I saw this again recently - commemorating 25 years since it's original release, and to this day I still remember the image of the little aliens with the duty-free trolley of cigarettes trying to flee Earth after we are threatened with destruction by the "Arquillian" empire with powerful weapons - who want their "galaxy" back. It falls to "K" (Tommy Lee Jones) and his streetwise, rookie colleague "J" (Will Smith) to identify then try to track down this article - and the evil beast that killed their Emperor who was carrying it - before the Imperium takes it's, literally, Earth-shattering action. There is a great dynamic between the two stars, plenty of humour to compliment the fun special effects and as we discover, loads of characters amongst the alien creatures who have been inhabiting this planet since God was a boy. The ending goes on bit, but it has stood the test of time well, and is still easily the best of this franchise.

Another favorite movie of mine. Aliens disguised as humans. Mmmmm sounds like real life. This movie is hilarious. I got one question, you ever flashy thing me? Lol!

Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.
This was a better movie historically than actually. It at least felt like it introduced some concepts of having aliens infiltrated Terra into the industry, even if it didn't actually. Maybe it popularized it more, but it was very good at walking the audience across that line that separates our normal Terran view to that of an integrated society. Or maybe I just love the concept of aliens on our planet that much.
I definitely don't think it was the manner they took: the humor is as annoying as it is funny most of the time, and Tommy Lee Jones is just as funny as Will Smith (that's saying something, personally) as the straight man, credit to both of them. That said, they were a perfect for the movie, and all the supporting cast did wonderfully.
Vincent D'Onofrio, as "Not Edgar", was probably the funniest character in the movie to me, and I don't think he was supposed to be.
The "haze the rookie by leaving out vital information" bit is cliche and worn out, but that's have the jokes here. I definitely like the movie, and I love what it could have been.

_**Fun sci-fi comedy with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith**_
An athletic New York City police officer (Will Smith) joins a shadowy government organization that deals with extraterrestrial interactions on Earth. Tommy Lee Jones plays his senior partner, Rip Torn the head of the agency, Vincent D'Onofrio a possessed hick and Linda Fiorentino an attractive coronor.
"Men in Black" (1997) is wildly amusing in the first half, but loses its energy a bit in the last act. Nevertheless, it fills the bill for when you’re in the mood for fun & thrilling popcorn entertainment. It inspired three sequels as of this date: “Men in Black II” (2002), “Men in Black 3” (2012) and “Men in Black: International” (2019) with the last one being the only movie in the series without Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.
The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot in New York City & surrounding area (e.g. Jersey City), as well as Semi Valley, CA (the saucer crash sequence) and nearby Los Angeles/Culver City.
GRADE: B-

Maybe it doesn't hold up as well as you'd hoped, but both leads are actually putting in the effort in this first entry, and _Men in Black_ is still, after all these years, a bit of fun.
_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._

An alien invasion in Europe combined with a Groundhog Day concept, Tom Cruise repeats the same day over and over. Starting the movie as a coward, he slowly goes through his hero's journey becoming a brave hero on his quest tp save humanity from fast-moving parasitic aliens with long gross tentacles. Emily Blunt adds great acting and good chemistry with Cruise on set. The special effects are detailed and fun, especially with the exoskeletons on soldiers and the aliens themselves. Definitely a top sci-fi and worth watching.

**An effective film that works reasonably well, but still feels like a pretext for massive CGI.**
In recent years, it seems to have become a convention that it takes an insane amount of special effects to make a good movie. There are a lot of movies that look like excuses or pretexts for a ton of effects, CGI and amazing graphics, without great content to give them a solid foundation. This film, where we have an alien invasion and a soldier who discovers he can control time and relive the same day over and over again, is essentially another one for this list.
In fact, the film feels like a cross between “Stargate” and “Groundhog Day”. It's a little preposterous in its premise, stretching the laws of physics to near fraying. The invasion of aliens is nothing new, even that idea of a single organism, with a single mind that needs to be killed. The thing is, despite the huge amount of action, it all feels pretty empty. The film compensates for this with a pleasant pace and puts a lot of effort into the effects, CGI and technical aspects.
Tom Cruise is in his element. He is again a likeable soldier, very cute and good looking, pleasing to the female audience. I don't like him as an actor, and this movie won't change my opinion of him. Emily Blunt does a decent job, but it will never be the best of the actress, who doesn't seem to have been cut out for action movies at all. Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson and Jonas Armstrong provide effective and welcome support, but little else. Their characters are not well developed and are incidental.

