Liam Neeson kicks more butt. This time, on a train.

Movie Title:     
     The COMMUTER

Grade:   B

Rating:  PG-13, 105 minutes

In a Nutshell:   I readily admit it.  I like Liam Neeson.  He basically plays the same character in every movie, but I still like him and enjoy watching him kick butt on planes, trains, automobiles, and any other form of transportation.  He always plays an endearing “Every Man” you can get behind and root for.

No, this isn’t the greatest movie ever made, but it’s still an entertaining thriller.   The fast momentum makes for a fun ride.

Tips for parents: 

• Bloody violence
• Dead bodies
• A man gets hit and killed by a bus (part of that scene is shown in the trailer)

Uplifting theme: 

• There is an interesting moral dilemma that most of us face; what would you do or not do for money…a lot of money?
•  There IS such a thing as being noble.
• Sacrifice for others, friendship

                       

Things I liked:

• Jaume Collet-Serra always does a great job with details.  This is his 4^th movie with Liam Neeson.  
• There’s something about Vera Farmiga that makes it hard to take your eyes off of her.
• One of the greatest Liam Neeson fight scenes ever. I love the tight quarters and how that ups the drama.  For an aging guy, he can still make an exciting action scene.
• The book choices several people make provide symbolism.

 Things I didn’t like:

• A lot of things happen that are ridiculous, so just don’t think too hard about it and you’ll still enjoy the ride.
• Some of the dialogue is predictable and silly.

Interesting lines:

• “You want proof you’re a good man?  Look at your family.” – Liam’s best friend
• “My job is to answer one basic question.” – Joanna

“What’s that?” – Liam

“What kind of person are you?” = Joanna

“Me?  You should probably ask my wife.” - Liam

Other fun Liam Neeson action movies:

                                                             

                                          @trinaboice 

A Monster Calls is a stunning, heartbreaking tale

Movie Title:  A Monster Calls

Grade:   A-

Rating:  PG-13, 108 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This beautiful coming-of-age story is a painfully heartbreaking film about letting go of a loved one who is dying.  

My sister’s husband died young from cancer, leaving two children about the same age as the boy in this story.  My tears flowed for their story, as well as the one on the Big Screen.  Take tissues.

Based on the award-winning book by Patrick Ness, the movie deals with aching subjects like grief, bullying, fear, healing, and death.    

With an old, wise tree at the center of the story, this visually stunning film has both gritty bark and emotionally powerful sap.  “How does this story begin? It begins like all stories…with a kid too old to be a boy and too young to be a man…and a nightmare.” – The Monster

Uplifting theme: 

• Life, death, cancer, fear, courage, truth, the monster in all of us
• “Life is always in the eyes.” – Mum (Felicity Jones)
• “You waste the precious time that is given you.” – The Monster (Liam Neeson)
• “It is not important only what you think.  It is important what you do.” – The Monster

Things I liked:

• Felicity Jones has been knocking out movies non-stop the past couple of years.  She always does a great job.
• Lewis MacDougall gives a very strong performance and has a bright future.  He began his acting career in Edinburgh, taking classes on Saturday mornings for fun.  He quickly landed a role in Hugh Jackman’s Pan and has been walking the red carpet with Hollywood greats ever since.
• Who doesn’t love Liam Neeson?  He has a particular set of skills that allow him to voice the monster with the perfect combination of scary gruffness and kind warmth. Did you notice the picture of Liam Neeson on the wall as the grandfather of the little boy at the end of the movie?  Sweet.
• Spanish director J.A. Bayona does an excellent job weaving the illustrations from the book with the screenplay. The fantasy nature of the movie features watercolor animations to create a dream-like state when the Monster tells Conor stories, and adds a blend of pencil drawings to illustrate the boy’s thoughts.  There is a fantastic blurring between reality and fantasy.
• A lot of critics are comparing the tactile metaphors in this movie to the brilliant film Pan's Labyrinth.  The film is insightful and brutally honest.

Things I didn’t like:

• I like Sigourney Weaver.  I really do, but her British accent was HORRIBLE.  Why did she get cast in this movie?  It was so bad that I was annoyed and distracted every time she was in a scene.
• This isn’t a movie you’ll want to watch many times.  It’s emotionally exhausting and painfully sad.

