Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton

This movie is the story of the hip hop group N.W.A. and is named after one of their albums.   The original N.W.A. was made up of a group of young black men from Compton, California in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  This was a time when racial tension was high and black men were often assaulted and disrespected by the police for no apparent reason.  The young men were Dr. Dre, Easy E, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. 

Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., fittingly plays him in the movie.  Dr. Dre is played by Corey Hawkins; Easy E is played by Jason Mitchell; DJ Yella is played by Neil Brown; and MC Ren is played by Aldis Hodge.  Paul Giamatti stars as N.W.A.’s manager, Jerry Heller.    The movie tells the story of how the group was formed and their struggles with the police, the world they lived in, and each other. 

Straight Outta Compton is rated R for good reason.  The language is not for young ears and there is nudity.  The acting in this movie was fantastic by all the young men and Paul Giamatti. I especially enjoyed O’Shea Jackson Jr.   Fans of this music genre will enjoy the songs. 

This movie comes out at a time when racism is again at the forefront in our news today.  Hopefully when you watch this movie it will strike a cord and make you realize that racism in any form is bad.   The movie will get mixed reviews from some but does a good job of representing the world as it appeared through the eyes of the African American people during that time. 

I loved everything about this movie and the storyline was strong.  Adults should go and watch this movie.  I gave it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.  

Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four

This movie is based off of Marvel Comic’s team of four superheroes known as the Fantastic Four.  Reed Richards (Miles Teller) is Mr. Fantastic who has the ability to stretch his body in any way imaginable.  Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) is The Human Torch who can put himself on fire and shoot fireballs.  Susan Storm (Kate Mara) is The Invisible Woman who as you would guess can make herself invisible.  Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) is The Thing who has a stone body and super-human strength.  The four together are the Fantastic Four.

Reed has always been fascinated with science and inventions, particularly teleportation. He and his friend Ben have been working on teleporting since childhood.   Reed is recruited to attend the Baxter Foundation which is a research institution sponsored by the government.  There he meets up with Johnny and Susan who are brother and sister and whose father Franklin (Reg E. Cathey) is the director.  Franklin brings in Victor von Doom (Toby Kebbell) who had previously worked with Susan. 

The four find success and secretly teleport themselves to another dimension.  But something goes wrong and Victor is left behind while the others gain their individual super powers.

The Fantastic Four didn’t make a whole lot of sense if you follow the comic books.  The movie spent too much time on how they came to be and not enough time on the superhero part.  The director (Josh Trank) took this movie the wrong way and I was completely disappointed as a fan of the comics.  I grew up reading Marvel Comics and I don’t understand why this movie flopped.  The original Fantastic Four was a terrific movie but this version was not.  The special effects were outstanding but that’s the only plus.  Stan Lee who was one of the writers of the comic book version usually makes an appearance, but he didn’t do so in this movie.  This only adds to the fact that this version of the Fantastic Four was not worth watching.  I gave this movie 2 out of 4 stars.  

Ricky and the Flash

Ricky and the Flash

Ricky Rendazzo is the lead female singer for her band the Flash with lead guitarist Greg.  Ricky is played by Meryl Streep and Greg is played by Rick Springfield. 

In Ricky’s younger years, she was Linda and married to Pete (Kevin Kline).  Ricky and Pete had two sons and one daughter.   But Linda had dreams of being in a band.  She left her family behind to pursue her dreams. 

Now years later, Ricky’s dream really didn’t go far and she and the band play at a club.  Ricky also works as a checker in a food store.  One day she receives a call from Pete.  It seems that their daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer and Streep’s real life daughter) was in a deep depression and Pete was hoping that Linda/Ricky could help.  Julie’s husband had left her for another woman.

Ricky immediately flies out but her kids are all less than happy to see her.  While she realizes she must accept their feelings she works to bring Julie out of her funk.  Greg is in love with Ricky and convinces her of the importance of her family.  As Greg said “It’s not their job to love her, it’s her job to love them”.

This movie was very, very enjoyable and entertaining.  Meryl Streep actually learned to play the guitar for this part and the band was quite good.  She should be nominated for an Oscar in this role.  Rick Springfield couldn’t have been a better cast in his role as Ricky’s lead guitarist and boyfriend.  Jonathan Demme who directed this movie, did a fantastic job.  It was written by Diablo Cody and very well done.   (Cody is also known for writing the movie Juno which was also very successful.) 

