Let's Go "Pocoyo"!!

Pocoyo (2005)

TV-Y

Created by David Cantolla, Luis Gallego, Guillermo Garcia

The Story:

Pocoyo is a curious little 4 year old boy who enjoys hanging out with his best friends Pato and Elly. The narrator (Stephen Fry) guides us through each episode as we wonder what exactly will Pocoyo be up to this time.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I've never been one to be first to the party, but I'm one that happily tells you how great the party is once I arrive.

Which leads us to Pocoyo.

Clearly, having started in 2005, I'm a little late to the adventures, but flipping through Netflix earlier this month, there Pocoyo was staring back at me while I was looking for something to watch with Remy.

And isn't he cute?

That's what I thought, so I figured what the heck, how back could it be?

I was greeted with adorable 3D animation with minimal (normally flat out plain white) backgrounds but some of the cutest characters ever to grace an animated series. These are roughly 7 minute episodes that are packaged together to make one full show that runs less than 30 minutes.

So, do you have children? Grandchildren? Just like fun animation? Then this is the show for you!

Okay, it's for your kids, but you're totally going to enjoy having it on in the background.

The music is good. The animation is adorable. The narration is soft and charming. The characters themselves absolutely charming.

Dialogue, aside from the narrator is minimal.

That said, the narrator will ask once or twice if the viewers can help Pocoyo (or whomever) if we can help solve the problem, and you will hear a few children voices chime in with assistance to get the story back on track.

Then 7 minutes later, the next segment begins with the theme song and the character introductions.

The writing is rather clever, and the characters all have very distinct personalities.

Given a choice of hundreds of animated shows that you can be forced to endure alongside your children, I would easily place this one in the Top 10 shows you could watch and enjoy on repeat viewings.

You might even find yourself watching along after the kid leaves the room...

Just saying...

:)

Viewer Discretion Advised:

The episode "Elly's Doll" darn near killed me.

I started laughing so hard, I could not catch my breath.

I thought, "this is it, I'm going to die...at least I'm going to die laughing..."

Thankfully I did manage to recover, though my wife's continued laughter kept triggering me to laugh again.

I was beginning to think she was after the insurance money!! :)

Needless to say, I did come back the next day to watch the episode from start to finish.

I did indeed still laugh, just not as hard, or as life-threatening as the previous evening.

Thank goodness!

Pocoyo is currently streaming on both Netflix AND Amazon Prime.

There are 4 seasons available on both. The 4th season introduces a new character and changes narrators. Still enjoyable, but not quite the same as the first 3 seasons.


"Bye bye, See you soon!" ~ The Narrator

Boy, That's A Mouthful... "Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets"

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna,

Directed by Luc Besson

The Story:

A space station has carried out a galactic mission of peace for generations, welcoming new races to join until this station is now comprised of about... a thousand planets. However, that peace may be coming to an end unless peace-keeping special operatives Valerian (DeHaan) and his partner Laureline (Delevingne) can save the day.

Okay, besides the mouthful of an overlong title, there was nothing in this trailer that screamed "must see!" to me.

It pretty much tanked at the box office as it failed to find an audience.

I got my copy through Netflix, and shortly thereafter, it found a streaming home on Amazon Prime.

I pretty much saw it for one reason only: Luc Besson.

Normally, I've enjoyed any Besson helmed (or often written by) production.

And there were indeed some interesting/fun parts to this movie.

But at nearly 2 and a half hours, this overlong production was simply weighed down by the fact that the two stars have all the charisma and chemistry of wet paper towels.

You try and buy into the premise, and then they remind you that it's hard to take it, or them, seriously.

Seriously, put this one next to Besson's masterpiece from 2 decades earlier, The Fifth Element,  and you might see what I'm saying. However, I don't think anyone will ever mistake Bruce Willis for Dane DeHaan.

Or to put it another way, when Rihanna is the best part of the movie, you know something has seriously come off the rails.

:)

I did make it through the whole thing, so there is that, but it wasn't easy, and I can't say I recommend it.

But if you have 3 hours to kill and have seen everything else that's out there, judge for yourself.


Final Grade: D

The Enemy Of My Enemy..."The Man In The High Castle: Season 2"

The Man in the High Castle: Season 2 (2016)

TV-MA

Starring Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans, Luke Kleintank, Joel de la Fuente, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Rufus Sewell,

Created by Frank Spotnitz

The Story:

Tensions in America are straining in the early 60s as The Resistance continues to chip away at both the Japanese Pacific States and the Greater Nazi Reich. The web of deceit and lies on all sides will tangle even further this season as the world stands at the brink of a final war.

