​Alright, now, before I start the review, I should warn everyone that I am a a HUGE Tolkien nerd. No, really...I even have the book of Tolkien languages. No, I don't know Elvish....yes, it's on my list of things to learn before I die. See? Nerdy? Almost painfully so.

That being said I liked this movie but at the same time I kind of didn't. The second installment of the trilogy carries on with a flashback. We see how and why the Dwarves are off on their journey and learn that there's a bounty on Thorin's (leader of the troupe and future king) head. We then flash forward to the present where the Dwarves, their Hobbit, and Gandalf are still on their journey. Seriously, there's a LOT of walking in these books/films.

The things I did like about this movie were a lot of the parts that were actually in the book but expanded upon. Seeing the giant spiders come to life was pretty cool. Bilbo's corruption thanks to the Ring was also subtle but nice to see. I also love the utter beauty that is Middle Earth. Which puts New Zealand on my top ten travel list! The movie was beautiful, there is no doubt about that. Some of the additions made were pretty cool too. Legolas and Tauriel made a fantastic fighting pair of Elves; Legolas's dad is a total tool, and I now see why Aragorn went for an Elven wife, they're totally awesome.

Plot wise, though, I felt like three hours was a bit long. For the entire movie only three major plot movements were accomplished. 1. We set up a relationship between Kili and Tauriel. 2. We introduced one other major character. And 3. We finally made it to the mountain and saw Smaug. That last part was frustrating though because it was towards the end of the film. That being said, I want to commend Benedict Cumberbatch on his amazing performance. He truly brought Smaug to life with his amazing voice. The entire cast of The Hobbit is so perfect I really am just in awe of them all. Every actor brings such life to these characters; far beyond what I could ever imagine from the novel.

That being said, the only thing I didn't like about the film was that Smaug was not in it longer. Seriously, Benedict's voice is so amazing I could listen to him talk forever. Also, Martin Freeman is the perfect Bilbo. In the end, while we didn't hit a lot of major plot points in the movie, there is so much action that the time does fly by at many parts. (Unless you're a Shae and you drink a large Icee....or two in the theater…) It is a good movie, and it definitely motivated me to reread the novel. 

​First of all, did anyone else know this was a musical? Because I certainly didn’t know it was a musical going into this. Normally, I’m not a big fan of musicals, but I do like a few. This is officially one of them. With a plot that grabs your attention and makes you strive to see the whole thing through with characters you care about, it’s a fun tale to be told.

We start with taking a few fairytales and weave them into one story. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk get a revamped look in this movie. The Baker and his Wife are desperate to have a child. As it turns out, the Witch who lived next door cursed the house due to the Baker's father stealing from her garden. 

They gave their second child to her as part of the deal for her allowing him to take all the food he wanted. That, however, wasn’t enough. The Witch put forth a curse that whoever lived in the house would be unable to have children. Upon the Baker's late father leaving the Witch's garden, he’d stolen some magic beans. The Witch's mother told the Witch to never lose those beans, so the once beautiful Witch is turned ugly as her mother's curse took hold.

The Witch knows of a counter spell, however, and promises to lift the curse from the Baker and his Wife if they obtain four items for her; a cow as white as milk, a red cloak, hair as gold as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. Now, the story of Cinderella always had her in slippers made of glass, but I guess they look good in gold too. The Baker sets off on this quest alone, but his Wife is not one to be left behind. We soon find that our characters are destined to meet with one another. The Baker trades beans for Jack's cow, saves Riding Hood and her grandmother from the Big Bad Wolf…it’s his Wife who gets the hair from Rapunzel and the golden shoe from Cinderella.

Rapunzel happens to also be the ‘daughter’ of our Witch and the sister to the Baker. Sadly, the two don’t get to be reunited. But our Rapunzel does have a handsome prince, who is the brother to Cinderella’s prince. It all goes south when Jack climbs the beanstalk to get the gold for his cow and takes just a bit too much from the giant. The end of the movie is not one I honestly saw coming. But, I won’t spoil that for any of you. It really was entertaining, even if the musical part was unexpected.

​I still remember the summer that Minions took the world by storm. Whether or not you were a huge fan of Minions before, you cannot deny that these little yellow twinky like creatures wormed their way into the main stream a few years ago. The movie explains all our questions. Where they came from, what they’re doing, can they die? Okay, it answers some questions. The bottom line is the movie is adorable. Plus, it introduces a villain we were not expecting to love.

