John Wick (2014) - M0.0/E3

Somewhere I heard this was almost as much fun as watching the Matrix.  As much as I loved the first Matrix, this was nothing like it.  This is going to be very short.

The movie started off rather slow and I really wondered how the whole Keanu Reeves holding a gun was going to be relevant about 10 minutes into it.  A terrible tragedy happens, revenge takes hold, and everyone dies.  The end.

Don't waste your time.  VidAngel didn't help much here.  Sometimes bad movies are bad even without the swearing/violence/sex.  There was no redemptive value to watching this at all; it was just pure depressing.

If you want a more thorough review, check out ericdsnider.com.  He gave it a B+, and a lot of times I agree with his rating, but when there is no moral message, or even a negative morality to a film, it's very hard to find a reason to enjoy it.

Sicario (2015) - M5.8/E8

This was a very thought provoking movie.  One that can bring up some tense conversations from people on different sides of the political spectrum.   In essence, the government crosses some moral lines in order to maximize the saving of lives.  Is it ever OK to make such compromises?

While drawn from the train of science fiction and fantasy, two examples come to mind. In the book Ender's Game, the need to brutally and finally punish your enemies so that they can't seek out revenge on you is repeatedly brought up.  The following are some of the deepest lines of the novel and is an exchange that occurs between Ender and Valentine in chapter 13 of the book:

Ender: "In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them -"
Valentine: "You beat them." For a moment she was not afraid of his understanding.
Ender: "No, you don't understand. I destroy them. I make it impossible for them to ever hurt me again. I grind them and grind them until they don't exist."

Ender kills multiple boys and almost causes the genocide of an alien race.  The guilt he has to bear is insufferable. Is it OK to go so far too ensure the safety of oneself or one's family? One's country? Are the psychological, spiritual consequences worth it?

In Batman, we constantly see Batman's dilemma with confronting the Joker. If he's really such a violent criminal, shouldn't it be OK if Batman kills him?  Isn't he being irresponsible and contributing the deaths of so many by simply turning him over to the authorities?  The constant response is that if he did kill the Joker, how would he be any different from any criminals he has vowed to bring justice on?  Any different from the man who took his parents away from him?  The difference between willing to take someone's life for pleasure or to end it to ensure the lives of countless innocents that would otherwise die? There is a line that shouldn't be crossed, and it may be different for different individuals (a seemingly scapegoat statement). Otherwise, the world would be out of balance.

Was it for the benefit of the world that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed? Did it end up saving more lives in the end to end it so dramatically and brutally? Would doing so again send a similar message to similar, present-day antagonistic groups?  I don't know. I wish it were as easy as saying it's never worth it.  In the Bible, God commanded the demolishing of cities for the good of his people. Yet, on a smaller, family scale, beyond stern and occasional corporal punishment (hopefully infrequent and under control) for an out of control child, sometimes a parent has to wait out the craziness in love and patience. Granted not everyone should be treated as one's child, but it's worth thinking about, if anything, to keep us humane.

[Spoilers may follow...]

It's too easy to cross a line in the heat of emotion and give up your humanity.  In the end, the revenge killing of the man's family was wrong, but the overall operation would supposedly save so many lives.  Undoubtedly someone else would step in and re-initiate or continue the crimes committed by the drug lord.  But as also mentioned, this will continue (in part) as long as Americans use and crave illegal drugs.

Watched on VidAngel filtering out only f-words and blasphemy and it was still followable.  There are some graphic scenes of violence that could be filtered out without disturbing the storyline too much.

The Hunger Games (2012) - M6.0/E7

I had been wanting to read the book, and had even checked out the audio book from the library, but it ended up being badly scratched about 20 minutes into the book, and I never got a chance to give it another go; and now, having seen it, I probably won't be reading it. I dislike it when good movies are made about good books. Reading one or watching the other will always make it less desirable to watch or read it after having done the other.

I really enjoyed the movie. It was suspenseful, had decent character development, and the choices the characters made and the situations the characters were placed in were realistic (serious injuries actually hurt and debilitated the victims instead of being played off as "merely flesh wounds").

One particularly interesting and thought provoking part of the movie was a short dialog on how hope was the reason that the orchestrators of the Hunger Games needed to produce a winner. Basically, a very small amount of hope was necessary to keep the people in the various districts in submission; no hope or abounding hope would give cause for rebellion. The irony in this thought is that hope can only be diminished or controlled if the people submit to fear. So, weak people would be affected by imposed fear, but the strong ones (the ones that need watching) will let their hope drown out their fears.

