_**Seize the day; be Exceptional!**_
John Keating (Robin Williams), a new teacher at a stuffy prep school in 1959, inspires his students to capitalize on their natural talents and develop a passion for life because they only have one shot and in 60 years or so they'll all be worm-food. Each boy starts to act on Keating's dynamic ideas with explosive consequences , both good and bad.
Released in 1989 and directed by Peter Weir, "Dead Poets Society" is a coming-of-age drama that's one of the most inspiring films ever made and ranks with my all-time favorite movies. The film captivates from the very beginning and doesn't release until it's over. That's when you KNOW a movie's really good, regardless of the subject matter. The cinematography and locations are top rate, shot in the Middletown region of Delaware (although the story itself takes place in Vermont). The quiet Fall & Winter scenes are breathtaking.
This is not a spoiler, but there's a powerful scene at the climax where the students give Keating a daring final salute. Roger Ebert criticized the scene as "so moving he wanted to throw up," but he's dead wrong. It is both unexpected and potent.
The film contains a wealth of riches to mine in subsequent viewings, and I don't just mean the insights conjured from the poetry & prose. Here are a handful off the top of my head: "The letter kills," referring to the legalistic nature of Neil's joyless father and most of the teachers at the school; the type of Judas (Cameron); the scapegoat (Keating); the stunning nature of feminine beauty (when Chris appears at the entrance of the school and the guys' mouths drop); the marvels of nature and how they're conducive to inspiration & spirituality; Keating's heartbroken countenance after Neil is removed from the theater crowd (Keating knows there's little he can do about the authoritarian mistreatment).
There are a couple of insignificant scenes that don't work so well, but that's always the case, even with the best of films.
One possible objection is that one boy's tragedy goes against the very message of the film to "seize the day." I disagree. The kid really started to "seize the day" but his passions were quenched by someone who didn't share Keating's mindset and he unfortunately couldn't handle it. Again, dynamic ideas have explosive consequences, good and bad. The other kids had varying results with their attempts to "seize the day." Some made progress in attaining their dreams and others got in trouble because they threw wisdom to the wind. The varying results make the story realistic.
Another criticism was voiced by a reviewer who stated that the late night meetings at the cave to read poetry and inspire one another were "homo erotic." This interpretation could only be derived by an adult in our gay-obsessed modern culture. The kids in the film are about 16-17 years-old. This was the only way they could go out and have fun under the strict rules of a New England prep school in 1959. I remember when I was a teenager going out to the treehouse with several guys and drinking & smoking; we'd sometimes discuss metal/rock lyrics, which could be viewed as a delinquent form of poetry, and other such things. Sometimes we'd bring a girl or three. Likewise, in two of the cave meetings in the film one of the guys brings a couple babes from another school whilst the others look on in awe; on two other occasions a guy brings nude pages of whoa-men. I think that pretty much quells the "homo-erotic" theory.
Most of those who scoff at this film's message go back to their 9 to 5 slavery (or 3 to 11 or 11 to 7, etc.) with no light at the end of the mundane tunnel. I encourage such people to give the film a second look. But BEWARE, there are no moronic explosions, CGI, non-stop 'action,' gore, OTT cussing, nudity or sex scenes; I know that's completely shocking, but it's true. Then I would encourage these people to take a good look at their lives and ask: Are you willing to change it? Throw off the shackles? Throw caution to the wind and pursue your true calling, your dream? Will you "sieze the day"? Or will you continue to stagnate in a puddle of mediocrity? The answer that comes back will usually determine if this film becomes a favorite or not.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Australian director Peter Weir has other good films like "Witness" and "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (the latter is, incidentally, a film about an ALL-GIRLS school and can be boring if you're not in the mood for an ultra-mystery yarn), but "Dead Poets Society" is his best. Check it out. Give it a second (or third) chance if you haven't already. It's an outstanding story and it'll inspire you, especially if you've fallen into a life-stifling, growth-stultifying rut of drudgery.
The film runs just over two hours (128 minutes).
GRADE: A+

