Into the Woods

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 25 Dec 2014
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Staring:  Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp...etc
Rating? PG
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 71% Audience: 50%
MY RATING: 3 of 10. 
Maybe drunk.

MY REVIEW:
Truth- I gave in and vacated the theater with 20 minutes left in the film.

This was just painful! I felt like I was sitting in there for 10 hours. I kept looking down at my watch thinking that it was at least 3 hours since I looked last, but NOOOO! Ten Minutes!

So, this is based on a Broadway PLAY. Someone made a Broadway play into a MUSICAL. I like musicals, and I knew what I was getting into when I went. Not one real memorable song!

Johnny Depp is a pedophile wolf, well he's Jack Sparrow dressed as a wolf playing a pedophile. Weird sexual undertones, weird sexual encounters with the Bakers Wife... Not really fully understanding wha the hell was the point of this movie.



---------------------------------------------------->
This is my disappointed face:)

The Imitation Game

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 25 Dec 2014
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Staring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightly, Matthew Goode...
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.1 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 89% Audience: 92%
MY RATING: 10 of 10! Perfection!

MY REVIEW:
X\As a student of History, I've come across the name Alan Turing on multiple occasions and with each one, I am saddened to hear of the atrocities done to him. {Read about him here at Biography.com} I had to wipe the tears away more than once in this movie.

Back to the movie, it was a masterpiece. The story of the Enigma has been told a few times.. {Enigma-2001, All the Queen's Men- 2001 and U-571-2000}  Alan Turing was brilliant and Benedict Cumberbatch plays him to perfection.

This film speaks to the early days when Prof. Turing was recruited as a last resort to end the war. The movie spends the majority of the time watching him crack the code and build a special relationship with Joan Clarke, played by Keira Knightly. It was in Turing's brilliance that the code was cracked and then the second act hits like a bomb as you see Turing exposed as a homosexual and at the time, it was a crime in England and he was rewarded for his efforts to save England and all of the other Allies with Chemical Castration in lieu of prison. The film ends with what those of us who know about Turing was the end of something amazing.

See this movie. I cannot give a strong enough reccomendation!

The Interview

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 24 Dec 2014
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Staring:  James Franco, Seth Rogan, etc..
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES, but it's not like you should watch it anyway!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.7 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 52% Audience: 49%
MY RATING: 3 of 10. Watch it Drunk.

MY REVIEW:
And after all of the controversy, the hacks, the threats, the ridiculousness, I watched this.  Turns out that it's a horrible piece of poop! It's nothing more than a C level attempt at a drunk or high group of man-boys to lengthen a SNL Sketch. FAIL!

This was predictable garbage.  Throughout the whole thing, I kept wondering what I was missing.  Best line of the whole movie.. "He's motherf***ing peanut butter and jealous."

Waste of my time.

The Pyramid

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 5 Dec 2014
Running Time: 89 Minutes
Staring:  Ashley Henshaw, James Buckley, Denis O'Hare...
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES, but it's for your own benefit!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 4.7 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 11% Audience: 25%
MY RATING: 2 of 10

MY REVIEW:
This is just another take on dangerous exploration of the unknown location... think Descent. The poster was great, the preview looked awesome... the presentation, not so much. I absolutely LOVE Horror movies, and this leaves me with yet another bad aftertaste with modern Hollywood. What happened to the classic horror that was the late 70's early 80's?

I watch a lot of documentaries, especially about Egypt, and WHAT seasoned archeologist would venture into a newly found pyramid without so much as a few days or weeks, or even MONTHS of preparation!?!?!  Not a realistic idea.

Then, the idea of getting trapped and in a weird pyramid and waking up an ancient monster is a little cliched. I think I've seen that in at least ten movies in the last few years. YAWN. SOOO, predictable with the really bad CGI Anubis monster. Someone should have called a better Director and KNB Studios to make that horrible monster!

