Oblivion - Too much of everything!

Too much of a good thing is bad, and too many story lines in one movie aren't good either.  Oblivion starring Tom Cruise is a movie with too much going on at one time.  Is this a love story?  Is this a science fiction thriller?  Is this a mystery?  What the heck is it?  I really can't explain to you what's going on in the movie because I really didn't get it all, but I'll try.  There were about 4 different stories going on in one.  Please bare with me if I confuse you, but I'm giving you what was given to me.

Story #1:  There was a war in 2017 between the human race and aliens known as scab.  Although humans won, earth was virtually destroyed due to nuclear warfare and the aliens destroying our moon.  All remaining humans were sent to one of Saturn's moons while a few were left to clean up the mess.  In the interim, humans decided to take Earth's oceans, purify them, and sending them to the humans near Saturn...I think.  I didn't really get that last part, but whatever.

Story #2:  Jack, played by Tom Cruise, who 60 years later, is on Earth to fix drones who seek out and kill skabs.  He has an administrative controller, Vica, played by Andrea Riseborough, who oversees his trips and is also his lover.  She asks no questions and follows the rules while he questions things (but not in depth enough) and seeks a way to stay on Earth (but not hard enough).  She seems to really care for him, and struggles with the balance of keeping him happy and command central happy.

Story #3:  (SPOILER ALERT)  The Skabs turn out to be humans (big surprise there) and have figured out who ultimately control the human killing drones.  They want Jack to help destroy this being, but first they have to prove to Jack the truth of what is really going on here on Earth.  The leader of the skabs is played by Morgan Freeman.  He's trusting Jack to help, but has to prove to the rest that he's trustworthy and will discover the truth on his own.

Story #4:  A beacon sent by the skabs causes a shuttle to touch down on Earth.  Everyone on the shuttle is killed by the drones except one.  This person also happens to be the woman in Jack's dreams which is interesting since supposedly his memory has been wiped.  Love ensues and Jack has to discover who she is which in turn will help him discover who he is and what's really going on on Earth.  She also will help explain, kinda, how all of this came to be.

Yes, that's a lot, and there's still more.  This explains why the movie is over two hours long and extremely confusing.  Even though there is a lot, it is still a very slow movie.  It's almost an hour exactly before Morgan Freeman takes the screen.  And, although there are action-filled moments, this movies isn't action packed.  There's maybe a total of 30 minutes of action which isn't much considering the length.  It has a very predictable ending, one that isn't very original.  I found it very Independence Day-esque.  I love sci-fi movies.  It's my favorite genre, but this one doesn't cut it.  It needed more simplicity and action to make it understandable.  I have a lot of unanswered questions, and I feel like some things could have been omitted.  I probably won't ever watch this again, and maybe neither should you.

42 - This makes baseball look interesting

What would you do if someone told you they would fund your dream job and give you everything you ever asked in this job, but the catch is that you have to employ every hater you ever had in your entire life.  You'd have to work with every person who'd ever hurt your feelings or pushed your buttons.  AND, you couldn't fire them or fight back.  Could you handle that?  Could you stick with it to live your dream? This is the question the movie 42 asks.  It's a biographical drama about Jackie Robinson's entrance into the Major Baseball League.  

Jackie Robinson was the first black man in baseball back in 1947 which at the time was known as a white man's sport.  Based on the movie, he was hired to eventually join the Brooklyn Dodgers and help change the face of baseball quietly without fighting those who would, by any means necessary, try to discourage him from playing.  He and his teammates had to endure death threats, racists players on and off his team, discrimination at hotels and restaurants not wanting their patronage, not to mention the crowd at games who would boo, hiss, and use racial slurs when Robinson took the field; all while attempting to hold it in and play the game.  What strength!  I don't think I could do it.

This movie was a good look into what he faced though very surface and not in depth at all showing nothing anyone who's ever studied Jim Crow Laws and racism in America didn't know.  What  it did do is inspire using baseball.  It depicted Jackie's strength, agility, love, and passion for his family, his race, and his sport.  I actually was intrigued and entertained by baseball when watching the games  It helped me understand what good baseball is like.  I'm a football girl.  It's the only ball sport that I truly 100% enjoy and baseball is my least favorite of all sports on the planet.  I find it extremely boring and slow, but there wasn't one ounce of boredom in 42.  Jackie Robinson's skills were very exciting!!!  It made me wish I was there when all of this was happening to see it in person.

There were few stars in the movie.  Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey was phenomenal, and was the biggest name of them all.  He really transformed himself.  I almost forgot it was him.  He showed no signs of Indiana Jones, Hans Solo, or Harrison Ford for that matter.  Jackie Robinson was played by little known actor Chadwick Boseman.  He did a great job showing emotion and athleticism, and I hope to see his handsome chocolaty self on the screen more often.  There were a couple of Grey's Anatomy stars past and present in the film.  TR Knight and James "The Chief" Pickens, Jr made appearances.  Solid cast for a solid movie. 

