MOVIE REVIEW: SUPER 8

RELEASE DATE: June 10 2011

DIRECTOR: J.J Abrams

STARS

Elle Fanning

AJ Michalka

Kyle Chandler

IMDB Synopsis

During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.

WHAT I LIKED

Great family movie, if your flipping the dial and you see , it's ok for a watch. There is a story, action humor and some adventure.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

When I first saw the trailer for the movie, I thought J.J Abrams and Steven Spielburg, how could you go wrong, and it was not that anything was wrong, it was just another Saturday at the matinee adventure and nothing special. It was as if Abrams and Spielburg made a movie because they could. The movie was predictable and nothing special. I expected more from this movie and the crew. Cast did their job, but story line was weak and boring. Script was great for this weak of a story line, don't know how they did that, but they did.

Movie was rated PG-13, well deserved, Still a movie for the family but some scenes where intense for younger viewers.

FOUR STAR RATING A weak 2 out of four, because it did have a full story line and it was easy to understand, but it just bored me to death

I did buy the Blue Ray but traded it in a year later, glad I did not see this in the theater 

   

 

MOVIE REVIEW: Skyline

MOVIE REVIEW Skyline

RELEASE DATE: November 12 2010

DIRECTOR: Colin Strause

STARS

Eric Balfour

Donald Faison

Scottie Thompson

IMDB Synopsis

Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.


WHAT I LIKED

The movie started out with a majestic invasion of earth, when your watching your thinking this movie is going to be awesome. I loved the invasions and how all the humans was sucked up in the sky like a evil rapture. They where all going to the sky but it was not the rapture and the where not going to heaven. The visuals where breath taking.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

I should put what I hated, this movie soon went down hill after the invasion, the script was horrible, I had no clue what the cast was doing or talking about, what was so disappointing was that this cast and crew has talent from other successful projects. The ending was so wrong, I just hated it. So much imagination wasted on a horrible script.


Movie was rated PG-13, well deserved rating


FOUR STAR RATING: 1 out of 4 for the majestic invasion and visual

I am very thankful I did not go see the movie in the theater, I wanted too, but did not have the money at the time. I was at Best Buy on the day to buy the movie when it came out on Blue Ray, There was a great sale on other DVD's and movies I wanted, I did not buy the movie. and rented it that night on vudu. I will never own this movie on DVD or any other format. If someone buys it for me I will trade it in.

MOVIE REVIEW: EX Machina

RELEASE DATE: April 24 2015

DIRECTOR: Alec Garland

STARS

Alicia Vikander

Domhnall Gleeson

Oscar Isaac

IMDB

A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breath-taking female A.I.

WHAT I LIKED

Movies like this are deep thinking, put the phone down don't text anyone because the dialogue is just as important as the main attraction. We have a situation of who am I, am I in control or is the robot in control, or is the A.I in control? Who is testing who and who is the smarter one?  Who planned the final event? The movie is filled with questions that make it worthy of watching several times and still not know the answer. But who cares if you know the answer, it is not important. What is important is the interaction between the characters, and what is happening between them. This movie should be a classic like 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and A.I Artificial Intelligence 2001 and the 1973 classic West World., This was just a simply awesome movie

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

I don't think it would be fair of me to say anything about dislike because it would damage the core of the story that I experienced.

Movie was rated R, There was nudity, but I would not call it provocative, But with the strong suggestion of sex, I guess a R rating was appropriate.  But may not be suitable for younger kids.

FOUR STAR RATING 4 out of 4, it was that good.

I was not able to see the movie on the big screen, but I did buy the Blue Ray

MOVIE REVIEW: Godzilla (2014)

RELEASE DATE: May 16th 2014

DIRECTOR: Gareth Edwards

STARS

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Elizabeth Olsen

Bryan Cranston

IMDB Synopsis

The world's most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

WHAT I LIKED 

This was a Godzilla movie in true form. it looked and sounded like the Godzilla we all know and love. This was the Saturday matinee, It was a fun movie to watch. Great story line to bring the monster out and talk of history of the monster to pay homage to the original, it had a great dark edge to the story.It was believable like the original Godzilla movies. The immature boy in me loved it from beginning to end. This was a true apocalyptic story.  

