Category: Adventure

XxX:Return of Xander Cage the IMAX Experience

After a 14 year hiatus, Xander Cage is back!

In this third installment Xander Cage is lured from his self-imposed exile to help stop a Pandora’s Box that is being used to take control of satellites and use them as weapons. Xander has plenty of company as he tries to stop the unknown enemy, but also stop alpha warrior Xiang and his team who are also racing to get their hands on the box. Xander recruits a whole new team that are highly skilled and thrill-seeking just as he is. The story unfolds from there…

The sound track is “Dope!!” There is a ton of action, fight sequences, out-of-this-world stunts and some pretty cool cinematography and camera angles.
The movie will keep you engaged, but unfortunately the story is lacking and dull. We have seen it all before. This has been a blockbuster Franchise in the past, but the story doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

Sleepless (2017)

“Sleepless” is a T.V. Cop Drama on the Big Screen.

Las Vegas police officer Vince Downs (Jamie Foxx) is caught up in a high stakes sting operation where he is trying to weed out the corrupt cops and bring down a known drug syndicate who controls one of Vegas’s Casinos. A heist goes wrong and Down’s son is kidnapped right in front of him. The story unfolds from there…

The story is mundane at best. We have seen it all before on TV. There is a strong cast and some decent action, but that’s not enough to keep you awake.

I like Jamie Foxx. He is a well-rounded entertainer, he can sing, act and crack some good jokes. He even has an Oscar to his credit, but Jamie appears to not be very invested in “Sleepless”. He looks as though he is going through the motions. I had high hopes for “Sleepless”, but unfortunately my hopes were dashed.

“Sleepless” will be a great movie to watch on DVD or Blue-Ray.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Moana

I am ending the year with one last review…

“Moana” is a delightful, heart-warming and entertaining animated movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should.
The movie is predictable, but refreshing because there are some twists and turns in the story that were not obvious.
“Moana” is about a young Pacific-Islander girl, Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) who against her Father’s wishes goes out on a dangerous mission across the Pacific Ocean to save her people. There are many obstacles along the way, but none of them deter Moana.

The CGI and special effects are tastefully done. The cinematography is excellent. The story and the characters are very endearing.

“Moana” is a movie for the entire family regardless of age.

This is a 5 Star Movie!

The Passengers in Real 3D

“The Passengers” is about an idea that would be wonderful if it were clearly mapped out and executed appropriately, but unfortunately for the movie it’s not.

Imagine being able to go to sleep for about 135 years while being transported aboard a luxury space ship and wake up to embark on a brand new world. When you wake up you are the same age you were when you went to sleep. Along the way though the space ship has problems, this causes several people to wake up unexpectedly. The story unfolds from there…

The idea behind “The Passengers” is great, but there is no purpose, cause or reason why. Nothing is explained as to why and how these people were selected to make this journey. There are a ton of questions, but no answers. No real plot.

Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence have great on-screen chemistry, but even that is not enough to make “The Passengers” a blockbuster hit.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Assassin’s Creed in Real 3D

I never played any of the video arcade games of Assassin’s Creed, but judging from the movie, the game must be pretty serious.

I have been waiting for this movie for over 18 months. It’s better than I expected, but not as good as I hoped it would be.

The movie is dark, grey and a bit dreary. The action is awesome!! There are many cool fight scenes and sequences. Michael Fassbender looks “hot” without a shirt on. The 3D aspects are ok.

The bigger issues are that the movie is disorganized, the story and/or plot is disjointed. Nothing happens in a sequence that you can really follow. There are philosophical undertones to the movie, but even those are not fully developed and there is too much CGI.

I left the theater with a big question mark on my face because I didn’t really understand the story or lack there-of.

“Assassin’s Creed” may join the likes of “Silent Hill” and “Hitman 47” that is a video game to big screen adaptation that isn’t very successful.

If you played the game or are a video game fanatic, the fight scenes and sequences are pretty awesome to see.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: The IMAX 3D Experience

A new Episode of the Star Wars Franchise is upon us. It’s the old-school Star Wars, but with a new deeper story!

This episode is pretty deep, wide and intense. The story is laid out in painstakingly fashion. Revenge and Justice are the order of the day.

