If you mention a collaboration between J. J. Abrams (Fringe, Star Trek, Cloverfield, Lost, etc.) and Steven Spielberg (War of the Worlds, Saving Pvt. Ryan, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Jaws, ET and so many more) you could bet your last dollar that I would be in the audience. And so I was!
This story is set in the 1970s and is about a group of highschool friends enjoying their summer vacation while filming a Super 8 movie to keep them busy. The gang goes to an old train depot just outside of town for some scenic shots needed for the zombie movie they are shooting. Just as they are getting started, one of them notices a pickup truck pulling onto the train track. At about the same time they can hear the approach of a train and can see that an accident is about to occur. The collision causes the train to derail in spectacular fashion with the kids barely escaping with their lives. Amid all of the chaos there seems to be something amis as an unseen entity explodes its way out of a metal box car and thousands of off white cubes litter the site of the wreckage. They are warned by the pickup driver (who is barely clinging to life) to forget what they have seen or else they and their parents will be killed.
The kids take that advice to heart and agree never to discuss the incident. Just as things seem to be returning to normal, strange occurances begin manifesting themselves around town. Pets go missing as well as appliances and car engines soon to be followed by people. It is also strange that the Air Force begins to mysteriously roll into town and order an evacuation supposedly because of a wild fire that is threatening the town.
All of this proves too much for the gang and they become determined to discover exactly what is going on. Perhaps they should have kept their promise to forget the incident because they find themselves in a life threatening situation brought on by an entity beyond their wildest imagination.
This is a grand sci-fi adventure film made by two of the best that ever lived. It lets us experience teenage angst in matters of puppy love, adventure, terror and even staying alive thanks to the character development of each young person. The CGI and feel of the film in general works its magic for the audience. This is a movie that everyone can enjoy from the tykes to Mom and Dad. Have fun!
This romantic comedy was written and directed by Woody Allen and, as you might expect, has his influence all over it. In my opinion, this is a very good thing indeed. I really enjoyed this unusual story replete with its nostalgia and love of Paris, France. What is quirky about the storyline is the fact that Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) seems to be able to magically transport himself back in time to Paris in the 1920′s. Here he gets an extraordinary chance to meet many of his artistic heroes from the past.
Gil is in Paris with his fiancee, Inez (Rachael McAdams) and her wealthy parents. Gil is a successful Hollywood screenwriter whose true love is to become a novelist. He is currently struggling to finish his first book about a man who works in a nostalgia shop. His materialistic girlfriend and her parents see no future for him as a novelist and want him to keep working in Hollywood. Gil, on the other-hand, is mesmerized with Paris and finds the city inspiring.
One night he finds himself alone on the street and as the clock strikes midnight things seem to change. A car from past ages pulls up and the occupants offer him a ride and some champagne. To Gil’s amazement he discovers that he has been transported back in time to the 1920′s which is the era that he features in his novel and has always idolized. Not only that but he is fortunate enough to meet F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda. They hit it off immediately and before long he gets to meet Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and a host of others.
Despite his good fortune in being able to visit his literary heroes of the past he realizes that his place is in the present. His experiences allow him to realize that Inez and he are not meant to be and so they part ways. Gil remains in Paris to continue work on his novel and to discover whatever other surprises the City of Lights has to offer him.
It was enjoyable to find myself juxtaposed between the present and the glorious era of the ’20s. It is not hard to imagine Gil’s love and fascination for that time period. He ultimately realizes that he belongs where he is and that one can never really recapture the past. Kudos to Woody Allan and certainly to Owen Wilson for his warm and memorable performance.
Look, Cameron Diaz is nice to watch and I am a fan but I do not ever recall her being so totally raunchy as she is in this movie. I don’t think that the Bad Teacher character (Elizabeht Halsey) has a single redeeming quality. She smokes, drinks, takes drugs to excess, uses people and curses at her young students. She has no interest in educating them or in giving her teaching profession a decent chance.
