THE VISIT

(2015) 94 Minutes, Rated PG-13

A.C.’s Review:  Found footage movies live! Unfortunately. Worse THE VISIT is a combination of found footage and not found footage so it doesn’t really know what it wants to be.

The set-up is a woman who has been estranged from her parents for  years is contacted via computer. They want to meet their grandchildren so the woman sends them off to grandma and grandpa while she goes on a cruise with her new boyfriend.

Once on the Pennsylvania farm the kids decide to do a documentary on their visit as the 15 year old daughter is an aspiring filmmaker (hence a chance to justify the found footage aspect-her younger brother also has a camera). Soon into the visit they discover their grandparents are acting strange…as the week progresses the bizarre behavior escalates to the point where the children’s lives are in danger.

I debated whether giving away the “twist” in this review. (there has to be a twist as it was made by  M. Knight Shyamalan-known for his twists since the reveal of the big twist in THE SIXTH SENSE that put the director on the map. I was going to but I changed my mind. I guess if anyone is going to go see this they should at least get a surprise.

Just a sidebar here…I paid extra to see this in an better theater because I really like the big screen, better sound and great seats…only to have the experience ruined by a teenage girl who spent the whole movie playing with her cell phone, taking selfies of her watching the movie and web surfing. I kicked her chair to get her to stop but to no avail. An hour in a usher came in and told her to turn it off. The usher hadn’t even left the theater before she was back on it again. I didn’t move because I paid extra to be in my favorite seats in the back row and I wasn’t going to let her drive me away. If young people like this are the future of the world I am very worried.

Anyway I don’t really have anything good to say about this movie other than there was some good humor from the 11 year old boy who fancied himself a Vanilla Ice type rapper. And I will give the film credit for making me laugh harder than I have ever in years. While being terrorized by the grandfather in the movies climax the boy gets something so vile shoved into his face that it was hysterical! I almost laughed just as hard during the end credits where the boy raps about his experience and his line about what was smashed in his faced again brought down the house.

Best scene: What I just described plus his rap about it in the credits.

A.C.’s Rating: DVD

EVEREST

(2015) 121 Minutes, Rated PG-13

A.C.’s Review:  I had been long looking forward to this film chronicling the disasters 1996 climbing season on Mt. Everest when a large number of people perished in a severe blizzard that sprang up out of nowhere.

The movie stars the same gentleman who played John Conner in this summer’s TERMINATOR GENISYS and whose name escapes me as the expedition leader.Rob Hall. Also on hand are clients played by Josh Brolin and John Hawkes as well as Jake Gyllenhaal as  Scott a rival expedition leader.

As said after successfully reaching the summit the combined expeditions of Rob and Scott find themselves fighting for their lives to get down when the storm hits. Rob made a critical mistake in staying too long on the summit to help the John Hawkes character –a down on his luck Mailman make it to the top after he failed to in the previous summer’s expedition. Both men were likable and it was a shame to see what happened to them.

Unfortunately the movie was not good. It had great visuals and was beautiful to look at but it suffers from the same problem as movies about soldiers. In their climbing get up everyone was indistinguishable from everyone else. Worse the group gets separated into several smaller groups and it was impossible to try and determine anyone relation to where the other groups were on the mountain. There is only one word to describe this:

Muddled.

To make matters worse…the obnoxious Texan played by Brolin survives when others far more likable did not. Feel bad rooting against him since he is a real person but I gotta call it like I see it. So yes, I really wanted to like this movie more than I turned out so it was a letdown.  ToPping it off in a blatant cash grab it was hard for me to find a theater not playing this is 3D. I make lemonade out of lemons by using this as an opportunity to visit a new theater I had never been to before. A cinemas in Schenectady NY where there was 2D showings.

Best Scene: Rob helps the mailman finally reach the summit too late in the day for a safe return.

A.C.’s Rating: Matinee.

MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS

(2015) 132 Minutes, Rated PG-13

A.C.’s Review:  A couple years ago a movie came out called THE MAZE RUNNER following the adventures of Thomas who finds himself waking up in a forest glade surrounded by a dangerous and deadly maze. The movie chronicled his attempt along with the other teenage prisoners  to escape the maze.  Having successfully done so they were immediately rescued from the evil organization known as The Wicked (yeah, that’s sounds silly but hold on) that put them into.

