Focus

Focus

Rating 6 out of 10

Will Smith raises the level of most every movie his is in.  Unfortunately he also raises expectations. When his is in a movie you expect it to be fantastic.  Anything short of that is a bit of a disappointment.  This movie is good.  It's flashy.  It's funny at times.  It's just not fantastic.

Smith plays a mid level con man making a decent living with his band of thieves showing up at big sporting events, Mardi Gras, or any place there are large crowds of potential victims.  They pick pocket and lift anything of value.  Once the event is over they get together and split the spoils until the next gathering.

All is going well until he comes across a rookie con woman who is a super hot blonde (Margot Robbie).  Amazingly he decides to take her under his wing and teach her the ropes.  Romance begins and makes things more complicated.  When the "big score" comes around everything gets real complicated.  Nothing is the way it seems.

For me it gets too complicated.  It's hard to understand exactly what the big score really is or how they plan to get away with it.  Too many twists and turns for their own good.  Smith keeps the movie moving along and entertaining.  Robbie is a looker and has some acting chops to go with that million dollar smile.  In the end I was mildly entertained yet felt like I was missing something.  Set expectations on low and you will enjoy a couple hours.  A year or two from now you won't remember if you saw it or not.

McFarland USA

McFarland USA

Rating 6 out of 10

You really can't go wrong going to see a feel good movie like this.  Kevin Costner is looking good at sixty and making some decent movies.  This one is based on a true story.

Costner plays a fiery football coach back in the late 1980s who's no nonsense take no prisoners old school approach does not go over well with papered players.  When he gets fired again the only job he can get is as an assistant coach in an one horse hispanic town.  Doesn't take him long to come at odds with the head coach and again he is looking for something to keep him busy.  When he notices how fast the poor kids are running from place to place.  He starts a cross country team even though he knows nothing about it or has enough boys to field a team.  With a little training they begin to do amazingly well.

You can pretty much guess the rest of the story as this is a paint by the number movie.  The reason it doesn't rate higher on my scale.  Wife and kids hate the town and in a matter of weeks love it like they have never lived anywhere else.  There is the build up to the California State Championship.  No way these overworked boys can compete with the rich white kids.

This is an enjoyable harmless feel good film.  Would make a good rental or rainy day movie.

The DUFF

The DUFF

Rating 7.5 out of 10

This movie is not really aimed at my age bracket yet I was able to sit thru it and laugh a plenty.  Out of town with daughter Stacy and our feet were aching from walking hills.  We looked for a movie theater with soft seats to rest our toes.  If the movie was good it would be a plus.

This movie is about Bianca (Mae Whitman from tv's Parenthood).  She is plodding through her senior year of high school.  She is very smart with two hot friends.  Her guy-friend neighbor tells her she is a DUFF.  Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Bianca is not ugly or fat but it seems the person does not actually have to be fat or ugly.  Just has to be the weak link in the friend chain.

The film follows the teen-movie guidelines.  Her hunky guy friend neighbor (Robbie Emell from tv's Flash) is having problems in Science class and may be kicked off the football team.  He teaches her how to be smooth and talk with the floppy haired boy she has a crush on and she will make sure he passes Science.  Yes, I know it's very complicated. Try to follow along. : >   Throw in the evil snobby red headed cheerleader that hates everyone.

The movie works because of Ms. Whitman.  She is really funny here and hits several home runs with her laugh out loud lines.  It's a cute and entertaining movie that's not going to cure cancer but a pretty decent way to take you off your feet for a couple hours. I was entertained.

Royce’s Oscar Predictions 2015

I think many assume the Oscars are like the Superbowl for me.  All about the movies!  Funny thing is I don’t know I have ever watched a whole show.  Doubt I have.  I usually wait for my buddy Ted Cashin to watch it and write his entertaining wrap up.  I rarely agree with who the pompous academy give the gold statues to.  Still that does not stop me from writing my predictions down and here we go. 

Best Picture

American Sniper- A very good movie that I enjoyed.  I don’t know that it was well made from A to Z enough to make this a front runner for best picture.

