PAIN & GAIN

  

Jean, This is called a dark comedy but I did not see the comedy part. There was practically no laughter in my theater during this film. I think all the amusing scenes were gathered up and put in the preview. This is a dark and gross and gruesome crime movie based on actual crime records. Take for example the repeated running over of the hostage victim with a van. Or consider the dismemberment of two bodies with a chain saw and then cooking the body parts on a Weber Grill. The story gets so stupid and grotesque that Michael Bay reminds you half through the movie with  subtitles that this is still a true story. Based on the crime records of the Dade County, Florida 1995-96. It is almost as if Michael Bay is taking great pains to depict all the gruesome and grisly details for you. Even  the Tony Shalhoub character does not have a hint of humor playing the very distasteful hostage victim.  At the end, they show you the main criminal movie characters in mug shot fashion and then the actual criminals in their mug shots.

The Previews were:

World War Z

Kings of Summer

The Bling Ring

The Hangover III

This is the End

Star Trek, Into Darkness

Oblivion

Jean, This is a big, great looking sci-fi movie. The story line, not so much. It has great futuristic vistas and space ship travel scenes as well as a realistic landscape of the future.(I understand a lot of it was shot in Iceland. and Mammoth Lakes, CA.) But it is a anthology of past sci-fi movies. I think the first Star Wars movie alone has grounds to scream plagiarism. In fact, you have to ignore counting the different scenes that remind you of past movies. The actors all do a fine job but there are so few. It is almost entirely Tom Cruise, the two young actresses, and Melissa Leo as Sally. (Morgan Freeman is really not a factor at all.) And it has more than it's share of twists.  But I am sure you will walk out of the theater as I did with two other movie-goers, scratching our heads and asking to see that last 3 minutes again. Dad

P.S. The previews were:
Hangover, Part III

Mud

Fast and Furious 6

Elysium

The Kings of Summer

R.I.P.D. Rest In Peace Department

TRANCE

Jean, This must be the one the most face-paced, mind-twisting, violent heist movies on record. Danny Boyle seems to pull out all the stops with a loud, pounding, pounding sound track, gory human mutilation and repeated full frontal nudity. If you are into heist movies this is for you. There are so many twists in this plot that your eyes never leave the screen and your ears are tuned to pick up all the dialogue . The hypnotism sequences leave you wondering but there is no time for that due to the fast pace. After a big ending series of scenes you are not sure why which of the main characters are still standing. Along the way you learn some very interesting art history about the great masters of the painting world. The three stars , James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson seem to be really  enjoying their parts. For some reason this is a great looking film, such color and clarity especially in the many night scenes.  Dad 

The Previews were:

The Way, Way Back

The East

Kon Tiki

Rosario Dawson in TRANCE

Mud

Starbuck

Jean, 

This is a French language movie with English subtitles. It is about one really serious screw-up named  David who was a regular sperm contributor to a fertility clinic at $35.00 donation. It then turns out that his sperm is used for 533 births. On top of that a group of the resulting children (142) file a class action suit to find out who is the sperm contributor who was assigned the name of Starbuck. They want to know their father. 

The first half of the movie is gently funny as they have a lot of fun with the resulting complications as a result  of all the successful births. (The clinic is proud of the quality of his sperm and uses his sperm repeatedly.) here is then a law suit and something of a trial. The second half  of the movie dwells on the feel-good, human nature story of a few of the resulting children with whom he comes into contact. I think they could have developed the fun aspects of the main story line more than they did. The heart-warming changes that are brought on to David's character are well done but so predictable.  Dad

Patrick Huard as David

 

 

 

The previews were:

 

Frances Ha

Kon-Tiki

Trance

Mud

 

We'll Miss You, Roger.

Roger Ebert

June 18, 1942 - April 4, 2013

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Jean, This movie is one non-stop blast. It was so much more than I had expected. Not only the action scenes  but all the new " toys" that are presented with which to wage modern war.   Also  those scenes of the Ninja swordsmen and their chase and dueling matches across the faces of the Tibetan mountains were very imaginative and entertaining. (I could see just those scenes again.) I thought the overall story was a little dumb but the action was non-stop and it never seem to lose momentum. The locations looked very authentic as well like those at Fort Sumter.  The introduction of the pearl handled or ivory handled.45 automatic of General Patton was an interesting historic touch. In all this, I was never quite sure who was behind the black armored suit masks. Dad

Dwayne Johnson in G.I.Joe: Retaliation

P.S. The previews were:

White House Down

Fast and Furious 6

Star Trek: Into Darkness

RED 2

World War Z

The Lone Ranger