Compliance

Movie: Compliance

Genre: drama

Synopsis: Becky (Dreama Walker) is a 19-year-old fast food restaurant worker.  Sandra (Ann Dowd) is the restaurant manager.  She is called by a man who convinces her that he is a police detective investigating a money theft committed by Becky.  He gets Sandra to take Becky into her office and confront her.  He then convinces Sandra to search Becky.  That is just the beginning of what this guy convinces Sandra to do and Becky to submit to.

My two cents: This movie was inspired by a series of actual crimes.  It was absolutely jaw dropping to see what this man was able to convince – over the phone – people to do.  It is definitely worth seeing – especially given the knowledge that things like this have actually happened.

[98]

Hit & Run

Movie: Hit & Run

Genre: crime-comedy

Synopsis: Charlie Bronson (Dax Shepard) is a former bank heist getaway driver who is in the witness protection program.  Annie (Kristen Bell) is his brilliant college professor.  She knows he is in WITSEC, but not why.  Annie’s jealous ex-boyfriend discovers Charlie’s past and leaks his whereabouts to Charlie’s ex-partners.  One of them (played by Bradley Cooper) is a bit of a psycho who is anxious to exact some revenge of Charlie – after he gets the location of some hidden bank loot.

My two cents:

This was much better than I expected.  Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell make a very believable couple (which is good, since they are in real life).  There was an interesting mix of violence and humor (much of the humor related to Tom Arnold playing Charlie’s bumbling WITSEC handler).  All in all a fun movie.

Side note: Dax Shepard wrote and directed this movie.  He also owned most of the cars (and there are some GREAT cars) and did his own stunt driving.

[97]

The Possession (DBOX)

Movie: The Possession (DBOX)

Genre: horror

Synopsis: Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) are divorced.  They have two children: Em (Natasha Calis) and Hannah (Madison Davenport).  During a weekend visit to Clyde’s new house, Em buys a mysterious box at a yard sale.  The box has a hold on Em and her behavior soon becomes very strange.  Clyde and Stephanie are willing to go to any lengths to break the hold the box has on Em.

My two cents: A decent horror film.  Not great – but not bad.

On a side note, this is the third movie I have seen in “DBOX” theatre seats.  Definitely not worth the extra eight bucks.

[96]

For a Good Time, Call …

Movie: For a Good Time, Call …

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: Lauren (Lauren Miller) has just been fired – and dumped by her boyfriend.  This leaves her in need of someplace to live.  Katie (Ari Graynor) has an apartment – but cannot afford the rent.  Lauren and Katie have been enemies since an unfortunate college incident.  A mutual friend played by Justin Long manages to convince them to share Katie’s apartment.  When Lauren discovers that Katie moonlights on a sex phone line, Lauren decides to use her business acumen to make a lot more money from Katie’s efforts.

My two cents: This was a fun movie.  A lot of laughs and a lot of fun.

[95]

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D

Movie: Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D

Genre: martial-arts action

Synopsis: Kind of tough to explain.  A bunch of really bad guys are out to kill a royal servant who had the misfortune to get pregnant.  She is aided by several good guys  - one of who is played by Jet Li.  There is a lot of old-style kung-fu-movie fighting.  Some of the bad guys are also after a buried treasure in the desert.  Everything comes to a head at the Dragon Inn when a monster dust storm hits.

My two cents: I was not expecting this type of movie – where the everyone seems to be able to fly when they need to during a fight, where a flick of a finger can cause a telephone-pole sized post fly through the air.  If you like totally unrealistic kung-fu fights, you might like this. 

[94]

Frank & Robot

Movie: Frank & Robot

Genre: drama

Synopsis: In a not-too-distant future, Frank (Frank Langella) is a retired cat burglar.  He is getting increasingly forgetful and his son (James Marsden) is getting worried.  So . . . he gets his father a robot companion.  This robot can cook, clean house, and carry on intelligent conversations.  It turns out it can also be conned into learning to be a cat burglar.

My two cents: This was definitely a different type of movie.  It was very much a character driven movie.  There was a lot of humor and was very enjoyable. There was a bitter-sweet twist near the end.

[92]