So the slow build of Season 1 is long gone, and you know the majority of the characters by heart this go round.

Here's the genius of it all though:

while we watch an America under control from the Axis Powers, you begin to sympathize with characters in leadership roles on both Japanese and Nazi fronts.

That's right, this Amazon Original has Stockholm Syndromed the audience!

:)

Julia (Davalos) tries to escape to the Nazi Reich, and seeks Obergruppenfuhrer Smith's (Sewell) protection.

The Japanese want her dead, and so do the Resistance. Smith feels it's in his best interest to keep her alive, at least for now.

However, all is not well at the Smith household on both a personal and professional level.

Let's just say that a big part of season 2 involves the tenuous alliance between Germany and Japan that has been tearing apart at the seams, and there are some really big events that happen that pretty much burst right on through.

10 episodes. Available to stream for those with Amazon Prime.

I would highly recommend starting with Season 1 first if you haven't though, just to get a lot of information on who, and what, you're witnessing.

It's worth it.

Final Grade: A-

The Truth Is Always Stranger Than Fiction..."Elvis & Nixon"

Elvis & Nixon (2016)

Rated R

Starring Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Colin Hanks, Evan Peters

Directed by Liza Johnson

The Story:

December, 1970... That morning, Elvis (Shannon) came up to the White House gates hoping to meet President Nixon (Spacey).  The picture taken at the end of their encounter is the most requested photograph in the National Archives.

This is a story of the meeting that almost didn't happen.

It all begins when Elvis decides he wants to be an undercover Federal Agent.

His idea, see the President, get the credentials, and begin working for the government.

Nixon, on the other hand, was scheduled for his afternoon nap at the time Elvis was to be cleared to see him.

Surreal, of that there is no doubt.

While Shannon doesn't attempt to go full-on Elvis, he gets enough of the speech and mannerisms down that you buy the performance.

Then there is Spacey, possibly the best chameleon actor of this (or any) generation, and again, he becomes Nixon right before your eyes.

While everything you see on screen may not have actually happened, they have enough evidence of the main points to wrap the story together nicely, filling in the dialogue that could have happened to get to that point.

It's fascinating. It's fun.

And in today's political climate, it almost makes you miss the good old days of Nixon.

: )

I watched it on DVD from Netflix, but it is now currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

The Dawn Of Cinematic Greatness..."The Kentucky Fried Movie"

Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

Starring Bill Bixby, George Lazenby, a whole host of others!

Directed by John Landis

The Story:

Movie trailers. The news. Commercials. All of that, and more, are about to get put through the comedy wringer in a movie-unlike you've ever seen before!

Well, that only took me 39 years to get around to finally seeing.

Odds are, if you rented movies in the 80s, you saw this poster on the wall, or at least saw the box as you browsed through the comedy section.

Was it worth the wait?

Hardly.

Basically it takes an episode of Saturday Night Live, then only 2 years old, and brings the format of rapid-fire sketch comedy to the big screen.

Bigger budget!
Badder language!!
Less wardrobe!!!

However, it works as a great time capsule that shows the beginnings of the creative genesis of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker.

Yes, this is the very first feature film from the trio of minds that would launch Airplane and Police Squad! at the beginning of the 80s.

It's also the 2nd feature directed by John Landis.

His next 4 films?

Animal House, The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf in London and Trading Places. 

Like all good (and not-so-good) sketch comedy, some jokes/skits work better than others.

That is totally on display here as well.

The biggest misfire for me, was the "feature length" A Fistful of Yen in the center of the movie. It was too long, and too unfunny. Perhaps if I was a bigger Enter the Dragon fan, I would enjoy it more.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade:  C

Living In "Whitechapel" Can Be Deadly

Whitechapel: Season 1 (2009)

Not Rated

Starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis, Steve Pemberton

Created by Ben Court, Caroline Ip

The Story:

Jack the Ripper, or at least someone copying his infamous murders, is back terrorizing Whitechapel, London. Young Detective Inspector Chandler (Penry-Jones) is assigned the case by the top brass so that he can check off the "murder" block, and move up towards the higher ranks at headquarters. Of course, he doesn't realize it's a Ripper murder, nor does Detective Sergeant Miles (Davis) the gruff, streetwise detective that is forced to follow this rookie Inspector. It's only when Ripperologist Edward Buchan (Pemberton) shows them the connections that the department begins trying to stop the new Ripper before he strikes again. Yet, how do you stop a murderer who was never caught?

