Everest

Plot: Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) runs a Mount Everest guide service, and for $65000 each he is guiding climbers including Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin) to the top. They are delayed, and on the way down there is a terrible storm. In the extreme conditions everyone struggles to survive. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Everest was a little disappointing. The film isn't interesting until climbing starts, and it is exciting until the snow starts. I found the climbing action confusing because it was hard to tell who was who in all the gear. I didn't think the climbing action was interesting, although the falling was exciting.

I found the conversations with the wives too predictable, and the final conversations were really sad -- but predictably sad. How often do we have wives introduced so someone could cry? Kiera Knightley, Rob's wife, had a great tearful phone call -- sure looked like real tears. Good actress.

I liked the helicopter rescue scene -- dramatic and interesting.

Overall, the dangerousness of the climb was the message. How dumb were these people to risk there lives on the mountain? And also, if I were in there shoes, I'd be just as stupid and try to push ahead to the top and then probably die.

So after thinking about how I'd probably die on the mountain, ask me if I liked it. Well? No not really. Made me feel mortal, which I am after all. This is not an escapist movie.

Cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Kiera Knightley

Directed by: Baltasar Kormakur

The Music: Above average modern orchestral music with a interesting moments.

The Visuals: I saw this in 3D on a premium screen, not IMAX, but I paid $3 more that regular. I was disappointed. There are a few good mountain shots, but it is not spectacular movie. 

Rating: 1.5 stars: It deserves 2 stars but it gets only 1.5 because I don't like thinking about my own death. Excuse me, I'm going to listen to some funeral music.

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Even More.

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Shaun the Sheep Movie

Plot: Shaun the Sheep devises a plan to take a vacation, but it goes wrong and The Farmer gets lost in town with amnesia. Shaun and the other sheep head to to town to rescue him, but The Farmer has become a celebrity hair stylist and does not want to leave. In town, Shaun and friends are hunted by the animal control officer. After many adventures the animals go back to the farm, and everyone appreciates how nice their familiar routine really was. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Clever, cute. Fun-to-watch and never boring. No dialog to carry the story, just a few Scoobie-Doo style vocalizations that vaguely sound like words. Yet, it is easy to follow the simply plot.

One of the best had the dog in a hospital operating room. The dog needs to hide the fact that he does not know how to operate, and he gets too distracted by the bones in the anatomical skeleton in the room.

Another great scene is when the sheep disguise themselves as people and go to a restaurant. They don't know what to do, so they all imitate another diner -- funny and silly.

With sheep away, the pigs take over the house, and act like piggy people -- also pretty funny.

Having said all this, it is a simple movie with simple emotional beats. It is well-told. 

Written and directed by: Mark Burton, Richard Starzak

The Music: Good songs. I bought Big City by Eliza Doolittle. 

The Visuals: It's mostly claymation with a few computer effects. Its cute and the animation is not distracting in either a good or bad way. 

Rating: 2.5 stars: Fun to watch and all, but it is still pretty simple. No human drama or clever social commentary.

More: I want a T-Shirt with the psycho dog from the jail on it. 

Even More: Shaun the Sheep has had his own TV show in the UK since 2007.

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The Man from UNCLE

Plot: In 1963, American spy Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Soviet spy Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) need to find a nuclear scientist to preventing him from selling bomb-making secrets. They track down his daughter Gaby (Alicia Vikander) in Berlin and go together to Italy. All the while Illya and Solo are in a constant rivalry.  They crash a ritzy party, break into a secret lab, and almost drown in a harbor. In they end, their governments decide they need to work together to make a sequel.  [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Man from Uncle is a light spy film -- great for summer movies and drive-ins. It is a little bit jokey, a little bit campy. The violence is bloodless and the story doesn't require much attention. It works; Man from Uncle is fun to watch in that popcorn movie kind of way. 

An example of the tone is when Illya was driving a boat in the harbor and being chased by bad guys in another boat. Solo casually steals and eats someone's lunch while the chase scene goes in and out of view in the window over his shoulder. 

Director Richie spends time developing the characters. Illya is a little crazy, and can go out-of-control. Solo is into clothes and art theft. 

Don't look for any messages or moralizing. Solo is a thief on the side, and they run up a high body count. They don't kill each other, so friendship rules to that extent. 

Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander with Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Debicki

Directed by: Guy Ritchie who also shares writing credit

The Music: Loved the music by Daniel Pemberton. Very evocative. Almost all the tracks are good. I also liked a few of the period songs. 

The Visuals: I loved the beautiful pictures of Italy. The spy action was not as showy as a Bond movie and as mentioned, sometimes a little comic. Being set in 1963 there is some Mad Man like attention to period gadgets and fashion.

Rating: 2.5 stars: because it is fun to watch. Not higher because it is forgettable. 

More: I remember the original series. I regularly watched the re-runs. 

Even More.The original concept for the Man from Uncle was developed by Ian Fleming the author of 

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Ricky and the Flash

Plot: Ricky (Meryl Streep) is 60-year old rock singer who plays in bar band with her boy friend Greg (Rick Springfield), and she works a day job as a grocery checker. She has three grown kids in Indiana. Her daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer) attempts suicide after she gets dumped by her husband. Ricky's ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) tells Ricky to come back to help Julie, and she does. Lots of family drama ensues with tough conversations with each kid, Pete, and Pete's new wife Maureen (Audra McDonald). Ricky goes back to California, and plays some music, and then decides to come back for her son's wedding. After more family drama, it all ends Bollywood-style with line dancing to Ricky's pop rock music. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: This is an art movie built around the final wedding scene where the long-lost Mom shows up at the wedding reception, and everyone recognizes how she lived a worthwhile life too -- also how cool she is.

If you come to the movie looking for a light comedy, a rock 'n' roll biopic, or a musical you will be disappointed. This is a artsy, dark comedy where dark means absurdly funny not haha funny.

The film plays with the contrast between the artist's lifestyle in California, and an upper-class professional lifestyle in the Midwest. (The Midwest being a symbol for not creative or enlightened.) The dialog scenes move quickly, and they are the point of the story.

The musical portions have a function in the story and are not simply performances, however, the music scenes are hit-and-miss when judged as music. Meryl gets a few songs right, and a few made me want to take a nap. She has a good voice. I wished there was less music and more dramatic action. Meryl always looks like she is having fun.

There were several good scenes. I liked the scene when Meryl rants to her bar room audience about how women rockers are considered bad mothers but male rockers are never judged as fathers. Another great scene is with Audra McDonald playing Pete's new wife. It was classy cat-fight with great dialog.

This movie could have benefit from a few sad scenes. We scarcely see regret from Ricky, and everyone feels regret about paths not taken. Ricky has had a sad life, but it is spun as happy & free rather than bittersweet. 

Cast: Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer (Meryl's real life daughter), Rick Springfield, Kevin Kline

Directed by: Jonathan Demme

Written by: Diablo Cody

The Music: Not embarrassing. Generally serviceable. Too many songs.

Rating: 2.5 stars:.

More: They did not edit out the joke about gay marriage being illegal. The news moves faster than the movies.

Even More: Meryl's acting method gets deep into her characters even off camera, so acting against her daughter was probably interesting.

Yet More: I am getting tired of gay children coming out in every movie, and then after 20 minutes everyone is so accepting. How many movies has that happened in? 

Mission Impossible -- Rogue Nation

Plot: Congress defunds the IMF, and the CIA director (Alec Baldwin) shuts down Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and fellow IMF spies Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Benji (Simon Pegg). Ethan ignores congress and continues to track the shadowy Syndicate, a band of spies, the so-called "Rogue Nation" of the title. He meetings mystery woman Ilsa (Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson) on the way, and it is never clear what side she is on. 

Ethan chases them through colorful locations around the world. Double-crosses, high tech burglary, rubber masks, and motorcycle chases lead to the happy ending. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Rogue Nation has exciting action sequences, and good chemistry between Ethan and Ilsa keep things interesting. Unfortunately, the plot is thin and the villain is weak: tough to get interested in more good spy/bad spy drama. Movie spies don't for fight real reasons, just other spies.

There is top notch motorcycle chase sequence that is fun and gripping. I loved it.

The publicity for the movie plugs the open sequence with Tom Cruise hanging on the side of a plane. It is an exciting scene, and now I think better of Cruise than actors in more CGI oriented roles. The action scenes are martial-arts fighting done fast and generally bloodless. Unlike the recent Bond films which are low tech, there is plenty of computer-hacking.

