Our Brand is Crisis

Our Brand is Crisis

Rating 4 out of 10

I thought this movie looked entertaining when I saw the trailer.  Great cast.  Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton.  There were several funny clips in the trailer.  Looked forward to seeing it.  Then it opened to terrible reviews and quickly faded.  Out of town for work and rain that kept me from working and this was the only movie out for me to see.

The movie is about a fading political consultant (Bullock) that is brought into a losing campaign in Bolivia.  The candidate's current advisors figure it can't hurt to bring her in .  Either she would help them win or give them someone to blame if they lose.  The consultant for the leading candidate is her long time nemesis (Thornton) whom she can never seem to beat.

The movie starts off interesting and funny as Bullock and Thornton lock horns and play dirty tricks on each other.  About an hour into the hour and forty eight minute movie mark the movie decides to take itself way too seriously.  It quits being funny and turns into a boring political movie where if the wrong guy wins the election the whole country will fall into despair.  It just falls off a cliff.

I was thinking all those reviewers on www.rottentomatoes.com got it wrong.  It was better than I thought it was going to be.  Then I understood and was wanting it to hurry up an end.

I wouldn't even bother renting this.  Feel free if you are a big Sandra Bullock fan.

Steve Jobs 

Rating 7.5 out of 10

I have been a Steve Jobs fan before I knew who Steve Jobs was.  I bought my first computer in 1986. An Apple Iic and was amazed by it.  Later upgraded to an Apple IIgs and then on to Macintosh's.  I remember buying a used 20 MEG hard drive for $500 and being so excited connecting it to my computer my hands were shaking.  Didn't know what I would do with all that storage space.  Today that would hold about four digital pictures.  I have had most every Mac computer from then until now.

So I have followed the rise and fall and then rise of Jobs.  I read the very good Steve Jobs book a few years ago.  Jobs was a very complex man.  You are not going to scratch the surface in a two hour movie and they don't really try to here.  This movie was written by Aaron Sorkin (Moneybag, The Social Network, American President, A Few Good Men) known for his snappy writing.  He does not fail here.  The writing in Jobs is first rate.  He rattles from one step to another without missing a beat. It's pretty amazing.

The movie gives three snapshots in Jobs life.  When Jobs announces the first Macintosh which turns out to be a huge failure.  He predicts a Million computers sold in the first three months.  Instead they sold 55,000.  Chapter two centers with the announcement of his Next computer after being ousted by Apple and CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels).  Chapter three is announcing the iMac.  Peppered in the three chapters is Jobs relationships with Steve Wozniak, Sculley, his daughter Lisa and his right hand woman Joanna Hoffman.  The movie dwells on the daughter a little more than I would have liked but I know Sorkin was trying to show his maturity over the years.

The acting is very good.  Michael Fassbender as Jobs is a great actor.  Jeff Daniels is always fantastic when he is not playing Dumb and Dumber.  Kate Winslet is great as the only person on the planet that would stand up to Jobs when he was being a bully (often).  I don't even like Seth Rogen and his is good as the Woz.  My minor complaint is that Fassbender did very little to get the look of Jobs.  It's kinda like making a movie about Abe Lincoln with Thomas Jefferson playing Abe.

Overall I was entertained.  I think this would make a great rental or rainy day movie for any fan.

Burnt

Burnt

Rating 6 out of 10

I was mildly interested in seeing this movie when I first saw the trailers.  I was going to the movies with the young son and this was the only movie starting in what we had to work with.  I have not really watched any of the cooking shows.  Especially those where the head chef yells like an idiot at all the other cooks.  I would probably give him a close look at the nearest frying pan.  Also my tastes in fine dining land somewhere between Copelands and Golden Corral.  I did find it interesting all the behind the scenes of cooking these overpriced meals that my buddy Ted loved so much.

Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is the wonder chef who went to Paris as a 19 year old and hit it big.  He was too young and immature at the time and quickly flamed out.  Too much drinking, drugs and women that came with the fame.  He ends up in New Orleans cooking seafood in small roadside dives.

Now his is in London determined to make his way back to the top.  Hopefully a little more mature and determine.  We get to see Chef Jones have tantrums that would make Gordon Ramsey proud.  He assembles his misfit dream team and is in direct completion with friend that runs the neighboring restaurant.  There are side stories with drug dealers from his past in town to collect large sums of money and do him physical harm.

What made this movie watchable for me was Bradley Cooper.  This role is right in his wheelhouse.  He does a good job and is believable as a top chef.  Not crazy about Sienna Miller who plays Helene his sidekick and love interest.

If you like those cooking shows you will enjoy this movie.  I was entertained.  If you are not a hard core Gordon Ramsey fan I'd probably wait to rent.

The Last Witch Hunter

The Last Witch Hunter

Rating 4 out of 10

When I saw the previews for this movie I got excited.  Vin Diesel swinging a sword that is on fire killing witches released near Halloween?  How could that not be great?  Then the reviews started to roll in.  Terrible reviews. It is standing at a bad 15% on www.rottentomatoes.com.  Maybe they just don't like these type movies or Diesel and it is not that bad.  I set the bar low and went to an early show on a rainy day.  Sadly the reviews were accurate.