Carpe Diem & The Punk Rock Movie.
Dead Poets Society is directed by Peter Weir (Picnic At Hanging Rock/Gallipoli) and stars Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Kurtwood Smith, Gale Hansen & Norman Lloyd. The script is written by Tom Schulman, based on his life at Montgomery Bell Academy, an all-boys preparatory school in Nashville, Tennessee. The film is set in 1959 at the fictional Welton Academy in Vermont (location shoot from St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware). The story follows that of English teacher John Keating who uses his different method of teaching to inspire his students to be all that they can be whilst warning of the perils of conformity.
Dead Poets Society was a monster smash hit that made almost $220 million profit in Worldwide box office takings. Not bad considering this was the year that film lovers flocked to see the likes of Batman, Lethal Weapon 2 and the third outing for one Indiana Jones. It showed that there was a mainstream market for serious drama if it is done well. And rest assured, Dead Poets Society is done well, very well in fact. Its launchpad is Schulman's Academy Award winning script that puts under the microscope educational conformity and the ogres that are parental and peer pressure. Enter the inspired casting of Robin Wiliams (nominated for BAFTA & Academy Award for Best Actor) as the teacher who urges his charges to see outside of the box that they have been placed in. Young men, soon to be full adults, who have their lives mapped out for them, are challenged by Mr Keating to be spontaneous, to pursue idealism and view life with new perspectives.
Coming two years after he was nominated for Good Morning Vietnam, Williams once and for all proves to his doubters that he is a quality dramatic actor. His Keating is charismatic but without the mad-cap histrionics that Williams is famed for. Very controlled, in that what is in essence a catalyst role, Keating hasn't rushed to become said catalyst. He's a constant sympathetic presence, a father figure type, yet a confidential friend too. That Schulman's script has avoided the usual clichés that come with teacher-student relations in film's helps Williams as an actor to breath intelligent life into Keating. Even the flecks of humour that Williams is allowed to work from, such as Brando doing Shakespeare, play with a warmth that's essential to the relationships forming in the piece. Tho it's unquestionably Williams' movie (the film soars when he is on screen), the young cast playing the students get an A + for their sensitive portrayals. Notably Robert Sean Leonard (heartfelt), Ethan Hawke (haunting) & Gale Hansen (punky). While Kurtwood Smith leaves an indelible image as a domineering father.
In the hands of Weir, the film, unsurprisingly to his fans, carries an air of mysticism too. Again working with one of his regular DOP's, John Seale, Weir knows how to capture the time, place and people in his movies; while cloaking them in dashes of mystical beauty. Be it the boys striding around the school grounds amidst autumnal hues, or plodding wearily thru the snowy terrain as Winter kicks in, Weir gives the scenes an apt poetic quality. It's also of note that these scenes, as well as the cave sequences where the Dead Poets Society meetings take place, blend with the characters emotional states. Sprightly and optimistic around the greenery, nervous and excited in the darkened cave, then heavy of heart and leg as the fall accompanies the emotionally turbulent last quarter. A last quarter that leads to what has now become a divisive ending. Some have (and will) come away from it irked and claiming it to be syrupy. Others such as myself find it uplifting, hopeful and a fitting end to the emotional roller-coaster that cast and crew have taken us on. Is your glass half full or half empty? An excellent and intelligent story is directed and acted accordingly, with its themes making it actually one of the best Punk Rock movies out there. 9/10

Some aliens stop by to collect some plant samples. They are spooked by people, flashing lights and dogs investigating the noise and flee - but they accidentally leave one of their number behind. This youngster takes refuge in the shed of a local family where he is discovered by the young "Elliott" (Henry Thomas) and soon the two have a special bond. Gradually the rest of his family are introduced, and they try to figure out how to get him home. Can they succeed before the ever vigilant authorities cotton on? This is just one of these films that is genuinely timeless. It's a love story, a sci-fi adventure, a tale of family, longing and loyalty - all set to superb John Williams score. The chase on the bikes is the stuff of cinema legend, as is "phone home" and the sight of the little creature all dragged-up. The acting from the human youngsters is great, with Drew Barrymore's ("Gertie") and Robert MacNaughton as their elder brother ("Michael") all contributing well to a charming story that even now, 40 years later, is still one of the best cinema has to offer. It works OK on telly, but for best effect seek it out on a big screen - it's still well worth that.

**A RARE MAGICAL GEM**
E.T. The Extraterrestrial is a rare, unique once-in-a-lifetime experience you'll never forget. It will be one of those movies that will stick with you forever. Spielberg's direction, the cinematography, the visual effects, the acting, and last but not least John William's sweeping score when all combined conjure magic and strong feelings deep inside. You won't want to miss this masterpiece. So, watch this movie immediately if you haven't seen it or put this movie in your watchlist and see it ASAP!!!

Dream work indeed.
An alien is stranded on Earth and a bunch of suburban kids attempt to help him get home.
It's amazing to think that such a simple and standard story would go on to become a global phenomenon. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg, blasted its way into pop culture and simultaneously became one of the most cherished films of all time. It's not hard to see why, for E.T. appeals to every member of the family, from the joyous set ups as E.T. stumbles around middle America suburbia, to the doses of magic so gleefully constructed by Spielberg's inner child. Those wishing to scratch away at the surface (and there are many who have previously) will find Spielberg affecting his picture with divorce subtexts (his parents divorce was known to upset him deeply), whilst the government "villains" show an astute aside to paranoia of the times and suspicions of political operatives.
Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore and Peter Coyote star. The score, now famous and likely to bring about goose bumps with at the opening bars, is from John Williams, with cinematography coming from Allen Daviau. Shown in the main from a child's perspective, the film is still a wonder that charms and informs on repeat viewings. So much so that as it approaches its 40th birthday, its longevity and all encompassing appeal shows no sign of abating. Something that Spielberg and his crew can rightly feel very proud about. 9/10

Watched with my wife, the 7th grader, and the kindergartner. I only kind of half watched... It's been a long week. I really wanted to check out my youngest's reactions.
Watching this with my 5 y.o. involved answering a lot of questions, but she LOVED it: wide eyed amazement, tears at the appropriate places, and shouts of "YEAH!!!" during the bike scenes.
Some of the animatronics are definitely dated, but it's weird seeing these older movies with kids so used to everything being CGI... Even my 7th grader said that some scenes seemed really realistic, which surprised me.

With all the gazillion planets in the galaxy to choose from, the warring Cybertron races of "Autobots" (the sort of goodies) and "Decepticons" (the sort of baddies) descend on Earth in search of a missing cube. This "allspark" - landed on our planet aeons ago and for many years has been unwittingly in the custody of the always competent US military and their "Section 7" operatives - currently led by "Simmons" (John Turturro). Now it transpires that there is a clue to the location of this gizmo - and that is to be found on the spectacles of the grandfather of "Sam" (Shia LaBeouf), only he doesn't know it. The goodies decide to protect him by providing him with one of their number, the ultimate convertible car "Bumblebee" but that doesn't actually end up being much use as his bodyguard and soon poor old "Sam" and his gal "Mikaela" (the startlingly wooden Megan Fox) are embroiled in the action-packed Meccano movie. The star is easy on the eye and has a soupçon of charisma to bring, but otherwise this is just a shockingly derivative series of repetitive fight scenes featuring robots between whom it is almost impossible to distinguish. Their vocals all seem to involve them speaking into the microphone through an old pair of socks, and as it lurches on I gradually found I really couldn't care less whether the red robot beat the black one - you just know this is but the start of a never ending franchise with only two purposes. 1 - to restart the flagging career of Josh Duhamel and 2 - to sell toys, thousands and thousands of toys. Marketing has often been behind some of the most successful movie spin-offs, but somehow this is just a touch more cynical than the rest. The story is weak and the characterisations, such as they are, are about as deep as a hoof print. Plenty of pyrotechnics, though, but at all but 2½ hours long, this is a long old haul. Maybe if I were only twelve years old, but...

Prepare for a captivating and enchanting magic carpet ride unlike any other with Aladdin. This animated feature excels in every aspect, delivering an experience that will leave you spellbound from start to finish.
Aladdin, a street rat yearning for acceptance, embarks on a journey filled with self-discovery and adventure. His bond with the mischievous monkey Abu adds depth to his character, as he navigates a world where he seeks connection and importance.
The sequence in the Cave of Wonders is a visual marvel, portraying themes of self-doubt, determination, and thievery. It immerses viewers in Aladdin's quest for acceptance and validation, making for a compelling and relatable narrative.
Jasmine's character is a standout, portraying a young princess who craves individuality and purpose beyond her royal status. She embodies strength, determination, and a fierce spirit, challenging traditional expectations of princesses with her own unique identity.
The diverse cast of characters, including Carpet, Iago, Genie, Jafar, Raja, and Sultan, adds richness to the story, showcasing a range of personalities and motivations. From the mischievous villain to the loyal companions, each character contributes to the film's dynamic and engaging narrative.
One of the film's most iconic and breathtaking moments is the song "A Whole New World," where Aladdin and Jasmine soar on the magic carpet. This scene is a testament to the film's magical and immersive storytelling, capturing the essence of adventure and romance in animation history.
In conclusion, Aladdin's exceptional storytelling, vibrant characters, and exhilarating scenes make it a must-watch for anyone seeking a magical and thrilling cinematic experience. Strap in for a ride on the magic carpet and let Aladdin sweep you off your feet.

