Yesterday Movie Review (2019)

Yesterday is totally enjoyable, funny, charming and sweet romantic comedy. At least that is what I thought about it.

THE STORYLINE

The premise of the film is odd but simple. A blip to the world's power supply wipes the earth of any sign of the existence of the Beatles. It turns out that Jack, a struggling musician in England, is the only one who remembers the Fab Four and their music. Being the only one with the knowledge of some of the best-ever created songs puts him in a unique position to better his career and allows us to reminisce with some fabulous Beatles tunes. Jack is and has always been supported in his quest for musical success by Ellie, who acts as friend, manager and roadie driving him around to gigs when she is not in the schoolroom teaching math. The rest of the story follows Jack's rise to fame and stardom and how that impacts on his friendship with Ellie.

THE CAST

It stars Himesh Patel and Lily James and the music of The Beatles. You might know Patel from the EastEnders or The Aeronauts and you might know James from Cinderella, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mama Mia: Here We Go Again or Downton Abbey, where she played Lady Rose MacClare.  The cast is rounded out with Joel Fry playing the oddball character Rocky, who steps in as manager when Ellie is not available and Kate McKinnon playing Debra, the Hollywood mogul determined to profit from Jack's newfound music writing talent.  I have deliberately chosen to leave off this cast list the special guest since we did not know that he was going to appear in the film when we watched it and not knowing added to the fun.

THE MOVIE TRAILER

Here's a peek through the official movie trailer, which reveals the special guest so if you'd like to keep that part a secret, don't watch the trailer.

REVIEWS

Apparently, not everyone appreciates a charming and sweet movie as much as I do.

Reviewers on Amazon give Yesterday 4.4 stars out of five.

On Rotten Tomatoes, audience viewers gave the film a solid 89 percent while their approved critics gave it a lesser score of 63 percent.

Roger Ebert's website gave it a 2.5 of 3 stars though I found author Sheila O'Malley's words less enthusiastic than her score. She said, "The film gets caught up in the relationship between Jack and Ellie," which is true and that "much of it did make her feel good" though she found it underdeveloped and that she was "conflicted about a choice made late in the film."

The New York Times said, "Yesterday is more of a novelty earworm than a classic. It’s appealing and accessible in a way that the Beatles never really were. If it took itself — and them — a bit more seriously, it would be a lot more fun." Yes, of course, this film could have been a lot deeper but that did not detract from my enjoyment.

Rolling Stone magazine says, "Yesterday has its heart firmly in the right place. It’s the challenge to take it to the next level that’s missing."

Obviously, I took this film in a much less critical way than those officials who review movies.  I know that certain issues were not fully fleshed out and that explanations were not given for some of the things that happened in the movie. Yes, the movie could have been more but what instead it is is as I said in the beginning, is a totally enjoyable, funny, charming and sweet romantic comedy.

Watch it for yourself and let us know what you think. Buy your copy on Amazon by clicking right here where you will find the Prime, Blu-ray, DVD and 4K versions. If you buy one of the discs, be sure to watch the extra scenes, alternate ending, etc. We enjoyed them, too.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy Yesterday from Amazon.
Love the Beatles music? Check out The Beatles Anthology.
The Beatles Yellow Submarine Lego Set.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray Movie Review

THE BEST VERSION OF DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS IS ON BLU-RAY DISC. 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Walt Disney's first animated feature. In 1937 it was considered extremely unlikely that people would want to sit through a full-length animated movie. However, Disney spared no expense putting this movie together and it went on to great success and has stood the test of time extremely well. I am sure that Snow White is still hugely popular because of the wonderful music, which includes the highly unusual voice of Adriana Caselotti and the lovable characters and creatures.

If you are in the market for a copy of this legendary animated movie, you should definitely be considering one of the Blu-ray disc versions as that will present the movie in the best possible quality for home viewing and you will be happy to know that the Blu-ray release ranked very well for quality of picture, sound and extras.

On this page, you will find all of the Blu-ray choices that are available. You can choose from the more affordable, simple Blu-ray disc package like the Diamond edition (shown above) right up to the amazing gift sets, which include but are not limited to, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Plush Gift Set and the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Limited Edition Collector's Set. You will also find the Blu-ray movie trailer, reviews from amateur and expert movie reviewers and much more.

Disney called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs a 'limited time release' and put it back in the vault in 2011. However, if you are looking for a copy of Snow White on blu-ray or DVD it is still available on Amazon.

You can click here to see Amazon's collection of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movies on blu-ray and DVD.

DOES SNOW WHITE REALLY NEED AN INTRODUCTION?

