Movie Review For May 1, 2015: AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, THE WATER DIVINER

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader, Paul Bettany, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Plot: The Avengers must work together to stop one of Tony Stark's creations that has decided the world must be destroyed
Trailer

Clint Says: Drop everything and go see this movie now

And the crowd said, "AMEN!"

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is two hours and 21 minutes of total awesomeness. It is fast-paced, high-stakes, and intriguing story-telling at its comic-book finest.

Director Joss Whedon should be given a lot of credit for allowing the cast to have the range they needed to explore and develop their characters even more. Because of that we get some of the best scenes we have ever had the privilege to witness in the MARVEL universe.

This movie is hysterically funny, way more so than any of the other MARVEL films, with the exception of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, but it is also deep and at times will pull at your heartstrings.

There is a freedom and a depth to this movie that we've yet to see in any other comic book flick that may even lead to its eventual nomination for awards other than just the technical stuff. It is fun and spectacular from beginning to end.

I don't say this often because the price of going to the movies is so ridiculous, but this is the movie you need to see in IMAX or RPX and in 3D. It's worth the money. This is easily the best popcorn flick of 2015 so far and it's going to take some serious doing to knock it from the top spot.




THE WATER DIVINER
Rated: R
Stars: Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney
Plot: A grieving father travels from Australia to Turkey to find the remains of his sons killed in the same battle during World War I, but he soon finds out that one of them may still be alive
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

This is an interesting film because it is a fascinating story that is heartbreaking and compelling yet it is brutally boring in its execution. It is an Australian film that has made its way to the US. Maybe they find this style of movie-making much more palatable down under, but for US audiences it feels slow, drawn out and dialogue heavy.

Russell Crowe is incredible and believable in his role, but it's not enough to overcome the nearly two hours of dullness on screen.

This film won three Australian Academy Awards including Best Picture, but it's not even worthy of a nomination here. It is worth seeing at some point if you like post World War period pieces, but it won't be a life-changing or even much of a moving experience for you.

Movie Review for August 29, 2014

THE NOVEMBER MAN
Rated - R
Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko
Plot: An ex-CIA operative is called back into action to bring down one of his former trainees.
Trailer

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

Typically, this is the time of year when Hollywood dumps all of the films they don't expect to do well into theaters. But there are always one or two exceptions. Thankfully, THE NOVEMBER MAN is an exception.

This film is a very good, high entertainment spy flick that will keep you engaged and guessing. It is also done in a way that you really don't know if the main characters are going to make it out alive or not, adding to the suspense and thrills of the movie.

It's a lot of fun to see Pierce Brosnan return to the big screen in a high-action spy role. His cool-as-a-cucumber approach is the perfect juxtaposition to his quick-acting adversary.

It's not quite on par with the better James Bond films, but you won't walk out of the theater disappointed.

Get a big bucket of popcorn and enjoy the ride.




AS ABOVE SO BELOW
Rated - R
Stars: Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge
Plot: Dark secrets are revealed in the catacombs below Paris.
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

This is about as basic and formulaic as you can get in the found-footage horror genre. The premise is quite interesting and the execution is tolerable, but the only real scary parts of this film are the jump-out-and-yell-boo moments. The rest of the movie is somewhat suspenseful, but by no means scary.

As with most horror flicks, there are several huge plot holes and missing or non-explained elements throughout the film that will drive some moviegoers crazy. However, the typical horror film fan will find this movie to be a decent horror flick with enough scares to raise heart rates for 90 minutes.

If you aren't into horror films this one will either bore you or give you lots of time to study the theater ceiling with all the eye rolling you will be doing.

Personally, I kept waiting for Harry Potter to show up somewhere in the catacombs under Paris. (You'll have to see the movie to understand why).