The Giver

I approached seeing The Giver with some trepidation. I had heard it was ‘dark’ and controversial. This I’m sure is because the book had been banned from schools and it had taken Jeff Bridges 18 years to bring it to the screen. However long it took him, it was worth it. This is a movie which leaves you ‘thinking’. The theme is people living in a ‘perfect’ community, without emotion. Having no differences or choices and at the age of graduation the young are placed in a ‘job’ chosen for them. One boy, Jonas is placed with an elderly man The Giver, to learn about true pain and pleasure of the ‘real’ world.

Then the fun begins as Jonas, played adeptly by Brenton Thwaites wants to share what he is learning with his friends, mostly with Fiona played by Odeya Rush and Aser, played by Cameron Monahan. Jeff Bridges plays the older man The Giver, while Meryl Streep is Chief Elder, Alexander Skarsgard plays Jonas’s Dad, while Katie Holmes, his mother.

As mentioned this movie is worth seeing only for the conversation about society, and whether not being controlled is better than having all our feelings/emotions. Is it worth having to obey whatever is said by a governing body or not. The story is really about how Jonas is ‘freed’ and thereby ‘frees’ everyone. The result of that freeing we do not know. Is it good news how everything can go from black and white to ‘color’ when emotions are released.  Or is it better to live in ignorance in a black and white world.  The Giver is a movie which asks this question.  An important one.  It does make you think about our society and how many of us live.

4 out of 5.

Guardians of the Galaxy - movie review

First showing of the day in our local movie house, myself and two friends were there (it was already getting hot outside and my car was in the garage getting its tune-up) so off to Guardians of the Galaxy we went.  We have been watching the advertising for it for quite a while and we were waiting for this movie to be here.


First of all, I enjoyed it.  It was different from the other Marvel comic movies though. It was humours, not sure if it was meant to be, but the writing sure made it like that. The comments between each of the 'stars' had you laughing.  I also felt it was very much for teenagers, as it was not overly deep and certainly not intense, although I'm sure it was supposed to be tense. I did not feel it like that.


Other interesting bits was the different colored skin. Zoe Saldana, as Gamora, the assassin skin color is Green, but there were lots of people around with pink skin, blue skin, black skin, you name it people seemed to have it. I found that concept interesting - skin color coming from different planets in the universe with people living, marrying (there is one scene with a white man, pink woman and their pink little girl) getting along.  Yeah for acceptances of differences!


Chris Pratt is excellent as Peter Quill, Star Lord.  He had just enough sass, fun and yet determination about him to be the unherald leader of the group.  Zoe Saldana was great as usual in her action role.
Bradley Cooper's voice (was that really Bradley Cooper's voice) as Rocket the angry raccoon.  Mind you he gives the most laughs and is the hero of the hour (after Star Lord). Vin Diesel as Groot, the tree man who basically says only the same three words manages, thanks to the magic of computers has some wonderful expressions.  Apparently, he had to record "I AM GROOT" over 1,000 times to get the 'right' intonation.  And finally, to round out the five, Dave Bautista who plays Drax, what a make up, or transfer job he had on him.  Took me awhile to 'get' him during the movie, but in the end I found him acceptable (I can't say adorable - but he showed his softer side).


Worth going to see.  Well its not a movie I would say you have to see, but its well done, has a sci-fi story-line and definitely has action. You go from one action scene to anther with a little of non action in between.  I enjoyed the ease of this movie, not over intense, yet lots of action, explosions and of course the destructive of a city in the end.  In a hot summer day, in a cool movie house, yes worth seeing, and know I will go see the next one, which has already been ordered up.  Perhaps we will get to find out who Star Lord's Father is.
3 out of 5.

Red 2 - movie review

I loved this movie.  Being a big fan of R.E.D. so much so I bought the DVD, I was looking forward to seeing RED 2, and I was not disappointed.
Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, were back with Catherine Zeta-Jones joining in.

Once more the team is joined together as they work to track down a missing nuclear device.  Assassins, terrorists and power-crazed officials are all either after them, or standing in their way.
I began laughing almost in the first minute, and continued right to the end. John Malkovich is fabulous. His faces had me in stitches.  He conveyed so much in a look, a face here and eye lift there and I was in the aisle laughing. He was the star of this movie that is for sure.

All the others play there roles superbly. I love Mary-Louise Parker in her role as wanting the excitement, tired of Bruce Willis's character (Moses) protecting her, keeping her safe.  So many scenes were hilarious.  You just need to go see it. If you have seen R.E.D. and enjoyed it, you will love RED 2 even more.
4 out 5.

Movie Review A Good Day to Die Hard

I have always enjoyed the Die Hard series, so as soon as it was opening I went to see it with my fellow movie goer Trish. I was not disappointed. In fact, I really liked this one a lot. Lots of action, and John McLean's (Bruce Willis)'s son played by Jai Courtney definitely made it worth watching.
If Bruce ever decides that John McLean needs to retire, Jai can certainly carry on with the family tradition. He even looks enough like Willis to be his son, plus he's taller.
The whole father / son theme where Willis stops his CIA son from performing his mission and then helps him reminds me of the last Die Hard and Live Free (which I tremendously enjoyed with Jason Long - I loved the humor especially in that one).  But, he did make it up with his daughter, who shows up in the beginning and end of this movie.
There is very little humor here. Only hard hitting stunts. The opening car chase I'm sure will go down in history, in fact someone asked us afterwards if they really had done that with cars or was it computer generated. I did not care, it was spellbinding. I had heard governments were making tanks to fit in streets (apparently for anticipated civil unrest) and there it was smashing and crashing into anything which stood in its way.  Of course the McLean's (of yes the son's name is John, but is called Jack) can take anything and survive.  But that is why the Die Hard series lasts so long and we wait impatiently for the next one.
If you like the Die Hard movies, or if you like action (pretty well non stop) you will LOVE this movie. 
4 out of 5.

Movie Reviews

Hi:  Just wanted to let everyone know that I have been laid up with a disk issue and have not gone to see a movie in over a month.  I feel terribly deprived as so many have come out while I have been able to sit or walk. Now I'm beginning to get back to normal, I will be off to New Zealand for six weeks. I'm sure I will get to see some of the movies I have missed there.  Won't be long before you will get more of my movie reviews. Thanks for your patience.
Norma.