Allied

Allied

Rating 6 out of 10

This wasn't real high on my list to see but it was on the top of the Hottie's list.  That means it becomes the top of my list too.  I'm thinking I saw this was based on a true story but that could have been one of the many previews I saw before this one started.

Here Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) is an undercover Canadian spy sent in to kill a bad Natzi officer (as opposed to all those good natzi officers).  He is paired us with Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard) who plays his wife yet he has never met her.  They play man and wife for a couple weeks and begin to fall for each other.  When the assassination goes down (the whole thing fits in the two minute preview) they meet up again in London and get married and soon after have a baby girl.

After a little more than a year word comes that Marianne may not be who she says she is.  There is a German spy in town passing important information to the bad guys and it might be us.  Max has 72 hours to find out for sure if the mother of his child is a spy.  If she is he must kill her or be shot as a spy himself.

The movie is mildly interesting and fairly well acted.  Seemed everyone in the movie except the baby smoked and smoked alot.  That kinda got to me after a while.  The story is fairly predictable especially if you have seen the preview more than once.  It was a harmless afternoon movie that I'm not sorry I saw.  I'd recommend to also catch it on an early show or wait to rent.

Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange

Rating 8.5 out of 10

Since my comic book reading stopped at about age ten (unlike my comic book nerd Brother inlaw) I was not really familiar with the Doctor Strange character.  I think after the release of this movie most all of us will be very familiar with Doctor Strange.

I think casting on this movie is spot on.  Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect at Dr. Steven Strange.  He is a pompous surgeon that thinks he is a god that can do no wrong.  Talks down to everyone and is not beloved.  When a bad car wreck leaves him unable to operate he goes into a deep depression refusing to believe his medical career is over.  When all else fails Strange travels to an Eastern monastery where a bald woman with a cool version of kung fu begrudgingly takes him in.  Here he gets his version of Neo choosing the red pill or the blue pill.  Doctor Strange learns of a whole hidden world that blows his mind and will blow yours too.

As I said casting is perfect.  Tilda Swinton is good as the kinda creepy bald woman.  Chiwetel Ejiofor  is probably the best actor with the strangest name.  He plays sidekick Baron Mordo.  Rachel McAdams takes a smaller role as a doctor that somehow loves the cranky Dr Strange and helps him later on.

The effects are nothing short of spectacular.  They make the crazy effects in 2010's Inception look like a Saturday morning cartoon.  This is not a storyline like Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy where you can sit back and enjoy.  You need to pay attention to follow what is going on.  At times I found it a little confusing, yet felt it paid off in the end.

I was highly entertained and would recommend it.

Keeping up with the Joneses

Keeping up with the Joneses

Rating 3 out of 10

I went into this movie with the bar set pretty low and somehow it came in far below.  The best I can say about it is the movie is harmless.  The worst I can say is the attempt of a plot is so predictable and slow it almost hurts your head to sit through it. Never been a Zach Galifianakis fan and this movie keeps that streak alive.

Living in a sleepy Atlanta neighborhood Jeff and Karen Gaffney (Zach and the always cute Isla Fisher) live the usual boring suburban life.  Their neighbors across the street sell their house to the new hot and sexy couple Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot) that are too good to be true.

There is a silly story of Jeff working for a Nuclear Science company where he constantly lets other workers use his computer because theirs has no outside internet access.  What could go wrong?  You can't tell if the Joneses are good or bad.  Pretty quick you just don't care.

As I said the movie is mostly harmless.  The Hottie and I were mostly bored.  Fisher and Gadot are entertaining as much as they could be with what they have to work with.  I'd say wait and rent this on if you must.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Rating 6 out of 10

I have been a fan of the Jack Reacher books.  Probably read a dozen.  Have not read the book this movie is made on.  I liked the first Jack Reacher book released back in 2012.  This movie is entertaining but not nearly as good as the first one.

Many fans of the books can't get used to Tom Cruise playing Jack Reacher.  Mostly because in the books Reacher is 6'4" and Cruise is about half that.  I do like Cruise here.  He plays the part as well as anyone can.

With this movie we get a paint by the numbers story where Reacher travels to DC to visit an Army officer Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) that he has only talked to on the phone.  When he gets there as luck would have it Turner has been arrested and a few under her have been killed.  It's up to Reacher to help her.  Throw in a 15 year old blonde girl that may or may not be Reachers daughter and you have the trio trying to prove there are bad officers smuggling things into the states.

