Carrie (2013)

2013's Carrie is a film adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. This story was most famously brought to the big screen in 1976 by director Brian De Palma and that version stared Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, and John Travolta in one of his very first roles. Now, as a disclaimer I've never read the Stephen King novel all the way through and I haven't seen the '76 film in many years. So there isn't going to be a lot of comparing and contrasting of the 2013 film to either one of those versions.

The basic framework of the story is still the same as in previous iterations; Carrie is a shy, teenage outcast who is often bullied at school. Her home life is just as bad (if not worse) as she lives with her over-bearing, religious fanatic, mother. As the story moves along Carrie starts to notice that she has telekinetic abilities. She starts to explore these powers and even gains a little bit of confidence. However, when a cruel prank at the high school prom results in Carrie being drenched in pig's blood, all Hell breaks loose...

Overall, I think this is a decent movie. I like Chloe Grace Moretz portrayal as Carrie and Julianne Moore is ok as her mother. The biggest knock against the movie, for me, is that the film is safe and efficient. It's the same story told again, hitting all of the expected beats, with little new added other than some minor updates.

It's a fine movie and I was entertained, but it's not a 'must-see' and not as good as the 1976 version in my opinion.

I give this one a 3 out of 5.

RoboCop (2014)

Back in 2016 I took a look back at the original RoboCop trilogy, but I didn't review the 2014 reboot at the time.

Until rewatching the movie for this review I had only seen it the one time in theaters and had forgotten a lot about it. There are a few things in this film that I like but, I'm going to start with some of the problems I have with it. First off, it's rated PG-13.  For a lot of movies this wouldn't matter much to me but, similarly to 1993's RoboCop 3, keeping this film a PG-13 instead of a R rating holds it back. Secondly, the film lacks the humor and satire of the others, particularly the 1987 original. Finally, despite an overall strong cast, I feel that Joel Kinnaman was miscast as Alex Murphy.

The movie isn't without it's positves though. Like I said, the cast overall is solid, boasting the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, and Michael Keaton. I think the story works well enough, the action is decent, and RoboCop's design looks pretty good in 

the film, with the exception of the helmet.

Overall, it isn't great but it's not unwatchable either. That being said, if you're in the mood for a RoboCop film, I'd still recommend either of the first two over this one.

2.5 out of 5

 If you want to check out my reviews of the other RoboCop films here are the links: RoboCop (1987), RoboCop 2 (1990), and RoboCop 3 (1993)

Strangers on a Train

It's been a little while since I last wrote a piece about a classic film here but, today I wanted to look back at the 1951 film Strangers on a Train. Though often overshadowed by some of Hitchcock's other works like Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Rear Window, The Birds, and Dial M for Murder, this film is up there with one of his best.

The set up is straight forward, simple, and is laid out brilliantly and succinctly early on with this line: "A couple of fellows meet accidentally, like you and me. No connection between them at all. Never saw each other before. Each of them has somebody he'd like to get rid of, but he can't murder the person he wants to get rid of. He'll get caught. So they swap murders." The issue here that drives the whole plot is that while the character Bruno (played Robert Walker) who delivers this line is ready to go ahead with the plan, the man he's been talking to Guy (played by Farley Granger) isn't interested. Bruno goes ahead anyway and commits a murder that Guy never asked for, and then he expects Guy to return the favor. 

 Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows I'm a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan and films like this one are the reason why. This movie is suspenseful, well paced, and has some great characters. Amongst all of the tension Hitchcock sprinkled in little bits of humor and there is a 'criss-cross' motif that runs throughout that I really enjoy. I highly recommend Strangers on a Train if you've never seen it.
It's one of my favorites, and I give it a 5 out of 5.

Tomorrow You're Gone

Tomorrow You're Gone is a 2013 crime-thriller starring Stephen Dorff, Michelle Monaghan, and Willem Dafoe. Honestly, based on the cast and the description on the back of the Blu-ray case, I thought this film was going to be right up my alley. Unfortunately, despite all of this, the film a bit of a dud.

The premise of the movie is that a man named Charlie (played by Dorff) has just been released from prison but he's not completely free yet. Charlie still owns a debt to a man known as 'The Buddha' (played by Dafoe). To settle this debt Charlie has to murder a guy for 'The Buddha' but, this is a movie, so things don't go quite as planned... Fairly early on in the film Charlie meets this woman named Florence (played by Michelle Monaghan) and she's probably the best part of the whole film. 

This movie could've worked but, it just doesn't. It's a bit too much style over substance, Dorff just isn't the right actor to carry this film in my opinion, the 92 minute runtime seemed like it was twice that, and the stakes just never felt real while I was watching it.

I was hoping that this was a hidden gem that had just flown under my radar but, that wasn't the case. I can't recommend this one.

1 out of 5

Home Run Showdown

Released in 2012, Home Run Showdown is one of those sports films where a ragtag group of kids end up on the same sports team, learn to work together, and show that despite initially being castoffs as individuals they can win as a team. It's The Mighty Ducks, it's Little Giants, it's Bad News Bears... it's that kind of story.

This film centers around two constantly feuding brothers Joey (played by Matthew Lillard) and Rico (played by Dean Cain). Rico is the successful, ex- big league player who recruits all the top kids in his town to play for his little league team. Joey is a bit of a loser who got kicked out of minor league baseball and gets stuck coaching the players none of the other coaches want. These are, of course, the usual sports movie castoffs like a fat kid and a girl. The main kid, and source of the movies title, is a boy named Lori who takes the game very seriously. Lori needs his team to be good enough to qualify to participate in the nationally televised 'Home Run Showdown' so that his dad, who is in prison, can see him on TV. Additionally, Joey and Rico's father is going to retire soon and whichever son's team does better at the Showdown, that son will inherit his sports bar.

Overall, while not a fantastic movie, it's watchable. It's predictable, the acting isn't the best and the main kid often comes off more bratty than determined which makes him a pretty unlikeable character. If, like me, you have an elementary school-age kid who like s sports then this makes for a decent 'family movie night' viewing.

2 out of 5

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist

This martial arts comedy was released in 2002 and combines footage from the 1976 Hong Kong film Tiger & Crane Fists with new footage and dialogue. Kung Pow! Enter the Fist is one of those unique movies that I really, really enjoy but have a hard time recommending to others. Holding strong at a whopping 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, it almost found a place on my '10 Movies That I Like But Everyone Else Seems To Hate' list but, it does have a 69% audience score a has definitely has it's fans.

 The plot involves a man known only by the name 'Chosen One'. Chosen One's parents were killed when he was a baby by Master Pain, and he has trained his whole life for the opportunity to get revenge... Oh, also Chosen One has a sentient tongue, can use gophers as nunchucks, and Master Pain works for an evil council of aliens. I do realize it's a pretty dumb movie, but I find it hilarious.

Overall, I can't really criticize the acting or production of this film because it's supposed to be bad, that's part of the joke of it all. I enjoy this one a lot and always get a good laugh out of it. If you've never seen it, I can't guarantee you'll like it too but I do think it's worth watching at least once.

I give it a 4 out of 5.

Happy 4th of July!

Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in this history of mankind.

Mankind -- that word should have new meaning for all of us today.

We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore.

We will be united in our common interests.

Perhaps its fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution -- but from annihilation.

We're fighting for our right to live, to exist.

And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice:

"We will not go quietly into the night!

We will not vanish without a fight!

We're going to live on!

We're going to survive!"

Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!