The movie 42 was very enjoyable movie.  I learned some things and was intrigued to search out more information on others.  The movies this year have been pretty entertaining, and this one can be added to the list.  If you are a baseball fan, you'll love it, and if you're not...you'll have a good time too.  Oh, and AMC is giving away free small popcorn this weekend only, because we all know you have to take out a loan to go to the movies these days, so enjoy this freebie.  Click on the link: free popcorn

Temptation - TP's slowly getting better

I'm gonna try not to bash Tyler Perry too much during this posting, so let me start with the positive.  Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor stars the young Jurnee Smollett-Bell.  She has grown up to be a beautiful young actress.  She's always been a great actress to me even when younger.  Now she's even more fantastic and did an excellent protrayl of a married woman who feels negelcted by her husband and subcomes to the advances of a young handsome millionaire. 

Now, let's get into it.  TP has woman issues.  He always seems to write movies and plays about troubled women who fall for aggressive men and then need to be saved by some other man.  All women aren't troubled, and all women don't need to be saved.  TP writes the same movie over and over again.  It's the same movie dressed up in different clothes.  I'm over this concept.  Why can't he write a movie about a strong black man living a powerful life, or what about a strong confident black woman living a colorful and exciting life.  He can't because he doesn't want to or doesn't know how. 

Don't get me wrong, the movie isn't bad.  It's funny and entertaining.  It's also extremely predictable.  I was only somewhat surprised by one aspect of the story, and even that didn't help with the depth of the character.  His characters are always one dimensional.  They usually have some deep seeded issue that never ever really gets resolved.  The woman is usally angry because of past relationships and is only finally content when some heroic man comes to save the day. 

I am fine that the movie didn't really have a completely happy ending.  Sometimes, life isn't perfect and doesn't always end happily.  But, all the issues weren't really resolved, and I guess we're supposed to use our imaginations.  He is getting better.  In ten years, his movies may actally be good.  Until then, I'll keephopefully watching. 

The Host - A decent book adaptation

Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight Saga, wrote a wonderful adult sci-fi book called The Host.  It's about alien beings that inhabit planets by inserting souls in the creatures of the planet.  These aliens come to Earth and take over humans.  One alien, Wanderer, has inhabited many planets and comes to Earth and struggles with the being inside her head, Melanie.  The host body belongs to Wanderer, aka Wanda, but the mind and its emotions still belongs to Melanie.  They seek out Melanie's loved ones and so the struggle really begins.

The Host movie isn't much different from the book.  The story is virtually the same.  Only small insignificant details are changed.  If you never read the book, those changes wouldn't be noticeable.  What is missing and what may bother a reader or a non reader is the passion.  Melanie and Wanda have such great passion and loyalty that they risk there lives numerous times for love.  This was implied in the movie, but it wasn't felt throughout the movie.  These actors (Saoirse Ronan as Melanie/Wanda and Max Irons as Jared Howe) aren't very well known although they have been in many movies.  They need a few more years under they're belt to evoke more emotion from the audience.

Stephenie Meyer doesn't seem to have the ability to pick great screenplay writers and directors.  They tend to butcher her books, and she seems to be ok with it.  I'm still pissed at the outcome of Twilight the movie.  Poorly done.  The Host movie isn't as bad as Twilight, but it wasn't as good as it could have been.  This movie may bring in the few who read the book, but it won't captivate those who didn't.  It was a decent adaptation.  I've seen movies that should have never been made.  This isn't one of them; it just should have been made better.  One thing that could have made it better other than better acting is the exploration of the planets the souls have inhabited.  Wanda's stories of these planets are some of my favorite parts of the book.  They are completely missing from the movie.  I was really looking forward to seeing what a claw beast looked like.   Maybe in 15 or 20 years, someone will remake it and get it right, until then....just read the book, if you haven't already.

GI Joe: Retaliation - Olympus wins

Last week Olympus Has Fallen came out, and I thought it was fantastic!  I knew GI Joe: Retaliation was coming out a week later, and it had a similar plot.  So, I wondered which would be better and which would bring in the most money.  GI Joe has a long standing history of tv shows, movies, toys, and comics to win on the financial end, but if I had to choose which action film was the best, I'd go with Olympus hands down.

GI Joe is the sequel to GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra.  I enjoyed the first one much more than this movie.  They brought back Channing Tatum as Duke.  (SPOILER ALERT) He doesn't last long in the second movie, and he never takes off his shirt.  Sorry ladies.  We do get to look at Dwayne Johnson.  The Rock is one of the things God got right.  But, I must say that I was disappointed in his performance.  He tended to overact, and I'm over him playing this big muscle-bound bad arse beating up and killing folks all the damn time.  He definitely needs to try something else.  I guess that'll have to wait until after the next Fast and Furious.

