Featuring G&G

(Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity.)

After hearing rave reviews of this movie for some time and how it recently got “snubbed” at the Oscars I decided to give this movie a shot and see what all the fuss was about. Overall, I really liked this movie. It follows the life of a mysterious, awkward getaway driver that follows a strict “code,” but then subsequently breaks it when he meets a girl. The main character is played by Ryan Gosling who does an excellent job in this role. He has very few lines in this movie, which at first seems kinda awkward, but ends up speaking volumes through his silence. He often times is able to convey more emotion and response through his silence, than if he had spoken. 

With a title like “drive” you’d expect lots of car chases and fancy cars. While there are some great chase scenes, the majority of the movie does not focus on these. The cars are more or less just used as vehicles to progress the plot  at certain times (hahahah get it!? ok, sorry).

There are a few scenes of intense violence, which is not always needed, but helps to convey more of the mystery surrounding the main character. Also, a needless scene inside a strip club, thus rounding out the “R” rating.

While I’m not sure if this movie would deserve to win best picture, it is definitely very well done and deserves all the recognition it has received thus far. Oh and how could I forget, the soundtrack is AMAZING!! It complements the movie excellently and is one of my favorite soundtracks in a long, long time. I give this movie a solid A.

-Mark

(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, partial nudity and some drug material)

I felt like this movie was ADHD. There were some moments that were hard to follow but there is absolutely no way you can hate this movie. It’s smart, witty, exciting, and full of action. Robert Downey Jr. returns playing Sherlock and he is on a quest to find out what Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) is up to.

Definitely one of my favorites from this year! Jude law was amazing as well playing Watson once again. Noomi Rapace was a nice addition to the casting as well! She got down and dirty with the boys and took some punches in this film. 

I don’t want to give anything away with this film, so all I want to say is WATCH IT! If you don’t like the story you will still be entertained. The cast is well rounded and the action and camera angles were skillfully woven together to make this motion picture spectacular.

-GY

(Rated R for some violence and language)

I had no idea what the debt was about going into it; went because some friends wanted to go. What I got was a suspenseful, espionage drama that tested the mental and psychological capacity of the characters within. Pretty much great acting by all of the main actors.

The movie starts out as a spy type of a movie, then shifts to being more mentally challenging and then comes back around and ends on a note of espionage. I don’t want to stay much because I do not want to be responsible for any spoilers. The movie is also pretty slow paced. When I say “spy” I do not mean James bond or Jason Bourne. There are only a few “action” scenes with the rest pertaining to the setup and then how the “spies” handle the aftermath of the situation. With that being said I would give this  a solid “B”

-M

(Rated PG-13 for disturbing content and some language)

I felt like I needed some hand sanitizer, a shower and to be as far away from everyone else as I possibly could after this movie. It does a good job of conveying the sense of helplessness, chaos and fear that the characters were feeling in the situation of dealing with a killer, unknown disease. There is some good acting from Matt Damon and the host of well know actors.

The plot doesn’t deal with some weird, alien virus or anything crazy, but simply a mutated virus that was easily spread to humans. Its this fact that makes it so scary, because something like this could actually happen. Thats what helps the movie hit home. You never know if the person next to you has a cold, or the next worldwide epidemic that will kill you in hours. Good acting and and an eerily plausible story  warrant this a solid “B+” 

-M

(Rated PG-13 for sexual content including dialogue, and some drug material)

IMDB average rating 5.5

Believe it or not, I read this book back in 2007. The book is very R-rated. It is one out of an Emily Griffin series. They toned it down for the film and added some other changes to make this more of a typical romantic comedy.

Here’s the gist of the story:

Rachel is the good friend. Hard working. Level headed. Smart. She fell in love with Dex while they were in law school. Dex liked her too, but nothing was happening. Rachel pretty much set him up with her bff Darcy. 

Darcy is the party girl. Hot. Blond. Self absorbed. Bratty. Obnoxious. For some ridiculous reason Dex and her start dating. For an even more ridiculous reason they get engaged. 

Fast forward to the birthday party Darcy throws for Rachel and we see Darcy get trashed. Dex and Rachel eventually end up alone and those old feelings resurface and they end up spending the night together. Badda bing, badda boom! We have a situation on our hands!

Regardless for the awful subject matter this movie was enjoyable. John Krasinski was my favorite character as he was Rachel’s voice of reason. It is interesting seeing how this story unfolds. I only read Something Borrowed which is from Rachel’s perspective while Something Blue is from Dacy’s. I heard rumors that they may make the sequel from Darcy’s perspective (as if we needed more reason to dislike the character).

I do NOT support infidelity. I don’t care what the reasons are. This movie was graded on the quality of the story and acting. If we added morals into play I’d give it a C.

GY

(Rated R for strong bloody violence, some sexuality and nudity)

As the summer movie season comes to an end, so does the quality of movies. I didn’t have very high expectations for Conan the Barbarian and I got out of it about what I thought I would. The main actor, Jason Momoa, did a good job as the new Conan the Barbarian (although no one can top Schwarzenegger haha). One reason that I wanted to see Conan was because of Momoa’s role in the TV show The Game of Thrones as character Khal Drago, which was great!  He was able to transfer a lot of the same ferocity and barbaric action from Game of Thrones into Conan. While he did a good job, that was about the only good thing the movie had going for it.

This movie also had one of the worst uses of 3D in any movie I’ve seen so far; almost nothing was visibly different. I’d give this movie a “C”, but I think Momoa was able to bring it up to at least a “B-“.

-The other guy

(Rated PG-13 for violence, drug material, language, some sexuality and thematic elements)

Russell Crowe is the man. I have been a fan of his work for some time now and it is difficult picking a favorite movie besides Gladiator (310 to Yuma and Cinderella Man are up there). This project was very different from the Crowe films I’ve grown to love. 

The screenplay for The Next Three Days was written by Paul Haggis. Most will recognize his work from Crash or Million Dollar Baby. That should give you an idea of the tone of this movie; depressing.

Here is the story, Laura Brennan (Elizabeth Banks) is wrongfully arrested for murdering her boss. Her husband John (Russell Crowe) is determined to prove her innocence regardless of friends and family abandoning her. As the years go by John becomes more desperate and comes to terms with the fact that the only way he can free her is if he does something illegal to get her out.

Positives:

• Russell Crowe is amazing. You could really feel his pain and sympathize with his character.
  
• This wasn’t over the top like Law Abiding Citizen. Russell’s character didn’t all of a sudden become an expert on breaking the law. You see his moral struggles and his failed attempts. It was very realistic.
• The story was powerful. It sucks trying to have faith in justice when those who swear to uphold the law are so hell bent on putting the blame on someone that they do not look at all the facts. I like stories that address those topics (like Denzel’s The Hurricane or Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man).
  

Negatives:

• There are some really SLOW parts. Although they were necessary for character development it was sometimes painful to sit through. Mainly because you felt badly for the Russell’s character but also because you wanted to see some butt kicking. 

If you are a fan of Russell Crowe you should see this. If you are a fan of regular people sticking up for their innocent loved ones when the law won’t you should see this. If you like Million Dollar Baby or Crash you should see this. Definitely worth it.

-GY

(Rated PG-13 for some violence including disturbing images, and for language)

I got a complaint that most movies I review get grades in the B range. I’m sorry but I don’t make a habit of seeing crappy films.

Moving on.

Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an Army helicopter pilot who find himself in another man’s body. Sounds like a tough day doesn’t it? To make matters worse he is placed on a train that is destined to explode. He is forced by the military to relive the same 8 minutes over and over until he can figure out who caused the explosion so he can prevent future attacks.

But wait! There’s more!

Captain Stevens must also find out how the heck he wound up in this program in the first place! Two mysteries at once! Dun dun dun!!

That’s pretty much the movie. I went into it with no expectations because it didn’t look good to me…but after comments on Facebook from viewers I decided to check it out.

THIS WAS REALLY GREAT! I was pleasantly surprised at how well executed this film was. Unfortunately there are hints of other movies throughout unfortunately such as Vantage Point, Inception Deja Vu and another Denzel movie, Manchurian Candidate (it’s a little ironic that Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright were both in Manchurian Candidate also).

This is a pleasantly surprising winner. Check it out!

-GY

(Rated PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence)

The first time I saw the preview for this movie a thought it looked stupid. The second time, I laughed it looked so bad. Boy, could I have not been more wrong. It was amazing! It had a great story and execution, amazing visuals,  and characters that drew you in. The character development of the main character, Caesar, was one of the best performances this year (oh and he is a CGI Chimpanzee by the way, which, I suppose, is a shinning testament to how good this movie is and possibly the overall degradation of current movies). I highly recommend seeing this movie! This movie deserves a solid “A”, possibly a “A+” for far exceeding my expectations and being one of the best movies this summer!

-M (not Grant)

(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference)

Oh my. I couldn’t wait for this movie. It had Han Solo, James Bond, the director of Iron Man and Quorra (Tron)!! And Cowboys and Aliens! How could this movie be anything but epic? Sadly, this was not the case. You shouldn’t expect much from a movie called cowboys and aliens (except I did) because, lets be honest, it is a weird combination. The plot is forgettable, the action is alright, and there are more plot holes than you can count. I won’t say what because that would give it away, so just in case you ever Red Box it. I’m going to give this movie a “B-“ simply because Harrison Ford is awesome and Olivia Wilde is smokin’. If it wasn’t for them it’d be lower.

-M

(not Grant)

I looked all over the internet and there are TONS of interpretations of this movie. Most of them revolve around freedom, standing up for yourself, girl power, that type of stuff. The viewpoints of those who liked this movie are very similar to our own review.I don’t know about you but at the end of this movie I felt very amped but confused.

I came across an article on this site and did some research and it surprisingly makes sense and answers some questions I had once the film ended. 

WARNING: This is creepy. 

http://vigilantcitizen.com/moviesandtv/sucker-punch-or-how-to-make-monarch-mind-control-sexy-7-2/

It’s…interesting. I don’t think I like this movie now though regardless if this article is true or not.

GY

(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action)

Some of the talk from the crowd after the movie sounded like this:

“I wouldn’t see that again”

“It was very child friendly”

“I loved it!”

