Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

This ape reboot continues to entertain and dazzle with high end CGI effects. The plot wasn’t all that dynamic, but execution was pretty solid.

Rating: C+

Easy Money II: Hard To Kill (Snabba Cash II) (2012)

More coherent than the first film, but just as depressing. Mostly sad endings for every character on screen. Curious to see who makes it out of the third film alive.

Rating: C

Spanglish (2004)

I like James L. Brooks' characters. This film is full of great ones, and it's fun to watch them interact. This is Sandler's second great dramatic role, although I prefered him in Punch Drunk Love. Tea Leoni is fantastic as his dysfunctional wife. Paz Cruz is  devastatingly beautiful. Sandler's daughter is perfectly cast. The story may not be perfect, but the rest of the film makes up for it.

Rating: B-

Pain And Gain (2013)

A real mess of a production. Seems like there was an interesting story buried underneath Michael Bay’s flash and bang style.

Rating: D-

Flags Of Our Fathers (2006)

Not very good. Overuse of flashbacks and too much time spent on the less exciting aspects of the characters' lives made for a slow, boring war movie. I went in expecting something completely different. I really didn't want to watch an entire movie about a stupid flag.

Rating: D+

Big River Man (2009)

A very strange documentary about an Ultramarathon swimmer from Slovenia who has previously swum the Mississippi and the Yangzi rivers. In this film, he takes on the Amazon. The editing is a bit psychedelic at times, but you have to give the filmmakers credit for creating something that's hard to turn away from.

It's baffling how an old, fat, drunkard is able to do such amazing feats—which is precisely why you should see this movie.

Rating: C+

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

A bit silly and loosely put together, but entertaining enough to warrant a single viewing.

Rating: C

Spy (2015)

Laughed a lot the first half. Laughed less in the second. Felt that the film unraveled a bit at the end, but I enjoyed it enough overall to give this a…

Rating: C+

Flickering Lights (Blinkende Lygter) (2000)

I really liked the premise of the film—some crooks who skip town after ripping off the wrong guys hide out in a cottage in the woods where they each make up their minds to retire.

Unfortunately, the characters aren't very likable or fleshed out. Sure, there are some flashbacks, but they didn't work within the context of the story. For once I think a Hollywood remake might improve upon the original.

Rating: D+

The Kings Of Summer (2013)

A quirky telling of three boys in the woods. Always a joy to have real life couple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally playing the parents.

Rating: C+

Baby Mama (2008)

One of those comedies you enjoy for it's parts, and not the whole. Steve Martin really makes the film. He should be rewarded with 5 minutes of uninterrupted eye contact.

Rating: C

V For Vendetta (2005)

I had very high expectations going into this one. A lot of good things said about this film. Cool and unique. Yes. Compelling and suspenseful. No. Not enough action. I wish the story was more fleshed out. Performances were great, the film wasn't.

Rating: C

Million Dollar Arm (2014)

Sometimes you just want a predictable, feel-good Disney movie. Million Dollar Arm is that movie.

Rating: B-

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Spielberg, Hanks, and DiCaprio. Hard to go wrong. Based on an amazing true life story, this movie was pure fun to watch. Leonardo is solid as usual, Hanks is very subdued, but perfect in his role. It's a fun piece of escapism.

Rating: B-

Leap Year (2010)

It's really hard to look past the formulaic dreck that excretes from the screen for the first 30 minutes. Bouncy romantic music you've heard a million times, the "funny" best friend, the rube of a boyfriend we all know will get the boot in the end, and the manic leading lady that is just waiting to be put in her place by the rough around the edges yokel.

The one saving grace of the film? Ireland. It's gorgeous. I had to stop myself from booking a flight after the credits rolled. Also, the previously mentioned yokel did a good job. Overall though I was hoping for something more original and witty.

Rating: C-

Philomena (2013)

Better than I thought it would be. I prefer Steve Coogan when he’s in non-comedic roles. Judi Dench is brilliant as usual as the old lady. Best picture nominee? No. But I satisfying British film based on a true story.

