DVD Review for August 4, 2015: INSURGENT, TRUE STORY, DO YOU BELIEVE? and CHILD 44

INSURGENT
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort
Plot: Tris and Four must make new alliances and try to stay alive while the government hunts them down.
Trailer

Clint Says: If you liked the first one, rent this

The second film in the DIVERGENT series falls off sharply from the first one. Fans of the book may be disappointed that the movie deviates far from the book. In fact, it deviates so much it's almost like the film is an original screenplay.

If you haven't seen the first film do not go see this one. You will be completely lost with no chance of figuring out what is going on. It was difficult even for those of us who did see DIVERGENT.

I will say that the action and the effects are amazing throughout the movie, but the dialogue and the plot are both sub-par. There are also several moments that will make you say, "wait, what just happened?"

I think that fans of the books that are willing to see the plot changed will really enjoy this movie, but for everyone else you may find it mediocre at best.

If you would like to see our Nerd Riders Drive Through Movie Review for INSURGENT click here.




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: Rent this as soon as you can

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.




DO YOU BELIEVE?
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Mira Sorvino, Sean Astin
Plot: 12 lives are changed over the course of a few days as their paths cross
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent it if you've got some extra time

This film is from the same people that brought us GOD'S NOT DEAD. That film had no advertising budget, but through word of mouth it stayed in the top 10 for several weeks and made over $60 Million. This time they spent a good chunk of that money making a much better film that will probably do even better at the box office.

By Hollywood standards this is an okay film. There isn't a lot about it that is exciting or innovative, but this is a story film, and the story is quite intriguing. The plot is interesting, the acting is much better than I expected, including a very powerful performance by Brian Bosworth.

There are a few moments that are too coincidental and others with cringe-worthy dialogue, but that aside it's a film worth seeing. Christians will love it for the message, but I think that non-Christians will find it interesting as well.

It is PG-13 for a reason, I would highly recommend keeping the younger kids away from this movie. There are certain things that happen that may be too intense for the under 10 crowd.




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: Rent this when you are in the right mood

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, while I do recommend seeing this movie on DVD, it's not an outstanding film.

Movie Review For March 20, 2015

INSURGENT
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort
Plot: Tris and Four must make new alliances and try to stay alive while the government hunts them down.
Trailer

Clint Says: Save some money and see a matinee

The second film in the DIVERGENT series falls off sharply from the first one. Fans of the book may be disappointed that the movie deviates far from the book. In fact, it deviates so much it's almost like the film is an original screenplay.

If you haven't seen the first film do not go see this one. You will be completely lost with no chance of figuring out what is going on. It was difficult even for those of us who did see DIVERGENT.

I will say that the action and the effects are amazing throughout the movie, but the dialogue and the plot are both sub-par. There are also several moments that will make you say, "wait, what just happened?"

I think that fans of the books that are willing to see the plot changed will really enjoy this movie, but for everyone else you may want to wait for the DVD before seeing it.

If you would like to see our Nerd Riders Drive Through Movie Review for INSURGENT click here.




THE GUNMAN
Rated: R
Stars: Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Javier Bardem
Plot: A security expert makes a controversial kill and must go into hiding in order to stay one step ahead of the hitmen after him.
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for the DVD and let someone else rent it

This movie is one hour and 55 minutes of cliche action flick. It's so cliche that even the big twist is painfully obvious.

There are massive plot holes, several events that arise that are never explained, and the bad guy gets killed in what may go down in action movie history as the most ridiculous death of a villain ever. When people laugh out loud at the death scene you know it's bad.

The movie does have a few moments of nice suspense, but overall there is nothing new or better than any of the action flicks that it stole its ideas from.





DO YOU BELIEVE?
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Mira Sorvino, Sean Astin
Plot: 12 lives are changed over the course of a few days as their paths cross
Trailer

Clint Says: Save some money and see a matinee

This film is from the same people that brought us GOD'S NOT DEAD. That film had no advertising budget, but through word of mouth it stayed in the top 10 for several weeks and made over $60 Million. This time they spent a good chunk of that money making a much better film that will probably do even better at the box office.

By Hollywood standards this is an okay film. There isn't a lot about it that is exciting or innovative, but this is a story film, and the story is quite intriguing. The plot is interesting, the acting is much better than I expected, including a very powerful performance by Brian Bosworth.