It's easy to become enamored with the BBC shows, as they are usually well acted, well written and well crafted.

They are also 3-6 episodes long, so they don't overstay their welcome, or get bloated with subplots that seemingly stall the narrative to barely keep the wheels of the plot in motion.

Season 1 of Whitechapel is 3 intense episodes that are focused on the Jack the Ripper killings, and the oil/water relationship between that of Chandler and Miles (and the rest of the Department for that matter).

It's always been a compelling narrative when you have two dynamic leads who both believe in their ideals and it conflicts with the other.

Each will bend, yet never break, and the partnership usually comes out stronger in the end.

I'm hesitant to try the subsequent 3 seasons, as they have nothing to do with Jack the Ripper, which was my initial interest.

However, the characters were compelling enough to pull me back, so maybe in the near future?

Currently streaming for those with Amazon Prime.

Final Grade: Solid B / B+

Time To Get With "The Program"

The Program (2015)

Rated R

Starring Ben Foster, Chris O'Dowd, Dustin Hoffman, Lee Pace, Jesse Plemons,

Directed by Stephen Frears

The Story:

David Walsh (O'Dowd) is a reporter for an Irish newspaper who has been covering the Tour de France for years. When he sees his colleagues become enamored with previously not-that-great cyclist Lance Armstrong (Foster), he expresses his doubts. The more Armstrong begins winning, the more sure Walsh is that he's cheating.

This is based on the book that Walsh wrote on Lance Armstrong doping, and duping, the entire world.

And it's a good movie, but it's not great.

It unfolds in a straightforward fashion with Lance not being very great on the hills of France and then slowly, methodically, he works his way to the top of the mountain, both figuratively and literally.

Foster is an amazing Lance Armstrong, the guy that everyone loved once upon a time.

The American that beat The Tour!
The American that beat Cancer!

Then he got greedy and had to come back for more.

And that's when things began to unravel.

Had he simply stayed away from the limelight, it's quite possible that his legacy would have endured.

But the ego, the need for the spotlight shines through in his performance, and you can see it as his true undoing.

O'Dowd makes for a great reporter, going after the story that nobody else wants to believe.

The weird thing, for a story that involves his work to uncover the story, the reporter is absent for most of the proceedings, which is a shame.

It seemed like the story was missing the dramatic cues that allow Armstrong to stay one step ahead for so long, or perhaps it's just knowing what happens, there's never a sense of real drama or tension to elevate this film from a "should see" to a "must see".

Now streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade:  B-

Worth A Shot..."Jean Claude Van Johnson"

Jean Claude Van Johnson (2016)

Not Rated

Starring Jean Claude Van Damme, Phylicia Rashad, Kat Foster,

Directed by Peter Atencio

The Story:

Sure, you know Jean Claude Van Damme (Van Damme) the actor. But Jean Claude has a secret, and after trying retirement, he checks in with his manager (Rashad) to get back to his "other job": covert assassin! That's right, in between filming his smash hits, Jean Claude has kept the world safe by offing bad guys in real life. However, he may have been out of the game too long to win back his ex-love (Foster) and stay alive!

Ha!

What a fun premise this one turned out to be.

Van Damme is not afraid to poke fun at himself and the movies he's starred in over the years.

He's always seemed to be a likable guy, and this seems to put icing on the cake that Van Damme is the man!

It's a fun, breezy 30 minute adventure that sets up the pilot for what could be an Amazon original series.

But only if you watch.

I'm in, and hopefully we can find out what happens next, and if Van Damme and his girlfriend will finally be reunited, or if their love is doomed, and what cheesy flick he has to star in to pull off his assignments.

:)

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime for viewing.

Final Grade:  Solid B 

Summer Camp + Lake + Masked Killer...Seems Familiar... "Spirit Camp"

Spirit Camp (2009)

Rated R

Starring Roxy Vandiver, Julin, Katy Rowe, Kerry Beyer

Written and Directed by Kerry Beyer

The Story:

Nikki (Vandiver) is forced by her parole officer to go to a Spirit Camp with other cheerleaders who want to excel at cheerleading. Nikki has no desire to be there, and the other girls don't want her there either.  Then, one by one, cheerleaders start meeting their grisly ends as a killer runs loose in the woods, just like he had done years earlier.

