The Expendables 3


In The Expendables 3, Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.

This is pretty much just more of the same from the first two movies.  The story doesn't really matter.  It's the action and all these action stars not taking themselves seriously and riffing on each other while playing shoot em up and what not.  The new additions this go around were good as the bad guy and the laugh track.  

I would recommend this to anyone that liked the first two.  You will probably enjoy this one as much as those.  If you have not seen any of them - I have no idea why you would start now. 

The Giver


The story of The Giver centers on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the sole keeper of all the community's memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community's secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined - a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all - a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before.

This was another movie about a future society based on a young adult novel.  The whole set up seemed very similar to The Hunger Games and Divergent and that should really make me sick of these movies by this point.  Yet I'm not for some unknown reason.  I like these movies even though they seem like knock offs of each other.  Not sure if that's a reflection of my views of society and how I think the future will shape up or if I just have some sort of patience for this.  The cast in this was good although I think they could have actually done more with the three teenage friends dynamic.  Meryl Streep was no necessary and seemed out of place but Jeff Bridges was perfect and great as always.  I did not read this book so I can 't really account for the book vs movie debate.

I liked this movie.  I would not say loved it or that it is a must see.  Not nearly as good as The Hunger Games or Divergent in my opinion but still a pretty decent watch.  I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.

The November Man


Code named 'The November Man,' Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is a lethal and highly trained ex-CIA agent, who has been enjoying a quiet life in Switzerland. When Devereaux is lured out of retirement for one last mission, he must protect valuable witness, Alice Fournier, (Olga Kurylenko). He soon uncovers this assignment marks him a target of his former friend and CIA protégé David Mason (Luke Bracey). With growing suspicions of a mole in the agency, there is no one Devereaux can trust, no rules and no holds barred.

This movie was a somewhat decent watch.  The problem is that it was supposed to be a political espionage suspense type of movie and there was nothing that you didn't see coming whatsoever.  You could see everything coming ten miles away that it started to drag after a while as you had to wait for the dots to be connected that you already knew would be.  Pierce Brosnan was good but the rest of the cast was pretty lame.  This probably could have been much better with a better cast and tighter story telling.

I wouldn't really recommend people wasting their time seeing this.  You can just catch this one cable or something if you really have nothing to do and it happens to be on.

A Madea Christmas


Madea gets coaxed into helping a friend pay her daughter a surprise visit in the country for Christmas, but the biggest surprise is what they'll find when they arrive. As the small, rural town prepares for its annual Christmas Carnival, new secrets are revealed and old relationships are tested while Madea dishes her own brand of Christmas Spirit to all.

I had hoped to find the whole Madea thing funny again after it had gotten so stale during the last couple of entries.  And it had a couple of moments but overall, it was just as bad.  The side story was overly dramatic as always.  And how in the hell Larry The Cable Guy is in a Tyler Perry movie is totally beyond me.

I would not really recommend anyone watching this.  I was a huge fan of Madea at the start.  I still found it funny for the first four or five films but it has definitely run its course now and needs to be shelved for a while, if not permanently.

22 Jump Street


After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don't have to just crack the case - they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

This was a pretty funny movie.  It was just like the first one in the fact that they were mocking the movie the entire time.  There was one scene towards the beginning where it was essentially a dialogue on how stupid sequels as a whole were and did nothing but riff on them and making fun of themselves.  You can never go wrong when you blatantly don't take your movie seriously like this.  It always provides awesome comedic material.  The overacted relationship of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum also continued and is very funny due to the great chemistry that they have together.  However, the best part of the movie is the mockumentary type stuff during the end credits.  That stuff had me belly laughing.

If you were a fan of the first one - there is no way that you will be disappointed with this one.  It was just as funny and I think I might have actually liked it more than the original.

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For


Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's visually stunning "Sin City" graphic novels back to the screen in Sin City: A Day to Kill For. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more notorious inhabitants.

This movie was pretty much exactly like the first one.  The stories and characters are pretty much taken right from the comic books.  But the movie is not about them as much as it is about the film style.  Its just as great in this one as it was in the first one.  It's so surreal and cartoonish but with real actors.  The whole thing really is amazing.  

I would recommend anyone who enjoyed the first one or was really into the visual look of the first one.  I don't have much else to say because thats really all these movies are to me.  Glorious filming style.

Into The Storm


In the span of a single day, the town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot. Told through the eyes and lenses of professional storm chasers, thrill-seeking amateurs, and courageous townspeople, Into the Storm throws you directly into the eye of the storm to experience Mother Nature at her most extreme.

This was basically a documentary style remake of Twister.  The acting was pretty much garbage and any non storm stuff was boring as hell.  The actual storm stuff was great.  And I think the documentary style actually made all the weather related effects even better.  There were a couple of times where I actually caught myself completely awestruck by the effects on screen.  Unfortunately I was questioning leaving early any time they were not up there.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  The effects were some must see stuff.  Unfortunately, the rest of the movie was wish I didn't have to see stuff.

And So It Goes


There are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (Michael Douglas), and that's just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet -- until his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter (Sterling Jerins) he never knew existed and turns his life upside-down. Clueless about how to care for a sweet, abandoned nine-year-old, he pawns her off on his determined and lovable neighbor Leah (Diane Keaton) and tries to resume his life uninterrupted. But little by little, Oren stubbornly learns to open his heart – to his family, to Leah, and to life itself - in this uplifting comedy from acclaimed director Rob Reiner.

This is a textbook "you see the trailer - you see the movie".  There was not a single thing you didn't see coming from the commercial whatsoever.  That being said, it was a cute romantic comedy.   And it did a good job of portraying people falling in love later in life after suffering personal hardships and how doing so can work wonders for people's demeanor as well as confidence.   Douglas & Keaton were great and played really well off of each other.  

I would recommend this movie for couples wanting a good laugh and some heartwarming moments as well.

If I Stay


Mia Hall (Chloë Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Jamie Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate. If I Stay is based on the best-selling novel of the same name.

I don't know what was missing.  I just didn't connect enough to this movie to really enjoy it.  It felt like it was trying too much to pull heart strings instead of really connecting the viewer to the events that were taking place.  I also was not really feeling the storytelling of flashing back from the hospital.  It just felt very fragmented and again trying to pull heart strings too much.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this movie.  It was way too melodramatic and made The Fault In Our Stars seem oscar worthy.

How To Train Your Dragon 2


The thrilling second chapter of the epic How to Train Your Dragon story returns to the fantastical world of the heroic Viking Hiccup and his faithful dragon Toothless. The inseparable duo must protect the peace – and save the future of men and dragons from the power-hungry Drago. 

I don't know that I will ever have more of an emotional attachment to a movie or movies like I do to the How To Train Your Dragon movies.  Toothless is literally an animated dragon version of my cat J.  The relationship between him and Hiccup is a carbon copy of the relationship I had with J.  J and I used to watch the first movie all the time.  We had to put him to sleep almost 4 months ago and to say that I have not been the same since is beyond an understatement.  I have been equally looking forward to this movie and dreading it at the same time.  It didn't disappoint on either front.  The movie was just as amazingly animated as the first one.  You still enjoy the wide cast of characters and their dragons.  The story is well done and paced excellently.  There are emotional hooks galore in this movie about the importance of friends and family.  And there is the amazing friendship and loyalty between Hiccup and Toothless.  I was bawling my eyes numerous times throughout the movie and the way it played out served as the most amazing recognition of honor for my dearly departed best friend. 

I'm sorry if this post seems like more of a eulogy than a movie review.  That's the emotional attachment I have to these movies taking over.  This movie will be just as enjoyable as the first one was for movie goers and if like me you love and appreciate the bond between Hiccup and Toothless - it just gets even better.

Tammy


Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) is having a bad day. She's totaled her clunker car, gotten fired from her thankless job at a greasy burger joint, and instead of finding comfort at home, finds her husband getting comfortable with the neighbor in her own house. It's time to take her boom box and book it. The bad news is she's broke and without wheels. The worse news is her grandma, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), is her only option—with a car, cash, and an itch to see Niagara Falls. Not exactly the escape Tammy had in mind. But on the road, with grandma riding shot gun, it may be just what Tammy needs.

I find Melissa McCarthy absolutely hysterical.  She is a lock for the top five funniest people in my opinion.  It really doesn't matter what she is doing.  Her delivery and physical humor get me every time.  This movie is a pretty great testament to this.  Spade a spade - it was a pretty pointless and stupid movie.  But the surroundings are carried by the aforementioned strengths of McCarthy and I still found it enjoyable and funny.  It is nowhere near the league of The Heat or Identity Thief where the movie around McCarthy was also hysterical.  This is just a testament to how talented she is when it comes to hitting the funny bone.  

I would still recommend this movie to anyone that is also a fan of Melissa McCarthy like I am.  I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone that isn't though because if you don't find her funny - the movie is pretty much trash.

Let's Be Cops


It's the ultimate buddy cop movie except for one thing: they're not cops. When two struggling pals dress as police officers for a costume party, they become neighborhood sensations. But when these newly-minted “heroes” get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line. 

This was a pretty simple concept and should have been a pretty basic movie with good laughs especially considering the two lead actors.  These guys are absolutely hysterical on New Girl so you knew that the chemistry would already be there.  Instead, they tried to infuse too much of a story that there is no way you are going to get that invested in emotionally because you only went to laugh.  This also made the movie too long.  This should have been 90 minutes at most and off the wall comedy from start to finish.  This is not to say that the movie was bad.  The laughs were great - especially if you like these two guys.  But there was a lot of down time in between that kind of made the movie fall into the decent range instead of being good or great.

I would somewhat recommend this movie - again especially to fans of the show New Girl.  You will definitely not be disappointed.  Just be aware that it is not as funny as it could have been and runs a little too long.

Jersey Boys


Clint Eastwood's big screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of the four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic '60s rock group The Four Seasons. Their trials and triumphs are accompanied by the hit songs that influenced a generation, and are now being embraced by a new generation of fans through the stage musical.

I liked this movie but I didn't love it.  And I feel like I could have but there was just something missing from it.  I don't know if it was the pacing.  I don't know if it was the lack of a real dramatic hook.  I don't know if it was the no-name actors.  Maybe it was the rave reviews for the play that I never saw effecting my expectations?  I can't put my finger on it, but there was something.  Normally a movie like this would have me loving it but this one just seemed to drop the ball.  And I was a bit thrown off thinking that it was a musical when it really wasn't.  It was a drama about a band and all songs that were performed were when they were performing on stage as part of the movie.  Maybe that was it?  I don't know.

I would somewhat recommend this movie.  Again - I did like it.  But I should have and wanted to love it but I didn't.  Still can't figure out what it was that was missing.  This is going to bother me for a while.

Maleficent


From Disney comes Maleficent—the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic "Sleeping Beauty." A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal—an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom—and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

Let me just go on record as saying that the casting of Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is easily on the list of Top 10 casting calls ever.  That being said - I didn't really know what to expect from this movie.  It didn't really seem like a fluffy kid movie.  But it was from Disney so I didn't think it would be too dark of a tale.  It ended up being pretty much right down the middle.  Angelina Jolie was awesome.  Whether her viciousness, her softer side or her sarcastic delivery of one liners she was totally firing on all cylinders.  The action scenes were great and the forest effects were good too.  The best part of the movie was that it really didn't waste any time.  It was very well paced, didn't drag and had a perfect 90 minute running time.

I was very pleasantly surprised with this movie.  I didn't really have high expectations but I enjoyed this movie and thought it was a good story in a well paced feature length.

Hercules


Everyone knows the legend of Hercules and his twelve labors. Our story begins after the labors, and after the legend…  Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules' help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that in order for good to triumph and justice to prevail... he must again become the hero he once was... he must embrace his own myth... he must be Hercules. 


This movie was much better than I thought it would be.  I knew that I would like it regardless because The Rock is in it.  This guy just makes everything better.  Even with that being said, I still expected this to be the same run of the mill Conan/Hercules type of movie with overdone special effects and what not.  The fact that the movie pretty much made fun of the whole Hercules myth made it so much more entertaining.  And the posse he had with him instead of him taking on the world by himself also made the movie better.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It was very entertaining and a very pleasant surprise since I just expected to watch The Rock in a piece of crap. 

Planes: Fire & Rescue


Planes: Fire & Rescue is a new comedy-adventure about second chances, featuring a dynamic crew of elite firefighting aircraft devoted to protecting historic Piston Peak National Park from raging wildfire. When world famous air racer Dusty (voice of Dane Cook) learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he must shift gears and is launched into the world of aerial firefighting. Dusty joins forces with veteran fire and rescue helicopter Blade Ranger and his courageous team, including spirited super scooper Dipper (voice of Julie Bowen), heavy-lift helicopter Windlifter, ex-military transport Cabbie and a lively bunch of brave all-terrain vehicles known as The Smokejumpers. Together, the fearless team battles a massive wildfire and Dusty learns what it takes to become a true hero.

This movie is just a retread of the first Planes movie.  The only difference is that its about fighting fires instead of racing.  And just like the first one - this really is a movie that should have gone straight to DVD but Disney is just taking advantage of pretty much no family/kids movies out there and getting more money out of their parents wallets.  This also applies to the marketing of toys that stems off of both Cars movies and Planes movies.  I thought the first Cars was pretty good but all three entries in this line of movies is really just about getting the parents' money one way or another.  And it is a shame because the voice casting is actually pretty good in this and the soundtrack was great.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone waste their time with this although it is incredibly short.  Just wait for it to show up on Netflix, on demand or DVD since that is pretty much the kind of quality it is.