Now permanently a bear, "Kenai" and best buddy "Koda" are living life to the full but the former still dreams of his first love "Nita". They parted many years ago and the time has now come for her to wed. The spirits are not impressed though. They consider that she and "Kenai" are promised to each other. The only way she can appease their objections is to return to a place where he gave her an amulet, and then burn it! She seeks the pair out and together they journey to that spot, but en route they all have doubts about the best way forward and the young "Koda" fears he may lose his best friend. It's not quite as good as the first film, but it still taps into the spirituality of mankind's relationship with nature as well as humorously taking us on a few lively adventures - especially when her new beau follows and becomes increasingly miffed at what he sees. It moves along quickly and engagingly enough for just over an hour with some traditional looking animation and a fairly amiable, if maybe a little too sentimental, story.

Didn't expect this to be good, and yet it is.
'Brother Bear 2' can feel like a slight retread and it does the overdone Disney romance stuff, it also ends as dissatisfying as the original. With all that noted, it is actually an enjoyable and respectable sequel. The new characters are fun, as the older ones remain just that.
The animation looks similar, leaving equal impressions to the 2003 production. Patrick Dempsey is arguably better as Kenai than Joaquin Phoenix, or at least his voice suits better. The music, as much as I do like Phil Collins' efforts, is definitely improved here in my opinion.
All in all, given all that I've mentioned, it still tallies up lower than the first film. However, it does do some things well and it merits credit for that.

Behind Enemy Lines is one of those movies that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, a straightforward action thriller with high-stakes chases and explosions. The plot is predictable, filled with familiar tropes and moments that feel like they were borrowed from other war films and stitched together. It doesn’t have much depth or originality, but it still manages to be entertaining. The directing leans heavily on fast cuts and a hyperactive camera style, which can feel excessive at times, but it keeps the pacing tight. The cinematography does a decent job of capturing the tension, with some impressive aerial shots and a gritty, cold war-zone atmosphere.
What carries the film is the acting. Owen Wilson, stepping away from his usual comedic roles, delivers a solid performance as the lead, and Gene Hackman brings the expected level of authority and gravitas. The script is functional but nothing special, just enough to push the action forward without adding much depth to the characters. The score complements the tension well but isn’t particularly memorable. Despite all its flaws, I still found myself enjoying it. Maybe it's the mix of solid performances and non-stop action, or maybe it's just one of those movies that works as a guilty pleasure.

Owen Wilson is a disillusioned pilot aboard an American aircraft carrier. Bored with the relentlessness of it all, he puts in his papers to the chagrin of his commanding officer. With two weeks left to go, he is flying a reconnaissance mission over Bosnia when he is shot down, his pilot murdered by rogue troops and he is forced to flee for his life - pursued by a ruthless sniper - whilst his task force colleagues try to find and rescue him. Based on a true story, it is actually quite a well paced manhunt with plenty of peril and pace. What diminishes it is the really poor choice of actor to lead. Wilson plays the disinterested flier well enough at the start, but as things heat up on the ground he really isn't good enough to hold the film up en seul. Gene Hackman is his boss (Adm. Reigert), and he isn't really up to very much either - though he does do the slightly gung-go "go get our boy back" role well enough. The premiss of the genocide being perpetrated on the locals is writ large, and having seen much news coverage at the time of this largely forgotten Balkan war, the story is not without it's potency. It is quite watchable, but is still a somewhat light-weight depiction of a truly difficult situation.

Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.
If for nothing else, then you should watch this because this is "the movie where the guy is pregnant", but I'm not sure we need a reboot: one is probably enough.
It helps that this is a good movie with a great cast. I felt bad they made Danny Devito run so much, but Arnold is great as a pregnant man, and sometimes a woman, and Emma Thompson does a wonderful absent-minded professor.
It's a unique premise, it's a good premise, and for a comedy without lasers, aliens, or explosions, there is a lot of excitement.
Give it a watch, it's all about the execution that makes this one great.

