TRANSCENDENCE

(2014) 119 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Review:   This movie reminded me of something you would have scene in Star Trek a little bit.  The whole nano-technology had a real Borg vibe to it.  I just waiting for one of the characters in the movie to say "resistance is futile".  The idea was interesting for a movie...I could have done with out the love story side of it and would have enjoyed it more if Morgan Freeman was narrating the technology side of it on the Science Channel.

Best Scene: Just seeing how cool and scary at the same time technology can be was interesting.

Mike's Rating: Matinee

Bean's Review:  Not quite what I was expecting.  This was basically a tragic love story in which the poison was a radioactive isotope bullet and the dagger was a computer virus.  Johnny Depp’s character,  Dr.  Caster, dies but his brain is saved by his wife and colleague.  Dr. Caster then develops almost omniscient powers and tries to use these powers to help and advance man-kind.  What surprised me was that Dr. Caster was not evil, he was actually trying to help people.  I think the “evil” ones were the anti-artificial intelligence computer gang. 

  

Although too long and the story dragged in the middle, it was better than some of more recent movies I have reviewed.

Best scene:  the water drop on the dying sunflower

Bean’s rating:  DVD-worth seeing, but on DVD you can fast forward through the slow parts

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ONE YEAR!

A HUGE Thank You! goes out to all the readers and guest reviewers of by the by movie reviews!

We made it! Today marks the One Year Anniversary since by the by movie reviews came online and this little blog has had incredible growth.

In just one years time we have reviewed 77 movies. That works out to be one movie reviewed every 4 3/4 days!

We have also just past 2,600 views from people reading the blog from over 10 different countries.  That works out to be over 7 views a day!

So once again Thank You to all! And keep checking back here for more great movie reviews...this summer looks like there will be quite a few movies coming out, that will end up being reviewed right here at by the by movie reviews!

DRAFT DAY

(2014) 109 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Review:   This movie is exactly what the title calls it.  The whole day of the draft were trades are made and teams are forged.  The first three quarters of the movie were pretty boring while they were trying to build up the back story and make it more suspenseful with time ticking away before it was actually draft time. Honestly I thought the movie would have been more entertaining, but it wasn't.  If you do want to see it just watch the last 10 to 15 minutes of it.  That will pretty much sum up the whole movie and save you 90 minutes of useless back story.

Best Scene: The last 10 minutes were pretty good.

Mike's Rating: DVD or cable.  No reason for the big screen.

Bean's Review:  Disappointing.  Interesting premises, but the movie just dragged.  Kevin Costner’s character, Sandy Weaver, is the Cleveland Brown’s general manager.  And, the day of the football draft, apparently, is supposedly the most stressful day of his work year.  If you are actually doing the job, I can see how stressful it would be, but this was not passed on to the audience.  I was bored and annoyed. 

  

That being said, I did root for the underdog and was glad to see how Weaver picked him as his first draftee.  About the last 20 minutes of the movie were the best.  I also thought Denis Leary played his part well as a very exasperating coach.

With the intern, I think they were trying for comic relief, but that did not come across to the audience, at all.  And the relationship between Weaver and Jennifer Garner’s role was just blah.

Best scene:  When Vontae Mack was the first draft pick

Bean’s Rating:  DVD, if you are a football fan, if not, do not bother

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CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

(2014) 136 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Review:   This is a must see movie.  I love how the story line progresses in each movie as well as stays true to the past story lines and characters.  All of the little bits of past movies playing into this story line work rather well together.  I liked how they tied Hydra into this movie by using parts of the last Captain America Movie to show how the path was paved.  Also if you stay for the scene in the credits, they show you Loki's Staff which is in some dark lab somewhere being experimented on, which I'm sure is paving the way for the Red Skull to make an appearance in a future movie sometime.

The only downside to this movie was I was kind of expecting a little cameo from Iron Man or at least Tony Stark to add some more continuity to the movie. 






Best Scene: The Nick Fury car chase scene was cool.  But I liked the well done hand to hand fight scenes the best.

Mike's Rating: A must see!.

Bean's Review:  The second Captain America movie was good.  However, the first Captain America movie was better.  The first movie employed more “human interaction” where one was able to know the characters and identify with them.  In the second movie, the interaction between Steve and Natasha was enjoyable, however, the movie relied too heavily on constant fight and battle scenes, as opposed to the human/personal touch.  How many different ways can one get beat up and objects get blown up?  However, I did think that the scene in which Nick Fury’s vehicle really took a beating was unique.