Kerry Beyer's love letter to 80s horror films would fit alongside any 80s horror franchise nearly seamlessly.

There are red herrings, misdirection, and buxom cheerleaders getting picked off one by one.

I've said it before, but my only real complaint with horror movies is when the killer doesn't have any real motive or backstory.

Sadly, I feel that is once again the case with this film.

I knew who the killer was pretty early on, though the first kill made it seem completely impossible, so that throws logic out the window at the end of the film.

That complaint aside, the movie was pretty fun and totally watchable.

Which is always a good thing, as far as slasher flicks go.

And yes, thankfully, as it is an ode to 80s films, the killings are not graphic gross-outs that took over the horror genre with the likes of Saw and similar films.

I want a kill, not an in-depth autopsy.

> :  p

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+ 

A Coming Of Age Gem..."The Kings Of Summer"

The Kings of Summer (2013)

Rated R

Starring Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Megan Mulally, Mark Evan Jackson,

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts

The Story:

Joe (Robinson) and Patrick (Basso) are two friends who are fed up with their respective parents. So Joe comes up with a great plan: they move to the woods and build their own house. So they do. Joining them on their adventure is Biaggio (Arias) and the three have a great time at first. But the lives of teenagers are like weather patterns, and are due to change at any minute...

Usually in these films, it's the preteens that run away on an adventure, but in this case, the kids are high schoolers who have clearly had enough.

Both have parents that simply grate on the kid's nerves, but the parents also have the best dialogue in the movie.

The boys carry most of the movie with camaraderie and a bond that carries through onscreen.

When the bond is severed, you feel bad for all involved because nobody was truly at fault for how it happens.

Again, nothing earth-shattering happens, but I have to leave films like this vague in my descriptions because it's easy to ruin the whole thing with just a few sentences.

It's an evolution of the characters, and Basso and Robinson do a great job of holding our interest and making the most of every scene they have.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

It Could Have Been Epic... "Solomon Kane"

Solomon Kane (2009)

Rated R

Starring James Purefoy, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Pete Postelthwaite, Max Von Sydow, Jason Flemyng, Samuel Roukin,

Directed by Michael J. Bassett

The Story:

Solomon Kane (Purefoy) is a privateer who learns that he's been destined to join the Devil in the afterlife. Rejecting that, he vows a life of  pacifism. As he goes about his life, he is savagely attacked and left for dead, nursed back to health by some pilgrims. When they are attacked and Meredith (Hurd-Wood) is taken captive, Kane decides to do whatever he must to save her, even facing the wrath of Malachi (Flemyng) and the Masked Rider (Roukin).

That's a lot of story to try and condense into one little synopsis, and perhaps that's partly why the movie wasn't more successful.

The 2nd of author Robert E. Howard's greatest creations (Conan), Solomon Kane is a pulp movie eye candy that takes itself seriously enough to avoid the derision and scorn that greeted the likes of Van Helsing when it took itself less than seriously.

Perhaps Kane though is too dark, and that could also be a problem.

What isn't a problem, besides the look, sets, scenery, costumes, effects, etc. is Purefoy's casting as the lead character. I saw him in A Knight's Tale in 2001, and have been a fan of his ever since. Sadly, he doesn't turn up terribly often, but I guess that helps keep his appearances fresh and leaves us wanting more from him.

That definitely beats overexposure!

So not bad, but definitely a genre picture for a specific audience.

It seems like they planned on making it a franchise, but I'm thinking when it's almost a decade since the first one, those plans likely have fallen by the wayside.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Final Grade: C+

There's Nothing Wrong With "Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest"

Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest (2015)

Unrated (R)

Starring Craig Ferguson

Directed by Jay Chapman

The Story:

Craig Ferguson, the former host of the Late Late Show brings his stand up comedy to Epix for a special.

Remember those times when he would be censored on the talk show?

No worries here, there's not a censor to be found.

Craig's routine doesn't consist of jokes as much as they do funny anecdotes and stories.

But, as I've always found Ferguson to be a joy to listen to, both for his humor and his accent, this is a good thing.

The storytellers can often weave an hour concert into basically a long running story that builds into each segment and at the end of the night, you've laughed a lot yet only heard 5-10 "jokes". It's the buildup and the telling of the story that provides each payoff.

