Movie Reviews 2017

recently viewed these and think they are worth a look

The Accountant (2016) crime-action movie that is kind of IF John Wick was also a forensic accountant. Ben Affleck plays the title character. kind of a convoluted plot that is somewhat tough to follow at times BUT has excellent action and an interesting "twist" at the end. playing on Dish-TV PPV and I thought it was worth the "comp" certificate I used to record it. I rate it    of four

Now You See Me 2 (2016) sequel to the 2013 heist-action movie with similar magic tricks, plot twists and a completely crazy ending. about the same cast as the original but with Lizzy Caplan replacing Isla Fisher as a the female member of "The Four Horsemen". I thought the first one was very fast paced and entertaining and this one in some ways is even better. been playing on HBO all month and worth a look . I rate it   of four same as the original

Bridge of Spies (2015) historical cold war "spy stuff" about the 1962 "swap" of Soviet KGB spy Rudolf Abel for American U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers. Tom Hanks plays the lawyer that puts the deal together. NO real "slam-bang" action in it BUT a well acted movie with an interesting plot and a LOT of suspense. the guy that plays Able won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. and the movie was nominated for Best Picture. did NOT know there was a third person held by the East Germans involved in the prisoner exchange. been playing on Showtime all month. I rate it    of four

The Peacemaker (1997) George Clooney and Nicole Kidman chasing a "loose nuke" acquired by terrorists stolen by a corrupt Red Army general. pretty much non-stop action and excellent suspense and definitely worth a look for action fans. played recently on Starz channel and hopefully will repeat soon. I rate it  of four

La La Land: Excellent and more than deserving of Best Picture if it happens. Even if you subtract the musical aspect, it's still a very engaging film, and Emma Stone absolutely knocks it out of the park.

Rogue One: I enjoyed The Force Awakens a bit more, but this is still a big time blockbuster with thrills and spills galore. And the battle scene involving a certain well known character in the final act is almost worth the price of admission alone.

Hidden Figures: Very enjoyable watch. Think the trailers kind of oversold a few aspects of the film, but it's the kind of feel good movie we go to the movies for in the first place.

The Magnificent Seven (2016): Utterly forgettable. I mean, seriously, what the hell was the point of remaking a classic? Sure, it's okay while you're watching it, but when you can barely remember a thing a day later, not a good sign.

thanks for contributing, Camp_Nou. I had my suspicions about The Magnificent Seven (2016). like you said remakes of "classics" usually do NOT work out well. a good example is the 2014 remake of the James Caan The Gambler (1974) this time with Mark Wahlberg as the title character. had one good scene in the remake. "getting to a level of fukk you" >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJjKP8vYjpQ

No problem LeRinkRat. I actually watched quite a few films over the holidays, so I can chime in with a few more:

Doctor Strange: I'm a big fan of the MCU, but this one left me a bit ambivalent. Maybe it's just because I never cared for the character much back during my comic book days, but the film didn't really do it for me. Not that it's a bad film, mind you, but I just prefer the balls to the walls action of the Captain America movies a bit more.

Passengers: The film itself is not necessarily terrible, but the act that sets things in motion is just (what's the word I'm looking for) so morally reprehensible, it's hard to look past it. A Netflix movie if ever there was one (and even then, I'm not sure you should bother wasting your time).

The Girl On The Train: Books you enjoy rarely become films you enjoy (guess it's because you build up in your head what the movie should look like). Having said that, not the worst way to spend a few hours, although most of that has to do with Emily Blunt.

Planning on watching a few more over the weekend as screeners continue to pop up online (Hacksaw Ridge, Manchester By The Sea, Jackie), so I'll be back next week.

Turbo (2013) FUN little DreamWorks Animation movie about a garden snail that dreams of becoming a great racer. a freek accident where he is sucked into the supercharger of a drag racer, fuses his DNA with nitrous oxide and makes him wicked FAST to where he actually gets to compete in the Indy 500. runs a short 96 minutes and I enjoyed it. has a LOT of action for a "toon movie". it is kind of Cars (2006) only with gastropod mollusks instead of automobiles. playing on FX Movie channel and I recommend recording because FX is over-run with commercials. I rate it   of four

Dirty Grandpa.

