We all have those family members that are a “little”
dysfunctional or maybe the whole family is!
If you can relate to that – you will relate to this movie. This is
Where I Leave You is a film about the family that you love but can drive
you up a wall within 5 seconds of being back together. Having to spend a whole week together
mourning the loss of their dad, 3 brothers, 1 sister and an over-sharing mom
learn far more about each other than they really want to. A great ensemble of actors from Jason
Bateman, Tina Fey, Timothy Olyphant to Jane Fonda allow for each characters’
charms and quirks come to life in this film. Jason Bateman by far was the most
enjoyable character to watch and a different role for Tina Fey which I
thoroughly enjoyed. You get to see a new
side of Jane Fonda in this movie and the other cast members all added to the
merriment. I enjoyed this film for the
craziness of the family life and the moments when you feel like no one has your
back and then you realize your family was always there. Not a sappy movie but one that was entertaining
in a reality type way.
Think Like a Man too
Posted by
Christy
This is part two to the first film of the same title, Think Like a Man. All
the same cast of characters are back and this time the group is headed to Las
Vegas for a wedding and a night to remember of bachelor and bachelorette
parties. I did like this film and the
only negative thing I have to say is that it felt like it was a Kevin Hart
movie. Now, he is a funny comedian, but
a little Kevin . . .goes a long way! I
would’ve liked to have seen more of the other actors and more of their
storylines front and center instead of Mr. Harts but with that said – it was a
fun romantic comedy with all the craziness that you expect from a film like
this.
Chef
Posted by
Eric
I
would say this movie was an example of “finding” yourself by “losing” yourself
and following your passion, even if it might not be how you imagined. Jon Favreau, known for roles in movies like Rudy,
Swingers,
and the Iron Man series, plays a
chef who leaves his job at a fancy restaurant after not being allowed to create
his own menu in his kitchen and being slammed by a food critic for becoming
stale. Eventually, he starts up a food
truck and goes cross-country with the truck and his son promoting their travels
on Twitter. I think he sees how much his
“good” job was keeping him from enjoying creating food dishes and connecting
with his family and everything that was important in his life. I just really liked how he found all of this
in the last place you would expect without even realizing it until it was
happening. Maybe I should buy a taco
truck???
Dolphin Tale 2
Posted by
Eric
Dolphin
Tale 2
finds us back at the Clearwater Marine Hospital where the rescued dolphin
Winter lives along with the rest of the cast from the first movie. While the first movie was about saving Winter
and making her a tail and teaching her to swim again, this movie was more of a
continuation of life for all of them.
After Winter’s companion dolphin dies, they need to find her another
dolphin so she’s not alone in isolation (which is against the law) or risk
losing her to another park. The
rule/motto for the rescue facility has always been “rescue, rehabilitate, and
release” whenever possible for any rescued animals, so it’s not always easy to
find another animal that “needs” to say there.
It’s all based on a true story and does feel pretty real when it comes
down to making some tough decisions that are going to affect everyone in the
park. There were a lot of lessons of
right and wrong and it’s a good movie for the whole family.
Edge of Tomorrow (aka “Live Die Repeat”)
Posted by
Eric
I liked this movie
much more than I expected. Tom Cruise
plays Cage, an inexperienced officer in the military that is thrown (literally)
into a war being waged against an alien enemy that is trying to take over the
earth. A twist with this
extraterrestrial is that it can control time and reset the day so it can know
the future ahead of time – which helps whenever a part of it is killed. When Cage is “infected” with this same power,
he works with a legendary warrior, Rita, to try anything they can to defeat the
aliens and end the war. For Cage, this
involves being sent back in time to the same point every time he is killed in
battle – which is over and over and over and over – hundreds of times for
him! This also allows him to hone his
skills and become legendary himself. I
was afraid this was going to be too much like the movie Groundhog Day or be all
sci-fi and special effects and not much story – I was wrong! It totally worked for me – it had a great
story and moved at a nice pace and let you learn what was happening right along
with Cage just as he was learning. I’m
glad I watched it – and would definitely watch it again!
The Expendables 3
Posted by
Christy
This movie was a huge let down after the first two. It was full of over the top action and I mean
– over the top!! Most of the movie was
one explosion after another and total unreal stunts that were predictable but
yet not needed! You know who the Expendables
are and what they do but yet they forgot to bring the fun to it like the first
two had. New characters were introduced
but they all seemed out of place including Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas,
Harrison Ford and Kelsey Grammer. Not to
mention a few of the “new” comers, (Victor Ortiz, Kellan Lutz and Ronda
Rousey), which was the point of the story.
