A Good Day To Die Hard

A Good Day To Die Hard is a lame attempt to recreate a classic 1980s action film. With a flimsy plot, one dimensional characters, average action sequences, cheesy punch-lines, terrible writing and acting bad enough to make me  want to leave the theatre, I was really disappointed in a movie I really hoped might be good.

The story starts by introducing old Bruce Willis, with no setup I might add, entering Russia in search of his fugitive son. After a few explosions and a less then impressive car chase leads to an unwanted reunion of father (Bruce Willis) and son (Jai Courtney). They now must fight the Russian intelligence Jack had been spying on for the CIA. The film plays out as an awkward partnership of father and son that must work for the sake of the stuiped plot.

No one hates giving a bad review more than me because I can only imagine the amount of work making a movie actually is, but this movie was actually hard to watch. I believe that car chases, gun fire and bad-ass leads are all a wonderful part of the film experience, but not at the expense of a good plot and believable actors. I give A Good Day To Die Hard 1 1/2 out of 4 stars.

The Conjuring

The Conjuring is a triumph of the American Horror genre the best horror film I've ever watched. James Wan directed the most influential horror film of this generation, With an outstanding cast and group of cinematographers to boot.

The Story centers around the Warrens, Paranormal investigators who stumble upon a family in need. The Perrons are a young family who recently moved to a new house in the country, to get away from city life. The young family finds themselves in a new home infested with the demons of families past. I don't want to give any more away in hopes you will have the same terrifying experience I had at the theatre.

What separates The Conjuring from other horror hits (besides its quantity of things popping out at you) is the truth and heart found at its core. Whether the story is true or not the actors portrait emotion and a sense of real that allows you to become attached to the story. The element of this horror film that stuck with me the most was the curtain unveiled and the truth of what we can't see, the paranormal. I give this film a perfect 4 out of 4, enjoy.

Kevin Hart

If your Kevin Hart Fan's, you'll love this movie. If your not, well, don't go. Kevin Hart if 5 feet of fun that brings energy to the stage and provides a comedy performance all kinds of people can relate to, black and white.  Don't take this the wrong way, but it is rare that I see a black comedian who goes out of his way to make his jokes funny for those other than African Americans, but Kevin Hart does just that.

Kevin goes over subjects like his recent divorce, homeless men, his kids, horse back riding and much more. He takes on Madison Square Garden and does an amazing job. At the end you see Kevin gets really emotional and thanks the audience for supporting him in his endeavor which makes him more relatable and vulnerable for the audience. Let me stress that if your not a Kevin Hart fan, this movie isn't going to change anything, but if you are go and see it. I give this a 2 and a 1/2 out of 4.

White House Down

White House Down takes us to a point in time where summer blockbusters weren't so dark and dire, but rather action packed while also being light and funny. This story follows a low level secret service agent (Channing Tatum) who must protect the president (Jamie Foxx), when the white house comes under attack from disgruntled former military personnel that harbor a hate for the president and his cabinet.

We see the struggle of Tatum's character as he must juggle the safety of the president and the safety of his daughter who is taken hostage with a tour group during the attack. For the first time I actually enjoyed watching Channing Tatum's performance in this film, he was perfectly cast as Cale and delivers as the summer action hero. Jamie Foxx also delivered his normal charm and comedy that he brings to films.

I recommend seeing this movie if your looking for 2 and a half hours of non stop gunfire and pure adrenaline. This was Tatum's best performance since 21 Jump Street, I give White House Down a 3 out of 4 stars.

World War Z

World War Z is everything I could ever want from a summer block buster. Brad Pitt is perfectly cast as Gerry Lane, a ex- CIA agent who is called to action by the government once a mysterious, quickly spreading zombie like virus takes over the world.

World War Z is a movie that re- imagines how zombies  behave and cleverly takes us on a journey filled with excitement and  thrilling action. Brad Pitt is now among the summer sci-fi hero greats like Will Smith and Tom Cruise because of this film. I definitely recommend seeing this film and be prepared to be blown away by one of the only zombie flicks I've ever really enjoyed. My only complaint is that I wanted it to be longer, I give World War Z a 3 and 1/2 out of 4.

Grown Ups 2

As if the first Grown Ups wasn't bad enough, someone told Sandler to make another one. The movie wasn't a total failure though, it did give me a few chuckles here and there. The reason I don't appreciate Sandler's films the way others do is because I find the jokes are too simple and are often repeated just in different ways.

