Escape Plan

Despite my love of all things 80's-action, never got around to this 2013 film starring two of the 1980's biggest action icons Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

Escape Plan has a fairly basic premise; Ray Breslin (played by Sylvester Stallone) works as a specialist with a security firm, testing the reliability of maximum security prisons. It's established early on that there is no prison he cannot escape from. That is until he excepts a job trying to escape from a new type of prison designed specifically to be Breslin-proof. Once in the new prison, codenamed 'The Tomb', Breslin quickly realizes that he's been played and this time he doesn't his team as safety net to extract him from the location. The movie takes a couple of twists and turns, people aren't who they say they are, etc. so I won't spoil the plot for anyone who hasn't seen it and wants to.

Even though the film is far from perfect, I do think it's worth checking out. The cast is pretty good for the most part; alongside Stallone and Schwarzenegger, the film also stars the likes of Vincent D'Onofrio, Jim Caviezel, and Sam Neill (a big plus because Sam Neill isn't in enough movies). The actual 'escape plan' is, of course, pretty convoluted and relies as much on luck as anything else. 

 Is it Stallone's best? No, but it's never boring and overall, I had fun with it.

I give it a 3 out of 5.

Also, if you're a fan of Stallone and/or Schwarzenegger,

 then check out "10 Sylvester Stallone Movies Everyone Should See" and "10 Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies Everyone should See" on this site.

My Favorite Sports Movies

In addition to my love of movies, I'm also a big sports fan. So, when the two forms of entertainment meet the result is some of my favorite films to watch time and time again. This isn't going to be a "Best Sports Films Ever" type of list. These are just some of my favorites. Now, this list was getting WAY too long so I pared it down to the fifteen films I've gone back to most frequently.

#15 The Longest Yard (1974)

This is one of Burt Reynolds' best known films and one that I can't help but watch every time it pops up on one of the movie channels. Unfortunately the 2004 remake with Adam Sandler wasn't nearly as good.

#14 Days of Thunder (1990)

I don't have much to say about this one... Sure, it's the worst critically received film on the list, but I still find it really entertaining. 

#13 Raging Bull (1980)

38 years later and this still holds up as one of Scorsese's best works and one of De Niro's best performances. A fair argument could be made that it's the best film on this list.

#12 The Stratton Story (1949)

This is the film on here that the least amount of people reading this have probably seen. It's based on the true story of Monty Stratton, a baseball pitcher who makes a comeback after having his leg amputated, and it is a fantastic movie. Check it out if you've never seen it. 

#11 Cinderella Man (2005)

This film about James J. Braddock, a boxer who is forced by injuries to retire and later defied the odds to become Heavyweight Champion of the World, is one of the better boxing movies out there in my opinion. 

#10 Jerry Maguire (1996)

"Show me the money!"

Yea, it's a movie about a sports agent, but it's a really good movie about a sports agent.

#9 Moneyball (2011) 

Who would've thought a movie about the analytics of baseball could be this entertaining. Moneyball is well written, well directed, and features what I think is Brad Pitt's best performance.

#8 The Hustler (1961)

Is Billiards a sport? Well, Google and ESPN at 2am say it is. Plus, The Hustler is a phenomenal film, so it makes the list. 

#7 Happy Gilmore (1996)

I've lost count how many times I've seen Happy Gilmore and I still get a bunch of laughs out of it every time. Sandler's schtick got old after a while, but in the mid-90's he was on top of his game and Happy Gilmore still holds up.

#6 The Wrestler (2008) 

This isn't one of those feel-good sports movies where the lovable underdog wins the big championship and everyone is happy in the end. But, if you want to see a great movie with a terrific performance by Mickey Rourke, then this is a must-see.

#5 Field of Dreams (1989)

It's become a tradition of mine to watch this one a few days before Opening Day each year. It's the most sentimental film on the list, but it doesn't take it too far.

#4 Caddyshack (1980)

This is one of those rare movies that when the final credits role, and the Blu-ray returns to the home menu, I can press play and watch it all over again. 

#3 Bull Durham (1988)

"Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring. Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls, it's more democratic" - 'Crash' Davis

I love this movie.

#2 Slap Shot (1977)

A few sports-comedies made the list, but this one is arguably my favorite of the bunch. Paul Newman is great in the film, and despite my love of the sport, it's the only hockey movie to make the list.

#1 Rocky (1976)

Since 1976 everyone who makes sports movie, is hoping that they are making the next Rocky. I wrote a whole blog entry on the Rocky film franchise a while back (you can check that out by clicking HERE) and the original Rocky film still stands out as not only my favorite film in that series, but as my all-time favorite sports movie.

