Have you ever gone to an amusement park, gotten on a ride and then wished you could get off the ride after is started, but once it was going it didn’t seem so bad. This is how “Killing Them Softly” seemed to me. During the first 35 minutes I wanted to leave the theater, but something made me stay and I am sort of glad I did.
“Killing Them Softly” is about a high stakes poker game involving 16 people who are robbed by some amateur thugs. Unfortunately the thugs rob the wrong people. One of the poker players calls in a cool, calm killer-for-hire (Brad Pitt) to take care of all who were involved with planning and executing the robbery. The story unfolds from there.
“Killing Them Softly” is brutal, intense and dark. There is nothing “Soft” about the movie. “Killing Them Softly”; appears to have been shot on a small budget, but has some really nice special effects and camera angles.
Category: Action
Skyfall
Sean Connery will always be James Bond to me. He set the standard for all other Bond impersonators who came after him. Although in this latest installment of the Bond Franchise, Daniel Craig runs a very close second to Sean Connery. The James Bond you see in “Skyfall” is “Shaken not Stirred”. He has such a cool facade you wonder if anything gets to him.
In this installment of the Bond Franchise, James Bond and M (Judi Dench) find themselves the targets of a sadistic killer who will stop at nothing to get to “M”. Additionally James Bond’s current assignment goes terribly wrong and all of the real identities of the undercover agents for Her Majesty’s Service have been compromised. Bond must stop the person from leaking all of the identities before the agents are harmed and keep “M” safe. The story unfolds from there…
Lots of action and violence, the movie at times is intense, dark and sensual. Although there are some slow parts, the movie will easily hold your attention. New faces appear for “Money Penny” and “Q”.
“Skyfall” is probably Daniel Craig’s best work as 007. Definitely worth the ticket if you are a James Bond fan.
Premium Rush
Bike Messenger Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) spends his day dodging pedestrians, cars, open car doors, buses, taxis and delivery trucks throughout New York City’s roadways as he makes “Premium Rush” deliveries. His last delivery of the day seems to be no big deal, just deliver an envelope to an address in China Town. What appears to be routine is anything but.
As part of Wilee’s job he is not to release his delivery until he gives it to the recipient. Wilee finds himself being chased by a NYPD Detective who wants the contents of the envelope that Wilee is carrying and he will do anything to get it. The story unfolds from there…
Kudos to “Premium Rush”! It’s a HUGH adrenaline rush, non-stop action and dare devil speeding bicycles traveling thru New York City!! You will get a “Rush” just watching the movie. The bikes in the movie appear to have no brakes. “Premium Rush” is a decent end-of-the-summer escapism. The movie was well put together and there is some intrigue, a bit of suspense and some surprises.
The paid critics gave “Premium Rush” high marks! It’s definitely worth a look.
The Expendables 2
The testostrone loaded, intense, action-packed mercenaries known as “The Expendables” are back!! They have increased the size of their group thus allowing them to take on assignments that require more of their special skills.
Mr Church (Bruce Willis) enlists Barney (Sylvester Stallone) and his crew “The Expendables” to take on what seems to be a very easy job of recovering a computer device that is locked in a safe aboard a plane that has crashed somewhere in China. “The Expendables” easily retrieve the computer device and were on their way to leaving the area, but unbeknownst to them they were followed to the plane crash site by a group known as the “Huns”. The story unfolds from there..
“The Expendables 2” is a blast!! It’s “Action Packed”, “In your face Bloody Violence” and “High Energy”. The movie opens with an involved action scene, followed by another and another until you get to the end where they saved the best for last.
Of Course the entire story is perposterous, but it’s fun anyway. There are some holes in the story and a few unfinished scenes. There is a lot of jumping around, but I am sure because of time this was necessary.
If you saw the first installment “The Expendables” in 2010, you will understand the jumping around. Sylvester Stallone is the screen writer on “The Expendables” movies he makes you assume some things to save time.
The paid critics were all over the map on this movie. I think as an “Action/Adventure” it should receive high marks
The Bourne Legacy
I have been waiting since early 2010 for “The Bourne Legacy”. It was first believed that Matt Damon was going to once again reprise his role as Jason Bourne, but because Director Paul Greengrass retired, Matt Damon said if Paul did not direct “The Bourne Legacy” he would not return. This left Tony Gilroy the writer on all of the previous installments to either get another director or do it himself.
It’s been 5 years since “The Bourne Ultimatum” hit theaters. It was believed that Jason Bourne was dead.
“The Bourne Legacy” centers around another “Rogue Enhanced” CIA Agent by the name of “Cross”. Agent Cross is on the run. He runs out of meds and locates what he believes is a “Safe House” in the wilderness.
Back at CIA Headquarters it’s believed that Jason Bourne is alive and in New York. A rumor is spread and this causes chaos and an all out manhunt starts. Meanwhile Agent Cross is trying to elude being killed by the CIA also while trying to get to the research institute or locate the Doctor he received his supply of meds from. The story unfolds from there…
The problem with “The Bourne Legacy” is that Jeremy Renner lacks the charisma that Matt Damon brought to the franchise. Matt Damon has magnetism and Jeremy Renner does not. Jeremy Renner is bland and stiff to say the least. The plot is complicated and difficult to decipher. There wasn’t nearly as much action as the other 3 installments. Too much time is spent referring to previous installments with regards to Jason Bourne. In addition to Matt Damon not returning, neither did Julia Stiles. Had Julia returned it would have been a big help for “The Bourne Legacy”. Actors from the 3 previous installments reprised their roles if only briefly. “The Bourne Legacy” really felt like a different story and not related to the other 3 installments.
“The Bourne Legacy” with all of it’s faults is still better then “Total Recall”. My concern is that the door was left open for additional installments. Universal Pictures would be wise to get Matt Damon back!! I can’t imagine Jeremy Renner as Agent Cross again.
Drawbacks: Violence and Action Sequences
This is a Action Adventure Film, If you like this type of movie ENJOY”!!
The Paid Critics gave this movie 3 stars. I agree.