Probably my favourite of these sci-fi adventures. Having revived "Spock" to something akin to his previous, pompous old self; the crew of the now destroyed "Enterprise" set sail for home in their captured Klingon Warbird. Meantime, unbeknown to them, a probe is wreaking havoc on the galaxy as it emits odd pinging sounds on it's way to Earth. Our explorers approach the planet to discover that the probe has polarised the atmosphere and even the sophisticated Starfleet Command has no idea what's going on... Well, it turns out that the probe is pretty fluent in humpback whale-song but we have long since hunted them into extinction. What's required now is some legerdemain and a bit of time travel to go get some from back in 20th century California. What follows is a fun series of escapades as they set about their tasks - and all of the crew have their own roles to play. It touches on the ecology issues in a humorous but pointed manner and all round delivers an enjoyable 2 hours of entertainment.

I guess when I was 6 i liked it, and every generation needs it's time travel movie doesn't it?
But, no, bringing them back to contemporary 80s earth just doesn't work. It's sort of too close to home to be good. Star Trek is Sci-Fi, sure, but this just doesn't work.
They live in a future that COULD be, with it's own history, it's own mythology, and taking the crew of the Enterprise back to our world just makes them feel more out of place than the comedic tone of the film intended.

This is the kind of cinema that we always hope to see - brilliantly fresh, tight script, beautifully shot, amazing performances, an autobiographical-based story of the directory himself, Sir Kenneth Branagh, and ... Van Morrison soundtrack. In essence, it's a coming-of-age movie of an adolescent, set against "The Troubles" of Northern Ireland. Buddy has a special love for movies and theater, encouraged by his cranky, old grandmother (Dame Judi Dench). The beautiful relationship between the grandfather and grandmother is mirrored perfectly in the mother and father, and then again in Buddy's budding romance with Catherine. There's so much going on in the film that it's very nearly a tone poem.

Belfast is packed with powerful images — shot in Haris Zambarloukos’s majestic black-and-white cinematography (except for a handful of color shots at key moments, notably the escapist windows that film and TV offer the characters) — beginning with an early scene in which the young protagonist, Buddy (Jude Hill), armed with a wooden sword and a shield/dumpster lid, confronts a mob of unionist protestants who come to attack the houses and businesses of Catholics on Buddy’s Street.
In an inferior movie, Buddy would be foolish enough to think that his makeshift weapons could measure up to the rioters’ Molotov cocktails; here, however, it marks precisely the beginning of the end of childhood innocence — a point driven home later by a reading of chapter thirteen of the First Epistle to the Corinthians ("When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but then I became a man and left childish things behind”).
The film’s depictions of violence are doubly effective because Branagh resorts to them sparingly, and when he does, he shoots them in a realistic style; when a car explodes in the middle of the street, you can bet your sweet ass it doesn’t just go up in CGI flames.
The most striking images, however, are those whose composition evokes an air of domesticity; several of them have in common the background presence, as if detached from the action, of Judi Dench. Branagh, who has collaborated with her on almost a dozen productions, knows very well that the veteran actress is able to conjure, simply by virtue of being there, enough gravitas to anchor a scene in the real world (now, this is not to say that Dench is reduced to prop status; quite the contrary, her character provides the emotional center of the history).
These images stay with us because they are all about what is at stake in the film: a fragile lifestyle in which “We have known this street and all the streets around it all our lives. And every man, woman, and child that lives in every damn house, whether we like it or not. And I like it. And you say you have a little garden for the boys? But here, they can play wherever they want, because everyone knows them, everyone loves them, and everyone cares for them.” Establishing this delicate way of life is the reason that the threat of violence is so much more effective in creating tension than the violence itself.
All things considered, Belfast is an episodic slice-of-life-seen-through-a-young-boy’s-eyes that isn’t, believe it or not, a million miles removed from A Christmas Story, and indeed the script introduces a placid, elementary sense of humor that nicely counterbalances the more dramatic material.

