Category: Reviews

“Bullet Train” is very bloody but bloody good! It’s a two-hour thrill ride that has you traveling fast, up to 275 miles per hour, while traversing the tracks of the Japanese subway system. Hold onto your hat as this highly sophisticated train leaves Tokyo.
Read more Bullet Train Movie Review …a fun revisit

IN A NUTSHELL:

Romance rekindles for Peyton and her closest friends during a holiday-themed reunion that Peyton’s parents decide to host in their family-owned summer camp before selling it.  The Hallmark movie was written by Anna White and directed by David I. Strasser. Read more Campfire Christmas movie review

IN A NUTSHELL:

In spite of their many differences, Cassie, a struggling singer-songwriter, and Luke, a troubled Marine, agree to marry solely for military benefits. But when tragedy strikes, the line between real and pretend begins to blur. Read more Purple Hearts movie review

IN A NUTSHELL:

1 room.  2 people.  50 days.  $5 million!  Could you do it?  I would accept that challenge in a heartbeat! Read more The Immaculate Room movie review

IN A NUTSHELL:

From Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation comes the story of Sam Greenfield, the unluckiest person in the world! Suddenly finding herself in the never-before-seen Land of Luck, she must unite with the magical creatures there to turn her luck around.  This is Skydance Media’s first animated feature film.

The film was directed by Peggy Holmes who used to be a choreographer at Disney.  The writing team includes Kiel Murray (CARS), Jonathan Aibel, and Glenn Berger.  This is John Lasseter’s first connection with a non-Disney-related animation.  You can definitely feel his touch on the movie.

THINGS I LIKED:

• Who doesn’t love Simon Pegg, right?  He plays a magical, Scottish, polydactyl cat named Bob.  Get out your tissues for a reveal about him at the end.
• Eva Noblezada gives a great voice to the unlucky leading lady and even sings a little in some scenes.
• Jane Fonda plays a dragon who is as impeccably dressed as the actress is in real life.  While she could easily have retired years ago, she continues to pump out work.  Her popular TV series with Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie, just recently ended but she is keeping very busy still!
• Other cast members include Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Flula Bor, John Ratzenberger, and Lil Rel Howery.  They all do a fantastic job.
• Fun fact #1: The first trailer was released on Friday the 13th of May.  That’s ironic because Friday the 13th is notorious for being bad luck.  In my family, it’s good luck though, because one of my sons was born on a Friday the 13th!  The bad luck of that formula was that he was born so fast that he was born at home on my bedroom floor!  ha ha
• The animation is fantastic.  Things like hair and fabric look especially amazing.
• Some of the characters are super cute.  I loved Jerry, the redhead who got super excited when he found out that Sam had eaten grilled cheese before.
• Irish music, the Celtic knot, and even a Riverdance-looking system are utilized in the world of shiny lucky pennies with a bunch of leprechauns.
• Cute musical number.
• The bad luck sequences at the beginning of the movie are super entertaining and endear us immediately to Sam.
• The powerful messages come through loud and clear.
• They have included every kind of image and creature in the movie that has been associated with bringing good luck and bad luck for centuries.  There are rabbits, but no focus is on the rabbit’s foot, unfortunately.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• It would have been perfect if this had premiered during St. Patrick’s Day, right?  The movie has quite a few leprechauns and is all about luck (obviously).
• When it comes to world-building, it seems like there are some missing details that make the rules seem inconsistent.  Bob tells Sam “It doesn’t work that way” and attempts to explain complicated systems.  That element of the movie is a bit messy and confusing.
• I was surprised there wasn’t a cute, bonus scene somewhere in the final rolling credits.
• Like almost every movie nowadays, the bosses are all women.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:    

• Super sweet and fun for all ages
• You and your kids might want to look on a map to find out where Latvia is.
• People and creatures are often in chaotic, dangerous situations.
• You might need to explain the foster system to your kids.  Hopefully, they’ll appreciate you as their parent more!

THEMES:

• Good luck charms
• Orphans
• Friendship
• Make your own destiny
• Sacrificing for others
• Success
• Resilience
• Gratitude
• Courage
• Loneliness
• Doing good with your life
• Sharing
• Forever Family
• The good qualities we develop through challenges

You can see the full review on the Movie Review Mom YouTube channel.

IN A NUTSHELL:

The thriller is about two best friends, Becky and Hunter, who find themselves at the top of a 2,000-foot radio tower.  If you have an aversion to heights, you might want to skip this scary flick!  Acrophobes beware!       #lifeoverdeath

The film was directed by Scott Mann, as well as written by him with writing help by Jonathan Frank.

THINGS I LIKED:

• I was so nervous for these two idiot girls the entire time!  Because of the ridiculously dangerous height, the movie is super suspenseful and nerve-wracking!  The movie does a great job of giving you thrills and chills.
• I had never seen Grace Caroline Currey or Ginny Gardner in anything before.  I thought they did a really good job, especially considering that they were able to keep me engaged the whole time with just the two of them on screen for the majority of the movie.
• I like Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the supportive dad in this movie.  We don’t see him a lot, unfortunately.  When he tries to help his daughter by reaching out to her friend, she says, “He had no right!”  which is silly because he has every right…he’s her dad.
• The cinematography is pretty amazing!  Beautiful and scary at the same time.
• It’s always fascinating to watch what survivors do in various situations to stay alive and get help.
• There are a couple of twists that might surprise viewers to keep things interesting.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• My oldest son and his wife are big rock climbers.  I REALLY wish they would choose a safer sport..like bowling or something!  ha ha
• Want to hear my parental advice?  Well, you’re going to anyway!  When your friends try to convince you to do something stupid, have the courage to say NO!
• I think I would take my climbing shoes and gear more seriously than what the two girls had. They didn’t even wear gloves!
• You’d think they would have reconsidered their plan when they saw the old, rusty tower.
• What’s frustrating about this kind of movie is that the people involved don’t always consider all of their options before taking action.
• There’s a moment at the 1-hour, 22 mark where the voice of one of the girls doesn’t sync with the audio.
• There is a lot of foreshadowing that makes the movie pretty predictable.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:    

• Lots of profanity
• You see a married couple in bed
• A girl sees imagined blood
• A girl wears a super low-cut shirt and a Victoria’s Secret push-up bra in order to get clicks and likes on YouTube.   Nope, you won’t see me doing that.  Just saying!
• Young adults do very dangerous things, specifically, climbing up an old, rusty 2,000-foot radio tower
• You see vultures eating bloodied creatures
• You see pee trickling down the tower

THEMES:

• Fear
• Courage
• Choose your friends wisely because they WILL influence you
• Mourning and grief
• Depression
• Doing things to get attention
• Hope
• Love
• Trust
• Betrayal
• Friendship
• Jealousy
• Survival of the fittest

You can see the full review on the Movie Review Mom YouTube channel.