brutzel's Reviews

The Nice Guys (2016)

3/10

Too long, not funny, and sometimes hard to follow

27 September 2016

In 1977, a self proclaimed "fixer" Mr Healy (Russell Crowe) and a private detective Mr. March (Ryan Gosling) team up to locate Amelia (Margaret Qualley) who may hold the key to all the murders and what the Hippie demonstrations are really all about. They are helped, at times, by March's teenage daughter Holly (Angourie Rice).

One thing becomes absolutely clear: Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling should never do comedy or not do comedy with a lame script such as this. Their banter doesn't go anywhere, there are no good lines, nothing is funny and the sight gags fail too. Aside from all that the acting is okay, but what's the point when everything else fails? We couldn't wait for this to be over.

Another thing and this is disheartening is when we have children mouthing F-bombs as we see Holly do. What are we coming to? Huh?

This movie gets dragged out overly long with aimless running around for..oh, for clues and a big shoot'em up near the end with a couple fight scenes that could have used Jackie Chan's choreographers.

Notable: Kim Bassinger, Amelia's mother, who is also in charge of the Department of Justice.

A monstrously forgettable movie and our hope is that Crowe and Gosling go back to drama where they belong and where we also hear some good lines from time to time. (3/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: Yes, but very brief in an under water show. Language: Yes, but not all that much.

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The Timber (2015)

5/10

A not-so-good Western, but watchable

17 September 2016

In the dead of winter, somewhere in the Northwest 2-brothers, Wyatt (James Ransone) and Samuel (Josh Peck) go bounty hunting for someone who has killed many people. Bringing in this killer will help them save their ranch which is about to go into foreclosure. The killer is their father whom they haven't seen since they were little boys.

The clear winners in here are the cinematography and photography. Kudos. If you did nothing else and turned the sound off and just watched the scenery including some really beautiful horses you would be ahead of the game.

The story is simple enough, but having 2-people trudge along in hip-high snow tired me out too. I was exhausted. Why were they walking? Well, they lost their cart and their horses.

One brother asks Col Rupert Thomas (Mark Caven) their guide and hired gun, "What is the Timber?" The reply was, "it's eventful." Look at The Timber as the BADLANDS. See?

So they journey on and things happen and they meet some mountain men who are bent on killing them maybe for the meat as cannibalization was not unheard of in those times in those very harsh winters.

Meanwhile the women and a baby left at home are having to deal with the Bank's henchmen who are about to evict them and reclaim land for the bank. Oh, oh! Did the bankers trick the brothers into leaving? You decide.

Sometimes in the beginning when the brothers talked to each other, it was difficult to understand what they were saying as they came down with the mumbles. That got better later on. I thought Samuel's name was Daniel because when Wyatt goes looking for him later on in some huge cave, he kept calling out what sounded like: Daniel? Daniel? Daniel? Well that is what it sounded like. Okay, I will get my ears checked. Pretty sure it was.. Daniel. Pretty sure...........

I don't recall the music (Ears again?), and it was the scenery that kept me going. There are some scenes that were tough to watch during the fighting and tortures. I had the FF button at the ready. Make sure you do too.

Over all this is a movie you can pass on and miss nothing. But if you like to see a lot of snow all the time, and like watching people lumber along in it, this is for you.

Oh, the fighting was done mostly with knives. Hey, they had guns why didn't they use them? No one knows.

This was a western, but it wasn't that good a one. It is watchable though. (5/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, but not too much.

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Genius (2016)

9/10

Great Story

15 September 2016

The is based upon a true story. In 1929 Scribner Bookseller Publisher Editor Max Perkins (Colin Firth) agrees to publish a novel by Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law). It was said that other publishers rejected Wolfe's novels due to their being overly long, but this did not deter Perkins who was captivated by Wolfe's autobiographical poetic prose. Look Homeward Angel was the result of that collaboration wherein we saw Perkins cut much of the work. Later in their lives when their relationship was somewhat strained Perkins remarks if editors make the work better or different. This story revolves around Wolfe, but we know the Genius in here is Perkins.

Of course, we all know that Colin Firth used to be King of England. (You like saying that, right?) Yes, the King's Speech was one of the best movies I have ever seen.

Back to Genius. Again with "true stories" we are not really sure how much of what we see is actually true and we have to almost accept everything, but when One goes to other reviewers as this One did, this time, we see that not all in the movie was actually true; and in some instances Wikipedia supports some of this. It will be up to you to decide what you want to believe. I could provide examples but that would lessen your interest in doing your research. See?

Colin Firth and Jude Law have, perhaps, given one of their best performances ever. (Well, except for Firth in The King's Speech you would agree, I am sure) We see Law's Wolfe as somewhat out of control at times, too exuberant, too over-confident, too uncaring about people especially his lover, Mrs Aline Bernstein (Nicole Kidman) when he refused to attend an opening night play of hers. At the same time - it seemed - that Perkins wouldn't go on a family vacation because he and Wolfe had work to do. Their obsession with the work of editing Wolf's novel was the only driving force in their lives.

I did not recognize Nicole Kidman as Mrs Bernstein and kept wondering who that was. But the credits said it was Nicole Kidman so there you are. Maybe she should wear her hair longer and keep it black as she was absolutely stunning and beautiful in this movie. Who knew? And the role she played could be considered Oscar Worthy along with Colin Firth and Jude Law. Kudos to all.

We see that both Perkins and Wolfe knew Ernest Hemingway (Dominic West) and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Guy Pierce) and those scenes were pure gold. Perkins was the editor for both Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

We kept wondering when Perkins would finally remove his hat which he wore in every scene except the last one.

