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Knight and Day, a review by Dragonfire

I went to see Knight and Day last Monday..it has just taken me a while to get the review done.

Once you have seen the trailer, there aren't any big surprises.  A few minor things that happen are a little surprising.  I do think the plot is entertaining and interesting overall.  This isn't a movie to take seriously in any way.  It mostly works as a fun, action movie with a bit of romance tossed in.  A lot is going on, but I don't think the movie is that complicated or complex.  I had no trouble keeping up with what was going on.  While the story is interesting, it isn't as developed or as strong as it could have been.

There are a lot of action scenes in the movie, most of which do go a bit overboard.  It doesn't look like there was any attempt to try to make those scenes even slightly realistic.  Roy is shot at numerous times - I couldn't keep track of how many - and he manages to survive it all with barely any injuries.  He does some very extreme things and then even takes the time to compliment June while hanging onto the roof of the car she is in and shooting at people behind the car.  The action scenes are done well and help keep things entertaining, but they aren't believable at all.  Some of what happens is funny, but the movie isn't as funny as I had hoped it would be.  The funniest moments are in the trailers.

Roy and June are fine as characters, though neither of them are that developed.  June mostly deals well with what is going on, though she does some very stupid things at times and she just got on my nerves at times.  Maybe part of it is that I don't like Cameron Diaz that much.  I'm not sure what it is about her, but something tends to bug me about her in every movie I see her in.  Tom Cruise is fine as Roy.  He does seem a bit smug every so often, but it wasn't so bad that it got annoying. 

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, though I do think it could have been better.  It did take me a while to decide on a rating...I was going between 3 and 4 stars before finally settling on 3.  I probably would have gone with 3.5 if I had that option.  I just felt like I didn't enjoy the movie enough to round up ro 4.



I did get a review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Knight and Day

(From Knight and Day on July 4th, 2010)

True Grit, a review by Dragonfire

True Grit - 2010

I haven't liked a lot of westerns, though I haven't watched that in years.  I have liked the few newer ones that I've seen.  Anyway, after seeing the trailers for True Grit, I decided I wanted to see it.  I might have seen the John Wayne version before, but I couldn't remember if I did.  After seeing the new version, I saw the previous version.  Both movies are really good.  Also today, I bought the book.  I wasn't planning to, but I came across it in Walmart and I decided to get it.  Both versions of the movies are very similar, though there are a few differences here and there. 

The plot is very entertaining.  The story is sort of a revenge story, but it isn't just a revenge story.  Mattie wants justice for her father, not just revenge.  Time is taken early in the movie to set up everything and introduce the characters.  It doesn't take long for more to start happening.  The movie really isn't that violent, but one or two scenes are very violent, with one even being a tad gory.  Rattlesnakes also turn up at one point..I really could have done without that scene. 

While things look a bit more dirty and bleak in this version of the movie, the cinematography is gorgeous.  The sort of bleak look fits perfectly with what is going on.  There are a few hauntingly beautiful moments in the movie. 

The characters are wonderful and complex.  Mattie is one of the best characters I've seen in a movie in a long time. She is a very determined young woman who can talk her way through just about any situation.  She handles some kind of trade deal so well that the poor man looks ready to cry when he figures out she wants to trade again.  Cogburn is a marshal, though he does use some questionable methods.  He isn't a villain, but he isn't completely a hero type character either.  He is quick to shoot and likes to drink.  In fact he drinks so much, he falls of his horse at one point.  He seems incompetent at times, but he has moments that are brilliant.  When he decides on something, he doesn't stop.  He is not a man to cross.  Jeff Bridges is amazing in the part.  Matt Damon does really well as La Boeuf, the Texas Ranger who tends to clash with Cogburn.  Josh Brolin isn't in as much of the movie, but he is really good too.

I loved True Grit and I could see myself adding the movie to my collection.  I may even see it in the theater again.

I did get a review posted on Epinions.

True Grit

By the way, my mom and step dad have also seen this one.  They really like westerns, and have seen the one with John Wayne a lot of times.  My mom fully expected not to like this one...she felt they ruined 3:10 to Yuma in the remake.  Anyway, both of them loved the movie too and my mom actually wants to see it again in the theater.  She has only done that like 4 times total.

(From True Grit - 2010 on January 4th, 2011)

Tom's TV Finales marathon, a review by Tom

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Die Camper: Staffel 7-9 (2003/Germany) IMDb | Wikipedia AL!VE, Turbine Medien (Germany) Length: 858 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Die Camper
Season 9.13 Winterzauber

I only ever saw the first season of this series and stopped watching it in the beginning of the second season when the whole cast was replaced which really bothered me. I bought this DVD set with all nine seasons, because it is the only way to get the first season on DVD. And as the set cost me only as much as usually a single season sells, it was a good deal.
I decided to watch the final episode for this marathon even though I didn't watch the rest. This is a series, where you can watch any episode and not having missed anything. And as I doubt I will watch all the nine seasons any time soon.
The final episode is just an average episode. Not hinting in any way that this is the end of the series. It is nice enough to watch, but nothing special.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Finales marathon on April 13th, 2013)