Ratatouille (2007) FUN Pixar Animation comedy film about a French rat with dreams of becoming a great chef. VERY fast paced movie with a 96% "fresh" from Rotten Tomatoes. it won the Oscar for for Best Animated Feature. voices of Patton Oswalt as Remy the Rat, Lou Romano as Alfredo Linguini his human helper, Ian Holm as Skinner the restaurant owner and their nemesis. Janeane Garofalo as Colette a woman "rotisseur" chef and Linguini's love interest and Peter O'Toole as Anton Ego a VERY pompous restaurant critic who can "make or break" a chef with a review. plays again on  the Starz channel Tuesday February 7th @ 4:40am and again Wednesday the 8th @ 3:55am both pacific time. I thought it was an enjoyable 110 minutes and rate it    of four

The Caine Mutiny (1954) just may be Humphrey Bogart's BEST dramatic roll EVER as Lieutenant Commander Queeg the paranoid commanding officer of the Navy mine sweeper USS Caine. outstanding supporting cast of Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray, Robert Francis, E. G. Marshall and Jose Ferrer. early "bit part" screen work by both Lee Marvin and Claude Akins. had Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Humphrey Bogart, who lost to Marlon Brando for On the Waterfront) and Best Dramatic Music Score (Max Steiner). this is a "bucket list" classic worth viewing at least once if for no other reason the court room scene with Queeg being cross examined by defense lawyer Lt Barney Greenwald (Jose Ferrer). plays again on the Sony Movie channel Sunday February 5th @ 8:35am pacific time. I obviously rate this   of four

Fracture (2007) legal drama about a wealthy Irish aeronautical engineer, played by Anthony Hopkins, who murders his cheating wife in a way where it looks like he will get away with it. Ryan Gosling plays the young assistant DA trying to nail him. Sir Anthony is at his wicked scary "Dr Hannibal Lecter" menacing best and this film is loaded with "cat & mouse" suspense throughout with numerous "twist's and turn's". it holds a 72% "fresh" from Rotten Tomatoes. it is one i had to watch a couple times to pick up all the "nuance". plays again Sunday February 5th on HBO channels @ 1:05am & 4:05am pacific time. I rate it    of four

Rink,

Watched some movies over the weekend ...........

Central Intelligence (2016) action comedy staring Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson with the lovely Danielle Nicolet as Hart's love interest. I thought it was OK action but with pretty lame "comedy" and I can NOT really recommend it. how it gets a 70% "fresh" from Rotten Tomatoes is beyond me. been playing on HBO almost daily recently you can check your TV Guide for times. for me it was pure

Black Mass 2/4 dog bones  Seen a ton of these mob movies over the years and thought this was in the middle of the pack.  

Unfaithful

The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) historic biography staring the great Jimmy Stewart as Charles Lindbergh. details the famous New york to Paris flight in 1927 that was the spark that ignited interest in aviation world wide. really well done mixing scenes of the preparation for and the flight itself with flashbacks to Lindbergh's early life. it was a "tour de force" for Stewart and is actually very funny in spots. this is one of my all time favorite aviation themed movies along with Task Force (1949), which is the history of Naval Aviation from the beginning thru WWII, and The Right Stuff (1983) about the early astronauts. played on Turner Classic Movies last night and hopefully well repeat soon. I obviously rate all three movies     of four

RocknRolla (2008) another Guy Ritchie written and directed "crime comedy" follow on to his movies Snatch (2000) and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). entertaining movie with the usual Richie "dark humor" "plot twists" and action BUT suffers by comparison to his previous movies mostly due to NOT as good a cast (although Thandie Newton is nice to look at) and just the somewhat convoluted plot. plays again on Cinemax channels Monday February 27th @ 5:00pm & 8:00pm and Tuesday the 28th @ 11;20pm pacific times. definitely worth a look for Guy Ritchie movie fans BUT I rate it only   of four

Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) 5th of the Ice Age franchise. this one has more "Scrat" scenes than previous movies (which makes sense as he is THE most popular character in the franchise) early on he ends up in space creating mayhem in the cosmos and causing an asteroid to go on a collision course with earth. like the others VERY entertaining movie for children or adults. playing on HBO and I rate it    of four

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) Sci-Fi action sequel to the 1996 original it takes place 20 years after the first alien attack this time with earth armed with weapons "reverse engineered" from alien technology. Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch and Brent Spiner reprise their rolls from the original. after a rather slow start the action really picks up when the aliens show up with an even bigger "mother ship" than the first time. was fast paced action at least as good as the original and I enjoyed it. also playing on HBO and I rate it    of four

American Ultra (2015) "spy stuff" action movie about a West Virginia stoner played by Jesse Eisenberg and his girl friend played by Kristen Stewart who are really a pair of CIA "sleeper agents" BUT they do NOT know it. when the CIA decides to shut down the program by eliminating  all the agents still in place it leads to pretty much non-stop action with plenty of hand-to hand fighting and oodles of ordnance. runs a short 90 minutes and was very entertaining. has lot of crazy "dark humor" as well. plays all day Monday on EPIX channels and I rate it    of four

1408 (2007)  psycho horror film based on Stephen King's 1999 short story of the same name. John Cusack plays a cynical, skeptical author who debunks supernatural events. when he gets a note about a supposedly haunted hotel room #1408 in New York City he can NOT resist checking it out much to his regret. I am NOT much of a "spooker" fan but this on is pretty fast paced with a LOT of "OMG" situations. it is pretty much a one man "tour de force" for Cusack. plays again on Showtime Two Thursday April 6th @ 7:05pm. I rate it of four

Finally saw Hidden Figures yesterday. Really good and well done movie !

Agree with you on Emma Stone .....outstanding performance !

Body of Lies (2008) Ridley Scott directed "war on terror" action spy movie about the hunt for an "Osama bin Laden" type terrorist leader. stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and Mark Strong . excellent suspense and action with a number of interesting "plot twists". really didn't see any "filler" in the movie as it was pretty much "non-stop" action. playing again on the "more max" Cinemax channel Tuesday April 11th @ 12:20 pacifiac time. I rate it    of four

Ghostbusters (2016) remake od the first two original 1984 and 1989 movies staring Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray with Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis this time with four young women, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones as the "Ghostbusters" and Chris Hemsworth as their "secretary". cameo appearances by original cast members Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver along with Ozzy Osbourne.

originally thought this remake was gonna "suck big time" and it did have a rather slow first half hour start, BUT it really "picks up the pace" after that. the Hemsworth character is kind of "stupid fluff" but overall it does have pretty good action and excellent CGI. I ended up enjoying it BUT it is NOT as good as the two originals. plays again in Starz channels East and West Tuesday April 11th @ 10:10am and 1:10pm pacific time. definitely worth a watch IF you liked the originals BUT I rate it only   of four

War Dogs (2016) the "stylized" true story of Efraim Diveroli played by Jonah Hill and David Packouz played by Miles Teller two young guys in their early 20's that started an military arms brokerage company AEY and how they were able to weasel their way into the Pentagon supply system. they were initially VERY successful BUT, as the line goes in Casino, "in the end they fukked it all up" mostly because of Diveroli's greed and inattention to detail. it has pretty good action in spots but overall the plot is "HOW the HELL are these kids gonna get AWAY with this" ???

