mjconway1

M3GAN 2.0 was quite a bit better than I was expecting. The original was a stylish rip-off of CHILD'S PLAY, but the characters were good. Of course, Megan was effectively brought to life by young martial artist, Amie Donald, and perfectly voiced by Jenna Davis. Add the "uncanny valley" mask effect of the face and eyes, and you have an excellent trifecta of ingredients, which are also in full effect for this sequel.

Ivanna Sakhno is a very effective villain, much like the female TX in TERMINATOR 3. Her mannerisms and eye movements were spot on, especially during a kiss. I was also surprised with the whip snap editing and fight/action choreography. There is a bit with Ivanna in a silver suit, wielding a pole that is just dynamite. The cyborg battles are well done.

Unlike the first movie, director, Gerard Johnstone, wrote this sequel and I really enjoyed the direction he took. He crammed a lot elements into this; almost too much, but I enjoyed every scene. There was a gaggle of laugh lines and the majority of them hit.

All the actors were good, but Bryan Alvarez (Gemma's lab assistant) was hilarious. He stole just about every scene he was in.

M3GAN 2.0 qualifies as repeatable viewing, because there were so many entertaining bits to catch.

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is about as good as a movie can get. HANNIBAL is hampered with the fact that it had to replace star, Jody Foster, but I really like Julianne Moore's performance as the now 10 year F. B. I. Veteran. This is a worthy sequel.

The movie is full of great performances and locales, such as Florence, Italy. Giancarlo Giannini is likable and outstanding as the police detective. Ray Liotta is absolutely despicable as the F. B. I. Supervisor, out to ruin Clarice's career. Gary Oldman as Mason Verger is amazingly creepy.

Hopkins steals the show, again. Just perfect. I love seeing him as the museum curator, but still sinister as ever.

There are so many layers and bits in this. I like the characters enough that I enjoy seeing all of their perspectives and detail.

Though I concede that the original film is a masterpiece, I usually just watch Lecter's escape in the ambulance. HANNIBAL is full of so many fun and horrific bits, that I rewatch it far more than any of the other movies.

I almost didn't watch this, based on several reviews here. After watching, I could understand how the bleak story could divide viewers. Though depressing, I found myself immersed in the situation.

I love the desert, so the setting immediately sucked me in. Though mostly limited to a house in a hole, it made for a fairly dramatic set piece. I'll need to search out how this was achieved.

I was also drawn to the character of Alina. I was wondering why she was so quiet and calm, while the main guy was freaking out. She seemed both disconnected and alluring.

Technically, it was very competent. Good cinematography, wonderfully eerie music. Overall, the movie did a great job of making me believe that this place could exist.