Maleficent - Magnificent

I'm so proud of Disney.  They have really stepped up their fantasy game, and joined the modern age where women are independent and self-suffecient and don't need men to take care of them.  Bravo!  I hope the days are gone when Disney and Pixar make movies about a damsel in distress who desperately need a man to save the day.  Maleficent, is such a movie.  Disney takes one of their oldest stories, "Sleeping Beauty", and decides to tell the tale from the "villains" point of view.  

Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie, explains why Maleficent cursed the King's daughter, Princess Aurora, played by Dakota Fanning's little sister Elle and the youngest Jolie-Pitt, Vivienne.  It starts with Maleficent as a child, finding love as a teenager, and having her heart broken as an adult to the point that she seeks revenge on all humans in the nearby kingdom.  This is a visually pleasing and exciting movie.  There's lots of fantasy inspired creatures and fairies, and the magnitude of Maleficent's magical powers are fascinating and enchanting.

This isn't really a movie for children under the age of like ten.  It's kind of violent.  There are dark battle scenes, a fire-breathing dragon, ferocious fighting trees, and Maleficent can be kind of scary performing her magic and casting spells.  Some of the creatures of Moor (a magical realm near a human kingdom) can be cute and frightening at the same time.  It could give a sensitive little one nightmares.  The adults will enjoy it.  I sure did.  The pre-teens in the theatre with me applauded when it was done.  I'd say, they enjoyed it too even though they were a bit squirmy in the beginning when the action was a little slower.  

I thought Maleficent was magnificent especially since there was a twist to the happy ending.  There was just one thing I didn't like about the movie, the only black man in the movie getting bitch slapped by the white king.  Totally wasn't ok with that.  Other than that, it was great!  You'll enjoy it, but keep the teeny tiny ones at home.  You can thank me later. 

Nothing to see next week, but "Orange is the New Black" starts on June 6th.  

X-Men: Days of Future Past - Top 3 of all the X-Men Movies

I have seen just about every single Marvel Comic movie since Howard the Duck back in 1984.  (Yes Howard the Duck is a Marvel movie.  See the list here.)  So, it means a lot when I say, X-Men: Days of Future Past is one of the best, and definitely in the Top 3 of all the X-Men movies.  I've always enjoyed the X-Men movie series.  They usually are full of action and special effects with a great storyline.  My least favorite was The Wolverine, and even that was entertaining.  But, Days of Future Past is going down as one of my favorites and here's why.

I love sci-fiction movies, and it doesn't get more sci-fi than a movie that takes your from the future to the past with a plausible story.  My little Imp friend, Tyrion Lannister, (G.O.T reference) or Trask, a military scientists, creates these robots who in the future can seek out and destroy mutants and humans carrying the mutant gene.  In a dystopian future, the mutants send Wolverine's conscience to the past to stop the events that lead to the mass production of these robots that will cause a blood bath of a war in the future.  Hello, doesn't that sound AMAZING?!?!  It is.  A plausible storyline always helps make a huge movie a great movie!

The mutants are the best.  Although Hugh Jackman as Wolverine will always be my favorite, Peter Maximoff or Quicksilver, steals the show in his scenes.  His speed and ability is one of the most awe-inspiring.  He can do so much just by being faster than a speeding bullet.  I'm always impressed by Magneto's ability.  I would love to be able to move darn near anything metallic especially cars in my way when I'm trying to get to work.   My new favorite actor, Michael Fassbender, does a young Magneto magnificently.   But, Jennifer Lawrence, as a youthful, determined, and vengeful Mystic or Raven is impressive!  She gets a lot of flack sometimes for not being able to act, but I think she's great, and I was thoroughly convinced that she was out for blood.  There are many other exciting mutantic displays by Shadow Cat, Beast, Storm, Iceman, and Bishop among many others.  You definitely won't be disappointed in that aspect.

