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jkylebennett
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If Walls Could Talk... (1998)
I wish they would revive this show
I remember this show being so neat. I loved getting to see the history that owners found all throughout their homes. Old pictures, clothing, toys, and all sorts of other items that gave hints to the history that took place in those homes. It was somehow always so exciting. I really wish they would revive this show. It would be so neat to get to see what kinds of history that could be uncovered in homes today. I bet that there's tons of it out there since it's been over 25 years since this show first ran. It could even run on multiple different channels since it covers both history and home repair. I love history, and since they used to do those little flashback sequences, we'd even get to see some of the history played out. It would be so exciting to see it make a comeback.
What's with That House? (2006)
I really liked this little show
I remember that they used to run the show at 11 p.m., which made it harder to actually get to see it since they never seemed to run it at a time when a larger audience would tune in. It was always so cool to see all those neat houses and get to see what kind of innovation the owners had for their personal lifestyle. The show honestly felt a bit like a fever dream because it seemed to come and go without much fanfare. The host was entertaining. He seemed to be able to bring the energy this kind of show needed, but was never too over-the-top. I just wish that they would bring the show back, even if it was for a short re-airing of the original series. It would be nice for others to get to see this show and see what so many people created for their homes.
CryBaby Lane (2000)
Atrocious in Every Way Imaginable
I don't care if it was the late 90s to early 2000s. I can't believe they approved this script. It's completely insensitive trash. The characters are all awful. There's honestly no one to root for. The parents are completely awful. The brother is hateful. The so called friends are all just as hateful to each other. Whoever wrote this was out to be just as mean spirited as possible. I think they were going for sarcasm, but there was no funny biting edge to it. It was just "let's showcase a terrible, dysfunctional family all being spiteful to each other for an hour and a half." Let's also showcase the whole town being hateful to the undertaker for almost no apparent reason. The whole town just seemed to be out to get him. Of course, the undertaker really isn't any better. He seems to not only just be terrible at his job, but also equally as spiteful as everyone else. I don't know what was going on in this town to make everyone hate everyone else so much, but I highly doubt this apparently evil entity had much of anything to do with it. Though, honestly, it's hard to tell since he played barely any actual part in this movie to begin with. There was sooooo much more they could have done with this kind of plot, but the writers clearly had no idea what they were doing. If they were going for tense and suspenseful, it failed. I truly struggle to believe that this movie scared anyone enough to be banned. It was more likely banned because it was an embarrassing disaster that should have never seen the light of day in this condition of storytelling and characterization. Frankly, they can just re-ban it. It doesn't need to ever see the light of day again. Does not live up to the hype it had behind it AT ALL.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
I was bored.
I only just watched it for the first time a little bit ago because I'm not very good with scary movies, and I heard that this was supposed to be really scary. I guess 25 years ago this movie really was scary, but I feel like I've seen more terrifying things on tv news and online than what this movie managed to bring. I was just really bored. I don't think I'll remember this one later on. I appreciate the use of lower quality cameras for a more raw and visceral experience, but it just felt like a half-baked idea. I just wish that there had been a visual of this blair witch at least once. It feels like it would have just added that one last little bit of something at the end that the movie needed to give a boost to the creep factor. I know there's something to be said for not showing everything, but I would have been intrigued by even just a hunched over woman in disheveled clothing or something. I was otherwise just mostly irritated watching the characters scream and yell at each other the whole time. The actors did do a good job, though. They were certainly convincing. Altogether, didn't like it. There were elements I was impressed by, but I feel like I should have watched this long ago. It feels like it's just past its prime for scare factor. I've seen cartoons that are significantly scarier.
Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023)
Have to Agree with the Other Reviewers
It's such a bummer that this movie was so poor. It has an interesting premise, solid acting, a great atmosphere, and lots of potential to be great. Where it falls flat is with the split story format that keeps going back and forth between 1938 and the present day. Had they just focused on the much more interesting part of the story set in 1938 and expanded on that part, while also shortening the length of the movie to an hour and a half as a whole, it would have been really enjoyable as far as horror movies go. The start was certainly a great way to get people invested into the movie. I just wish that the story hadn't been ultimately rushed where it mattered. For example, if the unfortunate onlookers had been murdered gradually throughout the movie a few at a time instead of all at once in the span of 30 seconds to a minute, it would have felt far more impactful. Or really if all the murders had been more gradual and less in rapid succession, it would have been better. As it is, it's just a particularly gruesome moment in an otherwise very dull movie. Altogether, I think the modern day scenes were pointless. They didn't really do anything to benefit the movie. If anything, like others have said, they just made the movie very confusing and discombobulating to watch. Had I not looked up what happened, I would have been even more lost.
