for sequences of violence, sexual content and brief strong language
A high school security guard, who is addicted to video games, in Atlanta, GA has two goals in life; marry the woman of his dreams and become a cop. There is one obstacle that stands in the way of both goals coming to pass; his lady’s imposing cop brother. Ride Along is an action comedy starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube that is equal parts Training Day and Kevin Hart stand-up.
Right from the start you realize that this movie is all about being entertaining with little regard placed on being award worthy in any category. The two main characters, loner badass cop, James Payton (Ice Cube) and wise-cracking school security guard, Ben Barber (Kevin Hart), are total opposites and over-the-top in their own unique ways. They remind me of the characters from the old 48 Hours movies played by Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte.
James decides to take his soon to be brother –in-law out for a ride along that will also serve as Ben’s “training day.” Ben has to prove his worthiness of being a cop and marrying James’s sister Angela. The movie unfolds as a series of “126 in Progress” calls that Ben is tasked with handing to see if he can make the cut. The circumstances that he is placed in and the consequences of their actions are hilarious almost to the point of being totally ridiculous.
The potential comedic chemistry between Ice Cube and Kevin Hart was a point of concern for me going in. After seeing the first on-screen interaction between the two, those concerns were quickly put to rest as they “clicked” right away. Ice Cube and Hart were a truly dynamic pairing when it comes to gaining a laugh. Kevin Hart played up his short stature and addiction to video games for several good laughs. Ice Cube worked as the straight-man for most of the movie, but also got to interject some of his own comedic and note-worthy lines. I even had a Gangsta Rap geek-out moment when Ice Cube delivered his famous lyric “Today Was a Good Day” after a particularly funny scene.
The movie is funny, but don’t go into this looking for any type of dynamic story or surprise twists to go along with the funny; it is VERY predictable. When the director, writers and producers of the movie were creating the story I’m sure the creative process went a little like this:
Producer: “I haven’t seen a funny buddy cop movie in a while.”
Writer: “Me either, wanna make one?”
Director: “I really liked training day and LOVE that short little black man… What’s his name, Kevin Hart?”
Writer: “Make Training Day funny? Use Kevin Hart to do it? PSSHHT!! That’s easy!!!”
Producer: “Let me write you a check…”
Despite the simplistic story, I do recommend seeing the movie if you are in the mood for a few good laughs AND are a fan of Kevin Hart. If you find Kevin Hart even a little annoying, he is in full force in this one. Consider yourself warned.
for sequences of violence and intense action, and brief strong language
Back in 1990 the movie world was introduced to novelist Tom Clancy’s character John Patrick “Jack” Ryan in the hit The Hunt for Red October. The movie was the first of Clancy’s novels to be adapted to film. Alec Baldwin is the first actor to get the opportunity to play the role on the big screen. Jack had to convince the Navy that Russian Submarine Captain Marko Ramius, played by Sean Connery, was trying to defect to prevent a war from breaking out. The movie was such a success in the box office, a sequel was ordered.
Now it is 1992 and Jack Ryan is back, this time Harrison Ford is the guy tabbed to play the role of a now retired Ryan. Patriot Games is the novel that was selected to be adapted. Jack is on vacation in London when he happens to be in the right place at the right time to intervene in an assassination attempt on a British Government Minister. Afterwards, he and has to deal with the revenge of the assassins for foiling their plot. Yet again, we have a box office success and another sequel ordered.
In an effort to keep milking this cash cow, Harrison Ford is brought back to play Ryan in the 1994 Clear and Present Danger. Now, Jack Ryan is the Deputy Director of the CIA tasked with stopping a Columbian drug cartel. As no surprise, the movie is another box office success for the character but this time no sequel is put in motion.
It is eight years before we are to be given another Jack Ryan movie. In 2002 Ben Affleck is given the role as Ryan in The Sum of All Fears. This time the movie steps out of the continuity that was in place with the previous three movies with Ryan back to being a lowly analyst in the CIA. He must stop a nuclear showdown with the Russians while simultaneously trying to stop a terrorist from blowing up a major US city. The movie was released a little after the attacks of September 11, 2001. This time, we do not have the major box office success or the acclaim of the previous installments.
