New Mortal Kombat Movie

WOW, it's been awhile. I checked out the new Mortal Kombat movie on opening night as I was STARVED for something to see in theatres. It doesn't carry any notable cast members, in fact Josh Lawson, who plays Kano, was about the only person I could name, but I did recognize the actors who play Scorpion and Raiden. The film doesn't waste time with plot, or character development much, which is ideal. It brings back the gore and violence that fans of the series have been longing for on the big screen adaptations. There's a healthy amount of fighting and gore, so it's not a film for children. There is a spin on the original in that the blood feud of Scorpion and Sub-Zero in fact goes back to the 17th century. I was impressed with the CGI, as they clearly spent the budget wisely on making sure nothing looked like garbage. If that's what sacrificed the budget to grab a few "name brand" actors, I'm all for it, as this cast did just fine. Overall this is definitely worth seeing, especially since it's free on HBO Max. It's particularly fun to fast forward through most of it and only watch the fight scenes, as that only takes about 25 minutes... Overall- 7.8 out of 10. Does it's job admirably and efficiently. It's not winning any Oscars, but you'll be entertained.

The Predator- A New Post After 15 months?

I saw The Predator, and as a person who has been a fan of the Alien/Predator genre since I was a kid, this thing sucked. It's an attempt to turn the franchise with some alright ideas. The cast is actually really solid, which makes the fact that the movie is garbage more painful. You'll recognize the faces, particularly Olivia Munn, Thomas Jane, and Keegan Michael Key. The story takes a few turns, like trying to explain the Predators love for ripping out skulls and spinal columns. The idea is they are blending DNA to create "Super Predators" with the best characteristics of the species they kill. It pits the "regular" Predators vs. the Super Predators, with Earth as the potential deciding ground for their civil war. It all sounds exciting, but they biff by adding a family, kid with Asperger's (played brilliantly by Jacob Tremblay), a group of disgruntled former military guys, etc., etc. Too much stupid stuff bogging down the action and fun that a typical action movie has. This hits every cliche and is totally predictable. The action does not overcompensate for all the other bullshit you are drug through during this film. 5.3 out of 10. Don't spend any money on this.

Wonder Woman

I saw Wonder Woman last week and thought it was alright. Gal Gadot is very good and I imagine she will have no trouble finding work for the next several years. Chris Pine is solid (surprisingly), and really all the characters are pretty good. The story is Wonder Woman (Real name Diana) is an Amazon living on an island encompassed by fog and hidden from the world. World War I is in full force and an American pilot (Pine) serving as a British spy is shot down near the island. There is a German ship in pursuit and they cut through the fog and find themselves on the island. The Amazon's and Germans fight it out on the island and Diana decides she must go with Pine and try to slay Ares, the God of War who she believes is the cause of WWI and his death will end the strife. Pine has a notebook that contains the German's chemical plans to crease a nerve gas that will kill anyone who comes in contact with it, even if they are wearing gas masks. It becomes a race against time to get the notebook into British hands and prevent a chemical attack on the frontline troops. I've often wondered why there is a lack of WWI movies and I'm at least glad this dives into that era. If you are looking for your straight forward superhero origin movie, this would be it. It's solid and unspectacular. Bottom Line: 7.1 out of 10. Worth checking out for a Summer movie that will entertain you for 2+ hours.

The Fued: Joan Crowford Vs. Bette Davis

I, as a lover of Old Hollywood, saw an advertisement for Feud on FX and was intrigued. I then forgot that it was going on, but caught up this last weekend. The movie follows Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, career stars of Hollywood, as they are in the "twilight" of their careers. They have been rivals, occupying different roles and mantras within the same era. Davis as spicy and outspoken, which was revolutionary during her era. Crawford was Hollywood royalty essentially. Elegance and establishing wholesome class in all she embodied. Lifelong rivals unable to find work they would enjoy or could be happy with, they come together during the filming of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Despite general disdain/hatred for each other, they film a hit that thrives against all odds. The series digs more into the very complex relationship of Hollywood and the two "leading ladies", but also with the director, Bob Aldrich. Hollywood was, and probably still is, a cruel, harsh place. Hollywood was continually telling Davis and Crawford there was a lack of roles for "mature women", and they had no interest in playing older mother's, or even grandmother's at the time. It's a behind the scenes look at the life and times of 1962 for them, but also the behind the scenes filming of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? I have been very impressed up to this point. The cast is phenomenal with Susan Sarandon occupying Bette Davis and Jessica Lange owning Joan Crawford. Sprinkle in Stanley Tucci, Alfred Molina (Aldrich), Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kathy Bates, and Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper!), and you have my attention. I was really impressed with the series up to this point, which is episode 4 of 5. The story is an unveiling of the problems surrounding two of Hollywood's biggest stars at a tough time of their life. It's a revealing of all the issues that were going on "Behind the scenes". Interesting choice on the project, but well done. Bottom Line: 8.7 out of 10. Not a lot of weakness on this one. It's real solid.

Hacksaw Ridge: My Hatred of Andrew Garfield Subsides

I was NOT HAPPY when I saw Andrew Garfield was tasked with playing the role of American hero Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to win a slew of military awards. Doss is raised by an alcoholic WWI vet father played expertly by Hugo Weaving in rural VA. He lives a simple life and falls in love with a hospital nurse after taking in someone seriously injured in an accident. He decides he can still serve the military as a medic, but he will not take up arms. The love story blossoms and Doss enlists. Doss is tortured throughout basic training by anyone in a command position, and eventually by his own bunkmates. It's unfathomable that a man who won't pick-up a rifle can be anything besides a liability in battle. Doss survives it all and eventually is placed into combat after a letter from a high-ranking general who served with his dad. Doss is sent to Okinawa, and for anyone unaware of their American history it was an incredibly fortified and contested Pacific Island held by the Japanese. Doss is sent up the face of a cliff with his battalion only to be pushed back very quickly in a violent mess. I don't want to tell too much of the story, but it's amazing. The battle scenes are as brutal as you'll find, but they are well done. Mel Gibson may be a crazy, drunken racist, but he can direct a story. Bottom Line: 8.9 out of 10. Garfield is excellent, just like the majority of the cast. Vaughn is excellent as his drill sergeant, which was also a welcome surprise. This was a privilege to watch on Veterans Day. I was very proud and goosebumpy watching this film. My Grandpa fought in the Pacific Islands and though I knew how horrific the fighting was, this really drove it home. The "Greatest Generation" would be the shit out of my millennial generation in a fist fight, that's a fact.

Moonlight

The Oscar buzz on this film I didn't get. The movie follows a black closeted homosexual teen in the early 1990's in a "tough" neighborhood. His mom is addicted to crack. The local drug "Kingpin" takes the young child under his wing, allowing him to regularly live with him and his wife (I think?) throughout his youth. He is picked on a lot, but it turns violent in middle school. He does have a best friend from when they were around five, but they don't always stay in touch. The main character is extremely introverted and quiet. His best friend reaches back out to him during high school, re-affirming their friendship. Things get complicated and the movie essentially blows up. You do a little fast forwarding and nobody is where you'd think they are. They try to tie it together, but I wasn't impressed. Bottom line: 6.8 out of 10. I wasn't really impressed by any part of this movie. I feel bad saying that, but I didn't get the hype. Decent acting is about the nicest thing I can say about this film. Watch at your own peril.

La La Land- Oscar Front-Running

La La Land tries on for size the 1950's musical score in the Los Angeles of today. There are impressive musical numbers, but the performances of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling carry this thing. It's impressive to watch them dance, sing, act, and play through the variety of numbers and scenes this movie demands of them. Stone is an aspiring actress who can't get the role to propel her into stardom. Gosling is a jazz "purist" who can't simple play piano for someone else because he has his own songs, ideas, and style. He wants to open his own jazz club, but is only a few hundred thousand dollars short of that. They meet a few times, but finally connect at a pool party that Gosling is playing keyboard at, despite his hatred for it. He realizes that you can only stand by your ideals for so long without breaking down since ideals don't pay the bills. The movie follows their love story and careers. I originally was a little annoyed by the volume of musical numbers early on in the film, but the story unfolds with acting and normal talking instead of singing, so I got back into it. It's obvious why the Oscar buzz is strong. It's visually beautiful and has two incredible performances in Gosling and Stone. It holds up well and I was pleasantly surprised with it overall. Bottom Line: 8.7 out of 10. I realize this means I rank John Wick 2 ahead of the film most likely to win Best Film, but realize I am a flawed movie critic and I love watching Keanu Reeves run through a crew of killers more than watching a freeway musical dance number break out. Deal with it.

John Wick: 2- The Wick is Lit

I'm a big fan of John Wick, so it's implied that I probably would like the second offering of the series. I think it's the best "action" movie that I've ever seen. What does that mean? It means that Keanu Reeves at age 52 is better at killing people and kicking ass than anyone who has come before. Van Damme, Segal, Norris, Stallone, Schwarzenegger, I get it, but Reeves is unreal. He is completely believable in a role that is SO difficult to convincingly play. He moves as you presume a special ops member would. I'm amazed by the quality of the fighting and gunplay. The plot doesn't matter really, just know that it's much crazier than the first film. Many more bodies, shots fired, stabbing, punching, kicking, and driving. Bottom line: 9.2 out of 10. It's weird rating it on the same scale as Oscar films, but this movie is a masterpiece in the art of action. Reeves will go down as the best action film actor ever after this series runs its course I believe. Dude is the O.G. Johnny Utah after all...

Girl on the Train

I was skeptical watching this one since I hadn't read the book and it was in the 50's on Rotten Tomatoes, but I persevered. I'm a big Emily Blunt fan and I knew the book was a huge hit. The premise is a woman rides a train, OBVIOUSLY, but the train goes past her old house where her husband currently lives with his new wife and child. She stares out the window at them, but also their neighbor, a young beautiful woman who was recently married. She begins to feel like she's a part of their lives. She watches them and fabricates stories in her mind. The movie then starts being told from the "other" women's point of view. Her husband's new wife and the hot neighbor. The story boils over when the gorgeous neighbor is murdered and the "train lady" saw her with a mysterious man who wasn't her husband that day. Further complicating things is that train lady is a drunk who rides the train only to appear to be employed to appease her "roommate", aka lady letting her live with her. The story unfolds and new details are introduced slowly, but it weaves an interesting web that ties together well. It's very mysterious, so I don't want to talk about the plot much, but it has excellent performances by Blunt, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, and Luke Evans. Bottom Line: 7.5 out of 10. I was a bigger fan than I expected. I can imagine if someone read the book they may not enjoy the film since the book would do a much better job of unveiling things and explaining emotions and thoughts.

Hacksaw Ridge

I came it with fairly low expectations for Hacksaw Ridge. I'm not a big Andrew Garfield fan, so to have him playing an American war hero originally drew my ire. I was pleasantly surprised with his performance, it's very good, as are all of them. I really like Vince Vaughn, and Sam Worthington is also very good. The film tells the story of Desmond Doss. Desmond is raised in the hill country of Virginia, so he's not a Rhodes Scholar. His father fought in WWI, or THE GREAT WAR as it's referred to as. He's played expertly by Hugo Weaving. His dad's a drunk from the fact that he's unable to come to grips with his friends dying in France. He has a brother, younger or older is never said, though they are close in age. Desmond falls in love with the nurse who draws blood at the nearby hospital (5 miles). After his brother enlists it's the final straw and he decides to enlist shortly after as a medic. He's interested in human anatomy, etc., and more importantly he refuses to kill another man, or even pick-up a weapon. This causes all sorts of issues during basic training, but after a court order and Brigadier General's note, he's set to head off to Okinawa. Okinawa was crucial, like all of the contested islands, to get within bombing distance of Japan. This movie was particularly meaningful as I watched it on Veterans Day. It helped remind me of how awful my Grandpa's role was in WWII. He was an "Island Hopper", a role that I used to explain as the beach landing of Saving Private Ryan, only in the Pacific islands. He suffered tremendously with what he saw, did, and experienced. He left with a full head of hair and came back bald. His unit had a survival rate of between 10-15%. The Pacific Islands were definitely one of Dante's Spheres of Hell. Something that even after watching Hacksaw Ridge, which from what I can tell is the most accurate depiction of what happened in the Pacific Islands regularly, you can't possibly grasp the true horror of what occurred regularly. Getting back to the movie, what happens on Hacksaw Ridge is after a push to secure a good part of the "Ridge" the Japanese burrow underground for the night. At first light they charge and force Doss' unit off the Ridge, leaving many men wounded on the Ridge while battleships bombard it. Doss works tirelessly throughout the day and night to lower wounded troops down the cliff to safety all while being unarmed. It's totally amazing. The sum total of his efforts produces 75 wounded men lowered to safety. I'm not certain if all survived, etc., but that's a gargantuan effort for a group of medics, but Herculean for one man. Bottom Line: 8.6 out of 10. Believe the Rotten Tomatoes scoring, it's another rock solid movie from Mel Gibson, that crazy racist drunk.

Sorry, but Another Sharp Departure From the Norm

Today, and I'm not sure why, I'm compelled to make a sharp turn from my normal talk of movies and television to talk about people that I'm in awe of and that I admire greatly. There are certain professions that amaze me, and today I'm going to dive into one of them that I feel like deserves tremendous praise. This isn't to say there are numerous other roles in our society that deserve me recognition, but today I'm focusing on the role of the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) nurse. My sister-in-law made a life change seven years ago that I was in awe in. She took herself out of working for a company that managed very large retirement accounts (similar to a hedge fund) and decided to go back to school for a nursing degree. I feel like that profession is a calling, not a choice, and her decision perhaps even more than an amazing and incredibly admirable career in nursing. She works in a PICU unit that sadly often sees tragedy more often than many other units. Children (anyone under the age of 18) that has severe "issues" because I'm not sure how to define the "regular" case they deal with, are assigned to this particular unit. NICU is also an amazing profession too, but I'm focusing on PICU for now, though I greatly respect the people that work in the health care profession. I try to talk about her "job" that deals with tragedy that would probably cripple most people. An example, that is far from ordinary, but is the type of "case" they deal with would be a child that has a skin condition that prevents any physical contact. Hours are spent changing bandages because their skin blisters and bleeds with the contact of even gauze bandages, yet those bandages need to be changed at least daily despite the pain it causes. They are responsible for providing care and I'll go as far as saying love to those tough cases. I can't possible imagine going to work on a daily basis with the knowledge that patients in my care might not see tomorrow, or the next week or month. I'm in absolute awe and in total admiration of the amazing fortitude and resolve that those people show on a daily basis. I can't imagine the difficult moments and conversations had within that wing that occur regularly. I am so appreciative of the people who go to work knowing that their worst case is tragedy, yet they face it with such courage and compassion that it is totally amazing. I sincerely hope that nobody I know would ever deal with a situation that their child may be one of those cases, but I also want to highlight how amazing the people are that are on the front lines of such tragedy. If anyone knows someone that's amazing in a similar way, please reach out and share your thoughts and admiration with that person. Thank you for allowing me to share my heart today with you.

War Dogs

War Dogs follows a premise I enjoy. Taking a strange, yet historically unique event, and expand on it. War Dogs follow two friends from youth as they embark on an amazing adventure. Due to the Halliburton scandal (Dick Cheney selling defense contracts to friends/former colleagues) our military contracts were open for bid on the internet to various licensed gun dealers. Insert Myles Teller and Jonah Hill. Two twenty-somethings with no clue how far over their head's they are. They start small by winning minor contracts for generally small arms. They gain experience, contacts, and knowledge. They fly to Jordan to smuggle an arms shipment to Iraq and our troops for Beretta's to use with the Iraq army being trained. They bid on I presume one of the largest contracts in history to outfit the Afghan national army and they win. Millions of dollars is on the line to supply a variety of weapons and ammunition and they have everything figured out, or so they think. Bottom Line: 6.7 out of 10. It was pretty interesting, though it's tough to believe some of it, it's just an amazing time and story. I'd pay attention when it's on cable.

The Nice Guys

The Nice Guys attempts to bridge the gap somewhere between L.A. Confidential and every buddy cop movie. Ryan Gosling plays the smart, fragile detective and Russell Crowe reprises his role from L.A. Confidential as the Muscle. He beats people up and Gosling tries to be funny and smart. The film focuses on the attempt to find a girl named Amelia and the death of porn star Misty Mountains. Gosling is hired to look for Misty Mountains, but is coincidentally searching for Amelia when Crowe beats him savagely because he was paid by "Amelia" to make two strange men stop following her. There are a few twists and turns, some comedy, but nothing too special. I'd await it's arrival on cable before committing two hours of your life. Bottom Line: 6.7 out of 10. Wait for TBS to pick it up.

Paper Towns: TEENAGE ANGST Part 891

Paper Towns follows the story of Cara Delevingne (Margo, such an exotic name she must be complex and a unique rebel) and Q. Neighbors since they were 8, Q has a crush on Margo, but they grow apart in town and rarely speak now that they are seniors in high school. Margo takes Q on a tale of revenge against her cheating boyfriend and her friends, but after their night of fun and debauchery, SHE DISAPPEARS. In typical Margo fashion she leaves clues for Q, but he works to piece them together and find her. He has a couple friends, like in all angsty, nerdy, teenager movies that are with him throughout. The acting is pretty solid surprisingly and Delevingne definitely has a career acting if she wants it. It's harmed by being similar to every other movie of this genre ever made, but that doesn't mean it isn't alright. Bottom Line: 6.4 out of 10. Take a flyer on this one when it hits the cable circuit. It's worth that much.

Don't Breathe: (The Movie, I'm not telling you to stop breathing)

Don't Breathe is an interesting movie focusing on three 18-ish year olds living in Detroit. One of them dreams (Rocky, but it's a female) of moving away to L.A., but is raising capital (Financial term I think sounds fancy here) by robbing homes that her friend Alex, has keys and information on since his dad owns a security company. They keep theft under $10,000 to avoid federal prosecution (The second movie I've seen that rule preached in this month, which is weird) and therefore much attention. They stumble upon a house on an abandoned block in Detroit where the man living there received a large settlement (not generally public knowledge) from his daughter being hit and killed by a drunk driver, who happens to have very wealthy parents. The man is a veteran who was blinded by grenade shrapnel. They throw all rules out and decide to try to find the cash. Coincidentally the man is Stephan Lang, who is awesome in the role and is the only reason the movie is viable. Despite being blind, he is still terrifying and extremely capable. His home is his castle and he doesn't need vision to find his way around. They find themselves trapped and some twists and turns ensue. Bottom Line: 7.1 out of 10. Worth seeing in theatres, though when I went someone made a really loud farting noise, maybe it was the pleather seat, but it was hilarious and mood ruining all at once. Lang is fantastic and that's worth the price of admission alone. It made me wonder if I could win a fight if he were truly blind? I'd cheat and grab something to hit him with, but I think he'd beat my ass all things being equal. I'd do better than Alex though, I know that much.

Hell or High Water

Sorry for the unintentional hiatus, but I've still been watching movies. I just saw Hell of High Water yesterday and felt like I should talk about since it's a pretty good independent film that won't get a lot of attention. It's a very simple film centering around two brothers who look nothing at all like brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who is awesome). Foster is the slightly crazy and regular prison inhabitant older brother and Pine is the quiet, shy, boring younger brother. You jump in immediately on a bank robbery, but they only take small bills ($20 or smaller) from two small, local banks. It isn't the bank robbery you normally think about. It stirs up little attention other than from a retiring Texas Ranger (Jeff Daniels). He drags his partner into this seemingly minor case and digs in. You learn the rest of the plot along the way, but it's very simple and well done. The scene of quiet, open, Western Texas is generally pretty. Foster is excellent and Pine is pretty good (shockingly) as a couple of simple brothers trying to make life a little better. Bottom Line: 8.5 out of 10. Solid film that's pretty believable, which is rare. The cast is excellent. It's refreshing that nothing is extravagant at all, it adds credibility.

Tigerland: Colin Ferrell's Start

I found Tigerland for under $2.00 and jumped in. I remember this is what Ferrell's big break was, then all of the sudden he was in Minority Report, Phone Booth, and Recruit, SWAT and Alexander. Tigerland follows a group through their initial training in the Army knowing that at the end of training they are heading right to Vietnam. Colin Ferrell is Roland Bozz, a dissenter who has a penchant for getting people excused from service. He doesn't get himself excused, but tell him your story and he may be able to get you excused from the Army. It's very odd, but it follows them through basic training and into "Tigerland", the closest training to real, live combat action the Army can create. The different characters in the unit become exposed and you'll recognize Shea Whigham, Clifton Collins, Tom Guiry, and Michael Davis, though none are "stars", they pull together a very good cast. It's a good mix of characters coming from different places and circumstances. Bottom Line: 6.8 out of 10. Glad I re-watched it to see how a lot of the cast is now known, but nothing amazing.

Michael Moore: Who We Should Invade Next

The pinnacle of Smugness, Mike Moore, made a documentary highlighting a bunch of strengths of other countries and how much better these ideas are than how they are done in America. It highlights workplaces, schools, even how we approach our shameful history of slavery. The part that always gets in the way is Moore himself. He's insufferable, self-serving, and always debatably leads people into what he wants. His editing tactics have always come under fire, most notably from Marilyn Manson and the South Park guys who after being interviewed by him and having their words twisted, blew him up on Team America: World Police. I can't stand him, therefore this movie wasn't for me. It should surprise not a single person that other countries are better at a few things than America and watching Moore parade himself around looking like Rosie O'Donnell's homeless, fatter, uglier brother is awful to watch. Bottom Line: 2.3 out of 10. Read about it, don't bother watching it. Synopsis: Sweden has better schools than us because kid's get to do what they want and have no homework, Italy is a better place to work because you get six weeks vacation and don't have to work as hard, Germany is better than us because they teach their children in school about the evils of the Nazi regime and Holocaust, Iceland is better than us because women have more political power and they punish their white collar criminals. There you go, saved you wasting almost two hours.

X-Men: Apocalpyse

There was excitement with the introduction of an excellent villain in Apocalypse. Then, I noticed it was Oscar Isaac, who I really like, but they didn't DO enough to him. He was short, with a big coat and some blue facepaint. He looked too human for my liking. Interesting premise in that he existed for centuries accumulating various mutant powers throughout, yet he consistently fails in using them well... Fassbender is awesome in being domesticated Magneto. I like McAvoy's Professor X. I really like Jennifer Lawrence in any capacity. This tries way too hard to introduce various X-Men themes and it ends up being exhausting and sloppy. It's like Singer took a bet to see how many X-Men plotlines he could tie into this thing. The simple premise is Apocalypse is trying to end the world by gathering his Four Horseman and getting to it, but the subplots really get in the way. It's a pleasure to see Olivia Munn as Psylocke, but she is seldom used. I enjoyed some of the film, for the most part besides a sloppy scene with a ship and containers the CGI is top notch. The acting is generally decent. There's just too much stuff getting thrown into the pot for this film that for me, it ruined the stew. Bottom Line: 6.5 out of 10. Just not much to be impressed by and those fleeting moments get furthered buried by 34 different subplots.

Captain America: Civil War

The much awaited Avengers-esque movie was a little different from the others. There is friendship tested and affirmed. It's very odd watching these heroes as they are forced to fight each other on grounds that neither is willing to budge on. The cast is excellent as always, adding Daniel Bruhl (Inglorious Basterds, Rush, and Bourne: Ultimatum) and Chadwick Boseman (42 & Get on Up) who are also excellent. The movie centers around the potential that Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier has returned and bombed a peaceful meeting, killing T'Challa's (Boseman's) father and many others. Bucky has been in hiding and completely off the grid, so it's a surprise. The debate is also raging on about the Avenger's unlimited global scope and scale on which they operate, under their own control and direction. These issues reach a boiling point and the Avengers split along those lines. Friends fight it out to keep Bucky out of prison, but also for their own future as a group. Who could be trusted to be in charge of the Avengers and what would they let them do? Can they really be told what to do by normal people? Interesting questions are brought up and, as always the special effects/CGI do not disappoint. It's another excellent movie to sit down, eat some popcorn, and be entertained for 2.5 hours to. I did have some beef with how quickly these "brother's in arms" were willing to start punching each other in the face. Similar to Batman vs. Superman, you simply refuse that reason couldn't prevail between friends who have fought side-by-side. Bottom Line: 8.8 out of 10. Another great offering from Marvel, but a cut below the others. Possibly because the eleven year old Jeff was greatly bothered by watching Iron Man and Captain America fight it out, but maybe on the absurdity of things evolving that quickly, I do have a valid point? You be the judge because it's worth watching on the big screen.