Honestly, what I wish they had done was just to pull from any number of the stories of hauntings on the Queen Mary that you can read about online. They did technically pull from a couple of them like the story about the girl who drowned in the pool, so that's something. But, of course, there is also all the war history they could have pulled from that the Queen Mary was actually involved in. That would have made for a great movie, I think.
All things considered, I think if you are a fan of cheesy horror movies that are so bad they are almost good at times or if you just like a mindless slasher with a solid atmosphere, you might just enjoy this film. It's just a shame that for all that it had going for it, it was failed by bad story formatting, pacing and telling.
Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
Not Bad, But Weird. Good for a Night out with your Friends.
I definitely can say that I agree with the middling reviews of this movie. It's not terrible, but also not great. It's about what you expect of a movie based on the games and books. First thing to note is that, if you are going into this movie with hopes that you will find some sort of significant clue to the ever deepening mystery and lore of the overall franchise, curb your expectations before going in because this is not going to give you that. However, if you go into the movie the way my friend and I did when we went to watch the movie last night, knowing it will be terrible and then be pleasantly surprised when it's not AS BAD as expected, then you'll have a good time.
One thing you should know before going in is that the movie both follows the lore of the franchise, but then also does its own thing at the same time. It combines several of the games and books together, so while it is coherent in story, it also pulls from several games and books all at once; creating a bit of a jumbled, confusing continuity of its own making. What's confusing about the movie is that it seems to be a bit awkwardly placed in time. It looks like it's set in the 80s, but then they talk about the pizza franchise being popular in the 80s, so now I think it's the 90s. The placement in time is just confusing. I can't decide when it's set. That was the biggest question I had while watching the movie. The movie also seems to happen both outside of the games and during the middle of one of the games at the same time. Lastly, the movie hasn't really earned a sequel, but it's set up for the first of what is sure to be multiple sequels. Best be prepared to see a future of FNAF movie sequels coming out at least once a year for the next 5 to 10 years.
All in all, go enjoy this movie. There are a few freaky moments, but the scares are fairly low. Go in expecting meh, and walk away having a decently fun time with your friends. Just don't expect to have deep lore, clues, and answered questions for parts of the games and books. Though, knowing how this franchise is, you can bet that this movie will still somehow connect to the rest of the franchise in the grand scheme of things.
The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow (2002)
A Very Simple, But Fun Little Show from Porchlight
The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow is really a very cute, fun little show from the now defunct Porchlight Entertainment. It's a great bit of fun for younger audiences between 6 and 10. It's art style is very much a product of its time, which adds to the charm of the show. The writing is fine. Nothing special, but not terrible. A few corny jokes and one-liners. The voice acting is solid. Again, it's nothing special, but it's good. Thankfully, they didn't have the voice actors be too exaggerated. As a result, there a bit of playing it up, but it was also played pretty straight forward. All of this together would mean that this is just an average mediocre show, but the charm of it all just makes it something worth seeing. It's been over 20 years since this show came out, and I'm sure there are many who remember watching this and enjoying it. It's a good watch for something silly and relaxing that will keep your kids entertained for half and hour and have the parents surprisingly entertained for a short bit as well.