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

For all the serious dramas I watch, I was too much of a kid to find anything I did not like in this movie, If the adult could find anything wrong,  I think it got a little slow in the drama of how to stop or kill the monster that Godzilla was fighting, I was a little lost in that part of the story line, and that is reaching, and I would have like to see Godzilla make his appearance sooner, at one point I forgot this was a Godzilla movie. Maybe that was the plan, to surprise you with the big guy

Movie was rated PG-13, fair, and self explanatory

I gave this movie a 10 on the IMBD scale, simply because I love these types of movies.

I truly wish I would have been able to see this movie on the big screen, but it was not in the budget

But I did get the Blue Ray

MOVIE REVIEW: Jurassic World

RELEASE DATE June 12 2015

DIRECTOR: Colin Trevorrow

STARS

Chris Pratt

Bryce Dallas Howard

Ty Simpkins

IMDB SNYOPIS
A new theme park is built on the original site of Jurassic Park. Everything is going well until the park's newest attraction--a genetically modified giant stealth killing machine--escapes containment and goes on a killing spree.


WHAT I LIKED

So much action and heart pounding chases through the jungle from the big genetically enhanced monster. There was many references to the first Jurassic Park movie and the way I think they played tribute to John Hammond, the man who created the ideal and created the first cloned animals. The battle with InGen continues.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

I missed the big debates the first three movies had especially in the first Jurassic Park Between John Hammond and Dr. Ian Malcolm.

Here is part of the debate that took place on Jurassic Park (1993) that was directed by Steven Spielburg. From Imdb.com

Dr. Ian Malcolm: Gee, the lack of humility before nature that's being displayed here, uh... staggers me. Donald Gennaro: Well thank you, Dr. Malcolm, but I think things are a little bit different then you and I had feared...
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, I know. They're a lot worse.
Donald Gennaro: Now, wait a second now, we haven't even seen the park...
John Hammond: No, no, Donald, Donald, Donald... let him talk. There's no reason... I want to hear every viewpoint, I really do.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Don't you see the danger, John, inherent in what you're doing here? Genetic power is the most awesome force the planet's ever seen, but you wield it like a kid that's found his dad's gun.
Donald Gennaro: It's hardly appropriate to start hurling generalizations...
Dr. Ian Malcolm: If I may... Um, I'll tell you the problem with the scientific power that you're using here, it didn't require any discipline to attain it. You read what others had done and you took the next step. You didn't earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don't take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could, and before you even knew what you had, you patented it, and packaged it, and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox, and now
[bangs on the table]
Dr. Ian Malcolm: you're selling it, you wanna sell it. Well...
John Hammond: I don't think you're giving us our due credit. Our scientists have done things which nobody's ever done before...
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.

Part II and III both had empathy and someone in the group knew this was wrong.We should not be going there or doing this, but here I am doing it anyway In Part II Dr Ian Malcolm went back because of his girlfriend and ended up searching for his stowaway daughter, Part III Dr Alan Grant went back to help a couple find their son. There was a reason to be there.
The cast delivered a great performance, but the people writing the story was all about the dinos and memories and not cause and effect.

MOVIE RATED PG-13, well deserved rating, self explanatory

FOUR STAR 3, I like it, it was great movie, if I had never saw the first 3, it would have been perfect.

I will buy the Blue Ray, but I am glad I saw this on the big screen

MOVIE REVIEW: Maggie (2015)

RELEASE DATE: May 8 2015

DIRECTOR: Henry Hobson

STARS

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Wade Vogle

Abigail Breslin as Maggie Vogle

Joely Richardson as Caroline

IMDB SYNOPSIS: A teenage girl in the Midwest becomes infected by an outbreak of a disease that slowly turns the infected into cannibalistic zombies. During her transformation, her loving father stays by her side.


