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.

Pacific Rim

Movie: Pacific Rim
Running Time: 2hr. 11min
Cast: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Diego Klattenhoff, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day

All I can say is “WOW!!”

“Pacific Rim” is off the chain!! The monsters looked a little to “REAL” for me. I didn’t see it in 3D, but none the less I was ducking and dodging in my seat! The Cinematography was breath taking. The CGI and special effects were super good.
“Pacific Rim” is about Legions of scary lizard-like sea monsters known as Kaiju that start rising from the sea, a war begins and tons of lives are lost and humanity’s resources are consumed for years on end. To fight the Kaiju a special type of weapon is manufactured.

The Weapons are massive robots called Jaegers that are controlled by two pilots whom when inside the Jaegers their minds are locked in a neutral bridge so all they can focus on is defeating the Kaiju.

The Kaiju are proving to be too much for the Jaegers. The need for more fighting resources becomes apparent, so the commander (Idris Elba) seeks out a former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) to join forces with him team. The story unfolds from there…

“Pacific Rim” is loaded with Sci-Fi action, intense sequences of violence, suspense, intrigue and big scary monsters, but the movie is very well executed. This is “Edge of Your Seat” entertainment.

If you can stand the big Lizard-like monsters it’s worth a look.

The Lone Ranger

Movie: The Lone Ranger
Running Time: 2hr. 29min
Cast: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Helena Bonham Carter

I was extremely skeptical about “The Lone Ranger”. I should have heeded my mind.
“The Lone Ranger” is full of miscalculations, over the top action, extreme western-style violence and goof-ball scenes.
The movie is told in a “2nd Person” type fashion. Johnny Depp is “Tonto” a Native American Spirit Warrior who tells the story of how John Reid (Armie Hammer) a District Attorney in Western Times became “The Lone Ranger”. The story that is told is like a violent runaway train that doesn’t stop for 150 minutes.

The movie will take you in so many directions with so many sub-plots that it gives new meaning to the term “Screw-Ball” comedy. Additionally the movie is way to long and takes to long to get to the point.
There are funny laugh out loud scenes, but they only make-up about 20% of the movie. The rest is mayhem, stupidity and goof-ball nonsense.

Although it is a Disney Production, “The Lone Ranger” is not for children. It is an adult movie.

White House Down

Movie: White House Down
Running Time: 2hr. 17min
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, James Woods

Capitol Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) dreams of being on the Secret Service Detail to protect President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). John has been granted an interview at the White House along with Tour passes for him and his daughter.
Once the interview is over and John has been denied the position, he doesn’t have the heart to tell his daughter the bad news, so instead he takes her on the White House Tour. While on the tour a HUGH explosion occurs. Soon after the White is taken over by a Paramilitary group; Racing against the clock John Cale tries to save the president, his daughter and the country. The story unfolds from there…

“White House Down” is ok. I have to compare it to “Olympus Has Fallen” and I know I was critical of “Olympus Has Fallen”, but after see “White House Down”, “Olympus” was the better movie.
“White House Down” is a non-stop action extravaganza with intense violence, intense gun fire and lots of explosions. You will be entertained.

The problem with “White House Down” is the plot. It’s not really laid out. This just sort of happens. However the holes are closed and the package is wrapped up nicely and tied with a bow at the end. You must sit through 2 hours and 17 minutes to get to the truth.

Once again in a review I will refer to the 1988 blockbuster “Die Hard”. “White House Down” is “Die Hard at the White House”. John Cale (Channing Tatum) is John McClane (Bruce Willis).

See it for yourself.

World War Z 3D

Movie: World War Z 3D
Running Time: 1hr. 55min
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale

“World War Z” is a combination of the September 2012 Thriller “Contagion” and the 2007 Sci-Fi Thriller “I am Legend”.

Brad Pitt plays Gerry Lane a former U.N. investigator who finds himself, his family and a major part of the world embroiled in a deadly fight for survival from an unknown lethal virus that if a person is bitten they become something vicious.

The Military call’s upon Lane (Pitt) to lead a search to get at the origin of the virus. This search will take Gerry and his team to places unknown. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is edge of your seat suspense. It’s a bit grisly…I found myself closing my eyes a couple of times. The 3D aspects are pretty good because there were things coming at me and I ducked or closed my eyes.
“World War Z” is not for someone with a weak stomach. The movie is executed pretty well although not my favorite genre. If I had it to do over I probably would have skipped seeing it, but I was curious since the previews didn’t really give you much to go on.

If you like Sci-Fi Horror by all means do see “World War Z”.

Man of Steel: An IMAX 3D Experience

Remember “Batman Begins”? “Man of Steel” is Christopher Nolan’s first installment of the untold story of Superman. I say untold because this movie starts at the very beginning just as Superman is about to be born.
The planet Krypton is about to be destroyed. Superman’s biological parents want to save him from a certain fate, so they ship the infant off to earth. Fast-forward about 20 years…now a grown-up Superman must confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when people from Krypton come to earth to get him back. The story unfolds from there…
“Man of Steel” does a nice job of giving snippets of Superman growing up in rural Mid-West America. The cinematography and special effects are really good. The action at times is really intense. The story does come together nicely, although there are times that it jumps around too much and becomes a bit mundane.
You definitely want to see this in IMAX, although 3D is not required. The 3D aspects are pretty good, but not worth the extra dollars.
As I stated earlier this is a Christopher Nolan production. We can expect several more installments just like he did Batman.
If you are a Superman fan, by all means do go see “Man of Steel”.

