Lake Placid

This is an old movie brought to Blue Ray.  It stars several great actors including Betty White, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, and the great Bill Pullman.  The movie is about a man-eating crocodile making his home in the beautiful tourist attraction of Lake Placid.

You must take a chance and watch this movie because there is great acting but also because the premise of the show is wonderful.    Check your brain at the door and enjoy every second of this movie. 

I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.

Orphan Black Season 2

This spectacular series has a huge following on BBC America.  Once you see this show you will never forget it. Tatiana Maslany stars as Sarah but has many roles in this provocative series that sucks you in and leaves you waiting for the next season.  I hope this show is renewed because it is an event to watch.  I urge everyone to take a look at Orphan Black Season 1 and 2.

I rate this show 4 out of 4 stars.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

When the first Planet of the Apes was released it starred James Franco and I didn’t really think too much of the title.  Once again it was a remake movie that I thought would fail.  I was completely surprised by this wonderful movie because it was filled with tons of action.  

In the first movie James Franco falls victim to a horrible disease and Caesar (Andy Serkis) finds himself alone and starts an all ape colony outside of San Francisco.  This movie begins by showing the ape colony 10 years into the future where the apes seldom have any contact with humans.  A group of humans wanders into the colony looking for a hydroelectric dam to aid them with their electrical issues.  The human group includes Malcom (Jason Clark) an architect, his nurse girlfriend (Keri Russell), and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee).  

You don’t need to see this movie in 3D to enjoy the special effects because both versions are spectacular.  The movie showed Caesar’s first born child and that child’s eventual understanding of everything his father has been teaching him.  Caesar’s story is a sad tale to tell.  The apes will soon be fighting a war against the humans in an effort to protect their territory and lifestyle.  

I thought everything in this movie was amazing to watch.  The acting by the whole cast and effects in the movie were fantastic especially the great Gary Oldman who is great in everything he does.    This movie was a pleasure to sit through and I enjoyed every second of it.  I will go to see it a second time to pick up on things I missed the first time. I will enjoy the second viewing just as much as the first.   

I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars. 

Bad Words

Jason Bateman enters a national spelling bee competition via a large loophole because he is playing against young children.  He is quite evil as well.  He forms bonds that allow him to continue his evil ways.

I thought this movie was very funny.  Jason Bateman also wrote and directed the movie and I loved every second of it.  This is why I am giving this movie 3 out of 4 stars.

Deliver Us From Evil

Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) is a New York City police detective who is investigating an incident at the zoo where a mother goes crazy and throws her toddler son into a ravine by the lions’ den.  Ralph and the other police officers are tasked with finding the mother who seemingly disappeared. 

Joel McHale plays Sarchie’s partner, Butler.  Butler and Ralph find the mother and she is arrested.  In the process of this investigation a bigger evil is discovered.  A priest (Edgar Ramirez) becomes involved in helping Ralph destroy the evilness that threatens Sarchie, his wife (Olivia Munn), and his daughter. 

Butler and Ralph together make a good buddy/cop dynamic and the movie contains many startling gotcha moments.    I liked the scenes between Olivia Munn and Eric Bana.  Ralph’s wife and daughter were kidnapped in the movie.  I thought the movie could have focused a little more on this part of the story.  But overall this is a 3 ½ out of 4 star movie.   

Tammy

Tammy Banks (Melissa McCarthy) wrecks her car on the way to work.  She is then fired from her job by her boss who is played by Ben Falcone, Melissa’s real life husband.  She then goes home to find that her neighbor (Toni Colette) is having an affair with her husband.  She packs some clothes and walks down the block a few houses to her mother’s house who is played by Allison Janney. 

She asks to borrow her grandmother Pearl’s car (played by Susan Sarandon)  so she can get out of the small town she lives in.  Pearl agrees to let Tammy use her car as long as she can ride with her and they can go to Niagara Falls.  Along the way Pearl gets drunk and they meet up with a father and son in a bar.  Pearl hits it off with the father and Tammy is left to speak with the son.  They talk and then Tammy is left alone. 

The movie includes Kathy Bates as Pearl’s cousin, Dan Aykroyd as Tammy’s father, and Gary Cole as Earl the father met in the bar.   All of these people together make this move quite enjoyable as they interact with Tammy through her struggles to get by. 

I thought that Tammy was played well by Melissa McCarthy.  The story of her relationship with her grandmother, Susan Sarandon, worked well.  Melissa’s husband, Ben Falcone, did an OK job as director.  Once again, I just checked my mind at the door and enjoyed the movie even though it is mind numbingly simple. 

I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.         