It's a classic. Grew up watching Aladdin all the time. Great movie still.

Certainly one of the better animations from the reinvigorated 1990's Disney Studio. It still has the schmaltzy, over sentimental treatment that seems to torment me every time I watch a Disney film, but the characterisations of the "Genie" (Robin Williams") and the evil "Jafar" (Jonathan Freeman) are great as are the rest of the vocal acting talent (rather than using established stars). The script is punchy, well written and has plenty for folks of all ages to engage with. The songs are well paced and amusing and nowhere near as shouty as we have become used to in later animations. All in all this sits well as en enjoyable take on an an enjoyable Arabian Nights style story.

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Aladdin is one of Disney‘s most adored classics, being the indisputable favorite of many, many fans. The Lion King will always have that spot in my heart, but I also visited this story set in Agrabah dozens of times. Now, with the 2019’s remake about to premiere, I rewatched it last night and, once again, I fell in love. Honestly, I didn’t remember how funny and entertaining it is! It still holds up incredibly well, even though the film was released almost 30 years ago. The animation still looks stunning and fluid, but it’s the musical numbers and the voice work from the cast that makes this movie one of Disney‘s best.
As it’s known, Robin Williams shines in a role that stands out from his brilliant filmography, as his career-best interpretation of an animated character. Genie is one of the most versatile figures of Disney and Williams spreads out his wings of creativeness and imagination, delivering a phenomenal voice performance of the hilarious blue entity. From his seamless imitations to the simple yet extremely difficult tone changes, he gives everything. Genie appears every time the film most needs him, which is when the pacing starts to drop and needs something to pump it back up while moving the plot forward. He could merely be a plot device, but thankfully the writers gave him an unique personality with his own motivations, making us not only laugh with him but genuinely care about his destiny.
That’s the other main attribute of this movie: its writing. The dialogues feel realistic, grounded, and there are no real exposition scenes, besides the musical sequences, which are also meant to serve that purpose. Aladdin and Jasmine lived utterly opposite lives, and both wish to change. Each wants the other’s life experiences and adventures, which provides some amazing moments between these characters. I still wish their relationship had more time to develop (something I hope the remake will do), as well as Jafar‘s motivations. It’s 1992, and it’s an animated film, but the cliche villain who wants power because “I’m the bad guy” never quite worked. However, the menacing and dark voice of John Freeman sells this character. In addition to these protagonists, Abu and Iago are two comedy sources that perfectly work, all the time.
Musically, there is no way of denying the cultural impact that the Aladdin songs had. From Arabian Nights to A Whole New World, every song is filled with rich lyrics, great rhythm, and a beautiful tone. Not only are these able to develop the character or move the plot forward, but they also help the story never to break its fast pacing. Almost 30 years later, the animation quality still looks striking, and there are so many memorable backgrounds and visually outstanding settings. Disney‘s 90s decade is an absolute treasure in movie history: Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tarzan, Aladdin and a few more animated diamonds (in the rough) that went a bit under the radar.
All of these will definitely get a live-action remake (some already have), and I welcome all of them. Stop trying to boycott something that will only help the new generations to fall in love with the same characters that we did. Live-action isn’t here to offend our childhood or produce cheap copies of our favorite films! It isn’t here to replace the originals but to honor them instead by delivering modern takes on stories that impacted us on a deep emotional level, and that will try to do the same for our children, grandsons and nephews. Are they going to be better than the source material? Worse? It doesn’t really matter as long as they keep the original’s essence and the traits that made us adore these unforgettable characters. And, please, stop the “they’re doing these remakes for money” argument. That can literally be said about every movie in the history of cinema. Unfortunately, entertainment is a business, it always was, and it always will be. Move on.
All in all, Aladdin is a beautifully passionate story about how two incredibly different people with two completely different lifestyles can come to love each other by who they truly are. Robin Williams is a perfectly polished diamond and his scenes alone superbly elevate this film. One of Disney most impactful classics, filled with memorable songs, well-written characters, and stunning animation, which holds up remarkably still to this day. Despite some nitpicks regarding Jafar and the protagonists’ relationship, Aladdin is undoubtedly an unbelievably precious gem which continues (and will continue) to be loved by newer generations all around the world.
Rating: A

