Connor Macgregor Reviews Thread

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Connor Macgregor Reviews...Casablanca

I have just finished watching Casablanca which has now become in my eyes, a true cinematic classic. The wonderful acting,story and location work really gave the film something magical that puts it in the group of Gone With The Wind and The Godfather

In the early years of World War II, the Moroccan city of Casablanca attracts people from all over. Many are transients trying to get out of Europe; a few are just trying to make a buck. Most of them -- gamblers and refugees, Nazis, resistance fighters, and plain old crooks -- find their way to Rick's Café Américain, a swank nightclub owned by American expatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart). Though we learn later that Rick once harbored enough idealism to put himself at risk to fight facism, he's now embittered and cynical, professing to be neutral and detached: "I stick my neck out for nobody."

What i love about this film is Humphrey Bogart. His ability to put himself firmly in a role and believe in it is extraordinary. I think Rick Blaine is one of the most cool and charming characters on the screen. Ilsa is also a true beauty on the screen. You can really feel for the love between Rick & Ilsa and how they will die for each other if it became possible. But in the end, their love can conquer all only not together and that is one of the most touching scenes in cinema when they have their final conversation.

The ending stands out as one of the best in Cinema. That infamous final quote "Louis,I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" summed up my love for this film and what it acheived now and then.
Casablanca is a true cinematic classic and must be watched by all people.

Rating - 100% - A+ - ***** Stars





Connor Macgregor Reviews...The Butterfly Effect

My dad told me how good this film was,so i went out and bought it. I have just finished watching it and MAN this film was just incredible from start to finish.

Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher), who suffered severe traumas as a boy (Logan Lerman) and a teenager (John Patrick Amedori), blacks out frequently, often at moments of high stress. While searching for an answer to heal his emotional wounds, he finds that when he reads from his adolescent journals, he travels back in time, and is able to essentially "redo" parts of his past, and thereby causing the blackouts he experienced as a child. There are consequences of his choices, however, that he then propagates back to the present; his alternate futures vary from frat boy to prisoner to amputee. As he continues to do this, he realizes that even though his intentions are good, the actions he takes have unintended consequences.

Ashton Kutcher acts his ASS off in this film. His performance is wonderful as he goes through these different timelines and has no idea what is going on. You feel for his character after everything he has gone through in the film and that you somehow know that it will not end well. Amy Smart is also great in this film and potrays different versions of Kayleigh from the nice sweet girlfriend of Evan too the whore that lost all care for everything.

The story is amazing and dark. The scene with the camcorder was quite disturbing. Child Molesting is so wrong and that film was just really difficult to get through and i must admit i cringed a bit. The acting of the father Eric Stoltz was just great in the role. I don`t think there has been as dark as The Butterfly Effect and for that i Recommend anyone who hasn`t seen this to pick it up because it is well worth the watch.

Rating - 84% = A- - **** Stars





Connor Macgregor Reviews...Dear John

I just got back from seeing this film and NO i haven`t read the novel. I am judging this film by the film and the film only.

Special Forces Army Sergeant John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is home on a two-week leave from Germany. He meets Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) after he dives into the ocean to retrieve Savannah's purse that had fallen off the pier. John is smitten by Savannah and falls in love at first sight. Savannah is a college student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is on spring break and is helping build a house for Habitat for Humanity. John joins in with Savannah to help build the house. Along the way a budding romance occurs, and Savannah falls deeply in love with John. As she is about to go back to college, she promises to write John overseas during the next 12-months until he returns to her after completing his enlistment. Their love is put to the test when John reenlists after the 9/11 attack.

Now one of the things i enjoyed about this film is the performance of Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. I wished that Channing could have been stronger in this film,but it was good enough for me to buy this relationship that develops in the film. Amanda Seyfried is the star of the film in my opinion. Her performance is very moving and you buy into her emotions. I also enjoyed Richard Jenkins`s performance as Bill Tyree who is John`s father. his relationship is broken and beyond repair maybe due to his disease. But Jenkins does give a beautiful performance in this film and one that should be looked at by many awards.

I think the story is great. Its sad and sort of poetic in a way. They are so far away from each other but then again with the letters they aren`t. I am glad that they use letters instead of phone calls or e-mails. It shows that letters are not old fashioned and that they are still used instead of e-mails. One other thing i liked is the music. Its beautiful and sad at the same time. It makes us feel the emotion that the characters are going through in the story.

