Category: Action

The Monuments Men

George Clooney has done better in the directing department. He should have let Quentin Tarantino or Martin Scorsese direct this. Needless to say I am very disappointed because I had been looking forward to this movie. It’s not even close to my expectations.

Based on a true story, “The Monuments Men” is an action drama/documentary about an unlikely group of men who were tasked by FDR to recover stolen artistic masterpieces from Germany. This movie starts out in Ghent, Belgium and moves on to 1943 France, 1944 France and 1945 Merker, Germany.

The formed unlikely World War II Platoon comes up against unparalleled odds as they find that the art is trapped behind enemy lines. As they are attempting to recover the art, the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell makes it a difficult task because the “Monuments Men” are more familiar with Michelangelo than they are with the M-1. The story unfolds from there…

The problem with “The Monuments Men” is that it can’t decide if it’s an Action Drama or a Documentary. It’s a good story but told in the most boring fashion. The movie is flat, it drags and the suspense is ho-hum… You might be reminded of an old movie called “The Dirty Dozen”. Think of “The Monuments Men” as a WWII version of A Band-of-Brothers. The Dirty Dozen definitely has way more going for it than “The Monuments Men”.

Ride Along

“Ride Along” was not on my original watch list, but after it took in so much money last weekend. I thought I would take a look.

Kevin Hart is the funniest man in America at the moment. Ice Cube is the perfect straight man for all of Kevin Hart’s silliness.

In Order to win over his girl friend’s brother, Ben (Kevin Hart) a High School Security Guard must prove he has what it takes by spending 24 hours on a “Ride Along” with James (Ice Cube) who happens to be a hot headed detective in the Atlanta Police department. They both get embroiled in James latest case pursuing a notorious felon. The story unfolds from there…

Kevin Hart is funny and silly. Ice Cube compliments Kevin nicely as a comic straight man to all of Kevin Hart’s antics. There are plenty of laughs, but the plot and story fall a bit short and are both very weak. “Ride Along” is a bit boring. It’s all too familiar as we have seen this before. Kevin Hart is an excellent comedian; but not such a great actor. He should stick to “Stand-Up Comedy”.

“Ride Along” will be great for some comedy relief once it comes out on DVD or Blu-Ray. You should wait for it then.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

It’s always fun to see a Tom Clancey character brought alive on the big screen. “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” would be brilliant if the storyline weren’t so weak and the plot so “Been there before…”

To his friends and family, Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) is just another executive working to make a living. Little do they know Jack has been working for the CIA for years. He was originally brought in to handle Global data, but Jack soon uncovers a carefully planned scheme to crash the Global US Economy and create mass chaos.
When Jack flies to Russia to put a stop to the scheme, he soon finds himself caught between a Russian Leader, his clueless fiancée, and his secret handler. The story unfolds from there…

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is fast paced, non-stop action, a bit of intrigue and some nice cinematography. Unfortunately that’s where it ends. The story, the plot and the reasoning are all very weak. There are quite a few holes in the story at the beginning, so you are forced to draw your own conclusions.

The movie appears to end when things just seem to be heating up. If the movie had been made with a bit longer running time, the extra time would have served it well.

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.

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.

Ender’s Game

An Elite group of talented and gifted children are selected to train for a potentially very catastrophic War.

Ender Wiggins, shy but a strategically brilliant young leader, is recruited to join the elite group.

Once at the Battle School, Ender quickly masters the increasingly difficult challenges and simulations that are presented to him.
Ender soon gains that attention of Graff who is one of the schools Commanders who ordains Ender as the military’s next great hope. Ender is soon promoted to Commander School where he is trained to lead and given his own team of soldiers to lead into the next epic battle. The story unfolds from there…
If you read the NY Times best-selling novel you won’t be disappointed. It’s definitely a must see in IMAX to get the full effect. The special effects, cinematography and camera angles are fabulous. There is a small lull in the film, but it arrives at the end respectfully. Although this is a first chapter, “Ender’s Game” will lead to a blockbuster franchise.

