Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Marvel Entertainment, TSG Entertainment,

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till

Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) is the most powerful mutant in history, but he has been buried away for centuries, trapped under a pyramid. But when he’s unleashed, he has the power to draw skills and power from other mutants and add them to his own. He chooses four powerful mutants as his minions, including Magneto (Michael Fassbender) who is heartbroken at the loss of his family and extremely broken and discouraged. Meanwhile Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) has kept his school for mutants open and has a bunch of new recruits who are mutants that are discouraged and feel different who want to learn to control their powers. But with Apocalypse’s return, and his plan to destroy the Earth and start over with a new kingdom with him as supreme ruler, Xavier will have to count on the new recruits and Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) to lead them into battle against the end of the world.

When I went to the theater over the Memorial Day weekend, I had to choose between X-Men:Apocalypse and Marvel’s Civil War. Despite the fact that the young man who sold me the tickets insisted that X-Men was a better story, I had my doubts. I still haven’t had a chance to see the Civil War movie yet, so I can’t comment on whether he is right or not, but I have to first give two caveats. One, I am not a big comic book fan in particular and usually feel pretty ho-hum about the whole genre. Two, I am especially bland when it comes to the X-Men in general. I’ve never been a huge X-Men fan anyway. But I must admit, this was a pretty good story. I found it interesting to learn about the new characters, and there was a lot of humor, especially with those who haven’t learned to control their power yet. Apocalypse was a bad guy, but not the baddest I have seen, by any means, and he went down fairly easy, when you come to think of it. But the back story of Magneto was very well portrayed, and you can really understand his pain as it was well played. The action was great, the 3-D effects are fantastic, and the whole things rolls along smoothly. At over 2 1/2 hours, it’s a fairly long film, but I was sad when it ended, as it was very entertaining. Certainly if you like the comic book genre, this is an excellent film, and even if you don’t, like me, it’s still a good movie in its own right. I recommend this action adventure fantasy film as one of the better ones I’ve seen. I enjoyed it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently 1 Comment »on this post.

Coup d’Etat Films, Sandbar Pictures, Abandon Pictures,

Tye Sheridan, Olivia Thirlby, Logan Miller, Ezra Miller, Nelsan Ellis, Michael Angarano, Keir Gilchrist, Jesse Carere, Miles Heizer, Gaius Charles, Nicholas Braun, Brett Davern, Benedict Samuel, Callan McAuliffe, James Frecheville, Ki Hong Lee, Moises Arias, Matt Bennett, Johnny Simmons, Harrison Thomas, Billy Crudup, Jack Kilmer, Thomas Mann, James Wolk, Chris Sheffield

In 1971, a Stanford University professor began an experiment, selecting 24 college students to participate in a study of the effects of incarceration on both the inmates and the guards. The participants were divided into two groups, guards and inmates, and the inmates were arrested by the local police force and brought to the “jail” that was setup in the basement of the psychology building on the university. What followed was a horrid experience for the nameless “inmates” who were psychologically tortured by the mock guards. The study was expected to last for 14 days, but did not make it near that long as the professor was urged to stop it after less than a week due to the horrifying impact on the kids who volunteered for this study. Much of what we know today is known from this infamous experiment, and many laws were put in place to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. This docudrama tells the story extremely realistically and is one of the most amazing stories of psychology gone awry.

This is similar to “The Experiment” that was released in 2010 which was loosely based on the same events, but this one is more like a documentary than fiction. The realism of the events are told in a straight forward “in your face” style that will surely shock you as well as educate you. Not much was known about whether your nature and background makes you more of an inmate or a guard, but in this experiment we found that the role you are “assigned” has a lot to do with how you act. There is a great deal of psychology included, and be sure not to miss the two special features on the DVD if you can. One covers the science of the experiment and is told by the actual professor who conducted this test. The second is about how they brought this experience to life in the video. It seems very close to the real story, as close as possible from an event from 1971, but that is probably because it is based on the book written by the professor who conducted the experiment and he plays a big role in advising and supervising the movie. This is a harsh story, and is filled with a lot of torture and very bad language. Not for the faint of heart or for the young folk, but this is one of the classic psychology studies that students today still learn about in school. This is a hard hitting and powerful film that is sure to affect you for a long time.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently 1 Comment »on this post.

Saban Films, Code Entertainment, Freedom Media,

John Travolta, Christopher Plummer, Tye Sheridan, Jennifer Ehle, Marcus Thomas, Anson Mount, Abigail Spencer, Travis Aaron Wade

Raymond Cutter (John Travolta) is the worlds best art forger, but he’s been in prison away from his father Joseph (Christopher Plummer) and his son Will (Tye Sheridan). But his son is not well and Ray would do anything to get back home to spend some time with him. So he makes an impossible deal with a big time gangster to paint of forgery of a Monet painting, then break into the museum and steal the original, and replace it with the forgery in return for buying his way out of prison.

This crime story jumped out of the screen and captured my attention. Truthfully I have never been a huge Travolta fan, and he has made some rather bad movies over the years, but he did a really good job in this one. He is an art forger, and a criminal, but still cares about his son and he pulls this off very well. The two have a tight bond by the end of the film. These three together is actually a pleasure to watch. Typical scam and heist films like this one have a lot of twists and turns, and this one is no different, and it was pretty interesting all the way through. I found the story fresh and fun to follow. The script was well done, and the actual heist was really suspenseful. All in all I found this a good film. and if you enjoy a good robbery, mixed with a story of three generations trying to find their common ground, give this one a try.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.

