Movies you saw in June

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) sci-fi action comedy. stars Megan Fox with Will Arnett, Whoopi Goldberg and William Fichtner as one of the two villains (you will remember him as weasel Van Zant in the 1995 Pacino-Deniro movie Heat). first 10 minutes I almost dumped it because it looked so silly with the lame opening BUT stuck with it and it morphed into a really fast paced non-stop action movie with excellent stunts and CGI. the four turtles are actually pretty compelling "musketeer" type heroes along with their "kung fu sensei" rat mentor. just a FUN movie that after the first 10 minutes seemed to fly thru the remaining 90.

Rotten Tomatoes threw rocks with a 21% and it got numerous Golden Raspberry nominations with Fox winning Worst Supporting Actress so you can't always go by the critics. I will watch it again as it was that much pure FUN. plays on EPIX channels again Thursday June 4th, Friday June 5th and Sunday June 7th. I rate it    of four

Office Killer (1997) "dark comedy" horror movie with Carol Kane, Molly Ringwald. Michael Imperioli and David Thornton. I think an under appreciated movie that is VERY funny in spots as the mousey Dorine, after accidentally electrocuting a coworker who had been mean to her, decides to eliminate the other nasty people in he life. some decent suspense too trying to figure out WHO Dorine will do NEXT and HOW? plays on the Showtime-Beyond channel again Wednesday June 3rd @ 1:30am pacific time/ rate it of four

Weather has sucked so I'll post reviews of movies I have seen in past week.

 

American Sniper. Engrossing movie starring a bulked up Bradley Cooper as Navy Seal Sharpshooter Chris Kyle. The war scenes are awesome and Coopers performance is really good. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and can see why it was nominated for so many awards. 4.5 Stars.

A Million Ways to Die in the West. Seth Mcfarlane directs and stars in this comedy, with Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sarah Silverman. If you like Family Guy, you'll laugh at this movie. Not all the gags work, but The wife and I laughed often. 3 Stars.

Slow West. A surrealist Western starring Michael Fassbender as a Bounty Hunter escorting a kid to see his girl who happens to have a $2000.00 bounty on her head. Great cinematography and solid performances highlight this film, but dialog is sparse. An unflinching look at the west at it's wildest. 4 Stars.

Blitz. Jason Statham hunts cop Killer played by Littlefinger from Game of Thrones. Caught this on Netflix. Violent and tense. No award winner, but pretty good. 3 Stars.

Bad Words. "Comedy" starring Jason Bateman as a people hating contestant in a National Spelling Bee for kids that he found a loophole to compete in. Funny Moments, but also a dark side to this movie. 2.5 Stars.

And the Highlight of the past week. I Saw the Devil. Netflix. Hands down the best serial killer movie I have ever seen. Out Se7ens even Se7en. South Korean with subtitiles, but don't let that stop you. A sadistic Killer and a Secret Service agent whose wife was a victim of him play an intense cat and mouse game. The Performances are top notch. This movie had my jaw on the floor throughout. Warning though... it is Ultra-violent and sadistic. But Wow.  American remake is in the works, but I doubt it could ever capture the sheer brutality and tenseness of this film. 5 Stars.

Enjoy

 

 

will definitly have to see I Saw the Devil IF it "Out Se7ens even Se7en" which is one of the BEST cops hunting a serial killer crime dramas EVER

Alien vs. Predator (2004) first of the "crossover" movies bring the two outer space villains together in a "fight to the death" in an Antarctic pyramid buried beneath the ice. has excellent suspense and pretty good action like all the previous Alien or Predator movies. stars Sanaa Lathan as the heroine who ends up teaming with one of the Predators to destroy the Aliens, Lance Henriksen as billionaire Charles Bishop Weyland (you will recognize him as the Bishop android from Aliens) and Raoul Bova as the archaeologist Sebastian De Rosa who is able to translate the pyramid's various hieroglyphs which keeps the "why?" of the plot together early on. I am surprised I haven't seen both Latham and Bova in more action films as they were excellent in this one. I think it is one of the better of the either Alien or Predator movies and worth a watch esp IF you like the franchise. plays again on Encore-Black Friday May5th @ 6:50am & 2:15pm PDT. rate it   of four

