Jon M.'s Reviews

What seemingly begins as a benign panacea for parents unable to have their own children, becomes a nightmare in short order as the robotic circuitry becomes overwhelm with, um, extra-human emotional properties. Law and Osment are brilliant in this film. Recommended for sci-fi and fantasy fans.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

A wide and varied collection of Hitchcock's classic and lesser known titles.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

Excellent recounting of one of the strangest, and ultimately more tragic, stories in the annals of American slavery. Here, McConaughey, Hopkins and Freeman are the big heroes fighting for common human justice, with Djimon Hounsou the proud, fearless but ultimately tragic victim of this horror story. The mind still boggles that such things could ever actually have occurred. America's own holocaust. But films like this help to maintain our human and spiritual sobriety in a world that is threatened by such hatred and horror yet again in the 21st century.
Review Date: 8/27/2016

Set in 1930s England as a fictionalized historical account. Very engaging.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

Duncan Reynaldo is The Cisco Kid with Leo Carillo as his his sidekick, Pancho. Typical '50s TV entertainment, but entertaining nonetheless. Yes, Cisco is the good guy who always facilitates justice triumphing in the end. If you were a kid in the '50s and remember this, you'll enjoy it. If you weren't, you may still enjoy it, especially if you liked Westerns intended for TV viewing.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

Guns don't kill people. People kill people. But guns sure do figure in the end result. Something of a cautionary tale for gun fans and foes alike.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

Quite an impressive film, using the "Black Legion" as a metaphor for the Klan or really any hate group, even though the Black Legion was, in fact, an authentic hate group from Detroit. Watching Bogart's progression from overlooked worker to propped up manager to full-on hate monger and then back down again is typical but still informative and, sorry, entertaining. It also doesn't hurt to have Erin O'Brien Moore and Ann Sheridan along for support. This is an excellent film that some may find not up to standards of present day films along the same lines, but you DO have to remember that this was made in 1937 and that alone shows how brave it was to make such a picture during a time when racism was more common and accepted than it is today.
Review Date: 8/19/2020

Anyone familiar with the story of Chicago Blues and Chess Records (Cadillac Records is a pseudonym for that label) should enjoy this as light entertainment and a fun movie. Much of the movie is "derived" from fact, but the typical Hollywood practice of artistic license is in full force here. Just for the heck of it, google a photo of Leonard Chess, who Adrian Brody here is portraying. Brody looks like a blues alien compared to what Leonard looked like. And Beyoncé's Etta James is, well, you'll see. It IS worth seeing, just suspend your sense of reality.
Review Date: 3/8/2017

Tom Hanks (Thank God it's not Tom Cruise) goes down in a fiery plane crash and is marooned on an island. How he copes with this unenviable situation is the whole movie and it's galvanizing. Excellent film.
Review Date: 7/9/2016

An entertaining if somewhat typical end-of-the-world scenario perfect for "line up the snacks and sodas" afternoon.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

This viewer is not certain if Michael Douglas has yet been given all the accolades he is due. He's a good guy, a bad guy, an everyman, a nobody. But he always manages to shine as an actor.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

I wasn't expecting much from this DVD, just wanted to view it cause I'm an Elvis fan, but previous reviews on this were not glowing. While it's not a great, must-have addition to my DVD library, it IS worthwhile viewing for Elvis fans. A number of stills and film clips I'd not seen before and Joe Esposito gives a good overview of his years with Elvis. Additionally, Joe comes off as a decent guy and it isn't hard to see why Elvis valued him. He appears to have been a loyal confidant to Elvis and with all the sycophants around the King that's saying something. Recommended viewing for Elvis fans.
Review Date: 8/19/2016

This film is quite a departure for Hopkins, who usually plays villains and bad guys. Here he's a kindly, but psychically gifted and mysterious loner who plays father figure to a young boy he recruits to help him fight off shadowy, nether worldly ghosts who seek to control his powers. I'm not a Stephen King fan so was quite pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this film.
Review Date: 10/16/2016

This may be more than one movie. George Reeves' Superman was a more or less messed up dude psychologically and Ben Affleck brings that out well here. The real star of this pic, however, is the story itself and truly fine performance by Adrien Brody. Recommended.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

I've become a fan of Anthony Hopkins over the years, though I'll admit I wasn't into his more grotesque stuff like the Silence of The Lambs' films. But in these period pieces, like Howard's End and others, Hopkins excels. But perfect? No. How many films are perfect? Few. Nonetheless, this, if you enjoy Hopkins' portrayals, is among his best. And it doesn't hurt for him to have Emma Thompson along, either. Remains of the Day was their best together and this is a distant second. No need to go on. If you enjoy Hopkins, you'll enjoy this.
Review Date: 8/10/2020

Quite controversial at the time, a portion of the shock still holds up. Subject matter is clearly adult and despite Schneider's beauty and professionalism, it's Brando we continue to watch this film for. Overall, the movie is strange, and one portion is still a bit weird. But it is a very watchable film, if recommended only for Brando fans.
Review Date: 11/15/2021

The 1960s, naturally, had a certain look and feel that's now a part of nostalgia. But the advertising industry in the 1960s ALSO had a certain look and feel and perhaps the success and popularity of this program is due in some small measure to the authentic feel of that industry herein. There are many continuity details here that stand out (the cigarette smoking; the after hours bars and hard alcohol; the cheating and marital infidelity) and many, far more subtle touches that, perhaps, you had to be there to remember, that make this and subsequent seasons the entertaining scenario it is. Excellent.
Review Date: 7/13/2016

Well, to be honest, this is one very strange film. Told from the point of view of a writer, who's telling the story of the film as it progress (huh? yeah), this viewer is not sure he understood it, but that doesn't mean you won't. Anyway, it's interesting once.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

Hey, De Niro is De Niro, right? What? You wanna make something of it? You talkin' to me? No matter how you cut this, De Niro is great and the movie is excellent, as well, with fast cars, high intrigue, and a lot of double takes. It's a heist film with a bunch of other stuff thrown in. This viewer watched it three times. You won't be disappointed.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

This movie, I am told by a somalier, had a lot to do with the American market for Merlot falling off from what it had been prior thereto. It's a crazy movie, okay, a crazy comedy, and it'll make you think thrice about the wine you drink and the way in which you may articulate your impression of same. Add to this the fact that I don't think Paul Giamatti has ever made a bad movie. You may disagree and you may come away from this film hating his character, but it's pretty much a cinch you'll applaud his acting and you'll like the film.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

Wow! Talk about the negative effects of drug consumption, drug running, drug overdoses and death. It's all here and then some. I wouldn't watch this movie if you're looking for something cute, funny, uplifting or fun. This is dark terrain.
Review Date: 7/13/2016

Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing is a long, long way from the original portrayal of this vampire hunter by Edward Van Sloan in the original Dracula from 1931. Van Sloan was sly and cunning. Jackman has more in common with Superman here. Anyway, if you like this sort of thing, you'll like this movie, but this viewer's vote still goes to the original Bela Lugosi film.
Review Date: 7/7/2016

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