also stars Bradley Cooper as shady arms dealer (ain't they all ???) Henry Girard and and Kevin Pollak as the boys "silent partner" Ralph Slutzky. CRAZY ending. you will NOT believe WHO brought them down by "blowing the whistle" on their AK-47 ammo deal and WHY. plays all day on HBO Thursday April 13th and continues on into the weekend. I knew the real story from news reports of the "scandal" back in it's day SO was NOT a lot of "surprise" in the plot for me. for that reason I rate it only   of four

as a side note, the original screen play was based on a the Rolling Stone article and follow up book Arms and the Dudes by Guy Lawson BUT that work was based on Efraim Diveroli's self published book Once a Gun Runner. Diveroli is now has a lawsuit vs Warner Brothers for NOT compensating him for his story. even though the guy is a "weasel" I HOPE he WINS because I hate corporate crooks more than private ones 

Rogue One (2016) I used a comp PPV certificate to view this on Dish-TV and feel like i got "ripped off". this latest of the Star Wars film has is the typical "oodles of action and ordnance" we are used to in the franchise BUT I really think Lucasfilm is starting to run out of plot ideas. this one is a "prequel" to the 1977 original with the rebels trying to steal the plans to the death star. I really don't think this films "heroine" is nearly as compelling a character as the last rendition The Force Awakens (2015). it is pretty bad when the only really interesting character is the droid K2SO who is really just a more action oriented version of the original 3CPO with a rather snotty attitude. unlike the last movie, NONE of the original characters  have any more than "cameo" roles. I found it disappointing and a waste of a PPV certificate. attacking the death star in CGI is just getting repetitive and boring. I rate it  of four and that is being generous

Mechanic: Resurrection (2016) another Jason Statham action movie with Tommy Lee Jones and  Jessica Alba. has plenty of hand-to-hand combat and "stuff that goes boom" like all Statham movies BUT I thought the "pace" was a little "slow". has a couple of interesting "plot twists" BUT overall NOT as good as most Statham action movies. there HAD to be a better actress available than Alba to play Statham's "love interest". still it IS worth a look  for Statham fans. plays again on Cinemax Thursday April 13th @ 8:15pm and 11:15 pm pacific times. I rate it   of four

Bringing Out the Dead (1999) have reviewed this Martin Scorsese "dark comedy" about NYC paramedics trying to cope with daily life before. it is kind of  Mean Streets (1973) only with paramedics instead of gangsters. stars Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, and Tom Sizemore.and is pretty fast paced with an outstanding 1960's soundtrack of songs from Big Brother with Janis Joplin, Martha & the Vandellas and The Who among others. VERY under-rated movie by  Scorsese that was a box office flop mostly because the damn Studio did NOT really advertise it. I find it an interesting and entertaining movie I can watch numerous times. plays again on HBO-Z Thursday April 13th @ 3:40pm pacific time. I rate it    of four

The Nice Guys (2016) CRAZY FUNNY crime-action-comedy staring Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling and 16 year old  Angourie Rice with bit parts by Keith David and Kim Basinger. basic plot is two competing private investigators, played by Crowe and Gosling, are hired to find a missing woman that has information potentially damaging to the "Big Three" auto companies before she gets assassinated by corporate hired killers. VERY fast paced movie with a LOT of "sight gags", old fashioned "slap stick" and LOL dialog and CRAZY "plot twists". I REALLY enjoyed this movie. one of THE funniest I have seen in ages and I laughed all the way thru it. young Angourie Rice really "steals the show" as the Gosling character's perky 13 year old daughter. carries a well deserved 92% "fresh" from Rotten Tomatoes (SOMETIMES they get it RIGHT) plays again on various HBO channels again on Saturday April 15th, Tuesday the 18th and Friday the 21st. I rate it  of four and almost went the "full four" it is THAT good

Suicide Squad (2016) "superhero" film based on the DC Comics "anti-hero team" of the same name. stars Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie and Viola Davis. the usual comic based movies "weird" characters with pretty much non-stop action and "oodles of ordnance". I found it "OK" BUT the whole primes is just goofy. IF you like this type "action" movie it plays all next week on HBO starting all day Tuesday April 18th. NOT nearly as good or as "thoughtful" as other recent Marvel Comics offerings like Ant-Man (2015) or the Iron Man franchises SO I rate it   of four

