Watched a few movies during the past couple of weeks.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
A weird outing that mashes up equal parts Alice in Wonderland and Narnia all sprinkled with Tchaikovsky's exquisite music. I'll admit it took me 3 days of not really watching it while I did other things to get through this movie. Unfortunately it follows the same plot that most every movie uses now so there are no surprises, or maybe I just watch too many movies? Anyway, Morgan Freeman gives a great line at the end to give it some semblance of worth. This movie probably shouldn't have been made as it wasn't needed nor did it add anything to the story other than excessive cgi bloat. And those closing credits....ugh. Tchaikovsky's score couldn't even stop me from hitting the eject button fast enough...3/10.
Home Alone (1990)
One of my favorite holiday movies. Sure, we all love the humor in this one and Macaulay Culkin's portrayal of Kevin, but there are some really good messages in it as well about overcoming fear and forgiveness. My favorite scenes surround Roberts Blossom's character Marley and how Kevin's perception of him changes. His talk with Marley during the choir scene is one of the cinematic masterpieces for me. The character development, the way it's shot, the message and understanding, and the music. John Williams' Home Alone score is a must at Christmas time. He captures the magic of Christmas in every note. Anyway, I could go on, but it's after 9 o'clock so I need to make sure the house is safe
8/10
Home Alone 2 (1992)
Not quite as good as the first, but it's still a great movie. The scenes with Marv and Harry are way too over the top, but again there is some heart in this one to go along with the humor. A great companion film to the first. 7.5/10
Aquaman (2018)
I got bored and fell asleep. Too bright. Too Straightforward and the de-aging CGI just looks bad. If it wasn't for Jason Momoa, I'm not sure this one would have worked. It's basically GI:Joe in the disguise of Aquaman. 5.5/10
Ender's Game (2013)
Revisiting some Asa Butterfield films and finally bought a copy of this movie. It's a shame that this didn't turn into a series. I assume it was due to the public push back after Orson Scott Card made some personal statements. It's sad that we have 7(?) Saw films that glorify horrific torture (I'm guessing on that one), but we can't have a story that is about the ethics of using children to fight wars and the cost of genocide on those who unknowingly are used. Anyway, I thought it was a good teen movie with some decent acting. I'd rather watch it than Hunger Games anyday. 7.5/10
How to Steal a Million (1965)
If you haven't seen it, go watch it. The chemistry between Hepburn and O'Toole is fantastic and the movie is just goofy Charade-esque fun. Just a great movie. 9/10
Isle of Dogs (2018)
A quarky, gritty outing that always feels one step beyond my ability to understand what and why things are happening on screen. The presentation is fantastic and totally immerses you into the world Wes Anderson creates. If you like Fantastic Mr. Fox you'll like this one. 7.5/10
Men In Black International (2019)
Not as good as MIB or MIIIB, but definitely not the terrible movie that reviews made it out to be. Hemsworth's character is a bit too dopey for my taste and Thompson's character is a little too confident, but they definitely brought some of the chemistry from Thor: Ragnarok over to this film. Again, it's the same old presentation, but it does it decently. There's a bit of an eye roll forced plot point later in the movie that is broadcast from the first scenes, but other than that, this is the third best MIB film for me. 6.5/10
After watching this movie and rewatching some of Captain Marvel I had the thought, "What if shield from Captain Marvel are really just the Men in Black?"