Trainwreck (2015)

Director: Judd Apatow

Writer: Amy Schumer

Composer: Jon Brion

Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, John Cena, Dave Attell, Vanessa Bayer, Tilda Swinton, Randall Park, Jon Glaser, Ezra Miller, Brie Larson, LeBron James, Daniel Radcliffe, Marisa Tomei, Tim Meadows, Matthew Broderick, Marv Albert, Chris Evert

More info: IMDb

Tagline: All aboard

Plot: Having thought that monogamy was never possible, a commitment-phobic career woman may have to face her fears when she meets a good guy.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

The fuck?  There's not a single train anywhere in this movie.  While that is a true statement it's not meant to dissuade train enthusiasts from boycotting this picture.  For the most part I had a pretty good time.  There are a few laugh out loud jokes and a bunch of amusing moments but it's when the shit hits the fan (as shit is want to do) 2/3 into the film is when it slows down and the 125 minute run time starts feeling it.  Up until then it's pretty fun.  Quinn is hilarious, Schumer is hilarious, LeBron is HILARIOUS and so is Cena (the last two cats really surprised me).  Once the rift happens between Amy (Schumer) and Aaron (Hader) the funny slows down to a crawl and you're left with two people who can't talk to each other which makes the situation worse.  I'm not the greatest when it comes to communication in a relationship but I do know that shit needs to be discussed in detail to try and support your side of the story and that needs to come from both sides.  But hell, this is a movie and the film makers have a job to do.  It's not that the conflict was handled poorly but it's the end of the film that suddenly becomes just like every other romantic comedy and I mean just like EVERY other typical Hollywood romantic comedy where everything wraps up unrealistically upbeat and safe.  The two hours before the credits roll start to wear on you but I'm not sure what you'd want to trim to bring the time down.  Schumer put a lot in her script.  The Radcliffe/Tomei movie-in-a-movie gag was satirically funny but you only needed 10 seconds to setup and earn the laugh.  Beats me.  I'm a huge fan of Schumer and Apatow and any time I can spend with them is worth it.  OK, maybe I was wrong.  There are a couple of brief subway scenes so I reckon you can technically say there was a train in the picture.

Terminator Genisys (2015)

Director: Alan Taylor

Writers: Laeta Kalogridis, Patrick Lussier

Composer: Lllorne Balfe

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Matt Smith, Courtney B. Vance, Byung-hun Lee, Michael Gladis

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The rules have been reset.

Plot: John Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah Connor, but when he arrives in 1984, nothing is as he expected it to be.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

I need to checklist this one...

What I liked...

Schwarzenegger is the best thing about the picture.  He's fun without being as godawful campy as he was in T2.  I also dug what they did with his character and how he fits in the new timeline.

The story works well as it continues (not re-booting) and fits well in the franchise.  After the amazing first film, this is my second favorite.

The effects are outstanding. I was blown away with the de-aging of Arnold particularly.  Loved it.

What I didn't like...

Emilia Clarke was OK as the new Sarah Connor but she had a few moments where her delivery was really flat.  Her voice is close to being monotone and it annoyed me.  I would've like some more charisma from Courtney as Kyle Reese.  He did a good job but he was missing that little something that would have elevated his performance and the character.  J.K. Simmons stole most every scene he was in but he wasn't in it as much as he should have.  And if you're a Matt Smith fan, he's maybe got 2 minutes of screen time.

MUST WE continually have Arnold say, "I'll be back." in every goddamned film?  And that line, "Come with me if you want to live." needs to be retired from every film, a Terminator picture or not.  Ugh.

Balfe's score worked nicely but it would have been nice to hear more of Brad Fidel's original theme throughout the picture instead of barely an utterance until the end credits.

