Tag: Review

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“Vacation” Reboot

The Griswald’s are back in a new generation of capers as the son tries to bring his family back together as they tackle the ultimate family “vacation” to the iconic Wallie World.  Filled with all new capers that will have everyone laughing from the first minute on, Vacation stars, Ed Helms as Rusty Griswold and his wife, Debbie (Christina Applegate) as they explore the most iconic locations including the Desert Hot springs as well as the Grand Canyon, along with saying high to his sister Audrey (Leslie Mann) and her conservative husband, Stone (Chris Hemworth).  Of course, no vacation is complete without the man who made the original, Chevy Chase, who made a cameo as well as Beverly D’Angelo.

Vacation is a must see for all National Lampoon’s Vacation fans.  It came out in theaters July 29, 2015 and has currently brought in over 58 million as of October 1st with over 14 million opening weekend.   It’s still playing at a theater near you and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 3, 2015.

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“Straight” to the Top

Universal does it again with another number one at the box office, but this time it’s a documentary that’s drawing crowds to the theater and bringing in over 60 million for its opening weekend.

“Straight Outta Compton” is the true story of the early pioneers of the hip hop movement that started it all and follows the life of five teenagers (Dr. Dre, Eazy E, Ice Cube, The D.O.C, and M.C Ren) from the mean streets of Compton, as they move from mistaken gang members to hip hop legends.  At two hours and twenty one minutes, the filming is action packed as it clearly shows the drive of the hip hop movement as these five young men deal with corrupt law enforcement that in evidently fuels the inspiration behind some of the biggest hits of the rising group called N.W.A as well as a money hungry producer that offers them a chance of fame, but ultimately is only there for one reason.  It’s a documentary that clearly defines what happened in the 90’s from the riots to the backlash of hip hop music and eventually leads to the break up of N.W.A as the five musicians begin their solo careers and break away from their money hungry producer, Jerry Heller.

Ultimately, it’s a movie for any fan of the genre and is highly recommended.

“Straight Outta Compton” is currently playing in a theater near you.  See it, you won’t regret it.

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“Minions” Are On Top

Universal’s done it again with another number one at the box office.  The voice talent of Pierre Coffin introduces you to the Minions, before Gru came into the picture.  In this early prequel, its a history of the minions with one objective, to find the baddest villain to serve.  Each new villain that they find, end up having a some sort of problem that leads to their demise.

But that is when Kevin gets the idea to form a search  party, though he’s not entirely happy with  the volunteers who go with him, one being  Bob, the youngest and Stewart the one that thinking of food all the time.  The three end up in Orlando at Villian Con, where they find Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock).  Not realizing her true motive, the minions go on a mission that ends up turning into a epic battle that ends with a shocking turn of events.

The Minions, with a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes is a hilarious movie for all ages.  Kids will love it for the cute little minions that are running on the screen with their unique language and adults will find it entertaining with all the historical references that they tie into the fun loving movie.

See it now, it’s playing in a theater near you and it’s the perfect way to tie the movie into the Despicable Me franchise.

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“Terminator Genesis” Starts Over

Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in the latest installment of the Terminator Franchise, but with a different twist.  The movie starts out similar to the original with Kyle going back in time to protect Sarah Conner, except something has changed.  Sarah Conner is not the same Sarah Conner as she leads the charge against Skynet to protect the future and for the first time meet her adult son.

At over 2 hours, the movie does have a lot of action and comedy to hold your attention.  The special effects are tight.  The story on the other hand, has the audience thinking how could this be when the young Kyle and Sarah go ahead in time, thus altering the future and yet still running into adult John Conner, but how does it end?  Well you’ve just got to see it to believe it.

It’s a movie that true Terminator fans should see and make the decision whether they believe or not.  It came out July 4th weekend and brought in 68 million to date.  See it in a theater near you.

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“Max” Melts Hearts

The family drama about a war dog who comes home after his owner/handler dies in combat is pulling the heartstrings of its audience. Though it was no match for the three blockbusters including Jurassic World, Inside Out and Ted 2, that dominated the box office with nearly 150 million combined total, it still had a fair amount flooding in to rank number 4 with over 12 million.

Max stars Josh Wiggins as Justin Wincott, the brother of the Marine, who dies in combat and was handler to Max.  After the death, it is clear the dog recognizes Justin at the funeral of the soldier, though Justin wants nothing to do with Max.  His mother, played by Lauren Graham and his father, played by Thomas Haden Church, insist that the dog is now his and Justin and Max begin to form a bond that is stronger than one can imagine.

But when a rumor about what happened to the brother starts circulating around the family and Church doesn’t want to have a dangerous animal threatening the life of his other son, it’s up to Justin to do some investigating to save Max’s life as well as his father’s.

Max, with a run time of 111 minutes, is a family adventure that will bring tears to your eyes.  As good as Old Yeller with an even  better ending.

Max is currently in a theater near you.

