Murder on the Orient Express

The remake of “Murder on the Orient Express” is loaded with heavy hitters. Too bad they did not hit it out of the park!

“Murder on the Orient Express” is a story of thirteen strangers aboard a stranded train where a murder has occurred. Everyone is considered a suspect. There is a detective (Kenneth Branagh) aboard the train and he races to investigate and try to solve the crime before the murderer strikes again. The story unfolds from there…

I had high hopes for the remake of “Murder on the Orient Express”. The trailers were awesome. The movie does contain some very nice scenic views of Istanbul. The movie would be passable if it weren’t for the second half which drags and goes on way too long. At the theater I was in there were people standing at the exit waiting to bolt.

The train does not run off the rails, but it’s a bumpy ride along the European Countryside.

Stick to the original. Peter Ustinov in the original cannot be replaced.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Jigsaw

I had never planned to see Jigsaw, but an opportunity presented it’s self today so I went with a friend.

I have never personally been a fan of the Saw or Jigsaw movies. They are just plan gory, but this installment actually had some legs…

The movie starts off with several people in jeopardy. Each person has committed an awful crime that they have each gotten away with, but Jigsaw knows the details of each person’s sin and plans to make them pay individually. The story unfolds from there…

“Bloody”, “Gory”, “Painful”, “Revenge” and “Just Plain Sick” is how I would describe the events that take place in “Jigsaw”. There are some appealing twists and turns and that’s what makes the movie interesting. But alas it was just too “Gory” and “Bloody” for me.

If you like Horror and Gore, by all means see “Jigsaw”.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Thor: Ragnarok in Real 3D

This is a Special Edition of Thursday Night at the Movies with the Movie Warrior

This 3rd installment finds Thor imprisoned on the other side of the Universe without his powerful Hammer. Thor finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok the destruction of his homeland and the end of Asgardian Civilization. Thor must battle a new powerful villain, the ruthless Hela. Hela will stop at nothing to take over and destroy Asgard. If that’s not enough, Thor also must survive a Gladiator contest against the mighty Hulk…The story unfolds from there…

Wow!! Awesome cinematography, special effects, action, suspense and intrigue. They got it right on this 3rd installment. It’s a wild ride in your theater seat. Colorful scenes give way to spectacular camera angles.

This is a star-studded cast with appearances from The Hulk and Dr Strange.

They definitely did not play it safe with this installment, it’s as if all guns came out blazing. Marvel Universe did hit the jackpot.

If you are a fan of the Marvel Comic Universe, this installment of Thor is definitely worth a look.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Suburbicon

“Suburbicon” is a new Black (Dark) Comedy directed by George Clooney.

The ideal quiet, peaceful suburban community with manicured lawns, children playing together and nosy neighbors is at the center of attention in “Suburbicon”.

It’s 1959 and Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) and his family must deal with the town’s deceit, violence and betrayal. This is a movie that exploits people making very bad assumptions and very bad decisions.

I can honestly say that “Suburbicon” is the worst Dark Comedy that George Clooney has ever directed. He is usually a master behind the camera, but not this time. There are too many agendas, plots and stories all mixed up and going no-where in the movie. There is a tale of Racial Injustice, a tale of Violence, a tale of what appears to be Extortion, a tale of Deceit. There is also a tale of Adolescent Confusion. None of these tales really provide a backbone to the movie.

Movies are supposed to be enjoyable, not confusing or twisted. The subject matter should be somewhat straight forward. You get nothing from “Suburbicon”. I will admit that the ending is extremely surprising. The best part of “Suburbicon” is the trailers or previews that aired over the last 10 months. You could probably watch the trailers a few times and get enough out of them about “Suburbicon” without investing your time and money. The trailers do in fact showcase the best parts of the movie.

I don’t fault Matt Damon. He did what he could do with what was given to him. I usually love his movies, but there is nothing to love or even like about “Suburbicon”.

View at your own risk!

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Geostorm in Real 3D

We have not had a nature disaster movie this year so here we go…

“Geostorm” is one of those movies that shows you all the best parts of the movie in the trailers so that when you go see it, it’s just ho-hum.

