Change of Conversation

Okay, I’ve had enough of the hand-washing, isolation, disinfectant, and toilet paper-talk. How ’bout a change of conversation?

I don’t want to keep blogging about the virus and the recent loss of my dog, Max, so I thought I’d do a few reviews on a couple of movies and a Streaming TV show. These that I’m reviewing today are in the fantasy genre.

If you enjoyed the first Jumanji, you’ll enjoy this one, too. It was filled with just as much thrilling suspense as the first. The hilarity was also well done. The only flaw I might say it had was how the characters kept changing bodies. Sometimes it got confusing knowing who was who, but the actors did a good job channeling other people. Dwayne Johnson had to channel the cranky old man, Danny DeVito. Kevin Hart had to channel the slow-witted Danny Glover. Both did a good job. My husband especially got a kick out of Kevin Hart’s depiction. My very favorite actor in the movie was a woman I never heard of before named Nora Lum, aka Awkwafina. She had to channel a few different personalities through her game-character, and she did an awesome job. If you’ve ever played a video game and was excited to get to the next level to see what it had to offer, this one won’t disappoint. Fun entertainment but not deep. I’d give this 4/5 stars.

I saw the first Maleficient, and I’m sorry to say that the second one did not live up to the first (which I enjoyed). I personally think Angelina Jolie is a stellar actor. She plays a way better evil witch than Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman. But for Jolie, who played the title character in this sequel, she had few lines. She mostly just gave evil glares and hissed when she got mad. I’d say the plot was acceptable. By that I mean a plausible idea for conflict. But because Jolie didn’t speak much, it fell flat. There was a Jar Jar Binx (from Star Wars) type character in this one that made no sense to be in the movie. It was an animated faery of which I can’t even remember the name. They make you think the character is going to be of some help or impact for the good guys, but it never accomplishes anything. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot. I’d give it a 2/5 stars.

I’ve been dying to tell people about the Netflix series Locke & Key. Apparently, this story is taken from a comic book series. I don’t read comics, but the series was outstanding. The plot is about the Locke family who moves into an old Victorian-style house that was passed down in their family for generations. There are a lot of mysteries surrounding why they left the house which get solved through flashbacks. But, the children of the father who grew up there never saw the home before. The story wastes no time, as one of the kids immediately learns there are secret keys hidden around the house that lead to doors with magical worlds. Eventually, all three of the children get involved with these keys. I found myself both petrified and excited to see what each new fantasy world had to offer. Each one is equally fantastical. By the end of the series, I even had a favorite magic world I wished I could visit over and over again. The conflict comes in when we learn that there is an evil person who wants those keys for nefarious reasons, and this evil character comes and goes throughout the series trying to find a way to steal those keys from the kids. The actors who play the kids are all really good. However, I was not impressed with the acting of the woman who played their mom. She was quite terrible, especially in a scene where she was drunk. I’m not one who likes horror films or anything about demons. It did not have anything of the sort until the last episode, and even then, it was only a couple of brief scenes. This was a unique and imaginative fantasy plot. The loose ends are tied up with a hook that should lead to the next season. If you like fantasy, I highly recommend. 5/5 stars.

If you saw any of the above entertainment, let me know what you thought.