Triple 9/ Race/ Eddie the Eagle

Triple 9:

A gritty drama full of suspense and a decent bit of action smattered throughout. Triple 9 is about crooked cops working with a group of thieves who are hired to do bank jobs for the Russian mafia. Full of huge stars, this one was gritty and good. Is it the best? No, but you won't feel like you wasted any time watching it. In fact, you'll spend the entire film wondering how it'll end and believe me, that'll be more then enough to hold your attention.

Check it out.

Race:

Another film where I found myself uttering "Damn Nazis" for at least half of the production. Wonderful acting by the entire cast and really well written. I enjoyed the overall structure of the film; it didn't drag on and even though it's based on actual events, you'll still sit through it hoping our hero comes out on top!

I purposely didn't do any research about the events portrayed in the film so that I'd be surprised and I hope you do the same. Go see Race, it's wonderful!

Eddie the Eagle:

Another feel-good story of an Olympian's search for victory! This film, also based on true events, is a total underdog story about perseverance and never giving up on your dreams no matter the obstacles in front of you.  

Eddie Edwards dreamed about going to the Olympics no matter the cost and did everything possible to achieve his goal! There's a reason you probably haven't heard of him but again, I'm not one to give anything away!

Go see it, you'll leave feeling awesome as this one is totally full of heart! Watch out for Taron Egerton too, we saw him first in Kingsmen and you'll love him just as much in this movie!-that guy is going to be huge!

Deadpool

Deadpool:


I have to say, this bad boy was the perfect Valentine's Day flick! It has everything: Action, comedy, romance, adult language and situations. Men and women would be happy to see it and if they aren't, they should go be bored and saturated with sugary feelings and see the Choice instead.


It will never cease to amaze me though, how so many audiences fail to research the films they choose to see. So many parents took their young-ish (preteen) kids to the theater and promptly walked them right out after the first ten minutes, shocked at just how adult it is. People, it's rated R for a reason. Hell, the studio even put out promos throughout all of social media warning parents to be responsible and make good judgments in regards to allowing their younger children to see it. What film have you ever seen make conscious, responsible decisions like that in order to ensure the fans who do see it will get the best possible experience at the theater?

Now, you don't have to know anything about Deadpool in order to enjoy the film but it does help. He's a bad boy. A super hero of circumstance, not by choice. And in this film he actually doesn't do anything hero-worthy. He's on a mission of vengeance and boy oh boy does my man know how to have fun doing what he loves!


I'm going to post the Red-Band trailer so those of you who don't know a thing about the film, really understand what you're in for.

Go see it!

Where to Invade Next/ How to be Single/ Zoolander 2

Where to Invade Next:

I absolutely loved this film. I feel bad for Michael Moore because his films have a reputation of being "anti-American" and therefore turn a lot of audiences away. Case in point: I was the only person in the theater when I saw this. But this was not the case at all for Where to Invade Next! In this film, Moore travels to various countries to talk about different government policies and what seems to be working. What each country is getting right.

What's the most amazing thing he discovered from each country he visited: France, Norway, Germany, Spain, etc; was that all of them have systems in place that are of great benefit to the common man and are all things in which our country desperately needs and for some reason isn't getting and yet, every one of the these countries admits that every policy changed, every study used to bring about these changes; are all things in which American researchers and experts have promoted and proven to be effective. Yet, we're the only ones not utilizing any of them!

I'm telling you, if you care about the world and about what's going on here at home, you need to see this film. It will absolutely blow your mind!  

How to be Single:

This one was cute and just funny enough. All of the actors are folks who are "so hot right now" and they work really well together.

It was another typical young adult comedy and you'll already know how it'll end before the first scene is complete but you'll enjoy it nonetheless.

Zoolander 2:

I cannot tell you how excited I was to see this one! Zoolander will always hold a special place in my heart and when I first saw the teaser for the sequel I'll happily admit, I peed a little.

This one was just as stupid, just as out there and just as completely entertaining as the first! I don't know how Ben Stiller gets so many A-List celebrities involved in his projects but they're all awesome for signing on and make the film that much more enjoyable. Please see it.

And if you haven't seen the first, I'm going to suggest you do so, if only to get into the overall feel for what to expect with this film. But you need to understand that this movie is dumb. Like, super dumb. And that's the point. So go into the films with that attitude, it's dumb on purpose, and I promise you, you'll really enjoy yourself!

The Revenant

So, Leo is going to win the Oscar. There's no doubt about it. If you saw this film and learned what he did to prepare for it, you'll agree that it's a lock.


The Revenant:


(Completed after the Academy awards)
So, Leo finally got his Oscar!


I'm really happy for him. I'll be honest, he wasn't my pick but that certainly doesn't mean he isn't deserving of the award.
The film itself was intense and beautifully made. It takes place in the wilderness in the middle of a harsh winter and I'm telling you, you're freezing the entire time watching the thing. You are totally in it with Leo and feel for the actors as they suffer through for the entire 2+ hours. Everyone was great. Tom Hardy was nominated for his roll and I picked him to win it but sadly he lost to Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies, the only film that I wasn't able to see yet.


Revenant is about a group of fur tradesman looking to make it through the rough terrain of the Midwest in the wintertime while fighting off Indians (not yet Native Americans in this timeline) who are tense and looking to steal their pelts and anything of value while they battle to hold on to their territories and try and survive the white man's continued attacks. Leo is sympathetic to the Indian's plight as he married and lived with an Indian woman in her village. They had a son and only he and Leo survived when the village was attacked by a military unit looking to wipe out the tribe. His son travels with him and is met with animosity from the group of tradesmen, Tom Hardy in particular, which adds to the ever growing tension felt throughout the film. If the rough terrain and potential for Indian attacks at a moments notice isn't enough, the growing disdain emanating from Tom's character leaves you feeling uneasy the entire time. I won't give any more away but just know you're in for a rough ride watching this film. I wish I could say you leave with a feel-good attitude but sadly, you don't. You're more stunned/numb & impressed with Leo if nothing else.