A swell little film, this.
I may not have a connection to the events portrayed onscreen, but 'Belfast' is - despite the not so good true events that it's retelling - is a pleasant film to watch. With a perfectly timed length of around 90 minutes, this 2021 flick holds a lot of heart - it's also rather funny, it had me laughing a fair number of times.
The star of the film is undoubtedly youngster Jude Hill, who is an absolute joy in the role of Buddy - some performance from the 11-year-old! Buddy's connections with every single character are lovely, especially with those played by Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench - wait... that was Judi Dench?! I legit didn't even notice until the end credits, which shows how convincing her performance as a Northern Irish grandmother is... or perhaps I need my eyesight tested, who's to say.
Jamie Dornan and Caitríona Balfe also merit props, in what is a very good release from Kenneth Branagh & Co. The target audience, along with others of course, will adore it, I'm sure. Also... love the choice of black-and-white, fwiw.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It's fine, but it just doesn't resonate terribly well with me. Not to mention it feels a bit like a stage-play, taking place all on one street. I understand it's supposed to be the world through a child's eyes, but there's not much there. Conversations and issues feel breezed through, and yet 'Belfast' sags in the middle around the third time they have the same set of conversations. It's good enough, but I couldn't recommend it to anyone.

Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.
Look, I have some fairly negative memories of this movie over the years, and I'm not saying it is the best, but for all its flaws, it holds up surprisingly well.
The idea of Drew Barrymore (even in 1999) being able to pass for a high school student is nonsense. I'm not that big a fan of hers, but she nails this role even if she's clearly an adult at high school, but what the movie is about, and what she expresses wonderfully is the emotion of being in the traumatic experience of high school when you're not part of the ruling class.
I feel like they casted well enough: David Arquette, Molly Shannon, J.C. Reilly, Leelee Sobieski, and Cress Williams (Black Lightning) all do great support roles, and Jessica Alba, Mary Shelton, Jordan Ladd, and all do great antagonist roles.
The writing of writing about a story, in a story of one character hiding herself in another story is oddly meta on a few levels, but it remains complex without being overly complicated, is still funny, and has plenty of substance.
While I don't imagine I'm going to watch this very often, I'll have to credit my mother: this is worth the watch, even after 20 years.

Don't worry baby, Everything will turn out alright
Never Been Kissed sees Drew Barrymore's copy editor, Josie Geller, yearn to be a reporter. Something that comes her way when by way of a fluke, she's selected for an undercover mission at High School. Trouble is, is that she's got to be 17 again, and that's something that brings back all of those horrible moments from her high school days. The time of having no friends, the butt of the jokes and ignored by the boys (all told in cringe inducing flashbacks).
Cue much fun as the 25 year old Josie not only tries to bluff everyone that she's 17, but tries to fit in with the youth who have considerably changed from back in her days. Enter cool as ice brother Rob (David Arquette) who decides to lend a helping hand, with some funny and excellently scripted results. Not only this but we of course have the obligatory love interest, only this is a kicker as it concerns Josie's teacher Sam (a sickeningly handsome Michael Vartan). Cue Sam on mind overload as his feelings lead him onto what he thinks is morally dubious ground...
It's as frothy as can be is this one, perhaps in the running for the 90s most chickiest ckick flick? But, and I say this as a middle aged guy, the jokes are spot on, it's endearing as heck and it boasts a quite marvellous turn from Barrymore. It's the sort of performance that could light up the most turgid of comedy movies. It's a threefold character portrayal of some depth and no little charm. She's well supported by the always likable Arquette, while notable turns also come from John C Reilly, the ever reliable Molly Shannon and Leelee Sobieski. While the sharp eyed will spot future Green Goblin James Franco and Susan Storm herself, Jessica Alba, nestling in amongst the teen performers.
Nothing remotely new here, but for some genuine laugh out loud comedy moments, a feel good factor soaring through the roof, a kick-ass soundtrack and Barrymore herself, this is more than recommended as a pick me up movie. 7.5/10

Fantastic watch, would watch again, and do recommend.
This is a movie that is almost impossible to talk about, it is so twisted and refreshing on so many levels. Just the premise of a home invasion is enough to make for a potentially good movie on its own, which is why it's basically an entire genre to itself. Adding a "I'm going to seduce my babysitter" on top of it makes it unique and interesting.
Everything that happens past that is unpredictable, awesome, and refreshing. Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, and (especially) Olivia DeJonge are great in there roles.
This is a great psychology horror movie that plays on several different aspects of life and human desires.
It is well worth the watch.

