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Friday, October 31, 2014

Begin Again

For a low budget movie, this one was fantastic.  It stars Keira Knightley as an up and coming English singer and Mark Ruffalo as a down on his luck agent.    Ruffalo wants to help Knightley begin her career and they become great friends. 

This movie was very heart warming and I really enjoyed it.   Begin Again will end up being on my top 10 list for the year.  I think everyone else will enjoy it as well.  Both Knightley and Ruffalo should be up for Oscars.   I rate this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  It’s tremendous.  

Deliver Us From Evil

This was one of the best horror films of the year.  Eric Bana stars as a married police officer with one child.  His wife was played by Olivia Munn. 
Eric Bana’s character, Ralph Sarchie, is called on to investigate a case in which some strange happenings are occurring between a number of individuals who seem to be under some sort of demonic force.  He teams up with a priest, played by Edgar Ramirez, in an attempt to exorcise the demons. 

I thought this movie was outstanding and it really got into your head.  I rate this movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars. 

St. Vincent

This movie was filled with comedy and drama.  It stars the great Bill Murray as Vincent Mackenna and Melissa McCarthy as single mom, Maggie Bronstein.  Jaeden Lieberher plays as Maggie’s young son Oliver. 
The movie begins with Maggie and Oliver moving in next door to Vincent.  Oliver is a very slight boy and quickly becomes an easy target for the other boys in his new school.  Vincent drives a 1960’s corvette, drinks heavily, plays the ponies, and has regular visits from a prostitute.  Maggie works a lot of late hours and Vincent soon becomes the baby sitter for Oliver. 
I think that Bill Murray should be nominated for an Oscar for his role in this movie.  In all counts he seems to be the drunken, grumpy old man that no one wants to be around, but as the movie progresses you find out why.  His character suffers a major stroke, and he hit the nail on the head in his portrayal during the recovery. 

The performance by Melissa McCarthy and Jaeden Lieberher was also fantastic.  Naomi Watts played the prostitute who Vincent sees regularly and she was also terrific.  I gave this great movie 4 out of 4 stars.  I enjoyed every second of it.  

The Fury

This was one of the best action movies that has been released in a long time thanks to writer/director David Ayer.  It stars Brad Pitt as Sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier and Logan Lerman as young Norman “Machine” Ellison.  The Fury was the name of the tank commanded by Sgt. Collier during World War II. 
Sgt. Collier’s gunner had died in combat and was replaced by very green Norman, who had only trained to be a typist.  The movie shows how Sgt. Collier goes about preparing Norman to deal with war on the front lines.   
The Fury does an excellent job in showing how life really was for those who actually fought in World War II especially those who were in the tanks.  The movie also did a fine job of portraying the Nazis and the feelings the American soldiers had for them.   

There were some drawbacks in this movie but I enjoyed it so much that I still gave it 3 out of 4 stars.  

John Wick

Keanu Reeves plays the character of John Wick, a former assassin who had just buried his wife.  He is met at the funeral by a former associate played by Willem Dafoe.  A few days after the service, a package is delivered.  The package contains a final gift from his wife of a puppy to care for. 
A few days later, some Russian mobsters break into his house.   They kill his dog and steal his 1969 vintage mustang.  John Wick wants revenge. 

The action in this movie was outstanding.  I thought that Willem Dafoe was excellent.  Adrianne Palicki who played another assassin and Ian McShane who played a hotel owner frequented by the assassins were also great.  I was a little disappointed with Keanu Reeves acting.  He’s never been great but he could have done better in this role.   I think he was concentrating more on stunts than dialogue.  I gave this movie 2 ½ out of 4 stars. 

