Category: Adventure

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Dolby 3D

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” sans the slow start and the dead spots is an entertaining extravaganza with tons of special effects, great cinematography and plenty of outer space action. I found this installment to be much better than the previous a couple of years ago.
The plot is a bit confusing, but that does not stop the entertainment factor of the movie.
This installment is a nice conclusion to the Star Wars Series. Many old familiar faces reappear.

If you are a fan of the Star Wars Series, you will not want to miss “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Ford v Ferrari

Academy Award winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale bring the true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British Driver Ken Miles (Bale) story to life on the big screen. They battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and gravity to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company. They then take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. The story unfolds from there…

“Ford v Ferrari” is everything I had hoped it would be. The movie is very entertaining, emotional, moving and just plain fun to watch. The cinematography is excellent. This movie contains one of the best cast I have seen this year. Strong performances from Matt Damon and Christian Bale make this movie what it is.

“Ford v Ferrari” is definitely a must see movie.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Charlie’s Angels

Another reboot of the TV classic “Charlie’s Angels”. I guess it’s if you don’t succeed try, try again until you do.

Sabina, Elena and Jane are working for the mysterious Charles Townsend Agency that has successfully taken the security and investigation business International. There are many “Bosley’s stationed around the world.

Elena is a Systems Engineer for a scientific company who has developed a device that can be told what to do and the device will do it. This includes everything from turning on lights to killing people… Of course the device falls into the wrong hands and there are many people trying to buy or get their hands on the device at any means possible. So in comes Charlie’s Angels to the rescue. The story unfolds from there…
The plot is good, it’s the execution of the plot that is the problem with “Charlie’s Angels”. The story has holes that don’t get filled. The cinematography is not that great. There are some missed opportunities to showcase places like Istanbul and London. Some of the action scenes are hard to follow. There is also some bad acting that also contributes to the problems with “Charlie’s Angels”.

Charlie’s Angels is best left on the small screen.

We can watch the reruns of the original Charles Townsend Agency.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Terminator: Dark Fate in AMC Dolby

Calling all “Terminator” Fans!!

It’s been over 20 years since Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) halted Judgement Day and changed the future for the human race. Now she is going to have to get involved again. The machines have targeted Dani Ramos (Mackenzie Davis) who is living a simple life in Mexico City with her brother and father.
The machines believe that Dani represents the future and they cannot let that happen. A super enhanced human named Grace also arrives in Mexico City. Together Grace and Sarah must save Dani from the machines. The story unfolds from there…

“Terminator: Dark Fate” is an excellent re-boot to this franchise. It has non-stop edge of your seat action and violence. The movie is very entertaining. Great special effects and a good back story tie-in help boost this movie. This installment is definitely better than the previous reboots.

“Terminator: Dark Fate” is definitely worth a look.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie!!

Black and Blue

“Black and Blue” is a fast-paced action thriller with many twists and turns.

Alicia West (Naomie Harris) is a rookie cop on the New Orleans Police Department who accidentally observes several fellow officers killing some questionable people execution style. Once her fellow officers realize they have been caught, they try to kill Alicia, but she gets away. The story unfolds from there…

“Black and Blue” would be an awesome movie had there been a back story and more depth into the key characters. There are several unfinished mini stories that you have to use you own imagination as to what may have happened in the past to lead them to where they are today.
All of that being said, the movie has non-stop action, intrigue and is worth checking out.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in Real 3D

She’s Back!! “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is a visual feast!!

After Maleficent’s goddaughter Aurora gets engaged to Prince Phillip, they each start questioning the complex matters of family. Aurora wants Maleficent to meet the King and Queen and do all of the things that a mother would do when her daughter gets engaged. Little does Aurora know her godmother already knows the King and Queen all to-well. Additionally the hatred between man and the fairies still continues. The story unfolds from there…

As I stated in my opening “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is a visual feast. The cinematography, action and special effects are on point. There is a lot of new ground to cover in this second installment. There are many new cast members and you get a peek at what may be Maleficent’s back story.

