Movie: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3D

Genre: horror-thriller

Synopsis: This is a sequel to 2007’s “Ghost Rider”.  Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) was a stunt motorcycle rider who made a deal with the devil that resulted in him being a part-time demon know as Ghost Rider.  When evil is near, Ghost Rider takes over – a skeletal “man” in flames who rides a flaming motorcycle and whose weapon of choice is a flaming chain.  In this movie, he is trying to save a boy who was fathered by Satan.  Naturally, he leaves a large body count in his wake.

My two cents: Not quite as good as the original, it is hard not to enjoy watching Ghost Rider knock off a few dozen baddies.

[26]

The Secret World of Arriety

Movie: The Secret World of Arriety

Genre: animated fantasy

Synopsis: Shawn is a young boy with a heart ailment.  He is living with his aunt so that he can rest before he has heart surgery.  Living in his aunt’s is the Clock family - a family of four-inch high “Borrowers” The Clocks live in secret, surviving off of items they “borrow” from the humans.  One of the Clocks is a fourteen-year-old Arriety.  She has just come of age and is making her first borrowing excursion.  When Shawn accidentally sees Arriety, all he wants to do is be friends with her.  On the other hand, Clock’s family is horrified that she was seen and fear that they will have to move.  Complicating things is the nasty maid of Shawn’s aunt, who is determined to find the little people and put an end to them.

My two cents: I was less than enchanted with this, perhaps because I have never read the books upon which it was based.  I am also not crazy about the Japanese style of animation that was used.

[25]

Movie: Safe House

Genre: thriller

Synopsis: Matt (Ryan Reynolds) is a rookie CIA operative in Cape Town, South Africa. His job is to manage a company safe house – something he has done for 10 months without ever having a “guest”.  This changes when

Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is brought in.  Frost is the CIA’s most wanted man.  He is a former agent who turned traitor 10 years ago and has been on the run since.  Things get really dicey when a large heavily armed squad breaks into the safe house to find and kill Frost.  Matt manages to escape with Frost, but ends up being branded a traitor with the entire CIA after him, as well as Frost.

My two cents: Pretty entertaining – but I would like to have seen more of Denzel Washington unleashed.  Tobin Frost was such a bad-ass . . . it would have been nice to see him kick some more butt.

[24]

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in IMAX 3D

Movie: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in IMAX 3D

Genre: adventure-thriller

Synopsis: Another movie treatment of the Jules Verne Classic and a sequel (sort of) to Journey to the center of the Earth.  Sean (Josh Hutcherson) – from Journey to the Center of the Earth – is now 17.  He is obsessed with finding his grandfather (Michael Caine) who vanished 2 years earlier.  After he gets a clue from a mysterious radio signal, Sean convinces his stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), to take him to the South Pacific in search of Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island.  Once there, they hire a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his daughter (Vanessa Hudgins) to fly them to where the think the island is.  They find the island, but discover that surviving the island, much less escaping, is going to be a bit of a problem.

My two cents: This was a fun and entertaining movie. Some nice special effects, a lot of humor.  Ity would have been nice if they could have managed to have Vanessa Hudgins sing a song (rather than The Rock).  It requires some suspension of rationality to accept a lot of what happens – but if you do, you will be entertained.  What I do not understand is why someone does not do a movie that actually follows the original novel. I read this novel in the 5^th or 6^th grade and it still stands as one of the best novels I have ever read.  There is plenty to keep your attention without having to resort to giant crabs, giant lizards, giant bees or any of the other gimmicks recent versions of Mysterious Island seem to require.

[23]

The Vow

Movie: The Vow

Genre: romantic drama

Synopsis: Leo (Channing Tatum) runs a recording studio.  Paige (Rachel McAdams) is a sculptor.  They are married and madly in love.  Following a car accident, Paige loses the last five years of her memory.  From her perspective, she still lives with her parents, is still in law school, and is engaged to another man.  The movie follows Leo as he struggles to rekindle Paige’s love for him.  It is a lot tougher to do than he thinks.

