(Movie Review) The Possession (2012)

Aren’t scary movies the best? I mean, really? Other than a comic book movie (that is well done) or a really good comedy I can’t think of any genre of movies that I enjoy more. Now I want to clarify that I am not talking about those over-the-top gory films. Outside of the old Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13^th franchises, gore movies have never been very appealing to me. I prefer the “bump” scary movies. Those films that just turn out to be slasher/gore films are the types of movies that I will often just sit back and laugh at, because there is nothing remotely relatable to them and anything that most of us have ever experienced. The appealing thing about suspenseful scary movies is that they are entirely relatable. Everyone has had those moments where they were alone in a dimly light room and swear they see something out of the corner of their eye. It’s such a rich and emotional area to make a movie from and I often find that I am drawn to movies like that. While this movie is far from perfect, it does turn out to be a really suspenseful supernatural film.

Storyline: In the wake of an ongoing divorce, Clyde (Morgan) is finding it hard to connect with his daughters Em (Calis) and Hannah (Davenport). The only time that he really gets to spend with them is when they come home with him on weekends. During one of the weekend visits Clyde takes the girls to a local garage sale where Em is drawn to an old box. After she talks her dad into purchasing it for her she happily places it in her room at his house. But there seems to be much more to this box when Clyde notices a change in Em. She becomes distant and, in a few cases, violent. Clyde is convinced that there is a connection to her new problems and this box, and he will go to any lengths to stop it from harming her. Clyde must find a way to convince those around him of what is going on and find a way to stop it once and for all.

Worth the admission? I say yes on this one. The only thing that I didn’t like about the movie was that the first 15-20 minutes of it was slow and at times seemed poorly edited.  After it gets through the first quarter of the movie it really picks up. Jeffery Dean Morgan, having worked in the paranormal world before (on Supernatural) turns in a solid performance, but it is Natasha Calis that really steals the show. She is fantastic as Em! Maybe I am being a little lenient on this film because it has been a while since I have watched a good scary/suspense movie, but I think that you should make plans to check it out.

(Movie Review) Casa de mi Padre (2012)

I love it when things don't exactly fit. You know? Say there is a bunch of ducks walking in a line and right in the middle of them is a chicken. And NONE of them realize that there is one small percentage of the group that doesn't actually belong. That is about the best way I can think of describing Casa de mi Padre. A movie that is about drama surrounding a family from Mexico and Will Ferrell plays the lead role...and he is a giant gingerish honky (who happens to speak pretty flawless Spanish). Awesomeness.

Storyline: Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) has lived and worked on his father's ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch encounters financial difficulties, Armando's younger brother Raul (Diego Luna), shows up with his new fiancé, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). It seems that Raul's success as an international businessman means the ranch's troubles are over as he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. But when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul's business dealings turn out to be less than legit, all hell breaks loose as they find themselves in a war with Mexico's most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).From IMDB.com

The great thing about this movie is that it completely takes a dive all for the sake of making a few people laugh that "get it". I mean, look at the score on imdb.com. it clocks in a measly 5.5 rating, and only a 44% fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com...but the critics that actually liked it are some of the more reputable critics out there. Is it a GREAT movie, hell no, but it takes those quirky things that people love about "b-movies" and glorifies them. Props that are obviously fake, using the same rolling background screen in every car driving scene, having the cuts be sharp and out of place, and below is a description of a scene that, to me, is in a league of its own.

There is a shot of two characters riding horses through a field, but to make it look as cheesy as possible, they never shoot the horses (there are no horses) but only shoot the actors from the chest up bouncing up and down to give the illusion of riding a horse. There is also a painted backdrop and to give the illusion that they are passing trees and such, the stagehands are moving small bushes past the actors in the background. Possibly one of the funniest things I have seen in a while. It's like a mashup of Grindhouse and Spaghetti Westerns.

If you have the time, you should check it out. Seriously. You will be glad you did, unless you end up hating it...then forget that I said anything.