I didn't rush out to see the film because the trailer didn't excite me enough.  And WHY THE FUCK did the studio make a trailer giving you a huge fucking spoiler that's a huge game-changer in the Terminator universe?  These people are fucking retarded when it comes to understanding how movies work.  They did the same fucking thing with T2 by showing you in the trailer that Arnold is now a good terminator.  Wouldn't it have been a huge mind fuck to discover that in the film when it looks like he's out to kill Sarah and then suddenly see the reveal?  It's the same thing here.  My guess is the producers/studio didn't have enough faith in the film or the audience and threw everything into the trailer.  They should (as is often the case) kept that a mystery and presented it differently.  Jesus this shit pisses me off.  Because of the trailer I was turned off to the picture.  My curiosity wore me down and I saw it a few days ago before it left the IMAX 3D screen here in town to make room for ANT-MAN which I'm planning on seeing in a couple of days.  I was really surprised by GENISYS and I found it genuinely entertaining and I thoroughly dug Arnold.  He was great.  It's too bad the film is under performing at the box office.  I'd like the franchise to continue as long as it maintains the fun this one provided.

The Marine (2006)

Director: John Bonito

Writer: Michelle Gallagher, Alan B. McElroy

Composer: Don Davis

Starring: John Cena, Robert Patrick, Kelly Carlson, Anthony Ray Parker, Abigail Bianca, Jerome Ehlers, Manu Bennett, Damon Gibson, Drew Powell, Frank Carlopio

More info: IMDb


Plot: A group of diamond thieves on the run kidnap the wife of a recently discharged marine who goes on a chase through the South Carolinian wilderness to retrieve her.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Probably not.

I watch an awful lot of movies over the course of a year (in the hundreds) and I'm frequently pleasantly surprised.  This is one of those times.  It's a fun flick that confidently knows what it wants to be.  There's a nice blend of comedy and action although it's firmly an action movie.  Robert Patrick (as the lead villain, Rome) is hilarious and there's a GREAT Terminator gag that'll get a belly laugh out of you.  Cena does a good job as the action hero.  There's not much in the script for him to play with and throw out some charisma but it's a role that doesn't really require it.  One of Rome's henchman, Morgan (Parker), adds nicely to the picture with some fun comic relief.  He's even got a moment when tells a story that explains why he doesn't like camping and rock candy that goes from funny to sad in seconds.  There were a few jokes at his expense leading up to it but once you know the story it'll almost make you feel for the guy.   The action is plenty and it's paced well enough to keep you from looking at where your watch used to be.  It's a fun action flick that surprises me that it's got such a low IMDb score.  It deserves better.  Action fans should dig it.

Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel (2008)

Director: ???

Composer: ???

Starring: Mat Hoffman, Johnny Knoxville, Travis Pastrana, Scott Palmer, Allan Cooke, Davin "Psycho" Halford, Trigger Gumm, "Harley" Jeff Schneider

More info: IMDb

Plot: Stuntmen and daredevils, all getting their early inspiration from Evel Knievel, attempt to set motorcycle jump world records of varying kinds.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Nah.

I loves me some Evel and I loves me some stunts.  This (about) 45 minute film gives you a sizable number of world-breaking jumps in one spot.  Not everyone makes it but they're still great to watch and some are incredible.  Trigger Gumm does an amazing 300' or so jump. You'd think that'd be hard to top but later Scott Palmer jumps out of an airplane without a parachute and wearing only a pair of shorts and deck shoes.  Wow.  After that what's left to offer pales in comparison.  It's worth watching once for fans of this sort of thing but I can't see many folks re-watching it.  I'm sure there are individual clips on YouTube that you can find a favorite and watch again.  The Paramount DVD has a non-anamorphic widescreen print, 34 minutes of extra footage, 3 music videos and some previews of MTV shows including one for A SHOT AT LOVE WITH TILA TEQUILA reality show.  Ugh.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Writers: Mark Millar, John Romita Jr., Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn

Composers: Marius De Vries, Ilan Eshkeri, Henry Jackman, John Murphy

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth McGovern, Christopher Mintz-PLAsse, Mark Strong, Dexter Fletcher, Clark Duke, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Craig Ferguson, Xander Berkeley

More info: IMDb

Tagline: I can't fly. But I can kick your ass.