We don't often get to see anything of the great writers/authors and the people who help them. This is a good first start and this was a great story. (9/10)

Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

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Money Monster (2016)

7/10

Good Pacing, Suspense and Tension

9 September 2016

Gunman Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) infiltrates a live TV broadcast where Lee Gates (Clooney) is hosting a financial adviser show. He storms in and makes Gates wear a bomb vest. Kyle claims he lost all his money due to the advice Gates gave supporting a company called IBIS and he wants to know why and it wasn't just him that lost because it is touted that $800-million was lost and the company tried to blame it on a computer glitch within the Algorithm.

Kyle demands that everything be shown live to the entire world to let the world know how everything is rigged. OK, we see the entire world watching the proceedings on TV, but if truth be told, the Show Director Patty (Julia Roberts) could have NOT allowed that to happen, by letting Kyle see himself on TV, but the broadcast NOT go out to the world. See? It could have been done because Kyle didn't have any knowledge of how things worked in the studio and could have been tricked into believing the entire world was watching. We do see the police getting ready to shoot a wire on Gates' bomb vest that will sever the connection to the bomb. (Ooooh, that will be dicey!)

Okay, that aside I enjoyed this hostage situation. (Did you really say that?) And yes, we had to put up with a lot of F- bombs that came from all sides. (So what else is new?) Now to keep us in the audience tuned in, Kyle is told that the studio will find out why $800-milllion was lost and he buys it and things slow down some including the F-bombs too.

Also, to help Kyle calm down his pregnant girlfriend is brought in. Will it work?

There is a twist and everyone knows what it will be and there is no surprise here. Hey, it was telegraphed.

There is another twist - not telegraphed - and this one is a big deal.

All in all a pretty good movie. I was surprised at how good the pacing, suspense and tension were. I say this because I really don't like hostage situations. (But you said..) The acting all around was good too. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, a lot.

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Now You See Me 2 (2016)

3/10

Disappointing, not magical

8 September 2016

The magic team called the Four Horsemen are at it again, this time to expose unethical practices of super-rich Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) and his son Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe).

The first movie: Now You See Me was pretty good. Good magic tricks, good dialogues and we were kept in the dark for most of the time not knowing who was behind everything. This was disappointing and tedious, as we knew who was doing what to whom, too much talking and many of the dialogues lasted too long, not enough magic and nothing was funny. The fighting/stunt scenes could have (should have) used the Jackie Chan choreographers as the fights/stunts were a blur.

Were there too many players in here? When you have a gaggle of actors all vying for screen time much is lost on the audience to a point we don't care about any of them. Hence we didn't care. The scenes seemed rushed as were the dialogues. They were trying to fit a round peg into a square hole and we all know that only works in dreams.

We all know Morgan Freeman is a great actor, but he needs to cut down on his commercials because there were times in here I expected him to sell us something.

Having Woody Harrelson also play the role of his twin was okay, but it did prevent another actor from getting a job. What was the point? Huh? The FBI was also after the Four Horsemen for robbing a bank in another country from the last movie. They were a a non-factor and why they were even in here was a mystery onto itself. These scenes just helped drag the movie longer.

To be fair the movie did better at the 3/4 mark when the Four Horsemen went to London and were thrown out of a plane. (Whaaaat?) Still after that there were too many explanations that we could barely hear and understand and again, we just did not care.

Let's hope there will be no Now You See Me 3. (3/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: One S-word was heard near the end.

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The Jungle Book (2016)

10/10

Exceptional Update of the Jungle Book

1 September 2016

Mowgli (Neel Sethi) having been raised by wolves must now go to the Man Village and live out his life there because the Jungle is now too dangerous for him. The Tiger Shere Khan (Idiris Elba) vows to kill Mowgli. The Panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) and the Bear Baloo (Bill Murray) accompany Mowgli on his journey.

I had seen the original Jungle Book back in the day when it was all an animated cartoon and that was a great show with Phil Harris as the voice of Balloo. Now with CGI technology it has become even better. How they did this is unbelievable as they have a human, Neel Sethi, interacting seamlessly with animated cartoon animals and this is simply magical. I cannot explain it any other way. It was more than exceptional. Kudos.

Mowgli has a few adventures on his way to the Man Village and we see him almost come under a hypnotic spell by the woman Python snake Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), being stung by bees to help Baloo get his honey, helping a small elephant get out of a hole, and being captured by monkeys who bring him to King Louie (Christopher Walken) a massive orangutan who wants to rule the jungle with him.

To be sure there is a confrontation between Mowgli and Shere Khan near the end. (Whaaaat? Isn't this a mismatch?)

Bill Murray as Baloo was very good, but most Kudos must go to Christopher Walken as King Louie. Both sang songs that were real toe tappers, but Walken is the clear winner. When the credits roll we hear Walken again singing. Simply great.

Other notable Voices: Mogli's wolf mother Raksha: Lupita Nyong'o; Wolf leader Akela: Giancario Esposito; Ikki, a wolf cub: Gary Shandling.

Parents should be warned that very small children may be frightened by the animal battles as they are fierce.

All in all a very enjoyable movie. Great job on this updated version. (10/10)

Violence: Yes: Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

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The Adderall Diaries (2015)

7/10

Memories can be tricky things

30 August 2016

Stephen Elliott (Franco) is upset and embarrassed when he reads excerpts from his latest novel when Neil Elliott (Harris) shows up to let everyone know they are being played as he is not dead as his son writes about him. The father and son duel goes on and we in the audience are not sure who to believe about things that happened in Stephen's life as each makes a lot of sense.

The beginning of this movie seemed to indicate we were in for another druggie movie and I almost shut this down. Then the TV on screen shows a murder trial courtroom scene and this captures Stephen's interest. Ours too. The father, Hans Reiser (Christian Slater), is accused of killing his wife and claims he did no such thing and that he always acted on the behalf of his kids. Stephen realizes that his father always claimed the same thing. Stephen believes he can prove his father wrong and tell the world the truth and get his writing career back on track. He gets Lana (Amber Heard) to help him get paperwork proving he was all the things his father said was not true. Later we learn that Stephen takes Adderall among other drugs. We knew about the other drugs, but not Adderall until now. Hmmm

I must say this time James Franco has a role that works for him as he invested himself completely. Kudos.

