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December 13th, 2013 | 
Author: Phil Broker is a former DEA agent who has gone through a crisis after his action against a biker gang went horribly wrong and it cost the life of his boss’ son. He is recently widowed and is left with a 9-years-old daughter,Maddy. He decides to quit the turbulent and demanding life of thrill for Maddy’s sake and retires to a small town. His daughter fights off a boy who was bullying her at school and this sets in motion a round of events that end in his direct confrontation with the local Meth drug lord. His past history with the biker gang also enters the arena, making matters more complex. But he has a mission in his mind to protect his daughter and he is ready to pay any cost that it demands.
This is a typical Jason Stratham type movie. Note that the screenplay was written by Sylvester Styalone. You sort of expect good to triumph over evil after some heartbreak. This movie was filmed in and around New Orleans so it was good to see the bayou scenary. Formularic movie, decent acting. James Franco was the bad guy who got his just desserts.
Rating 3.8 our of 5
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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
This is the second of the Hunger Games franchise. I am only going to give you a brief summary here as I don’t want to include any spoilers so the ending will have the impact it should when you see the movie.
A year after winning the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and her partner, Peeta Mellark must go on what is known as the Victor’s Tour wherein they visit all the districts. But before leaving, Katniss is visited by President Snow who fears that Katniss defied him a year ago during the games when she chose to die with Peta. With both Katniss and Peeta declared the winners, it is fueling a possible uprising. He tells Katniss that while on tour she better try to make sure that she puts out the flames or else everyone she cares about will be in danger. But unfortunately she fails to do that. So Snow decides to enact what is known as the Quarter Quell, the right to make a change to the Hunger Games, which he is allowed to do every 25 years. He decides to hold an edition of the Hunger Games wherein previous winners will compete again. Their mentor Haymitch thinks their best chance to survive is form an alliance with some of the others. They decide to align themselves with Finnick and his partner, Mags. But Snow is secretly hoping Katniss will be killed.
I loved the first one, but this one is much more exciting and the ending leaves you anticipating the next one.
Rating: 4.6 out of 5
Thor: The Dark World
There are nine realms of Asgard and once every 5,000 years they align. Earth happens to be one of these realms. These realms create portals between the worlds during the alignment which is called “Convergence”. On Earth, in London, Jane Foster believes she and her crew have discovered one such portal. Foster, while investigating the phenomenon, is transported to another realm and comes in contact with a substance called Aether. Upon coming into contact with the substance, it draws Thor from Asgard back to Earth. Thor takes Jane to Asgard to be cured from the Aether. Unfortunately in doing so it draws more than just Jane to that world. Another being called Malekith wants to use the Aether to destroy Asgard.
Thousands of years ago, a race of beings known as Dark Elves tried to send the universe into darkness by using a weapon known as the Aether. Warriors from Asgard stop them but their leader Malekith escapes to wait for another opportunity. The warriors find the Aether and since it cannot be destroyed, they try to hide it. In the present day, Jane Foster awaits the return of Thor although it has been two years since they last saw once another. In the meantime, Thor has been trying to bring peace to the nine realms. Jane discovers an anomaly similar to the one that brought Thor to Earth. She goes to investigate, finds a wormhole, and is sucked into it. Back on Asgard, Thor wishes to return to Earth but his father, Odin refuses to let him. Thor learns from Heimdall, who can see into all of the realms, that Jane disappeared. Thor then returns to Earth just as Jane reappears. However, when some policemen try to arrest her, an unknown energy repulses them. Thor then brings Jane to Asgard to find out what happened to her. When the energy is released again, they discover that when Jane disappeared, she crossed paths with the Aether and it entered her. Malekith, upon sensing that the time to strike is now, seeks out the Aether. He attacks Asgard and Thor’s mother Frigga is killed protecting Jane. Odin wants to keep Jane on Asgard so that Malekith will come. Thor disagrees with his plan, so with his cohorts, he decides to take Jane away. He enlists the aid of his brother, Loki. Unfortunately, Loki’s motivations remain unknown.
This latest Th0r installment is a bit darker that the first on and the first Avengers movie, however, it is it definitely watchable. Pay attention to the ending as it certainly sets up the next installment and leaves you wondering what is really going on.