I am still trying to figure out the plot…There were no great scenes or special effects. The planet’s climate control satellites begin to malfunction. This causes catastrophic weather to develop around the world causing the air to go into a deep freeze where it’s normally hot, tides climb to outrageous heights and come ashore to destroy sky scraper buildings in places like Dubai. Where the weather is normally cold, everything melts. A Satellite designer (Gerard Butler) races to save the day! The story unfolds from there…

No Stars!!

Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween

“Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” is a continuation from the first installment, the 2016 hit that lasted two weeks at number one.

I actually did not find this installment as funny as last years. This installment is quirky, silly and a bit dull. The funniest parts of the movie include Madea, but Madea is not in every scene. I have to say that this Madea installment is no-where near as good as any of the others that Tyler Perry has made. While the movie will not scare you, you should be afraid to see it.

No Stars!!

The Foreigner

“The Foreigner” will show veteran actor Jackie Chan in a different light.

A typical day where a father picks up his daughter from school and takes her shopping turns into the worst possible nightmare when a planted bomb goes off near a women’s boutique.
Grief stricken beyond belief Quan (Jackie Chan) searches for answers. He visits the local police but doesn’t get any comfort. Soon Quan makes his way to a British Government Official, Liam Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan) looking for answers, but isn’t offered any hope.
Believing that the Liam Hennessy is lying, Quan decides to get the Official’s attention. The story unfolds from there…

I thought that “The Foreigner” was very entertaining. The movie has lots of action, suspense, intrigue and some very interesting twists and turns.

A grieving parent is a devastating soul. A grieving parent who has martial arts skills and is a former special ops in the military is Deadly!

Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan are very convincing in their roles.

“The Foreigner” is worth a look.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

Blade Runner 2049 the IMAX 3D Experience

Thirty Five Years later, “Blade Runner” returns.

It’s the year 2049, a secret that has been buried for a long time is brought into the light by a young blade runner, Officer K (Ryan Gosling). This secret leads Officer K in search of a former blade runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who has been missing for over thirty years. The story unfolds from there…

I may be in the minority, because I did not find “Blade Runner 2049” entertaining. It was Dark, Cloudy, Overcast, Dirty and Boring. There was little to no excitement!! The characters were mostly stoic.

However there are some positives, the cinematography is awesome. The special effects are cool and the 3D aspects are on point. The action was sometimes intense, but most of the time just ho-hum.

I just wasn’t able to get into the movie. That doesn’t mean it was bad. You may find that you enjoy it.

This is a 3½ Star Movie!

Battle of the Sexes

Finally opened in wide-release, “Battle of the Sexes” is a look at the events and true story of the 1973 Tennis showdown between World number one Billie Jean King and former men’s champ, Bobby Riggs.

The real live event was one of the most watched televised sporting events in history. At that time over 90 million viewers watched Billie Jean King hand Bobby Riggs his hat in a match that he was overwhelmingly favored to win, but lost in stunning fashion.

During this time Billie Jean King was championing the cause for equal pay for female tennis players, while Bobby Riggs was a flashy gambler who refused to stop even as it almost cost him his family.

Bravo to the movie for truly displaying 1973, no state-of-the-art electronic devices of any kind and no flashy tennis outfits.

This epic tennis match is still talked about to this day.

“Battle of the Sexes” is definitely worth a look.

This is a 4 Star Move!

American Made

Remember the Iran Contra Scandal that plagued the Reagan Administration? “American Made” is about actual events from that scandal.

A TWA Pilot, Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) is approached by a CIA agent, Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson), in an attempt to recruit Barry Seal away from TWA to make flights to Central America. On these flights Barry often times has merchandise such as motorcycles, guns or even liquor to drop off. Barry also picks up drugs while in Central America and makes drops on his way back to the US.

All the while this is going on other agencies are keeping an eye on Barry as they think he might be a criminal (Drug Smuggler). Not fully understanding what Barry’s mission is, the DEA, ATF and FBI ambush Barry in Arkansas. The story unfolds from there…

You have to respect the “Actor” in Tom Cruise as he puts a tremendous amount of energy into the roles he plays. This is true of “American Made”. Tom gives it the energy it needs and without his energy the movie might not be as good as it is.
“American Made” is entertaining. It’s not fast-paced, but it does tell the story in a reasonable fashion.