Welcome to Gracie Mae DeLunac's life, via the computer. This is where you'll see updates on my stories and whatnot. I'll post when I can about what new stuff has occurred in my mind, in the world, and whatever goes. Benvenue, everyone!
This is a movie review for "Awakenings", first released December 12, 1990 in Century City, CA. We watched this April 19, 2020. Main reasons for watching this movie were Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams.
Doctor Sayer has been taken from lab research to being assigned to a hospital. A hand of his patients are psych patients and most are catatonic (or near). Is there way to bring these people back to "normality"?
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
3.5/5 - *SPOILERS*
This is a tough movie to watch, especially since it is based on a true story.
What they figured in this movie is that most of his catatonic patients survived the encephalitis lethargica epidemic in the 1920s. With experimenting with expensive drugs, they are able to help some of the patients experience moments of "being awake" to the real world. Of course, the solution is not very long term and they cannot keep the patients awake to the real world, but it was the idea and the experience of being alive that the patients liked for the short term. How can we keep them amongst the living, away from being catatonic for the rest of their lives? I am unsure that they have found a way to beat this symptom brought on by encephalitis, but I would like to think that they have done more research since 1969.
Anyways, this is a good movie and I would recommend it. That's my movie review. Thank you for reading. More reviews to come eventually. Feel free to leave comments or questions. ;-)
This is a movie review for "Sully", first released September 2, 2016 at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, USA. We watched this on April 19, 2020. The reason we watched this movie was because we had seen the news about the incident where there was a plane landing on the Hudson River back in 2009. This movie is based on that incident.
A lifelong career pilot goes to take a normal flight from LaGuardia (New York) to South Carolina. Right after take off, however, there is massive failure. They lose engine power. How can they find a way to save all those on board? How can they find a way to not crash into the buildings as they had no power?
This is based on a true story. This also deals with the aftermath of the incident, the investigations, etc.
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
4/5 - *SPOILERS*
This is a very good movie. I never got information on the actual landing aside what was on the news. It was interesting to see what actually happened and the interrogations/investigations that the captain and co-captain had to go through. Of course, there would be that kind of thing after the fact, considering the fact that the Hudson River landing was one of the first successful water landings without any engine power whatsoever. And the fact that it happened within two minutes of take-off was very interesting. I would definitely suggest this movie for those that like biographies or movies based on real life.
I knocked down the rating only because they fragmented the telling of the story so much that it made me wonder what was past or "future". If they had put it merely chronological, then it might have been easier to understand, but that wouldn't make it as interesting to some viewers, right?
Check this out. This is an actual video of Captain Sully's recollection of the incident. (Makes me cry to hear his story...)
"Captain Sully's Minute-by-Minute Description of the Miracle on the Hudson"
Anyways, that's my movie review. Thanks for reading! More reviews to come eventually.
This is a movie review for "Shutter Island", first released February 13, 2010 at the Berlin International Film Festival, Germany. We watched this April 18, 2020. (Why? DiCaprio!)
Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule are two US Marshals that have come to an island psychiatry ward (named Ashecliffe) for those that are criminally inclined. Most patients have committed murder or like acts, which is why they are at Ashecliffe. Teddy and Chuck are partners that have been sent to the island to help deal with a patient that has broken out and seemingly has disappeared. Can they find the patient? Is there something else going on with this psychiatry ward than just criminally inclined psych cases?
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
3.5/5 - *SPOILERS*
This is a strange movie... What you are watching at the beginning warps during the movie to give you a different story at the end. I honestly had no idea how to explain this so here's a YouTube video someone else did that will explain what happened.
"Shutter Island: Notice the Details"
Credit: Tyler Mowery
Through the movie, you see flashbacks about his wife but the details change through the movie. We also see hints about a little girl. There's one "patient" (not sure if the person is actually a patient or just a nurse playing as a patient?) that talks/acts like Teddy's wife, which makes him think about her more. At the end, we are told that Teddy's name is an anagram [jumbled up to make a different word] of Andrew Laeddis, who is the one who killed Teddy's wife. We also find out that Teddy/Andrew's wife killed their 3 children and then he killed her.
There are many people think that Teddy is actually a US Marshal that was set up to seem insane (perchance maybe his cigarettes or food/drinks are drugged?). Most people think that Teddy is actually Andrew, as the movie suggests. Personally, I do think the second option is the true way to view this movie but, as I have watched some other people judge this movie, this movie has many ways to confuse the viewer just to make us feel the shaky mental stability of Teddy/Andrew.
"Shutter Island: Deep or Dumb?"
Credit: Wisecrack
I would be interested in watching this movie again in the future but it is strange. I think this is a good movie to watch and I would suggest watching it, but not for young children because it is violent (or hints to violence).
I knocked the rating down because it was just so confusing mentally. It also had unnerving sound/music and lighting that it was a bit difficult to watch personally. I get that it was to unnerve us as viewers but it still makes it harder to watch, especially since the extreme light (when he gets migraines) is definitely something that I have to fight all the time as I am prone to migraines. That's why I have knocked it down to 3.5. It is a good movie but it is a bit difficult to watch, which makes it less enjoyable to me. ;-)
Anyways, that's my movie review. Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave comments/questions/thoughts. More reviews to come eventually so keep an eye out!
In Harlem, New York City, New York during the 1930s, a group of friends own a club (and illegal gambling operations). To stay afloat, they have to make deals, find a way to stay ahead of the cops, and manage to get past the mafia without being killed or, worse, put out of business. For Quick and his boss/friend/mentor Sugar Ray, life is anything but quiet. How do they stay in business? Will they get run out? Will they be able to survive?
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
4/5 - *SPOILERS*
This movie can seem very slow sometimes but it is interesting. I didn't find it super mega funny but it kept my attention.
Murphy and Pryor have a very good interaction between their characters and it keeps the movie moving forward in an enjoyable way. Murphy's character (Quick) tends to be rash and explosive whereas Pryor's character (Sugar Ray) tends to be calm-headed and fatherly towards Murphy's character. Between the two, it is interesting.
The two of them, at the end, come together with a plot that benefits everyone in their clique in a way that doesn't seem to be planned out but had been by Quick and Sugar Ray. The end of the movie has everyone just laughing going "Yeah, we did that. We're good". Because of this, I would personally like to watch this movie at least once more to see if I could catch on to it before the end.
Though it was at times boring and slow, I would recommend this movie. Not necessarily for children, but decent.
Also, RIP to Della Reese as she passed in 2017. She was one of the angels from "Touched by An Angel" and I loved her acting.
Anyways, that's my movie review. Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions. More reviews to come eventually, so keep an eye out for them!
An orphaned girl named Annie lives at a orphanage for girls. She doesn't like it there so tries to leave as often as she can. After almost making it out on the street, she is brought back to the orphanage and is lucky to have the chance to be a guest at a billionaire's house for Christmas. Both the billionaire Mr. Warbucks and the orphan Annie see their lives change from the encounter, but Annie insists that she is looking/waiting for her parents that left her at the orphanage when she was an infant. Can they find Annie's real parents? Where will her "forever home" be?
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
4/5 - *SPOILERS*
I honestly liked the 1982 movie "Annie" better because that was the one that I was accustomed to when I was growing up. They did a good remake of the movie (but Tim Curry did a better Rooster, for sure, and Carol Burnett's Ms. Hannigan was better too). However, even though there had been the 1982 movie out, this 1999 movie was decent.
Victor Garber shone through the Mr. Warbucks character. Audra McDonald was a good Grace, though she didn't quite have as much spunk as the 1982 version had. I did, however, think it was interesting to watch Kathy Bates (our dear Annie Wilkes from "Misery") losing her mind because of the children, though Carol Burnett's Ms. Hannigan was more believable. [I admit, they probably tried to make it less noticeable that Ms. Hannigan was drinking in the 1999 movie but still....]
1982 "Annie" with Carol Burnett: "Little Girls":
1999 "Annie" with Kathy Bates: "Little Girls":
Anyways, Ms. Hannigan's brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily decide to take the second half of Annie's pendant (the one that she swears will help her know who her family is) and go try to fraudulently take Annie away from Mr. Warbucks as they are "her parents". Lily accidentally spills the plan to the other orphans, whom then go to tell on them to Annie and Mr. Warbucks. Ms. Hannigan, Rooster and Lily are all arrested for the fraud they tried to commit. President Roosevelt appears and lets Annie know that her what her parents names were and that they died years ago. Mr. Warbucks finalizes the adoption process and Annie stays with Mr. Warbucks as his new daughter.
One thing I didn't like is the fact that Annie didn't have that big of a connection with the President in this version like she did in the 1982 version. So when the President pops up at the end to tell her how he had the FBI research into her background to find her parents, I was like "....but what?". It was nice to see how they did that, and made it less violent/scary than the ending of the 1982 version (because Rooster was trying to get rid of her in that version), but still made me pause and go "how does that work out".
Anyways, if you don't have the bias of the 1982 version in your mind (like I always will have), it would be a great movie to watch. As a stand-alone movie, I rate this a 4/5.
However, if you are comparing this one to the 1982 version, stick to the 1982 version, in my opinion, because it just feels better overall. True, they might show Ms. Hannigan drunk and Rooster trying to kill Annie at the end, but I think that the 1982 movie was better made. That's just my opinion.
What do you think of this movie? Do you agree with my opinions? Give me your thoughts!
That's my movie review. Thank you for reading. More reviews to come eventually.
Almost everyone now owns a robot avatar that they connect to via a chair, allowing the avatar (called a "surrogate") to go out into the world and do whatever the owner wanted to do in a safe manner. As long as you are connected to the surrogate, you can see, feel and hear everything that the surrogate experiences. If you wanted to be a young woman that goes to a club at night, go for it. If you wanted to be a business man, you could send your surrogate to go to the meetings (with you controlling them, of course).
When a user is somehow killed after his avatar was killed, the police have to go into action to suppress the media and stop the killer. Officer Greer is on the case. How can he stop the killer? Is there a risk to all of the surrogates? Is there a way to save everyone, with or without surrogates?
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
4/5 - *SPOILERS* This is a very good sci-fi movie, in my opinion. With the 2020 pandemic behind us as I write in mid January 2021, I could see surrogates being a huge thing nowadays. What better way to be safe from illness than staying home and sending a robot avatar to do your errands or go to work? Of course, with this line of thought, how would the stay-at-home users get immunizations, medical attention, etc.?
Anyways, I liked how this movie brought forward the idea of avatars/surrogates. I also enjoyed the idea of those revolting against the avatars/surrogates. Considering the fact that use of the surrogates lets everyone act like someone they are not (a pretty girl when you're a fat old man, a blond when you're a brunette, etc), I kinda agree that they do seem to minimize the life experience that the human can have. Why not be able to walk down the beach yourself, feeling the sun on your skin and hearing the ocean/lake waves lapping against the shore? Or would you rather do it virtually, even if you are "experiencing" it through the avatar/surrogate?
The story idea is pretty much the plot line, aside the fact that you have both a big company on one side that is rooting for surrogates and a community on the other side fighting against them. There's a lot to be said on the topic of society, safety, technology, etc, but most of them are topics that you need to see to start thinking of them (IMHO).
Overall, I would suggest this movie and I would watch it again. I highly recommend this movie, especially to those that like science fiction stories.
That's my movie review. Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave comments. More reviews to come; keep an eye out.
[This movie has been dubbed twice and I am unsure which one I watched, so here's the two options for the actor/actress for the characters Seita and Setsuko. All other characters are very minor.]
Plot
During World War II, a Japanese preteen boy named Seita and his four-year-old sister Setsuko find themselves orphaned. Father is off at war but they haven't heard from them for a while. Mother was severely burned during a bombing, from which she had infections and whatnot. Seita and Setsuko try to stay with family, which their aunt says that they aren't helping any (and gives them a feeling of "we don't really want you because we're tight on funds/food as is"). So Seita decides to find a way for himself and his sister to survive on their own. Can they manage during wartime on their own?
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
4/5 - *SPOILER*
This is a very difficult movie to watch. Like "Schindler's List" difficult but more difficult because it shows how badly they are treated and forgotten. Supposedly one of the producers said that it wasn't a movie about "war" but is more about what orphans potentially have to go through during those kind of times. When I saw Setsuko sucking on a button because she's hungry, my heart just broke.
I don't know what to say aside the fact that this movie makes my heart break just by thinking of it. :-( I definitely suggest this movie because it is a wonderful movie, but it is tough.
If you disagree about it being a wonderful movie, let me know.
Anyways, that's my movie review. Thanks for reading (sorry I couldn't expand it more). More reviews to come eventually!