Monday, October 27, 2014

Ouija

This movie stars Olivia Cooke as Laine Morris, a teenage girl who with her friend Debbie (played by Shelley Henning) play with a Ouija board as youngsters.  The Ouija board is a game that is said to be able to answer questions that you ask it and even allow you to talk with spirits.  However, you should never play with it alone.  Debbie finds the game as a teenager and plays alone anyway. 
Debbie begins to act strangely and would rather stay home than go out with Laine and her other friends, including her boyfriend Pete played by Douglas Smith.  One day Debbie is found hung from the ceiling and her friends decide to use the Ouija board to talk with her.  After that weird things begin to happen with this small group of friends. 
I thought the acting in Ouija was not bad.  Olivia Cooke was terrific and so were the others.  This movie was very entertaining.  There were some scary and startling scenes in it as there should be.  The cinematography was great as was the directing.  Keeping in mind that this was a horror movie, I still enjoyed it.  I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars. 


Earth to Echo

If you have seen the movie ET from long ago, then you have also seen Earth to Echo.  Echo is an extraterrestrial being that comes to earth and then one thing after another happens.  The overall premise was kind of ignorant.

I thought that Earth to Echo was not very good.  I was a fan of ET but Earth to Echo was just too much of a copycat.  I was disappointed in the lack of knowledge from the ones who wrote this story.   You cannot remake ET even though they tried.  I thought that overall this movie was unnecessary to make.  I gave this movie 1 ½ out of 4 stars.    

Dracula: Season 1

Dracula was one of the more entertaining shows I saw this past season. Jonathan Rhys Meyers played Dracula and he is outstanding in this role.  His fellow costars were just as good including Jessica De Gouw and Thomas Kretschmann.  I was hoping they would pick up this show even though it had low ratings and air it after Grimm.  But unfortunately the network only kept Grimm. 

I thought Dracula was excellent and I highly recommend that you watch this series. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars.  

The Best of Me

Nicholas Sparks wrote the book, The Best of Me, and then produced the movie.  I went into this movie ready to enjoy it as I did The Notebook – also written by Nicholas Sparks.  I ended up enjoying The Best Of Me as well. 

It stars Luke Bracey as a young Dawson, James Marsden as an older Dawson, Liana Liberato as a young Amanda, Michelle Monaghan as an older Amanda, and Gerald McRaney as Tuck the father figure of Dawson.  Dawson and Amanda are in love as young high school students.  But Amanda’s family has money and Dawson’s family are from the wrong side of the tracks and the law.  Dawson leaves his family and lives with Tuck, but his family continues to cause him problems.  Dawson ends up in prison and refuses to allow Amanda to visit him so she can live a good life as she had planned.  After Dawson is released from prison, Amanda and Dawson again cross paths. It was a great movie but I wanted more than I got.  The acting was terrific and I thought that director Michael Hoffman (director of One Fine Day) did a pretty good job of directing this very talented cast.  Nicholas Sparks is a wonderful author but this movie could have been better.  I still gave the movie 3 out of 4 stars. 

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Day

I went into this movie with the hopes that it would keep me laughing but it never happened.  There were some funny parts but I found myself checking my watch to check the time.  It stars Steve Carell as Ben Cooper the father, Jennifer Garner as Kelly Cooper the mother, Dylan Minnette as Anthony Cooper the oldest son, Ed Oxenbould as Alexander Cooper the youngest son, and Kerris Dorsey as Emily Cooper the daughter. Jennifer Coolidge also had a small but memorable performance as a driving instructor. 
Alexander has a bad day and wishes that everyone else in his family could understand about bad days as they all have seemed to never have them.  The next day, everything that could go wrong does for the other family members.

As I said above the movie had its moments but I found myself very uninterested.  Jennifer Garner, Steve Carell, and the others were great but the movie was just slow and never got any momentum.  I gave this movie 2 out of 4 stars.  

Friday, October 17, 2014

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

This movie was based on a 1960’s cartoon called Rocky and Bullwinkle.    Mr. Peabody is a scientist who happens to be a dog and has a pet human named Sherman.  They travel back in time to find out what’s going on in the world and influence any big decisions. 

I thought this movie was fantastic and it held my attention throughout.  I really enjoyed it.  I gave it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.  

X-Men Days of Future Past

I thought this X-Men movie was very entertaining.  In fact I liked this one more than any of the other versions because they brought back so many of the former characters.  Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen were all great.
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is the only one who can travel back in time to make sure that there will be a future for the mutants. 

The special effects were terrific.  I highly recommend this movie.  This was one of the best films of the year and I gave it 4 out of 4 stars.  

Dracula Untold

This movie tells the story of Dracula and how he came to be.  It stars Luke Evans as Dracula and Sarah Gadon as his wife. 
Dracula was originally a prince who was raised as a fierce and revered fighter.  Prince Vlad, as he was known, was ruling his country of Transylvania.  The Turks came in and demanded that all of the young boys be taken away and trained as fighters as Prince Vlad had once been.  They also insisted that one of those boys be Prince Vlad’s son. 
The movie is based on the love and devotion that Prince Vlad has for his wife and son.   I loved this proof of family loyalty.  I just expected more out of this movie than I received.  At times the movie was showing signs of greatness but it never came to fruition.  The cinematography was fantastic and there was lots of action but I wanted more.  I gave this movie 2 out of 4 stars. 

The Judge

This movie was absolutely terrific in all phases.  It stars Robert Downey Jr as a lawyer named Hank who is the son of Joseph, a hard-nosed judge played by Robert Duvall.  Both were remarkable actors and played their parts perfectly.
Long ago a guy had been charged with abuse of his girlfriend and Joseph was lenient on him hoping to give him time to turn his life around.  The guy later killed the girlfriend and that ate at Joseph for years.  While Hank is home for death of his mother, the guy from prison is hit by a car and killed. Joseph is charged with murder and Hank ends up defending him.  The relationship between father and son is rocky to say the least so Hank’s job is not easy. 
As I said before I thought that Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga (as Hank’s former girlfriend), Vincent D’Onofrio (as Hank’s older brother),Dax Shepard (Joseph’s initial lawyer), and Billie Bob Thornton (the prosecutor) were all amazing actors in this movie.  Everyone contributed in making this movie fantastic from beginning to end. 
David Dobkin had some great talent to work with and came out on top.  I look forward to any new movie that he directs. 

I so enjoyed this movie that time went by very quickly.  I recommend that you check out The Judge and I think that Robert Downey Jr and Robert Duvall should both be nominated for Oscars for their performances.  I gave this movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.  

Friday, October 10, 2014

Million Dollar Arm

I went into this movie not hoping for very much.  I was completely surprised by the wonderful acting of Jon Hamm, Pitobash, and Suraj Sharma.  The movie is about an agent who is looking for the next great pitcher.   He goes to India and discovers a couple of cricket players who he feels could be future hall-of-fame pitchers.  He has to teach them how to play baseball which proves to be a challenge in itself. 

I wanted more than I got but I was satisfied with the performances of all of the actors.  I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.  

A Million Ways to Die in the West

I think this was one of the worst movies I have seen.  It’s directed by Seth Macfarlane who starred in it as well.  It also stars Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried.  It’s comedy about life in the West. 

The movie sounded like it would be hilarious but it was a waste of my time and will be your time wasted as well if you choose to sit through it.  I gave this movie 1 out of 4 stars.  

Annabelle

This movie was based on a true story about a doll named Annabelle who was possessed.  She makes her way into the home of Mia (played coincidentally by Annabelle Wallis).  Crazy and unexplainable things begin to happen in Mia’s household including the death in the night of their neighbors.  Mia’s husband John (Ward Horton), throws the doll in the trash but lo and behold she reappears while Mia is unpacking after they move to a new home. 
This movie had lots of opportunity for gotchas to startle you and make you hide your eyes but it missed out.  I thought the direction of the movie was OK but not great.  The actors were also just average.  I was hoping for a good horror movie that I could get into but it never came about. 

An explanation was provided as to where the doll is today which I liked because it comes from the story the Conjuring.  There were a lot of parts of this movie that didn’t make sense but there were a few high points.  So I gave this movie 2 ½ out of 4 stars.  