With that said, there are mixed thoughts about this newest Marvel hero film. I will try to be as unbiased as possible! 

It was SO COOL to finally see Captain America on the big screen. Chris Evans did a great job and didn’t over act at all. The graphics were supreme as he was shown as a 90 pound weakling and the film style was great to look at!

However…the story seemed slightly choppy and some of the action sequences made me laugh out loud. It seems that this was aimed at all audiences so families will be happy with this film.

This is by no means a movie for you to miss out on, however. GO SEE THIS. You will be entertained. Also, just a hint, what is shown at the end of the credits is worth the $10!

GY

(Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images)

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2, the perfect end to an amazing series.

The movie starts off right where it left off, it soon picks up momentum and has all the great little things you enjoy from the previous movies. The movie was simply stunning and an emotional roller coaster.

The acting is superb along with a familiar cast and not to mention some surprise appearances. The movie takes you through your whole gamut of emotions, creating moments where you are laughing, and others where you are holding back tears. There was some nicely placed love connections that have been long awaited that came to fruition and was wonderful to see. On the other side you get a glimpse into Lord Voldemort’s story and what fuels him to be who he is, Harry Potter mentions that he is wounded and weaker, but he is at his most dangerous.

The time they spent on tying up loose ends was perfect, you didn’t feel cheated and we doubted going into the movie that they would be able to bring everything together, but they did it masterfully. My wife and I are huge fans of the series and sad that this is the last installment of the epic series, however after watching it we immediately looked at one another as we walked out of the theater and said I want to see it again. The Harry Potter series has this creative way that it is told and leaves you wanting more, we with a host of many others regularly watch the movies over and over again, there is so much detail put into the films, that even after watching them a couple times you notice new things and grow a better understanding of the whole story as it is unfolding.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 leaves you wanting more, the theme of the movie is this constant battle between light verses darkness and it reaches it’s climax here. The deeper under tone however is that love always conquers all, one of my wife’s favorite quotes in the movie and I think it sums it all up: “Don’t pity the dead pity the living, and above all those who live with out love.”

Grade: A

AG (Guest reviewer)

Let me start out by saying I never read any of the Harry Potter books growing up and have not seen all of the movies. I went to the movie partially because it looked interesting and was hyped to the max, and partially because some friends had an extra ticket. While I did come away from the movie with more than a few questions, as there was so much going on, I came away with a new respect for the series.

Everything in the movie is top notch. Action, directing, musical score, special effects, everything was amazing! I now want to go back and read all the books and watch all the movies so I can throughly enjoy the movie as much as everyone else did. Even though I was not able to enjoy the movie as much as those who had followed the series since its inception, I really liked it and will give it a much deserved “A.” If I had been up on the series I’m sure this would have been an “A+.”

-M

(Rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi action violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuendo)

This was easily my favorite out of the Transformers trilogy. Still not a perfect movie but it was pretty much visually stunning. Let’s start with the positives.

There weren’t any perverted robots humping Megan Fox’s leg. Better yet, there was no Megan Fox. There weren’t any ignorant/degrading robots shucking a jiving. No close up shots of John Turturno in his underwear.

“Hey Grant! We don’t really care about that! How was the action??” I’m glad you asked! The answer is: superb. You do not want to get on Optimus Prime’s bad side. All and I mean ALL of the Autobots kicked major robot tail and whoever was in charge of the CGI for this film definitely stepped it up this time around. The fights were much clearer and the robot transformations were even smoother.

They even amped up the human and robot interaction which looked amazing. Shia did a great job as well as we see growth in his character. The only complaint I really have is how long the end dragged out. You kept waiting and waiting for it to end and it took forever! Still a winner to me at least

-GY

Transformers 3 was just about the same as the first 2. Robots fighting, lots of action/explosions, stupid Shia LaBeouf antics and a hot female lead. So it’s everything you’ve come to expect from a transformers movie. Since this is supposedly the last one in the series (ya, right) its an extra long 2:47 hours long and it kinda drags out. If they were to have made it longer by adding more of the Autobots I’d be all for that, but alas it was of more Shia LaBeouf character development that no one cares about. Overall the action is amazing and the Autobots are freakin awesome. Just wish there was more of them! I give it a solid “B+”

-M

(PG-13 for language including crude comments, brief violence and some thematic material)

Well…this was…interesting. From the start, this movie was choppy, rushed and poorly directed. Everything about this movie screams “I WAS MADE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!” I mean everything…from the Twilight feel, to the acting, to the predictability, all the way to Mary-Kate Olsen looking like a cross between Natalia Kills and Lady Gaga.

Regardless, the more the movie went on, the more I connected with the story. This is by no means a good movie. It’s a cheese-ball-fest-of-a-teen-romance. The moral to the story however, is beyond what I’ve seen in any romantic comedy (unless you count Shallow Hal) or teen romance: acceptance for someone for who they are, period. Not from looks. Not from money. Not from being excited by the bad boy vampire. In the end I enjoyed this.

For the moral of the story, this gets a B+. For the execution and quality, this gets a C+.

-GY