Month: July 2023

Barbie

Barbie

I had absolutely no plans to see “Barbie”. I have no relationship with Barbie as I never had a Barbie growing up and My Mom would not purchase one for me nor did I ever play with a Barbie or have friends who had a Barbie. But I bowed to a few requests to see the movie because my perspective on the movie was requested. So here goes…

Barbie, the iconic, Doll, comes to life on the big screen. Her days start off quite fun and her nights are even more fun. Life in Barbie Land is Pink, Fun and Light-hearted. But, then Barbie discovers something that causes her anguish. She seeks advice and then is instructed that she would need to go to the “Real World” in an attempt to solve her problem. The story unfolds from there…

I found the first 30 minutes of the movie to be very entertaining. I found myself enjoying it, but then things changed and the movie started to seem “silly”. This is supposed to be a comedy, but I never really laughed. I will say there is a message in the movie that is deeper than the superficial pink of Barbie Land.

Think of the Barbie movie as a sleek locomotive speeding down a train track and soon it derails briefly, but is able to restore its self on the tracks only to derail again before limping into the station. The Cinematography is awesome. The Clothing that is worn by Barbie and all of her friends is really cute and colorful.

I hope this is a one and done. I can’t see this becoming a Franchise.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Oppenheimer in AMC Dolby

Oppenheimer in AMC Dolby

Christopher Nolan provides a vivid account of Robert Oppenheimer’s Life as “the Father of the Atomic Bomb. The movie dives right in. There is no slow build up. The movie is based on the 2005 biography written by Kai Bird. The story tracks Oppenheimer across decades starting around the 1920’s and goes on until Oppenheimer has gray hair. 

The movie is heavy, very dialoged, but very well executed. Its event filled and full of intrigue and suspense. The story goes back and forth between black and white and color. Science and history come together nicely in Oppenheimer. You will get a full glimpse of the Manhattan Project. The 3 Hour running time is long, but you get enough in the 3 hours to have a decent understanding of Oppenheimer’s Life, the people he worked with and the Manhattan Project. 

If you are a fan of science and history, you should see “Oppenheimer”.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 in IMAX

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 in IMAX

If you have not seen any of the previous Mission Impossible installments, you are doing yourself a dis-service. This is one of those franchises where all of the installments are good!!

Ethan Hunt and the IMF Team are back. They embark on what turns out to be their most dangerous mission yet. The mission is to track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission — not even the lives of those he cares about most. The story unfolds from there…

Hands down this is one of the best installments in the franchise. The story is intriguing, suspenseful and edge-of-your-seat entertaining. The action is awesome and the cinematography at times is breath-taking. The execution of the movie is great and that’s what makes it so awesome. The running time of 2 hours and 43 minutes went by too fast and it didn’t seem long enough. The IMAX aspects are awesome. You will feel like you are part of all of the action in the movie.

I can’t wait for Part 2. I might see Part 1 again.

Your Mission if you choose to accept is to see “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1”.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny in AMC Dolby

Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny in AMC Dolby

Harrison Ford reprises his role as Indiana Jones in this Dare Devil Adventure where he races against time to recover a missing legendary dial that if in the wrong hands can alter the course of history. Indiana Jones is joined by his goddaughter on this adventure where he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA. The story unfolds from there…


This installment is not as bad as some of the critics have made it out to be. There is still room for Indiana Jones’s adventures. The only thing is that Harrison Ford has gotten too old to make these types of movies. There is tons of action, special effects, intrigue and the cinematography at times is breathtaking. This installment is definitely worth checking out.

I will state that I personally feel that the 1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade that included Sean Connery was the absolute best installment in this franchise.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 3D

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 3D

It’s 1994 and a new faction of Transformers, The Maximals join the Autobots as Allies in the battle for earth.

An Ancient artifact arrives in a museum in New York. One of the Curators is extremely fascinated to uncover its origin. The Curator works late into the evening and by mistake she removes the covering that was shielding the artifact. Doing this causes a signal to be sent by the artifact up in the sky bringing unwanted enemies to earth who had been looking for the artifact. The story unfolds from there…

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a 90’s thrill ride. Tons of action, special effects, intrique and cinematography make this move enjoyable. It’s wholesome fun and just about anyone who is a Transformers fan will enjoy the movie. What keeps this from being a 4- or 5-star movie is that it gets off to a slow start and there are a few dead spots.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!