IT: Chapter Two in AMC Dolby

It’s 27 years later and the gang is all grown up and all have left Derry except one. There is a carnival in Derry and folks are out and about. At the carnival two gentlemen are beaten and become part of a hate crime. Soon after, one of the gentlemen is taken by Pennywise the sadistic clown.

When the local Police and investigator come to the scene the lone member of the gang shows up and is doing his own sniffing. He sees some signs that Pennywise has been on the scene, so he spends the night phoning all of the other living members of the gang insisting that they must return to Derry so that Pennywise can be stopped for good. The story unfolds from there…

“IT: Chapter Two” is crazy scary and extremely graphic!! The movie at times is very bloody. Personally I can’t handle another installment. I spent a lot of time squirming in my seat… The movie does its job by making you feel scared and terrified. There are many twists and turns. You can cut the suspense with a knife.
One negative is that the movie is all over the place. They do a good job on the continuation from the first installment, but this installment shows you elements that probably should have been in the first installment so that the stage would be set properly.

If you are a Stephen King fan and you enjoy his books that become movies. You should definitely see “IT: Chapter Two”.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

X-Men: Dark Phoenix in AMC Dolby

The X-Men have been enjoying “Hero” status among normal humans when they are called out to use their powers to save and protect. But the X-Men soon find out that they will end up facing their worst foe, one of their own when after a journey into space to save one of NASA’s Space Shuttle crew Phoenix consumes the unknown fire source in space in order to save her team and the shuttle crew. The X-Men are unaware of the danger humanity could end up being in. The story unfolds from there…

First for the good…The cinematography is fantastic, the special effects and action are on point.

The bad… The story lacks emotion and depth and is not very entertaining. The acting seemed a bit dry also. This is supposed to be a “Finale” of sorts. I would have expected much better. I am highly disappointment. The story ends on a whisper. You are left more questions than answers.

“Dark Phoenix” is supposed to be the last installment in the X-Men franchise. It comes in with a whimper and goes out with a Whimper… The movie is not very memorable and does not do the comic book justice.

I think the 2017 “Logan” installment was much better and more entertaining.

This is a 1 Star Movie!!

Glass

Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis reprise their “Unbreakable” roles Elijah Price also known as Mr. Glass and David Dunn. Joining them from “Split” is James McAvoy as Kevin Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within him. Also Anya Taylor-Joy joins “Glass” as Casey Cook who was the only person to survive an encounter with The Beast.

“Glass” picks up following the conclusion of “Split” where Crumb’s superhuman figure The Beast is being shadowed by David Dunn in a series of escalating encounters that lands them both in a mental hospital. Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) is already there. Once they all find out they are together again Elijah Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets that are critical to both Crumb and Dunn. The story unfolds from there…

I am not sure what I expected, but this movie was just plain crazy. It’s almost like a deconstruction of a series of events that have happened in the lives of the three men, Dunn, Price and Crumb.
There are times of clarity and then there are times of confusion. There are a few interesting scenes and some interesting action and intrigue, but unfortunately that’s not enough to make “Glass” a good solid movie.
“Glass” is not the worst movie I have ever seen, but it certainly is not the best.

I am not sure that I would watch “Glass” at home on a Saturday night with a tub of popcorn…

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Atomic Blonde

“Atomic Blonde” is the “Female James Bond!!”

It’s 1989 in Berlin Germany on the eve of “The Wall” coming down. Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is a Top Level Spy for MI6. She is tasked with going into Berlin to bring down an International Spy Ring that has killed an Agent for no reason. Lorraine has been told to corporate with the Berlin station chief Percival (James McAvoy), but it appears that there is a “Double-Spy” amongst them or a leak because at every turn Agent Broughton has to unleash her many skills and use her arsenal to defend herself as she tries to carry out her assignment. She doesn’t know who she can trust. The story unfolds from there…

“Atomic Blonde” would be a 5 star movie if the plot and narrative were a bit more-meaty. The action is crazy good. There is plenty of intrigue, suspense and unexpected twists. There are even some “Kick Ass” stunts! The sound track is awesome and appropriate for the time period portrayed in the movie.

Charlize Theron is excellent as the “Atomic Blonde”.
If you like “Spy Thrillers” then “Atomic Blonde” is your movie.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

X-Men: Apocalypse The IMAX 3D Experience

Welcome to a special installment of Thursday Night at the Movies with The Movie Warrior!

“X-Men: Apocalypse” is a very ambitious undertaking that doesn’t quite meet the mark. I found the plot to be bloated with no deflation and no explanation. There were really strong performances, but they were over shadowed by a plot that never quite comes together as it’s all over the place.

In this installment, everything gets torn up, destroyed literally and then put back together.

The best parts of the movie are the special effects, cinematography and the 3D aspects. There is non-stop action, but sometimes it does not make sense. That’s not enough to justify spending $17 dollars to see the movie.
To me personally after 16 years the “X-Men” franchise has run its course and is now an overdone franchise, also it was disappointing to not see Halle Barry reprise her role as “Storm”.

This is a 2 1/2 Star Movie!

X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is Excellent!!

The X-Men ensemble fights a war for survival across two time periods. In an attempt to change the course of history and to assure their species survives, the X-Men from the original installment must join forces with their younger selves from the past, X-Men First-Class. The story unfolds from there…

This movie has substance. It’s solid. You get time travel!! It’s very entertaining, has tons of action and is fun to watch. The cinematography and special effects are great! By far this is the best “X-Men” movie in the franchise.

This is a 4 1/2 star movie!