Ghostbusters 2016 Movie Review

There are a 2 movie properties in my life that are as about as close to me as a personal relationship with Jesus.  Those franchises are Back to the Future and Ghostbusters.  I've loved both of these films since I was a young child. Ghostbusters in particular really resonated with me as a child.  Growing up my parents bought most of the toys and we watched many of the Saturday morning cartoons. Ghostbusters has been inter-weaved into the fabric of the person that I am today.  With that being said as a 30 something adult one of the biggest dreams myself and other fanboys have had was for a 3rd Ghostbusters film to happen.  Unfortunately for the fans we will never get that. With the death of Harold Ramis and Bill Murray's reluctance to return to the franchise we would just never see this fantasy come true.

Let's fast forward twenty plus years later.  Most of the fans came to the conclusion that the only sequel we would see after Ghostbusters 2 would be Ghostbusters The Video Game.  It was pretty cool because most of the actors came back to voice their characters and the overall story was pretty good.  Sony Pictures finally conjured up the balls.....and when I say "balls" I don't mean it literally because this movie doesn't have any because it stars mostly women.  Women?  Women? Wait, but I thought the Ghostbusters were dudes?  It's a different time.  This year we finally saw what would be a Ghostbusters film starring mostly all women.

Forget what you know about Ghostbusters.  Go into this movie with a certain familiarity of a franchise but with a different face.  Know up front that your in good hands.  Know that your not going to be disappointed.  We've seen the previews.  We've heard, read and experienced the crude remarks and uproar over women starring in this film.  I will tell you Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, and Leslie Jones lead this film and do it well!  I can't forget Chris Hemsworth as the goofy, fun loving male receptionist, Kevin.  Paul Feig as the director handled a property that many thought that perhaps couldn't be done.  For this day and age the group that was assembled to make this movie went above and beyond any expectation I ever had.  Being such a huge Ghostbusters fan I was never disappointed.  Out of all the actresses in this film, Kate McKinnon is the knockout, standout female in this film.  All these women are funny but she really stood out from the rest.

Let's talk about the story.  The story is very familiar to the original 1984 film.  Different but similar. I won't go into spoilers or any specific details but it does overall semi follow the first in many ways but updated for our world today.  Our antagonist Rowan (pictured above) played by Neil Casey was good enough.  He was no Gozer or even Vigo from the second film.  He is fairly forgettable. The special effects of the ghosts are awesome.  I totally loved them.  There are many different cameos by most of the original cast with an extended scene with Bill Murray.  Surprising to see him but happy at the same time.  In the end this movie is fun.  This movie makes the grade for a one off Ghostbusters film.  Would I rather see men playing the title parts?  Yes, I would but that's just my opinion.  My kids loved this movie.  We had a great time at the theater and enjoyed the Blu-Ray release also.  This movie is worth watching multiple times!

The Purge Election Year Review

First and foremost this is film #3.  The first Purge film was new and exciting and different.  Imagine one night each year for 12 hours their are no laws.  No rules.  Anyone can murder anybody they want.  Kill, rape, mame, destroy.  You name it and it's legal.  I guess what "scares" me about these films is how close to reality this could become.  It doesn't seem far off from the world that we live in today.  Each and every one of us have a sick and twisted side to us that if this were real we would go out and "purge" ourselves by killing others.  The story was different.  I liked the first film.  I fell asleep halfway through the second film.  It seemed to me the movie studio was trying to cash in off the success of the earlier film.  We decided to give the Purge another try with a look at the third movie.

Remember Kurt Russell in Escape from New York?  The bad ass old school John Carpenter film. As I watched this film I felt more and more like this was a subtle knock off to another original flick. The film stars Frank Grillo as Leo Barnes.  Frank was in the second film also.  This time around he is a secret service type guard for hire to protect Senator Charlie Roan played by Elizabeth Mitchell.  I don't need to explain what happens other than they end up in Washington DC alone running from a group of neo Nazi mercenaries for hire to capture the senator among all of the freaks murdering one another.