Three years ago, Despicable Me launched Illumination Entertainment and announced Universal Studios as a viable player in the animation game (only Disney/Pixar and DreamWorks used to show up to these box-office battles). The film wasn't even the only supervillain animation to hit the theaters that year, but it did one-up its rival Megamind both in critical acclaim and commercial success.
Now, the original film's creative team returns with Despicable Me 2, continuing the adventures of former supervillain-cum-adopted father Gru, his precocious daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes, and his little, yellow, nonsense-spouting minions. Following closely on the first film's heels (this film gratifyingly puts a premium on continuity), the now-retired Gru is settling into his new paternal role, and while the spikier parts of his personality remain, he's reshaped himself into an adoring father and potential purveyor of jams (and jellies). When an evil plot threatens the globe, however, Gru finds himself pulled back into the supervillain game by the Anti-Villain League, who've recruited him to be the hero, an ersatz spy who knows how the mystery bad guy thinks. One earnest and delightfully overbearing partner introduction later, the pair (Gru and newbie AVL agent Lucy Wilde, played by Kristen Wiig) are undercover as bakers in a strip mall where the bad guy's scheme is likely to go down.
Despite the world being threatened, the stakes feel surprisingly low in the film; the archness of the plot never feels as real or immediate as the character interactions, which are enjoyable all the way through. Here, Gru realizes his loneliness, his neophyte partner realizes her true calling, and his daughters come to grips with new realizations and wishes. The characters take center stage, rarely letting the transparently-raised stakes of the plot machinations get in the way of sitcom-like character arcs such as the eldest daughter dating (and Gru's dogged insistence on undermining it) or little Agnes wanting a new mother. But that's sort of the magic of these films; despite the plot beats being the stuff of basic sitcoms, the setting and characters manage to still make the film a winning combination.
Steve Carell dusts off the strange Eastern European accent he originated for Gru, and manages to be both an amusing character and his own straight man. Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher embody adorableness as the girls. But it's Wiig who steals the show as Agent Wilde, a professional woman who is also goofy and personable. Wiig and Carell have fantastic chemistry, even with just their voices in play.
The minions, those little yellow blobs in overalls that accompany all of the film's publicity, are back and hilarious as ever, despite their laser-like focus on slapstick and complete lack of intelligible dialogue. The Despicable films seem to be two separate animation genres welded together: the first is a heartfelt, Pixarian meditation on the nature of family, but the second is the part with the minions, which embody the anarchic spirit of the Looney Tunes more successfully than any of their predecessors. It's a strange melange that shouldn't work, but dammit, it does, and the resulting films wound up being both moving and guffaw-inducing.
The other aspect of the Despicable films that bowls me over is the virtual cinematography; truly, alongside the best of Pixar's output (like Wall-E), these are some of the most beautiful animated films ever made. The use of color, depth, and art are stunning, from Gru's Charles Addams-inspired design to the beautiful play of light, shadow, and color. This sequel follows the high standards of the first, and the result is a feast for the eyes.
The bottom line is that like the first film, this one is a trifle, but a very enjoyable one. It's little more than a victory lap for Carell and company, but when there are characters you can enjoy this much, what's wrong with spending another couple of hours with them?

**Dreaded at the thought that human kind ACTUALLY had this kind of livelihood at some point of time..**
Could not gather my thoughts to write this review at the end of the movie.Feeling really bogged down by some heaviness on my chest. Thinking about the times in history when we actually used to do these atrocities on other human beings makes me cringe.To imagine waking up one day and find me in chains just because I'm a colored man and living my life like an unwanted child of god makes me question humanity altogether. Just sitting through a little over than 2 hours and watching this movie made my heart bleed, I can't even begin to think of the people who lived their entire lives as SLAVES... 12 years a slave heart breakingly makes you feel the pain and suffering of almost the entire human kind at one point of time or other. Direction by Steve McQueen is brilliant.Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a helpless slave in Solomon Northup to the hilt and also the small but impactive role played by Brad Pitt as a man with conscience is superb.Lupita Nyong'o's Patsey too was depicted heart warmingly. You can't help but question yourself that how could MAN stoop such low and do these cruel acts and that too over such a prolonged period of time without even a single ounce of doubt in his mind for what he would have to pay for his actions.. All in all a GEM of a movie showing one of the lowest point in human history !

Not in a long time have I seen a movie that brings out real emotions from my cold hearted soul. This movie brought them out in floods of tears.
the acting was superb, especially from the lead Chiwetel Ejiofor, he acted from his little toe right up to his eyes.
The style was also filmed beautifully with some (extremely) painful long shots which pulled you into Solomons nightmare.
Im not sure if its a film I could watch again, purely for the emotion but I would recommend this film to everyone.

