Monday, June 30, 2014

Alenta Fights on for New Selah!

Just saw "Transformers: Age of Extinction"

This movie demonstrates that it is possible to fall asleep on a roller-coaster ride, especially if it lasts for nearly three hours; but is anyone really surprised?

Maybe it's just me but whenever I watch a Micheal Bay movie I am always struggling to stay amused, especially with the Transformers movies. All the fight scene as almost identical: exposition, robot tumbles, robot shoots back, robot makes a snaky comment, watch humans not get crushed, repeat. The characters are all basically unlikable, and when they are not unlikable they are boring, and when they are not boring they are empty shells. I will admit that it is fun to watch the CGI robots fight each other but their fights are always interrupted by the plot and by the fact that I'm not emotionally invested in their situation.

With this "little" reminder of Micheal Bay's directing style I dread to think how uninteresting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are going to be in a month and a half.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Just saw "A Million Ways to Die in the West"

A pretty funny comedy when it's not cursing itself out.

This is the kind of movie I should hate myself for laughing at. Raunchy visual gags, cheap shot jokes at God and Christianity (although not as many as I was expecting), and cursing every other minute when Seth McFarland is above that kind of cheap extreme. Fortunately the movie has hilarious slapstick, great comical timing, and acting that makes you emotionally invested in the characters in an otherwise absurd setting.

I know that I am not the target audience for this movie but it was very funny when it wasn't offending me.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Just saw "The Rover"

A bleak modern western set in Australia where life is cheap and mercy is only for the killed.

This movie is not so concerned with telling an interesting story but with having the audience immersed the world of economic collapse, despair, and grit. Guy Pearce's Eric is only likable because we have to follow him as the the protagonist. Side characters and quickly introduced and just as quickly pushed aside or killed to reinforce the hopelessness of this environment. Robert Pattinson is an incredibly good character actor as he plays Rey, a bubbling emotional fool who is eager to prove his worth.

This is the kind of movie that can leave a stain on your soul if you take it seriously. If nothing else you can leave the theater with a sense of schadenfreude, grateful that you don't live in that world.
. . .
And hopefully never.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Just saw "Think Like a Man Too"

The continuation of a romantic comedy that I normally wouldn't watch but did enjoy watching.

Now this movie probably isn't worth the ticket price but it is relentlessly funny with all the actors and actresses it has. Kevin Heart of course is the source of most of the laughs with all the other characters having a great time as the latest incarnations of the typical romantic movie situations. My favorite was Dennis Haysbery as the ultimate romantic stud as he rescues the ladies from Jenifer Lewis' overbearing mother character. The movie is basically a series of misadventures with random observations about marriage which ultimately concludes with a happy ending and an unresolved comical twist.

It was enjoyable to watch but if your first instinct is to not see this movie then your first instinct is right.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Just saw "The Signal"

A movie that tries to be artsy and exciting at the same time but ultimately fails on both counts and turns into a pointless endeavor.

One would think that a movie about aliens and government cover ups featuring Laurence Fishburne would be interesting but not when the plot events are disjointed segments with random flashback separating them. The main characters are have no real development as they are constantly pushed aside so that the movie can try really hard at being bizarre and interesting. And to top it all off there is a surprise ending that completely undercuts, if not contradicts, everything that that transpires between the beginning and the end.

"The Signal" was waste of time, so proceed at your own risk.

Just saw “Chef”

A very feel good movie with no real conflict but a lot of good food.

This movie does everything right as far as feel good movies are concerned, even with the occasional script hiccups that come with having a child character. (Emjay Anthony’s child character was awesome by the way) The only real conflict I can see in the story seems to be main characters own insecurities which are ultimately solved by his refusing to be reluctant and willing to give things a try.

This movie is about giving its audience a good time and if you haven’t seen it yet I recommend you give it a shot.

((By the way can someone explain to me why the movie is rated R aside from using bad language? There is no sexually explicit content and there is no horrific violence. At this point I think an R rating just means, "might Resemble Real life."))

Just saw "Jersey Boys"

If you like movies like “Dreamgirls”, “Cadillac Records”, and/or the music of the “Four Seasons” you’ll probably like this. I sorta did.
It’s very difficult to judge a movie like this because biographies don’t follow the typical nature of a movie arc. Movies like this are basically great drama sections with musical stage numbers separating them. The one unique element in this movie is that rather than using voice over to tell the story the different characters break the fourth wall to the audience with their own perspectives. That was nice change of pace I thought.
This movie was informative with great acting, but when I watched the end and saw Christopher Walken in what can be best described as a singing and dancing curtain call I though to myself, “I need to watch “Hairspray” form 2007 again for something more upbeat.”

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2

My personal review of How to Train Your Dragon 2
What should I review next?