Interesting lines:

• “Many things that are true feel like a cheat.” – The Monster (Liam Neeson)
• “There is not always a good guy, nor is there always a bad one.” – The Monster
• “If no one sees you, are you really there?” – The Monster
• “You were only wishing for an end of your pain.  It’s the most human wish there is.” – The Monster
• “What is a dream, Conor O'Malley, and who is it to say all others are not the dreams?” – The Monster
• “People don’t like what they don’t understand.” – Mum
• “You will tell me your nightmare.  That will be your truth.” – The Monster

Funny lines:

• “Whoa!” – Conor       “Whoa indeed.” – The Monster

Tips for parents:   

• While the movie features a young boy, this isn’t really a children’s “feel good” story.  I think it would be therapeutic to watch, however, for children going through a similar difficult situation so they don’t feel so alone.
• The tree monster is rather scary looking, yet he is also kind.  If you loved Guardians Of The Galaxy (I did!), I guess you could say he is a really intense I AM GROOT on steroids.

TAK3N: Should you take it or leave it?

Movie:  Taken 3  or as it's advertised, TAK3N

PG-13, 1 hour 33 minutes

Grade:  C

In a Nutshell:

·         Liam Neeson is forever tough and gruff with lines like “Try anything funny and they’ll kill you.  And if they don’t, I will.”

      I love Liam Neeson, but I have to admit that he is getting a little too old for this kind of stuff.  There are so many edited cuts in every scene, as if the director (Olivier Megaton) could only use the footage where Liam doesn't look like he's getting tired.  Don't get me wrong; I still love watching him kick butt, but this franchise is becoming its own farce.

      If you love Liam Neeson, this is a watchable bad movie.  Prepare to laugh out loud at some of the many ridiculous moments.

Uplifting Theme:

* Family first.  As Bryan Mills says "My first priority is the safety of my daughter."

Things I liked:
* Watching Liam's character Bryan Mills is like watching MacGyver's Yoda.
*  Forest Whitaker does a fine job with the cliched character he is given.

Things I didn’t like:

·        My son described it well when he said "Taken 3 makes Taken 2 look like Taken 1.  ha ha
      This time, the movie takes place in the United States, but it’s still loaded with Russian thugs who smoke cigars, sit in hot tubs with scantily clad women, and say things like “Okay. Let’s go get drunk.”
   ·         You’d think by now that Bryan’s daughter Kim (played by Maggie Grace) would have learned some self-defense moves just in case.  She spends most of the movie puddled on the floor with her mother’s scarf.

·         Don’t you love how everyone has top notch firearms, but can never hit their mark except Liam Neeson?

·         A pockmarked Russian bad guy fighting in a white Speedo.  Ick.

·         The movie poster says “It ends here", but there is clearly a set up for Taken 4.
       There are so many unbelievable moments, that the result isn't that you have to suspend your disbelief, but that you are numbed into submission.
*   While there are a couple of twists (I LOVE twists), the bad guys are predictable and cliched.
*    There are so many points in the movie that just aren't explained.

·          

Funny lines:

·         “Interesting family.” – Franck Dotzler
*    "Bagels." - Bryan

Observations:

·         Malankov has stairs in his penthouse without banisters.  I’d totally fall off.
      SPOILER ALERT: In the shot where Bryan is water boarding Stewart, the amount of Stewart's shirt that is wet changes in between shots.

·         It's absurd that Liam tosses machine guns and AR-15's on the floor and instead, prefers his handgun.  I would have kept both.
      I gotta get me some Special Opps friends in case I ever get in trouble.

Tips for Parents:  The body count is high (of course), along with profanity and violence...all expected for this kind of film.

