DVD Review For June 9, 2015: KINGSMAN, THE DUFF, and PROJECT ALMANAC

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
Rated: R
Stars: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson
Plot: A young man joins a secret, elite spy team to help bring down the apocalyptic plans of a madman
Trailer

Clint Says: Buy this DVD as soon as possible

This is still one of my favorite movies of 2015. It is so much fun. It's a great flick to grab your friends, a bucket of popcorn and just have a blast.

The movie is based on a comic book so there is a level of absurdity to it that makes the film even more enjoyable than it would have been as just a simple spy movie. (If you aren't laughing and cheering when the elites get theirs, you might want to re-evaluate your priorities, because it is one of the most insanely, ridiculous scenes to come along in a long time).

The characters are all intriguing and complex, and the villain (Samuel L. Jackson) is anything but one-dimensional. The story is exciting, compelling, intense and thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. Even though this movie clocks in at just over two hours, it never feels long.

If you like a good spy flick, you will love KINGSMAN.




THE DUFF
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne
Plot: A girl tries to change her high school social status after she learns she is a DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)
Trailer

Clint Says: Buy this DVD as soon as possible

This may well be the first great high school comedy since John Hughes gave us everything awesome about the 1980s. It is funny, heartwarming, a great story, but above all else it rings true. There isn't a scene or even a line that feels like it was written by an adult trying to get into the mind of a teen.

The book was written by Kody Keplinger, a 17 year old high school senior, and thankfully the powers that be let her writing stand for itself in the transition from book to screen.

The casting for this movie is spot on. Whitman is brilliant, Amell is great as the dumb jock with a heart, and Bella Thorne kills it as the girl everyone loves to hate.

As I watched THE DUFF I found myself constantly smiling like a goofy idiot, that is, when I wasn't laughing so hard I could barely breathe.

This is a movie that will become an instant classic and a must-own by teenage girls everywhere.




PROJECT ALMANAC
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Amy Landecker, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Johnny Weston
Plot: A group of teens build and use a time machine, but things start happening beyond their control
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent it after you've seen the other films out this week

PROJECT ALMANAC is an okay film. It's not horrible, but it's not great either. It is a "found footage" style movie, but it really should not have been. There are several scenes in the movie where there is no way any of the kids would have been filming.

The movie has several large plot holes and, for all of the cool effects, it really doesn't go anywhere new and exciting. There are also several scenes that are straight rip-offs from classic 80s and 90s movies. After the third or fourth copied scene it becomes really tedious.

The film clocks in at just over 1 1/2 hours, but it feels significantly longer than that.

Movie Review For February 13, 2015

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Rated: R
Stars: Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson
Plot: A young woman falls for a billionaire businessman with specific sexual desires
Trailer

Clint Says: Don't even bother

Let me preface this review by saying that my review is not based at all on the morality of the film's content. I try to review films in the most honest and objective way that I can. Whether you feel a movie meets or does not meet your own moral standards is your decision, not mine.

For those that don't know, the books were originally TWILIGHT fanfiction* written by E.L. James and posted online. Once it started to become popular, she changed the main characters' names from Edward and Bella to Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. The names may have been changed, but the fact remains that this is straight up theft of Stephenie Meyer's characters and world. If you do have to see this horrible movie, just think TWILIGHT as you watch it, you'll be shocked by all of the similarities. (Set in small town Washington, a near love triangle between Anastasia (Bella), Christian (Edward), and Jose (who looks a lot like Jacob), Christian gets together with his family and they talk baseball, etc.).

That said, this is easily one of the worst films I have ever seen. It is full of painful dialogue, lackluster acting and minimal plot. This movie would be boring if it was only an hour long, but unfortunately it clocks in at over two hours. Oh, the agony.

The character development is superficial at best. Really all we get to know is that Grey is an abusive jerk in just about every area of his life and Anastasia is barely more than prey. The rest of the cast doesn't even matter.

I saw an early screening of this film in a theater full of rabid fans of the book. Needless to say, they were all primed and ready to go before the movie began. There was a buzz and and electricity in the audience that I've only experienced at a few screenings. With almost all screenings of good/great movies the crowd typically applauds and cheers at the end and then I will hear accolades for the movie from the masses as we all walk out together. With this movie, the audience groaned at the incredibly lame ending and then proceeded to walk out in near silence.

That tells you more than my review ever could.

If you'd like to see my video review of this movie, you can click here.

