Movie Review – John Wick 2

The movie starts a little slow, but picks up speed as it progresses. Also another confusing thing was how much time had lapsed between the first movie and this one. It’s not clear and I had to look it up. Apparently, John Wick 2 is four days after the original.

After recovering his car, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D’Antonio, and it’s revealed that to complete his “impossible task”—which allowed him to retire and marry Helen—John asked Santino for help. As a form of contract, Santino swore John to a “Marker,” an unbreakable promise symbolized by a “blood oath” medallion. (1) Santino presents the medallion to demand services from John, but John refuses, claiming that he is retired.

Maybe it’s because the first John Wick movie aired in 2014 that I don’t remember the Marker and blood oath. Guess I need to rewatch it.

Warning this movie does end on a major cliffhanger, so hopefully, it won’t be too long before the third movie. Also, if you haven’t seen any of the John Wick movies, there is lots of action, thriller, and tons of shooting and blood splatter.

Bibliography:

(1) Colbert, Stephen M. “John Wick’s Blood Oath Explained”. SCREENRANT. Retrieved 17 February 2017.

 

 

My rating 4.3 stars out of 5

Andrea R. Cooper writes fantasy, paranormal, historical and romantic suspense.

Her favorite childhood memories revolved around creating vibrant characters for her friends, and then acting out their adventures. Inside her fantasy worlds of darkened forests, dragon-filled glades, and iced islands, nothing was banned. From the ethereal Elvin to the most maligned Vampires, all were welcome in her fictional realities, a stark contrast to her home, where the magical and mythical was forbidden.

www.andreaRcooper.com

#Movie Review: The Giver

The Giver

 

I ordered this movie from Netflix because the trailer had looked interesting. The beginning was okay, part of the middle was exciting, the near end it picked up, but the actual ending (to me) was a disappointment.

However, my husband had no interest in watching the movie and ended up liking it more than I did.

It’s a SciFi movie where society has shifted to people not having feelings. Where they can give one infant medicine and another poison and not know the difference or feel remorse.

The Giver (Jeff Bridges) keeps the society’s memories including colors, emotions, etc. he then ‘gives’ them to the Receiver / Jonas (Brenton Thwaites)

 

My rating: 2.5/5

 

I just couldn’t get into this movie and I love SciFi. Just when it would get interesting, it seemed to shift into dullness.

Maybe if there had been bigger revelations or even Jonas fighting for Fiona and maybe taking her with him to the mysterious border (which was another let down).  Even the movie poster makes me think there will be more suspense and action with Fiona and Jonas, but I only saw glimpses of that.

Basically, the movie didn’t meet my expectations.

Have you seen this movie? Did you like it?

 

Andrea R. Cooper writes fantasy, paranormal, historical and contemporary romance suspense.

Her favorite childhood memories revolved around creating vibrant characters for her friends, and then acting out their adventures. Inside her fantasy worlds of darkened forests, dragon-filled glades, and iced islands, nothing was banned. From the ethereal Elvin to the most maligned Vampires, all were welcome in her fictional realities, a stark contrast to her home, where the magical and mythical was forbidden.

Divorced and disillusioned of love and believing all the love songs and books exaggerated, she put aside her creativity for life. Many years past before characters, from the familiar to the freshly conceived, came to her again, but this time teasing at a new passion, the written word.

Gradually, her real life hero brought love and magic back into existence. During the time when her characters were getting reacquainted, the love of her life was showing her that true love never gives up and rekindles no matter how many times others attempt to extinguish it. Today, she is happily married with three children.

Andrea believes in the power of change and delighting in each moment. But most fervently, she believes in the magic of love and imagination again.

website: http://www.andreacooperbooks.com

twitter: @andreaRcooper

newsletter: http://www.andreaRcooper.com

#Movie Review – Saving Mr. Banks

 Saving Mr. Banks

 

Until this movie, I had no idea Walt Disney had such a hard time with P.L. Travers author of Mary Poppins. True, the movie might have exaggerated and altered a few things: but it did take Disney twenty years of cajoling Turner before she agreed to the film. And even then, she wasn’t happy with it.

The film flashes back between Travers as a young girl and admiring her father until he became an alcoholic and later died from tuberculosis. At first, the flashbacks were confusing.

Colin Ferrell who played Travers’ father in the film was excellent. And Tom Hanks made a wonderful Walt Disney and I wouldn’t mind touring Disney Land or World with him as it would be fun to get first in line at all the rides 🙂

 

My rating: 3.7/5

 

Overall I liked the film and wanted to know what happened. But the lack of Turner softening outside of allowing the film to be produced, was discouraging. Although, record states that Turner refused to work with Disney again or allow her characters to be reproduced. The movie gave me an insight into Turner and her novels that I didn’t have.

 

Andrea R. Cooper writes fantasy, paranormal, historical and contemporary romance suspense.

Her favorite childhood memories revolved around creating vibrant characters for her friends, and then acting out their adventures. Inside her fantasy worlds of darkened forests, dragon-filled glades, and iced islands, nothing was banned. From the ethereal Elvin to the most maligned Vampires, all were welcome in her fictional realities, a stark contrast to her home, where the magical and mythical was forbidden.

Divorced and disillusioned of love and believing all the love songs and books exaggerated, she put aside her creativity for life. Many years past before characters, from the familiar to the freshly conceived, came to her again, but this time teasing at a new passion, the written word.

Gradually, her real life hero brought love and magic back into existence. During the time when her characters were getting reacquainted, the love of her life was showing her that true love never gives up and rekindles no matter how many times others attempt to extinguish it. Today, she is happily married with three children.

Andrea believes in the power of change and delighting in each moment. But most fervently, she believes in the magic of love and imagination again.

website: http://www.andreacooperbooks.com

twitter: @andreaRcooper

newsletter: http://www.andreaRcooper.com

Movie Review – Transcendence

 

I loved Johnny Depp in the Pirates movies. In this one-Transcendence a science fiction actin thriller, no fault of his acting, I didn’t like.

I struggled to care about the characters. They felt one-dimensional (pun intended) to me.

There was a point in the movie where Johnny Depp’s character (Dr. Will Caster) or ‘mind’ is in the computer and he’s searching to linkup to the internet and all computers. But soon after, he accomplished his goal.

Then the movie tried to be eerie by having him not only fix a man but implant a ‘chip’ in the guy’s brain so he (Caster) could control him and ‘touch’ his wife. Okay, no. First off, he’s in a computer so I would think his emotions would be slightly altered at the least. Second, why would he concern himself with her feelings like that? Just didn’t make sense to me.

 

I think this movie could have heightened the intensity in some scenes instead of having them fizzle out. There were plot holes and other issues.

 

My rating – 2 out of 5 stars

This movie is classified as a thriller – yet to me – it was more like a possum in a monster costume and failing to live up to what could have been an awesome movie.