Yuletide log slips from the fire to ignite the Xmas horror movie sub-genre.
Lets have it right, the 1/10 reviews are from hardcore horror fans who just didn't get the horror experience they was looking for. That's understandable, it's one of the toughest genres to please given the broadness available, but what of those who go in blind who are just after a bit of chilly yuletide nastiness?
Director Chris Peckover and his co-writer Zack Khan have given not just the Xmas horror film genre a shot in the arm, but also put a clever spin on the home invasion formula - the latter of which a formula that grew stale a long time ago. Now I can't vouch for trailers etc, so if folk have been misled then it's tough turkey at yuletide, but going in fresh without expectation levels - to just rock up for a viewing purely because it's an Xmas horror pic, then the rewards are plenty.
The makers make a move early to lay down a marker that all is not as it seems, and from there the surprises continue to flow with disturbing glee. We could argue it's in bad taste in this day and age as the fear of youth grows ever more acute, maybe? But it's a nice rug pull and the momentum never lets up right to the devilish resolution. Job done for me. Implausible probabilities and ridiculous actions in a horror film? Surely not...
This is funny in a dark way, cheekily troubling in its choice of protagonists to propel the piece, and it's nicely performed by the youthful cast. It's no Black Christmas or any other of those blood soaked Crimble horrors, this has a glint in its eye and amen to that. 7/10

Maybe _Better Watch Out_ isn't a **great** movie. But after the trudge I've gone through this year, it's nice to finally see something that's at least **different**.
_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._

