Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi in 3D

“Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi” continues the saga from The Force Awakens as those heroes join the galactic legends in what turns out to be an EPIC adventure. Age-old mysteries of the Force and un-told/unfinished stories from the past are unlocked. The story unfolds from there…

If you are a “Die-Hard” Star Wars fan, you will love “Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi”.

The movie is EPIC in its delivery and covers a lot of ground. There is plenty of thrilling action, super-cool special effects and breath-taking cinematography.

There are a lot of twists and turns which helps to keep a long-running (2:32) movie interesting.

A bit more of the “Dark-side” surfaces in this installment. This is the middle installment of a Trilogy. The door is open and set for the third installment. Mark Hamill does an excellent job paving the way for the new younger “Skywalkers” to come.

This is a 4 1/2 Star Movie!

Just Getting Started

I actually saw “Just Getting Started” Friday evening, but it was so bad and I had other things going on that I didn’t think it was urgent to post a review.

I don’t know if the actors in this movie needed money or if it was just the idea of making a movie that drew them to this project.

The story was silly, lazy and did not make sense. There was some humor, but it was short-lived. I actually fell asleep not once but TWICE!! The movie was only 90 minutes long, but it was a very painful 90 minutes.

Morgan Freeman is Duke Driver. Duke is the manager of a luxury resort in Palm Springs. Duke acts strange, although he does make sure that his residents at the resort have non-stop fun. Things start to go down-hill at the resort when an ex-Military guy Leo (Tommy Lee Jones) checks in. This causes a competition to ensue between Duke and Leo. The story unfold from there…

The jokes are dry, the humor is stale and the overall movie is just plan goofy. This is one of the worst comedies I have ever seen.

This is a 0 Star Movie!

Roman J Israel, ESQ

“Roman J. Israel, ESQ” is a slow-paced legal thriller. Unfortunately the pace was too slow and not nail-biting or edge-of-your seat thrilling.

Academy Award Winner, Denzel Washington plays Roman J. Israel, ESQ a defense attorney in Los Angeles. Roman’s life is turned upside down when a series of unfortunate events occur and challenge his otherwise daily routine causing chaos. The chaos causes Roman’s beliefs in the system to be question. The story unfolds from there…

The pace of the movie was too slow for what was going on. It dragged and at times became boring. The foundation was not laid properly so there are holes in the story.

Denzel Washington is the bright element in the movie doing what he does so well. Denzel works overtime to hold the story together. Without him, the movie would really be mundane.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Justice League in Real 3D

Out of the gate this is NOT one of the DC Universe’s best outings.

There is a new rising threat to humanity. Batman (Bruce Wayne) works with Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) so that they can find and assemble a team of meta-humans to stand and protect against this new rising threat.
Unfortunately the task is not easy. Even though a league of superheroes (Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash) has formed, it may not be enough to battle the new threat. The story unfolds from there…

Superhero Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is the best element of the film. In this first outing I find the movie a bit lacking. The Justice League members are a bit disassembled in this first installment. The director (Patty Jenkins) for Wonder Woman was definitely missed. The story drags and is missing some foundation and there is too much CGI.

However I did find the cinematography and 3D aspects to be good. There was lots of action, but that too was sort of chaotic.

Hopefully the DC Universe will go back to the drawing board and clean this up before the next installment. I still prefer Christian Bale as Batman, but alas I found out that he does not want to play that role anymore. Earlier this year Wonder Woman set the bar high and it’s still the best film that came from the DC Universe in 2017.

This is a 2½ Star Movie!

Murder on the Orient Express

The remake of “Murder on the Orient Express” is loaded with heavy hitters. Too bad they did not hit it out of the park!

“Murder on the Orient Express” is a story of thirteen strangers aboard a stranded train where a murder has occurred. Everyone is considered a suspect. There is a detective (Kenneth Branagh) aboard the train and he races to investigate and try to solve the crime before the murderer strikes again. The story unfolds from there…

I had high hopes for the remake of “Murder on the Orient Express”. The trailers were awesome. The movie does contain some very nice scenic views of Istanbul. The movie would be passable if it weren’t for the second half which drags and goes on way too long. At the theater I was in there were people standing at the exit waiting to bolt.