This movie is very, very well done. Well, edited and with the proper long shots at the proper moments bringing you to the life of Solomon without remedy.
All the cast performs exceptionally well and Ejiofor is to be remembered for this film.
A must to be seen.

Sometimes, I just have to stop my brain in the middle of a film and just admire its exceptional craftsmanship. I found myself doing that time and time again during this film. Perhaps I was more open to admiring the shot compositions and acting choices because, as I cynically told myself before the film, it's not like I needed much convincing that slavery was bad. Or perhaps it was because I was shielding myself from the honest brutalities the film convincingly portrayed. Nonetheless, I was reminded of the film "Children of Men," because when I watched that, I was struck by how easily I could imagine a less engaging, more dumbed-down version of the same film. I haven't seen enough films about slavery to know this for certain, but I suspect that because many of this film's principals are British, telling a story about a free man who was forced into slavery, as opposed to one born into it, they were able to be gain some valuable distance from the subject and craft something that's both beautiful and feels true to life. And even though I thought I could not have been made to feel worse than I already did about slavery, the post-scripts on the lack of justice Solomon received for his kidnapping and the unknown causes of his death, helped keep the film from lapsing into a kind of "triumph of the spirit" happy ending others might have imposed.

"Marie" (aka "Rogue" - Anna Paquin) really does know how to suck the joy out the relationship with her boyfriend, so runs away and hooks up with "Wolverine" (Hugh Jackman). Both of them are on the radar of the evil "Magneto" (Ian McKellen) so the benign "Dr. Xavier" (Patrick Stewart) dispatches "Storm" (Halle Berry) and "Cyclops" (James Marsden) to fetch them back to his school for the gifted. Here, he is able to train these powerful mutants so they are prepared to take on the megalomanic baddie. "Magneto", in turn, is intent on dealing once and for all with humanity, and it's intolerance of the whole of mutant-kind. This is very much an establishing film for a series yet to come. The backstories and identities are built up so we understand who is who, and why they are behaving as they do - and that includes the nervous humans led by "Sen. Kelly" (Bruce Davison). I'm not sure if it's search for mass appeal (it's rated 12) compromised it too much, but for the most part this is all just a rather procedural excuse for some long combat scenes and some special effects based around some handsome people in the cast. To be fair, there are a few fun rivalry scenes between Jackman and Marsden (though luckily no yellow spandex) but Stewart is just "Picard" in a wheelchair and though McKellen offers a more substantial effort as "Magneto", even he doesn't really have much by way of decent dialogue to get his teeth into. Indeed, the writing is really pretty lame throughout. It is a good film to watch, especially on a big screen, but let's hope the series storylines mature a bit for the next one.

'X-Men' is very good.
Another franchise I'm checking out for the first time, despite knowing about it for a number of years. This is a positive opener, there is a lot to feel entertained by for sure. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) is the star of the show, though Patrick Stewart (Professor X) and Ian McKellen (Magneto) are solid too.
Intrigued to check out the sequels and the subsequent other productions.
/copied directly from my Letterboxd review\

Decent watch, might watch again, and can recommend.
This is not a good "comic book movie", but as a stand alone story, it's decent if derivative.
Just pretend I did a whole rant about how this isn't like the comics, we're both better off this way.
There are a lot good points like balancing the characters and stars in a way that was lauded way more in Avengers later on because everyone liked those characters better and there was some definite "oomph" to the Avengers franchise that the X-Men franchise was missing from the start, but no one had done it right yet so it was unclear what we didn't know at the time.
Fox clearly put enough money into this on the basis of the cast paychecks alone, and there are several good visual effects throughout the movie. Comic consistencies aside, they really shoehorned some of the things in and there character writing is clearly misdirected.
The writing has a good skeleton to it, but there are too many places where they wrote "and something cool happens to distract the audience". X-Men is a drama story, and they carried that into the movie, but it would seem they were aiming to be an action movie with a deep plot and just landed inbetween.
The action is all between characters that (and I fully believed the actors did all they could) are limited to being awkward, goofy, stiff, or empty.

X-Men is a milestone in cinema history. Without it being actually good and such a smash success, we wouldn't be enjoying the comic book movie world that rules the box office today.
The approach of X-Men was the right one. It told a relevant human story about prejudice, treating the source material respectfully and seriously. It's legacy may be greater than the actual movie, but X-Men is x-cellent!