We also see Katniss and a few other competitors as compassionate human beings, while other competitors were more selfish and animal-like in their quest for survival. Even though the selfish group banded together and hunted the others, in the end it was the more compassionate competitors that won. While not always the case in real life, where compassion doesn't always win, it does show that compassion brings happiness, while selfishness brings sadness and destruction.

There is quite a bit of violence, some language, and little to no sex/nudity. Being how violence is one of the main themes of the movie, they do an excellent job of filming violent scenes without overwhelming the audience with blood and gore (which would have resulted in a more severe MPAA rating). There are some instances where the filming could cause some strain on eyes (particularly when there should be no extraneous camera motion).

Chronicle (2012) - M6.8/E7

This is a story about three high school teens who gain telekinetic powers. As they attempt to strengthen and control them, they soon realize that having special powers doesn’t really change who you are, it doesn’t make you popular or likeable; and in some instances can amplify your true feelings.

This was a cool movie. Even though it was purely filmed by a hand camera, it was not headache nor nausea inducing. While it did get a little annoying that they had to keep reminding us why everything was being videotaped, it made the story more real (even though it’s based on some fantastical events). The filming wasn’t the only thing that made it feel real, the acting and interactions of the main characters was really believable. That being said, I didn’t feel as fulfilled or entertained as I did after watching something like Mission Impossible 4, where you have a well polished, produced movie with outstanding special effects, that was meant to take you away from reality into a fictional realm.

I think I enjoyed the first hour or so of the movie the best. We see the boys just recognizing and experimenting with their powers. Each new surprise is a surprise to us, and makes it feel like we’re there sharing their experience with them. The pranks they pull are pretty funny, too.

Andrew’s character was the most intricate one in the film. We understand his pains, not necessarily because his pains are common, but because we’ve come in contact or can remember someone just like him from high school. One scene that really made sense, but at the same time was really frustrating was when Andrew gets after Steve for being his friend only because they now have something in common. Why else would you be a friend with anyone? Andrew is very self-deprecating and wants people to like him for who he his, not because they have something in common with him or because of some freak accident.

His dad (step-dad?) is constantly berating him and telling him what a loser he is, and it’s almost as if Andrew accepts that as his reality and any attempt at others to genuinely care for him is seen as merely fake.

We all have a desire to be loved, and not loved out of pity, but because others value who we are intrinsically in spite of/because of our many faults and weaknesses.

Due to the filming style, this show may not be for everyone, but we really enjoyed it. There is quite a bit of language, some violence, and talk about sex, but no nudity or explicit sexual scenes (contrary to what the trailer shows).

Real Steel (2011) - M3.8/E6

No real surprises here. The entire plot of the movie can be easily derived from the trailer. Even still, the fight scenes were pretty cool and the father/son bonding was nice (though a little contrived and unoriginal). At first I really liked the kid actor, but as the show went on it seemed that there was a little too much overacting.

Fathers should shoulder responsibility for kids they help bring into this world. This show didn’t make that strong of a point, since it pretty much showed that 11 years of absence from his son’s life was made up by a summer of attending some fights. How many loser-father’s are really brought back into contact with children they sired and then abandoned? I guess that makes this more of a fairy-tale than inspirational.

Again, it’s worth the $1.25 at Redbox, if you’ve got nothing else to watch. There is some violence, though mostly robot vs. robot; language and sex are minimal. Other than the main character getting beat-up for never repaying his debts, this show is probably alright for most audiences (even under 13).

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) - M5.8/E7

I wasn’t sure who to really believe about how good this movie was going to be. It’s hard not to have any expectations when waiting so long to see a popular movie. I was getting bored about 60% into the movie and was really hoping something interesting was going to happen. Thank heavens it did (and the urban camouflage was pretty awesome).

Right around the time of the chess game between Moriarty and Holmes everything starts to unravel, a little too late for my liking. I remember the previous movie had more hints and clues as to what was going on throughout the film, the clues left in A Game of Shadows weren’t useful at all and didn’t help you try to deduce what was going on. It was less of an intellectual joy, but still entertaining. I believe it will still be worth a second watch.

