Tag: Scott Eastwood

1992

1992

It’s April 29, 1992 in Los Angeles, CA. During this time in history, Los Angeles faced a lot of racial and political issues. Those issues are the backdrop for “1992”.

Mercer (Tyrese Gibson) is desperately trying to rebuild his life and his relationship with his son amidst the turbulent 1992 LA uprising following the Rodney King verdict. Across town, another father and son (Ray Liotta and Scott Eastwood) put their own strained relationship to the test as they plot a dangerous heist to steal catalytic converters, which contain valuable platinum, from the factory where Mercer works. As tensions rise in Los Angeles and chaos erupts, both families reach their boiling points when they collide in this tension filled crime-drama. The story unfolds from there…

The execution of this movie starts off well enough, but soon falls off the rails as there are several small stories that are not completed or explained. There is Political Tension / Uprising that is continuous while a major robbery is plotted and attempted. Too much goes unexplained and you are left to wonder the “What, “How” and “Why”.

The Political Uprising that occurred in Los Angeles in 1992 was a very terrible time for that city. To see it depicted in a movie is really eye opening, disturbing and sad.

On a positive note, Snoop Dogg was the Executive Producer, so in some ways what was depicted was to make a point. There was nothing “Sugar-Coated”. 

“1992” is one of Ray Liotta’s final movies. If you are a Ray Liotta fan, check out “1992”.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Wrath of Man

Wrath of Man

Jason Statham shows you what revenge really looks like in “Wrath of Man”. A Robbery of an Armored Car leaves many dead, some are innocent casualties.  This is what fuels the plot and motive of the movie.   

There are many flashbacks in “Wrath of Man”, so it’s very important to pay attention. The story does come together nicely at the end, but you have to wade through the saga to get there.

“Wrath of Man” contains the right amount of action, suspense and intrigue to make it a movie worth watching on the big screen. Everything clicks on all cylinders.

“Wrath of Man” quietly opened in theaters on May 7th. It’s still playing at the box office. Catch it if you can.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Pacific Rim Uprising in 3D

It’s been 5 years since the 2013 Pacific Rim installment although the movie plays it as if it’s been 10 years.

Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) the son of the legendary Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) who gave his life in the first installment to save humanity from the monstrous “Kaiju” must find a way to move away from the criminal element after abandoning his Jaeger Pilot training.

A worst threat to humanity is about to make it’s self-known and Jake’s skills as well as current Jaeger Pilot Cadets in training must get ready to fight the battle of their lives. The story unfolds from there…

This is a classic case of the second installment is not as good as the first. There is action, special effects and some cool cinematography, but the back story to setup this installment is weak. It appears that the movie just wants to get to the dueling robots instead of providing an appropriate lead-in. The movie running time seemed longer than 111 minutes. John Boyega is the highlight of the movie.

“Pacific Rim Uprising” is a perfect movie for the “Bad Movie Club”. 😊

Wait for it to come out on DVD, Cable or Blue Ray.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Fate of the Furious: The IMAX Experience

“The Fast & Furious Franchise Lives On…”

I was actually stunned to hear that another installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise was coming our way after the great sendoff that was given for Paul Walker during Furious 7. I thought it would be tough for the original cast to continue without him, but I guess I was wrong. It is really all about making “Dead Presidents”.

So here we are two years later and the original cast minus Paul Walker with about five new faces ventures into another realm. There is some very good casting although this installment moves further away from its roots.

The story starts off great with Toretto (Diesel) and Letty (Rodriguez) together doing their thing in Cuba living what appears to be a normal life. The rest of the team is no-where around. The peace that Toretto and Letty enjoy can only last so long. A new villain makes its way into Toretto’s life. This villain needs Toretto’s special driving skills to pull of some major international jobs. In order to get Toretto’s help, this villain has already procured something that is very precious to Toretto, so how can he refuse? The story unfolds from there…

In order to keep this franchise going there needed to be a fresh new story, with fresh new characters. On a very small scale this story is fresh with new characters, but on the larger scale it’s a “Been There, Done That” sort of story. Unfortunately Jordana Brewster did not reprise her role as “Mia”. She is one of the original cast members.

There is a ton of action, serious car chases, crashes and cool moves. The computer age is rampant in this movie as there are many high-tech maneuvers made and used. There is even some comedy relief. During the opening credits the music that plays is off the chain…

“Fate of the Furious” is a must see in IMAX. The camera angles, sound and the cinematography are excellent and you will feel like you are in the cars and planes riding right along with the gang.

The movie is not bad, it’s just not as fresh as it needs to be with an eighth installment.

“Fate of the Furious” is definitely worth a look.

I am almost sure there will be a ninth installment.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

The Longest Ride

Based on the Nicholas Sparks best-selling novel, “The Longest Ride” tells two different stories that are similar, but separated by time.

The story centers around a former Champion Bull Rider, Luke (Eastwood) who is trying to make a comeback meets and falls for a college student Sophie (Robertson) who is about to embark on her dream job in New York’s famed art world.

Luke and Sophie make a connection with Ira (Alda), who has vivid memories of his own decade’s long relationship with his wife (Chaplin), who recently died. Ira has a basket filled with letters that tell the story of his courtship and marriage. There are many similarities to the two stories. Each story has its challenges which the movie explores.

Nicholas Sparks` movies are usually about true and lasting love; “The Longest Ride” is no exception. The problem is one of the stories in the movie is very intriguing while the other one is not.

The movie isn’t bad, but it’s definitely not great.

“The Longest Ride” will warm your heart if you are into Romantic Drama’s.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!