Mel B – Google

I’m confused. The director’s bio says he’s only directed two films and this was just his first. This film is a masterpiece! One of the hardest things for a director to do is create an authentic atmosphere. Somehow David Patterson perfectly captures the feel of a 1950’s small town on a lonely night where the viewer can almost taste the cool, crisp country air and see their breath in front of them. The movie builds tension and suspense as it goes along with each switchboard caller and each encounter with the town folk adding a layer of mystery. Bruce Davis, who we never see but only hear, does a masterful job as caller Billy, that really elevates the drama. But then, there is 10-minute scene with Gail Cronauer, that completely steals the show. In fact, I’m not lying when I say that for me it was one of the most magical and memorable moments of cinematic history that I’ve ever witnessed. I won’t give anything away, but just want to encourage everyone to try and give this film a look.

Parents, if you care about your kids, I recommend not letting them watch these episodes. This show has a very dark agenda at subtly introducing adult-themed topics to kids who may be way too young to know what they’re being exposed to. Every episode has some ulterior motive, such as trying to normalize real-life witchcraft for one. There are dark forces behind this but the deception is that the show tries to present it in a kid-friendly way.

This is a movie I find myself watching a lot. It has some issues, but for me what really drives this film are the stunning visuals and sounds, its historical accuracy, and the strong acting performance of Ed Skrein as commander Dick Best. If you are a connoisseur of WW2 history this movie does an excellent job of presenting a visual portrait of the events in the Pacific theater. Now, here were some of my issues: 1. The deer-in-headlights acting performance of Patrick Wilson as Edwin Layton. In many scenes he literally looks like someone just handed him a script and forced him to read his lines against his will with as deadpanned a face as possible. He alone manages to almost single-handedly ruin this movie. 2. There are some scenes where the movie tries to drive the story by having the actors fill us in with historical details rather than find a way to show that to us. 3. The lesser role of colonel Rochefort, the key codebreaker who cracked Japan’s cipher. The movie could have edited out scenes with Layton and instead featured Rochefort better as he is a more interesting character and one who had a more prominent role in Midway lore. Other than that there were some solid supporting acting performances by Luke Evans as Wade McClusky and Mandy Moore as Dick Best’s wife. I even thought Woody Harrelson did a good job of portraying Admiral Nimitz and his mannerisms. So, overall 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.

One of the most underrated films ever. This movie has more heart than 99% of the big budget action flicks and over-stylized arthouse films out there today. Through comedy and pure innocence, it actually delivers a very powerful & deep message about our connection with the past and how it can gradually be diluted by change and ‘progress’. Eventually, there comes a point where we aren’t even certain if our past memories really happened the way we remember, of if they are just stories we tell ourselves in our own minds - just like the video tapes that have that have been erased and rewritten over.

Visually stunning, well-acted, delicately paced. This movie applies subtle notes, taking its time to develop its characters and its story. People that prefer the typical fast-paced, loud, short-attention span style of most of today’s entertainment will probably hate this movie. They’ll probably use words like boring, slow, or snore-fest. But for those that like movies with depth, soul, and introspection, they will likely feel a connection to these characters and an immersion into their world. A little bit like Before Sunrise where you fall in love with the characters not because they don’t come with flaws, but because they are authentic and invite you to get to know the real ‘them’.

This is my favorite movie of all time - like ever. The Director Koreeda does such a masterful job of telling his story by using different camera angles and pacing. It almost feels like we’re peering into the real lives of these kids - watching them discover who they are and the where they fit in the world around them. As someone who’s lived in Japan as a kid, this especially brought back memories of that time when the world was your playground to explore. The movie is just pure magic, with solid acting, touches of humor, and beautifully shot.

As a parent that has sat through a number of these teen musical movies with the kids, I have to say that this Zombies trilogy is actually one I really enjoy watching. The music, the dance moves, and the acting just seems to be a cut above all the others. This 3rd Zombies movie did not disappoint. Sure, the plot might have been a little herky jerky at times, but the artistic creativity was top notch. I really enjoyed the aliens’ cheer routine as well as the wolves main dance scene and creative lyrics (‘call your mommy ship’). The leader of the wolves is especially a really talented dancer and actress. What was also refreshing is that it seems so many animated and kids movies these days are trending toward being overtly political about their messaging, but Zombies 3 stayed true to its universal message of inclusion and not judging someone before you get to know them. As a Christian parent, I really appreciated this.