Another thing. Since when did the Ancient Egyptians use THOSE type of booby traps in pyramids. Such a big historical inaccuracy that it brought me out of the movie.

Last thing. The movie got it really wrong on a few things. I think someone should have paid for an Egyptologist to check the facts. NO- Anubis was NOT the son of Osiris, he was the son of Set. NO- the deceased were not weighted against Maat, they were weighed against a feather. NO- Anubis was not evil, but his dad was.

Just too much for me to deal with!!

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 20 Nov 2014
Running Time: 123 Minutes
Staring:  Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.8 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 65% Audience: 73%
MY RATING: 5 of 10

MY REVIEW:
I have a new genre of film.. The "Set-Up Movie". This was really oddly as action packed as what I was expecting.

This was just boring. There were some great plot additions and it feels like there were just setting up Part 2 of Mockingjay. I mean, it's fine to take a long look at the heroine before a battle, but to base an entire t hour movie on her prep? That was a bit too much. I just wanted to see a little piece of the original movie. Something to get it going.

I mean, it wasn't the worst movie in the world, but it did lack the same things that made me enjoy the first two Hunger Games. I do have hopes for the next one.

Birdman

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 14 Nov 2014
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Staring:  Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Risenborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts...
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NOPE

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.9 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 92% Audience: 78%
MY RATING: 10 of 10

MY REVIEW:
This movie is a symphony on film. I loved every minute of this movie! It's art.

The movie starts of with these words: "And did you get what you wanted from this life? Even so, I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the Earth." 

The most interesting piece is the use of the single continuous take technique of film-making in this movie. Seamless and interesting.

If you have not seen this movie, please do yourself a favor and see it at the next most convenient time.

I will say that the performance by Michael Keaton as Riggan Thompson, a washed-up has-been actor trying to break back into the lime light is amazing. He is being hit my the pressures of life at every angle... ex-wife, daughter, his past, etc..

Some people think and see themselves in a very different way than the world around them. This movie is an exploration of that theme. If you are one of the few who did not think this was a good movie, then you are exactly why this movie needed to exist! Perfection!

Nightcrawler

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Date: 31 Oct 2014
Running Time: 117 Minutes
Staring:  Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Paxton, Rene Russo
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO. You need to see this!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.9 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 95% Audience: 86%
MY RATING: 9 of 10

MY REVIEW:
This is an excellent movie. It works on so many levels that I just cannot explain how fantastic this movie was done.
The writing is super. The acting was well beyond what I expected.

This movie takes a look an how the media show stories in lights that can only be described as altered. It's dark a with comedic feel. Please just see this movie. You'll thank me later!

Interstellar

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 7 November 2014
Running Time: 169 Minutes
Staring:  Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, etc.
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.7 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 72% Audience: 85%
MY RATING: 9 of 10

MY REVIEW:
I love movies. Imagine that? Someone who has a movie blog loves movies! This is a solid movie. Yes, there are some missteps and a few pieces that I was not really that into, but those things are far outweighed by the sheer feelings that this movie invoked.

This was incredibly beautifully filmed and the it was the filming that made it easy to watch for me. It evoked a 2001 A Space Odyssey feeling for me. The sounds and atmosphere were the pieces that made it a whole movie for me.

Amazing story. It felt like nothing else I had seen. Yes, there were others that were similar in feel or concept, but this was unique. It's filled with talented actors and put together by talented crews. Excellent movie. A must see!

John Wick

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 24 October 2014

Director: Chad Stahelski
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Running Time: 1 Hour and 41 Minutes

Staring:  Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyquist and Alfie Allen

Rating? R

SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS

IMDB: 7.3 of 10

RT: Critics: 85% Audience: 80%
MY RATING: 4

STORYLINE

An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.

MY REVIEW

I really wanted to like this movie, I did. I have always loved Keanu and he's surprised me in the later years with some solid performances. I do believe 4 is the highest I can offer for this movie. The plot is simple, but realistically, it might be too simple.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Some of the blocking for the fight scenes was pretty awesome. It's really obvious that Keanu did some work to make the fights right. 
• That was abut it. 

