Jon Loder's Reviews
Great watch.
The story was very good with just a hint of predictability. The on-stage illusions were a little too much. If it was more realistic, I would've maxed the rating. The story is set in the late 1800's. Electricity was just becoming available. I haven't read Millhauser's short story on which this movie is based, but I intend to.
Norton is one of the best thespians alive (better Hulk than Ruffalo). I can't think of a bad act from him. He did a great job in this character.
Rufus Sewell has to be one of the best bad-guy actors since James Woods.
The wokeness is absolute zero. Enjoy.
Created: 04-16-2026
Great acting
Minimal scene movies like this tend to showcase good acting skills. Chris Pratt hit it out of the park, like Colin Farrell in Phone Booth, or the full cast of The Man from Earth.
The only woke element I noticed is the diminutive black lady beating a full-size white guy in a rooftop brawl. It would be a spoiler to discuss more about her.
The story is not bad. It is similar to The Minority Report.
A similar concept was tried in real life. Algorithmic programs were used to determine sentencing of criminals with no consideration of ethnicity or gender. It was a failure. Black culture was triggering longer, more severe sentencing. It had the effect of appearing even more racist than the human judges.
Created: 04-01-2026
One of my favorite re-watch flicks
It's been awhile since I've seen this but, a friend and I were discussing this last night. I realized how much this movie has going for it. The chemistry between the stellar cast was one of those rare convergences. John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Dan Akroyd, Mini Driver, and Alan Arkin really brought this together. I can't think of a single woke element. It's a dark comedy about a hitman with "moral flexibility" who seems to be having some kind of conscience re-awakening. The exchanges between Cusack and Arkin are classic.
Created: 03-25-2026
Great book, good movie.
The woke is minimal. Climate change is presumptive, but without any agenda or major concern in the story. This is about a clear and present threat to the solar system. There's enough in the trailers about the alien, Rocky, that it's not a spoiler to mention him. In a nutshell, Grace is sent on a one-way mission to a star that may provide a solution to the threat. He meets up with Rocky, who is basically doing the same thing from his star system.
How does the movie compare to the book?...
There are basically two ways to portray a book in movies: Make a series, such as Queen's Gambit, Reacher, Pride and Prejudice, etc., or re-write the story in a screenplay that will fit into a single movie, like this one. They did a great job with that in my opinion. They left a lot out of the story and added what was necessary to rebuild continuity. As usual, the book was better, but the movie is definitely worth the watch. I recommend both.
I just realized that the paragraph I just wrote could also describe The Martian, which was also written by Andy Weir.
Created: 03-24-2026
Rise of King David with a lot of music and less violence.
This movie is a composite of some of the events in David's life, leading up to being king over Israel. The David and Goliath scene skipped the part where David beheaded Goliath with his own sword. There were more instances of violence being removed or reduced.
There was a lot of music. Too much for my preference.
I would suggest that parents watch this with their children and then discuss the Biblical account as they see fit. It's their responsibility so they should make that decision.
Created: 03-16-2026
Not bad. Nothing exceptional.
No woke at all.
I was hoping for more trick-riding, or rodeo action. There was very little and it involved a lot of quick scene changes. The best part of this movie was the exceptionally good acting by a 12-year old. The story was Hallmark-ish. It was predictable... and cheesy. It's a good choice for a clean, family movie night.
Created: 03-14-2026
Watchable. Nothing special
No woke. Clean. Entertaining.
Aside from being predictable, the only negative would be the issue a young child drawing violent sketches shortly after her mother died. That's kind of a heavy issue. I'm no child psychologist, but I don't think the best approach was to encourage it.
The humor was clever. The acting was surprisingly good. The CGI was exceptional.
Created: 03-14-2026
Outlandish story that really happened.
The movie had the feel of trying to take a completely implausible story and make it seem possible. Except, this one is true. Yes, a 59 year old linebacker did play in Division III NCAA Football. Yes, he did compete (and win) a weightlifting contest against his 35-year junior teammates. He didn't get much playing time, but he did suit up and take the field in real games.
The acting and directing are good. There's nothing spectacular, it's just a feel-good movie based on true events.
Created: 03-12-2026
Rom-com or Chik-flik. Funny and clever.
Zero woke.
Decent humor. Good acting and directing. It's a good "movie night with the wife." kind of flick. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Kim Coates (Tig - Sons of Anarchy) was a pleasant surprise.
Created: 03-12-2026
Propaganda for anti-2A
It's been a few years since I've seen this. I'm going by memory. It was a very entertaining movie with great acting and directing. It also promotes blaming gun rights and gun manufacturers instead of the criminals who perpetrate the crimes. In short, it's left-wing propaganda. The basic premise is that the ends justify the means when it comes to tampering with a jury for the noble cause of holding gun manufacturers responsible for what criminals do.
Created: 03-09-2026
