Jack the Giant Slayer

My View:    Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) PG-13   Jack (Nicholas Hoult) accidentally discovers a long, lost way to the land of the Giants, a race that the humans had fought and defeated long ago. Now Jack is forced to defend his family and those in the kingdom from a group of super-beings hell-bent on recovering land that, they feel, belongs to them. The biggest problem with this film is that it can never figure out if it's a film for kids with humor and romance or is it an adult action film with people dying left and right. I liked Nicholas Hoult in the role of the everyman Jack, Ewan McGregor is brilliant as the dashing warrior Elmont and Stanley Tucci is perfect as the slimy, scamming Roderick, but they can’t overcome a clunky script that takes way too long to get to any action sequences and an ending that is almost laughable. The film really isn’t worth paying extra to see it in 3-D, as there wasn’t one scene that stood out from use of the technology.    My Rating: Cable    Jack the Giant Slayer Website

My View:    21 and Over (2013) R    Jeff (Justin Chon) is a straight-A college student with a very promising life ahead of him. It’s the night before an important interview with a prestigious medical school, and Jeff just wants to stay at home and sleep. But, his two buddies (Skylar Astin and Miles Teller) convince Jeff to go out to celebrate his birthday. It’s a birthday he will never forget, but only if he survives it. If you think a scene where a person throws up in slow motion while on a spinning mechanical bull is funny, then this film is for you. For most of us, the film will seem long and tedious, as the funny scenes are few and far between. Sarah Wright, playing the love interest is the one character in the film that I liked, but the three main characters are all jerks to each other.  They claim to love each other like brothers, but they are willing to sell each other out at a moment’s notice.    My Rating: Cable    21 and Over Website

  Indiefest:    Phantom (2013) R   Set in the late 1960’s, Demi (Ed Harris) is the captain of a Russian missile submarine, and he’s embarking on his last mission before he retires. But, the mission is classified, and Demi must deal with a KGB agent (David Duchovny) who won’t say what the mission is about or where the sub is going. Demi soon discovers that it’s a mission that just may drag the world into another war. This is a film that works a lot like a mystery.  As the story develops, we learn more and more about not only the mission the sailors are on, but also about each character. Ed Harris gives a multilayered performance as the Submarine commander whose past comes back to haunt him. Duchovny is brilliant as the KGB agent who may have a hidden agenda, an agenda that could have deadly consequences. Overall, this is an interesting film that has more substance to it than the latest Hollywood CGI spectacular.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Phantom Website

  Indiefest:    West of Memphis (2013) R    West of Memphis (2013)   A documentary exploring the attempts to free three men known as the West Memphis Three who were convicted of murdering three eight year-old boys in the early 90′s. The film gives the audience extraordinary access into the lives of the three men in prison and the men and women who have been working to free them. This is a film that will make you both mad at the justice system and amazed at the dogged persistence of the people who worked to free the three men. One of the best documentaries of the year - this film is worth seeing.     My Rating: Full Price    West of Memphis Website

 Forgotten Film:     Next Stop Wonderland (1998) R      Erin (Hope Davis) is a nurse who has recently been dumped by her longtime boyfriend. Her mother, Piper (Holland Taylor) decides to place a personal ad for her daughter and throughout the film we see Erin go on one disaster date after another. On the other side of town, Alan (Alan Gelfant) is a plumber who dreams about becoming a marine biologist and is also unlucky in finding the right girl. Are the two people who would be perfect for each other ever going to meet or are they destined for unhappiness? This is a fun romantic comedy with a twist, and Hope Davis is absolutely amazing as the headstrong, determined Erin, who refuses to give up her dream of finding the one guy perfect for her.    My Rating: Full Price    Next Stop Wonderland

Weird Credits:   From the credits of Jack the Giant Slayer:   Pantomiming consultant

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:    The Sapphires (2012) PG-13     An Australian film about four Aboriginal girls who form a singing group and travel to Vietnam to entertain the troops. Chris O’Dowd plays Dave, the man who convinces the families of the girls that they will be safe on their tour, a tour that will change all their lives.   The Sapphires Website

Until Next Time!