Birdman- I was finally able to rent this before the Oscars.  I think it’s a different type of movie that is probably not deserving of all the accolades it is getting.  

Boyhood-  I rented this movie and could not get all the way through it.   I applaud the determination it took to film a movie over a dozen years.  Great idea.  Does not necessarily make a great movie. Boring and seemed improvised.

The Grand Budapest Hotel- I saw the previews for this and had zero desire to see it. 

The Imitation Game- A very well acted movie that deserves to be nominated.  They should be thrilled with the nomination and applaud when the winner gets their statue.

Selma- When I read the MLK family would not allow this film to read his speeches without paying a large fee I knew there was no way I would pay to see it.

The Theory of Everything-  I am sure there is an amazing story here.  I never felt the need to see it.  I’ll rent it when it comes to RedBox.

Whiplash- Great acting and well made story about a subject (Jazz drumming) I just don’t care a hill of beans for.  I was entertained and again feel this deserves a nomination.  Just not a win.

Who should Win-  American Sniper

Who will Win-  Boyhood

Best Actor

Steve Carell- I hear he does a great job in Foxcatcher.  He changes his whole appearance.  Heard the movie is very slow.  Have not seen it.

Bradley Cooper- He did a great job transforming himself into a Navy sniper.  I would think he would be one of the front runners.

Benedict Cumberbatch- I think he did a fantastic job as the strange genius out to break the German code in WWII.  I am not sure enough people saw the movie tho.

Michael Keaton- Hard not to like Keaton.  I guess his performance was good.  It was just too strange to enjoy.

Eddie Redmayne- This guy is strange to me.  Kinda creeps me out.  I did not see this movie either.

Who should Win- Benedict Cumberbatch

Who will Win- Michael Keaton

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard- I have not even heard of her movie Two Days, One Night.  She is a doll.  I like her a lot in her English films.

Felicity Jones-  I did not see this movie.  Guess I need to rent it when it comes out.

Julianne Moore- Not a Julianne fan.  Seems every year she gets nominated for something. This is generally a tough category to fill five nominees and she always gets thrown in there. 

Rosamund Pike- She was fantastic.  Captures the crazy wife perfectly.

Reese Witherspoon- She was very good in Wild.  It’s definitely her movie.  Would not be surprised if she won.

Who should Win- Rosamund Pike

Who will Win- Reese Witherspoon or Julianne Moore

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Duvall-  He is always so good I’m afraid he cancels himself out.  He was fantastic in the Judge.

Ethan Hawke- I thought he was too over the top and strange in Boyhood.  Benefiting from the gimmick of the movie.

Edward Norton- He is a great actor. He remembers large amounts of lines. I don’t  think it was impressive.  

Mark Ruffalo- I have liked him in many movies.  Don’t think anyone saw him in this one.

J.K. Simmons-  Best performance of the year.  You need to rent this movie just to see him do his stuff.

Who should Win- J.K. Simmons

Who will Win- J.K. Simmons

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette- I was not impressed at all with her performance at all.  I like her generally.  Just didn’t anything above average with her or the movie.

Laura Dern- Always likable yet only in the movie maybe six minutes.  I don’ think that should qualify for a nomination.

Keira Knightly- She does a good job in this movie. 

Emma Stone- She has only three small scenes in Birdman. 

Meryl Streep- Does she have to be nominated in every movie she does?  Agreed this is a very weak field but there has to be better.

Who should Win- I really don’t feel any of these performances are award worthy.

Who will Win-  Patricia Arquette or Meryl Streep

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Rating 7 out of 10

When I saw the previews for this movie I was all in.  I like this type of action/spy/James Bondish of movie and have become a big Colin Firth fan over the years.  This type of role is way out of the norm for him yet he handles it well as super agent Harry Hart.  Leave the cool sexy names to Bond.

This movie is based off a popular English comic book that I had never heard of.  It was also directed by the same guy that did the underrated and over the top action film Kick Ass. It seems more than a hundred years ago some very rich English men donated a bunch of money to fund a ultra secret group of agents that have the single job of fighting bad guys without people ever knowing they are there  When one agent dies all the other agents nominate a young potential replacement that are put through an enhanced boot camp to see who will take the fallen agents place.

