RUN ALL NIGHT REVIEW

"Run All Night," stars Liam Nesson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman, and Common. And it's not the film you think it is. Imagine if "Road to Perdition," and "The Godfather," had a sequel. It would be this. I wasn't initially too excited about it, but I had a bad experience watching "Chappie," and I needed to cleanse myself of the colossal disappointment and see Liam Neeson kick a little butt. Here's the story.

Run All Night is about how an hit man and mobster named Jimmy Conolon( Neeson) has to protect his son Michael ( Kinniman.) Conolon is forced to run all night with Michael due to killing his best friend Sean Maguire's son(Maguire is played by Ed Harris) Maguire is so angry he swears to kill Neesons son, and thus, they go on the run.

First let me say, this film is so much fun! The acting by the leads is terrific, and the action moves a long at a good pace. The problem is there might be too many stories to keep straight. There are cameos that don't work, and the addition of Common doesn't do anything for it. He is playing a caricature of an African American hit man, and it doesn't really work.  But other then that, it was very entertaining and fun.

THE VERDICT
Run All Night may be generic at times, but its got a great story and good action. I give Run All Night a B+.

INSURGENT REVIEW

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN... THE BEST/ WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR IS HERE! "Insurgent,"  is so bad, it's good. I went with my friend Devin and I gotta say the best part was the empty theater.  We put on our Mystery Science Theater 3000 hats and were able to comment and talk through most of it. It made us realize how bad it was and how good it was in being bad. And the story... oh lord it was a whole pile of crazy. Here we go.

Now I haven't seen the first movie, but thats because it looked like to me a typical  teen age crap film.  As I understand it Divergeent tells the tale of Tris who must choose a faction to live in. Because she could be placed in many factions, she is considered a Divergent. She goes through many trials and fights many people. Because in post apocalyptic Chicago nothing is as it seems. Insurgent takes place right after Divergent. And while loads of critics said it was ok, I decided to skip it. But Insurgent made me think I should try out the story and see what it was like.

Insurgent is far as I can tell is basically about how Tris (Shalene Woodley) and her friends must stop the evil Janine(Played by Kate Winslet.) from destroying all the factions. And... thats basically it. Because there is no real drama in it, all the dialogue sounds really cheesy. Woodley and Miles Teller do their best to make the lines sound real, but they are fighting against the tide. Winslet, and Ray Stevenson as Marcus comepletely over act, and are wasted. Stevenson, so good in, "King Arthur," and the HBO series "Rome," is lost in an implausible story and Winslet is trying hard to get her Meryl Streep on, but she just can't be this bad. Theo James is ok, but its' clear he's just eye candy for the theater goers. The absolute worst actors in it are Jai Courtenay and Ansel Elgort, who are wooden in some scenes, and over the top in others. Like no one gave them any direction at all.
Elgort looks bored. Really Bored.

However, there were some things that were ok. The cinematopgraphy and action scenes were pretty good. And so for that, I can say i was entertained. But really as I said, only in that, "So bad its good," kind of way.

THE VERDICT
Detergent, ohh I mean "Insurgent," is badly entertaining. But because I have to rate it like I would rate other films,  "Insurgent," gets a D+.

FURIOUS SEVEN REVIEW

After the tragic loss of one of my favorite actors Paul Walker, the team behind the Fast and the Furious franchise had to scramble to change the ending of the latest movie. Along with Walker,
Furious 7 stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Ludachris, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez,  Jordana Brewster, Kurt Russell, Natalie Ethamuel, Djimon Hounsou, Lucas Black, Elsa Pataky, and Tony Jaa. I was very excited for this movie, and I was not let down. Here's the story.

Furious 7 takes place 1 week after the events of Fast and the Furious 6. Deckard Shaw ( Statham) the older brother of Furious 6's baddie played by Luke Evans, wants revenge on Dominic Torrento (Diesel) and his team, because they dared to try and take out his brother. After the assasination of the much loved Han in Furious 6, ( played by Sung Kang) Shaw targets Dom in a very personal way.  Dom wants to protect his team, but wants to find Shaw, because as he likes to say, " You don't mess with Family."  When Mr. Nobody, a government agent played by Kurt Russell, brings Dom and the team in on an operation that will retrieve a computer device that will find Shaw where ever he is, Dom agrees and the teams get moving.

The movie is terrific, but its not remotely plausable in many many ways. But I didn't care. It breaks the laws of Physics unapologetically.
Other than that, the action, sound, cinematography, and editing is great. Its a very entertaining action movie that anyone could love. The actors and director know what they are doing. And in the spirit of that, they pay tribute to Walker in an incredibly fitting and moving way. I know I was not the only one who teared up in the end.

THE VERDICT

Furious Seven may have plot holes, but its action and story kept me entertained the whole way through and it has a great tribute to Paul Walker at the end.  I give Furious 7 an A-.

"KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE"

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" stars Colin Firth, Taron Edgerton, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Caine, Mark Strong, Sofia Boutella, and Sophie Cookson. It is directed and written by Matthew Vaughn. Now I was excited for this movie, mainly because of its cast and the director. Also was really interested in the story.

