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.

Lone Survivor

“LONE SURVIVOR”, is a tale of true Brotherhood, Sacrifice, Courage and Heroism. Based on a true story, four Navy SEALS go out on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative. The mission goes awry and the four SEALS find themselves ambushed and fighting for their lives.

The movie is very well executed, plenty of action, intense violence and very bloody. I found myself hiding my eyes sometimes…The realism of the situation is staggering. This is probably one of the bloodiest military movies I have ever seen!!

LONE SURVIVOR gives you a really good look at what our troops have been dealing with and are continuing to deal with today. No politics are implied in this movie, just the day to day operations that our military deals with. My heart goes out to the men and women who fight for our country and our freedom.

If you like military movies and can stand the bloodiness; LONE SURVIVOR is your movie.

Caution, LONE SURVIVOR is not suited for children under 17.

Saving Mr. Banks

Walt Disney promised his daughters that he would obtain the rights to make a movie from the bestselling novel P.L. Travers “Mary Poppins”. The only problem is that it would take over 20 years to accomplish.

Author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) wasn’t really interested in allowing her book and beloved magical nanny Mary Poppins to become part of the Hollywood Mauling machine.
But after a while the book stopped selling and finances became a strain so P.L. Travers agree to come to Holly wood to meet with Walt Disney. The story unfolds from there…

The story is very well told. We see P.L. Travers childhood through her eyes throughout the movie via flashbacks that she has during her time at the Disney Studios.

This is a very delightful movie. It’s sweet in that Disney way, but not too sweet. Just think “Saving Mr. Banks” is a Disney movie about the making of a Disney movie. How can you go wrong with that?

Grudge Match

I am not sure why the paid critics were so hard on “Grudge Match”, I found it mildly entertaining.

“Grudge Match” is about two retired Pittsburgh boxers Billy “The Kid” (DeNiro) and Henry “Razor” Sharp (Stallone). They maintained a fierce rivalry that continued from the 1980’s until now. They each beat the other in a prize fight, but on the eve of their third fight Henry announced his retirement and this ended both fighters boxing careers.
Thirty years later boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr. (Hart) comes calling. He makes both Henry and Billy an offer they can’t refuse. The story unfolds from there…

There were a few holes in the story, but the overall movie picks up toward the end especially the boxing match scenes. I found the movie to be mildly funny at times, but did not offer the comic relief expected. I think that DeNiro and Stallone had decent on-screen chemistry, but I found some of the scenes with Kim Basinger and Sylvester Stallone to be awkward.

If you have run out of “After Christmas Shopping”, then by all means see “Grudge Match”.

The Wolf of Wall Street

“The Wolf of Wall Street” with a running time of 2:59 is the second longest movie I have seen next to Malcolm X which had a running time of 3:30.

Based on a true story in 1987, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) enters the world of stock trading at an entry level position. In the 1990’s Jordan who is still in his 20’s forms his own firm Stratton Oakmont. Together with his closest friend (Jonah Hill) and several other business acquaintances, Jordan Belfort makes millions by defrauding wealthy investors out of millions.

What Jordan and his cronies don’t know is that while they are partying, engaging in wild sex and recreational drug use, the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is compiling evidence in their investigation that is going to bring Jordan’s firm down and rid him of his excessive wealth. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is very explicit in its dealing with the facts. There is a tremendous about of sexual content, drug use and pervasive language. It’s a no holds barred look inside the world of a Wall Street firm’s daily life. This is a Martin Scorsese film and that in its self is reason to see it.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” is definitely not for anyone under the age of 17.

American Hustle

“American Hustle” is one of those highly anticipated movies, it doesn’t disappoint. You will be intrigued from the first 20 minutes. My attention never wavered. The cast was excellent. Depending on whom you are rooting for you will either be pleased or pissed off.

“American Hustle” is about cons and swindles going down routinely. A couple of con artists believe they have the perfect money making scheme. They go about executing their plan flawlessly until one day they happen upon the wrong client. An FBI agent happens to meet with the con-artists; of course they do not know they are talking with an FBI agent. Once the scheme goes down, he identifies himself and arrests are made.

The FBI agent isn’t all on the up and up himself, but he forces the con-artists to work with him undercover to bring down a group of shady State Senators and Congressman. The story unfolds from there…

“American Hustle” is very much a Martin Scorsese like film, but he did not direct this. This was directed by David O. Russell. You must pay attention. Things are not always as they seem. There are plenty of surprises that materialize before your eyes. There is a lot of drama, quite a bit of sexuality, but the movie does not contain a lot of brutality.