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
Strong Start, Weak Finish
The first half of the movie is really quite solid. The three girls who played the Sanderson Sisters as kids did an okay job. They captured the mannerisms quite well, but the actual acting was average. If this movie had been more focused on that part of the movie it would have been better. Unfortunately, only about 20 minutes of the movie's run-time is actually spent on that part of the movie. We didn't get the chance to really learn anything about either the young Sanderson Sisters or this 4th witch. She barely even spent any time in the movie and only served as a plot device for giving Winnifred her book. Although some of the witch's interactions with the modern era was funny, and there really are some funny moments in this movie(particularly at the beginning), it was just too much of retreading old ground and not enough fresh ideas. The general lack of original ideas really became prevalent at the halfway point when everything after that was just more of the same material from the first movie repurposed. There were some fun nodes and cameos here and there, but nothing particularly outstanding since they didn't get a chance to shine beyond a passing moment. The comedic elements quickly went from great and well executed at the beginning to less and less impressive as we got to the modern era part of the movie. It's as though they ran out of steam part way through and settled after having such a strong idea for the beginning. The song and dance number in the middle was really uninspired since it was just shoehorned in and not smoothly transitioned into like in the previous movie. Possibly, the worst part of this movie is the ending. It was an interesting idea of having the magic backfire on Winnifred and her sisters, but I didn't like how mushy the ending wound up being. It's as though the writers changed midway through so as to make it as non-scary or wicked as possible. The ending just felt out of character for Winnifred.
On a personal note, I really wish this movie had just focused on the Sisters as kids. There was a lot of potential in that part of the movie, and really getting to learn more about the Witch's Forest would have been a great angle to look at this movie from. It really would have been interesting to see an interaction with other witches or to see if the sisters gathered more sisters in their coven that were either betrayed or lost to time. Either way, they had something going with the earlier part of the movie that if they just kept going with it would have been amazing to see.
Sadly, this movie falls squarely in the middle because it just couldn't deliver beyond the halfway point.
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder: Old Towne Road Part I (2022)
Just Bad
This series has been hit and miss with its episodes, but this particular episode is just bad. It would have honestly been nice to see them actually depict Oklahoma properly. It's quite clear that they made no effort to do at least a little research about the state. They could have done something so interesting that could have involved putting Suga Mama's family in some sort of significant setting in Oklahoma. Maybe had them be involved in some of the major events that took place in the state. For example, they could have had one or more of her relatives be nurses that were involved in attending to the injured in the Murrah Building bombing that happened in 1995, or had them be in the emergency response team to any one of the major tornadoes that took place in multiple areas of the state, like Moore, Norman, and Woodward. They could have been a family of major artists in the Paseo Arts District or heavily involved in the Arts College in Chickasha and any number of the Arts museums around Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas. Hell, if they really wanted to do something interesting and meaningful, they could have chosen to tackle the Tulsa Race Massacre and the effects it had on the city of Tulsa and the state as a whole at the time, or something involving Civil Rights activist Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, the first black student admitted to the Oklahoma State College of Law. Oklahoma has over 100 years of history, including some truly fascinating Black History that they could have taken such an interesting look at and given a major perspective to. There are so many ways they could have taken it. This definitely was not it, though. What really gets me is that these are the same people who did an episode on Black History Month, and how important it is. They could have done something just as impactful and had one hell of a season finale.
Oklahoma may not be the most interesting state of choice, but one thing the people of the state are not is a bunch of inbred crazy people with no modern amenities. Even in the smallest towns, the people are still in possession of modern basics. If they really wanted to go with the rodeo route, they could have gone so many different directions with it. There are major rodeo competitions that do take place, so they could have tackled that by having Penny be involved in it and finding a new passion in rodeo competitions. This particular episode just took a complete 180 step backwards in all the worst ways. For all this push for being woke and modern, this episode is anything but. I'm honestly terrified to see how the second part of the finale goes. Even if it does go as I expect, I'm not excited to see how it winds up turning out.
Now You See It... (2005)
Solid, But Patchy Needed a Sequel
This movie is quite strong in terms of story and set up. The characters aren't bad, and the movie has a really interesting premise. The problem that I run into when watching it is that it's clearly been patched together. There are major connecting scenes that were clearly filmed, but left on the cutting room floor because the movie was likely too ambitious, too long. There were a lot of ideas here that would ultimately be best served as a series of movies. What seems to be the case is that there was a clear intent for this to be at least a double feature, maybe even a triple. I think what was supposed to happen is that we were supposed to have several movies that are made at the perspective of each of the main characters' points of view. This first movie is at Alyson's point of view. A second that was likely planned to be called "Now You Don't" would have been at Danny's point of view, and a potential third would have been at Max's point of view that would give his back story and explain certain characters involvement. However, because the first didn't go over as well as hoped for and expected, the second and third never made it past the thought process. It's too bad because there are parts that really needed to be explained. I'm all for show don't tell, but Danny seems to flip-flop in personality throughout the movie and a sequel would have been a good explanation of the points in the movie that didn't wholly make sense.