If you want to watch a better film that has the same plot of an innocent man being framed for his wife's death, one of my all-time favorites is The Fugitive

If you missed the first two Taken installments (which were better than this 3rd one), you can check them out here for super cheap:
 

Non-stop is non-stop, goofy fun for Liam Neeson fans

Movie Title:   Non-Stop

PG-13, 1 hour 50 minutes

Grade:   B

In a Nutshell:   First of all, that’s a great title for an action movie on an airplane flight.  Second, who doesn’t love Liam Neeson?  They even featured his butt-kicking awesomeness in the opening sketch of Saturday Night Live this week.  Sit down, put your tray tables in the locked position and enjoy the flight.  Liam Neeson’s character is a crusty alcoholic with a heart of gold, making his movies their own classic genre.

This goofy suspense thriller takes place at 40,000 feet in the air on a transatlantic flight from New York to London.  Liam Neeson plays a U.S. Air Marshal who saves the snakes on a plane…er…um…cells on a plane….or the universe…or something like that.  Sure, the plot is implausible, but it’s always fun to watch Liam use his “special set of skills.”  Suspend your disbelief.  It’s no Taken , but it’s still a fun ride.

Uplifting theme:  Spend the extra money on First Class tickets when you’re going on a really long flight.  Ha ha

Things I liked:

• It was fun to see Downtown Abbey’s rich girl, Michelle Dockery, serving others as a flight attendant. 
• I love the First Class seats on that plane that lie WAY back, instead of ¾ of an inch like they do in coach.  Plus, they had a cool night-light for reading.
• I like small details, such as when Bill Marks’ texts got autocorrected as he typed messages. 
• I really need to learn how to set a stopwatch on my cell phone and/or actual watch.

Things I didn’t like:

• As new characters are introduced in the story, everyone looks suspicious.  Of course, there’s really no way getting around that in this kind of movie, now is there?
• Sometimes I worry that scenes in movies give people bad ideas, like when the Federal Air Marshall tapes up the vents in the bathroom so he can smoke a cigarette.  Does that really work?

Funny lines:

• “Did you just call me Ma’am?”  - Jen Summers
• “Sorry about the nose.”  - Bill Marks    “It was never my best feature.”  Agent Marenick
• “Next time give me a loaded weapon.”  Agent Marenick    “Next time don’t get shot.”  Bill Marks

Great pickup line response:  “Where ya headed?”   “Depends.”   (Bill Marks to Jen Summers)

Things to look for:

• He gets a phone call in the beginning of the movie with a 555 number.  Have you noticed that all phone numbers shown in movies begin with 555?

Tips for parents:  Julianne Moore is the one with the potty-mouth in the film.  Some profanity, fighting, sexual innuendos, and a frisky couple on the plane.   

The Lego Movie has quick wit, gags and fun for all ages

Movie Title:  The Lego Movie

Grade:  A-

In a Nutshell:  Quick-witted fun for all ages, as well as obvious Lego lovers.  While raising 4 boys, I’ve sucked up my share of miscellaneous Lego pieces on the carpet with my vacuum cleaner over the years, as well as stepped on the sharp plastic corners in the middle of the night one too many times, but I still love Legos.  Actually, the plural of Lego is Lego, so I should change that last sentence, but I won’t because I’m as sassy as the movie.

I lived only a few blocks away from LegoLand in Carlsbad, California for 6 years and even had an annual membership.  That theme park is simply adorable and a truly fun amusement park for the whole family.  One of the things I love about LegoLand is its keen sense of humor and that it doesn’t take itself so seriously.  This movie is exactly that. 

The jokes fly fast and furiously and the story line is surprisingly thought-out with a couple of sweet twists in the end.  It feels like free-flowing play itself with the satisfaction you get after building something well.

The fun flick is filled with tremendous voice talent, including Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, and Chris Pratt.  Shaquille O’Neal plays himself, and Billy Dee Williams revisits his role as Lando in Star Wars.

Uplifting theme:  Like most movies with Morgan Freeman in them, his character says the bulk of the inspiring lines in the film.

