St. Vincent

St. Vincent

Rating 6.5 out of 10

I saw the previews for this a couple weeks ago and it caught my interest.  I like Bill Murray and like Melissa McCarthy when she is more in the Mike and Molly tv show mode as she is here.

Maggie (McCarthy) after a nasty divorce moves into an older neighborhood with a new older, nastier neighbor (Murray).  Vincent is a very rude and nasty guy.  Hardly any redeeming qualities.  He smokes and drinks too much.  Owes everyone money.  Has a cut rate pregnant prostitute (Naomi Watts) visit weekly.  Yet Murray somehow makes us like him.  Maggie is starting a new job and is desperate enough to have someone watch her son after school that she pays Vincent.

I rarely go see a movie during peak times when a theater is packed.  Opening night is not going to happen with me.  This can be an issue when seeing comedies.  Something is much funnier with a theater full of people laughing with you than when you are in with a dozen other movie watcher.  Movies like St. Vincent suffer from this.  A friend of mine said when she saw it in a packed theater she was going to have to go back and see it again due to laughter drowning out the next words.

This movie thanks to Bill Murray has lots of funny laugh at loud parts.  It kinda drags in the middle when it really shouldn't but does wrap up with a touching grab your hanky ending.

I liked this movie.  Good acting.  The little kids is also very good.  I was entertained.

John Wick

John Wick

Rating 7.5 out of 10

The ladies have movies that lean toward their tastes more than they do for us guys.  The love stories with lots of hand holding and staring into each others eyes.  Then there is movies like John Wick clearly aimed toward the dudes.  This movie is like a big piece of steak on a plate with no veggies.

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) at on point was the best hit man in the business.  He finds the woman of his life and is able to walk away.  Several years later his lovely wife passes away from Cancer.  In his grieving period he locks horns with the son of one of the big Russian mobsters.  The son messes with the wrong guy.  Body counts are high.  That's pretty much all you need to know.  This is a 96 minute roller coaster ride of bullets and things that go boom.

This movie is similar to the better Denzel Washington movie The Equalizer released last month with less plot to get in the way.  There are even some of the same actors playing Russian mob bad guys.  I liked both movies alot.

As I have said with John Wick you get what you pay for.  It's entertaining.

Fury

Fury

Rating 7 out of 10

I like war movies.  Movies from Saving Private Ryan to Platoon.  Fury is most definitely a war movie.  It's just amazing the things those soldiers went through back then.  Amazing and sad.

Fury starts in the mid 1940's in Germany.  World War II is winding down.  Hitler is on the run and getting desperate.  A super-tough sergeant that has the nickname Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) has seen it all. He has a fatherly feel of the three guys in his tank.  He feels it's his job to keep them safe.  When one of his own dies the replacement Army sends is a green youngster that wants nothing to do with it.

The Germans have better firepower in their tanks and are kicking our butts in that department.  US Forces are at this point going from town to town taking it over trying to force Hitler to give up.  Fury doesn't have a plot line A to Z like Private Ryan did.  It more a week in the life of.  Oh what a week it was.  They are sent ahead of the other soldiers to protect some crossroads for the soldiers to soon follow.  When the tank hits a land mine they are forced to kill time until reinforcements come. Only to have a battalion of German soldiers come around the corner.  They need to hold that cross roads or to protect all the unsuspecting soldiers behind them.

Pretty boy Brad Pitt is not that pretty here but does a good job.  The acting is very good all round.  The real star of the show is the director and how he shows the real pain of war.  You feel like you are in it with them.

This is a good movie.  Wouldn't recommend it for the squeamish.  There is a lot of blood an guts from the opening sceen to the last.  If you like war movies this one is for you.

This is Where I Leave You

This is Where I Leave You

Rating 7 out of 10

In the sea of action and shoot 'em up films released lately this is a good family drama with a great cast.  It has some laughs and some tender moments.  It stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphan and Rose Byrne.

The movie starts with Judd (Bateman) having a very bad day when he comes home from work early and catches his wife in bed with his boss.  Later in the day he finds out his father has died.  He goes back to his hometown for the funeral and his large family.  Mom (Fonda), Sister (Fey) and two brothers (Corey Stoll and Adam Driver).  I am not Jewish but I guess there is a tradition where after a death the family the survivors share a house for a week.  This is a dysfunctional family with lots of issues.