Example: Why did Danny seem to have some kind of secret when he first got there? Because he had every intent of finding out the secret of the mansion, likely for some kind of potentially nefarious purpose that would change along the way. That story likely was altered at some point that we don't see, but would have seen in the sequel. It almost seemed as though Danny and Max's personalities seemed to switch half way through the movie.
Another Example: When did Paul join up with Max? Why and how did he get involved with Max? How long has he been a part of all of this? All of this would have likely been explained in a third movie.
Truly, this movie needed at least another 30 minutes, and some sequels to fully flesh out an otherwise solid idea that just felt really patchy and lacking in crucial follow-through scenes. I still highly recommend it. It's one of those movies that still came from a lot of creative thinkers before the push for all the song-and-dance movies that would follow on Disney from then on.
Animaniacs (2020)
It's Just Not Very Funny
I'm not sure what happened here. This new series just doesn't do much of anything that's actually funny. I appreciate that they're trying to keep up with whatever has been going on, but I think that's the issue. Rather than try to do something that would be considered timeless like the first series did, this series is far too focused on trying to keep up with whatever is going on in the current day. The result is that the jokes become severely outdated within just a few months, or even a few weeks. I have a hard time believing that many of the segments will gain the same level of memorability that the original did. There are some segments that I do actually enjoy and get a good laugh at, but I rarely laugh at most of them. The lack of the other characters from the original series is extremely noticeable. There's just not a great variety to look forward to; and when a segment flops, there's nothing else to really help make up for it. Many of the segments are very hit and miss, so this really becomes a problem on a regular basis. Season 2 isn't really doing any better Season 2 also seems to have some particular issues on the technical side. Namely, Rob Paulsen's mic seemed to have some technical issues throughout the recordings. There are a number of occasions where Yakko's voice just cuts out and gets grainy and hard to hear. I truly wish that they would go ahead with bringing back the original characters. They made the difference. It would also be great if the segments were more timeless in their approach so that they can age well with time. This series just needs work. It's not living up to the level of the original, not yet anyway.
The Dead Files (2011)
Some of the Worst Crap I've Seen in a While
The acting is so bad. It's stiff, unnatural, and really amateurish. It's very clear that everything is staged. It's all really overacted for the camera. And, honestly, having a sketch artist draw what you claim to be seeing is unique, but not particularly good at providing any "real" evidence. It can't be used to provide substantial proof of anything in this case.
Coco (2017)
It's Pretty Good
I'm quite a bit late to the party, but I would say that it's pretty good. There are moments where it gets a bit cringe worthy, it kind of slows to a crawl at points, and it struggled to keep my attention at times, but it's a solid movie. The best part of the movie was at the tail end of it. Roughly, the last 30 minutes was the most exciting and entertaining part of the movie. I honestly would have liked the movie to have followed that plot point a bit more, but it does set the lore of the world really well. I do feel like I waited too long to see it, though. It maybe would have had a greater impact on me a few years ago. Right now, I just sort of feel like it was a solid, but standard movie. Not bad, but also not really living up to all the hype that I'd heard about it at the time. I often find that to be the case with movies that get super hyped by the general public, though. I'd watch it again, but I would also be okay with missing the first half of the movie and coming in on the latter half where things get really good. I will say this, the colors were beautiful. It was such a wonderfully colorful movie. I wish that I could have been younger when I saw this. I think if I had been, it would have resonated with me more. As it is, it's quite decent. Very good even. It just didn't hold my attention as well as I would have liked, and the most interesting and entertaining part of the movie was more of a footnote to the main movie. As to how well Pixar embraced and represented the culture, I can't really speak for it myself. It seems like they embraced it all very well, but far be it for me to say for certain without knowing enough about it.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
Should Have Never Been Overlooked
The real shame of this movie is in just how badly it was overlooked. It game out at the absolute worst time, being released alongside major movie releases and in a time when 3D animation was THE going trend in animated movies(before it became standard). The movie itself is gorgeously animated with some of the smoothest 2D animation that I've seen in a long time, the voice acting is solid, and it's a great adventure tale. If anything, I argue that it's greatest flaws are that it's too short and the love interest is believable, but not all that tightly woven. Lengthening the movie would have actually helped. That said, Michelle Pieffer did a really great job as Eris, and the rest of the cast was solid as well. Really, Eris is a superb villain. She never plays a major role in the movie, altogether about 8 minutes of the movie's runtime, but steals the scene every time she's on screen. She's the ideal kind of villain that doesn't exist in movies today. She's not a sympathetic villain. She does what she does because she loves what she does. She isn't out to prove herself or try to do good things only to have it backfire in her face. She causes chaos to cause chaos, and when it backfires in her face she remains composed and calm. I would say, if anything, this movie is an ideal study in smooth, flowing animation, writing strong villain characters, and utilizing the small budget you have to your advantage. I truly wish more movies like this existed today. I don't need to feel sympathetic towards every character. I just need to enjoy the movie that was made for the sake of making a movie because you wanted to tell an epic tale, not prove yourself or carry some alterior motive or agenda. This movie is just a solid piece of beautiful animation and should be seen and experienced.
