Moonrise Kingdom

What's this movie about?

Moonrise Kingdom is set in the 1960s and is the story of an orphan 12 year old boy (Sam) and a out of place girl (Suzy) from a small island town running away together. Sam, a "Khaki Scout"  uses the skills he has learned to find a secluded cove on the island.  As their adventure takes them to this cove, which they rename Moonrise Kingdom, their romance blossoms.

The rescue party made up of Suzy's parents, the police, and the Khaki Scout scoutmaster eventually find them after a couple of days and brings Suzy home.  Sam is no longer wanted by his foster family, and is therefore going to be sent to "Juvenile Rescue."

Sam and Suzy plan another escape, this time for good, and this time off their island town.  This escape, and the subsequent chase, happens during a hurricane, causing many twists and turns during the chase.

What did I like about the movie?

Moonrise Kingdom came highly recommended to me, so I selected it on Netflix without knowing very much about the plot or genre of the movie.  I soon learned that it was not the typical type of movie that I like to watch, and I was not expecting a romantic-comedy-drama.

The movie opens up with a very story-book or stop-motion animation feel to it. In some ways, the look and feel was reminiscent of the movie Fantastic Mister Fox to me.   For example, the first scene opens looking into the home of Suzy Bishop, one of the main characters.  The view of the home was like looking at a multi-story doll house...the color and scale of the house had this storybook/toy-like quality to it.  The entire movie carried this storybook vibe throughout.  This really added a depth the story being told.

This movie had a great ensemble cast. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is the scoutmaster.  Bill Murray and Frances McDormand play Suzy's parents. Other characters are played by Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman.

I think I appreciated the way the film was shot and how the characters interacted with each other the most.  It was a very unique film, and that kept me intrigued throughout the movie. I have to admit there were parts of the plot that I didn't care for, but overall I enjoyed the movie. 

Would I recommend it?

This is a tough one because the movie is so unique in its approach and storyline, and I could see certain people not liking the approach or storyline.  For this reason, I would give this a qualified yes recommendation. 

The Amazing Spider-Man

Didn't we just finish watching a Spider-man trilogy?  Why do we need to have another reboot?  Admittedly, I am just a big enough fan of these types of movies, that having another Spider-man movie wasn't going to stop me from watching it, but even I asked those same questions. With that in mind, here is my review

What's this movie about?

This iteration of the Spider-Man movie had a different spin to the traditional story. Although this take on Spider-Man is different, all the basic elements to the story remain the same or similar enough, so there is no huge departure (in my opinion) of the Spider-Man mythology to cover, so I won't go into to much detail about how Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man.

What is important to know, is that the villain in this movie is Dr. Curt Connor AKA "The Lizard," a scientist from Oscorp and former partner of Peter Parker's father.  In Dr. Connor's attempt to regenerate limbs using a serum including the DNA of humans and lizards, Dr. Connor tries the serum on himself.  The results is Dr. Connor turns into "The Lizard" and starts to cause havoc in New York City.

Spider-Man must not only face The Lizard but also escape the constant pursuit of the New York Police Department, who are seeking out this masked vigilante.  It also doesn't help that the chief of police is his girlfriend's dad.

What did I like about the movie?

Going into the movie, I knew that The Amazing Spider-Man was taking a different approach to the Spider-Man story, and oftentimes, I don't like those departures.  However, I have to say I appreciated the fresh approach they took on Peter Parker, his family, and his transformation into Spider-Man.

I also learned that his girlfriend in the movie, Gwen Stacy, was actually his first girlfriend before the more recognized Mary Jane Watson. Introducing this character into the story line was also a breath of fresh air.

So, I pretty much liked everything about the movie.  The special effects were good.  There was plenty of action, but not too much to get in the way of the story, and of course, there is a scene where the New Yorkers come together to help Spider-Man save the day.  What is there not to like about that?

Would I recommend it?

Yes. If you are fan of the comic books, or at least don't mind watching a movie about them, you will definitely enjoy The Amazing Spider-Man.

Battleship: Are you Game?

Yes, the movie industry has run out of original ideas for movies, and so they have started to make movies based on board games. I can't wait to see Connect Four in a theater near me.  Actually, I bet they could make Twister into some horror film...but I digress.