Jyn (Felicity Jones) is separated from her parents at a very early age. She ends up being raised by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker). The story picks up when Jyn is an adult. Jyn has become a “Rebel”. She and others join forces to steal the plans for the Death Star. This sets up an epic battle between several nations. The story unfolds from there…

The cinematography is breath-taking. The camera angles are awesome. There is plenty of cool special effects, CGI’s, intergalactic action and serious space battles.

IMAX is a must. You will feel like you are riding on the space crafts.

Once again Star Wars delivers. If you are a Star Wars fan, Rogue One is your movie!

This is a 4 ½ Star Movie!

Allied

Intelligence officer Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) meets up with a French Resistance Fighter Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard) in North Africa, together they participate in a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Sometime later they reunite in London, their relationship blossoms, they marry and have a child but soon their relationship is tested due to the wartime constraints. The story unfolds from there…

There are parts of the movie that at times show signs of brilliance, but in the end it just doesn’t quite make it. From an execution stand point there are holes that need to be filled. The plot isn’t really clear.

“Allied” is a fairly decent movie. It should be better given the cast in front of the camera and behind the camera.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Dr. Strange: The 3D IMAX Experience

Marvel Entertainment brings us another installment from the Marvel Comic Universe! This installment is about Dr. Strange.

Dr. Strange’s story is told in a colorful entertaining fashion. You are shown how Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the renown Neurosurgeon becomes Dr. Strange the powerful Sorcerer after suffering through a tragic accident that leaves him unable to perform any medical surgeries.

“Dr. Strange” is an entertaining action movie that is a must see in IMAX 3D! The cinematography is awesome. The 3D aspects are very good. You are treated to a spectacular kaleidoscope of wizardry and special effects. Some of the scenes and special effects will remind you of the 2010 box office hit “Inception”.

Benedict Cumberbatch is smooth as silk as Dr. Strange. This will be another box office hit for the Marvel Comic Universe.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Inferno

“Inferno” lacks fire. It’s like riding on a runaway freight train without actually being on the train.

In this adaptation of the fourth Dan Brown novel, the opening finds Professor Langdon (Hanks) in a hospital with no recollection of how he got there or how he sustained his injuries. The doctor taking care of him is trying to extract information, but having no luck.

The police arrive at the hospital to speak with Professor Langdon, but it turns out to be the same people who actually kidnapped the Professor. Sensing something is about to go down, the doctor gets Professor Langdon out of his hospital bed and they flee the hospital in a cab.

The next day Professor Langdon slowly starts to put the pieces together. He figures out that there is a plot to release a deadly virus into the world. This virus would kill millions of people. After accessing his email on the doctor’s computer, the professor is tracked to the building where the doctor lives, so they both flee again. The story unfolds from there…

The absolute best elements of “Inferno” is the cinematography and the camera angles. There are some great shots of Venice Italy and Istanbul Turkey. Beyond that the story is very weak. The plot is almost non-existent and the movie has no substance.

This is by far the worst installment of the Dan Brown series and not a great outing for Ron Howard as the director.

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: The IMAX Experience

In this second installment based on the Lee Child’s best-selling novel “Never Go Back”, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) makes his way back to Washington DC to visit Major Turner. When he arrives at Major Turner’s office, Reacher finds out that the Major has been arrested and faces court-marshal. Not understanding this situation Jack starts doing his own investigation into the supposed charges. As he starts to uncover information, he finds out that there is a paternity suit against the army naming him as the father to a daughter that he isn’t aware of.

As Jack continues to dig a lot of people get nervous and they plot to get Jack Reacher out of the way using any means possible. The story unfolds from there…

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” should not have come back! It’s not Tom Cruise’s fault. He does everything he can with the story and script he was given. The problem is that the main plot gets messed up and becomes a plot among the many sub-plots.

I commend Tom Cruise because he does all of his own stunts! There is a fair amount of action, suspense and intrigue, but the execution somehow got lost. The movie seems a lot longer than the 1 hour and fifty eight minutes running time.

The first Jack Reacher that came out in 2012 was directed by Christopher McQuarrie. That installment was excellent. This installment was directed by Edward Zwick and its execution is a departure from the first installment.

Unfortunately “Jack Reacher” Never Go Back” only rates a Cable or DVD or Blue Ray viewing.

This is a 2 Star Movie!