Mom's Minute

 

 

 

Introduction to State of Play Movie Review

 

 

Is it just me, or does it seem that currently good movies worthy to watch are few and far between? If you agree, then it may be beneficial for you to check out some movies that first aired a few years ago. Specifically, I’m referring to a 2009 movie, State of Play. 

 

Did the appearance of old technology, etc. in this 2009 film distract me from what was going on in the movie, or was the movie enjoyable to watch regardless?  Check out my movie review of State of Play to find out the answer to this question and more.

 

 

Plot of State of Play Movie 

 

 

There are many intertwining plots in the State of Play movie which I will not divulge here.  I will reveal to you that the movie plot includes politics and journalism, with several subplots and quite a few revelations to boot.

 

 

 

 

Film Category for State of Play Movie

 

 

I categorize the State of Play movie as a combination drama, suspense, and even action film to a degree.  If you watch the State of Play movie, you will probably come to the same conclusion. Just when you think you have figured out what is going on, another ‘curve ball” is thrown into the mix, and once again you may find yourself trying to piece together all the parts of the movie plot. By the way -- this is a good thing.

 

 

Acting Skills Displayed in the State of Play Movie

 

 

Several big names -- A-List actors are in the 2009 movie State of Play including Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachael McAdams and Helen Mirren. if you don’t blink while watching this movie, you will catch a glimpse of the younger now oscar winning actor, Viola Davis as well.

 

 

For the most part, the actors played their roles adequately. In other words, at no time during the movie would I describe someone as being a “bad actor.”  As you may know, the interesting part of watching movies, is when acting abilities are displayed so skillfully that you get involved in the movie without noticing if an actor is or is not performing up to par.

 

 

 

Assessment of State of Play Movie

 

 

Even though this is a 2009 movie, except for the cars, phones and computers, it did not feel dated to me. In fact, the storyline of the movie is so attention-grabbing -- this movie could very well be relevant now -- in 2021.

 

That being said, the question is -- will you enjoy watching the State of Play movie? My response is a resounding “Yes.”  Even if you are not a fan of political type movies, I think this film has the right mix of suspense, drama and action elements of a good movie to keep your interest. I know it certainly kept mine.

 

 

Rating of State of Play Movie

 

 

 

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the State of Play movie 5 stars.

 

 

 

 

Introduction to The Way Back Movie Review

 

The Way Back movie starring Ben Affleck is a film I had planned to see in the movie theater once it was released. I saw the movie trailer awhile back and thought it would be an up-lifting, inspirational type film. However, before the movie premiered, the pandemic hit so watching The Way Back movie at the theater was out of the question.

 

Recently, when I found out The Way Back movie was playing on HBO Max, I decided to watch it.  Was The Way Back film starring Ben Affleck worth the wait? Check out my movie review to find out.

 

Plot of The Way Back Movie

 

The plot of The Way Back movie  is simple and clear cut. A former high school basketball star (Ben Affleck’s character) is now grown and was asked to return to his former high school to coach the basketball team. The movie centers around the coach’s substance abuse problems that he battled on and off the basketball court as well as other unfortunate events he experienced.

 

 

 

Storyline of The Way Back Movie

 

In taking a look back on the occurrences in The Way Back movie, it appeared as if Ben Affleck’s character was caught in a loop of first conquering his addiction but then relapsing and starting over again on a self-destructive path.The storyline is about this character’s battle with addiction; however, from watching the trailer, I anticipated there would be more attention on him coaching the basketball team. I was under the impression he would ultimately declare victories for the basketball team as well as his addiction -- similar to other “feel-good’ type movies. Spoiler Alert: This was not the case.

 

Inspiring Events in The Way Back Movie

 

Uplifting type occurrences or moments were few and far between in The Way Back movie. When Ben Affleck's character coached -- he did so from a negative standpoint riddled with profane language. The movie showed that he acknowledged and sympathised with certain players' life circumstances, but for the most part, he seemed to interact with the team from a negative standpoint. He was under the influence most of the time which may not excuse but may have accounted partially for some of his actions.

 

On a positive note, the movie did show the team’s progress from being underrated to becoming champions under the coaching “skills” of Ben Affleck’s character.

 

How to Improve the Entertainment Value of The Way Back Movie

 

I think this movie could have been improved by showing that Ben Affleck’s character finally beat his addiction and was able to coach the team to more victories. Since this was, of course a fictional story, this positive aspect could have been added. On the other hand, It may have been fine to show Ben Affleck’s character as he really was, without any sugarcoating. 