The holidays are approaching as we prepare to reach the end of the year but director/co-writer Chris Peckover wants to beat the chaotic Christmas rush by offering some creepy coal in his cinematic stockings–most notably a merry-minded macabre middle finger to the Yuletide season in the charmingly twisted and creatively corrosive suburban home invasion horror thriller **Better Watch Out**.
Peckover, whose darkened delve into the timely and topical political bonfire known as illegal immigration in 2010’s disturbing and noteworthy _Undocumented_, delivers a diabolical ditty that resonates gleefully in subversive wit, sick-minded jingle hell fraught and turns upside down the tired conventional creepfest genre into an edgy, hair-raising horrific hoot armed with the favorably kind of rancid camp and rollicking recklessness that makes for an insatiable sick-minded satire. Indeed, one needs to raise their mug of tasty eggnog to celebrate the seasonal Christmas fear in the demented yet oddly inspired and viciously wired **Better Watch Out**.
Sure, **Better Watch Out** generously borrows from a number of films in the kiddie-imperiled, home invasion showcases that we have seen over time and time again. However, Peckover’s sense of go-for-broke adventurous direction, a flippantly smart and energetic script, convincing off-the-wall but solid and disciplined performances and the nail-biting, naughty-minded nuttiness that runs amok in this 85-minute perverse, hedonistic home-bound torture chamber is genuinely realized. Although Watch appears to seemingly have an American pedigree in its cockeyed presentation of sweater-wearing Yanks nestled before an open fire on a scenic winter evening it is worth noting that **Better Watch Out** is a co-Australian production (most of the film was shot on location in Sydney) so some Aussie presence is definitely permeates in this eerie but insidiously cheeky domestic dire drama.
Cleverly, **Better Watch Out** (incidentally also known as _Safe Neighborhood_) somehow seems to elevate the impishly comical yet caustically slash-and-dash sub-genre to a whole new fresh level of appreciation whether offering a cynical spin on the cliched babysitter-in-charge yarn or poking biting fun at the hidden dysfunction of the privileged living in the pricey bubble of manicured lawns and gaudy, expansive homes in milquetoast Middle America. Interestingly, Peckover shares his generosity of sacrilege in using the spiritual aura of the Christmas landscape to skew the undercurrent idealism of cozy co-existence in the realm of protective picket fences and precocious yet insecure youngsters that are forced to battle this week’s bombastic boogeyman that dares to interrupt their unappreciated lap of luxury.
**Better Watch Out** should not be too concerned whether or not Santa is coming to town but in the case of the Satan-esque home intruders that want to sadistically spread some holiday jeer…well folks that is another story entirely. The outgoing parents Robert and Deandra Lerner (TV veteran Patrick Warburton and Virginia Madsen) must leave their 12-year old son Luke (Levi Miller, “Pan”) in the care of a babysitter in their absence. This suits Luke just fine because the babysitter in question happens to be his targeted object of affection going on so many years and counting. Luke’s crush for his caretaker is immense and he feels fortunate enough to take advantage of her company while hoping to score some major points with her heart. After all, Luke is not a baby–he’ll be thirteen in a matter of weeks so his desired dreamgirl should accept him easier being a year older, right? Keep on dreaming, Lukester.
The vivacious Ashley (Olivia Dejonge, _The Visit_) is the recipient of Luke’s innocent lust. The question remains: when can the eager Luke seal the deal and let his babysitting beauty know about his romantic feelings for her? Well, one must give Luke credit for trying to sway the older titillating teen to consider his lovey-dovey overtures towards her. Naturally Ashley finds all this rather awkward and amusing. However, as Luke’s hopes for charming the socks off of Ashley go south there are other factors that are ruining his efforts to score with the treasured blonde babysitter. The distractions become gradually intrusive and overbearing. Random phone calls are deemed disturbing then finally there is sinister static occurring in and out of the house. Before the dust settles with the dangerous distractions transpiring left and right the ultimate heinous happenings reaches its creepy climax as actual intruders are now front and center. Hence, the panicky Ashley must step up to the plate and protect her charge Luke and herself from these menacing misfits invading the Lerners’ home. Does the babysitting bombshell have what it takes to be resourceful and defend these criminal cretins from bringing harm to the exposed household?
It would not be beneficial to elaborate further on the percolating plot in **Better Watch Out** for the violation of giving away too much that constitutes spoiling this film’s twists and turns of eye-winking surprises and developments. However, one can certainly give glowing credit to the production crew and performers that collaborate and create an absurdist atmosphere of holiday-themed anarchy thus giving Watch a delicious devilish streak in its wild and whacked-out colorful violence. Peckover and co-writer Zach Kahn create this deliriously spunky acidic project laced with intentions of outwitting its audience trying to follow the dots of the off-the-cuff mayhem. Granted that the majority of unimaginative and faceless conveyor belt creep shows released from Hollywood’s predictable playground is typical fright-light farces that more times than not insult if not properly engage the viewers. **Better Watch Out** challenges the masses with its promising fatalistic frivolity and rollicking ridicule as it mocks as much as salutes the twitchy-based goose-bump cinema it is aping with noted sardonic affection.
Aussie actress Dejonge, sporting a rather authentic American accent, is enjoyable as the feisty Ashley whose conviction to serve and protect the livelihood of her junior-sized puppy love pal from hellish harm is a marvel to experience. Dejonge’s Ashley is not some scream queen airhead and grips the over-sized butcher knife in some some jittery scenes with all the conviction that does not suggest a dimwitted damsel-in-distress. Miller is relatable as the coming-of-age dweeb kid whose hormones snap, crackle and pop more than a super-sized bowl of Rice Krispies. Still, one cannot blame the love-struck lad especially if you had Dejonge’s hot-blooded teen tart guarding your safety from unknown forces on a blanketed snowy day in Anywhere, USA. Besides, Luke thinks of himself as Ashley’s protector. Together, the jeopardized pair are absorbing as they face off against their destructive detractors.
Although shown briefly, Warburton’s Robert and Madsen’s Deandra are a couple of welcomed tools as the bickering parents to wannabe smooth operator Luke. Ed Oxenbould dutifully shines as the obligatory best friend Garrett who is a tortured sideline witness to Luke’s outlandish agenda for sweeping Ashley off of her feet. Thrown into the mix of the topsy-turvy crisis-driven storm are Ashley’s tandem of boytoys from the present in Ricky (Aleks Mikic) and past in Dacre Montgomery’s Jeremy.
There is no need to kiss off the haunting but humorously heady **Better Watch Out** under the mistletoe because its infectious pucker for deadly delirium will be felt no matter where one is standing at the moment.
**Better Watch Out** (2017)
Well Go USA Entertainment
1 hour 36 minutes
STARRING: Olivia Dejonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, Virginia Madsen, Patric Warburton, Alek Mikic, Darce Montgomery
DIRECTOR: Chris Peckover
WRITER(S): Chris Peckover, Zack Kahn
MPAA Rating: R
GENRE: Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Drama, Comedy
Critic’s rating: *** stars (out of 4 stars)
(c) **Frank Ochieng**