My other big issue with this movie is the storyline.  It's not very plausible and the acting comes off kinda immature.  Why is the Rza the Blind Master, an old kung-fu type guru?  He looked ridiculous sitting there channeling his inner Master Shredder.  Jonathan Price plays the POTUS and Zartan masked as the POTUS.  His character had a lot of silly, cheesy lines which really dumb downed the movie.  And then there's old arse Bruce Willis, who really needs to retire along with the Governator and Rocky.  He may have been the best actor in the movie, but he really added nothing but a big name to the screen.

There was some great action and fight scenes.  The mountain fight sequence was the awesomest!  Lot's of high-flying action, literally.  I tend to enjoy things blowing up, bullets flying, and good sword play.  That always entertains me.  This movie will entertain the average man, woman, and male child, but it didn't do it for me.  But, what do I know?  I didn't really like the Avengers either.  GI Joe is the second installment in this franchise, and I'm sure there'll be another one, but I hope they get better writers and some new action blood because this one was stale and put up against Olympus Has Fallen is an epic fail.

Olympus Has Fallen - A Spring Blockbuster

The big name movie studios like to put their big blockbusters out in the summer.  People seem to have more time in the summer with school being out, and the weather being nice to go to the movies.  Spring is iffy since some places like NY still have snow and cold weather in the spring and may not want to venture out to see a movie, or they are at a beach somewhere enjoying spring break.  Millennium Studios gambled with March to release Olympus Has Fallen, and I think they made a wise decision on this spring blockbuster.

Olympus Has Fallen has a lot of strong faces that star in this movie:  Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Cole Hauser, Morgan Freeman, Rick Yune, Angela Basset, and Dylan McCermott (ok he's more of pretty boy, but he does his strong-faced thing here).  There was hardly ever any smiling in this movie, but why should there be when the White House is being attacked by North Korean terrorist.    This movie plays on American fears of war with North Korea.  Terrorist take over The White House with the help of a secret service trader in the hopes of getting American forces to withdraw from the South Korean borders.  The plot is plausible and so is the action with the exception of the fact that while hundreds of people are shot in DC, one lone man makes out with barely a scrape for the first 90 minutes.

There is a lot of action and heart-stopping suspense.  At one point everyone is on an Easter Egg Hunt looking for the president's son, bad guys and good.  That had you holding your breath for a few moments.  And, I can't forget the blood.  If you are squeamish at the site of blood, this isn't the movie for you.   It's not Quentin Tarentino bloody, but there is quite a lot of bullets and knives to the brain followed by blood splattered walls.  Gerard Butler is one bad-arse ex-special forces/secret service agent.  My other favorite character is the Secretary of Defense played by Melissa Leo.  She was one tough cookie.  I would love to have someone like her behind our defenses.

Olympus doesn't disappoint.   I love a good action movie with a decent storyline.  Those are hard to come by these days.  I hear the next GI Joe movie has a similar plot.  It better bring it because Olympus surely did, and it came out a week earlier to boot.  Next week I'll try to get all 3 movies in, The Host, GI Joe, and TP's The Marriage Counselor.  I might have to take a break from the theatre after that.

The Call - 911 is a joke in your town

Ever go into a movie with such low expectations only to completely and utterly enjoy yourself?  That was me this morning when I went to see The Call.  I really didn't think it was going to be that great, mostly because of Halle's wig or weave.  If they couldn't find her better hair, then I assumed they couldn't find her a good script either.  I was wrong, well sort of.

The Call is a simple story about a 911 operator, Jordan, played by Berry who inadvertently causes the death of a young woman when she returns a disconnected call while her kidnapper/murderer is searching for her.  This causes Jordan serious anxiety and questions if she should continue on the job.  Six months later, during a training exercise, Jordan helps a frantic young girl played by Abigail Breslin who has been kidnapped outside a mall.  All sorts of nail biting, breath holding, edge of seat action ensues.  Now, I typically go to the movies in the hood, which means there was a lot of screaming at the screen which may or may not have added to the excitement.  That usually bothers me, but today, it enhanced the thrill of the chase.

Morris "Dark and Lovely" Chestnut plays Halle's love interest and one of the police officers in on the hunt to track down the kidnapper.  His partner is played by David Otunga (JHud's boo).  David needs to stick with wrastling because he is not a very good actor, and although he's attractive, standing next to Chestnut, he just looks like a light skinned Mike Tyson (sorry Jennifer, not really).  Abigail Breslin is fantastic in The Call.  She doesn't annoy me as most little whining, sniveling girls in this type of movie can often do.  She is strong, smart, and fiery.  After I got past (barely) Halle's horrible hair, I enjoyed her strength as well.  There's no doubt that she is a fantastic actress, but she hasn't really been in any good movies lately.  This is the best one since...well...since maybe Swordfish although I liked her in Cloud Atlas.

I do have one complaint about this movie and that is the ending.  I really think it could have ended a little better with more power and justice.  There was really no closure.  It just kinda ended, but other than that I really enjoyed my time at the theater today even with all the screaming and yelling at the screen.  Go see The Call.  You may be yelling at the screen too.