 

Spoiler Alert: The movie, The Way Back does not end on an upbeat note. Ben Affleck's character once again relapsed and is told to leave the team as a coach for good. The movie attempted to show how the team felt about him as a coach after he was forced out -- even though he was no longer coaching them. To me, even though he did lead the team to victory, I do not see this as a basis to recognize him during future games -- mainly because of why and how he was relieved of his duties as a coach.

 

Assessment of The Way Back Movie

 

In a nutshell, I was disappointed in The Way Back movie. The series of events that occurred, leading to his dismissal as a coach, once and for all, did not justify him to be celebrated by the team. Ben Affleck’s character seemed to know how to lead the basketball team to victory; but unfortunately, was unable to lead himself to beat his addiction.

 

Because of the negatives mentioned in my movie review, unfortunately, the film The Way Back, in my opinion, was not worth the wait.

 

Rating of The Way Back Movie

 

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars, with 5 stars being the highest, I rate The Way Back movie starring Ben Affleck 2 ½ stars.

 

Introduction to the Mortal Kombat Movie

 

 

I recall watching the first Mortal Kombat movie at the theater years ago and was quite impressed with not only the characters, but the background and soundtrack of the movie. In fact, one of the highlights of the first movie was periodically hearing the Mortal Kombat signature song throughout the film which was popular during that time.

 

 

I expected to also be impressed with the latest version of the Mortal Kombat movie which I watched on HBO Max. Was this latest movie version of the video game Mortal Kombat comparable to the first one?  In other words, did the Mortal Kombat 2021 movie deliver? Check out my movie review here to find out.

 

 

By the way -- Mortal Kombat is rated R and should not be watched by anyone under the age of 17 without parents or adult guardians.

 

 

Plot of the Mortal Kombat Movie

 

 

The plot of the Mortal Kombat movie centers around avenging the destruction of a family, even though there are other subplots as well. Prevalent were monsters and men with super-human powers, battling against certain people who were selected based upon a dragon tattoo they had. The presence of a tattoo was not universal criteria since there was a character who was a part of this group who did not have one -- namely Sonya Blade.

 

 

 

Action Scenes in the Mortal Kombat Movie

 

 

You would think that the Mortal Kombat movie would be packed with lots of action, explosions, fights, etc. However this was not the case, Instead there is quite a bit of supernatural type actions going on. 

 

 

In fact, when you watch the Mortal Kombat movie, just when you think that some characters have been totally defeated, they prove you wrong. You will know what I’m referring to if you watch the Mortal Kombat movie.

 

 

Omissions in the Mortal Kombat Movie

 

 

Maybe to shorten the length of the Mortal Kombat movie, several explanations were not clearly shown as to who some of the characters were or how they evolved to become superhumans. Spoiler Alert: For example, regarding Mehcad Brooks as the Jax character -- in one scene you will notice he has scrawny-like metal arms; however, toward the end of the movie, his artificial machine arms changed dramatically in appearance. 

 

 

 

The same goes for the character who appears to be the lead actor in the Mortal Kombat movie --  Lewis Tan who plays the character of Cole Young. Spoiler Alert: During the movie, suddenly he gained not only superpowers via fire and probably strength, but he also automatically changes into a superhero costume that seemed to come out of nowhere. 

 

 

Additionally, instead of spelling it out to you -- You will have to make assumptions regarding the correlation between the infant (Cole Young -- Lewis Tan’s character) shown at the beginning of the movie and events shown years later when he now has a wife and daughter. Brief scenes in the movie of him growing up and maybe meeting his wife would have been helpful to connect the two characters.

 

Pros of the Mortal Kombat Movie

 

 

--Computer-Generated Images (CGI) and Graphics

The CGI and graphics of the Mortal Kombat movie will probably grab your attention. I think the art department or staff did their job in bringing the characters including the various monsters to life in the movie, Mortal Kombat.

 

 

--Time Length of the Mortal Kombat Movie.  

The events and scenes in the Mortal Kombat movie did not drag on and appeared to be the correct length and ended when they should have.

 

 

--Diversity in the Mortal Kombat Movie

The Mortal Kombat movie showed various characters with different backgrounds which is also similar to the video game itself. To me -- this was a plus.