WHAT I LIKED


This was a very different look at the Zombie Apocalypse. In a way somewhat a timeless look at what happened when the contagion started to mutate,because you still had civil law enforcement, there was still a government, a look for a cure as if it had not reached full civil discourse. You was not sure how long ago the out break had been going on. It seemed to me that there was still some normalcy going on in the world, But then again this was not so much about the Zombie Apocalypse as it was a fathers love for his daughter and watching her die, but yet still holding out hope for a cure.This movie was just great story that happened somewhere during the Apocalypse


WHAT I DID NOT LIKE


Seeing on of my favorite actors Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a helpless father, I just felt bad for him, it was uncomfortable watching him suffer like that, but in this situation it was needed to tell the story and he delivered as he always does, but as a father he broke my heart, but I am use to seeing in Arnold in full armor and lets go kick some ass mode. This was just different for me. But I am going to seek out other movies of him that I have not seen yet


Movie was rated PG-13, and it was a fair rating, If your family is into drama and zombies, this is a good movie to watch, very little gore, but there was one intense scene when Maggie has a accident on the swing set and a intense animal animal scene that may not be good for younger kids.


FOUR STAR RATING: 3


I did buy the Blue Ray, It's a keeper

How Does Watching Horror Movies Affect Your Mind and makes you change your underwear?

The other day I was watching a repeat of "The Walking Dead" and thought to myself are horror fans desensitized to zombies or are we suspicious of everything? Have horror TV programs and movies made us ready for anything because of the fictional reality and believable situations they feed our mind? There was something about the old black and white shows that came out in the fifties that would just freak you out. I remember the first time I saw the 1960 Classic "Little Shops of Horrors" and that little ugly potted plant said feed me. I ran to the corner of my bed room and hid. it scared the living snot out of me.

I was freaked out at just the thought of something like could happen. When the movie ended I carefully turned the TV off and went and got myself a glass of milk. We had potted plants in the house and I swear they looked at me from that point on. The 1986 remake staring Rick Moranis entertained me, but did not have the same effect. It did not challenge my imagination.

The first time I saw a zombie movie was "Night of the Living Dead" from 1968. I was addicted to zombies from that day on. But as movie quality got better, I was less scared, It was like I was ready for the undead ,   Or was I? I still have nightmares about a Zombie Apocalypse. Walking Dead still gives me a chill, but I am more into the drama. If a favorite character gets killed by one, I get tense. But it depends on how it happens. When Dale got killed in "The Walking Dead" Episode "Better Angles" That got to me, that was a creepy episode. It's when the Walker comes out of no where and grabs you. Same with horror movie or shows, it's when the horror hit's you before you know you have been hit.

I think movies like  the remake of the 1982 Poltergeist this year, The Paranormal Activity series that started in 2007 and 2010 Insidious movies, 2013 Conjuring series including 2014 Annabelle they are working on the surprise factor again. Alfred Hitchcock once talked about this in a interview. It is to make the audience forget about the danger in the room because of the drama of the people. Sound familiar? The Walking Dead famous line "Kill The Dead, Fear The Living". Think about it. The Walking Dead has more drama and problems with the living then the Dead. If it was not for the Governor Rick and his gang would have kept the prison. But that would have killed the show and then it would be boring. And what about Carl killing his mom before she turned.

How do we define what is scary and what is boring? What scares you may make someone else laugh. Clowns scare me to death, they make children laugh.

 Do you remember the 1978 movie Phantasm? I was more afraid of  the funeral home then the silver ball, and that big tall guy just freaked me out and I still don't know what the movie was about.

I don't know, it's just not a horror movie unless I am traumatized and have to think about changing my underwear.