My two cents: I really enjoyed this movie.  I was intrigued by the whole idea of a couple being so in love with one another one moment and the next moment one of the couple having no idea who the other one is.  I always enjoy Rachel McAdams.  I think this is the first movie I have seen with Channing Tatum where he really showed some acting chops.  Although I knew the movie was based on a real case, I kept thinking that it sure seemed like it was straight from a Nicholas Sparks book.

[22]

Movie: The Woman in Black

Movie: The Woman in Black

Genre: horror

Synopsis: Arthur (Daniel Radcliffe) is a widowed lawyer in 1England in the early 1900’s.  He firm sends him to a bleak town in the middle of nowhere to close the estate of a deceased client.  From the time he arrives, everyone in the tow does their best to get him to leave without visiting the estate.  From the time he first sees the desolate mansion, Arthur starts seeing ghosts and bad things start happening to children in the town.  Arthur insists on staying on the job and is determined to solve the mystery of why the mansion is haunted.

My two cents: This definitely does not make my “A” list for horror films.  I felt that way too much time was spent with things going bump in the night – strange things happening – before we finally learn why all this is happening. I spent most of the movie just being bored.  Although not Daniel Radcliffe’s fault, every time I saw him, all I could think was “it’s Harry, where is his wand?”.

[20]

Chronicles

Movie: Chronicles

Genre: SciFi-thriller

Synopsis: Three high-school friends find what seems to be some kind of spaceship buried in the ground.  Shortly after their exposure to it, they begin to display telekinetic capabilities.  The more the use these abilities, the stronger their powers become.  Eventually there is a falling out between them leading them to a climactic battle.

My two cents: A pretty decent sci-fi movie.  I liked the way the boys kept their abilities to themselves (at least for a while) and did not use them to do anything special . . .  just to have a lot of fun.

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Man on a Ledge

Movie: Man on a Ledge

Genre: thriller

Synopsis: Nick (Sam Worthington) was a cop.  He was convicted of stealing a diamond from a wealthy real estate developer, David Englander (Ed Harris).  Nick claims he was framed.  He manages to escape custody and winds up on a ledge outside a room on the 21^st floor of a hotel – where he is threatening to jump.  At his request, Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) – a police negotiator – is brought in to talk to him.  It turns out that Nick is up to a lot more than just standing on the ledge.  He is carrying out a last-ditch plan to prove his innocence.

My two cents: I really liked this movie.  Although some of the feats carried out to make good Nick’s escape and carry out his plan were a bit hard to swallow – whey seemed like they belonged in a Mission Impossible movie – this movie worked for me.  I always like Elizabeth Banks.  The characters were interesting – I especially liked Nick’s brother’s girlfriend, Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) – and not just because she is soooo beautiful.  She really livened up every scene she was in.

[17]

A Separation

Movie: A Separation

Genre: drama

Synopsis: This is an Iranian film with English subtitles.  It is a tough one to describe. Nader’s wife, Simin, has left him.  She has managed to get all of the necessary paperwork for them to move to America.  Nader is balking because he does not want to leave his father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s.  When he hires woman, Razieh, to take care of the house during the day, problems arise due to the conflict between the strict restrictions of Islam and the reality of a woman caring from a man with Alzheimer’s.  It turns out Razieh is pregnant and loses her baby following an emotional and physical conflict with Nader.  They end up in court with Nader accusing Razieh of theft and Razieh beign charged with murder for the death of her unborn child.

My two cents: I had misgivings about this movie – but actually enjoyed it.  Especially fascinating was the look it provided at the Iranian justice system.  It is also an interesting look a life in a culture that strictly adheres to the teachings of Islam.  Nobody is quite as innocent as you think and nobody is quite a guilty as you think.  My favorite character was Nader’s daughter, Termeh.  Termeh is around 12 years old.  She is very quiet and studious.  She watches what goes on around her and is trying to understand the discrepancie between what she sees and what the people involved say has happened.  She does not seem to want to face the reality that they are mostly a bunch of liars. All the while, she is also struggling with the breakup of her parents.