In fact, all Elizabeth cares about is feathering her nest by marrying her rich fiancee. Unfortunately for her their marriage to be is a doomed affair and she winds up getting dumped. She decides that what she really needs to become a “man magnet” is to have her boobs enhanced. The trouble is she can’t afford the hefty price tag required to get “pumped up” (…it’s really expensive per tit….and you have to get two of them) and she can’t find anyone willing to stake her operation.
Always on the hunt for men and their money, Elizabeth goes after a promising substitute teacher by the name of Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). Her fellow teacher, Amy Squirrell(Lucy Punch) also happens to have designs on Scott. Herein lies much of the humor watching these two conscienceless women go to war. One would not think of war as a source of humor but when it comes to Elizabeth and Amy combating each other it certainly is.
So, in a nutshell, we watch this selfish woman doing everything in her power to obtain the things that she desires at any cost. That is, we watch this until the final portion of the movie when all of a sudden she becomes a totally different person. How different? She becomes likable and is suppose to have the audience rooting for her. Ashamedly I will admit to doing exactly that although I am in no way proud of my behavior!
The movie is rated a hard “R” and if you are not bothered by this then perhaps you will enjoy it as I did. As I mentioned, it is flawed but it is also very funny in its own way.
This is another film inspired by the comics (DC Comics). I am no authority or fan of comic books and actually thought that this movie would prove to be sort of hokey. I am here to tell you that not only was I wrong in my anticipation of this film but I totally enjoyed every single minute of it. The storyline was interesting and very entertaining. It was enhanced thanks to the excellent usage of CGI in both the characters and the worlds that they inhabit.
There was one instance where I absolutely wanted to stand up and scream “at last”. This came after Hal Jordan (Earth’s Green Lantern) saved hundreds of people including his long time love interest, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively). He later floats down to her balcony where she thanks him for saving her life. As she looks at him her face reacts with recognition despite his little green mask that serves as a disguise. She says Hal, is that you? (or words to that effect). I was blown away because I have always considered Superman’s glasses or Batman’s mask-like visage and a host of other superheros affectations to be a joke at disguising their identities. What a kick in the ass that was!
It seems that millions of years before the Earth was even formed a highly intelligent and advanced group of beings formed together calling themselves the Guardians of the Universe. They used the “green” essence of willpower which enabled them to form an intergalactic force for good which they called the Green Lantern Corps. One of these Lanterns, Parallax, turned very wrong after he was exposed to the yellow essence of fear. He was imprisoned on a deserted planet called Ryut by the most successful Lantern of all, Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison). We are now taken to the present time where Parallax manages to escape his prison and go on a rampage. He meets up with Abin Sur and mortally wounds him. Sur crash lands on Earth and commands his ring to find a successor for him. The ring finds a rather immature test pilot, Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) and transports him to Abin Sur’s crash site where Sur confers the powers of the Green Lantern to Hal just prior to his death.
Meanwhile, as Hal is off to the Lantern’s home world of Oa to learn about his skills and responsibilities there is trouble brewing back on Earth. A scientist, Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) is summoned by the government to perform an autopsy on Sur’s body. In the process he is infected by leftover DNA from Parallax which was inside the body. This turns out to be most unfortunate for Hector even though he is gifted with the powers of telepathy and telekinesis he non-the-less losses his sanity and goes about causing all sorts of havoc.
The movie manages to tie all of these strings together and give us a neatly tied conclusion. It also makes no effort to conceal plans for a sequel, this time with a Lantern using the essence of fear to further enhance his own agenda. Stay tuned.
Just as the title suggests, this is a first class movie. It is a prequel set in the early 60′s during those chaotic days of the Cuban missile crisis. Those were indeed dark and scary days especially since we did not have mutants to lend their talents at avoiding a nuclear war with Russia. This film brings us back to the early days of Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) who would later become Professor X. We learn how he meets Magneto played by Michael Fassbender and what happened in his past when he was known as Erik Lehnsherr that causes him so much angst and anger.