End of the world groundhog day sci-fi monster movie. Tom Cruise playing an utter coward, at least in the beginning, is a refreshing change. This is one of those 'repeat incident' movies you have to keep watching, just to see what's going to change next time around. Oh, and the alien beasts, more over the way they move, are utterly terrifying. Unfortunately, the out-of-step ending leaves you thinking "Wait, what?"

**Exceptional performances, effects, story, and pacing round out this amazing film making it worth Live, Watch, and Repeating.**
Edge of Tomorrow (or Live. Die. Repeat.) is an exhilarating mash-up of time-loops, alien invasions, war, and post-apocalyptic humanity struggling for survival. Add Tom Cruise’s charismatic coward to champion and Emily Blunt’s battle-hardened warrior into that mix, and this movie soars from a cool idea to an astonishing sci-fi epic! The pacing was excellent, which can be tricky in time-loop movies, but Doug Liman masterfully guides the story and Cruise’s character arc hitting just the right beats. The movie stays engaged as the story still jumps from challenge to challenge and location to location while in the time-loop keeping the movie fresh and exciting. The performances, directing, writing, and pacing make Edge of Tomorrow an underrated treasure.

On your feet, maggot! The idea of resetting time is being fully explored and adds to the action – and who doesn’t like to see Tom Cruise die over and over again?
9/10

Resetting the day.
Edge of Tomorrow is directed by Doug Liman and collectively written by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth. It stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, with music by Christophe Beck and cinematography by Dion Beebe.
It has proved to be a great decade for sci-f, it seems that for every misfire there are three great genre films to off set the disappointments. Sitting at the top end of the table is Edge of Tomorrow (AKA: Live Die Repeat). Adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka's novel "All You Need Is Kill", the story has Cruise as William Cage, an American army Major who upon being thrust into combat against an alien race decimating Earth, finds he awakens to the same day after being killed in action. Seeking out Rita (Blunt), the most decorated soldier of the time, Cage must understand what is happening to him and hopefully save the future of mankind.
So far so Groundhog Day/Source Code then, but Liman's film never lets up from the get go, frenetic with its action, funny into the bargain, and also sexy, it manages to blend audience pleasing conventions with clever thought and process. There's nothing new in the philosophy on show, and there are regular sci-fi tropes for familiarity of genre, but if you are going to recycle formula then do it with verve and swagger, which this most assuredly does. Boosted by Cruise turning in a good one as an unlikable character who develops into a protag to shout for, and Blunt as a super sexy bad-ass poster girl for the war effort, Edge of Tomorrow ultimately rocks. The science will obviously infuriate those who take such things way too seriously, but as the terror of this particular war unfolds on screen (nifty effects), and we have been bought wholesale into our heroes and their quest, its small failings are hardly worth cocking a snook at. 8/10

What makes Edge of Tomorrow's 'failure' a bit surprising is how many of us have always wondered - what would happen if you put Groundhog Day in the context of an invasion of Earth by aliens keen on destroying the human race? Okay...so bad example.
This is about action, killing aliens, and getting in as many 'gallows humor' one-liners as possible. And I realize it tanked in the theaters (relatively speaking) but (I can't believe I'm going to say this)...
But it's a fun movie. It's entertaining, the directing is sharp and quick. In Groundhog Day, about the 4th time you "I Got You Babe" you are screaming at the film - "WE GET IT!!! MOVE THE STORY ALONG!!" That never happens in Edge of Tomorrow. Each cycle through, the story advances and another layer is revealed. The director seems to get that the audience is smart and they can keep up.
Tom Cruise is well, he's Tom Cruise. But Emily Blunt is fantastic in the film.
The ending was a bit of a head-scratcher. Won't spoil it here but the rest of the movie works and thought it was very entertaining. It's a fun action movie - and there's nothing wrong with that.