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988)
A Masterpiece that should be Looked to for Modern Children's Television
This series is by far and away a genuine masterpiece. Everything from presentation, to style, to imagination should be looked upon for reference by modern children's show makers. The level of creativity that this show put forth is nothing short of masterful. It told fantastic stories without ever talking down to the audience. The best part is that it's so well made that even the parents can watch this and be genuinely entertained. If you want to see what actual quality looks like that goes above and beyond any call to make a children's show, look to this. It's nothing short of superb.
Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! (2015)
Aweful
This has to be one of the ugliest, most garbage series that has ever been put out by this franchise. I'm all for trying to make the franchise more interesting, especially considering that the Scooby Doo franchise has always gotten grief for being too stale and repetative, but there's no excuse for making these characters so incredibly stupid and irritating. It's as if the character's sanity levels have plummeted to zero. Add to that, their hideous character design, and you have a true disaster of a series. They look like knockoffs that came out of Family Guy. The animation quality is beyond horrible as well. It's altogether just bad and cheep looking. Sometimes, it's better to leave well enough alone and not try to force something into an uncomfortable place just because you can. I think that Daphne and Velma have suffered the most. Daphne is practically certifiably insane, and Velma has had all her intellect stolen from her and replaced with paranoia and skepticism of the most extreme kind. And, while it's true that the series don't always line up with what is considered canon and what isn't, this series seems to outright contradict other series completely. For example, making Velma afraid of the water or incapable of scuba diving when multiple series before this one has portrayed her as a very capable and confident swimmer and scuba diver. It may be for comedic relief, but comedy can be done well without being downright stupid. This comedy isn't smart. It lacks anything that makes you want to return to it. This franchise has had better comedic writing. There's no reason not to tap into that.
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions (2016)
Good End to an Era
As a long time fan of the franchise, I can say with certainty that the movie is good. Not spectacular, but good. By far, this movie has some of the smoothest and most beautifully executed animation of the entire franchise. Those who know this series know that the animation isn't always up to snuff, but this movie clearly got a much bigger budget and it was well served to seeing some very beautiful if even a little over-saturated animation. It's also wonderful that all the original voice actors of the characters represented in the movie made their return. It's a particularly wonderful thing of note considering that many of those voice actors are either retired or have switched focus to other areas and are no longer regularly voice acting on a consistent basis. I also like that 4Kmedia did not edit the movie to the point of being unrecognizable like they did with the original series. It was a very well executed English translation from the original Japanese property. However, if I have any point to criticize, it's that the story was a bit of a jumbled mess. It often felt like it was just jumping around from one thing to another without proper transition. It's likely due to the limited run time of the movie itself, but it often felt as if you looked away for only a few seconds or stepped out of the room for a few minutes that you missed major plot points and would easily get lost. I stayed in place for the length of the movie without leaving the room once, and I still felt like I missed something. That is a big issue for me. If I had been a casual viewer and not a fan of the franchise, I would have been so completely lost. That said, I still felt lost at times, and that's most definitely an issue of pacing. Whatever the case, it's a very good movie that any fan of the franchise will enjoy and those looking to get into the franchise should hold off on watching until they get to know more about the franchise itself. Above all, the ending was very satisfying. The action was lacking and rushed, but it reached an ending worthy of the era of the franchise.