The Wicked is using the teens and their natural immunity to find the cure for a plague that has ravaged the world already decimated by solar flares. The plague basically turns people into “rage” zombies like in 28 DAYS LATER.

In the new movie Thomas and his crew learn the rescuers are actually The Wicked and they are intent on harvesting the special fluid in their bodies to find the cure for the plague. The result is a horrific existence neither dead or alive strapped into cocoons while the fluid is being harvested. Once discovering this Thomas and his crew beat feet in an audacious escape from The Wicked compound and head for the mountains where a resistance group The Right Arm, they hope will give them shelter.

The first movie was just okay but this follow up I enjoyed immensely as it chronicled their flight across the post-apocalyptic landscape called The Scorch. Not only must they battle the elements but there are plenty of run ins with the plague infected zombies called Cranks as well being pursued by Wicked’s Security Chief Jansen. Along the way they make allies and enemies. In the climax the group finds themselves betrayed by one of their own and the  movie ends on a cliffhanger.

I read the budget was only $65 million for this film which is hard to believe. They did such a great job creating a CGI ruined city the group journeys through that you would have thought it really existed and it was filmed on location. Very impressive.

All in all a very good middle installment in what I assume is a trilogy and where as I was not awaiting this part 2 I now look forward to part 3.

Best Scene: Thomas must rescue one of his new allies Brenda as she is trapped on a window in a toppled building. If she falls through she will plummet to her death and of course just as he is about to rescue her one of the savage zombies shows up to make matter worse.

A.C.’s Rating: Full Price

FANTASTIC FOUR

(2015) 100 Minutes, Rated PG-13

A.C.’s Review:  In 1961 Stan Lee launched the Marvel Silver Age of Comics with issue number one of the Fantastic Four featuring the adventures of Scientist Reed Richards, pilot and best friend Ben Grimm, fiancé Susan Storm and her kid brother Johnny Storm who became superheroes after their rocket encountered cosmic rays on their way to beat the “commies” to the moon.

Reed became the man with “fantastic” stretching powers, Susan was the Invisible Girl now. Johnny Storm became the Human Torch and poor Ben Grimm became the rocky, monstrous The Thing.

Leap ahead to the 21^st century and we are now witnessing the latest failure to bring the quartet successfully to the big screen. That latest film makes the heroes adult teenagers who are imbued with their powers when their attempt at interdimensional travel goes awry…leading to the same results. Also in the movie is Dr.Doom as the 5^th member of the team who takes villainous turn once granted his powers.

These movies fail every single time because they stray too far from the source material from the comic book. If someone would do a straight up adaptation…maybe even make it 1960’s period piece then we might have something here. The first two movies that came out were too goofy and not serious enough…this one is deadly serious to the extreme. No balance can be found.

Also the movies always tie Dr. Doom’s origins into the FF’s. Not necessary. In the comics he was an evil genius who was also adept in sorcery. If it ain't broke don’t fix!

If this had not been an FF movie and was just about some young scientists exploring interdimensional travel then it would have been a good movie but the weak efforts to make them superheroes in the last half hour fails.

Not helping things was a much publicized war between director Josh Trank and 20^th Century Fox which climaxed with Trank dissing his own movie on the web.

The best outcome will be that Fox sells the rights back to Disney (who makes the Avengers movies) and it gets hit out of the park like they did with Iron Man, Ant Man and Captain America to name a few.

Best Scene: Not a scene but the overall relationship between Reed and Ben was nice.

A.C.’s Rating: Matinee

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HITMAN: AGENT 47

(2015) 96 Minutes, Rated R

A.C.’s Review:  Already rebooting the HITMAN movies we find Hollywood telling the tale of Agent 47…a genetically enhanced assassin said to have no emotions making him the perfect killing machine.

In this movie an evil corporation (is there any other kind in movies) called Syndicate International is out to find the missing scientist who created the Hitmen originally. They go after the man’s daughter hoping he will lead them to the scientist. At first the woman is duped into thinking they are the “good guys” especially when Hitman Agent 47 shows up seemingly to kill her. He is actually there to protect her and find her father for his own agenda.

Early on in this movie I couldn’t help thinking someone has been watching too much TERMINATOR. There were elements from the 1984 and 1992 films that were clearly echoed her. Especially in the form of the Syndicate’s thug…a man named John Smith (played by the actor who plays SPOCK in the new TREK movies) who has some sort of metal enhancement beneath his skin making him almost unkillable. Hitman and the woman Katia are on the run from him. Drop in the Terminator, Sarah Conner and Kyle Reese and you’ve got pretty much the same movie.

I wasn’t into it early on as the Hitman is a hard person to like with his lack of emotions he doesn’t make a compelling character. Soon that took a back seat to the spectacle of the onscreen violence. I was almost in awe of how many “:red shirts” also known as the Syndicate’s henchmen get wasted by the Hitman. I haven’t seen a trail of bodies that big since JOHN WICK.

I almost felt bad for them..I know they were the baddies but to see that many people wiped out in short order was shocking.

The movie also redeemed itself with the locations in Singapore near the end of the movie. I’ll never travel there but seeing the  area made me wish it were a short trip.

It is set up for a sequel. Whether that happens remains to be seen.

Best Scene: Agent 47 fighting John Smith on a busy subway track

A.C.’s Rating: Matinee

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SINISTER 2

(2015) 97 Minutes, Rated R

A.C.’s Review:  Evil demon Baghoul is back to steal the souls of even more children. In order for him to do this they must commit to his power by killing their entire families while capturing the proceedings on super 8 film. Yeah, its sounds ridiculous but when you like horror movies you’ll buy just about any premise.

Returning from the original film is The Deputy. I forget his name.  No longer on the police force he has been roaming the country trying to prevent any more deaths at the hand of Baghoul. Now the demon is at work tempting the younger of two boys belonging to a mom living at a farm in a remote area of Illinois or Indiana. Estranged from her wife beating husband the mom is oblivious to her son’s nightly meeting with Baghoul’s ghost children he has previously claimed who are showing him the movies to indoctrinate him.

The young boy ultimately rejects the ghosts and they instead indoctrinate his older brother who is nearly as loathsome as the estranged father.

Can The Deputy who has discovered this new family save the day (and romance the mom) before it’s too late?

Nothing special…but an interesting diversion for about 90 minutes. Routine story enhanced by the haunting setting of the isolated farm house.

Best Scene: The mom, her ex and the good son are tied up in cornfield on crosses and doused in gas while the evil son is flicking a lighter. Pretty chilling stuff.

A.C.’s Rating: DVD

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THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

(2015) 116 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Bean's Review:  Quite enjoyed this movie.  Loved that it was a period piece in that it was set in the 1960’s, like the original series from which this movie evolved.  I do not recall much of the original series, but you do not need to have seen the original series to enjoy this movie.  However, if you are familiar with the original series, the movie may be more interactive for you.

The two main characters, Napoleon Solo, played well by Henry Cavill, a/k/a Superman, and Armie Hammer, a/k/a The Lone Ranger, portraying, also very well,  Illya Kuryakin, are spies from the CIA and KGB, respectively, who need to work together to obtain a nuclear bomb from the “bad guys” with the help of Gaby Teller, portrayed very cutely by Alicia Vikander, who is later learned to be a British spy.  Hugh Grant plays Alexander Waverly of MI6 and later becomes the 3 spies’ “handler”.  Grant does a good job and it was good to see that he will become a part of this “franchise”, as I am hopeful there will be sequels.

The storyline was very familiar, tried and true, but due to the heavy emphasis of the character development, a “run of the mill” storyline was acceptable.  The clothes also helped make this a movie a great period piece.  Cavill and Hammer did quite well in developing their rapport and the humor of the movie.

I also liked the soundtrack and will probably purchase it.

Best scene:  Gaby dancing in the hotel room

Best line:  “…he had soft bones…”

Bean’s rating:  Full price-will definitely watch again

Mike's Review:  When I go to the movies, I like to be entertained, and enjoy the movie. This movie was way to sixties for me.  They even filmed it old style which was kind of irritating.  I did not care for the story line or the characters of the subtle weird old humor which I did not get at all.  It must have been funny because I heard other people in the theater laughing.  I thought the story would have at least been fun to watch but it was so corny and slow I couldn't wait for it to be over.

I will say this the actors did a good job in their roles, but because this movie was so over the top nostalgic it really made it hard to watch, and definitely not my cup of tea.

Best scene: Um .. the preview for The Intern before this movie.

Mike's rating: If this is your kind of movie, then see it on the big screen. But for me it was a waist of time.