Grown ups 2 is a reunion of Sandler's friends as they move back to their home town to relive their childhood memories. The sequel stars Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and of course Adam Sandler featuring cameos from Shaq, Nick Swardson, Steve Buscemi, Colin Quinn, Tim Meadows, Maya Roudolf and Jon Lovitz.

Even with the star studded cast the movie fails to deliver as a comedy. By the hour mark I had enough of the pee, fat, penis, poop, and sexual jokes that failed to make me laugh. I know there are allot of people out there who love simple, easy to understand jokes like these but unfortunately I'm not one of them. I give Adam Sandler's latest film a 2 out of 4 stars.

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim looked cool on TV, but ended up a disappointment. The film played out allot like Godzilla, actually, it pretty much was Godzilla. Giant monsters taking over cities being fought back by transformers, wait not transformers, Jaegers... my bad. Not to say this movie isn't exciting it just isn't believable or worth the 2 hours.

Charlie Hunnam played Raleigh Becket, a brooding, 20 year old giant robot fighter who for some reason cant find a job after he leaves the robot fighting club because of his brothers death. His brother dies in a battle they fought in together against Godzilla (I mean Kaiju). So he begins as a construction worker and falls of the face the Earth. Then five years later, his old general comes to look for him and finds him after pretty much no real research. Then after refusing, broody McBroodface decides to come back and fight in his mega cool robot fighting job which he hates for some reason.

So after 30 minutes of nonsense, McBroodface pairs up with an Asian lady to fight giant monsters from another dimension which happens to be at the bottom of the ocean... yeah ok. This movie gets 1 out of 4 stars, please don't waste your cash.

The Heat

The Heat is a hilarious buddy comedy that I laughed through the entire time. Melissa McCarthy has finely been given a role she can truly shine in. She plays the role of officer Mullins, a white trash, rough police officer who holds nothing back. Paired with an uptight FBI agent, Ashburn, played by Sandra Bullock. Both Bullock and McCarthy give amazing performances in the film that set it apart from others like it.

A must see comedy that will have you laughing well into the next scene. The only reason the film got mark downs for me was that I felt parts were bland and that the only source of comedy was McCarthy's punch lines and humor about her hard personality, but besides from that and the reused plot I have no complaints. I give this film a 3 out of 4 stars.

Paranormal Activity 4

Paranormal Activity 4 is a  thrill ride, a continuation of the horror franchise that continuously delivers and serves its purpose as a horror movie. The fourth film switches it up, taking focus off the original family and onto a new, younger family who invites a young boy from across the street into their home while his mother is in the hospital. The young boy happens to be the son of the woman in the previous films who gets possessed and takes the kid and kills tons of people.

 The fourth installment gives us a window on the world of this newly haunted family via video cameras set up by the character Ben, the boyfriend of the families daughter. Ben played by young actor Matt Shively brings a touch of comedy and amusement to this dark and frightening film.

Characters are involved in a strange number of events involving Robby and his "friend" that make them all wonder what is really going on in the dark. Though these films are not the best the horror genre has produced, they are worth the ten dollars for those looking for a frightening and energetic 2 hours. I give this film 2 and 1/2 out of four stars.

Lawless: A film by John Hillcoat

Lawless is a compelling film featuring a very capable cast of actors that allow you to believe the movie your watching. The story revolves around a gang of brothers who illegally produce alcohol during prohibition behind the backs of the law. They are able to do so until a Chicago law official threatens their profits and more importantly, their pride. John Hillcoat, a name I'd never heard of before, delivers a prohibition action thriller that was a pleasure to watch.

 Modern movies are never short on violence and bloodshed, but I believe that it takes a real artist to make an all too common theme of violence stand out from the rest. Lawless is great not only because of the direction, but also because of standout performances by Shia LeBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke and the young and beautiful Jessica Chastain. I have never been a fan of the young Shia LeBeouf until this movie, he was perfectly cast as Jack Bondurant, the youngest of the bunch who follows what he feels is moral, not his gut. Tom Hardy embodies the role of his sullen, tough as nails, brooding character Forrest Bondurant. Shockingly, behind the Bane mask lays a very capable British actor. And last but not least, Jessica Chastain, an actress who proved herself worthy after her commanding role in Zero Dark Thirty. She stood out to me, not only because of her beautiful nude scene but because she brings life to the strong Chicago girl trying to make it in the south.

Lawless is no longer in theaters, but has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. I definitely recommend this to anyone who hasn't seen it, but it should be noted that this is not a family film. I give lawless a 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.