As for Ed Harris, well, he does steal all the scenes his in. He is just that good. But wait .. there is another actor who seems to command scenes, too, and that is Jim Parrack (Who?) who plays Roger, Stephen's boyhood friend. I'm sure we will see more of him in other movies. Keep an eye.

Yes, there is a twist later on and I think we all knew what it would be. The question is will this revelation actually help Stephen? Should the Director have spent more time talking about the effects of Adderall or did the movie do this for us? Inquiring minds want to know. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes. . Nudity: Yes. Language: Yes.

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The Duel (I) (2016)

5/10

A not for everyone Western

29 August 2016

Texas Ranger David Kingston (Helmsworth) is sent undercover to a Texas town to investigate why Mexicans are turning up dead.

What you will see: Marisol (Alice Braga), David's wife, insisting she go with David on his undercover mission, bloody hand-to-hand fighting, a variation of The Most Dangerous Game, a town under the grip of Cult Leader Abraham (Harrelson), an unexplained betrayal, a prayer meeting where snakes are handled by everyone, and pure racism.

I was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing another western, but I didn't expect the cruelty. This has to do with a variation of The Most Dangerous Game and you will be as shocked as I was. I am always surprised at some of the really sick things people do to others. There seems to be a tendency for Hollywood to go beyond normal good guy- bad guy plots and this is what we get.

The acting all around is very good, but we didn't expect the script to center around a variation of The Most Dangerous Game. This is where a good western turns into something not so good. And the unexpected betrayal seemed well out of place. (Aren't betrayals always unexpected?)

Notables: William Sadler as Governor Ross; Emory Cohen as Isaac, Abraham's brother; Raphael Sbarge as Dr. Morris; and Sue-Lynn Ansari as the Saloon Woman.

Sad to say, but this is a not for everyone Western. (5/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, some not too often.

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The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)

9/10

Great Story

27 August 2016

This is based upon true events

In 1910, G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) takes on a brilliant mathematician in S. Ramanujan (Dev Patel) although he has no formal degree that will be accepted by the British. Ramanujan leaves his family in India, doesn't know his family is keeping his wife Janaki (Devika Bhise) away from him, and becomes sickly. The movie shows that the main purpose of Ramanujan was to have his calculations published although he self-taught himself mathematics.

We have read stories and seen movies of truly great men and now we are learning about S. Ramanujan (Rama-knew-Gin) who to this day is being studied with seriousness. Hardy is always upset that Ramanujan doesn't provide proofs of his theorems. Ramanujan couldn't be bothered mostly because paper - when he was growing up - was very scarce so he knew his calculations were correct and just went to the end. Now mathematicians are seriously studying Ramanujan and are finding out how correct he was. At the end of the movie we see a statement regarding a lost notebook (now on display at Trinity College in Cambridge) of his in which he shows calculations proving the existence of Black Holes well before the world knew anything about Black Holes.

Hardy, a master mathematician himself, was always in awe of where and how Ramanujan got his calculations and later Ramanujan explains that "an equation has no meaning to me unless it expresses a thought of God." Ramanujan was very religious and believed he was guided by his family goddess Mahalakshmi of Namakka. Hardy was an Atheist, but Ramanujan tells him, "No, you do believe in God, but you think he doesn't like you"

To be sure we do see a lot of discrimination regarding Ramanujan at Trinity College as most math minds there didn't like to be shown up by someone from India.

The movie is quite slow and that is to be expected, but the acting performances throughout are exceptional and we just loved it when Ramanujan proves something that all others thought couldn't be done. It was like watching a magic show and being in total awe. Both Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons are to be congratulated for their performances. Kudos.

Notables: Toby Jones as Prof Littlewood and some said he was just a figment of Hardy's imagination; and Jeremy Northam as Bertrand Russell.

Go to Wikipedia to learn more about S. Ramanujan. You will be amazed again.

This is a great story and we are grateful for those who bring these stories to light. (9/10)

Violence: Kind of when Ramanujan gets beaten up. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

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Mother's Day (I) (2016)

7/10

This one surprised me

25 August 2016

Mother's Day is here and Flo (Margo Martindale) is somewhat upset when she learns that one of her 2-daughters Jesse (Kate Hudson) married a person from India; another daughter Gabi (Sarah Chalke) is gay. Sandy (Aniston) with 2-sons has to deal with ex-husband Henry (Timothy Olyphant) marrying someone much younger than he is. Bradley (Jason Sudeikis) with 2-daughters has to deal with the passing of his military wife (Jennifer Garner). Kristin (Britt Robertson) won't tell Zack (Jack Whitehall) why she won't marry him.

The beginning almost had me shutting the movie down. There were just too many people doing this and that, running here and there, and saying many things we had no knowledge of. I had the feeling I would never know who was who and what was going on. It was like we came in on the middle of a conversation and had no idea about anything. But my TV shows hadn't come back yet, the Olympics were over so I decided to stay the course. I was glad I did.

Behind the wheel of her parked car Sandy loses it because she finds out Henry her ex-husband plans to take his young wife to Paris, France. (Oh, he never took her? Bummer). She goes bonkers yelling and pounding the steering wheel. Bradley, walking by, sees her acting this way says, "I'd hate to see her in traffic."

There is a major twist (In a comedy?) that involves Julia Roberts' character Miranda. I am not a big fan of Julia Roberts, but she nailed her role in here. Kudos.

Timothy Olyphant in a comedy did good, but I missed seeing him with a U.S. Marshal's badge and a gun as he had in the Justified TV show.

