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.  

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.

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.

Pitch Perfect 2

This 2^nd movie about a group of girls who sing in an all-girl a capella group known as the Bella’s again stars the same characters from the first movie.  Anna Kendrick plays Beca, Rebel Wilson plays Fat Amy and Brittany Snow played Chloe.  Added to the sequel was Hailee Steinfield as Emily Junk-Harden, a freshman who has dreamed of being a Bella most of her life.  Katy Segal plays Katherine Junk who is Emily’s mother and a former Bella herself.  

The movie begins with the Bella’s performing at the Kennedy Center for President Barack Obama’s birthday.  The presentation, however, goes horribly wrong when Fat Amy comes in on a makeshift trapeze and has a wardrobe malfunction while not wearing any underwear.  This incident causes the Bella’s to be banned from any further competition. 

After lobbying to reduce their punishment, they reach an agreement that if they can win the world competition, they can be reinstated.  Anna is tasked with coming up with a new routine for the Bella’s but she is sidetracked by her desire to pursuit her career as a producer and the Bella’s seem to lose their way. 

This movie is outrageously funny and even has guest appearances by Snoop Dog and members of the Green Bay Packers.  The Green Bay Packer members participate in a “Sing-Off” which only adds to the hilarity.  As before Anna Kendrick shows off her fabulous voice and acting abilities. Rebel Wilson again keeps you laughing the aisles.  All of the actors were fabulous. 

I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  Go see it!  

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

This action filled movie is the second in the Avenger series.  It stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (Ironman), Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (Hulk), Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow,  Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.  These comic book heroes join together to defeat baron Wolfgang von Strucker who was experimenting on humans with the scepter that was previously used by Loki.  The experiment was being conducted on a set of twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.  Pietro had superhuman speed and Wanda had the ability to manipulate people’s thoughts as well as throwing energy blasts. 

Tony Stark and Bruce Banner had been experimenting with artificial intelligence and were using it in a global defense program known as Ultron (voiced by James Spader).  Ultron decides he must kill all humans in order to save the earth and attacks the Avengers as they are celebrating victory over Strucker.  Ultron attains the scepter and uses it to build an army of robot drones.  The Avengers must defeat the twins and Ultron in order to save the human race.  

This movie had it all, action, humor, and a touch of romance (between Black Widow and Hulk and between Hawkeye and his wife who was played by Linda Cardellini).  I really enjoyed James Spader voicing Ultron.  I salute everyone associated with this movie as it was better than the first.  I think the action was even stepped up a notch.  The actors were all spectacular as was the directing by Joss Whedon.    Stan Lee even made an appearance once again. 

I noticed many families at the theater to see the Avengers and even some dressed in character.  I really loved this movie and know you will too.  

I gave this movie four out of four stars.  Go see it.  

Furious 7

Hold on to your hats in this movie because it starts fast and never slows down.  Vin Diesel returns as Dominic Toretto, the leader of the group.  Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz, Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner,  Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, Chris Bridges as Tej Parker, and Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce all return.  Jason Statham plays the part of Deckard Shaw who is out to seek revenge for his brother, Owen, who Dom’s team had defeated in the previous movie.

The movie begins by showing how all of the crew are getting on with their lives.  Brian is adjusting as a husband and father while Letty is trying to regain her memories.  A mysterious package is left on the porch at Dom’s home.  While standing outside talking with Brian and his wife, he receives a phone call from Deckard Shaw and then the bomb goes off destroying Dom’s home. 

The crew are recruited by Frank Petty (Kurt Russell) to assist him in preventing a mercenary from acquiring God’s Eye which is a computer program that can track down any person through their digital devices and also to save the program’s creator Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) at the same time.  In exchange Frank will help them in getting Deckard Shaw.

This movie was a great tribute to the late great Paul Walker and was just fantastic.  The action never stopped.  Everyone who had a part in this movie played their roles to perfection.   The whole movie blew my mind by how enjoyable it was.  I encourage everyone to go watch this movie.  

I gave it movie four out of four stars.  

Insurgent

Shailene Woodley and Theo James return as Tris and Four in the second installment of the Divergent series. In this version, Tris and Four are on the run evading the Erudite faction and Jeanine (Kate Winslet) who has accused them of leading the attacks by the Dauntless.  They hide out with the Amity faction led by Johanna who was played by Octavia Spencer.  Soon, however the Dauntless arrive, forcing Tris and Four to run again. 

The Dauntless faction is ruthlessly searching for a small box that is thought to contain the means to put an end to the Divergents.  However, only a divergent can open the box.  This is the same box that Tris’s mother died to protect. 

Tris and Four travel to Factionless territory where they discover that Four’s mother is the leader. Four wants nothing to do with his mother, and they soon head to Candor where they are forced to take truth serum to prove their innocence in the attacks they have been accused of.  After passing the test, Jeanine plays on Tris’s heart strings by getting people to attempt suicide if Tris does not turn herself in. To avoid more death,

Tris does just that and is now the next person who will attempt to open the box and avoid death in the process.