No real moral dilemmas stood out in this film. Moriarty is proud, ruthless, and greedy; his end goal of power and wealth justify mass murders in his eyes. Yet because of his pride/ego, he underestimates Holmes, and gets “done in.”

The rating is primarily for violence. There’s little language and a potentially uncomfortable, partial nude scene that was more comical than offensive.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) - M5.4/E8

I have to say my initial desire to see this on opening night at an IMAX theater 45 min. away was for the prologue of the Dark Knight Rises, and it was well worth it.  I'm even more excited to see it this summer, and I was pretty stinking excited to see it in the first place.

Mission Impossible 4 on an IMAX theater was pretty amazing, and a lot more intense than it would be in a regular theater (which I loved, but my wife did not).  The opening sequence with breaking Ethan Hunt out of a Serbian prison was mind blowing and had enough neck cracking and bone breaking to set anyone on edge.  The follow-up credit sequence and theme song by Giacchino was excellent.

I liked the fewer corny lines in this one compared to MI3 (Dunn provided a good balance of comedy); and there were a lot fewer cliche Mission Impossible scenarios going on here too.  The missions up to this point seemed to be pretty much the same.  It's introduced as an unthinkable mission (breaking into the CIA, or some other top secret place), and everyone is flabbergasted at the thought, and then Ethan says something like, "It gets much worse..." and then he goes on and explains the unbelievable security that they'll have to breach, and then they do it.  This one had similar elements, but the unexpected circumstances under which they were required to operate made the film more engaging and interesting.

[***Spoiler Alert - Read on if you've already seen the movie, or don't plan on seeing it***]

I was a little bothered at first when it was insinuated that things didn't work out between Ethan and his wife.  The entire third movie was based on their love for each other and willingness to die for each other's safety.  I was very relieved when we find out what really happened with his wife (the second revelation, not the fact that she died, though even that would be better than just leaving her).

The team work that resulted from a haphazardly assembled team was very well portrayed.  Everything didn't just work, they had to work out differences, learn how to work together and trust one another in order to accomplish their mission.  Ethan did a good job as the team lead by not forcing people to cooperate or penalizing them for not working well; he just did the best he could and expected them to follow suit.

Definitely worth seeing in the theater, try IMAX if you have the option.  No sex/nudity, language was better than a lot of PG-13 shows, violence was the main contributor to the rating.

Taken (2009) - M5.0/E8

This movie was awesome. Everything I expected it to be and more (which expectations I try to keep to a minimum). I had to keep telling myself to breathe and relax and enjoy the movie. This is one of the best action movies I’ve seen in a while.

The beginning of the movie does a great job at getting us to feel sympathy for and understand the love that Bryan Mills has for his daughter, Kim. This sympathy largely stems from the super-annoying ex-wife who has her head in the clouds and apparently cares little for their daughter and has the utmost disdain for her ex-husband, in particular with regards to his over-protectiveness. While Bryan’s over-protectiveness is attributed to his previous career as a CIA black ops agent, I would hope any competent, loving father (and mother) would be equally protective and concerned. (I liked seeing Uncle Rico in this as a buddy of Bryan’s.)

Hanna (2011) - M3.1/E6

This is nothing like a Jason Bourne movie, though that is what it seems like from the trailers. It's actually an interpretation of Grimm's fairy tales (the twisted original stories of the sweet Disney stories we're told as kids). There is no real resolution, and mysteries presented are revealed rather abruptly. Even with these short comings, it was so intriguing we hardly knew that two hours flew by.

There’s little to offer on a moral level. The violence was rather gruesome and didn’t contribute to any positive message in the film. This is just a story about how an ex-CIA operative shelters his daughter and trains her to be an assassin so that she can kill the one person they’re hiding from. It’s a little deeper than that and artistically appealing, so we think it might be worth at least one initial watch if you’re looking for an action flick and don’t mind a few bloody scenes. The featured user review on IMDB is worth reading after you’ve seen the film.

Ironman 2 (2010)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

I came into the film knowing it was poorly received by the critics, and ended up enjoying it. Nothing deep here. I agree that the first Iron Man was much better. It’s worth the watch on Netflix if you haven’t seen it and care anything for the story.

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

Tony Stark realizes that he’s about to die and start’s realizing what matters most in his life. This is nice due to the fact that his escapades with women are pretty much non-existent (not really a priority on one’s death bed). He actually shows genuine interest in Pepper at the end, and it seems that there is something of value inside Tony Stark. Besides the not-so-great overall story, the realistic weakness affecting Stark makes the story a little more endearing.

