"The Maze Runner" Offers A Bleak Outlook On Life

The Maze Runner (2014)

PG-13

Starring Dylan O'Brien, Ami Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelari

Directed by Wes Ball

The Story:

Thomas (O'Brien) awakens in The Glade, with no memories and attempts to fit in with the other boys that live there. There's leader Alby (Ameen), resident a-hole, Gally (Poulter) and the leader of the runners, Minho (Lee). Once Thomas arrives, he questions everything and begins to unsettle the environment. These young men survive in the wild, and attempt to navigate a giant maze on the outskirts of their settlement daily. So far, no exit has been found, but there is something sinister within the walls. When the first female arrives (Scodelari), the rules all change forever, and the colony must do what it can to survive.

Based on a true story.

Gosh, I hope not!

Welcome to another dystopian future young adult novel turned into cinematic franchise.

It's not horrible,

It's not wonderful.

There will be a sequel.

However, the ending has the most pointless death I've seen in a movie in a very long time.

That it took up almost 2 hours of my life and that was the most emotion that the film elicited from me tells you that for the most part, this movie is simply average.

Final Grade: C

They Call Him Fli... Whoops, Wrong Show... "Dolphin Tale 2"

Dolphin Tale 2 (2014)

Rated PG

Starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff,

Written & Directed by Charles Martin Smith

The Story:

Remember Winter from the first movie? Well, her surrogate mother has passed away, and now Winter isn't doing so great. If she doesn't recover, or if they Marina cannot find another dolphin to pair her with, according to the Feds, Winter will have to be sent to another Marina to live.

Oh no!

Yes, it's another round of "Based on a True Story".

The cast returns as young Sawyer (Gamble) has grown and faces a semester at sea. Of course he'd love to go, but his heart belongs with Winter and ensuring she gets the care at the Marina that she deserves.

Luckily she's under the care of Dr. Haskett (Connick) and his daughter (Zuehlsdorff) who is obviously enamored with Sawyer.

I guess that will be the story behind Dolphin Tale 2! (?)

As fate would have it, another dolphin in need is going to come into the Marina's life.

The trick is, will baby Hope and Winter be able to bond before the USDA comes to take Winter away forever?

Don't worry, you probably already know the answer, but it's still a mostly heartwarming tale to get you there.

Final Grade: C+

It's Rather Sparkling..."The Sapphires"

The Sapphires (2012)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris O'Dowd, Miranda Tapsell, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens

Directed by Wayne Blair

The Story:

In the 50s, the Australian government went around the country and rounded up light skinned aborigines and assimilated them into white culture. This is the backdrop for the story of 4 girls who reunite to sing after attempting to find one of their own that was lost years earlier. With the help of a down-on-his-luck manager who does know how good music should sound (O'Dowd), the ladies just might become famous.

If their trip through Vietnam to entertain the troops doesn't kill them first!

Did I mention this was based on a true story?

Of course I didn't.

But it is!

Written by the son of one of the vocalists, there were of course liberties taken with the story to make it more entertaining to audiences across the globe.

He succeeded.

The girls can sing, and switching them from country to soul was a smart decision.

O'Dowd is a fun presence to the story, but it always comes back to the girls and their abilities to sing and get along with one another, especially while touring through Vietnam, are constantly keeping the group on edge.

Pretty enjoyable film, and it's available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: Solid B

And The Oscar Goes To... "Drive Hard"

Drive Hard (2014)

N/R (R)

Starring Thomas Jane, John Cusack

Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith

The Story:

Peter (Jane) is a former race-car driver who left the thrills and spills and moved with his family to Australia. He now teaches people how to be drivers. Cue the appointment with Simon (Cusack) who takes him out for a lesson, then along for the ride of his life!

Throw caution to the wind, and watch a pair of American actors race across the Outback eluding the police!

Cusack is having a ball as the bad guy, but not as bad of a guy as you might think...

Jane waffles between amused and bemused as the poor driver taken hostage and forced to work his old magic to keep himself alive.

But that's just it, this is a cheesy, cornball of a movie where it seems like they said, hey, Australia wants to make a movie two, here's a pair of actors you can use, have fun with it.

They did.

You're rolling your eyes one minute, and then laughing in spite of it the next.

Cusack has been doing a lot of these films that are coming straight to streaming or otherwise missing the appearance in theaters.

Whether he's doing it "for the paycheck" or not, that's a whole different argument.

He at least is always a professional and gives a good performance and that is commendable.

