Tag: Zoe Kravitz

Caught Stealing

Caught Stealing

Austin Butler plays Hank Thompson, a high school Baseball phenom who due to an accident can’t play Baseball anymore. Everything is ok with Hank’s life, he has a nice girlfriend (Zoe Kravitz) he tends Bar at a neighborhood pub and his favorite Baseball team is making a run at the pennant. Hank’s Punk Rock next-door neighbor Russ asks Hank to watch his cat while he makes an emergency trip to see about his Dad. All Hell breaks loose when a Motley Crew of gangsters comes looking for Russ. As the next-door neighbor, Hank soon finds himself having to dodge the gangsters and fears for his life but he does not know why. The story unfolds from there…

I will be perfectly honest; I was not feeling this movie during the first 30 minutes… It was coming across as a “B” movie. But… The dots started to connect and the movie became really interesting and edge of your seat entertaining. It’s like a really slow-moving train that soon moves past some obstacles and is able to find a rhythm on the tracks and speeds up for a smooth fast ride.

The movie is “In Your Face Bloody” at times. There is a decent amount of action and intrigue. As I stated the story starts off really slow, but does pick up and become interesting. The cast is pretty good.

I was excited to see actor Vincent D’Onofrio in this movie. I loved him on NBC’s Law and Order Criminal Intent (2001 to 2011)

“Caught Stealing” is worth a look!

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

The Batman in AMC Dolby

The Batman in AMC Dolby

Did we need another Batman movie? I don’t know about you, but I thought that after the awesome Dark Knight Trilogy with Christian Bale and Director Christopher Nolan that there would not be any more “Cape Crusader” stories, but boy was I wrong…

So here we are in 2022 embarking on another round of potential installments of Batman tales. 

Batman finds himself dealing with the dark underworld of Gotham City. There is a sadistic killer running free and he has been able to stay two or more steps in front of Batman and the Gotham City police. The evidence starts to mount and points closer to home. As the killer’s ultimate plot comes to light, Batman must forge new relationships and work frantically to unmask the evil killer before Gotham City is totally destroyed. The story unfolds from there…

The story is dark, gritty and gripping. I went into seeing “The Batman” planning to compare it to The Dark Knight Trilogy. While there are some parts of the movie that does not cover new ground, there are some parts that do. There is some really cool action and a super nasty car chase that reminds me of the one in “The Bourne Supremacy”. I will say that I did not find the “Riddler” as entertaining as the “Joker”. The Cat Woman helps make things interesting. The running time is 2 hours and 56 minutes. That is 24 minutes longer than “The Dark Knight”. A new story is told and the door is open from another.

If you are a DC Comic fan, “The Batman” should not be missed.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I finally had an open weekend so I could see this 2nd installment of the Fantastic Beasts series. Here is my take…

At the end of the first installment Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is captured by the Magic Congress of the USA. Grindelwald escapes during a transfer. Once this is discovered many people put together plans to try and recapture the evil Wizard. The story unfolds from there…

The first half of the movie was hollow and confusing. The continuation from the first installment was almost non-existent. There should have been more back story tied in. There is a lot more star power in this installment and that alone makes the movie worth seeing. The last half or should I say the last 35 minutes of the movie is where everything happens and everything comes together. What you see in that 35 minutes makes it almost worth what you went through to get to that point.

The best aspects of the movie are the cool special effects, the cinematography and the costumes, especially what the women are wearing. The movie is long, but it does move quite quickly once things pick up. The door is left open for a 3rd installment. If you are following this J.K. Rowling series, then don’t miss this 2nd installment.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

The Divergent Series:Allegiant – The IMAX Experience

“The Divergent Series: Allegiant” is the third and final installment in the NY Times Best Selling Novel series by Veronica Roth.

Picking up where Insurgent left off, Tris (Shailene Woodley) must escape with Four (Theo James) and go beyond the electronic wall that encloses Chicago. The team of six start out and are able to cross the wall, but on the way they lose one. For the first time the five that successfully make it down the other side of the wall are free and have left behind the only city and family they have ever known.

It becomes a ruthless battle as Tris and Four must determine who they can trust and who is telling the truth. Things they believed have turned out not to be true. Back home a battle rages in Chicago among all of the residents. Finding out that all of humanity is at stake, Four decides to go back to Chicago. The story unfolds from there…
I found “The Divergent Series: Allegiant” to be the worst third installment of any Best Selling Novel Series that has come to the big screen.

Things are not put into context appropriately. If you did not see Insurgent or Divergent, you would not know what is going on. The story is disjointed and the pieces do not make sense, nor do they come together. It’s difficult to bring best-selling novel series to the big screen. The one exception is the “Hunger Games”. Its third installment was very good.
I feel that the movie industry is only interested in the revenue that can possibly be generated from this movie. It’s just not any good.

Read “The Divergent” Series. I bet you will enjoy the books a lot more than the movies.

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Mad Max: Fury Road The IMAX Experience

“Mad Max: Fury Road” was not on my original “Watch List” as I am not a fan of the Classic Mel Gibson installments, but after I checked out some very early reviews, I decided to give it a look.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” is insanely crazy!! It’s explosive, It’s strange, but very entertaining.

Thirty years later here is the fourth installment in the Mad Max Franchise. Director George Miller takes things to a new level. It’s like Steam Punk meets The Cannon Ball Run which in turns meets a Road Derby.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” is thrilling, violent, and action packed. Dirt flies like never before. You won’t be bored. There are plenty of surprises. It’s also strangely weird!! If you are expecting a plot of some sort, forget it!! “Mad Max: Fury Road” is void of such elements as a Plot or Story. The movie is just non-stop craziness.
Charlize Theron is brilliant as “Imperator Furiosa”.

If you are a fan of the Classic Mad Max films, “Mad Max: Fury Road” is not to be missed.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Insurgent: The IMAX Experience 3D

“Insurgent” is a “Hot Mess!!” The movie is a menagerie of dreams, events and chaos which collectively is supposed to mean something, but doesn’t.

In this installment, Tris (Shailene Woodley) searches for answers and allies in the ruins of futuristic Chicago. Tris and Four (Theo James) are now wanted fugitives on the run; they are being hunted by Jeanine (Kate Winslet) the leader of the Erudite elite.
Racing against time Tris must find out what her family risked they lives to protect and why the Erudite elite would do anything to stop her and anyone who helps her. The story unfolds from there…

As I stated previous, “Insurgent” is a “Hot Mess”. There is tons of violence and chaos. The story is confusing and uninvolving. The best elements are that the movie is fast-paced and non-stop, but in the end you will not hunger for the next installment.

“Insurgent” is best viewed on cable.

Divergent: The iMAX Experience

“Divergent” is not bad, but it could be better.

Image living in a world where you live in a distinct faction based on your virtues. Once a person reaches adulthood, they are tested. After testing they are given the chance to choose between 5 distinct factions in which to live out the rest of their lives. Once your choice has been made you must leave the family you grew up with. This includes your Mother, Father and any siblings.

Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) chooses her faction, but during her initiation of her chosen faction she discovers a conspiracy by a faction leader (Kate Winslet) to destroy all “Divergents”. Tris must gain an ally in her training leader who calls himself “Four”(Theo James). Together they must figure out a way to stop the Divergent faction from being destroyed. The story unfolds from there…

“Divergent” is lacking in foundation. Events are not really put in proper perspective. The main actors are great. The problem is the story and how it unfolds. The cinematography and camera angles are excellent.

The running time (2:20) of “Divergent” is a bit long for what you get.