Rating: C+

War (2007)

Action movies tend to get in trouble when they script a plot bigger than they can chew. Here, it was obvious the writers churned out a Face/Off-rip/off, and then proceeded to write a bunch of extra fluff in order to differentiate their film from the latter. The result was a flimsy plot that still smacked of Face/Off, but at least spared us the megalomaniacal antics of a certain Scientologist. Had it not been for the butt-kicking, the film would have been a total loss.

Rating: C-

The Core (2003)

Not bad. I don't know enough math and physics to discredit the plot. They certainly put enough effort into sounding credible.

Rating: C

Maleficent (2014)

A fun twist on the classic fairytale that appeals to a wide audience.

Rating: C+

Frances Ha (2012)

Black & white, arty, meandering, plot-less. Occasional witty dialogue helped, but not much.

Rating: D+

This Film Has Not Yet Been Rated (2006)

A valuable and worthwhile effort in bringing to light the corrupt and wildly inaccurate process that is the movie rating business. They basically act as a front for the movie studios, working to prevent indie films with questionable content from ever making it to the theaters.

It's fun watching the high-and-mighty squirm when their secret doors are suddenly thrown wide open. Rent this documentary for its informative look into the movie rating industry, as well as its entertainment value.

Rating: C+

Epic (2013)

Pretty good as far as animated kid’s movies go. An updated Fern Gully of sorts, with a decent amount of action and creativity. But honestly, if it wasn’t for Aziz Ansari as the slug, I would have rated this much lower.

Rating: C

21 Up (1977)

A lot happens between age 14 and 21—sadly, we don't get to see any of it. But we do get to revisit all of our subjects for more Q&A. Catching up is easy, thanks to frequent flash backs. It's not the most amazing film work, but there's no doubt you'll be checking out 28 Up in the near future.

Rating: C

Napolean Dynomite (2004)

A true indie success story. Low budget production with quirky characters and goofy dialogue. It's a funny movie, which I found even funnier with my background in small Idaho/Utah town culture.

Rating: B-

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

A fun, action-packed monster car-fest that keeps the gas pedal to the floor. No deep backstories here. Just explosions, Frankenstein rigs, and vehicular manslaughter.

Rating: C+

Whip It (2009)

A bit more Hollywood than I would have liked. I was hoping for something a bit grittier, but more polished than the documentary "Hell on Wheels". Still, who can resist the girlish charm of Ellen Page? I also have a soft spot (or is it a hard spot?) for cool chicks with tattoos. That made this a must-see for me.

Rating: C

Water For Elephants (2011)

Adultery, animal cruelty, prohibition, train murders. What’s not to love? At least the film does a good job of showing why the circus is an abomination.

Rating: C-

The Giver (2014)

An interesting interpretation of the book. The film brings up a lot of deep, philosophical questions that are worth thinking about from time to time. I’d still recommend reading the book, which is very short.

Rating: C+

The Great Raid (2005)

A slow moving war movie that doesn't pick up until the actual raid in the title. The characters fall flat, the storytelling is mostly one-sided, and the tone is very depressing. Skip it.

Rated: D

21 (2008)

The term "loosely based on the novel" immediately comes to mind. Sometimes that's not a bad thing. Here it spells implausibility. Events feel very amped up in order to deliver a Hollywood type film that contains enough eye-catching scenes to fill a movie trailer. For that reason you will be entertained, but left feeling a bit empty. Not unlike the way you feel when leaving Vegas.

Rating: C

All Is Lost (2013)

Robert Redford lost at sea—a mostly silent film. Realistic survival story if you have a few hours to kill and aren’t feeling sleepy.

Rating: C

Insomnia (2002)

It's amazing how good Robin Williams is in serious roles, and how reliably sucky he is when doing comedies. Scenery was beautiful. Good thriller.