While I didn't pick Leo to win the category this year, his acceptance speech was one to be admired and shared. Congrats Leo, you're a great dude.

P & P & Z/Hail, Caesar!

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies:


Okay, you guys have GOT to see this thing! I'm going again, it was such a good time! I didn't read the book or knew anything the about the classic story it was based off of but dammit now I plan to pick up both versions. Seriously, such a blast! Much like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the writer did an amazing job of taking a well known story and adding in an oddball element like Zombies and making the whole damn thing work! And work well! It wasn't cheesy, it wasn't lame, it was really freaking well made and you're going to walk away smiling and hoping for a sequel. Go see it!

Hail, Caesar!:


I was so excited to see this one. I liked it but it wasn't what I expected. It was all pretty random actually. The trailer gives you the impression that it's a mystery of sorts; a famous actor gets kidnapped and you think the entire film is about trying to find him. It's not. That's certainly in there but its a strange mix of stories about all of the various characters and none of them ever really mesh together. The main character is a major executive for a movie studio and he's responsible for making sure all of the movies and their actors are perceived well by the general public. He's a baby sitter for famous adults.
The film was funny, the acting was great, but you leave with the feeling that the whole thing was just really random. And the ending was just that, an ending. There was no real climax and everything just kind of ends and you sit there watching the credits rolling and think, "huh." and that's it. I'd watch it again if a friend was interested in checking it out but it's not one I'll need to add to my collection.

The Choice

The Choice:

Another typical Nicholas Sparks story. This one was pretty predictable and at times exceptionally cheesy which wouldn't be a bad thing if the acting wasn't so mediocre. I know this all sounds very harsh so let me say, I didn't hate the film. I did however cringe at the thought of any man having to sit through this thing. Girls, don't be cruel. There are plenty of other films out there that you'll both enjoy, don't make your guy sit through this. The actors were attractive, yes, but the writing was just silly and at times made it really hard to believe there was any chemistry between the folks on screen.

I didn't read the book so I can only assume they rushed the story along so the movie didn't go past the two hour mark. If they were true to the story however, I've got some real issues. I'm not going to spoil the movie but at one point (you'll see this in the trailer), the female lead ends up in a coma and her romantic interest is, obviously, very upset and scared. Totally natural, that I get, I really do. But what pissed me off watching the thing was that the male lead pretty much neglected everyone else in his life, at least, that's the way he was portrayed. Again, don't misunderstand me, I love a good chick flick. There just wasn't enough substance in this one for me. I did cry at the appropriate times and I was hoping for a happy ending, but this is not one I'll ever need to watch again.

Dirty Grandpa/50 Shades of Black/The Finest Hours/Kung Fu Panda 3/Jane Got a Gun

Dirty Grandpa:

Let's talk about how awesome it is that Robert De Niro is doing comedies on the regular right now. Dude is funny. And the mark of a good actor is one who can perform well in various roles and genres. I mean, we already knew he was great so it's no surprise that he can appear in outlandish comedies like this one and totally kill it.

I wasn't a huge fan of this film, it was exceptionally predictable and often times ridiculous but I still laughed more often then not. I know the tweens out there will think it's brilliant what with the random drug humor and constant talk about sex and, true to form, Zach Efron walks around shirtless, like all the time.

It's funny enough that you won't be wasting your time but not one that I think you'll need to see over and over again.



50 Shades of Black:

Another predictable film from Marlon Waynes. It was funny in the way that it blatantly mocked the "stalker-esque" plot of the original 50 Shades but was still pretty goofy at the end of the day. Sometimes it was downright disgusting, taking the jokes a little too far. I like Marlon but I don't think he knows when enough is enough. Again, it was funny but I found myself being grossed out more often then not.

The Finest Hours:

I had heard this film was about what has been called the "Most Daring Rescue in U.S. Coast Guard History" but I didn't know if that meant everyone lived or everyone died and I didn't want to ruin the movie for myself by looking it up. You shouldn't either. You should go and see the film for yourself because it was great. I would like to think they stayed pretty true to the actual events because I really appreciated how the writers didn't try and give it the "Hollywood" treatment with a lot of grandiose explosions or heroic monologues. Some may find it boring without but that's what made it real for me and all the more incredible. The acting was fantastic and you genuinely feel bad for the actors (and the real people they portray) because they spend the entire movie outside in the middle of winter and 90% of the time, completely soaked to the bone. I was freezing by the time I left the theater! 

Kung Fu Panda 3:

The only issue I had with this movie was that it wasn't long enough! Once again DreamWorks has delivered a completely awesome film for all ages! I can't say enough about how much fun it was to sit in the theater for 90 minutes and watch these bright and colorful creatures come to life. Take the whole family and enjoy! 

Jane Got a Gun:

Sadly, I don't think this movie is going to get the attention it deserves. It wasn't advertised very well even though it's got a killer cast. It wasn't a big, epic blockbuster of a western that we seem to be getting lately and I think that's what I liked most about it. The storyline was decent and the suspense/action was enough to keep you engaged. The acting was pretty fantastic too. It actually reminded me of old episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in that, 90% of the thing is about the buildup-preparing to face the bad guys, wondering how our hero's are going to get out of this seemingly impossible situation. And then, suddenly, it's just over. Not to say that that's a bad thing, just that it all gets wrapped up quickly and then the movie's over. Some audiences may love it, some may leave feeling kind of "meh" but it wasn't bad and I think most of you out there would enjoy it so check it out.