Notables: Jennifer Garner, Hector Elizondo, Robert Pine, John Lovitz.

Randy (Matthew Walker) the Clown had the best line when he tells Sandy that the bottom line is: the love of a mother to her kids. They know it's there and sometimes take it for granted.

This movie surprised me. It eventually became clearer and many of the dialogues were actually quite funny and I mean LOL funny. Yes, there were many plots to be resolved and that made the movie a bit too long, but all in all everything was good.

I should have realized that when Garry Marshall directs it would be good. Kudos. (7/10)

Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: One F-bomb by Julia Roberts when the credits run and outtakes are shown.

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Sniper: Ghost Shooter (2016 Video)

9/10

A Class Act all the way through

20 August 2016

Sniper Brandon Beckett (Collins) is assigned to protect an oil pipeline, but a Ghost Sniper shoots and kills some of his team. Who is it? Beckett feels someone on his side is giving the enemy sniper coordinates, and, of course, this doesn't go over big with his superiors. Oh, oh.

This is probably one of the best sniper movies to come along in a long time. The acting, cinematography, photography and the music were all sensational and quite engaging. It was like watching a Bond, James Bond movie without it being so. In other words, this is a class act all the way through. Kudos.

Nice to see Dennis Haysbert as the Colonel or Arch Angel as we do miss the popular TV show The Unit he starred in.

A breath of fresh air and some can consider this Comic Relief with Ravil Aisyanov as Andrei when Beckett is assigned to his team for a short while. Andrei conjures up memories of Bruce Willis' character John McClane in Die Hard when he mimics McClane to Beckett's amusement. Great job by Ravil Aisyanov. (9/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

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Demolition (2015)

7/10

Goofy Antics vs Grief

17 August 2016

Davis Mitchell (Gyllenhaal) is a successful investment banker whose wife Julia ((Heather Lind) is seriously hurt in a car accident. Davis doesn't grieve in a usual way. At the hospital when he learns that his wife did pass he tries to get candy from a vending machine and the candy is held up. This causes Davis to write to the vending machine company, but he provides too much information about his life. Customer Assistance rep Karen Moreno (Naomi Watts) reads his letters and feels his pain. Davis follows the advice his boss Phil (Chris Cooper) gives him: in order to set things right one has to take things apart and put them back together. It all starts with Davis taking apart the refrigerator that leaks (his wife kept telling him) and goes on from there: a coffee machine, his computer, lamps and so on. With the help of Karen and her son Chris (Judah Lewis) can he demolish his old life put his new life back together?

After the funeral this becomes goofy with Davis taking all electronics apart and the reason it's goofy is because we never see him put anything back together. When he meets Karen we see him imagining his wife Julia in various instances: we learn that while he never paid much attention to her in life, he is now paying that attention to her now that she is gone. (Is he learning to grieve?)

Davis has a good and clever conversation with Karen's son Chris who uses the F-words too often and Davis tells him he is mis-using the F-word.

There is an irregular conversation between Chris and Davis when Chris asks Davis if he thinks he is gay.

There are highly irresponsible and very uncomfortable scenes when Davis puts on a bullet proof vest and has Chris fire a hand gun into it. Why these scenes are in here make no sense. A bond was previously established between them. See?

And there are scenes where Davis has Chris help him destroy his house and as he says: his marriage.

If you watch on a DVD, be prepared for very loud Rock & Roll music when we see Chris listen to his music so keep the remote handy.

The acting all around is excellent and I wish Chris Cooper would somehow get a script whereby he has a chance to win another Oscar as his acting all the time is pure gold.

It is said all of us have different ways of grieving and will Davis' goofy ways turn into real grief. Inquiring minds are hopeful. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

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The Young Messiah (2016)

7/10

Very enjoyable

13 August 2016

Jesus (Adam Greaves-Neal), Mary (Sara Lazzaro) and Joseph (Vincent Walsh) had fled from Bethlehem to Egypt to avoid King Herod's decree of killing every male baby hoping to kill Jesus, a rival that threatened him. When they learn of King Herod's death, the family returns home to Nazareth only to become aware that Herod's son (Jonathan Bailey) is after the same thing as his father. Jesus at 7-years of age is aware that his family is keeping secrets from him.

The birth of Jesus, the finding of Jesus in the Temple by Mary, and the wedding in Canaan are the three events we are most familiar with until Jesus begins his ministry at 30-years of age. In this story we see that Jesus doesn't really know who he is. He can do things like perform miracles, but doesn't know why he can do these things. He asks many questions and eventually Mary tells him of his birth and who he really is and that he must hide his powers until God tells him when he can use them.

We see Roman Centurion Severus (Sean Bean) ordered by Herod to find and kill Jesus and this takes up most of the movie. And yes, they do meet for a second time. (A second time???)

We also see The Demon (Rory Keenan) following Jesus as he is not sure who Jesus is. Jesus is the only one who can see and hear The Demon.

This is not a Christian exposé, so to speak, so we do not get a lot of Christianity and benefits thereof. But no worries as this Is not a revival. (Thank you)

This is a story made up by Anne Rice - the Vampire authoress - about a boy learning who he is and the family and friends protecting him from harm.

However, if those of you who have read the Valtorta books you know Jesus knew who he was from the very start. Be that as it may, this is a refreshing look into "maybe it was like this." Everything was constructive and nothing was destructive and it's a very enjoyable story.

You can almost believe that Jesus may have looked like and behaved as we see Adam Greaves-Neal behave in this story. And that's a nice touch.