We all know that Snow White is the earliest of Disney's princess who escaped from a jealous stepmother and took up house with a group of seven dwarfs. However, she eventually ate a poisoned apple from which she can only be revived from the spell by love's true kiss.

FAST FACTS

ACTORS: Adriana Caselotti, Roy Atwell, Lucille LaVerne
DIRECTOR: David Hand
RATED: G (General Audience)
STUDIO: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 1937
RUN TIME: 84 minutes
RETURNED TO THE VAULT: April 30, 2011

FOR WHAT AGE IS SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS RECOMMENDED?

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs is definitely a movie classic. However, that does not make it suitable for all children. It is, as Commonsense Media says, enchanting but scary. They recommend Snow White for children aged five years old and up. The Movie Mom, in her book The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies, also recommends this movie for children aged five and up.

In case you do not remember, the frightening parts include many with the wicked queen, when Snow White is in the enchanted forest, when she eats the apple and when the Queen transforms into a hag. Don't forget, the Queen actually orders the huntsman to kill Snow White and return with her heart. Take this information in before you show it to your very young children.

Some might even dislike the basic approach of Snow White, that of young lady content to stay home and clean house until her prince comes for her.

Finally, the movie does not have narrative and relies on the use of pages from the storybook to share details of the story. Non-readers will require someone to read for them.This film is a marvel, however, and boasts a beautifully remastered video and some of the most famous Walt Disney music of all time.

REVIEWS FROM THE EXPERTS

Blu-ray.com says, "The 3-disc Blu-ray edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a near-definitive release of the animated film that started it all. Its gorgeous restoration is simply the beginning. What follows is a glorious video transfer, a fit and faithful...

High-Def Digest says, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' is a lovely film that captures the heart and imagination of Walt Disney and what he was trying to achieve in the world of animation. It's a beautifully animated film that has been given new life with a fantastic...

AMAZON CUSTOMER REVIEWS 

The Amazon customer reviews of Amazon include comments like the Blu-ray being simply brilliant. Dennis A. Amath was amazed that a 1937 class movie could look so vibrant and spectacular and said that Disney did a brilliant job of restoring and remastering the film. He found the picture "pristine." In more technical terms he called the "new lossless 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio" magnificent. Justice4all72 call the quality unbelievably good.

LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR'S SET

Find the Limited Edition Collector's Set here on Amazon.

COLLECTOR'S BOOK SET

Find the Collector's Book set by clicking here on Amazon.

BLU-RAY MOVIE AND PLUSH TOY GIFT SET

I LOVE, love, Love this set. Imagine receiving the Snow White movie and all of the dwarfs in plush toy form! Find this set here on Amazon.

BLU-RAY STEELBOOK

Ever wondered what a SteelBook is? I did and recently learned that a SteelBook Case is one that is similar to an ordinary disc case but which is made out of metal making it much more durable and more attractive as well. Some collectors even prefer the more substantial feel of a SteelBook case in their hand. Often the SteelBook version of the movie features different artwork (as this from Snow White does) and sometimes that artwork is even embossed or dressed up in some way. This SteelBook set includes both Blu-ray and DVD discs. Find the Snow White SteelBook set on Amazon here.


Have you seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs recently? If so, what format did you watch it in?

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy your copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Movie Review

Last night we went to see Spider-Man: Far From Home, the July 2, 2019 release in the Spider-Man franchise, which stars Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya and Jake Gyllenhaal. I love  Spider-Man and yes, I liked this movie. I have tried to write this review without too many spoilers. It is pretty hard to write without any, especially in this instance. Read on.

THE STORY

Spider-Man: Far From Home follows what happened in Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. It finds our friend Spider-Man or Peter Parker back at school as in New York City with his friends.  The group is preparing for a class trip to Europe while that which is left of the Marvel organization Sheild is facing threats from natural disaster themed villains called the Elementals.  Once Peter arrives in Venice, Italy, he is pretty much forced to help save the world and works alongside an impressive new superhero character named Mysterio. Peter would really rather be being the ordinary friendly neighborhood Spider-Man of days gone by and spend his time being a normal teenager, telling his crush MJ that he has feelings for her but things do not go according to plan and he winds up in a web of trouble.

Here's the trailer:



And here's another one:



Spider-Man: Far From Home is definitely heavy heavy on teen humor. I did love much of it though at moments it could seem a bit much.

There is also lots of teen angst with a number of relationships both of the family and female and male variety.

It also has a travel angle. When Peter Parker and his class mates arrive in Venice, Italy it is familiar to me because I had the chance to spend days in that city. At least, I should say it was familiar before the fighting began.

I was curious about what others made of the movie and here's a wee round up.