Stallone thinks his team is getting too old so he fires them and hires a
batch of “young” kids to be his new team.
Well of course, they get their butts kicked and held hostage and the
“old” guys have to come and save the day.
What I did like about it was Mel Gibson – he played the bad guy in this
film and he was great! He had a little
bit of Mad Max and Riggs character from the Lethal Weapon movies in him. When Gibson and Stallone went toe to toe - it
was fun to watch. I wish they would have
stuck to the magic that was the first one but I guess – all good things must
come to an end and in this case – the biggest over the top end there ever was!
Let’s Be Cops
Posted by
Eric
I
didn’t know how this movie would be, but it was actually pretty funny. Two friends (Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans
Jr.) dress as police officers for a costume party. Their outfits are so realistic that everyone
who sees them thinks they are actual policemen.
When they realize this, that’s when the fun begins! If you don’t take it too serious, who wouldn’t want to pretend to be cops and
be “in charge” of things and test the limits of their new “powers”? Some things are definitely a little (or a
LOT) far-fetched, but that’s part of the fun.
It’s funny watching them start acting like they actually are cops, but
knowing they really aren’t. It all
starts to fall apart when everything gets serious and they get caught up in a real
life web of mobsters and detectives that can’t be trusted. There were a few crude type scenes and some
language, but overall, it felt like a good, buddy cop type of movie that was
just fun! I enjoyed it!
22 Jump Street
Posted by
Christy
Sooooooo, 22 Jump
Street is a sequel to 21 Jump Street
starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill and that’s exactly what you get – the
same as the first just with a few more one liners! This movie doesn’t take itself any more
seriously than the first. In fact, they make
fun of the first movie and if you listen to some of the punch lines – you’ll
notice a lot of references to other movies and tv shows. The story itself does have some laugh-out-loud
parts but for anyone who is easily offended by language – this movie is not for
you. There are over 200 uses of the “F”
word alone! The lines get so saturated
with the language the movie almost becomes offensive. But if you liked 21 Jump Street - you’ll more than likely
like this than too.
Tammy
Posted by
Eric
Where
do I start with Tammy? I like Melissa
McCarthy alright, but maybe I just don’t always get her comedy? Or maybe it just wasn’t that funny? She plays Tammy, a woman that finds out her
husband is cheating on her and also gets fired from her job the same day. She’s had enough and decides to take off and
leave town, but having wrecked her car, needs to borrow one from her
grandmother, played by Susan Sarandon.
The only way the grandmother will let her take it is if she can go along
on the trip. This should have been a
funny road trip type movie, but the “humor” just wasn’t there for me – the
grandma was getting drunk all the time, McCarthy’s physical comedy wasn’t
funny, and the jokes just fell flat over and over. The only time I really liked it was when
she’d let her guard down and it got a little more serious – which doesn’t seem quite
right for a comedy.
Maleficent
Posted by
Christy
Disney’s classic movie, Sleeping Beauty, came out in 1959 and was the tale of Auora, a
princess who had a curse put on her by the evil Maleficent. The new Disney film, Maleficent, is the view
point of Maleficent who is so richly played by Angelina Jolie. In the story, we
know that she casts a curse on Auora and at the age of 16 she would prick her
finger on a spinning wheel and die. But did you ever wonder why Maleficent cursed Auora and
why she was evil? This tale was fun to
watch and it captured my interest from the very beginning. I really enjoyed how
the writers took a cartoon character and made her into a person with emotions while still telling the story of Sleeping Beauty. It was dark
at times but through it all there was a charming element beneath the surface of
the character. I really liked the movie! (Just a personal note, this movie is geared
for maybe older kids due to some of the intense scenes but then again, the
dragon in the original movie scared me!)
The Signal
Posted by
Eric
I
wanted to like this movie. And it’s not
really that I didn’t like it, but I can’t tell if it was trying too hard or not
hard enough. It starts out with a few
friends that have tracked down a signal from a computer hacker and decide to
confront him. After things go bad when
they try to locate the person, they find themselves split up and waking up in a
sterile, hospital-like facility being told they have been “infected” through an
encounter with aliens and are highly contagious. From then on, it’s all about trying to figure
out what actually happened, surviving the ordeal, and trying to escape from the
facility – all the while having more and more unexpected things happening to
them. I liked the idea and the premise,
but just felt like it was a bunch of scenes thrown together without much
connection at times. I didn’t know what was going
on half the time, which was fine, but it was almost too much that way – not
enough details to really understand it all until the very, very end. And I still don’t understand the reasons for a
lot of things that were in the movie – which is what they were going for, I
guess. Not horrible, but not great,
either.
