Month: July 2013

The Wolverine 3D

In this installment Mutant Wolverine is a century-old. He is lured to Japan to say Good-bye to a very old friend whose life he once saved, but once Wolverine arrives he finds out that things are not what they seem and he finds himself being pushed to his physical and emotional limits. The real threat of death hangs over him. The story unfolds from there…

“The Wolverine” is not great, it’s just pretty good. There is some cool Samurai sword fighting and the cinematography is interesting, but the story is a bit boring and dis-jointed. However there are a few eyebrow raising surprises.

Hugh Jackman’s dialog comes out as growls rather than actual speaking. The saving grace is that Hugh Jackman is as buff as I ever seen him without a shirt. He’s definitely “Eye Candy” for the ladies.

It’s definitely a waste of money from the 3D aspects. If you are a Wolverine fan then don’t miss this.

This is the sixth time that Hugh Jackman has reprised his role as Wolverine. This tale is getting a bit stale.

Red 2

The 2011 sleeper hit “Red” follows up its success with a sequel.

Retired Black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) reunites with his motley crew of elite operatives to chase down and recover a missing nuclear war head. This chase takes them to London, Russia (Moscow), France and of course the United States.

To find the missing warhead the team will have to battle a gang of relentless assassins who will stop at nothing to try and stop them from recovering the warhead. The story unfolds from there…

Unfortunately “Red 2” is not quite as interesting or entertaining as its predecessor. I was very sad to see that Morgan Freeman did not reprise his role from the first installment.

I found Helen Mirren to be as good in this installment as she was in the first. Any part of the movie that she is in is fun to watch. Unfortunately she is only in about 40% of the movie. Bruce Willis kicks the butt of men half his age with ease. He’s getting a bit too old to continue this pastime. Anthony Hopkins is a breath of fresh air, unfortunately his air comes a bit too late in the movie.

I found “Red 2” to be a bit stupid and boring.

Pacific Rim

Movie: Pacific Rim
Running Time: 2hr. 11min
Cast: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Diego Klattenhoff, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day

All I can say is “WOW!!”

“Pacific Rim” is off the chain!! The monsters looked a little to “REAL” for me. I didn’t see it in 3D, but none the less I was ducking and dodging in my seat! The Cinematography was breath taking. The CGI and special effects were super good.
“Pacific Rim” is about Legions of scary lizard-like sea monsters known as Kaiju that start rising from the sea, a war begins and tons of lives are lost and humanity’s resources are consumed for years on end. To fight the Kaiju a special type of weapon is manufactured.

The Weapons are massive robots called Jaegers that are controlled by two pilots whom when inside the Jaegers their minds are locked in a neutral bridge so all they can focus on is defeating the Kaiju.

The Kaiju are proving to be too much for the Jaegers. The need for more fighting resources becomes apparent, so the commander (Idris Elba) seeks out a former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) to join forces with him team. The story unfolds from there…

“Pacific Rim” is loaded with Sci-Fi action, intense sequences of violence, suspense, intrigue and big scary monsters, but the movie is very well executed. This is “Edge of Your Seat” entertainment.

If you can stand the big Lizard-like monsters it’s worth a look.

The Lone Ranger

Movie: The Lone Ranger
Running Time: 2hr. 29min
Cast: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Helena Bonham Carter

I was extremely skeptical about “The Lone Ranger”. I should have heeded my mind.
“The Lone Ranger” is full of miscalculations, over the top action, extreme western-style violence and goof-ball scenes.
The movie is told in a “2nd Person” type fashion. Johnny Depp is “Tonto” a Native American Spirit Warrior who tells the story of how John Reid (Armie Hammer) a District Attorney in Western Times became “The Lone Ranger”. The story that is told is like a violent runaway train that doesn’t stop for 150 minutes.

The movie will take you in so many directions with so many sub-plots that it gives new meaning to the term “Screw-Ball” comedy. Additionally the movie is way to long and takes to long to get to the point.
There are funny laugh out loud scenes, but they only make-up about 20% of the movie. The rest is mayhem, stupidity and goof-ball nonsense.

Although it is a Disney Production, “The Lone Ranger” is not for children. It is an adult movie.