A Tale Of Two Coaches... "The '85 Bears"

The 85 Bears (2016)

Directed by Jason Hehir

The Story:

The Chicago Bears have fired their coaching staff, but the defense begs the owners not to let Buddy Ryan go. They feel they are on the verge of something great. Ryan isn't fired, but he isn't promoted to head coach. Instead, they bring in Mike Ditka to lead the team. This doesn't sit very well with Ryan, but he focuses on the defense, and his players rally around him to form quite possibly the greatest defensive team ever in the history of the NFL.

Another excellent installment from ESPNs 30 For 30, the focus on the Bears is an amazing tale of two coaches, and really, two different teams that were playing on the same field.

There was Buddy Ryan's defense and that amazing wall of talent: Dent. Singletary. McMichael. Etc.

Then there was the rest of the team, anchored by the legendary Walter Payton that was under the leadership of Mike Ditka who brought in Jim McMahon to lead the team to greatness.

A good number of the players are on hand to talk about that season and how special it was.

And it's amazing to think that the Bears would only win 1 championship with that amount of talent.

Most of that is owed to the fact that perhaps Ditka wasn't that great of a coach after all. He needed Ryan, and Ryan didn't have the talent when he left town to ever really build anything that was Super Bowl worthy.

Ditka was never able to duplicate his success elsewhere either, and looking back through this documentary, he basically got handed lightning in a bottle, so it was more the team than the coach that brought Chicago the trophy.

The other likely reason they didn't repeat was that late-season injury to McMahon with one of the dirtiest plays you'll ever see.

If that were to happen in today's game, Goodell would probably have the culprit executed for such a vicious attack on a quarterback long after the play was over.

But then when Ditka turned outside of his own team to bring in Doug Flutie to try and save the game...

Well, the rest of that story is history.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade:  A-

A Very Non-Zombie, Zombie Movie: "Maggie"

Maggie (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson

Directed by Henry Hobson

The Story:

Wade (Schwarzenegger) has spent the last several weeks trying desperately to find his daughter Maggie (Breslin) and bring her home safely. Maggie has been infected, and within 8 weeks she will turn into a zombie, and Wade wants to make sure that she is with her family, and not just another number in one of the quarantine zones.

How far will a father go to protect his daughter, knowing at any time she could turn on him?

That's the bottom line on this movie.

It's not Ah-nuhld vs. zombies, which is probably why the movie didn't do much at the box office.

However, Arnold read the script and if rumors are true, he starred in the film for free to keep the production costs low.

I won't say it's the "thinking mans zombie movie".

However, it's the most un-zombie-like zombie movie that I can recall.

This isn't a tale about surviving the zombie plague...but it is, somewhat.

This is a look at what a person loses as they slowly slip into becoming a zombie, and the effect is has on the family around them.

Very little action, very few zombies. Very well done.

Still manages to tug on the heartstrings a few times during the movie.

Currently streaming on Amazon for Prime members.

Final Grade: C+ / B- range is about right.

Skip "Black Mass" and See "Whitey: The United States v. James J. Bulger" Instead

Whitey: The United States of America vs James J. Bulger (2014)

Rated R

Directed by Joe Berlinger

The Story:

Go behind the headlines as the United States tries to take down James "Whitey" Bulger once and for all.

The meandering mess that was Black Mass sort of steamrolls over this documentary which is better fleshed out and more compelling than the fictional accounts.

Berlinger approaches the story from the angles of the victims, friends and families of the victims, and the officials who tried to prove once and for all whether Bulger was a mobster or an informant or both.

Seeing this shortly after the Depp version, a lot of the wind was taken out of the sales on this one.

It's still a good documentary, don't get me wrong.

It simply won't rank on my best of the year finale, and I can't pinpoint if it was due to watching the two so close together, so I hate faulting a film for coming second on my depth chart even though it was released years earlier and I simply missed it.

That said, like Making A Murderer, it's amazing to see how much law enforcement, in this case the FBI will indeed cover up their own tracks to hide something.

