13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI REVIEW

Michael Bay has been a disappointment to me in many ways. He has stock shots he uses over and over again, and he can take a perfectly good idea, like a movie on Pearl Harbor, then dump a stupid romance in it and ruin it. In fact, "Transformers 4," was my worst film of 2014. But when I heard about, "13 Hours, the secret soldiers of Benghazi" I was intrigued. It was getting good reviews, and people weren't hating it. So I steeled myself, and went on to see it. And I was pleasantly surprised.

"13 Hours," stars John Krasinski and James Badge Dale, and tells the story of the taking of the American embassy in Benghazi, and the eventual death of its ambassador. 6 soldiers went to help rescue the embassy and its workers. It was a battle that lasted 13 hours, and ended with 4 dead,

The good news is, this is Bays best film in a long time. I only had a few issues. Bay likes to do stock shots. So as in Pearl Harbor, there is a scene of a mortar from the mortars point of view, as it sails through the sky, and then blows up a building. There is also a scene after the fight with an American flag floating in water. That's annoying. And one of the battle scenes seems to go on a little too long. Other than that. The performances are great, the action is some what good, and the story is decent, if not a sad one. These men fought when they did not have too.  Its a great tribute to the men who fought in this battle.

                                                                THE VERDICT
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi may not be great but has good performances and a amazing tribute  and a intense interesting story from start to finish. I give it a B.

THE REVENANT MOVIE REVIEW

From the first teaser to now, I was excited for "The Revenant." I was upset that its Christmas day release didn't apply to us here in Walnut Creek, but it doesn't matter. Because it remained one of my most anticipated films of the year, and when I finally got to see it it did not disappoint me.

"The Revenant," stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domnhall Gleeson, and Will Porter. Its directed and written by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, who directed one of my favorite films of last year "Birdman." The story is about how fur trappers in the Dakotas, and how their guide Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is mauled by a bear during their trip, and is left broken and unable to travel on his own. The Captain, (played by Gleeson,) makes Hardy and Porter stick with Glass and his young son Hawk, who is half native Indian, while the rest of the group hike to safety. Hardy's character, Fitzgerald is angered by the thought he has to stay there like a sitting duck,  and he sets a course of events in motion that cause DiCaprio to fight for everything that he has.

I loved this film from start to finish. It includes amazing performances, excellent cinematography, and incredible direction. Inarritu is probably going to win another Oscar. What he's done is amazing.  You feel the cold these men go through. Each pain makes you jump. You don't know how they survived through these harsh cold nights. And sometimes you are shown how they survived and it is not pretty. This is an excellent film, but its story is a hard ugly one. The performances are incredible but as far as they all go, this is DiCaprio's show. Every thing he goes through you go with him. He unpeeled Glass and his problems like he was peeling an onion. Hardy gives Fitzgerald the right amount of loathing, but DiCaprio is the star of this movie that's for sure. My only complaint is that there were a few scenes that took a little too long. But only a few.

                                                     
                                                                 THE VERDICT
"The Revenant," is spectacular, with great performances to amazing cinematography to fantastic directing. I give "The Revenant," an A.

SUICIDE SQUAD TRAILER 2 REVIEW

And my most anticipated movie of 2016 is now Suicide Squad. Im excited for Rouge One, Batman vs Superman, and Captian America don't get me wrong. But this trailer is one of the best trailers I've ever seen. A stellar cast with some of my favorite actors playing terrific characters. ( Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie,  and Viola Davis) It also includes decent actors like Scott Eastwood, Joel Kinsman, Adam Beech, and yes even Jai Courtney, who despite driving me crazy with his lack of charisma, looks amazing in this. 

To explain what the Suicide Squad is about, 8 Batman villans that are in jail are given a task from government handler Amanda Waller, who works in special intelligence and national security. She offers them work in the government that will lead to reductions in their very lengthy sentences. If they refuse, a chip implanted will self destruct causing their heads to explode. The squad includes Dead Shot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Rick Flagg, Captain boomerang, El Diablo, Katana, Enchantress, and Slipknot. In the trailer, they are all showcased in a hail of gun fire and action sequences to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." And it is... Brilliant. Whoever put this trailer together, got a big fat pay check for it. 

This movie made me feel excited for the summer. And excited to see what they will do next. I give this trailer an A+

TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2016

1. Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice
2. Captain America: Civil war
3. Suicide Squad
4. X-men: Apocalypse
5. Deadpool
6. Star Wars: Rouge one
7. Bourne 5
8. Tarzan
9.  Doctor Strange
10.  Star Trek: Beyond


Honorable mentions: Independence day: reassurance, Nice guys, Assassins Creed, and fantastic beasts and where to find them

HONORABLE MENTIONS OF 2015

TRAINWRECK
JURASSIC WORLD
SPECTRE
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
FURIOUS 7
SICARIO
RUN ALL NIGHT
BRIDGE OF SPIES
THE NIGHT BEFORE
TRUMBO
THE BIG SHORT
ANT-MAN
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROUGE NATION
MAN FROM UNCLE
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON