Ed's Review Dot Com

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday March 10, 2015

• Happy Valley
• The Liberator
• Low Down
• Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
• Pioneer

Warner Bros., Big Kid Pictures, Team Downey,

Robert Downey Jr., Leighton Meester, Dax Shepard, Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is a very successful lawyer from the city, but when his Mom passes away, he has to head home for the funeral. But Hank and his father Joseph (Robert Duvall) who is a small town, but highly respected judge. Hank and Joseph don’t get along at all, mostly due to his father disagreeing with all of his life’s decisions. But when his father is arrested for first degree murder, Hank wants to defend him, but Joseph wants the town’s part time lawyer to defend him.

This was a very good story that really touches your heart. Robert Downey Jr. plays his part perfectly. He’s very good as the son who feels his father never had an respect or appreciation for him, and Robert Duvall is perfect as the crotchety old Judge who is all high and mighty and not very subtle in his distaste for his middle son. This captures the difference between life in the city and life in the country very well, the story is very interesting and there is a great deal of drama and suspense in trying to get to the root of the incident. It’s very well filmed, and the story is quite well defined. I must admit the casting was done very well, and the other characters, especially Hank’s older brother who is tending the youngest brother who is developmentally challenged. I really enjoyed this film, and I can highly recommend it as a touching family drama.

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Lionsgate, WWE Studios,

Kane, Danielle Harris, Katharine Isabelle, Chelan Simmons, Kaj-Erik Eriksen

Amy (Danielle Harris) works in the hospital’s morgue during the night, so her friends decide to bring her birthday part to the morgue. Meanwhile, the body of killed serial killer Jacob Goodnight (Glen “Kane” Jacobs) has arrived from the “See No Evil” hotel at the end of the 2006 horror film. But it seems Jacob is not quite done with his killing spree as he arises from the slab and begins hunting down Amy’s friends one by one.

This sequel to 2006’s See No Evil. I suspect the sequel is about as good as the first movie. This series is not bad, but it’s not extremely innovative either. But it’s a decent horror film of the slasher variety with lots of chases, screams, and unusual ways of getting killed. The acting is pretty mediocre, as most of the characters are cut from cardboard and it’s like they are reading the lines in a run through rather than in the actual shoot. But the gore factor is pretty high, and certainly the setting is creepy. There’s something about a serial killer running free in the morgue that’s really creepy. The suspense is really good too, and it’s scary enough. Basically a solid horror film, well worth it if that’s what you’re looking for. Don’t expect anything ground breaking, but it’s as good as the next if this is what you’re looking for. It’s a solid slasher.

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Chernin Entertainment, Crescendo Productions, Goldenlight Films,

Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard,Jaeden Lieberher

Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) are moving to a new home. Maggie is just recently divorced and in dire straits watching every penny. Their next door neighbor Vin (Bill Murray) is an ex soldier, retired, and taking care of his wife who is in a nursing home and doesn’t remember him. He an angry guy, drinks too much, lives with a Russian stripper/hooker (Naomi Watts) who is pregnant. When Maggie’s troubles grow, she calls on Vin to take care of Oliver after school while she’s at work, but he has no problem taking little Oliver to the horse races, to the bar, and to the strip club which probably isn’t such a good example. But Vin and Oliver become friends, and get along well.

This is such a touching story. Bill Murray does such a wonderful job of playing this angry old man who everyone knows has a heart of gold. This is probably the weirdest role Naomi Watts has ever done, Russian accent and all, but it it’s a real riot. In Russia they grown ’em tough, and she’s seen it all. This is also a perfect role for Melissa McCarthy who usually gets roles with lots of foul mouthed fighting and all the rough edges, but in this one she plays a single mom with the short end of the stick in a really heartbreaking way. She’s a woman who doesn’t deserve her fate, but is doing the very best she can despite the dumb ass she married. Everyone here is a pretty decent choice for their role, and this ensemble cast is a pleasure to watch. The humor is really good, Bill Murray is classic, and the whole thing wraps up with a heart breaking ending that will touch you to the core. All in all, this is a great comedy film, and I highly recommend it!

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IFC Productions, Detour Filmproduction,

Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater

Mom (Patricia Arquette) and Dad (Ethan Hawke) have been divorced, but they still want to share raising their young son Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his sister. This film is Mason’s story, following his life and development (and relationship to his parents) over the years from him as a young boy until he go away to his Freshman year in college. It’s a peek at the family events, changes, challenges, and other happenings during Mason’s young life.

This movie was filmed over a 12 year period using the same cast in order to actually have the people grow older as time really passes. This is a really touching story. Through different years in his life he grows closer to one parent or the other as dynamics change as people change. As you would expect, Mom does most of the child rearing, and Dad comes in on the weekend to treat the kids and bring presents much to the dismay of Mom. We literally get to see Mason grow up before our eyes as the years pass. One warning, this is a LONG movie. It runs almost 3 hours and you might do well to break this up into a couple viewings. Also, there is not a particular beginning or end, nor is there a real point to the story. This project is more about peeking in and watching the changes in everyone as the years pass. Sometimes it annoys me when there is no point, but just a camera pointing into someone’s lives. In the end, Mason goes away to live in the dorm in school, and the credits just roll. But on the other hand, this film has a very interesting concept to begin with, so it didn’t annoy me so much to just have it end without an point. I started this movie late in the evening, and stuck with it all the way to the end. I found it very interesting and was very caught up in the changing relationships. This is a very unusual movie, and is very worth the 2 hour and 45 minute investment. I think this is a good one to watch if you’ve ever been a son, or a mom or dad. I recommend this one.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog