EPIC

(2013) 102 Minutes, Rated PG

Mike's Review:  I was kind of surprised with this movie. This movie actually had a decent plot and some "pretty" animation, however I thought the character development was lacking and the voice talent was under-used.  I think Blue Sky Studios is trying to step up their game and give Pixar some competition, but they still have a way to go.  The movie to me reminded me of 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' mixed with a little bit of  'Star Wars' and 'Avatar'.

When I asked my 4 year old daughter what she thought about the movie she said she didn't like the scary parts but she did like it when they kissed, then she laughed.  The next morning at breakfast, I couldn't help but notice she was staring out the window a lot.  When I asked her what she was looking at, she said she was looking for the leaf people. Which goes well with what Karyn had to say in her review below.

Best Scene: The slug had some good bits, and the ending was pretty good.
Mike's Rating: Worth the price of the ticket.

Karyn's Review:  This was a good kids movie. Really helps kids use their imagination. My daughter is now looking forward to going to her Grandma's house to see if she can see any leaf men riding on hummingbirds.

Best Scene: When the little flower turns into a queen.

Karyn's Review: Worth the price of the ticket.


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STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

(2013) 132 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Review:  I am a 70 / 30 split on this movie.  Meaning that while I liked and enjoyed 70% of the movie, I didn't like the fact they couldn't come up with a better plot then stealing and twisting things from the original 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn' (1982) movie.  I understand they are rebooting the franchise, but with the last movie, 'Star Trek' (2009), they completely turned the whole 'Star Trek Universe' upside down by blowing up Vulcan, but in this movie they only changed small things which made the movie seem more predictable. I thought the cast did an outstanding job in continuing their characters' voyage in this second movie and a lot of the effects and inside trek humor were pretty good, but I still didn't like how they did some of the scenes that were a complete take off from 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn' (1982) movie.

Best Scene: The ship jumping and Enterprise free fall were pretty good..
Mike's Rating: Its worth the price of the ticket, but I wouldn't stand in line for hours to get that ticket.

Karyn's Review:  This movie was OK.  If you know anything about 'Star Trek' you know that none of the main characters will die and that spoiled the end for me.

Best Scene: The beginning when the ship comes out of the water.

Karyn's Review: Wait for the DVD or digital download..


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THE LAST STAND DVD

(2013) 107 Minutes, Rated R

Mike's DVD Review:  This is another one of the many movies I didn't have a chance to see on the big screen but wanted to. It was good to see Arnold Schwarzenegger again in a decent role for his age and also having some action to go with it.  From the trailer I thought this movie was going to be more of a shoot-them-up comedy, rather than the lackluster drama it turned out to be.  I thought the final scene on the bridge was poorly shot and looked really fake, but the car chase scene before that through the corn field was pretty good. Overall it wasn't to bad of a movie (it kept my attention and made me laugh a few times) it just seemed kind of forced in some areas and could have been done a lot better.


Best Scene: I thought the flare shot to the back was cool and the old lady and the trespasser was funny.

Mike's Rating: If I had seen this movie at the theater, I would have given it a Matinee rating.  It was good enough to see on the big screen, just not at full price.

THE GREAT GATSBY

(2013) 142 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Review:  A very "unique" movie. Not my kind of movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I figured it was a movie that I should see at least once.  Going into the movie I had no idea what to expect, I have never read the book and had no idea what the story was all about.  What I did know, was what I had seen from the trailer, what all the critics were saying, and that it had Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio in it. To be fair, I really didn't care for the cinematography but the over the top mansions and parties were something to be seen.  The story kept you watching the movie and it never felt like you were sitting there for well over two hours.  It was like watching a circus, most of the time and the theme to the circus was a romance novel.


Best Scene: Perhaps more flowers.
Mike's Rating: Matinee, just because all the glitz and glam would be to much on a smaller screen.

Bean's Review:  One of the better period movies, except for the influence of the 21^st century choreographics.  These were a bit over the top. The opulence, greed,  and waste of that era were overwhelming and the movie did not portray any of the characters that would emote sympathy  or empathy from the viewer.  Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting kept my attention, as typically I do not care for tragic love stories.  Although a long movie, the acting and story-line did not make the viewer feel that the movie dragged.  An entertaining movie, but not one in which the viewer had any feelings toward the characters.  I felt as though I was just watching the movie as opposed to being involved with the movie.

Best Scene: Gatsby’s initial smile in meeting Nick.

Bean's Rating: Worth seeing on the big screen for all of the scenery and evidence of too much wealth, but not at full ticket price.


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Happy Three Weeks!

Today marks the 21st day this blog has been online.  We just want to say thank you for reading our blog and that in just three short weeks we have been viewed more than 400 times!  We must be doing something right...ha ha ha.

