(DVD Review) Parental Guidance (2012)

Billy Crystal should be considered a national treasure. Seriously. I know that he isn't in a lot of stuff these days, but I love to watch him in movies. He is just so natural and so believable. Especially the older he gets with this type of role. He is such an embarrassingly believable grandfather. So I'm not going to lie and say that this is the best movie ever made, but it is actually a fun little movie.

Storyline: Artie and Diane agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town for work. Problems arise when the kids' 21st-century behavior collides with Artie and Diane's old-school methods.- IMDB.COM

If you are looking for the funniest movie in the world, keep on looking. This isn't it. But it is cute. It has plenty of relatable moments that will make this movie stand out as somewhat "true". Sure, not everyone has children that are as anal as Artie's, but you immediately recognize the type. And not all grandparents are that eccentric, but you know those laid back grandparents that tell the hyperactive parents to take it all a bit easier. So the family unit aspect of this movie is so relatable to me, even if it is an exaggerated reality.

Worth it? If you come from a family that you consider "unique" then watch this and have your perceptions shattered, because you are not unique. All families are the same. Made up of individuals that just want to be themselves. So check it out.

(DVD Review) Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

The hard part about living in a rural area is that you often do not get to see a lot of the non blockbuster movies. Not necessarily the "indie" films, but the movies that theaters don't have faith will bring in the big bucks...and unfortunately this is one that slipped through the cracks. So now that I am finally getting to catch up with the movies that some have RAVED about I am finding that some of them are not as great as I thought they would be. This is one of them.

Storyline: After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own. - IMDB.COM

Was it bad? No. Was it good? Sure. But it wasn't as life altering as people made it out to be. We enjoyed the movie just fine, but it wasn't something that I would have thought would have gotten the recognition that it did. Maybe people loved it so much because the contrast of what type of movies the actors in the film normally work on. Cooper in a more serious role is something fresh, but not life altering.

Worth it? Sure. It's worth renting on Netflix or Redbox.

(Movie Review) Oblivion (2013)

Cruise destroys the box office with Oblivion 

Tom Cruise is a machine. I am pretty certain of that at this point. With the exception of the box office stumble that was Rock of Ages, Cruise consistently puts out hit after hit after hit. There are very few actors that are 50+ that are still believable as a legitimate actions star…and he is the best of the best. Yet there are still some people out there that will refuse to see this movie based off of the baseless claim that you can’t enjoy a Tom Cruise movie because “he’s weird” or “I don’t agree with his lifestyle”. Look, I don’t agree with Randy Quaid and his lifestyle choices or his attempt to hide in Canada to escape U.S. prosecution for illegally “squatting” and skipping bail, but that doesn’t mean I don’t watch (and enjoy) him as Cousin Eddie every Christmas in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The point I’m trying to make is that if you don’t watch this movie based off of not liking the actor’s life choices, you are missing out on an amazing Sci-Fi film. 

Storyline: Many years ago Earth was attacked. Humans were victorious in a battle with an invading alien force that left their planet virtually uninhabitable. Jack (Cruise) is part of a two person “clean up” team that is stationed on Earth and must oversee the last extractions of Earth’s resources that will be used to help repopulate a neighboring moon where the remaining Earth survivors are said to be currently living. But when “holes” begin to appear in the logic of their daily orders, and Jack begins to investigate, he finds that there is more to fear than he ever thought possible. 

I have to go on record here and say that this is probably one of my favorite modern Sci-Fi movies. Seriously. I liked it that much. Not only is the film beautifully stylized, and the acting is top notch, but there are two pretty solid twists in the story that make for a REALLY interesting and entertaining journey for the characters and the viewers. While I can’t give away too much without spoiling the little surprises that this movie offers, I can say that one of them was a little telegraphed (if you are really paying attention to the scenes) but one (and maybe one other) is a bit of a shock and I didn’t think that the movie would take that specific route with the story. Obviously, as you can tell, the final product completely worked for me and I absolutely LOVED it. 

Worth the admission? Absolutely! Not only that, but I will be buying it the second that it hits BluRay. It was that good. Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman are both great in their roles and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (from Game of Thrones) gives a small but surprisingly enjoyable performance as Sykes. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

(Movie Review) G.I. Joe Retaliation (2013)

G.I. Joe is made up of 20% Retaliation and 80% of ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz

There was a time when I was a big fan of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. From the years that I watched him on WWE Wrestling to the first few movies that he put out (The Rundown being my favorite), he had what appeared to be a promising transition into the acting world. Then he started to pepper in some really horrible movie choices. DOOM (2005), The Game Plan (2007), Tooth Fairy (2010) and Journey 2 (2011) are just a few off of the top of my head. But his return in Fast Five (2011) gave me hope that he was starting to move back into the right direction….and then G.I. Joe Retaliation crushed that hope. Not so much that he was bad in it, just that the movie was so boring and one dimensional that I kind of disapprove  him for ever getting involved in that franchise. 

Storyline: The Joes, just off of a successful mission, find themselves coming under attack by their own backup units. Realizing that this was a “hit” put out on the Joes, coming under the order of the President of the United States, the remaining Joes head out to find answers. Under the leadership of Roadblock (Johnson) the remaining members of the team must put a stop to whatever evil is controlling the President.

When you read the above synopsis it almost tricks you into thinking that this is actually going to be a pretty interesting movie, doesn’t it? The problem is that there is absolutely NO consistency in the movie. There is a little action in the beginning, then a little in the middle, and then a little at the end. If the whole movie would have been paced the way that the final 20 minutes was paced, this review would be much more positive. But as a result of the “herky-jerky” pacing of the film, I can’t very well recommend it to the readers of the review. 

Worth the admission? Nope. I wish that it was, but it isn’t. I would recommend that fans of the G.I. Joe franchise RedBox/Netflix it when it comes out, because as someone who loved the toy line as a kid it is always fun to see those characters come to life on screen. But the movie is not worth the price of admission to go to the local theater. 

One complaint that I had was the inclusion of RZA (a founding member of rap group Wu-Tang Clan and noted kung fu fan) made some brownie points with action/kung fu fans when he made The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), but casting him as the Blind Master in this movie was a really bad decision. The guy can’t act and should stick to rapping. 

 So do yourself a big favor and skip this one. 

 

(Movie Review) The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

The most incredible thing about Burt Wonderstone is how few people went to see it

Steve! What are you doing to me Steve? I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I am a pretty solid fan of Steve Carell. I loved him in The Office, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Get Smart, and pretty much anything else he has put his name on. His most recognizable role as Andy in The 40 Year Old Virgin seems like a thing of the past these days. I seem to remember him more for movies like Dan in Real Life, Evan Almighty, and Dinner with Schmucks than anything else lately. While this movie isn’t as bad as some of those mentioned above, it’s not much better either.

Storyline: Burt Wonderstone (Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Buscemi) have been best friends since they were young . They grew up to be famous magicians that headlined their own Vegas show for years. But with new acts like Steven Gray (Carey) taking their audience, Burt becomes hard to work with and drives Anton away…which leads to the cancelation of their show. Burt now finds himself with no friends, no money, and no career. If he is to ever become the great magician that he once was he must find a way to fall in love with magic again before his last chance passes him by.

I feel that it would be dishonest to say that I didn’t laugh at some of this movie. It was ok at times. Funny even. But the overall product was somewhat of a letdown. There were times that I thought that the story was going to go to a really funny place, especially after Wonderstone hit “rock bottom”, but it turns into this gooey montage of ways that Burt is trying to improve himself. Sure, it was needed, but it takes up too much of the movie. And even with it taking up a lot of screen time it still somehow feels like a rushed turnaround when it finally happens.

Worth the admission? It pains me to say it, but no. It falls short on a bunch of levels. While it had the potential to be a huge hit for Carell it ultimately turns out to be a humdrum comedy that lays on a thick layer of a self improvement message. Was it terrible? No. Will I watch it again? No.

If you are looking for a few good Steven Carell movies, rent Crazy, Stupid, Love, (2011) or, and many will disagree with me, Seeking a Friend for the End of the Wold (2012). I enjoyed both of them much more than The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and I bet you will too.

PS. Who in the world thought Steve Buscemi was a good casting choice. He looks like an Albino Bush Baby (look it up) and added very little to the movie.  

