Tag: Hailee Steinfeld

Bumblebee in Real 3D

It’s 1987 and Bumblebee was sent to Earth to protect it, but he is on the run from the Decepticons. He finds refuge in an old junkyard as a VW Beetle. Along comes Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) who works part time in the junkyard. Charlie barters with the owner to purchase the VW Beetle thinking she is getting her own prized vehicle, but soon finds out she has acquired so much more. The story unfolds from there…

“Bumblebee” is fun and entertaining. The cinematography and action are on point. This story of a lone transformer comes across as heartwarming and the story was executed very well.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Begin Again

“Begin Again” is another one of those “Sleeper” movies, what I mean by that is; it’s a really good movie with very little advertisement. It’s open in limited release across the country.

Two ambitious young song writers, Gretta & Dave (Keira Knightley and Adam Levine) move to New York in search of stardom. Dave gets signed by a major record company. As his star starts to rise, the temptations that go with being a music sensation get the best of Dave. Devastated and disappointed Gretta breaks up with Dave and moves on.

Gretta struggles to put her life back together. She performs one night in the East Village and is heard by a once well respected music producer Dan (Mark Ruffalo) who has since fallen on hard times. After hearing Gretta sing Dan is very interested in trying to get Gretta signed to his record label. The story unfolds from there…

The music in this movie is great. I love the sound track. I was tapping my foot and popping my fingers. You hear songs by Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra just to name a couple. The movie starts off slow, but once you get past the first 10-12 minutes it’s great.

“Begin Again” is definitely worth a look. It’s also not for anyone under the age of 16. There is no nudity, but the tone and theme are very adult.

This is a 4 Star Movie

3 Days to Kill

Kevin Costner looks “Hot!!” in “3 Days to Kill” and he has smooth assassin moves. The cinematography is interesting; you will get to see a lot of Paris, France. But that’s it.

In “3 Days to Kill” Ethan Runner (Kevin Costner) is a retired Secret Service agent who has been called out of retirement to pose as an International Spy. His skills are needed for one last job. The request causes Ethan a tremendous amount of anxiety because he is attempting to recapture his old life. Currently Ethan is estranged from his wife and he hasn’t seen his daughter in years. He has kept them at bay and they don’t know what he really does.

If this new assignment isn’t enough, Ethan is also terminally ill. The agency supplies Ethan with injections that help to minimize the pain and agony that often afflicts him. They (CIA) need him to kill one of the most notorious International criminals. The story unfolds from there…

The problem with “3 Days to Kill” is that the story is disjointed; it does not flow and you have no idea of how you arrived at point B from point A. It’s like a runaway train that has no final destination. The plot is interesting, but there is no real understanding behind it. There are at least three stories going on in the movie at one time, but you are not given enough background information to really understand the reasoning behind the events that occur.

Needless to say I am disappointed. I expected better. “3 Days to Kill” is best viewed on DVD, Blueray or Cable.

Ender’s Game

An Elite group of talented and gifted children are selected to train for a potentially very catastrophic War.

Ender Wiggins, shy but a strategically brilliant young leader, is recruited to join the elite group.

Once at the Battle School, Ender quickly masters the increasingly difficult challenges and simulations that are presented to him.
Ender soon gains that attention of Graff who is one of the schools Commanders who ordains Ender as the military’s next great hope. Ender is soon promoted to Commander School where he is trained to lead and given his own team of soldiers to lead into the next epic battle. The story unfolds from there…
If you read the NY Times best-selling novel you won’t be disappointed. It’s definitely a must see in IMAX to get the full effect. The special effects, cinematography and camera angles are fabulous. There is a small lull in the film, but it arrives at the end respectfully. Although this is a first chapter, “Ender’s Game” will lead to a blockbuster franchise.