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• So, you're telling me that John Wick is a ruthless assassin with the ability to kill seven guys with a pencil and a spoon. BUT, he is taken aback while Russian gangsters break into his home, beat him senseless, kill his puppy AND steal his car!?!?! 
• This movie was mindless violence with little to no redeeming plot. It's violence for the sake of violence. That's it.

SaveSave

The Taking of Deborah Logan

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 21 Oct 2014
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Staring:  Jill Larson and Anne Ramsay
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6 of 10
MY RATING: 5 of 10

STORYLINE
What is taking Deborah Logan? Some memories are worth forgetting.

MY REVIEW:
I had extremely high hopes.. Rated R, form the director of X-Men... it lived up to some of the hype, just not all.

The set-up had some intriguing possibilities for me. The idea in this film was that a independent filmmakers utilize a documentary style of filmmaking within the horror idea in a medical documentary about Alzheimers disease.

Deborah Logan {Jill Larson} was a single mom who is slowly falling into the horrid and debilitating disease. Her daughter Sarah {Anne Ramsay} is her only family. In an effort to bring Alzheimers to the front of peoples mind and earn some money for medical bills, she agrees to allow Mia Medina {Michelle Ang} and her film crew into her home. With the camera rolling, Deborah begins to exhibit some strange and malevolent actions that simply cannot be attributed to the disease. This was just an interesting idea!

It's slow paced, I assume because of the medical nature of the first half of the movie. The documentary crew seems detached from the story, impersonal, and really hard to connect with as a viewer. The relationship between Ramsay and Larson is really the only redeeming nature of this movie. They were the savior of this movie for me.

It's unnerving and interesting at the same time. The majority is fairly slow, but the end seems rushed and improbable. The end feels like such a far cry from how real people would respond. It was good, but not great.

Fury

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 17 Oct 2014
Running Time: 134 Minutes
Staring:  Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman...
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.6 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 77% Audience: 85%
MY RATING: 7 of 10. Maybe 7.5

MY REVIEW:
For a war movie, this was pretty decent. What I found to be the most appealing is that it didn't "pretty-up" the truth and call it the "fog of war." This was gritty and bloody but it was realistic. It was full of war movie cliches, but it felt right.

I read a lot of horrible reviews and most were talking bout how the movie was way off base or blood porn. I disagree. The acting was good, maybe a little to stereotyped in some ways, but it was good. I think there was real drama to the emotions of the soldiers who were out there living this.

It wasn't Gone with the Wind, but it was good.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 17 Oct 2014
Running Time: X Minutes
Staring:  Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright, Edward Herrmann
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 5.6 of 10
MY RATING: 7 of 10- Decent

STORYLINE
Sixty-five years after a masked serial killer tormented the small town of Texarkana, the so-called 'moonlight murders' begin again. Is it a copycat or something even more sinister? A lonely high school girl, with dark secrets of her own, may be the ket to catching him.

MY REVIEW:
I remember watching the original Town that Dreaded Sundown when I was a kid. I grew up in East Texas about 150 miles from Texarkana.. where this ACTUALLY happened in 1946. Less than two hours drive to the place made it a simple watch for every slumber party that I went to when I was between he ages of 11 and 15.

This movie is less of a sequel and more of a prequel. Maybe a little of both. I did think it was pretty successful despite some issues that I may have had with this film.

What I did like was the tone set in the movie. Consistent scares throughout the movie. I like the feeling of dread that stayed with you. I loved the use of the camera angels and the colors that seemed to be intense and beautiful. The scares don't knock you out of your chair, but they are decent.

What did;t work for me was that it just wasn't as scary as it could have been. The love story attempt is odd and the final plot twist is just absurd.

Overall, it's a good slasher movie with some great camera work.