One highlight of the movie is newcomer Patrick Heusinger who plays the brutal bad guy called the Hunter.  The movie suffers a bit from many if not most of the good parts are in the often played trailers. That said I was mildly entertained and feel this would make a good rental.

The Accountant

The Accountant

Rating 8.5 out of 10

No this isn't about a guy that works at the H&R Block doing taxes for old folks.  The Accountant is a good action movie with above average acting and an interesting story that keeps you tied in.  Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff.  A young boy that suffers from asperger's syndrome that while makes for a rough childhood where he is often picked on his amazing math skills make him the perfect accountant.  His military father makes him tough in every way thus making him the perfect bookkeeper for mobsters and drug dealers who feel they are being cheated.  He can spot the rat in a sea of numbers like no one else.

Wolff with his upbringing is as tough as they come.  He makes Batman look like Commissioner Gordons little girl.  Anyone messes with him pays a price.  When he takes on a job of finding someone stealing money at a big time robotics company his life is in danger along with the cute company accountant (Anna Kendrick) that is helping him.

The movie takes several twists that tie up just fine in the end.  The action is very good and the story is fun to follow.  Ben Affleck does an above average job as does the always fantastic J.K. Simmons.  I think Anna Kendrick was miscast a bit but didn't really effect the movie outcome.  The Hottie and I both liked this movie alot.

The Girl on a Train

The Girl on a Train

Rating 5 out of 10

I had heard from many about how great the book The Girl on a Train was. I'm more of an audio book kind of guy.  When I got this book the lady reading it on the audio had such a thick english accent I couldn't concentrate.  Anyway, I like Emily Blunt and while the trailer was a little confusing it looked interesting.  I grabbed the Hottie and off to the NCG theater we went with our diet coke and her box of milk duds.

I think there probably is a good story to be told here and can see where the book would be good.  On film here it just doesn't work.  Director Tate Taylor (He directed the very good Winters Bone with Jennifer Lawrence) and his love for EXTREME close ups does not help the cause.

Rachel (Blunt) has a big time drinking problem and a few mental issues to boot.  She rides the train into NYC every day and watches all the people in their houses along the way imagining how their lives are and what they are doing.  Unfortunately she is also obsessed with her ex-husband and his new wife.  When their hot blonde nanny (Haley Bennet) turns up missing she ends up being the top suspect.  She has these blackouts with her drinking causing her to not know what happened the night before and that does not help her cause.

The movie has potential but falls flat.  Way to many flashbacks.  At one point you are in a flashback and you don't realize what is going on.  I'd be interested in knowing how fans of the book liked the movie.  I would guess they think it could/should have been done much better.

I was not really entertained and I like most all the actors.  Wait to rent if this is a must see.

Deepwater Horizon

Deepwater Horizon

Rating 8 out of 10

I remember when the big oil spill happened in the Gulf and what a mess it was.  Seems I remembered that several men died in that mess.  Unfortunately their deaths were glossed over with all the oil that washed up on beaches.  This movie does a good job of putting faces to those names and showing the sometimes heroic actions some of the men did that saved lives.

The movie starts off showing the every day lives of some of the men that go sometimes 40-50+ miles off the shores of Texas and Louisiana to work on these floating oil rigs.  Most work two weeks on the rigs and then are off for two weeks.  Many years ago as a young man in Louisiana I was going to be hired to work off shore on an oil rig.  I had to wait a month before going out on the rig.  Being impatient I decided to be a roofer instead.

There is some great acting here.  Mark Wahlberg plays Mike Williams who works on most everything on the rig.  The always good Kurt Russell plays crusty vet Mr. Jimmy that oversees everything and is not afraid to tell the BP guys they are idiots.  John Malkovich plays the seedy BP exec that forces bad decisions and then gets to witness the carnage his decisions create.

The action is amazing.  Director Peter Berg likes to jump around with is filming and I was afraid there was going to be lots of shaky cam.  Luckily that doesn't last long and the effects are very good.  My only problem with the movie (always have atleast one) is I didn't feel the movie explained exactly why the well blew out simple enough for those of us that are simple.  It was interesting enough that I went to wiki as soon as I got home to find out.

Good movie.  I definitely recommend it.  The Hottie loved it even more than I did.