Superman (1978)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

I don’t think I had ever seen this movie. I’ve seen the second one. The movie was well done, but a little long for me. The 154 minutes totally could have been trimmed down - particularly the 5-10 minute scene of the destruction of Krypton, all you see is a bunch of nameless people in white falling all over the place to their deaths; and then there’s the 5-10 minutes of credits at the beginning. Gene Hackman really doesn’t fit my image of Lex Luthor. He plays a smart guy (a genius), but he sure doesn’t look or act the part well. Hopefully the second reboot next year gets something right (though I think Kevin Spacey was a step in the right direction).

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

Superman is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way. I know he’s supposed to fall for Lois Lane, but his swooning over her made this more of a romantic-comedy than a movie that shows a decent battle between good and evil. There isn’t much more to say here. The movie is a classic, so it’s good, but definitely not great.

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Entertainment Rating: 2 of 5

Not great. Nothing more than a video game, but your thumbs don’t get sore because all the shooting is done for you. There isn’t more than shooting a bunch of robot/aliens. Not worth your time, unless what I described is your cup of tea. The filming might make you noxious as it’s basically someone running around with a camcorder, similar to Cloverfield in more than one way (but we actually enjoyed Cloverfield).

Moral Rating: 3 of 5

There’s a bit of an effort at telling an inspirational story about an officer that gains the love and respect of those he’s fighting with. He starts off as not a popular person, many thinking that because he was the only survivor of a previous unit that he didn’t care for the safety of those he was with and worried about preserving his own life. Through many trying circumstances during the invasion at hand, he proves he’s worth his salt.

Megamind (2010)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

Great humor; Will Ferrel did a great job. The story was a lot better than I had anticipated. I thought it would mimic the stale plot of bad guy versus good guy, bad guy never wins, good guy gets girl in the end, with occasional humorous moments. It was not stale at all, and the originality of it (as far as I can think right now, it’s original) was refreshing and engaging; and the humor was great. The music throughout the film rocked, pure classic rock.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

Great message on the fallacy of fate. Our future is not already written for us. We don’t have to fit the mold people put us in. We need to become whatever it is that will allow us to reach our full potential as children of God. Megamind struggled with this idea of trying to fulfill his destiny, constantly going through the motions because that’s what he thought he was supposed to do. It wasn’t until he realized his potential for good that he actually became free from the bonds of fate.

I couldn't decide which clip to include, so here are a few more:

Unstoppable (2010)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This was a great movie. An added bonus was that it was about an hour and a half long - short and sweet. We found ourselves on the edge of our seats for pretty much the entire show. Definitely check this one out. My one small, minor nit-pick is the believability of the news reports when they showed the at-fault employee’s picture and name on the TV and mention that “he will answer for his irresponsible behavior” was a little too much of a stretch; the news reports in general could have been better done.

Gotta love the Black Keys song used at the beginning of the trailer.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

This movie is based on true events, and for the most part it follows the events pretty close. We see how one stupid mistake (which at the time didn’t seem that big of a deal) escalated into a lives-threatening situation. Some may think this lesson applies only in big-impact situations where mistakes can lead inescapably to death (e.g., train yards, airplanes, battle front, etc.), but we need to remember that people making stupid mistakes in cars (an everyday experience for most people) - texting, cell phone usage, drinking, etc - can just as easily have serious repercussions.

Family relationships are another nice touch to the story here. We have one engineer (Denzel Washington) show his love for his daughters and his effort to reach out to them for forgiveness, when it might be easier to stand off. The other engineer (Chris Pine) is in a rough position with his wife, but is encouraged by his wise partner (Washington) that he needs to reach out and not let her go.

The Green Hornet (2011)

Entertainment Rating: 2 of 5

I may have enjoyed this because I was expecting garbage and it was actually better than some garbage I’ve seen. The movie was definitely not on par with other comic book movies, and I’m glad I didn’t spend the money to see this in the theater; it was ok at home for $1. The whole Bloodnovsky development was really lame, a good villain would have made this better; and a good hero could have made it great.

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

I was hoping Britt Reid would “come to himself” when his father died and realize the legacy his father left him, causing an earlier change for the better; this would have made the whole super-hero endeavor a little more interesting. Instead we get stuck watching a moron think he’s a super hero when his coffee making side-kick is really the only one doing anything of value. It took me a while to get into Seth Rogen's character - as far as stupid actors go, Ryan Reynolds did a much better job in Green Lantern, Rogen was just plain stupid in this.