In this case, they take a look at Top Informant files of other notorious gangsters and compare those thousands of pages files, often with multiple volumes, to the meager few hundred pages on Bulger.

Things definitely don't add up.

To Whitey's defense, he adamantly insists that while he may be many things, and could be guilty of just about everything...

He's not a rat.

It's all about semantics with that man, and in a bizarre way, you can almost respect him for that.

So if you want a nice crime documentary in the near future, give this one a whirl.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-

Tis The Season... "The Night Before"

The Night Before (2015)

Rated R

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Michael Shannon, Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell, Lizzy Caplan, Miley Cyrus,

Directed by Jonathan Levine

The Story:

Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) lost his parents in a tragic accident at Christmas. 2 friends, Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Mackie) supported him and spent those Christmas Eves with him trying to make him happy and move past the pain. As the boys grew older, their nightly excursions got wilder as they attempted to find the greatest Christmas party, ever! Always close, but never finding it, the guys are getting ready to call it quits because they're older now and need to move on. So it's one last night on the town, and things are about to get really crazy.

To explain this movie in any greater detail takes away some of the charm, or weirdness, that it has going for it.

There will be sex, drugs and rock and roll.

There's magic drugs.

Angels.

Tracy Morgan as Santa Claus.

Seth Rogen and James Franco sexting one another.

Miley Cyrus even shows up to attempt to save the day!

Yes, this film pretty much has it all, and then some.

They literally throw everything at the wall to see what sticks.

And there are enough genuinely funny moments to make this one worth a viewing.

Especially Rogen's drug-induced visit to a Catholic Midnight Mass where he realizes that the guy in the big Jewish sweater is to blame for the crucifixion. His freak out is worth the rental.

:)

Also, there's just enough heart under all the crudeness as Ethan realizes it's time to grow up, and that sometimes the best families aren't the families you're born into, but the family that you choose to build because you want them in your life and they want to be there with you.

Final Grade: C+

This Is What It Sounds Like When We All Cry... R.I.P. Prince 1958-2016

 

 

What the $%&@* ?!?!

I would say that was probably the collective reaction to most of America and most of the music-loving world yesterday when we found out that Prince Rogers Nelson passed away.

Prince.

Surely it had to be a mistake, another internet hoax that people would debunk shortly.

I was driving home yesterday and was halfway through a Prince song, it ended, and then another Prince song started.

I looked at my radio and thought, maybe this station is doing rock block Thursday?

Then the song ended and the announcer repeated that the breaking news from 45 minutes earlier, Prince had passed away.

WTF!!!???

Well, one doesn't just spontaneously burst into tears while driving, but I was crying hard on the inside.

Trying to wrap my head around the fact that one of the greatest musical artists of all time, and most importantly for me, one of the pillars of my 80s musical childhood was gone.

Takes the wind right out of your sails.

I now have 2 musical regrets in my life:

I had concert tickets to see David Bowie back in 1989/1990. We ended up not going because Tacoma was a long way from Scio and college and life... so we didn't go see him.

About 5 years ago, Prince was coming to North Charleston, and I got tickets! But with little Ari on the way, momma didn't want to risk damaging little ones ears by attending the concert, and I really didn't want to go without her.  In hindsight, I wish I had taken one of my daughters and gone, because I know the concert would have been amazing. But we didn't go.

You always think, well, I'll get to their concert the next time they come around.

Sadly, eventually they stop coming around.

So if you ever get the chance to see your favorites, do it. Don't have any musical regrets in life!

Thankfully, I have the music. I can pull up life footage on YouTube or watch his amazing SuperBowl halftime show again.

Sure, it's not the same, but at least it's something.

The man was a creative force of genius and the world is a better place for having him in it, and we are now worse off for him no longer being here.

But oh, the music he did leave for us.

Pick the best Prince song.

It's nearly impossible.

Sure you can try and pick a favorite, but then you go, oh but there's this one, and there's that one...

