Treydle's stats
- Review count108
- Helpfulness votes608
- First reviewNovember 10, 2011
- Last reviewJune 30, 2013
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- Average rating3.7
- Review comment count1
- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentNovember 10, 2012
- Last review commentNovember 10, 2012
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![One Day [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/3697/3697664_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
Emma and Dexter graduate from school and then end up at her place for what could’ve been the beginning of a whirlwind romance or a one-night stand but ends as something of a near-miss with them deciding to remain friends. Emma (played by Anne Hathaway with an absentee accent that comes and goes with no real mention) is an aspiring writer from a humble background. Dexter (played by Jim Sturgess of 21 and Across the Universe) is the son of wealthy parents with whom he has a difficult relationship.
Through many years we see Dexter (Sturgess) go from a television personality who’s despised even by his fans to a man with no career who takes a job at a restaurant in the hopes of moving up the ladder in the organization to make a living for his wife and child. Meanwhile Emma (Hathaway) spends most of that time working in a Mexican restaurant and involved with a man she doesn’t love but who loves her dearly. And for a large portion of that time in her life, she and Dexter are not speaking despite being each other’s best friends.
While Sturgess is believable enough as the uber-cad who gets by on charm until that gives way substance abuse and boorishness and Hathaway is fine save for her accent, the story isn’t very interesting and the ending left me annoyed and confused and maybe more than a little aggravated. This is not really what one looks for in unadulterated sap.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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-5points
1of 7voted this as helpful.
![Zookeeper [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/3425/3425219_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
The film opens in a realm and/or planet far removed from Earth and human existence. We’re given a brief overview of the major events in its history and then we’re introduced to its royal family battlefield conqueror, Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth). After disobeying his father, Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) he is banished to Earth and stripped of his godlike abilities.
Enter Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). While studying anomalous events in the atmosphere under the guidance of her mentor Erik Selwig (Stellan Skarsgard) and with the not-so-able assistance of Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), she bears witness to Thor’s banishment or rather the tornado-like occurrence that made it possible. This intrigues Foster and after a brief period of reticence she hopes to offer help to Thor and, at the same time, elicit any information he might have that could help her in her work. All the while, turmoil in Thor’s realm could potentially destroy both it and Earth.
I’d not seen Hemsworth before and while the part requires very little beyond physicality, he is adequate at least. The “earthlings”, are good enough as are those from Thor’s home planet and the story is about what I expect. It’s not amazing, it’s not awful. Basically, it’s just a good time at the movies.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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-5points
1of 7voted this as helpful.
![Thor [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/3103/3103229_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
The film opens in a realm and/or planet far removed from Earth and human existence. We’re given a brief overview of the major events in its history and then we’re introduced to its royal family battlefield conqueror, Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth). After disobeying his father, Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) he is banished to Earth and stripped of his godlike abilities.
Enter Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). While studying anomalous events in the atmosphere under the guidance of her mentor Erik Selwig (Stellan Skarsgard) and with the not-so-able assistance of Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), she bears witness to Thor’s banishment or rather the tornado-like occurrence that made it possible. This intrigues Foster and after a brief period of reticence she hopes to offer help to Thor and, at the same time, elicit any information he might have that could help her in her work. All the while, turmoil in Thor’s realm could potentially destroy both it and Earth.
I’d not seen Hemsworth before and while the part requires very little beyond physicality, he is adequate at least. The “earthlings”, are good enough as are those from Thor’s home planet and the story is about what I expect. It’s not amazing, it’s not awful. Basically, it’s just a good time at the movies.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Share this review:
-1point
1of 3voted this as helpful.
![Source Code [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/2871/2871255_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
“Suspension of disbelief”. It’s an agreement between viewers and the people who take it upon themselves to entertain us. We all know its fake but put that aside for the short time they’ve asked for our attention. In this latest Jake Gyllenhaal film, that agreement is stretched to its absolute limit and for some, beyond.
