movie review

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

mission-impossible-rogue-nation-1

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

Director:

Christopher McQuarrie

Starring:

Tom Cruise

Simon Pegg

Rebecca Ferguson

Jeremy Renner

Plot:

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.

Review:

This was such a pleasant surprise. I’d honestly completely forgotten they were releasing a new Mission Impossible movie until my husband brought it up. Since our daughter is having her first sleepover with the grandparents I thought this was a great movie to keep me distracted.

The IMF is experiencing some backlash from their previous less than covert operations. Blowing up the Kremlin tends to piss off some people. Because of that this entire operation was spent with the agents dodging the bad guys and the good.

Simon Pegg was great, Tom Cruise was great, Rebecca Ferguson was great, you get the picture? The actors were perfect, the story was entertaining, and there were masks. I actually think the movie will end up looking better when I see it on a smaller screen, so much was going on that it was sometimes difficult to focus on everything.

Watching this made me want to re-watch the previous ones and I think once I’ve finished the Matrix Trilogy I will move on to the Mission Impossible series.

4/5

 

Ant-Man (2015)

Ant-Man

Ant-Man (2015)

Director:

Peyton Reed

Starring:

Paul Rudd

Michael Douglas

Corey Stoll

Evangeline Lilly

Plot:

Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Review:

The movie had some pacing issues and was nowhere near as funny as I thought it was going to be. I was actually pretty disappointed in everything. I feel like this keeps happening with the most recent additions to the Marvel franchise. It was an introduction to the character but they were hamstrung by the universe that’s been built. The issue facing Ant-Man couldn’t be too big because they didn’t want to call in the Avengers and it ended up having problems because of it.

The action was lacking and there was a lot of downtime. There were a few funny moments but the dialog that was supposed to be funny felt forced.

There’s been a lot of buildup in the last two movies toward, I guess, Captain America: Civil War, and because of that the story for movies like Ant-Man and Avengers: Age of Ultron felt like they were filler.

I’m being a little unfair, Ant-Man wasn’t that bad, but it certainly didn’t live up to my expectations.

3/5

Stepbrothers (2008)

Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell, right) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly, left) are two middle-aged, immature, overgrown boys forced to live together as stepbrothers when Dale's single father, Robert (Richard Jenkins, center) marries Brennan's mom in Columbia Pictures' Step Brothers. The film is directed by Adam McKay. The screenplay is by Will Ferrell & Adam McKay from a story by Will Ferrell & Adam McKay & John C. Reilly. The producers are Jimmy Miller and Judd Apatow.

Stepbrothers (2008)

Director:

Adam McKay

Starring:

Will Ferrell

John C. Reilly

Mary Steenburgen

Richard Jenkins

Plot:

Two aimless middle-aged losers still living at home are forced against their will to become room-mates when their parents marry.

Review:

I worked at a movie theater when this came out and we had a preview reel that played in the lobby that was looped every thirty minutes. This was the only preview that I did not end up loathing and in fact still laughed at every time I saw it.

Easily one of the best Will Ferrell movies. His chemistry with John C. Reilly is great and the fact that the parents don’t act like their actions are ridiculous makes it even better. They’re grown men asking to build bunk beds for crying out loud. No matter how many times I see it this movie never fails to make me laugh.

It’s not just the leads that make this movie, though. It wouldn’t hit nearly as well if it wasn’t for the amazing supporting cast. They’re all perfect and just nail it from the shitty little kids to Ferrell’s coworkers. Totally worth watching.

5/5

 

The Matrix: Reloaded (2003)

Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix: Reloaded (2003)

Director:

Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski

Starring:

Keanu Reeves

Laurence Fishburne

Carrie-Anne Moss

Plot:

Neo and the rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours until 250,000 probes discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. During this, Neo must decide how he can save Trinity from a dark fate in his dreams.

Review:

I love this movie. It’s in my top ten favorites. I’m pretty sure I like it more than the first Matrix movie. The last forty-five minutes are jam packed with some amazing action scenes. My favorite is the scene where Neo fights all the bad asses in the palace on the mountain. Some great shots and great action. The highway scene is just as good with the ghost twins providing new enemy abilities.

The CG is dated and occasionally looks pretty bad, but they don’t focus on it for long periods and the way its shot helps mask the shortcomings.

I remember getting out of school and rushing to the theater to see this. I had been blown away by the first and I devoured anything I could find about the sequels before they came out. I was not disappointed by this film and it hurts my heart that people actively hate this movie.

Oh well. I enjoyed watching it again and plan on re-watching Revolutions soon.

5/5

Parallels (2015)

parallels

Parallels (2015)

Director:

Christopher Leone

Starring:

Mark Hapka

Jessica Rothe

Eric Jungmann

Constance Wu

Plot:

A mysterious building is the gateway to infinite parallel Earths.

Review:

Wow, I really hope that more comes from this because it totally deserves it.

Honestly, I really enjoyed the movie, but I’m not sure if I would recommend it. It watches like an extended pilot for a TV show. There’s the introduction to characters, the introduction to the world, and the set up for the big bad. There isn’t a resolution.

It’s really interesting and if you liked Sliders you’ll probably love this, but just keep in mind it’s not a complete story. I’m finding it difficult reviewing because of that fact, the characters didn’t feel fully developed but can I really judge them? A quick internet search lets me know that there’s a possibility for more, but as of right now there doesn’t appear to be any dates or if it’s a TV show or another movie.

I guess watch it, love it, and demand more is the best course of action.

4/5