The plot introduces us to quite a few mutants and lets us get to know them and their special talents as well as their feelings of being different from everyone else. They are to a man/woman delighted to discover that they are not alone and, in fact, there are many more like them. Prof. Xavier is the uniting force that brings them together as X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants.
Initially, Professor X and Magneto are the best of friends who are united in protecting mankind form a lunatic mutant named Sebastain Shaw (Kevin Bacon). Shaw, leader of the Hellfire Club, wants the world at war and the humans eliminated so that he can lead a world composed of mutants. He is the driving force in pushing the USA and USSR to the brink of nuclear war.
There is a whole lot of action and showcasing of mutant talents that will keep you happily entertained for over two hours. Computer generated images and special effects are amazing. I especially liked a ruthless mutant and Hellfire Club member called Azazel (Jason Fleming) whose talent is teleporting himself or anyone with him. One second you are about to pound him with your fist or shoot him with your gun and the next thing you know he is gone with only the slightest red mist wafting in the air. He can even appear in a meeting next to his target and instantly disappear with said target and wind up a continent away!
To you men out there you must remember that this film is set in the 1960′s and, of course, you know what that means …. mini skirts!! Believe me, they won’t be hard to notice. All in all this is a highly entertaining adventure/fantasy that is the best in the X-Men series. You can also look forward to X-Men Second Class in the near future. I hope that it is as good as this one.
This is the fourth installment of the Pirates series and it does not disappoint. P4 employs a much less confusing storyline which allows the audience to enjoy the myriad of characters all the more. And as before, we all get to delight in Captain Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp) foppish cavorting and carrying on as only he can. I don’t know who to credit for Sparrow’s mannerisms but whomever that is can, in my estimation, be called a genius. Never in my life have I seen a pirate like this!
This time out Captain Sparrow returns to London to find out who is impersonating him and attempting to hire a crew to search for the legendary Fountain of Youth. It also gives him an opportunity to aid his former first mate, Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally) who is to be hanged for piracy. As is usually the case with Jack Sparrow, nothing turns out as planned and he eventually is hauled before King George 11 (Richard Griffiths) and forced to guide an expedition headed by his old nemesis Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).
Before long old Jack is up to his whiskers in all kinds of trickery and meets a romantic interest from his past in the person of Angelica (Penelope Cruz) who unbeknownst to Jack is Blackbeard’s (Ian McShane) daughter who is also after the Fountain. Against all odds Jack does indeed succeed in finding (or bumbling into) the Fountain along with the Spanish and several competing pirate crews. There is also a horde of vicious mermaids intent on having their way with any unfortunate sailor who happens by. When I say “having their way” I mean having them for lunch or perhaps supper!
The movie proves to be a fun filled adventure chock full of comedic moments and awesome scenery. Be sure to check out Keith Richards as Captain Teague, Jacks pappy. Costumes and sets are right on target and through the magic of IMAX and 3D you feel like one of the crew! I would be willing to bet the house that there will be a P5.
I thought that I was going to see a “chick flick” and that is exactly what I saw. Thankfully, it is also a flick that guys will enjoy also. I felt like I was back in college or the service with all of the “F” words flying around. These gals need to have their mouths washed out with soap and water! Raunchy and vulgar would be a good way to describe this experience but it is also funny and will pull at your heart strings at times.
Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) and Lillian Donovan (Maya Rudolph) have been friends since they were children. They are very close and share everything. Annie’s life in on a downturn in all respects but she is happy for Lillian when she learns that she is engaged to be married. Naturally, Lillian asks Annie to be her Maid of Honor. Despite the fact that she is flat broke and in a state of mental depression, Annie enthusiastically accepts. All goes fairly well until Annie meets one of the bridesmaids, Rose (Helen Harris) who seems to be trying to put some space between Annie and Lillian and at the same time become Lillian’s new best friend.
