Odd Thomas

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 28 Feb 2014
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Staring:  Anton Yelchin, Ashley Sommers, Lenora Varela
Rating? Unrated
SPOILERS? No

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.9 of 10
MY RATING: 7 of 10

STORYLINE
Small town fry cook Thomas is an ordinary guy with a paranormal secret: He sees dead people, everywhere. When a creepy stranger shows up with an entourage of ghostly bodachs (predators who feel on pain and portend mass destruction) Thomas knows that his town is in serious trouble. Teaming up with his girlfriend Stormy and a local sheriff, he plunges into an epic battle of good vs. evil to try to stop a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. Based on the best-selling thriller by Dean Koontz.

MY REVIEW:
This was a solid movie and a very enjoyable watch. As with many movies based on novels, there were many of the finer details left out. Even with that, I still feel that they did a good job of capturing Odd Thomas' character. I was not a big fan of the chemistry between Odd Thomas {Anton Yeltsin} and Stormy {Addison Timlin}. Not sure of it was just chemistry or casting, but it was not what I wanted to see.

I hate making comparisons to the book, but I will. In the book, there was more ghostly communication with other spirits with Thomas.. diverse ghosts like Elvis. I would have loved to see that brought into the movie. That would have been hilarious. It would have also helped the viewer understand the world of the dead as it plays out in this world.

I did like the movie and I enjoyed the world that it created. I'd love to see this one made into a series. Monster of the week series would work well in this space.

The Monuments Men

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 7 Feb 2014
Running Time: 118 Minutes
Staring:  George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.1 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 31% Audience: 44% Link
MY RATING: 7

MY REVIEW:
I've read some really horrible reviews and it was basically critically shunned.

I got the feeling that I was thinking that I would get hearing the storied and seeing what these men endured. I think the ensemble was just strong enough to carry out the intended purpose of this type of movie. It's based on a true story and I think they did a great job with the casting. The real men who volunteered for this mission were not solders, so casting the likes of Bill Murray and John Goodman alongside Matt Damon and George Clooney seemed to be a good choice. Yes, the script could have been a little better and some of the scenes were really overdone,but it was good. Solid 7.