Worldview Entertainment, Dreambridge Films, Muskat Filmed Properties,

Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan, Sue Rock, Heather Kafka, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Adriene Mishler, Gary Poulter

Joe is an ex-con and now the foreman of a team of woodsmen that poison trees using a homemade solution so that the lumber companies can come through and cut down the ugly trees to plant new ones. The law prohibits them from cutting live trees, so this band of misfits comes along to kill them. Joe is no role model, but when a 15 year old boy shows up to ask for work, Joe takes him under his shoulder and when he finds out how hard life is for the boy, he becomes a sort of unlikely mentor for the boy.

This is a really good film, but it’s very dark and disturbing at the same time. Set in rural America where people live in shacks, struggle to get by, and there is no hope of redemption or a way out. It’s a bleak picture. The gang who works with Joe are hurting and disturbed, but the things the boy has to endure is really heartbreaking as well. These are really low class people. Gary (Tye Sheridan) is a basic good kid, despite his classless alcoholic of a father who has no morals at all. Joe is not looking to be a role model for anyone, but it seems everyone likes him and depends on him for their survival which he reluctantly gives to everyone in town. This role is classic Nicolas Cage and is the best performance from him that we have seen in many years. He is excellent in this movie, and he carries the whole story on his back just like he carries the town as his character. There’s R worthy violence and some horrible things happen which we get to sit through with disgust, but it’s real and in your face with the problems of these poor people who will never have a chance to dig themselves out of the squalor they survive in. I was blown away at the directness of this movie, and I really enjoyed the experience. I like Joe, and as a result Nick Cage stock has shot up in my book. Though hard to watch without wincing and looking away, I recommend this film as one of Nick’s best roles ever.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.

Brace Cove Productions, Cottonwood Pictures, Plan B Entertainment

Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Fiona Shaw, Joanna Going, Kari Matchett, Kimberly Whalen, Laramie Eppler, Tye Sheridan

This is an artistic film, with huge ambition. There are tons of very visually stunning scenes, that appear unrelated, then we alternate from scenes from a grown man, Jack(Sean Penn), who is alone, reminiscing on his childhood,and his relationship between him and his siblings, and his father (Brad Pitt) who is very strict, a realist, and wants to raise tough manly sons, so he is quite a bit cruel and abusive, while still seeking strength from his boys, and a mother (Jessica Chastain) who is a dreamer, and still with a childlike innocence. Jack is trying to seek meaning in life and is trying to find a way somewhere in between mother and father.

This is definitely a “zero star” or “ten star” film. It seems to be split between lovers and haters. The problem with the film is that it’s perhaps overly symbolic, and nothing much goes on. The first 40 minutes or so of the film is just imagery of the creation of the universe, dueling dinosaurs, deserts, fish, etc, that look really great, but there is no real purpose. (Ok, that’s not true, there is a “meaning of life” type purpose I’m sure, but everyone has to sit through this beautiful imagery with no story part before the film even begins, and many people, I’m sure, walked out before the story began.)

Then when the story begins, we are barraged with little snippets of of conversations and moments that seem random. What do we know? Well, we know that one of the brothers died when he was 19, and none of them really got over it. Yes, I get that we’re viewing grown up Jack’s memories, and memories are fragmented, but movies typically tell a story, which this one really doesn’t. When we finally figure out what’s going on, suddenly we’re thrown back in the visual imagery with people walking around on a beach. The ending FINALLY comes up (after 2 hours and 15 minutes) and there’s absolutely no ending that I can see.

I can truly understand the people who love this film. It’s poetic, visually stunning, and you can make anything you want out of it. In fact, one guy made the comment that you see what you take in with you. If you’re looking for a Christian movie, it’s a Christian movie. Like wise if you’re Hindu or a nature lover, or a relationship councilor, that’s what you get out of it. Since the film starts with a quote from the book of Job in the Bible, I think that’s a hint to what the movie maker meant. In the quote, Job is question how God could allow all this bad stuff to happen to him, and God is answering that Job does not understand the scope of the creation of the galaxy, and the immensity of the universe and that Job is just a small speck in the scheme of things. Perhaps, that’s what he was going for. To show us, that Jack’s life, as difficult as it may have been for him, was just a small part compared to the history of the Universe. Likewise, I could be completely off my rocker and it’s about circus clowns. Who knows.

I did not rate this very high on my rating scale because I was really fidgeting an bored through the first 45 minutes. This is one movie I really, really, really wanted to turn off. But in order to review it, I have to watch it, so I forged through. Then when the story of the 1950’s family began, finally, I started to get interested and thought there might be a story in there finally. But I was disappointed again, as I didn’t get any meat out of it. It was like watching the Cliff Notes version of a story. Then more strange images and it was done. It felt like 10 hours instead of 2 1/4 and I certainly wouldn’t want to go through it again to see what I missed. But I know tons of people are going to love this.

It’s been compared frequently to 2001 A Space Odyssey, which I can see the comparison. 2001 was a film that did not give you any answers either, and you can bring whatever you want out of it. But 2001 I would rate as a 5 star film because though it was artistic and mystical, it had a great story in it. The “thought inducing” parts of what was the bigger meaning of the movie was an add on to the great story and a benefit that kept us talking about it for months and years afterwards. This doesn’t have the same kind of story to pique your interest. After this one is over I just felt used and ripped off.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.