Hercules
Posted by
Christy
Watching
this movie with Duwayne Johnson, “The Rock”, as Hercules is a pretty good way
to watch a movie! This isn’t the type of movie I was expecting as I’ve seen several
in this genre before It focused more on
the reality of the man instead of the mythological one. The mythological story of Hercules is
included in the film and was done in about the first 10 minutes of the movie,(
being a demigod and all the feats he had done to attribute to the legend of
Hercules). After that- the real story starts.
Hercules and his group of followers are mercenaries. They’ve all heard the stories of Hercules but
to them, he is just a man who has become their leader and their friend. The story gets intense as they are hired to
kill a tyrannical warlord for the King of Thrace. There are a lot of battle scenes which
surprised me. There weren’t any made up
monsters or other Greek gods in this film – it focused upon the flesh and blood
of man and the sins that can haunt one person. The battle scenes were epic as
were some of the twists and turns the movie threw in. I really enjoyed Duwayne Johnson in this role
as he didn’t overact and the other actors such as, Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell
really added some fun to the story. It
was better than what I thought and I probably would watch it again for a whole
new take on the legend of Hercules.
Earth to Echo
Posted by
Eric
I
wasn’t too impressed with this one. I
guess it was supposed to be like some Blair
Witch Project with a lot of the movie filmed on a camcorder by a 13 year-old,
which wasn’t great. And the story seemed
like they were trying to combine E.T.
with The Goonies with Super 8 with Stand By Me. Those were all
good movies, but I didn’t need to see them again – especially all in one film! It was actually a LOT like E.T., having kids discover an alien from
another world and trying to help him get home without adults finding him or
hurting him before he can leave. And of
course the kids can leave their houses, be gone all night, go pretty much
anywhere on their bicycles (no matter how far) with almost nobody questioning
anything. They can also decipher
anything the little alien can send to their cell phones! In those ways, it was almost ridiculous how
unrealistic it was. Maybe it was meant
for a younger audience, but even so, for such a big story there wasn’t much to
it overall.
Godzilla
Posted by
Eric
I was really looking
forward to this movie! I watched the old
black and white Godzilla movies when I was a kid and remember them fondly. I was hoping this one would bring back those
feelings – it didn’t! I liked Godzilla
himself, but it felt like he was hardly even in the movie – the movie is over 2
hours long and his screen time comes in at a whole 10 minutes. I was also NOT impressed with the “monsters”
he was fighting – giant spider/cockroach type things? Really???
When one hatches and starts looking for a mate, they’re calls and emitting
of electromagnetic pulse shockwaves “awakens” Godzilla to come out of the sea
and try to destroy them. It all just felt
VERY long! And other than the short
action/fight scenes toward the end, it was pretty boring, which I didn’t think
I’d ever be saying about Godzilla. The
acting was horrendous, the storyline was almost non-existent, and I really
didn’t even care who lived or died in the end.
The more I think about it, the less I liked it! I really do like Godzilla, but this movie
could have been SO much better!!!
The Fault in Our Stars
Posted by
Christy
“You don't get to choose if you get hurt
in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you”, a quote from the
popular book by John Green. Another
transition of a book to screen and a great one at that! Hazel Grace, played by
Shailene Woodley is a 16 year old girl with terminal cancer. She attends a support group and meets 18 year
old Augustus Waters, played by Ansel Elgort.
It’s their story of love and death in their crazy world of trying to
live through their cancers. There is a lot of story to be told in this movie as
Hazel and Gus try to live normal lives in spite of their illness even going to
Amsterdam in search of an author that has changed Hazel’s life. This movie is
much more than death or cancer – it’s a story about life. How we deal with people that we love and how
we deal with death. Their journey all
comes to a close when Augustus wants to hear his eulogies before he dies. Hazel and his best friend come together and share
their love for their friend and in that instant – they tell each other how they
are going to be remembered and why. In a
world of people – they will remember each other. For me, this movie must’ve hit the right chord
because I would watch it again, same as Heaven is for Real, because they
both speak volumes about our lives. I
opened this blog with a quote from the book and I may be getting a little
personal here, but I believe the statement to be true. When we lose a loved one, we should feel
honored to have loved them. We chose to love them and even in their
death, we are still the luckiest
person to have been their friend.
Heaven is for Real
Posted by
Christy
“Heaven is for Real”
was a #1 book on the New York Times Bestseller list. It’s the true story of a
family who was given a glimpse into Heaven through their son Colton. Greg Kinnear plays Todd Burpo, Colton’s dad
and a preacher of a small church in Nebraska.