As a child of the 70’s and 80’s and a Rick Springfield fan, I loved the music.  I can’t wait for the soundtrack.  I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  It’s terrific from beginning to end.  

The Gift

The Gift

This movie stars Jason Bateman as Simon Callen who with his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall) move to suburban Los Angeles from Chicago for Simon’s new job.  Robyn had been expecting a child earlier in Chicago but she lost the baby and it was their hope that a change in scenery would help them to have another child. 

While on a shopping trip, they run into Gordon “Gordo" Moseley (Joel Edgerton) who had been a high school classmate with Simon.  One day Gordon shows up at Simon and Robyn’s home while Simon is at work.  Robyn shows him around and invites him to stay for dinner. 

Gifts begin to appear from Gordon and it becomes apparent that Gordon thinks there is a friendship where none exists.   Simon tells Gordon that he should not show up any more and to leave them alone.  After this, weird and troubling things begin to happen that Robyn and Simon contribute to Gordon.  It also becomes apparent to Robyn that Simon is hiding something from his past. 

Parts of this movie were really good and some were humdrum.  Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall were well cast and were quite good.  It was interesting to see Jason cast in the part of somewhat of a bad guy.  The real star of this movie was Joel Edgerton.  Not only did he play a lead role as Gordon but he also directed and produced this film.  We really had not seen much of him since The Gladiator. 

I enjoyed this movie but it was good not great.  About ¾ of the movie was satisfactory but the rest, I couldn’t get into.  However, I still give this movie 3 out of 4 stars. 

Trainwreck

Trainwreck

Amy Schumer plays Amy Townsend who as a girl was taught by her father that “monogamy is bad”.  As an adult, Amy is a heavy partier who sleeps around.  She does have one steady guy, Steven, played by John Cena, but she sees other men as well.  

Amy works for S’nuff, a men’s magazine.  She is assigned by her boss to write a story on sports doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader).  Amy knows nothing about sports which quickly becomes apparent to Aaron.  Aaron invites her out and they end up sleeping together.  When Amy tries to leave, Aaron convinces her to spend the night.  The next day, much to Amy’s surprise, Aaron calls her. 

A romance soon blossoms but Amy and Aaron are from different worlds.  Aaron’s world is very professional and includes famous athletes like Tony Romo, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Lebron James.  Amy on the other hand is brash and bold and carefree.

This movie was written by Amy Schumer and really displays her talents in the comedy world.  She is a wonderful comedienne and a pretty solid actress.  Her and Bill Hader (from Saturday Night Live) were both outstanding and were convincing as a couple.  Then there is Lebron James.  He’s not known for his acting, but he pulled it off quite well.  Lebron had more than a bit part, and has a future in the acting world.  In one scene, Lebron holds an intervention for Aaron that includes Chris Evert, Marv Albert, and Matthew Broderick.   Lebron was great. 

Judd Apatow directed this movie and did a fantastic job with all of the talent that he had to work with.  Even John Cena was good and you see a lot more of John than you would expect to – enjoy ladies.  This movie is rated R and it definitely needs to be so don’t bring your small children.  I gave this movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.  

Ant-Man

Ant-Man

Ant-Man is another movie based on a character from Marvel Comics.  Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) is an entomologist who discovered a way to transform a person into a tiny ant with superhuman (ant-like) strength.  Hank fears that his discovery is dangerous and keeps it secret.  Hank’s protégé, Corey (Darren Cross) and Hank’s daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), attempt to replicate the technology to Hank’s dismay. 

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a petty criminal whom Hank has been watching.  After Scott is released from prison, Hank recruits him to become Ant-Man and convinces Hope to help.  Hope teaches Scott to use the power to the full degree. 

At the same time, Corey is creating Yellowjackets and invites Hank for a demonstration.  Hank is aware of the situation and brings along Scott to defeat the Yellowjackets and destroy all that Corey has created.  And so this version of Marvel’s superheroes must save the day.

