Expendable 3

ACTION!

FIGHTING!

EXTREME EXPLOSIONS!

WELL DELIVERED ONE LINERS!

Expendables 3 is exactly what you expect it to be. But you should already know this going in.

Watching all the greatest action stars of the 80's and 90's getting together for the biggest action film of the summer is a thing of beauty. Even better when it's for the 3rd time!

I wouldn't expect much of a story here. All you need to know that there is a bad guy (Mel Gibson), and the good guys lead by Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) are going to kick his ass.

The two best things about this newest addition of the Expendable franchise are the newly added characters and their simplistic names. Names like Mars, Luna, Smilee, and Galgo.

Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas are great additions. I like Antonio's character the most. Also Ronda Rousey may need to work on her acting skill, but she can sure as hell perform an excellent fight scene.

It gets an e - Entertained

A great DVD rental in the distant future if you don't want to splurge on the theater.

BTW did you see my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles review?

Next up and last on the list Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Who remembers this?


The cartoons of the 80's were awesome! TMNT was one of the best, which spawned countless action figures and three feature films that for the time were also pretty awesome. (at leas the first one)

Now let's fast forward to the present, 2014.

From the man who brought you Transformers, comes another larger than life CGI movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This time the Turtles are bigger, badder, and bullet proof!

The story takes some time to get rolling. It is slow at the beginning, and too much time is spend setting up April O'Neil character played by Megan Fox. I wanted to see the turtle action sooner. Then once into the action, there is so much going on the screen that it is hard to see it all. Also as the turtles make their appearance the story seems to run out of control. Characters are added with very little development. The plot is just thrown out there. And the resolution comes too quickly, making you wishing for more.

Instead of retelling the origin story of TMNT, this movie would have been better to just bust out of the gate with turtle action, and let the audience fill in the blanks as the movie progresses.

TMNT is a fun movie that brings back our childhood nostalgia, but watching it at home on DVD would be just as good as seeing it in the theater.

It gets an e - Entertained

Guardians of the Galaxy

It is no secret that I am a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Each new movie released becomes the best one so far. Guardians of the Galaxy is no exception. It was the most anticipated movie of the summer and it did not disappoint. 

In fact, it exceeded all my expectations. 

In 2008, Marvel took a huge risk by making a movie about a "B-list" character from their super hero catalog, Iron Man. It was a very successful film that turned Iron Man into an A+ super hero and paved the way for The Avengers.

Now in 2014, Marvel wants to do it again with D-list super heroes. Even for an avid comic book reader like myself, these characters are far down my list of titles that I would read. Well, get ready for them to be blasted up to the top.

Some how the filmmakers of this movie will get you invested into these rarely known characters. Your new favorite Marvel character will be a walking tree named Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). Your second favorite will be Peter Quill/Star Lord played brilliantly by Chris Pratt. This movie will help bust Chris Pratt into the next level of his acting career. You will be seeing him everywhere pretty soon. Along with Pratt, the other actors did great as well. Dave Bautista's character Drax really surprised me. I was not expecting his deadpan delivery of humor. It was great. Of course, Zoe Saldana kicks ass, and Bradley Cooper plays Rocket Raccoon with a great sense of seriousness.

This film was more than entertaining. It was funny, at times crude, and of course action packed. The humor was smart and witty. Drawing the type of laughter that causes you to miss the next line of witty dialogue. There is also a bit of playful cursing that is perfectly fine for an adult. I enjoyed this banter, but I'm sure a lot of people will probably take their children to see the fun loving raccoon and tree-man characters. And they will be surprised when those kids leave the theater quoting 'dick' and 'a-hole' lines. Parents please leave your kids at home.

Marvel has been on a roll ever since they started with the plan to interconnect their cinematic universe. The question has always been, when will they miss? I am not sure that will happen anytime soon. With Avengers 2 coming out next year, and more characters getting their own stand alone films, I am excited as a comic book fan to watch all of them. 

Make Mine Marvel!

Guardians of the Galaxy get an E - Exceptional

It is definitely worth watching in the theater. Go Now!!

Next up..... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles

Lucy or Hercules?