Colton, played by the adorable actor, Connor Corum, gets very sick and
needs emergency surgery. As his parents
call the church for prayers for their son, Colton has an incredible journey as
he is being operated on. It is only
later, that Colton starts telling his family the things he saw and heard in
Heaven. The family has to decide whether
Colton’s visions are real or made up. Did his son really see angels? Did he
talk to Jesus? And did he really see his grandfather? The town’s people are divided over the issue
and the church must decide if they’re going to stand with the Burpo family and
Colton’s incredible stories or release him from his duties. I really liked this movie! I had read the book but found the movie to be
more powerful and inspiring than the book.
To me, I enjoyed the journey that this movie took me on. The sweet face of Colton as he talked about
Heaven just made me feel happy about what I believe in. It’s an inspirational film the whole family
can watch together.
Mom’s Night Out
Posted by
Christy
This was a fun movie for the whole family! Almost any mom can relate to this theme, a night out with the girls and NO KIDS! It was silly fun to watch the comical
misadventures of Allyson as she tried so hard to have a normal night out. But
between her crazy sister-in-law, her husband and his “anti-kids” best friend,
her pastor’s wife issues with her teen daughter, a missing baby and a biker
dude, (played by Trace Adkins) . . . the
night didn’t turn out as she had planned.
No mother is perfect nor do we have a perfect life. This movie reflects the insecurities of moms
and their constant battle for survival among the fittest but it does so in a
light hearted manner and with inspirational insight that gives moms, a
chance to reflect on the values and the importance of being a mom
God’s Not Dead
Posted by
Christy
There are a lot of inspirational films out but for me,
this is one of the better ones I have seen in awhile. I really liked most everything about it - the
story, the actors and the music. The
premise is a freshman college student by the name of Josh, (played by Shane
Harper), takes a philosophy class. The philosophy
teacher, (played by Kevin Sorbo), has only 1 “rule” in his classroom - to talk
strictly about philosophy and rule out any hogwash about a “God”. To do so, he insists that his students write
on a piece of paper that “God is Dead”.
Josh is unable to do so because he is a
Christian and believes that God does exist.
The professor, being an atheist, allows Josh two weeks to present his
side of why there is a God to the students
At the end of two week, the class will decide if Josh is right and
passes or if he failed and flunks the class. I thought the actually story line of the
debate was very interesting to watch. I
think the movie could’ve focused more on the issue between the two main
characters instead of adding side stories in.
The side stories were intended to bring home the main theme of the movie
and at times it took away from the main premise of the movie. But even with that said, if you’re looking
for an inspirational film to lift your spirit, to give you something to think
about, or enjoy some great music by The Newsboys and other artist you might
give this a try.
Draft Day
Posted by
Eric
In this movie, Kevin
Costner plays Sonny Weaver, the Cleveland Browns general manager that has an
opportunity to turn the team around if he can make the right decisions and
choices in the NFL Draft. The story
takes you through the 24 hour period leading up to the draft and how he is
being pulled in every direction - by the players wanting drafted, the head
coach, the team owner, the media, his family, the fans, and just about everyone
else you could imagine. Ultimately, he’s
the one with the final decision, and he has to do what he feels is “right” for
everyone, including himself. I’ve never
given much thought to what’s really going on behind the scenes of the NFL
Draft, but I was completely drawn into this movie! It reminded me a lot of the movie Moneyball
that has the same themes, just with football this time instead of baseball –
and I loved that one. Plus, you can’t go
wrong with Kevin Costner in a sports film!
Blended
Posted by
Eric
I was surprised by this one. You never
know what you’re going to get with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore – especially
when they’re in the same movie. I’ll
admit, I wasn’t expecting much. After watching
the first half, it didn’t seem very good, but if you hang in there for the
whole movie, it gets much, much better! After
a horrible first date and deciding they never wanted to see each other again, Jim
and Lauren’s families end up together at a resort in Africa. It almost felt like a “reverse Brady Bunch” –
Jim was raising girls that needed a mom in their lives and Lauren had boys that
needed a dad in theirs. No matter how
much they all resisted, the kids (and parents) were all benefitting from having
each other around. This movie did have silly,
ridiculous parts to it, but it was also touching and emotional in parts, too –
more than I ever would have imagined.
I’m glad I watched it!