The Houses October Built

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 10 October 2014 

Genre: Horror, Thriller
Director: Bobby Roe
Writer:Zack Andrews and Bobby Roe
Running Time:  91 Minutes

Staring: Brandy Schaefer, Zack Andrews and Bobby Roe

Rating? NOT RATED

SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5 of 10

MY RATING: 3 of 10

STORYLINE

Beneath the fake blood and cheap masks of countless haunted house attractions across the country, there are whispers of trust terrifying alternatives. Looking to find an authentic, blood-curdling good fright for Halloween, five friends set off on a road trip in an RV to track down these underground haunts. Just when their search seems to reach a dead end, strange and disturbing things start happening and it becomes clear that the Haunt has come to them...

MY REVIEW

I should know better to watch an UNRATED horror movie expecting anything other than a pre-teen scare for slumber parties! Not a complete and utter failure, but it was damn close!!

Everything about this movie is just a hair away from being too cliche and too predictable. The plot had a great idea and failed to bring it to life. Seeing as how I have an irrational fear of clowns, this was disturbing solely on that factor, but if you're not like me, then this will likely fall very flat. Maybe with a a bigger budget, a re-write, and a few known actors, AND A COMPETENT ending... this may have worked.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• DIRECTION- While certain aspects of the Director's work are good,  it's not PERFECT and it's not terrible. Could have spent a little more time coaching the actors to get a good or better performance. I needed to bring at least one good thing to the review!
• COSTUME DESIGN- THIS! This was pretty good. Like I say above, I am not a big fan of clowns and therefore just really don't want to look. The makeup department responsible for the make-up, masks and special effects was beyond amazing. Afton Adams, Christian Lau and  David Monzingo. You guys deserve come major credit for creating the most disturbing character design in this porcelain doll make-up shown here. Wow, just wow. David Monzingo has a laundry list of special effects gold under his belt and they were lucky to have him.
• SET DESIGN- Creepy, but generic. Acceptable.

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• EDITING- I spent the first hour waiting semi-patiently for something to happen. It's a simple rule of three acts and by the end of the second, you have to see some sort of high point to come down from by the mid-point of act three. That was missing for me here. I waited for a tediously and DULL ending! 
• CINEMATOGRAPHY- I DESPISE SHAKY CAM!! Seriously, should have just dumped that idea and hired a real gaffer and camera man and made a better/ stronger movie with a great ending!
• WRITING- Well, much like my points above, it was a great idea that fell short. Could have been so much better. Again, this is my opinion! It felt like they should have just made a documentary about haunted houses, but wait, the writer and director did that already did that. Nice try Bobby Roe, how about you stick to baseball.
• SCORE/SOUNDTRACK- forgettable.

Annabelle

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 3 October 2014
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Staring:  Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES. It's a terrible movie, so you shouldn't see it anyway!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 5.4 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 29% Audience: 38%
MY RATING: 3 of 10.  Might be better if you're a little tipsy.

MY REVIEW:
I am a HUGE HORROR FAN. That being said, this was not a good movie.

There were really only two good SCARY bits in the whole hour and a half. I was thinking I was going to see some sort of doll-centric Chucky type movie. WRONG.

We are taken back to the cult-phobic sixties to meet a California couple who begin to experience weird paranormal occurrences with a weirdly bland husband and a pregnant wife with a quirky doll obsession.  There is no real tension, no suspense, nothing redeeming.

When I left work today, I had high hopes for this movie.
<-----
At least I remembered how important it was to take a selfie before heading home.

Gone Girl

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 3 Oct 2014
Running Time: 149 Minutes
Staring:  Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.2 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 88% Audience: 87% Link
MY RATING: 9 of 10

MY REVIEW:
WOW! This was dark and twisted in the best most awesome way! This movie messes with your mind and heart at the same time. There is no up or down, there is only a roller coaster of guessing what's going to happen next and what you guessed wrong. I know my heart rate was spiking in a few of those scenes!

Amazing plot, mystery that you can really put your head into, beginning to end, this was such a well-formatted movie.