Plot:  Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

I read the comic a couple of years ago and loved it yet it still took me this long to get around to pulling this off the shelf and watch the damn thing.  It's great and it does a fine job of staying faithful to the comic.  The cast is great but it's Moretz and Hitgirl that steals the show.   The pacing is quick and even though it's pretty obvious of its comic origins, it's also violent as shit and it totally embraces it.  I'm so glad they went the 'R' rated route. Anything less would have been insulting to the original material.  I'm looking forward to the sequel but I hear it's a letdown to the comic sequel (which I read and liked).

A Prayer for the Dying (1987)

Director: Mike Hodges

Writers: Jack Higgins, Edmund Ward, Martin Lynch

Composer: Bill Conti

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Bob Hoskins, Alan Bates, Sammi Davis, Christopher Fulford, Liam Neeson, Leonard Termo, Camille Coduri, Alison Doody, Anthony Head

More info: IMDb

Tagline: They want his heart, his mind, his blood.  He wants his freedom.

Plot:  Martin Fallon is an IRA bomber who tries to blow up a troop truck but instead kills a bus load of school children. He loses heart and quits the movement and goes to London trying to leave the U.K. and start a new life. The IRA wants him back (he knows too much) and the local crime boss, Meehan, will only help him if he performs one last hit, on a rival crime boss. When Fallon does perform the hit, he is seen by a catholic priest. He refuses to kill an innocent again and must find a way to escape the police without killing the priest who can identify him.

My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again? No.

Considering the director, I expected more.  It's said that he and Rourke disowned the film after the producers mucked with it.  I assume that their touches drastically changed the film.  As it stands, it's rather tedious.  You know what everyone wants pretty early on and there isn't much to surprise you.  The silly ending with the bomb on top of the church that threatens to kill the four main characters (still alive) is rather silly.  What's more, the two you expect to live do and one of the dead is miraculously not instantly killed and goes on to survive just long enough to say a few words.  Utterly ridiculous.  Rourke's performance isn't anything to write home about.  I didn't care for him at all.  He's pouty, quiet and looks like he's carrying the world on his shoulders but he's too cool for school at the same time.  Fans of his who get wet underpants just thinking about him will LOVE him in this.  Hoskins, though, is fantastic as usual.  Alan Bates is fun as the mob boss who hires Rourke and then wants to finish the job Rourke couldn't.  He starts out as an interesting villain but somewhere along the way he loses that spark of fun and just becomes the simple-minded heavy.  That's simplifying it too much I think.  It was probably his dumb, over the top manner of elaborately dispensing of his target.  Conti's score was nice.  Ultimately the picture offers some nice moments with Hoskins and Bates and early roles for Neeson and Head, but Rourke's bad boy with a redeeming heart of gold doesn't work for me in that "look at me" way.  It's tiresome.

Spy (2015)

Director: Paul Feig

Writer: Paul Feig

Composer: Theodore Shapiro

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Allison Janney, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Serafinowicz

More info: IMDb

Tagline:  One of the guys.  One of the spies.

Plot: A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

The bottom line is I laughed my ass off.  Melissa McCarthy is hilarious.  It's really weird getting used to Jude Law's American accent.  I've never laughed so hard at Jason Statham.  I love Allison Janney in everything.  Rose Byrne's accent was irritating and inconsistent (something that's pointed out briefly by Susan (McCarthy)), Miranda Hart was a fresh and funny-as-shit face out of nowhere (and she needs to have my babies), Bobby Cannavale has lost some weight since I saw him last and he's almost unrecognizable and Peter Serafinowicz was hilariously fabulous.  The story is fun and it often doesn't go where you think it will.  There's a lot more under the surface than just fat jokes and because they had something more to say than just throw some jokes out, I was surprised they didn't get even more serious with it.  Except for Byrne (or maybe it was just her character that irritated me), I REALLY dug the cast.  As the film opened and the score was under way I could swear it was David Arnold.  I was shocked to see that it was Shapiro, someone I hadn't even heard of before.  His score has some strong elements of a Bond score but without aping one.  There were some subtleties in it that long-time Bond music aficionados will get a kick out of.  I have to admit that the trailer made this look like a stupid, silly film that's relying on the one gag of the female lead being a fat fish out of water.  It's rather deceiving. What you don't get a sense of is that this is a stupendously funny movie.  I hope it's wildly successful.  It deserves it.