Escape Plan

Sylvester Stallone is Ray Breslin, a respected authority on Structural Security. He agrees to take on a high-risk job of breaking out of an ultra-secret high-tech facility that is located in parts unknown called “The Tomb”.

At this ultra-secret facility things go awry and Ray is falsely imprisoned. He is then forced to recruit a fellow inmate Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger) to help him devise a plan to escape. The story unfolds from there…

The story starts off ok, but loses its way through most of the movie to regain some footing toward the end. Sly and Arnold are good together and that’s what makes “Escape Plan” interesting. It was also great to see Vincent D’Onofrio from Law & Order Criminal Intent fame.

If you are a Sylvester Stallone fan then “Escape Plan” is worth a look.

Captain Phillips

“Captain Phillips” is an extremely well executed movie. It’s like waiting for a rose bud to bloom. It happens slowly, but oh very much worth the wait.

“Captain Phillips” is based on the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. Container Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. The movie is meticulous in its execution. Showing you every layer and angle of the story as it unfolds from the relationship between Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the Somali pirate captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi) to the U.S. Navy coming to the rescue.

As the events occur you will be on the edge of your seat. There is no pause or “dead space” in this movie. Director Paul Greengrass is excellent at providing you a scintillating thriller with “on the edge of your seat” intrigue. Remember Paul Greengrass is the director of all of the Bourne movies that Matt Damon starred in. Tom Hanks is masterful in his portrayal of “Captain Phillips”.

“Captain Phillips” is definitely worth a look.

The Family

I found “The Family” to be mildly entertaining with its “Slapstick Wit” and “All out Stupidity and Silliness”.

“The Family”, The Manzonis a notorious Mafia family, are on their way to witness protection. They have been relocated to Normandy France. They go about trying to fit with daily check-ups from their FBI Handler (Tommy Lee Jones), but soon find themselves doing things “their way”. Each family member has some sort of run-in during their first full day in the little sleepy town of Normandy. Soon they settle in, but back in the US, there are mobsters still trying to find them. The story unfolds from there…

The problem with “The Family” is there is no foundation and you are left to make your own determinations about the reason The Manzonis have been relocated. You are shown snippets of days and events long past, but even then the picture isn’t quite set. I see “The Family” as more of a “Dark Comedy” that doesn’t quit come together. The bright spot is the cast.

I would wait for “The Family” to come out on DVD, Blueray or Cable.

Riddick: An IMAX Experience

In this fourth installment “Riddick” (Vin Diesel) finds himself left for dead on a sun scorched planet amongst alien predators. These Alien Predators appear to be a cross between the monster from the movie “Alien” and the “Cracken” monster from the movie “Clash of the Titans”.

The only way off this horrific planet is to activate an emergency beacon, but to do this would bring mercenaries to the planet looking to place Riddick’s head in a box and collect the bounty. Two ships do arrive each jockeying for how they are going to capture Riddick and collect the bounty, but Riddick appears to have the upper hand. He starts to single handedly pick off his adversaries one by one. The story unfolds from there…

Big issue…There doesn’t seem to be any relationship between this installment and any of the others. It’s pretty obvious that the movie is low-budget. It’s a piece of Sci-Fi fare that should have been left on the cutting room floor. The gore and bloodiness are off the charts. I found myself looking away several times. There is tons of action, violence and a bit of nudity, but there isn’t much else. The story sort of rambles on with no meaning and is complete utter nonsense. Some of the dialog isn’t understandable. I think that if the story were more gripping the movie would be tolerable.

“Riddick” ranks up there with “The Lone Ranger” that came out earlier this summer. Neither of these movies should have been made. What a waste… The Rotten Tomatoes rating for “Riddick” is one point from being fresh. I found that to be a laugh. I like Vin Diesel, but he should stick to the “Fast and Furious” franchise.