Peppermint

Riley (Jennifer Garner) leads what seems to be a normal life. She has a young daughter and a husband who loves her. Riley’s husband appears to be on the edge of doing something that is on the wrong side of the law. At the last minute he backs out.
The family decide to celebrate their young daughter’s birthday at the amusement park. After riding a few rides, they get ice cream. Riley goes back to get a few napkins, Father and daughter head toward the car. A dark sedan cruises by and opens fire on the Father and daughter, Riley runs to them and also gets shot. The story unfolds from there…

“Peppermint” is filled with intrigue, drama and suspense. There are a few holes and the back story on the husband is missing, but the move is very entertaining and you are riveted to your seat. I personally love seeing Jennifer Garner in action/drama roles. She appeared in “Peppermint” as I remember her in the ABC hit “Alias”.

I am not sure why the “Paid Critics” were so hard on “Peppermint”. It’s not as dismal as they make it seem. It is Vigilante at its finest!!

If you enjoy “Action/Drama/Suspense, “Peppermint” is worth a look.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Miracles from Heaven

“Miracles from Heaven” is a faith-based Christian Drama about having faith!

All of a sudden 10 year old Anna Beam (Kylie Rogers) becomes ill. Emergency room visits and standard test yield no results, but because Anna’s mother Christy Beam (Jennifer Garner) refuses to take what the doctors say at face value, the hospital is forced to have a specialist look at little Anna to determine if there is a real problem. After a battery of tests the specialist is able to determine that Ann has a rare incurable illness.

Determined not to give up, Christy takes Anna to Boston to the Boston Children’s Hospital where there are specialists who can treat Anna. The story unfolds from there…

This movie is based on factual events. I found myself in tears at times. The message of this movie is about having faith and believing in God. If you don’t have faith, don’t go see “Miracles from Heaven”. The movie does have some dis-jointed parts of the story. There is some comedic relief, but it wasn’t as funny as it should have been.

Jennifer Garner’s performance was absolutely awesome!
The paid critics did not like “Miracles from Heaven”, but I think it’s pretty good and worth a look.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie!

Danny Collins

Based loosely on a true story, an aging 70’s rocker Danny Collins (Al Pacino) continues to live the fast life of an entertainer, but when his manager presents him with a Birthday gift that is an undelivered hand-written letter from John Lennon, after reading the letter Danny decides to clean up his act and chart a new course by attempting to mend some fences related to his estranged son and find a new love.
The story unfolds from there…

The story is witty, entertaining and engaging. Al Pacino keeps the story moving. This is probably Al Pacino’s best performance in years.
The only problem is that the movie ends a bit abruptly. You are sort of left hanging.

Only open in limited-release; “Danny Collins” is definitely worth a look.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie!

Draft Day

If you are an avid Pro Football Fan, You will be intrigued by “Draft Day”.

The 2014 NFL Draft is just hours away…The back room, under the table deals that occur between the front offices of NFL teams is mind boggling if not staggering.

Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner) has the opportunity to trade for the number one player and thus rebuild his team, the Cleveland Browns. The fans, the coaches, the owner and his Mom are counting on him. Sonny makes what everyone believes is the best possible deal with the Seattle Seahawks to get the number one pick, but before the actual draft starts Sonny does his own homework on the number one pick and starts to have doubts. The story unfolds from there…

The movie starts off a bit “Ho-Hum”. It does pick up steam and really starts to roll, but a bit too late because the movie is almost over when it gets exciting. There are definitely a few surprises which make things interesting.

I found the on-screen chemistry between Jennifer Garner and Kevin Costner to be a bit strange. They are not the best “Love” match. I really like both of them as actors. The cinematography is great as you will get a different look at some of the best looking NFL Football Stadiums around the country.

The paid critics were a bit harsh on “Draft Day”, but I think it’s worth a look.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

A married couple (Cindy and Jim Green) were at the end of their rope trying to have a baby. They went through all of the normal Fertility tests and procedures, but nothing worked. Giving up in despair they return to their regular lives in Stanleyville (The Home of the Number 2 Pencil) where Jim works in the Pencil Factory and Cindy works at the Pencil Museum.

Trying to console one another Jim (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy (Jennifer Garner) open a bottle of wine and after some persuading on Jim’s part, gets Cindy to write down on little pieces of paper all of the characteristics they would hope their child would have. They then put the pieces of paper in a wooden box and bury it in their vegetable garden. They go to bed. During the night there is a violent thunder storm. Jim is awaken by a loud noise at the back door, after securing the back door, grabbing a drink from the milk bottle and returning to bed, Jim thinks he is snuggling up to Cindy, but she’s in the bathroom. The story unfolds from there…

“The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is a family friendly light-hearted movie. The movie is a bit cheesy and it just so happens that the couple’s last name is “Green”, but there is an entertainment factor here. This is a Disney production and there is a certain amount of “Magic” in the story.

The movie is relaxing. There is no anxiety in seeing this movie. I found parts of it to be funny in a good way. It’s not the best movie that Jennifer Garner has made, but it’s not the worst.

Drawbacks: Mild Mature Thematic Elements

This is a Dramatic Comedy Film, If you like this type of movie ENJOY”!!

The Paid Critics gave this movie 2 stars. I Think it’s worth 2 1/2 stars.