Would I say this is a good movie?  I would say i'm on the fence.  Is it somewhat scary?  Not really. We've seen all this before.  Again, this is the third film.  There are some gruesome and violent scenes to appease the appetite of the movie goers that like that stuff.  Less than half way through the film you have the ending pretty much figured out.  You've seen this movie before.  The acting is fine.  Frank Grillo is up and coming.  He had a short couple of roles in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War as Crossbones.  He has yet to come into his own with an iconic memorable role.  I also noticed Mykelti Williamson (aka Bubba from Forrest Gump) co-stars in the film.  The rest of the acting crew is pretty much forgettable.

Don't feel bad you didn't waste your money in the theater to see this.  The movie has an estimated 10 Million budget and made close to 80 Million in returns so expect another sequel.  I would say rent it or watch it when it comes on cable for sure.  I wasn't really sure what to expect and it wasn't a huge loss of time like Ghost Team was.  Let's hope they can keep improving on the franchise and bring it to bigger and better levels in the future.

Swiss Army Man Review

Once in a while you watch a film that leaves a lasting impression on you.  Sometimes you see a trailer to a film and you know it's going to be great.  It strikes a chord in you even from a 2 minute preview.  When I saw the trailer for this film it spoke to me.  In the days of sequel after sequel and rehashing of old stories it's nice to see something "different".  This movie is very different.



Hopefully you watched the trailer above and have a faint idea about what this film is about.  The film stars the amazing actor Paul Dano as Hank.  Hank has some issues.  Hank is lost in the wilderness and his only friend is a corpse, Manny, played by Daniel Radcliffe.  We don't know where Manny came from but we know that these 2 become best friends.  You may wonder how a guy becomes best friends with a dead body?  Good question!

Well, you see, Manny begins to become alive.  Hank finds out through out this process that he can use Manny and his body to try and escape this wilderness.  In this Hank teaches Manny about life and the pitfalls and the happiness of what makes us human.  About love, anger, sadness and not farthing in front of other people.  Their is a lot of farting in this movie.  The film is so unique and quirky.  The acting alone of both of these actors is absolutely amazing.  I hope they get nominated for their performances.

Think Castaway.  Think about the craziest film you've seen to date and it probably doesn't compare to Swiss Army Man.  I can't say enough about Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe.  These guys are top notch and what a pleasure to watch them put on such an amazing performance.  I highly recommend this film!

Quick Review: Total Recall 2012 Version

So I finally got the chance to check out the remake of the legit old school Arnold Shwarzenegger film, Total Recall. This film stars a couple of good actors in Colin Farrel and Kate Beckinsale.  It was directed by Beckinsale's hubby, Len Wiseman.  This movie is pretty much a complete remake of the original.  It swaps in some elements from the original such as the planet Mars.  The story involves 2 different colonies like the original but stays on Earth.  Yes, you get the 3 breasted woman.  Why though?  Wasn't she a mutant in the original?  Honestly, I fell asleep through this movie.  That's not to say that it wasn't good.  Does it live up to the original?  Do they ever?  No, this does not.  It's probably worth a rental or catch it later on HBO or something.  Check out the trailer below.

Quick Review: Spiderman 2012

I had the opportunity to recently see this film and just had to write a "quick review".  What I mean by that is that I am basically going to give you my two cents on the film and a recommendation for or against the thing.  In the past I have spent a lot of time covering many different aspects of films that perhaps readers just weren't interested in reading?

Ok, so here we go, The Amazing Spiderman.  If MTV or Nickelodeon had won the rights to the beloved Spiderman library and made a film about it in their own take then you would have this film.  This film is geared towards the younger generation and plays out like a beefed up after school special.  We have all grown up and personally loved Tobey Maguire in the previous films so why Sony felt like they had to go and change everything out is a mystery to me.

The best actor in this film to me is Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.  She is easy on the eyes and a joy to watch in this film.  Andrew Garfield is a no named actor that really doesn't fill the tights to play the role of Peter Park/Spiderman.  I hate to sound mean but in my opinion he was a bad choice. Our evil baddy, The Lizard, is a CGI mess and makes me wonder where all the money went into making this film.  The story overall was ok.  It is once again another "re-imagining" of the story we saw years earlier in the original Spiderman.  We have been there and done that and frankly I don't think people are that interested in visiting this story once again so soon.

