I Had Almost Forgotten The First One..."The Huntsman: Winter's War"

The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, Nick Frost,

Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

The Story:

A sequel and a prequel, all in one. This tells the story of Eric (Hemsworth) growing up under the "care" of Queen Freya (Blunt). His affection towards Sara (Chastain) caused him to be removed from the kingdom, and you know what happened next if you saw Snow White & the Huntsman. The rest of the movie shows Eric on the search for the Magic Mirror before it can be used to bring Ravenna (Theron) back to life.

First, they did the best thing by not bringing Kristen Stewart back for the sequel.

She was my least favorite part of the original, and she is definitely not missed.

:)

The new additions to the cast are enjoyable, but it's almost like they couldn't decide if they wanted to tell a prequel or a sequel.

Splitting time between both gives you enough storyline bouncing back and forth to make for one movie, but it seems a little less coherent that way.

At times there was almost too much plot going on with attempted plot twists and turns seemingly around every corner.

The cast is game though, and the movie looks great.

But at the end of the day, it's just an average movie, and doesn't inspire any reason to rush out to see it.

Final Grade: C

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+

"Zero Dark Thirty" Is My Usual Wake Up Time... :/

A story over a decade in the making...

The Story:

Starting with the events of September 11th, 2001, this film chronicles the decade that followed as American forces tried to find Osama Bin Laden.  The central character is Maya (Jessica Chastain) who doggedly pursues this mission even in the escalating fear and loss that comes her way professionally over the decade.

This movie is probably as polarizing to audiences as the Presidents who have been in office during the decade the movie takes place are to the nation.

You are either going to love it, or hate it.

Don't like the scenes of torture that take place... think there is a better way to get information from people...

You're probably right.

But in the 21st Century, war has taken an ugly turn.  No longer are nations at war, it's terrorist groups that attack and target anyone, and everyone.

Don't like that a captive is waterboarded to hopefully gain intelligence?

Well, I don't like that a bus full of innocents was blown up in London for no reason whatsoever.

Yet both happened.

It's a cruel world since 2001.

America has had to get down in the mud to fight a foe that doesn't play by the rules.

So be it.


The soapbox review! :)

The movie is othewise well-made, and very pro-CIAmerica, which is probably a given.

In the end, we got the guy we were looking for, so apparently the ends did justify the means.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was plenty, like most dramas.  I've lived the decade the movie takes place in, so I don't need to do it again.  At 2 1/2 hours, it's also pretty lengthy.

Sometimes "The Debt" Will Cost You Everything

Some secrets cannot stay dead...

The Story:

In 1965, three young Mossad agents are in East Berlin.  Their goal is to find a villainous Nazi war criminal, Doktor Bernhardt (Jesper Christiansen) and bring him back to Israel to pay for his crimes.  Stephan (Marton Csokas) and David (Sam Worthington) are joined by newly appointed field agent Rachel (Jessica Chastain). Now, 30 years later, Rachel's daughter has published a book about the heroic Mossad exploits of her mother Rachel (Helen Mirren), David (Ciaran Hinds) and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) and how they failed to bring the Doktor home to stand trial, but they did ensure he paid for his crimes when he attempted to escape.

Or did they?

This is a movie that lives in the flashback, and the opening is rather startling since we haven't yet figured out who all is who in the past and present.

However, they start filling in the gaps rather quickly and a great deal of the movie is focused on the mission in 1965 and how they attempt to bring the Doktor back alive.

As the flashbacks roll, there was indeed some startling surprises revealed both about the mission, and the characters themselves.

That Rachel has to basically go back into the world of shadows to rectify the mistake they made 30 years earlier is both harrowing and heartbreaking.

The movie alternates between thriller and drama, and the pacing seems to yo-yo with the direction of the story.  Sometimes it is full-tilt, and then it will slow down to focus on relationships.

Overall though, a rather engaging film with great performances all around.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: All things considered, rather low.  Glad I saw it, but no real reason to revisit this one. If I want to see Helen Mirren kicking butt, I'll watch Red. Again. :)