What's this move about?

When I saw the first trailer for Battleship, I knew this was a movie I wanted to see. It had aliens, action and explosions. These are the types of movies I love! When someone told me that it was actually based on the game, I was surprised and wondered how aliens had anything to do with the game Battleship.

The premise of the movie is that Earth has found a planet far away that has the same properties as our Earth, and so they sent messages to that planet to see if there is any life there. Well, there was, and so they sent some ships to our planet to check it out.  In the process of coming to earth, their communication ship was destroyed, and they have no way to communicate with their home planet unless they take over the communication relay Earth used to communicate with them.

The aliens had landed in the Pacific Ocean where an international naval competition was happening.  Once they landed, they created a force field around most of Hawaii, themselves, and some of the ships in the naval competition.  Admittedly, I was confused as to whether the aliens were hostile or just reacting to the attacks by the ships captured in the force field. There were times when they would not attack or kill a human, but if they saw a threat they would destroy them.  So, I just went with the premise that alien = bad guy, and that seemed to work.

Now the humans need to destroy the alien ships and their communications array to prevent more aliens from coming. The problem is that they cannot see with the aliens and attack them with their systems because the aliens have knocked our their radar, etc.  Using technology to track Tsunami's they are able to create a grid to watch water displacement to track and then shoot at the aliens.  This is where the Battleship game comes into play-although loosely.

What did I like about the movie?

This movie was a traditional action flick. It has good special effects, lots of action and explosions, the good looking woman for the leading actor, and little plot. This made it a fun movie to watch for me.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was toward the end when all of their boats were destroyed except for a decommissioned battleship.  Fortunately, earlier that same day there was a ceremony recognizing all the men who once ran the boat.  It was great to see these old sailor take over running the decommissioned battleship and tell all the current sailors what to do.

Would I recommend it?

Yes. If you like action flicks I think you will like this movie.  Just don't come for the plot.

The Hunger Games

So what was the movie about?

The Hunger Games is the movie adaptation of a popular book with the same name. I know of a lot of people who were really excited about this movie, so I was intrigued.  Here is what the movie (not necessarily the book) is about.

The Hunger Games is set in a post-apocalyptic future where Capitol City has squashed the outlying 12 districts, which rebelled against the Capitol 74 years ago.  As punishment for this crime, the Hunger Games was established. Every year, a boy and girl from each district, between the ages of 12-18, are selected by lottery to participate, as tributes, in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a gladiator style event held in an outdoor arena where the 24 "tributes" fight each other to the death until only one remains.

The main character, 16 year old Katniss, volunteers for the Hunger Games when her 12 year old sister is selected by lottery to participate. She is joined by the male tribute, Peeta, who has once given her starving family bread from his bakery.

Katniss and Peeta are whisked away to Capitol City to be judged and to receive training prior to the start of the Hunger Games.  Capitol City is the antithesis of their small impoverished town in every way.  Technology, comforts and food are abundant as the citizens enjoy the annual reality game show, seemingly ambivalent and apathetic to the third world conditions of the outlying districts and the fact that children are about to hunt and fight each other to the death in their behalf.

Once the Hunger Games begin, Katniss runs for her life, and tries to hide for a while.  She befriends a 12 year old girl, named Rue, in the beginning, and tries to reunite with Peeta.  Without giving away too much detail,  Peeta and Katniss team up to survive until they are the only two people left.  You will have to watch the movie to find out what happens, when there can only be one winner.

What did I Like About the Movie?

  

I really enjoyed The Hunger Games.  I have never read the book, so I can't comment on how accurate the movie is to the book, but as far as the premise and delivery of the movie is concerned, I thought it was well done.

They did a great job showing the deep contrast between the poverty stricken districts and the overabundance of Capitol City. This really sets the tone for how ridiculous The Hunger Games are.  

Although you could tell that the book would have a lot more detail around the preparation of the tributes, and specifically, Katniss, I thought they were able to handle that part of the story well, which was important for character and story development needed during the game. 

During the games, Katniss and Peeta develops a love interest, but I couldn't tell if Katniss was playing the game or if she had true feelings for Peeta, that is probably the most confusing thing about The Hunger Games movie as that piece was never resolved. 