As Above, So Below

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 29 August 2014
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Staring:  Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, etc
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES. But it's horrible, so you shouldn't see it anyway!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.1 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 27% Audience: 40%
MY RATING: 1 of 10

MY REVIEW:
I don't give out 1's in my reviews too often but this deserves every iota of that 1!

I love scary movies, I know, I say that all the time. That's just because I go to a lot of scary/horror movies and most of them are suck-tactic. I just want you to know that I am not just a glutton for punishment. I see them with a hopeful heart that modern day screen writers will come up with something new and awesome.

This one fell so far from the mark that I could not believe I stayed for the whole movie. I think it was just to see if anything got better in the end. Nope. I know I'm not the only one who watches these things and says in my head for the cast not to go in there or not to open that door. This was just a cacophony of ridiculous events one after another.

So, there's a catacomb with some scary Dante's Inferno line... "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here." That line should have been made available to the watcher. Then they go down into the catacombs and stuff happens. Not awesome scary stuff, but stuff.

This was catastrophically horrible.

Guardians of the Galaxy

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 1 Aug 2014
Running Time: 121 Minutes
Staring:  Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Etc
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.1 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 91% Audience: 93%
MY RATING: 8

STORYLINE
A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe.

MY REVIEW:
So, I was reluctant to see this but since it was not my turn to pick the movie, this is where we ended up. I will do my very best not to give any true spoilers, but to anyone who has seen the trailers, none of this will be a surprise.

A talking smarmy well-armed raccoon... a gigantic living true-person? Green aliens AND Chris Pratt? This was exactly the group o things that I did not expect to be amazing. This movie is a good arrangement of plot, character development, and excellent direction. Sequences at times do feel a little cliche or video-gamey, but it seems to work well.

I hate to say that I did actually enjoy this movie. I give it a solid 8. Maybe a few more views and it will grow on me even more.

Lucy

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 25 July 2014
Running Time: 89 Minutes
Staring:  Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Min-Sik Choi
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.4 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 66% Audience: 47%
MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE
A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables of her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.

MY REVIEW:
The premise seemed pretty solid at the beginning. A relatively sexy woman kicks the asses of a ton of people. Yeah, that's what I thought too. Kind of overplayed. Kind of just okay. Not great. Not horrible.

This is where the spoilers are gonna start. Scarlett Johansson is tricked into bringing a case full of drugs to some crime syndicate in Korea. She's supposed to collect the money and go, but that's when things turn for her. I still had some pretty good vibes at this point. Then the crime lords sew up a few kilo's of the drug in her gut in order for her to smuggle it out of the country. So, the drug bad break and this drug comes crashing into her system, and makes her mentally and physically stronger than ever before or even what she could ever think of. Then her entire goal is to race to a scientist who she thinks can save her.

This is where it starts to love me. I can't get past the premise. This whole 10% of the brain thing is such a giant load of crap that it took me out of the movie. I get they were pandering to the group of people who actually believe that they only use 10%. But no. That was it for me. I THOUGHT!

So, now with crazy brain, Scar Jo becomes a X-Man and goes medieval on a ton of people. She can knock people over with a wave of her hand. She can stop time. Ridiculous!

The last few minutes of the movie are the most head-shakingly horrible. This movie really sort of checkmates itself. It's just thrill-less, with no real danger or suspense.
SaveSave

Come Back to Me

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 25 July 2014
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Staring:  Jon Abrams, Andrew Beckham, Jeanette Branch
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 5.8 of 10
MY RATING: 3

STORYLINE
Sarah and Josh are married suburbanites. After a car accident, Sarah suffers blackouts and ends up pregnant even though Josh is sterile. As her life spirals she hides a camera in her home and unlocks a horrific secret with far-reaching consequences.

Based on the Resurrectionist by Wrath James White

MY REVIEW:
This is a lukewarm version of a very nasty and twisted novel.  It was okay if I'd never read the book, but just knowing what was in the book The Resurrectionist by Wrath James White and seeing it not be exactly what was in the movie was saddening. It felt to me that it was stripped of so many things other than the basic plot line. Luckily for the film, it was redeemed by not discounting the end and completely changing the concept of the finale.

