22 Jump Street

My View:  22 Jump Street (2014)  R  The boys are back! Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) have left high school behind and now are ready to go undercover at the hallowed halls of a local university. Now that they are big men on campus, will their friendship survive?  I wasn’t a huge fan of the first film, but I did like some of the comedic moments, especially when some of the TV cast showed up.  I was mildly amused by this film but was put off by the number of jokes making fun of how homosexual Schmidt and Jenko’s relationship seems to be.  Too often the film went for the easy joke and sometimes it felt like we were watching a live action cartoon. At one point I swear I heard the Benny Hill theme music. I did enjoy the performance of Jillian Bell, who plays a roommate with an attitude. I think some people will enjoy this movie, but I can say I only liked it.  There is a funny sequence during the first part of the closing credits, and there is a very small bonus scene at the end of all the credits.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  22 Jump Street Website

Family Faire:  How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)  PG   It’s been five years since Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless the dragon saved the day and created peace between the dragons and the Vikings. Hiccup and Toothless stumble upon a faraway cave that houses hundreds of new wild dragons. The two friends discover that there is evil brewing as there is a Viking named, Drago (Djimon Hounsou), that plans on conquering the world.  I loved the first film and I very happy to say that the sequel is it’s equal, and due to the excellent animation, maybe even better.  The storyline moves at a quick pace, and the characters are fun and well developed, and the animation is incredibly detailed and colorful.  It’s film that kids and adults will both love, possibly seeing it several times.  The film also has a great message about friendship, family and taking responsibility.  Go see this film in 3-D, as it uses the technology to great advantage throughout the film, especially during the flying sequences. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  How to Train Your Dragon 2 Website

Forgotten Film:  Cat Ballou (1965) A young woman (Jane Fonda) wants her murdered father avenged. She hires a gunfighter (Lee Marvin) to fight her battles but she doesn’t realize that there is one problem, the gunfighter is a drunk.  This is a hilarious comedy that makes fun of all the arch-typical western stereotypes.  Fonda is excellent as the girl who thinks just about everything in the west is amazing.  Marvin is brilliant as the boozing gunfighter, Kid Shellen, making this film so much fun to watch.  My Rating: Full Price  Cat Ballou Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Step Up: All In (2014)  PG-13  Dancers from the previous films compete in a dance off in Las Vegas.  I think I will sit this one out.  Step Up: All In Facebook page   

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blue Ray):  Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)  PG-13  Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) is a junior analyst for the CIA. When he uncovers evidence of an imminent terrorist attack, he is sent to Moscow to continue his investigation. He encounters Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh) who is intent on taking down the world’s economy.  I enjoyed this action film, especially the interplay between Pine and Kevin Costner, who recruits Pine’s character into the CIA.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of 22 Jump Street:  Football coordinator 

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Snowpiercer (2014) R In the future, almost all life on Earth has perished.  The only people still alive are on a train that travels across the globe.  The film sounds really weird but the trailer makes it look awesome.  Snowpiercer Website 

Until Next Time!

Robocop

My View:  Robocop (2014)  PG-13  In the near future, the United States is the last country in the world to not use some sort of robotic police force. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman), a loving father and good cop, is critically injured in the line of duty, the corporation behind most of the world’s robotic police force, OmniCorp, sees an opportunity. They plan on using what is left of Murphy to create a one-man police force called, Robocop.  I enjoyed this film as it attempted to bring something new to the Robocop franchise.  The supporting cast is perfect, including Michael Keaton as the slimy CEO of OmniCorp, Samuel L. Jackson as a pro OmniCorp TV host, and Jay Baruchel as a sleazy marketing guru.  I didn’t like the action sequences as the PG-13 violence seemed too rooted in video games.  I also didn’t like that the film takes way too long for Robocop to hit the streets to kick some bad guy butt.  Kinnaman is enjoyable as the Robocop, but I just wish the creators had really upped the action sequences.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Robocop Website

The 50  (A Movie from My Best/Worst Films of All Time) 
#4 Best Film:  The Godfather (1972)  R  The story of a mafia crime family trying to stay on top is one of most brilliant films of the past 50 years.  The cast of Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Cann and Diane Keaton is brilliant in this stirring film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  Every scene in this movie could be studied in a film class, with its perfect framing and lighting.  Pacino is magnificent as Michael, a war hero who naively thinks he can leave the family business.  Brando dominates every scene he is in, and Keaton is never more appealing.  It’s a film that makes you root for the bad guys and feel good about doing it.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  The Godfather Info  

Forgotten Film:  Outland (1981) R  William Neal (Sean Connery) is a Marshall, assigned to a mining colony on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons.  When Marshall starts investigating the mysterious deaths of a number of miners, he discovers that a drug trade is responsible for the deaths, and the dealers are out for the Marshall’s death.  Now the Marshall must face a gang of ruthless killers, and the population that he has protected is letting him go against them all alone.  This is a new take on the western theme of one man against many, like the 1952 film, High Noon.  Connery is at his charismatic best, playing the tough-as-nails Marshall who is willing to take on the bad guys.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Outland Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  The Other Woman (2014) A wife (Leslie Mann) and her husband’s girlfriend (Cameron Diaz) team up to get revenge on the husband when they discover he is cheating on both of them.  Just what we need. A female buddy movie about cheating.  The Other Woman Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray):  The Best Man Holiday (2013)  R   When old college friends get together for the Christmas holidays, they find out just how easy it is to pick right back up where they left off, which is good in the romance department but not so much when dealing with a rival.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first film in the series, The Best Man, and while this film isn’t quite as enjoyable as the first one was, it’s still a fun movie with a great message about love and family.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Best Man Holiday Facebook Page

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Robocop:  Balloon light technician

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You:  Captain America: The Winter Soldier  (2014)  Captain America (Chris Evans) is struggling to adapt to the modern world while there is also a new threat from an old foe, a Soviet agent known as the Winter Solder.  I really liked the first Captain America film, but I wanted a little humor in it.  They say this one will have that humor that I was looking for.  Captain America: The Winter Soldier Website

Until Next Time!