I have to say that this movie was surprisingly enjoyable. I did have my doubts about it. I always have doubts about movies that manipulate time. I guess one advantage the movie has is that it does not really involve time travel and changing the past to influence the future but “only” resetting a day and living it over and over again.
The entire concept is of course still totally ludicrous. Even if we forget about the feasibility about resetting time altogether there are just so many things that are wrong with the concept. For example, is time reset all over the universe or just on Earth? Both of those avenues create their own issues further down the line of course. Even if we try to forget these larger issues there are the issue that as soon as Cage altered his own behavior from one repetition of that day to another he would alter the chain of events and what he knew was the events in the previous repeat would no longer be certain in the one he was living right then. Not to mention that he had a longer and longer chain of people to convince on a single day and still get the job done.
Okay, enough harping about that. If you manage to lock out all these annoying issues with the story what remains is, as I wrote before, actually a fairly enjoyable movie. It is primarily a science fiction action movie of course and the action as well as special effects are not bad at all. We get treated to plenty of the classical déjà vu scenes were Cage tries to convince people by predicting their immediate future in minute details. Classical and very not innovative but well done and I have to admit that I am a bit of a sucker for these impress-and-surprise someone scenes. On the whole the movie managed to use the basic concept of reliving the day and make it feel reasonable fresh despite it not being a entirely new idea. The fact that the acting was quite adequate and that both Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt made a good performance as far as I am concerned of course helped.
Naturally the movie builds up towards the climactic battle against the alien central organism and of course everyone (who Cage managed to convince) have to throw in their lives to get Cage in position for the final attack. Personally I liked the ending although I have to say that I was a bit miffed that the writer did not manage to come up with some more imaginative ending scene between Cage and Rita though.
Bottom line, an enjoyable movie well worth watching.

Not a bad movie, got kind of sick of the "ground hog day" effect. Could have used less of that, all in all pretty enjoyable to watch.

Interesting enough and with a decent script for this kind of Sci-Fi movies. The FX are also OK.
Tom Cruise does an OK job and Emily Blunt nails her character, being the brightest thing in screen every time she appears.

This is so much better than volume one. The "Bride" (Uma Thurman) is continuing her quest to avenge herself on the killer of her fiancée and unborn child, but unlike with the first outing we do not face more endless ensemble fight scenes. This is much more focussed and individual. Her encounter with "Sidewinder" (Michael Madsen) tests her mettle - and her panic control in a frighteningly claustrophobic manner - before the eyepatch sporting Daryl Hannah ("Elle") offers probably her finest on-screen performance as together they manage to demolish a motor home using samurai swords and their body weight. We learn more about how she learned her ninja skills under the guise of the curmudgeonly swordsmith and master of all things cerebral "Hattori Hanzo" (Sonny Chiba) and all of this builds up to a quirky denouement with her nemesis - the eponymous "Bill" (David Carradine) who reminded me throughout of his days as "Grasshopper" in "Kung Fu". It flies along, this film, with bags of one-to-one action, humour, a decent soundtrack and some interesting historical and cultural undertones that help ground the film more effectively. In my view it is easily the best role Thurman has had to play, and this second outing gives her far more scope to shine as an actor. The writing isn't great - especially towards the end, but that doesn't matter as the escapades, action and strong characters more than compensate for that. My favourite Tarantino film - easily.

