Until Midnight (& Sometimes Later)

Bullets and bad guys and puppies with sad eyes. And Colin Firth kicking butt–what more do you need? Check out my review of Kingsman: The Secret Service at tabloid.io.

I’ve got a new gig reviewing movies at tabloid.io. Follow the link to see what I had to say about Chappie, Neill Blomkamp’s new film about the next generation of robots. Lots of good social commentary, plus explosions! What more could you ask for?

It’s been years since I saw a movie in the theater twice in as many days–Guardians of the Galaxy is that special.

An excerpt:
Guardians of the Galaxy throws you in at the deep end and turns away, confident you’ll love what you’ll see, but not really giving a darn if you do or not. And it blasts “Cherry Bomb” on a boombox at you the whole time.

The Purge: Anarchy is ambitious dystopic near future, with a few too many plot lines crammed in. It gives you a glimpse into a frighteningly possible world, from the rich who do whatever they please to the poor who try to survive, and the politicians who run things. My full review is at buzzymag.

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The Purge: Anarchy is bigger than the first film, but not necessarily better. There’s a solid look into the world here, this time focusing on the disadvantaged–those who can’t afford to hide behind expensive security systems, with all the safety money can buy.

This summer’s tentpole movies have been kind of hit-or-miss so far, with some high points in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of Future Past, and some serious meh in Transcendence and Maleficent.

Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age of Extinction, the latest in everyone’s favorite toy robots disguised as cars, trucks, etc. franchise falls solidly on the meh side of the line, but in a very compelling way. Even as you search for a plot, you’ll be distracted by the shiny special effects, numerous explosions, and wholesale destruction. My full review can be found, as always, at buzzymag.

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I love a movie full of explosions and good special effects, but even I want some plot once in a while. There’s some fun here, but it’s pretty mindless. Make that extremely mindless, with whipped cream and an explosion on top.

The Toho Japanese monster movies were a staple of my childhood, and my love of them has never faded. This is a really fun updated version and I enjoyed every glimpse of the giant lizard (Blue Oyster Cult’s 1978 hit played in my head every time he showed up). See my full review at Buzzymag.

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All of the traditional characters are represented: the scientist who is looking for answers, the man who knows more than he’s willing to tell, the heroic family man stuck in something beyond his control, the stubborn military man, and even the obligatory cute kids.

Graphic at the top is a 50th anniversary plushie, complete with light-up eyes and Godzilla roar.

In a year filled with sequels and three-qals, Catching Fire was highly anticipated and certainly lived up to the hype. More of all the things that made The Hunger Games a big hit, with a different story to tell, and more, bigger everything. See my full review at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
A number of past Hunger Games-victors are also brought into play in Catching Fire. Like Haymitch, they have been shaped by their experiences. Particularly of note are Johanna Mason and Finnick Odair, who combine sharp wits and lethal physicality with charming recklessness.

This movie picks up after the events of The Avengers, with the world reeling after the discovery of super-powered beings and picking up the pieces after the Battle of New York. There’s more Asgard this time, more physics, and some dark elves for good measure. And it all happens as the planets are moving into a great convergence. See what I had to say at at buzzymag.

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I’ll say up front that I loved this movie, and a big part of it is the awesomeness that is Tom Hiddleston as Loki.

Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game is in theaters now, a sterile big budget adaption that kills lots of aliens while generating a ton of controversy over whether Card’s outspoken views should influence your choice to attend this movie. it’s a personal decision, and each person needs to do what feels right to them: skip th emovie, balance seeing the movie with a donation to an appropriate cause, etc. The political hot potato and projected sales make a sequel unlikely to follow soon.

Ender’s Game effectively creates a disturbing future, full of hard choices. The cast is mostly effective in their roles, the sets are extraordinary, and it’s easy to believe sequences are happening in space. What was missing seemed to be the introspection from the book–it’s not one I’ve read, and I felt there was something missing. My full review is at buzzymag.

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The world’s smartest children have been recruited to fight the war, raised on war games, their quick minds more able to adapt to the possible strategies needed to defeat the enemy. Ender Wiggins is one of these children–intelligent, athletic, well-trained.

This is his story.

Escape Plan is the newest geri-action flick, showing that Stallone and Schwarzenegger still have it. It’s got a well-crafted script and some great twists. My full review is up at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) wrote the book: Compromising Correctional Institutions Security. Instead of doing a regulation tour, with speaking engagements and signing copies, Ray takes a different approach.

He breaks out of prisons.