Eye in the Sky

“Eye in the Sky” was not on my original “Watch List” and I did not know the movie existed until a couple of weeks ago, but WOW!! What a well-executed movie!!
“Eye in the Sky” is about the dealings and procedures that take place when a Drone Strike has been ordered. Everyone (Military, Political and Legal) evaluates and measures the possible collateral damage and loss of human life against the killing of identified international terrorists and suicide bombers. The story unfolds from there…

“Eye in the Sky” is an excellent movie. The suspense and Intrigue are “Off the Chain”!!

Helen Mirren as Col Katherine Powell was awesome!

There was never a dull moment throughout the movie. An excellent Drama that does produce some ambivalence at the end, but it goes with the territory.
I highly recommend “Eye in the Sky” for those who like Military films with Politics mixed in.

This is a 4 1/2 Star Movie!

Miracles from Heaven

“Miracles from Heaven” is a faith-based Christian Drama about having faith!

All of a sudden 10 year old Anna Beam (Kylie Rogers) becomes ill. Emergency room visits and standard test yield no results, but because Anna’s mother Christy Beam (Jennifer Garner) refuses to take what the doctors say at face value, the hospital is forced to have a specialist look at little Anna to determine if there is a real problem. After a battery of tests the specialist is able to determine that Ann has a rare incurable illness.

Determined not to give up, Christy takes Anna to Boston to the Boston Children’s Hospital where there are specialists who can treat Anna. The story unfolds from there…

This movie is based on factual events. I found myself in tears at times. The message of this movie is about having faith and believing in God. If you don’t have faith, don’t go see “Miracles from Heaven”. The movie does have some dis-jointed parts of the story. There is some comedic relief, but it wasn’t as funny as it should have been.

Jennifer Garner’s performance was absolutely awesome!
The paid critics did not like “Miracles from Heaven”, but I think it’s pretty good and worth a look.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie!

Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot

Comedian Tina Fey turns a bit serious on us for her role as News Journalist Kim Barker.

“Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot” is an adaptation of Kim Barker’s Memoir titled “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan”. The story details Kim Barker’s days as a reporter in the middle-east during the 2002 thru 2006 time frame.

Tina Fey does a nice job portraying a Kim Barker. The movie attempts to strike a balance between comedy and drama. You do get more drama than comedy. The movie gives you a bit of “Girl Power” portrayed in a male dominated environment.

“Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot” was executed very well. You get to see Tina Fey operate an AK-47 with ease.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Triple 9

“Triple 9” is a “Dark Brooding” Cop Drama based in Atlanta, GA.

A band of dirty cops are being black-mailed by the Russian Mob. This band of dirty cops go about performing virtually impossible heists. The only way to successfully pull off these heist are to issue a “999” police call which represents “Officer Down”.

You know what happens when you have a crew of people working together and money is involved. People get greedy and paranoid. In “Triple 9” the Rookie Cop in the band is setup to die, but he foils the attack. This sets up what turns out to be the best part of the movie which is only a few minutes from the end.

“Triple 9” is strange and subdued. The movie starts off on the wrong foot and it never stands up straight. Kate Winslet is horrible as a Russian Mob Boss.
There is drug use throughout and blatant nudity. Once again you have a movie with “Heavy Weight Actors” who come across as “Light Weight Actors”.

“Triple 9” is best viewed on Cable.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

RACE

“Race” is about the incredible true life story of Olympic Gold Medalist Jesse Owens. Although the story is moving it only scratches the surface about the events leading up to the 1936 Summer Olympic Games where the legendary Jesse Owens won 4 Gold Medals.

By participating in the 1936 Olympic Games Jesse Owens displayed tremendous determination in facing off against Adolph Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy.

“Race” is a movie about courage, determination, tolerance and friendship.

What you see is very well execution, but I feel like the movie could have gone deeper into the story. The movie seems timid at times, but what’s there is definitely worth seeing.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

There is no subtlety in this Michael Bay Production!

Based on a true story, “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” provides the detailed account of what really happened in Benghazi in September 2012.
What’s really good about this movie is that there is no politics. The White House and Congress are not involved. This is purely a military and CIA covert operation.

Since this is a Michael Bay production (the Producer of such movies as Black Hawk Down and The Transformer Series), the action and combat sequences could be questioned as to whether there was more or less in the real events. You do get a thrilling ride from all of the action and combat, but who really wants to relive another person’s worst day in their lives. This is what we are treated to in these types of movies. The movie at times is very bloody.

Telling these stories is ok, but now we know who the “Secret Soldiers” are. In the credits the real Soldiers faces are not shown, but names are given. This movie does not make our soldiers look like Hero’s although it should have. Medals and awards were given, but in secret.

I would have to say that of all the Michael Bay Productions, this is probably his best effort.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

The Revenant

“The Revenant” is extremely harsh and brutal, but it was executed brilliantly!!

Based on factual events, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) a fur tradesman who is out on a fur expedition with a team of men gets mauled by a bear. The story centers-around Hugh’s brave and sometimes perilous survival in the wilderness of the 1820’s. The story unfolds from there…

“The Revenant” is definitely not my type of movie, but I had to see it since its receiving so many raves. It’s nominated for several Golden Globes and there is massive Oscar buzz about it and Leonardo Dicaprio’s acting in it.

DiCaprio was brilliant and he deserves any Oscar nod he receives. The movie is harsh and unforgiving. The story is told in painstaking fashion. All action is driven by revenge. The cinematography and camera angles are excellent.

If you can stand the harshness and brutality “The Revenant” is worth a look.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

The Big Short

Michael Lewis’ best-seller; The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine is the basis of the movie “The Big Short”.

“The Big Short” centers around four high-finance outsiders who predicted the credit and housing collapse of the 2000s and how they took on the big banks for their lack of foresight and intense greed. The story unfolds from there…

“The Big Short” is un-cut, unedited. You see everything in the raw. Execution at times is a bit slow, but none the less the movie is intriguing, eye-opening and worth a look.

“The Big Short” is open in limited-release around the country. Check it out in your city.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

BTW…I had planned to see “Point Break” the remake of the 1991 Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves movie, but the 2015 installment received such awful reviews I decided to pass.

JOY

“JOY” is based on factual information about a crazy family that crosses 4 generations. The anchor is the young woman who invents an innovative mop and goes on to create a dynasty. The movie is filled with Decent, Betrayal, Treachery and Heartache. All of this paves the way for “JOY”.

The absolute best element to “JOY” is Jennifer Lawrence. She turns in a strong performance. The movie is all over the map and then it’s not. The opening minutes do not make sense. Things finally calm down the last 45 minutes of the movie, but by then the damage is already done.

“JOY” does not turn out even close to what the previews lead you to believe. In fact almost all of the scenes you see in the trailers are the best scenes in the movie.

Unfortunately “JOY” does not bring joy this Holiday Season!

This is a 2 1/2 Star Movie!

Concussion

Based on a true story; “Concussion” is a solid movie that tells an important story. The subject matter is something not often thought about, but very important.

Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) is a Pathologist in Pittsburgh, PA who performs Autopsies. A retired NFL Football player commits suicide at the young age of 50. Dr. Omalu is tasked with performing the Autopsy. Some extensive tests are performed and it is uncovered that the deceased NFL player suffered many concussions during his career which lead to some other brain related problems. Dr. Omalu and his office face an uphill battle as they try to get to the true and make the public aware. The story unfolds from there…

Good execution, moving story. Will Smith does an excellent job as Dr. Bennet Omalu.

What keeps “Concussion” from being a 4 or 5 star movie is that it drags at times and the setting is a bit dark. “Concussion” is definitely worth a look.