(Movie Review) Premium Rush (2012)

Premium Rush fails to deliver with movie goers

In my opinion, the worst thing that an on-the-rise actor can do is come off of a critically acclaimed blockbuster and turn out a forgettable movie months later. You see it happen a lot and sometimes it can be the end of a career. Surviving in Hollywood is all about choices. Well, that and being incredibly good looking. With that in mind I have to admit that I think that Premium Rush was a really bad choice for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I have been a fan of his since he was on 3^rd Rock From The Sun (1996), and he has been making some incredibly good decisions with his career lately. Inception, 50/50, and The Dark Knight Rises have all helped push him into a more visible part of the Hollywood spectrum, but doing a forgettable movie like Premium Rush is worse than not doing a movie at all. The movie isn’t bad, it’s actually kind of fun, but you could have put anyone in that role and it would have been just as forgettable.

Storyline: Wilee (Levitt) is the best at what he does. He is a courier for a delivery company in Manhattan. He is known to be a bit of a daredevil since he insists on riding with no brakes in a city that is known for cars and traffic. When Wilee is called in for a job he picks up his package and is soon accosted by a man in the parking lot that claims to be the owner of the item being delivered. When Wilee explains that items must be delivered once they are picked up the man becomes aggressive. Wilee soon finds himself being pursued through the streets of the city and must find a way to escape his dangerous pursuer. 

Worth the admission? Not really. I hate to say it, because it is actually a pretty fun little movie, but it is such a forgettable film that I can’t recommend that anyone pay to see it in the theater. Once it comes out on DVD or NETFLIX I think that it would be worth the money to watch it, but not in the theater.

I am going to go ahead and recommend that you all watch LOOPER when it comes out. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis and opening on September, 28^th. The movie looks to be equal parts gangster movie, time travel movie, and action movie all rolled into one really interesting package. Be sure to check it out.

(Movie Review) The Expendables 2 (2012)

When I was younger I, like most kids, had toys that I would play pretend with. But playing with only one toy at a time was never as much fun as playing with lots of them at the same time. So I would add He-Man, Spiderman, a few Ninja Turtles, and Superman to the mix and have a blast. It didn’t matter if they were all part of their own toy lines, because mixing them all up together in one fun Battle Royale always made more sense to me. Then, while watching this movie, it finally made me realize why I loved the first film as well as The Expendables 2 so much. It reminds me of taking the very best toys from the toy box and putting them together to fight the bad guys. Watching the greatest action stars of the past 30 years, all on screen together, just makes you feel like a kid again.

Storyline: Mr. Church (Willis) calls in a favor to Barney Ross (Stallone) to collect on what should be an “easy paycheck”, but that mission becomes something much more dangerous when Jean Vilain (Van Damme) and a group of mercenaries kill a member of Ross’ team. Ross commissions his team to help him take down Vilain for the murder of one of their own.

I will go ahead and save you the trouble of making fun of Jean Claude Van Damme’s character name. Jean Vilain. Really? That is the best they could come up with? But in a way, it doesn’t really matter. Sure, if we sit back and poke holes in a very simple script we are destined to enjoy this movie much less. There are probably close to 200 (or more) people killed in this movie and no blood splatters on the wall/floor etc. In some scenes, people have their heads just disappear after being shot. But the fact that you get to see the people you grew up idolizing working together as a team should be enough to overlook that.

Surprisingly enough, Dolph Lundgren and Van Damme actually give some solid performances. Lundgren doing a few comedy bits that actually work is something that I was not expecting. And to see Van Damme as a villain in a movie works on so many more levels than watching him as the good guy…and the guy STILL has an awesome roundhouse kick.

Worth the admission? Without a doubt. Even my lovely wife, who is not a huge action movie fan (unless Nicholas Sparks decided to write one), liked it. Hats off to Terry Crews who, by some miracle, makes Arnold Schwarzenegger look like a tiny tiny man. Seriously. Terry Crews is a massive physical specimen. The whole movie and the actors within it are fun and enjoyable.

(Movie Review) The Campaign (2012)

Small doses. That is usually the setting that Ferrell and Galifianakis do their best work. Ferrell’s work on Saturday Night Live and movies like Old School make him stand out from the crowd, same goes for Galifianakis in movies like The Hangover, but you give them a movie where they are the lead and they tend to become overwhelming. Granted, this is just my personal reaction to them, I’m sure plenty of people love them in lead roles. So I was less than excited when I heard about this movie. I figured that it would be a few stupid jokes about the political make-up of the country and that would be about it. I’m happy to say that I was more than impressed with the comedy that this movie offered up.