Eight hundred years ago Kaulder (Diesel) and a group of warriors are hunting down an evil witch that put a plague on their area.  Kaulder manages to sink his flaming sword into the evil witches chest but before she dies she curses him to live forever.  Over the years Kaulder becomes a witch wrangler who with the help of a catholic priest sidekick called a Dolan round up witches around the world and bring them to a court who then puts them in witch prison.

When really bad things start to happen in NYC Kaulder enlists the help of a dream walker Chloe (Rose Leslie- the red head bow and arrow girl from Game of Thrones).  She can somehow help him find the bad witches within dreams.

The biggest problem with this movie is it's an action movie without alot of action.  Most of the movie they are just sitting around talking about witches or things of their past.  The action that is here is not very good.  Kinda plods along.  The climax at the end is not much of a climax.

I'd say rent this one if you must.  It should have been much better.

Bridge of Spies

Bridge of Spies

Rating 7 out of 10

I will go see pretty much anything Tom Hanks is staring in.  This movie looked interesting from the first preview.  Didn't hurt that it was directed by Steven Spielberg.  If nothing else I knew it would be well acted and visually incredible.  That pretty much describes my movie experience.

Loosely based on a real story. In the early 1960s the CIA caught a Russian spy red handed.  There was no doubt.  While most Americans thought he should be taken out and shot he still had to be tried in a US court.  James Donovan is recruited to defend the spy and he takes his job seriously.  His defense of a spy causes problems for him and his family.  Turns out New Yorkers don't take kindly to a liberal lawyer befriending a spy.

After the spy is convicted an American U-2 spy plane is shot down 70,000 feet over Russia.  When both sides want a spy swap Donavan is the logical choice to negotiate.  Things get interesting when an American student is taken at the German wall and they want him back too.

This movie is a bit like watching the Titanic.  You pretty much know what is going to happen.  Even if you are not up on your Cold War history lessons the previews lay it out for you.  The reason to watch this movie is to see Tom Hanks at work.  He does the fantastic job you would expect.  Any other actor and this movie is a 5 at best.  Beautifully shot.  You feel like you are watching actual 60s Russia and Germany.

I was entertained even though it was a bit on the slow side.

Sicario

Sicario

Rating 6.5 out of 10

I have been seeing trailers for this movie for months now.  Very well put together.  Showing Emily Blunt in the back seat of a car at the Mexican border.  Something big is going down but she is not sure what.  Next thing you know a bad guy is pointing a gun at her and she reacts quickly and blows the guy away.  Action packed.  This movie definitely has action from start to finish.

Emily Blunt is a Phoenix FBI agent dealing with the increasing problem of the Mexican drug cartel moving into the city and bringing their violence with them.  When a special task force recruits her with promises of going after the cartel getting the people responsible she cautiously signs up.  Soon she begins to question her decision.  The task force is very secretive and not real clear on who is who or what side of the line their methods are on.  The task force is run by Matt (Josh Brolin) with quite a few bad ass military guys.  There is also Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) who is a "consultant" and seems to be so much more.

I like most everything Emily Blunt is in and Benicio reminds us what a good actor his is and why he earned an Oscar.  Casting is very good.  My biggest problem with the movie is it bugs me when I'm an hour in and still have no idea what is going on.  The movie unfolds eventually and mostly makes sense.  Action is good.  Movie shows the gritty life on the border and worse on the other side.

I was entertained.  Would probably recommend waiting for a rental.

The Martian

The Martian

Rating 8.5 out of 10

I read the book of the same title by Andy Weir earlier in the year and was excited to see it was already going to be a movie. It always makes you leery that they will screw it up.  I'm glad to report that for the most part they got it right.  The casting was spot on.  The effects I saw on the bigger screen was fantastic.  Matt Damon does a great job in the lead.  I liked this movie alot.

In the future NASA is regularly sending manned missions to Mars.  On the latest one a freak storm blows up and the crew is forced to head to the ship in a hurry and cut the mission short.  On their way to load up a combinations antenna blows of and hits Mark Watney in the chest.  It takes him out into the storm and as far as anyone on the crew can tell he is dead.  The commander (Jessica Chastain) with the ship on the verge of blowing over and stranding everyone makes the tough decision to leave Watney for dead and take off.

As it turns out the antenna pierced Watney's suit and taken all his stats offline. His blood seals the hole in his suit and saves his life.  Glad to be alive he realizes the problem being while he has plenty of water and air another mission can't get to Mars for four years and he only has a years worth of food.  He has to figure out how to stay alive.  NASA eventually realizes he is alive and puts things in full motion to rescue.

As I said great cast.  I thought Matt Damon was spot on.  Can't go wrong with Jessica Chastain in any movie.  Michael Pena and Kate Mara are funny and entertaining as crew members determined to save Watney. Jeff Daniels is always good when he's not in Dumb and Dumber mode.

Good movie.  I was entertained.  Go see this on a big screen.  Don't wait for rental.