An Awkward Moment

Three friends (Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan) suddenly find themselves wanting a serious relationship so they continue to look for that perfect women.  They still have not found them but they are waiting for them to come into their lives.

I thought that Efron, Teller, and Jordan were really solid in their performances.  Sometimes the movie is really funny and sometimes you are just sitting there wishing this movie was a 3 to a 3 ½ movie.  But it is only 2 stars and I was highly disappointed with it.  

300: Rise of the Empire

Greek General Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) leads the charge over Artemisia (Eva Green) as they battle for further territorial rights. 

I thought Rise of the Empire was just as good as 300.  Sitting down with a box of popcorn and a nice refreshing beverage watching these two movies back to back would be so great.    Just check your brain at the door and just enjoy.   I give this movie 3 out of 4 stars.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Shia Labeouf is no longer a part of the Transformers movies.  Thank God since he is horrible in every movie.  However, this movie was not any better than the previous Transformers movies. I did think that Mark Wahlberg was great.  I enjoyed the tension between his daughter and her boyfriend.  That relationship was the high point of the movie with the exception of the wonder special effects that were also a huge part of this movie. 

Michael Bey, I believe, is the worst director working today. His special effects are spectacular but I don’t understand why he is considered a top-notch director in today’s movie world.    A new director on the project with Michael Bey in charge of special effects only, might have made for a better story line and a better movie. 

Mark Wahlberg was terrific in his part as dad and wannabe inventor.  Optimus Prime represents what is good about the world and Bumblebee is the ever-loyal companion.  I thought the Autobot dinosaurs were a nice touch and showcased the talents of Michael Bey as a special effects genius.

I gave this movie 2 out of 4 stars.  I thought it was the best of the 4 Transformers movies mostly due to Mark Wahlberg as leading actor.   

Think Like a Man Too

The whole group reunites at Caesar’s Palace for the marriage of mom, Candace (Regina Hall) and Michael (Terrance Jenkins).  To add to all the normal craziness of a wedding, Michael brings his mom, Loretta (Jennifer Lewis).   

Cedric (Kevin Hart) thinks he is in charge of all of the festivities so he brings in all of the normal bachelor party strippers, alcohol, etc. to surprise Michael.  Then the rest of the crew shows up (Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, and Gary Owen) to help the party get off on the right track. 

The women (Gabrielle Union, Taraji P. Henson, Meagan Good, and Wendi McLendon-Covey) all come together and look forward to a great bachelorette evening.  One of the highlights of the show was a track by Bel Biv DeVoe called Poison.  I thought this was hilarious to watch because all of the women take the stage when the song is playing and act out the parts of the song. 

But then they found out that the women and the men are in the same place for both parties.  The men are getting ready to take off their clothes.  Candace is about to be surrounded by two male strippers.  While at the same time the men realize that their women are going to be arrested.  Suddenly there is a huge brawl and all of the men and women end up in lockup. 

I thought this movie was terrific.  All of the actors gave great performances.  Check your mind at the door and just go in and simply enjoy this movie.  I did, and I walked out in a great mood.  I give this move 3 out of 4 stars.

Jersey Boys

Clint Eastwood is one of the finest directors of all time and his performance as an actor is stellar as well. Eastwood has an interest in his long and distinguished career, whether it's performing as an actor, a director, or a writer, in music and is a huge fan of jazz.  Eastwood shows a lot of respect for early entertainers of music.  One of the people that he respects is Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and the movie that shows that respect is called Jersey Boys. 

Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) is the voice of the narrator for the entire movie and I like how he talks about all of the band members, including Frankie Valli, because there would have never been a band without Frankie’s wonderful voice.   Songwriter Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) is a talented writer of music of all kinds.  Bob takes Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons to the top of the chart.  He is also a band member as well, along with bass player Nick Massi (Michael Lomendo).  Along with Frankie Valli, the Four Seasons come alive and there are good times as well as bad times.  Frankie Valli never turns his back on his friends throughout.  His loyalty to his friends becomes apparent during an argument that happens when the Four Seasons are about to split. When Tommy’s excessive spending threatens to ruin the band, Frankie decides to take on the debt that Tommy has created.  Valli soon realizes that Devito is in so much debt that Frankie will need to keep on singing for many years to come. 

Once again, Clint Eastwood is one of the finest directors in the movie industry and I think he should be nominated for an Oscar for this performance.  I think this movie starts a little slow in the beginning, but Eastwood soon changes the pace because every character has something to say.  Eastwood makes it all come together making Jersey Boys one of the best films of the year.  I think that the performances are all outstanding.  The movie looks amazing because of Eastwood’s talent in setting the proper time and place throughout the movie.  Eastwood’s skills in directing movies come through brilliantly.

This movie gets 3 ½ out of 4 stars.