Rating: C+

Easy Money (Snabba Cash) (2010)

The first film in a Swedish crime trilogy. Difficult to follow because of the choppy editing at the beginning. Could have been something special with a better director. Acting was spot on though.

Rating: C

Furious 7 (2015)

See my reviews for the last 3 or 4 films in this ridiculous franchise.

Rating: D

Death At A Funeral (2007)

I don't think it turned out as funny as they thought it would during the shoot, but I can't deny laughing quite a bit during some parts. There's no way all these disastrous events could ever happen at one funeral, but maybe that's the fun of watching it on screen.

Rating: C

A Man Apart (2003)

All in all it was a pretty good police drama.

Rating: C

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)

A time traveling superhero hodgepodge. All over the place, but entertaining enough.

Rating: C

The Angel’s Share (2012)

Definitely needed the subtitles on for this Scottish film. Delinquents try to make something of themselves through the ancient art of whiskey distillery. Or something like that. over-the-top swearing became distracting. At least there was a happy ending.

Rating: C

Fearless (Huo Yuanjia) (2006)

Jet Li's goodbye to kung fu is a fine drama in addition to being an ass kicking exhibition. After so many of these films, you think you've seen it all, but then Jet comes along and shows off some new tricks.


Rating: C+

Jurassic World (2015)

I’ve enjoyed all the popcorn flicks in this series. They are complete escapism, especially when watched on the big screen. The story is always the same, but you watch for the incredible dinosaur action and booming sound.

Rating: C

Brubaker (1980)

Robert Redford tries to reform his prison from the inside out. Some nice performances and drama. Would have like to see a few more people get their comeuppance in the end though.

Rating: B-

TT3D: Closer To The Edge (2011)

Documentary about the TT races on the Isle of Mann. This was a sport I knew very little about. Quite interesting. Didn’t realize how dangerous it is. Enjoyed following some of the racers and getting a taste of what it might be like to be on a bike going that fast.

Rating: C+

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Add this to the list of films that inspire me to get off my butt and start collecting more stamps in my passport.

Rating: C+

Two For The Money (2005)

I kept waiting for the movie to get exciting, but the money shot never came.


Rating: C

Pirate Radio (2009)

I imagine this was an extremely loose interpretation of events that actually transpired off the coast of England in 1963. I certainly wouldn't jump on the bandwagon for calling this the British "Pump Up The Volume". It's amusing with a terribly cheese ball ending.

Rating: C

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Doug Liman pulls of a rare time shifting movie that’s both entertaining and mostly coherent. It’s Groundhog’s Day meets District 13. Packed with plenty of action, humor, and solid acting. I quite enjoyed Cruz’s transformation. One of the best action films of the year.

Rating: B+

Bubble Boy (2001)

A lot of fun. Really funny and one of those road movies that you somehow get sucked into, even if the premise is bad, like Joe Dirt. 

Rating: C+

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

After a disappointing and cartoony Spider-Man debut, I didn't expect Spider-Man 2 to turn out any better. I was wrong. The sequel was superior in so many ways.

The villain here is much more credible and somewhat reality based. There's no glossy, plastic suit to draw attention away from the action. I thought the mechanical arms would turn out novelty-like, ala Inspector Gadget, but instead they looked fantastic.

In addition to some really cool action and fight scenes, there was plenty of character and story depth that I felt was lacking in the first.

The final battle between the bad guy and Spider-Man was not formulaic. Spider-Man was not beaten to a bloody pulp, only to come back and finish off the villain. They changed things up a bit. Overall pretty entertaining.

Rating: C+

Run All Night (2015)

It’s a movie I’ve seen before under many different names, but I keep watching this same plotline because I crave action movies. This version was pretty good.

Rating: C

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Whatever magic the first film managed to cull from the fabulous source text was all but used up by the time the second film moved into production. The kids are whisked away to what appears to be the Caribbean, where they fumble around with talking animals—straight off the set of Dr. Doolittle. The director was going for a Lord of the Rings feel, but fell way short. I'm done with this franchise.

Rating: D-