This movie is PG-13, and so it was made with that audience in mind. Therefore, the violence level is quite low considering the storyline. That said, I still think there could have been more action scenes and more time spent on the actual game and the playing of the game.    

Would I recommend it?

Yes. I think this would be a fun DVD rental.

Wrath of the Titans

So what was the movie about?

Wrath of the Titans is the sequel to Clash of the Titans. The movie picks up several years after the end of Clash of the Titans, and Perseus has forsaken his right to be a god, and is living peacefully as a fisherman.  His wife has passed away, and he is now raising his 10 year old son so that he never has to pick up a sword.

Although Perseus has chosen this life, Zeus visits Perseus and asks him to join Zeus and the other remaining gods to contain Kronos, the father of the gods and a titan, who is escaping from his prison. Although Perseus initially refuses to help, Zeus is captured by the traitorous Ares and Hades and brought to Kronos, who intends to draw away Zeus' power in order to escape from his prison. When Perseus learns that Zeus, and ultimately the Earth is in danger, he picks up the sword to start his new quest. Along the way, Perseus enlists the help of the demi-god son of Poseiden, Agenor, and the Queen Andromeda, whom he saved in the first movie. 

To save the day, Perseus must navigate the Labyrinth to find and rescue Zeus; defeat Ares; and then eventually face and defeat Kronos.  

What did I Like About the Movie?

  

I really enjoyed Wrath of the Titans.  In some aspects, I enjoyed the sequel more than the original movie, Clash of the Titans. This movie was not a remake, and so Wrath of the Titans was able to live on its own merits, avoiding the comparisons from the previous movie. 

I felt like they did a good job developing the story at the beginning of the movie. They took their time to make sure that the viewer understood what was happening and why. 
This attention to detail really helps set a solid foundation for the movie.

Yes, this movie did not get a lot of good reviews, but I enjoyed it for what it was.  An action flick based loosely on greek mythology with a lot of special effects.

This movie was built for 3D action, but I didn't miss anything from not seeing it in 3D.

Would I recommend it?

Yes. I think this would be a fun DVD rental.

You should rent John Carter (of Mars)

So what was the movie about?

John Carter is an adaption of the Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom novel written exactly 100 years ago.  The story revolves around John Carter, a former confederate calvaryman from Arizona. Distraught and calloused due to the death of his wife and daughter during the war, John Carter looks out only for himself, and eventually lands in Arizona prospecting for Gold.

Hiding from attacking Apaches, John hides in a cave covered in mysterious images and writing. While investigating these mysteries, John is attacked by someone and then is unknowingly transported to Mars. John soon learns that the lesser gravity of Mars and his greater bone density gives him relatively greater strength and agility he wouldn't have on Earth. He also learns that Mars, which the natives call Barsoom, is in its own civil war, which may lead to Barsoom's ultimate destruction.

John is quickly captured by the 12 foot green martians of Barsoom, known as Tharks. The leader of the Tharks is Tars Tarkas who quickly realizes that John is a good person and ally. Now that John is no longer a prisoner, he is trying to find a way back home, and stumbles on the 1000 year civil war raging between two human factions on Mars.  

In the skirmish, John rescues the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris who tries to convince John to use his talents and strength to protect her people and ultimately the planet. John must choose between going home and helping the Princess, a decision that isn't as easy as John once thought. 

John also learns that this civil war is being engineered by a third-party, known as the Thern.  The Thern, which seem immortal, have the power of the "9th Ray" which gives them access to infinite energy, including the ability to move between planets. John also learns that the medallian the Thern wear is the way back home, if he wants to return.

***************Spoiler Alert*****************

John, who has fallen in love with Princess Dejah, decides to stay and help her save Barsoom.  Enlisting the Tharks, John is able to defeat the Thern and his minions.  John, now happy with his life on Mars, is visited by the Thern who send him back to Earth.

Back on Earth, John starts a quest, to find another medallion like the first one that brought him to Mars in the first place, so that he can return to the Princess Dejah.  

What did I Like About the Movie?

I understand that the movie wasn't exactly true to the original story written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, but I haven't read the Mars series, so I can't comment on that comparison.  However, I really did enjoy this science fiction action flick.  

