Pain & Gain

“Pain & Gain” is based on a true story about three guys who are tired of the poor life and are looking for a fast way to get rich.
Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is a regular bodybuilder and personal trainer at a Florida Gym called the “Sun Gym” along with his friend Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie). They both concoct a plan to kidnap and extort money from a gym member Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) who is a rich business man.
Along the way Daniel and Adrian convince a recently paroled convict Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) to help them. They became “The Sun Gym Gang”. They successfully get Kershaw to sign over all of his holdings and money, but when Kershaw survives their murder attempt on him, he convinces investigator Ed Du Bois (Ed Harris) to try and get his money and property back. The story unfolds from there…
I found it very hard to believe that this story was true. It’s such a hare-brained scheme. Some of the events seemed impossible to pull off.
There is a tremendous amount of crude sexuality, nudity and profane language used in the movie.
There are some really funny parts where you will be laughing out loud at them, but not with them. There are too many plot wrinkles. Too much graphic violence and the saga is just plain dizzy.
If you are familiar with this story then by all means do see “Pain & Gain” otherwise wait for it on DVD, Blue Ray or Cable.

Oblivion

“Oblivion” is about the battle for control of a post-nuclear earth. The movie is visually appealing, but that’s about it.
It’s the year 2077 and all is not right with the world, in-fact the world as we know it no longer exists.
Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper a security repairman who goes out daily to find and repair Droids who actually kill humans, but Jack is safe from the Droids because he works for the company that controls them.
Jack only has 2 weeks left until his mission is complete and he can join other surviving humans on a far away colony.
Everything changes when Jack rescues a survivor (Olga Kurylenko) from a downed spacecraft; this survivor triggers memories of things past. Jack finds himself in a battle to save mankind. The story unfolds from there…
As I mentioned earlier, “Oblivion” is visually appealing. The Cinematography is breath-taking. The story and plot are disjointed. Things are confusing from the start. The movie in its entirety is dull.
“Oblivion” is best served via Blue Ray, DVD or Cable.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation: An IMAX Experience

“The Joe’s are back!!” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” was originally scheduled to open in August 2012. Suddenly it was pushed to March 2013. Was it worth the wait…?

The Joe’s find themselves battling two different fronts, Cobra their mortal enemy is back and there is a catastrophic threat within the US Government. Is the President really the President? The story unfolds from there…

The plot and story for “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” are a “HOT MESS!!!” and both lack depth, but the action, special effects and sequences of martial-arts violence are pretty good. I love when Bruce Willis makes his entrance and is with the Joe’s on a mission.

“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” is definitely not great, but it’s better than the first installment. Fortunately the mayhem only goes on for about 99 minutes.

If you are a fan of G.I. Joe, you won’t want to miss this installment.

Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor

This is one serious Drama. There is no “Madea”. Tyler Perry is strictly behind the camera.

“Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor” is about an ambitious young married woman who finds herself attracted to a Technology Billionaire.
The passion that she feels for the billionaire causes her work and home life to spin out of control. Decisions that she makes will have far reaching consequences and change the course of her life forever. The story unfolds from there…

Tyler Perry’s “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor” limps along for almost two hours before you see some explosive scenes with a surprising but strange ending. Kim Kardashian cannot act!! The other stars are boring.
On the positive side, the story Tyler Perry is trying to tell does hit close to home as everything in the movie can and probably has happened in real life.

I am disappointed!! This is not Tyler Perry’s best work.

Olympus Has Fallen

At the writing of this review I am undecided as to whether I like “Olympus Has Fallen” or not. There are a few good elements about the movie, but there are also an equal number of bad elements about the movie and that’s what makes it difficult. The Cast is HUGH and are all excellent actors.
On a nice July day the unthinkable happens, an extreme terrorist and his army invade the air space around the White House. The army is well armed and knows all of our secret weapons and how they operate. President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and most of his key staff are taken hostage in the White House bunker.
Fortunately for President Asher, one of his former security officers Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) happens to arrive and is able to get inside the White House undetected before everything is shut down.
Banning needs to locate the President’s young son and rescue the President before the extremists unleash their intended plan on the US. The story unfolds from there…

Think “Die Hard” at the White House. This is what “Olympus Has Fallen” will remind you of. Security Officer Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is John McCain (Bruce Willis).
The difference is “Die Hard” was more interesting while “Olympus Has Fallen” has a bigger cast. The plot is mildly interesting. There is some cool artillery that is used. The movie is very bloody and in your face violent. A bright spot is that Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett and Gerard Butler are excellent.
But, with all of that being said, this has been done before. Only the venue is different. It’s really sad that you have a ton of great actors/actresses and the movie is borderline mediocre. I found my self checking my watch on a couple of different occasions during the movie. If I do that, it’s not a good sign.