We Were Soldiers (2002) dramatization of The Battle of Ia Drang in November of 1965 which was the first major battle between the US Army and the NVA at the start of the Vietnam War. based on the book  We Were Soldiers Once… And Young (1992) written by Lt General (retired) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, both of whom were involved in the battle. Stars Mel Gibson as then Lt Colonel Hal Moore, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 7th Air Cavalry, Madeleine Stowe as his wife Julia, Greg Kinnear as helicopter pilot Major Bruce Crandall, Sam Elliott as Sergeant Major Basil Plumley, Barry Pepper as combat reporter Joe Galloway and Ðon Duong as NVA commander Lt Colonel Nguyen Hu An

VERY well acted movie about the early Vietnam War and HOW the US military became entangled in the whole bloody mess. the battle scenes are VERY intense with "old fashioned" FX rather than more modern CGI. you can almost "smell the napham in the morning". also does an excellent job of depicting the Army "home front" with the wives of soldiers trying to cope with the war. also does an excellent job of showing the NVA side of the battle. GREAT line at the end of the movie where NVA Colonel Nguyen, who thought he had set up the Ia Drang valley to be "America's Dien Bien Phu" says after the battle "such a tragedy. They will think this was their victory. So this will become an American war. And the end will be the same, except for the numbers who will die before we get there". AND he was pretty much correct. plays again on Cinemax Wednesday April 19th and Sunday the 23rd. I think it is probably about THE most realistic and historically accurate of the Vietnam War movies and I rate it     of four

Fracture (2007) legal drama about a wealthy Irish aeronautical engineer, played by Anthony Hopkins, who murders his cheating wife in a way where it looks like he will get away with it. Ryan Gosling plays the young assistant DA trying to nail him. Sir Anthony is at his wicked scary "Dr Hannibal Lecter" menacing best and this film is loaded with "cat & mouse" suspense throughout with numerous "twist's and turn's". it holds a 72% "fresh" from Rotten Tomatoes. it is one i had to watch a couple times to pick up all the "nuance". plays again Sunday February 5th on HBO channels @ 1:05am & 4:05am pacific time. I rate it    of four

Blue Collar (1978) drama about three Detroit auto "line" workers trying to fight union corruption. stars Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto as the trio. a "serious drama" roll for Pryor, completely different from most of his comic movies which makes it somewhat interesting. fairly decent plot with some "twists" BUT not a lot of "action". has an I think over-rated VERY rare 100% "fresh" from Rotten Tomatoes. it is well acted and worth a look BUT I found myself "paging thru" about a third of it. plays again on the Retroplex channel Tuesday April 25th @ 7:30am pacific. I rate it   of four

Righteous Kill (2008) crime-suspense-action movie with a "buddy cop" theme staring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. they play two NYC detectives "taking out the trash" in the city. supporting rolls by the sexy Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. excellent suspense with a number of "plot twists". good action in spots with a crazy "surprise ending". kept me interested all the way thru and I thoroughly enjoyed it. this and Heat (1995) the only two movies where Pacino and De Niro were both together in the same film. plays again on the Starz-Edge channel Tuesday April 24th @ 4:15pm pacific time. I rate it    of four

Thirteen Days (2000) historical political thriller dramatizing the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. well acted by Kevin Costner as Kennedy political consultant Kenneth O'Donnell, Bruce Greenwood as President John F. Kennedy, Steven Culp as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and Dylan Baker as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. that October was probably THE closest the world ever came close to nuclear war. as the Duke of Wellington said about Battle of Waterloo "it was a close run thing". played on the Starz channel and hopefully will repeat soon. definitely worth watching for history buffs BUT IF you can get a hold of the 1974 docudrama made-for-television play The Missiles of October, that is REALLY a well done "telling of the tale" with William Devane (in his first staring roll) as JFK and a young Martin Sheen as RFK with Dana Elcar as McNamara. I rate BOTH as    of four for those interested in the history