Ant-Man is not as well-known of a character in the Marvel universe but for those of us who love anything to do with Marvel, we know him.  Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Douglas were excellent in their parts.  Paul Rudd added some comedy to the role that only heightened the success of the movie.  The special effects were outstanding.  At one point Ant-Man was up against toy trains which was quite fun to watch.  The directing by Peyton Reed was well done as well. 

This is one movie where you should stay past the credits as there are more scenes that you will enjoy.  I gave this movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.  

Pixels

Pixels

In 1982 a time capsule is launched into space carrying several popular items from the era.  In Pixels, some of those items return to earth in order to attack it.  The attackers are the characters from arcade games that include Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Space Invaders. 

Kevin James plays the President of the United States, Will Cooper.  After the attacks, it’s decided that the only way to be rid of the characters is to beat them at their own game.  World champions of the games are called in to help. 

Adam Sandler plays Sam Brenner, a software installer who is also a Pac Man champion and one of the President’s best friends.  He is brought in as well as Ludlow Lamonsoff (Josh Gad) another game enthusiast who Sam and Will had met as children, and Eddie Plant (Peter Dinklage) a Donkey Kong expert. 

As a teenager in the 80’s myself, I played all of these games.  So I thought the concept of this movie was pretty good.  If you are too young to understand Pac Man and Donkey Kong, the idea may be stupid to you.  

Adam Sandler and Kevin James are always great together and did not disappoint.  This movie also did not receive good reviews but I disagree.  If you want to appreciate Pixels, you really do have to leave your mind at the door and just enjoy.    I just let the spirit of the movie entertain me and I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.  

Paper Towns

Paper Towns

Paper Towns is based off of the book by John Green.  It is the story of a teen aged boy named Quentin (Nat Wolff) who is a senior in high school.  Q, as Quentin is known as, has been in love with his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, since she moved across the street when he was a child.  Margo (Cara Delevingne) is adventurous where Quentin is cautious.  As children they were great friends but as they grow older, they drift apart. 

One night after Q has gone to sleep, Margo comes through his window asking for his help.  Margo, who is very popular in school, has discovered that her boyfriend is cheating on her with one of her friends.   She enlists Q’s help to plot her revenge.  After their espionage, they go to one of Margo’s favorite hangouts and Margo discusses “Paper Towns”, towns on a map that don’t really exist.  Q is encouraged by the evening and looks forward to spending more time with her.  However, Margo disappears the next day.

Q and his friends Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith), Radar’s girlfriend Angela (Jaz Sinclair), and Margo’s friend Lacey (Halston Sage) go on a road trip looking for the “paper town” where Q believes Margo is waiting.  Q thinks that Margo has left him clues so that he will search for and find her. 

The stars of this movie were very talented and I expect to see more from them.  Paper Towns reminded me some of the Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, and 16 Candles which were all directed by the late John Hughes.  It wasn’t quite as good but had some similarities.  I loved how the friends grew up throughout the movie just as they did in Hughes’ movies. 

This movie has not received great reviews but I took my teen age daughter and she loved it as much as I did.  I gave it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.  

Inside Out

This much anticipated animated film will appeal to all ages.  It’s the story of Riley,

a young girl born into a happy life in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  As is the case with

most girls, Riley experiences many emotions including Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger,

and Disgust.  This movie focuses on those emotions making them into living

entities inside one’s head.  Riley’s prevalent emotion is Joy.

Riley’s father’s job takes them from Minneapolis to live in San Francisco.  Riley

soon misses her friends, her beloved sport hockey, and everything about her old

home.  On Riley’s first day at school, Sadness gets Riley to cry.  Joy attempts to

save this experience from becoming a core memory before it reaches the central

hub, but things only get worse as other core memories are knocked around.

Riley’s personality islands begin to falter and Joy, Sadness, and the core memories

are sucked out of headquarters.

This leaves Fear, Disgust, and Anger to run the show for Riley.  In the meantime,

Joy and Sadness traipse through Riley’s mind trying desperately to return to

headquarters and restore some happiness for Riley.

The main characters in this movie are voiced by Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill

Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, and Kaitlyn Dias. The animation in this movie

was fantastic as was the story line.  Everything about this movie was really, really

good.  This is truly a family movie.  Children will love this movie as will the adults.

I gave this wonderful movie 4 out of 4 stars.