If you don’t mind a lot of subtitles, this movie should prove to be pretty interesting.

[16]

Carnage

Movie: Carnage

Genre: drama

Synopsis: This is an unusual movie – more like a play and a movie.  For 98% of the movie, there are only four characters: Penelope and Michael Longstreet (Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly) and Nancy and Alan Cowan (Kate Winslet and Christopher Waltz).  The couple’s sons were in an altercation which resulted in the Cowan’s son knocking striking the Longstreet’s son with a stick and breaking some teeth.  The two couples are meeting to discuss how to handle the encounter.  The meeting begins with everyone being excessively polite – but this does not last long.  Soon everyone is screaming at and insulting everyone else.

My two cents: I saw this because I could not pass up seeing these four actors (one Oscar nominee and three Oscar winners) going at it.  It is hysterical to watch.  For example Penelope is a master of passive aggressive.  She seems unable to say anything without a veiled insult being part of each sentence.  If you like great dialog, do not pass up this movie.

[15]

The Grey

Movie: The Grey

Genre: drama

Synopsis: Ottway (Liam Neeson) is a professional hunter.  His current job is in Alaska where he has been hired to shoot wolves before the wolves kill oil workers.  When a plane he is on crashes in the arctic, he is one of seven to survive the crash.  The only other living thing in the area seems to be a pack of wolves – who view the men as meals.  The movie follows the men as they try to make their way to safety while battling the elements as well as the wolves.  Everything builds to a face-off between Ottway and the alpha male of the wolf pack.

My two cents: A really good movie.  Lots of intense action.  These wolves look they would intimidate Cujo. After watching the struggle of these men to survive the conditions in the Arctic, I may never get the urge to fly over snow again.  Liam Neeson was great. There is a scene in which he is comforting a man who is dying that is unlike any I have ever seen.  Note – if you see this movie do not leave before the end of the credits.  There is a final scene that, although probably less than 10 seconds in length, you will NOT want to miss.  Pay very close attention.

[14]

One for the Money

Movie: One for the Money

Genre: comedy-crime

Synopsis: The movie is based on the first book (same name) of the Stephanie Plum book series by Janet Evanovitch.  Stephanie (Katherine Heigl) is a New Jersey Girl who has been out of work for six months.  In desperation, she takes a job as a bounty hunter.  What Stephanie lacks in bounty hunter skills, she makes up for in gumption and determination.  She is determined to bring in Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara).  Joe is a disgraced cop who was arrested for murder – but skipped bail.  Stephanie’s real motivation is that she lost her virginity to Joe when in they were in high school – and he never called afterwards.  Ranger (Daniel Sunjata) is a veteran bounty hunter who takes her under his wing.  She becomes friends with a hooker (Sherri Shepherd) who becomes an informant.  Added to the mix are Stephanie’s parents and her colorful grandmother (Debbie Reynolds).

My two cents: I have not yet read any of the series, but I loved this movie.  Katherine was great in the lead and as much as I hate to admit it, Sherri Shepherd was pretty good as an overweight hooker.  This is the kind of movie you just sit back and enjoy.  Not a lot of drama, but good for a lot of laughs.  I hope this is the first of many.

[13]

The Iron Lady

Movie: The Iron Lady

Genre: biography

Synopsis: The movie is told in a series of flashbacks by the current Margaret Thatcher – who unfortunately suffers from Alzheimer’s.  It follows her from when she was a young girl working in her father’s grocery store through her years at Oxford and on with her entry into politics and into her years as Prime Minister.  Thatcher was played by Meryl Streep.

My two cents: Meryl Streep was amazing in her transformation into Margaret Thatcher.  The movie was interesting from a historical perspective, but on the whole I was a bit disappointed.  It just never really grabbed me.  The plight of Margaret Thatcher is pretty sad – going from one of the most dominating political figures in the world to being stricken with Alzheimer’s is truly tragic to watch.

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