I thought this movie was better than the first one.  I loved how the characters developed and the comradery between them.  Shailene Woodley was again fantastic and gets better and better as an actress every time I see her.  The chemistry between Shailene Woodley and Theo James was terrific.  The special effects were spectacular as well. 

Four and his mother were building on their relationship and I think that will be a big factor in the next movie.  I enjoyed this buildup and can’t wait to see the next installment.  

I gave this movie four out of four stars.  

Blue Rays and DVD’s: Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

I truly loved everything about this movie starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, Liam Hemsworth as Gale, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, and Donald Sutherland as President Snow.  This movie in the Hunger Games saga is very good and full of action.  Katniss continues her fight for independence for her people from President Snow.  Peeta, however, is being held by President Snow and used as a pawn to convince Katniss to stop her resistance. 

The acting, the imagery, and everything involved in this movie is spectacular.  Even if you were able to catch this at the theater, I recommend you add this movie to your DVD/Blue Ray collection.  

I gave it four out of four stars.  

Cinderella

This version of the Disney Classic stars the beautiful Lily James in the lead role as Ella, Richard Madden as Kit the prince, and Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine who his Ella’s wicked step mother.  This version was superbly directed by Kenneth Brannagh. 

Ella’s mother dies when she is very young.  Her mother left her with the words to always show courage and kindness to others.  She quickly becomes the apple of her father’s eye.  He becomes lonely and marries the recently widowed Lady Tremaine who has two daughters of her own.   Ella’s father’s profession requires him to travel around a lot.  While away on a trip, her father dies leaving her alone with her wicked step mother and two wicked step sisters.  All quickly assign her the duties of cooking and cleaning for them and banish her to the attic. 

One day while out riding her horse, she comes upon a group of hunters and chastises one of them for hunting a defenseless animal.  She did not realize that the man she spoke to was the prince as he only told her his name was Kit. 

There is to be a ball that all of the people of the land are invited to. The purpose of the ball is for the prince to choose a wife.  Ella wants to attend so she might meet up again with Kit but is forbidden by her step mother.  However, she finds a way with the help from her fairy godmother.

The imagery in this movie was terrific.  I really loved everything about this movie.  I have seen several versions of Cinderella but this might be the best.  I encourage all families to take their kids.  However, adults will enjoy this just as much.  

I highly recommend this movie and gave it four out of four stars.  

Blue Rays and DVD’s: Birdman

I thought this movie was the best film in 2014 and should win the Oscars as should Michael Keaton who played the starring role as Riggan.  Riggan had starred as Birdman earlier in his career and is now trying to get back the notoriety that he had before by writing and starring in a Broadway play.

The movie shows the stress that Riggin is under and the struggles he has not only in his career but in his personal life as well.  This is truly a wonderful movie and as I said before should win the Oscar’s hands down.  Go get this movie at the store as it was just released.  The whole cast were fantastic.  Even the set was designed perfectly as it was filmed with only one camera on both sides of the set. 

I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars

Blue Rays and DVD’s: St. Vincent

This movie stars Bill Murray as Vincent and Melissa McCarthy as Maggie.  Maggie moves in next door after she becomes divorced.  She has a 12 year-old son who needs a father figure.  Maggie works as a nurse and Vincent agrees to help her out with watching her son even though Vincent is far from a good role model.

Vincent’s girlfriend is played by Naomi Watts.  She is a pregnant Russian prostitute and further proof that Vincent is not the normal person to provide support to a young boy. 

This was actually one of the best films in 2014.  Bill Murray deserved to be nominated for an Oscar as did the movie and the director.  All were snubbed which was too bad. 

I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  

Black or White

Elliot Anderson, who is played by Kevin Costner, unexpectedly becomes a widow.  He and is now departed wife had been raising their granddaughter, Eloise (played by Jillian Estell) who is of mixed race.  The Anderson’s daughter died during Eloise’s birth.  The Anderson’s, who had no idea of the pregnancy, blamed Eloise’s father for their daughter’s death. 

Elliot knows nothing of what is required to raise a young girl and is soon challenged for custody by Eloise’s other grandmother, Rowena, who is played by Octavia Spencer.  Rowena has a large family and believes her son should take a part in his Eloise’s life. 

Elliot likes to drink alcohol and begins drinking more and more after his wife’s death.   A court battle soon ensues. 

Kevin Costner is good in all sports movies and was terrific in Black or White as well.  In my books, he deserves an Oscar for this role.  The emotion he showed in this movie was very believable. Octavia Spencer deserves a nod for supporting actress as she was terrific as well.  The directing was worth of an Oscar too.  

I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  The movie was spectacular.  

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.  

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

This was the final movie in a sequence of three directed by the great Peter Jackson telling the tale of the battle for middle earth.  The movie begins with Bilbo (played by Martin Freeman) and the dwarfs in the mountain that was the home of Smaug the dragon who was protecting the diamonds and riches within.  In the previous movie, Smaug had been angered and planned to seek his revenge on the town of Laketown, the home of humans including Bard who was played by Luke Evans.  Bard kills Smaug with an arrow but not before Laketown is destroyed. 