Tarantino's amusing super-assassin bizarro world
RELEASED IN 2004 and written/directed by Quentin Tarantino, "Kill Bill Vol. 2" completes the story of 2003's "Vol. 1" and fills in the holes. Former assassin, The Bride (Uma Thurmon), seeks vengeance after the murder of her fiancé & friends at a wedding rehearsal in El Paso. She takes on formidable thugs Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle (Daryl Hannah) to finally get to ringleader Bill (David Carradine). Gordon Liu plays master martial artist Pai Mei while Michael Parks is on hand as Esteban Vihaio.
This part of the duology is more dialogue-driven than "Vol. 1,” fleshing-out the characters and answering many questions. Such as: How is The Bride such an unconquerable fighter? How did Elle lose her right eye? Why did Bill conduct the wedding massacre? How does Budd spend his retirement? The problem is that the characters are all cartoony caricatures, and merciless assassins to boot. It's impossible to give criminal scum "more depth," at least as far as caring for them goes. Let 'em all kill each other for all I care. Moreover, the story is too shallow to warrant such epic treatment and would've been more effective if both films were condensed into a 2.5 hour flick, cutting out the fat.
Still, the movie's so offbeat that it's entertaining in the manner of 1996's "Mojave Moon," but better. It's an interesting combo of spaghetti Westerns, 70's martial arts flicks, Bond-isms and all-around Tarantino quirkiness. But suggesting that the "Kill Bill" flicks are cinematic masterpieces of auteurism is overdoing it. Take, for instance, the ridiculous closing credits, which run well over 12 minutes: The plot and characters are unworthy of such pretentious veneration. If you want masterworks by Tarantino, see “Django Unchained” (2012) and “Pulp Fiction” (1994); or even “Inglourious Basterds” (2009) and “Jackie Brown” (1997).
Still, the movie's strangely amusing, the cast is good (especially Carradine) and Bill's Superman analysis is insightful. The Bride’s training with Pai Mei is arguably the best bit.
THE MOVIE RUNS 137 minutes and was shot in Southern California; Beijing, China; and Mexico.
GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)

After Toy Story 2 , I understood that the first just softly introduced the serie, the last part of the first movie was incredible to watch but the second is just more spectacular.
Not only the ending but all the movie is fun to watch and never get boring, the little jokes are so enjoyable.
Every character of the movie is well written.
I wont grade it, but it is at least a 90/100

Now that "Woody" and "Buzz" have well and truly buried the hatchet - and not in each other, they both hope owner "Andy" will take them to his summer camp with him. Sadly, though, "Woody" has hurt his arm - so is left behind, only to narrowly escape being sold in a car boot sale. Worryingly, though, he is spotted there by toy museum owner "McWiggin" and is promptly kidnapped! It now falls to "Buzz", "Mr Potato Head" and the rest of the gang to track him down and spring him, with his new friend "Jessie" before they are sold to a collector in Japan. Not all of the toys are on board though - and poor old "Woody" has to be wary of the double-dealing "Prespector" whilst "Buzz" finds that, unlike his abducted friend, he is not exactly unique! There are now plenty of fun escapades for all concerned to keep this high quality animation entertaining. That said, I don't really do sentimentality, and I found this to be a little more so than the first one. The introduction of "Jessie" accompanied by the rather sad story of her abandonment (set to an equally sad song) did drag the pace down a bit for me, but when the action kicks in again, then we revert to a first-rate, team-driven and wittily written tale of camaraderie, loyalty and ingenuity. Messrs. Hanks, Allen and Rickles keep up their established good work, this time joined by Joan Cusack and an on form Kelsey Grammer as "Prospector". It could be argued that the first "Toy Story" film was a marketing man's wet dream; this second feature is very nearly as good and demonstrates the enduring and engaging nature of the characters who value each other above all. Rare for a sequel to rival the original, but this gives it a good try!

One of the greatest sequels around. 'Toy Story 2', whilst marginally inferior, still manages to create the same magic that the original has - which is mightily impressive.
It, at least to me, has less humour but what it loses there it makes up for in the premise, which is arguably more interesting when compared to the 1995 film. I very much enjoy it, especially the location of the finale.
Tom Hanks is again fabulous as Woody, while Tim Allen (Buzz) & Co. remain as entertaining as before. They also introduce some cool new characters, with the standout being Jessie who is voiced astutely by Joan Cusack; Jessie's backstory is so well done. Al (Wayne Knight) and Pete (Kelsey Grammer) are good additions, too.
There are some tremendous scenes here, that one for Cusack's character and the conclusion are my favourites alongside the ultra satisfying restoration scene; the end credits are amusing, also. It's all fun.
The other two sequels are brilliant, but this is the pick of the three. I'd highly recommend, evidently.