***“X-Men” laid the foundation for all the great Superhero flicks to come***
I think the X-Men films have been so popular because the X-Men dare to be different. The concept of the X-Men strays far from superhero conventions. If you approach the X-Men films thinking you're getting something akin to Superman, Spider-Man or Batman, forget it.
The unique concept of the X-Men is that humanity is starting to evolve to the next level and a small percentage of humans all over the globe are starting to manifest superhuman powers from the mutant "X" gene. Two mutant leaders, who are old friends, take totally contrasting positions: Charles Xavier starts a school for mutant youths in upstate New York. His attitude is positive and his goal benign. Eric Lensherr or Magneto, on the other hand, is fed up with the paranoia of non-mutants. He starts a "Brotherhood of Mutants" with an attitude of superiority. Unfortunately, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
You could say that Xavier takes the approach of Martin Luther King Jr. while Magneto goes the route of Malcolm X, an interesting comparison.
Although everybody has their favorite, I feel all three films in the original trilogy are of the same general quality: "X-Men" (2000), "X2: X-Men United" (2003) and "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006).
"X-Men" naturally lays the foundation by introducing the principle characters and the plight of the mutants. Wolverine and Rogue are introduced and slowly develop an interesting big brother/little sister type relationship. They come into contact with both Magneto's Brotherhood and Xavier's school and nobly opt for the latter. Magneto's bunch includes Sabertooth, Toad and Mystique, while Xavier's team includes Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm, as well as adolescents Iceman and Pyro. Both groups of mutants meet and tussle at Liberty Island in New York Harbor, which is the weakest part of the film, but not bad.
When "X-Men" debuted in 2000 it was easily the best comic-to-film adaption since "Superman" (1978) and "Superman II" (1980). It was the precursor to all the great superhero films that came out in the 2000s and has only lost some of its allure due to the quality of many of those films.
The movie runs 1 hour, 44 minutes with several interesting deleted scenes available.
GRADE: A-

I did not start watching this sitcom until the show end3d, but I had the good fortune to watch the episodes of all 12 seasons in order. I don’t agree with another review I saw that said the show had slipped over time. Rather, it is a consistently great show, as all of Chuck Lorre’s efforts seem to be, sort of comedy’s answer to Aaron Sorkin’s dramas.
Mind you, I had some minor issues with it. I really got tired of Sheldon’s attitude and antics, but that 2as counterbalanced by the slow and careful ways he also showed character growth. Similarly, all of the characters exhibited realistic growth in their attitudes and behavior. The writing was usually strong, even during the few shows that I would classify as clunkers— plots that didn’t work for me. I am impressed that the show never jumped the shark, but rather stayed true to itself. Some long running shows can’t resist doing it, such as when Happy Days changed the Fonz from a cool dude to a combo superhero/cartoon character who could do almost anything, it seemed.
Funny, I have a friend who told me she couldn’t watch it due to the canned laugh track, so I was amused to learn there was no laugh track as the show was filmed in front of a live audience. Imagine that!

**What this review might have sounded like had I written it 7 years ago.**
The first few seasons are, for the most part, extremely fantastic, focused, funny, fresh, intelligent and even at times, brilliant. Most importantly, it offers something that separates it from the pack...Must see TV!
**What this review sounds like now nearing the end of the shows run.**
A once great show which slowly starts to diminish around season 4, unfortunately. By the 9th season it seems as though the pen and paper have been handed over to teenage fans of the show...Decent background noise.
**To conclude.**
This show was once incredible, and something fresh, even at times brilliant. I couldn't wait for each new episode. Now, I watch it when it becomes available on a streaming service, and, on rare occasion you get a great episode, but it's not worth devoting a weekly schedule and sitting through all the fan-fiction episodes and story lines to get to the good stuff. The show can still be enjoyable, without question, though I find it better suited as background noise while doing work instead of must see TV that you're excited to tune in as it airs each week. It's now just another average sitcom which has been dumbed down for the masses quite considerably. At this rate, the show will probably end with Penny having Sheldon's child to fulfill the most commonly seen teenage fan-fiction.

Another one of my favorite movies. I've never seen a movie like this before. Imagine if you really did have a clock that tells you when your going to die.

**A compelling concept makes this decent heist film worth your time.**
In Time’s unique premise asks interesting questions and ultimately puts a fresh coat of paint on the typical heist stereotype. I love heist movies and In Time is an interesting take as the characters steal seconds of life instead of money. While posing intriguing questions about life, worth, and economic tension, In Time fills its runtime with car chases, shootouts, bank heists, and a little bit of character development. In Time is not a perfect movie, but it has pretty good action, a great cast, and a provocative concept making for a solid film.