Now You See Me

“Now You See Me” is a sophisticated game of “Cat & Mouse” with a group of extremely good magicians, the police and the FBI.
Four top notch magicians perform never before seen tricks. Their tricks are so elaborate they involve theft of money and safes. This draws the attention of not only a former magician who seeks out magicians to expose their tricks, but the police and the FBI get involved. the story unfolds from there…
Things are definitely not what they seem and this is the “Magic” of “Now You See Me”. Move over Houdini because you have nothing on these four fresh magicians.
The movie is good and you will be entertained. The magic is very cool!! The intrigue, twists and turns will keep you on your toes. Don’t blink or you might miss something important. This is a “Must Pay Close Attention” type of movie.
The plot and reasoning is baffling at best and that’s what keeps “Now You See Me” from being a 4-5 star movie.
The paid critics say it’s “So-So”. I disagree, I think “Now You See Me” is worth a look.

Fast & Furious 6

The Fast & Furious gang is back!!
This installment finds Dominic (Diesel), Brian (Walker) and the rest of the gang kicking back after their last heist in Rio made them all very wealthy. Although they are rich, they all still live as fugitives spread out around the world.
Agent Hobbs (Johnson) comes calling. He needs Dominic and his team’s help to battle a gang of skilled international mercenary drivers. Agent Hobbs has been tracking this gang for some time. He is unable and unequipped to take them down alone. Agent Hobbs convinces Dominic that if he and his team help him take down these international mercenaries, he will get pardons for everyone. The story unfolds from there…
The action, suspense, intrigue, cinematography and stunts are all off the chain!!
Usually sequels are not as good as the first, well not in this case. “Fast & Furious 6” is just as good as the first installment if not better. This installment ties in all of the previous installments (except the Tokyo Drift installment).
In fact if you did not see the first 2 installments you should rent them before seeing “Fast & Furious 6”.
The car stunts are taken to new heights!! You won’t be disappointed. If you go see “Fast & Furious 6”, it’s very important that you don’t leave before the credits really start to roll. Just after the movie is over, there is a HUGH surprise that leads to a 7th installment.

Star Trek Into Darkness:An IMAX 3D Experience

“Run” do not walk to see “Star Trek Into Darkness”. Yes, it’s very good.

Captain Kirk (Pine) and the Starship Enterprise crew have been summoned back home and find that an unstoppable force within its own organization has destroyed an entire Starfleet. This leaves planet earth venerable to attacks. Captain Kirk has his own score to settle as he leads his crew and the Starship Enterprise on a mission to a war-torn planet to capture and destroy a one-man weapon of mass destruction. The story unfolds from there…

“Star Trek Into Darkness” is a must see in IMAX 3D.

The movie its self is very entertaining and filled with intrigue.
You will be taken on a wild ride. The cinematography is brilliant.
The action is intense and the special effects are scintillating.
The crystal-clear images along with IMAX and the digital sound create an exceptional environment that will carry you right along with the Starship Enterprise.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

“The Great Gatsby 2013” was not on my original “watch List”, but I decided to give it a look.

In 1922 Nick Carraway (Tobey MacGuire) a mid-westerner moves to Long Island NY. He finds out that he is the neighbor of Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio). He has long been fascinated by the lavious life style that “The Great Gatsby” lives. He puts pen to paper and writes about the wild parties that Jay Gatsby gives at his estate.

Nick Carraway soon becomes friends with his new neighbor Jay Gatsby. Mean while across the bay Carraway’s cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) is unhappy in her marriage to philandering aristocrat Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).

As Carraway write about the life style that Jay Gatsby lives, it becomes clear to him that his cousin Daisy and Jay Gatsby share a past. The story unfolds from there…

Leonardo DiCaprio gives an intense performance and the movie is visually magnificent. Unfortunately that’s not enough. I don’t feel that Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton fully developed their characters and Tobey McGuire appeared a bit dry. This is a decent adaptation of the novel. The Cinematography and art direction are wonderful. The time period was captured magnificently.
But alas “The Great Gatsby 2013” plays like a bad daytime soap opera.
If you are a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio or your read the novel, “The Great Gatsby”, then you make want to take a look.

Peeples

Wade Walker (Craig Robinson) decides to ask his girlfriend Grace (Kerry Washington) of 1 year to marry him, only the weekend he plans to pop the question she informs him that she is going to visit her parents for a long weekend.

Wade decides to surprise Grace by showing up unannounced at her family’s Sag Harbor “Weekend Home”. Once Wade arrives he finds out that Grace hasn’t told her family anything about him. Her father is Judge Peeples a highly successful Circuit Court Judge. He looks down on Wade in disdain. The story unfolds from there…
I have a tremendous amount of respect for S. Epatha Merkerson and Kerry Washington. S. Epatha Merkerson played Police Lt. Anita Van Buren on my favorite all time TV show the original Law and Order. I love Kerry Washington on the new ABC hit drama “Scandal”. That being said…

“Peeples” has to be the most ridiculous and dumbest movie to open in recent months. This is supposed to be a comedy, but I didn’t laugh. Besides Wade and Grace’s story there were at least 3 other agendas that were playing out. There were some really crude parts. Also the movie ended abruptly. Thank goodness it only lasted 95 minutes. I am not sure I would have wanted to stay longer.
This is a Tyler Perry production. This is definitely not his best work.
The best thing about “Peeples” is that there were 5 previews for movies that I am interested in seeing later this year. Those previews gave me a nice glimpse of what’s to come.

Wait for “Peeples” to come out on DVD or Blue Ray.