The Weekly Movie Watch Volume 50

This week I watched Jupiter Ascending, The Quiet Man, Ben-Hur.

I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.

Jupiter Ascending - Yes, those are flying boots.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Watch Jupiter Ascending
Written by: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Directed by: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Starring: Channing Tatum, Milas Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean
Rated: PG-13

Plot: 
Jupiter Jones wakes every morning wishing her life were different. When bounty hunters attempt to kidnap her, it's revealed she is intergalactic royalty and heiress of the planet Earth.

Review:
The main problem with the movie is that too many ideas are crammed into one movie without a sufficient amount of detail or exploration. Simplifying and streamlining would have helped immensely. Instead the movie strains credibility. The next problem is that the purpose of many plot points are just to push the plot forward without conforming to logical sense. Off the shelf bees recognize royalty, stowaways in cargo containers can leave the doors open while on the ship, impeccable makeup is required to clean a toilet, romance between a queen and a dog boy blooms instantaneously, hull breaches pose little threat in space, etc.
If you are hoping for the Wachowskis to make another The Matrix like Mila Kunia and Channing Tatum may have, your hope is misplaced.
Jupiter Jones would not have been a maid. A girl that looks that good would have been a model, actor, or would have had a sugar daddy. I would have re-edited the beginning and established this character without being comical and over explaining. The movie tries to do too much and fails at everything. Pick one fantastical element, focus and really explore it. The plot is standard, the fantastical elements can help to set it apart, but they need to be fully realized. Adding them just for the sake is a disservice.
Skip it.

The Quiet Man - You've got to fight for the woman you love.

The Quiet Man (1952)
Watch The Quiet Man
Written by: Frank S. Nugent (screenplay), Maurice Walsh (story from), John Ford (contributing writer, uncredited)
Directed by: John Ford
Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara
Rated: --

Plot: 
Retired boxer Sean Thornton returns to his hometown in Ireland and subsequently falls in love. The problem is with the woman's brother who doesn't approve.

Review:
John Wayne is as usual, impressive. Maureen O'hara does a great job as well. It's a nice take on a romantic movie with an extremely long fight at the end between Wayne and the brother of the woman he loves. Wayne and O'hara are from distinct traditions, he has to learn to respect her traditions and family. The movie is fun, clean, and a bit more like a stage play as movies from the era are.
It depends.

Ben-Hur - An amazing chariot race, an amazing movie.

Ben-Hur (1959)
Watch Ben-Hur 
Written by: Lew Wallace (novel), Karl Tunberg (screenplay), Gore Vidal and Maxwell Anderson and S.N. Behrman and Christopher Fry (contributing writer, uncredited)
Directed by: William Wyler
Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd
Rated: G

Plot: 
Judah Ben-Hur, imprisoned by his long time friend now commander of the Roman army, manages to return to Jerusalem to exact revenge in a chariot race.

Review:
At the time, it was one of the largest films in scale and scope. It's certainly a big story to tell with a number of great scenes. The length will turn off a lot of people at nearly four hours, but it never feels quite as long as it is. It's a good story, and it feels a bit biblical with touches of Joseph. The chariot scenes are amazing, with the scale and scope evident in every scene. From the sets, to the extras, costumes and props, the movie is impressive for the entire run time. A good story is the backbone to the movie, we root for Charlton Heston's character Ben-Hur. The movie goes on for quite a while after Ben-Hur's climax, focusing on the story of Jesus, though it does segue into tying up a couple of loose ends.
Watch it.

Ben-Hur - An impressive scale and scope for every facet of the movie,
even by today's standards.