That little history lesson was to set the tone for my expectations for this new installment in the Jack Ryan franchise. I enjoyed The Hunt for Red October, because of Connery, Baldwin was okay at best. I liked Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger because of Harrison Ford. I HATED The Sum of All Fears because of what Affleck did to the character that I loved. All that being said, I went into the screening of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit thinking, “How bad is Chris Pine going to mess Jack Ryan up?”
Shadow Recruit is a reboot of the franchise, chronologically speaking. We are taken back to September 11, 2001 in London, England where a young John P Ryan is working on his PhD. After the horrific events of that day, Jack joins the Marines and volunteers for combat duty in Afghanistan. While serving he is severely wounded and forced out of the Marines. During his recovery from his injuries he is recruited by the CIA, sent back to school to finish his PhD and put in play as an undercover analyst tracking the financials of threats to the United States.
As for the villain and threat that Jack is trying to stop, it is something very real, very up-to-date and something that is possible at any given time in the real world. Not to give up any details, but it is not your run of the mill terrorist bomb plot. The individual villain, Viktor Cherevin, is played by Kenneth Branagh. He is a credible villain but not your typical “bad guy”, you get the impression that he is really just a misguided patriot.
Chris Pine as Jack Ryan… Not bad at all. My fears were unfounded as Pine and the filmmakers did not turn the character into another James Bond or Jason Bourne. He was the scared, over his head, yet supremely intelligent guy that Jack Ryan is supposed to be. In one scene; the look of shock, awe and horror that are on Pine’s face say more about the mindset of the character than 30 minutes of dialogue by Affleck in The Sum of All Fears. Pine does a wonderful job getting the point across that Ryan has absolutely ZERO desire to be on the operational side of things with the CIA.
As with any movie in this genre, there are going to be aspects of the story that are a little too much. The scenes with Keira Knightley playing Cathy Muller, she hasn’t married Jack yet, are just too sappy. I just rolled my eyes at the way the two were portrayed as a couple. Also, the American accent that Keira was attempting was just so awkward, thankfully, her dialogue was limited
Do I recommend it? Yes. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit has a good plot, unique story, decent acting and minimal annoyances. It is worth your time and money to go check it out.
The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears
for sequences of intense combat action and violence, and for some sensuality
The Legend of Hercules is a re-telling of the classic story from Greek mythology of a young man that is the son of a mortal and of the god Zeus. That is all you need to know about the story and / or plot.
I was taught a long time ago that a picture can tell a story more effectively than words in some cases.
That being said, here is my opinion of The Legend of Hercules…
This movie was horrible! Summit Entertainment should be ashamed of themselves for putting out that piece of trash.
Acting: I was waiting for some, never got any…
Dialogue: Unintelligible
Editing: Hack job at best
Story: Huh?
If you waste time and money seeing this movie, even on DVD, you deserve to have your armpits infested with the fleas of one thousand camels.
Nothing can prepare you for that level of bad…
for strong bloody war violence and pervasive language
In the summer of 2005 the United States military embarked on a campaign to disrupt the actions of anti-coalition militias that were running rampant in the Pech area of the Kumar Province in Afghanistan. The operation was code-named Operation Red Wing. Operation Red Wing was conducted using Marines, aviators from the Army and Operators of the elite Navy SeALs.
Lone Survivor is the story of one group of SeALS that were inserted into the region to perform reconnaissance and observation of a Taliban affiliated militia leader. The movie is based on the first –hand account of the events as told by former SeAL team operator, Marcus Lutrell. Lutrell wrote a book called Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 that was used by director Peter Berg as the inspiration of the film.
In my thoughts about this film after I left the theater I struggled to form an opinion that I felt was appropriate for the movie. Do I say that a movie about the ambush and killing of American servicemen was “Good”? Or, do I say that the overwhelming negativity of the story made it hard to enjoy it as a movie? What I settled on was a bit of a hybrid of the two.
The movie Lone Survivor is exceptionally well made; you really think you can feel what the team is going through. The physical punishment the men had to endure, aside from their actual wounds, is portrayed very honestly and graphically. At several points in the movie I caught myself saying something like, “Geez, how much more can these guys possibly take?”
