DC Movie Review: *** Batman Forever (1995)

 I like most of everything in this movie, excdept for the character of Riddler (John Carry).  He is so over the top it ruins the rest of the film.  Two Face (Tommy Lee Jones) is much better.  Batman (Val Kilmer) does a very good job, and Robin (Chris O'Donnell) also does a very good job.  Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) also does well as Batman/ Bruce Wayne's love interest.  The Riddler discovers that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one and the same, resulting in much anguish as he and Two Face and their gang attack the house and are able to take Robin and Meridian prisoner.  Which one will Batman save, his new partner or his new love. If not for John Carry I would have enjoyed this movie more.

Nicole Kidman Movies

 Nicole is a very goo and prolific actress.  This list does not include "R" rated fare.  Some years she has four or five movies.  I have enjoyed watching her in fil,

Days of Thunder (1990)

***^Far and Away (1992) with Tom Cruise

My Life (1993)

Batman Forever (1995)

The Portrait of a Lady (1996)

****Practical Magic (1998). With Sandra Bullock as her sister. Halloween

Molin Rogue (2001)

The Hours (2002)

****The Others (2004). Very creepy ghost story.  Halloween

The Stepford Wives (2004)

Bewitched (2005)

The Interpreter (2005)

Happy Feet (2006)

Golden Compass (2007)

The Invasion (2007)

***^Australia (2008) 

Nine (2009)

Rabbit Hole (2010)

Just Go for It (2011)

Paddington (2014)

Grace of Monaco (2014)

Secret in their Eyes (2015)

Queen of the Desert (2015)

Lion (2016)

Genius (2016)

****Aquaman (2018) Aquaman's mother with Jason Mamoa

****Upside (2019) with Kevin Hart

The Prom (2020)

Being the Ricardos (2021)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

*** Spellbound (2024) animated

A Family Affair (2024)

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in ***^Far and Away (1992)

 An Irish couple posing as brother and sister Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) immigrate to America; she from an aristocratic crowd and he from a poorer family, losing their farm.  They hope to start over in Oklahoma territory.  She loses her money--silver she took from her mother to a swindler.  So it turns out he is more apt to earn money in the new world.  He becomes a boxer and does well.  But they are both put out on the street when he loses a fight, mostly because is manager (Colm Meany) makes advances on his "sister."

They are cold and hungry, and eventually break into an empty house.  She is shot when the owner discovers them.  He takes her to her ex suitor (Thomas Gibson) who has followed them to America. 

Somehow they both end up ant the day the Oklahoma territory is opening.  Her parents (Robert Prosky and Barbara Babcock) are also there.

I enjoyed this movie.  I have a inkling that much of the history is off however.

Movie Review: ***Spellbound(2024)

 This is an animated feature with Rachel Zegler portraying the Princess Ellian whose parents, the King Solon (Javier Bardem) and Queen Ellsmere (Nicole Kidman) who have been turned into monsters.  The princess and the consorts, Bolinar (John Lithgow) and  Nazara (Jenifer Lewis) are the only ones who know.  However on the princess' birthday the entire kingdom finds out.  They want to make the princess queen and exile the monsters.  The princess wants her parents restored and takes off with them following a light, to accomplish this.  The army is in pursuit.  

This movie has a twist at the end, and ends up being more about compromising, rather than getting everything back to the way it was.

This movie is available on Netflix

In Theaters: ****Upside (2019)

****Upside (2019)  Tony wanted to see this movie to catch the actor from Jumanji , Kevin Hart, who here plays a man, Dell, down on his luck who is hired as a caretaker for a wealthy quadriplegic, Phillip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston), who injured himself in a hang gliding accident where his wife died.  His personal executive (Nicole Kidman) does not approve of the hire, (which was based on hiring the least competent care taker) and gives three strikes.  He gets to two, but the third does not come.  This movie involves stepping out of your box for both characters.  However, when Phillip goes on a date with his pen pal Lily (Julianna Margulies)at the urging of Dell, and it doesn’t go well, Phillip gives the third strike and sends Dell on his way.  However he has learned enough from Phillip to now stand on his own.  However Phillip is not in the same position.  Dell comes back in an effort to make things right, which makes for a nice ending with them both hang gliding. 
Word of warning, sometimes the language is rough, a brief scene with prostitutes and lots of marijuana smoking.  These pleasure seem pretty shallow but they are part of the movie.