If you have nothing else to watch then check this out on PPV or on demand where ever you may be.  Trust me you will get tired of it quick and wonder why you wasted your money.  That is unless you have young teenage girls in your house then I am sure they will love it.

Project X Review!

I had the chance last night to catch the flick, Project X.  Yes it has the same name as the 1980's Matthew Broderick film but is much, MUCH different.  I tend to get caught up in these reviews and write a lot more than what I originally intended.  I am going to not mention the actors yada yada yada because frankly you won't recognize them anyway.  Todd Philips, the director of such crazy films as Old School, Road Trip and The Hangover films produced this flick.  I don't think that really means much other than he stamped his seal of approval on it and his name being tagged to the film probably sold a few more tickets.

You have seen this film before.  If you have ever seen a teenage party film then you have seen this movie.  Where this film takes a turn is in how amped it get's.  Imagine the biggest, craziest alcohol, drug, sex infused party of all time and you will understand this movie.  Your main character is having a birthday and his 2 nerdy friends throw him a party at his own house.  What starts out as a backyard party with 30-50 friends turns into a block party with hundreds and mass carnage!

This film is shot with the first person perspective.  It was done well in the sense that it wasn't shaky cam all the time and you could see everything and not have a head ache afterwards.  It was funny. It was crude and dirty. If you like those kind of movies then you will relate and most likely enjoy this film.  It's a film about a big ass party and all the happenings that take place.  What can I say? There isn't much else to this film.  I am embedding the trailer below but be AWARE this is the REDBAND TRAILER.  Nudity, foul language and more is included.

Immortals Review!

I had the opportunity this last Friday evening to watch Immortals and if I had to describe it in one word that would be AWESOME!  You don't have to read through my review to know up front that I highly recommend this film to people that like the genre and your random movie goer in general. Go see this film and see it in 3D!

With that said, let's get to the technical side of stuff.  This film was directed by Tarsem Singh.  He also directed another famous film called The Cell.  I recommend that film also and after finding out he made that film it made Immortals make even more sense in of the sheer beauty in both films.  I will get into that more later.  It's stars a relative unknown in Henry Cavill as our lead Theseus.  You have probably heard of him mostly as being cast as the new Superman. After seeing this film I am convinced he is going to be a great Superman.  It also stars the great Mickey Rourke as our bad guy King Hyperion.  Stephen Dorff, John Hurt and Luke Evans co-star.

I am fairly un-educated in Greek Mythology so bare with me.  My wife on the other hand knows a lot about it and loved this film.  It follows a peasant Theseus in his rise of a nobody to a somebody to battle the great and evil King Hyperion.  We have seen this story before so it's not something completely new and original but keeps it fast paced enough we are hardly ever bored.  King Hyperion is a merciless madman that is in search for a magical bow that can shoot arrows into a cryptic cell and unleash the titans.  The titans are evil beings that lost a battle against Zues and the gods and were banished into Mt. Tartarus for eternity.  With the bow King Hyperion can unleash the titans and rule the planet.  It is up to Theseus to save the world!

I loved this film!  It looked amazing.  At first glance it looked to me like a knock off of 300 but as I read more about it and watched more trailers I quickly realized that it was nothing like that movie.  I think it is was stupid to even say "From the producer of 300" on the trailers and poster.  This film stands quite well on it's own.  The computer effects were amazing.  It is a beautiful and real looking film.  The art work really blew me away.

The acting was great.  Rourke scares the crap out of you with his sadistic and murderer attitude.  He looked to me like he could of walked out of a Madmax film especially with those creepy masks!  I was especially intrigued with Luke Evans as the bad ass Zues who has been secretly mentoring Theseus for many years to be a great fighter and warrior.  One of the best scenes of the film is when Zues and a group of Gods arrive to the fight the titans.  Amazing!  I really can't say more even though I want to because it will spoil it.