One other aspect of the movie that I liked is how it ties all the other ones together.  Sometimes, sequels and prequels make timeline mistakes that a die-hard fan would notice.  Days of Future Past picks up where both The Last Stand and First Class left off which is kinda hard to do since one is a prequel, but they make it work.  Just about everyone from the franchise makes an appearance and that is satisfying even if some of the cameos are brief (ROGUE).  I loved everything about this movie.  X-Men Origins: Wolverine is my favorite and X-men is my second favorite, but mostly because it's the first.  X-Men: Days of Future Past is great, full of a great sci-fi story with lots of mutant action.  It's my third favorite of the series, and one of my all-time favorite Marvel Comic movies.  I enjoyed it, and I know you will too.

Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is next week!

Godzilla - Go see it!

I'll keep this short.  If you want to see gigantic prehistoric looking creatures battle it out, then go see Godzilla.  It's very entertaining!  There's an actual storyline that you can follow, and some characters that you kinda care about...kinda.  The movie's action is great although I would like to have seen more fighting between Godzilla and Muto.  The acting is atrocious, but who cares about these C-list actors (Richard T. Jones has a minor role) because you really came to see a radioactive lizard destroy a radioactive bug.  You won't be disappointed!

SN:  CAN WE PLEASE STOP REMAKING MOVIES?!?!  THERE ARE SOME VERY CREATIVE SCREENWRITERS OUT THERE.  USE THEM.  Now that I've gotten that off my chest.  The new X-men comes out next week.  Can't wait to see it!  Until next week.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Not so amazing the second time around.

A superhero movie with way too much romantic teenage love drama is not that interesting to me or most superhero moviegoers.  It's not like when Clarke Kent loved Lois Lane, and as Superman kept trying to save her, or Batman and Catwoman's love games.  No one really cares about Peter Parker's undying and somewhat stalkerish love for Gwen Stacy.  It completely slowed down the story in The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro.

I really enjoyed The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield.  I didn't understand the big deal when that other Spiderman series starring Toby Maguire was in the theaters.  I didn't like a single one, so I was a little hesitant to see this new series, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I liked how witty Peter Parker was, and the action in the story kept me entertained, and while the action scenes in this sequel were great, I found this movie to be a snoozefest...literally.  The lady in front of me started playing solitaire on her phone, and I'm pretty sure the guy behind me was snoring.  Heck, I even took a quick nap too.  

Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon and Electro was thrilling with and air absurdity.  No one ever thought that a man high off electricity should maybe be kept away from it?  And, we're supposed to believe that a sickly teenager can walk into a high-powered prison because he's wealthy and take down two armed guards with his bare hands?  I know it's just a movie, but it was a little far-fetched even for a comic book inspired film.  But, that love story between Peter and Gwen was the straw that broke the camel's back.  It was excessive.  It took over the movie, and made it more of a rom-com than an action movie.  I didn't sign up for that, and most of those in the theatre didn't either.  

The best part of the movie was when the movie ended, and we got a sneak peek of the X-men movie during the credits.  What sucks is that you have to sit there for two and a half hours to see it.  I can't recommend this movie because it's boring and the energy flatlines throughout.  If you want to see a blue  Jamie Foxx or some pretty cool special effects, then take a look but remember I warned you.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn't so amazing.  

The Other Woman - Great Girls' Night Movie

Monogamy is not natural, but adultery can be comical.  The Other Woman is a comedy about a woman who befriends two of her husband's mistresses, plot together to get revenge on him, and hysterics ensue.  Cameron Diaz, or Carly, is the lawyer mistress who's the brains of the operation.  Leslie Mann is the wife named Kate.  She's overly dramatic about everything and is hilarious in the process.  Kate Upton as Amber is young mistress number two with the boobs.  I really didn't understand her purpose other than to have a Sports Illustrated model for the men to ogle when their wives drag them to the movies.  

The Other Woman is clearly a star-studded movie with celebs such as Don Johnson who's gotten old enough to play Cameron Diaz's quirky yet handsome father.  Nicki Minaj is Lydia, Carly's executive assistant.  At first I thought she was going to be as pointless as Jennifer Hudson was in Sex and the City the movie, but she had some funny lines, and could speak and act about as well as Beyonce.  Take that how you want.  The cheating man, Mark, was played by Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (that's the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister, for my G.O.T. fans).  He's very handsome and suave, and you could see how women would be duped by his good looks and charm.  But, the most handsome one of them all was Taylor Kinney who is Kate's very yummy brother.  I couldn't keep my eyes off his rugged style and gorgeous eyes.  

