The Secret Garden (1995)
This movie is right up there with The Black Stallion. It creates an atmosphere through visuals, camera work and non verbal acting that movies these days with their 2-3 second neck brake camera shot changes just can't achieve. It's not my favorite story in the world, but the cinematography and acting is top notch for a child's film, and any film to be honest. You believe these characters are who they present to be. The only time you realize these people are actors is when you finally see Maggie Smith as Mrs. Medlock, but even then she blends in in an instant with her superb acting. Top notch. 8/10
The Secret Garden (2020)
The anti-thesis of everything I just wrote above. This is stale, and overly stylized. The turquoise blues are out of control and the garden is more of an Alice in Wonderland acid trip than it is a real place. The characters are rather lifeless and uninteresting. The creative licensing to the story is unwanted and unnecessary. Firth is tired as is his acting here. The only real high light is the young actor who plays Dicken. He manages to capture the charm of his character while still existing in this psychedelic inspired by, or rather referenced, remake. 4/10
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
To be honest, I never have sat down and watched this movie all the way through. I don't care for movies like Red that make light of violence and murder and always thought of this movie in the same area, but I thought I'd finally give it a full go. It does go into that area that I don't care for a few times, but I'll admit that aside from Thor: Ragnarok, this is probably the best, in terms of fun entertainment, Marvel film. The amount of detail to the world building is impressive. This movie is everything The Fifth Element could have hoped to be. Immersive, inventive, funny, action packed, and just plain fun. The cast is phenomenal and has incredible chemistry that rivals the original Star Wars crew. If Marvel was smart they'd just start a Guardians of the Galaxy weekly tv show. Most everyone would love it and it would probably become one of the most successful sci-fi shows ever. Anyway, I digress. Great movie. 8.75/10