He was incredible.

Take the Purple Rain Soundtrack out of the equation, and he still had a mountain of memorable hits.

Heck, I never even saw the movie until it was celebrating it's 20th, or 25th Anniversary. I had the soundtrack, I never even bothered with the film!

And yes, the film was as energetic and full of life as the star of the movie.

Prince created a mountain of music.

Then he became "The Artist Formerly Known As..."

Then he finally reconciled with the studio and reclaimed his name and was set to release new material.

My hope, that while his long fight with his record label may have slowed the output of released material, I have a feeling that Prince has a back catalog that could be released posthumously.

In addition to all of the music he gave us personally, we also have some Prince hits out there that he wrote but didn't perform.

Everyone remembers Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Conner.

But there was Stand Back by Stevie Nicks;  I Feel For You by Chaka Khan; Sugar Walls by Sheena Easton; and Manic Monday by the Bangles, among others.

Like I said, he's one of the pillars that gave us great 80s music, and his legacy will never be forgotten.

As for that best Prince song?

I really love Raspberry Beret.

But man, Kiss sure is great and lots of fun.

The awesome duet U Got The Look with Sheena Easton.

Then there's the hauntingly sorrowful guitar on Purple Rain that chokes you up.

And who can forget the ultimate party anthem, 1999?

So many great songs.

Thankfully I'm not behind the wheel of a car right now, so I guess it's okay to finally cry.

Thanks for a lifetime of musical memories, Prince.

Adios, Mamacita... R.I.P. Chyna 1970-2016

Woke up yesterday to the news that the "9th Wonder of the World", Chyna, had passed away.

We've lost far too many of WWF/WWE's finest, far too often, and almost always, far too young.

She began her career as the bodyguard for Triple H and was an integral part when he teamed with Shawn Michaels to form DeGeneration X. They were one of the hottest groups at the start of WWE's Attitude Era, and Chyna was there, front and center.

Soon she moved out of her bodyguard role and actually into that of a competitor.

Except Chyna was different, and her running roughshod over the other ladies was rather boring, so she actually was able to wrestle the men.

And she won.

She even won championships.

Sure, there was a bit of novelty to it, but she really was that good in the ring, and was rewarded for her efforts.

She was also teamed with Eddie Guerrero towards the end of her stint in wrestling and "Latino Heat" and his "Mamacita" brought out the best in each other and propelled them both to heights neither had previously enjoyed alone.

Chyna left wrestling shortly after that and has been battling her personal demons ever since. Her relationship with Vince McMahon and Triple H has been contentious over the years, but it seemed like there was a thawing taking place that might someday lead to Chyna being rightfully inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Sadly, it seems like that will be easier now that she's not around to screw it up by doing or saying anything else to damage her relationship with the company.

But she was Hall of Fame material and all wrestling fans know it.

Rest easy now, Chyna.

Hopefully Latino Heat was there in his lowrider to pick you up at the pearly gates.

Truth Is More Boring Than Fiction..."Black Mass"

Black Mass (2015)

Rated R

Starring Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, Adam Scott,

Directed by Scott Cooper

The Story:

Based on the true story of James "Whitey" Bulger (Depp), this drama attempts to show how devious he was by ensnaring FBI Agent John Connolly (Edgerton) into making him an informant for the FBI which then gave him carte blanche to do as he pleased in the criminal underworld of Boston. Meanwhile his brother Billy (Cumberbatch) was a respected politician that helped his brother enough, but not to the point of being in the same spotlight with him.

Here you have a 2 hour drama that felt like 12 hours of your life slipped by.

Excruciatingly dull, this is a mafia drama with really, very little drama.

All we see are members of Bulger's gang confessing to this that or the other via flashbacks.

It turns out that Bulger's informant status may very have been completely fabricated by John Connolly. Bulger never ratted on anyone, a fact he holds very strongly too today. Connolly simply used testimony from other snitches to create Bulger's file.

The cast itself is a remarkable assemblage of talent. The sad part is, they are given very little to do.