There are a few moments that are too coincidental and others with cringe-worthy dialogue, but that aside it's a film worth seeing. Christians will love it for the message, but I think that non-Christians will find it interesting as well.

It is PG-13 for a reason, I would highly recommend keeping the younger kids away from this movie. There are certain things that happen that may be too intense for the under 10 crowd.

DVD Review For September 16, 2014

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff
Plot: Two teens with cancer fall in love and learn how to live a beautiful, if short, life.
Trailer

Clint Says: Buy this DVD...and some tissues

Not only is TFIOS the best movie of the year so far, (I told you MALEFICENT wouldn't hold the title very long), it has a great chance of holding that title when the year finally comes to a close. It is a master-class work by the entire cast and crew. 

Fans of the book by the same name will not be even the slightest bit disappointed by the film adaptation. It is rare to see a movie that so closely follows the book. I liken it to the first HARRY POTTER film where almost every bit of the book was portrayed on the big screen, and in a way that was very true to the book.

Shailene Woodley gives an Oscar-worthy performance and Ansel Elgort is charming throughout. Woodley and Elgort are perfectly cast as Hazel and Augustus, and even the hard-core YA fans aren't going to have a problem with the they-are-brother-and-sister-in-DIVERGENT-but-lovers-in-TFIOS-how-weird thing.

For those of you out there who say, "ugh, I don't want to see some cancer death movie," don't be so quick to judge. In THE HUNGER GAMES kids killed kids, yes, but that wasn't what it was about. In TFIOS, teens are dying from cancer, but the story is about them living, and loving, to the fullest that they can in the short infinity they are given.

I have seen TFIOS twice, something I rarely do simply because I see so many movies that I only have time to see ones that I REALLY love more than once. The second time through I was able to really see the layers that make this film so enjoyable.

NOTE: A few months ago I had the honor of hosting the DEMAND OUR STARS event at War Memorial in Nashville with John Green, Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff and 2,000 screaming TFIOS fans. You can see the recap of that event here. We also got to interview all four of them on Mix 92.9 the following day. You can hear that interview here, or see it here.

They are all very down-to-earth, genuinely good people that were able to come together and make a truly stellar film.



GODZILLA
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen
Plot: Godzilla returns from the deep, forcing humanity to come together to try to bring down their common foe.
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent this DVD for a really fun weekend

As far as monster movies go this may be one of the best ones ever. If you're looking for cinematic perfection, you should probably skip this flick.

This is one of those great summer popcorn movies that gives you tons of action, suspense, chills, jumps and bumps, but you can't think about the plot too much. You just have to leave all reality at the door and escape into the movie.

The effects are A+ and the acting is surprisingly above average for a film like this. If you're looking for a fun movie without too much thinking involved, GODZILLA would be a great choice.



THINK LIKE A MAN TOO
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, Michael Ealy
Plot: A group of friends reunite for a wedding in Las Vegas, but things don't go according to plan.
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent the DVD if you've got nothing better to do.

If you saw the first THINK LIKE A MAN then you've already seen this movie. It's the same people with the same jokes, it just happens to be in Vegas this time.

Kevin Hart is funny as always and if you think he's great then you'll probably be happy with this movie. If you are simply looking for a fun comedy, you'll want to pass on this film and go for something with a bit more originality.

DVD Review for August 5, 2014

DIVERGENT
Rated - PG-13
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Cate Winslet
Plot: Post-war Chicago's inhabitants are divided into five groups, each assigned with a specific task to help the others. Tris, a Divergent that doesn't fit into the system, finds herself on the run from a sinister government that wants all Divergents dead.
Trailer

Clint Says: Buy this DVD

DIVERGENT is a perfect example of a good book being made into a very good movie. I would put it on par with THE HUNGER GAMES and significantly better than THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES. It has great moments of suspense and intensity, the world building is top notch, and Tris's arc is played out very well.

If I had to say anything bad about the movie it's that Peter, Will and Al look so similar, if you didn't read the book you may have trouble telling them apart. Also, there are a couple of plot holes that will drive detail-oriented viewers crazy.

Fans of the book will really enjoy the movie as will fans of the dystopian young adult genre. Adults should not skip this movie thinking it's just another teen movie, it is definitely worth a watch.