"In an alternate mid-80’s universe, director Joe Dante’s follow-up to his grim Yuletide fairy tale Gremlins would have been Safe Neighborhood, a crisp, crackling, black and bloody Christmas comedy/horror..."
Read the full review here: http://screen-space.squarespace.com/reviews/2016/11/30/safe-neighborhood.html

Quality film.
'Free State of Jones' tells the true story of Newton Knight's role in the American Civil War. As you'd hope/expect, it leads to captivating viewing. Matthew McConaughey is superb, while he's supported excellently by Mahershala Ali.
It's tough to watch in large portions given the obvious things from the Civil War era, from the war itself but also to slavery. I had never heard of Newton Knight, so it was very interesting for me to see it unfold and learning bits - even with some creative license, I'm sure. It also serves an important message that slavery didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation.
I personally found the film very well paced and extremely nicely shot, McConaughey and Ali are the stars but there are also notable performances from the likes of Gugu Mbatha-Raw. It's a great film, one that's worth a watch. Sadness and heart aplenty.

**A country that existed for a brief time in the history of American.**
Once again, it proves that the critics are so dumb. In this people to people and people to filmmakers contact era, no one listens to them. Let them do their own sideshow. This was partially based on the real events that takes place in the following years of 1862. When America was fighting a civil war, a man named Newton Knight returned home from the battlefield where he started to help the farmers who were robbed by the armymen. Its like they are fighting their own war, to protect the land and the crops. They knew the consequence and so they were prepared for it.
This is over a two hour long film and I think they had covered everything nicely. At some stage it looked like the Daniel Craig's 'Defiance'. But it reveals many events like changing time and the atmosphere, how they adapted to it along to move on. In the opening scene only they had shown us the war, but very soon it moved away to tell what's happening off the battlefield. Like how it's affecting the people. So the resistance emerges and the days going by they gain large power in the region. Very interesting perspective, though everything in the film was not true despite overall plot was inspired by the history.
Matthew McConaughey alone steered the ship. You will like his performance. The locations were good, but most of them were either farmland or swamp. There's a little event that follows the 80 years later, just to disclose some court law debate over interracial marriage. Not a must see film, maybe if you are an American, then it might be, but other than that its a good watch. I hope the people would realise that and watch it.
_8/10_

There is absolutely nothing special about this movie. It is average all the way. It is however a decent enough off-the-shelf action flick which fulfils its purpose. That is to provide an hour and a half of decent entertainment.
Our hero comes back from being away for quite a while and finds the bad guys are in control. A pretty classical story which have been used since the first movies were made (and even before that). The movie can easily be said to be a modern day Western movie as far as the story goes.
Our hero, Dwayne Johnson, is doing a decent job of being a hero. The actions scenes, which is really why you are watching this movie after all, are reasonably well done. Of course they are more of TV-movie quality than anything else but good enough in the context of this movie.
The movie plays out more or less exactly as you would expect. Hero comes home, find bad guys in control, gets into shuffle with bad guys, bad guys tries to take on hero via family and friends, fails, hero goes after main bad guy in a long chase/fight, happy ending, roll after texts. As I wrote, it could just as well have been an old Western movie. The traditional western saloon is replaced by a casino and the whisky and cattle is replaced with crooked gambling and some modern drug dealing.
The one part I though was silly, as in bad silly, was the trial in the first half of the movie. Warning, spoiler ahead! I mean, come on. Hero demolishes Casino and gets put on trial, hero shows jury his scars and asks to get a non-guilty verdict, jury happily obliges him. What the f…?
Apart from this the movie completed its mission of knocking and hour and a half off my life while keeping me from being bored in front of the TV.