Yes, Scarlet Overkill takes the movie by storm and makes us love her, even though she’s so bad. Along with her husband Herb, they enlist the help of three special minions. The whole story is not only fun but entertaining to boot. It all starts when Kevin, our fearless ‘leader’ takes charge. His tribe is sad, depressed, and not doing well without a villain boss to follow. He manages to convince Stuart and (begrudgingly) Bob to help him search the world for a new boss to serve. The three end up in New York where they discover a super, secret, TV channel. Before they know it, the three are hitchhiking their way to Orlando, Florida.

Villain Con looks like the coolest place I’d like to hang out in; with all the amazing moments of a convention, only more evil, they even have a grand Hall H just like Comic Con.  The Minions find Scarlet Overkill. Her dream is to be the best villain ever. Though, she’s already the first ever-female villain. She has a dream, though. And to do it, she needs loyal followers. A simple trial will send Kevin, Stuart, and Bob on an adventure they weren’t ready for.

The best part of this movie though? The fact that by the end of the movie, like a friend said to me, you're actually understanding the Minions! Seriously, I figured out that they pretty much speak a mix of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and I'm pretty sure some Japanese for good mix. But outside of understanding their story and a bit of their language it is an utterly hilarious movie. When I went to see this, I didn't see one child in the theater that wasn't smiling or laughing hard, but hey...so was I. Not to mention there's an awesome surprise at the end. I won’t spoil what that is, but this movie is seriously a great way to spend some time with the family, of all ages. Also. Seriously, I want a Minion of my own.

You have to love it when film companies take big risks, regardless of the reward simply for the love of the art. These types of films usually end up being the cream of the Oscar crop if they hit it big enough, and sometimes they end up being a failure.  

There was one such ‘risky’ gambit that I saw during my youth that I had to add to my personal collection many years later, simply because of how radical a departure it was for the company that released it, Disney, but I also felt the need to own it due to how dark and philosophical it turned out to be. And the motion picture in question that pulled this off, was the 1979 Sci-Fi surprise...The Black Hole.

In the void of space, the U.S.S. Palomino is charting everything that it can find. But when they venture near a massive black hole, they find the impossible...the U.S.S. Cygnus. Thought lost years ago this massive vessel is impervious to the gravitational effects of the gravity well before it. The seemingly derelict ship however, is full of life and a captain that has a scientific theory about the nearby black hole that is so incredibly dangerous that it may cost the entire crew of the Palomino their lives.  

​I wasn't kidding when I said that this film is incredibly dark because it deals with so many heavy themes. Religion, death, mental illness are the main three themes that are often at the fore front of this movie and well...it was a shocking turn to see Walt Disney Studios release a live action film that featured such heavy ideas. Yet the film works. The themes are consistently validated as the story plays out and they are ideas and ideals that hang in your brain long after the credits have finished rolling.  

Add into that some pretty savvy special effects and a cast that features screen legend Anthony Perkins and you're left with quite a wild ride. In fact, I would venture to say that this film was ahead of its time. As since we love our science fiction to be filled to the brim with powerful themes these days. Yet there is one other incredible aspect of the film that took me by surprise...it's realism. Granted there are science mistakes abound because this is film. But despite those minor glitches, this film presents space travel as it should be presented...extremely dangerous.  
 
The ships are in no way invincible titans that can take a beating as they do in other stories, oh no. These ships are fragile and frail, much like the humans that run them. Regardless, I highly recommend this film. It's a refreshing piece of science fiction and while at times the effects are dated and exuberant a la Star Trek: The Motion Picture this movie will keep your attention and leave you thinking. 

​There are few things in this life more important than family. Ever since you were a baby, your family has been looking out for you and has been making sure that you will survive. Even if your family experiences a falling out, or just decides that one person is not worth their time, they will always show up in a time of need. There is one thing in life that nobody can take away from you and that is the love of your family and the power they possess when times get hard for any of their members. 

Master Gregory is feeling high on life. Years after trapping the only darkness that could ever take over the world, there is little work for him to do. But when the church bells start ringing in town, the ‘Spook’ is forced to jump back into action, only to find that his past foe has returned from the depths of the earth and is looking for revenge. Master Gregory and his apprentice take to the street to see Mother Malkin raising hell, but the two have a plan to bring her back down and capture her once again. But Mother Malkin is stronger than ever and even when it seems like all is lost in her fight, she kills the Spook’s apprentice and flies away back to her home.