Joe
Posted by
Eric
I used to like Nicolas Cage a lot, but hadn't been that impressed with the movies
he's made the last few years. I would say he impressed me in this
one. He plays an ex-con named Joe who wants to be a good man and is
trying to stay out of trouble. You can tell he has a good heart, but
sometimes has issues controlling his inner demons. He comes across a
15-year old drifter named Gary (played by Tye Sheridan from Mud)
that has an alcoholic father who abuses him, and Joe eventually hires Gary to
work for him. Joe actually becomes kind of a role model for him and they
are both able to help each other find some direction in their lives through the
friendship they forge. But, being the kind of movie this is, everything
cannot be all rainbows and butterflies - Joe's past will always haunt him, Gary
has a dad that's just getting worse and will do almost anything to obtain
alcohol or money, and you know it's all going to come to a head in this small
town sooner or later! I wouldn't call this film "enjoyable" - I
liked it, but it wasn't always easy to watch. There was a lot of physical
violence, quite a bit of language, and it just felt like a dark, depressing
time for everyone in the movie highlighted by a few good moments. It felt
real and raw to me. Joe and Gary both made me think about how things may
not always turn out the way you want, but you have to keep trying and keep
fighting and never give up, even if it seems like there is no way out of a
situation. I'm going to remember Joe for a long time...
Lone Survivor
Posted by
Christy
I wrote this blog after seeing this movie in the
theater. It is now out on DVD and my thoughts are still the same. There are no
words to really express what a powerful, emotional, brutal, raw and
heartbreaking film this is! If you don’t
know about it – it’s the story of the failed 2005 mission in Afghanistan of four
Navy SEALS whose mission it was to find and capture a Taliban leader. Things go horribly wrong when goat herders
cross their paths and they have to choose what to do with them. Also, the radio contacts with the base failed
and they were left alone to face the Taliban by themselves. As the title suggests, only one of them makes
it out alive, barely, and that was Leading
Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell. This is
his story of the fight for their lives and the death of his fellow SEAL mates
and friends. This movie is larger than
life on the big screen and you witness the most extreme brutalness of the
rugged country in which they were fighting in and what they endured. It is heartbreaking to see the deaths of his
fellow friends, Michael Murphy, Danny Dietz and Matt “Axe” Axelson. As this movie ended, not one person in the
theater said anything- there was a revered silence for the men who lost their
lives serving their country. I believe
this is an important film to see for what it stands for. For more detailed information; you can also
read the book with the same title.
Lone Survivor
Posted by
Eric
This
movie puts you right in the middle of the action with a group of four Navy
SEALs while they are on a mission trying to capture a Taliban leader. Besides getting caught in rugged terrain and
in unfamiliar territory, they begin having radio and communication problems
that make their situation worse. It was
very engaging and I found myself “forgetting” to breathe and trying to stay
calm and quiet during tense moments. It
really makes you appreciate what our military does for us and the sacrifices
they make for us every day. It’s easy to
second-guess some of the decisions they made, but there was a lot of wondering
what I would do in the same situations, too.
I really don’t know. I was
exhausted after viewing this film. When the
movie finished, I just sat there… I’m
STILL thinking about it all…
The Monuments Men
Posted by
Christy
I’m always enticed by movies that are “true”
stories. When I saw the previews for “The
Monuments Men” starring George Clooney and Matt Damon – I knew I wanted
to see the movie not for the big name actors, but for a story I knew nothing
about. I’m not a history buff, so I was
really surprised to learn about The Monuments Men and to know why
they risked their lives for art. The
movie told the story of a group of men, who believed in saving the masterpieces
from the countries which Hitler had ravaged, for the generations to come and
for the people that had lived and died.
These men, portrayed by Clooney, Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean
Dujardin, Bob Balaban, and Hugh Bonneville are curators and historians of art
who have been tasked with the unfathomable job of finding missing pieces that
Hitler has stolen to use in a museum he was to create after the war. To be honest, there were parts of the movie
that dragged on, that weren’t needed, and sometimes the action was rushed, but, the story itself of the
self-sacrificing commitment these men had was what really moved the movie
along. The end of the movie was very
interesting as they told how many pieces of artwork were stolen and the
incredible places they hid most of it. The more I read about this story, the
more I appreciate what they did and how they saved historical pieces that are
still in museums today. (The more
in-depth story can be found in the book with the same title as the movie by
Robert Edsel).
Her
Posted by
Eric
This
movie was different. I should have known with Joaquin Phoenix, you
never quite know what you’re going to get.