This is a well presented production and the acting all around is very good. (7/10)

Violence: Yes, some not much. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

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Fathers & Daughters (2015)

9/10

A Best Picture Candidate

12 August 2016

After the car accident novelist Jake Davis (Russell Crowe) has to raise his daughter Katie (Kylie Rogers) alone. Later he has a mental breakdown and leaves Katie with relatives while he goes away to get better. When he returns, the relatives want to adopt Katie and, of course, he refuses. Later adult Katie(Amanda Seyfried) struggles with being alone and sleeps around and is afraid to find love. Enter Cameron (Aaron Paul).

The movie is basically Jake's struggles with his seizures, raising Katie and not doing so good making money writing novels. To add insult to injury the relatives will sue Jake to give Katie a better life. There is a lot going on and we keep hoping Jake can pull this off. You will see almost 2-stories: present day with adult Katie and flashbacks with young Katie.

You are going to need Kleenex boxes right at the beginning for this one. This is a very good movie, a comfortable movie, an uncomfortable movie, a happy movie and a sad movie.

This movie will be nominated for Best Picture and Kylie Rogers should be nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried along with Aaron Paul did very good, but this movie would not have the impact it has if it weren't for the performance of Klyie Rogers as young Katie. Okay, let's be fair: she steals the show and rightly so. Her scenes with Russell Crowe are pure gold and you will not want those scenes to end. And how someone this young does what she does is unheard of. She will tug at your heartstrings. Keep those Kleenex boxes close. To watch her, you believe she believes everything that happens is real. Kudos.

The music throughout was very good.

Notables: Bruce Greenwood as William, Katie's uncle; Diane Kruger as Elizabeth, Katie's aunt; Jane Fonda as Teddy Stanton, Jake's publisher; and Octavia Spencer as Dr. Corman, Katie's boss.

There is no doubt in my mind this one will stay with you for quite a while. (And you too, no doubt) (9/10)

Violence: Not really, well the car accident. Sex: Yes. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, briefly in the beginning.

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Assassin X (2016)

5/10

Got better as it went along

11 August 2016

Assassin Ronus Steele (Oliver Gruner) - aka The Chemist - uses poison to terminate his targets. He refuses to terminate a very pretty Gabriela (Stephanie Gerard) who he has fallen for. What to do? What to do? Ronus is ordered to take on Blaine (Stephen Dell) a young assassin who needs to lose his loose-canon ways.

This movie became better when Ronus meets Gabriela as the photography and dialogues made more sense then, and we had opportunity to understand what was going on. Prior to that meeting we got a jumble of flashbacks, confusing choreography, a jumpy camera and dialogues we couldn't make out. The beginning of this movie was a mess to put it bluntly and we had no idea what was going on with these numerous flashbacks, who the hero was (we didn't know about Oliver Gruner), and many darkened scenes that assumed we knew what this was all about. We had no clue.

We were waiting for Ronus' rules for an assassin to live by and we were not disappointed as he gave them to Blaine. I just love it when an assassin gives out these rules and we usually find out he cannot live up to them as the story continues. But not in here. Not this time. Ronus lives by these rules and doesn't violate them.

Blaine picks up Trinidad (Nina Bergman) who is most enamored with Blaine being an assassin and even goes on missions with him. What's not to like? (Yeah, she's a keeper)

There is pretty good action choreography later on, and there is a twist I am sure most of us saw coming. We were afraid of this twist and were hoping we were wrong. But we were not wrong. (Bummer)

I was not familiar with Oliver Gruner and I am sure we will see him in other Action-Hero type movies as he did a great job. (5/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

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A Hologram for the King (2016)

4/10

Sad. Sad. Sad

10 August 2016

Warning: Spoilers

Recently divorced Alan Clay (Tom Hanks) is a struggling salesman who is sent to Saudi Arabia to get the king to purchase an I.T. program that uses holograms. He is on a tentative basis with his daughter Kit (Tracey Fairway) and is afraid he won't be able to pay for her college. Still she is supportive of him.

Sometimes I wonder why some movies are made in the first place as nothing really happens although we are kept waiting for something to happen. Sad. Alan undergoes a mild culture shock and one would think anyone going to a new country with far different cultural mores would - at the very least - learn some basic language greetings, and of course, his "howdy" doesn't do it. He asks for a beer in the hotel and is told it is not allowed. He meets a Saudi woman doctor Zahra (Sarita Choudhury) who is in the process of getting a divorce and he falls for her. At times they are both alone (Whaaaat?) Zahra does treat him for a cyst on his back. It is my understanding that woman doctors in Saudi Arabia only treat women. He experiences numerous delays that hinder meetings to get his company's product presented.

Alan does have a good relationship with his driver, Yousef (Alexander Black) but Yousef always has to check to see that his car won't be blown up by the husband of the wife he is sleeping with. Their banter in the car is pretty good, but the problem is this: Alan's driver would be a nationality other than a Saudi and not a Saudi. Alan sees mannequins in a store window that sport bikinis. Why the Director allows something like this that would never be allowed in this country is beyond me. Yousef brings Alan to his family who live in the mountains and he asks Alan if he would fight for him should Yousef decide to join a revolution. It is here we think the main plot will take form, but it seems those script pages were lost in the desert winds and this goes nowhere. When will something happen? We are besides ourselves.

Wait. Wait. Alan has a date with Zahra the woman doctor who takes him to her home and they go snorkeling and we see her topless in the water with Alan. (Whaaaaat??) Is this it? The main plot? Sadly, no. Sad.

I don't know what city he is in, but the first time he enters the hotel he is greeted by the desk clerk with, "Welcome to the Hyatt Hotel, Jeddah." This is very strange as Alan is told the person he was to meet was not there and is in Jeddah. (Say what?) Maybe I heard it wrong. The clerk says this every other time Alan enters the hotel.

Apparently, Tom Hanks is miscast in this. His facial expressions to indicate humor fail. Not good. There is nothing funny in here. The banter in the car with Yousef almost serves as comic relief, but again those script pages were eaten by camels and although the banter is good, it is not ha ha funny, and a far cry from a LOL funny.