Cumberbatch seems wasted in what is essentially a glorified cameo. That part could have been given to just about anyone and carried the same gravitas to the role.

Kevin Bacon seems to give the most passionate performance, too bad his screen time is likely 5 minutes or less.

I may have mocked Depp in the past for only playing the same character (Captain Jack) for the last 15 years or so, but when given a role like this...

Perhaps Captain Jack is him actually acting and doing a pretty good job, because he is stale, wooden and rather boring in this role. Of course, I have to go all the way back to Edward Scissorhands to find a Johnny Depp role I did like, so take it with a grain of salt.

:)

There is little passion, energy or excitement throughout the movie. There doesn't feel like escalating tension that Bulger is just getting away with things or people are becoming suspicious that Connolly may be helping Bulger out.

I'll give this one a "D" for disappointment.

Final Grade: D+

If You Can Breathe, You Can Play..."Pocket Full Of Soul: The Harmonica Documentary"

Pocket Full of Soul: The Harmonica Documentary (2009)

Not Rated

Written and Directed by Marc Lempert

The Story:

A musical instrument so simple, it's often regarded as a child's toy, the harmonica has made a huge impact on American music since it's introduction to the states in the 1850s. This wonderful documentary will take you on a historical tour of the instrument and those musicians who have wielded it to create some electrifying music over the decades. While you may not be familiar with many of the names, the list of musicians who have used it is a veritable who's who of musical talent.

I hadn't planned on watching a documentary on the harmonica on April 18th, but when you find out that it's National Harmonica Day and there is a documentary on the subject, interest gets piqued.

Then when you discover that it is narrated by my personal favorite harmonica player, Huey Lewis, it's a no-brainer!

The documentary is both as structured and relaxed as that of the many players that are interviewed alongside the archival footage.

Usually disregarded as an actual musical instrument, when a player takes to the harmonica and learns how to wield that little pocket harp, the effects can be amazing and one person with a harmonica can outdo an entire band with the amount of force and energy that they can elicit.

The harmonica is also not strictly for 1 genre of music. While it would be hard to imagine the Blues being performed without a harmonica, it gets some love from jazz, classical, rock, country, and even hip-hop.

Another film that was backed by the fans and the people who love the subject matter and not the studio, you can tell this was a labor of love by all involved.

I was lucky enough to catch this on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZQSUib0U-g&feature=youtu.be

Not sure if there is a charge or anything now that National Harmonica Day is over, but if you're a fan of music or music history, this shouldn't be missed.

Final Grade: A-

April Showers Bring Christmas Movies! "Love The Coopers"

 

Love The Coopers (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, Steve Martin, Amanda Seyfried, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde, Anthony Mackie, Jake Lacy,

Directed by Jessie Nelson

The Story:

The Coopers are all coming home for the holidays. Along the way they are going to confront some uncomfortable truths about themselves and their family. After all, that's what the holidays are for.

While stacked with a lot of comedic actors, this movie isn't so much funny as it is amusing.

It's a dramedy about family dynamics and life choices that don't always turn out the way people want or expect them to.

You've got the parents (Goodman & Keaton) who are going through the motions for the benefit of their children. This will apparently be their last Christmas together and the reasons why are not immediately recognizable but will be slowly unearthed as the movie progresses.

The oldest daughter (Tomei) who runs into a bit of problem with the law (Mackie) trying to decide what to get her sister for Christmas.

The youngest daughter (Wilde) is not ready for another year of being looked down upon, so she grabs a stranger (Lacy) and convinces him to be her fiancée for the holidays.

Then the son (Helms) whose marriage has tanked and he's having issues of his own being a good dad.

Finally grandpa (Arkin) who has the sweetest story of the bunch about his relationship with a young waitress (Seyfried) at the local diner.

Marriages on the rocks. Feelings that have been hurt for years, it will all culminate in the happiest ending possible for this family.

