Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday July 14, 2015
Forward Pass, Legendary Pictures,
Chris Hemsworth, Wei Tang, Viola Davis, Ritchie Coster, Holt McCallany, Yorick van Wageningen, Leehom Wang
Nick Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) is a world class hacker who has been sent to prison. He is given a “Get Out of Jail Free” card when a cyber-hacker from the Balkans pops up somewhere in Southeast Asia. Nick is sent out with a team to assist the American and Chinese experts in attempting to find and contain the danger. Before long, Nick is out on his own and in grave danger, but using his skills and his wits and with the help of his new girlfriend Chen Lien (Wei Tang) they attempt to solve the puzzle and save the world.
This is very much a Chris Hemsworth movie. They took the story and handed it to him and said, “Make it so”. Boy does he. He sells the part 100%. This is a James Bond style tale with lots of locations all over the world as they unravel the story. Chris did an excellent job, as did the other characters. This is not a huge film, but as a little computer thriller with lots of action, beautiful scenery, and major suspense, this film is well worth watching. The technical details are believable, and the LACK OF APPLE EQUIPMENT allows me to raise the score a half a point. At one point Nick even asks for an Android phone and I almost squealed with delight. Basically this is a pretty decent little suspense film, and worth the effort to find it. And if you’re a Hemsworth fan (I.e. female) what more could you ask for?
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Archer Gray, Maiden Voyage Pictures, MindSmack Productions,
Elizabeth Banks, Josh Lucas, Chloe Sevigny, Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Lofland
In a small town which survives by the coal mine, and accident kills all the men underground but one, the survivor, finds himself embroiled in the fallout of the accident. There is an inquiry, and he is the main witness, but if the company is found responsible, the town could not survive. Shortly after, a teen boy disappears and the Survivor and the Mother of the boy (Elizabeth Banks) who is a lonely wife of a mine executive join together to try to find the boy. As the web is spun, more and more secrets are being hidden.
This has been an interesting week, with no big Hollywood releases, but a number of indie films that are quite unique. This is another of those. This is a dark story of a town in trouble, built on one industry where everyone depends on the mine for their survival. There are a number of mysteries (and some that we are let in on that is a mystery to the townsfolk), and as the secrets pile up things get stickier and stickier. It’s gloomy, and it’s very depressing. I felt sad when this was over, yet it was a very compelling story. The script was well done, and not all the answers are given to you and it makes you think. I pondered this one for quite a while after it was over. I was impressed with Elizabeth Banks and her performance in this film. She carried us through a range of emotions and did a really good job. It certainly was not an easy role. Basically this is a film of character development and the focus is on the characters. There’s little action and the main emphasis is on the feelings of the characters. Keep that in mind as you go in, because though a disaster has just taken place, this is not a disaster movie. Rather it’s an effects of the disaster movie. This is a unique story, but if you give it a chance, it isn’t half bad.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
RADiUS-TWC, Vega, Baby!, Crime Scene Pictures,
Salma Hayek, Jennifer Blanc, Togo Igawa, Masashi Fujimoto
Everly (Selma Hayek) is having a rough day. Her ex sends a hitmen, then more, then an entire army to kill her. This action thriller is filled with blood and violence, with a great sense of humor. The story takes place all in one room and in one day while she defends herself, her daughter, and her mother.
How to describe this film? Well, it’s one of a kind, that’s for sure. This is like Machete, only with a girl. Truthfully, this is Selma Hayek’s film, and I’m sure it’s not for everyone. It’s extremely dark and gory, but at the same time, it’s really, really funny. The humor is not Three Stooges style slapstick, it stays with the story and is very dark humor, but it’s really funny. It’s filmed in Serbia, and it’s definitely a niche film. But with all that said, I really got a kick out of this. It’s ridiculously silly, but still it holds your interest throughout. There could be other Everlys but it wouldn’t be the movie it is without Selma Hayek. She really put her own stamp on the film, and even before you listened to the DVD bonus feature commentary track you would know that Selma had a lot of input to the film once she signed on to the movie. Yes, this is a very unique indie film with lots of R rated content, but with a humorous and exciting and suspenseful storyline that is an adventure to watch. I did enjoy it, and if you think you can handle this (or if you liked Machete) then I recommend this one for you.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Kickstart Productions, Mythic International Entertainment, Raindance Entertainment,
Ed Harris, January Jones, Jason Isaacs, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Root, Jason Aldean, Vic Browder, Luce Rains, Dylan Kenin, Keith Meriweather
Sarah Ramirez (January Jones) is a young bride facing a harsh life with her husband trying to eke out a living on the range. Her and her husband run into trouble with a fanatical religious leader, Prophet Josiah (Jason Isaacs) and his followers who have determined to chase them out and take their land. When her husband is killed, she meets up with a wandering Sheriff named Jackson (Ed Harris) who is looking for clues of what happened to a couple of his relatives who disappeared in the same area where Prophet Josiah rules with an iron hand. Sarah, a daughter of a prostitute and a former prostitute herself sets out for revenge, with a little help from Sheriff Jackson, for the death of her husband in this thrilling old fashioned western.
I look back fondly on the old westerns. I used to see them for 35 cents for a double feature back when I was a kid, on Saturday mornings. I enjoyed the westerns on TV, but for some reason these stories have fallen out of favor with the public. Gene and Roy taught us good values and the good guys always won in the end. This film cropped up in my queue and with January Jones and Ed Harris, I decided to give it a try. I had a couple hours to kill and it was on Netflix Watch Instantly. I am glad I did. It was an old fashioned western, for sure, but very modern in the way the story is told. No punches were pulled and the religious fanatics are really sheep following a insanely evil wolf. Filled with R movie violence and treachery, this is not a movie for the squeamish. No shooting the guns out of the bad guy’s hands in this one. But it still has the fell and formula of the westerns of old. It was a good story, and the characters played by January Jones and Ed Harris were excellent. Ed Harris truly had a great time in this film, and he really got to do some over the top acting. He was really enjoyable in it. If you’re in the mood for a wild ride through a western story of old, this is the one for you. I enjoyed it.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
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