Red Tails

Directed By: Anthony Hemingway

Written By: John Ridley and Aaron McGruder

Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Nate Parker and David Oyelowo

Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: B+

Historic action in the skies with heart and importance!

Red Tails follows a group of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program.  Despite their skills they face segregation during World War II and are not allowed to participate in combat.  With nothing but time on their hands they constantly train in hopes of one day putting their skills to use.

They finally get their chance when Colonel A.J. Bullard’s (Terrence Howard) constant efforts pay off and they get their first mission.  Disproving all of the negative stereotypes the pilots turn out to be some of the best in the air.  This is an action packed movie with lots of flight sequences.  At the same time this one delivers heart through the bond that the pilots share.  

Pros: The acting - especially Terrence Howard, Nate Parker & David Oyelowo, the action - great flight scenes and the realism which transports the audience right to World War II times.  There’s also comedic relief thanks to a job well done by Ne-Yo.

Cons: The love story between “Lightning” (Oyelowo) and Sofia (Daniela Ruah) was unnecessary, rushed and therefore felt a little unbelievable and out of place. 

(Note to Parents: There is profanity and some graphic violence.) 

I'd say definitely see this one and tell others to see it too!

Faster

Directed By: George Tillman Jr.
Written By: Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino and Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Rated: R

MY RATING: C+

Vengeance was good but could've been kicked up a notch.

Faster follows an ex-con (Dwayne Johnson) who's newly released from prison and on a mission to avenge his brother's murder.  He receives a list of all of the people responsible and he plans to take them out one by one.  After finding and killing the first person on his list he leaves a trail for police to follow.  At the same time a crazy hit man (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is out to kill him.  So who will be "faster" and reach their goal first? 

I loved seeing Dwayne Johnson in a R rated film and he's good as a bad ass!  In this film it was more about his body language and the intensity in his eyes because he barely had any lines.  Throughout the
majority of the film he was alone in his car and when he did come across other people he didn't have much to say.  Job well done as a menacing figure.  The story that was given to his character was very interesting.  I thought it was nicely developed but I needed more from his dramatic scene when we finally learned how his brother was killed.  For me his reaction wasn't big enough for the moment but it also didn't ruin the film either.  This leads me to my only other issue - for what Dwayne Johnson's character had been through I felt like his victims got off too easily.  I wanted more!  Nevertheless I was entertained and into the whole story.  Billy Bob Thornton brought a nice element to the table as the washed up detective hoping to redeem his reputation before retirement.  I'm not sure the hit man character (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) was necessary for the development of the story but he added suspense so why not.  Faster had plenty of action, lots of blood and even a little twist which all made for a pretty good action movie.  Overall I was pretty pleased but there was nothing super impressive either ... besides Dwayne Johnson of course. 

So I'd say see it but there's no rush. 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Directed By: Rupert Wyatt
Written By: Pierre Boulle and Rick Jaffa
Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow and Freida Pinto
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: A

This is the much needed resurrection of the Planet of the Apes films.   After the 2001 version with Mark Walhberg and Helena Bonham Carter we so needed this one.

In this modern day version of Planet of the Apes James Franco plays Will Rodman, a scientist working at a company called Gen Sys (pronounced genesis).  Gen Sys is a genetic therapy pharmaceutical company doing tests to try come up with new drugs to help with some of humanities illnesses.  One of the experiments involves ALZ 112 and a chimpanzee nicknamed "Bright Eyes."  The ALZ 112 increases the ape's intelligence and could be a cure to Alzheimer's, among other brain disorders.  But just as the scientists are ready to introduce the new drug "Bright Eyes" breaks loose at Gen Sys and seems to go crazy, killing employees and destroying things, until she is taken down herself.  Later Will Rodman (Franco) learns that "Bright Eyes" had a baby that no one knew about and her mistaken rage was really motherly instinct.  The ALZ 112 project is shut down and the orphaned chimp now needs a home.  Will (Franco) steps in as a temporary solution and takes the baby chimp home to meet his father Charles (John Lithgow) who is suffering from Alzheimer's.  Will and Charles get attached to the baby ape and name him Caesar (Andy Serkis) and so the journey begins and leads to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Man oh man this movie was great!  First off let me say that Andy Serkis is BRILLIANT at what he does!  He has to be THE BEST motion capture performer there is!  Also hats off to the special effects team that pulled this off!  I mean wow!  I am very critical when it comes to special effects.  I feel like special effects should seamlessly fit into a film, adding to it, not distracting the audience from the story and Rise of the Planet of the Apes accomplishes this and then some.
I was not looking forward to this film actually because I'm getting tired of the remakes but thank god this movie revived the classic tale.  The story was great!  I love how the writers intertwined the traditional story with our modern day struggles with issues like Alzheimer's which effects so many people today.  They also brought heart to the apes of the film.  I cried three times during this movie and held back tears in a lot of other scenes.  But don't mistake this for a sad tale.  It has humor, lots of action, drama and of course great special effects.  Anyone would enjoy this movie.  I saw a man sitting a few seats down from me, on the edge of his seat through the entire film and that summed up how I felt while watching this movie.  There was not a dull moment.  Also it was great to see John Lithgow and he was wonderful in his role as the dad suffering with Alzheimer's.  This movie was near perfect to me.  They better win some awards for the special effects. 
Now my only issue was with the script towards the end.  I don't want to give anything away but I felt a piece was missing with Will (Franco) when he had to deal with some issues with Caesar (Serkis), who by that point was like a son to him.  I just felt like they could've added an extra couple of minutes to show him "dealing" with things and it would've made the film that much better for me.  But aside from that this was a great movie! 

So of course I say this is definitely worth seeing!  Skip Cowboys and Aliens (sorry) and go see this!

Cowboys & Aliens

Directed By: Jon Favreau
Written By: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: B -

This film takes place in 1873 in Arizona Territory.  Daniel Craig plays a man who finds himself in a strange town with no memory of how he got there or who he is.  To add to his confusion he has a strange contraption strapped to his wrist that is a clue to his mysterious past.  While in the town of Absolution Jake (Daniel Craig) and the townspeople experience terror when they're attacked by an object from the sky.  People go missing and Jake's strange bracelet seems to be a clue.  So a group led by Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) sets off into the dessert to find their people before it's too late.

This was a solid movie for me.  I was definitely entertained!  They focused more on the western aspects of the film rather than the sci-fi and that held it's weight for the story.  I found myself involved in the characters and emotionally attached to a few which means a pretty good script.  There also was plenty of action and good ole western brawls.  Then of course there's payoff when we finally get to see those aliens.  I won't say much but if you're a fan of alien movies then you'll enjoy what Jon Favreau did with these.  The special effects were great!  I was not disappointed in this area and that's big for me.  There were some holes in the Ella Swenson character played by Olivia Wilde.  From her first appearance on screen she seems out of place.  As you go further into the film you learn more about her but you're still left with questions.  I also wasn't feeling the chemistry between her and Jake (Daniel Craig), it was just okay. 
Looking for Harrison Ford to be some kind of Indian Jones character?  Not this time around.  His job was to be mean throughout most of the film intimidating other characters yet he hardly did anything but talk so towards the end of the film I was a little annoyed by him.  There's also a point where a tribe of Native Americans enter the story and at first it's a little weird but later their presence is justified and adds to the story.  The film felt a tad bit long with a running time of 1 hour and 58 minutes, but only by a little bit.   

Bottom line you don't go to see this type of film for top-notch acting and writing.  There were a couple of over-the-top moments but that's what you expect in a film like this.  Cowboys & Aliens delivered exactly what it was supposed to - a clear, easy to follow storyline, great action, some suspense and great special effects.  The costumes and set design were great too!   
So because these characters had weight and there actually was a real story I'd say this was one of the better action movies I've seen this summer. 

I'd say you should definitely see it but there's no rush.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Directed By: Joe Johnston
Written By: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones & Stanley Tucci
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: C

This movie follows Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) who starts off as a thin, frail man with ambitions to join the military and fight for his country during World War II.  Steve Rogers is turned down over and over because of his size and health limitations until he meets Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) who sees past his physical appearance and puts faith in his character.  Dr. Erskine uses Rogers for a top secret research experiment that turns him into a Super Soldier.  With his newfound abilities Captain America must save the world from Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) and his followers.

Now for me I'm sorry but this film was just okay.  I believe it did the comic book justice for fans of Captain America (so I'm told) but for a novice looking for great action, a sexy hero and impressive special effects, I was disappointed.
I will say that I'm not a fan of war movies and being that this movie takes place during World War II and is a large focus, that could have something to do with it.
But aside from that I wasn't that impressed with Captain America's abilities.  I kept waiting for his shield to do more or for him to have some sort of fancy impressive vehicle but that didn't happen.  Also surprisingly Chris Evans didn't have that sex appeal that I usually look for in a super hero.  I don't know what was missing but it wasn't there for me.  He's no Thor (Chris Hemsworth) or Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.).
I think if this weren't a super hero movie it would've been better, meaning if it was just a drama about a man who suddenly gains strength and fights for his country  This movie had too much story and dealt with too serious of a topic for it to be lighthearted and fun the way comic book movies should be.  Also Red Skull (Weaving) wasn't that great of a villain either.  I hope there are better ones in the comic books.  I enjoyed the budding relationship between Rogers (Evans) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) but as usual it was rushed and not developed enough for me to feel for them.  I loved the beginning of the film and there's definitely a lot of humor but the action sequences were too cartoony for my taste.  I was still entertained but left wanting more and feeling like some things were missing. 
The Avengers movie is due out next summer which I'm definitely looking forward to and hope Captain America is more impressive next time around. 

So I'd say see it but there's no rush.

RED

Directed By: Robert Schwentke
Written By: Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber
Starring: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren & Morgan Freeman
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: C

Retired and mostly dangerous.

This film opens with Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) living a retired extremely boring life.  He's in the suburbs of Ohio with no wife, girlfriend, pets or friends.  His only excitement comes from calling the customer service agent Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) who works at his pension office in Kansas City.  They obviously like each other and Frank even tells Sarah that he plans to visit her in a week.  But Frank is caught off guard one night when assassins are sent to his house to kill him.  Now instead of the romantic first meeting he had hoped for, Frank is forced to kidnap Sarah for her safety and they go on the run in the hopes of finding out who's trying to kill them.  Along the way Frank rounds up his old friends who are also marked RED and together they look for the person responsible for the hit on Frank (Willis).  But of course it can't be that simple.  CIA agent William Cooper (Karl Urban) is after Frank Moses too so the hunts are on.

This movie was pretty fun to watch, nothing extraordinary though.  John Malkovich steals the show (as always) as Marvin, a paranoid conspiracy theorist and he is hilarious.  I wouldn't necessarily consider him dangerous though.  Bruce Willis as Frank Moses however is a bad ass and I'd say the only "Extremely Dangerous" one of the group.  Karl Urban ("William Cooper") is definitely a match for him as he relentlessly stays hot on his trail.  There's even a great fight scene when Cooper (Urban) and Moses (Willis) finally collide.  I also love that Helen Mirren shows that women can kick butt too!   
There's lots of action and plenty of comedy but I wasn't in love with the storyline.  It was pretty simple to follow but just a little boring.  There comes a point where the plot is fully revealed and they start working towards a resolution and I was ready to speed things up a little.  I guess I was just a little disappointed.  You have all these big name actors but it was really a Bruce Willis and John Malkovich movie.  Morgan Freeman barely had a part so I'm not even sure why they added him.  With all that said I was still pretty entertained for most of the film.  I wouldn't say I'd rush to watch it again but it was worth watching once.  Bottom-line if you're into action movies then this is worth putting on your list but not necessarily at the top. 

I'd say see it but there's no rush. 

Transformers: Dark of Moon

Directed By: Michael Bay
Written By: Ehren Kruger
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Patrick Dempsey,Tyrese Gibson and John Malkovich
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: D+

Okay so Transformers: Dark of Moon, a third sequel ... why oh why?  I must say I was disappointed with this one.

I will try to simplify this overly complicated story as best as I can.  In this third film, the Decepticons and Autobots are at odds again.  This time the Decepticons hope to use pillars, which have the power of teleportation, to bring planet Cybertron to Earth and build a new home where humans are the slaves.  Of course Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is back, this time he's fresh out of college and (true to our economic climate) having a hard time finding a job despite his accomplishments as a "hero."  His former girlfriend (Megan Fox) is out and he's met someone new named Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley).  He ends up landing a job at a company led by tyrannical boss, Bruce Brazos (John Malkovich).  While on the job he meets the over-the-top Jerry Wang (Ken Jeong) who ends up having secrets that could help Sam save the world.  So once again the Decepticons and Autobots battle it out and we're all caught in the middle.   

For me this film had an overly complicated script.  They spent too much time explaining the whole, pillars, The Ark spacecraft, planet Cybertron, moon, NASA, blah, blah, blah and not enough time on a tangible story with Sam Witwicky.  The first two films were all about Sam (Shia) which got us to care about him and in this third one not much time was spent on his character.  His parents return for no necessary reason and are nowhere near as funny as they were before.  Jerry Wang (Jeong) and Bruce Brazos (Malkovich) also weren't that funny and seemed out of place.  Then there's the new relationship between Witwicky and Carly which was not developed enough to create a connection to them.  I enjoyed them but I can't say that I was rooting for them throughout the film.  The focus was mainly on the transformers in this one so the human characters took a hit in their development.  I mean they tried to make Patrick Dempsey a bad guy.  Come on now!  Not McDreamy!  Sorry didn't work for me.   
Add in Michael Bay's over usage of the slow motion shot and you just have a big budget let down.  The best part of this film was the last ten minutes.  Great action there!

So I'd say if you're a man's man and love military, government conspiracy type films and you're a huge fan of the Transformers cartoons then this is the film for you.
Everyone else ... the first one was the best and you could actually skip this one altogether. 

(Note to Parents: A good deal of profanity so this is definitely for children 13 and up.) 

Green Lantern

Directed By: Martin Campbell
Written By: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong,
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: C+

After much anticipation Green Lantern the movie is finally released.  Could Ryan Reynolds fill the green suit?  Hmmm possibly.

I'll try to break this complicated story down as best as I can.  Basically the Green Lantern Corps are comprised of different races from the universe who are to protect our galaxy.  Think of it as the United Nations but on an intergalactic scale.  Enter in the villain Parallax (voiced by Clancy Brown) who threatens to destroy the Universe with the power of fear, the opposite of will (Green Lantern Corps' power).  At the same time a well respected Green Lantern dies and a hole needs to be filled to help save the universe.  Enter Hal Jordan your typical egotistical, successful, flying by the seat of his pants kind of guy who doesn't take life seriously.  He also happens to be a test pilot (not sure how this helps the story) and out of every human on the planet "the ring" chooses him to join the Green Lantern Corps.  So then we watch Hal Jordan learn to master his new power of willpower while learning to fly and maneuver between his old life on earth and his new superhero life.  Of course he needs a leading lady, childhood friend Carol Ferris played by Blake Lively.  While Hal deals with his new identity Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), also a childhood friend of Hal's, is going through his own transformation as Parallax tries to use him in his attempt to destroy the universe with fear.  Can the Green Lantern Corps stop Parallax and save the world before it's too late?  Dun dun dun ... what do you think?

Okay so I was entertained by the special effects and vibrant colors.  Seeing it in 3D and IMAX was a nice touch but not worth the extra money.  Where is the 3D in these new 3D movies?  Anyhow, I loved how Ryan Reynolds played the role.  He definitely brought a strength, humor and sensitive side to Hal Jordan.  However the story was just too much for me.  Trust me I simplified it as much as I could.  I mean I found it easy to follow but it just had too much going on for me.  I also found many things so unbelievable, not counting all of the superhero factors (flying, super powers, a costume that doesn't cover much of the face but somehow no one knows who it is).  The script just felt rushed and could've used more editing.  Some things could have been taken out while others could have been developed more.

But let's face it, you don't go to this kind of movie for a strong storyline or Academy Award winning directing or acting.  You go for some good old fashioned action, comedy and special effects and this movie pretty much delivers all of that.  I still prefer Iron Man but this wasn't half bad either.

I say see it but don't rush.

Fast Five

Directed By: Justin Lin
Written By: Chris Morgan (screenplay) and Gary Scott Thompson (characters)
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: A-

Finally an action movie that revved me up!

Fast Five picked up with Dominic Toretto (Diesel) on a prison bus.  O'Conner (Walker) and girlfriend Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) break him free from custody and the three are on the run.  They flee to Rio de Janeiro and decide to pull off one last job that'll buy them a ticket to freedom.  Of course things can't be that simple.  They end up getting mixed up with the most dangerous drug lord in Rio and at the same time Federal Agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) is also hunting them down.  The trouble they get into in Rio ends up being more than they can handle alone so Dom and O'Conner call on old friends to help them out.  Tyrese and Ludacris reprise their roles and add lots of humor to the film.  Also newcomers, buddies Tego (Tego Calderon) and Rico (Don Omar)  are very funny as well. 

I must say my anticipation of this movie was very high!  First-off the delicious Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was added to the cast (as he should be), word of mouth was high and the box office numbers were huge with Fast Five making over $80 million out the gate.  After seeing this film I could see why.  Fast Five had lots of great racing action which is why we go to see these films.  They did things I've never seen done before, which is hard to do at this point.  The stunts were crazy good!
And Dwayne Johnson kicked butt!  You will be reminded that he was a wrestler first.  Great, great fight scene between him and Vin Diesel!
Loved the backdrop of Rio de Janeiro, it added a raw, gritty, yet exotic aspect to the story.  But don't expect to be on the Brazillian beaches watching lots of half naked women paraded in front of the camera.  Think again.  They shot this film in the favelas of Rio (the slums) which kept us grounded and connected to the characters on their heart pounding journey. 

This was a non-stop thrill ride!  I was on the edge of my seat and holding my breath through most of the movie.  If you're looking for a good action movie then this is it!  Best one I've seen in awhile!

I say you must see this one!