Lucy

Lucy is forced into being a drug mule.  One of the drugs gets into her system which causes her to begin to use more and more of her brain. 

I thought that the performance in this movie courtesy of Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman was terrific.  However, the overall story line was lacking.  The movie was directed by Luc Besson.  While he did an OK job, there was nothing much about this movie that impressed me.  I gave Lucy 2 out of 4 stars.  

The Imitation Game

This movie is the story of Alan Turing who was a mathematical genius responsible for cracking the Nazi code during World War II that helped the allies win the war.  He was played by Benedict Cumberbatch. 

Alan is given a limited amount of time to be successful in cracking the code.  He has a team of four who work together.  He interviews other candidates for the team and chooses Joan Clarke who was played by Keira Knightly.  Joan’s parents fear that she will miss out on the normal things a female in that time period enjoys and pressure her to leave.  Alan proposes marriage to her as a means to get her to stay.  He however is secretly gay and struggles with the idea.

Throughout the movie we see glimpses of Alan as a young boy still in school, Alan as a young man working to crack the Nazi code, and an older Alan later on in life.  I myself did not enjoy the jumping around and so did not really enjoy this movie.  The acting was terrific and the film was nominated for an Oscar for best picture.  This is however, is a nomination I cannot agree with.  I gave this movie 2 out of 4 stars.  

Selma

This movie is based on the march between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 to draw attention to the fact that Black Americans did not have the same rights to vote as did White Americans.  Selma stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr who was leading the crusade. 

Dr. King had been lobbying President Lyndon Johnson, played by Tom Wilkinson, to change the law forcing the states to allow equal voting rights.  Alabama’s governor, George Wallace, (Tim Roth) was very prejudiced and was bound and determined that Black Americans were not equal and did not warrant equal treatment.

The movie starts out with the bombing of a church that kills four young black girls showing some of the injustice that was being shown the black community.  It then shows Annie Lee Cooper, who was played by Oprah Winfrey, attempting to register to vote and being denied. 

This movie does a great job of showing some of the appalling cruelty shown Black Americans in those days and their fight for equality.  I thought this movie had spectacular acting. David Oyelowo should have been nominated for an Oscar in this role but for some reason was not.  The movie however was nominated for best picture.    I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  

The Wedding Ringer

This hilarious movie stars Josh Gad, Kevin Hart, and Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting.  Josh plays Doug Harris who is about to get married but has no one to be his best man or groomsmen.  He is about to get married to Gretchen Palmer (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) who comes from a well-to-do family with lots of money.  Josh hears of a business, Best Mans Inc, that will find him a best man and the groomsmen.  The business is run by Jimmy Callahan who was played by Kevin Hart. 

Doug meets with Jimmy and explains that he needs seven groomsmen in less than 2 weeks. This exploit is called “The Golden Tux”.   Jimmy agrees and so the search begins. 

The groomsmen are made of a motley crew of men each with a special party trick.  The race is soon on to develop memories between Doug, Jimmy, and the other groomsmen.

While I truly enjoyed this movie and found it very funny, I fear that it will have a sequel.  This should be it.  Kevin Hart as usual was tremendous as was Josh Gad.  Both had me laughing out loud throughout. Kaley Couco-Sweeting played a small part but was the perfect spoiled little rich girl. I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.

American Sniper

Clint Eastwood is a terrific director but this movie was one of his best.  It’s based on the true life story of Chris Kyle, a legendary sniper who fought the war in terror for 4 tours.  Bradley Cooper played Chris Kyle and Sienna Miller played Taya, Chris’s wife. 

Chris Kyle grew up in Texas and was taught to always protect those that are your own.  After graduating high school he began working the rodeo circuit with his brother.  He joined the navy at the age of 25 with hopes to become a Navy Seal.  Chris meets his soon-to-be wife at a bar and they hit it off and marry.

After 9/11, Chris gets his first deployment to Iraq, leaving behind his pregnant wife.  Chris is an excellent marksman and soon finds himself having to make difficult choices as to whether Iraqi citizens are friend or foe.  If he decides wrong, he will have either killed an innocent citizen or allowed the deaths of US troops.

This movie allows you to see not only what our troops go through on a daily basis while in a combat zone but also the struggles of the loved ones who are left behind.  You also are given a glimpse of what the soldiers go through when they are back home and struggling with PTSD. 

The chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller was great making it easy to imagine them as husband and wife.  Bradley Cooper was the perfect person to cast as Chris Kyle.  This movie is a must-see!  It does have a lot of violence so it’s not a good family movie.  I gave this movie fittingly 4 out of 4 stars.  

No Good Deed

This movie stars Idris Elba as an escaped prisoner and Taraji P. Henson as a stay at home mom whose house the escapee decides to visit. 

I didn’t really care for this movie and thought it was one of the worst of the year.  I know not everyone will agree but that was my opinion.  I gave this movie 1 out of 4 stars. 

Boyhood

This movie was nominated for best movie, best director, best supporting actress, and many other awards.  Once you see this movie you will not forget it.  It takes you through the life of a boy over a 12 year period. 

Director Richard Linklater did a tremendous job of pulling this cast together, especially Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke.  The same cast stayed together over the entire 12 years that this movie was filmed.  This includes the boy, Mason Jr, (Ellar Coltrane) and his sister, Sam, (Lorelei Linklater) as they grow up and you see the experiences that they have. 

I would definitely recommend that you check out this spectacular movie.  I truly enjoyed it.  I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  It will be on my top 10 year end ratings.