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.

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.

Transcendence

“Transcendence” is a Suspense Thriller that doesn’t Thrill!!

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is a celebrated researcher in the field of artificial intelligence. Will is working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective thought intelligence of everything known and with the full range of human emotion.

Because of his genius Will becomes the target of anti-technology extremists who will stop at nothing to keep Dr. Caster from realizing his dream. The story unfolds from there…

I was unable to wrap my brain around this movie. I am sorry to say but, Johnny Depp should stick to the character “Captain Jack Sparrow” in movies like “Pirate of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest”. Rumor has it that “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales” is slated for 2016.
“Transcendence” was dry, lack-luster and flat. There were a few moments of suspense and intrigue, but that’s about it!!

The paid critics were dead on regarding “Transcendence”. Wait for DVD or Blueray.

Draft Day

If you are an avid Pro Football Fan, You will be intrigued by “Draft Day”.

The 2014 NFL Draft is just hours away…The back room, under the table deals that occur between the front offices of NFL teams is mind boggling if not staggering.

Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner) has the opportunity to trade for the number one player and thus rebuild his team, the Cleveland Browns. The fans, the coaches, the owner and his Mom are counting on him. Sonny makes what everyone believes is the best possible deal with the Seattle Seahawks to get the number one pick, but before the actual draft starts Sonny does his own homework on the number one pick and starts to have doubts. The story unfolds from there…

The movie starts off a bit “Ho-Hum”. It does pick up steam and really starts to roll, but a bit too late because the movie is almost over when it gets exciting. There are definitely a few surprises which make things interesting.

I found the on-screen chemistry between Jennifer Garner and Kevin Costner to be a bit strange. They are not the best “Love” match. I really like both of them as actors. The cinematography is great as you will get a different look at some of the best looking NFL Football Stadiums around the country.

The paid critics were a bit harsh on “Draft Day”, but I think it’s worth a look.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier The 3D IMAX Experience

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is action packed, a wild ride and very entertaining!

This installment finds Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) living in the Nation’s Capital trying to adjust to modern life.

There is an attack on S.H.I.E.L.D that could put the entire world at risk. Captain America joins forces with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and an new ally the Falcon together they struggle to get to the bottom of this latest ploy before all man-kind is eliminated. They soon find out that things are not what they seem and they are up against an unexpected enemy. The story unfolds from there…

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” contains non-stop action, suspense and intrigue. There is a lot more butt kicking going on than in the previous installment. Things are not what they seem. There are plenty of twists and turns. You will be on the edge of your seat!
Don’t be too quick to exit when the credits start to roll…there is a nice lead into the next installment at the very end. This sets things up nicely for next year’s Avengers installment.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a MUST SEE in IMAX. It’s definitely better than the first installment.

Sabotage

“Sabotage” is Sabotage to your wallet. 😦

Breacher (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the leader of an elite DEA task force that works at capturing the world’s most vicious drug criminals. The team successfully executes a high-stakes raid on a drug cartel safe house, they think their work is complete, but they later find out they are being accused of stealing 10 million dollars from the cartel safe house.

Each team member is thoroughly investigated but nothing was found. They are all given back their badges, guns and equipment. They go back to work, but then one by one they are mysteriously eliminated. As the body count rises, everyone is a suspect. The story unfolds from there…
The story gets off to a bad start…The plot is non-existent until you are half way through the movie. “Sabotage is “In Your Face Bloody”. It’s so bloody that I found myself turning away from the screen several times. The violence is crazy! I have to applaud the cinematography because the views you get are very grisly. Everything looks so realistic. There is plenty of suspense and some intrigue, but the story is lacking substance and depth.

“Sabotage” disappoints. It’s not as good as I had hoped it would be. It’s collateral damage in the worst way.

If you are an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, “Sabotage” is your movie.

Divergent: The iMAX Experience

“Divergent” is not bad, but it could be better.

Image living in a world where you live in a distinct faction based on your virtues. Once a person reaches adulthood, they are tested. After testing they are given the chance to choose between 5 distinct factions in which to live out the rest of their lives. Once your choice has been made you must leave the family you grew up with. This includes your Mother, Father and any siblings.

Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) chooses her faction, but during her initiation of her chosen faction she discovers a conspiracy by a faction leader (Kate Winslet) to destroy all “Divergents”. Tris must gain an ally in her training leader who calls himself “Four”(Theo James). Together they must figure out a way to stop the Divergent faction from being destroyed. The story unfolds from there…

“Divergent” is lacking in foundation. Events are not really put in proper perspective. The main actors are great. The problem is the story and how it unfolds. The cinematography and camera angles are excellent.

The running time (2:20) of “Divergent” is a bit long for what you get.