All tied loosely, and rather strangely by narrative from the family dog (Martin) which is rather annoying because he's the dog, and sometimes they use his narration, sometimes they don't. An omniscient narrator would have been just fine, and slightly less annoying.

Worth a viewing, but doubtful to become a beloved holiday tradition in many families.

Final Grade:  C+

Faith On The Gridiron... "Woodlawn"

Woodlawn (2015)

Rated PG

Starring Nic Bishop, Sean Astin, Caleb Castille, Sherri Shepherd, Jon Voight,

Directed by Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin

The Story:

Coach Tandy Gerelds (Bishop) takes over the Woodlawn High School team in Birmingham Alabama at the height of desegregation in the 70s. Trying to integrate his racially mixed football team proves to be challenging, but Hank (Astin) comes to ask if he can give the team a pep talk. Hank preaches about the love of Jesus and how they should all work together towards a common goal, and the message of love makes the team bond together and they go on a remarkable run through the season that inspires the entire community.

This is their story.

Faith.

Football.

Mix these two together and it should be a slam dunk (wrong sport, I know) yet there was something slightly off with this film. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that just didn't register with me on this film.

Perhaps it was the length of the movie (a bit over 2 hours) or the repetitiveness that seemed to happen during the season. Sure, I get it, it's football after all, but it really seemed to just keep pushing the same three buttons over and over again and never really expanding any of the character focus.

Granted, these based on a true story films, you can only take so much creative license with, but it just seemed like there should have been more conflict based on the desegration or the faith inspiration than was really portrayed.

The cast was fine, with a lot of focus put on Castille who portrayed Tony Nathan in the film. The nice part, that while Woodlawn doesn't go on to have the happy ending you normally get in the movies, they do tackle a bit of Nathan's story to end on an upbeat note when he does finally win a championship and one of the first people that he calls is his old coach.

It's a good movie, just not a great one.


Final Grade: C

Has Nobody Ever Watched 'The Terminator' ?? "Ex Machina"

Ex Machina (2015)

Rated R

Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac

Written and Directed by Alex Garland

The Story:


Caleb (Gleeson) is a winner in his company's ultimate giveaway: a weeklong stay with the reclusive CEO of their company (Isaac). When he arrives, he learns that he's actually there to test whether or not the Artificial Intelligence of Ava (Vikander) could legitimately pass as human. It will be a week that changes everyone, forever.

Well, this was certainly something.

It's a small, character focused driven drama that grabs science fiction by the hand and takes you along for the ride.

The plot is essentially man creates life. And then, oops.

:)

If we're being honest.

It's a quiet, suspenseful, gradual build to the final act, and you can almost tell exactly what is going to happen along the way.

Yet the interaction between the great trio of actors keeps you riveted to the film until the very end.

Which come on people, giving machines artificial intelligence is a bad idea! It never ends well!!

:)

Ex Machina is currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-

Detective "Bosch" Will Get His Man

Bosch - (2014)

TV-MA

Starring Titus Welliver

Created by Michael Connelly

The Story:

Detective Harry Bosch (Welliver) is an L.A. homicide detective who is facing charges of killing an unarmed suspect and then planting a gun on him when the series opens. As the trial continues, Bosch discovers the bones of a teenager that had been killed decades earlier. Then a serial killer is discovered who claims that the bones are that of his first victim. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues that grips all of Los Angeles with fear while Bosch has to deal with his cases and the politics of the Los Angeles police department.

I went into this one with no expectations as I've not read the novels by Michael Connelly nor heard anything about the show.

Amazon just kept putting it on their page whenever I looked to see if there were any new movies or shows I wanted to watch as I was looking to see if the last season of Justified was ever going to get added.

Don't worry, it was, and I enjoyed it.

But this is about Bosch.

It's a pretty solid crime drama.

High production values, which Amazon, Netflix and the rest are throwing at these shows to rival broadcast and cable television. Solid actors, complex, believable storylines that keep you intrigued to see where the story will go.

