Movie Reviews For April 24, 2015: THE AGE OF ADALINE, LITTLE BOY, TRUE STORY, CHILD 44 and EX MACHINA

THE AGE OF ADALINE
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman
Plot: An accident causes a woman to stop aging and the effects of her condition make living a normal life impossible.
Trailer

Clint Says: Save some money and see a matinee

I am not a fan of films where implausible things happen. I'm fine with the impossible, because it's fiction. A woman that ends up not being able to age is an intriguing theme. I'm happy to suspend disbelief and enjoy the show in a case like that. Where I draw the line is when, and I'm not spoiling anything here that's not already in the trailer, said woman dates a man then decades later ends up running into that man because she is dating his son. The implausibility is cringe-worthy.

Aside from that the story is actually compelling and a nice love story. Blake Lively is wonderful in her role as Adaline, although her overly-proper speech pattern is somewhat distracting. It fits that her character being several decades older than she looks would talk like that, but it's tough to make one's brain reconcile the two.

This movie also has a very "sciencey" narrator that is endearing, annoying and unintentionally hilarious at once. In the screening I attended the audience laughed nearly every time he opened his mouth.

The film feels long even though it's not quite two hours long. It's fairly slow and at some times even boring, but there is enough that is compelling about it to bring you back into the story once it picks up again.

THE AGE OF ADALINE will give you plenty of eye-rolling moments, but it will also give you happy feels as well. If you like love stories with a twist, you'll most-likely like this film.




LITTLE BOY
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Jakob Salvati, Emily Watson, David Henrie, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin James
Plot: When a young boy's father goes off to fight in WWII, the boy will do anything to get his dad back home
Trailer

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

This is a beautifully done story of faith, hope and love. The story is told well, the acting is spot on, and even though it is a little too saccharin sweet it's heartwarming and enjoyable.

Jakob Salvati is an absolute joy to watch throughout the film. His happiness, faith and innocence will put a smile on your face that can only be taken away by the ravages of war and hatred.

The film does a nice job of paralleling the intertwined stories and making you really feel for the characters.In fact there is a nice character depth to almost all of the main players.

There are some thematic elements that make this a PG-13 film, so it isn't a film for the whole family, but it is one that I would take my children to see because it may open up some lines of dialogue about faith and prejudice.

LITTLE BOY is a great choice this weekend. It will make you smile, but you need to bring some tissues as well.




TRUE STORY
Rated: R
Stars: Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones
Plot: A journalist meets and begins to tell the story of a man that murdered his own family, but then took on the identity of the journalist
Trailer

Clint Says: See this in theaters soon

This is a creepy, fascinating, and thrilling flick that will keep you guessing and engaged throughout. Jonah Hill and James Franco prove that they are truly exemplary actors and so much better than the dumb comedies they do. Felicity Jones proves once again that she is one of Hollywood's best. In fact, she may have the most compelling scene in the film aside from Franco's courtroom testimony.

This is not a fast-paced movie at all, but it doesn't feel slow either. There isn't a lot of action, but the compelling nature in which the story is told makes this a film worth the time and money to see it.

This film may not be as suspenseful if you already know the actual story, but if you are walking into it unaware, like I did, you will be pleasantly surprised by the intriguing story.

I hope Hill and Franco give us more movies like this in the future.




CHILD 44
Rated: R
Stars: Tom Hardy, Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace
Plot: A disgraced member of Stalin's police force tries to solve a serial killer case in a Russia that is told that murder is not possible
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

This is one of those films where the trailer is so much better than the movie. I'm not saying the movie was bad, but it could have been so much better. If I'm going to sit through a two-plus hour, post-WWII, Russian period piece I need it to be overly compelling. This one is not.

There are a lot of great things about things film, not the least of which is the incredible acting by Tom Hardy and Joel Kinnaman. The cinematography is outstanding as well. I just wish the plot could have been more action-oriented and thrilling.

Typically in a murder-mystery style film there is a lot of suspense in the chase. In this case there is very little. In fact, the only real suspense comes outside of the hunt for the killer. If the hunt had been executed better this might have been an Oscar contender.

I would love to recommend seeing this film just because the cast is so amazing, but honestly, you won't miss anything by waiting until the DVD comes out. At that point though, I highly recommend seeing CHILD 44.




EX MACHINA
Rated: R
Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander
Plot: A young computer genius is tasked with working with an artificial intelligence being, but things don't turn out like they planned
Trailer

Clint Says: See this in theaters if you like slow-moving, but deep-thinking Sci-fi

This is one of the most intriguing, thought-provoking, and disturbing science fiction films I've seen in a long time. It is slow-paced and, of course, they go with a created artificial intelligence being that is the most beautiful woman to ever walk the planet, but aside from that it's a unique plot with great twists.

Oscar Isaac is outstanding in this film, which personally makes me very happy, because up to this point I haven't liked him in anything, but I'm a huge STAR WARS fan and he's starring in the new one. This gives me hope that he will be a good fit for that role.

Domhnall Gleeson does a fine job as well. He is a perfect fit for these brain-squeezing thrillers.

This film will make you think, cringe, squirm, and leave you dumbfounded in a good way when it's all over. It's a disturbing yet engaging film that will stick in your head for several days after you see it.

One warning: There is a lot of graphic nudity in this film.

DVD Review For January 20, 2015

LUCY
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman
Plot: A young woman is drugged and as a result is able to tap into 100% of her brain's capacity.
Trailer

Clint Says: If you have to see this, I pity you

Luc Besson, writer and director of LUCY, needs to get some people on his team that are willing to tell him "no"...quickly. I'd be hard pressed to try to come up with another movie that falls apart so thoroughly in the last 20 minutes.

Besson has done some very good work in the past, but he's had some real stinkers too. This film falls into the latter category. Morgan Freeman's character is completely useless to the plot and is really only there to preach at us for 90 very long minutes. There are plot holes and inconsistencies throughout the entire film, some of which are so blatantly obvious that even the most casual movie-goer will notice.

I saw LUCY with my wife. And while I am a stickler for story integrity, she, being an author, puts me to shame in that category. Her rant about this film for the entire 45 minute ride home was epic. I've heard her rip some movies to shreds before over plot, but this one was one for the ages.

The first hour of this film is actually pretty exciting despite the preachiness and plot holes. My recommendation is, if you really must see this, watch until Lucy lands in Paris. At that point, get up, turn off the movie, go get some coffee with a friend and come up with your own ending. I guarantee you that your ending will be way better than the actual ending.



THE DROP
Rated: R
Stars: James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace, Tom Hardy
Plot: A bartender in a rough neighborhood finds himself in the middle of criminal activity.
Trailer

Clint says: Rent it if you've got a free night

James Gandolfini returns as a rough mobster in his last feature film, and Tom Hardy gives an exemplary performance once again.

While the story itself isn't overly compelling or even very interesting, the fact that it is Gandolfini's last movie makes it worth a watch.

It's not a bad film at all, but it isn't the great film that it could have been.

Movie Review For September 12, 2014

DOLPHIN TALE 2
Rated - PG
Stars: Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman
Plot: The staff at Clearwater must find a companion for Winter before she is taken away from them forever.
Trailer

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

This is one of those films that I knew going into it, it was going to be a feel-good movie with a good dose of inspiration. I was surprised that that movie was actually very good and well done beyond the expected.

I saw this movie in a theater packed with children and adults with missing limbs or other physical challenges. Talking with them after the film helped me to realize how inspirational Winter is to so many of them.

I sat next to a young friend of mine, Zion, who had both of his feet amputated a couple of years ago. He kept whispering to me during the movie all the facts about Winter that the movie was leaving out. It was one of the more joyful movie experiences of my life.

This is a great family-friendly film that will inspire you and give you hope.



NO GOOD DEED
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Idris Elba, Taraji Henson
Plot: A woman and her two children are terrorized in their own home by a man that talked his way in.
Trailer

Clint says: I haven't seen this yet, but I have serious doubts about it.

I was scheduled to see a screening of this film earlier in the week. 10 hours before the screening the studio canceled it giving us the excuse that they were worried about the surprise twist ending being revealed before the film's release. This really makes no sense, because reviews see films with wild twists all the time and they aren't revealed.

I have a feeling that this is simply a ploy to try to have at least one good weekend for a really bad movie.



THE DROP
Rated: R
Stars: James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace, Tom Hardy
Plot: A bartender in a rough neighborhood finds himself in the middle of criminal activity.
Trailer

Clint says: Save some money and see a matinee

James Gandolfini returns as a rough mobster in his last feature film, and Tom Hardy gives an exemplary performance once again.

While the story itself isn't overly compelling or even very interesting, the fact that it is Gandolfini's last movie makes it worth a watch.

It's not a bad film at all, but it won't be up for any major awards this year.