Blu-ray thumbs

[Johann]

ALLIED (2016)


I really enjoyed Allied, a Robert Zemeckis war thriller.
Brad Pitt is Max, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force with intelligence assignments.
He is paired up with Marion Cotillard to assassinate a German Ambassador in Casablanca.
She is a French Resistance fighter, and Max falls for her. And that is dangerous in their line of work...
They get married and have a daughter, Anna, who was born during a bombing raid on London.
Long story short, the authorites suspect Marion is a German spy, who adopted the persona of a French resistance fighter. They inform Max he will have to leave some intelligence for her to find, and see if she uses it. If she does, she will be executed. He is ordered not to conduct his own investigation, which he ignores...
Great movie.
I was wondering how it was gonna end and I was very happy. It was an ending with closure.

[Johann]

THE CIRCLE (2017)


This was a lukewarm thriller.
Emma Watson stars as Mae Holland, a call center worker who lands a job at tech giant THE CIRCLE, a clear imitation of Facebook. Tom Hanks is the CEO, and he introduces camera tech called "SeeChange"- whereby people wear a small camera 24/7, broadcasting their entire lives in real time. This is welcomed and scorned.
After Mae steals a kayak and is caught on camera, she volunteers to be the first employee at the Circle to wear the camera. She is credited with changing the world, even tho she has zero privacy. The Circle is progressive, they want 100% of the people to vote in America and are working to facilitate that. They also want to find lost or obscure people, criminals or family members alike. This is where the drama comes in, as Mae's reclusive friend Mercer is traced and tracked to his home via drones, and he flees, being chased all the way to his death on a bridge when he crashes.
This movie makes you think about privacy and how "on camera" we all are.
I don't think I'd watch it again.

[Johann]

SUPERFLY (2018)


This was a modern "remix" of the blaxploitation classic, directed by Director X.
We are taken to cocaine town, drug dealing at all levels in Atlanta, Georgia.
The main character is dealer "Priest", a young black man with a wild hairdo.
Priest wants one final huge score, to be set for life, to not deal with rivals and two-timers anymore. He gets it, in the form of a Mexican cartel.
There's guns, nudity, violence and drugs drugs drugs...We are witnesses to dirty cops, backroom deals, murders and all around unsavoury shit. There is no one to root for, no one to care about. They are all involved in high stakes crimes and misdemeanors.
Good rap soundtrack, but hollow movie overall.

[Johann]

More blu ray thumbnails to come…

[Johann]

THE HOBBIT: An Unexpected Journey (2012)



Peter Jackson returned to the world of LORD OF THE RINGS with the Hobbit trilogy, and the first part is fine fantasy filmmaking. This time the focus is on Bilbo Baggins, 60 years previous to the Fellowship of the Ring.
He’s writing his memoirs for Frodo, and his adventures are just as harrowing as Frodo’s.
CGI aplenty here, and Gandalf returns and figures prominently.
There are other familiar faces: Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett and the animated Gollum. (Andy Serkis).
I enjoyed this movie.
It’s long but doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

[Johann]

THE HOBBIT: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)


I have to admit, Tolkien's story and characters bamboozle me. So many wild names and places...
That said, this part of THE HOBBIT was way better than the first.
This was an amazing entertainment. If the giant spiders sequence doesn't impress you, then the dragon Smaug will. That dragon really steals the show. Smaug speaks english (?) and is rendered better than the dragons in Harry Potter.
Orlando Bloom reprises his role as Legolas, and the elves figure prominently.
Gandalf still has his role, as do all the dwarves accompanying Bilbo.
This film looks so magnificent on blu-ray it's crazy. It was filmed in 3-D, and I'm sure seeing it that way would be optimal.
I have nothing but praise. I was wowed. Peter Jackson's passion is clearly evident.

[Johann]

THE HOBBIT: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)



The final part of The Hobbit is epic indeed.
The opening sequence is spectacular, involving Smaug wreaking havoc and being killed.
Bravo to Peter Jackson and his creative teams for having the vision and wherewithal to actually make these amazing films. He really achieved greatness here, as he did with the LOTR trilogy.
For all the swordplay, war and violence onscreen there is very little blood.
The good guys win in the end, but not before facing formidible enemies and taking heavy losses.
Legolas really gets to do some Heroic stuff, and the dwarves prove their mettle...
Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett are back, and so is a great Christopher Lee.
Excellent movie.
I get my fantasy fix from Harry Potter, so I won't be buying these on blu-ray but they come highly recommended.