Apart from uncomfortable scenes within the Denmark Embassy with an aggressive Hanne (Sidse Babett Knudsen) nothing happens and we are lost. In this Embassy we see suggestive dances, make-out sessions, drug and alcohol use.

Again, we wonder why some movies are made and why some A-List stars bother to be in them. Nothing happens to pique our interest. Nothing. Sad. Very sad. (4/10)

Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: Yes, the snorkeling scenes. Language: No

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The Lobster (2015)

1/10

Avoid. Very Disturbing

5 August 2016

Warning: Spoilers

David (Colin Farrell) checks in to the Hotel with his brother who has been changed into a dog. (Whaat??) He will have 45-days to get a partner and if he doesn't he will be turned into an animal of his choice. (Whaaat??) David decides he wants to be turned into a Lobster. (Whaat??) Oh, this Is not a surprise as he agrees to this. (Whaaat??) If he finds a mate and there are problems he will be given a child that will act as a buffer.

Some may see the name Colin Farrell and decide to watch. In this case it's tsk, tsk, tsk. This is a warning of sorts. Avoid this. There are many disturbing images in here and dialogues that describe some very unspeakable things that could happen. It has been mentioned that Colin Farrell gained about 40-pounds for this role. Why I am not sure, but I thought the 40-pounds looked good on him. So if you didn't know that he gained 40-pounds, you probably will not recognize him. I didn't .

Yes, this is a satire, but a very unconventional one. It mocks relationships and pretensions that we go thru to show normality for the most part. All dialogues are mono-toned and no emotions are shown regardless of what just happened. Oh, WAIT, John C. Riley as Robert the Lisping Man has his fingers put into a hot toaster as punishment for masturbating (he got caught) as that is not allowed. He does scream and shows emotions. Sexual stimulation is allowed but only given by a maid in a sort of lap dance way.

There is another group of people who live in the woods and are called "Loners." And these Loners are hunted and tranquilized by the people from the Hotel. It is against the law to flirt or have relationships among these Loners. David escapes to these people and finds the Short Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz) and they fall for each other and have to be careful not to draw attention to themselves. The Loner Leader (Lea Seydoux) discovers that the Short-Sighted woman becomes close to David and encourages her to have her eyes fixed, but this operation intentionally leaves the Short Sighted Woman blind. One of the last scenes shows David and the now blind woman in a restaurant. David orders a steak knife and goes into the bathroom to blind himself. We don't know if he goes through with it as the movie ends. Is it possible he didn't go thru with it and returned to the Hotel to become a Lobster? (Who cares?)

I have mentioned many things that perhaps, I shouldn't have, but you need to know that his is not an entertaining movie. It is deeply disturbing and you have only been given a small sampling of some disturbing images and dialogues. Yes, there are many more. (Whaaat?) Remember: this is a satire and mocks relationships.

Here's the thing. I saw that Colin Farrell was in this and decided to watch. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

What this movie is trying to accomplish is beyond me. (Agreed) (1/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes, regular and that lap dance way. Nudity: Yes. Disturbing Images: Yes. Language: Yes.

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The Trust (2016)

7/10

Engaging

3 August 2016

Two Las Vegas Policemen believe they know where drug money is and devise a plan to get it. Officer Stone (Nicolas Cage) refinances his house and Officer Waters (Elijah Wood) shakes down a drug cutting operation for the money needed to buy expensive drilling equipment to bore into the vault below someone's apartment, which is over a grocery store.

This is a drama, but there are some good comedic lines in here. And, yes, the Nicolas Cage impersonators will like this one as now they get new material. Check out these impersonators on YOUTUBE. They are good.

You will simply not believe the notable in here: Jerry Lewis. Yes, that Jerry Lewis and he played Stone's father and he did a good job.

This will be slow going, sort of, but the pacing and suspense and the acting and chemistry between Cage and Wood is so good you stay with it. You become engaged. You are not sure if this will work out, and you really don't care if it does, but then again maybe.

Because they need good working conditions, they have to do something about the man and the woman in the apartment. They do so and now, let drilling begin.

To say more would give too much away. Yes, there is a big twist later on and no one saw it coming. No one. I thought it was very good.

Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes, in the very beginning. Nudity: Yes, in the very beginning. Language: Yes.

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My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

5/10

Was like a semi-comfortable "made for TV movie"

2 August 2016

An unsigned Wedding Certificate causes an official wedding to take place between Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan) who have been together (read married) for 50-years with children. Another plot was to find a Greek boyfriend for Paris (Elena Kampouris); and Paris wants to go to college in New York, which would be away from "all" the family.

The only thing I remember from the first one was a metal cabinet drawer hitting someone in the head and that was the only funny thing I chuckled at. That scene was well done.

This one was more of the same, but there were 2-sight gags in the beginning that did illicit a chuckle from me: Toula (Nia Vardalos) gets hit in the head with a volleyball; and later Toula eats peanuts in a waiting room that she was told an elderly gentlemen had sucked the chocolate off of them and she, of course, coughs them up. They were it. Well, maybe you had to be there, but both were well done. The rest of the movie did not contain anything else that was funny or even remotely funny.

There ensued a lot of stereo-typed comments and they, of course, were to be expected, but failed as they were "old hat" and quite exhausting after a while. Hey, we have seen and heard these very comments before. The constant badgering of everything being Greek became tedious. The emphasis on Paris finding a Greek boyfriend was way out of line. It was like they had nothing else to complain about and poor Paris was beside herself with no place to hide.

The music was very good especially the piece at the celebration after the wedding.

There really isn't much else to say as this was a slice of life and many dialogues were expected. I hesitate to say predictable, but they were and this movie didn't go anywhere except to safe places.