This is less of a horror movie and more of a lifetime afternoon scare fest. The main character, Dale {Nathan Keyes} is the creepy neighbor and the instigator of the unpleasant occurrences is underdeveloped on the screen. One little flashback and one discussion with Dales Mom.  I don't even think that you could put onto film the words from his book. We only know that Dale can bring back the dead. He uses his power to sexually assault people, kill them, and bring them back to life and have no memories of the assaults. Dale is twisted. Pretty intensely twisted.

It just feels like there is something missing from the movie. I guess had I never read the book, I wouldn't have missed these pieces. Between the plot holes and the lack of care for the characters.. just not what I had hoped for.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Date: 11 July 2014
Running Time: 130 Minutes
Staring:  Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis, etc.
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.7 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 90% Audience: 88% Link
MY RATING: 8

MY REVIEW:
You know, I was prepared to dislike this movie ever so mildly. I mean, I liked the first one, but it was not exactly my style. I was wrong.

I am typically ultra-ultra-judgemental of most movies, so when I say that hollywood has been putting out mediocre to abysmal movies, I mean, most of them are ehh.

The storyline is pretty interesting and the CGI is well done. The action scenes are really the piece that draws you in and they do feel realistic, even though you KNOW they are CG.

I won't go into any detail about the movie itself, just know that this was a pretty amazing film.

The Purge: Anarchy

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 18 July 2014
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Staring:  Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford...
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.5 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 56% Audience: 57%
MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE
Sequel to The Purge. Three groups of people are trying to survive Purge Night, when their stories intertwine and left stranded in the Purge trying to survive the chaos and violence that occurs.

MY REVIEW:
This is the most un-sequely sequel that I ever seen! I did like the first one. It was anarchic, violent and fun. I feel that this was more along the line that I was hoping for in the first one. The director looks closely at the theme of class hierarchy that was completely void in the first.

It was a a pretty decent ride for the whole movie. I mean, it wasn't the greatest movie, but for what it was, it was good. (Hence the 7 instead of a 9).

In this sequel, we get to see more of what happens outside in the annual purge and it's awesome. There is definitely a sense of how the different classes are dealing with the purge. Some can afford the luxuries of bars and professional security and some, cannot and are the prey to wealthy.

The interesting part is the idea of the three groups eventual meeting. How they work together even though they are trying to survive. It's unique and it's definitely different from the other dumb horror movies out there. It was definitely worth a watch!

Jersey Boys

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Date: 20 June 2014
Running Time: 134 Minutes
Staring:  John Llyod Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomeda, etc.
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.9 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 52% Audience: 63% Link
MY RATING: 8

MY REVIEW:
This was a brilliant movie that took a hard look a the cost of fame and the pain that comes from being famous.

I thought I knew the story of the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli but BOW was I wrong. This was an amazing telling of the dramas that the young boys went through.

I never knew much about the Broadway musical until hearing about this movie. I went with an older girl friend to see it after work and it was awesome.

John Lloyd Young, the guy who played Frankie Valli was really good. AND he sings! Great period piece and wonderful artistic direction. Funny and dramatic at the same time. NOW, I want to see the play!

22 Jump Street

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Date: 13 June 2014
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Starring: Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill
Rating: R
SPOILERS? Yeah, but not too much.

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.1 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 85% Audience: 78% Link
MY RATING: 8 of 10 Solid movie

MY REVIEW:
This is a pretty easy review. If you liked the first one, you'll like the second one. The best part was the clever nods to the movie makers being super aware that they were just making the same movie again. I do have to say there were some very clever bits that just made me laugh out loud... Ice Cube's office is a GLASS CUBE! The teasers at the very end in the credits for 23, 24, 25---30 Jump Street.