Thank you again!

JACK REACHER DVD

(2012) 130 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Note:
This movie is the first 'DVD' review on our blog, to try and keep the long periods of time in between regular 'big screen movie' posts to a minimum, I thought reviewing some other movies, that are out, would be a good idea.  The next 'big screen movie' we will be reviewing is 'The Great Gatsby'

Mike's DVD Review:  This is one of the many movies I didn't have a chance to see on the big screen but wanted to. Instead I told myself to check it out as soon as it came out on DVD. So after waiting 5 months or so I finally had a chance to see this movie on my own big screen at home.  Now I know there is a big following for the stories and also for the character Tom Cruise plays, but that's as far as my knowledge goes for the whole 'Jack Reacher' story.  The one thing that drew me into wanting to see this movie was the one little section in the trailer where Tom Cruise is being chased and he leaves the car he's driving and walks to a bus stop full of people.  At the bus stop the people are all aware he is being chased, but one man gives Tom Cruise a hat to wear so he can blend in better with the crowd.  I don't know why, but I thought that was funny and it made me want to watch the movie.  Now, having said all that, I'm glad I finally got to see it. It was an interesting mystery type of movie with some bits of decent action, but it was way too long and drawn out.  This could have been a 90 minute movie easily. 


Best Scene: There really wasn't a big stand out scene to me, but I still liked the one I described above.

Mike's Rating: If I had seen it at the theater, I would have given this movie a wait for the DVD rating.  Its entertaining enough to watch, if you get a chance.

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IRON MAN 3

(2013) 130 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Review:  INCREDIBLE MUST SEE MOVIE!  This was a very well done, incredible story that had excellent visual effects, and well placed little bits of comedy through out.  Robert Downey Jr. does it again. I don't know how they can keep topping these movies, but with the plot and the effects, this is, I think the best of the 3 'Iron Man' movies.  I could go on and on about this movie but you would be better off just seeing it for yourself.  If you had like the previous 'Iron Man' Movies and 'The Avengers' then I don't think you will be disappointed. 


Best Scene: I liked the scenes with the kid 'Harley' (Ty Simpkins) and the Potato-Gun Mark II.
Mike's Rating: So worth the price of the ticket, in fact I will more than likely be seeing this movie again on the big screen and buying the BLU-RAY DVD when it comes out.

Karyn's Review:  You must see 'The Avengers' before seeing this movie.  The action was wonderful and it didn't feel like you were sitting there for over two hours watching a movie.

Best Scene: The house being blown up.

Karyn's Review: Definitely worth the price of the ticket.


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PAIN AND GAIN

(2013) 129 Minutes, Rated R

Mike's Review:  Its hard to believe this movie was based on a true story.  The first three-quarters of the movie was pretty funny with Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie doing a good job of being goofy kidnappers. Then the body count starts. They attempt to kidnap another victim and that plan goes even more wrong, you are even more shocked when you re-realize this movie was based on a true story.  I think it would have been a better entertaining movie if they had changed the ending and just left it as three goofy kidnappers getting caught. 


Best Scene: Neighborhood watch meeting.
Mike's Rating: Matinee.

Bean's Review:  If you want to see extremely bulked and cut bodies of both genders accompanying a long and somewhat tedious story, than you may want to see this movie. This movie is based on a true story and generally portrays criminals as extremely stupid, revealing that crime indeed does not pay. 'Pain and Gain' is akin to 'Fargo', in that the criminals are idiots and the one person after them is the only bright one in the movie, except for the victim. However, 'Pain and Gain' is quite inferior to 'Fargo' in the writing. There are a few funny scenes, but it does not come across as a "black comedy" , such as 'Fargo'. I do not enjoy seeing Mark Wahlberg play an idiot. Dwayne Johnson's portrayal of a Jesus finder is fairly funny. Tony Shalhoub did a good job. However, Ed Harris (much like the Frances McDormand role in 'Fargo') was the best of the bunch, but unfortunately, he did not have much film time.

Bean's Rating: This movie, at best, is a DVD or digital rental.

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OBLIVION

(2013) 124 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Review:  Wow. Where do I begin with this movie. Going in, I really had no idea what it was all about. I just knew it looked interesting from the trailers so I thought I would give it a chance. I'm glad I did. I don't want to give away too much, so I will just say, it was a very interesting science-fiction movie. In a small way, it kind of reminded me of 'Terminator Salvation' mixed with 'Wall-E'. I know that sounds strange, but if I told you any of the plot, you didn't already get from the trailer, it would spoil the movie. Tom cruise was pretty much the whole movie. It all started and ended with him.

Best Scene: The drone chase.  The visual effects were pretty good and I would really like to fly that plane.
Mike's Rating: Worth the price of the ticket.