G.I. Joe: Retaliation

In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. 

This was pretty much more what I had wanted from the first GI Joe movie.  Not that the first one was bad but in terms of production value it was lacking.  This one had a much better look to it and much less forced effects/action.  It also had The Rock and as I've been saying for a long time - The Rock just makes everything better.  Not sure that anything will match the adrenaline/testosterone rush of him and Vin Diesel on screen together but him and Snake Eyes came pretty close.  There really wasn't much in the way of a complicated story or anything in this movie but was anyone really looking for one.  This was a fun, brainless action movie based on my favorite childhood toys.

I would recommend anyone interested in these type of movies checking this out.  It's not great.  It's not bad either.   It's a good watch and I liked it better than the first one.

The Croods

The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world's first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures - and their outlook is changed forever.

This movie was great on so many levels.  The animation was awesome.  The family dynamics were so portrayed in both comedic and dramatic ways.  The cave people seeing and learning about things for the first time was well scripted and hilarious.  The whole family of characters was very well developed.  This is definitely one of those movies where the adults can enjoy it just as much if not more than the kids that they are taking to see it.

I fully recommend that people check this out.  It's easily one of the better movies to come out so far this year and was very entertaining and enjoyable for all ages.

Admission

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd star in Admission, a movie about the surprising detours we encounter on the road to happiness. Straight-laced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan (Fey) is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school overseen by her former college classmate, the free-wheeling John Pressman (Rudd). Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Soon, Portia finds herself bending the rules for Jeremiah, putting at risk the life she thought she always wanted -- but in the process finding her way to a surprising and exhilarating life and romance she never dreamed of having. 

This could have been a great comedy with the talents of Tina Fey, Paul Rudd and Lily Tomlin.  Unfortunately, they overloaded this movie with so much unneccesary heartstring pulling drama that all laughs kind of go by the wayside and the movie ends up being very heavy on the waa-waa and just kind of circles the drain for 2 hours.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this movie.  It's really not a comedy.   It's too all over the place to be a legit drama.  It really just doesn't know what it wants to be and is a waste of your time.

The Call

When veteran 911 operator, Jordan (Halle Berry), takes a life-altering call from a teenage girl (Abigail Breslin) who has just been abducted, she realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl's life.

This was essentially a movie length version of a Criminal Minds episode.  It wasn't bad.  It wasn't great.  If you like procedural tv shows like Criminal Minds or SVU - then I have no doubt that you'll like the movie.  There really isn't much else to say other than that I could have done without the weird close up in tight spaces camera work.  Did they think that would make it more realistic or something?  Ultimately - just got annoying.

I would again recommend this movie to anyone that likes those procedural type tv shows.  Based on this being exactly that - you definitely get what is advertised. 

Olympus Has Fallen

When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning's inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President, and avert an even bigger disaster.

This movie was a straight up throwback to 80's/90's popcorn action movies.  Like the good Jerry Bruckheimer films that would come out every summer.  Lots of action.  Good guys getting the bad guys.  Good and basic shut your brain off and enjoy the show entertainment.  And it was great to finally see Gerard Butler back in the kind of performance that his career was made on from 300.  Enough of the romantic comedies, fella! 

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It's an awesomely entertaining roller coaster ride of a movie.

Spring Breakers

Spring Breakers tells the story of four sexy college girls as they plan to fund their spring break getaway by burglarizing a fast food shack. But that's only the beginning... At a motel room rager, fun reaches its legal limit and the girls are arrested and taken to jail. Hungover and clad only in bikinis, the girls appear before a judge but are bailed out unexpectedly by Alien (James Franco), an infamous local thug who takes them under his wing and leads them on the wildest Spring Break trip in history. Rough on the outside but with a soft spot inside, Alien wins over the hearts of the young Spring Breakers, and leads them on a Spring Break they never could have imagined.

How in the blue hell did this movie get such raving reviews.  I watched the trailer and couldn't for the life of me understand how the reviews I was hearing were paired with this movie.  I thought maybe it was a great movie that was just pushing the 'girls gone wild" and drug/thug angle to pull in that audience too.  I was wrong.  And so were all the great reviews.   It is nothing more than a "girls gone wild" and drug/thug themed movie with James Franco playing an incredibly annoying character and the direction, while trying to be artsy, really only accomplished being annoying.

I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this movie out.  It was a giant turd and a complete waste of time based on moronic critics praising it for some completely unknown reason.

Oz The Great And Powerful

Oz The Great and Powerful, directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot--fame and fortune are his for the taking--that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity--and even a bit of wizardry--Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

I had heard nothing but horrible things about this movie. So I'm not sure if I enjoyed the movie because my expectations had been so lowered or not but I did. I wouldnt say that the movie was awesome and what not but it reminded me a lot of the recent Alice In Wonderland and I think I might have liked it more than that. It was very campy and there were tons of random fantasy characters. I thought James Franco did a good job and I liked the back and forth between the three witches.

Again - not sure if my lowered expectations effected my take on the movie but I liked it. I guess I would recommend people going to check it out with the same lowered expectations.

Dead Man Down

Dead Man Down is an action thriller that stars Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace as two strangers whose mutual desire for revenge draws them together and triggers an escalating trail of mayhem. The film also stars Academy Award-nominee Terrence Howard and Dominic Cooper.
 
If this movie could have been edited a lot tighter, I probably would have loved it. I liked the story very much, the dynamics between Colin Farrell and the girl and the tension that developed throughout but there was too much time that led to a lot of dragging and pensive staring.   The ending confrontation was awesome.

I'd still recommend people who were interested in seeing it check it out. Its a good watch but about 20-30 minutes too long.

James The Giant Slayer

Jack the Giant Slayer tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend—and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

I'm not really sure how I felt about this movie.  It was watchable and the battle that it built up to was pretty cool with the special effects and what not.  But the movie felt like it was just kind of there.  I wasn't at any point fully involved or engaged with the movie.  I was basically watching it because it was on the screen.  There was no real hook to keep my interest. 

Not sure on any sort of a recommendation.  Again - it's not that I didn't like the movie.  It was definitely watchable, but it was just kind of there.  I just saw the movie a couple of hours ago and to be honest, I'm bored just to be writing about it.

21 And Over

Straight-A college student Jeff Chang has always done what’s expected of him. But when his two best friends Casey and Miller surprise him with a visit for his 21st birthday, he decides to do the unexpected for a change, even though his critical medical school interview is early the next morning. What was supposed to be one beer becomes one night of chaos, over indulgence and utter debauchery in this outrageous comedy.

I had really wanted this movie to be funny and Hangover like. So many movies (including Hangover 2) have tried to capture that over the top one night partying comedy aura and have fallen way short. I think this movie probably has come the closest by far. There were plenty of big laughs and the bantering between the three guys was great. I'm not going to say that I laughed my ass off from start to finish, but I definitely enjoyed the movie alot.

I would recommend anyone interested in seeing this to check it out. It was very funny and didnt drag at all due to the short run time.

The Last Exorcism - Part II

Continuing where the first film left off, Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) is found terrified and alone in rural Louisiana. Back in the relative safety of New Orleans, Nell realizes that she can't remember entire portions of the previous months only that she is the last surviving member of her family. Just as Nell begins the difficult process of starting a new life, the evil force that once possessed her is back with other, unimaginably horrific plans that mean her last exorcism was just the beginning. 

This was pretty much crap. It should have been a straight to dvd movie. I liked how it picked up right from the first one but that was literally it. The first one was good because of the whole hand held camera/homemade movie thing. This movie abandoned that. The other one even though it was PG-13 still had crazy exorcist type stuff. This one had none. It was beyond watered down and lame.

I would recommend this movie to nobody. It's pretty much a giant waste of 90 minutes.