Forbes Magazine's Mark Hughes gives Spider-Man: Far From Home at first a business-like review with lots of comparisons and he quoted Rotten Tomatoes statistics by saying that "Spidey's latest trip to the multiplex is tied with Endgame and behind only Black Panther, making it the second-best reviewed Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film alongside Endgame. Of all live-action superhero movies from every studio, Far From Home is in a three-way tie with The Dark Knight and Endgame for second place behind Black Panther." Hughes eventually says that "Tom Holland is easily the best actor to play Peter Parker." I do enjoy Holland's version of the web slinger. How about you? Forbes sums up with, this movie "is everything a Spidey sequel needed to be and more. Bold, beautiful, and brilliant, it is a worthy final chapter to the Infinity Saga." They nailed it. Would I see it again? I will.
It is Spider-Man, after all.

Christy Lemire at Roger Ebert's website is a bit tougher with her review. She gives some credit by saying that it was hard to follow up Spider-Man Homecoming and that this movie gave a valiant effort to do so. She says Far From Home "works best as a high school comedy" and yes, I agree though for Spider-Man, I am willing to accept this as an important part of the movie particularly since Spider-Man is a 16-year old teenager who does not really want to be a superhero. He just wants to be a normal teenager and the entire movie finds him fighting these two roles. Lemire closes by saying, "Perhaps his (Spider-Man's) true superpower is the fact that he seems more like a relatable, fully fleshed-out human being than any other character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe." Yes, I agree here, too and the movie definitely sets us up for more Spider-Man movies to come so we will have a more opportunities to explore Peter Parker's personality. Lemire gives the movie 2.5 of 3 thumbs up.

Ruth on FlixChatter sums up the characters quite nicely. She says, "Tom Holland absolutely rocks as both Spider-man and  his alter ego Peter Parker." I agree. He does both very well. She calls Marisa Tomei wonderful as Aunt May,  enjoyed having Jon Favreau back as Happy to look after Spider-Man and even adores Zendaya as MJ. She calls Spider-Man: Far From Home her favorite Spider-Man movie but, as much as I enjoyed this movie, I think that I would have to have a Spider-Man movieathon to pick a favorite.

Heads Up

In terms of what to be concerned about, this movie has a bit more action violence than the previous Spider-Man did. There's lots of action, massive destruction and at one point, Spider-Man is seen quite battered and bruised. This movie also has some strong language, flirting, discussions of liking someone and dating, some hand-holding and a few brief kisses.

Common Sense says there is a lot to take away from the themes in this movie and lists "responsibility, leadership, courage, confidence, perseverance and rising up to face your destiny." As a matter of fact, Common Sense believes that the movie stands out for character strengths this despite the fact that Spider-Man makes numerous bad choices in this movie. Common Sense Media gives the movie 4 out of 5 stars. They give the movie four out of five stars and recommend it for children eleven years and up.

The Canadian Movie Rating for this movie is PG (Parental Guidance) for violence, language that may offend and some scary scenes.

Summary

In summary, I think that this movie is quite well done. If you are a fan, I reckon you are going to like Spider-Man: Far From Home.  If you have not seen the previous related Marvel movies, I am not sure how you will fare at understanding what happens in this movie. Finally, if you go, be sure to  stay for the credits and the post credits and be sure to come back and let us know what you thought of the movie.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Link:

Buy this Spider-Man movie poster on Amazon.

Ponyo Gift Set

Ponyo, which is also known as Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, is a Japanese film by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli that was released in 2008 in Japan, 2009 in North America and 2010 in Great Britain. The story, which if you are reading this you likely already know, revolves around a goldfish named Ponyo and his friend, a young boy named Sousuke. The movie was a highly successful film both financially and critically and earned a lot of fans for both the film and the creators.

If you don't already have the Ponyo in your home movie collection, you can order it directly from Amazon in your choice of either blu-ray or DVD format. I like the set shown below which comes bundled with a plush Ponyo doll though of course, you could choose to build your own gift set and, at this point, that might even be more affordable.

You can find the 2-disc DVD and plush gift set by clicking right here and you can see all of the versions of Ponyo available from Amazon by clicking here.

See you
at the movies!

Brenda

The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits Special Issue Magazine 2013

If this existed in prior years, I missed it but I knew many knitters would be excited to see another source of inspiration for Harry Potter themed knitting. I love the ideas as mentioned on the cover of The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits, which include a Ginny inspired sweater, Albanian forest mittens and a Hagrid-style pullover.

Unfortunately, this book is out of print and hard to find. You will find it here on Amazon though when I checked just now the price was quite high. You can also look for it on eBay by clicking here though as I write this, there are none available.  Good luck with your search!

See you
at the movies!

QUICK LINK:

Order your copy of The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits book.