Rating: 4.2 out of 5
Gravity
I am sure Clooney and Bullock were chosen for these parts because of their box office draw power. The trailer for this movie hyped it for special effects and the story. Thank goodness Clooney went into the great void early in the movie because his continual dialog clatter was not only inane but annoying. Then we have to endure the Meryl Streepesque emotional ups and downs of Bullock as she morphed from someone who was apprehensive about being on a first space trip to someone whose inner strength and the desire for survival give her the intestinal fortitude to persevere. I felt like I was watching Open Water or Thirst where there is no good ending. Bullock does innovatively get back to earth alive. The only redeeming part of this movie is that the run time was only an hour and a half. One minute longer and I would have been screaming. This was absolutely the worst and most boring movie I have seen in a long time. And to think I paid extra to see it in real 3D just to see the mediocre special effects.
Don’t waste your time on this one. Don’t even rent it. For sure, don’t buy it. Don’t even waste time watching it when it comes to network TV.
Rating: 0 out of 5
Now You See Me
Although I had heard and read good things about the movie, I kept putting off going to see it because I am not a fan of Jesse Eisenberg. He has gotten accolades as actor. Unfortunately, most of his roles are similar in that his character always comes across as a fast talking, hyperkinetic, ADHD, and autistic individual. In otherwords, he gets on my nerves. I did catch this movie recently and was somewhat surprised. Good cast all the way around and they must have sedated Eisenberg because he appeard relatively normal, which was a refreshing change.
The movie is about four magicians who individually answer a mysterious summons to an obscure address with secrets inside. A year later, they are the Four Horseman, big time stage illusionists who climax their sold out Las Vegas show with a bank apparently robbed for real. This puts agents Dylan Rhodes of the FBI and Alma Vargas of Interpol on the case to find out how they did it. However, this mystery proves difficult to solve even with the insights of the professional illusion exposer, Thaddeus Bradley. What follows is a bizarre investigation where nothing is what it seems with illusions, dark secrets and hidden agendas galore as all involved are reminded of a great truth in this puzzle: the closer you look, the less you see.
I would have liked for them to add a few more stops on their tour and a few more illusions, but the movie was quite entertaining and I will watch it again because I am sure there are some interesting fine points to it that I missed.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Pain and Gain
I saw th previews of this movie and it looked pretty stupid. However, it did feature one of my favorite actors, Mark Wahlberg. While visiting a rural town, this was the only movie playing I had not seen, so I found myself watching it. This movie is based on the true story of Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) a Miami bodybuilder who wants to live the American dream. He would like to have the money that other people have. So he enlists the help of fellow bodybuilder Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and ex-convict, Christian bodybuilder Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson). Their kidnapping and extortion scheme goes terribly wrong since they have muscles for brains and they’re left to haphazardly try to hold onto the elusive American dream. I did not realize until after the movie that it was actually based on real events. In doing the usual Google searches, I confirmed this and also realized that the movie was certainly a bit comedically dramatized. This should be caterogized as a B/Cult movie, as I am sure it will catch on somewhat like Napolean Dynamite or more appropriately Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.
This will certainly never be up for any kind of award, but it was a somewhat mindless bit of macabe entertainment.
Rating: 2 out of 5
The World’s End
As a Simon Pegg somewhat fan, particularly in Hot Fuzz and in Mission Impossible III, I really anticipated seeing killing a couple of matinee hours and being entertained. Unfortunately this was not the case. I found this movie to be quite boring and Simon Pegg’s character was extremely obnoxious and irritating. Matinee movie costs have gotten so high now that you really feel like you wasted money if walk out before the movie is over. By halfway through I was bored to tears, but did endure to the end. I recommend you save your money and time.
Rating: 0 out of 5
BASIC PLOT: 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell bent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King, a 40-year old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their home town and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub, The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.
Red 2
Retired C.I.A. agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device. Red 2 is one of the movies Entertainment Weekly said should have never been made. It is the sequel to the comedy-drama, Red. A decent and quirky cast and a continuation of the same wackness seen in Red.
This movie has its moments albeit predictable if you saw Red. This movie requires no thought, but it is ok for matinee entertainment. Certainly more entertaining than the reruns on TV this Summer. An OK way to kill a couple of hours.