From the relationships perspective, there was great emphasis put onto the interactions of those four men who worked as a team, more like brotherhood. As they attempted to overcome the odds that they faced, you saw how their true dedication to each other and to what they were asked to do would motivate them when weaker men would just give in.
Each main actor; Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Eric Bana, made the roles they were playing and the lives they were re-living very believable and honest. The various scenes of the deaths of the three SeALS that were on the mission with Lutrell are heart wrenching moments that you know are coming but still seem to surprise you. The deaths are all portrayed as heroic and yet humanizing. They were not “movie-deaths” at all, very real and very graphic.
As a whole, I felt that movie was of a high quality in the acting and in the way it was made, but I have a hard time giving a recommendation to see it. I felt like an emotional train-wreck as I was walking out of the screening. I was not alone in that feeling as evidenced by the rest of the audience in the screening. As the audience filed out, no one spoke, there were no comments made, positive or negative, just silence. Somber, sullen, stricken silence.
If you are looking to see a movie to just entertain you, then Lone Survivor is NOT it. It is an emotional train-wreck in waiting. If you want to see a movie that is an honest, well-made and truly genuine portrayal of the sacrifices that our servicemen and women are called on to make, then Lone Survivor is a perfect choice.
for pervasive language, some violence, graphic nudity and some drug use
In the summer of 2012, in Oxnard California, a young man begins his first summer as a high school graduate. The night of his graduation party his creepy neighbor is mysteriously murdered. Jesse, the new graduate, and his older best friend, Hector, decide to investigate the apartment where the murder occurred. The morning after their investigation Jessie awakens to find a curious bite mark on his arm. From that point forward he finds that he has several new “gifts” that he and Hector exploit and document on their video camera. It isn’t long before Jesse discovers that his gifts are not gifts at all, but something far more dangerous.
This installment in the Paranormal Activity franchise of movies is not really a sequel, or even prequel, to the rest of the movies. The story that is told is that of a different family and set of circumstances from the rest of the films in this franchise. Even though it is not a true sequel, or prequel, it can’t really stand on its own either. The story that takes place is clearly related to and connected to the other films in the Paranormal Activity chain.
The movie is filmed in the same “lost footage” style of movies as the other PA movies but is also different in several other key areas. The writers were not afraid to embrace comedy in this movie. The lives of 18 year olds with no jobs and even less direction in life can lead to many interactions that we will find funny. This is very true of the characters of Jesse and Hector. The two often find themselves in situations where their awkwardness or immaturity plays out in some funny ways. Jesse trying to hook up with Penelope is a good scene depicting how ill prepared these guys are for life and how funny this movie can be.
Once the story turns the corner into the realm of demons and witches, the funny moments stop, IMMEDIATELY. When it becomes clear that Jesse’s gifts are not something he really wants, the scares start to pile up and the imagery grows darker. In one scene it becomes very clear that all is not well with Jesse when he is seen playing a very twisted game with his pet Chihuahua, “Chavo”. Another scene that provides a good scare occurs when Grandma tries to cleanse Jesse of whatever “spirits” have him. That scene also uses some good special effects to draw you in for the payoff scare.
Although I enjoyed this movie immensely, there were a few things that really got to me with the story-telling. The camera battery is obviously the secret to perpetual energy and should probably be investigated by the government for uses in other areas. Other issues revolve around the half-assed way the police investigated the murder of the creepy neighbor. When Jesse and Hector are in the apartment walking around being typical teenagers, there is pertinent evidence all over the place. The Oxnard Police Homicide Division has obviously never seen an episode of CSI or Law and Order.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this movie and am now even more excited to see the next installment of the franchise that is due out in October. If you like a good scare and like a cool story, then Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is one you should check out.
By the way… If you have this game in your house…. 
You won’t after watching this movie….
Paranormal Activity, Paranormal Activity 2, Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 4, Paranormal Activity 5 (October 24, 2014)
ecsguestwriter
MichaelSmithNC
Melissa Anne Cain
Eastern Carolina Style 