Category: Adventure

Collide

“Collide” wasn’t on my original “Watch List”, but I decided to check it out.

“Collide” is about a heist that goes terribly wrong. A prominent business tycoon uses his empire as a cover as every 6 months he brings in Cocaine to be distributed in parts of Germany. A regular business man is aware of what’s been going on and wants in on the action from a financial perspective. The two gentlemen meet, but the meeting does not go well. The prominent business tycoon refuses to do business.

This leaves the regular business man to devise a scheme to get what he wants. He recruits a couple of young guys that work for him with the lure of an extremely large payday. The two guys put together what they believe is a fool-proof plan, but the prominent business tycoon is a bit smarter and what appears to be the perfect heist goes awry. The story unfolds from there…

The best thing about “Collide” is there are lots of nasty car chases involving extremely expensive cars.
You would think that a movie containing Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley would be very good. Not so in the case of “Collide”. The story is rich, but it’s not executed very well. The dialog is horrible.

Several people got up and left in the mid of the movie and did not come back! I started to leave, but my curiosity got the best of me, so I stayed.

There is a reason that “Collide” did not get much press. It’s an awful movie, so I am sure they were thinking why bother…

“Collide” is best viewed on Cable. It’s not worth the price of a Blue-Ray or DVD.

This movie does not rate any stars!

The Great Wall in Real 3D

“The Great Wall” is an Action/Fantasy set in 11th century China, two Mercenaries (Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal) from the west find themselves battling for their lives against a Chinese Military. They are soon captured, but once their captors witness their archery and weapons skills, the military command at the Great Wall needs their assistance to battle a super-natural menace who continues to try and scale the wall to get at them and their people. Meanwhile there is a stranded visitor (Willem Dafoe) who has been at the great wall for twenty five years. He states there is a treasure to be had and tries to convince the Mercenaries to help him steal it. The story unfolds from there…

“The Great Wall” is an action epic and visual feast. Matt Damon is the best element in the movie. It’s a shame that the story wasn’t put in proper context so that it was understood how the super-natural menace came to be and why it wishes to attack and destroy an entire nation and where did the supposed treasure come from.

Because the story as a whole is dis-jointed and unclear, it’s boring. If it weren’t for Matt Damon, the movie won’t be worth seeing. The 3D aspects are pretty good.

“The Great Wall” will be a great movie to watch on Blue-Ray, DVD or Cable.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

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!