As they point out in the film what makes a spy movie is the bad guy.  This time the bad guy is Richmond Valentine (played by the almost always fantastic Samuel L. Jackson).  For some reason Jackson plays this guy as a mentally challenged teenager with a speech impediment and fear of seeing blood.  Not sure how this got past the group in the reading room when preparing for this film.  For me it didn't work.  Luckily the rest of the movie more than made up for it.

Valentines henchmen this time is a woman.  A hot Brazilian looking woman that for some reason has these razor things where her feet used to be that allows her to slice and dice the most experienced opponent.  When she kills a Kinsmen agent the hunt is on for a young replacement.  The movie bounces between the bootcamp and Hart's attempt to catch Valentine.  Harts nomination for the replacement agent is a street young punk (newcomer Taron Egerton). He of course out does all the other preppy rich kid nominees.

The movie flows well even though it gets a bit hokey at the end and falls prey to some typical action movie cliches (we have to stop the bomb in 4,3,2...).  I enjoyed it.  I wouldn't buy the dvd, but would watch it if it were on cable.  In all the years I have been watching movies with my movie buddy Ted this is the first time I can remember rating a movie higher than him.  He gave this movie a 6.

If the trailer looks interesting to you chances are you will enjoy the film.  It's not a Bond classic yet compared to what else is out there this is a pretty good choice for a theater seat.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Rating 3 out of 10

I have not read the book that this movie is based on.  I know somehow the book steamed up the shorts of many middle aged women.  I never understood why and after seeing this movie I understand even less.

In case you have been under a rock I'll explain the best I can the plot of the movie.  When Anastasia Steel's journalism major roommate comes down sick before a big interview with hunky billionaire Christian Grey Anastasia graciously steps in to do the interview for her.  She is clearly out of her league with the businessman yet Christian is intrigued with the mousy young virgin.  He begins to court Anastasia with all his charm and money.  Fancy dinners.  Helicopter rides.  Amazing penthouse apartment in downtown Seattle.

There is just one problem.  Hunky Christian is a sadistic controlling bastard that gets his rocks off by whipping and torturing women.  His sights are set on sweet Anastasia.  He shows her his torture room full of whips, restraints and other such fun toys.  Any woman with an ounce of sense would have run far away at that time.  She is interested.  He starts off slow and nice.  Then his true colors start to show.  I have known many woman in my life.  Never once have I met one I thought would enjoy being strapped to the kitchen table and beat with a leather belt making her count the swings.

This goon needs to be in jail.  I don't understand the draw to this tale at all.

Here is a youtube.com review on the movie that I tend to agree with.
http://youtu.be/YgQs5ihTpYc

Seventh Son

Seventh Son

Rating 6.5 out of 10

After wasting two hours of my life watching Jupiter Ascending I was leery about going to see Seventh Son.  It was a rainy work day so I gave it a shot.  I was pleasantly surprised.  This won't be a classic of all time but the effects were good and I was entertained.

Jeff Bridges didn't want to shave his funky beard so he had to take a role like this.  He plays Master Gregory.  A type of a warlock/knight in charge of keeping the planet safe from evil witches.  At one time there were more than a hundred of these knights, now he's the only one.  Many years ago Gregory imprisoned the most evil witch Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore).  When she escapes and kills his apprentice in the process Gregory must find a new apprentice (Ben Barnes).  It's always the seventh son of a seventh son.  Not many of those around.

Okay, this is not rocket science.  Good vs. Evil.  Lots of witches magic.  Men turn into huge dinosaur looking monsters.  A plot that doesn't confuse or insult the senses.  Bridges delivers as he usually does.  I thought this was a decent way to spend part of a rainy day.

Jupiter Ascending

Rating 2 out of 10

I thought this movie looked interesting.  Expectations were set on low for the plot, but the action and special effects looked to be good enough to make it an interesting couple hours.  I was so wrong. Even though I was not expecting much it fell far below.

