Minions is a harmless but still average film that kids will certainly love. That said, this is something that probably would’ve worked better as a short for either a TV special or showing prior to the eventual Despicable Me 3 theatrical release.
Mistress America is a quirky comedy with two fun performances by Greta Gerwig (who co-wrote and produced) and Lola Kirke that makes this at the very least worth a rental even with some uneven scenes particularly the “Connecticut” section. Still, this movie stands out from all the rest and might have some replay value if Baumbach’s style is your thing.
The Car is a cheese-ball action/thriller with more laughable scenes than anything scary or even horrific. The acting is subpar however I can’t place much blame on James Brolin or Ronny Cox considering the material they’re given. Producers wanted this to be Jaws on land which in itself is a hilarious concept and boy did this deliver the goods with a supernatural twist at the end.
American Ultra has some things going for it from an interesting story that combines Bourne with Pineapple Express to fun performances by Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart who shows some actual charisma utterly lacking in many of her other movies; yet at the same time, and as outlandish and fun as the story is, it’s not terribly memorable.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is another successful entry into the long-running franchise. There are some fun nods to the original series and previous films, yet makes a mark in its own right. Tom Cruise once again is incredible with his stunt work and the villain this time around was at least devious enough.
Amy is a compelling documentary detailing the tragic life and death of a person who, at least to me, appeared destined for a dark outcome, drawn in by forces both inside and out from a father only interested in her fame and money and a husband introducing her to, or at the very least, furthering her addiction to drugs. Beyond her celebrity status it is a glimpse at addiction in a general sense.
Women’s Prison Massacre, the latest to a variety of exploitation movies from the 1970s, and frankly these kind of films aren’t exactly my thing but with that said there is a certain entertainment value in just how bad it is topped with some over-the-top acting in conjunction with incredibly awful dubbing. This release from Shout via their Scream Factory line, is rather disappointing.
Ant-Man may just be a middle-of-the-road flick compared with the other MCU films, but it’s still fairly enjoyable if not filled with plot holes and inconsistencies that I could easily overlook due to the entertainment factor and a well rounded cast headlined by Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas.
Momentum isn’t a very good movie but clocking in under 90-minutes, it’s fine for a slow Saturday night. However, my biggest gripe isn’t with the acting, stunts and the like but with the story and how they attempt to make this the first movie of a series; considering the lackluster (to say the least) box office, I doubt a sequel is forthcoming.
Romance & Cigarettes is an odd ball of a film, a mixture of genres and while I can appreciate what director John Turturro attempted to do, it just didn’t quite work but with a cats like this headlined by the great James Gandolfini, to go along with Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet, might make at least watchable.
War Pigs actually isn’t as terrible of movie as some make it out to be… but the acting is subpar and the story itself is limited but clocking in at just over 80-minutes it at least makes for a quick watch that ultimately isn’t satisfying yet I can’t say I’m overly disappointed considering this is a DTV flick.
Heartbreakers is an entertaining and all around fun crime-comedy featuring good performances all around but especially Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt who are wonderful together and the sole reasons this movie still works today going on 14 years.
No Escape is an all around entertaining film perfect for a Saturday movie night. No, it doesn’t make you think or have any profound performances but the acting isn’t bad with Owen Wilson serving as a fine everyman type of character and Pierce Brosnan in his small part is a lot of fun. This is probably worthy of a rental.
Léon: The Professional is a masterpiece of work from Luc Besson and is easily my favorite and most emotion-filled film to date. The performances by Jean Reno (who deserved an Oscar nomination), Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman were all fantastic in their own distinctive ways and it’s just an all around well made flick with good mixture of drama and suspense.
Dangerous Game is an uneven and quite frankly frenetic film that happens to have some strong performances especially from Harvey Keitel that it keeps it from being a complete turkey. The Blu-ray released by Olive Films is rather limited with only a trailer and average-to-adequate video and audio transfers.