This week the Summer Movie Squad had a tough choice to make. Which movie to see together, Lucy or Hercules?

The vote was split even 2 - 2. No one would budge on their position, so it came down to a last minute executive decision.

Lucy was the winner!

It also seems that we weren't the only people making this decision. Lucy topped the Box Office this weekend beating out Hercules by $15 million.


Lucy is a movie that has a very interesting premise. A women somehow gets kidnapped to become a drug mule with drugs surgically placed inside her abdomen. Then, the drugs leak into her bloodstream giving her the ability to access more capacity of her brain. The movie quickly becomes an action thriller with some great action scenes, and great visual effects as Lucy transforms her world with her new super human abilities. Yet it lacks any real plot.

The beginning of the movie was quite entertaining in the way it was edited together, and Scarlett Johansson plays a great terrified hostage. She makes you believe what a person would actually go through being unexpectedly kidnapped. Although as the movie progresses it loses a bit of steam. Johansson is still acting great. As her character advances quickly into a emotionless superior life form, the story gets watered down and becomes quite predicable. As if I've already seen this movie sometime before, i.e. Limitless, Matrix.

Lucy is G - Gratifying

Scarlett Johansson is starting to pack a lot of star power punch. I think audiences are ready for her to start become a leading role, and by beating The Rock (who is supposed to be the next great action star) in the Box Office proves it. You can go see it in the theater but it would play just as well at home.

I will try to see Hercules sometime in the next week, but the SLMR is going to get intense in the coming four weeks.


Next week Guardians of the Galaxy!!

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I can't believe it took me so long to write out a review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

It is the best movie of the summer. Right up there with X-Men.

Go see it NOW!!

It is Legendary!!!

More later....maybe. I need to go to another movie first

Also give it up to David for having the most fun at the movies this year!!

22 Jump Street

"Ridiculously Funny!!" - @cassandrag05

"Totes LOL'd Memory Lost!" - @jipmix

"Better Than The 1st One!" - @dpwtv

"SOMETHING COOL!!!!" - @kashius

I will admit, when I first heard about 21 Jump Street being made into a movie two years ago, I thought it would be another failed money grab by Hollywood. I didn't think it would be successful let alone funny. So I decided to skip it that summer and wait for the DVD release.

Well, once I did see it I was surprised by how it was witty, sharp, and just straight up funny. It wasn't the best comedy that year, but it made me laugh and caught me off guard with some of the scenes.

I will tell you right now, 22 Jump Street surpasses the first movie by a mile. The writers clearly acknowledge that sequels are expected to be bigger, louder, badder, so they just up the ante on this film in ever way. It takes jabs at movie being a sequel. There's explosions and car chases. Fight scenes that are sidesplittingly awkward. There's use of filmmaking jargon in witty ways. Also Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are hilarious comedic actors. Both causing the laugher to never stop. I had to try holding my laugher in, so I could possibly hear the next gag. It was that kind of laugher that leaves your lower jaw aching after the movie.

22 Jump Street is probably the best comedy of the summer. You should see it right away.

I give it a E -Exceptional (it is damn close to being top rated L - Legendary, maybe I will come up with a new rating that fits in the between)

GO SEE IT!!!!

EDGE. OF. TOMORROW.........

My heart pounded!

I was on the edge of my seat!

It was surprisingly good!

Sorta like Groundhog Day goes to war!

Much better than I thought it could be!

Edge of Tomorrow was a fun, thrilling movie that is a must see in the theater!


Normally Tom Cruise films are very formulaic. He usually plays the unstoppable kick-ass special agent who is just likable enough to save the day.

Well, this movie doesn't veer to far from that. Instead Cruise plays the highly likable guy who isn't a kick-ass soldier but he has to learn to become one that is desperately needed to save the ONE day.

Going into you should be expecting a plethora of action packed scenes. There is definitely plenty of those scenes to go around. What may surprise you is lighter funny moments. I enjoyed those funny scenes immensely. Made you believe in the character as he tries to navigate the same day over and over.

I'm not going to say much more because I don't wan to spoil any surprises you may encounter. If anything, you should go view this movie just to see Emily Blunt continually beat up Tom Cruise as she trains him to become the ONE day savior.