Overall,Dear John was harshly torn by the critics but for me,i enjoyed it and i hope people give a second look at the film and give it a second thought over what it tells us.

Rating - 71% - B+ - ***.5 Stars





Connor Macgregor Reviews...Kick Ass

This has been talked about all over the world...whether it has been good or bad. I just went to see it today finally and Kick Ass..KICKS ASS.

Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan with a few friends and who lives alone with his father. His life is not very difficult and his personal trials not that overwhelming. However, one day he makes the simple decision to become a super-hero even though he has no powers or training.

I thought this movie was great. The acting,the story and above all the fight sequences. Once again Screw the critcs (The ones that hate it anyway) because they need to sit down and just watch the film as a film not as a satire or some rubbish like that. I thought the characters in this film were dynamite. The girl who plays Hit Girl needs an oscar for that performance because despite the controversy,she can act. Nicolas Cage is also great but i wish they delved into his character more because i felt he was just a background character to the other characters in the film. The villian was also really good and his son was ok but could have acted a lot better than he should have.

The fight scenes fit the film perfectly. I know that there is a lot of blood and guts,but its a comic book film. Sometimes u are meant to do that stuff. It is just unrealistic when there isnt any blood from a film when someone gets shot or stabbed. One scene was very realistic when the guy first becomes Kick Ass and ends up in hospital. I wont tell you how but its done really well.

Overall its a fun film. I recommend it to anyone who hasnt seen it.

Rating - 83% - A- - **** Stars




Connor Macgregor Reviews...Iron Man 2

I was meant to do a Iron Man review along with this but sadly i haven`t gotten around with it. Sorry.

Six months after the end of the first movie, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has used his Iron Man armor to bring about a negotiated peace treaty between the major super powers of the world, and his immense popularity with the general public is only furthered when he fulfills his father's dream by opening the "Stark Expo", to showcase all the latest inventions that will benefit the world. Stark is, however, still vilified by the United States government, and Senator Stern (Gary Shandling) in particular, who demands that he hand his armor technology over for military application. Stark refuses, publicly shaming rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) in the process by highlighting his own failed attempts at recreating the technology. All is not well in Stark's life, however: he has discovered that the palladium in the arc reactor keeping his heart beating has begun to poison his body, slowly killing him, and all attempts to find a substitute element have failed. Slowly going off the rails as a consequence of what he believes to be his impending death, he appoints his former personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) CEO of Stark Industries, replacing her with Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson).

The Story to this is quite weak. Honestly it is quite weak. The acting is good but the majority of the story is just Iron Man shooting robots and the villian of the film. Robert Downey Jr is still as good as he ever was, but the script needed a lot of improvement. Paltrow was just there. She had no story and that was a major dissapointment as Paltrow is a good actress. Don Cheadle as War Machine was better than the last person who played him (Forgot his name). Mickey Rourke in my eyes was a dissapointment and Sam Rockwell i have to say was great as the villian. Kyle may disagree with me here but i enjoyed his character.

Overall despite a dull story, Iron Man 2 was a bit better than Iron Man 1. Great acting and great special effects.

Rating - 65% - B - *** Stars



A system of cells interlinked
Good stuff - thanks for contributing to the site.

I like most of the stuff above, save The Butterfly Effect, which I found to be contrived and silly. To each their own, I guess.

Thanks for the reviews!
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



its no problem. More are coming...much more. This is one of the things i love about films. Voicing your own opinion and particular favourites and least favourites. And finding films you wouldn't normally find.

More are still coming.



good reviews, i didnt enjoy iron man 2 so it deffo wernt as good as the first for me.





Connor Macgregor Review`s...Gone With The Wind.

There is no doubt in anyone`s mind that Gone With The Wind is one of the great cinematic classics of our time. Its powerful and emotional story of a young woman in a stage in which not just America,but herself changes. With praise all across the world,i managed to pick up the 5 disc edition and i must say...THIS TRULY IS ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS EVER MADE.

The epic tale of a woman's life during one of the most tumultuous periods in America's history. From her young, innocent days on a feudalistic plantation to the war-torn streets of Atlanta; from her first love whom she has always desired to three husbands; from the utmost luxury to absolute starvation and poverty; from her innocence to her understanding and comprehension of life.

First of all...The acting is FANTASTIC. Vivien Leigh is at perfection as Scarlett O Hara. One minute you love her with all your heart, nex second you hate her and just want to slap her about like a rag doll. She truly is a wonderful creation of a character and like Michael Corleone, her transformation in the film is remarkable. Clark Gable i must say is a true cinematic icon. Not just of the infamous line, but the personality of Rhett Butler is so original and so magnificent that it remains one of the best characters ever created in film. Another actress i want to mention is Hattie McDaniel who plays Mammy. This character is also wonderful and no matter how grim and dark the situation is, she always helds her head high and lives through the moment. She is another true icon of cinema and maybe an underrated one.

The plot is amazing and Victor Fleming`s direction is so iconic and memorable that i don`t think no director of today could top his work. Victor could direct anything. Any genre with any actors at any time period and it could be considered to be a masterpiece. If it was rereleased in theaters across the world right now, it would gross higher than most of the films this year.

I also can`t forget to mention The Score. Its powerful,emotional,rich and iconic. It truely maybe the most iconic film score ever composed in history. I have it stuck in my head for so long now that i think the day i die,that will be the song playing in my head lol. Max Steiner may not be the greatest composer in film history, but he has the greatest film score in Cinema History.

Also those mortal words "Frankly my dear, i don`t give a damn". I love how Clark Gable says it. He just says it like he does not care about Scarlett anymore.

In Conclusion, If you haven`t seen Gone With The Wind...WHAT THE HELL GET OFF YOUR ASS AND GRAB A COPY. I have the 5 disc edition with extras like The Making Of...Documentry,The TV Movie finding the actress to play Scarlett O Hara (I might review that) and also something i truely admire...A Documentry entitled 1939:Hollywood`s Greatest year which in my mind it probably is.

Gone With The Wind is a true cinematic classic.

Rating - 100% - A+ - ***** Stars



The First 2 Discs are the film. The 3rd & 4th are extras of the film and The 5th contains 2 Amazing Documentries. Hollywood's Greatest Year about 1939 In The Cinema World. A DOcumentry about the making of GWTW and The TV Film The Scarlet O Hara Wars (I'll review that next).



Connor Macgregor Reviews...The Scarlett O`Hara Wars (TV Movie)

I didn`t know whether to put this in The Underrated Classics list or This. I chose this because this is a TV Movie and highly doubt to be a classic.

This is the story of how one of the famous movie roles was cast. The role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. I`ll make this sort and i`ll start by saying that this is quite a good TV film. Yes its a TV Film and usually TV Films are cliche movies with typecast actors looking for a paycheck.

However this film is pretty good for what it is. I love some of the performances in this film,especially the performance of David O Selznick played by Tony Curtis. At one point i thought it was Larry Hagman. I loved the story,acting and the way it was all layed out. It made it look like the 1939 version of American Idol to find the next big star,only it was for Scarlett O Hara. I also loved the two con man who were conning women out of money or sex by saying they were scouting for Scarlett O Hara.

Overall i thought the film was a nice treat and really enjoyed it.

Rating - 70% - B





Connor Macgregor Reviews...Robin Hood

Of all the bad press i was expecting a horrible film...but it aint that horrible.

Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as Robin Hood, whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.Robin Hood chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richards army against the French. Upon Richards death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marian (Oscar winner Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marian and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more.

Now this film itself is a decent attempt at The Robin Hood story. But they are a few noticeable problems. But i want to talk about the good things first. Firstly i thought the set design,the location,costumes etc were all well done. I had the feeling that i was in 12th Century England and that i was watching something set in Medievil times.

The bad things are this. Russell Crowe is not a good Robin Hood. His accent changes throughout the film and its noticeable. He does Austrailian,English,Irish even Scottish pops out at one point. Him and Cate Blanchett have NO chemistry whatsoever. It was very awkward seeing them together and trying to fall in love,but it just didn`t work. You can tell they were both offered the part without a screen test together. Next thing was that the battle at the end was rubbish. It was more like that street fight from Green Street between the two football gangs,except they put medievil armour and weaponary on them and made them fight on a beach.Mark Strong gives his usual "Mark Strong" performance in which he just glares at the screen menacenly. Granted he is a good actor, but he should do something different rather than the feirce villian with funny eyes.Oh and the directing is usual Ridley Scott directing.