The movie was filled with typical comic book style action, but too much needless profanity.

Green Lantern (2011)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

I really enjoyed seeing this in the theater. I was hoping that the critics negative reviews of the movie would not be true, and I was very glad they weren’t. We get a good introduction to the Green Lantern mythos and are well entertained at the same time. Part of why I enjoyed this may have been because I read Green Lantern: Rebirth a few months ago, and while I was a little overwhelmed by the numerous characters and strange setting, I really enjoyed the message of will power and overcoming fear. I also haven’t been spoiled by watching any of the not-so-good Ryan Reynolds comedies, and actually thought he did a good job here - not too much goofiness and no crassness, but enough humor to balance out the rest of the story.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

I honestly thought Hal Jordan was going to be a really strong moral character at the start, and that that was his reason for being selected to join the Green Lantern Corps; but that wasn’t the case. It was nice to see his humanity - weakness - but also his resolve and will power to realize his full potential that others saw in him and become the person/hero that he needed to be. I really enjoy movies that allow me to relate to a character that I admire, it sparks hope and helps me remember that I have great potential and need to figure out what I need to do, where I can exercise my will power and resolve to overcome fear and self-pity.

We see that Hal Jordan isn’t the most moral character at first (apparently sleeping around with quite a few women), but we aren’t bombarded with inappropriate, awkward scenes that have to spell out every type of immorality Hal’s involved with. Vulgar language is also kept to a minimum. The main reason for the PG-13 rating is for the fighting scenes.

This one is worth your time to check out.

Batman: The Movie (1966)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

We watched this with our kids and they seemed to like it quite a bit. Nothing terribly ingenious here, but a well spent hour and forty-five minutes. It definitely came before the dark Batman we know now, making it more family friendly. I really don’t have a whole lot to say, other than it was fun!

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

No real moral lessons here, just pure fun.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

I remember loving this show so much as a kid. While the fighting was rather laughable and the storyline a little corny, the film was still enjoyable. I don’t believe I’ll get my wife to watch Secret of the Ooze with me though.

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

Friendship and family are probably the two most important themes in the movie. By trying to supplant them with money or fun, sadness inevitably ensues.

Don’t watch this movie to get a moral lesson out of it, your kids are more likely to want to hit something and also learn some nice four-letter words rather than better understand the importance of family.

T-U-R-T-L-E Power!

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This is probably the best of the five X-Men movies made, with Wolverine coming in a close second. I didn’t really get into the trilogy, though maybe watching it again I might enjoy it better. The story of X-Men has always intrigued me, a story about fitting in with humanity. The story depicted in this film was thoroughly interesting and exciting, giving good insight (though I’m not sure how true to the original) on a lot of the characters’ origins. This is worth catching in the theater.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

I loved how well they tied in this piece of fiction with actual historical events. The movie spliced in speeches by John F. Kennedy and footage of the Cuban Missile Crisis and fused these factual pieces with the mutant storyline fairly well. There’s a constant moré through the film urging the young mutants to learn to be happy with who they are and not try to conform to societal norms for other people’s comfort.

Erik’s moral struggle with his own conscience and the guidance of his close friend Charles Xavier is also very powerful. Erik shows us that it is much easier to give in to rage and anger than to learn how to calmly control yourself like Charles. However, the film doesn’t paint Erik as a complete bad guy; we know that his observation of humans’ new-found hatred for mutants will not be easy (if not impossible) to quell, and might even be somewhat justified. Erik tends to choose the easy battle of not working to establish peace at all and forces himself and others to choose sides and create enemies of the humans. While Xavier knows there is some truth to Erik’s belief (that the humans want to kill the mutants because they feel threatened), Charles feels that peace is worth pursuing, even if it is an uphill battle.

Besides the good, thought provoking story, there is a small amount of language (not totally out of place, fitting right in with Logan’s character) and several scenes with scantily clad women.

R.E.D. (2010)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

This was an easy-going movie, nowhere near as intense as the previews made it out to be. The humor was great and the music did a great job at setting the tone. We watched it unedited and were able to enjoy it quite well, though there was some language and violence throughout it.

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

No real moral lesson was intended for this type of show, it was purely for entertainment.