Cross Creek Pictures, Demarest Media, IM Global,

Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Vince Vaughn

Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield) was the son of a man who was severely tested by World War I. His father was an abusive alcoholic who used to beat his wife and children senseless. Desmond was very religious, and swore never to touch a gun, and never to harm anyone. But when World War II broke out, he was touched by the need to defend our country. But he had a different plan. He wanted to serve America as a medic to protect and save his brothers, but without a gun. Desmond ended up in the battle for Okinawa, one of the most vicious and horrible battles of the war, without a gun, where he saved the lives of a great many of his fellow soldiers. This is a true story, based on the real Desmond Doss who not only survived the battle, but lived to tell the story in his humble manor.

This is an intense story of probably the worst battle of WWII. When the soldiers were sent to capture Okinawa in a necessary step to conquer Japan, they had no idea how many Japanese were hiding in an underground bunker. This film was expertly directed by Mel Gibson, and is a wonderful film. Special notice has to go out to Vince Vaughn who plays Sgt Howell, one tough Sergeant, who has a close connection to Desmond in the end. At the end, we get to meet the real Desmond Doss and some of the other major characters who confirm the things in the story. As near as I can tell, the things that are depicted really happened. This film not only covers Desmond’s childhood which shaped his thinking due to the hardships he endured, but also the difficulties in getting though basic training before finally being deployed. There is no way this guy could have survived what he went through, but somehow he did. The battle scenes in this movie will take your breath away. It is very intense and gives the film it’s R rating which it deserves due to the realistic battle scenes, but it’s also very heart warming as well. One minute you’ll want to cry, and the next your heart is bursting with pride. It is such an amazing story and one that had to be told. Typically I’m not a big fan of War Movies, but this particular one is so very well done, that you have to see this one. The fact that it’s true is a huge plus as well. Make sure to see this movie!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, IM Global,

Patrick Wilson, Ed Helms, Chris Pine, Jessica Alba, Ray Liotta, James Badge Dale, Brooklyn Decker, David Hasselhoff, Shaun Toub

Stretch (Patrick Wilson) is a limo driver with a gambling problem. He’s in real trouble if he doesn’t pay them back immediately. To assist him, he hijacks a really rich client who offers to pay off his bills if he can meet all the demands of this eccentric passenger. Meanwhile he’s been haunted by the ghost of his nemesis, perfect limo driver Karl who recently offed himself, but decided to hang around to torment Stretch.

This is an off the wall comedy that has its funny moments. Patrick Wilson is demented enough to play this troubled soul whose life is derailing around him and still try to pull it all together. There are some funny cameos here as celebrities, playing themselves, show up to make a little fun of their celebrity. The Hoff does a pretty good job of lampooning himself, in particular. All in all, though, the story is a bit on the silly side, and is a little bit over the top. The comedy is just not all together on target. Sometimes it is just a little bit over the top and a bit too frantic. As I said, it’s got its moments, and some of it is really good, so it wasn’t bad that I could catch this for free streaming, as the DVD is not even on Netflix yet, but I have a hard time recommending it as I know it could be a pretty big disappointment for many. It was a nice try, but just not enough for a recommendation.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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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

 

 

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Little Magic Films, Automatik Entertainment, IM Global,

Mark Webber, Rutina Wesley, Devon Graye, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Tom Bower, Ron Perlman, Christopher Berry, Stephanie Honore

Elliott Brindle (Mark Webber) is a salesman, who is really having a rough streak. Things are falling apart every which way, and he’s badly in need of cash, fast. To top it off, he’s planning on getting married and is in the hole financially. Strangely, a phone call comes through his cell phone telling him he is selected to play a game and the top prize after 13 tasks are completed is a million dollars. The first couple tasks are not hard, so he is pulled into this strange game which turns very serious in a hurry. If he quits the game he loses everything he has earned, but furthermore will definitely be arrested, but if he goes on with the game they will have all the charges “go away”. Once he’s in, it’s hard to get out, and it doesn’t take very long for him to see he made a very stupid choice.

I should not have liked this movie. Certainly the idea is really far fetched. These people, whoever they are, know where he is every moment and can see his every move. How does that happen?
There are logic holes all over the place. But this is not to be taken as a literal happening. It’s a story to make you think about what you would be willing to do. How far would you go. The story is very clever. I haven’t seen these kind of challenges before. It’s like “Deal With It” on steroids. Mark Webber does a great job as Elliott and whoever the voice on the phone is, he does a perfect job coming off as an arrogant snob who has no morals and no shame. Each of the “levels” are very clever, and we are pulled into the story. It’s a small movie, not much budget, independently done, but very well crafted. The story is very fresh, born out of reality TV of today, although this is private game and not blamed on the media. This movie is very far off the scope of most people, and one that is very cleverly done and deserves some attention. You have to recognize that it’s allegorical and not literal, and you’ll enjoy it and find yourself talking about it for a while to come. What would you do?

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 


 

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DNA Films, IM Global, Peach Trees,

Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Wood Harris, Langley Kirkwood, Junior Singo, Luke Tyler, Jason Cope, Domhnall Gleeson, Warrick Grier

In the future, the world has become a virtual wasteland, and the survivors are huddled into a few massive mega-cities. The usual problems of drugs and crime are fought by the Judges, police soldiers who hunt, catch, and execute criminals. The greatest of these is Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) who is a ultimate warrior. But when he comes up against Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) leader of the most hardened of criminal gangs in a battle to the death for him, he’s saddled with a rookie cop Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) whom he must train and evaluate. What follows is a roller-coaster battle of epic proportions in a non-stop action film based on the comic book hero.

This is an interesting film. As you probably know, Stallone did a version of this film almost 20 years ago. Many folks did not like it very much. This movie should please those who are not fans of the Stallone version. This film is one long fight sequence that starts quickly and runs through till the end. Reminiscent of the Die Hard movies in a lot of ways, a pair of cops, one a rookie, are up against insurmountable odds. But good must fight evil no matter what the odds. The action is gory and bloody, so stay away if you don’t like that. This is not one of those PG teenage boy action films, this one is very realistic with all the violence and gore. But the action is non-stop, and though we’re in a futuristic society with advanced technology, the battles are believable. It’s certainly exciting and action packed, and for those who love this kind of non-stop action, it’s a really well done film. There’s not much to criticize here, and most of the people who don’t like it say it’s because of the intense violence. Well, please skip it if you’re not ready to accept that. Like the comic books, this is a violent movie, but action really well done. For the right audience, it’s sure to be liked, and it’s odd that it did so poorly in the theaters. I think perhaps that could by Sly Stallone’s fault, as many people probably skipped it because of the bad taste in their mouth from the 1995 film. That’s a shame, and so if you’re a fan of fast paced action adventures, watch this one on DVD> It’s really pretty decent.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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