Watch the trailer.  The trailer alone should sell you on this film.  You won't be disappointed!

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas Review!

Here we go with my first Christmas movie review of the season and the highly anticipated third film in the Harold and Kumar series.  Like many of the fans of this series, I never saw the first in the theater.  If I recall I think it looked funny and ended up renting it on dvd when it came out and have been sold since that day.  The second film upped the level of craziness and I was stoked when I heard that their would be a third film.  I must say that I was a little concerned when I learned that it would be a Christmas film. Harold, Kumar, weed smoking and Santa Claus?  Can the third film take Harold and Kumar to the next level or are we finally going to be burned out?  I will try and keep the next couple of paragraphs as spoiler free as possible but be for-warned.

HK3 was written by John Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson.  The previous 2 writers wrote the other HK movies which is a good thing!  It stars John Cho and Kal Penn along with Paula Garces as Harold's wife Maria and Danneel Harris as Vanessa, Kumar's girlfriend.  This episode introduces us to Thomas Lennon as Harold's new best friend and Amir Blumenfeld as Adrian, Kumar's new best friend.  We also are teased with one shot cameos from many old faces such as Bobby Lee, Neil Patrick Harris, David Krumholtz and Eddie Kaye Thomas.  Danny Trejo is introduced as the hard ass Korean hating father in law of Harold.

So here we go.  It's been several years since we have last seen H&K and times have changed. Harold is a mature and responsible adult married to his dream girl Maria.  He has an assistant, Bobby Lee, from the first H&K and is living the dream.  Kumar has done nothing but smoke weed and put on weight.  They haven't spoken in 2 years and have no plans of speaking anytime soon. By circumstances uncontrolled by our duo they are forced to search for a Christmas tree in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve before Maria and her family return from midnight mass.

Does this film follow the general formula as the others?  Yes, more or less.  The reality of this film is that people change and they do grow up eventually and make other friends in life.  What is important is to never forget the ones that mean the most to you.  Oh, and smoke weed while your at it.  That is pretty much the bottom line of this film.  It's no Christmas Vacation but it serves the purpose well enough and I think that as the Christmas season rolls along this film will garner more money.

With that aside.  Here are some of my complaints.  I wanted more.  I want more dammit!  I want more NPH.  I want more of the crazy neighbors down the hall Rosenberg and Goldstein.  Where is "Weedy", the giant bag of weed from the first two films?  Thomas Lennon was funny as Harold's friend and father to the crazy little girl who always keeps getting douched with illegal drugs.  Amir Blumenfeld did nothing but annoy the hell out of me through the whole thing.  I was hoping he was going to be killed by the end of the film.  I felt like a lot of the funny scenes I had already seen from the numerous trailers that were released.  I hate it when movie studios do that!  On a side note, Elias Koteas, plays a Russian mob boss and kind of the baddy in the film, kinda.  I felt like this part was written with the hope that Christopher Meloni would return but he was absent.

"Absent" is a good word for this movie.  Did Harold and Kumar pull it off?  Was it a funny movie? YES!  They did!  It was a funny movie and the 3D was surprisingly pretty cool and worked for the film.  My biggest complaint is that I felt like their could have been more.  It seemed rushed like the only actors that really had the time to make this film was the original duo.  Everyone else is just kinda thrown in and that is it. If your looking for a dirty, nasty Christmas movie then this is for you. Go see it!  Can it wait until dvd and blu-ray?  Well, the question there is do you want to watch a holiday movie in the spring?  I doubt it.  If you have the inkling to see it then go see it before Christmas and enjoy it!

Captain America: The First Avenger Review!

In the year 1941, the first issue of the Captain America Comics was published by Timely Comics; the company that would one day be known to the world as Marvel. This was to be our first glimpse at the star-spangled patriot in stripes and spandex. Now fast forward 70 years in the future to 2011, and Captain America: the first Avenger, directed by Joe Johnston (known for such action/adventure classics as Jurassic Park III and The Young Indiana Jones chronicles) has hit theaters around the globe. The final installment of Marvel’s The Avenger’s movie prerequisites, introduces the very first avenger at the end, perhaps to honor the age-old tradition of saving the best for last.  Johnston presents us with surprisingly wholesome and captivating story of honor, patriotism, humility, and duty.