Overall a solid attempt at Robin Hood,but nothing to write home about.

Rating - 66% - B



its not brilliant but not what the critics and the majority of fans say about it. But i do agree Ridley Scott wasn't the director he once was.





Connor Macgregor Reviews...The Secret Of NIMH

Doug Walker (The Nostalgia Critic,Bum Reviews or Ask That Guy With The Glasses) Recommned this as the Top Underrated Nostalgia Animated Classic. I was then very tempted to see the film. So i bought it and have just finished watching it.

Mrs. Brisby (Frisby in the original book) is a very shy, timid, and lonely mouse widow whose family is threatened by a premature warm spell, prompting the farmer to start his mowing early, endangering the cinder block she and her family call home. Normally she would simply pack up their things and move to a new spot in the field, but her younger son Timothy is too ill to be moved, forcing her to seek another alternative before it's too late. With the push of her local confidante, the Shrew, and the aid of a clumsy, love lorn crow named Jeremy, she goes to see the Great Owl, who, upon learning that she is the widow of a mouse named Jonathan Brisby, advises her to seek the aid of the mysterious rats who live in the rosebush outside the farmer's house. There, Mrs. Brisby learns of her deceased husband's past, and the secret of these rats, the Rats of NIMH, who agree to move her home before they abandon their underground colony for Thorn Valley, but Mrs. Brisby herself is endangered by the evil machinations of Jenner, a power hungry rat who seeks to overthrow the rats' leader Nicodemus so as to keep the rats in their underground colony, and will go so far as to endanger Mrs. Brisby's children to achieve his goals. Only Justin, the rats' gallant, Errol Flynn like captain of the guard, stands between Jenner and Mrs. Brisby, who must call upon the same courage her husband had if she is to save her family.
I truely adore this movie from beginning to end. the hero of the story is not some tough action hero waving a sword around, its a mother who has lost her husband and could lose her son from an illness and is forced to go on this dark and terrifying journey alone and with no one to help her. The character is vulnerable and has to face dark creatures and discover secrets that not even humans have discovered.

I was quite surprised to discover what NIMH actually was. I won`t spoil it but if you haven`t seen it,then NIMH is quite a surprise. I think the villian isn`t that good though,but he is certainly dark and intimidating. I also like the bird character. He isn`t overplayed and certainly isn`t annoying. I also like The Justin character who is more brave but still very vulnerable to what he is facing.

The story is very easy to get stuck into with its delightful characters. This is truely a film you must check out. It is dark,fun and very entertaining. I give this a thumbs up to all animation fans who are looking for something new.

Rating - 81% - A-




Connor Macgregor Reviews...Return To Oz

Many people on here and other sites have praised Return To Oz, while critics have panned it. Never the less i bought it only for £5 and gave it a watch. Here is my thoughts.

It has been six months since Dorothy has returned to Kansas from Oz and she still cannot sleep. She has been going on about imaginary places and people so much that Aunt Em takes her to see a doctor. Dorothy promptly escapes from the mental hospital and wakes up in Oz where her favorite chicken can now talk. There she meets a whole new bunch of friends and they set off to rescue the Scarecrow from an evil Gnome King who has found her Ruby Slippers and has used them to lay waste to the Emerald city and take over Oz.

From the start of the film,i was hooked. I honestly think that this film is heeps better than the 1939 Original Musical and here is why. First of all,its dark and that is how the books were meant to be tooken as. I love the dark atmosphere as soon as Dorothy enters Oz. You can just tell by the time and way she was brought there that something isn`t right and that dark forces lurk in Oz. Second reason is that the characters are much more interesting. The villians are alot more scary especially The Nombe King. You couldn`t tell whether he was good or evil. I was also quite creeped with Princess Mombi and all of the heads.

I loved the story in the film. It was dark,scary and very engaging. I am unsure whether a kid could get into this. They may find the Pre Oz stuff boring and the rest of the film quite entertaining. But overall this is without a doubt a classic film. I highly HIGHLY recommend both Secret Of NIMH and Return to Oz together.

Rating - 81% - A-