The train does not run off the rails, but it’s a bumpy ride along the European Countryside.

Stick to the original. Peter Ustinov in the original cannot be replaced.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Jigsaw

I had never planned to see Jigsaw, but an opportunity presented it’s self today so I went with a friend.

I have never personally been a fan of the Saw or Jigsaw movies. They are just plan gory, but this installment actually had some legs…

The movie starts off with several people in jeopardy. Each person has committed an awful crime that they have each gotten away with, but Jigsaw knows the details of each person’s sin and plans to make them pay individually. The story unfolds from there…

“Bloody”, “Gory”, “Painful”, “Revenge” and “Just Plain Sick” is how I would describe the events that take place in “Jigsaw”. There are some appealing twists and turns and that’s what makes the movie interesting. But alas it was just too “Gory” and “Bloody” for me.

If you like Horror and Gore, by all means see “Jigsaw”.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Thor: Ragnarok in Real 3D

This is a Special Edition of Thursday Night at the Movies with the Movie Warrior

This 3rd installment finds Thor imprisoned on the other side of the Universe without his powerful Hammer. Thor finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok the destruction of his homeland and the end of Asgardian Civilization. Thor must battle a new powerful villain, the ruthless Hela. Hela will stop at nothing to take over and destroy Asgard. If that’s not enough, Thor also must survive a Gladiator contest against the mighty Hulk…The story unfolds from there…

Wow!! Awesome cinematography, special effects, action, suspense and intrigue. They got it right on this 3rd installment. It’s a wild ride in your theater seat. Colorful scenes give way to spectacular camera angles.

This is a star-studded cast with appearances from The Hulk and Dr Strange.

They definitely did not play it safe with this installment, it’s as if all guns came out blazing. Marvel Universe did hit the jackpot.

If you are a fan of the Marvel Comic Universe, this installment of Thor is definitely worth a look.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Suburbicon

“Suburbicon” is a new Black (Dark) Comedy directed by George Clooney.

The ideal quiet, peaceful suburban community with manicured lawns, children playing together and nosy neighbors is at the center of attention in “Suburbicon”.

It’s 1959 and Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) and his family must deal with the town’s deceit, violence and betrayal. This is a movie that exploits people making very bad assumptions and very bad decisions.

I can honestly say that “Suburbicon” is the worst Dark Comedy that George Clooney has ever directed. He is usually a master behind the camera, but not this time. There are too many agendas, plots and stories all mixed up and going no-where in the movie. There is a tale of Racial Injustice, a tale of Violence, a tale of what appears to be Extortion, a tale of Deceit. There is also a tale of Adolescent Confusion. None of these tales really provide a backbone to the movie.

Movies are supposed to be enjoyable, not confusing or twisted. The subject matter should be somewhat straight forward. You get nothing from “Suburbicon”. I will admit that the ending is extremely surprising. The best part of “Suburbicon” is the trailers or previews that aired over the last 10 months. You could probably watch the trailers a few times and get enough out of them about “Suburbicon” without investing your time and money. The trailers do in fact showcase the best parts of the movie.

I don’t fault Matt Damon. He did what he could do with what was given to him. I usually love his movies, but there is nothing to love or even like about “Suburbicon”.

View at your own risk!

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Geostorm in Real 3D

We have not had a nature disaster movie this year so here we go…

“Geostorm” is one of those movies that shows you all the best parts of the movie in the trailers so that when you go see it, it’s just ho-hum.

I am still trying to figure out the plot…There were no great scenes or special effects. The planet’s climate control satellites begin to malfunction. This causes catastrophic weather to develop around the world causing the air to go into a deep freeze where it’s normally hot, tides climb to outrageous heights and come ashore to destroy sky scraper buildings in places like Dubai. Where the weather is normally cold, everything melts. A Satellite designer (Gerard Butler) races to save the day! The story unfolds from there…

No Stars!!

Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween

“Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” is a continuation from the first installment, the 2016 hit that lasted two weeks at number one.

I actually did not find this installment as funny as last years. This installment is quirky, silly and a bit dull. The funniest parts of the movie include Madea, but Madea is not in every scene. I have to say that this Madea installment is no-where near as good as any of the others that Tyler Perry has made. While the movie will not scare you, you should be afraid to see it.