I like AVP.  Big fan of Lance.  I would give it 2.5 dog bones.  Didn't care much for the second AVP though.  

as they used to say on the old late 1960's Hee Haw country music variety and comedy show. "I Crossed a War Movie With a 'Chick Flick'. WADDYA GET?" Pearl Harbor (2001) 3 hours that COULD have been an excellent remake of Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) (the producers swiped a lot of flying scenes from that movie) BUT the over an hour of "Love Story" to try and get woman viewer just about destroys it. does have good segments with excellent action and CGI depicting The Battle of Britain early on, the Doolittle Raid on Japan at the end and, of course, the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. has a LOT of obvious history errors with one of the WORST being having the subtitles of the Japanese state that "Colonel Fuchida reports a complete sucess". in ANY Navy Mitsuo Fuchida, leader of the Pearl Harbor air strike, rank would have been Commander. little errors like that make the film makers look foolish

plays again on Encore HD channel again Friday June 5th @ 5:00pm. Saturday June 6th @ 2:15am & 1:55pm, Tuesday June 9th @ 9:25am & 7:15 pm and Thursday June 11th @ 5:00pm pacific times. record and watch later and you can "page thru" the "Chick Flick" garbage. like I said, this COULD have been a good 2 hour remake of "T, T, T". worth watching just for the battle scenes BUT your historical "bullshite alarm" will go off a LOT. rate it   of four

I never heard of I saw the Devil but will watch it.  Bookeater I hope you don't waste our time with that review, those are bold statements you made.

Let me know your thoughts after watching it. 

Prince of Players (1955) biographical film about the 19th century American Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth older brother of also actor John Wilkes Booth. stars Richard Burton as Edwin aka "Ned" Booth, the lovely Maggie McNamara as Mary Devlin, Ned's Juliet who he falls in love with and marries, and John Derek as his younger brother John Wilkes Booth. supporting cast include Raymond Massey as the Booth's father Junius Brutus, Charles Bickford as Dave Prescott, Ned's manager and close friend and Elizabeth Sellars as the sister Asia Booth. excellent acting by all involved esp Burton doing various parts from Shakespeare. has cuts from Richard III, Romeo & Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew (with McNamara) and Hamlet. good 100 minute movie that is a good introduction to basic Shakespeare by one of the great "voices" of his era in Burton. was on Fox Movies as one of their "Retros" and hopefully will play again soon. I rate it of four

two Denzel Washington "neo-noir" action-thriller crime movies

The Equalizer (2014) where Denzel takes on the Russian Mafia and corrupt cops in Boston after they start fukking with his friends, co-workers and acquaintances. somewhat slow in spots BUT the villains are REALLY evil and it's fun to watch Denzel "John Wayne" them. only other real "name" star in the movie is Chloe Grace Moretz as a Russian hooker and she is in it just early on and at the very end. I enjoyed it BUT probably could have been a half hour shorter and just as good. plays again on Starz channels Sunday June 7th, Tuesday June  9th, Thursday June 11th, Saturday June13th and Sunday June 14th. rate it of four

2 Guns (2013) action-"dark comedy" staring Denzel and Mark Wahlberg with the "sehr heizz" Paula Patton, Bill Paxton and Edward James Olmos. bit part of a Navy Admiral by Fred Ward. a very fast paced movie with almost non-stop action and some really funny scenes. "oodles of ordnance" and "stuff that goes boom". was on last moth and plays again on HBOZ Sunday June 7th @ 9:40pm, Wednesday June 10th @ 2:25pm and saturday june 13th @ 10:25am & 6:00pm. it's a movie I can watch a 2nd or 3rd time. rate it    of four

The Cat's Meow (2001) "period" drama set in the 1920's inspired by the mysterious death of film mogul Thomas Ince aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht that speculates that Hearst may have mistakenly shot Ince thinking he was Charlie Chaplin who he suspected was fooling around with his long time mistress actress Marion Davies. excellent cast including Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies, Edward Herrmann as William Randolph Hearst, Eddie Izzard as Charlie Chaplin, Cary Elwes as Thomas H. Ince and Jennifer Tilly as Hearst "gossip columnist" Louella Parsons. well acted telling of story and I think worth watching. plays again on the EPIX drive-in channel Monday june 8th and Tuesday June 9th (standard def) and then on EPIX2 Friday June 12th in HD. I rate it   of four

Entourage Movie.