Gyllenhaal plays army captain Colter Stevens who’s suddenly found himself on a train across from woman who keeps referring to him by another name. Additionally, she’s talking to him as if she knows him. After a relatively short time the train meets with a catastrophe and Stevens is in a confined area staring up at a monitor being asked to explain the events. Still struggling with memory issues, he’s given the assignment, “find the perpetrator”, and returned to the same situation. This series of events occurs several times in a way that would more likely remind many viewers of Vantage Point, assuming there are many people who saw it. That said, it isn’t intent on inspiring a debate on the time traveler’s paradox or parallel universes. It’s a whodunit adrenaline ride made to entertain and it does just that.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
![Moneyball [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/4614/4614723_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
With the best players playing the right way, a team is assured a victory. But if the best players are too expensive, do you simply take who you can get and give in? Or have you been overlooking quality players simply because conventional wisdom said you should?
Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) is General Manager of the Oakland A’s and after losing the last game of the season against the Yankees, three of his star players leave for more lucrative contracts. He’d hoped to match their offers, but the owner couldn’t afford it. Then, while looking for a trade at the Cleveland Indians’ headquarters, he noticed his counterpart appeared to be taking direction from someone he’d never seen before. After the meeting he approaches Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill), the one person he didn’t know in that meeting who seemed to be calling the shots. Brand and Beane soon have a rapport and before long Brand is Beane’s second-in-command despite serious resistance from the rest of the staff in the Manager’s office who feel Brand is a threat to the team and the game itself.
Sabermetrics has had wide-reaching and long-lasting effects on the game of baseball from supposedly ending the Red Sox losing streak to posthumously exonerating fabled great “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. The story is interesting and Jonah Hill acting way outside his comfort zone is, to say the least, adequate. Brad Pitt also plays his part well as he often does, regardless of the material. That said, at two hours and thirteen minutes, the film feels too long. I don’t say that because I believe all movies should be shorter than this, but I do believe this one should’ve been shorter.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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-14points
3of 20voted this as helpful.
![Drive [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/4614/4614814_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
Precision driving can mean the difference between a long prison sentence and a clean getaway. For the right price and with the right connection, those are services you can obtain once and only once and Ryan Gosling provides them.
Starring as a character that is never given a name, Gosling works as a mechanic for Shannon (played by Bryan Cranston) who also allows him to use vehicles brought to his garage for servicing for his illicit activities. In addition, he does the occasional bit of stunt driving for Hollywood films. Not to mention the fact that Shannon’s (Cranston’s) associate Bernie Rose (played way against type by Albert Brooks) is considering a proposal Shannon made to have Driver race professionally with Bernie (Brooks) as their benefactor. Things appear to be going swimmingly until Driver offers assistance to a neighbor being coerced to perform a robbery. The neighbor, Standard (played by Oscar Isaac), was recently released from prison and fears what his associate will do to his family. A family that Driver became quite close to in the time between when he met them and the day Standard was released.
The violence is a little gruesome, and the surreal nature of a character with no name is something that didn’t actually strike me until after I left the theater. That said, the story is interesting, the performances spectacular and the general feel of the film is right on target. It is light-years ahead of films like The Transporter that seek to turn their characters into superheroes.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+11points
14of 17voted this as helpful.
![50/50 [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/4601/4601856_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
You’re in a job you like, in denial about your struggling relationship, and you’re not particularly close to your parents as your father is suffering from Alzheimer’s and your mother is so much more emotional than you are that it’s difficult to carry on a conversation with her. Then you get the news that changes your whole life. Is that the makings of a comedy? Will Reiser thought so and it’s inspired by his life.
Adam Lerner (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a producer for public television whose live-in girlfriend Rachael (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) is a struggling artist. While they were not talking about it, it appears a break-up is inevitable. Adam’s best friend Kyle (played by Seth Rogen) is urging him towards the door but Adam is unconvinced. Then, during a doctor’s appointment he made to resolve back pains that wouldn’t go away, he’s given the news. He has a tumor on his spine and if he doesn’t subject himself to chemotherapy and then surgery, he’ll die. Kyle (Rogen) is determined to keep his friend in a positive mindset. Rachael (Howard) is given an out but doesn’t take it and decides, instead, to remain with Adam and is supportive, at least at first. Meanwhile, his insurance also covers visits to a psychologist. That ends up being something of a double-edged sword as the in-house psychologist, Katherine McKay (played by Anna Kendrick), is very inexperienced.