I’m not sure if it was a look into our future, if it was a desperate,
heartbroken man looking for some companionship, or if it was just weird and
creepy. It may be all of them! Phoenix plays a lonely man whose long
relationship has just ended. He makes
his living writing caring, personal letters for others and sees a new computer
operating system that says it’s unique and learns from you and is its own
unique entity. When he starts it up, he
meets “Samantha” – who seemed like a futuristic, high-tech version of Apple’s
Siri. She talked exactly like a human,
had feelings, and understood his jokes – she just didn’t have a body – since
she’s a computer! The more they talked,
the more she learned, and the closer they became – so close that she became his
“girlfriend” and he considered it an exclusive relationship. That’s when it started getting weird for
me! It was nice that he was able to find
something to make him happy and help him move on in his life, but it just felt
almost uncomfortable to me at times – but hey, maybe that’s where we’re
heading??? You would definitely have to
be in the mood for this one…
Nebraska
Posted by
Eric
I loved this movie! It’s about an old man
who is sure he has won a million dollar prize and is going to Lincoln, Nebraska
to collect his winnings, even though he has some dementia and shouldn’t be
making a trip like that alone. He’s a
little out of touch and doesn’t realize it’s just a magazine marketing letter,
so in order to try to get to know his dad better and spend some time with him,
one of his sons offers take him there. I
don’t know if it was meant to be as funny as it seemed to me – I was laughing
the whole movie – but it was just that I could recognize people I know in
almost every character and they were hilarious!
It could change from one moment to the next and be incredibly serious
and thought-provoking, too. It's quietly
poignant and still very powerful. I
laughed, I cried, I was worn out, yet still exhilarated when I was finished
with this one. I don’t know if everyone
would connect with it the way I did, either.
Not sure what else I can say about this film - it was just one of the
best movies I’ve seen in a very, very long time.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Posted by
Eric
I don’t know that I can even do this movie justice with my words. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the
previews I’d seen – maybe a little goofy and quirky and different than a normal
movie. And it was! For such a simple story, it just felt like such
a breathtaking, powerful work of art. Ben
Stiller plays an anonymous photo negative archiver at LIFE Magazine and is
always finding himself zoning out and daydreaming about things instead of
actually doing them. When his job is
threatened, he finally takes a chance in the real world when he needs to travel
to Greenland to try to track down a legendary photographer, played by Sean Penn. After being there and following the trail to
Iceland (in any manner he can) and climbing the Himalayas, he finally realizes
how much of “life” he has been missing out on.
It was like some “magical”
transformation, but in reality, he just started actually doing things instead
of daydreaming and wishing he had. It
seems so simple. It's funny, it’s thought
provoking, it’s touching, and dare I say “life-changing."
Delivery Man
Posted by
Eric
Wow
– this movie was NOT what I expected!
With Vince Vaughn, I was thinking I’d just get a bunch of one-liners and
crude humor and not much story. I
couldn’t have been more wrong. It was funny in parts, but actually felt more like a serious movie or drama than a comedy. The story is that David Wozniak learns he’s
the biological father of 533 children through sperm donations he made twenty
years earlier and now 142 of them are suing to find out his identity. He’s also just found out that his girlfriend
is pregnant and doesn’t think he has what it takes to be a father. This could have gone a number of different
ways, but it became a very emotional, heartwarming movie where he cared about
EVERY single one of his children. He
wanted to know them and help them – to be the dad he’s never been to them, even though he wasn't sure if he could tell them who he really was. It also wasn’t full of
unnecessary swearing, sex, and shock humor, which was a nice change from most
movies these days. Vince Vaughn gives a
very heartfelt performance and I’m glad I watched it!
Ride Along
Posted by
Eric
I wanted to like this movie. I really
did. Watching it, I just felt like I’d
already seen all of the funny parts in previews I’d seen. There were only a couple parts that even
seemed halfway humorous that were new to me.
Ice Cube plays a cop that takes a security guard, played by Kevin Hart,
on a ride along to prove he has what it takes to be with his sister. Ice Cube is trying to seem “tough” and Kevin
Hart is just a scaredy-cat that would rather escape into the world of video
games than be a man and face life – and neither really worked for me! Hart is usually so funny, I was pretty
disappointed with him in this one. It
was OK and passed the time, but it just wasn’t that funny. It could and should have been MUCH better!
Grudge Match
Posted by
Eric
I liked this movie,
even though it wasn’t really what I was expecting. Grudge Match is the story of two old
boxing rivals (played by Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro) who haven’t
been in the ring for 30 years and come out of retirement for one final fight. At their age, most people view it as more of
a joke than a serious rematch, but to them it means everything! I was expecting a lot more comedy, but it
went more into them trying to get over their past and resolving family and
relationship issues and things like that.