Meanwhile Thorin, the leader of the dwarfs and played by Richard Armitage, decides he wishes to keep all of the riches for himself and the dwarfs.  However, many other fractions have the same desire.  And so begins the battle.  

The 3D effects in this movie were spectacular.  I loved the imagery and of course the story.  Peter Jackson once again is in the leadership role of using the latest and greatest of technology.   He is one of the finest directors working today.  Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey had a smaller part in this movie than in the others but was still terrific as were all of the actors who also included Orlando Bloom as Legolas and Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel.  Christopher Lee even made a brief appearance as Saruman the White.  I think everyone should see this movie because it is unbelievably fantastic and meets all expectations.  Even though this movie is fairly long, the time will pass quickly.  I gave this movie 4 out 4 stars.  

Guardians of the Galaxy

This movie is also a top ten movie.  If you are a fan of the comics, you will love Guardians.  Everything about this movie was fantastic.  I loved the cast, the directing, and the action.    Chris Pratt was one of the stars, Peter Quill, who travels through the galaxy.

I once again recommend that you purchase this move.  Rumor has the characters from this movie as part of the upcoming Avengers movie.  I don’t know if that’s true but that’s the rumor I hear.  I gave Guardians of the Galaxy 4 out of 4 stars.  

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I love the first Planet of the Apes movie.  It was fantastic, but the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was one of the best films of the year.  I would highly recommend that everyone buy or rent both movies. 

In Dawn, the apes are living in their own community but again are asked to get along with some of the humans that survived the virus that almost wiped out the human race.  That virus had hit about 10 years ago. 

I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  It’s a great movie.  

Hunger Games Mockingjay - Part 1

I couldn’t wait to see this latest Hunger Games film.  It stars the beautiful Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta.  In this movie, Katniss awakes in a hospital bed after being saved in the previous movie by Plutarch Heavensbee  who was played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Peeta, however is residing in the Capital and is under the control of President Snow who was played by Donald Sutherland.  

Katniss is living in District 13 which had been believed to be totally destroyed in the last uprising.  She is being asked by District 13’s President Coin (Julianne Moore) to be the face of the latest uprising to gain their freedom from the Capital.   Peeta is constantly shown on the Capital’s TV station trying to quell the revolution that is beginning in all of the districts. 

I thought this film was the best of the three Hunger Games movies and I cannot wait for the final edition.  I thought that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson were tremendous in their performances.  Jennifer Lawrence had several instances where she had to sing and she nailed it.  Her voice was beautiful.   The other members of the cast, which again included Woody Harrelson as Haymitch and Liam Hemsworth as Gale, were so good as well that you will want to see this movie again and again.  I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  I truly enjoyed it and I think you will as well.

If I Stay

This drama stars Chloe Grace Moretz as Mia Hall, a teenager who is faced with all of the normal problems of a teenager and has a loving family who provides support no matter what.  Jamie Blackley plays her boyfriend Adam who is an up and coming rock star. 

One day while on a family outing, there is a horrific car accident that kills both of Mia’s parents and her brother that leaves her fighting for her life. 

I loved every second of If I Stay so much so that I saw it twice.  I would highly recommend that you rent this movie but make sure you have a box of Kleenex on hand.  I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  

Birdman

Michael Keaton stars in this movie as Riggin Thomson.  He had been the star of the movie Birdman years ago.  He decides to make a comeback by writing, directing, and performing in his own Broadway play.  Included in the play are his best friend and producer Jake played by Zach Galifianakis, Riggin’s girlfriend Laura played by Andrea Riseborough, and Leslie, a first time Broadway actress played by Naomi Watts.  Riggin’s daughter (played by Emma Stone) is a recovering drug addict and serves as Riggin’s assistant.  Through a convenient accident, the other male star is severely injured.  Leslie’s boyfriend (who is played by Edward Norton) is brought on to take his place.  

Riggin is constantly hearing the voice of Birdman in his head both poking fun at and encouraging him.  He is flat broke as well as a heavy drinker.  He needs money to help finance his play.  After a discussion with his ex-wife (played by Natalie Gold), he decides to sell his Malibu house which was intended to be his daughter’s.  Everything he is and has is on the line for the success of this play. 

This latest movie by Michael Keaton just really stood out.  I loved all of the characters and their interactions.  The movie was so engrossing that time just flew by.  Michael Keaton played a very deep part and played it to perfection.  I hope that he is nominated for an Oscar because of his unbelievably fantastic performance. 

Edward Norton’s role required him to be very egotistical and full of himself.  He played the part well as did Naomi Watts as his girlfriend.  Emma Stone and Natalie Gold were terrific as well. 

You will have to go out of town to catch this movie, but it is worth the trip.  I gave this movie 4 out of 4 stars.  It’s the best movie I have seen so far this year.  

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.