Movie Review For October 9, 2015: PAN

PAN
Rated: PG
Release Date: October 9, 2015
Director: Joe Wright
Stars: Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara
Plot: A young orphan finds himself leading a battle against pirates in a strange land as he searches for his mother
Trailer

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

I was nervous going into this film because the studio moved the release date a few times, and that is rarely a good sign for a movie. I'm still not sure why they changed the release date, but it was worth the wait. This film is a spectacular sight that will captivate and mesmerize your entire family.

This is a prequel to the Peter Pan story, but it honors well the story that we all know. It even feels like the Director wanted to pay homage to HOOK with some of the sets and the overall look of Neverland.

This film is also one of the first to use 3D to the full effect by adding in a black bar at the top and bottom of the screen and having the action spill over that. It makes the movie come to life even more than your typical 3D film.

The acting, for the most part, is outstanding. (Garrett Hedlund is the weak link here). And the film is highly entertaining and action-packed throughout. Some of the action may be a bit too intense for the under-five crowd, but I think most kids will enjoy this film.

Although this movie is really good, it isn't really award-worthy, except in a few of the technical areas. It wouldn't surprise me if we see PAN up for a costume Oscar.

Hopefully, this is not the last we see of this franchise. There are a lot of story lines that would make for an interesting sequel, not the least of which is the falling out between Peter and Hook. Personally, I can't wait for PAN 2.

DVD Review For June 16, 2015: CHAPPIE, RUN ALL NIGHT, THE LAZARUS EFFECT, and UNFINISHED BUSINESS

CHAPPIE
Rated: R
Stars: Sharito Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver
Plot: In the future all crime is policed by robots, but one of those robots is taken and reprogrammed to think and feel for himself.
Trailer

Clint Says: Don't even bother

Imagine a world in the amazingly far-off future of 2016 where we all have mullets and gangsters wear neon clothing straight out of the 1980's and we make movies that are violent and useless mash-ups of SHORT CIRCUIT and TRANSCENDENCE. If you can imagine that then you've seen CHAPPIE.

This movie may have allowed me to break my record for the most eye rolls and audible exclamations like "are you kidding me" in a two hour period.

This may be the worst performance of Hugh Jackman's career, not because he's bad in the role, but because they gave him absolutely nothing with which to work. His character is painfully one-dimensional and his transformation from good guy to bad guy takes about 4 nanoseconds and it's done with weak motivation.

They have been marketing this film as "from the director of DISTRICT 9" which makes no sense to me, because that was a horrible film as well. Here is a perfect example of how ridiculous this flick is: The really, really bad guy has such a thick accent that even though he's speaking English they had to put in subtitles.

They should have pulled the plug on this epic waste of time.




RUN ALL NIGHT
Rated: R
Stars: Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Ed Harris
Plot: Two life-long friends and gangsters go after each other after one has to kill the son of the other one in order to save his own son's life.
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent this when you get around to it

I've said before that Liam Neeson has really found his niche making action films where he's a quasi-bad guy with a conscience and is trying to make things right. That said, maybe he shouldn't take the lead role in every single movie that comes out with that plot line.

While this movie does have an incredible cast, all of which do great work in making their characters feel authentic, they don't have a lot to work with in this basic story. And while the story is fairly entertaining, it isn't nearly as compelling as it could be, nor do we see the character depth in some of the principle players that would make us want to care more about the outcome.

There are several large plot holes and many moments of convenience throughout the film that will probably drive you crazy. For example, can anyone explain to me how two injured and tired guys can be in a small building surrounded by 50 cops and still manage to sneak out the back door? It's moments like that that make this a film that could have been great into one that is mediocre at best.





THE LAZARUS EFFECT
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass
Plot: A group of scientists create a way to bring life back from the dead, but their experiment has deadly consequences
Trailer

Clint Says: If you have to see it, make someone else rent it

When I saw the trailer for this movie I was really hoping it would be a smart thriller, instead it's a hack horror flick with plot holes the size of California and, quite possibly, the worst excuse ever for someone to go on a killing spree.

This movie clocks in at about an hour and twenty minutes, but that is still too long. This should have been a short film. It still would have been horrible, but at least then we would have only had to endure 45 minutes of it.

There are so many things in this movie that are never explained, or done out of convenience that even the most casual movie-goer will be annoyed. I don't even think the uber-fans of the horror genre are going to like this film.




UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Rated: R
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco, Tom Wilkinson
Plot: Three guys from a small business travel to Europe to close a major deal, but everything goes wrong.
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent this if you have nothing better to do

If you've seen one Vince Vaughn movie you've seen them all, and this one is no different. He plays a big, goofy, but lovable adult child with no real business sense, but is a member of Mensa when it comes to street smarts. And end the end everyone lives happily ever after except the one guy that was mean to everybody the whole time.

This movie will give you a few laughs and several cringe-worthy moments, but overall it's pretty slow-paced. As far as Vince Vaughn flicks go this is average at best...and that's not saying much.

If you are looking for a mind-numbing night UNFINISHED BUSINESS will take care of that for you.

Movie Review For March 6, 2015

CHAPPIE
Rated: R
Stars: Sharito Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver
Plot: In the future all crime is policed by robots, but one of those robots is taken and reprogrammed to think and feel for himself.
Trailer

Clint Says: Don't even bother

Imagine a world in the amazingly far-off future of 2016 where we all have mullets and gangsters wear neon clothing straight out of the 1980's and we make movies that are violent and useless mash-ups of SHORT CIRCUIT and TRANSCENDENCE. If you can imagine that then you've seen CHAPPIE.