Poltergeist

This movie is a remake of the 1982 successful Poltergeist film but this one was in 3D.  The storyline is basically the same as before.  Eric Bowen was recently laid off when he and his family move into a new home that had just become available and in their price range. 

Eric (Sam Rockwell), his wife Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt), oldest daughter Kendra (Saxon Sharbino), son Griffin (Kyle Catlett), and youngest daughter Madison (Kennedi Clements) realize something isn’t right when on the first night they hear noises in the walls.  During the commotion one night, Griffin awakens and goes downstairs to find Madison talking to the TV.  He unplugs it and things go haywire in the house with lights, radio and other devices getting turned on and off.  Madison then calmly states the famous words from the past movie “They are here”.

One night while Eric and Amy are out, Kendra’s phone begins making noises, and Griffin is attacked by one of the clown dolls that were found in the house.  He escapes to Madison’s room to find her crouched in a corner.  Griffin goes to find Kendra as Madison is lured into the closet and into another dimension. 

The original Poltergeist was quite good and the acting was as well.  The second movie was not up to par and 3D didn’t help.  The special effects were not very good nor was the acting.  This was one movie that shouldn’t have been remade.   If you liked the original, do not watch this one because it isn’t worth your time.  Go rent the first edition instead.  It’s in blue ray and still is fantastic.   I gave this movie 1 out of 4 stars. 

Dope

This movie takes place in Inglewood, California in an area known as “The

Bottoms” and is filled with drugs and gangs.  Malcom (Shameik Moore) is a high

school senior who has dreams of attending Harvard.  He and friends Jib (Tony

Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) are all very bright and love old school hip

hop.  Consequently they are often bullied.

One day on the way home, Malcom runs into Dom who is one of the

neighborhood drug dealers.  Dom convinces him to visit one of the neighboring

buildings to ask Nakia (Zoe Kravitz) to come to Dom’s birthday party.   She agrees

to go if Malcom will go as well.

While at the party, rival gang members arrive and soon shots are being fired.

Dom stuffs his drugs in Malcom’s back pack and tells Malcom to run.  The next

day as Malcom walks into school the drug dog at the door is alerted to the

backpack.  Malcom is allowed to continue because no one would suspect him of

having drugs.

The rival gang realizes that Malcom has the drugs and begin hunting down

Malcom and his friends.  This movie provides a good picture of what life can be

and often is like in neighborhoods like Malcom’s.

The three young actors in this movie were quite good.  I think the looks of the

movie were right on.  You realize the real fear that kids must have growing up in

neighborhoods like this.  I thought this movie was fantastic even though the first

run of it was short-lived.  Hopefully it will last longer on the re-release.  I gave this

• movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.

Love and Mercy

This movie tells the story of Brian Wilson, one of the main members of the Beach Boys musical group.  The movie goes back and forth between Brian’s life in the 1960’s and Brian’s life in the 1980’s.  Brian in the 1960’s is played by Paul Dano and Brian in the 1980’s was played by John Cusack.  

After a lot of musical success in the 1960’s, Brian suffers a panic attack and convinces the band to let him stay behind on their tour and while he continues to write music.    He begins hearing voices in his head and starts to lose touch with reality.  

Brian is diagnosed with schizophrenia and becomes under the care of Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti) who pretty much keeps Brian drugged up.  Brian visits a Cadillac dealer with the intent to buy a car and meets Melinda Ledbetter who is played by Elizabeth Banks.  Brian immediately falls for her and asks her out.    

When Melinda realizes that Brian is never allowed to be alone and she sees the treatment Brian receives from Dr. Landy, she decides to take matters into her own hands.  
The acting in this movie was the best I have seen all year.  I even read that Brian Wilson himself thought the actors were cast perfectly.  Brian when on to say that he found himself actually afraid for a while after seeing Paul Giamatti’s portrayal of Dr. Landy.     
All three actors were worthy of a Oscar nomination even though it is still early in the season.  
Of course the movie was about a member of the Beach Boys so it goes without saying that the music was wonderful.   I look forward to the soundtrack.  It’s hard to believe that Brian is one of the last living members of one of the best rock groups of the 60’s and 70’s.   