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" is about how an old secret service agent recruits a boy, who was the son of his old partner. The organization is called Kingman, where they go on secret operations to protect the world. When a millionaire named Valentine wants to destroy the world, the Kingsman will do at nothing to stop Valentine. Now I saw this with some of my friends, and I loved the movie. The acting, the dialogue, the action, and the story were all amazing. Such a good movie, that I want to see a sequel now. One of my friends found it decent another found it ok, but I found it amazing!  Overall, we agreed that it was a very good movie.  The disagreement came about three things:  language, violence and the final scene.  My take is its a rated R movie, so the language is to be expected.  The violence didn't bother me because I've seen a lot of violence in movies.. the only scene that might have been over the top is the church scene.  The end of the movie "spoiler alert" when the heads blow up in unison to music was hilarious to us all.  The final scene "spoiler alert" drew shock from my two buddies.. their mouths were literally open.  My take again is that it is a rated R movie… it could have been much, much worse.

THE VERDICT
Kingsman: The Secret Service is amazing, with great action and a fantastic story. I give Kingsman: The Secret Service an A.

THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER REVIEW

WHO LIVES IN A PINEAPPLE UNDER THE SEA??? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS! Thats right Spongebob is back ladies and gentleman, for his second movie. Man I still love Spongebob. Its been on since 1999:   That's amazing! Also, its been 10 years since the first movie. Its amazing that this show has been on for 16 years and its still running. Now, I was excited for the movie.   I love Spongebob, so I was all for this second movie. Now how is it? Keep reading!

"The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water" is about how the Krusty Crabs secret formula goes missing and all of Bikini Bottom goes to chaos.   Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, and Plankton must get to the surface to find the pirate that stole the Krusty Crab formula and bring back order down in Bikini Bottom. This movie is insane!!!!!!!! So much stuff is happening. Now did I like the movie? Yes, I liked it.  Did I love it? No.  The cons are simply this, not every joke works, it feels more like a really long Spongebob episode than a movie, unlike the first movie. It has a really odd beginning. The pros are this:   I like this storyline better than the first. It has some really funny jokes. I love the characters, and its a great welcome back to Sponebob on the screen. It also has some really great Animation and CGI. Other than that………..

THE VERDICT
The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water, may not be the awesome welcome back I wanted, but its still a really fun movie, and has some great jokes. I give The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water, a B.

AMERICAN SNIPER REVIEW

One of my favorite books of all time is about the late Chris Kyle, a veteran of 4 tours of the Middle East, as a Sniper with the Navy Seals. A man who after risking his life overseas, he lost his life in his attempt to help another vet.  I was curious when I heard Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper were doing a bio pic on Kyle's life and career. Heres the review.

American Sniper stars Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, and its directed by Clint Eastwood. It covers Kyle's life from before he joined the Navy and became a SEAL and sniper, to the day he was killed.  The film was incredible. It does not glorify someone responsible for 160 confirmed kills. It in fact shows the toll such a responsibility takes on our service men and women. It can be very hard to watch at times. But Cooper, and Miller keep us engaged the whole time, and with Eastwoods seasoned direction, the film never really takes a wrong turn. You care a lot about Chris Kyle, his friends, and his family. Its a movie that will blew me away.

THE VERDICT
With a powerful performances and excellent direction, "American Sniper," is one of the best,  most intense films of the year. I give American Sniper an A.

SELMA REVIEW

  Tonight I saw an important film about our nations history. About a time when whole races within our population were denied basic rights as citizens. It was about Dr. Martin Luther King, and the path he helped create in Selma, Alabama to help african Americans gain voting rights. It was incredible. Heres the story.

SELMA stars David Oyelowo as Dr. King, and it starts with an intrical piece of civil rights history, namely the bombing of the church in Alabama that killed 4 small little girls. It is the thing that spurs King to believe that to get voting rights to pass, the start of the movement must start in Selma Alabama. There he encounters what I can only call severe racism. People punch him in the face, and yell and scream.  They encounter a racist pig of a sheriff, and a governor who pretends he is helpful to the poor, but doesn't recognize the poor african americans because in his words, "They always want something." This film is incredible from start to finish. And very very hard to watch. But from the acting to the directing to the script and to the sounds and sites of this journey, you are never bored. In fact, you are sort of sad.
I went to see this with my mother, who was not alive during this time, and our friends, the Duffy's who were. Mr. D was eight, and told me that he was playing in a yard when his Aunt came out and told them that Dr. King had been killed, and that they thought was the government had been involved. Mrs D. was only four at the time, but she remembered stories her mother had told her. My mom only knew things through her own parents. But what was clear, that like with President Kennedy, his death had a profound affect on everyone. Not just because he'd been a force for change, but because he showed such leadership and grace. As you watch the movie you begin to wonder what would have happened had he lived.
There is a terrific scene in the film, between Oyelowo and Stephan James who plays John Lewis. Dr. King was dejected. A minister from Boston, a white man named James Reeb had come from Boston to march with them, and was beaten by redneck killers to death. He died of head wounds. King feels awful and begins to doubt whether he can lead the group to getting what they deserve, which is the right to vote. Lewis recounts the story of first hearing King speak. About how in the middle of wanting to give up, he didn't because of what Dr. King said. While Lewis is speaking, the camera is on King, and this is where Oyelowo really delivers. The loneliness, and struggle in Kings eyes is very real. The responsibility he feels towards each person there. Each life that is being risked. You can see that it was a very very hard road for him to be on. Not just because of what they were asking for, but because King understood the very real consequences of them not getting it.
I really do think, SELMA should be seen in high schools and middle schools all over. Mostly because sometimes, reading about something is not as good as seeing it. Mr. D REMEMBERS what it was like when King died. It's important when passing down our history to kids in school that we give them something more than just words. We need to show them where we came from.

THE VERDICT
Selma is amazing, with great performances, directing, and writing. I give Selma an A.