Contraband

This movie has Mark Wahlberg playing the role of a former smuggler who has “retired” from that line of work and cleaned up his life.  That’s all well and good until his brother-in-law gets into trouble with a smuggle gone wrong.  In order to protect him, Wahlberg’s character must get back in the game – and find a way to smuggle millions of dollars in counterfeit bills from Panama!  I didn’t really feel like this movie was breaking any new ground or was anything I hadn’t seen before - seemed pretty cliché.  But I still enjoyed it - it was entertaining and had a decent story.  So, if that’s the type of movie you go for, it shouldn’t disappoint!

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are back again as Holmes and Watson.  For fans of the first movie, the sequel is just as good.  Once again, Holmes is on a mission to thwart evil and he “persuades” Watson to join him in his mission.  This Sherlock Holmes is long in storytelling, running at 2 hours and 9 minutes, but it does suck you into the adventure and lots of adventure there is.  The ending captivated me and as I watched I thought, “No way!  They wouldn’t do that”!   The story is very mysterious, intriguing, and just an entertaining film.  It’s a must for the fans of the first movie and if you haven’t seen these films – you might give them both a try.

Safe House

I really, really, really, liked this movie!!!  It was engaging, enthralling, intense and kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end!  Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds are at their very best in these character roles.  Denzel can play the heck out of anything and in this movie he gave an outstanding performance as Tobin Frost, a rogue ex-CIA agent that has a file that people are willing to kill for.  I thought this was Ryan’s best performance yet!  He plays CIA agent, Matt Weston, who is the keeper of the safe house.  Enter Denzel’s character and that’s where the story explodes.  The safe house has been sabotaged and all agents killed – except for Frost and Matt.  It is up to Matt to get Frost to another safe house before the killers find them and kill them both.  This movie has intrigue, suspense, twists and turns, and just solid acting!!  An A+ movie.

Act of Valor

This movie stars a group of real active-duty Navy SEALs on a mission to rescue a kidnapped CIA operative that get involved in stopping a terrorist plot against the U.S.  I’ve heard criticism about the acting, but I’ve also heard people that think it’s great they didn’t have actors and had actual SEALs in the movie.  I thought the story was very powerful and intense and made up for the acting!  And it was VERY emotional!!!  Not sure if everyone would like it, though – there was a lot of blood, some torture, and a LOT of shooting and killing!  It doesn’t matter if it’s women or children or whoever.  It was just showing how merciless all of that can be, but was still disturbing.  But then, it was trying to be realistic and not sugarcoat everything, so in that way, I would say it definitely succeeded!  If you want to see a movie that shows a realistic view of what the military does for our country and the sacrifices they have to make, you won’t want to miss this one!

Red Tails

This movie is based on the true story of the first African-American combat unit to serve in World War II.  They’d always been told they weren’t smart enough and their reflexes weren’t fast enough and any other reason that could be used to keep them out of flying combat missions.  When they’re finally given a chance to show they truly are capable, they make the most of it!  They REALLY make the most of it!!!  After being skeptical at first, other pilots come to respect them and actually request to have the “Red Tails” fly along on their missions!  For being a “war” movie, it still had light-hearted moments and didn’t always take itself too seriously, although there were serious moments, too.  I loved the flight and combat sequences and all of the aerial acrobatics flying across the screen!  It wasn’t the best movie ever, but I’d say it was definitely above average.

This Means War

I really liked this movie!  It was amusing, entertaining, and a perfect movie for a date night!  Chris Pine and Tom Hardy play best friends who are CIA agents.  Reese Witherspoon plays their love interest – but unknowingly to the guys, they are in love with the same woman.  It is a game of high tech cat and mouse while each of them try to get her to fall for them.  The movie is filled with lots of action, car chases and amusing one liners and a touch of romance as she must decide who she ultimately loves.  Just a fun flick that’s laugh out loud funny!