One thing I noticed about all the scenes. There was never any quiet time as the scenes were always too busy.

Notables: Rob Riggle as the recruiter for Northwestern College; John Stamos as George, a wedding guest; and John Corbett as Ian, Toula's husband who didn't have much to do. (He had to be there as he was in the first one)

This is like a semi- comfortable made for TV movie where no one remembers much. And we can only hope there will be no Greek Wedding 3. Well, Elena Kampouris who played Paris will be remembered and was the only breath of fresh air in here. (I saw you looking)

I see you want to know if Paris did go to New York to get away from "all" the family. The answer is yes, and are you kidding?

Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No

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Abandoned (VI) (2015)

7/10

Enjoyable True Story

1 August 2016

Warning: Spoilers

This is based upon a true story

In 1989 four men set sail from Picton, NZ to Tonga in a Trimaran Yacht (google it) when a Rogue Wave capsizes the boat upside down and 119 days later they land on the Great Barrier Island.

We have heard of Rogue Agents in spy movies, but a Rogue Wave? Actually, there is such a thing and it can also actually endanger large ships. (You googled it, right?)

Of the 4-men on board only one, the owner of the boat, John (Peter Feeney) was a seasoned sailor and everything he owned was tied up into the boat called the Rose Noelle. The others Jim (Dominic Purcell), Rick (Owen Black), and Phil (Greg Johnson) were along for the adventure and had family who learned later there was no hope of a rescue as no search party could locate them. John had no family and the boat was all that he had.

Of course, there were bumps along the way and they had to learn to work together to survive. The most important item a licensed marine radio was not on board as John didn't want to endure the expense, and, of course, this set the others against him in a heart beat.

The photography was sensational as was the acting by all. Nothing was overdone. They learned how to capture fish and Phil remarked that they had so much food, they should have others over and this brought on a few chuckles.

At one point they spied a sailing ship in the distance and tried to send smoke signals, which didn't work. I wondered why they didn't use mirrors glinting off the sun that would be seen even at a great distance. Why indeed?

At the end, when they told their story government officials did not believe them nor did the New Zealand populace for the most part. How could they survive 119 days without anyone seeing them? It wasn't possible they said. The government launched an investigation.

Over all this was a very enjoyable true story. Watch to the end to see what happened to all of them. John, who lost everything probably wrote the story that became this movie.

If there is a lesson to be learned it is: make sure there is a good marine radio on board should you venture out onto the high seas. You just never know. (7/10)

Violence: Not really. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Some in the beginning, then it went away.

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I Am Wrath (2016)

3/10

Barely Watchable

28 July 2016

Stanley's (John Travolta) wife Vivian ( Rebecca De Mornay) is killed in front of him and the cops let the killer go. (Whaaat??) Stanley is determined to get justice and he teams up with Dennis (Christopher Melon) his Black Ops partner back in the day. Ever notice that the hero in movies today was a Black Ops guy? Then it's off to recover the guns that were hidden from the innocents.

This becomes a multiple kill-scene movie as both Stanley and Dennis knock off the bad guys in a sort of systematic way and we think we are done. But WAIT , they find out that Vivian's death was not a random thing and there is more to this than meets the eye. What could it be? What was Vivian involved in? This is where the movie should have gotten better, but it didn't. Something was wrong as we suspected that Governor Meserve (Patrick St. Esprit) was somehow involved in something shady and more likely corrupt. And it is here that the movie reverts back to being a multiple kill-scene movie and the cat-and-mouse aspect was gone forever. Not good. This is where the writers let the movie audience down.

If the banter between Stanley and Dennis was good, this might have been saved, but the banter was for the most part: annoying, not funny and truly forced. You see the banter aspect was supposed to be an important part of this, and it wasn't. Were they trying to rival Pulp Fiction? I mention this because there was too much annoying bantering between these two. Pulp Fiction? Give me a break. Forgetabout it.

I can't help thinking that this movie really needed another player. John Wick comes to mind. Ha!

This is a barely watchable thriller. The best scenes were with Stanley and his daughter Abbie (Amanda Schull) and she should have been used more. To be fair, she did have some really good moments near the end, but she alone couldn't save this. (3/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

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Criminal (2016)

9/10

Excellent Thriller

27 July 2016

Jan Stroop (Michael Pitt) aka the Dutchman wants to make a deal with the CIA and give up the Wormhole (a program that controls all missile weapon systems of the United States) in exchange for money and his freedom. Agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) is on his way to the Dutchman to complete the deal when he is killed. The CIA has Pope's memories installed into Jericho (Kevin Costner) a really bad guy, animal-like with no empathy for anyone. Will that operation turn Jericho into a good guy and find the Dutchman? (We can only hope) Let's find out.

This will have you on your seat most of the time so find a good relaxing couch. The CGI and physical stunts along with the heart- pounding music will keep you awake and alert. The acting all around is excellent. We don't like seeing Jericho do the mean things he does, but we have to get over that and see (and hope) if Pope's memories take hold as Doctor Francis (Tommy Lee Jones) insists they will. The pacing is fast and furious almost like a Jason Bourne movie. What's not to like?

There is one very big plot hole early on as Jericho escapes his CIA custody. Why didn't the CIA keep a closer eye on Pope's home to see if Jericho goes there? Had they done so they could have corralled Jericho quicker and made him comply with the mission he agreed to. Can the CIA be this inept? Let's find out.

Things begin to turn, but not too quickly, for Jericho when he encounters Pope's wife Jill (Gal Gadot) and daughter Emma (Lara Decaro). Here the pacing slows down and we get to enjoy a friendlier Jericho. Will it last? Let's find out.

We see CIA Chief Wells (Gary Oldman) constantly looking for Jericho and the Dutchman as both elude CIA surveillance. His blood pressure rises when he learns the Russians are now in contact with the Dutchman for the Wormhole and he cannot let the Russians get that program.

