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Welcome to Jester's Reviews, this site has an expanding list of movie reviews of all dates and genres. The most recent reviews are listed below. You may view the listing of reviews alphabetically here or at any time from the Review Listing link at the top of the page.For questions or concerns see the contact me page. As for comments please leave them on the webpage at the bottom of the review,
Thank you,
Published May 8, 2012 | 
DIRECTOR: Joss Whedon
CAST:
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Stellan Skarsgard
REVIEW:
I don’t think there’s ever been a movie with as much set-up as The Avengers, for which Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America all, to greater or lesser extents, served as prologue. It was a risky gamble (any of the four movies leading up to The Avengers flopping badly enough could have derailed the whole endeavor), but it has not only paid off, it has done so with flying colors. The Avengers is a virtual comic book movie fan’s wet dream from start to finish, and crafts an epic spectacle on a level that might surpass that of any existing comic book film. Continue reading
Published April 2, 2012 | DIRECTOR: Gary Ross
CAST:
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones
REVIEW:
The first onscreen installment of the popular book trilogy, The Hunger Games deserves to be viewed and judged on its own merits, not by misleading media comparisons to the Twilight series, which has more to do with trying to drum up the same mania for the new franchise than real similarities between the films. While both are adaptations of popular book series considered young adult fiction, The Hunger Games is more grown-up and respectable, and has more serious things to say. Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews | 
2012, action, book adaptation, book series, film series, futuristic, sci-fi, young adult | 
1 CommentPublished March 12, 2012 |
DIREC
TOR: Ryan Murphy
WRITER: Brad Falchuk
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: March 8, 2011
GUEST STARS: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Stamos, Chord Overstreet, Darren Criss, Ashley Fink, Dot-Marie Jones
REVIEW:
While it’s neither as much wild fun as its predecessor, Blame It On The Alcohol, nor as epic as its successor, Original Song, “Sexy” is a pretty good episode that, like BIOTA, addresses a social issue (albeit in a somewhat muddled fashion) while throwing in enough levity not to feel overbearingly like A Very Special Episode Continue reading
Published December 21, 2011 | 
DIRECTOR: Bradley Buecker
WRITER: Ryan Murphy
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: March 15, 2011
GUEST STARS: Chord Overstreet, Darren Criss, Ashley Fink, Kathy Griffin, Loretta Devine, Bill A. Jones
REVIEW:
While it doesn’t quite scale the epic heights and swirling emotions of Season 1′s Journey to Regionals (but it doesn’t have to, since that was the season finale and this is Episode 16 out of 22), Original Song is definitely one of the standout episodes of Season 2. Continue reading
Published December 19, 2011 | DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
CAST:
Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly, Rachel McAdams
REVIEW:
Following on the heels of 2009′s cinematic reboot of the world’s greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie reteamed with stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law for A Game of Shadows, which is a very close relation to its predecessor. Those who enjoyed the first installment should be entertained by the second, while those who were unimpressed are unlikely to have their opinion changed here, except perhaps by the choice of villain. Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews | 2011, action, action-comedy, book adaptation, Guy Ritchie, Jude Law, mystery, period film, Robert Downey Jr. | Leave a commentPublished December 19, 2011 | DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
CAST:
Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
REVIEW:
Devout followers of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective novels may grumble at what director Guy Ritchie has done with Doyle’s creation, but those with open minds may find a surprising amount of Holmesian details emerge intact, and for all others, Sherlock Holmes is a rollicking ride with plenty of action and comedy and some style and wit along the way. Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews | 2009, action, action-comedy, book adaptation, Guy Ritchie, Jude Law, mystery, period film, Rachel McAdams, Robert Downey Jr. | Leave a commentPublished December 18, 2011 | 
DIRECTOR: Eric Stoltz
WRITER: Ian Brennan
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: February 22, 2011
GUEST STARS: Chord Overstreet, Darren Criss, Dot-Marie Jones, Ashley Fink
REVIEW:
Blame It On The Alcohol is a bit of a mess, with everyone acting like a slightly skewed alternate dimension version of themselves, but despite some out-of-character behavior (though you can “blame it on the alcohol”…see what I did there? har, har) and a bit of a muddled central message, it’s also a pretty, well gleeful episode. Continue reading
Published December 18, 2011 | 
DIRECTOR: Bradley Buecker
WRITER: Ross Maxwell
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: December 6, 2011
GUEST STARS: Chord Overstreet, Damian McGinty, Idina Menzel, John Schneider, Keong Sim, Grant Gustin, Vanessa Lengies, Lindsay Pearce
REVIEW:
Like last season’s Special Education, Hold On To Sixteen brings the Sectionals competition with a dash of New Directions infighting and former teammates pitted against each other, but this time the writers also clearly use it as the climax point for the first third of the season, resolving various conflicts that have been brewing since Season 3′s opening. The writers generally accomplish what they set out to do; Hold On To Sixteen is not a perfect Glee episode, but it’s up with Asian F and The First Time as overall one of the most solid and plot-heavy episodes of the first third of Season 3. It also marks the return of Season 2 recurring guest star and New Directions member Chord Overstreet. Continue reading
Published November 23, 2011 | DIRECTOR: Bill Condon
CAST:
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Elizabeth Reaser, Sarah Clarke, Gil Birmingham, Michael Sheen
REVIEW:
As Warner Bros. Did with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Summit Entertainment has split the final chapter of its young adult phenomenon the Twilight “saga” into two films. It’s easy to be cynical about both decisions as blatant maximizing of profits, especially in Twilight’s case, as while Deathly Hallows‘ density justified unfolding it over two films, it’s debatable whether any Twilight entry, including Breaking Dawn, really has enough that actually happens to warrant being stretched out over two movies. Regardless, Oscar-nominated director Bill Condon has done a respectable job with what he was given, helming a faithful but not obsessively word-for-word adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s novel, but as with every other Twilight entry, the content makes a mixed bag. Continue reading
Published November 15, 2011 | DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood
CAST:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench, Naomi Watts
REVIEW:
During his forty-eight-year reign as director of the FBI, John Edgar Hoover was regarded by many as the most powerful man in America. Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews | biopic, Clint Eastwood, FBI, historical drama, Leonardo DiCaprio, period film | Leave a comment
