Author: moviewarrior

I am an IT Professional who has loved the movie going experience since Kindergarten. My favorite Genres are Action, Suspense/Thrillers, Drama, Sci-Fi, Animation, Art House and Romantic Comedies.

Begin Again

“Begin Again” is another one of those “Sleeper” movies, what I mean by that is; it’s a really good movie with very little advertisement. It’s open in limited release across the country.

Two ambitious young song writers, Gretta & Dave (Keira Knightley and Adam Levine) move to New York in search of stardom. Dave gets signed by a major record company. As his star starts to rise, the temptations that go with being a music sensation get the best of Dave. Devastated and disappointed Gretta breaks up with Dave and moves on.

Gretta struggles to put her life back together. She performs one night in the East Village and is heard by a once well respected music producer Dan (Mark Ruffalo) who has since fallen on hard times. After hearing Gretta sing Dan is very interested in trying to get Gretta signed to his record label. The story unfolds from there…

The music in this movie is great. I love the sound track. I was tapping my foot and popping my fingers. You hear songs by Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra just to name a couple. The movie starts off slow, but once you get past the first 10-12 minutes it’s great.

“Begin Again” is definitely worth a look. It’s also not for anyone under the age of 16. There is no nudity, but the tone and theme are very adult.

This is a 4 Star Movie

Transformers: Age of Extinction IMAX 3D

I have always been “Luke Warm” to the Transformer franchise. With Director Michael Bay retooling the franchise, there were high hopes that this installment would match the first installment. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” does not match the first installment, not even close, but it’s definitely better than the previous two installments.

From the last installment an epic battle between the Transformers and Decepticons left a major city torn, but with the world saved. As humanity picks up the pieces and tries to go on with life, there is a group who is trying to change the course of history, while another group attempts to exploit the use of the transformer technology to build war weapons.

Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is a Mechanic/Scientist who stumbles upon an old worn diesel truck. He has the truck towed to his farm and after a few days of tinkering with the truck discovers the diesel truck to be an old broken down transformer. The story unfolds from there…

“Transformer: Age of Extinction” is a CGI extravaganza. There is tons of non-stop action, wild crazy special effects and eye popping cinematography. This is the best part of the movie, because the plot and story are stupid. You are not setup at the beginning properly for everything to fall in place and make sense.

Michael Bay has stated that this installment will kick off another series. If it takes this long to save earth, we are in trouble.

If you are a fan of the Transformer Franchise, then by all means do see “Transformers: Age of Extinction”. It’s a must see in IMAX, but you can skip the 3D.

This is a 2 Star movie

Think Like A Man Too

This was the highly anticipated sequel to the 2012 hit “Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man”. Well as often goes a sequel is usually not as good as its predecessor. “Think Like A Man Too” is such a sequel.

Picking up where they left off from two years ago the couples head to Las Vegas for a wedding celebration. Their plans go awry when their various misadventures turn into trouble and they all land in jail. The story unfolds from there…

Instead of being funny, Kevin Hart is annoying and irritating in the movie. I was hoping that someone in the movie would slap him. There is being funny and then there is being raunchy. Kevin was just plain raunchy.
The story is somewhat predictable, but there are a few unexpected surprises. The movie is silly and just plain stupid. The first installment was very good.

“Think Like A Man Too” is disappointing… I would only spend money seeing this movie if you have absolutely nothing to do this weekend.
Otherwise wait for DVD, Blueray or Cable

This movie is worth 1 1/2 stars

The Fault In Our Stars

“The Fault In Our Stars” is an excellent movie, but not one to see if you are currently dealing with any type of personal tragedy involving a loved one.

“The Fault In Our Stars” is about two extra ordinary teenagers (Gus & Hazel) who meet at a cancer support group. Their friendship grows quickly and they fall in love. Through their extra-ordinary friendship they explore life, love and tragedy. The story unfolds from there…

“The Fault In Our Stars” is based on the best-selling novel by John Green. The story is intense, heart-warming, funny, sweet and tearful. The performances by Shailene Woodley (She was the star in “Divergent”) and Ansel Elgort will have you rooting for them.

This is a tear-jerker, take a box of tissues with you.

This is a 4 star movie

Edge of Tomorrow the IMAX Experience

“Edge of Tomorrow” is “Superbly Executed”

Once again Earth is under attack. This time it’s in the near future and the alien race comes calling. They strike in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. They must be stopped before they reach North America and beyond.