I’m not saying it wasn’t funny – it was – and I loved Alan Arkin in his
role as the old trainer – it just wasn’t as funny as I was expecting from all
of the previews I’d seen. Even with as
old as they are, their fighting was still better than a lot of real fights are
anymore. They definitely showed that after
all these years, they’ve still got it in the ring! Overall, I’d say it was just alright – it had
humor and was entertaining, but not a classic, either
The Wolf of Wall Street
Posted by
Eric
I mainly watched this movie because I wanted to see what all the “hype” was
about. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan
Belfort, a young stockbroker who gets caught up in the excesses of the new life
he’s created for himself in New York City.
There’s a LOT of greed, corruption, sex, drugs, and money! And too much is NEVER enough – of any of them! His life just snowballs into a never-ending
cycle of trying to get more of them all.
The movie definitely pushed the envelope on everything as far as all of
the language and sex and nudity and drug use over and over, but I just felt
like it was really wanting to drive home that lifestyle and how out of control
it was getting for him. It did seem a
little long at almost 3 hours, and I’m not sure why it wasn’t NC-17, but I
still felt like it was worth watching.
It was definitely a controversial film when it was released, and looking
at mine and Christy’s posts, you can see why.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Posted by
Christy
So, against my better judgment, I watched about an hour
or so of this movie. Now, I know what you’re
thinking, “How can I possibly give a
review about a movie that I didn’t watch all the way through?” Because I
think within the first 5 minutes of the movie you’ve seen everything they are
going to show you! There was lots of
Hollywood hype surrounding this movie! Without the hype – I wonder if it would’ve
lasted at the theatres! The movie is
based on a true event – on a Long Island Penny stockbroker by the name of
Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) who made millions of dollars and
defrauded his clients along the way.
During his ride to the top he was heavily involved in drinking, drugs,
and sex. It didn’t matter how much of
anything he had – it wasn’t enough – and everything in his life was insanely
over the top! What got me though about this movie, (besides the 506 usage of
the “f” word and the almost NC17 rating it should’ve received because of all
the nudity and soft porn acts) and
being 3 hours in length – is why? Why 3 hours of full blown all out orgies and
every usage of a slang word imaginable – for 3 hours? I get it – this guy was rich and he wanted to
show it in every twisted way he could – but as I was watching the movie they
forgot to pull me in with the deeper story of how he defrauded so many people
and was eventually jailed for 36 months. Admittedly, I’m not one to watch shows
with this much language and nudity but I really do feel that I experienced the total "feel" of this movie.
The Hunger Games – Catching Fire
Posted by
Christy
The biggest thing I have to say about the 2nd
movie in The Hunger Games trilogy is
that Jennifer Lawrence has become a big star since the first once came out in
2012. It seemed odd to watch her in this
type of film after she’s been in more critically acclaimed movies. But that
aside – the movie was exactly what it should be –the next in the series Katniss
continues her struggle with the government as she and Peeta travel the
districts as the reigning victors from the reaping games. President Snow is enraged as to how the
people have chosen to make her the symbol of rebellion and he wants her
dead. Another hunger game is forced upon
the contestants that have won and once again – Peeta and Katniss find
themselves fighting for their survival.
This time the survival is more than their lives – it’s about the lives
of the very people who are counting on her to lead them to a rebellion. This film sets up the final installment of
the trilogy. The story only gets darker
from here as lives hang in the balance and not all will live.
Springsteen & I
Posted by
Eric
If you’re a Bruce Springsteen fan, this one is pretty cool. The entire movie is made up of videos his
fans have made to express what Bruce and his music means to them, what it has
meant to their life, and continues to mean to all of them. It’s filled with stories from concerts and
moments they’ve had with “The Boss” along with actual video to back their
stories! There is also a lot of concert footage
from recent times along with some rare footage from the early days mixed in,
too. These fans all feel an undeniable
connection to Springsteen, whether it’s with his music or to him or anything else
he’s associated with, so it was nice seeing the fan perspectives. It was fun and emotional and just a very touching
tribute to a legendary entertainer!
Thor: The Dark World
Posted by
Christy
I didn’t like this movie as much as I did the first
one. Not to say I didn’t like this movie
– because there were parts of it I really did like –then there were parts that
were way too long. The best
part, for me, was the banter between Thor, (Chris Hemsworth) and his
brother Loki, (played by Tom Hiddleston).
These two actors are really fun to watch, especially Loki’s
character. If you saw the first movie -
you know the history of the brothers.
This film brings about the conclusion of that story line. But on the flip side – knowing it’s a science
fiction story line – it was a very
science fiction story. I didn’t care
for that part. The different worlds, the
different wars, the different characters – even though I know that is what Thor
is about. I just thought it was over the
top and some of the characters and lines just got lost in the telling of
it. I probably will watch Thor 3 – as it
was left open (in this huge money making film) for another. I just hope it isn’t as steeped in the
science fiction world and they bring more earth to the noble hero.
