Category: Drama

The Wall

“The Wall” was not on my original “Watch List”, but I decided that it was a better choice this weekend than “Snatched”.

It’s 2007 and the end of the Iraq War. President Bush has declared victory and the rebuilding has started. “The Wall” is a suspenseful psychological thriller that follows two US soldiers who are pinned down by an Iraqi sniper. There is nothing between them but a crumbling wall. The fight becomes as much a game of wills and wits as it is about accuracy. The story unfolds from there…

“The Wall” is intense, nerve-racking and at times hard to look at right up to the end. There is so much dirt flying that you will feel like you are eating dirt right along with them. You are given a very realistic view of what the soldiers who protect us have to deal with. If you like military-themed movies, check out “The Wall”.

“The Wall” was directed by Doug Linman who also directed one of my favorite movies “The Bourne Ultimatum”. Other Doug Linman directorial credits include “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and “Edge of Tomorrow”.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

The Circle

“The Circle” was an utter waste of my time. It’s a let-down considering the cast!

Mae (Emma Watson) gets hired by the world’s largest and most successful Tech Social Media Company. Mae grips this opportunity like it’s a life line. She starts off slow, but soon rises thru the ranks. The Company Founder, Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks) encourages Mae and her ideas. Mae soon embarks on an experiment that is groundbreaking and also pushes the boundaries of how we live life today, but this new experiment could also alienate her from her family. The story unfolds from there…

“The Circle” is one dimension. There is no plot and no story. The movie just goes along its merry way. You could take from the movie that not everyone is going to like you on social media, not everyone is going to agree with your opinions on social media and not everyone cares what you do on social media even if your millions of so-called friends are watching your every move every single day on social media…

“The Circle” has great actors in a bad movie. “The Circle” is the late Bill Paxton’s last movie.

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Gifted

“Gifted is a very cute and moving movie”

Chris Evans plays Frank Adler a single man who is tasked with raising a seven year old little girl who is a prodigy. Frank is raising his niece Mary at the wishes of his sister who is no longer living. Frank promised is sister that he would make sure that Mary had a normal life and did the fun things that little girls do growing up.

Mary is anything but a normal little girl. She can solve mathematical problems without blinking an eye. The school she attends wants to send her via a scholarship to a school for gifted children, Frank refuses because he feels that Mary would not adjust well because she would be viewed as different. Soon Mary’s Grandmother Evelyn comes calling from Boston. Evelyn wants to take Mary away to live with her. Frank is not about to allow that to happen. Soon Attorneys get involved and everyone goes to court. The story unfold from there…

The story is moving, heart-warming and at times a bit comical. There are a few places where the movie drags a bit, but that doesn’t deter from the story. It’s cute to see little Mary working mathematical problems the way a child would color in a coloring book. Chris Evans does a good job of transcending to a different role than Captain America.

All in all I say “Gifted” is worth a look. It’s open in a minimum number of theaters around the country. Check it out if you can.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

Fate of the Furious: The IMAX Experience

“The Fast & Furious Franchise Lives On…”

I was actually stunned to hear that another installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise was coming our way after the great sendoff that was given for Paul Walker during Furious 7. I thought it would be tough for the original cast to continue without him, but I guess I was wrong. It is really all about making “Dead Presidents”.

So here we are two years later and the original cast minus Paul Walker with about five new faces ventures into another realm. There is some very good casting although this installment moves further away from its roots.

The story starts off great with Toretto (Diesel) and Letty (Rodriguez) together doing their thing in Cuba living what appears to be a normal life. The rest of the team is no-where around. The peace that Toretto and Letty enjoy can only last so long. A new villain makes its way into Toretto’s life. This villain needs Toretto’s special driving skills to pull of some major international jobs. In order to get Toretto’s help, this villain has already procured something that is very precious to Toretto, so how can he refuse? The story unfolds from there…

In order to keep this franchise going there needed to be a fresh new story, with fresh new characters. On a very small scale this story is fresh with new characters, but on the larger scale it’s a “Been There, Done That” sort of story. Unfortunately Jordana Brewster did not reprise her role as “Mia”. She is one of the original cast members.

There is a ton of action, serious car chases, crashes and cool moves. The computer age is rampant in this movie as there are many high-tech maneuvers made and used. There is even some comedy relief. During the opening credits the music that plays is off the chain…

“Fate of the Furious” is a must see in IMAX. The camera angles, sound and the cinematography are excellent and you will feel like you are in the cars and planes riding right along with the gang.

The movie is not bad, it’s just not as fresh as it needs to be with an eighth installment.

“Fate of the Furious” is definitely worth a look.

I am almost sure there will be a ninth installment.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

The Ghost in the Shell in 3D

“Ghost in the Shell” is the live-action, big screen adaptation of the popular Japanese Manga series. The 3D aspects are very good. The story lags a bit and the plot is non-existent, but the movie is not bad.

Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind. She was saved from a terrible accident and through surgical procedures was “Rebuilt” as a Cyber-being, part human, part robot. Major is enhanced to be the perfect crime fighter. She has the speed, agility, flexibility and combat instincts to thwart many bad guys.

Things go awry when Major starts to show signs of having memories from her former life. She is trying to figure things out and understand more about her being. She also discovers that she has been lied to. Major will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of who she really is, but the people who created her can’t allow that. The story unfolds from there…

The action and special effects are awesome! The story is a bit off and lags at various points. This is what keeps the movie from being 4 stars.

I am a fan of Scarlett Johansson, so I wanted to see how she would do. She was good as Major.