Edge of Tomorrow gets a E - Exceptional!

You should see in the theater so you can experience all the action in its big, loud glory.

Next up, a comedy..... 22 Jump Street

Maleficent

Going into this movie, you should already know what your getting.

This is simply a retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty with the story being told from a different perspective. Also it is a Disney movie so you know it is going to be well made, and there will be some references to Disney's 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty.

Which is apparent from all the posters.

Overall I found this film to be enjoyable. It has some great visual effects. The story being much different than I expected actually surprised me. The acting was on mark. I also enjoyed  finding all the animated Sleeping Beauty references throughout the film.

Although there was one member of our summer movie crew, which we've dubbed as Summer Movie Squad (SMS),  who completely disagreed.

Meet David.

Immediately after the credits began to roll David said, "Am I the only one who hates this movie?!"

The rest of the SMS were confused. We all enjoyed the movie. Why would David say that he hated it? 

We took the film for what it is, while David claimed, "It was boring." 

Well yes, the pacing was bit slow, but it is a short movie so that's ok, right? 

"No one talks.", said David.

He has a point. The dialogue is very limited. Most of the story is narrated with the plot being moved along through the narrator describing the actions of the characters. 

"Angelina Jolie's face is weird." states David.

True. Her checks are very high and jagged. It misdirects your attention from the fact her character has giant horns protruding from her skull.

"Who's the villain? Where's the hero?!" exclaimed David.

There is no clear antagonist. Is the protagonist suppose to be the villain? Is the villain actually the victim? The film balances this line so much that you can get dizzy thinking about it. Because all of the character's actions can be justified as self protection, so no one can be called, the true "bad guy".

The only thing David and I agreed upon, was the great acting of Sharito Copley. That guy is great in every movie he does.  I didn't know he was in the movie before seeing it, but as soon as I saw him I knew I was going to like his character.

Maleficent gets a e - Entertained. 

It was an enjoyable movie. You will like it if you were a fan of the Disney animated version. Not sure if it too scary for kids. It could be a DVD rental.

Might see A Million Ways to Die in the West this weekend, not sure yet. 

Up next week, ..... Edge of Tomorrow

X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past is INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, SPECTACULAR, FANTASTIC, IMPRESSIVE, EPIC....choose any praising adjective that you wish.

I prefer LEGENDARY!!!

If you haven't see X-Men: DOFP yet, stop reading this post and run immediately to your closest theater, NOW! It doesn't matter which screening that you see it, 3D or standard. You really just need to see this movie.


Still here?

I am rating this X-Men movie right off the bat as L - Legendary.

Why?

Because it will change everything you know about comic book movies as well as the X-Men franchise.

This film blends the original X-men cast with the X-men: First Class cast perfectly. I was slightly worried about that before seeing the movie. I foresaw possible plot holes and character overload with the time traveling factor, but Bryan Singer has proven once again he knows this X-men universe better than anyone.

He makes a great move by keeping the movie set in both the future and past from right now. Balancing the line of science fiction and historical fact. You will have a tough time picking your favorite future or past character because they all are great. Of course the fan favorite will be Wolverine. He is the glue that keeps this universe together. Although you will find yourself entertained by some new characters as well as Mystique, Professor X and Magneto (both versions), and Beast.

I don't want to ruin the anything about this movie for you, so I suggest you just see it for yourself immediately.

Hurry! Before the future is no longer there!!


Up Next:    Maleficent and/or A Million Ways to Die in the West

Godzilla!!

I wanted to wait a bit to write this review.
The reason why? I wanted to see what other people had to say about this movie.

Mainly I wanted to hear from my friends.  I wanted to be certain I wasn't the only one. I wanted to know that it wasn't just I trying to hold this film to higher standards.

Let's get this straight. Every scene featuring Godzilla was spectacular! I expect only the best when it was reported that this new Godzilla would take 450 years to create on a single computer. The monster battle scenes were thrilling, engaging and just simply awesome. The only thing is that you expect a movie called Godzilla to actually show more Godzilla.

Seriously there is maybe 20 minutes total of Godzilla in this two hour film.