The story unfolds at a starting point some 70 years in the past (notice a trend?) during the 1940’s. Adolph Hitler is at large, World War II is in the air, and a sudden tumultuous flood of patriotism has inspired every able-bodied young man to quit his place in society and join the military front, with ideas of “shooting some Nazis.” Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, recognizable from his role as Human torch in Fantastic Four) wants only to extend his body as well as an offering to appease the tides of war. Unfortunately, he just wasn’t cut out for the job.

A careful combination of sheer luck and penultimate fate leads Steve to meeting with the enigmatic Dr.Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), and a very special offer that not only guarantees him an incredible set of situational circumstances and a permanent place at the forefront of military efforts, but an opportunity to change his life forever. By accepting this offer, and the enormous responsibilities ahead, Private Steve Rogers takes on both the heroic persona of Captain America and the attentions of an unknown enemy with unlimited power.

While the general storyline was fairly straightforward, the details were what kept it interesting and personal. Comic relief in the form of Steve’s pitiful “before” transformation body kept our protagonist humble. This was twice as funny considering that the shrimpy runt body was actually CGI and that Chris Evans is in all actuality insanely muscular and bulky. Moreover hearing him accept put-downs and laugh off bullies was entertaining when paired with the idea of what he actually looked like when the scene was originally shot. Movie magic used with irony, I’d say.

Another intriguing aspect was the incorporation of Nazis and Hitler and whatnot. Comics geeks will be entertained by the creative association of Hitler with Hydra, the elite faction of fictionalized terrorists that exist solely to serve as antagonists and a common enemy in multiple Marvel comic story arcs. In this particular story their role was described as a sub-section of the Nazis, and each wore uniforms branded not only with the golden skeletal octopi symbolic of hydra operations but a sparingly displayed swastika. Their leader was none other than a man named Johann Schmidt, later christened “Red skull” (Hugo Weaving), who I personally felt was a rare example of a decent “villain” if you will.  Other note-worthy characters of the film include Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Colonel Chester Philips (Tommy Lee Jones), and of course Howard stark (Dominic Cooper).

I found this film to be worth the watch in theaters. If you missed it, it was officially released on Blu-Ray and DVD October 22nd- so no excuses. What made the noteworthy characters worth mention? How could anyone live knowing their good friend’s nickname was “Bucky”? What was Mr.Stark up to? And did Nick fury show up in the end with a little The Avengers movie plot spoiler? Watch and find out.

-KDV

Invaders From Mars: Classic Campy and Fun!

I re-watched this film last night with my wife and two teenage daughters. I had seen this film before and it kinda freaked me out when I was a kid. It's kind of a cross between Invasion of the Body Snatchers in my opinion where we have martian alien invaders taking over the local town folk. It was directed by Tobe Hooper of Poltergeist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame. It's overall a cheesy and kinda campy film but didn't scare the crap out of my daughters and wasn't filled with gore, sexuality and graphic violence. It's on demand on Comcast under the Showtime Channel section.

Fright Night 2011 Review!

Fright Night is a remake of the original 1985 film starring William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon and the great Roddy Mcdowall. The 2011 version stars Anton Yelchin as Charlie, Colin Farrell as Jerry the vampire neighbor and David Tennant as Peter Vincent the vampire hunter. If you want to know up front what I thought about this movie then it is totally a go. I had a great time watching it and only minor gripes overall which I will discuss later in the review. If your looking for an alternative to Twilight and something more along the lines of 30 Days of Night then this film is for you. If your interested in the original and I highly recommend you watch it, you can check out the original trailer here.

