The Conjuring

The Conjuring

Rating 8 out of 10

I am not really into these scary type movies.  Haven't been for many years.  Seems so many of them are just cookie cutter copies of movies before or see if they can be a little more gross.  When I have gone in the past I could predict as the movie went along what was going to happen.  Okay, that person is about to get killed, the ghost is going to pop up about here, ect.  For the most part to me they just aren't scary.

I am pleased to say the Conjuring does not fit that mold.  This movie is loosely based on a true story when a family moved into a Rhode Island farm house in the early 1970s and right off the bat notice strange things happening.  When the strange things turn into horrible things the Perron family calls in a married couple  (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) who specialize in tracking down and eradicating ghosts and mean spirits.  They quickly find they may have bit off more than they can chew.

The Conjuring has a slow build and several bone chilling scares.  It doesn't push the pace or go for the cheap scare.  Of course you can ask why in the hell didn't they just move out.  They say they don't have the money to live anywhere else but I think I would have found something.

If you like these type scary movies at all this is one you need to see.  I'd recommend seeing it soon in a full theater as these are much scarier when there is a bunch of screaming girls behind you.

I liked it.

The Wolverine

The Wolverine

Rating 6 out of 10

I am a fan of the X-Men movies.  I have liked most of them.  I think the Wolverine character is one of the better characters they have going.  I enjoyed the 2009 movie Wolverine.  I guess they were running out of names as this movie is called THE Wolverine.  Unfortunately they were running out of scripts and money for effects for other mutants as Hugh Jackman and his Wolverine is basically the only one in the film.

The plot is pretty thin even though you don't need an extensive plot for one of these movies.  It seems when the Americans dropped the bomb in Japan Wolverine was there as a POW.  Not sure how the Japanese were able to capture him but that really doesn't matter.  Wolverine saves the life of a very young Japanese officer and the officer vows to repay him.

Flash forward to 2013 and grief stricken Logan is still upset about the loss of his love, Jean Grey.  He has nightmares every night.  When he is tracked down but the Japanese soldiers private eye and told of his near death situation he agrees to fly to Japan to say his goodbyes.

Wolverine gets messed up in a Japanese clan war that is neither very interesting nor easy to understand. The big showdown ending is something you see coming miles away.  There is a good bit of action you came to the theater for.  Unfortunately most of it you saw in the many trailers.  It's not a bad movie. Jackman always seems to keep things interesting.  It's just not a very good one either.

You folks know I'm not a fan of 3D movies.  You absolutely do not need to see this movie in 3D.  I was forced to pay the extra price for the uncomfortable glasses due to start times.  There is once scene where Wolverine chops on a tree and the chips come flying at you.  That is the only time you realize it's 3D at all.

I'd say maybe wait to rent this one.

Monsters University

Monsters University

Rating 5 out of 10

I look forward to animated films coming out.  It gives me a date with one of my favorite young ladies.  My sweet granddaughter Delilah.  I know no matter how good the movie is I will have a good time.  This was no exception.

Often with sequels they rush them out not long after the original to strike while the iron is hot so to speak.  Sometimes the sequel is very good, sometimes not.  I was a big fan of the original Monsters, Inc. movie released in 2001.  It made my top ten list and was a dvd I looked forward to buying.  Well you can't accuse Disney of rushing out this sequel.  It took them a dozen years.

Back are the stars of the original John Goodman as Sully and Billy Crystal as Wazowski.  The movie begins with Wazowski as a grade school nerd taking a school field trip to Monsters Inc where he decides that is the career path for him.  Flash forward a few years when young Waz is still a nerd and going into his first day at Monsters University where monsters learn to scare little kids.  Sully is the cocky big blue guy that comes from a family of scary monsters.  They don't get along at all to start.  Through a series of competitions they of course become friends.

What the original Monsters, Inc. had going for it was the comedy that appealed to kids while offering plenty of laughs for adults.  Not to mention the heart tugging little girl Boo.  This movie is much like the recent Despicable Me 2 in that it gears almost all for small kids.  Three year old Delilah liked the movie alot and laughed at the jokes.  I found the movie to be mildly entertaining yet checked my watch several times to see if it was nearing the end.

I enjoyed the time with my granddaughter and was entertained with the movie.  I would say if you had to pick between Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 I'd go with the latter.  With both I'd say as an adult viewer wait and rent them.

Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2

Rating 6 out of 10


I was a big fan of the first Despicable Me movie.  It was one of my favorite types of animated movies.  Top tier animation and a story line that offers plenty of laughs for the kids and also entertaining to the adults that end up taking those kids.  Or adults like me that end up borrowing grandkids so I'm not in the theater by myself.  I thought the first one was very funny in many parts and touching in the end as the evil Gru realizes he does care for the three little girls.  Steve Carell is perfect to play the voice of Gru.

Flash forward a year or two and Gru is now a stay at home father to the three cute girls having given up on his life of crime and trying to make a living the honest way by making jams and jellies.  When another really bad guy steals a secret potion that will of course allow him to take over the world Gru is recruited to help the good guys figure out who did it.

With the original my least favorite part was the little yellow minions.  A little went a long ways.  Unfortunately in D2 their part is expanded a good bit.  While I found the movie entertaining enough D2's story and humor is much more aimed at the small children.  The kids in my theater laughed heartily at the fart jokes just as they should.  I looked at my watch more than once.

If you have small children this is a must see movie.  They will have a great time.  You won't be offended or overly bored.  You will though probably look forward to seeing the credits roll.

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger

Rating 6.5 out of 10

I was a little iffy on seeing this movie.  I think it is a given that Johnny Depp is a talented actor.  Yet most of his movies I don't care for.  I will say after seeing the Lone Ranger he was all that kept it from being a well below average movie.  He was very good.

This is a different telling of an old story.  In this movie Tonto is the brains of the operation and Kemosabe is a liberal lawyer not wanting to touch a gun much less shoot a bad guy.  In this movie as so many others lately they feel the need to go back to the very beginning and explain everything from A to Z.  This Makes for a 2.5 hour movie that would have been better at 45 minutes less.

John Reid/Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) is a younger city slicker lawyer moving to the wild west with  ideas of being a District Attorney and bringing law to the land.  His older brother is a local hero Texas Ranger known for bringing in the bad guys.  Tonto is on the same train as Reid with the most evil bad guy in the west Butch Cavendish (played by the great character actor William Fichtner)  with thoughts of avenging the murders of his tribe. Neither the Lone Ranger nor Tonto want to work together but they do as in the west there are bad guys every where including evil politicians.

The movie has plenty of action and thanks to Depp there are some funny moments.  The story doesn't really make much sense but if you are in these seats you are not there for a deep plot.  I think a good gauge on this movie is did you enjoy the Pirates of the Caribbean?  If the answer is yes then I think you will find your money well spent.  I was entertained and mostly felt my money was well spent.

The Heat

The Heat

Rating 5 out of 10

First my rant: Seeing this movie in Ft Myers, Florida at a Regal theater (I rarely go to Regal anymore) I got a free popcorn with my Regal card.  Had just eaten dinner and couldn't hold any popcorn.  While standing in line for a diet coke there was a younger pregnant woman in front of me.  I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she were going to get popcorn.  She said she was so I gave her my free popcorn.  Her response I expected:  Wow, thank you good looking only slightly older man with gray in the beard.  That was so nice I think I'll name my unborn child after you.  Even if it's a girl!  OR maybe: Thank you.  What did I get? She says "Ok".  Then she turns around and goes up to get her free popcorn.  Oh well...

Now the movie-  I didn't really expect much from this movie.  One thing I will say about comedies like this I think it's important to see on a weekend with a full theater.  Something about seeing a moderately funny movie in a theater full of people that makes it seem funnier.  Unfortunately this was a week night with maybe 12-14 other people in the theater.

I think mostly Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy (very funny in tv's Mike and Molly) make a pretty good team.  Sadly they picked this unnecessarily crude foul mouthed poorly written movie to share their talents.  The script while funny at times seems like a made for tv movie that someone thought if they pumped enough F-bombs into it would make for a funny movie. In this movie the F-word is used 190 times.  No I didn't count.  I saw Sandra in an interview where she talked about it.  For me they didn't make the movie any funnier.

The plot of the movie, not that it matters goes like this.  FBI Agent Ashburn (Bullock) is a good agent in NYC except she is a little uptight and not liked.  She is hoping for that big promotion and her boss sends her to Boston to take down that big drug lord that would gurantee the raise. I guess they don't have a FBI office in Boston?  While working the case she crosses paths with the crude foul mouthed Boston cop Mullens (McCarthy) who treats everyone poorly and screams and cusses at her boss.

They hate each other then amazingly enough begin to like each other.  I know you didn't see that coming.  Sadly most of the jokes you see coming around the block.  Bullock and McCarthy are good and almost save the movie.  Almost.  If you can overlook the very unnecessary crude language and can sit thru a couple groan inducing jokes to get to the funny ones you will enjoy this movie.

I'd say wait to rent.