FUN FACT: Be on the lookout for a Veronica Roth cameo. She shows up as a Dauntless.



NEED FOR SPEED
Rated - PG-13
Stars: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots
Plot: A small town racer gets himself into the biggest underground, illegal street race of the year to avenge the death of his friend and take down his rival.
Trailer

Clint Says: A very good rental

I was pleasantly surprised by NEED FOR SPEED. As far as car movies go, (and they are almost always horrible), this one was one of the best. Aaron Paul does a great job, Jesse Pinkman fans will not be disappointed.

 

Incredibly, according to Aaron Paul, this movie is 100% camera caught, meaning no CGI or green screen technology was used. If that is the case, kudos to the director because some of the racing scenes are almost too amazing to believe.

 

One warning on this movie: Watch your speed after seeing it. You'll want to tear up the asphalt like never before.

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

Clint Says: Rent this if you can handle the scary

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.

GOD'S NOT DEAD

Rated - PG

Stars: Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper

Plot: A philosophy student challenges his professor's way of thinking about God.

Trailer

Clint Says: Rent it, it will challenge you

This is the little movie that could. When it was released in theaters it had a very small marketing budget, but word of mouth quickly spread that this was a movie worth seeing. In fact, it was in the top 10 weekly grossing films for several weeks in a row. 

Critics hated this film and fans loved it. That tells me one thing, it's worth a watch. It's not the greatest movie ever made, but the content will challenge you, and it's isn't so cheesy that you'll be pulled out of the story.

Movie Review for June 6, 2014

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff
Plot: Two teens with cancer fall in love and learn how to live a beautiful, if short, life.
Trailer

Clint Says: Drop everything and go see this movie now...and take tissues

Not only is TFIOS the best movie of the year so far, (I told you MALEFICENT wouldn't hold the title very long), it has a great chance of holding that title when the year finally comes to a close. It is a master-class work by the entire cast and crew. 

Fans of the book by the same name will not be even the slightest bit disappointed by the film adaptation. It is rare to see a movie that so closely follows the book. I liken it to the first HARRY POTTER film where almost every bit of the book was portrayed on the big screen, and in a way that was very true to the book.

Shailene Woodley gives an Oscar-worthy performance and Ansel Elgort is charming throughout. Woodley and Elgort are perfectly cast as Hazel and Augustus, and even the hard-core YA fans aren't going to have a problem with the they-are-brother-and-sister-in-DIVERGENT-but-lovers-in-TFIOS-how-weird thing.

For those of you out there who say, "ugh, I don't want to see some cancer death movie," don't be so quick to judge. In THE HUNGER GAMES kids killed kids, yes, but that wasn't what it was about. In TFIOS, teens are dying from cancer, but the story is about them living, and loving, to the fullest that they can in the short infinity they are given.

I have seen TFIOS twice, something I rarely do simply because I see so many movies that I only have time to see ones that I REALLY love more than once. The second time through I was able to really see the layers that make this film so enjoyable.

A few weeks ago I had the honor of hosting the DEMAND OUR STARS event at War Memorial in Nashville with John Green, Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff and 2,000 screaming TFIOS fans. You can see the recap of that event here. We also got to interview all four of them on Mix 92.9 the following day. You can hear that interview here, or see it here.

They are all very down-to-earth, genuinely good people that were able to come together and make a truly stellar film.



EDGE OF TOMORROW
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt
Plot: A soldier finds himself repeating the same day, a day the aliens destroyed humanity. But he uses his special ability to get trained in a way to destroy the enemy.
Trailer

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

If you like sci-fi action flicks EDGE OF TOMORROW will completely satisfy your craving. It has aliens, explosions, cool weapons, people that don't get what's happening, a pretty boy that has no clue how to do anything and a super-awesome, kick butt woman that has to turn the pretty boy into a hardened soldier so he can save the world.

I found the movie to be mostly original in its story, with the exception of the one-alien-to-rule-them-all thing that so many sci-fi movies use as a crutch to make sure the humans can finally win. But aside from that it was an enjoyable action flick with a 50 FIRST DATES style love story thrown in to give the audience a little break from the action.

