Tag: Gary Oldman

Hunter Killer

“Hunter Killer” is a fresh take on “The Hunt for Red October”. Unfortunately the plot is weak and the back story virtually non-existent.

Deep under the Arctic Ocean lies a US Submarine in distress. American Submarine Captain Joe Glass (Gerard Butler) has been requested to take on the mission of locating the distressed Submarine.
While on this mission Captain Joe Glass and his crew must deal with being fired upon by Russian ships and Submarines, a booby-trapped Ocean and a possible coupe taking place in the Russian Government involving the Russian President. In addition to the undersea mission an elite team of Seals are formed to help out. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is intriguing and very suspenseful, but the plot is lite and the back-story non-existent. The movie is still entertaining and worth a look. It is not as bad as the paid critics made it out to be.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Darkest Hour

Finally!! I was able to see “Darkest Hour” this movie has been on my “Watch List” for months!! I was highly disappointed when it opened Nov 22nd in limited-release and it did not open in a theater near me until Christmas Day.

It’s WWII and France is about to go down…Great Britain faces its problems as the threat of invasion is vast approaching. Great Britain hangs on the leadership of their newly appointed Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman). Churchill must decide whether or not to negotiate with Hitler to save the British people all the while maneuvering his political rivals, also deciding whether to fight the odds and at what cost to the nation. The Story unfolds from there…

Gary Oldman is brilliant as Winston Churchill. He deserves every award nod he is currently getting. While at times a bit dull, the movie is still moving, entertaining and educational.

I am not sure why it took so long to go wide-release, but at least it finally did.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

The Hitman’s Bodyguard

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is a “quirky, funny and entertaining summer flick.”

Ryan Reynolds plays Michael Bryce, a top protection agent who has been summoned to protect a Notorious Assassin, Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson). Darius’s testimony is needed in criminal court case to put away a dictator who has been killing or ordering the killing of innocent people.

Michael Bryce and Darius Kincaid have a history. They don’t like each other, so when they are faced with each other and it dawns on Michael Bryce what he is getting into, dangerous sparks start flying. The story unfolds from there…

The paid critics did not like “The Hitman’s Bodyguard”. The movie is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s not bad. In fact it’s funny and entertaining. There is a story, a plot, intrigue, suspense and a couple of twists. It’s mindless entertaining.

Ryan Reynolds is an unlikely bodyguard, but he does a good job. Samuel L. Jackson is the perfect assassin. The movie is worth seeing if for no other reason than to see Salma Hayek. She kicks some serious butt!!

Check out “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” for some fun entertainment.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Criminal

“Criminal” offers familiarity, but lacks cohesiveness.

Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) who is a CIA operative is kept alive so that his memories can be surgically implanted in a dangerous criminal (Kevin Costner) so that the CIA can use the knowledge to stop an International terrorist. The story unfolds from there…

The problem with “Criminal” is there is no basis or context for the actions and events that take place in the first 12 minutes of the film. The story does not start of right, so you are left to your own devices to try and figure out the “What’s”, the “Who’s” and the “Why’s”.

While “Criminal” isn’t great by any stretch of the imagination, it is better than the 2014 “3 Days to Kill” which also starred Kevin Costner.

“Criminal” will be an excellent watch on DVD or Blu-Ray.

This is a 2 Star Movie

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes IMAX 3D

Caesar and his colony are back!

Continuing from the 2011 installment “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” there was a war brewing and the Simian flu all but wiped out most of humanity. There are some humans left. They are in San Francisco and trying to survive. Caesar wants to live peaceably, but there is dissention amongst his colony.

The people in San Francisco have no idea that there are apes living near them. It’s been determined that in order to restore power to the city a tactical team will need to travel into the deep forest to a location where a power plant and dam exist. What they don’t know is that Caeser and his colony have established a home right next to and around the power plant.