Welliver carries the show as the detective who cares about the cases he is trying to solve, even if he doesn't really care for the department or the people who work with him.

Not saying he's a lone wolf rebel, but he's simply someone who doesn't have time for politics and refuses to play that game.

That he is a former member of the military speaks volumes for that behavior.

:)

All of the clichés and trappings of cop shows are to be had here in one form or another.

Bosch doesn't set out to reinvent the genre.

It simply sets out to add another detective to a long list of TV cops we wish and hope there are in real life.

On that note, it succeeds quite well.

Season 1 and 2 streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: Solid B

So Similar...Still Different... "Silent Night"

Silent Night (2012)

Rated R

Starring Malcolm McDowell, Jaime King, Donal Logue

Directed by Steven C. Miller

The Story:

A deranged Santa is stalking a Midwestern town, killing people who have been naughty this holiday season. A deputy (King) and the sheriff (McDowell) are trying to catch him before he can kill again.

Let's go back a few decades.

The year is 1984 and a movie was released called Silent Night, Deadly Night. It was about a boy who saw something horrible happen to his parents, and he grew up and snapped one Christmas Eve. Dressed as Santa, he goes on a killing spree.

Needless to say, in the 80s, when this movie was announced, all of the usual suspects protested and claimed it was the end of Western Civilization as we knew it to have a movie about a murderer dressed as Santa.

Apparently murderers were fine, but this crossed some ethical line.

The protests of course did nothing but provide free publicity to the movie, and it became a minor cult hit.

I saw it.

I still remember it, it was pretty good, for an 80s horror /slasher flick.

I knew it spawned a sequel, which I didn't find quite as good, but yeah, I watched it.

I didn't know that it spawned an additional 3 sequels after that.

Not sure how excited I am to catch up on the franchise.

: )

So fast forward to 2012, and this film comes along which is a reboot...reimagining... whatever you will of the film.

Doesn't follow the original note for note, but there are some subtle, and less subtle homages during the film.

This film focuses on Aubrey (King) who is tied to the killer in ways she won't realize until the bitter end. The movie offers up several red herrings on who the killer might be...until that person winds up dead, so it will keep you guessing until the end.

McDowell has a great bit of fun as the macho sheriff who vows to keep his town safe.

Again, like the franchise that inspired it, nothing that reinvents horror cinema, but deserving of at least a viewing, if for McDowell's performance alone.

Final Grade: C

It's A Mystery To Me Why People Hated "Scooby Doo".

Scooby Doo (2002)

Rated PG

Starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Rowan Atkinson, Isla Fisher,

Directed by Raja Gosnell

The Story:

Mystery Inc. is no more! The gang has gone their separate ways, but the call for them to return to Spooky Island grudgingly reunites the team as they investigate the strange goings on at the request  of Mondavarious (Atkinson). By the time the gang solves the mystery, they will have faced the most evil villain Mystery Inc. has ever encountered!

Of all the attempts to bring Hanna Barbera animated classics to life, this is the best of the bunch.

It gets more than its fair share of ridicule, but really, time has been pretty kind to this one.

I will confess that I do own a copy, but I happened to notice it as a newly added title on Netflix recently and thought, why not.

Hehehe.

It was still pretty darn funny.

As the credits began to roll, here's a main reason why the movie was so good:

Written by James Gunn.

Yep, the same guy that brought Guardians of the Galaxy to life, wrote the screen play and all that was fun about this movie, a giant kudos goes to Gunn.

That said, don't discount the performances by the leads of Mystery Inc.

Prinze and Gellar do admirable with their stints as Freddy and Daphne.

But this movie belongs to Cardellini and Lillard who encapsulate everything we've ever seen with Velma and Shaggy and bring those characters to life straight out of the cartoon. Lillard especially channels the voice and mannerisms and just seems like a perfect cartoon counterpart to Scooby.

When it was all over, I was pleased to have watched it again, probably for the first time in nearly 15 years.

I remember being amused then. I was still amused now.

Can't really ask more than that from a movie, can we?