Watching the movie and knowing that John Carter was based on an original story, you could really see the influences of the original author’s life in the story. In some way, Edgar felt like John Carter, a stranger in a strange land. I also felt like Edgar had a connection, if not empathy, with Native Americans and their perception of being wild and on the outside of civilization.

How the story was told in the movie was also done very well. The movie itself is a flashback to what occurred over 10 years ago (in movie time), and we are now at John Carter’s reading of his last will and testament.   How the movie gets to this point, and moves forward from that point was what made the movie a fun ride and tied the pieces together nicely.

As with most action adventure movies, the storyline is fairly predictable, though I found a surprise twist or two at the end of the movie which made it more enjoyable for me.

  

A good movie allows me to be an invisible participant in the movie-- an observer of events happening in the movie. I need to be enveloped in the story, the action, and the world created. I felt like I was able to do that with John Carter.

Would I recommend it?

Yes. I definitely recommend renting this movie.

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Lockout

                                                    

So what was the movie about?

It is the year 2079, and they have created an outer space prison where they house the most dangerous criminals. These criminals are put under a long term sleep for the duration of their sentence which has eliminated crime in the prison.

The president's daughter, Emilie (played by Maggie Grace), is conducting an humanitarian visit to the prison to make sure the procedures used on the inmates are humane and fair.  When a prisoner is woken up to be interviewed by Emilie, he is able to escape, releases the other 400+ prisoners, and help his inmate brother take over the prison. 

Snow, a former CIA agent (played by Guy Pearce), is recruited to bust the president's daughter out of the prison overtaken by these inmates who seem to kill anyone not wearing an orange jumpsuit.

Snow only takes the job after being convicted for espionage knowing the key to proving his innocence resides with his former partner who is currently an inmate in the space prison. 

If Snow can free his friend and save the President's daughter at the same time he knows he can get out of his own 30 year sentence aboard the same prison he is about to break into.

****Spoiler Alert*****

The formula for these types of movies doesn't change with Lock Out.  You know what to expect.  The soon to be hero is the guy no one likes because he is a punk, and he was just framed for a murder he did not commit. He will be given a "Get Out of Jail Free" card if he is able to achieve the impossible task of rescuing the pretty girl.  The hero is able to rescue the girl but his promise of freedom is not kept.  The rescued girl find the information the hero needs to be cleared of espionage, and then the hero is able to catch the bad guys. In the end, the hero and the pretty girl walk off together hand in hand. 

What did I Like About the Movie?

This is an average movie. The actors seemed well cast and the acting was decent. The plot followed the standard movie formula as mentioned above and the story line moved along at a decent pace. The special effects were cool (except for one bad CGI scene in the beginning.) And Lockout ended with a predictably happy ending. That is all I can really say about the Lockout.

The problem with Lockout is that there was nothing special about it...nothing that stood out to me that made me say this was a great movie.  I thought it was fun, but was expecting a little more from it. I guess it is telling that when I started to think about what I would say about the movie, I really didn't know what to say. 

I guess it just needed a little bit more of everything to make it a better movie.   

Would I recommend it?

Sort of. I guess it is like recommending Wendy's.  Yeah, if you are looking for a fast food joint, I think it is a good one to go for that, but if you asked me where you should go out to eat, I would recommend somewhere else. 

If you love movies like I do, and you don't have high expectation for this movie, then I think it is worth  getting on Netflix or Redbox.  However, if you want a little more from your movies, I recommend you wait until it comes to TV.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (SH2) is the sequel to the previous Sherlock Holmes movie, starring Robert Downing Jr., and is based on the Sherlock Holmes novels.

So what was the movie about?

SH2 is a continuation of story from the first Sherlock Holmes movie, where Moriarty is first introduced.  The movie picks up several months later after the first movie. Watson has left Sherlock Holmes to marry Mary, his sweetheart. Sherlock Holmes, left to himself, is quirkier than ever and has become obsessed with tracking the genesis of some recent terrorist attacks and his adversary Professor Moriarty.  

Meanwhile, Moriarty is stealthily putting together the final pieces to his overall plan making sure there were no loose ends or people to talk.  So shrewd was his planning and execution no one knew that Professor Moriarty was the mover of all these pieces he was putting together.  Well, no one but Sherlock Holmes. 