When I was a kid, I remember thinking that _Toy Story 2_ was pretty good, but nothing on the original. Over the years, I've known many, many, many people, and seen a great number more online, who are of the opinion that this second entry is not only better than its predecessor, but that it went on to stay the best film in the (now 4 movie strong) series. I always sorta figured, that when I grew up and rewatched it, I'd reach the same conclusion, so, uh, nope. Basically. That never happened. _Toy Story 2_ is pretty good, but nothing on the original.
_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._

So the shiny, red, "Lightning McQueen" is determined to make it to distant California to compete in the "Piston Cup". Along the way he stops off in the small town of "Radiator Springs" where he manages to tear up their road. His punishment? Well they have a giant tarmac laying machine, so he has to get it to resurface the road before he can be on his merry way. This isn't an easy task, and in order to finish that job he's going to have to find some allies. That's not so easy for this cocky and tunnel-visioned character, but as he gradually starts to listen, learns and make friends, he realises that there is much more to life than this one race! There's a gently bubbling moral to the story - learning to value the more important things in life like friendship, teamwork and self-reliance, and the characterisations of "Sally" - a lithe and stylish Porsche and "Mater" - a tow truck that looks like it's held together by Wrigley's and good will, help drum this message into "Lightning' and the watching audience. There's plenty of colourful and vibrant action alongside quite a bit of humour (and puns!) from the writing to keep it going and although I found this a bit wordy - and perhaps just a little too focussed for internal (US) consumption, it's still an enjoyable start to what I assume will become quite a flexible franchise.

Had no intention to ever see this movie. Another one my daughter wanted to watch with me. I actually liked it and thought it was hilarious.

**A commercial, critical and merchandising success... but with a cliché story.**
When it came out, this movie was publicized and sold like hotcakes. It was a fever. A mania. I was already quite grown up, I didn't feel particularly within the target audience that the film wanted to reach, and I was really exhausted from seeing and hearing about the film everywhere, and on any object that could be sold. So, I sacramentally ignored it and all sequels until today.
What most surprises and delights in this film are the extraordinary visuals and animations, so natural and authentic that it could be said to be real. The production used all the technology that money can buy, and make no mistake about it, there are indeed millions of dollars invested in the film! The racing scenes, on the car track, are particularly magnificent because all the speed and emotion are really conveyed to the scene, and to the audience. The colors and scenery are amazing too, and the soundtrack, while not being anything relatively notable or striking, sounds good and matches the movie. The film features several big names who lent their voices to the characters in the film. Owen Wilson does it flawlessly and Paul Newman and Tony Shalhoub also do a very good job.
Where I really had doubts is in the script. Honestly, it has its quality moments, it's interesting enough that we don't think it's being too childish or being boring. However, it is really a giant cliché: the arrogant and ambitious young man who has to go through a lesson in humility and altruism in order to value others, find love and win the victory he wants. We see this in almost every morally sympathetic movie, with its nuances and differences. This is a problem? Honestly, I think so, that it is not something that favors the film, but it is also not something that should lead us not to see it.

A fun one to watch.
'Cars' is very good Disney, not quite in the upper echelons of their releases but certainly close. The voice cast do a lot of grand work, while the animation is super. I also like the tension building and set-up of the racing stuff, even if they don't take the overly realistic approach - which is fine.
Owen Wilson is terrific as Lightning McQueen, while Bonnie Hunt and Larry the Cable Guy give noteworthy performances as Sally and Mater. The rest of the cast are good, including Michael Keaton (Chick Hicks). There's yet another role for John Ratzenberger, who features in a funny end credits gag.
Solid soundtrack, amusing humour and it even has a decent amount of heart to it too. Would recommend.