The male audience will find this movie entertaining from a sensual perspective. Amy Adams never wears a bra and this is obvious throughout the movie. There are several scenes where it’s clear she isn’t wearing any panties either. I also found Jennifer Lawrence’s performance interesting. This movie is definitely not for the teenage set.

“American Hustle” is worth the price of admission.

Out of The Furnace

I saw “Out of The Furnace” in Atlanta this weekend while visiting my Posse.

“Out of The Furnace” is clearly a case of great actors navigating a horrible script. The music is really good and Woody Harrelson was insanely crazy in the movie. That’s about as good as it gets.

“Out of The Furnace” is about family, fate and justice. Christian Bale is Russell Baze who works a dead end job at a local Steel Mill. His brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) fresh from serving his country in Iraq plays the ponies and eventually hooks up with one of the most notorious crime syndicates in the area. Rodney soon gets caught up in something way over his head and mysteriously disappears. The story unfolds from there…

This is one of those movies that was minimally edited. There are no ebbs and flows and its strictly monotone. For the most part the movie will hold your attention because you want to get to resolution of the situation and events, but the lulls that occur will give you pause.

I would suggest waiting for “Out of The Furnace” to hit Blue-Ray, DVD or Cable.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire The IMAX Experience

This second installment finds Katniss Everdeen back at home safely after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Part of winning means the winners must promote the games, so Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) embark on a cross country district by district tour. They are also both trying to convince President Snow (Donald Sutherland) that they do love each other and it was the right thing to allow them to be co-winners of the 74th Hunger Games. It would seem though that President Snow is not convinced.

The 75th Annual Hunger Games is approaching. President Snow has decided that all past winners must compete again to mark the 75th Anniversary. The story unfolds from there…

There is a nice continuation from the first installment. “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” flows nicely, keeps you engaged and thoroughly entertained. The cinematography is breathtaking and the special effects are awesome. My only problem was the ending is a bit weird, but the door is open for installment number three.
If you are a fan of the Hunger Games Franchise then “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is a must see.

The Best Man Holiday

It’s been 15 years since the 1999 “The Best Man” opened. So in 2013 the old college friends attempt to reunite for the Holidays.

Old forgotten rivalries flare and old romances rekindle in this second installation. It seems time does not heel old wounds.

“The Best Man Holiday” has something for everyone, Love, Sex, Romance, Rivalry, Family, Loyalty, Success and Dishonesty. The story does a good job of picking up where the 1999 installment ended.

What makes “The Best Man Holiday” work is the strong cast. Everyone who was in the 1999 movie is back in 2013, plus a few new welcome additions. If you didn’t see the 1999 installment, that’s ok. The gaps get filled in.

Although the movie is entertaining, the mixture/combination of Christian Faith, Comedy and Raunchy Sex don’t fly.

Thor: The Dark World An IMAX 3D Experience

It’s very difficult to duplicate the success of a first installment. “Thor: The Dark World” the sequel to the 2011 blockbuster picks up nicely from where the first installment ended.

The adventures of Thor the Mighty Avenger continues as he battles to save Earth and the Nine Realms from the dark enemy that came before the universe.
The evil Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Odin and Asgard are no match against this evil enemy they face. Thor embarks on his own perilous journey, one that re-unites him with Jane Foster (Portman) and they together try to save the Universe. The story unfolds from there…

A must see in IMAX, although 3D is not necessary. The cinematography, special effects and action are very good. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) continues to weld his hammer to the delight of female audiences. The movie has a small lull, but other than that it’s pretty good at holding your attention.

If you are interested in the Thor franchise then “Thor: The Dark World” is a must see.

Last Vegas

“Last Vegas” is like “The Hangover” for the “Geriatric Set”. The comedy was fun but calm, nothing really outrageous!

Billy (Michael Douglas) decides to get married after being single for 58 years. The woman of course is half his age. He calls his childhood pals, Paddy (Robert DeNiro), Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline) who are located in various parts of the US and invites them to Vegas for a weekend of bachelorhood fun and for the wedding. After everyone arrives in Vegas, there are a number of basic problems that occur, one being the fact that they forgot to book a hotel room.

Archie (Morgan Freeman) tries his luck at the gaming tables with $15,000 dollars. He turns his $15,000 into $100,000 plus. The Casino owner wants a chance to recoup some of their money so they offer the best suite in the casino to the four pals. The story unfolds from there…

“Last Vegas” will be considered boring by the younger set, but if you are over the age of 40, you will be entertained. Great cast, very good chemistry. A nice weekend movie.