Cary Grant is on excellent form in this ultra-sophisticated crime caper. Having long since retired to life on the Côte D'Azur, "John Robie" finds himself at the centre of enquiries as his "Cat" appears to have resurrected itself and is robbing rich folks of their jewels. John Williams again steals his scenes - this times as the insurance adjuster "Hughson" who is convinced, enough, by Grant's protestations to agree to work with him to find the true culprit. Enter the wealthy Jessie Royce Landis ("Jessie"), a self-made American millionairess and her glamorous daughter "Frances" (Grace Kelly). The mother is determined to find a match for her girl - and well, the romantic roots are well and truly planted. Hitchcock keeps us guessing for quite a while as the romantic and criminal threads develop in parallel before tying together in quite an exciting climax. At times I have found Kelly to be just a touch too aloof, but here she still has enough of a foot on the ground to play her part well providing for an engagingly mischievous chemistry between the two of them.. The attention to detail is super, too - and it's easy to become subsumed in the lazy, rather vacuous, but very enviable lifestyle of the rich and famous!

Fluffy mystery-romance-thriller excels thanks to the wonderful charms of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. For me, this is a lesser Hitchcock film but still had plenty of fun and entertainment value even though there's nothing really noteworthy in terms of the story or any particular scene. **3.75/5**

The big man was in jovial mood with this one.
To Catch A Thief, is, when all is said and done, a softer entry on the great Alfred Hitchcock's CV. By his own admission it was a film he viewed as "lightweight", but such is the great mans talent, his softer cinematic efforts still punch the buttons and are films that many filmmakers can readily learn from.
In this one Hitchcock is purely making an entertaining piece for those in the right frame of mind, a splendid mixture of comedy and romance which also culminates in no shortage of dramatic entertainment as well. Cary Grant is perfectly debonair as the cat burglar John Robie, who here has to catch a thief because he is the chief suspect for a spout of robberies on the French Riviera. Into the mix is that vision of beauty that is Grace Kelly, this is a woman who could melt the Antartic just by walking over it! Kelly as Frances Stevens spends the majority of the film trying to get into John Robie's pants and this puts a delightful sexual tension into the unfolding story. We get some sparkling scenes here, such as a firework display as the two protagonists flirt and then kiss, thus making the film easy on the eye, and some delicious slices of humour dot themselves throughout as Hitchcock indulges in his wink wink innuendo. The plinking score from Lyn Murray works a treat during a roof top cat sequence, while the ending stays just above average without really having an any over dramatic impact.
All in all it's a very tidy effort that is always worth spending time with on a lazy Sunday afternoon with a glass of vino in hand. 7/10

Hmmm. There isn't really much worth saying about this truly mediocre horror effort. "Anna" (Emily Browning) is having a torrid time after her mother died in a fire. Having tried suicide, she is placed in an institution from where, after ten long months, she is released back into the care of her father. "Steven" (David Strathairn) is pretty ill-equipped to deal with this young woman, and things are not helped by the fact that in the intervening months, he has married her late mum's former nurse "Rachel" (Elizabeth Banks). It's fair to say that this new step-mother/daughter relationship isn't a rip-roaring success, and after a while "Anna" and her sister "Alex" (Arielle Kebbel) begin to suspect that perhaps their mother's death may not have been as accidental as everyone thought. The former girl's beliefs being fuelled by what she thinks are beyond-the-grave visitations from their wronged mother. This film presents a sort of clunky amalgam of detective story and mystic horror with a fair degree of family melodrama thrown in. The acting is very by-the-numbers and there is way too much wordy dialogue and nowhere near enough by way of menace before an ending that isn't quite what I was expecting. Somehow, though, I was expecting that! There had to be something a little quirky about this otherwise procedural affair, else why bother to adapt it from the original Korean "Tale of Two Sisters" (2003)? It's reasonably well produced, the effects are adequate and it has a pace that keeps it from stalling, but it really could have been doing with a bit more emphasis on the characterisations and a darker, more sinister execution of the plot.

