Quick Description

Hate movie spoilers? Good! You'll get straight to the point, quick, and spoiler-free movie reviews to help you spend your time and money wisely on movies. I'll give you the Good, the Bad, the Reason, and the Rating about each movie. ***Please disable any popup blockers***

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Lone Survivor Movie Review (2014)




The Good: First of all, the director, Peter Berg, does a marvelous job of doing exactly what he intended. The intention was to make you emotionally invested and feel for, not only these 4 brave men, but those who serve our country in general. Mark Wahlberg does a good job, in an indirect way, by not taking over the movie as the lead role. The real "lead role" is the story itself which is suspenseful and action-packed to the very end. There are some scenes that are so gripping that you almost feel the pain of the soldiers during their battle. (ie: the "falls") The story itself is an amazing story not just about war, or survival, but about the bond our Service Men/Women share that is unique. The ending has a nice interesting twist as well.

The Bad: N/A

The Reason: I don't think that you have to be an action fan, or a military movie fan to appreciate this intriguing story. The ending of the movie had an interesting turn as it seemed to go against the grain of certain characters or scenarios. (I don't want to give too much away.) I'd say that this movie will have a tough time finding negative comments about it. The audience(s) I've encountered each gave the movie a standing ovation, which is usually a sign that the movie did something right. I'd definitely recommend this movie as a must-see.

The Rating: 8/10



Saturday, January 18, 2014

Ride Along Movie Review (2014)




The Good: Kevin Hart delivers exactly what you would expect. Funny, and not so over the top comedy, from beginning to end. There's a lot of subtle humor that you may not catch because you were too busy laughing at the bigger joke. (I'm still laughing at Kevin's 360 slap...did you catch it?) What you see is what you get. I've gotta hand it to Ice Cube, he knows how to play his role and stay in character no matter what. Even if that character is the same, hardcore, old school, original gangsta in almost every movie he stars in. Lol Surprisingly enough, the action in this film was not half bad at all. Oh and there's a nice little surprise cameo towards the end of the movie as well.

The Bad: Well as we all know, this movie is a comedy so don't expect a compelling plot. The big twist really isn't that big, and overall plot is pretty simple. (But who goes to comedies for good storylines in the first place right?) I think the biggest fault for this film, and unfortunately many other comedies, is the advertising trailers for it. You guessed it, a lot of the funnier jokes are already shown in the trailer. This movie would've been 10x funnier if they had never shown that gun practice seen when Kevin fired the shotgun.

The Reason: The very first thing to consider here is the fact that comedy is subjective. It's all about what you like. Being a fan of Kevin Hart, this movie was enjoyable and funny. If you're not a Kevin Hart fan, I'd say stay away from this because this is the similar type of comedy from Grown Little Man, and Seriously Funny. His pairing with Ice Cube is a good one. This revived the buddy cop movies, in my opinion. There's a quick bonus scene during the credits, but nothing else after that, in case you were wondering. I'd say this would be a good watch during the weekend if you have nothing else to do, or if you really enjoyed the trailer.


The Rating: 7/10

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

American Hustle Movie Review (2014)





The Good: Christian Bale does a wonderful job of transforming himself into a completely different character once again. His character was believable and interesting on various levels. Bradley Cooper also played well along side of Bale, and both actors shared some good on screen chemistry. The plot was interesting as would be expected with a movie about con artists. Overall, the character development is mixed with mystery because throughout the movie you don't know who's being conned, or not.

The Bad: The movie is a bit longer than needed. The story seems to drag on and I personally think it's all Jennifer Lawrence's fault. I'm not sure if it was her acting, or her character, or a combination of both, but either one seemed a bit forced in this film. You can't tell if her character is coming or going. It seemed as if the director just thought, "Well we have Oscar Award winning Jennifer Lawrence, so we should make her cry, then be funny, then be crazy, then annoying, then sexy, then mad." Unfortunately Ms. Lawrence just over did it, and almost took over the movie in a bad way. On another note, while the surprise twist at the end was appreciated, it really didn't pack much of a punch.

The Reason: This was a good movie, but I'd say something that you would probably want to rent instead. I can't say that most people would enjoy it because there's a good possibility that some will get lost with the slow pace of the movie. If you like a movie about lies and deceit, then this may be up your alley.

The Rating: 6.5/10

Monday, January 13, 2014

Anchorman 2 Movie Review (2014)




The Good: Will Ferrell delivers as expected. Surprisingly enough, Paul Rudd was actually was a little funnier this time around too. The jokes were a plenty and coming from various characters. The "Black Family Dinner" scene was hilarious. The surprise cameos from a long list of celebrities were a nice surprise and probably one the best highlights of the movie. (News Team Battle Royal was great)

The Bad: Entirely too much of the character "Brick" played by Steve Carell. What made his character funny in the first movie was that he gave us intensely idiotic moments in small doses throughout the movie. More did not equal better in his case. That includes his "love story" as well. 90% of his solo scenes could have been saved as deleted scenes for the Blu-Ray DVD or something. Also, I just wasn't sold on Meagan Good's character. Something about her, maybe her acting in general, just didn't mesh well. I suppose "Will Ferrell Comedy" just isn't for her. Lastly this movie seemed to drag out a bit too long. The Light House scene probably could've been deleted as well.

The Reason: There are a couple of things to know prior to watching this film. Will Ferrell has a very particular and niche style of comedy. If you don't like his previous movies, you won't like this. Many of his jokes take time to marinate, or often times a 2nd viewing of the film, to really sink in. That is why I will not consider this movie as "epic" because, as with his other films, they do not always get instant comedic gratification. For example, after reminiscing with friends and/or rewatching the first Anchorman again was I able to fully appreciate and laugh at the "Suit Jump". (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UwhCWJlqkk) So should you go watch this? Depends. If you like Will Ferrell or any of his movies, then absolutely you should. As for the "Bad" that I mentioned above, if you're a fan of his work, you'll be forgiving and give it a pass. Otherwise this was a good watch. Oh and there is a bonus scene at the very end of the credits...not really worth your time to stay for.

The Rating: 7/10