With Annie and Rose trying to “one-up” each other, all of the wedding events are turning into disasters. My particular favorite is when Annie takes them to a Brazilian restaurant for lunch prior to going to try on wedding dresses. When they arrive at the trendy dress shop they all start to experience stomach problems brought on by food poisoning. I am here to tell you that this situation was milked for all it was worth with hilarious results. I won’t even try to relate the unfolding of events but it left everyone in the theater with tears in their eyes – from laughter!
I would be remiss if I did not give Melissa McCarthy as Megan a huge “attaboy”. She manages to steal every scene that she appears in and she is in a whole lot of scenes. Her performance alone is worth the price of admission. This ensemble cast as a whole were remarkably funny and even though the film is a comedy/drama, it is the comedy that will keep you grinning whenever you think about this movie.
This ain’t your ordinary parish priest for sure! These men and women were created by The Church as elite spiritual warriors called Priests who were skilled at killing vampires. Good thing for them since these vamps look more like giant dogs with a very bad case of mange. They are also unbelievably strong and fast.
The movie’s setting is in a post-apocalyptic alternate world which has been devastated by centuries of warring between the humans and vampires. The Priests’ warrior skills permitted the humans to eventually gain the advantage over the bloodsuckers. Those vampires left were put on reservations while the humans lived in walled cities under the strict control of The Church. Once the Vampire Wars ended the Priests as a group were disbanded and now live in obscurity performing menial jobs to survive. Considered dangerous by their human brothers they are avoided like lepers, further isolating them.
One of the most effective warriors was simply known as Priest (Paul Bettany). He is approached by a sheriff, Hicks (Cam Gigandet) from a nearby town outside of the city. There are areas where people chose to live as outcasts rather than be under the tyranny of The Church. Hicks informs Priest that his brother and sister-in-law have been killed by vampires and that his daughter, Lucy (Lily Collins) was kidnapped by them. Hicks asks for Priests assistance in tracking down Lucy in whom he has a romantic interest .
The leader of The Church is Monsignor Orelas (Christopher Plummer) who forbids Priest from going on this quest. Orelas further declares that there are no vampires and that his flock is protected by The Church in any event. Priest decides to ignore the Monsignor’s edict and go with Hicks in search of the rogue vampires and his captured daughter. Orelas is furious at being disobeyed and sends four Priests led by Priestess (Maggie Q) to bring the rogue Priest back, dead or alive. Very Christian of him, wouldn’t you agree?
Priest and Hicks soon discover that the vampires are breeding a new army and are intent on attacking the walled cities and killing all of us pesky humans – once and for all. Soon the Priestess and her cohorts catch up with Priest but instead of detaining him they decide to do what they do best, kill vampires. There is a problem though since one of their fallen Priest, Black Hat (Karl Urban) who was thought to be dead by the hands of the vampires was made into an unstoppable vampire-human hybrid by the vampire Queen who gave him some of her blood. This dude is “tuff” and it seems only a miracle can save the Priests and humanity.
There are several things that made this movie interesting. The super human skills possessed by the Priests and their primitive but effective weapons that they used was neat. I also enjoyed their beefed up electric motorcycles and the fact that there were solar stations in the wastelands where they could recharge their batteries. Black Hat proved to be both a sinister and interesting character whose demeanor added to the enjoyment of the film. I think you will enjoy this tale especially if you see it in IMAX 3D like I did.
This is a fantastical/sci fi/action movie that delivers on all fronts. It starts off in 965 A.D. in a place called Asgard ruled over by Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Odin is a peace loving king who is at war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. They are an imposing and, I might add, ugly race of chilly baddies who are out to conquer the Nine Realms, beginning with Earth. Luckily for us the Asgards are able to defeat the Frost Giants and secure their source of power which is called the “casket of ancient winters”.