So while you won't be repeating Craig's stuff at work the next day, you'll think of the stories, and his telling of them, and you will smile and laugh again.

Don't believe me?

Watch this one, and then get back to me about his stories on Kenny G and Mick Jagger.

:)

Streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade:  B

Just Who Is "The Man In The High Castle" ?

The Man In The High Castle (2015)

Amazon Original Programming

Starring Luke Kleintank, Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans, Arnold Chun, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Rufus Sewell,

Created by

The Story:

In 1962, World War II has been over for about 15 years. However, it was America that lost, and it is now divided into the Pacific States of America, controlled by Japan and the Greater Nazi Reich. In between is the buffer zone, which pretty much works as the Colorado Rockies. There is, however, some films being smuggled by the American resistance and sought after by the Nazis. The newsreels suggest a different timeline of the world where the Allies won World War II and the world turned out very differently.

For those with Amazon Prime, you've undoubtedly already watched this one. The pilot was their most watched show on their service.

However, if you haven't, you really should.

The settings, the costumes, the look of the show is nothing short of spectacular as they reinvent the early 60s and put a decidedly unAmerican spin on the country.

The show builds slowly, and centers on Joe (Kleintank) an undercover Nazi trying to get into the resistance and find these films; Julia (Davalos) who winds up with a film in her possession and quickly gets involved over her head; and Frank (Evans) who was with Julia until she vanished, and then has his world turned upside down until all he can think about is revenge.

Frank's story is the most heart-breaking of the main stories, and shows just how cruel the Axis powers could be.

However, that's not to say the Axis aren't just as riveting to watch with their stories, especially that of Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith (Sewell) who has always been a great villain, and he rises to the occasion once again. But to see the family man behind that steely Nazi glare, you almost, almost, sympathize for his situation at home.

So too Trade Minister Tagome (Tagawa) who wants to prepare his country for the moment he feels the Nazis will turn on Japan and seek total global domination.

There's a lot going on, but it's well worth your time.

I'm not sure where they're going with the story, and in many cases, that's a wonderful thing.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Season 2 coming soon.

Final Grade: B+

Still A Trick Or Two Up His Sleeve.."Wild Card"

Wild Card (2015)

Rated R

Starring Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Stanley Tucci,

Directed by Simon West

The Story:

Nick Wild (Statham) is a bodyguard in Vegas with a heart of gold but with a big gambling problem. Probably not the place to run a business if you've got that kind of issue. Cyrus Kinnick (Angarano) comes into town and wants to gamble big this weekend, so he hires Nick to keep him safe. During that same weekend, Nick stops by for a little revenge session on a thug (Ventimiglia) who beat one of his friends. The bad part, that guy has connections, and now it seems all of Vegas is after Nick. Can he beat the odds and get out of Vegas in one piece?

Wild Card has a great pedigree with the cast and crew assembled, but it hits a few rough notes along the way. That's odd for a movie written by William Goldman, so it's hard to tell if it's deviating from the script or trying to stay true to the story.

It's another one where there are long stretches without action, so that might cause the usual Statham fans to start having withdrawls, but stick around, when he does go into action, it's always worth it.

There are several supporting characters that are in the movie and then disappear without much further fanfare, so it seems odd. Why even introduce them if they aren't going to play any importance in the film?

That complaint aside, I enjoyed the ride from beginning to end. A few familiar beats throughout the movie, but when you've seen a lifetime of action films, it's not easy to find something new.

Normally, you just hope that you aren't disappointed.

I'm rarely disappointed with the entries in Statham's catalog of work, and this one is no exception.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade:  B- / C+ range

Intramural Football Antics..."Balls Out"

Balls Out (2014)

Rated R

Starring Jake Lacy, Nikki Reed, Kate McKinnon, Beck Bennett, Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney, Jay Pharoah, D.C. Pierson

Directed by Andrew Disney

The Story:

Caleb (Lacy) was the star of the college intramural football team, but when tragedy struck, he disbanded the team. Now, facing his impending wedding to Vicky (McKinnon), he wants one last shot at greatness with his old team as they face down their biggest rival (Bennett) one more time.

In the vein of just about every sports movie you've ever seen comes a film that used much of the talent that would go on to become the current cast of Saturday Night Live.