I would recommend paying the extra money to see this in a bigger theater with the huge sound system, but if you don't want to blow $20 on a movie for one ticket, seeing it in 2D will still get the job done.
By the way, these tough soldiers are going to lose big time to the teen girl army at the box office this weekend.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS - "DEMAND OUR STARS" NASHVILLE EVENT RECAP

Picture Courtesy of Lauren Thoman @LaurenTHCW

Several weeks ago a contest began on Tumblr allowing fans of the wildly popular John Green novel THE FAULT IN OUR STARS to vote for their state to get one of only four visits from the author and the stars of the movie by the same name: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Nat Wolff.

Picture Courtesy of Lauren Thoman @LaurenTHCW

As the contest entered its final few days Tennessee was nowhere to be found, but then, in the last day of the contest Tennesseans stepped up big time and helped us get one of the events. (Way to go Tennessee!)

I know. Awesome. Right?

On Thursday, May 1st I was contacted by the movie studio and asked to host the event. This was pretty much my reaction:

Pretty sure that was the fastest "YES" in the history of ever.

 

Actually, it was more like this:

Yep. I channeled my inner Katy Perry.

 

 

Then there were several moments of FREAK OUT as I realized we had less than a week to get ready for the event. I may or may not have looked like this a few times:

Somebody needs a chill pill.

 

Finally, after many hours of hard work it was time for the event. We found out early Thursday morning that people had started lining up on the steps of War Memorial Auditorium at midnight for the 7PM event. Holy cow!

 

The midnight crew. That dude may be the best dad ever.

Picture Courtesy of Mary Blair @wmarocks

 

I arrived on site at about 4PM and was greeted by several thousand TFIOS fans happily waiting for their chance to get inside the event or meet their TFIOS heroes on the red carpet. Everybody was great! They all were living by the DFTBA code:

DON'T FORGET TO BE AWESOME!

 

I have never seen such a large crowd be so awesome. It was so much fun to talk to all of the people that had driven for hours, stood in line all day long and still had smiles on their faces. Nerdfighters truly are made of awesomesauce.



 







Nerdfighters. Awesomesauce. See, I told you so.

Photo Courtesy of Clint Redwine @ClintRedwine

 

I had the privilege of hosting the event with a good friend of, and fellow YouTuber with John Green, Evelina Barry. We spent most of our time before the event out in the crowd talking to the fans, but we did have time for one pic together.

 



In case you suffer from an affliction similar to Isaac, Evelina is the one on the right.

Photo Courtesy of Clint Redwine @ClintRedwine

 

Soon after this pic was taken, it was time for the doors to War Memorial Auditorium to open. The crowd was sooooooo excited, but even so, they were still awesome to each other.

 

Fault Fanatics waiting for the doors to open...and being awesome.

Photo Courtesy of Clint Redwine @ClintRedwine

 

Once the doors opened, 1,900 uber fans were allowed entry into War Memorial Auditorium for the main event. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room to fit everyone in, but the ones that didn't get in still got a treat by being able to hang out at the red carpet and get autographs from their favorite author and movie stars.

The red carpet and the Capitol...only in Nashville. #Awesome

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Thoman @LaurenTHCW

 

 







John Green signing autographs on the red carpet.

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Thoman @LaurenTHCW

 

 

And the stars looked incredible...

Shailene Woodley

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Thoman @LaurenTHCW

 

Ansel Elgort

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Thoman @LaurenTHCW

Nat Wolff

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Thoman @LaurenTHCW

The TFIOS Peeps

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Thoman @LaurenTHCW

 

 

Meanwhile, inside War Memorial, Evelina and I were getting the crowd worked up into a frenzy...and taking selfies.

This time Evelina is on the left.

Photo Courtesy of Clint Redwine @ClintRedwine

 

We all know that Nashville is a special place and special things happen here. This night was no different. Because it's Music City, we had to have some live music, and that was provided by TFIOS star Nat Wolff and his brother Alex.



I snuck my camera between the backstage curtains for this shot.

Photo Courtesy of Clint Redwine @ClintRedwine

 

Of course there is crowd video of their performance...

 



Video Courtesy of karlamademedothis

During their performance Evelina and I were backstage with John, Shailene and Ansel. They had never seen Nat play before and they REALLY wanted to. But, they couldn't just walk out on stage, so they did the next best thing. They laid on the ground and watched under the stage curtain.

Of course I took a pic...

