Reviews #15 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Plot: Miss Peregrine hosts a school for children with special abilities.

Review: I’ll admit that once this movie started and I saw that Tim Burton directed I was very surprised; I did not realize that this was his movie. But once you start watching it you can notice his gothic and quirky style. The movie is a mix of Harry Potter and X-Men. A lot of it feels familiar. It has a bit of it’s own spin to it but it’s nothing extravagant. The acting by everyone involved is decent enough. It’s mostly young actors so you get what you get. The story tends to drag for a while until Samuel L Jackson shows up and even after that it’s moderately interesting. It’s not a terrible movie but it’s a meh on ten.

Score: 5/10

Reviews #14 - Cheers Season 1 (1982-1983)

Review: Cheers is one of, if not the, most popular sitcoms of all time. It’s iconic characters and setting marked a generation of TV viewers and the characters are still recognizable today. The reason it works is because of the characters. It really is a place with people you want to hang out with where everyone knows your name. It’s the romanticized version of bar life.

            The main character is ex Major League Baseball pitcher Sam Malone played by Ted Danson. He is extremely likeable and charismatic. You have waitresses Carla and Diane, played by Rhea Perlman and Shelley Long, who both can be annoying in their own way. Sam’s right hand man Coach is a character I was not familiar with but he ends up being really funny. He’s the butt of many jokes since he doesn’t tend to catch on to things quickly, a symptom of getting hit on the head with baseballs too much. Bar regulars Cliff and Norm are funny guys as well that you just want to be friends with.

            The show is a great watch. While some of the jokes may be a little dated, for the most part they are still very funny. It’s the kind of show you don’t get anymore today. You can relax and have a good time, almost like you are there with them. The show even tries to tackle some more serious subjects from time to time, like acceptance of homosexuals, which might have been taboo back then. I will definitely keep watching. There are still 10 more seasons to go through and I look forward to them.

Score: 7.5/10

Reviews #13 - The Fugitive (1993)

Plot: Doctor Richard Kimble is framed for murdering his wife and must find the one-armed man to clear his name.

Review: A remake of the 60s TV show, The Fugitive casts Harrison Ford as the main protagonist Richard Kimble. On his trail is a team of US Marshalls headed by Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones). At this time in the 90s you could say that Harrison Ford was at the peak of his star power. This movie also revitalized Tommy Lee Jones’s career. When it was released it was a big deal but unfortunately I was too young to appreciate it so it was time to revisit it with adult eyes.

            The plot about a man trying to prove his innocence is of course one we have seen before. The take on the familiar plot in this movie is well done. It’s not too over the top, although you could say that the bus crash as well as the water fall jump are exaggerated, but they do give the movie iconic moments that are still remembered to this day. In the current era where everything is done with CGI, these actions scenes hold much more impact because they are done with practical effects and it keeps the sense of realism and maintains the viewer’s involvement. The sense of being on the run is constant throughout, it feels like the police are always a second away from catching Kimble.

            Harrison Ford does well in his role but he doesn’t blow the roof off the place. In the beginning scenes he does well as a man both grieving for his wife and trying to defend himself. As the movie goes though he becomes action movie Harrison Ford, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The true star though is Tommy Lee Jones. His constantly cranky and sarcastic US Marshall is entertaining throughout. The man is on a mission to catch Kimble and will not stop until he gets him. In the years that follow this movie he often would play very similar characters, even reprising the role itself in the 1997 sequel US Marshalls. Don’t let the cast list fool you about Julianne Moore. She is listed second or third in the actors list, but she is barely in it and only has a minor role. It appears like they were trying to bank on her name despite the limited role.

            The movie is good but it never reaches that upper stratosphere. It very much is a movie of it’s time. The pacing is good, never too slow nor too fast. It just never reaches that boiling point where the stakes are really high and you are on the edge of your seat. It’s a safe, relaxing time which is a good watch.

Score: 7/10

Reviews #12 - The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Review: If you ever wonder why we do what we do without thinking, this is the book for you. Author Charles Duhigg explores what makes habits and how the brain can do things without us even thinking about it. Through various interviews and stories, we see how habits affect our lives in ways we don’t even realize. All of these stories are interesting, informative and at times infuriating. We explore the cue-routine-reward cycle and see how it applies to various actions of people as well as communities and even companies. The best part of it is that it makes you think about your own habits. Once you understand how it works, you can think of ways of changing your habits to be more positive. It’s a fantastic read that makes you think and is entertaining at the same time. Definitely worth your time.

Score: 8.5/10