 

 

--The Ending Mortal Kombat Remix Song

Spoiler Alert:  If you are a fan of the original Mortal Kombat song like I am, then you will be happy to know a remix version finally plays at the end of the movie during the credits. In the original movie -- the Mortal Kombat played constantly -- which I enjoyed. However, there is not an abundance of Mortal Kombat music in this movie -- except at the end.

  

Cons of the Mortal Kombat Movie

 

 

--One Word -- Violence

This Mortal Kombat movie, in my opinion, had too much gruesome violence, even though I know it could have been worse than shown. I guess the writers-director had to stay true to the Mortal Kombat video game, but I was not a fan.

 

 

Destruction of a mother and child was included in this movie which was a huge turn-off for me. 

 

 

--Unnecessary Character in the Mortal Kombat Movie

The character who seemed to be added for comic relief who first appeared to be chained to a chair was not humorous. Not only was he an unnecessary character in the movie, in my opinion, but his lines that were supposed to be funny did not quite hit the mark. Spoiler Alert: Relative to him being in the movie to destroy the monster, one of the other members of the team could have done that -- maybe the Jax character.

 

--Limited Female Character Action Scenes

As I watched the movie, I wondered why Sonya Blade was a part of the movie, since she did not have the mark and was not targeted by the enemy.  Maybe she was supporting the other characters who were marked with the tattoo. Also she is probably in the movie because she is also a character in the video game, Mortal Kombat. That being said, I expected that she would have more action scenes in the Mortal Kombat movie -- which did not happen.

 

 

--Use of Superhuman Powers

Since the villains as well as some of the other characters had superpowers, this movie could have been over before it started.  Sub-zero could have just blanketed the city with freezing weather to end this movie -- if he was all out to destroy his victim.

 

 

Along the above lines -- I’m not clear why the Jax character was not completely destroyed (his arms were grossly damaged-detached which were reconstructed as robot arms) when the innocent mother and child were. If he could have been saved -- so too could the mother and child.

 

 

 

Assessment of the Mortal Kombat Movie

 

 

I think the Mortal Kombat movie would have fared better if there were less magical -- superhuman powers-occurrences, a reduced number of gruesome scenes and more regular karate type fighting matches.  

 

 

Also, explanations should have been given as to why the characters all seemed to gain superpowers towards the middle or end of the movie.

 

 

Last but not least -- the mother and child could have been spared.

 

That being said, the Mortal Kombat movie is after all a movie and in movies, it's permissible for writers to use their imagination extensively, even though I may not agree with them.

 

 

As I alluded to earlier -- the writers were probably trying to stay true to the Mortal Kombat video games and chose to show all of the gruesome, violent scenes in gross details. However, I think more prudence and restraint should have been exercised relative to the violence in the Mortal Kombat movie.

 

 

 

In a nutshell -- though the graphics and CGI were great (except for the gruesome scenes and images)  -- in my opinion, the Mortal Kombat movie did not deliver. 

 

 

 

Rating of the Mortal Kombat Movie

 

 

 

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Mortal Kombat movie 2 ½ stars.

 

 

 

 

Introduction to Godzilla va. Kong Movie Review

 

If you are a fan of Godzilla, Kong, or both -- you may have already watched the Godzilla vs. Kong movie.  Like me, you may have also watched previous Godzilla and Kong movies that were either streaming, on DVD or other media. Did the Godzilla vs. Kong movie rank with the ones prior or did it fail to meet my expectations? Check out my movie review of Godzilla vs. Kong to find out.

 

Plot of Godzilla vs. Kong Movie

 

Based on the movie title -- Godzilla vs Kong -- it’s evident that the plot will center around an altercation between Godzilla and King Kong -- which it did.  However there is a subplot dealing with technology as well as a tech company that adds sort of a twist to the plot. 

 

Characters in the Godzilla vs. Kong Movie

 

In my opinion, there were an adequate number of characters in the Godzilla vs Kong movie.  Even though the story is told from various characters' viewpoint, the main character -- outside of Godzilla and Kong, of course, was  the young actor Kaylee Hottle as Jia who seemed to have a special understanding of Kong.

 

 Focus of the Godzilla vs. Kong Movie

 

Both Godzilla and Kong are the main focus of this movie; however, as you watch the film, you may come to the conclusion that the movie leans more toward one monster than the other.  I will not divulge which monster that is -- but it should be evident to you once you watch the movie. 

