Genre: Action

Year: 2012

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas

Director: Dan Bradley

My Review: Surely this must be a parody, right? Unfortunately its not. Someone thought that making a 'remake' of Red Dawn would be a good idea. Every since remake has been rebranded as 'Re-imagining', we've been inundated with a spate of un-original rip-offs that purport to recapture the theatrical fervor and audience of the original movies: Witness - Godzilla (1998), Planet of the Apes (2001), The Fog (2005), The Stepford Wives (2004), Taxi (2004) and countless others. Here is the classic story of the 'Wolverines' a group of high school kids turned warriors in an insurgency to free America from the godless horde of Soviets / Umm, strike that and replace with North Koreans… What? Who could possibly imagine that the North Koreans could conquer our nation of warriors? The independent spirit of America certainly couldn't be overcome by a nation such as North Korea - Even if they were 'assisted' by the Russians. While it may be expedient, and politically o.k. to pose the adversary as North Korea, the realm of possibility strains at credulity when the writers undertook such a screenplay. The plot is idiotic. I read on Wikipedia that the studio changed the invaders from Chinese to North Koreans - Perhaps for 'political' reasons? The movie was supposed to be released in 2010, but it took them a long time to re-jigger the movie so that the bad guys were North Koreans, not Chinese Communists. This switcheroo makes the movie completely unbelievable. In addition to the preposterous premise of a North Korean 'Invasion' - Using what a couple of fishing boats? Was our entire navy asleep for two months while the North Koreans crossed the ocean in their massive fleet of troop carriers? After they got past our forces in Korean and Japan, they leveraged their world class logistical capability which allowed them to cross the ocean, engage in a land battle in North America and then supply an occupation force. Oh wait I forgot, somehow they incapacitated our entire military (including US Forces in Korea and Japan) with a cyber attack - Right! Well, I think I've said enough about that. Enter the 20+ year old teenagers. Yeah, these are supposed to be High School students, you know - The Wolverines. The High School mascot is the Wolverines, so the kids playing the guerilla insurgents should be teenagers, right? Maybe 18 at the most. Umm, no, the actors are primarily aged 24 or 25. And of course every single one of them is a super model in their spare time. The timeline of the movie was compressed in order to give us a false sense of character development, but the acting (other than Chris Hemsworth - who provided a passable performance) reminded us that these young actors had no idea who they were supposed to be, or who they were supposed to be friends with. Josh Peck in the lead role was useless. What a horrible casting decision that was. The fact that Chris Hemsworth and Josh Peck were supposed to be playing brothers was another stretch. They don't look vaguely alike. The use and overuse of CGI and digital effects doesn't help as it's obvious and strained. The screenplay was a joke, the direction extremely poor, the dialogue reused, the acting weak and the ending non-existent. 1 out of 5.

Summary: The city of Spokane, Washington is awakened by a North Korean paratrooper invasion. Marine Corps veteran Jed Eckert and his civilian brother, Matt, escape with a group of friends to an isolated cabin in the woods, where they witness the execution of their father at the hands of the ruthless Captain Cho. The brothers unite with their friends to form a guerrilla resistance group--the Wolverines--to drive the invaders from their home.

Genre: Action & Adventure

Year: 1992

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie, Richard Grove

Director: Sam Raimi

My Review: I've owned this movie since the early 90s, but didn't write a movie review until 2018. How could that have happened? I love this movie! It's a cult favorite, and one of my favorites. A favorite of many. The movie was Written by Sam and Ivan Raimi. Directed by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Darkman, The Quick and the Dead, A Simple Plan, Spider Man 1-3, Oz the Great and Powerful). Starring Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert and others. Here is the story of a simple man - Ash Williams, S-Mart department store clerk turned reluctant defender of humanity in the ongoing struggle of good versus the evil Deadites! This movie picks up where Evil Dead II leaves off; but one doesn't need to see any of the previous films (Evil Dead and Evil Dead II) to enjoy this movie - and it is by far the most enjoyable of the series. The movie begins as Ash is transported along with his 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, into the dark ages - 1,300 AD to be precise. There he is captured by Lord Arthur, becomes a slave, is thrown into a pit, defeats a series of monsters and goes on to become a Hero! The adventure has just begun. Although the movie is only 80 some minutes long, it's crammed full of adventure and horror. The pace is break-neck as Ash struggles to survive and find a way home while fighting the forces of evil arrayed against him. I love the way that the film incorporates elements of popular fiction into an original (if somewhat derivative) tale of pure fantasy. The acting is amateurish but sincere, and the direction is designed to give you a sense of otherworldly wonder. The music is excellent, including the March of the Dead soundtrack by Danny Elfman. The effects are primitive and laughable but altogether charming when paired with the 'Shatneresque' acting of Bruce Campbell. This movie is a laugh-out loud, quotable, flight of fantasy where Ash wins the day, defeats the Deadites and wins the girl, or does he? The original ending (restored in the Director's Cut) is the best. This movie earns an eternal 5 out of 5. I own numerous copies, and anyone who can quote from this movie is an instant friend.