Bateman and Fey are always funny.  Mom has a running gag of huge boob job and inappropriate talk of dads private parts.  Sometimes they hit the mark.  Sometimes they don't.  There are side stories a plenty.

This is much more light hearted and comical than the Judge.  I enjoyed it.

Dracula Untold

Dracula Untold

Rating 7.5 out of 10

There of course have been many movies on the famed Dracula.  This is the one that claims to explain how he came to be.  This movie is getting killed in the reviews but I found it very entertaining.

It seems Dracula started out as a boy that was given by his father to the evil Turks who enslaved him and a thousand other boys.  Beating them regularly and turning them into ruthless killers.  He became one of the most feared- Vlad the Impaler.  He would impale his enemies on tall poles.  Flash forward several years and he has been set free and has a peaceful kingdom of his own with a beautiful queen and young son to boot.

When the evil Turks return wanting another thousand young boys including the kings son.  To defend his kingdom he becomes Dracula.  He is able to take on large armies by himself.

The action and effects is very good.  As I said I found this movie entertaining as I saw it on the big IMAX screen.  If you like these type movies I feel you will enjoy this one.

The Judge

The Judge 

Rating 8 out of 10

When I saw the trailer for the Judge I was intrigued from the start.  I like a good super hero shoot 'em up as well as the next guy.  I also like a good family drama and for me that's exactly what this was. In the hands of lessor actors this movie could have been a misfire.  Yet Robert Downey Jr. proves he has the chops to be far more than Ironman or Sherlock Holmes.  Robert Duvall is always great and when Vera Farmiga is on the screen I can't take my eyes off her.  Billy Bob Thornton can be good when he wants to me and here he want's to be.

As the movie starts we see what a rotten guy defense attorney Hank Palmer (Downey) is defending people he knows are guilty just for a big pay check.  His life is rocked when he finds his mom has died and he goes back to his small Indiana home town for the funeral.  To say he and his father (Duvall) don't get along is like saying Angelina kinda likes adopting kids.  Dad is a long time no nonsense judge in the town.  The funeral is painful in many ways for Hank except for seeing his old girlfriend (Farmiga).

As Hank is leaving the Judge is involved in an incident with his car where a bad person from his past is killed.  The judge is arrested and the only person to defend him is super lawyer Hank.  They do of course butt heads and there is plenty of conflict.  A district attorney is brought in from out of town (Billy Bob) who has a grudge with the Palmer family.

The story isn't overly original although it has laughs and tugs at the heart too.  It is nearly 2.5 hours in length but I never once looked at my watch.  I enjoyed it.

Gone Girl

Gone Girl

Rating 8 out of 10

Earlier this year I was told about the book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn by a friend in spin class.  Turned out to be one of my favorite books.  When I heard they were making a movie I knew I'd be first in line.  I did not picture Ben Affleck in the lead role when I was reading the book but think he was a perfect choice.

This is a book/movie that has several twists that can't be discussed here.  I would say you should see this movie early on as you know some bozo will spill the beans and ruin it for you.

What I can say is Ben plays Nick Dunne.  He is a married man that when tough times come to the handsome couple in NYC they are forced to move to a small town on the Mississippi River to help take care of his mom.  Dunne opens a local bar with his spunky sister Maggie (Carrie Coon).  On Nicks fifth anniversary he gets a call from his neighbor that something fishy is going on at his home.  When he rushes home he finds his wife Amy gone and signs of a struggle.  He immediately calls the police only to have the clue point toward him.

The casting is near pitch perfect.  I have been a fan of Rosamund Pike (Amy Dunne) for a while and she is Fantastic here.  I think she should be nominated for awards come the season.  She is that good. Carrie Coon is very good. Tyler Perry does a great job without putting a dress on.

This is a very good movie.  The only thing that keeps the score down to an 8 is the ending.  I didn't care for the ending in the book and even though they slightly changed it for the movie it still rubs me the wrong way.  Obviously not a deal breaker.  The movie is entertaining and one that is to be seen.