 

Who Won? Godzilla or Kong in the Godzilla vs. Kong Movie

 

Before the movie aired, I noticed this question surfaced quite often online.  There is a scene in the movie where it is clearly obvious which monster seemed to dominate the other -- even though the other put up a good fight.  Who won? Watch the Godzilla vs. Kong movie to find out.

 

Assessment of Godzilla vs. Kong Movie

 

I guess there have been so many Godzilla and King Kong movies that there is a chance for repeat storylines. You may think that you've seen a similar movie involving Godzilla and Kong before. However, and this is a plus - in this movie -- yet another storyline was created to pit Godzilla against King Kong.

That being said, I think the movie would have been more exciting to watch if the storyline involved strictly Godzilla and Kong, and maybe a few scientists.  Spoiler Alert: In the Godzilla vs Kong movie, another monster character was introduced which was not quite relevant to the movie title.  

In doing a quick comparison between this Godzilla vs. Kong film and other similar movies, I think this film fell just a little short to me. This is due mainly to the limited interactions between Godzilla and Kong. Again, you will know what I’m talking about if you watch the Godzilla vs. Kong film.

 

In a nutshell, when I compare this film with other Godzilla vs. Kong type movies, I categorize this film as average.

 

Rating of Godzilla vs. Kong Movie

 

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Godzilla vs. Kong movie three (3) stars.

 

 

 

Introduction to Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie Review

 

Would you like to enrich your brain with historical facts that have been shared down through the ages?  If so, then I would not recommend you watch Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut movie. However, if you would like to watch an epic, fictionalized movie with lots of action and drama, with a few facts thrown in, then I highly recommend you watch the Netflix movie, Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut. For additional reasons to watch Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut movie, check out my movie review.

 

 

 

A-List Stars in Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie 

 

You will not have to watch the film long before you begin to notice plenty of big name movie stars in Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut movie. Released in 2006, this film has actors that had not quite risen to the star-quality caliber that they are today. One such actor is Jared Leto, who has been making his mark in the movie industry and is now quite a name in the film business. To check out my movie review where I recognized Jared Leto’s acting skills, check out my review of The Little Things, an HBO Max film.

With so many seasoned and experienced actors in the Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut movie, it would be difficult for this film not to keep your attention. It also helps that the storyline is about a King and warrior, Alexander, who certainly made his marks in the history books.

 

Plot of the Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie

 

The plot of Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut movie centers around his ambition not to ever be defeated which led him to victoriously add lots of territories to his empire. With winning as his ultimate goal, the story shows many of his conquests in and off the battlefields. The subplot has to do with the sometimes tumultuous relationship he had with his father, Philip, which added to the many conflicts in the movie.

 

 

Time Periods in the Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie

 

Instead of showing a chronological series of events dealing with Alexander and his family, cohorts and others -- the movie tended to go back and forth in time periods. Since Alexander conquests were tied to his age, you may find yourself calculating how old he is in certain scenes. This will not be difficult to do, since a much younger Alexander is performed by actors who were the age Alexander was when certain events happened.

 

 

Mature Themes and Situations in Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie

 

 

In addition to the sometimes bloody and yes -- gross -- scenes, etc. in Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut movie, the writers and director, Oliver Stone seemed to focus on his various relationships with other people in adult situations. For these reasons the movie is rated R and should not be viewed by anyone younger than seventeen years of age without their parents or guardians.

 

Pros of The Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie 

 

--A-List actors, including Angelena Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto and others

--Lots of battle actions, even though some were overly bloody and as I mentioned earlier -- gross.

--The inclusion of small historical incidents that actually happened to Alexander, including how he tamed and was able to ride the horse that became his favorite for many years.

--Epic cinematography that showed the various landscapes and environments of this time era

--Length of movie was long but adequate to depict all of the significant happenings and scenarios involving Alexander.

 

 

Con of the Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie

1. --Constant back and forth messages on screen regarding the time periods which may take your focus away from what was going on in the film and made it, in my opinion, difficult to follow sometimes.

 

Assessment of the Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie

 

I found the storyline of the Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut movie to be interesting and attention grabbing. There is an abundance of action, drama, and a hint of suspense in the movie as well. If you are a history buff, or just enjoy watching these historical-type movies, I recommend that you watch the Netflix movie, Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut. You will most likely be glad you did.

Rating of the Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut Movie

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut movie 5 stars.