Summary: Ash is transported with his car to 1,300 A.D., where he is captured by Lord Arthur and turned slave with Duke Henry the Red and a couple of his men. When Ash is thrown into a pit, he defeats two monsters and wins respect of Arthur's army and vassals. The Wiseman points Ash as The Chosen One that will retrieve the Necronomicon but Ash is only interested in returning home. When he learns that the only way to return to his time is using the Necronomicon, Ash decides to travel to the unholy land of the Deadites. The Wiseman advises that he must say the words "Klaatu Barada Nikto" to safely get the evil book. However, Ash forgets the last word and an army of the dead resurrects to attack Arthur fortress and recover the Necronomicon. The battle between the living and the dead is about to start and the support of Henry the Red is the only way to help Ash and Arthur to defeat the army of darkness.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller

Year: 2012

Country: USA, Japan

Rating:

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Scott Glenn, Stacy Keach, Edward Norton, Donna Murphy

Director: Tony Gilroy

My Review: With the popularity of Matt Damon behind them, the owners of this franchise felt that they could still capitalize on the name 'Bourne'. To try and compete with a rebooting 'James Bond', they resurrected the 'Bourne'. They found a good action actor in Jeremy Renner, a still hot Rachel Weisz as the obligatory eye candy for guys. The rest of the cast was likewise well selected. You can't really go wrong with Edward Norton, Scott Glenn, David Straithairm and others. The cast did a good job in this movie and the action scenes were extremely well done. The story - The events of this movie appear to take place just after the time of the Bourne Ultimatum. A reporter is planning to go public with a story about 'Treadstone and Black Briar'; covert operations that involved Jason Bourne and an long line of government spooks. The spooky bosses are concerned that this could spell their doom, so they order everything shut down. All their operations, all their black projects. Everyone involved must disappear, including those involved with an operation called 'Outcome' - One such agent trained under the 'Outcome' project is 'Aaron Cross' (played by Jeremy Renner). When they attempt to eliminate their assets, Aaron survives (of course!). What follows is a crazy chase movie where Cross must discover the truth behind the program he's part off and why they're trying to kill him! There's no point in trying to follow the movie beyond that plot point. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. The action and eye candy is the only reason to watch this movie. What a waste of good talent. The producers assembled an excellent cast only to waste them on a poorly written screenplay. As I said earlier, I think they were trying to capitalize on the franchise, and the names involved while simultaneously maintaining a spot in the market for future 'Bourne' movies. The movie doesn't live up to the standards of outrageous action and dramatic acting from the previous films. Jeremy Renner is good to look at, but he doesn't have the gravitas or acting experience that Matt Damon brought to the franchise. The character development was very thin, the story not rich enough and the action not hot enough. The film work and technical aspects were expertly handled, but at the end of the day the script was the weakest point in this film. I give it a 3 out of 5, which means I liked it, but this movie rates as an action flick and nothing more.

Summary: The events in this movie take place around the same time as the events in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). When a British reporter was writing an expose about Black Ops operations Treadstone and Black Briar, and the ones responsible for them are concerned. And when Jason Bourne, former Treadstone operative got the file on Treadstone and Black Briar and gave it to Pamela Landy who then passed it to the media. When the men behind Treadstone and Black Briar learn of this, they're concerned how this will affect other ops they have. They decide it's best to shut down all ops and make sure make everyone involved disappears. They try to take out Aaron Cross who is part of another op called Outcome, but he manages to survive. He then seeks out Dr. Marta Shearing who worked on him when he began. It seems part of the program is for all subjects to take medications but he has run out, which is why he seeks her. But someone tries to kill her. He saves her and she tells him, he should have stopped ...

Genre: Comedy

Year: 2014

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Nealon, Terry Crews, Wendi McLendon-Covey

Director: Frank Coraci

My Review: The only reason to watch this movie is the two leads: Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Hoping to capitalize on the chemistry that lifted Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates to Box Office Stardom, the producers paired these two in a crappy Rom-Com vehicle called 'Blended'. The movie was written by two people (Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera) and directed by a third (Frank Coraci). This is never a good thing, and the director doesn't have that good of a record. He's directed a lot of Adam Sandler movies, but when Adam isn't a main attraction, Coraci's lack of talent shines through. In this movie, Adam and Drew play single parents who get together on a blind date and immediately bail. As fate may have it, they're forced back together, in the same suite, with their kids in tow (somehow the fact that he has three daughters and she has two sons is supposed to be integral to the movie - like they would make a blended family if they got together?), on the same African safari - So much for scoring that free vacation! The premise is forced, and the supporting cast annoying. Eventually, Drew, Adam and their kids grow to like each other. The acting is strained, and you get the feeling that they're trying really hard to like each other. It's not a terrible movie, but it's really difficult to like it. Stale acting (Drew Barrymore and Adam Sadler aren't exactly known for their acting chops), an extremely bland plot, mediocre jokes and poor direction conspire to make this movie forgettable. This review is just as awful as the movie, but at least its honest about it. 2 out of 5.

Summary: After a blind date gone horribly wrong, Jim and Lauren agree they never, ever want to see each other again. Well, that's all about to change when the two find themselves and their respective families (including children) all stuck together in one suite at an African Safari vacation spot.

Genre: Science Fiction

Year: 1970

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent, William Schallert, Leonid Rostoff

Director: Joseph Sargent

My Review: A movie who's time has come again. They really should do a remake of this 1970 film. It's so pertinent in today's society. As we rush head-long towards autonomous weapons and AI computers, we really should think about what's in store. Here's a dark Sci-Fi thriller with a message from the past for the future. In a misguided belief that dispassionate, logical, reasoning - artificial intelligence - will prevent war, the US government turns over control of its nuclear missiles to a supercomputer. It’s a doomsday trigger under computer control. We will not be blackmailed by socio-political concerns, our response to threats of war will be completely logical and unmoderated by willful and fallible humans. What the computer does next is something the creators never imagined. Screenplay and direction by Joseph Sargent (Credited (per IMDB) with 93 director credits during his career. Mostly television episodes, but also a smattering of Espionage, War and Thriller movies). The movie is based on one of a trilogy of books by D.F. (Dennis Feltham) Jones. The movie stars Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent and many others. It's a dark, cautionary tale of mans hubris and technological advancement. Without spoiling the movie, I can tell you that it's a cold war thriller that pits the United States against the Soviet Union. The stakes are thermonuclear war, but humans don't get to call the shots. These words spoken to mankind by the 'Supercomputer' may interest you: "This is the voice of world control. I bring you peace. It may be the peace of plenty and content. Or the peace of unburied death. The choice is yours. Obey me and live, or disobey and die". A fantastic, thrilling and totally believable movie, given todays AI developments. An underrated Sci-Fi gem that must be seen. The only problem I had with the film was the ending, which kind of sucked. After a bit of research, it appears that there might be a remake on the way. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Summary: Forbin is the designer of an incredibly sophisticated computer that will run all of America's nuclear defenses. Shortly after being turned on, it detects the existence of Guardian, the Soviet counterpart, previously unknown to US Planners. Both computers insist that they be linked, and after taking safeguards to preserve confidential material, each side agrees to allow it. As soon as the link is established the two become a new Super computer and threaten the world with the immediate launch of nuclear weapons if they are detached. Colossus begins to give its plans for the management of the world under its guidance. Forbin and the other scientists form a technological resistance to Colossus which must operate underground.

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Year: 1975

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton

Director: Steven Spielberg

My Review: I can't believe I haven't written a review for this movie (yet). I've owned a copy of Jaws for many years. I first saw it back in the 70s or 80s, I can't remember precisely when. I rewatched it recently (Sep of 2014), and have to say - It's still a killer of a movie. Directed by Steven Spielberg (Surely you've heard of him? Schindler's List, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark). Screenolay by Peter Benchley (based on his novel) and Carl Gottlieb. Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and many others. It’s a quiet New England summer on Amity Island (aka Martha's Vineyard), a perfect night to go Skinny Dipping. Feel the cool waters against the flesh of your young supple body. Feel the terror flash through your mind when the rough skin of something very large buffets your legs. Imagine the shock and horror when the razor sharp teeth clamp onto your torso… Jaws is the shocking and terrible tale of actual possibility. There are no little green men in this movie. No possible threats of world war, no improbable scenarios involving complex plots and random killers - Here's the cold hard facts of the downright probable. This could easily happen tomorrow! The plot of the movie is extremely simple. Sheriff Martin Brody (played by Roy Scheider) discovers the remains of a shark attack victim on the beach of his sleepy little bedroom community. He wants to close the beaches, but the Mayor doesn't like this idea - It's the 1st of July! Tourist season is just about to begin. What follows is a horrific head-long dive into a dramatic tale unlike any other. The soundwork and music were truly outstanding in this movie, and much of my memory of this movie is fueled by the music produced by John Williams. The acting is great and the story is a blockbuster. This movie deserves all three of the Oscars it won (best sound, best music, best film editing). I give it a 5 out of 5.

Summary: It's a hot summer on Amity Island, a small community whose main business is its beaches. When new Sheriff Martin Brody discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers. This doesn't sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator. The dead boy's mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward. A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they're going to need a bigger boat.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Year: 2012

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker

Director: David O. Russell

My Review: I was actually surprised by this movie. Writing the review many years later, I realize it was better than I initially gave it credit for. Based on a novel (same name) by Matthew Quick, the screen play and direction were both done by the same person: David O. Russell (Spanking the Monkey, Three Kings, American Hustle). It's a very good thing when the director also wrote the screenplay. The movie stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and others. In this movie, Pat Solitano (played by Bradley Cooper) moves back in with his parents after a brief stay in a 'mental hospital' - He snapped when he found his wife having an affair. Back living with his parents he's trying to get his life back on track. Now divorced, and learning to cope with his illness, his life becomes more complicated when he meets Tiffany; a woman with problems of her own. This is a great Rom-Com with some deeper emotions than your typical Rom-Com. It's more than just a laugh fest. The difficult social issues make for a better, more realistic drama. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I need to watch it again.

Summary: Against medical advice and without the knowledge of her husband Pat Solatano Sr., caring Dolores Solatano discharges her adult son, Pat Solatano Jr., from a Maryland mental health institution after his minimum eight month court ordered stint. The condition of the release includes Pat Jr. moving back in with his parents in their Philadelphia home. Although Pat Jr.'s institutionalization was due to him beating up the lover of his wife Nikki, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Nikki has since left him and has received a restraining order against him. Although he is on medication (which he doesn't take because of the way it makes him feel) and has mandatory therapy sessions, Pat Jr. feels like he can manage on the outside solely by healthy living and looking for the "silver linings" in his life. His goals are to get his old job back as a substitute teacher, but more importantly reunite with Nikki. He finds there are certain instances where he doesn't cope well, however no less so ...

Genre: Action, Sci Fi

Year: 2014

Country: USA, Canada

Rating:

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Jonas Armstrong

Director: Doug Liman

My Review: Directed by Doug Liman (Swingers, The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) Starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and many others. Here's a Sci-Fi movie with an excellent script/story. Aliens are invading the Earth, and they're easily defeating everything we can throw at them. Major William Cage (played by Tom Cruise) is the latest recruit. He's never seen combat before - but the planet is desperate, and Cage is next in line. He's suited up, put on a transport, and dropped into the 'Kill Zone' - It's a suicide mission - Or is it? The Sci-Fi part of the plot involves a 'Time-Loop' Cage has to relive his failures over and over again, learning something new every time. Fighting alongside the 'Legendary' uber-warrior 'Rita Vrataski' (played by Emily Blunt), eventually he may get it right. It's either that or keep trying until his mind can't take it any more. The Transformer-like battle scenes - With the soldiers wearing 'Mech-Warrior' inspired 'Powered-Armor' (ala Storm Troopers/the novel), the cgi-laden choreography is expertly overlaid with the fly-by-wire ballet of actors on green screens. Once you get past the artificial environment, you can realize who good the plot is. With it's ironic time-looping lines and character driven dialog; this movie is far better than it's block-buster outward appearances would suggest. A great script backed by some serious money? I thought Hollywood couldn't back anything original. This one gets a 5 out of 5, and I bought a copy.

Summary: An alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Vrataski take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy!

Genre: Horror, Sci Fi

Year: 2000

Country: USA, Germany

Rating:

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Colton James, Dylan Baker, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Gerry Becker

Director: Tarsem Singh

My Review: Highly visual film by music video director Tarsem Singh. This movie is his only feature length motion picture credit. The screenplay was written by Mark Protosevich (I am Legend and Oldboy), who doesn't have too many credits behind his name. The movie stars Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio and others. The best acting (in my opinion) came from Vincent D'Onofrio as the very creepy antagonist Carl Stargher. Jennifer Lopez plays Catharine Deane a psycotherapist team member of a group with a new type of treatment. They enter the minds of sleeping subjects in order to view and even interact with the subconscious subjects. The FBI convinces Catharine and her team to use their new technology on a comatose serial killer (D'Onofrio) in order to determine the whereabouts of a missing kidnap victim. Can they dig deep enough into the psycho killer's mind to find the answers in time? Or will his latest victim suffer a water death in a few short hours? The movie is filled with visual imagery and feels a lot like a music video (ref director Tarsem Singh's background). The acting was wooden and listless. Jennifer Lopez is fun to look at, but she really isn't the best actor. Vincent D'Onofrio has an odd speech pattern, which actually works well alongside Lopez's acting. Thankfully they didn't make the film worse by casting other actors that outshine the principals. The movie is full of twisted visual imagery, but it lacks substance. Outstanding set design and fantastic costumes. It's definitely interesting to watch the twisted mind of the killer Stargher and the hotness of J-Low in those amazing outfits, but their really isn't a hell of a lot to like about the story. High on style, lacking on substance. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Catharine Deane is a psychotherapist who is part of a revolutionary new treatment which allows her mind to literally enter the mind of her patients. Her experience in this method takes an unexpected turn when an F.B.I. Agent comes to ask for a desperate favor. They had just tracked down a notorious serial killer, Carl Stargher, whose method of operation is to abduct women one at a time and place them in a secret area where they are kept for about forty hours until they are slowly drowned. Unfortunately, the killer has fallen into an irreversible coma which means he cannot confess where he has taken his latest victim before she dies. Now, Catherine Deane must race against time to explore the twisted mind of the killer to get the information she needs, but Stargher's damaged personality poses dangers that threaten to overwhelm her.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Year: 2011

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Patricia Hastie

Director: Alexander Payne

My Review: A great family drama, directed by Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, Paris je t'aime). Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller and others. The best part of this movie is the direction. The story is a typical drama, set in Hawaii (which makes for great location shots) with some excellent acting (for the young cast (not counting Clooney as he's the cornerstone for these emerging young actors). Clooney plays 'Mat King', something of a corporate land deal broker /lawyer who's got ancestral roots going way back in the islands. When his wife ends up in a coma, the family problems come out into the open. Matt doesn't know how to relate to his young daughters, they don't know how to related to him, and then there's the really big issue - His wife was cheating on him, or so he's just learned from his seventeen year old daughter. It's a complicated family drama, punctuated by angst and other feelings. Very well done. Thankfully the direction was handled masterfully, and Clooney does a good job portraying the solid, stoic, anchor of a family in turmoil. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I wouldn't mind watching it again.

Summary: Matt King's family has lived in Hawaii for generations. His extended family - namely he and his many cousins - own 25,000 acres of undeveloped land on Kauai held in trust, which ends in seven years. The easiest thing for the family to do is sell the land before the seven years is up, which is all the talk in the state, as, to whom they sell the property could very well change the face of Kauai. Despite the vast wealth that comes with the land, Matt has decided to live solely on what he earns as a Honolulu lawyer. However, Matt has not had a perfect life living in Hawaiian paradise as many believe. He and his wife Elizabeth were having problems in their marriage. She recently got into a boating accident which has placed her in a coma. Their seventeen year old daughter Alex is in boarding school on the big island since they couldn't handle her rebellion, which was made all the worse by an argument of an unknown nature between mother and daughter during Alex's last visit home. And their ...