This movie may have allowed me to break my record for the most eye rolls and audible exclamations like "are you kidding me" in a two hour period.

This may be the worst performance of Hugh Jackman's career, not because he's bad in the role, but because they gave him absolutely nothing with which to work. His character is painfully one-dimensional and his transformation from good guy to bad guy takes about 4 nanoseconds and it's done with weak motivation.

They have been marketing this film as "from the director of DISTRICT 9" which makes no sense to me, because that was a horrible film as well. Here is a perfect example of how ridiculous this flick is: The really, really bad guy has such a thick accent that even though he's speaking English they had to put in subtitles.

They should have pulled the plug on this epic waste of time.




UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Rated: R
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco, Tom Wilkinson
Plot: Three guys from a small business travel to Europe to close a major deal, but everything goes wrong.
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

If you've seen one Vince Vaughn movie you've seen them all, and this one is no different. He plays a big, goofy, but lovable adult child with no real business sense, but is a member of Mensa when it comes to street smarts. And end the end everyone lives happily ever after except the one guy that was mean to everybody the whole time.

This movie will give you a few laughs and several cringe-worthy moments, but overall it's pretty slow-paced. As far as Vince Vaughn flicks go this is average at best...and that's not saying much.

If you are looking for a mind-numbing night out UNFINISHED BUSINESS will take care of that for you.




THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
Rated: PG
Stars: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel
Plot: The hotel owner has his eye set on expansion, but a couple of new guests and his own wedding may put an end to his dreams.
Trailer

Clint Says: Save some money and see a matinee, but go see it

Maggie Smith rules the world. That is all.

This is a very pleasant, feel-good film that will leave you feeling satisfied. There is nothing in this film that is earth-shattering or even really unique from other films of this ilk, but it is okay because the cast is what makes this film so enjoyable.

There is a moment in this movie where Maggie Smith conveys so much with a simple look that lasts for all of one second that we are all left in awe of her incredible acting ability. Her wit and snark throughout the film make for great moments of levity.

Judi Dench and Bill Nighy are simply charming together and a joy to watch.

There are times where the film does feel like it runs a bit long and there are a few moments of made up drama, but for the most part it is a well-paced and legitimate movie.

DVD Review For October 14, 2014

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy
Plot: Wolverine is sent into the past to try to change an event that dooms humanity and the mutants.
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent this DVD this week

The latest installment in the X-MEN franchise is one of the best yet. It draws from old story lines and gives us new characters to root for.

It is action-packed, but it also is thought-provoking and emotional. The technical effects are second-to-none and the plot is fast-paced even though there is a lot of set-up dialogue throughout the film.

It's not necessarily worth spending the money to buy the DVD, but it is absolutely worth seeing if you are into comic book movies at all.

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN
Rated PG
Stars: Ty Burrell, Max Charles
Plot: A genius dog and his adopted son must try to find a way to fix a rift in the time/space continuum that they created.
Trailer

Clint Says: Buy this DVD and put it on Repeat

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN is the latest impressive animated offering from Dreamworks. It's from the same team that created THE CROODS and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, both exemplary films.

This film is fun for the kids and is entertaining for the adults as well. It is refreshing to see an animated movie that allows the characters to use brain power, creativity and ingenuity to solve problems rather than the typical lucky bumbling of a goofball.

The relationship between Mr. Peabody and Sherman is sweet and endearing. I highly recommend this film for all ages.

Movie Review For May 23, 2014

BLENDED
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore
Plot: Two single parents that have a bad history end up on the same African safari.
Trailer


Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

While I will say this movie is significantly better that Sandler's last four or five movies, that's still not saying very much. It's not quite funny enough and it's not quite heartwarming enough, but it does enough to keep the audience fairly entertained throughout.

I was pleasantly surprised that the chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore is still there like in 50 FIRST DATES. And the addition of some of Sandler's regular go-to actors add a fun element to the film.

Sandler really hasn't made a film worth talking about for several years, but this is his best work in quite a while. I still wouldn't recommend spending the money for a movie ticket, but it will definitely be worth watching on DVD in a few months.



X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence
Plot: Wolverine is sent into the past to try to change an event that dooms humanity and the mutants.
Trailer

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

The latest installment in the X-MEN franchise is one of the best yet. It draws from old story lines and gives us new characters to root for.

It is action-packed, but it also is thought-provoking and emotional. The technical effects are second-to-none and the plot is fast-paced even though there is a lot of set-up dialogue throughout the film.

It's not necessarily worth spending the money to see it in IMAX or RPX or even 3D, but it is absolutely worth seeing if you are into comic book movies at all.


THE HORNET'S NEST
Rated: R
Stars: Mike Boettcher, Carlos Boettcher
Plot: Live action footage of US troops in Afghanistan battling the Taliban.
Trailer

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

This is one of the most intense films I have ever seen. All of the footage is real. It is terrifying, brutal and horrific. But it is also heroic, strangely beautiful and mesmerizing.

This film is not for everyone, but if you think you can handle it, I highly recommend seeing what our troops go through every day to help keep our nation safe. You will have a new-found respect for our military men and women after seeing this film.