Storyline: Congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) is on the cusp of winning another term in office due to running unopposed. When two CEOs decide that his time as congressman should end they begin to back local Tourism Director Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) to run against Cam. After being publicly embarrassed numerous times by Cam, Marty decides that it is time to take the gloves off and start playing dirty. Huggins has to find a way to beat Congressman Brady at his own game without becoming the monster that he is trying to defeat.

This movie is GOLD to me. Not only has it been a while since I have laughed this hard at either of these actors, but the movie itself could not be any more perfect. Galifianakis walking around with that sweater and fanny pack on, Ferrell channeling his inner politician to give some of the best comedic political speeches since his days of impersonating George W. Bush on Saturday Night Live, and the general writing of the movie is great. I laughed a lot in this movie and I would bet that you will too.

Worth the admission? Does Marty Huggins love a Pug? Absolutely! I think that this comedy is more accurate about politics than most political dramas out there. I fully believe that those running for office tend to square off before hand, while smiling for the cameras, and talk “trash” to each other. Comedies are rarely really funny these days. Think about it. When is the last time that you just laughed your head off in a movie? Usually only gross out comedies make much money at all in the Box Office now. This movie, while FILLED with adult language, contains very little (if any) gross out comedy. Way more tame than movies like The Hangover 2, but a lot funnier for those that like exaggerated political humor. And with the elections coming up soon, who wouldn’t enjoy an exaggerated political comedy?

(Movie Review) LOCKOUT (2012)

I'm not going to make a big effort to come up with stuff to say about this movie? Why? Because it is really not worth the time. This movie is not anything to get too excited about or to take time to find. It's about as "meh" as you can get.

Storyline: Set in the near future, a falsely convicted ex-government agent has one chance at obtaining freedom. He must undertake a dangerous mission to rescue the President's daughter from rioting convicts at an outer space maximum-security prison.-IMDB.COM

Thoughts? This movie will forever be known to me as a movie with the WORST action scene in the history of movies. There is a scene where Guy Pearce is being chased on a motorcycle that looks like it was made by a 10 year old. It is trash. Maggie Grace is beyond horrible as an actress. She was tolerable in Taken and on LOST, but she is horrible in this movie.

I will give credit to Guy Pearce  for the physical shape he go in for the role. At some points in the movie I felt that this role was made for Hugh Jackman, because of Guy's size, mannerisms, and overall look. It was a real departure from what I have seen Pearce do in the past.

I would recommend that you skip the movie. It's just no good.

(Movie Review) Wanderlust (2012)

I have a special place in my heart for Paul Rudd movies. Always have. Since I saw him in Clueless he has been one of my go-to actors for uncomfortable comedic actors. He has a way about him that you you can honestly believe that he is the most sincere person in the scene. That is a rare quality that most actors do not have...yet he has an abundance of this quality. It's an amazing thing. Might be why his movies always get a pass with me...because he is that damn good at his job.

Storyline:After George is downsized from his financial firm and Linda's depressing documentary is cancelled, they can no longer afford their overpriced 'micro-loft' in New York. They find themselves with just one option - to pack up their lives and head south to move in with George's brother and his wife. George and Linda stumble upon Elysium, an idyllic community where the only rule is to be yourself.Written by Universal Pictures

Thoughts? This movie actually has some really funny moments. The nudist, Wayne (played by Joe Lo Truglio) hangs some serious "dong" in this movie, so be ready for that. This movie made me like Aniston's character in a few scenes and absolutely HATE her in others...which leaves you with an odd feeling as the movie ends, as you think that certain people deserve better than what they end up with. That is just my opinion.

Rudd does, unfortunately, has one of the most annoying scenes in the movie. It's a scene where he is trying to psych himself into having "relations" with another woman and it turns into about 2 minutes of stupidity. But, for the price of a trip to redbox, the movie is worth $1 to check out.