Gravity
Posted by
Eric
Sandra
Bullock plays opposite George Clooney in this one. She is Dr. Ryan Stone, who is on her first
shuttle mission, and he is a veteran astronaut named Matt Kowalski, who is on
his final mission. It seems like people
either love this movie or hate it! I
would have to say I’m in the “love it” category. OK, so it wasn’t the most technically
accurate space film or even that believable in a lot of areas, but I felt it was
more about the characters and what they represented than trying to be the
greatest space film of all time. It was
meant to make you think about life and what matters and overcoming adversity. After a disaster strikes the shuttle, Stone
basically finds herself in an almost unsurvivable situation and has to summon
every ounce of will and courage she can to try to make it out. There was a lot of hype when this movie was
released, but it really does seem like one of those movies that can “affect”
you if you let it. I think this one is going
stick with me for awhile - that's for sure.
Gravity
Posted by
Christy
For me, this movie was just a movie. I didn’t get any emotional feel from it or a
sense of attachment to life and the whole meaning behind our existence. At first, I didn’t think I was going to watch
this film – I just didn’t buy into the characters of Sandra Bullock and George
Clooney being astronauts. They seem like
the furthest actors I would’ve picked for these roles. Then there was the whole gushing over the film as it was in the theaters and how amazing it was. Can
you say “over it”? But, I did watch
it – and it was so-so. I’m sure if you
saw in on the big screen and 3-D you might have found yourself attached to the
story and might have “possibly” felt like you were one with space – but I just
didn’t buy it. I wasn’t impressed and I
didn’t empathize with her character and the life and death situation she was
facing. ( I also think George just showed up for a cameo – I guess to lend his
name to the project). Maybe I’m the
only person on this planet that didn’t obsess over this movie – but I doubt it.
All Is Lost
Posted by
Eric
I love movies like this! Robert Redford is
also one of my favorite actors, so it’s not really a surprise I liked this
one. Redford plays a sailor who is alone
at sea and has a rogue shipping container punch a hole in the side of his
boat. Obviously, that is not a good
situation. He needs to make a plan and
do whatever he can to get through this ordeal.
There were almost no spoken words the entire film, which I really
enjoyed! They didn’t explain every
little thing and it was like you were with him as he tried to figure out what
to do as each new challenge arose. You
can almost see his determination and spirit fading away as each day passes and
he starts to face his own mortality and realize how slim his chances of
surviving really are. Some
people may think it’s boring and is just a guy out on the water in a boat, but
it felt like so much more to me – a lot more!
Escape Plan
Posted by
Christy
I really wanted to be “wowed” by this movie but unfortunately
– I wasn’t. The premise itself looked
really interesting to me and it had Sly Stallone in it – another plus. But when I was watching it – I felt like it
was a movie I had seen many different times in different films. Stallone plays Ray Breslin, a man who gets
paid to break out of prison to highlight the weak areas of the prison. As the story goes, he’s asked to take on an
undercover, secret mission where none of his people know where he is. As it turns out – it’s a setup and he is now
forced to be a prisoner in an unescapable prison. To me, the prison and the storyline seemed to
border on being sci-fi. I really didn’t
believe the storyline and it felt so similar to other characters he has done in
the past. Even with Arnold Schwarzenegger
in it – I half expected him to say “I’ll be back.” It was ok to watch – but I just wanted more
and it just didn’t get past the starting block for me.
Dallas Buyers Club
Posted by
Eric
What
a powerful, emotional movie! This one
destroyed me! I can’t stop thinking
about it. Matthew McConaughey plays Ron
Woodroof, a straight man in 1985 that’s been diagnosed with HIV and told he has
30 days to live. During this time, HIV
and AIDS were still fairly new and scary and there were all kinds of
stereotypes and prejudices against those that were sick, which Ron gets to
experience firsthand. Those wanting
treatment were subjected to the FDA’s red tape and doctors & drug companies
wanting to make money when the people are just trying to survive. After improving by using experimental drug
“cocktails” created with meds from outside the United States, Ron works to find
ways to get these to the sick and dying – fighting with the system every step
of the way. Since it’s illegal to sell
them, he creates the Dallas Buyers Club – where you buy a membership and then get
the meds for free. This helps countless
people and makes what’s left of their lives more bearable instead of just
waiting to die in the hospitals. This
movie made me sad and angry, and just really makes you think about what’s right
and wrong and how our system works… Sometimes,
it’s such a hard thing to straddle that line of what’s legal and what’s RIGHT!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)