Edge of Tomorrow

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 6 June 2014
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Staring:  Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.9 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 90% Audience: 90%
MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE
A military officer is brought into an alien war against an extraterrestrial enemy who can reset the day and know the future. When this officer is enabled with the same power, he teams up with a Special Forces warrior and tries to end the war.

MY REVIEW:
What I really liked about this movie is that it did not assume that I was a mindless idiot watching a movie that I would never understand if they didn't spoon-feed the details to me. It's smart and entertaining. I really enjoyed this movie!

Tom Cruise played a very un-Tom-Cruise like character and does a really good job in the role. He's interesting and brings a certain life to the character that just makes sense. I liked the casting.

Emily Blunt is a good sidekick, but could never have held the whole movie alone, so that made sense. Her character was likable and interesting and seemed to be well-written and deep. Bill Paxton was I think a brilliant cast for the hard-assed sergeant.

I think the flow and plot of the movie are good, enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. Some of the twists seems to feel forced, but it all makes sense in the end.


It's enjoyable and entertaining, so I give it a strong 7.

Maleficent

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 30 May 2014
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Staring:  Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, etc.
Rating? PG
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 49% Audience: 71%
MY RATING: 4

MY REVIEW:
I gave this movie a shot. I was really town since I did love the original story of Sleeping Beauty as a kid. I am not sure why, but this was the only Disney story that I really liked.

Cinematography was AMAZING.. which is why there is a 4in my rating instead of a  2! Angelina Jolie was stunning and the costume she was was a real masterpiece!

The movie seems to fly over the reason that Maleficent is WHO she IS! TO me, there movie fails to paint her in the true dark light that she was in the movie. She's just not the same to me. Not really evil. It feels to me that they were trying to say, no, she's not really evil, just misunderstood. I did;t like that at all!

And, who did they change the names of the fairies!! This was just a slap in the face to the story to me.  I was not a big fan of how they were portrayed. Not really the same story.

Elle Fanning did a wonderful job as Aurora. I think she was perfectly cast. Sweet and a good fit!

Just didn't pull all the right strings for me.

Godzilla

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 16 May 2014
Running Time: 123 Minutes
Staring:  Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.5 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 74% Audience: 67%
MY RATING: 6

MY REVIEW:
I wanted this movie to be awesome. I really did. I have always been a big fan of Godzilla Movies. I thought that I was going to get darker view of the old version. What I ended up with was a generic cookie-cutter military movie that was just far less that I wanted. It was good, but not great.

It was the ending that really ruined it for me! It felt like the movie wanted me to make the call if Godzilla was good or bad. That's just not what Godzilla is supposed to be. He is a force of nature that cannot be controlled. Godzilla is just supposed to "BE" nit thought up into something else.

Character development... A little flawed for me. I liked Bryan Cranstons character, it seemed that he was well developed and made sense. Everyone else just seemed like they were reading the lines as asked.

It summed to turn a little confection for me at times as thought the movie itself didn't know what it was supposed to be.. thriller, horror, science fiction, a hero movie... etc. Just seemed to be less cohesive.

I think it was a good movie. Overhyped and the trailers made the movie look very different from the movie that I saw.

Neighbors

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 9 May 2014
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Staring:  Seth Rogen and Zac Efron
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.4 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 73% Audience: 64%
MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE
After they are forced to live next to a frat house, a couple with a new baby do whatever they can to take them down.

MY REVIEW:
I KNEW what this was going to be when I bought the ticket. I mean it's starring Seth Rogan. It wasn't going to be an Oscar Award Winner...

That being said, I think it was pretty decent. Not the best thing, but definitely there were others that sucked a lot worse! There was just enough to make it funny and a few things that were just not really well written, but the idea get across in a pretty funny way most of the time. Some of the jokes fell flat, but it's not that big of a deal. Solid 7.

