Just saw “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)”

The one-liner shout outs, reasonably impressive CGI, and fun actions scenes cannot cover the fact that this latest revision of the well establish franchise is excruciating for childhood fans like me.

Virtually all the characters’ personalities and back stories have been altered if not completely changed. Splinter and Shredder no longer have an intertwined past anymore. April O’Neil is completely obnoxious and uninteresting but unfortunately it's only partially Megan Fox’s fault. And of all the other characters they brought back they have Will Arnett playing Vernon Fenwick, April’s Channel 6 camera man/rival from the 1987 cartoon series, and Whoopi Goldberg as a gender/racial swapped cameo of Burne Thomson, April’s Channel 6 boss from the 1987 cartoon series. What? They couldn't bring back Irma while they were at it?

-Sigh- My childhood just took another fatal blow.

Just saw “Wish I was Here”

Once again Zach Braff proves he can direct and act at the same time extremely well.

This movie is a funny and emotional ride through the life of a wannabe actor who is now confronted by the realities brought on by his dying father. With comedic timing and great acting talent this movie does an incredible job at illustrating the importance of responsibility, family, and faith. Normally I would get picky about what you have faith in but I’ll save that rant for another time as I remember this best lines in this film.

Thought it didn’t catch my attention at first I am so glad I didn’t miss out on this movie.

Just saw “Hercules”

A dumb silly action movie that has its moments.

This is the kind of action movie that you would normally see Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone star in however Dwayne Johnson has a much more clear accent. What was interesting for me is that for being a Greek mythology flick there was actually very little Greek mythology in it. In fact the movie is basically a revision of Hercules as an ordinary (though super strong) man who gets carried up by his own legend. Although the CGI was pretty cheap the actors were having a lot of fun bring their characters to life.

Just goes to show that a movie directed by Brett Ratner can still be fun . . . sort of.

Just saw “Lucy”

An interesting diversion, and nothing else.

This movie is very similar to “Transcendence” in that it is attempting to illustrate the possibilities of scientific discovery with a very popular actor/actress as a main character along with Morgan Freeman. The problem comes when the illustration is promoted at the expense of having an interesting story. In “Transcendence” the only conflict was whether or not the trans-human was still human and in “Lucy” the only conflict is how much theoretical quasi-scifi abilities can be shown off before the movie ends. What is even more perplexing is that the film might be moving its illustration so fast that people might not be able to follow it or appreciate what it means. I’m still not sure what the illustration was.

Scarlett Johansson is a spectacular actress but I prefer to see her again as Black Widow.