Beside himself, Gregory has to find help to trap or kill the witch mother and he is able to stumble upon the household of the Wards who have a seventh son of a seventh son. As the legends tell it, this son will be more powerful than a normal man and can aid in defeating great evil. Although young Tom Ward does not want to leave his mother’s side, he is purchased by Gregory and forced to follow the killer of the dark spirits. Having strange visions all of his life, Tom starts to understand when talking to his owner that he may possess more than just strength, but the power to see into the future.

Mother Malkin is re-establishing her home and with the dark magic, she is able to return it to its former glory. As each of her followers receive word that she has returned, they all come baring gifts, but what the witch mother really wants is to rid the world of the last Spook, so the witches can reclaim their right to the world. Master Gregory needs to get Tom up to speed on what is happening and how to defeat the evil spirits he is about to face, but Tom does not possess the strength that he has expected to see. But when Gregory is ready to give up on the young man, Tom is able to showcase his current abilities, along with show off some new ones that he is quickly picking up along the way. Not wanting to believe that what Master Gregory is doing is a hundred percent right by killing all of the dark spirits, Tom is befriended by a young witch who is sent to spy on the advancing duo, but she also finds out that what she has been taught all of her life may not be correct as well. As Tom and Master Gregory fight their way to Mother Malkin’s fortress, they encounter great resistance, but what they find when they finally arrive will leave them both breathless.

I did not know what to expect from this movie since I do not even remember seeing a preview for it, but a good friend recommended it to me, so I had to give it a fair viewing. Just the opening of the movie made me very intrigued since you only see Master Gregory sealing off a pit with a voice from down below begging to be let free. After that, it's special effects galore as you get to see all of the witchess turn into something a bit more, like a bear, cheetah, or even a dragon. One thing that I did take to heart in this movie was how the story played out, since it did wrap up without leaving anything hanging. Also, the interaction between Tom and Master Gregory was priceless, especially after it is well established that the last remaining Spook really does not know as much about the dark spirits as he leads on. Happy Viewing.

Sometimes in life, when we plunge ourselves into the things we love and work hard to maintain the dream...we lose sight of so much. By being in the trenches every single day we can only see what is in front of us and when that finally happens, we forget why we started this journey in the first place and it usually takes us down an ugly road. 

Suddenly what we love has become a chore instead of a passion. The joy it once brought us has been replaced by monotony and despite our best efforts to maintain the status quo, we stumble and fall and sometimes those little or big failures are the only way to get us back on track and that's exactly what is explored in the motion picture, The Rewrite.

Keith Michaels was once the toast of Hollywood. His Oscar winning screenplay for Paradise Misplaced put him among Tinsel Town's elite, but my how the times have changed. Everything he wrote after that film was a commercial and critical flop and well...finding work has become quite the challenge. At the end of his rope he is offered the chance to head out to a college in New York to teach screenwriting and he will quickly discover that sharing the wonder of his craft will change his life forever. 

This is another one of those motion pictures that completely flew under the radar for me because I didn't manage to catch this little gem until it arrived on cable and boy am I glad I watched it. This is a charming film to say the least, one that indeed addresses everything I talked about a moment ago because that's exactly what Keith Michaels is going through in this film. He is jaded by the one thing he is good at in this life, and he is driven by the weight of his former success rather than enjoying the fact he made it in a tough business and it makes for a fascinating story that just so happens to throw a little romance in for good measure. 

But it is also a film filled to the brim with a talented cast, led by Hugh Grant as Keith and well...he shines in this film and we get to watch him go on a complete journey and he is joined on that adventure by Marisa Tomei and the always delightful J.K. Simmons. And it really is the journey that matters in this story because it truly is wonderful to see Keith go from a man who is taking this job for the paycheck to a man who once again finds the purpose and the magic of what he is truly good at.  

This is simply a feel-good film, filled with good laughs, genuinely touching moments and it's one that I have a feeling not enough of us have seen. It looks like this one got a limited theatrical release and that's just a shame because it's simple message and smooth delivery make this motion picture a surprisingly uplifting affair and one that you find yourself watching again just to be reminded that it is okay to fail in life, to always stay true to yourself and to never forget the reasons as to why you do what you do.  

There are some things in history that people would rather not remember. This seems to be an issue for more people ever year and it is not hurting the adults as much as it is hurting our youth. When our children get an edited look at the history books, they will be missing out on more than they could ever know. But nowadays it is easier to give our children an assignment to look up on the internet and if they are truly interested in the subject they can clink on the adjoining links that pull up on the web. This may not give them the entire view since many people would like to get the work done and be over it, but there are a couple young minds out there that want to know as much as possible, assignment or not.