School Rumble (2004)
Mixed Feelings
I can't place my finger on it. I like it. It has its moments. But, at the same time, I find it to be incredibly annoying. I want to keep watching it and see what will happen next, but I also have to step away from it at times to be able to bring myself to watch more of it. For some reason, the comedy doesn't seem to land for me. It always feels off just ever so slightly. It's not bad, but it's like the timing is just not there. Or the timing is off. Either way, I find myself wanting to skip past certain segments because I can see exactly where it's going without needing to even see it. That said. I like the style. It looks good in part because it is an older series and therefore has that older look both to the animation and the art style. I've always appreciated the older style of animation because it can lend itself to some funny moments that newer animation doesn't always have. In all, I'm just really confused by the show. I like it, but I often find myself wanting more from it. I want it to push itself more than it ever actually does.
Catch 21 (2008)
I just find it to be so boring.
There's nothing particularly bad about Alfonso, but he really doesn't impress me. His presence is so lacking that he just feels like he's there, but that's all. Nicky is just annoying. No it's, ands, or buts about it. She wasn't needed to make the show work, and she just irritates me. The format of the show is poor as well. It's not interesting. The questions are almost entirely pop culture hoopla and aren't really very interesting. But, by far, the most annoying factor in the show is the contestants. It's quite clear that the behind the scenes staff is telling them to ham it up. Often times, this leads the contestants to either be extremely annoying or extremely hateful and rude. Either way, it isn't likable. I never find myself wanting to root for any of these people. Quite frankly, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if the show is as rigged as others have claimed. It FEELS rigged. There is just this underlying feeling that they stack the deck in favor of the contestants they want to win, while making everything work against the contestants that they want to lose. That may not be the case, but that is the general feeling I get while watching it. Other people may love this show, but I find it detestable.
Ghost Adventures (2008)
Total Trash
Narration is terrible. The show is staged to the point of being no fun. Zak is a total narcissist and completely unwatchable. And, by far the biggest offense is that they tell you what you should be seeing. There's no sense of discovery or enjoyment to be had from possibly seeing something out of the ordinary. No, they tell you that what they claim to be seeing is what you should also be seeing. It may as well be the equivalent of a kid's show that talks down to its audience like they're a collective of total idiots. The worst thing of all, though, is that they adamantly believe that everything is a ghost. They don't try to look for explanations to things. They don't try to disprove anything or how things happened. There's no attempt at finding any alternatives to the strange phenomenon that may occasionally take place. A door slams shut because the floor is uneven - It's a ghost! A wild animal runs past a set camera near their location - It's a ghost! The house creeks and cracks because of settling - It's a ghost! They go in fully expecting to find something at every location and call everything a ghost or demon or haunting of some kind without trying to find any alternatives. They frequently call lightning bugs and dust particles spirit orbs. There's nothing to be had or seen here. Just an over edited, poorly made, completely staged pile of crap show that has far outstayed its welcome. There is nothing entertaining about watching a bunch of morons make complete idiots of themselves and their audience.
AwesomenessTV (2013)
Sketch Comedy Should be Funny. This is Decidedly Not.
Not funny. Not good, Not worth your time. Sketch comedy is supposed to actually be funny. If they really wanted to get an idea of what comedy is, then they should have studied other sketch comedy shows to really understand what makes for good humor. The Carol Burnett Show comes to mind when I think of quality Sketch Comedy. This one tries too hard to force jokes that weren't funny to begin with and fails on every level to try to follow current trends. If you really want sketch comedy to be funny it has to be timeless, not dated within a week of airing - if it even gets that long to be relevant. Following trends are almost never good for sketch comedy unless you know that the trend is going to be around for the long haul of at least a few years, say 10 or more. This one didn't have the forethought.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
A Fine Ending to Hopefully the End of the Franchise.
