Month: March 2017

The Ghost in the Shell in 3D

“Ghost in the Shell” is the live-action, big screen adaptation of the popular Japanese Manga series. The 3D aspects are very good. The story lags a bit and the plot is non-existent, but the movie is not bad.

Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind. She was saved from a terrible accident and through surgical procedures was “Rebuilt” as a Cyber-being, part human, part robot. Major is enhanced to be the perfect crime fighter. She has the speed, agility, flexibility and combat instincts to thwart many bad guys.

Things go awry when Major starts to show signs of having memories from her former life. She is trying to figure things out and understand more about her being. She also discovers that she has been lied to. Major will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of who she really is, but the people who created her can’t allow that. The story unfolds from there…

The action and special effects are awesome! The story is a bit off and lags at various points. This is what keeps the movie from being 4 stars.

I am a fan of Scarlett Johansson, so I wanted to see how she would do. She was good as Major.

If there is another installment, there needs to be a deeper story, more intrigue and suspense.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

Life

Ever since the 1979 box office hit “Alien”, there has been attempted replications and duplication’s. Some have come close, but most have failed.

“Life” is nothing more than an attempted replication with A-List Actors and far more stupidity and nonsense.

We as humans on earth continue to be fascinated with the possibility of life on Mars. A team of astronauts and scientists operate a space station near Mars. Exploration is done and what appears to be a life form is found. Our curiosity gets the best of us as we poke, prod and attempt chemical modifications to the form we have found.

Too much poking and prodding with the wrong instruments leads to growth stimulation of the life form. We then try to kill what we have tampered with, but to no avail. The life form sustains its life by feeding on us. The story unfolds from there…

The outcome of “Life” is pretty obvious. Is there ever a good ending to a Sci-Fi Thriller that has any sort of Alien being?

After the first 70 minutes I was bored and actually considered leaving. I did go and stand near the exit because the movie was getting on my nerves. I had seen it all before. There is nothing really new except several A-List Actors in the movie. There was no real suspense, some action, a lot of stupidity and nonsense.

The paid critics believe “Life” is fresh. I think it’s as stale as 2 week old bread.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Beauty and The Beast in 3D

Disney’s “Beauty and The Beast” is a “Live Action Visual Feast”!!

Belle (Emma Watson) goes in search of her father Maurice (Kevin Kline) after his horse returns to the village without him. The horse leads Belle through the forest to the castle where her father disappeared. Belle finds her father being held captive inside the castle. The Beast approaches, but Belle isn’t afraid of the Beast and offers to trade places with her father. The Beast doesn’t want to make a trade, but allows Belle to say good-bye to her father. Once she is inside the cell with her father she pushes him out and slams the door. The story unfolds from there…

“Beauty and the Beast” is an old animated story being told in live action with tremendous visual effects, beautiful cinematography and wonderfully updated music.

The movie is very entertaining and will hold your attention. The 3D aspects are very good. The cast is excellent with the enchanting servant voices being played by the likes of Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

This is a grown-up version of the classic tale, but can be enjoyed by everyone!!

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

Kong: Skull Island in 3D

“Kong: Skull Island” is “Crazy Stupid”, but it’s fast-paced, has lots of eye candy and tons of action.

Set in the post-Vietnam war era, a group of explorers/scientists and a team of military specialists are brought together to go on an exploration assignment to an uncharted island in the Pacific. It’s not really explained ahead of time what the group might be looking for, but it was made known that they needed to go before Russia went. At first glance the island looks to be a paradise, but the parties soon find out the island is as dangerous and treacherous as it is beautiful. The story unfolds from there…

The special effects are awesome. The action is non-stop. The 3D aspects will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s in your face violent.

“Kong: Skull Island” offers you another rendition of the King Kong saga. It’s the first creature-feature of the year.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Logan

Wow! “Logan” is Action-Packed, Intense, Gritty and Intriguing.

It’s 2029 and all Mutants are supposedly gone. “Logan” (Jackman) lives on the outskirts of the Mexican Border and has a job as a Chauffeur. Professor X (Stewart) is ailing and needs constant care. Logan uses whatever cash he makes purchasing the medication that helps keep Professor X’s brain calm and quiet.

Logan is approached by a woman who says she desperately needs his help. At first Logan refuses indicating that he does not know the woman and does not know how or why she thinks she knows him. Logan soon finds out that the reason the woman needs his help is that she is harboring a young little girl who is a mutant with skills like Wolverine.
There are bad people looking for the little girl. The woman offers Logan 50,000 dollars saying he is the only person who could keep the little girl safe. Mysteriously the little girl shows up at Logan’s place without him knowing about it. This brings the bad people to his place also. The story unfolds from there…

“Logan” is entertaining, suspenseful, very bloody, and violent and has some cool special effects. Hugh Jackman puts so much of himself into the character “Logan” that it’s almost painful to watch.

“Logan” is so intense that it’s not for young children. This is truly an adult Marvel Comics installment.

If you like Marvel Comics, “Logan” is for you!

This is a 4 Star Movie!

The Shack

It’s difficult to bring a best-selling novel to the big screen. It’s even more difficult to bring a novel that was difficult to read to the big screen. In comes “The Shack”. I read “The Shack”. After the first 75 pages I had to walk away from the book for a few a days, but I did come back because it was a recommended read for me because I was struggling with the death of my Mom at that time.

“The Shack” is about how we question or even abandon our faith when something tragic or devastating happens to us.
Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) suffers a family tragedy. He falls into a HUGH depression, questions his beliefs and abandons his faith. Mack is summoned to an old shack in the Oregon woods. There he meets three souls. Through this meeting Mack discovers truths about himself and how to deal with his tragedy. The story unfolds from there…

“The Shack” is difficult to watch on the screen, not because it’s not meaningful and important, but because the script is all over the place. The movie is really hard to follow. The story doesn’t really come together and the movie is not entertaining. The book wasn’t that bad…

The movie contains some beautiful cinematography and panoramic views, but that’s not enough to make “The Shack” even a three star movie.

I have seen many Christian-Faith based movies and I personally do not think “The Shack” is worth the money, but I will say that Octavia Spencer is the best element in the movie.

This is a 2 Star Movie!