Movie Review Time

For those that give a hoot:

"Guardians of the Galaxy":   I had put off seeing this movie for quite some time.   I had heard good things but the collection of characters didn't seem super appealing.  I have to admit it was pretty funny though.   I should have seen it in the theater.

"Blackfish":  This is a documentary about killer whales used in facilities like Sea World.    I had heard things about it and there was noticeable advertising in the past years from Sea World about their treatment of animals.   It showed a pattern with a specific killer whale and his tendency to hurt and kill trainers.   OSHA changed a rule about no longer letting trainers get into water with killer whales during shows.   Pretty gruesome details but interesting.   I've never had interest to visit Sea World and really not interested now.

"Million Dollar Baby":  It isn't a new movie.   It featured Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank.  Eastwood's character trains Swank's character (eventually) and she does very well.   After an illegal hit in a major boxing match, Swank's character is paralyzed and it shows the true relationship between the two.   (father/daughter type of relationship)   Very strong movie but sad.

"Hobbit" movies:  we rented the last two Hobbit movies.   Shrug.   I like the Lord of the Rings better.   Gavin liked them though.   I didn't pay attention very well.   I was probably working during them.

"The Imitation Game":  It was my first Benedict Cumberbatch movie.   Many rave about him...eh.   He's a good actor though.   It's based on a true story about England in WWII.   Smart people are brought together to try and break the German code so the Allies can predict where and when bombings will take place.   It connects to the first computer.    The lead person (Cumberbatch) doesn't get the credit he deserves and is actually treated very poorly after the war.   He is homosexual and is prosecuted (since it was illegal) then and ends up enduring a medical procedure to "cure" him.   Sad that the country ignores his good work and focused on that part of his life.

"Take Shelter":   I thought it was a "Twister" copycat.   It was more of a movie about mental illness than about storms.   A man predicts and has dreams about an impeding storm that life threatening.   Mental illness runs in his family (mother) and people start to wonder if that's driving his decisions.   He builds an expensive underground storm shelter and by the end of the movie you think he's been proven wrong.   But they take vacation and the end alludes to a huge storm/hurricane approaching land.  

"This is Where I Leave You":   Very good family drama.   A dysfunctional family comes together after their families death and follow their father's wishes to mourn for 10 days.   Information comes out about the past.  They all vent about issues.   Very good casting and a surprising ending too.

"Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt?":  This is a series I started watching with Jon a few years ago.   It is based on the book by Ayn Rand in 1957.   Have you read it LeAnn?  The story is about the failure of the country and breakdown of the economy.   Sadly some aspects do seem fairly realistic due to our social issues today.    This was the final movie in the series.   Corny acting but decent story line.

We used a free coupon to use Red Box the other day and rented "Sisters".  I am so happy I didn't see it in the theaters.   It had funny points for the most part but wasn't as funny as I expected.   I think Tina Fey wanted to make a movie that allowed her to swear like crazy.   I liked her performance in "This is Where I Leave You" better.  

We have "Still Alice" and "God's Not Dead" coming this week.  

I think the next movie we'll see in the theater will be the third in the Divergent series.