2014 Early Summer Movies: Boom or Bust?

AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY

PLOT:  Peter Parker enjoys being a superhero but he wants to have
a normal life too.

    Being a superhero can kill your love life just ask Peter
Parker/Spiderman.  It wears his body down saving the day and
can’t be or stay with his girlfriend.  New villains arrived, one named
Electro and his best friend Harry Osborne/Green Goblin.  The
special effects are fantastic.  It is like watching a live-action
cartoon.  If you like larger than life characters this is your
movie.  Don’t jump out of your seat when the credits roll!!!

GODZILLA 2014
ACTION/ADVENTURE/SCI-FI

PLOT:  The reboot of the iconic monster.

    I am a fan of Godzilla and I liked parts of the movie.   The
parts I enjoyed:  Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) he takes his part
very seriously.  The fight sequences-off the hook!!  The result
of the devastation of what Godzilla and other giant monsters do to
cities and the human factor is important but I didn’t pay for a
3D ticket for the people. The parts I didn’t like:  More Godzilla
screen time!!  More of the monsters attacking each other!!  You
have to be a fan of G or love monster movies to watch this film
or you won’t like it very much.  I do hope there is a sequel just
for monster fighting action!!

NEIGHBORS
COMEDY

PLOT:  A nutty couple with a baby has to get rid of a fraternity
next door.

    Let me say I am not a fan of Seth Rogen.  I don’t know how he
gets roles that he does.  The movie is funny for the targeted
audience not to me.  If you want to see an outrageous comedy
watch the Wolf of Wall Street!!  Rose Byrne (X Men First Class, and
Bridesmaids) the female lead is funny with her crazy schemes. 
Ike Barinholtz is hilarious as the couple’s friend. Zac Efron is
trying to change his clean image this will do it!! He is cursing,
smoking and doing obnoxious things as leader of the fraternity.

TYLER PERRY’S THE SINGLE MOMS CLUB
DRAMA

PLOT:  Different races and classes of women gather together to
support each other.

    First of all the trailer is misleading.  It is not that funny. 
There is no Madea in it so the only comic relief is Terry Crews
(The Expendables).  It’s about five women trying to balance single
motherhood, relationships and employment.  Second, it is very
good.  They show all the women as human beings not caricatures. 
It is very good Lifetime movie.  It didn’t do well at the
box-office maybe it was too real for the target audience but worth
it on video.

RIO 2
ANIMATED

PLOT:  Blu and his family go to the Amazon to find more birds like
them.

    The sequel is very good not because of the animation but the
music is great!!  Blu is living in Rio but finds out there are
more birds like them they must go to the wild Amazon which he does
not want to be.  It is good fun flick for children and adults and
again the music is fantastic.  Worth a look.

SABOTAGE 2014
ACTION/DRAMA/MYSTERY

PLOT: An elite DEA squad gets picked off but by whom?

    The film is great for action hounds for when there is action it
violent and bloody.  Arnold Schwarzengger is the leader of a
special DEA team who take down cartels.  The mystery is who stole
the money and who is killing the team off?  The cast is great Sam
Worthington (Clash of the Titans), Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike)
Terrence Howard (The Butler), Max Martini (Pacific Rim) and
Mirelle Enos (TV show the Killing). The real mystery is why
Schwarzengger can’t have a hit outside The Expendables.  He was
actually good in this.

Humongous Spring Flick Wrap-up

300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE

ACTION/REVENGE

PLOT:  Sequel to the highly successful film 300.

                After the brave solders of 300 were killed, Themistocles wants Queen Gorgo (Leonidas’s wife) played by Lena Headey to join him for the God-king Xerxes won’t take over all of Greece.  It is like a prequel and sequel at the same time.  The action and slashing is just as good as 300 but the best addition is Artemisia played by French actress Eva Green.  She is pure evil and proud of it! She is just not evil for evil sake she has a back story and she is not a wicked lover, girlfriend or wife she is a naval commander!!  She needs award for BADASS BITCH OF THE YEAR!! She is AMAZING!!!

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN

ANIMATED

PLOT: A reboot of cartoon classic.

                In the 60’s there was cartoon that was on with Bullwinkle called Mr. Peabody and Sherman created by Ted Kay about a very smart dog and he adopted a human boy named Sherman.  Now they updated the story and it is GREAT.  The voice of Mr. Peabody has changed to Ty Burrell (Modern Family) but he is still a smart dog and his greatest creation is called WABAC or time machine.  It is well done kids and adults who remember the series will love it.  GO!!!

ABOUT LAST NIGHT

ROMANCE/COMEDY-DRAMA

PLOT: Remake of the same movie in 1986 with a black cast.

                I didn’t see the movie 1986 that had Demi Moore and Rob Lowe but I have seen this one and it is outrageous and funny and at times poignant.  It is about two couples trying to make a relationship last after meeting at a bar and having sex on the first date.  Michael Early and Joy Bryant are the sweet couple while Kevin Hart and Regina Bell are the freaky and funny couple.  Guess what couple is more interesting?  It is good if this is the kind of movie you are looking for.

VERONICA MARS

THE MOVIE

COMEDY/CRIME/DRAMA

PLOT:  Trying to leave her home town to start in New York Veronica helps an ex-boyfriend who is accused of murder.

                I have never watched an episode of Veronica Mars, the teenaged private eye now a grown woman wanted to become a lawyer in New York yet helps her ex boyfriend and goes to her high school reunion.  The script is very witty and the fans should be proud they got the movie made. It is amazing the power of fans. It is worth a look just how the cult favorite came on the big screen by the power of the loyal fans.

NON-STOP

ACTION THRILLER

PLOT:  A marshal has to stop a madman from killing people on a plane.

                Liam Neeson is Bill Marks a grieving alcoholic who is also an air marshal.  He gets on a plane and has to find out who and why he wants to kill someone every twenty minutes. The story is outrageous but Neeson acts well as a flawed but good person who knows his job.  It is very good. It also stars Lupita Nyongo who won the Oscar for supporting actress for 12 Years a Slave but she had nothing much to do in this film. Hopefully he’ll be in Expendables 4.

ENDLESS LOVE

ROMANCE/DRAMA

PLOT:    Hot rich girl meets handsome but poor bad boy.

                Love it or hate it the Twilight saga made Hollywood knows young girls go to the movies so they take a title of a successful book (there was a movie in 1981) and give it more of a teenage girl fantasy and call it a remake.  Jade (Gabriella Wilde) is rich girl and David (Alex Pettyfer) a handsome trouble guy and they fall in love despite her father’s objections played by Bruce Greenwood.  He is not the evil, controlling father to be that way he does have a reason.  Mr. Pettyfer is a good actor I hope he does better parts.  In this version David is a more caring guy than in the 1981.  He seemed like an over the top lust fiend. Who is outstanding is his black friend Mace (Dayo Okeniyi) as comic relief and he is so funny.  I also hope betters parts for him.

DIVERGENT

ACTION/SCI-FI

PLOT:  Teenaged girl must decide what fraction she belongs.

                This is a low-rent Hunger Games. The meaning of divergent means to be develops in different direction. In the distant future of Chicago teens are divided into different groups and Beatrice (Tris) Prior (played very well by Shailene Woodley) is happy to go to the military group when she meets and falls in love with Four (Theo James).  The good:  Female lead and can defend herself.  Action is very good when it happens.  The Bad:  Usually a white girl as the lead-never a minority but Zoe Kravitz (daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz) is what else her friend.  The movie is based on a novel by the same name and it is a trilogy so expect two more movies if not more.

CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 : THE WNTER SOILDER

ACTION/FANTASY

PLOT:  The sequel to Marvel’s first avenger.

                Captain America (Chris Evans) still has to deal with his new modern environment, face a person from his past and gets a sidekick The Falcon (Anthony Mackie).  The plot is better than usual comic book movies and the action sequences are just fantastic!!!  It is surpasses the original!!  If you love superhero movies this one is for you!!  Don’t jump up after the credits!!!

 

 

Animated DVDs in Early 2014

JUSTICE LEAGUE:  WAR

ANIMATED

PLOT:  Superheroes fight against Darkseid.

                Based on the graphic novel Geoff Johns, Jim Lee and Scott Williams in 2011, the classic superheroes band together to take down Darkseid. There are a few changes from the animation than the graphic novel but I don’t know why so if you can read the comic book first. Action is very good and there will be sequels.  These animated movies are so short but so good.  I can’t wait!!!

AVENGERS CONFIDENTAL:  BLACK WIDOW AND PUNISHER

ANIMATED

PLOT:  Punisher reluctantly joins SHIELD to save the world from a terrorist organization.

                The best part of the action-filled movie is the Punisher!!!  He is the reason you should see this  film!!  He is a one-man army.  Plot really not important as Punisher starring in any movie of Marvel Universe.  He should have a series but it must be on late night, cable channel for he is very, very, violent!!

THE PROTECTOR 2

ACTION

PLOT:  Tony Jaa is back to save his elephant and takes on and takes out whoever gets in his way.

                The plot is really not important but the brutal, fantastic fighting sequences are dazzling!!  Rza is just wicked as the Crime Lord.  Jeeja Yanin the  only lady doing martial arts and she is excellent!!  She takes a beating and takes it too.  Marrese Crump is amazing in this flick.  He goes toe-to-toe with Jaa and it is AWESOME!!  He has a future in action films!!

2014 Winter Popcorn Movie Wrap-up

I, FRANKENSTEIN

ACTION/HORROR

PLOT:  Graphic novel of the same name based on the classic novel by Mary Shelley.

                Kevin Grevioux who wrote Underworld and now made a movie by his graphic novel.  This creation lives forever, strong, fast and wants to help mankind.  He is in a war between demons and gargoyles.  Why is Aaron Eckhart wanted to star in this is beyond me.  A lot of talented people are in this film but it is such a mess!!  Worth a look on video.

THE LEGO MOVIE

ANIMATED/ACTION/COMEDY

PLOT:  An ordinary construction worker could be the extraordinary Master builder to save the Lego universe.

Emmet is an ordinary small figure who discovers he is the most important person in his world and must save it from the evil tyrant trying to stop any rebellion!!  The cute story is really about everyone is something special and about a busy father and his lonely son. It sounds crazy until you watch the film.   There are a lot of things adults understand in the movie more than the kids. I love the pop song Everything is Awesome.  You and your children will enjoy it. 

ROBOCOP 2014

SCI-FI/ACTION

PLOT: A remake of the classic film of 1987

                Fans are going to debate these two movies endlessly.  Which is better, which is worse and should it be made at all.  I loved the movie in 1987.  Some called it cheesy I called it good.  The updated version is not bad.  Special effects wise it is very superior to the older version.  The story is about can you make a machine that is still human and both of the films explore that.   The older movie has  Peter Weller as Alex Murphy and the new one stars Joel Kinnaman Both films have good parts in them but if you don’t like RoboCop to begin with don’t go.  If you do like these kinds of movie go.

3 DAYS TO KILL

ACTION

PLOT:  Aging CIA hitman has a rare disease and if he finishes one more assignment he is free from the agency.

                Have you heard this story before?  Yes you have but plot and stock characters are not important but the action is!!!  It has humor and heart.  I am very sure it will do much better on video than in theaters.