Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday November 11, 2014
Universal Pictures, Platinum Dunes, Blumhouse Productions,
Lena Headey, Ethan Hawke, Max Burkholder, Edwin Hodge, Adelaide Kane, Tony Oller, Rhys Wakefield, Tom Yi
The world has grown bigger and badder, and the population of rowdy trouble-making gangs and punks has risen to a level where the government has determined that for a 12 hour period once every year, there should be a night called “The Purge” where the baddies can release their pent up energy and enjoy stealing, killing, raping, and just about any depravity without any interference. Hospitals and ambulances do not respond, the Police are all holed up safely at home, and there are no emergency services of any kind, and everything is legal. One suburban family is relatively well off, and they’ve installed a security system that is impenetrable. It turns out the husband sells such systems, much to the dismay of the rest of the neighborhood who feel like they have given all the money in the neighborhood to him for similar security systems. But though they think they’re safe, when a man arrives screaming for help, they accidentally take in the target of a gang of bullies. The situation escalates as they decide how to deal with the situation that none of them make live through the night to witness.
The Purge is one of those movies that appeared interesting to me when I saw the previews. Then it came and went like a flash. I saw a preview for the sequel, The Purge: Anarchy, and it made we wonder if the original had ever come out. I found that I had totally missed it somehow. I wanted to see it for curiosities sake prior to seeing the sequel. So I dropped it into my queue. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It’s short, and to the point, and the concept is rather unique. The Purge is suspenseful and really creepy. It’s edge of your seat suspense. It’s not really overboard on the horror element, but has lots of scenes of people sneaking around and hiding out. The acting is pretty good. Lena Headey and Ethan Hawke are really good, and the whole setup is filled with dread. I was happy I took the time out to watch this film, as it was rather unique in the way it dealt with the subject. It certainly is a long night waiting for the dawn.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Automatik Entertainment, IM Global, Téléfilm Canada,
Clif Prowse, Derek Lee, Jason Lee, Michael McGill, Gary Redekop, Lily Lee, Baya Rehaz
Two friends, Derek (Derek Lee) and Clif (Clif Prowse) decide to go on a world tour to see as much of the world as possible when one of them is diagnosed with a brain aneurism and has only a short time to live. But after a horrible beating on a hot date, one of the men begins to deteriorate with a mysterious illness that may bring everything to a screeching halt.
This movie irritated the hell out of me. I know it has it’s fans, and some people are very exited about this film, but I truly hated it. It starts out as a documentary of the “trip of a lifetime” journey by two friends, and they do a pretty good job of presenting it as a simple documentary, but things go wrong really fast. It turns into a found footage horror film.
Now I’m over these found footage things in the first place. That has been driven into the ground further than reality TV singing competitions. That’s one reason why I hated it. It became really rather stupid, especially at the ending, and I was really sorry I invested my time in this loser of a flick. I found the main characters really annoying. Since they obviously are actors playing a role, even though the advertisement makes it look like they are real people playing themselves, they could have found someone that could act a little bit. The fooling around with the genre is irritating as well. Especially if you go into this thing thinking it’s what it advertises. I didn’t find it clever or unique or any of those things. I am sick of the shaky camera stuff. I didn’t think it was a good horror film in the least, and I was pretty bored throughout. I really did not enjoy this film, and though it’s rare I absolutely dislike a film, this one did not do anything for me. I suggest you avoid this one like the plague.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Walt Disney Pictures, Mandeville Films, Babieka
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Muppets, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey
The Muppets are feeling great about their new re-emergence and popularity when they run into Domenic Badguy (Ty Burrell) offering them a world tour. They eagerly sign up, without realizing that the world’s greatest criminal is Constantine (Kermit the Frog) is the spitting image of Kermit, and has a dastardly plan to kidnap Kermit and replace him while he uses their shows as a cover to steal the world’s greatest jewels.
The Muppets are back. The Muppets did some really great work through the years. From Christmas specials to feature length movies, to the fabulous Muppet TV show. Then things got rather stale. They did a 3D adventure for Disney at the parks, but after the loss of Jim Henson, they seemed to lose heart. Disney just didn’t seem to know what to do with the series, and it appeared they ran out of steam. It was as if the people didn’t love Kermit and the gang anymore. A few years ago in 2011 they gave them a new start in The Muppets and they did pretty good. Granted it was nowhere the quality of the original “Muppet Movie” from 1979, but it was pretty good. I picked up the story, much like in real life, where the Muppets were pretty much worn out. Their old theater was in disrepair after the cancellation of The Muppet Show. This picked up the story with the Muppets putting the old band back together and getting back in show business. This film, the second in the renaissance is a follow up to the 2011 one with many of the same characters. A little like the Rocky and Bullwinkle show with all the cold war style bad guys, this is a really fun little adventure through classic Muppet style gags, and a bunch of old friends. This was not a wildly successful theater run, and it’s doubtful if the magic that they made in the 70’s and 80’s will ever be back, as it’s a different time. But I really enjoyed watching this video. Granted it’s campy and filled with corny jokes, but that’s what I loved the most from The Muppet Movie in the first place. Seeing Miss Piggy completely clueless that her lovable Kermie has been replaced by an evil criminal named Constantine was worth the time all by itself. In general, this is a rare PG performance that is perfect for kids and adults as well. I surely enjoyed the rental, and if you haven’t had the chance to watch this, don’t let it disappear before you take the time to enjoy it. Or does Disney still hide their videos in “The Disney Vault” like they used to?
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
DiNovi Pictures, Finch Entertainment, Relativity Media,
Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, Liana Liberato, Luke Bracey, Gerald McRaney
Amanda (Michelle Monaghan) and Dawson (James Marsden) met as teenagers, but they came from very different backgrounds. Amanda comes from a wealthy and well respected family, whereas Dawson comes from a white trash family headed by an abusive father and a bunch of know-nothing brothers. Aside from their different lives, they fall madly in love. Things happen to pull them apart, but when 20 years later a coincidence brings them back to together for a weekend, they will have to look deep in their heart to find the pain and determine what fate has in store for them.
Nicholas Sparks certainly has a style of writing. He gets a lot of criticism, which I can understand, but the ladies seem to love everything he writes. I had a coupon from the local theater that I got from their loyalty program. It provided two free tickets plus a medium popcorn and two medium drinks. Since I could not pick one of the most recent films due to the restriction on the ticket, we picked The Best of Me. I got a bit worried when the theater started filling up with humans of the female persuasion. As it got a little closer to showtime, a few couples came in and I knew I would have some company. Seriously though, the first 90% of this movie was an excellent story. It did go a little bit overboard in the last 10 or 15 minutes. There was more crazy stuff happened in the last few minutes than in the rest of the film altogether. This is really the only complaint I have with the film. Sparks has a good story, then he has to go too far. But again I must say that for the fans, that’s probably what they wanted. So guys, I gotta warn you that this is a lady film, 100%. If you do have to watch it, be prepared to be disappointed in the ending. The acting was really good, and the five main characters were really very good together. There’s a lot of excitement and suspense, a lot of romance and heartbreak. It’s a love story, and what you’d expect from this type of film. I have to rate it highly because of the quality of the production and performances, but truthfully I would have enjoyed it so much more if it hadn’t turned silly in the end. It turned into a 19th century melodrama there.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
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