The plot the best I can recall shows a race of people vastly superior to us humans travel the universes.  Three siblings lay claim to different planets that inhabit humans.  Do they use this ownership to come down to the planet and share their vast wealth of knowledge from a thousand years of living?  Of course not.  That would be way too boring.  They instead wipe out all living creatures and harvest their being to create a magic potion that allows them to live forever wrinkle free!

That brings us to Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) who is born in a container on a ship crossing the ocean toward America.  She now cleans toilets with her mother and hates her life.  This of course qualifies her to be the Queen of Earth and key to saving all human kind.  Something to do with the way she can control large hives of bees.

About an hour into this two plus hour movie I realized I still had no idea what was going on.  Not long after that I decided I didn't care.  There are tons of special effects that seem to be thrown in just because they had the budget to do so.

This movie is a mess and a total waste of some decent actors.  Don't waste your time folks.

Whiplash

Whiplash

Rating 6.5 out of 10

I wanted to see this film from the first preview.  I think J.K. Simmons may be the best character actor of our times and the plot looked interesting.  I was mostly right.  This movie is a crazy look at the ultra intense world of jazz musicians at a top of the world music conservatory/college.

Miles Teller is a likable young actor that I enjoyed in an underrated movie That Awkward Moment.  He plays a very promising drummer hell bent on being the greatest jazz drummer of all time no matter what the cost to his personal life.  Simmons is the top of the hill instructor for the best school in the land that all jazz musicians dream of playing for.  You watch what you wish for as he makes Simon Cowell seem like your favorite sweet uncle.  Verbal and even physical abuse is expected.  Years of great playing can be down the tubes with one bad effort.  Simmons has never been better and very much deserves his Oscar Nomination.  Your gut gets a knot in it when he starts jumping on a terrified jazz musician.

I feel the key to whether you like this movie or LOVE this movie depends on your affection for Jazz music.  A wise person told me once about Jazz music is like that joke your friend tells and many in the room die laughing and I don't get it.  I know Teller is doing a great job on the drums as the camera is showing sweat pouring off his forehead and his fingers are bleeding.  My problem is I couldn't tell the greatest drum solo from someone very good on Xbox Rock Band game.  A 12 minute drum solo will send some to ecstasy.  It has me looking at my watch.

I enjoyed this movie.  Not sure how strongly I could recommend it.  J.K Simmons truly deserves his Oscar nomination.  It's a shame Miles Teller can't get something.  If there were six Best Actor nominations he would be high on the list. Interesting movie.

The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

Rating 5 out of 10

This was not a movie high on my to see list, but was bored and the movie I wanted to see was not playing.  I'm one of the few that's not a big fan of Jennifer Lopez.  Don't dislike her, just she doesn't yank my chain.  I will say in this movie she has been working out and looks good.

This movie as you can tell from the trailer is about an attractive and popular high school teacher (Lopez) . She is also separated from her cheating husband and living with her mostly troubled teenage son.  She has put off filing for divorce and getting back on the dating market yet just can get herself to do it.

Along comes the elderly neighbors super hunky young nephew who is very friendly and befriends the  troubled son.  When Lopez comes home to an empty house from a bad first date with a rude man she ends up in the same house with the hunky neighbor.  He has the hots for teacher and in a moment of passion she gives in and sleeps with him.  When she wakes up the next morning she immediately regrets her decision and wants to distance herself from the guy.  Not so fast.  Hunky neighbor is nuts and does not want to let go.  Turns out he has a hostile side and does not like being dumped.  Bad turns to worse and here we go.

I love Halloween but am not a fan of horror movies.  Main reason is too many unlikely scenario where the damsel in distress smacks the bad guy in the head with a club then drops the club beside said bad guy and walks away with her back him like there is no chance he will get back up and come after her.  That doesn't scare me it aggravates me.  Your milage may vary.  This movie has way too many things like this for my taste.

It's not a bad movie.  I was mildly entertained.  Many will enjoy it more than I did.