The Iron Claw—tremendous performance by Zac Efron—relies on a great cast to tell a great sports story. Even though the movie shows the tougher side of professional wrestling, it's a unique story that needs to be told. There is some sexual content that is easy to skip. This movie does not follow the Von Erich story exactly (for instance showing five sons instead of six) but it still shows the dominance of the father and the willingness of the sons to follow in his footsteps.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
Fritz Von Erich, who is a professional wrestler, retires and trains his 5 sons to be professional wrestlers.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Sean Durkin for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Tesssa Ross, Juliette Howell, Sean Durkin, Angs Lamont, and Derrin Schlesinger for making the film possible. Cast includes Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany, and Lily James.
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. This a great film overall and tells a great story. great acting...realistic.
The Wild Robot—unique and colorful—flows with heart and sentiment. This movie is great for family share entertainment night. It has good portrayal
and presentation.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A shipping crate with a new robot inside washes up on a seashore. Forest animals accidentally activate the robot after the crate breaks open.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Chris Sanders for directing effort. Thank you to Producer Jeff Hermann for making the film possible. Cast includes Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames.
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. The film could be interpreted as an environmental film but if that was the intent, know that it is not preachy and has a sweet story to tell. The multiple animal interactions increase the interest factor. It is a good child/adult share.
Walky Talky Hawky—animated short film—is creatively written and provides an exceptional piece of comedy. The story has personable characters that have been well-developed. It is a great addition to the family home video library and can be re-watched multiple times.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A father Chicken Hawk tells his young son that he is a Chicken Hawk and Chicken Hawks love to eat chickens. So the son tries to get a chicken and gets into shenanigans between Foghorn Leghorn and Barnyard Dawg.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Robert McKimson for directing effort. Thank you to Warner Brothers for producing the film. Cast includes Mel Blanc.
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. This is original and tells a great story. WOW! What a short film! This is
the golden age of cartoon making that made memorable toons.
Yojimbo—black and white western, Japanese-style—has good camera work and fairly good acting. Yojimbo needs pacing improvement. Director Akira Kurosawa claimed Yojimbo
was the basis of Italian Director Sergio Leone's A Fistful
of Dollars which made Clint Eastwood famous as a movie star. The resulting suit ended in a judgement against Sergio Leone and Yojimbo received a portion of profits from A Fistful of Dollars. Yojimbo
is a suitable watch but AFistful of Dollars is much better in
suspense, pacing, and storyline.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A wandering Samurai finds a tavern and learns all he needs to know about the town residents and decides to stay to settle the feud between two groups of gangs over a gambling business.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Akira Kurosawa for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Tomoyuki Tanaka, Ryuzo Kikushima, and Akira Kurosawa for making the film possible. Cast includes Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Kato, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Atsushi Watanabe.
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes.
Yojimbo is a one-time-watch that requires subtitles and a Wikipedia plotline read to understand. It does not pass international borders well. Sergio Leone took inspiration from this film to produce A Fistful of Dollars with Clint Eastwood. A Fistful of Dollars crosses international borders well, has better pacing, suspense, and storyline than Yojimbo. But Yojimbo does serve as a good cultural study in film making.
Super-Rabbit—cute, short, animated cartoon—has a defined military message at its conclusion. While the movie is not high quality, it is a suitable, one-time watch.
Film Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A scientist enhances carrots for a bunny so that the bunny can be a super-rabbit.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Charles M. Jones for directing effort. Thank you to Producer Leon Schlesinger for making the film possible. Cast includes Mel Blanc, Kent Rogers, and Tedd Pierce.
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Maybe.
This is a suitable Bugs Bunny film. The movie is comical. This short film has
suitable/good animation.
Wacky Blackout has relevancy to a World War II audience. This short, animated film is a good historical reference to how citizens and animals change daily habits to support war effort. The voices
are well chosen.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A human farmer and the animals show what they do during a blackout and during a war.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Robert Clampett for directing effort. Thank you to Producer Leon Schlesinger for making the film possible. Cast includes Mel Blanc.
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Maybe.
This short, black and white film is disjointed and has no clear objective due to not sticking to the title's objective.
Into the Wild—message story with its message deeply hidden—is partially based on a true story of one young man's quest for the meaning of life. This movie is based on a book written by Jon Krakauer, story picked up by Sean Penn who decided to write a movie script and produce the film. This has some nudity and some sexual scenes. But besides that the film is a good watch.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A young man wants to find the meaning of life and how to achieve more happiness. He leaves his mother, father, sister, and material assets behind and begins hitchhiking across the United States while gradually heading toward the Alaskan wilderness.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Sean Penn for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Sean Penn, Art Linson, and Bill Pohlad for making the film possible. Cast includes Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener, Brian H. Dierker, Vince Vaughn, Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Stewart, and Hal Holbrook.
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. There is a strong message at the end of story that has been presented exceptionally well. The answer to both of his questions is given within the movie and allows any person watching the film access to the answer without needing to go on this young man's quest.
Blacklight—relies on an old story—loses creativity due to its cliched script. Nothing new here. The camera work is not superlative. The movie could almost be skipped.
Film Poster Courtesy of IMDb
Storyline
An FBI man uncovers political intrigue in the FBI.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Mark Williams for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Mark Williams, Paul Currie, Myles Nestel, Aleve Loh, and Coco Xiaolu Ma for making the film possible. Cast includes Liam Neeson, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor John Smith, and Aidan Quinn,
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Maybe. This is a Liam Neeson political intrigue film that has to build its story before reaching the actual story which occurs in the last 30 to 40 minutes of the film. The suitable quality is uniform throughout the film and includes that climax at the end.
The Phantom Tollbooth—creative and
complicated—seems built more for the older teen and adult viewer due to its storyline which will be understood by an older viewer but leave the younger viewer with animation and no comprehendible story. There is a crossover between live action and animation that is fresh and exceptionally well done in the beginning scenes and ending scenes.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
A boy enters a tollbooth and encounters two kings, one who thinks that letters are the most important and the other thinks that numbers are the most important.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Chuck Jones, Abe Levitow, and Dave Monahan for directing effort. Thank you to Producer Chuck Jones for making the film possible. Cast includes Butch Patrick, Mel Blanc, Daws Butler, Candy Candido, Hans Conried, June Foray, Patti Gilbert, Shepard Menken, Cliff Norton, Larry Thor, and Les Tremayne.
Buy a
ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes. Overall, the movie is a creative offering for the older audience and presents concepts that are uniquely handled.
Cracked Quack—animated short film—accesses the characters of Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. Exceptional creativity backed with a good story make this cartoon stand a little above the rest.
Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images
Storyline
Daffy Duck runs into the roof of a house during a blizzard and finds there is another duck in the house and wants to meet him.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director I. Freleng for directing effort. Thank you to Warner Brothers for making the film possible. Cast includes Mel Blanc.
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