video review : The BFG

video review : The BFG

This Disney adaption of The BFG, a 1982 children’s book by Roald Dahl, might have been big fun if director Steven Spielberg had taken more liberties with the plot. The first few minutes, in which a giant old man snatches a little orphan girl in the dead of night, are somewhat intriguing, but the story doesn’t really go anywhere interesting from there. The dream catching bit is silly and the Giant’s bombastic lingo is annoying, though scenes in which he hides her from Giant Country villains offer playful suspense.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

video review : Inside Out

video review : Inside Out

This Pixar presentation about a kid named named Riley deals with emotions. Each of her major emotional traits; Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger; is a separate character living in her head. They basically control her as they take turns and often compete attributing themselves to her overall personality.

The plot has her going thru turbulent times; she’s homesick after her family moves to San Francisco; and it’s up to the beings in her mind to help her cope. It’s a concept that could be silly, but, though Disgust seems to forget her purpose, it’s a lighthearted mixture of clever and cute, albeit more cute than clever.

my rating : 4 of 5

2015

video review : Her

video review : Her

The Her of this heterosexual love tale is a futuristic computer operating system that communicates verbally like a real, albeit invisible, woman. Her voice is raspy and slightly annoying; imagine Scarlett Johansson without the looks; but her personality is decidedly charming. That a man, especially a lonely divorcee named Theodore, could find himself romantically intrigued by her is the believable part. That he’d turn down immediate sex from two real (attractive) women for the sake of his relationship with her stretches the believability factor quite thin. She doesn’t even have a pussy. He has to imagine one while masturbating to the sound of her groaning.

A relationship is supposed to be about more than the physical stuff, of course; I guess that’s the point; but the physical stuff is important, as even the computer girl, named Samantha, acknowledges. She’s mostly jokey and easy-going but seems to suffer from the Pinocchio complex of wanting desperately to experience life as a real (physical) human-being. But human-beings fall out of love; a fact Theodore knows all too well. Whether or not that also goes for operating systems programmed to learn and evolve is anyone’s guess. It’s a chance Theodore is willing to take. If that all seems silly, it is. Her is a silly concept movie that only occasionally arouses real emotion.

my rating : 3 of 5

2013