Flight 42 is packed and on its way to London and everything seems to be going fine. Checking in with the tower consistently, Captain William Strong has a good feeling about this flight, but then he starts to notice that his instruments are starting to act up. Checking in with the tower again, he is told that the flight has clear skies ahead, but when he looks out the window, a massive electrical storm has appeared and there is no way to fly around it. Flying through the storm, day quickly turns into night and most of the aviation equipment has stopped working altogether. Having his co-pilot check out all of the gear, everything seems to be getting power, it is just no longer working.

With the basics still working along with their radar, Captain Strong is convinced that they will be okay. Without being able to get a response on the radio, the Captain takes the plane down to get a look at the layout under them to find out exactly where they are. Seeing what appears to be more clouds ahead, the co-pilot sees something much more ominous, fires burning below. With other aircraft starting to show up on the radar, everyone on the plane sees a group of bombers making a run over a city. While there are explosions below, the Captain is able to reach a young Corporal on the radio and ask where he is. Being in a war zone, Corporal Nigel is reluctant to say, but when the year 1940 comes out of his mouth, the Captain and crew have to start believing that they have been sent back in time.

With two college professors on the plane that know everything about the subject, they start to get to work on trying to find out exactly where the plane is since the British do not have a functioning radar yet. As the professors talk to Nigel, the facts that the young Corporal is telling them do not match up with what is in the history books. With this being an alternate history, all of the facts that they know have been thrown out the window. Trying to come up with a plan of how to get to safety, the plane is attacked by smaller fighters. With the only safety in the clouds, Captain Strong makes the decision to stay high above the enemy until it is absolutely necessary to establish radio contact once again. Needing more warning about where the fighters are since their radar only has a small perimeter, the crew decides to take the plane down and have it run from the ground so they can get advanced warning of the German attack planes coming their way. The plan is all well and good, but what would happen if their advanced technology falls into the wrong hands on the ground?

This movie grabbed my attention from the brief description that was listed, and I am happy that I gave it a shot. I liked the idea of an alternate history being presented before everyone on the flight to make them understand that they may be part of the solution. Although not every idea would have worked, like the attempt to kill Hitler when they get on the ground, they are able to stay in the skies and fight off their own fears about what might happen to them if they are not successful. It is an interesting premise and I enjoyed how the story played out, even with having the British contemplating about shooting the commercial plane out of the air to keep the German’s from acquiring the advanced technology. Happy Viewing.

Whenever you stop and think about human nature, you mainly think about the negatives. Since we are the only species on the planet that causes war, it is easy to fall under the impression that the human race is focused on pain and self destruction. But there is much more to us with all of the friendships that we build over little more than a simple like of something and relationships that do not revolve around who will be our best provider. It is so much easier to focus on the bad things that we can do, or have done, but we are a just another species on this planet just trying to survive like every other living thing on the third rock from the sun.

Whit Carmichael is starting his new position on the West Coast's Search and Rescue team. With the solar system and many other systems being colonized by the human race, every mission is off world and usually goes off without a hitch. But when the first team that has been sent to the Infini planet comes back full of rage and they try to kill everyone on the station, Whit is able to jump from one threat to another and disappears toward Infini before the West Coast office is lethally quarantined and the East Coast station is called into action. Being the best of the best of the search and rescue teams around, they are ready for action, but this mission is not only to save the survivors on the far away planet, it is to also save the earth from its impending doom.

Getting a little bit of back story about what happened on the planet, the SAR team finds out that the old commander of the outpost had gone mad and lost most of his men before being able to deliver the planet's resources to earth. But this is a good thing since it is has been discovered that the payload from the planet is too dangerous to return to the earth’s atmosphere and could cause the planet's destruction. With their orders in the can, the East Coast SAR team jumps to Infini to find Whit and bring him home, while taking the payload offline before it ships back to earth.  While the jump will only feel like a minute of earth time, they will be off world for twenty four hours to accomplish their mission.

Arriving inside the outpost, the temperatures are subzero and the SAR team will have to find a way from freezing to death while trying to locate Whit.  Locating the lost West Coast SAR member, the team finds out that everything that was done to the outpost was done by him, but for good reason. An infection had over taken the outpost causing everyone to go mad and try to kill each other for no reason. As Whit works on getting the outpost working again, the crew is attacked by a mad man that should have been dead from the cold. Disposing of the problem with a gunshot to the head, the team finds themselves infected from the blood spray that overtakes the control room. Even when Whit gets hit with some of the blood, he finds that he can control whatever is taking over his rescuers and has to find a way to stop the spread so he can go home to his pregnant wife. With minimal help from the surviving SAR members, Whit finds out that there is a secret hidden in the ice that could answer all of their questions about what is happening to the infected and must look inside of himself to try to contain it before everyone on the planet succumbs to their imminent deaths.

