The Expendables 2

Hang on to your hats – the boys are back!  The whole crew from the first movie plus a few new faces are back to kick it into high gear!  As with the first movie, this one didn’t disappoint!  I don’t have to tell you the plot – because it doesn’t really matter.  You know what you’re getting when you watch this movie – fun, explosions and over the top “NO WAY” action.  Sly Stallone is back with the whole gang, (minus Mickey Rourke) for another adventure.   He’s brought along a few new friends you might know - Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme.  This movie is just a kick in the pants!  Besides the action – it’s packed with humor and great one-liners from the characters that they made famous in the 80’s – for example who’s known for saying “Yippee-ki-yay” and “I’ll be back?”  Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  With most sequels, they’re never as good as the first – but this one is - it hits the mark dead on!!  Don’t miss it!

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

"Everyone and everything is interconnected in this universe.  Stay pure of heart and you will see the signs.  Follow the signs and you will uncover your destiny.”   This is how the movie opens and is exactly what Jeff believes about life.  He is also obsessed with the movie Signs and believes no “sign” is too small to matter in the grand scheme of things.  This movie was NOTHING like I was expecting.  I was expecting some pot-head, stoner movie that didn’t really touch on anything and would just be really light.  Jeff does like his weed, but that’s not the focus of this one.  Jeff is kind of stalled in life and searching for his destiny, and along the way realizes how many others may be in the same shape, even if they look like they’ve got it all together.  Jeff’s mother is kind of lost in life after the death of her husband and his brother’s marriage is going downhill.  He has such an idealistic view of what life is, or should be, or could be, and I found myself identifying with him over and over when he’s “seeing” it and can’t seem to get anyone else to see what he’s talking about – or feeling everything in the same way as him.  There is also some major soul-searching about what we view and expect of others, as well as ourselves, and this movie can really strike some chords in the viewer as well.  Eventually, everything does come together for everyone in a way none of them could have ever expected.  I liked it.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Did we need another Spider-Man movie?  Probably not, but I still enjoyed this one.  It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the Spider-Man movies from the last decade, so not sure how it compares scene by scene.  And I didn’t try matching it to comic books and seeing how “faithful” the characters are or anything like that.  I just watched it.  It’s  always interesting to see what Peter Parker’s drive and motivation are going to be for taking on the Spider-Man “persona” and his incentive this time is trying to figure out why his parents disappeared when he was just a child.  After finding top-secret documents his father left behind, he tracks down his dad’s former partner, Dr. Curt Connors, and hoping for some insight, shares the information with him.  This is exactly what Connors was needing to try to complete his most important research.  But, as often happens with these things, not everything goes as planned – to put it mildly!  And of course, Spider-Man is the only one who can save everyone!  Spider-Man has always been my favorite super-hero, so maybe I’m a little biased, but I thought it was a good movie!

The Campaign

With the election right around the corner – this movie is out at the right time – if you need some humor to break up the torrential flood of commercials of the “pick me” game!!  Actually, this movie isn’t too bad – it could’ve done without some of the lewd and crude jokes but beyond that – it was kind of funny.  Will Ferrell plays the baby kissing, butt kissing, faker than fake politician who is Congressman Brady running for office again.  The powers that be – want someone else in that position to be their patsy and that person is your nobody important, dog loving, American fearing, flag waving, next door neighbor played by Zach Galifianakis.  It’s a virtual fight for every vote and neither one of them are afraid to do what it takes to get the vote!  The movie has political undertones that do ring true with today’s campaigns, but then there is over the top humor and a few baby scene stealers that you can’t help but shake your head at and laugh.  If you’re a fan of Will Ferrell you’ll like this movie – he seems to always play the same type of character but the banter between him and Galifianakis is pretty funny and the ending is as American and patriotic as it gets!