Ed's Review Dot Com

Endgame Entertainment, Vendian Entertainment, KrautPack Entertainment,

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Scott Eastwood, Logan Marshall-Green, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schnetzer, Lakeith Lee Stanfield, Rhys Ifans, Nicolas Cage

This biographical drama covers the life of Ed Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) for a period of about 10 years until he shocked the world by showing the world the scope of the data the U.S. Government was collecting on private citizens. It covers his love of his job with the CIA, and his relationship to his girlfriend Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley) which was doomed from the start because he couldn’t divulge what he was up to without putting her in danger, and she knew very well something major was going on, but had no clue. With a lot of background on the time, and the technical data collection, and the life in the CIA, it’s a very technical look into the events and the motivation behind what happened. Whether you look at Snowden as the devil, or as an American Hero, this will give you the background of what really went on.

I was a bit disappointed in this movie, although I have been anxious to see what it had to say. I think I have figured out why I was disappointed as I struggled to figure out why. I do not think I have ever seen a movie made by Oliver Stone that I was not disappointed with. I don’t mean to say he’s not a good director, or that he is not an amazing talent, but I am saying that his movies never seem to work for me. There must be something on a personal level that make these movies never click for me, even though I have always been excited about the subject matter. It’s just one of those things I guess. So what did I find wrong with this film? Well, typically when you watch a movie about a historical event you are given enough background for even a layman to understand what it all means. From the housing bubble and the stock market crash which was explained to us in a way that I was able to understand, to even the crash and investigations covered in the movie Sully which dealt with complicated issues of whether or not the right choices were made or not, was fairly easy to follow. But I feel, after this one, that I couldn’t really follow the technical gobbledygook that was thrown out at us at a feverish pace. Yet great detail of Ed’s relationship to Lindsay was explained in great detail which doesn’t seem to really have much to do with the story or the motives of Ed Snowden. I found at times it was really slow and hard to stay interested in, and at other times the scope and magnitude of the data that was being gathered was overwhelming and went past me way too fast. I suppose I could get more out of it by watching it again, but I am not sure I want to put myself through the slow parts again. I think it’s a very interesting subject and one very worthwhile to learn about, but I’m afraid this movie is a missed opportunity to explain the story to us normal folks out there. I work in IT and I still found it hard to follow. It’s a shame.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Atlas Entertainment, Legendary Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment,

Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, Daniel Wu, Anna Galvin, Ruth Negga, Clancy Brown, Dylan Schombing, Terry Notary, Callum Keith Rennie, Dean Redman

Based on the Blizzard video games, this high adventure film follows the story line of when the Horde came through a portal into the land of Azeroth which is run by the human race. Orcs come through because their world is in ruins and they want to wage war to take over the world. All of the bravery, magic, and strength will be needed to protect Azeroth.

This film is very well done. Blizzard is a classic company, and I generally am not a big fan of video games turned into movies, but this was technically superb. Special effects. The action is very good as are the battle scenes. I must admit I played World of Warcraft for a number of years, although I have never seen the earlier single player games, but seeing some of the locations was a real treat, although I must admit that I played the game completing quests and not paying much to the back story. I really enjoyed the action and adventure in this movie, and I think it was very well made, and as such, I recommend this movie. It was a lot of fun!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Fox 2000 Pictures, Sunswept Entertainment, Studio Babelsberg,

Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nélisse, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Barbara Auer, Levin Liam, Rainer Bock, Carina N. Wiese, Roger Allam

Set in the World War II days in Germany, Liesel (Sophie Nelisse) who was 9 when she was taken to live with her foster family. She steals books and shares them with others, teaching herself to read. Liesel is fascinated by the Jewish man who is hiding in their basement and makes a friendship with him. This is her story of trying to remain civilized in an uncivilized time and place.

This is probably the best World War II story since “The Diary of Anne Frank”. This is a story that young teens and teenagers can appreciate and learn about the holocaust. It is a touching story. It’s nicely done. The pace is not too fast, yet it doesn’t drag. It’s a dark and dreary film, but yet the hope and spirit of Liesel makes you understand that even in the horrible times, there is hope for humanity. This is based on a novel by Markus Zusak, and really turned into a touching film. I was very pleasantly surprised by the depth of this story. This is a really good film, and one I recommend.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog