Movie Reviews For September 25, 2015: HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2, THE INTERN, and THE GREEN INFERNO

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2
Rated: PG
Release Date: September 25, 2015
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Stars: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg
Plot: Dracula is intent on keeping his family at the hotel by teaching his half-human grandson how to be a monster
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait until after opening weekend, but see this in theaters

This is one of the rare franchises where the second film is as good, possibly even better than the first. The story is quite similar, but the jokes are fresh and it is compelling for both adults and children.

I took my five year old daughter and she loved it. There were many moments where she was laughing out loud, and very few moments where she was fidgeting in her chair. I was interested in the film all the way through as well. I found it funny and endearing.

There are a couple of scenes that may be a bit much for the younger kids so beware of that going into it. Aside from that, this is a great movie for a whole family outing.




THE INTERN
Rated: PG-13
Release Date: September 25, 2015
Director: Nancy Meyers
Stars: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo
Plot: A retired widower takes an internship at a successful internet start-up and brings some of his old school wisdom to the tech age.
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait until after opening weekend, but see this in theaters

I was shocked at how much I liked this film. It was significantly funnier than I thought it would be, and there were very few cliche Hollywood moments. In fact, it was so funny that we missed a good dozen lines because we were all laughing so hard.

Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro have a wonderful chemistry that will warm your heart. It's also nice to see De Niro playing a role that goes against his type. I can't recall the last time I saw him acting awkward or having a lack of confidence in a movie.

This film will give you an emotional roller coaster ride. As I said, it is hysterically funny, but it is also sad, heartwarming and triumphant. Bring tissues to wipe the tears out of your eyes as you cry and the snot off of your nose when you snort laugh.

This may be one of the best comedies of the year.




THE GREEN INFERNO
Rated: R
Release Date: September 25, 2015
Director: Eli Roth
Stars: Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Aaron Burns
Plot: A group of environmentalists on a mission to help save the rain forests are captured by Amazonian cannibals.
Trailer

Clint Says: Don't even bother

Oh, what could have been. This film had all of the opportunity in the world to be a spectacularly scary horror flick. Instead, it is a spectacular fail.

The actin is atrocious, the plot it ridiculous, it's way too long, it's not even remotely scary, it's full of massive plot holes and moments of convenience, and the audience is given no real reason to care about any of the characters.

This movie is extremely violent and gory, but most of that looks completely fake. And some of the violence doesn't even make sense.

The only thing even remotely decent about this flick is that it has a few moments that are somewhat suspenseful, but even those moments aren't really scary.

We've almost made it to October, save your money for a horror flick that is actually worth seeing.

DVD Review for March 31, 2015

INTERSTELLAR
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Cain
Plot: A former pilot is sent on a journey into space to find a new planet for humans because the earth is becoming uninhabitable.
Trailer

Clint Says: This movie is ah-mazing!...Wait...wha? OMG! This is HORRIBLE!

INTERSTELLAR has the dubious honor of being one of my Top 10 Worst films of 2014...

I should have known better. When they released the first teaser trailer for this film almost a year ago I was so excited, but I should have known better. Great films don't need to do that. When we found out they were only going to pre-screen this film for movie reviewers and not general audiences, I should have known better. Great movies want as many people to see the film before release date as possible to spread the word. I should have known better.

This film clocks in at just shy of three hours. The first 2:15 are some of the most interesting, compelling and spectacular movie magic I've seen in a long time. I was enthralled. I was pulled in hook, line and sinker. Just like THE DARK KNIGHT films, Christopher Nolan was knocking it out of the park. 

Then the last 30 minutes of the film made their ugly appearance.

I can't even begin to tell you how bad the last 30 minutes of this film were. I sat in stunned silence, mouth agape. I couldn't believe my eyes. How could a Christopher Nolan film with such an incredible cast, and Oscar-worthy acting I might add, fall apart like a spaceship flying into a black hole?

There were several moments in the first 2:15 of the film that were odd, like story jumps and plot holes, but I was willing to overlook all of that because the film was so epic. Now I can't unsee any of it.

If you really must see this film, (and I can't really blame you because the trailers make it look so good), just watch until they launch the robot into the black hole. At that point, turn off the DVD player or computer, go to a coffee shop and make up your own ending. You will be so much happier. 

THE IMITATION GAME

Rated: PG-13
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley
Plot: A British mathematician works to break the German's code to help the allies win the war.
Trailer

Clint Says: Buy this DVD today

This film has the honor of being my top pick of 2014. It is an outstanding movie that should be seen by everyone. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a masterful performance as does Keira Knightley.

This movie is so highly compelling because the stakes are so high, and this cast delivers the intensity to the audience every step of the way. It is powerful, heartbreaking and intense.

Without giving anything away I will say that the scene following their success is one of the most powerful, gut-wrenching and heart-breaking scenes I have ever seen. This is truly a masterpiece.

WILD

Rated: R
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern
Plot: A woman endures a long hike to try to rediscover who she is
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent this when you get around to it

There was a lot of awards buzz surrounding this film, but I found it to be an okay movie at best. It has several compelling moments and Witherspoon does a wonderful job in her role, but there is only so much you can do with a movie about someone walking 1,100 miles.

The film starts slow and drags on for a while, then, just about the time the movie starts to get really good, it's over. And the ending of the movie feels like it would have made a more compelling chunk of the movie rather than the one paragraph of narration jammed in to try to tie the whole package up with a nice bow.

Typically, I don't like to do this, but I feel that a lot of people may be shocked at the content of this film. It is Rated R for a very good reason. WILD is full of sex, nudity, drug use and adult language. I'm not sure that most audiences will realize the adult nature of this film until they've already pressed play on the film.

Movie Review For November 7, 2014

NOTE: I will be releasing a special post on Monday reviewing several limited-release films that have Oscar buzz.


INTERSTELLAR
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Cain
Plot: A former pilot is sent on a journey into space to find a new planet for humans because the earth is becoming uninhabitable.
Trailer

Clint Says: This movie is ah-mazing!...Wait...wha? OMG! This is HORRIBLE!

I should have known better. When they released the first teaser trailer for this film almost a year ago I was so excited, but I should have known better. Great films don't need to do that. When we found out they were only going to pre-screen this film for movie reviewers and not general audiences, I should have known better. Great movies want as many people to see the film before release date as possible to spread the word. I should have known better.

This film clocks in at just shy of three hours. The first 2:15 are some of the most interesting, compelling and spectacular movie magic I've seen in a long time. I was enthralled. I was pulled in hook, line and sinker. Just like THE DARK KNIGHT films, Christopher Nolan was knocking it out of the park. 

Then the last 30 minutes of the film made their ugly appearance.

I can't even begin to tell you how bad the last 30 minutes of this film were. I sat in stunned silence, mouth agape. I couldn't believe my eyes. How could a Christopher Nolan film with such an incredible cast, and Oscar-worthy acting I might add, fall apart like a spaceship flying into a black hole?

There were several moments in the first 2:15 of the film that were odd, like story jumps and plot holes, but I was willing to overlook all of that because the film was so epic. Now I can't unsee any of it.

If you really must see this film, (and I can't really blame you because the trailers make it look so good), just watch until they launch the robot into the black hole. At that point, get up and run out of the theater, go to a coffee shop and make up your own ending. You will be so much happier. 

BIG HERO 6

Rated: PG

Stars: Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter

Plot: A young genius uses a robot and his friends to help solve a mystery. 

Trailer

Clint Says: Drop everything and go see this in theaters now

When you get the geniuses from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel all in on a movie you end up with some epic awesomeness. BIG HERO 6 is epic awesomeness. This is a movie that will be inserted into the DVD player a few months from now and set to "Repeat".

The animation is crisp, detailed, layered and filled with background fun for those of you that like to search for Marvel Easter Eggs. The story is very well told. It is compelling, emotional, funny and engaging for children and adults. 

I saw this film in 3D and was pleasantly surprised that they didn't do a lot of the gimmicky 3D-in-your-face stuff that doesn't add anything to the film. That said, you aren't going to miss anything by saving a few bucks and seeing it in a 2D theater. 

This film is really action-packed and some of it may be a bit too intense for the under 5 crowd, but aside from that, everyone else will enjoy this film. Grab the whole family and go see this as soon as possible. 

DVD Review for July 14. 2014

RIO 2
Rated - PG
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway
Plot: Blu and his family go to the Amazon jungle to find a group of birds just like them. When they do, Blu finds himself amid several rivals.
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent the DVD if you have kids that liked the first one

RIO 2 is your typical sequel. It's not quite as good as the original movie in the series and the story is so thin they have to use a lot of filler. In fact, if the decision makers on this film just stuck to the story, the movie would be about 30 minutes long. Instead, there is about 60 minutes of useless, but colorful, choreographed filler.

It kind of reminded me of watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It's quite a spectacle, but when it's all done you quickly forget it.

There are several scenes that may be a bit too scary for the under 5 crowd and there isn't enough entertainment value for the adults, so I would suggest only seeing this move with older children, and then only if they really loved the first movie.

Movie Review for April 11, 2014

DRAFT DAY
Rated PG-13
Stars: Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner
Plot: The GM of the Cleveland Browns has a seemingly no-brainer draft pick, but he, at the risk of losing his job, has other ideas.
Trailer

Clint Says: Save some money and go see a matinee

DRAFT DAY is a well-done, fast-paced film that, thankfully, is about relationships and the art of the deal rather than football. It's not nearly as good as JERRY MAGUIRE, but it's born of the same ilk.

I found myself engaged and entertained throughout the movie even though I'm not a fan of the NFL and I find the draft to be painfully boring. (I know, I'm weird). This is a plus for the film, because it will appeal to a much broader audience than just the NFL fan needing something that resembles football during the long off season.

Costner and Garner are vanilla as usual, but the action and intensity of the story keep things moving along well.

It's a good date movie because it's feel-good, you don't have to think too much and it has wide appeal.



RIO 2
Rated PG
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway
Plot: Blu and his family go to the Amazon jungle to find a group of birds just like them. When they do, Blu finds himself amidst several rivals.
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

RIO 2 is your typical sequel. It's not quite as good as the original movie in the series and the story is so thin they have to use a lot of filler. In fact, if the decision makers on this film just stuck to the story, the movie would be about 30 minutes long. Instead, there is about 60 minutes of useless, but colorful, choreographed filler.

It kind of reminded me of watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It's quite a spectacle, but when it's all done you quickly forget it.

There are several scenes that may be a bit too scary for the under 5 crowd and there isn't enough entertainment value for the adults, so I would suggest only seeing this move with older children, and then only if they really loved the first movie.




OCULUS
Rated R
Stars: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaits
Plot: A woman tries to overturn her brother's murder conviction by claiming a possessed mirror creates evil twins.
Trailer

Clint Says: See this in theaters...if you can handle it

I was pleasantly surprised that this was a horror movie that was actually scary. It does do the usual scare tactics that most horror films use, but this film has an interesting plot and a cast that is able to carry it off in a way that isn't cheesy.

This is a great popcorn flick that will have you avoiding mirrors for a while.



UNDER THE SKIN
Rated R
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Paul Brannigan
Plot: An alien dressed in a skin suit seduces lonely men then destroys them.
Trailer

Clint Says: Don't even bother

 

 

This may be the single dumbest movie I have ever seen. It's one of those "experimental" films (read: really bad with horrifically lame music, camerawork, acting, plot, dialogue, sound editing and direction).

 

This is a two-hour waste of time. If it hadn't been a press screening where they require a quote from you after the film, I would have walked out about 20 minutes in. (I've never walked out of a movie...that's how bad this is).

 

By 30 minutes in I was checking my watch and begging for the movie to either do something or end. And when I say "do something" I mean ANYTHING! The first several minutes of the movie are weird visuals and ridiculously long establishing shots. Then it's just Scarlett Johansson driving around, picking up lonely guys and then walking backwards in a black room while the guys get naked and sink into black ooze.

 

The dialogue (what little there is) is almost entirely in super-thick Scottish accents with no subtitles. Not that it matters because I didn't care at all what they were saying or doing. I just wanted everyone to die and have the credits roll.

 

I have seen that some film critics are calling this Johansson's "performance of her career" and "iconic". They must have seen a different movie than I did. All Johansson does in this flick is drive around, stare awkwardly at people or things for excruciatingly long moments and walk backwards away from lonely, naked guys.

 

I would rather watch C-SPAN for a week straight than have to endure watching this utter haggis again.