This is the second film in just over two years to feature a comedic take on a serious illness and Seth Rogen in a significant role. The first being 2009’s Funny People with Adam Sandler. Having seen both, I can say unequivocally that 50/50 is not just a better film, but a great film. There are solid performances from all the cast, an interesting story and a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t appear too good to be true. See this immediately.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+6points
6of 6voted this as helpful.
![Real Steel [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/4551/4551166_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
In a world of cage matches and underground brawling, boxing seems sadly tame by comparison. And with ever-increasing technological advances, robot death-matches may be a coming attraction destined for a venue near you. Though probably not in the not-too-distant future depicted in this Hugh Jackman science-fiction movie.
It’s 2020 and Charlie Kenton (Jackman) is a boxer whose days in the ring are long-behind him thanks to the emergence of robot boxing. He now controls other fighters (robots) from the sidelines. Unfortunately, he’s had a long run of bad luck and is in serious debt. He’s then hit with the news that the son he never sees was recently orphaned when his mother, and Charlie’s former girlfriend, died. At the custody hearing he sees Max (played by Dakota Goyo), Max’s wealthy Aunt Debra (played by Hope Davis) and her husband Marvin (played by James Rebhorn). Marvin (Rebhorn) tells Charlie that while they want custody and know that he doesn’t, they have plans for the summer and they are willing to pay a six-figure sum if Charlie will care for Max until they return. And at that time he’ll relinquish all claims to Max. Soon Max and Charlie find a robot to replace the one lost in Charlie’s most recent bout and embark on the process of training it and repaying Charlie’s debts.
I wasn’t expecting much from this film given the premise and the fact that some of Jackman’s previous films (the X-MEN series and Wolverine follow-up) left me disappointed. I was surprised and very pleased to see this film outshine those in execution and conclusion. Jackman’s role isn’t all that different from ones past but the tone and supporting characters make for an extremely enjoyable two hours and seven minutes.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+5points
5of 5voted this as helpful.
![Contagion [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/3839/3839518_sa.jpg)
Must enter redemption code by expiration date to redeem UltraViolet offer. Does not include iTunes file.
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
What if the weapon that does in modern civilization is one so small that it can only be seen under a microscope? And worse yet, what if it can’t be stopped? If even hearing those questions causes you to panic, you want to skip this film.
Beth Emhoff (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) returns home from a business trip to Hong Kong with symptoms of what appears to be a minor illness until her husband Mitch (played by Matt Damon) finds her on the kitchen floor having a seizure. The doctors are dumbfounded as the disease manages to spread not only in the Emhoffs’ hometown of Minneapolis but also in other communities across the U.S. and the globe. The resulting fears are then stoked by a conspiracy-minded blogger named Alan Krunweide (played by Jude Law) who sees the disease as an attempt to further trim the civil liberties of ordinary citizens while drug companies and medical professionals rake in untold profits. All while actual medical professionals (played by Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard and others) continue to work tirelessly and gain little, if any, advantage in the fight.
As already mentioned, this is a very impressive cast. The individual stories tug at the sympathies of every viewer while the overall narrative is chilling to both germaphobes and those with anti-government leanings. And the eventual explanation montage ties all the events off very nicely. Easily worth the trip.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+13points
14of 15voted this as helpful.
![Apollo 18 [DVD] [2011]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/4016/4016257_sa.jpg)
Posted by: Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
It’s 1974 and the world has lost interest in lunar exploration. The government, however, still has plans for the moon. So they send Captain Ben Anderson (Warren Christie), Commander Nate Walker (Lloyd Owen), and Lieutenant Colonel John Grey (Ryan Robbins) to bring those plans to fruition. However, their attempts to do so are impeded by one terrifying unforeseen complication. They are not alone.
