Category: Suspense

Self/less

“Self/less” is “Selfish”!! Its “Selfish” in its Execution and “Selfish” in its Delivery.

An extremely wealthy business man Damien (Ben Kingsley) is dying from some form of neurological cancer. He is offered a chance to undergo a form of radical treatment that transfers his consciousness into a healthy younger man.

Once the transfer takes place and the healthy young Damien (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up, is rehabilitated and starts his new life, all is not what it seems. As the younger Damien starts to uncover the mystery of the original older Damien, the secret society behind the treatment will stop at nothing to protect its cause.
The story unfolds from there…

This is one of the worst executed stories I have seen in a long while. It seems that the story is being made up as it moves along. There are so many miss-connected dots. The story does not flow at all. It starts off odd, gets odder as the movie continues and ends in strange fashion.
This is a movie that should have gone straight to video. Its not worth the money. In fact it probably should have been placed on the cutting floor.

It was a waste of Ben Kingsley and Ryan Reynolds acting abilities.

I do not recommend “Self/less”

Black Sea

You are a rouge submarine captain who has just been laid off. Your family left you because of the job and now the job leaves you.

You have been contacted about a rumored sunken treasure in the Black Sea. You put together a misfit crew of merry men that you believe represent the best in their position as it pertains to a submarine.

There is money to be made if you find the treasure. So off you and your crew go. Time passes as you travel under sea heading toward the location site. Desperation and greed take control as uncertainty sets in among the crew. The story unfolds from there…

“Black Sea” is not the very best “Suspense Thriller”, but it is a very good one. Two time Oscar Nominee; Jude Law is awesome as the rouge submarine captain. The movie is entertaining and gloomy all as the same time.
“Black Sea” was directed by Academy Award Winning Director Kevin McDonald.

If you like “Suspense Thrillers”, “Black Sea” is worth a look.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie!!

The Imitation Game

Nominated for Best Picture “The Imitation Game” is a very well executed movie.

Based on a true story, in 1952 the British Authorities entered the home of, celebrated professor Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) because of a reported burglary, but after their investigation they arrested Professor Turing on a charge of “Gross Indecency”. Back in those days homosexuality was against the law.

The authorities had no idea that they were arresting the man who along with his merry motley crew broke the code that would lead to stopping the German World War II Enigma machine.

“The Imitation Game” takes you through Professor Turing’s life from his school days to his working with Intelligence Agents to over throw the Enigma Machine.
Richard Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Alan Turing is haunting. The movie could be boring, but it’s not. It’s very educational from the stand point of the machine that Alan Turing created, we know today as a computer.

“The Imitation Game” is worth the price of admission.

This is a 4 1/2 Star Movie!

The Boy Next Door

“The Boy Next Door” is “Been There, Done That, Seen it 20 Times before.”

Jennifer Lopez plays Claire Peterson, a newly divorced high school literature teacher. When the boy next door (Noah) introduces and ingratiates himself into the lives of Claire and her son Kevin (Ian Nelson), Claire can’t help but find herself attracted to the very handsome young man. Noah is very attracted to Claire and decides to do something about it. Soon after things get out of hand and turn dangerous. The story unfolds from there…

“The Boy Next Door” lacks creativity. The movie is predictable and leaves little to the imagination. Some of the events that take place in the movie are just plain stupid. Think “Fatal Attraction meets High School Boy”.

This movie rates a big fat “0”. Don’t waste your time or money. The male viewer will find the sex scenes very interesting. Jennifer Lopez did her own scenes.

This movie does not rate any stars!

Taken 3

I was mildly excited at the thought of another installment from the Taken series, but alas…this Trilogy has run a ground.

Watching “Taken 3” will make you long for the original installment “Taken”. There is no new ground here. Liam Neeson reprises his role as Bryan Mills the retired ex-covert operative with special skills. Bryan and his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) appear to be trying to reconcile, but when she is murdered and Bryan is framed for her murder, he then has to go on the run to elude the FBI, CIA and the Police while he tracks down the real killers and protect his daughter. The story unfolds from there…

The movie starts off with an unexplained murder. That murder is never really tied to anything in the movie. It just didn’t make sense. There are bright spots in the movie where Liam Neeson is in action kicking butt and involved in some crazy vehicle chases and Forest Whitaker adds some interesting chaos to the movie, but that’s about it. For the most part the dialog throughout the movie is meaningless.

“Taken 3” will take your time and money. I am afraid I have to say it’s the worst of the Trilogy. It’s best viewed on DVD, Cable or Blu-Ray.

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Argo

Remember when Iranian Revolutionaries stormed the American Embassy in November 1979? “Argo” is about the situations that led up to, during and after this awful event.

During the rioting and chaos 6 Americans were able to escape and find refuge with the Canadian Ambassador. However it was discovered by the revolutionaries that some of the Embassy staff was unaccounted for. Worried that they may be found and executed, the US Government calls extractor Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to get the refugees out.

Tony’s plan is to pose as a Hollywood producer who is scouting the location to film a movie and plans to use the refugees as his crew. The story unfolds from there…

“Argo” is based on a true story. The movie is executed brilliantly!! The attention to detail is astounding. It’s “Dark, Intense and Sometimes Comical”.

For those of you who do not like a lot of profanity in your movies, BEWARE, the “F” word is used constantly. Sometimes it’s funny, but most of the time not so much.