And, speaking of style, the star of the show has to be Cameron Diaz's wardrobe, home furnishing, and decor.  EVERYTHING she wore was flawless!  I wanted EVERY item she had on her body from necklace to shoes.  It was fabulous, especially that red dress or the white one with the open back!  Let's not forget how smartly decorated her home was.  OMG!  I wish I could afford a decorator like that and a stylist like hers.  I'd be in heaven a very fabulous one.  

But, I digress.  The Other Woman is a very cute movie.  It's funny, has eye-candy, and you really are happy how it ends.  It may not be the best choice for a date night, but it'd be great for a girls' night out.  You all will enjoy it because it's laugh out loud funny, and it remind you how good it is to have a great girlfriend in your life.  

Transcendence - The Matrix Prequel

Ever see a movie and leave unsure of how your felt about it?  That was me after watching Johnny Depp in Transcendence.  I'm wavering between like and dislike, leaning more towards like.  I feel like Transcendence is one of those movies that will be a cult classic amongst computer geeks, of which I am not.  I think that if you liked the science behind The Matrix, you'll like this movie, and if you're absolutely not into sci-fi, you'll absolutely be bored to tears watching it.

Transcendence brings to light our extreme dependence on technology, and how if we're not careful, our obsession with technology, need for enlightenment, and fervor in saving lives can destroy us in the end.  Doesn't that sound a little bit like what happened to the human race in The Matrix?  In the movie, Depp's character, Will, has his mind and thoughts implanted into a super computer like no other in an attempt to keep some part of him alive.  His wife, Evelyn, played by Rebecca Hall, oversees the technology and helps computer Will grow into an artificial, yet sentient, intelligence.  The antagonists are a rebel group called R.I.F.T who will stop at nothing to keep this from happening.  They don't want technology to take over the world and control humans for it's betterment which is essentially what happens in The Matrix which is why Transcendence feels like its prequel.  

This movie is slow with very little action and suspense, but the science, technology, and premise are pretty cool.  I think I'd have to watch it again to make a decision about if I liked it or not, but just not any time soon.  I will however be happy to go to the movies again with my companions that I went with tonight.  I typically go by myself, so it was nice to have E, K, and J with me even if K couldn't keep her eyes open.  She was very clear that she didn't like the movie, while the rest of us are still trying to decide.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Better than the first!

It's a rarity to have the sequel be better than the first in "movieland", but that's definitely the case when it comes to the second Captain America movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  This sequel, even with it's slow parts in the middle, was well written and well received.  The technology and hand-to-hand combat is was really takes this action movie to the next level.

S.H.I.E.L.D has been compromised and Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, has been told to trust no one while trying to figure out who's trying to kill him and everyone he knows plus stop them from deploying a weapon so massive it can selectively kill millions all over the world.  With the help of Wilson, aka Falcon, and Natasha, aka Black Widow, among other trusted S.H.I.E.L.D agents to bring down the whole evil covert operation, HYDRA, lead by Alexander Pierce played by Robert Redford.

Although I've seen all of the marvel comic movies, I haven't enjoyed most of them.  I always feel like they are all hype and no substance.  The only ones I really liked were Iron Man 1 and 2.  I can add Captain America 2 to the list.  The movie wasn't really hyped up, and is full of substance.  Captain America 2 is full of action, twists and turns, and fight scenes like no other.  I love a good fist fight especially when super-human strength is involved.  Captain America taking down a ship full of pirates with only his limbs and shield is exciting!  When Black Widow wraps her legs around a bad guy and strangles him with wire, you're on the edge of your seat.  And, The Winter Soldier and his steel robotic arm versus Captain America and his shield is thrilling!

I loved every minute of the action, and I think you will too.  There's about thirty minutes of the movie that has to set up the rest.  It's not as rousing as we'd like it to be, but you do have to actually tell a story, so I get it.  Don't let that drawn out dialogue spoil the enjoyment of the movie for you.  It's worth it in the end.  Oh, and just like at the end of most of these Marvel movies, there's more to see after the credits roll, so sit still and continue to enjoy the ride.