12/31/16
Who am I? I am a former Prosecuting Attorney and a former Judge and am uniquely qualified to render an opinion on movies. Not really, but I love movies, go to lots of movies, and friends repeatedly ask me for my advice on what movie they should go see. Why should you follow my advice? You shouldn't follow any one's advice blindly. One man's treasure is another man's junk.
As a long time Prosecutor and Judge, I have seen people try to blow as much smoke past another as anyone, and movies are no different. We have all seen trailers that are the only good part of the movie. I will tell you what I like and why. I do not avoid other reviews. If they like a movie, I want to know why or why not; then, I can determine whether or not I agree.
I will rate movies with gavels. 5 gavels is excellent and rare.
4 gavels is good and worth your money.
3 gavels is average and still better than TV.
2 gavels is poor and ignore unless you have a hot date.
1 gavel means the movie should not have been made.
I am an avid NCIS watcher and I have rules which will be referred to and supplemented from time to time. Rule No. 1 -- I do not watch, nor will I review horror movies, slasher movies, or any of their ilk. (Note: If someone offers to pay me lots of $$$$, this prime directive is certainly subject to change. However, I can't imagine me giving any such movie more than 1 gavel. Perhaps less.)
Finally, I have already seen many of the movies already out, so I will not retroactively review those.
But, La La Land is a feast for your eyes and the opening scene is worth the price of admission.
I thought The Rock in Moana was the best animated character since Robin Williams in Aladdin. While Sing was good, Moana was better. While the critics didn't like Passengers, the gadgets on the
spaceship were fascinating.
Hopefully I will have 2 or 3 reviews per week which you will find helpful.