 

Was very impressed with the final product. I didn't have high expectations going in but I really enjoyed the show but definitely wondered how a movie would be. All I can say is that it was much better than I expected and a very enjoyable 2 hours at the movies.

Watched I Saw the Devil on Netflix as well..I liked it, but it was more Taken than Seven.It was also weird how the sister seemed to want to get with her dead sisters man (like the Patriot).You know the killer immediately, which worked in this case, but Seven was still better as far as that goes..That being said, if you can deal with the subtitles, one of the best movies on Netflix..

Sanjuro (1962) Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and staring Toshiro Mifune. was a sequel to Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961). also staring Mifune, again as a "ronin", leading 9 other young samurai. another "against the odds" plot that also has plot elements of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954). played on Turner Classic Movies Sunday June 7th and hopefully will repeat soon. I had seen the other three Kurosawa samurai movies Rashomon (1951), Yojimbo and Seven Samurai numerous times over the years but had never this one and would say it is a "must see" IF you liked the other three. rate it     of four

The French Connection (1971) crime-action thriller set in New York City stars Gene Hackman as narcotics detective "Popeye" Doyle and Roy Scheider as his partner "Cloudy" Russo with Fernando Rey  as the French smuggler Charnier, Tony Lo Bianco as mob connection Sal Boca and Marcel Bozzuffi as Charnier's hit man "muscle" Nicoli. was a "breakthrough" movie for both Hackman and Scheider in their careers and also has one of THE great car chase scenes in a movie as "Popeye" Doyle chases an elevated train carrying Nicoli thru Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in a 1971 Pontiac LeMans. won 5 Oscars including Best Picture (the first R-rated move ever to win), Best Director, Best Actor (Hackman), Best Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing along with 3 more nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Scheider), Best Cinematography (probably should have won just for the chase scene) and Best Sound. plays on the Retroplex movie channel Thursday June 11th @10:20pm, Friday June 12th @ 5:30am & 5:00pm and on the Encore-Suspense channel Monday June 15th @ 5:30am & 2:15pm pacific time. rate it     of four

Maleficent (2014) Disney fantasy live-action re-imagining of the Walt Disney's 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty. almost dumped it after the first 15 minutes it seemed so foolish BUT when Maleficent is double crossed by the man that she believes to be her "true love" the action picks up and the CGI is outstanding throughout. Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is quite a departure from the "wicked queen" in Sleeping Beauty. runs just under 100 minutes and if you "page thru" the first 15 it is actaully a pretty entertaining action movie. plays again on Starz Thursday June 18th (2 showings) and Friday June 19th (3 showings). I rate it  of four

Jarhead (2005) biographical war drama from Marine scout-sniper Anthony Swofford's 2003 memoir of the same name. stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with Jamie Foxx as his platoon sergeant and Peter Sarsgaard as his sniper "spotter". entertaining movie that shows the frustrations of the enlisted Marines involved in the 1st Gulf War and just every day life in the Corps in general. worth watching IF you like war movies or just good acting as I thought the cast was excellent. shows again on HBO Monday June 15th (2 showings) and HBO-Signature Wednesday June 17th (1 showing). rate it    of four

I watched Zombeavers over the weekend....   It's exactly what you think it is.   Zombie Beavers attacking drunk horny co-eds with some nudity, cheesy special effects leading to some hilarious scenes and even a few twists and a catchy tune during the credits.   If you need to kill about 75 minutes check it out

Went back and watched the French Connection again.  Agree with your rating LRR

The Doors (1991) Oliver Stone directed biographical movie about the about the 1960-70s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. "tour de force" for Val Kilmer as Morrison with Kevin Dillon as drummer John Densmore, Kyle MacLachlan as keyboardist Ray Manzarek and Frank Whaley as guitarist Robby Krieger. also stars Kathleen Quinlan as Patricia Kennealy and Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson two of Morrison's lovers. other players include Crispin Glover, Billy Idol, Michael Madsen with Oliver Stone and Jennifer Tilly in bit parts.

a most EXCELLENT movie for those that want to re-visit the  "sex, drugs and rock & roll" era of the mid 60's thru early 70's. has oodles of music from that time mostly from The Doors but also from others like The Velvet Underground. well acted by all involved and esp Kilmer as the recordings of The Doors were combined with vocal performances by Kilmer himself. played on Encore-Classic in 2X1 "theater" perspective and hopefully will play again soon. I rate it     of four as it may just be Val Kilmers greatest movie performance ever

Agree 100%

Jurassic park lost world was horrible, fell asleep dont wwaste your time

Watched Nightcrawler on Netflix. Edge of your seat suspense. Highly recomended.

