Runner Runner

I knew once I saw the trailer this movie would be somewhat of a letdown for me, because it revealed all the critical plot-points in the film, and graciously let me know what the major twists are; so if you still want to see this movie, then make sure the trailer doesn’t get viewed.  You can’t blame the trailer for everything though, because by itself it’s just the weakling son conceived between Romancing the Stone and the Social Network.  Here’s the thing that confuses me, while the movie was going on I was entertained with the fast paced/snappy storyline, and I even thought to myself that the acting was good for both Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, it’s just that once the movie was over I had completely forgotten what had happened; the flick was pretty forgettable.  Speaking about what had happened, let me give you a brief synopsis about what I think the film was about.  Justin Timberlake is living the American Dream by being a champion online poker player in order to make a living and pay for school, and everything was going great until (surprise surprise) he loses all his money and is forced to confront the rich douchebag in Costa Rica in order to get it back.  Well one thing leads to another, and because Justin is a grade-A wussy he ends up working for the man who once screwed him (not an innuendo).  Of course a bunch of crap goes down after that which was unfortunately revealed to me because the trailer keeps secrets about as much as Shamu keeps from killing trainers at sea world.  All in all I thought this was a “meh” film with some good parts thrown in here and there, but if I was to choose between buying and renting this movie I would most definitely choose the latter.  

2 out of 5

Thanks For Sharing

It's about as refreshing as a $5 Footlong sandwich from Subway when I view a film that's 100% honest, and doesn’t try to downplay its content so that people don’t get offended.  This film takes a look at the lives of three individuals who struggle with different kinds of addictions, but the one they all have in common and which they struggle with the most is Sex Addiction.  Now with me being a staunch Mormon, I don’t have any experience with this “Barney Stinson” lifestyle, but from what is shown on TV and from what I hear from friends is that it’s the life to have, being able to sleep with all the people you want.  That (to some people) sounds like the dream, right? Well what this movie does is it gives you an in depth profile of individuals who can’t control their constant sexual urges, and as a result friendships are ruined, jobs are lost, families are torn apart and all sense of happiness is gone.  I’m obviously not a psychologist, but it can’t be denied that sexual addiction is a real thing that many people in the world struggle with, and it's not just something the movie told me.  Having struggled with my own types of addictions in the past (although maybe not at this level), I can empathize that giving into addiction, whatever they may be, brings only hopelessness and a sense of not having control over one’s own life.  This movie is a strong testament of the power of the human spirit, and its will to make changes for the better despite the odds that are sometimes against it.

4 1/2 out of 5

RED 2

Sometimes a brother puts on a movie whilst doing other things in the house, like taking down the Christmas tree, picking up baby toys, reading up on the Duck Dynasty controversy and keeping up with the Kardashians.  The problem with performing all these tasks while RED 2 is going on is I was only able to pay so much attention to it, but from what I gathered it was a descent movie where Bruce Willis and the girl from Weeds seek to better their relationship at COSCO, at least until they're thrust into another fight for survival from a few sexy bad guys who seek to penetrate their lives… what is wrong with me?  Other than the acting from the beautiful Mary Louise Parker, the other part of this movie that tickled my insides is the presence of my all-time favorite actor, and of course I talk about Sir Anthony Hopkins!  I can’t remember a movie Anthony starred in that I didn’t like, and he is especially amazing to watch when he’s playing a villain, which is what he is in this movie.  When thinking about Anthony Hopkins as a villain the automatic assumption is a character like or related to Hannibal Lector, but what makes his villain so good in this movie is that he’s a chipper, happy and completely unpredictable.  So Anthony Hopkins not only plays a villain that's the polar opposite of Hannibal, but he also plays that villain well. 

 3 out of 5

Death Sentence

When I heard that the legendary Horror director James Wan was leaving the Genre so he could go direct the next Fast and Furious movie I was a little bummed, because I’ve come to love him so much through Dead Silence, The Conjuring and Insidious Chapters 1 and 2.  Well I looked into the other films he directed in the past and I found this movie called Death Sentence, and while it may be a dark and ultra-violent film with a depressing/chilling storyline, the fact of the matter is that it’s an Action film and not a Horror one.  I don’t really need to recap the storyline, because basically it’s just a crude retelling of the John Travolta Punisher movie, minus the stupid Skull costume and the whole “superhero” agenda.  I’m not saying that I’m now happy to see James Wan leave the Horror Genre, but it does make me happy to know he’s a man of many talents, and that making an Action film is also something he’s really good at.  To be honest though, I think that it’s only a matter of time before he returns to making Horror, because after watching all his movies, it’s obvious that he has a strong love for the Genre, and if anything what he’s doing is taking a hiatus for a while until he returns with a vengeance for Insidious: Chapter 3 or something.  

3 out of 5

Hell Baby

Recently my brothers have been introducing me to a couple of very fine comedians on the internet, and these people are known as Key and Peele.  I do declare that these are funny individuals, and I thought to myself “wouldn’t it be funny if they expanded their talents to the cinema, instead of doing shows on… Foodnetwork? I dunno.  The taller guy from Key and Peele (I forget their names as much as I forget to flush the toilet) join up with the rest of the cast from Rapture Palooza in a movie that spoofs Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, It’s Alive, Lords of Salem and House of the Devil.  When a new and extremely WHITE couple moves into a house nicknamed “house of blood” in a neighborhood that is about as Ghetto as Lil Wayne’s face, you know you’re going to get a movie that’s freakin hilarious, and that makes about as much sense as one of those people who live in a broken down trailer but still manage to own a brand new Cadillac.  The two newcomers to the broken down street are Jack and Vanessa, and not only do they get a new home that resembles a building Hobos use to go BM in, but they are also expecting twins!  After a while Vanessa begins demonstrating some “not so normal” behavior, which includes behaving like a Stepford wife, eyes going black, speaking like the little girl in the Exorcist, and trying to feed her husband poison while disguising it as wine.  It’s at this time that they call upon two of the coolest Priests from Rome who wear sunglasses as much as the Blues Brothers, and smoke more than those chimney sweepers dancing upon the rooftops in Mary Poppins.  This is a HILARIOUS spoof from the makers of Reno 911 that is both funny and engaging enough for it to be worthy of multiple viewings.

5 out of 5