Fantasy of course, but the way technology is changing the face of this world, in 2021 it would not surprise me. Action packed from start to finish, with many 'on the edge of your seat' moments. Worth my time and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for roller coaster entertainment.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a brilliant movie, from star to finish. I highly recommend it.

Tom Hanks excels in this well put together depiction of the archetypal, rather fastidious, business executive who finds himself stranded - after his plane crashes - on a remote tropical island. Completely ill-suited for life without any modern conveniences, but not without a brain cell or two, he has to adapt à la "Robinson Crusoe" to his new life of coconuts and whatever fish he can catch. The story takes it's time but that all contributes well to the effectiveness of his performance as he must deal with the physical, logistical and increasingly psychological challenges his predicament throws at him. Loneliness and despair fight against his human nature to thrive and to survive - and cause his creation of "Wilson", a sort of hybrid between a volleyball and a pineapple, for company! It was a Fed-Ex plane, which allows Robert Zemeckis to introduce some brief flashes of humour to lighten the mood - it's astonishing what people think to send to each other - and there is even a role for some ice skates to serve as a dentistry aid! As it progresses, we know that rescue is unlikely so are not surprised when his thoughts turn to venturing into the great, and turbulent, unknown - on a raft held together by plant threads and video tape. There isn't a great deal of jeopardy so the ending isn't really in doubt, but the effort here by Hanks and some solid writing and directing create quite a compelling and at times un-nerving film to watch. I've never really been one for the tropical island experience - I'm certainly not now!

**Cast Away is a brilliant movie in many ways, but some disappointing story and character decisions keep it from being a personal favorite.**
It all began on Christmas Day. Many people forget that Cast Away is technically a Christmas movie. The fateful plane crash that strands Tom Hanks on an island alone with his volleyball best friend, Wilson, takes off and leaves his new fiance alone on Christmas Day. There are some fantastic aspects to this film. Tom Hanks once again gives an Oscar-worthy performance committing himself entirely to the role that honestly carried the film. Everyone loves Tom Hanks, so stranding him on a deserted island fighting for survival gets everyone involved. The directing and setting of the film were well-crafted. There are two reasons Cast Away receives such a low rating:
> 1. Despite Hanks' incredible performance, the film was mostly one guy all alone talking to himself. It made the story drag and get a little boring.
> > 2. Call me a romantic but the fact that he battles and finally makes it home to his fiance only to find out she moved on was extremely disappointing. Sure he abandoned her during the holiday season but still, he returned to her against all odds, only to be rejected. Ouch! I guess she sort of… cast him away. 🤭
I agree with anyone who says Cast Away is an amazing movie, but it's not a personal favorite.

We live and we die by time. And we must not commit the sin of losing our track on time.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Jetting off on yet another important task, FedEx whizzer Chuck Noland leaves his girlfriend Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt) behind just before Christmas. Disaster strikes during the flight and the plane crashes into the ocean. Managing to free himself from the sinking jet, Noland is washed up on an uninhabited island. Without basic modern comforts and fighting solitude daily, Noland must live in hope that one day he might be saved before he loses his mind or the will to live.
Tom Hanks (Noland) re-teams with director Robert Zemeckis after their hugely successful collaboration on 1994 awards stealer, Forrest Gump. Though Cast Away didn't win any awards (the usual cry of it being Oscar bait had preceded it) it can be argued to be Hanks' best performance. Few actors in the modern era could carry the film the way that Hanks does. Beguiling and drawing us into his loneliness, Hanks, with minimal dialogue (his only company being a volleyball that washed up with a few other FedEx parcels) excels with facial and bodily acting. Zemeckis, who should be applauded for the middle section and the terrifying plane crash that precedes it, puts Hanks' Noland through the mangler. The convenience of said parcels washing ashore aside, Noland is bumped bruised and dentally challenged, the Robinson Crusoe clichés exist of course, but Zemeckis and a heartfelt Hanks put us there on the island as well, with a pat on the back due for the excellent work by the sound department I might add.
Sadly Cast Away is bookended by not so great work. The opening character introductions are unremarkable but just about good enough for the plot set up, but the ending lacks emotional punch and defies what has been built up. Things aren't helped by Helen Hunt's lack of chemistry with Hanks, but that in turn is not helped by the writing from William Broyles Jr. since it's only really now that it's Noland that we care about. It's a bit churlish to complain too much though, because Zemeckis kept us on the island with Chuck, there was no cutting back to grieving family or fruitless rescue attempts. With that it was a truly fine one man show, even if that is something that ultimately renders the ending something of a let down. 7.5/10