Overall this was an awesome and unforgettable movie.  I rated it 4 out of 4 stars.  It’s a must see.

Insidious 3

Insidious 3 is based on a different family than the first two movies but does contain some of the characters.  Stefanie Scott stars as teenager Quinn Brenner whose mother recently died. Quinn’s father, Sean (Dermot Mulroney), is very dependent on Quinn without their mother and she resents it.  

Quinn has heard of a woman who can talk with the dead and decides to visit her in hopes that she can help Quinn talk with her mother.  The lady is Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) who had the same role in the previous movies.  Elise has decided to retire from speaking with the dead but warns Quinn to not call out to them since all of the dead could also hear. 

Days later Quinn sees a dark figure while auditioning for a theater academy.   That night she meets her friend Maggie.  While they are crossing the street, Quinn again sees the dark figure and pauses to look.  She is hit by a car and badly injured.  She has broken both of her legs and is wheel-chair bound while her legs are in casts.  
Her father takes her home and gives her a bell to use when she needs something.   
Soon after, bad things begin to happen to Quinn.I enjoyed the acting by Lin Shaye.   She is a tremendous actress. Dermot Mulroney and Stefanie Scott were also fantastic.  
The special effects in this movie were outstanding.  The story at large was pretty good.  If you like horror movies, I would highly recommend Insidious 3.  It’s far better than the second movie and just as good as the first.  I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.  

San Andreas

This movie is based off the notion of the horrors that would occur if the San Andreas Fault ever ruptured.  Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson stars as Ray Gaines who is a Los Angeles Fire Department Air Rescue pilot.  Ray and his daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) are to take a trip to San Francisco.

Seismologists Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti) and Dr. Kim Park (Will Yun Lee) are at the Hoover Dam to test a theory when a 7.1 earthquake hits destroying the dam and killing many people including Dr. Park.   Ray is called in to help so Blake is to instead go on her trip with her mother, Emma (Carla Gugino), and her mother’s wealthy boyfriend, Daniel (Ioan Gruffudd).

 Daniel is working on a new high rise that is being built to withstand earthquakes.  While in the high rise, Blake meets Ben (Hugo Johnstone-Burt).  Ben is an architect from England applying for a job with Daniel’s company who is travelling with his brother Ollie (Art Parkinson).

Lawrence realizes that the San Andreas Fault is shifting.  He tries to warn people but soon all of the cities along the fault, including San Francisco, are experiencing a massive earthquake.   Ray heads back to San Francisco to save his family.

The action scenes in this movie were fantastic.  The length of the movie was perfect.  It wasn’t too long as to become boring.  Dwayne Johnson is an ok actor but does have a strong presence in this movie.  I loved the display of family first.  Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario were pretty good in their roles so it pulled it all together.  

Overall this movie was very enjoyable.  If you go in expecting it to be real life, then you shouldn’t watch this movie.  I recommend it if nothing else for the action.  I gave it 3 out of 4 stars.  

Jurassic World

Steven Spielberg continues the classic Jurassic Park movies with Jurassic World – the fourth in the series.   In Jurassic World, Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard’s daughter) plays Claire Deering who is the Operation Manager for the Jurassic World Park.  In an effort to increase attendance to the park, the scientists, led by Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), are working on a new dinosaur that is to be more exciting than any previous dinosaur.  The new attraction is to be called Indominus Rex and its makeup is kept secret by Dr. Wu. 

Claire’s two nephews are visiting the park and she is responsible for their care.  However, she is so busy and focused on securing funding for the park that she assigns one of her assistants to stay with the boys.  Not enjoying being babysat, the boys quickly ditch her.

Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) is a trainer at the park for the Velociraptors and is brought in to evaluate the Indominus Rex.  He warns Claire that the new dinosaur is way too dangerous but his warning falls on deaf ears.  Soon after, everything goes haywire in the park. 

The 3D effects were amazing in this movie.  All of the dinosaurs seem to come to life right before your eyes.  The looks of the dinosaurs was even better than in any of the previous movies.   Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard were excellent in their roles.  Both did such a great job of acting that you actually felt their fear. 

I felt that this movie wasn’t quite as good as the first movie but it’s not far behind. This is one movie you shouldn’t miss.  

I gave it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.  