 

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“Jurassic” Returns to Big Screen

After over a decade of anticipation, Universal Studios has done it again and brought dinosaurs to back to the big screen for one more adventure of epic proportion.  Steven Spielburg’s Jurassic World had fans flooding the theaters for a prescreening at the local AMC on Universal Citywalk even before officially hitting the big screen for the public on June 12 and it’s sure to break records its opening weekend.

The fourth installment  brings an all new cast as Jurassic World replaces the park with an amusement park complete with rides, shows and interactive experiences.  Dinosaur trainer, (Chris Pratt) is perfecting his latest experiment of taming the vicious raptors and while scientists, headed by Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) are trying to lure more visitors to the park with the latest creation of a hybrid species of dinosaur, while getting close to her nephews, Gray and Zach, but when the hybrid dinosaur decides to take a dangerous turn, and put the whole park in danger, it’s up to Pratt and Howard to team together and save the day as well as realize they work better together as a team.

With a runtime of 2 hours and 4 minutes, Jurassic World is packed with action, thrills and everything the Jurassic Park franchise is known for.  It opens June 12 in theaters everywhere and is well worth the anticipation.

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The “Pitches” Are On Top

universal’ssummer sequel, Pitch Perfect 2 had crowds flooding into the theaters on its debut weekend as it brought in over 69 million at the box office, while Disney’s Avengers dropped to the number 3 spot with nearly 39 million.

The musical sequel brings the Barden Bellas back with several returning cast including Anna Kendrick as Beca, Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy, Brittney Snow as Chloe and newcomer, Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) whose mother, (Katey Sagel) is a former  Bella legend and thus a legend to live up to.  The group has to regain their good name after a major indecent exposure in front of national TV which causes the Bellas to be suspended from any additional competitions.  Now it’s a battle of ultimate acappella style as the group attempts to win the World Acappella Championship and redeem their good name for the sake of future Bellas.

Pitch Perfect is a stunning movie of a different caliper as each voice has a unique sound that makes the groups blend into a performance well worth the time.  It is highly recommended for its voice, comedy and passion as the girls ultimately have a deeper connection that one can connect with regards to graduating college and entering the real world.  It’s a story of knowing one’s voice and living it to the fullest, with a group of close friends that will always have your back.

Pitch Perfect 2 is currently playing in a theater near you.

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Marvel overthrows Universal this weekend

For the first weekend in May, the latest Avengers sequel has stolen the crown from Universal’s Furious 7 coming in with the second highest opening weekend box office total.  The action heroes are back on stage this time to fight a robot villain named Ultron, who is determined to wipe out the Avengers all together.

The summer blockbuster reunites Robert Downey Jr as Ironman, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Muck Ruffalo as the Hulk, Chris Evans as Captain America Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and James Spader as the Voice of Ultron and keeps you entertained from the first line to the last epic battle as the Avengers race to save themselves and earth from the clutches of Ultron.

At 2 hours and 21 minutes, it’s a movie is jam packed with ultimate 3D effects, fight scenes that are typical of superhero films, and even a hint of a romance looming, but don’t believe me, you’ve got to see it.  I can assure you; it should not disappoint.

Avengers: The Age Of Ultron is currently  playing in any theater near you and its first weekend alone,  brought in over 187 million while Furious 7 came in third  with just over 6 million.

 

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8 Minutes To Love

The latest Nicolas Sparks best seller, captures audiences’ attention on the big screen with not one but two love stories on different sides of the spectrum.  Professional Bull rider, Luke Collins falls in love with Art student Sophia and on the way home from their first date, rescue an older gentleman and his basket of letters from a fiery crash.  Luke and Sophia part ways because she is getting ready to make a big move to New York for her career despite their feelings, but this old man causes her to question her decision as she spends time reading his letters to him and learning of the love story of Ruth and Ira.

In traditional Nicolas Sparks form, The Longest Ride is a love story that captures the readers’ attention in a way that you don’t know what will happen next.  It’s full of suspense, action and passion as the two stories begin to mirror one another showing that true love can conquer anything.

Though it only made third place at the box office, it took in 13 million and it highly recommended to all fans of Sparks’ and of the romance genre.

The Longest Ride stars Scott Eastwood as the champion bull rider, Luke Collins and Britt Robertson as Sophia, the art student, as well as Alan Aida as the older man (Ira Levinson), Jack Huston as young Ira and Oona Chaplin as Young Ruth.

The movie is currently showing at a theater near you.

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Children’s Classic Come To Life

From a beloved story written in 1958 by Michael Bond, the little bear called Paddington has finally made his debut in theaters.  The motion picture is a fun loving tale of Paddington, who manages to find his way to London after losing his home and his family in the Darkest Peru.  He is looking for a home and the Brown’s decide to open their home as a temporary place.

Paddington is a fun movie for all ages, filled with adventure, suspense and in the end love for a little bear.  The movie opened in theaters on Friday January 16 and stars Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and Nicole Kidman.