This is a movie review for "Jupiter Ascending", released January 27, 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival, USA. I watched this in March 2020 with a friend of mine.
Jupiter is the daughter of a star-observing enthusiast and a Russian woman. Her father died before she was born and she ends up growing up with extended family, working as a cleaning woman with some of her family. When she is at one of her client's house, she sees aliens attacking her client. And then, when she goes to see a feminine health clinic, she is also attacked by aliens. Jupiter is saved by an super cute alien named Caine Wise. He tells her that she is special and under attack. If she sticks with him, she might have a chance to survive. How is she special? Can they survive whomever is coming after them? Where is he from?
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
4.5/5 - *SPOILERS* I know that this movie flopped at the box office but I really enjoyed this movie.
So Jupiter is special because she is a reincarnation of a matriarch of the Abrasax family. The family has made their living off of a "miracle cure" created from harvested and processed humans. We don't get the whole "how this works" but the fact that it is made from humans is pretty revolting, even if it does make the user younger and healed from diseases.
Jupiter, being the reincarnation of the matriarch, had been targeted for assassination because she could take over parts of the family business which isn't good for some of the sons' plans. One of the sons tries to have her killed so she is taken out of the picture, as he had done to his actual mother. The other son, however, tries to marry her to take possession of the planets that would have gone to her. (Yes, the one son tries to marry his mother's reincarnation. Think about that for a while... Gross. Talk about an Oedipus complex....)
Anyways, so Jupiter manages to get out of marrying the one Abrasax son (with help of Caine), accidentally kills another son, claims Earth as protected by her (as her charge, she is the queen of Earth) so that Earth isn't harvested for the "miracle cure" stuff, and she settles on Earth with Caine as a protector.
I personally think that there should be a second movie but that's out of the picture since this movie flopped badly at the theater. I also personally think that the bits of awkward conversation between Jupiter and Caine were cute and totally relatable. As for the "4 minutes" of bureaucracy for her to get the rights for Earth, I think it was relatable because who hasn't had to deal with lots and lots of paperwork and headaches, for example the DMV? I think that the laser skates are pretty awesome though there are questions about how effective they'd be in space (especially in a space suit that was a bubble first) or why Caine would be allowed to have them when he was in "prison".
Sure, the whole "use humans as energy" idea has been used a lot but why not. It isn't as blatant as the computers using humans as batteries ("Matrix") but the idea that energy is energy, even when in another life form, is out there. There's "Soylent Green" (which I haven't fully seen), the "Matrix", and vampirism in general. For this movie, who doesn't want long life, even if you know that thousands of people (if not more) had to give up their lives to extend yours? There's a huge moral question in this movie. Our IRL world might not have to deal with this question in this format but you could also take it to stem cell research. If it can cure cancer, why not use disregarded human fetuses, one might ask? Or does it matter that thousands of fetuses had to give their lives to cure cancer, if it saves other human lives? How do you calculate the value of life if you need to make others give up theirs for yours?
At one point, Jupiter nearly let the whole of Earth die for her family to be saved. Now, this seems very selfish but that question is very difficult to decide on because hey they're family. Again, she seemed like a little bit of an anti-hero at that point because you were fighting for Earth and now you're turning them in for your family? Wtf. But at the end of the day, after a few Abrasax deaths, she's the queen of Earth and decides to let everyone live (but is it only if her family is safe???). That's the main reason I downgraded the rating, honestly. Aside that, I rather liked this movie. Corny, sappy, and interesting, in my honest opinion.
Anyways, that's my movie review! Thank you for reading. More reviews to come eventually; keep an eye out.
A puppet master named Toulon created a handful of puppets and brought them to life with an Egyptian curse. When confronted, Toulon hides his puppets and kills himself. Many years later, someone finds the puppets, but now the puppets are coming to life again. How can they survive? Is there a way to defeat the puppets?
Rating Criteria
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.
2/5 - *SPOILERS* The idea of the movie is that there are puppets that are alive and murderous. Aside that, there is very little plot line. I wish there had been more background to the puppets instead of just trying to survive the attacks from them. Watching the trailer for movie 1 for this movie review, I then watched the trailer for the second movie. I think that the second movie might be more interesting (at least for the trailers).
Anyways, that's my movie review. Thank you for reading! More reviews to come eventually.