Movie review: ****Aquaman (2018)

Aquaman (2018)  Here is the definitive story of Aquaman from DC Comics.  Aquaman is the son of Queen Allana (Nicole Kidman) and a human male, Tom Curry (Tamuera Morrison).  Who knew there were so many beasts living under the sea.  Aquaman’s (Jason Momoa) brother, King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren) is determine to wage war on the surface dwellers.  Facing him is his older half-brother Aquaman, and his allies Mera (Amber Heard) and Vulko (Willem Dafoe).  Mera and Aquaman end on a quest to find the Trident of Atlan.  Only the rightful king can wield the trident.  Tailing them is the Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Manteen II), whom Aquaman offended when he let Manta's father die.  He has sworn revenge on Aquaman, and using weapons provided by King Nereus, and tracking information from Mera’s bracelet, hw nearly succeed.  However things are not easy.  Aquaman must face a sea monster who is guarding the trident.

Movie Review: ***^Australia (2008)

Australia (2008)  This movie is delightsome in its totality. This is a movie which includes some history about WWII which is easily forgotten.  The story centers around Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman)  Ashley has inherited a large property after her husband has been murdered.  She employs Drover in an attempt to keep her property from a land tack over scheme.  The story is set in northern Australia, and they must drive the cattle to Darwin so as to be shipped to the military for use during WWII.  They are caught in Darwin during the Japanese bombing.  They have befriended an aboriginal boy, Nullah (Brandon Walters) who was left on an island for orphans during the attack.  Drover and friends go to rescue the orphans.  Drover and Ashley have become involved, and Ashley has adopted Nullah.  They are able to complete the rescue, but they must still deal with Mr. Fletcher (David Wenham), who is the ambitious murderer who is moving up by forcing others to sell.  Nullah’s grandfather is portrayed by David Gulpilil.

Movie Review: **** Practical Magic (1998)

Here is a very good Halloween themed show.  Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) come from a family of witches, with a particular curse that if they love men, that man is destined to die.  And so they do their best not to fall in love, including wishing (or casting a spell) for the impossible, or picking someone who is terribly evil you couldn't fall in love with him.  All this works to a degree, until Sally does fall in love, and after having two children, her husband is killed by a truck.  In the meantime, Gillian picks an abuser, and Sally goes to rescue her, killing gillian's boyfriend in the process.  They cast a spell to bring him back, and he comes back as a ghost haunting them.  In the end he inhabits Gillian, and only bringing the community together are they able to save her, and send the ex on his way.
This movie has sisterly and motherly affection, as well as romantic relationships.  It has some scary scenes.  It also puts in some unneeded drinking and partying.  It also deals with relationships with those who are different.  The community has always been down on them as witches, but in the end the make amends.

Movie Review: ****The Others

This is a ghost story with a creepy house.  Some memories are too terrible to remember, and such is the case with this movie.  With her husband at war, Grace (Nicole Kidman) is home to care for her two children.  The have an illness making them sensitive to light.  She always keeps the windows covered.  However the curtains are left open, and doors are left open.  Is it the servants, or is it ghosts?  Her daughter says she is seeing people, and draws a picture of them.  Grace finally leaves because of the ghosts or intruders.  She runs into the night fog, and comes back with her husband, home form the war.  This movie makes very good use of fog and ambiance, and a creepy house.  It too have a twist at the end.  Good fun, but perhaps too creepy for little ones.