John and Shailene watching Nat and Alex from backstage

Photo Courtesy of Clint Redwine @ClintRedwine

After Nat and Alex Wolff played, the crowd was treated to 10 minutes of the movie not seen before.

John Green came out to the stage to thunderous screams, cheers and applause to introduce the sneak peek. He was classy and funny as always.

Video Courtesy of Kristen Stuard @lil_Kstu

That was a really special moment, even though the crowd only heard about half of it because they spent the other half screaming with joy. They were all so excited to get the exclusive look. Unfortunately, you can't see what they saw, but here is a link to the trailer to give you a little taste of all the feels they had.

Most of the crowd looked like this during the sneak peek...

1900 Happy Elves

 

But there were some scenes that made them all look like this...

1900 Ugly Cries

 

And, of course there were scenes that made the crowd look like this...

1800 "Marry me, Ansel" (There were about 100 guys there).

 

After the sneak peek, it was time for the stars to make their apperance and do a question and answer session with the audience. Evelina and I took the stage and began to bring out the four stars of the evening.

 

I am not exaggerating when I say that, at the moment I introduced Ansel, it was the loudest sound I have ever heard. It was so loud you almost couldn't hear it. You just felt the pressure on your ears.

 

Here's a video of that moment...



 



Video courtesy of Kristen Stuard @lil_Kstu

 

 



Once the Q and A got going this happened. Yes, dear reader. This. Happened.

Ansel Elgort dances while Nat Wolff throws down a beat

Video courtesy of Carrie Germain

 

Finally, the Q and A session wrapped up and it was time to go. That meant there was only one thing left to do. We did a full crowd "Okay? Okay." It was a beautiful moment.

 

 





Okay? Okay!

Video Courtesy of Kristen Stuard @lil_Kstu

 

As I left the auditorium that night, I walked to my car parked several blocks away and even 45 minutes after the event had ended I could still hear the screams of hundreds of TFIOS fans echoing through the streets of downtown Nashville.

 

It was truly an epic night. A night that, for many of the fans there, will be one of the best nights of their lives. It was a night that they could count as a perfect little infinity, their own little forever, in their own greater infinity.

 

The next morning, John, Shailene, Ansel and Nat were all gracious enough to wake up early and come into Mix 92.9 so we could do an interview with them all.

 

You can hear that whole interview here. It was a blast! They are such a fun bunch. And they even took the time to take a pic with us after the interview even though they had a crazy busy day.

 

The Mix 92.9 Crew and the TFIOS Crew

Photo Courtesy of Clint Redwine @ClintRedwine

 

All in all it was an incredibly awesome two days with John, Shailene, Ansel and Nat. It was a wonderful little infinity, and I hope someday I will be able to work with them again.





Movie Review for March 21, 2014

DIVERGENT
Rated PG-13
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Cate Winslet
Plot: Post-war Chicago's inhabitants are divided into five groups, each assigned with a specific task to help the others. Tris, a Divergent that doesn't fit into the system, finds herself on the run from a sinister government that wants all Divergents dead.
Trailer

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

DIVERGENT is a perfect example of a good book being made into a very good movie. I would put it on par with THE HUNGER GAMES and significantly better than THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES. It has great moments of suspense and intensity, the world building is top notch, and Tris's arc is played out very well.

If I had to say anything bad about the movie it's that Peter, Will and Al look so similar, if you didn't read the book you may have trouble telling them apart. Also, there are a couple of plot holes that will drive detail-oriented viewers crazy.

Fans of the book will really enjoy the movie as will fans of the dystopian young adult genre. Adults should not skip this movie thinking it's just another teen movie, it is definitely worth a watch.

FUN FACT: Be on the lookout for a Veronica Roth cameo. She shows up as a Dauntless.


MUPPETS MOST WANTED
Rated PG
Stars: Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell
Plot: During a world tour Kermit and the gang get mixed up in a jewelry heist orchestrated by a Kermit look alike.
Trailer

Clint Says: Save some money and see a matinee

MUPPETS MOST WANTED is exactly what you expect from a Muppet movie. Not much of a plot, not overly funny, but a lot of good music, good cameos by several of Hollywood’s hottest stars, and enough humor to make the movie enjoyable for kids and tolerable for adults.

 If you’ve got the money to spend at the theater, this would be a good treat for the younger kids, but you won’t miss out on anything if you just wait for the DVD.