I wasn't expecting much, heck, I thought it was a sequel to Nic Cage's Drive Angry at first, but I stayed for the whole thing and didn't feel bad about those 90 minutes slipping away.

:)

Currently available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again in the future, but I've got plenty of other things to watch first! :)

Live From New York, It's "Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversay Special"

Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary (2015)

TV-14

Starring The Not Ready For Primetime Players

Created by Lorne Michaels

The Story:

The year was 1975, and Lorne Michaels unleashed a weekly 90 minute program of satirical humor and musical guests every Saturday Night, live for the viewing public. The face of comedy was changed forever.

It may not have truly recognized for the brilliance at first, but how about by using a 40 year retrospective that is basically a greatest hits/worlds' biggest inside joke for the cast and the fans of the show to help you appreciate the comedy geniuses that have passed through Studio 8H over the decades.

Some went on to bigger and better things after their stint on the show. Some went on...and we are surprised that they are still around.

Saturday Night Live has been around for 40 years.

Reports (or demands) of its cancellation have been circulating for about...

39 years.

:)

Pretty much if they were ever on the show, they were on the show last night.

Even Eddie Murphy, who returned to a standing ovation.

There were a few new sketches with cast members from across the spectrum, and with a few special guest stars.

I would say the Jeopardy sketch with Ferrell back as Trebek and the always underrated Darryl Hammond as Sean Connery did not disappoint.

There was a Weekend Update retrospective with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jane Curtin as hosts.

Then a salute to the musicians and comedy skits that have been a staple of the show since the beginning.

They also looked at the crossover between sports and comedy as well.

A solid show from top to bottom, and filled with more than enough laughs.

Worst segment?

The Kanye West musical segment.

That's okay, SNL is notorious for  airing stuff that probably should have been cut.

I don't stay up much anymore and am not that familiar with the cast, but I'm glad they're still around and doing this every weekend.

Looking forward to the next decade of laughs, and that should be SNL's next retrospective, the 50th.

Final Grade: A

Careful If You Venture "Into The Storm"

Into The Storm (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Max Deacon, Nathan Kress

Directed by Steven Quale

The Story:

Tornadoes unlike any that have ever been seen before are converging on the town of Silverton on the day of the high school graduation. A group of storm chasers making a documentary is in pursuit. The town is gearing up for the ceremony and filming the happenings.

This is their found footage.

Ta-Da!

It's another movie that's a found footage film, without being a found footage movie.

Instead it's a fairly slick operation that bounces back between their stories (and a few other filmmakers) to create a Twister for the 21st century.

However, unlike Twister, you won't get as emotionally invested in any of these characters or their situations.

Now you see why I'm not naming who they are or what they are doing.

Instead, it's the CGI storms that are the star of the film.

Thankfully, there are no sharks in these tornadoes!

:)

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: One viewing was all I need.

Stick To The Cartoons..."Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Tohoru Masamune

Directed by Johnathan Liebesman

The Story:

Shredder (Masamune) and his Foot Clan are terrorizing New York City. However, there are apparently some vigilantes that are standing up for what's right. Reporter April O'Neil (Fox) follows them and discovers that they are giant turtles.

But not just any turtles.

They are teenage mutant ninja turtles.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Turtle franchise, this movie was unleashed on the world last year.

Looking at the trailer, I couldn't help but think to myself, "this looks terrible."

My instincts were not wrong.

I turned over guest-reviewer status to my girls who saw the film, and they enjoyed it.

I worry about the taste in movies of my girls.

:)

I think a lot of it is the joy of seeing your childhood heroes brought to the big screen.

I get that.

Tell me I don't gush each time Marvel Studios releases a new movie! :)

This isn't the turtles I grew up on.

Heck, this isn't the latest revival on Nickelodeon which is actually pretty good.

No, this is something entirely different.

Having endured the film, I'm still not exactly sure what it was.

However, good isn't one of the words I will use.

I want to say there were approximately 3 amusing lines in the entire movie, and I believe they all belonged to Mikey.

No, this train wreck just kept adding more and more to the screen, apparently hoping to simply overwhelm the viewer with CGI and Megan Fox.

Don't get me started on her, but as I've mentioned previously, once she left the Transformers franchise, the films started to get better.

I guess I'll wait for her to leave this franchise on the 3rd film?


Final Grade: D+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No, I won't be buying this film, not even if they beg.  I had several audible gasps when I warned them that this film is officially eligible for Turkey of the Year honors.

Sorry kids, this was awful.