Some movies that just missed the cut: Rocky IV (1985), Miracle (2004), Creed (2015), The Natural (1984), The Mighty Ducks (1992), Hoosiers (1986) A League of Their Own (1992), All the Right Moves (1983), The Sandlot (1993), Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story (2013)

What are some of your favorite sports films?

Leave a comment below.

The Grinch: A New Holiday Classic -or- A Big Lump of Coal?

The Grinch is the latest feature-length adaptation of the classic 1957 Dr. Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. The film follows the book's basic outline about a grouchy, green, character who lives alone with his dog Max, just outside of the Christmas-loving town of Whoville... and this is where the problems start. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a pretty short book with a very simple premise and, unlike the 1966 T.V. special, this is a hour and a half long movie. As a result, there is a lot needed to pad the runtime and nothing that was added really enhances the story in any sort of meaningful way. This is an Illumination film, and I got pretty much everything I've come to expect from that studio: good animation, exaggerated visuals, a lackluster story and characters, and a healthy dose of slapstick. Unfortunately, despite a few decent gags, the movie as a whole just isn't that good. As far as the voice acting goes, Benedict Cumberbatch voices the Grinch and his performance is ok, but Pharrell Williams narration is distractingly bad throughout. 

 Overall, it isn't as aggressively dumb as the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey, and it isn't unwatchable. I just didn't find it particularly entertaining. I took my 6 year old to see it and he had a blast. So, if you also have little kids it'll probably keep them entertained for 90 minutes. I just wouldn't recommend this one for anyone else.

1.5 out of 5

Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody is a biopic about the band Queen, but it primarily focuses on Freddie Mercury (the band's most recognizable member). Although the film looked very interesting, I tried to temper my expectations going into this one. The early reviews I had heard were mixed and while I do like the occasional musical-biopic, I've seen way more bad than good. 

I thought this one was decent for the most part. Rami Malek, who plays Mercury in the film, did an outstanding job and it's a movie about Queen so the music throughout the film is awesome. That being said, it seems like the filmmakers played it a bit too safe and the result was a fairly by-the-numbers, watered down, retelling of the band's history. It's also not edited or paced particularly well and, although his role is minor, everytime Mike Myers pops up in a scene it took me out of the movie.

Overall, while I didn't enjoy this movie as much as films like 2005's Walk the Line or 1991's The Doors, I still had a good time. It's a crowd-pleaser that I'd recommend any Queen fan go and check it out.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

The Harry Potter Films

As you can imagine, since I write a movie blog, I love movies and I watch a ton of them. However, there is occasionally a popular film or even a whole franchise that never piqued my interest. This was the case with the 'Harry Potter' movies. People would frequently recommend them to me, but all I knew about the series was acquired through a sort of pop-culture osmosis; My brother is a big fan of both the films and books, I knew of actors like Daniel Radcliff and Emma Watson, I knew that it was about some kids who do magic, and I knew that the franchise made boatloads of money (over 7.7 billion dollars at the box-office). Unfortunately that never was enough to convince me to put in the 19+ hours required to watch them all. Plus, I've never been that big on fantasy films in general.

Then recently it happened. I gave in. I crumbled under years of people telling me that I needed to watch these movies. Well, better late than never I suppose. I picked up the 8-film Blu-ray box set and, over the course of several nights, finally watched the 'Harry Potter' films. I've gone into many individual movies with no expectations and little-to-no prior knowledge of the source material before, but never a whole series of films... so this was going to be an interesting experience either way. None of them are bad, and a few I actually really enjoyed. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but I jotted down a couple of my thoughts after each one.

 Now, I never read the books, I've never taken a deep dive in to any Harry Potter lore, and I obviously have no personal nostalgia for any of these films. So, if you're a diehard fan of these movies, don't get upset if I didn't like a couple.

Let's start with 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. There are a few parts that drag a bit as characters have to spout off a bunch of exposition in order to build the world but, I never read the books so some of that was helpful.  I thought this one was decent.

Next up is the 2002 film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. While there are a few good moments in the film, this was one of my least favorites of the bunch. It feels about a half hour too long, and a lot of stuff just seems to happen regardless if it's important to the story or not.

And now we move on to the third film in the series, 2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The first two films in the series were fine, but this is the first one that I really, whole-heartedly enjoyed. It's a little darker in tone, and the plot seems more focused. Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman) first appears in this one and he's one of the highlights of the series for me. I'll definitely re-watch this one in the future.

Halfway there. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released in 2005 and is the forth film in the franchise. Having just watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which I really liked, just a few days earlier I was ready to be impressed. As it turns out this one was a 50/50 split for me. At times I thought this was the best one so far, and at other points I felt the complete opposite.