Tomorrowland

This movie stars George Clooney as inventor Frank Walker and Brit Robertson as Casey Newton, a teenaged girl who is very bright herself.  Casey’s father Eddie (Tim McGraw) is a NASA engineer who has taught Casey to appreciate science.  With NASA decommissioning the launch pad, her father will lose his job.  She sneaks in with the intent to sabotage the work being done to remove the launch pad but ends up in jail.  When her dad comes to get her, she is given a pin with her belongings. Everytime she touches the pin, she is taken to a new place known as Tomorrowland.  However, she is the only one to see it. 

After time, touching the pin does not let her see anything new.  In search of answers, she meets up with Athena (played by Raffey Cassidy) an Audio-Animatronic recruiter for Tomorrowland who had given her the pin.  Athena sends her to meet with Frank Walker who had also been recruited by Athena as a young boy. 

Frank Walker had been banned from Tomorrowland after an invention of his went wrong and now he is a crotchety loner.  Once at Frank’s residence Casey is attacked by a hologram figure of a dog but she se’s through the ruse and remains much to the chagrin of Frank.  A group of robots are searching for Casey and in order to escape Frank takes her to Tomorrowland.

George Clooney was terrific as usual as was the young up and coming actress Brit Robertson.  Tim Mcgraw was also tremendous in the small part that he played.  Hugh Laurie also did great in his small part as the governor of Tomorrowland.  Brad Bird directed and produced this movie and wrote the screen play.  Having the same person do all worked out fabulously.

I thought that this movie was fantastic and I enjoyed every moment.  George Clooney who is a political person, made a statement in this movie and the point was well taken.  We should not take for granted what we have today.  

I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.  

Mad Max: Fury Road

This version in the Mad Max saga stars Tom Hardy as “Mad” Max Rockatansky and Charlize Theron as Furiosa.  Max is a loner with bad memories from his past.  He is captured by war boys and taken to the citadel to be used as a blood donor for War Boy Nux who is sick. 

The citadel is a kind of cult led by the Immortan Joe.  Joe has five women who have been chosen as wives to be breeders for him.  Furiosa hides the women in her war rig and takes them with her to search for gas.  Furiosa goes off course infuriating Joe once he realizes his wives are gone.  He and his army go after her taking Max with them so he can continue supplying blood for Nux.  After a skirmish, Max and Furiosa join up and continue on while evading the armies that are in pursuit. 

In my opinion this was the worst edition of all the Mad Max movies. I don’t think Charlize Theron is a good actress and Tom Hardy performed one the worst acting jobs of his career - not at all filling in well for Mel Gibson.  There were several lesser known actors in this movie and none of them really had to act and didn’t.  The acting was terrible in every aspect of this movie.  It was a complete sleeper. 

George Miller did a great job directing in the first three Mad Max movies starring Mel Gibson opposite Tina Turner.  Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy were a nightmare.  The special effects were pretty cool to look at but that’s about the only positive. 

The story line was weak so it was doomed from the beginning.  I went into this movie hoping to be entertained but wasn’t.  I feel that George Miller could have cast the parts better as well.  

I gave this movie 1 ½ out of 4 stars.

Spy

This movie stars Melissa McCarthy as Susan Cooper, a trained CIA analyst who has only been allowed to guide agents in the field through their various cases in times of trouble from an office chair.  She generally works with Agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) and has quite a crush on him.  One day while guiding Fine, she witnesses his death at the hands of Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne) who is the daughter of Fine’s latest target.  Fine had killed the target before learning the location of a nuke bomb. 

Rayna is now the new target but knows the identity of all the other agents. The leader of the CIA (Allison Janney) believes that Rayna could lead them to the bomb.  Susan volunteers to travel to Paris to spy on Rayna’s contact, De Luca.  Agent Rick Ford  (Jason Statham) is upset by allowing a “lunch lady” to get involved and quits his job.  He shows up in Paris, however, and begins to interfere with Susan’s espionage. 

Once again Melissa McCarthy is terrific in a comedy role and she was perfectly cast.  Jason Statham, Jude Law, and Rose Byrne were fantastic.  This movie was laugh-out-loud funny but definitely rated R due to nudity and a lot of profanity.  So if that’s not your kind of movie, you won’t like it.  If you liked “The Heat”, check this one out as you will definitely enjoy it. 