Here Comes Some "Magic In The Moonlight"

Magic In The Moonlight (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Simon McBurney

Written and Directed by Woody Allen

The Story:

Stanley (Firth) is a great magician who is called by an old friend (McBurney) to help debunk a young medium named Sophie (Stone). He's been trying, but seems to think she is legitimate. The more Stanley is around her, the more he begins to realize two things: she may be the real deal, and he might be falling in love with her.

This is a sweet enough, amusing venture by Woody Allen.

However, I'm not sure I can get past the age difference between the two leads.

Perhaps Stanley should have loved her like a daughter. Being almost 30 years her senior, that relationship makes sense.

So there's a creepy vibe that hangs over the movie the whole time, and it just didn't work for me.

Stone is fine as usual, as is Firth.

Truth be told, I love Colin Firth. Great actor, lots of fun. Does great in drama and is equally adept in comedy.

Make Sophie older, and allow her to appear older, and maybe, just maybe, the creepy vibe goes away.

Your mileage may vary.

The fact that Woody Allen has a past with young girls, well... let's just say that this movie helps remind  you of that fact.

As they lean in for the kiss at the end, I didn't meet that scene with a smile.

It was more of a recoil in horror.

: /

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: One and done!

Return To "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For"

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (2014)

Rated R

Starring Mickey Rourke, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Eva Green, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jessica Alba

Written and Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez

The Story:

Marv (Rourke) is back along with many of the other denizens of Sin City. Using an original story interwoven with Miller's A Dame to Kill For, the two stories intertwine as new characters cross-over with some returning characters.

As it is crime noir, I don't want to mention who does what, or who gets killed...

But if you saw the first one, you know that pretty much anyone is going to be fair game for shooting someone else in this movie or getting shot before the film concludes.

Still, great direction and camera work by Rodriguez and Miller, but not quite as strong of a narrative as the original film.


It probably didn't help much that they waited almost a decade between installments of this franchise.

That said, if you liked the first one, you'll probably like this one.

Possibly just not as much.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: It was okay, and like the original, worth a watch, but no reason to revisit for me.

I Want To Attend Greendale "Community" College!!

Community (2009)

TV PG

Starring Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase

The Story:

Disbarred lawyer Jeff Winger (McHale) heads back to Greendale Community College when it is discovered that he lied about having a degree. While he's taking Spanish, he wants to hit on a fellow classmate, Britta (Jacobs). To do that, he makes up a fake study group to get to spend more time with her. However, Abed (Pudi) think Jeff really wants to start a study group and invites the rest of the gang along.

This is their story!

So this was a show I had wanted to watch when it came on, but usually I don't have time weekly for a television show, so this one passed me by.

Then the kids started watching it online, and were always laughing.

So in December, they bought Season 2 and had me watch the 2nd episode.

Then I watched the rest of the episodes.

I was hooked.

Starting in Season 2 was a bit of a cheat, but well played on their part.

The show, writing, acting, chemistry is great in the second season. Going back to watch the first season later, you can see the skeleton of the show it would become, but Seasons 2 and 3 are incredible from start to finish.

Also, don't be shocked to find the show turn into a musical, a cartoon, a stop motion or any of a million other TV or movie tropes. 

While McHale is the *star* of the show, it's a true ensemble throughout.
However, I am of the mind that Danny Pudi as Abed is the real star of the show.
As the grounded center, emotionally detached and through the eye of his documentary lens, he captures the friendship that builds and grows throughout the seasons.

Because what starts as a show about a lawyer looking for a degree at the community college that isn't even the best college in the community becomes a show about...

Friendship.

It's a slow build, but oh so worth it.

You've probably heard about the drama that surrounded creator Dan Harmon, Chevy Chase, and even NBC...

Irrelevant.

The first 3 seasons are great. Seasons 4 and 5 are good.

Season six?

Coming to Yahoo in March.

I can't wait.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I now own all 5 seasons and have watched all the episodes. And some episodes...several times. :)

Sounds Like Fun..."Let's Be Cops"

Let's Be Cops (2014)

Rated R

Starring Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr.

Written and Directed by Luke Greenfield

The Story:

Ryan (Johnson) and Justin (Wayans) are struggling in their current jobs. When they dress as cops for a college reunion instead of dressing for a masquerade ball, the duo realize that maybe they are getting the short end of the stick of life. However on their way home, everyone treats them like real cops, and the guys begin to blow off steam by playing fake cops for fun. However, when the duo stumble upon an actual crime, they begin to take their play seriously, and begin to unravel a case that deals with the mob! Hopefully they brought some fake bulletproof vests!

