikeable new wooden characters caused deterioration of this show. Killing off likeable main characters like Otis seems unnecessary and is disappointing. It is understandable that firefighters may die in a show about firefighting, but why not pick new more unlikeable characters to dispense with. This is a quality, suspenseful and often moving show by the makers of Law and Order. I was greatly saddened when it lost it's way in Season 7 and 8, and I hope it finds it's center in Seasons 9, 10 and beyond.

Effective creature flick with plenty of jump fright moments. It could be distracting though when often a domestic flashback would occur in the middle of a high adrenaline suspense moment.

Good reviews of this movie made me decide to watch it. I found it uninteresting. It was supposed to have a Wow ending. It was also was reviewed as being a haunting and funny Thanksgiving movie. I found it to be neither. My family gatherings are more fun and funnier, and also just as spooky say during a power outage at night. Cockroaches! Mom and sister scream at different times. Where? No visuals. There is a brief beautiful striking rooftop scene twilight city overlook scene. I settled down for a before bedtime movie and I well...maybe tomorrow night something better. Really it reminded me of a TV reality show about a family, except less spicy. This was mundane. Even with a good ending a movie should be at least have a few interesting parts of the voyage. I try to find good in every movie. So I'll say the actors and their timing was good. This may also be in part to the direction. Any number of simple additions could have improved this movie. Say like adding a ghost, or weird upstair neighbor(s) that actually do something. Or a friendly turned creepy tag along new aquaintance might have added more suspense. There are rare, occasional poignant moments, but this can be found in any family. A very old apartment with a decrepit elevator and enclosed courtyard. More could have been done with these props and settings. I am not going to do a spoiler about the hyped ending except I found it be mild and just 2 minutes within the last five or so of this film. 2.75 out of 5. Everyone has different taste.

Hitman Agent 47 is an ultra spy who is absorbed into The Organization at birth and trained to be a highly trained killer from childhood. He is dispatched to extinguish human targets, until at some point he becomes the target. He tries to find out who ordered the hit on himself. I enjoyed this ultra spy suspense movie for the first 37 minutes. Then four agents drop eight guns, draw eight swords and proceed to duel. This movie is based on the hit video game. Some other reviewers enjoyed this movie more than I did, but most of them seemed to have played the game. Timothy Oliphant stars as the mostly emotionless assassin.

An excellent scifi. Tom Cruise usually doesn't disappoint and he adds another action sci-fi to his roster of charactors, like Minority Report and War of the Worlds. Realistic, believable state of the art sets and special effects dazzle the eyes and imagination. Tom Cruise guards and hunts downed and then repairs sophisticated battle drones that guard water stations on a mostly decimated planet earth. Most of the human race has relocated to Titan a Saturn moon, after aliens invade earth. Humanity defeats them with nuclear weapons that also makes earth mostly uninhabitable. Jack and his female partner live and operate from an earth mountain station to thwart sabotage attempts of the Scavengers. Not quite sure if these are the remnants of the defeated alien force, or the Scavengers are mutated human survivors from the radiation zone. The answer will unfold in time. When an old US spaceship crashlands, events take a turn that make Jack is question his own existence and the reality around him. A well acted cast following a well written story with plenty of well received exciting plot twists and pop up startling moments. The ending has a surprise too.