Gone Girl

This movie stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon, and Tyler Perry.  Ben Affleck plays the role of Nick, who discovers that his wife Amy, played by Rosamund Pike, has gone missing on their fifth wedding anniversary. After returning from the bar he owns with his sister Margo (Carrie Coon), Nick discovers the glass coffee table in the living room broken up and his wife is gone.  After notifying the police, a search party is sent out to look for her.  When Amy is still not found, a press conference is held and later a candlelight vigil.  Soon after Nick discovers he has now become a suspect. 
I thought this movie was outstanding.  David Fincher who directed the movie is one of my favorites.  He also directed Seven which stuck out as wonderful in my mind and Gone Girl will as well.  Fincher doesn’t direct a lot of movies but the one’s he does are fantastic. 

The entire cast including Ben Affleck and Tyler Perry were all tremendous actors.  I enjoyed every second of this movie and it kept me wondering what would happen next.  I feel this movie should be up for future Oscar nominations, especially David Fincher and Ben Affleck (who missed out in Argo in my opinion).  I rated this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Chef

John Favreau plays a chef (Carl Casper) who loses his job and goes to Florida with his wife played by Sofia Vergara.  She has business in Florida to attend to so Carl is left responsible for taking care of their son.  Carl then meets her ex-husband played by Robert Downey Jr.  The ex-husband talks Carl into starting a restaurant truck and he agrees to purchase a vehicle that requires a lot of work.  Carl and his son decide to clean up the truck and sell some delicious food to everyone.  I rate this movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

This movie stars the great Mark Wahlberg.  That however didn’t help the lousy story line that made this movie.   The special effects were spectacular but overall this movie had nothing more to add.  Since it starred Mark Wahlberg I had high hopes but the movie fell short.  The movie was directed by Michael Bay who I think should stick to special effects because he isn’t a good director.  I gave this movie 1 out of 4 stars.

The Boxtrolls

I was excited to see this movie and I was not disappointed.  I loved the actors who voiced the movie, which include Ben Kingsley as Archibald Snatcher (the villain of the show), Simon Pegg as Mr. Trubshaw, Elle Fanning as Winnie (the girl who helped out the Boxtrolls), and Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Eggs (the boy who was raised as a Boxtroll). 
The Boxtrolls were a group of creatures who lived under the city.  They were excellent builders who came out at night to scavenge parts for their world.  The people of the city feared the Boxtrolls, so they were in constant danger when they came into the city through the sewer system.

Archibald Snatcher was a wanna-be White Hat.  The White-Hats were a group of men who made all of the decisions concerning the city.  He started a rumor long ago that the Boxtrolls killed Mr. Trubshaw and stole his son.  In truth, Mr. Trubshaw had befriended the Boxtrolls, and he gave his son to them in an effort to save him from the evil Archibald Snatcher. 

I thought this movie was fantastic and loved the characters.  The animation was terrific and I thought each scene got better and better.  I have to give this wonderful movie 3 out of 4 stars.  

The Equalizer

This action-packed movie stars the great Denzel Washington as Robert McCall who is the Equalizer.  The show is based on a TV series that came out in the 80’s that starred Edward Woodward.  This movie is spectacular and outshines the original version. 

Robert is a loner in his personal life working at a local hardware store.  He just wants to work his job but helps out co-workers and acquaintances whenever they are in need.  Chloe Grace Moretz plays an acquaintance named Teri who he knows from the local diner he frequents.  Teri is a hooker whose pimp is a member of the Russian mob.  The mob beats her up and the Equalizer comes to her rescue.  Robert doesn’t realize the long line of criminals that are out to get him after he kills Teri’s handler.  The battle is now on between Robert and the head of the Russian mob. 

The scenes were terrific and I recommend everyone see this movie.  Denzel Washington as usual was excellent in his role.  Chloe Grace Moretz is an up and coming actress also starring in If I Stay.  The rest of the cast was fantastic as well. 


The Equalizer was number one at the box office this last weekend.  If you haven’t seen the movie, take the time.  Don’t bring your kids because it’s rated R so get a baby sitter and enjoy!  I gave this movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.