If there is another installment, there needs to be a deeper story, more intrigue and suspense.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

Life

Ever since the 1979 box office hit “Alien”, there has been attempted replications and duplication’s. Some have come close, but most have failed.

“Life” is nothing more than an attempted replication with A-List Actors and far more stupidity and nonsense.

We as humans on earth continue to be fascinated with the possibility of life on Mars. A team of astronauts and scientists operate a space station near Mars. Exploration is done and what appears to be a life form is found. Our curiosity gets the best of us as we poke, prod and attempt chemical modifications to the form we have found.

Too much poking and prodding with the wrong instruments leads to growth stimulation of the life form. We then try to kill what we have tampered with, but to no avail. The life form sustains its life by feeding on us. The story unfolds from there…

The outcome of “Life” is pretty obvious. Is there ever a good ending to a Sci-Fi Thriller that has any sort of Alien being?

After the first 70 minutes I was bored and actually considered leaving. I did go and stand near the exit because the movie was getting on my nerves. I had seen it all before. There is nothing really new except several A-List Actors in the movie. There was no real suspense, some action, a lot of stupidity and nonsense.

The paid critics believe “Life” is fresh. I think it’s as stale as 2 week old bread.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

The Shack

It’s difficult to bring a best-selling novel to the big screen. It’s even more difficult to bring a novel that was difficult to read to the big screen. In comes “The Shack”. I read “The Shack”. After the first 75 pages I had to walk away from the book for a few a days, but I did come back because it was a recommended read for me because I was struggling with the death of my Mom at that time.

“The Shack” is about how we question or even abandon our faith when something tragic or devastating happens to us.
Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) suffers a family tragedy. He falls into a HUGH depression, questions his beliefs and abandons his faith. Mack is summoned to an old shack in the Oregon woods. There he meets three souls. Through this meeting Mack discovers truths about himself and how to deal with his tragedy. The story unfolds from there…

“The Shack” is difficult to watch on the screen, not because it’s not meaningful and important, but because the script is all over the place. The movie is really hard to follow. The story doesn’t really come together and the movie is not entertaining. The book wasn’t that bad…

The movie contains some beautiful cinematography and panoramic views, but that’s not enough to make “The Shack” even a three star movie.

I have seen many Christian-Faith based movies and I personally do not think “The Shack” is worth the money, but I will say that Octavia Spencer is the best element in the movie.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

John Wick: Chapter 2

Welcome to a Special Edition of “Thursday Night at the Movies with The Movie Warrior”

I am often leery about second installments of a movie whose first installment was surprisingly good. I did not think that “John Wick: Chapter 2” could improve on its 2014 debut, but I stand corrected. As action/drama movies go, “John Wick: Chapter 2” is awesome!

“John Wick: Chapter 2” has an excellent lead in and it reminds you of what transpired in the first installment. John (Keanu Reeves) wants desperately to retire, but after only being home for a couple of days a former associate from his past comes knocking at his door. At first John refuses the assignment that is offered, but the associate who visits him refuses to take no for an answer. Since John said “No”, the associate exacts revenge and destroys John’s house which leaves him homeless. Now John has no choice but to find out what the assignment is and go execute it. The story unfolds from there…

The action is awesome and intense. The events are non-stop. There is a ton of suspense and intrigue. Keanu Reeves is in great shape for his role as John Wick. There were many awesome fight scenes. The only draw-back is the dialog. If you are interested in a movie that has a lot of dialog, you will not be happy with “John Wick: Chapter 2”. The dialog is minimal, but is enough to get the job done.

All in all “John Wick: Chapter 2” is definitely worth the ticket.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Gold

“Gold” is based on true events that happened between 1980 and 1988. Prospector Kenny Wells (Matthew McConaughey) is scratching hard for a lucky break. He teams up with another Geologist Micke Acosta (Edgar Ramirez) who is in a similar situation. Together they prospect an area in the jungle of Indonesia for gold and put together what appears to be a air-tight plan for a rags to riches result.

After several false starts, funds running low and the Indonesian workers wanting to quit, Wells and Acosta strike a small find. This small gold find leads to heavy hitters wanting to invest, a Wall Street Stock Market opening and everyone trying to get a piece of the action. But how long will it last, the story unfolds from there…

If this wasn’t based on true events, I would not have believed it. Matthew McConaughey’s portrayal of Kenny Wells is the bright spot of this movie. The story is jumbled, skips around and does not appear on the big screen in the order in which things actually happened. There are a lot of “Heavy Hitters” in this movie, so I expected better.

Some parts of “Gold” will remind you of the 2000 hit “Traffic”, but “Traffic” was an awesome flick and executed much better than “Gold”.

If you are a Matthew McConaughey fan, his performance in “Gold” is worth seeing. Otherwise wait for “Gold” to come out on cable, DVD or Blue Ray.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

A Dog’s Purpose

“A Dog’s Purpose” is about a Golden Retriever named “Bailey” who goes through several reincarnations. Through some of these reincarnations dog abuse is realized before the reincarnated “Bailey” lands where he/she is supposed to be.

Each time “Bailey” is reincarnated he/she learns a new purpose and life lesson. The story unfolds from there…

While we all know that animal cruelty does happen, I don’t like seeing it on the big screen. That made parts of the movie intolerable. At times the movie was very entertaining and other times it was boring. There was some comedy relief, but that too was brief. I had hoped for a better more fun movie than what I actually saw.

I believe small children might enjoy “A Dog’s Purpose”, but dog loving adults may not.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!