Now we switch to the present and Odin’s son, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is ready to replace Odin as king of Asgard. Just as the ceremony is about to be completed those dastardly Frost Giants attempt to steal their reverred casket. The ceremony is halted as all go to the defense of this powerful treasure. Since they still have the casket and all of the Frost Giants were killed, the peace loving Odin decides that no action will be taken against the Jotunheims. The young and impulsive Thor is outraged and decides to go against his father’s command and travel to Jotunheim to confront the Giants.
Fortunately for Thor and his group of warriors, Odin intervenes and saves them but in doing so he destroys the truce between the two races. As punishment to Thor for his arrogance, Odin strips him of his Godly powers and banishes him to Earth. Odin also sends Thor’s hammer, the source of his power, to Earth but with a spell that will only allow the worthy to wield it.
So our boy Thor lands in New Mexico where he meets scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). Thor is confused and is suffering from a lack of manners and social graces. Jane tries to guide him in the ways of humanity with moderate success. In the interim, Odin goes into some sort of coma which southern women call the “vapors” but which he calls “Odinsleep” that will allow him to recuperate from all the stress. This allows Thor’s younger brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to assume the crown. Loki concocts a plan that will allow Laufey (Colm Feore) the leader of the Jotunheims to retrieve the Casket if he also kills the sleeping Odin. Loki discovers that Thor’s chums have gone to Earth to save Thor from exile. They have used the Bifrost which is a means of traveling between worlds in order to get to Earth. Loki decides to end all of these distractions by sending a giant robot like machine to kill them all. Nothing seems able to counter the “Destroyer’s” powers and in an attempt to save mankind, Thor offers his life if the humans are allowed to live. This selfless act renders him again worthy to wield his powerful hammer, Mjolnir, and ultimately defeat the Destroyer.
Thor and his comrades return to Asgard via the Bifrost to confront Loki and put a stop to his devious plan. Once there the final confrontation ensues. The big question is did Thor learn enough from his banishsment to convince his father that he is worthy to be king?
The magical worlds of Asgard and Jotunheim are truly sights to behold. This is a beautifully photographed movie and should be viewed in the 3D Imax format for maximum effect.
Wow, this is an action packed, in your face, screeching tires, screaming engines and hot chicks movie! Having said that, it is also somewhat unbelievable in too many ways. If you can enjoy it for what it is and not pay attention to scenarios and predicaments that force you to suspend your disbelief, you will probably enjoy your time and consider it an hour and a half well spent.
This fifth installment of the Fast and Furious series packs a wallop just as its predecessors did. This one offers us an added surprise in the form of a pumped up Dwayne Johnson as federal agent Luke Hobbs who is hot on the trail of Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and their gang. To make matters all the more interesting the gang intends to take down Rio’s (as in de Janeiro, Brazil) penultimate crime lord Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). He has $100 million in laundered cash just waiting to be heisted.
I have never before seen so many vehicles crashed, burned and falling off cliffs as I did in this film. What is even more remarkable is the fact that not one person seems to get killed in all of the mayhem or for that matter injured. Equally astounding is the fact that Dom Toretto is rescued from a prison bus that flips at least four times - again, with no injuries!
While we are on the subject of miraculous survival we will need to discuss the big brawl between Dom and Luke. Either one of these brutes could hit me one time and the next thing I would know is I’d be talking to St. Peter at the pearly gates of Heaven (hopefully!). Their five plus minute set to ends with no serious injuries to either one ala professional wrestling. Sorry, it’s just not believable. Nor is the fact that practically everyone, with the exception of the baddies, is seemingly bullet proof despite hundreds of these projectiles whizzing by.
There are enough interesting plot twists to keep us guessing where this will all end up. Here is a tip from me to you. Stay seated throughout the credits to see a special scene between Dwayne Johnson and Eva Mendes that is a sure fire clue that another sequel is in the works. I, for one, will be there to see it.
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