I was glad to see that the writers kept Captain America’s character’s integrity and moral standing.  Robert Redford played a convincing “bad guy”.  The writers also did well in intertwining “Hydra” with the new storyline and bringing “Bucky” back.

Best Scene: Bucky pulling Capt. America out of the water and on to shore.

Bean's Rating: Full price ticket (Chris Evans should be seen on the big screen!)

A.C.'s Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier I will start by saying is 100 times better than the original Captain America movie. It is rare for a sequel to be better but I found the original the least of the Marvel Superhero Movies. Maybe it was its war movie setting as I don’t care for war movies that much but the new film takes place completely in the present day.

It has been described as a Jason Bourne like political thriller that just happens to have Captain America in it. That’s a fair assessment.

Taking place mostly in and around Washington D.C. Steve Rogers also known as Captain America has joined he global security agency SHIELD. Before long he finds himself entangled in a conspiracy from within his new found organization while coming face to face with the lethal operative THE WINTER SOLDIER. Since By The By Movie Reviews is a site that contains spoilers I will reveal that the WINTER SOLDIER is his lifelong friend whom Cap believed was killed on one of the Howling Commandos missions during World War II against HYDRA. The full story of how the Winter Solider came to be appears to be grist for the sequel (tentatively scheduled to open the same day as the much heralded DC project SUPERMAN vs BATMAN in a superhero show down at the box office)

Among the things that makes this an entertaining movie is it has a coherent plot unlike say IRON MAN 3 and plenty of interesting and likable supporting characters like the Sam Wilson who becomes THE FALCON from the comic books and THE BLACK WIDOW returning from the AVENGERS to assist Cap in his various missions. Also a nice touch was a brief  reunion scene with Cap’s old girlfriend Peggy Carter now in her 90’s.

After a somewhat slow first hour the film ends in a rousing climax that makes me want to go and see the film again.

If the film has a down side it would be the larger presence of Nick Fury than in the previous Marvel outings. Sam Jackson has reached that same status with me that the likes of Robert Dinero and Bruce Willis has in that the actor seems to be playing a variation on the same character in every movie that he’s in and it becomes tiresome.

All an all a very impressive effort considering it was directed by two brothers (I am always leery when I hear of films that have two directors because it seems strange if one person can’t handle it) but apparently these guys were good at what they do they delivered a first rate movie.

Best Scene: The various fight scenes between all the good guys and the bad guys during the climax. It kind of reminded me of the spectacular fights we use to get back  in the good old Roger Moore days of James Bond films long before they took the sour note of the Daniel Craig outings.

A.C.'s Rating: Full Admission along with my usual caveat that 3D is not necessary from what I could tell from the 2D showing.



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THE INTERNSHIP updated

(2013) 119 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Bean's Review:   Finally an enjoyable movie.  Although, predictable with the comedic formula storyline, it was an interesting story and made me yearn for a job at Google.  Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson act so well together, like in Wedding Crashers.  Also, like in Dodgeball, Vince Vaughn plays an underachiever with a lack of ambition, that overcomes these personality traits to win the day and end the movie on an uplifting note.

Best Scene: Vince Vaughn characters in the kitchen of Google eating pudding

Bean's Rating: At least matinee worthy.




Mikes Review:  This movie actually turned out a lot better then I thought it was going to.  They developed the characters nicely and it had a really good ending.  I agree with pretty much everything reviewer Bean had said above.  She is the one that actually convinced me to see the movie and I'm glad I did.  

Best Scene: The dance club and the ending.

Bean's Rating: I would have given it a worth the price of the ticket rating...if I had seen it in the theater.



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SABOTAGE

(2014) 109 Minutes, Rated R

Mike's Review:   This movie wasn't too bad.  Its not going to win any Oscars and it for sure wasn't one of Arnold's best movies but it was entertaining.  The action was good, the plot was interesting, but the acting was lacking. Overall I liked that the movie wrapped up the story in a decent way.
   
Best Scene:  The graphic action scenes were pretty good..

Mike's Rating: Matinee, worth seeing on the big screen, just not at full price.

Bean's Review:  Once again I was expecting a better movie and was disappointed.  Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting, although somewhat stilted in most of his movies, was even more stilted in this one.  The movie was action packed and the storyline was okay, but there were no characters to sympathize, empathize or identify with.  And because of the inability to connect with a character, the movie just dragged.  The gore was excessive and not necessary.  I was also surprised to see Terrence Howard in such a minor role.

Best Scene: When Schwarzenegger’s character toasted pop-tarts for the Justice dept. agents

Bean's Rating: DVD.

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