You're Next

You're Next reinvents the genre by putting a fresh twist on home-invasion horror. When a gang of masked, ax-wielding murderers descend upon the Davison family reunion, the hapless victims seem trapped...until an unlikely guest of the family proves to be the most talented killer of all.

This movie started out pretty damn awesome.  It was intense and definitely made you jump a couple of times so you were good if you're a fan of that.  There was definite gore in the killings for fans of that.  I thought this was going to be one of those random quietly released horror movies that is a million times better than the massively advertised ones.  And then they started with a "story" and had the need for twists that weren't too hard to figure out before they happened and the movie pretty much fell right into the toilet.  It was very disappointing because the first half of it was great.

I wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time with this.  It basically became a homemade scary/horror movie that tried to be too smart for its own good.

The World's End

Director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunite for a third film following the successes Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). In The World's End, 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World's End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind's. Reaching The World's End is the least of their worries.

As a whole, this movie is beyond silly and completely pointless.  However, I really like watching Simon Pegg and Nick Frost together.  They just make me laugh regardless of what is happening in the movie or how over the top it goes.  Their chemistry is priceless and always hits me as funny. 

Breaking it down to recommendation - I would say that if you feel the same way as I do about their previous offerings - then you should check this movie out.  If you never saw any of their previous offerings there really isn't a reason to start now and if you didn't like them - you will definitely not like this one.

Planes

From above the world of Cars comes Planes, an action-packed animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty's courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar.

This movie is basically the "stories" of Cars and Cars 2 mushed into one and they are flying instead of driving.  That's really it.  There is not much else to say about this.  It was originally going to a straight to DVD release before Disney realized that they could make more money releasing this at the end of summer when there isn't much other family fare out there and make a bunch of money off of 3D pricing when parents have to take their kids to it.  Pixar's name isn't even on this.

I wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time with this movie.  It's a blatant waste of time and just for young kids.  Wait until its on dvd and put it on for them then so you don't get stuck having to watch it.

The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones

Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series.

I expected this movie to basically be Twilightish because of the whole teen/young adult reading connection and what not. For the first half of the movie, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't like that at all. They did a good job of setting up the story and the pacing was really good with all the information needed to properly establish everything. Then, about halfway through the movie, it flipped very hard core into the Twilightish realm I was expecting and it really slowed the movie down for about 1/2 hour before picking up again with tons of crazy action at the end with the shadow hunters and werewolves fighting the demons.

I would actually recommend people checking this out though. Even though there is the Twilight vibe for parts of it, the movie did a great job of creating this world with all the different supernatural types are involved and established a lot of connections between the main characters that could lead to some interesting payoffs be it in the books they are based on or future installments of the movie.

The Butler

The Butler tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man’s life and family.

I LOVED this movie.  Absolutely loved it.  I would say this is the best movie of the year so far.  The character development and the constant changes in their perspective as they went through all of society's changes over the three decades was so well done.  The actors that showed up to play the presidents during that amount of time was also very entertaining.  The movie honestly felt a lot like Forrest Gump with how it went through all the changing times.  I think that there will be a lot of Academy Award nominations for this movie and quite deservedly so.

I give this movie a must see stamp.  It is the best movie I've seen all year so far and everyone should see this for it's entertainment, education of history and great acting/directing throughout.

Kick-Ass 2

When we last saw junior assassin Hit-Girl and young vigilante Kick-Ass, they were trying to live as normal teenagers Mindy and Dave. With graduation looming and uncertain what to do, Dave decides to start the world's first superhero team with Mindy. Unfortunately, when Mindy is busted for sneaking out as Hit-Girl, she's forced to retire—leaving her to navigate the terrifying world of high-school mean girls on her own. With no one left to turn to, Dave joins forces with Justice Forever, run by a born-again ex-mobster named Colonel Stars and Stripes. Just as they start to make a real difference on the streets, the world's first super villain, The Mother F-er, assembles his own evil league and puts a plan in motion to make Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl pay for what they did to his dad. But there's only one problem with his scheme: If you mess with one member of Justice Forever, you mess with them all.

This was mostly more of the same from the first.  The main difference was that the first one was an "original" idea that went along with the over the top foul language and violence.  So this one is much more campy with the language and violence playing out without the originality from the first one.  It's still fun for anyone that enjoyed the first movie, but it's much more predictable and silly.

I would definitely recommend anyone who enjoyed the original to check this out.  It's still funny/enjoyable and Hit Girl is still awesome.  Just don't expect much in the line of a storyline or anything like that.

JOBS

It only takes one person to start a revolution.  The extraordinary story of Steve Jobs, the original innovator and ground-breaking entrepreneur who let nothing stand in the way of greatness.  The film tells the epic and turbulent story of Jobs as he blazed a trail that changed technology and the world -- forever.

I am not sure how I felt about this movie.  It wasn't bad.  It was actually kind of good for what it was.  But the moment the movie was over - there was nothing to really hold on to for me to even write here.  Actually, the more I think about it - they didn't even get into the Iphone or I-anything for that matter . . . . . . or his battle with cancer.  It pretty much got up to the late 80s.  I felt like half the story was just kind of left out there.  I think that they could have sped up the process and told more of a complete story.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to see this.  Again - its not bad.  Its a somewhat decent watch but incomplete for me. 

Paranoia

The high stakes thriller Paranoia takes us deep behind the scenes of global success to a deadly world of greed and deception. The two most powerful tech billionaires in the world (Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman) are bitter rivals with a complicated past who will stop at nothing to destroy each other. A young superstar (Liam Hemsworth), seduced by unlimited wealth and power falls between them, and becomes trapped in the middle of the twists and turns of their life-and-death game of corporate espionage. By the time he realizes his life is in danger, he is in far too deep and knows far too much for them to let him walk away. 

This movie was pretty much a giant snoozer.  I actually fell asleep twice during it.  Needless to say this is very disappointing for a movie with both Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman in it.  It was a suspense type of movie with pretty much no suspense.  And the Liam Hemsworth guy pretty much brings absolutely nothing to the plate whatsoever. 

I wouldn't recommend people wasting their time with this one.  It's not horrible but it not really a good movie either. 

We're The Millers

David Burke (Jason Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids—after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms). In order to wipe the slate clean—and maintain a clean bill of health—David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing Brad’s latest shipment in from Mexico. Twisting the arms of his neighbors, cynical stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston) and wannabe customer Kenny (Will Poulter), and the tatted-and-pierced streetwise teen Casey (Emma Roberts), he devises a foolproof plan. One fake wife, two pretend kids and a huge, shiny RV later, the "Millers" are headed south of the border for a Fourth of July weekend that is sure to end with a bang.

This movie was really funny.  Great casting on all of the "family" members.  And although a lot of the humor was raunchy, it was still filled with huge laughs.  The movie kept going into heartfelt/mushy territory but kept coming back with laughs so it stayed fresh.  Jason Sudekis was great in playing off the other four and with his delivery on many different levels.  Hopefully this movie really helps him breakout because I think he is great.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  Be warned about the raunchy factor but its still full of tons of laughs.

Elysium

In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined planet. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the crime and poverty that is now rampant throughout the land. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.

The number one rule of a good sci-fi movie is that it makes its "world" seem real.  This movie nailed that.  It also nailed good vs evil, upper class vs lower class and how self sacrifice is good for the greater good story points with great pacing and performances.  The action was awesome and Sharlito Copley as the crazy mercenary was so totally badass.  He really stole the show.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It was a great sci-fi movie with awesome action and a great future line of thinking that can be compared to present day on a smaller scale.

2 Guns

For the past 12 months, DEA agent Bobby Trench (Washington) and U.S. naval intelligence officer Marcus Stigman (Wahlberg) have been reluctantly attached at the hip. Working undercover as members of a narcotics syndicate, each man distrusts his partner as much as the criminals they have both been tasked to take down.  When their attempt to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel and recover millions goes haywire, Trench and Stigman are suddenly disavowed by their superiors. Now that everyone wants them in jail or in the ground, the only person they can count on is the other. Unfortunately for their pursuers, when good guys spend years pretending to be bad, they pick up a few tricks along the way.

Every once in a while a movie has such chemistry between the actors that the movie is great simply because of that.  2 Guns is one of those movies.  The chemistry between Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg was amazing.  The craziness of the story and how many people were involved in trying to get the two of them got turned from totally implausible to completely entertaining because of the two actors.  

I would definitely recommend people check this out.  It was a hell of a fun movie with some of the best on screen chemistry I've seen in awhile.

Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station follows the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother (Octavia Spencer), whose birthday falls on New Year’s Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), who he hasn’t been completely honest with as of late, and being a better father to Tatiana (Ariana Neal), their beautiful four year-old daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family, and strangers, Oscar starts out well, but as the day goes on, he realizes that change is not going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn, however, when BART officers shoot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year’s Day. Oscar’s life and tragic death would shake the Bay Area – and the entire nation – to its very core.

This was a movie both incredibly simple and incredibly powerful at the same time.  You basically follow him through his last day alive knowing he is going to be unjustly killed at the end.  It's no different from anyone else's normal day at one time or another.  It's just a matter of being the wrong guy in the wrong place with the wrong people.  It really shows how much ignorance and racism/stereotypes there are in the world still.

I would definitely recommend people check this out.  It's very eye opening.

Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters

Based on the publishing phenomenon, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters continues the young demigod's epic journey to fulfill his destiny. To save their world, Percy and his friends must find the fabled and magical Golden Fleece. Embarking on a treacherous odyssey into the uncharted waters of the Sea of Monsters (known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle), they battle terrifying creatures, an army of zombies, and the ultimate Evil. 

This was pretty much more of the same from the first one. I read all the books and enjoyed them so I was glad they decided to continue the franchise.  It's got good characters, story and effects.  It's like Harry Potter lite with Greek mythology instead of magic.

Anyone who enjoyed the first one is sure to enjoy this one as well.  I definitely recommend this movie to those people.

The Smurfs 2

In this sequel to Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation's hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster comedy "The Smurfs," the evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants, and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world's greatest sorcerer. It's up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our time, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus – or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue? 

This was pretty much just an extension of the first one.  It's a family movie for those of you with younger kids.  It's not awful for the parents to sit through, but it's not really enjoyable for you either.  It's just kind of there.  There are some laughs sprinkled here and there but this one is really for the kids.

I would recommend anyone with kids 8 or under going to check this out.  Can't go wrong with The Smurfs for the young ones.  Enjoy it while you can.