The Galapagos Affair

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 24 April 2014
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Staring:  Documentary
Rating? Unrated
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.8 of 10
MY RATING: 8 of 10

MY REVIEW:
First of all, a quick overview of the story that this documentary covers. It begins in 1929 when two Germans looking for their personal Eden arrived on the island in the Galapagos called Floreana. More Straunch and Dr. Friedrich Ritter had enough with civilization and isolated themselves from the world. in 1932, some of their letters home made it to the German papers and they began to get other land squatters on Floreana. The Wittmers arrived soon.. Heinz and his pregnant wife Margret and their sickly son Henry. Next arrived a self-proclaimed Baroness and her two man minions with their ideas of taking over the island. That's when it all went crazy.

The documentary is filled with family photos and videos taken by the families on Floreana as well as passing ships and their interactions with the families on Floreana. It's full of intrigue and mystery, missing people, murder... and many more things that make this documentary very difficult to turn away from. I was mesmerized by the story. It's interesting and a very good way to spend a little time.

Oculus

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 11 Apr 2014
Running Time: 104 Minutes
Staring:  karen Gillam, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.5 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 73% Audience: 52% Link
MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE
A woman tried to exonerate her brother who was convicted of murder by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenemonon.

MY REVIEW:
I did like this movie. 7 of 10 is pretty good on my scale but still just a little above center.

We follow one young woman, Kaylie {Karen Gillan} and her brother Tim {Brenton Thwaites} while they try to destroy a supposed haunted antique mirror whom she blames for the loss of both parents  {Katee Sackhoff and Rory Cochrane} while they were kids and that Tim was accused and convicted of murdering.

We are taken to two parallel movies; one that shows the lives of Katlie and Tim with their parents as children and one where we see them in the present time with the mirror. At times, the transitions seem either useless or a wee bit ridiculous for my tastes.

Although the story of a possessed object is pretty typical but this one felt pretty different. Direction was pretty good and the acting was well done. They were able to create an eerie atmosphere and was richly needed.

What I really did't like are the overused cliches that exist. There was a little too much of the monster-y feel in some cases and not enough of the true scares in others.

I did like that they left it open for a sequel! 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 4 Apr 2014
Running Time: 136 Minutes
Staring:  Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, etc.
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.8 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 89% Audience: 92% Link
MY RATING: 7 of 10

MY REVIEW:
I wasn't a big fan of the first Captain America Movie.  {Read my original review here.} This movie brought out more of the character development that I was missing in the first iteration.  The humor was well-balanced with the action sequences in a way the first was not.

Chris Evans was brilliant in this movie. He definitely built more depth into the Captain America that was given to him.

I would definitely say that this was a solid 7!

Killer Legends

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 16 March 2014
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Staring:  Documentary
Rating? N/A
SPOILERS? Not really

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.4 of 10
MY RATING: 8

STORYLINE

Four timeless urban legends continue to haunt the psyche of the American public. This documentary follows filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Rachel Mills as they investigate the true crimes that may have spawned these urban legends, while exploring how these myths evolved and why we continue to believe. The documentary probes the following legends: The Candyman, The Baby-Sitter and the Man Upstairs, The Hookman and The Killer Clown. This documentary explores the genesis of these legends and the reason they are still so gripping and continue to haunt our nightmares.

MY REVIEW:
What I liked about this documentary:

• I appreciate the filmmakers attempt to bring a reality back to some of these legends! They have been brewing in the back of everyones mind for a long time and someone really needed to remind the people that they were just stories that jot overly saturated in the worlds eye.
• Growing up in Texas, two hours away from Texarkana, hearing the stories of the Phantom Killer, watching the Town that Dreaded Sundown so many times at slumber parties and being told.. "You know, he's still out there" brought that story to life for me. 
• They put real faces of the victims and show respect to the actual murders.

What I did not like:

• It did feel a bit rushed through the stories. It's only an hour and a half so telling four stories and their history is pushing it for content alone. There was so much more that could have been related to the watcher. 
• The documentary calls itself out for "getting to the bottom of the legends." They really just rehash stuff that we already know. 

SaveSave