The results, like many SNL skits, are as varied and all over the place as you might expect, but the cast gives their all for the sake of the film.

McKinnon's Vicky is easily the craziest psycho you've ever laid eyes on, and it's no wonder that Caleb wants to do something, anything, to distance himself from their impending relationship.

Bennett plays the evil counterpart very well and makes the most of his screen time. It also allows him to broaden his range from the usual nice guy routine that viewers are accustomed to seeing.

The funniest part of the movie is the commentary from the bleachers by Pharaoh and Pierson who provide play by play for nobody in particular besides themselves.

The movie could have used some more of their wit overall, but you've likely seen worse movies out there.

Not a horrible start for the next generation of SNL players.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Final Grade: C

That's Going To Be A Really Busy Place... "Bad Kids Go To Hell"

Bad Kids Go To Hell (2012)

Rated R

Starring Cameron Deane Stuart, Ben Browder, Ali Faulkner, Augie Duke,

Directed by Matthew Spradlin

The Story:

It's Saturday afternoon at Crestview Academy, and six students begin their day of detention. The rumors of the school being haunted begin to seem true as one by one, the students meet their grisly fates!

It's the Breakfast Club re-imagined as a horror film, and for the most part, it works fairly well.

It's many of the cliches of high school and horror movies all woven into one crazed Saturday detention hall.

The best parts of the film are the flashbacks that show how the new kid, Matt (Stuart) was involved in just about every aspect of each of the other kids getting suspended. Normally, it was by circumstances that were beyond his control. Wrong place, wrong time.

It's no wonder nobody else really likes him.

:)

You'll see some of the twists and turns coming, but for the most part, Spradlin wrote and directed a pretty decent horror comedy that works on many levels.

Plus, it really does go full circle with The Breakfast Club when you find out who the principal of the school is.

:)

Naturally after sending the disc back, I have since discovered that it's also streaming on Amazon Prime.

I need to check that site more often. :)

Final Grade: C+ / B- range

"The Voices" Made Him Do It

The Voices (2014)

Rated R

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick, Jacki Weaver

Directed by Marjane Satrapi

The Story:

Jerry (Reynolds) is a nice, quiet, unassuming guy who has some issues. His doctor (Weaver) insists that he take medication, but when he does, life seems so dull and grey. He prefers to skip the meds, because life seems so much brighter and he gets to talk to his pets, Bosco and Mr. Whiskers. They talk back to him as well and encourage him to do things. Some of those things aren't very nice...

 Here's a dark comedy about a serial killer who doesn't really mean to be one.

He's simply trying to date his office crush, Fiona (Arterton). Things take a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills her.

Or was it an accident?  Jerry is never really sure.

That was bad enough, but when Fiona's head starts telling Jerry about how lonely she is and would really like a friend, that's when Jerry has to decide whether or not to go after Lisa (Kendrick) and have a relationship with her, or make her a victim.

Hey, I guess if you can have a successful series on cable about a serial killer, what's wrong with a darkly humorous movie that tries to have a little fun with the voices that some people have in their head?

The worst part about the movie: you start feeling bad for Jerry and hope that he will get away with it. Perhaps that's just how likable Reynolds is as an actor.

:)

Available for streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.


Final Grade:  C+

"I, Frankenstein" Brings You Up To Date On The Creature

I, Frankenstein (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Aaron Eckhart, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Bill Nighy, Jai Courtney

Directed by Stuart Beattie

The Story:

The Creature (Eckhart) is immortal. He buries Dr. Frankenstein in a graveyard but is attacked by demons. He is rescued by Gargoyles who are actually angels on earth to help keep the demons at bay. They ask him to join their ranks to fight evil, but the creature refuses. Centuries pass and now the demons are working on perfecting Dr. Frankenstein's formula to create an army of the immortal dead. It's time for the creature to choose a side.

Well, that was something alright.

You think you're getting a tale of the Creature, and he falls smack dab into a centuries old battle of good vs. evil with demons and angels.

Not a bad direction, really.

It's reaching for the stars and trying to tell an epic tale.

However, it plays it too straight to be B-Movie horror fun yet not epic enough to be a sweeping fantasy tale.

It winds up as an average film that fine for a viewing, but the odds of watching it again or hoping it's the start of a franchise diminish before the credits are over.

But, at least I went the entire review without commenting on Jai Courtney's lack of charisma.

Oops.

:)

Available to stream on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: C

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.

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-