_**Sherlock Holmes goes hyperkinetic action with impossible CGI**_
In Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) & Dr. Watson (Jude Law) enter into a clash of wits and brawn with a serial killing Lord involved in black magic who, apparently, has risen from the dead (Mark Strong). Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly play the women in the protagonists’ lives.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) takes Arthur Conan Doyle’s popular Victorian detective and successfully morphs him into an action hero with rapid-fire dialogues and over-the-top thrills. It’s like an old Hammer flick on steroids, but it works as long as you can keep up with the snappy dialogues, which are often mumbled by Downey Jr. (so you’ll have to listen closely or use the subtitles).
The interesting thing about the character of Sherlock Holmes is his talent for making sweeping deductions based on the slightest details and this flick highlights that to amusing effect, like when Holmes easily assesses Watson’s fiancé at the restaurant (which is one of the movie’s best scenes). Speaking of the ladies, both Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly really shine here.
The film runs 2 hours, 8 minutes, and was shot in England.
GRADE: B

Fun adaptation of the classic character played wonderfully by Robert Downey Jr. who has some nice banter with Jude Law's Holmes as well as the beautiful Rachel McAdams. I like Mark Strong but he doesn't have a whole lot to work with. It's also a bit long however I was entertained. **3.75/5**

Wasn't expecting much out of this movie. It surprised me and turned out to be a pretty decent movie.

_TL:DR
A modern sequel to a classic. Feels like it has a few narrative issues, but it wasn't enough for me to really dislike it. (It gets a 6/10 on the Dragon-Scale, because the Jabberwocky has an amazing design and it's walking looks so off-putting.)_
Alice... who hasn't heard of or watched it at some point? This is a sequel to the original, Alice is now 19 when she returns to Wonderland. Which... she has no obvious memories of, which, for an adventure with the scope she undertook when she was younger, I find a little hard to believe.
She never acknowledges having any memories of Wonderland until the end of the movie. Which again, strikes me as odd, because even if she would write off her earlier adventure as a dream, you'd still acknowledge having seen it all before, right? Perhaps I'm just overthinking this, but even subconsciously you'd recognize some of the things you see... right?
In any case, Wonderland has gotten a lot darker and has gotten a healthy CGI coating. Which, might not seem super today, but I think it gives everything a very 'this is not reality' vibe. Which works in Underland's favor in my opinion, it's chaotic, lacking in conventional logic and absolutely infused with magic. And it's bizarre denizens all immediately pop out at you, with many strange shapes, weird behavioral tics and tend to defy the laws of physics.
The story is a coming of age story, which is immediately set up in the beginning as Alice is forced into a marriage with someone she barely knows. Something not uncommon for the time it is set in. And during the movie she figures out who she is, someone who'll do things her own way, prophecies and expectations be damned. Despite not being the easiest way, everything still falls into place eventually and the prophecy fulfills itself.
When she comes back to her reality, she turns down her chosen fiancé, gives everyone she's encountered at her engagement party some snappy one-liners, which, they all seem to take in stride. She then takes up her father's passion to establish brave new trade-routes all the way to China. Which, perhaps feels a little _too_ easy. (Considering everyone was calling her father insane for his plans, which she promptly takes a step further.) But then again, this is a story with talking rabbits, a hookah smoking caterpillar and playing card knights, so perhaps I shouldn't take it so seriously.
All in all, a fun watch with a satisfying payoff in the end!

I loved the movie. Of course it's a Tim Burton film and Johnny Depp is in the movie so it's already a given. Story wise, I like it that it's different from the usual Alice in Wonderland stories. I hope they Tim Burton will make the original movie though. The montage in the movie looks nice when they did the flashback. I love the colors. Anne Hathaway is great. I felt like watching a real life Disney princess. Of course Helena Bonham Carter is magnificent. With her big head that looks really natural, it adds to her funny character. And then there's Alan Rickman. Although he's just a voice of the caterpillar, once you hear his voice, you'll know it's him and it's a great comfort.
My grade for this movie??? A. Wonderful story. Great cast. A movie that is pleasing to the eyes. I strongly recommend this to children, adults, and anyone in between. A great family movie.