In the middle, I wondered what this was all about. Yes, the IMF is abolished, but that had nothing to do with the adventure that Nathan & Benji were on. The villain Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) didn't seem like a mastermind, and the motivation for the Syndicate is mushy.

I liked Tom Cruise -- he pulls out the charm and carries the role. He has a little romantic chemistry with tough-girl Rebecca Fergusson, who does a nice job with her character who is on both sides at once. Simon Pegg is also fun. He gets some of the more humorous roles.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner

Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie

The Music: The soundtrack of blood-stirring orchestral music by Joe Kraemer is great, and sounds fresh -- unlike all the other action flicks. He weaves in a few familiar notes from the franchise theme, but mainly it is new melodies.

The Visuals: Great special effects. Some fun chase scenes. The fights may be pointless sometimes, but they are fast and fun to watch. How does Rebecca keep jumping on the shoulders of the bad guys?

Rating: 2.5 stars: Recommended because it is fun to watch. On the other hand, it isn't about anything except killing bad-guy spies. It got a little repetitive too. Good performances. After the movie, all you can talk about is the stunts since the story is thin.

More: Not as good as Ghost Protocol, even though I gave them both 2.5 stars.

Even More: Does anyone use the word "disavowed," besides Mission Impossible?

Impossible? Ethan Hunt is planning to be back for Mission Impossible #6.

Trainwreck

Plot: Amy (Amy Shumer) has been cycling thru guys in NYC partying lifestyle. She works at a style magazine, and she gets assigned to write a story about a sports medicine doctor to big-name athletes. She hates sports but quickly ends up in bed with the new doctor, Aaron (Bill Hadar). We meet Amy's sister (Brie Laron) who is worried about their institutionalized father. There are many cameos including Lebron James. Aaron & Amy's relationship cycles hot & cold while Amy broods about what she really wants. It ends Bollywood style with dancing. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Trainwreck was entertaining; it is a rom-com where the gimmick is female-oriented raunchiness: sex jokes, sex with disposable guys, beefcake butt shots, a tampon joke. It is joke-filled, and some are funny.

While Amy Shumer is funny, her character does not take her own life seriously enough for us to care about her; similarly with Bill Hadar's character. I would have liked more relationship-oriented drama; but the high joke count weakened the dramatic action.

Cast: Amy Shumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson

Directed by: Judd Apatow

The Visuals: Nothing special

Rating: 2.5 stars:.

More: Who knew LeBron James could act? He did great. He had some excellent lines and some wow delivery. Somebody should put LeBron in an action movie. 

Even More: Amy is not really a trainwreck. She has a big time job, and was up for a bigger time promotion. She can pay the rent. Is she a train wreck because she drinks too much? If so, she seems to be managing it. I wonder if she was a bigger wreck in an earlier draft. This movie does not work as a redemption story, perhaps it would have been better if it did. 

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Terminator Genisys

Plot: In the future, the war is ending, and John Conner (Jason Clarke) is sending his father, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back in time to "mate" with his mother Sarah Conner (Emilia Clark). The old Terminator (Arnold Schwarznenegger) is still around to protect Sarah from the fresh terminators from the future. In a twist, a new enemy appears for Sarah and Kyle to battle as they try to prevent Skynet/Genisys, the evil computer, from being born. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Terminator Genisys was pretty exciting. If you remember the plot from the previous movies, then this story all makes sense. The nearly indestructible bad robots keep coming, and our heroes are always in a high stakes battle.

Emilie Clarke and Arnold Schwarzenegger carry the action and the emotion. Even though 68 year old Arnold is a robot, he is still emotive and funny. Having an older body, make him an underdog, which makes him sympathetic. Sarah's character is serious the whole time, but because she is 5'3" she is also an underdog.

Cast: Emilie Clark, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke

Directed by: Alan Taylor

The Music: Lorne Balfe

The Visuals: Generally great. Not too bloody to keep the gore factor down. It is mostly robot on robot violence. 

Rating: 3.0 stars: Very exciting and fun to watch. It helps to remember the plot from the previous movies. 

More: Notice that Arnold became a shape-shifter. This opens the character up to being played by a different actor in the inevitable event of a sequel. 

Even More: Rumor is that there will be still more sequels as Skynet is still alive in other timelines. The Skynet character (Matt Smith) and the JK Simmons will both be in it. 

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