Moving on to the fifth film in the series, 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and... I didn't care for this one. It's not bad, just kind of boring. It has one of the shortest runtimes in the series (about 8 mins shorter than the series average) but the film feels like the longest to me. It's hard to put my finger on, but I just wasn't into this movie. This one did have a different screenwriter than the other seven, so maybe that was it.

Released in 2009, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth film in the series and I think it's one of the better ones. Not much to say about this one, it's a good blend of style and substance, and I was pretty entertained throughout. 

Movie #7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 from 2010. I'm never a fan of splitting a film into two parts because part 1 never has a satisfying conclusion, and that's the case here as well. With that being said, I didn't dislike this entry in the series. Some of the quieter and exposition heavy scenes can drag a bit but, I thought it was still pretty engaging throughout... and I was kind of glad when Dobby died.

Now on to the thrilling conclusion, 2011's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. This one has a lot of action and tying up loose ends going on. As a result, it was one of the only films in the franchise that didn't feel as long as it's runtime. This one wasn't my favorite, but I feel like it was a solid end to the series.

My general reaction when the end credits would roll after each of these movies ranged from "Hey, that one was pretty good" to "Well, maybe the next one will be better". However, while some of the films in the series feel a bit too long and there are some unintentionally funny moments scattered throughout, I did get invested in the story, I liked a number of the characters, and I enjoyed the movies overall more than I expected to. I found the series as a whole to be an intriguing balance of whimsical fun and drama. It stumbles on more than one occasion but when it works, it really works and I can see why so many people kept coming back for each new installment.
I'm obviously not a die-hard fan of these movies, and I should probably see them all at least one or two more times each before giving a definitive ranking, but after going through the series once here's how they stack up for me:

1) Prisoner of Azkaban

2) Deathly Hallows Pt.2

3) Half-Blood Prince

4) Goblet of Fire

5) Deathly Hallows Pt.1

6)  Sorcerer's Stone

7) Chamber of Secrets

8) Order of the Phoenix 

As always, if you have a suggestion for a review leave a comment below. Also, I'm curious as to how others rank these movies -and- Is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and it's sequel worth checking out?

Halloween (2018)

Halloween is the latest sequel to 1978's Halloween, but not a sequel to 2007's Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis is back as Laurie Strode in a film that basically ignores every other sequel in the franchise's long history. To be honest, as far as follow-ups to the original Halloween go, this is one of the better ones.

The movie catches up with Laurie 40 years after that fateful Halloween night in the original film. That traumatic event left her as something of a paranoid recluse; she lives way out in the woods, has a strained relationship with her daughter, she converted her basement into a panic room, and she spends her free time preparing for the day when she'll get the opportunity to kill Michael Myers. As it turns out she's about to get her chance. Michael is set to be transferred from his current rehabilitation facility to a new location, but he escapes en route and just starts killing again.

Overall, I think fans of the Halloween franchise are going to enjoy this one. It's back to basics; there is no ancient Druid curse and no sign of Busta Ryhmes, just a guy in a mask killing people in a small town on October 31st. John Carpenter isn't back in the Director's chair for this film but he did return to do the musical score, and it's one of the true highlights of the film. I don't think this one is going to become one of those staple films that I pop in every October, but it's an entertaining slasher flick and I had fun with it. 
3.5 out of 5

High Anxiety

Though not as well known as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, or Spaceballs, 1977's High Anxiety is actually one of my favorite Mel Brooks films. The movie stars Brooks movie regulars Madeline Khan, Harvey Korman, and Cloris Leachman, as well as Mel Brooks himself. It is a parody of suspense films, particularly those of Alfred Hitchcock and most notably the 1958 classic Vertigo.

(watching these two back-to-back works as a solid double-feature)

In the film Mel Brooks plays Dr. Richard Thorndyke, a psychiatrist that suffers from a condition known as 'High Anxiety' and who has just accepted a job as the new Director at the 'Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous'. The previous Director, Dr. Ashley had recently died, and there are some suspicious goings on at the institute. For example; there is one patient whose family is paying $12,000 a month for his recovery, and yet his file shows that each time he shows signs of getting better he conveniently suffers another psychotic breakdown. Once Thorndyke starts to suspect that Nurse Diesel (played by Cloris Leachman) and Dr. Montague (played by Harvey Korman) are exaggerating the illnesses of wealthy patients to keep them institutionalized longer, the two hatch a scheme to frame him for murder. 

There are a ton of great gags and memorable scenes in this film. All of the actors are on top of their game and each one gets some great lines. Mel Brooks and Alfred Hitchcock are two of my all-time favorite filmmakers so this is a movie that hits the mark for me and it's one I come back to time and time again.

Overall, while I don't think anyone will consider this one Mel Brooks' best, I definitely recommend it.

5 out of 5