The movie is quite enjoyable. It’s sad that it took so long for this sequel. It’s been 5 years since the 2014 Global Box Office hit “Maleficent” hit theaters.
The paid critics didn’t seem to like this installment, but I think it’s worth a look.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Ad Astra in AMC Dolby

“Ad Astra” is about an Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) who is sent on a Space Exploration out into the Solar System to search for his missing Father Cliff McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) who is also an Astronaut. The mystery of it all threatens the existence of planet earth. On his travels, Roy uncovers secrets that challenge the human existence and earth’s place in the cosmos. The story unfolds from there…

Plain and simple the movie was boring. I did not find anything entertaining about “Ad Astra”. I had hoped it would get better, but except for 2 or 3 scenes that were interesting I found the movie to be dry and lifeless.
Don’t get me wrong I love Space Exploration movies like “Interstellar” and “The Martian”. Those movies were entertaining and had lots of action, suspense and intrigue and kept you on the edge of your seat. I did not get any of these elements from “Ad Astra”.

The paid critics gave “Ad Astra” 4 stars. It will only get 2 stars from me.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Angel Has Fallen in AMC Dolby

“Angel Has Fallen” is a good Action/Adventure flick with a tightly wound plot that unravels it’s self at the end.

Not everyone agrees with President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) of the United States on his views about war and combat. Little does the President and his Security Detail know that the trouble maker is right in the President’s cabinet. When there is an Assassination attempt on President Trumbull, his best and most experienced Secret Service Agent, Mike Manning (Gerard Butler) is framed and ends up on the run. The story unfolds from there…

As I stated in my opening lines, “The plot is tightly wound”. You will scratch your head for a while trying to figure things out. Once it becomes clear everything goes downhill quickly.

There is lots of action, suspense and intrigue and some nice cinematography. There are times when the scenes will get on your nerves and you will want to wring your hands. That’s the reason “Angel Has Fallen” is not a 4 or 5 Star movie.

That being said, “Angel Has Fallen” is an enjoyable movie and still worth a look.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

The Angry Birds Movie 2

Although I did see/review the first installment, “The Angry Birds Movie 2” was not on my original “Watch List”, but after seeing a couple of deep trailers I decided to check it out.

The Flight-less Birds and Pudgy Pigs are back and they are taking their feud to a new level.
The Birds are unaware that a long time ago one of their own had a romance and left the bride behind. In present time the jilted Eagle who was left at the Alter, is planning and executing her revenge. Everyone is fair game. The story unfolds from there…

This installment is hilarious!! There is everything from “Speed Dating” to “Star-Crossed Lovers”.
Adults will get and understand the story, young children will not. While this is animated, it’s still plays for adults.
Next to “Toy Story 4” and “The Secret Life of Pets 2”, “The Angry Birds Movie 2” stands tall.

There is great cinematography and excellent special effects. There is a story, a plot and raw humor. What else do you need in an animated movie?

“The Angry Birds Movie 2” will offer comic relief and animation for those who need it.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

The Kitchen

Three Hell’s Kitchen Housewives soon find themselves husband-less because their husbands tried to rob a liquor store and failed. Once their husbands were sentenced to spent time behind bars, the three wives went about hatching their own plans to make money in Hell’s Kitchen. The story unfolds from there…

I had high hopes for “The Kitchen” when I first saw trailers of the movie, I thought wow this should be interesting.
My hopes were dashed only 20 minutes into the movie. The movie was dry and lifeless, almost listless. I found myself a bit bored.
There was no real back story. Each housewife had a story, but it never really came to the surface. Those stories should have come to the surface even for just a few scenes so you could understand the events that happened.

There is some suspense and intrigue, but not nearly enough to justify a $15 dollar movie ticket. I was very surprised given the cast in the movie, but it just goes to show that a great cast does not always translate into a great movie.

I say wait for cable for “The Kitchen”.

This is a 1 Star Movie!!