The movie was solid. As far as the four movies go, this one isn't my favorite. It has a couple of very good story points. I found the movie to be a bit dull at points, particularly at the center of the movie. There were just a few times where I felt that it was a bit slow. It didn't stop me from enjoying the movie, but I did struggle to maintain interest at times. Let's just make this clear, I stand by the belief that these movies are for everyone and not just kids. So the excuse that "it's a kid's movie" doesn't fly with me. It's a family movie meant to appeal to everyone. What I had hoped for was a few more laughs. I really only snickered here and there, but I had hoped that I would have been laughing loud and proud at least a couple times. In all honesty, the theater was quiet. If anyone laughed, I sure didn't here them. I say that with remembering that I always laugh good and hard with the first 2 movies. I will stand by this, though. I fully believe that this movie is far better than the third. Toy Story 3 was okay, but I never really enjoy that one in the way that I enjoy 1 and 2. I'm sure that this one, the 4th, will grow on me over time. But, for now, I can say that this one didn't quite resonate with me as much as I had hoped. So, I guess I had my hopes a bit too high. I will say this. Toy Story 4 has a truly surprising twist ending that I definitely didn't expect. Though, If I had to chose between the 3rd movie's ending and the 4th, I would actually have to go with the 3rd. It felt more complete, making this whole movie feel rather unnecessary. Good, but unnecessary. If anything, this ending kind of undermined the ending to the third in terms of Andy's instructions to Bonnie.
Also, I didn't like Buzz's characterization in this movie at all. He was made out to be a bit of an idiot. He always felt more capable in the first two movies, and was decently capable in the third. But, this time around, he seemed like he had no idea what he was doing. It was as if he was there, but he wasn't present in mind. He lacked the ability to think for himself, which was never the case in the first two movies. He didn't seem like he was on his toes. It just felt very out of character for him.
Lastly, I really hoped that the other toys would have had a lot more to do in this movie. I know it's tradition for most of the toys to play background while the focus is on Woody and a couple other toys. That's what these movies are about. But, with such a large cast, there was plenty of opportunities for the others to get more chances to be involved. I feel that that was a lot of squandered characters and opportunities and talented actors to wind up getting shoved in the background with next to no lines..
The Sandlot 2 (2005)
Pale Imitation of the Original
The problem that this movie has is that it's just a blatant copy of the original, trying 12 years too late to capitalize on what the original had established. It copies most of the main story arc of the original, tweaking minor details to try to make it a sequel rather than a remake.
Unfortunately, the magic isn't there. The idea of showing that girls are just as capable at playing baseball as the boys is a great idea. Setting the movie 10 years into the future is also a great idea, especially considering that the stigma that they aren't still persists to this day. The problem is that execution is sloppy and lacking a strong enough direction to make for an effective or convincing movie.
The acting is also lacking. The first had some corny acting, there's no doubt about that. But there's a difference between acting being corny for the sake of comedy and acting being corny because it's just poor acting. Sadly, this movie suffers from the latter, while the first benefited from the prior. Had the writers tried just a little harder to create a little more original story, and directed the kids better, this movie could have been a great sequel to the first. Instead, it's one that is better left forgotten.
The Sandlot (1993)
A Truly Iconic Movie if Ever there was One.
A genuine telling of what it meant to be a kid before technology completely took over our ways of life. This is one of the best movies to watch at summer time and to show what it means to truly be a kid and how to just enjoy life while you've got it to enjoy. It's the iconic summer all wrapped up in an hour and a half.
Mysteries at the Museum (2010)
Spectacular Show
It's a wonderful program. Don Wildman makes for such a compelling and engaging host. The stories are wonderful to learn about, and the reenactments are entertaining to watch. The series delves deeper into stories from history that have either been forgotten or are lesser known. The stories most often told are about historical events that were not as well heard about or significantly well documented as others, often telling the tales of people who worked in the background of major events to reach an end to an event that took place. The stories told are always based on objects currently located at museums all around the world, giving the stories behind why some more obscure or unusual objects would find themselves at a museum in the first place. For example, one story was told about a celebrities car crash and the mysterious circumstances behind it , based off a piece of wreckage from that crash that's in a museum on display. The series also takes on stories of personal conflicts and events that individual people have experienced, as well as even occasionally tackling supernatural and strange events that took place. It tells these stories through reenactments that Don narrates beautifully. This is a show that really has something for everyone. There are even special episodes that will specifically tackles events like Amelia Earhart's disappearance and the origins of Dracula among other special episodes. This is a great show for any history buff or even casual viewer looking for something that is both informational and entertaining.