Dead Man Down

“Dead Man Down” is not exactly what you might think. The previews will lead you to think this is about a violent assault on a woman and her trying to get revenge. It’s much more then that…
Neils Arden Oplev, the director of the original “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” makes his US debut with “Dead Man Down”.
There are two stories that go on in “Dead Man Down”. They both center on revenge and family. The desire for revenge is extremely strong for two people, Victor (Colin Farrell) and Beatrice (Noomi Rapace) who don’t know each other, but after meeting and sizing each other up, they sort of join forces, each with he or her own agenda. The story unfolds from there…
“Dead Man Down” is very violent. There is a lot of suspense and intrigue. The story moves right along and nothing drags. The plots unfold nicely. I was impressed. I found the movie to be better than I expected. The paid critics were Luke-warm, but if you can stand the violence, “Dead Man Down” is worth a look.

Snitch

“Snitch” is based loosely on a true story about a father who tries to save his college-bound son from long-term incarceration in prison for accepting a delivery at his home on behalf of a friend. The delivery turns out to be heroine. The minimum sentence is 10 years. The story unfolds from there…
“Snitch” is not bad! The problem is, at times the movie drags and it takes too long to get to the point, but overall it’s decent. The movie contains strong violence as you would expect from any drug-related scenarios that involve a drug cartel, DEA, District Attorney, local police and any other federal law enforcement agencies.
For you Dwayne Johnson fans, this is not your typical Dwayne Johnson movie. There is hardly any action. In fact you will see a softer more compassionate Dwayne Johnson.
“Snitch” was not on my original “Watch List”, but I decided to give it a look.

A Good Day to Die Hard:The IMAX Experience

I have to say that I was shocked when I found out 9 months ago that another “Die Hard” movie was in the works. In 2007 when “Live Free or Die Hard” opened Bruce Willis indicated that this would be the last installment in the “Die Hard” franchise. So here we are in 2013 and 25 years after the first “Die Hard” we are being enticed by yet another installment.
In this 5th Installment John McCain (Bruce Willis) is going to Russia on vacation, but instead he finds himself fresh off his flight having to try to get his grown son Jack (Jai Courtney) who is a CIA operative out of hot water. McCain isn’t aware that his son is a CIA operative, he thinks Jack is a criminal. Things get real dicey. The story unfolds from there…
There is non-stop action, violence, and mayhem. There is no less than 100 cars that get blown-up or destroyed in this movie, along with some really HUGH helicopters. The stunts that are performed are so preposterous that there is no way a human being could survive any of what you see. The plot is… oh wait there is no plot, at least not one you can sink your teeth into. You are never sure of whom the bad guy or guys are.
The best thing about “A Good Day to Die Hard” is that it shows well in IMAX and you get to see some scenic views of Russia. In fact if you are going to waste your money you should see it in IMAX. You need the full effect.
I am very disappointed. I really liked the 2007 installment “Live Free or Die Hard”. I actually own it on DVD. Out of all 5 installments, the first and fourth were the best. “A Good Day to Die Hard” should have been left on the cutting room floor. These installments do make money for 20th Century Fox, so I am sure we will be treated to a 6th installment in a couple of years.

Side Effects

“Side Effects” is a tight Suspense Thriller that touches on the anxieties of depression and deals with the moral aspects of medical ethics.
Emily (Rooney Mara) and Martin’s (Channing Tatum) successful world collapses amidst a new experimental drug that is prescribed by Emily’s psychiatrist (Jude Law). The drug is intended to treat Anxiety, but of course has many side effects one in particular is sleep walking. The story unfolds from there…
“Side Effects” is a series of twists, turns, surprises, drama and deafening suspense. This is Director Steve Soderbergh at his finest. You will attempt to figure out what is going on in the movie and think you have it all figured out right up to the end, but you’d be wrong.
The sneakiness, surprises, suspense, twists and turns are what make “Side Effects” worth seeing. “Side Effects” isn’t great, but it is very good and has an excellent cast!!

If you love Drama and Suspense, “Side Effects” is your movie.

Bullet to the Head

“Bullet to the Head” is about “Greed, Corruption and Revenge”.

In this action packed testosterone filled flick, Sylvester Stallone plays a professional hit man who teams up with a cop (Kang Sung). They are both trying to avenge the deaths of their respective partners and stamp out a common enemy. The story unfolds from there…
The story is disjointed at best! There is absolutely no on-screen chemistry between Sylvester Stallone and Kang Sung. Jon Seda and Sylvester Stallone make a better on-screen pair. The acting is a bit off also.
There is lots of action and the movie is filled with violence and is very bloody. All of that being said Sylvester Stallone still has it!! Sylvester Stallones’ dialog is laugh out loud funny at times. If you are a Sylvester Stallone fan, you might want to see “Bullet to the Head”.
If you like your movies filled with testosterone and full of action then “Bullet to the Head” is your movie. Otherwise wait for “Bullet to the Head” to come out on DVD or Blueray