This is an interesting movie that deals with more than just an infection that is taking over people’s bodies, the virus is also playing with the emotions that are the easiest to find in humans. Anger and Fear can be the easiest way to describe the human race if you want to summarize it in a couple words and that is what the infected show right away. Then they turn to violence to become the alpha, trying to decide who will be the most dominate person that will be protected by the parasite. I really liked watching how each of SAR team acted when they got infected, with two of them worrying more about their lives back home, rather than the here and now. It makes you think about what emotions you are willing to jump to when things go wrong, rather than trying to figure out an answer for it before things start to get out of hand. This is one of those movies you actually have to pay attention to since there are a couple scenes that are referenced early that have relevance as to how the story will end. Happy Viewing.

​I would venture to say that our love of cinema can be traced back to one particular film that latched onto our hearts and opened our eyes to the wonder that motion pictures can accomplish. It’s a movie that we all look upon fondly whenever we watch it and on a personal level, the film that accomplished that particular feat for me premiered in theaters in 1982 when I was still just a young boy, and to this day I will never forget the magic that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial brought into my life.
 
Granted, I get it, when you’re just a kid, just about any movie will shock you and blow you away and well, this movie did in that spades. The whole notion of a nice alien coming to earth and making friends with an everyday child sent my burgeoning imagination soaring at the possibility that maybe, just maybe that could happen to me and while that obviously never ended up being the case, it sure didn’t stop me from seeking out more films as the years rolled on that would provide me with the same sense of wonder. And while I have indeed discovered more films that have left me in awe, none of them have ever fully managed to replicate the power that this motion picture had over me.
 
If anything, this movie is on my mind once again, because after years of letting it sit on my shelf with the rest of my collection, it’s suddenly finding new replay value in my household after I caught it on cable and found myself grinning like a fool the whole way through and clapping with childish glee when Elliott and E.T. took to the skies and while it is a blast to travel down memory lane, the writer in me loves to reflect upon the impact that movies have on our lives and sandwiched in between my giddier moments while re-watching this classic, I often found myself wondering exactly what has allowed for this story to endure and age so well, and what exactly makes E.T. so special.

​If anything, I would venture to say the first key element as to what makes this movie so special is the sheer fact that it thinks outside of the box when it comes to science fiction. Often times in this genre, an alien coming to Earth is bad news through and through since they’re usually looking to conquer mankind but E.T. was a benevolent being and an explorer and to see him want to learn about our world for a bit and yearn for home is the kind of story element that sucks the audience in with its sheer uniqueness and it doesn’t end there. Because if the alien isn’t evil in stories similar to this, mankind is, and they hunt the visitor in question in the hopes of cutting it open and studying it and well, that simply wasn’t the case here. Yes, the scientists in this film do indeed want to learn more about E.T., but they’re not here to hurt him and heck, they even go so far as to try and save him when his health is in decline, and well, both of those elements are refreshing to this day since the opposite is still prevalent in this genre.
 
But the true magic of this film goes beyond bucking clichés, the movie is also about as uplifting as it gets, because there really isn’t a moment of malice from the main characters in this movie in the slightest. Everyone is helpful and kind in this film, and even Elliot’s friends are willing to risk life and limb to save a creature from another world and its message of kindness is one that is definitely necessary for today’s world. However, the one part of this film that continues to amaze me after all of these years, is the sheer fact that this story, manages to remind us exactly what it’s like to be a kid since it exudes a sense of wonder and hope that we only find in our youth and that oddly enough stays with you long after the movie has come to an end.
 
All story elements aside however, the movie is a technical marvel as well, the special effects have withstood the test of time and John Williams magnificent score still sends your heart soaring at the proper moment and really, when all is said and done, this film is a modern classic and a masterpiece through and through. It truly shows off Steven Spielberg’s talents as a director this is the kind of motion picture that I hope steers clear of the remake/reboot trend that’s currently surging through Hollywood, simply due to the fact that E.T. is lightning in a bottle and this kind of flawless motion picture will never be replicated again and in all honestly, that’s a good thing because this one, is truly something special.