In his usual crazy manner, Sherlock Holmes is trying to put all the pieces together and figure out the end goal of Professor Moriarty.  In this process, he must protect Watson from Moriarty's designs and convince Watson at the same time to help Sherlock one last time.

Holmes eventually convinces Watson to join him one last time, and with the help of Holmes' brother and some gypsies the adventure begins to thwart Professor Moriarty's plan.

What did I Like About the Movie?

Although I believe the first Sherlock Holmes is better than the second movie, the second movie is still very good. One of the things that made the first movie so good was the unique visual style they used to get into Holmes mind when he was figuring something out or was about to face an enemy in combat. They carried this same style over into the sequel which I appreciated and liked.

The "chess match" between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty throughout the movie was very fun to watch.  Prof. Moriarty seemingly knew what to do next, and made sure everything was planned according to his master plan.  This plan included dealing with Sherlock Holmes, who always seemed a step behind.  Similarly, Sherlock Holmes, a crazy mastermind himself, has executed a counter offensive to Prof. Moriarty's plan in an attempt to prevent Moriarty from accomplishing his goals. Following this fun chess match between the two eventually leads to a great, and somewhat surprising ending to the movie. 

Would I recommend it?

Yes. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a fun movie. It is fast-paced, witty and full of action. Just my type of movie! If you haven't seen it already or even if you have  already seen the movie, it is definitely worth the DVD rental. 

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a sequel to the previous Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage, and is based on the Marvel Comic book series.

So what was the movie about?

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (GR2) is another story based on stopping the apocalypse.  Johnny Blaze AKA Ghost Rider, played by Nicolas Cage, made a deal with the devil to save his Father's life. In return, Johnny Blaze was cursed to ride around on a motorcycle at night taking the souls of evil men, looking like a skeleton on fire.

In this sequel, Johnny Blaze is trying to not be the Ghost Rider anymore and is offered freedom from his curse in exchange for saving the life a boy who is wanted by the devil. The devil wants to occupy the body of the boy so his power would not decay on Earth. 

As you can imagine, Johnny Blaze has to decide between the boy and saving mankind and his curse.

What did I Like About the Movie?

I liked that it was only 1.5 hrs long. I usually don't have a problem with predictable story lines and faulty plots like GR2, but even the acting and dialogue was not very good. It wasn't so bad that I stopped watching the movie, but I felt like I was watching a movie made by the ScyFy channel. 

There was a scene or two that was fun to watch, but I expected more from this movie. Not that the first movie was great, but this movie just felt like it was going through the motions to fulfill a sequel commitment.

Would I recommend it?

No. I rented this movie from Netflix, and I didn't think it was worth it.  I would skip this one.

Red Tails: Are you ready for a feel good movie?

Red Tails is based on events in WWII, and is another inspirational movie.

So what was the movie about?

Red Tails is an inspirational/feel-good movie about african-american fighter pilots overcoming the challenges of segregation and racism during World War 2.  The fighter pilots of the experimental Tuskagee training program were relegated to clean up missions miles away from the war while the action and glory was elsewhere.  


Just as this experimental program is about to be shut down, desperation affords the "Red Tails" an opportunity to fight for their country. Success on their first mission leads to another opportunity to protect bombers on their missions.  The Red Tails soon became accepted because of their continued success in leading and protecting the bombers.


Intertwined in this movie is the story of some of the main fighter pilots.  These stories are somewhat formulaic. You have the fighter pilot who breaks all the rules and falls in love with an italian local. You have the responsible leader who struggles with the pressures of his father from home.  You have the kid with raw talent who just wants to fly but injury stands in his way.  And you have the Tuskagee program leader fighting to save the program.

What did I Like About the Movie?

Like many motivational movies, Red Tails is full of cliches, corny lines and the best intentions.  For me, this made the film enjoyable. Honestly, I don't know if there is any one thing that stands out in this movie for me. I guess it was just consistently a feel good movie.

Would I recommend it?

I believe Red Tails is worth a DVD rental.  As mentioned before it is a feel good movie and I think they are always worth the watch. Now, if you are a person who needs to have good character development, this may not be the movie for you.