In order to get to the power plant and get the dormant dam operational, the team is going to have to deal with Caesar and his colony. One of the young apes is mistakenly shot by a human who feels threatened. This causes a bit of an up rise, but Caesar convinces the colony that the humans are not a threat and they should remain apart. The tactical team temporarily retreats, but after regrouping they return to the forest in an attempt to get to the dam. The story unfolds from there…
This is another one of those franchises that I am “Luke Warm” about. I did not care for the first two installments choosing to watch them on cable as opposed to spending money in a theater. This installment wasn’t even on my “Watch List”.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is really good. There is a real story, plot and intrigue. The CGI’s are excellent. The cinematography is really good. The movie is tension filled with edge of your seat action.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is a must see in IMAX, but not 3D.

This is a 4 Star movie

RoboCop (2014)

RoboCop (2014) is flat…

RoboCop (2014) is basically a reboot of the 1987 installment. This would be the 4th installment in this franchise. The premises of this installment somewhat matches the 1987 installment. It’s the year 2028 in crime riddled Detroit Michigan. The police there are battling crime and coming up empty. A new robot technology by an emerging company called Omnicorp wants to use Detroit as a test city for its new way to fight crime.

In Tehran Omnicorp uses drones to keep the people and city safe. The question has always been why doesn’t America use this technology? When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) a Detroit Cop is severely injured in the line of duty, Omnicorp see this as a perfect opportunity to step in and take what’s left of Alex and build a part man part robot police officer to combat crime on the streets of Detroit.

Omnicorp hopes to show Congress and the White House that this is the way of the future to battle crime and keep America’s streets safe. Additionally Omnicorp sees dollar signs; they believe there is $600 billion dollars at stake. Of Course Congress is skeptical and there is plenty of debate. The story unfolds from there…
The problem with “RoboCop (2014)” it’s not fun. Gary Oldman and Joel Kinnaman are great! They make the movie watchable. There is action, intrigue and some cool sci-fi stunts, but the movie still comes up empty. There isn’t much excitement. It’s a bit dry. There are a few awkward moments, holes in the plot and story.

I saw the movie in iMAX. “RoboCop (2014)” is not worth the price of an iMAX ticket.

Paranoia

“Paranoia” is a suspense thriller about the high stakes of corporate espionage, corporate rivalry and technology hacking. Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is trying to get ahead in his current position with Wyatt Telecom. Adam has plenty of ideas as to how the company should adjust its thinking to better serve its customers.

When his ideas are met with disdain from the CEO Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman), Adam decides to take his team out on the town with his corporate credit card to the tune of $6,000 dollars. Adam is called into the CEO’s office the very next morning. As payback the ruthless CEO wants Adam to spy on his rival company, steal technology and secrets. The story unfolds from there…

The story is very disjointed. It’s all over the map. You are not provided with any foundation or basis for the events or actions that take place at the beginning, middle or end of the movie. The plot is totally illogical. Although the execution of some of the events are very good, it’s still not enough to waste your hard earned money on. I am very disappointed. I really like Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman. This is a “Thriller that doesn’t Thrill”.

Lawless

Set in the 1930’s in Franklin County Virginia, “LawLess” is about the Bondurant Brothers (Forrest, Howard and Jack) who run a backwoods restaurant/general store. This backwoods store is a front for their real business which is bootlegging. They package up their booze and make their deliveries in the wee hours of the night.
The local sheriff and his men have take bribes and left the brother to their own devices. When a Chicago lawman (Guy Pearce) comes to town and tries to put the brothers out of business a war erupts. The story unfolds from there…

“Lawless” starts off boring and slow. The first 30 minutes will lull you to sleep, but all of a sudden the movie picks up and is like a run away freight train flying down a dirty track. The violence is gruesome and bloody. The movie is just “Ok”. It’s not as interesting as I had hoped given the cast. The dialog of the movie leaves something to be desired. At times it’s difficult to understand what is being said.

The paid critics were “luke warm” about “Lawless”, so am I!!!