*Stories written by fans of popular books using the same character and world set up by the author. Much of the time fanfiction includes an element of sexuality not seen in the original work.





KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
Rated: R
Stars: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson
Plot: A young man joins a secret, elite spy team to help bring down the apocalyptic plans of a madman
Trailer

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

I know we are only a few weeks into the new year, but this is my favorite movie of the year so far. It is so much fun. It's a great flick to grab your friends, a bucket of popcorn and just have a blast.

The movie is based on a comic book so there is a level of absurdity to it that makes the film even more enjoyable than it would have been as just a simple spy movie. (If you aren't laughing and cheering when the elites get theirs, you might want to re-evaluate your priorities, because it is one of the most insanely, ridiculous scenes to come along in a long time).

The characters are all intriguing and complex, and the villain (Samuel L. Jackson) is anything but one-dimensional. The story is exciting, compelling, intense and thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. Even though this movie clocks in at just over two hours, it never feels long.

If you like a good spy flick, you will love KINGSMAN.

DVD Review for June 3, 2014

LONE SURVIVOR
Rated: R
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch
Plot: A small group of Navy SEALs find their mission compromised and are surrounded by hundreds of Taliban supporters.
Trailer

Clint Says: Buy this DVD

LONE SURVIVOR, based on the true story of Operation Red Wings, is very difficult to watch, but it worth every minute of your time. Wahlberg and the rest of the cast do an exemplary job of portraying the impossibility of their situation without straying from their military training. The tribute to the real heroes of Operation Red Wings at the end of the movie is worth the price of the DVD itself. If you liked ZERO DARK THIRTY you will love LONE SURVIVOR.



ROBOCOP
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson
Plot: In the near future, technology allows for OmniCorp to create a human/robot hybrid cop to fight out-of-control crime.
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent this movie now

This movie is leaps and bounds better than it's predecessor. The graphics are obviously better, but so is the story. This is a classic style action flick, but it has a large focus on the ethics of the situation as well as biting commentary on the ridiculous 24-hour news shows so prevalent today.

Keaton and Oldman's characters are well juxtaposed and add a level of tension and thought usually not seen in action movies. Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of newscaster/salesman so well you almost fall for his pitch. If you are in the mood for an action film, this is as good a choice as any.



SON OF GOD
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Diogo Morgado, Greg Hicks
Plot: The story of Jesus from birth to Resurrection.

Trailer

Clint Says: Rent THE BIBLE instead.

SON OF GOD is well done, but if you already watched Mark Burnett's mini-series THE BIBLE you've seen this. It's the same footage from the mini-series only cut down to just the story of Jesus.

 

It is well done and stays true to the bible, but it's not as powerful as THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. If you want to see it I would recommend getting the most bang for your buck and just buying the entire mini-series.

Movie Review for April 4, 2014

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Rated PG-13
Stars: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan
Plot: Captain America is forced into a battle with an old foe, but he must be careful because he's not sure who he can trust.
Trailer

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

It is surprising that the studio decided to release this movie in early April rather than wait for the summer blockbuster season. It fits all the criteria for a summer blockbuster: explosions, action, explosions, hot girl that might be good but is probably bad, explosions, epic fight scenes, a good guy that turns out to be bad, explosions, a bad guy that turns good, oh...and a super-good looking hero that slowly walks away from explosions.

CAPTAIN AMERICA is exactly what we have come to expect from the MARVEL series. It's an excellent action movie and a really good, fun time for viewers. Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America) and Scarlett Johannson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow) play well off of each other giving the audience entertaining and witty banter throughout the film.

There are several great moments throughout the movie that had our audience breaking out into applause a good six or seven times. (MARVEL movies are always best to see with uber fans). We also get some answers to long-held questions from the first CAPTAIN AMERICA movie.

THE WINTER SOLDIER is better than the original because it is much faster paced and we get to see a more developed hero. It's still not quite as good as the IRON MAN or THOR series, but it is definitely a worthy competitor.

As with all of the other MARVEL movies there are a couple of things to look for while munching on your popcorn: 1. Stan Lee (MARVEL creator) has a cameo. Look for him in the Smithsonian, 2. There are two secret scenes at the end of the movie. Wait until the very end of the credits to see both.

The end-of-the-movie tease aheads will make for some interesting conversation among the MARVEL geekdom and fans of the movies. I won't say much as not to ruin anything other than, yes, that belongs to Loki.

If you like action movie and/or comic book based movies I highly recommend this one.