Paul Feig did an excellent job directing Spy and the music was great as well.    If you go see this movie, go with no expectations and you will like it as much as I did.  

I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.  

Entourage

Many movies have a lot of stars but this one was really filled with big-time actors and actresses.  Entourage is based off of the HBO series of the same name.  It stars Adrian Grenier as actor Vincent Chase, Kevin Dillon as Johnny “Drama” Chase (Vincent’s half brother), Jerry Ferrara as Turtle, and Kevin Connolly as Eric (“E”) Murphy.  

Vincent is a big star and stipulates that he will direct as well as act in his next movie.  All four men have been long time buddies who Vincent brought along when he became big.  Now E is his manager, Turtle is his driver, and Johnny, who is also an actor, tags along. 

Vincent’s former agent, Ari (Jeremy Piven) who is now a studio head, has reservations about letting Vincent direct but goes along with it.  He discovered Vincent and has stuck by him from the get-go.  Many issues occur in the making of the movie and it predictably goes over budget.  Ari must convince the movie’s financier to provide more money.  The financier, Larsen McCredle, (played by Billy Bob Thornton) sends his son, Travis (Haley Joel Osment), to determine if more money is warranted.  A screening party is planned and Travis attends where he meets Emily Ratajkowski, who he is immediately attracted to.  He becomes angry when he discovers that Vincent also likes Emily and follows them to Emily’s house.   This creates problems for Vincent in getting his money.

The movie lets you into the lives of not only Vincent but also E, Johnny, and Turtle.  E’s ex-girlfriend is pregnant while he sleeps with a host of women.  Johnny, who has no respect for women, wants to become a big-time actor like his brother, and Turtle has made a lot of money on his own and has a huge crush on Ronda Rousey.

I thought all of the stars appearing in this movie were terrific.  Many had only cameo appearances but it gave the allusion of a real Hollywood atmosphere.  Appearances were made by Mark Wahlberg, Ed O’Neill, Liam Neeson, David Spade, Pharrel Williams, Kelsey Grammer,  Warren Buffet, Jessica Alba, Gary Busey, Andrew Dice Clay, Mark Cuban to name a few, as well as some big sports figures such as Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Clay Matthews III, and Rob Gronkowski.    The movie was great from beginning to end.  The development of the characters was fantastic.  The movie Entourage followed the TV series Entourage quite well.  

I gave this movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.  

Aloha

Aloha stars Bradley Cooper as Brian Gilcrest, Emma Stone as Captain Allison Ng, Rachel McAdams as Tracy Woodside, and Bill Murray as Carson Welch.  Brian is an ex-military man who left the service to work for Carson Welch as a contractor making much more money.  After a mishap in Kabul, he is being given one last chance by Carson.  His job is to convince a Hawaiian king to give up land for an Air Force pedestrian gate and his blessing.  Captain Ng has been assigned to assist. 

Tracy and Brian had been a couple many years ago with Tracy expecting marriage.  Brian had other ideas, however, and they broke up.  The pilot who flew Brian to Hawaii was Tracy’s now husband, Woody, who according to Tracy doesn’t talk.  When they land, Tracy is there to greet Woody and upon seeing Brian, invites him to dinner.  Brian brings Captain Ng who he is falling for but old feelings surface between Brian and Tracy. 

This movie was directed by Cameron Crowe who is one of my favorite directors of all time.  He also wrote this movie and I found it to be very entertaining.  It was a mix of romance, humor, and a little action. Emma Stone played her perky role to perfection and her character was extremely likeable.  This was one of Bradley Cooper’s best performances as well. 

Rachel McAdams and John Krasinski (who played Woody) were fantastic also.   Alec Baldwin played a small part as General Dixon who had a strong dislike for Brian.  That dislike was made clear by Alec Baldwin’s portrayal who was perfectly cast.  Danny McBride also had a small part so there were a lot of stars in this movie. 

I think this movie was excellent but it wasn’t Cameron Crowe’s best film.  He did a much better job with Jerry McGuire and Almost Famous since both affected me greatly.  This movie was enjoyable but left me wanting more.  

I gave this movie 3 out of 4 stars.