The found-footage style film is not entirely flawed. There are those who liked The Blair Witch Project and saw it as genius. I wasn’t one of them and I haven’t met anyone who is, but I’m almost positive they exist. And if you’re someone who saw The Blair Witch Project and thought the only way to make it better would be to add aliens, have it take place 20 years earlier and on the moon, no doubt you’ll love this movie. I, on the other hand, saw it as flawed and boring from start to finish and will not be watching again on cable, home video or any other medium barring some sort of coercion. Say a gun to my head.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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+2points
11of 20voted this as helpful.
Treydle's Review Comments
![The Amazing Spider-Man [Includes Digital Copy] [DVD] [2012]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/6836/6836709_sa.jpg)
Overall
4 out of 5
4 out of 5Great superhero film
By Treydle
from Saratoga Springs, NY
Can you reboot a franchise that once held the record for largest opening weekend in history? Can you create something original using a character who was first introduced to the world in 1962?
Peter Parker, age 4, (played by Max Charles) is playing hide and seek one night when he discovers someone has broken into his father’s study. His father, Richard (played by Campbell Scott) sees this and takes some important papers, his wife Mary (played by Embeth Davidtz) and his son to the home of his Aunt May (played by Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (played by Martin Sheen). Peter is left in that home for his own safety and never sees his parents again. At least a decade later, Peter (played as a teenager by Andrew Garfield), is being bullied by an athlete named Flash Thompson (played by Chris Zylka) and has a crush on a student named Gwen Stacey (played by Emma Stone). When Peter returns home at the end of the day, bruised and beaten by Flash, he finds papers in his father’s briefcase that show he once worked with a man named Dr. Curt Connors (played by Rhys Ifans). Connors works at a company named Oscorp, so Peter disguises himself as an intern to gain access to the lab and, hopefully, Connors. Little did he know, the tour for new interns was led by Gwen Stacey. She knows immediately that the ID badge that Peter’s wearing belongs to someone else, but allows him to continue on the tour regardless. Peter sneaks away from the group and finds a lab filled with genetically-modified spiders that are producing biocable. As is often the case with people who bother animals for no reason, Peter gets bitten. Security eventually finds him and escorts him out of the building. While on the subway, he discovers that he gained far more than knowledge from his visit.
Now, I saw the 2002 Spider-Man film starring Tobey Maguire and the 2004 sequel. I liked it initially, but over time, I grew tired of it. I thought 2004’s Daredevil was a much better film, despite mixed reviews from moviegoers and critics. Not to mention, I believe Kirsten Dunst gave a less-than-stellar performance as Parker’s love interest, Mary Jane Watson. Not to mention the irony of having blonde Kirsten Dunst dye her hair red to play Mary Jane Watson and then having redhead Emma Stone dye her hair blonde to play Gwen Stacey. Forgetting all that for a second, this was a much better film than the one we got from Sam Raimi. Director Marc Webb and company have created something with a much darker, more serious tone, a better story, and a solid conclusion. I enjoyed this film very much.
Treydle
Saratoga Springs, NY
Answer
November 10, 2012
Not on Sony's payroll. Or anyone else's for that matter. As for Sam Raimi, I have great respect for his work as the writer/director of "Evil Dead 2", "Army of Darkness", and "The Hudsucker Proxy". The "Spider-Man" film series, on the other hand, turned webbing into something that just came along naturally with the spider bite and turned Mary Jane Watson into a damsel in constant distress who spoke in a whisper most of the time. Whether Dunst was chosen by Raimi or forced on him by the studio, I believe the film was worse as a result. As for having a pleasant day, while it has little if anything to do with you, that seems unlikely. At any rate, I appreciate you saying that you respect my opinion and find my comments well-written. Perhaps you could submit a question with regard to a film on which we are of like minds. To sum up, feel free to respond or not and thanks for the input.
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