Well, that wasn't the worst of it. The story was bad. I am talking really bad. There were so many problems with it.

As many regular readers may know, I try not give any spoilers to the movies I post on this blog. So I am not going to get too deep into the story. I am not going to tell you about anything what happens. I just try to give my honest opinion and reasoning behind whether or not you should go see it.

As for the story, I could care less. The writers try SO hard to get you to care about these "human" characters that they lose focus on the characters that really matter, i.e. Godzilla. They try to get you to believe that the humans can be the deciding factor in a world of gigantic monsters. When actually the people would be like ants to Godzilla and he wouldn't notice nor even care about their presence. Also the tone of the story can not be determined. It attempts to be super serious based in reality, but then tries to have corny moments that made the original Godzilla movies so entertaining. Both can not co-exist in this film. (I am so close to spoiling these moments....I can't stand it!!)

I was completely frustrated with this movie. I feel as if I try to tell you anymore, I may drop a few hints about what happens. I even thought about posting an update in a few weeks ripping it apart. But I am not going to do that. If I did, this blog becomes nothing more than another movie review site with a pompous writer who believes he knows way more about cinema than you would ever know.

So instead I will leave it with this.

Godzilla is worth a viewing. Maybe not in a theater. You could wait to see it at home with your HD TV and surround sound. On the other hand I could be completely wrong. I've seen a few Facebook posts stating that people loved it, but I think they were just mystified by the incredible Godzilla images to even care about the story.

Although if you do decide to see it in the theater, don't blame me. I warned you.

Godzilla gets an e - Entertained

Some parts I liked. Some I hated. The negatives out weighed the positives for me. You may be different.


Here is a reminder of the new and improved rating system


L - Legendary
E - Exceptional
G - Gratifying 
e - Entertained
n - Nugatory
d - Dreadful

Next Week... X-Men: Days of Futures Past.        

Hoping for the best from that one.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Finally I saw this movie about four days late. I was pretty mad about missing it the first time, but what can you do, right.

So the tale continues. Amazing Spider-Man 2 has the tag line 'His Greatest Battle Begins'. So this film is pretty much a two hour set up for the next one. Ugh

I will start with telling what I liked. 

The visual effects were great. Finally they are capturing the essence of Spider-Man as he swings through NYC. Everything is more detailed from the way Spider-Man controls his webbing to how his body and even suit reacts to wind resistance. Even his Spider Sense has been enhanced to the point where you can imagine it is more like a web connected to his world instead of just a warning system.

Many don't, but I like the new look of his villains. Electro transforming to be more like pure electricity works for the world they are creating that is wrapped around Oscorp. Again the visual effects of Electro were great. His electricity had plenty of detail and looks to be an extension of his body instead of cartoon lightning bolts. Even the Green Goblin transformation is good on a deeper level. They are not trying to hit the viewers over the head with origin story. You get the chance to imagine the result is part of a deeper plot that can't be seen in the movie. It already exists in the world created.

The real star of the film is the love story between Peter and Gwen. It could almost stand alone as its own movie. You get the sense that Peter and Gwen really love each other and want the best for the other even if it breaks them up. Of course you will still need the Spider-Man part to move the plot along, and as result the actions of Spider-Man effects their relationship more than they could account.

There are a lot of hidden "Easter Eggs" throughout the movie that are buried for the true comic book fan. I won't explain them and if you are not a big fan of Spider-Man comics you will miss them

What I didn't like

Rhino. Completely misused. The trailer relieves the whole Rhino vs Spider-Man battle.

The fight scenes with the villains needed more time. Electro fight scene was pretty cool, visually, but it seemed to fly right by.  I think I blinked and missed the Green Goblin. Again, it was all about setting up the future movies. I am hoping we will see a lot more of these villains by ASM 6.


Overall I liked the movie. Not sure what to rate it because I would have given it a much higher rating if I saw it all in one sitting. The second viewing helped take me down my excitement a notch. Plus I forgot the rating system. I will get back to you on that.

I would say definitely go see the movie in the theater. It is loud and stunning to the eye. See it in 3D! I wish I did.