 

 

(Movie Review) Oz The Great and Powerful

The Yellow Brick Road turns out to be made of gold, as OZ rakes in the cash on opening weekend

In yet another assault on my masculinity, I have to admit to you fine folks that I am a huge fan of Oz. The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, The Wiz, Wicked and Tin Man are amazing little pieces of fiction in my opinion. But with the exception of the original Wizard of Oz film, most of the other Oz related titles have been made for TV movies, musicals or miniseries. So the question I have always wondered was “would Hollywood make a film that rivals the original and ACTUALLY make it profitable”? While the question is still out on this film ultimately being profitable, I don’t think that it completely measures up to the original…but it is a heck of a good movie regardless.

Storyline: Carnival conman Oz (Franco) is tired of the carnival world. He wants more out of life. He doesn’t want to settle for being a good man, he wants to be a great man. When a tornado whisks him away to the Land of Oz he is quickly greeted by Theodora (Kunis) and she tells him that he must be the powerful wizard that the prophecies had promised them. Theodora introduces Oz to her sister, Evanora (Weisz), who quickly sends Oz to kill the “Wicked Witch” Glinda (Williams) before he can become king and inherit all of the gold of Oz. With new companions met along the way, and finding Glinda to be a kind and gentle witch, Oz must work with her to find out who the real evil witch is and how to bring her down.

Worth the admission? Without a doubt! This movie was really fun and the performance from Michelle Williams as Glinda was great. And Zach Braff as the voice for a flying monkey named Finely was adorable. Was it a perfect movie? No. There are a few things that I really didn’t like. One, James Franco makes a fine enough Oz, but the way that the character is played makes him so unlikeable. That is the fault of the writers, obviously, but it is not until very late in the movie that you actually begin to like the character some.

Another thing that I didn’t really like was the fact that The Wizard of Oz (1939) gave you an option at the end. You could either pick to believe that Dorothy had a very beautiful and lucid dream OR that she went to a magical new world. This movie confirms that the events in The Wizard of Oz were real, which kiiiind of makes the choice to have actors play dual roles (in both films) seem pointless.

Lastly, if the Wicked Witch is pained by water, and there is a scene in this film where tears cause her pain, wouldn’t she just burn up from the inside? Her body is, what, 75% water?

All in all, good movie. Very fun and very beautiful. Try to see it in 3D!

(Movie Review) A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)

John McClane continues his assault on all things breakable in A Good Day To Die Hard…and wins

People really make me mad. I mean, like, furious. Do you know why? Because they are NEVER happy! When movies like, Bullet to the Head (2013), The Expendables 2 (2012) & The Last Stand (2013) came out, people cried into their popcorn and said “ This is so lame. A bunch of 60 & 70 year olds blowing stuff up and shuffling around. There needs to be more action.” Then you have a movie like A Good Day To Die Hard that comes out and people continue to cry into their popcorn saying “this is so unrealistic. A guy in his 50s could never survive that”. It’s maddening.

Storyline: Detective John McClane (Willis) has been looking for information on his son Jack/John Jr. (Courtney) as he has been out of contact with John for years. When John finally receives information that Jack is in Russia, John hops on the first plane in an attempt to see his son. When he arrives in Russia he finds that Jack is part of the CIA and is currently in charge of a Prisoner of the State that might be able to take down those responsible for the Chernobyl disaster that took place in 1986. The only problem is getting this man out of Russia alive. Jack and John must team up to protect Mr. Komarov (Koch) and get him to safety.

So, as you can tell from what I said in the beginning, I think that this movie is getting a lot of hate for no reason. People are complaining about how “over the top” some of the action is? How can they think back to 1988 and watch John McClane get shot, run barefoot through glass, and get blown up and say “this is completely realistic” but when 2013 John McClane gets thrown through a glass window while hanging on to the tail of a helicopter they say “rubbish! This could never be!” I have some sobering news for people (and the critics that gave this movie such bad reviews), most of the stuff that happens in ANY movie can’t really happen. There are no Terminators, there is no magic mail box at a lake house that acts as a time warp, there are no clowns in the sewer, Godzilla is not real, and John McClane would have died in the very first movie if he was a real NYC Detective. So stop complaining about it, sit back, and watch Bruce Willis whisper his lines and blow up Russia!

Worth the admission? As a huge fan of all of the franchise, I am going to say yes. It was fun. Mindless action and things going “boom”. Sometimes movies can just be fun. They don’t have to challenge you or make you think. They can just be a good time. So check it out!