Like I stated before. This is a remake. It's pretty consistent to the original overall but tends to lean on it's own here and there. This time around the story takes place in Las Vegas. I was a little skeptical about it being in Vegas but it actually fit very well to the story. We meet Charlie, played by Anton, and his best friend Ed, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse AKA Mclovin from Superbad. Charlie has been distant with Ed because he wants to impress his current girlfriend Amy played by Imogen Poots. Ed is a nerd and into vampires and science fiction unlike the rest of the kids. Various students at school begin to mysteriously not show up in class. Ed is convinced it's because of the apparent vampire that lives next to Charlie is killing the kids in his neighborhood. The supposed vampire is Jerry played by Colin Farrell.

It's pretty apparent and doesn't leave much to the imagination once Ed goes missing and Charlie finds out that Jerry really is a blood sucking lustful vampire.  Through the simple works of his own via breaking into Jerry's house that Charlie is defenseless against Jerry so he enlists the help of the great Peter Vincent.  Peter is a Criss Angel of sorts that has his own show at the Hard Rock Casino where he performs magic and fights off fake vampires.  The big question from here is does Peter help Charlie or does he think he is a punk kid looking for attention?  Can they defeat Jerry and save Vegas from the wrath of the vampires?

I really liked this movie.  It is hard to beat an original with any remake but this comes pretty damn close. Being a remake the story was more or less the same but the original story was good so it wasn't like this had to be much different.  Vegas played out good with Peter Vincent working at the Hard Rock tied in nicely.  The vampires looked good but not exactly original.  Jerry looked like he came from the clan in 30 Days of Night.  Imogen Poots did a great job as Charlie's girlfriend and not just the side character we didn't really care about.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse was fine as Ed but never really added that much to the character.  If you liked Mclovin then you will love him in this movie.  The biggest and most pleasant surprise was David Tennant as Peter Vincent.  I really never heard of him before but he was awesome and I hope they spawn a sequel with his character!

We watched this film in 3D.  It was ok.  Not the best but I have seen worse in 3D.  This is a dark film mostly being at night or inside dark houses so it seemed harder to watch the movie because of this.  I think it would almost be better to see it in 2D.  I was expecting to see more of Evil Ed and Peter Vincent.  Ed was really only in it at the start and then back at the end of the film.  Peter Vincent is introduced about half way through the film and then is only in a few key scenes at the end also.  I would have loved to see him through out the whole film.  These are only minor things and really don't drag down the film as a whole.

This was a great film and an alternative for the vampire fan.  I am disappointed to hear that it came in something like fifth place at the box office this weekend.  I really hope we can see an original sequel and especially David Tennant in more films! I totally recommend this film for anyone looking for a scare and a good time at the end of the summer!

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Review!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes follows the desperate beginning of an extraordinary animal and the realization of his destiny, The Rise of the Planet of the apes, directed by Rupert Wyatt, is a film well worth your attention.

Caesar had never been your ordinary chimpanzee, even by a long shot.  He was raised from infancy in the home of Will Rodman (James Franco), a seemingly average American citizen, who quitted his work to live alone and take care of his sickly father (John Lithgow), who had long since been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Caesar (Andy Serkis) marked a time of change in Will’s life, and came as something of a blessing, being a positive distraction from all that he was leaving behind. The small creature also served as a companion of sorts to will’s father, whose condition was quickly progressing, and worsening on a day-to-day basis.

Within only a few short years, Caesar’s intelligence was exceptionally advanced for a tamed creature of his species. He was clever, intuitive, and even expressed a sense of distinguished emotion. Will had taught Caesar sign language, and it was clear from his communication that he did not really comprehend the difference between himself and Will, or that there even was a significant difference between them, for that matter.  As Caesar ages, and his intelligence peaks, he begins to recognize and refute the role he is required to play in a world of “intellectually superior” creatures. There is a fine line that distinguishes the homosapien and the inhuman. What would the outcome be if man decided to ignore the boundaries nature had carefully spun to separate the two?