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat, but he has strong ideas of how to attack and kill the alien invaders. Because of his ideas, Major Cage is unwillingly dropped into the middle of the combat action and forced into what appears to be a suicide mission. It is literally “Live, Die, Repeat” on a daily basis. It’s a time loop that keeps going. The story unfolds from there…

I am usually “Luke-Warm” about a Tom Cruise movie, but he is awesome in “Edge of Tomorrow”. This is because he doesn’t bring as much intensity to his character as he usually does. He really shows a range of emotions in this movie.
You really must pay attention. Because of the “Time Loop” you don’t want to miss a thing. This is superbly executed. The special effects, action and cinematography are great! Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise have good “on-screen” chemistry.

“Edge of Tomorrow” is a wild ride on the edge of your seat! It’s definitely a must see in IMAX. If you like “Sci-Fi” Action, this is your movie.

This is a 4 star movie.

Maleficient 3D

“Maleficient” is a “Dark Fairy Tale” with great a star, excellent cinematography, and special effects, but that’s it…

“Maleficient” is the untold Disney story about the iconic villain in “Sleeping Beauty”. The story tells how Maleficient became evil-minded and cast a mean spell over Princess Aurora when she was just a baby. As Princess Aurora grows she finds herself in the middle of a raging conflict between the forest she has grown to love and the Kingdom that is her birth-rite. The story unfolds from there.

Angelina Jolie is great as “Maleficient”. The movie it’s self falls short of drawing you in. The story is weak and doesn’t quite make sense. This will cause your attention to wane. I am not sure that a child would enjoy seeing this movie.

The movie is worth 2 1/2 stars

Chef

Chef” is the surprise “sleeper” movie of the early summer!!

“Chef” is about Miami-based Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) who is the head chef at a quaint upscale California restaurant. Riva (Dustin Hoffman) the owner of the restaurant insists on selecting the menu every day. Celebrated Food Critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) gave the restaurant a very bad review because of the food selection.

Chef Carl tries to negotiate with Riva the owner of the restaurant to allow him as a “creative cook” to select what he believes is a winning menu that will win over the critic. When Riva disagrees and forces Chef Carl to either cook his menu or leave. Chef Carl chooses to leave.
Days later Chef Carl is presented with the opportunity to own his own “Food Truck”. The story unfolds from there…

“Chef” is fun, light-hearted and very entertaining. The movie flows and there is never a dull moment. The cast is great! What a surprise “Sleeper”. This movie has been playing in a limited number of theaters since May 9th. It really should be opened in wide-release. It’s very good. I highly recommend “Chef”.

“Chef” is a 4 1/2 Stars movie.

X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is Excellent!!

The X-Men ensemble fights a war for survival across two time periods. In an attempt to change the course of history and to assure their species survives, the X-Men from the original installment must join forces with their younger selves from the past, X-Men First-Class. The story unfolds from there…

This movie has substance. It’s solid. You get time travel!! It’s very entertaining, has tons of action and is fun to watch. The cinematography and special effects are great! By far this is the best “X-Men” movie in the franchise.

This is a 4 1/2 star movie!

Million Dollar Arm

“Million Dollar Arm” is quite entertaining!! Based on a true story, “Million Dollar Arm is about the first Indian man to be drafted to play in Major League Baseball in the US.

Jon Hamm plays JB Bernstein a near washed up sports agent who is trying desperately to save his business. JB gets the idea that if he can find “A Million Dollar Arm” among India’s Cricket Pitchers he would be able to save his business.

JB travels to India and in reality TV style hosts try-outs. The story unfolds from there…

The story is amusing and enjoyable. The cinematography is very interesting. It really looks like a part of the movie was filmed in India. “Million Dollar Arm” is a family friendly movie that can be enjoyed by all.

This is a 3 1/2 star movie

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: IMAX 3D

In this installment of “The Amazing Spider-Man” The Corporation known as OsCorp is the root of all problems both past and present. This is the company where Peter Parker’s Dad once worked as a renowned Scientist. The story unfolds from there…

There are lots of surprises and unexpected villains in this installment of “The Amazing Spider-Man”. This alone keeps the web slinger hustling. There is a lot of action and violence. The cinematography, visual and special effects are very good.

The problem with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is that it’s over the top and after while you get tired of the nonsense.

This installment also mixes Spiderman’s heroic efforts with his romantic interest. The story constantly goes back and forth.

While I think this installment is pretty good. I am Luke-warm to the entire “The Amazing Spider-Man” franchise because it’s been done before.