This is one of those movies that you see the trailer or hear the title and roll your eyes thinking, "okay, that will probably be silly fun, or downright stupid, I'll catch it on DVD".

I did.

I'm glad I did.

It's actually quite a bit of fun and has a good time with the buddy cop genre.

Even though these guys aren't really cops!

Most of the jokes work without fail, and really the only thing I will knock them for is adhering to their R rating.

This is one I can't just have playing in the house due to the small ears that roam around and barge in.

But that's a problem at my house, not with the movie itself.

Both of the stars do a fine job carrying the film, and I guess the best thing I can say is this:

Let's Be Cops...Again!

I'd happily watch a sequel.

Final Grade: I'm giving this one a solid B.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I will likely purchase this one in the future and will watch it again someday when the kids aren't around. :)

It's Not Whether You Win Or Lose..."When The Game Stands Tall"

When The Game Stands Tall (2014)

PG

Starring Jim Caviezel, Michael Chiklis, Laura Dern, Matthew Daddario,

Directed by Thomas Carter

The Story:

The De La Salle Spartans went from an obscure high school football team to a juggernaut of mythical proportions as they racked up an insanely gaudy 151-0 record under coach Bob Ladouceur (Caviezel). With assistant coach Eidson (Chiklis) helping on defense, the Spartans have scared off the rival schools and so they line up out of state powerhouses to square off against. However, when an off-season tragedy befalls the graduating class, and the coach has a helath setback, next year's class doesn't quite step up to the plate and the Spartans fall on opening day.

The Streak dies, however from the ashes, Ladouceur becomes a better coach, but more importantly, a better father to his son (Daddario).

Naturally, inspired by a true story should be an obvious understatement.

:)

Of course, once the team starts winning again, people begin clamoring for The NEW Streak, which causes the coach to bristle. It's not about the streak, it's about the team.

Thankfully, the players he coaches learn the same lesson along the way.

While good, and even inspiring, the narrative of the story is a little disjointed at times.

The senseless tragedy from the first act is built up and then forgotten until the finale.

It really had no bearing on the new season, except for the passing of the torch to the Junior class who would fumble the ball, figuratively, and while tragic, kind of takes awhile for the movie to get any real momentum.

Again, it was a good movie, but the slow beginning could have used some kind of tweaking.

So enjoy, because it's a long way to go until football season.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could see watching this one again down the road, but no huge hurry, lots of other stuff to see!

One Of Last Year's Best..."How To Train Your Dragon 2"

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Rated PG for violence and dragons!

Starring Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Honsou

Directed by Dean DeBlois

The Story:

It's been several years since we last met the Vikings of Berk on the big screen, and as the film opens, it turns out they have adjusted to life quite well being dragon-riders.  Stoik (Butler) has designs on Hiccup (Baruchel) taking over as Chieftan of Berk, but Hiccup is too busy trying to find his way in the world and deciding what he really wants to be.  He's having too much fun exploring the world with Toothless and discovering all of the new lands.  It's on one of these adventures when he discovers two very important things:  there is an evil army collecting dragons in preparation for war; there is a mysterious dragon-rider who has ties to Berk and could help Hiccup unlock more dragon secrets than he ever imagined.

Dreamworks Animation has done it again.

If it sounds familiar, that means you read this review when I saw it in theaters last year.

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and it found its way under the tree.

That should come as no shock to anyone either, Dreamworks has been on a roll that the other studios haven't been able to match.

At least at our house, if not the box office.

I gave the nod to the original for my Top 10 of 2014 simply because I hadn't seen it before, so it was eligible.

Take it off the table, and Part 2 easily makes the Top 10 films of last year.

It's simply breathtakingly gorgeous, and the scope of the film grew tremendously since the first part.  Time has passed, the characters have aged and grown.

There will be a shift in the dynamics of the film by the time the credits roll.

Whether that's good... we'll find out in Part 3!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: We own it, and are looking forward, sadly, to the final installment.

It's Chilly Outside...It's Chili Inside..."Get Shorty"

Get Shorty (1995)

Rated R

Starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, Delroy Lindo, James Gandolfini

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

The Story:

Chili Palmer (Travolta) may work for the mob, but his heart is for the movies. When he winds up in Hollywood looking for Harry Zimm (Hackman) who has welched on a debt, he begins to dabble in Hollywood movie production. However, local mobster Bo (Lindo) and Miami's own Ray Barboni (Farina) close in on Chili and Zimm, things are about to get a little crazy!

Happy 20th Anniversary to Get Shorty!

Based on the Elmore Leonard story, this is a perfect all-star cast that brings out life behind the camera, and life within the mob all in one comedic caper.

While I knew and enjoyed the work of just about everyone in this cast, for me, it made stars of Lindo and Gandolfini.

Unfamiliar with their work up to that point, they both turned in great performances and, especially in the case of Lindo, I have looked forward to seeing him in just about anything ever since.

Highly recommended if you've never seen it, or if it's been nearly 20 years since your last viewing.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I love it. I own it. It gets watched roughly every year or two. It holds up very well every time!

The Most Important Film of 2014... "The Interview"

The Interview (2014)

Rated R

Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Randall Park

Directed by Seth Rogen

The Story:

TV Host Dave Skylark (Franco) and his producer Aaron (Rogen) want to boost their ratings, and credibility when they learn that the President of North Korea (Park) is a fan of "Skylark Tonight". So they are granted an exclusive interview and head to Korea, but the CIA asks them for one tiny favor: please assassinate the President while you are there.

Not based on a true story.

But it unfolded into the strangest real-life story at the end of 2014 when Sony Pictures website was hacked, movies were released online and thousands of confidential studio emails and passwords, etc. were released in one of the biggest hacks the world has ever seen.

People blamed North Korea.

They denied responsibility, but did say that the subject matter of this film was inappropriate and if it were to be released, things could become...scary...on Christmas Day in theaters.

Sony blinked.

The movie was pulled and no harm was to be had.

Instead, a few movie theaters played it, and it was available on the online stores for download.

And now, it's available to stream on Netflix.

Part of me wonders if Rogen and Franco were behind the hack.

Any publicity for their film is a good thing, right?

As to the movie itself, buckle up and prepare for endless bathroom humor delivered effortlessly by Franco and Rogen.

The two make a great team, and the jokes are one after the other as they continue to throw it at the wall to see what sticks.

To be fair, there are about 5 really funny gags/jokes in the film.

There's a lot more that is groan inducing on top of it.

At 112 minutes, this comedy is a hair long.

And a little gruesome at the end with finger biting and machine gun frenzies abounding.

Plus, you'll never hear Katy Perry's "Firework" the same way again.
:)

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was plenty for me, thanks.

Believe The Hype... "Super Bowl 49"

Super Bowl 49

Because I don't feel like typing Roman Numerals right now.

:)

New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks in Arizona.

How about that, that was a heckuva game!

If you want a good game, you want back and forth action where both teams seem capable of winning.

With a tie score at halftime, I was excited because about this time last year, I actually offered to take my wife to the craft store because the game was sooooo bad.

If you want to sum up the game, simply watch the last three minutes, you're not going to get much more action packed that that.

With the Seahawks on the verge of beating New England with a ridiculous end of game catch reminiscent of the helmet catch the last time the Patriots were in this stadium for a Super Bowl.

Yet Seattle takes the ball out of the hands of Lynch at the end. The man was unstoppable.

My thoughts? They didn't want him to be Super Bowl MVP and have to pay the contract commensurate with those accolades.

Whoops.

Bad call.

Then the Seahawks decided to come out swinging, literally, on the last play and sullied an otherwise great game from both sides.

Congratulations New England, you earned and deserved it.

Now, unlike the halftime show last year which was better than the game, this year's featuring Katy Perry was okay.

My favorite part was the dancing and singing sharks!

When Missy Elliot came out, I became instantly bored and went to the kitchen to put the 7 layer dip away instead.

Finally, the commercials.

The best?

Easily belongs to the Brady Bunch Snickers commercial with Danny Trejo. Hilarious and fun!

Runner-up?

Where can I go to play that full-size Pac Man game!!1

:)

The worst?

Hands down the Nationwide Dead Kid commercial.

Totally inappropriate for just about any occasion, but especially so for the Super Bowl.

Not sure who should get the blame on this one, Nationwide, the advertising agency or the NFL for selecting this one.

Really took the excitement of the game and crushed it.

Looking at comments on Social Media, that commercial really, really, really upset a lot of families who had lost kids due to accidents.

Someone wasn't thinking, and heads really should roll.

Too bad the damage is already done.


Final Grade for The Game: A
Halftime: C+
Commercials: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'll be back to watch again next year, I hope it's as exciting of a game!