Okay psychological thriller featuring a fine performance by Emily Browning. This is one I saw back in '09 and pretty much feel the same way I did back then. Nothing great but worth checking out I suppose. **3.0/5**

We survive by remembering. But sometimes we survive by forgetting.
The Uninvited is directed by The Guard Brothers and written by Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard. It stars Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel and David Strathairn. Music is by Christopher Young and cinematography by Daniel Landin.
A remake of Korean film "A Tale of Two Sisters", plot finds Anna (Browning) released from a psychiatric institution, she was placed in there following a suicide attempt when her terminally mother died in a boathouse fire. Once home she begins to encounter bad dreams and supernatural visions...
It was yet another American remake of an Asian horror film, at a time when doing so was in vogue, unfortunately this is one of the weakest of the bunch. Not exactly terrible, it's just so unoriginal and devoid of any suspense or chiiling atmosphere. In fact it feels more like a murder mystery piece but with a couple of spook scenes inserted into the narrative. Pic is predominantly saved by the finale, where the story unravels with some genuine surprises. Cast are all fine in perfs, even if Strathairn is utterly wasted in his under written role. 5/10

***Haunting mysteries on the coast of Maine with Emily Browning and Elizabeth Banks***
After her mother dies in a tragedy, a teen girl (Emily Browning) is sent to a mental hospital. Upon returning to her father’s mansion on the coast of Maine, she reunites with her older sister (Arielle Kebbel) and tries to get along with her dad’s new girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks), her mother’s former nurse, who appears to be taking over. David Strathairn plays the father, a successful author.
“The Uninvited” (2009) is a mystery/horror that combines elements of “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “Half Light” (2006) and “The Ring” (2002), although it’s a little more subdued than the latter. If you like the haunting tone of those movies and the spectacular locations of the latter two, you’ll appreciate it. Browning with her ultra-cute face was 20 during filming, but looks 14. Meanwhile Banks is effective as the biyatch gold-digger and Strathairn is convincing as the clueless father.
The story plays out in a too-predicable manner. If you saw the trailer beforehand it basically tells you everything you need to know. But not really: The last 15 minutes pulls the rug out with some surprising revelations. I heard there was a twist before viewing and went over various possibilities in my mind while watching, but the movie fooled me. Great job on this front. Not everything is as it appears. I’d say more, but I don’t want to spoil it.
My relatively high rating is due to the lingering power of the film's message on individual perception. It's potent and applicable stuff, expertly executed.
The film doesn’t overstay its welcome at a mere 1 hour, 27 minutes. It wasn’t shot in the Northeast, however, but obviously British Columbia (Bowen Island). It’s an American remake of the Korean film “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003).
GRADE: B+/A-

**Memory isn't terrible, but it's a little too slow for an action thriller and isn't edgy enough for a crime thriller. Sadly, Memory is forgettable.**
I'm a big Liam Neeson fan. He trained Batman and Obi-Wan, led the A-Team and the Men in Black, and had the most intimidating and awesome phone call in cinematic history. Non-Stop, The Commuter, and The Grey were all solid films, too, but let's face it… he isn't getting any younger, so his action movies are slowing in pace. Memory was smart enough to incorporate that into the script while still having Neeson kick some butt. This movie is an improvement over some of his recent stuff like the Marksman (and, from what I hear, Blacklight), but I sure do miss the days of Taken or Kingdom of Heaven. My hopes were higher with Martin Campbell directing, but I spent most of the movie looking at my phone. It's not terrible, but it needed to be a little darker and more menacing to hold my attention. In the end, you won't care to remember much about Memory. Neeson is still the man, though!

_Memory_ juggles so many subplots to unsatisfactory results. It’s as if the story throws a ball in the air for every concept in the film (Alzheimer’s, human trafficking, the FBI vs the police, rich people getting whatever they want, etc) only to allow each ball to smack against the ground without trying to catch them after their initial toss. For a film about a guy who kills people with the authorities chasing him for nearly two hours, _Memory_ is a monotonous bore. Not even Liam Neeson lighting himself on fire to cauterize a bullet wound can save what is otherwise a forgetful and fatigued memoir of a hoary hit man.
**Full review:** https://hubpages.com/entertainment/Memory-2022-Review-A-Forgetful-and-Fatigued-Memoir-of-a-Hoary-Hit-Man