Dope - better than expected

Get on Up (2014) American biographical drama about the life of singer James Brown. stars Chadwick Boseman (played Jackie Robinson in 42) as James Brown with Nelsan Ellis as Bobby Byrd founder of Brown's first band "The Famous Flames", Dan Aykroyd as Brown's manager and concert promoter Ben Bart and Viola Davis as his mother Susie Brown. overall a decent acted movie by Boseman BUT kind of hard to follow with all the "flashbacks" to Brown's early life. worth watching IF you are a James Brown soul and funk music fan if NO then not so much. personally I thought it was NOT nearly as well acted as The Doors (1991) with Val Kilmer. plays on HBO channels again Wednesday June 24th, Thursday June 25th, Saturday June 27th and Tuesday June 30th. I rate it   of four

Watched I Saw the Devil.

Jake Seven wasn't better inmho.  I saw the Devil was such a different movie not the same ol same ol.  

Point Blank (1967) "film-noir" crime movie staring Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson with John Vernon, Keenan Wynn, Carroll O'Connor and James B. Sikking. the plot of a robber looking for revenge after being shot and left for dead by his wife and partner has become a "cult classic". was remade in 1999 as Payback with Mel Gibson in the Lee Marvin role of the double crossed crook. played on Turner Classic Movies and worth watching just for comparison of the two. I rate it   of four because I just thought the Mel Gibson version was better and I really think the Angie Dickinson was one of THE most over-rated actresses EVER in Hollywood.

The Third Man (1949) "film noir" cold war era crime thriller rated by some as "the greatest British film of all time" for it's atmospheric black & white cinematography, performances, and musical score. stars Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard and Italian actress Alida Valli BUT it is NO "Citizen Kane" for both Cotton and Welles. I think except for Anton Karas's "Third Man Theme" zither music, which became a world wide hit, it's pretty much tripe with a rather "plodding" plot and after the opening "Third Man" number Karas's zither gets very distracting and generally annoying. it's like director Carol Reed tried to do Alfred Hitchcock and FAILED. played on Turner Classic Movies the other night and they run it pretty regular because the "arty-smarty's" there are in LOVE with it. I guess it is a "must see" at least once to make up your own mind BUT I think it's pure

The Third Man theme >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXvrsbhDagc (try to get THAT out of your head once you have heard it)

John Wick (2014) pretty good "revenge-action" movie with "oodles of ordnance" and lots of martial arts "gun foo" style fights as Keanu Reeves as Wick generally "John Wayne's" the Russian bad guys. starts out kind of slow but picks up the pace quickly. has elements of both Point Blank (1967) & Payback (1999) in the plot. NOT a big Reeves fan BUT this is probably his BEST action movie since the The Matrix trilogy. plays again on HBO Wednesday July 1st and Friday July 3rd. I rate it    of four

Mission to Moscow (1943) played the other night in Turner Classic Movies. it is undoubtedly THE biggest crock of crap WWII propaganda movie EVER. former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union Joseph E. Davies opening statement in the movie proves he was either totally naive about the Bolsheviks OR a communist stooge. the way they try to rationalize the Stalinist purges of the 1930's in the middle of the movie as "rooting out saboteurs and foreign agents" is completely laughable. it THEN tries to blame the Western democracies for the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of August 1939 which left Poland defenseless and lead to the start of WWII. the movie was made to try and justify the FDR government helping the Soviets under "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" because many Americans at the time thought there was NO difference between Hitler and Stalin and we should have just sit back and let them destroy each other. post-WWII history proved those people correct. worth watching at least once as a warning of what happens when the American people buy into bullshite