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade:  C+ / B- range

Houston, We Have Another Problem... "The Martian"

The Martian (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Michael Pena, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover,

Directed by Ridley Scott

The Story:

During the latest manned mission to Mars, a violent storm forces an early evacuation by the crew. During the storm, Astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) is struck by debris and assumed dead when the captain (Chastain) is unable to locate him. They leave the planet and head home to Earth. However, Mark's death is slightly exaggerated and he recovers and finds himself alone on Mars. He must find a way to survive, make contact with NASA, and wait and hope for his eventual rescue with the next planned return to Mars in a few years!

The fun part about coming to review these movies so late in the game is that much of the furor has died down. "Greatest movie ever!" "It sucked!" All those varying opinions are out there, and I just brush them aside and figure out if I liked the movie or not. 

And I quite enjoyed it!

I will mention that this one is nearly 2 1/2 hours long, but it's one where it doesn't feel like it, so that's always a plus.

If you're going for distance, make that time spent on the movie an enjoyable one.

Ridley Scott directs a stellar (no pun intended) cast who all provide outstanding support to Damon.

Damon, however, does the bulk of the heavy lifting as he has to be the center of the movie, acting and reacting to dire situations as they arise during his stay on Mars.

That said, though this is essentially a drama, there is enough humor and levity both on Earth and Mars, that you keep smiling and laughing even as you're on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next and will they get to him in time.

Because quite frankly, if they don't rescue Watley, you're going to feel angry and upset when the film is over.

But, at least you know they tried.

It's quite the enjoyable ride, and if you haven't seen it yet, you're likely in for a great experience when you get around to watching it.

Or, you'll hate it.

:)

Final Grade:  B+

Nothing Says Spring, Quite Like "A Christmas Horror Story"!!!

A Christmas Horror Story - (2015)

Rated R

Starring William Shatner, George Buza,

Directed by Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, Brett Sullivan

The Story:

4 holiday horror stories intertwine on Christmas Eve as Dangerous Dan (Shatner), a local radio DJ plays some tunes and gets some holiday feelings off his chest.

The first story has some teens break into their school to shoot a documentary about some students that died in that place previously.

Next, there is a family that goes to visit their grandma, but by behaving poorly, unleash Krampus to wreak vengeance upon them.

Third, a couple take their little boy into the woods to chop down the perfect tree. The boy gets separated from his parents, and they find him much later in a hollow tree. He comes home but is acting much, much differently than before.

Finally, Santa is dealing with the zombie apocalypse as the elves have begun to turn and they are hunting him down. It's kill or be killed with Christmas on the line!

First, they were wise in going the anthology route with this film, because none of the stories, at least as written or presented was strong enough to carry a 90 minute horror film.

It is quite possible they could have been fleshed out and expanded, but for an anthology film, this works.

The problem or the best part is, depending on the viewer, is the cutting back and forth between the stories. Some stories are stronger than others and getting pulled out of that story and having to wait 3 turns for the next bit to see what happens next can be annoying.

Or, if you don't mind the switches, it can be the perfect remedy to create suspense where there might not be any.

Nothing too remarkable here to make this a must-see or repeat viewing during the holiday season (Halloween or Christmas) but good enough for at least one go round.

Final Grade: C

All Hot And Bothered... "Fifty Shades of Grey"

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Rated R

Starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson

The Story:

Literature student Anastasia Steele's (Johnson) life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey (Dornan).

Based on the smutty best-selling novel that women can't seem to get enough of, comes the trashy movie version that attempts to make 9 1/2 Weeks and Showgirls look pale in comparison!

You don't really think I watched this, do you?

Happy April Fool's Day.

We'll return to the regular reviews next week.

In all seriousness though, thanks for reading, and for making March's review of Kate & Leopold my most read review on the site since I've been doing this.

Not sure what drove that one, my guess would be Hugh Jackman.

Hmm...

Maybe the ladies that read my reviews are naughtier than I suspected?

: )