In looking back, Red and Red 2 are reminiscent of The Whole Nine Yards and The Whole Ten Yards. Which makes me wonder why the movie channels only run the first of this series and not the second, which I thought was a bit more entertaining.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Frank, Marvin, and Sarah travel to Paris to track down a man nicknamed “The Frog” (David Thewlis), with Han, whose plane they stole, and the Americans on their tails. As they arrive in Paris, they are stopped by Katya (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a Russian secret agent who Frank had a relationship with earlier in his career. Katya is in search of Nightshade as well, and teams up with them to find The Frog. After The Frog flees from them, Frank and Katya catch him and bring him back to his house, where Sarah succeeds in wooing him to help them. The Frog gives them the key to his security box, which Katya attempts to take from Frank after drugging him, but Marvin gives her a fake key. He, Frank, and Sarah find documents in the security box which point to Dr. Edward Bailey (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant physicist, as the creator of the bomb involved with Operation Nightshade.
They find out that Bailey is still alive, having been held in an asylum for the criminally insane in London for thirty-two years. After arriving in London, the trio are confronted by Victoria, but Victoria helps to fake their deaths. Victoria then poses as an insane woman in order to gain access to the asylum. Frank and Victoria meet Bailey, who is hyperactive and does not respond to their questions. After a while, Bailey reveals that the bomb is still in Moscow. They go to Moscow, and after a close call with Han, Bailey comes to the conclusion that he hid the bomb in the Kremlin. They break into the Kremlin, and Bailey locates the bomb, but as they are about to leave, they are stopped by Katya. Frank convinces her to return to their side As they celebrate their success, Victoria calls Frank from London and tells him that Bailey was locked up because he wanted to see the bomb go off. Bailey holds Frank at gunpoint and confirms Victoria’s message, revealing that he made a deal with Horton and the Americans to leave with the bomb. He then shoots Katya, staging her death at Frank’s hands, and leaves. Horton reneges on his deal with Bailey, intending to question him, but Bailey escapes by using a nerve agent he created. Bailey moves to the Iranian embassy in London, and as Frank attempts to follow, he is confronted by Han, and after a fistfight, Frank asks Han to join sides with him and stop the bomb. Han eventually relents, and they set in place a plan to recapture Bailey and the bomb.
Sarah seduces the Iranian ambassador and takes him hostage on the pretext of women’s rights in Iran. Marvin sets in place a diversion, and the rest come in disguise to “fix” the problem. When they arrive, they discover that Bailey has set the bomb timer off. Bailey kidnaps Sarah and goes to the airport to escape the imminent explosion. Frank, Marvin, Victoria, and Han give chase, but are themselves chased by guards from the embassy. After they escape, they arrive at the airport, and Frank saves Sarah from Bailey, but is forced by him to take the bomb off the plane. They reunite with Marvin, Victoria, and Han and wait for their imminent deaths, but the bomb explodes in the air. Frank reveals that he sneaked the bomb on the plane. The movie closes with a scene showing Sarah enjoying herself on a mission with Frank and Marvin.
The Wolverine
Clearly the best of the Wolverine series. I did endulge myself and see this in Real-3D, which was quite spectacular. Hugh Jackman continues to be a box office draw if there is any suggestion he may take his shirt off. Anyway, you get to see flashbacks in time and it fills in some additional information in the Wolverine mystique. If you like any of the X-Men series, you will enjoy this one. As we all know the series has had its ups and downs, but this is probably one of the best.
If you do see this one, don’t run for the door as soon as the credits begin to roll. Keep you seat and wait for some scenes that tell you there will definitely be more movies in the continuing X-Men franchise.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
2 Guns
Two of my favorite actors, Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, star in this movie about a DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer find themselves on the run after a botched attempt to infiltrate a drug cartel. While fleeing, they learn the secret of their shaky alliance: Neither knew that the other was an undercover agent. It sort of reminded me of Safe House with Denzel and Ryan Reynolds. Lots of shooting, chases, and bodies.
Robert Trench (Washington), an undercover DEA agent, takes advantage of gunman Michael Stigman’s (Wahlberg) idea to rob a bank to bust him and a mob boss. However, it proves too successful with much more money seized than anticipated with Trench’s forces not stopping the getaway. Complicating things still more, Stigman turns out to be a Naval Intelligence agent who shoots Trench and takes the money. The interservice debacle suddenly finds Trench and Stigman in a bloody web of corrupt clandestine rivalries as they are hunted, blackmailed and isolated for the money on both sides of the law. Now, the fugitives must work together to find a way out of this situation with no one to turn to but themselves.
Not an academy awards contender but a whole lot of fun for those who like this genre of movies and these two great actors.
Rating: 4 out of 5.