While the charismatic James Franco is certainly a favorite actor of mine, admittedly I felt that his performance as Will Rodman, the “father” of Caesar, was satisfying, but not necessarily exemplary. It may be debatable to say that he was the main character, but supposing that is the case, he certainly had no problem sharing the limelight with the incredible Andy Serkis, who I believe to be the real star of the film.  Keeping in mind that Caesar’s appearance is completely computer animated, I must express my amazement and interest regarding his awfully realistic facial expressions. In one scene, Caesar is curiously gazing at some unknown object he wishes to understand, and in another animosity and hate masks his face, distorting those almost human eyes to something beast-like and terrifying. You, as the audience could feel his pain and his hurt; sometimes you took pity on Caesar, and sometimes you were sitting still, almost afraid.

The rise of the Planet of the apes, all in all, was a film well worth your time and money.  Since it depicts the origin of the Planet of the Apes story, an audience unfamiliar to the story can sit down and enjoy the movie as well as anyone else. For obvious reasons, those of you who are fans of the other Planet of the Apes films have probably already listed this film as a must-see. However, even for those who are not fans or who aren’t familiar with the story, this film still offers an interesting and enjoyable movie experience.  I give it 4 out of 4 pizzas.            

-KDV

Cowboys And Aliens Review!!

One of the most anticipated movies of the summer is finally upon us and I have to say I was not disappointed in the big time action flick Cowboys and Aliens.  If you enjoy westerns with a twist of sci-fi in it then this film is for you.  I am not going to make this review long and try to keep it spoiler free so let's just jump into it!  If you don't know by now it stars Daniel Craig as Jake Lonergan, Harrison Ford as Woodrow Dollarhyde and Olivia Wilde as the mysterious Ella Swenson. There are great supporting characters in Clancy Brown as the pastor, Sam Rockwell as the local bartender and Paul Dano is Ford's jerk son that is interested in nothing but causing trouble and not paying the price for it.  The film is directed by Jon Favreau of Iron Man fame.  It is rated PG-13.

Let's start with the story.  Jake Lonergan wakes up in the middle of the dried up southwest with no recollection of who he is and what he is doing other than a strange mechanical bracelet attached to his left hand. Through the course of the film we find that he is a wanted man for robbing gold from a stagecoach owned by Woodrow Dollarhyde.  Dollarhyde has a son that thinks he can do anything because of who his father is and accidentally ends up shooting a deputy in the arm resulting in his arrest.  Even though Jake doesn't know himself, everyone knows him and he is arrested and is lodged in a stagecoach with Dollarhyde's son sent to go to the county police.  That is when Dollarhyde arrives in town just in time to stop the coach.  We fear his son will get away once again when all hear a strange noise and bright lights off in the distance coming towards the town.  Flying ships careen across the horizon whiplashing the towns people into the sky whisking them far away. It's up to Jake, Dollarhyde and a party of survivors to seek out what is taking their loved ones and bring them back.  But, who is Ella Swenson and why does she know so much about Jakes past?  

This story is not an original story or something that you have never seen before.  It is more or less an alien abduction story set in the old west.  What is original in my opinion is that it is in the old west and works with cowboys, indians and aliens.  It is a film that is cool and different than the usual alien film.  We've all seen alien films and abductions and man fighting monsters but not much in the old west.  It has that twist of old school and then the high tech alien weaponry that really clash well together.

The special effects were very cool.  The aliens space ships were cool and original.  I wasn't as sold on the aliens themselves.  It reminded me too much of the alien from Super 8 in how they moved and fought the humans.  I recommend seeing this in the theater because the cinematography was beautiful.  The acting was great.  Daniel Craig did a great job convincing us of a guy who lost his memory as did Harrison Ford as the crotchety Dollarhyde.  No Indiana Jones here folks and a nice break away from the norm for him.

I really enjoyed this film and highly recommend it to anyone that is looking for a fun popcorn flick to end the summer of big blockbuster movies.  Someone said to me after the film that they didn't get it.  They didn't understand why the aliens were there.  I agree but that is why this is a film about aliens abducting people and the bad ass cowboys getting them back.  Not so much about why they are there or what they are doing on earth.  If your a fan of the actors or the director or even westerns or sci-fi in general then go see this film.  Harry Knowles at Aint It Cool said it was good but not as good as Back To The Future Part 3.  I very much so agree although the BTTF Series will always hold a special place in my heart.