Movie Review: Ghostbusters (2016)

Way back in 1984 a movie was released to theaters that has stood the test of time, entertaining millions over and over again for over thirty years. That movie was Ghostbusters, a movie that ranks among the greats and has inspired legions of dedicated fans. A few years later a sequel arrived, and while I do not love the movie, it still has a lot to like. Ever since then there have been ideas of adding a third movie to the franchise. Before now, the closest we had gotten was a video game featuring the voices of the original cast that was released back in 2009. In recent years there were talks of a third film with the original cast, a feature that transitioned the ‘busting to a new generation, and then, most recently, rival male and female team based films. The one that was made was the one featuring all female leads. This led to all manner of controversy before it ever hit theaters.

Movie Review: Vacation (2015)

I am not against the idea of remakes or reboots. Sure, the majority seem to turn out rubbish, but some of them actually turn out to be good. It's all right, you can stop laughing now. Now, the idea of giving the Vacation franchise some life by having the kids take over is a good one. The problem is that the execution of this idea is just awful. I suspect it is a product of its time, but that doesn't make it any better. This new take on Vacation follows a very similar path of the original, only meaner. It just doesn't work. Yes, there are a couple of chuckles to be had, but I was more looking forward to the end credits.

Movie Review: Avengers - Age of Ultron - A Little Fun, a Little Meh

So, after years of waiting and years of build up, Avengers: Age of Ultron has finally arrived. As expected, it was a box office beast in its opening weekend, taking in more than $191 million on its way to becoming the second biggest opening film of all time (trailing only the $207 million take of its predecessor). Now, the crazy thing is that this is being seen as a disappointment, it had been expected to surpass the first Avengers film. One has to wonder what it was that kept it from taking the record, but then you have to think, it still took in $191 million! That is nothing to sneeze at. I also have to say I was amused at the idea that the boxing match had an effect on it. Geez, it made $191 million! Just be happy.

Movie Review: Blackhat

Blackhat is Michael Mann's latest cinematic foray and his first since 2009's Public Enemies. It is pretty interesting to look at Mann's filmography. He is far from a prolific director, but more often than not, the films he makes are of very good quality. I even thought his Miami Vice was pretty good, plus it has some really good gunfights. When it comes to Blackhat, I was not sure if it was going to be a movie for me as it looks like they were going for this computer themed movie built on the back of Thor. Seemed like an odd pairing that was not destined to work. As it turns out, the movie is not what I expected and it surprisingly works.

Movie Review: Red Dawn (2012)

In 1984 writer/director John Milius followed up his epic Conan the Barbarian with a "what if" tale of an invasion of the US by a foreign army, Red Dawn. It is something that has never happened in the modern age. During the Cold War it was a real fear, it may not have been one talked about much, but it was a possibility. That movie saw the forces of Soviet Russia and Cuba invade America. Now, the movie had a healthy dose of cinematic bravado and was ultimately just an entertainment, but it had a certain believability about it. Now we have the remake, rejiggered for 2012 (well, 2009, when it was shot).

Blu-ray Review: Cabin in the Woods

If you have not seen Cabin in the Woods, stop reading this, do not read anything about the movie and go see it. Hopefully I found you in time and you haven't already read too much. Don't worry, this will still be here when you get back. In all seriousness, this is one of those movies where the less you know about it, the better. After you see it, you are going to want to sit back down and watch it again. That is how I felt immediately upon leaving the theater and each of the times I have watched it on disk. It doesn't get old and never fails to entertain. Plus, once you know what is going on, you are free to look at the other details throughout the film.