There is a truly unexpected twist near the end when chief bad guy Xavier (Jordi Molla) jets away with the Wormhole. (Whaaat?)

Over all this is an excellent thriller despite some minor plot holes. (There are others?) The action is fast and furious and we like it that way, but we also liked the scenes with Gal Gadot, Lara Decaro and Kevin Costner and these scenes were pure gold.

In order to appreciate this movie we need to get over seeing Kevin Costner as a bad guy and hope beyond hope that he eventually turns into a good guy. Will he? Go find out. (9/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

10/10

Needed to be told and it was extremely well told

24 July 2016

Because of the collateral damage caused by Superman's (Henry Cavill) battle with General Zod (Michael Shannon) in the previous movie Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) is on a mission to kill Superman as he is convinced Superman has no remorse for his actions and is completely dangerous to civilization.

Yes, the movie is too long. Yes, it contains mostly darkened scenes. Yes, the CGI is absolutely fantastic. Yes, the action scenes outnumber scenes where people talk to each other. Yes, Alfred (Jeremy Irons) acts too snippy for a trusted employee to Bruce Wayne. (would have preferred Morgan Freeman) Yes, we really don't see/hear Superman's explanation when he is called before a Congressional Committee. Yes, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) acts too much out of control (would have preferred Michael Rosenbaum in this role). Yes, we don't really believe what happened at the end (sorry, can't tell you about this).

Yes, yes, yes and yes, but, I loved every minute of it. The story was unlike any other and was completely solid and extremely well told. An Academy Award for Screenplay? Hmmmpossible. And let's look at Ben and Henry for their roles for Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor. They were simply fantastic. Kudos.

Yes, I wanted Superman and Batman to become friends like Jack and Arnie, but this story needed to be told even though we did have reservations about it. We needed Batman to get over himself.

Did we really believe that Batman could actually kill Superman? Yes, when Kryptonite is used and it was used most effectively in here. Did we want it to happen? Of course not.

The scenes with Doomsday were really too long and over the top and could have been cut to a shorter length. I wanted Doomsday to be whacked quickly, but the CGI technician just couldn't let it go and these scenes rambled on and on and on. (Good grief! as Charlie Brown would say)

This was filmed in Mexico and the numbers in the cast did rival "a cast of thousands" as we used to hear from time to time. Everyone involved was credited.

Notables: Amy Adams as Lois Lane; Diane Lane as Martha , Clark's mother; Holly Hunter as Senator Finch; Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and a breath of fresh air; Laurence Fishburne as Perry White;. No , there was no Jimmy Olsen character. There were many well known TV journalists as themselves.

So what did I take away from this movie? Now, I cannot wait for the next one mostly because of how this one ended. Still cannot tell you, but I did see some movement in the very last scene. No still can't say. (10/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No Language: Only one "S" word was heard

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Emma's Chance (2016)

5/10

Good Family Movie

21 July 2016

Emma (Greer Grammar) gets in some teenage trouble and has to perform Community Service where her "crime" was committed: at the Red Bucket Rescue Equine Reserve. The Red Bucket Equine Reserve actually exists in California and has saved thousands of abused horses.

I watch a TV show called Heartland, a rescue horse farm in Canada, and it has been on since 2007 (and still going strong) and yes, I watch the re-runs also. So I am addicted and when I saw Emma's Chance I had to watch it.

The production is a little sappy at times, but can be watched by the whole family. Why there is a cautionary statement in the beginning that says it may not be suitable for small children is beyond me. There is no violence or anything threatening in here. (what if the small children are afraid of horses?) Hmmm

Emma learns more about horses and horse care than she ever imagined she would. Emma endears herself to a horse named Chance and she becomes only the 2nd person he lets ride him.

The script is somewhat sketchy, but it gets in what is needed. The acting is a little shaky in places, in the sense that it's "get in" and "get out." as quickly as possible. That is the main failing, but this can be overlooked and I did that. I was more interested in Emma's relationship with Chance an abused and temperamental horse that Red Bucket did actually help save. And here they could have spent more time and inserted a little more humor.

Over all a good family movie that promotes the Red Bucket Equine Reserve in a good way. At the end of the movie you will see the Red Bucket's accomplishments. Willow was the real name of the horse that was actually saved, but in the movie that horse was called Chance. See?

And, yes, Greer Grammar is a daughter of Kelsey Grammar. (You knew we would ask, right?) (5/10)

Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

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Allegiant (2016)

7/10

Fitting Ending to the Trilogy

15 July 2016

\Tris (Sheilene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) and some friends escape over the Wall that surrounds Chicago in the hope of a better life. In time they discover the grass isn't greener there. Oh, no this can't be true.

I thought when our heroes went over the Wall and found themselves in almost the same type environment they escaped from that "here we go into more sequels" Tris buys into Director David's (Jeff Daniels) explanation as to what they are trying to do: repair all the damaged people and make them pure so they can live in harmony. However, Four knows better when he goes on a mission that steals children from the Fringe areas.

The story is good and the acting all around is good too, but the real winners in here are the CGI, the movie sets and special effects. And not to leave out other gadgets Bond, James Bond would like to get his hands on. It's truly amazing how they can make a newer futuristic world look so Heaven-like. It was a thing of beauty. Hey, I was packing my bags. (Me too)

The rest of the movie is how Tris and Theo try to leave this wonderful futuristic world that denies individuality. And we are not sure if sequels will be counted out. (We can only hope)

Notables: Naomi Watts as Evelyn, Four's mother; Octavia Spenser as Johanna, an opposition leader; Zoe Kravitz as Christine; Daniel Dae Kim as Kang.

Over all a fitting ending to this Trilogy, still .. we did like that futuristic worldIt was a thing of beauty.. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Only one "S" word was heard.

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