• “The only thing you need to be special is to believe that you are.”  - Vitruvius
• “We all have something that makes us something.” – Emmet’s co-worker
• Emmet worries “What do I do?  I don’t have my instructions!” illustrates the importance of imagination and creativity.
• “Believe.  Then you will see everything.”  - Vitruvius
• “You have to embrace what is special about you.”  - Vitruvius

Things I liked:

• I can’t get that “Everything is awesome!” song out of my head
• I love quick wit.  This movie’s jam is quick wit.
• The water in the shower, hot tub bubbles, and ocean white caps were fantastic
• I loved how Emmet did Jumping Jacks
• Frequent use of plastic Lego flames.  It’s amazing how often they were able to use them.
• I thought it was cute how they tied in the use of instructions into the theme of the movie.  Emmet begins showing each step he takes in the morning, as if he’s writing instructions for you to follow.  Later, the good guys create a step-by-step plan to defeat the bad guys, identifying the correct order for you to follow.
• Twist ending

Things I didn’t like:

• No need to pay extra money for 3D.  There is almost too much stimulation and the whole film is a bit manic, similar to Christmas morning when wonderful presents and wrapping paper are strewn everywhere.
• My little kids were too smart to recognize that when everyone gets a trophy for just paying to be on a Little League baseball team, then the trophy isn’t worth anything.  They hated being told “Everyone is special” because that meant to them that nobody was special.  This movie has a bit of that philosophy in it, although it tries to point out that everyone is special for different reasons.
• Cloud Cocoaland?  I thought they could have come up with something more clever than that.

Funny lines: The adults were laughing more than the kids.  Parents won’t have to suffer through this children’s animated movie.  A lot of the humor will go over kids’ heads, and the wit happens so fast that you’re sure to miss some of it too.

• “Come with me if you want to not die.” – Wyldstyle/Lucy
• “Place the thing on the other thing and save the universe.”  - Vitruvius
• “We’ll wing it.  It’s a bat pun.”  -  Batman
• “You don’t know me, but I’m on TV, so you can trust me.” – Wyldstyle/Lucy
• “Let’s take extra care to follow the instructions or you’ll be put to sleep.  And don’t forget Taco Tuesday’s coming next week.”  - President Business
• “I only work in black.  And sometimes very, very dark grey.”  - Batman
• “Okay, I think it got it.  But just in case, say it all over again.  I wasn’t listening.”  - Emmet
• “Do you see the quotations I’m making with my claw hands?”  - Bad cop/good cop
• “Here are your pants.  End of series.”  - Wyldstyle/Lucy as she walks onto the set of the popular TV show “Where are my pants?”
• “Ow!  That is going to start hurting pretty soon.” – Emmet
• “I WILL text you.”  - Batman
• “This has been the greatest almost 15 minutes of my life.”  - Emmet
• “I’m dark and brooding.  Look!  A rainbow!”  - Emmet

Things to look for:  You need to pay attention, because clever gags appear and disappear quickly, along with the rapid-fire wit.  I’ll bet this film will do well with DVD sales, because everyone will want to have the power to hit the pause button on this one. There are too many details to mention.  The Legoland amusement park has a “Minland” in the center of the park that is unbelievably detailed with hidden gems everywhere.  This movie is like that.

• I’ve never seen a surfer Lego dude with flowing, blonde hair!
• Bubbles in the hot tub in The Old West
• Cool Lego dust behind moving cars in the dirt
• Lego smoke blocks from a moving train

Tips for parents:  Relax and rest easy on this one.  All of the profanity includes such lines as “Darn, darn, darny, darn” (Bad cop/good cop) and “Dangit!” (Batman & Wonder Woman).  Pretty nice, right?  Someone calls someone else a “butt”, but there is a surprisingy lack of toilet humor for a kids movie.  Nice, right?  There is a budding romance, but no Lego kissing. Merchandising for this movie is going to be huge.

Skip the Nut Job

Movie Title:  The Nut Job

Grade: C-

   

In a Nutshell:  Skip it.  When stunning animation movies like Frozen are out in the theaters, why would you waste your time or money on this one?  It’s a meager attempt at following the recipe for a successful kids’ movie.  Young kids may be entertained, but parents will either fall asleep or want to stab a fork in their eyes.

Filled with an unlikeable main character, endless capers, dumb gangster goons, an obligatory dance scene and electrocution moment, and lame lines such as “Let’s not get nutty around here”, this Saturday morning cartoon falls way short of being memorable or magical.

Uplifting theme: It’s important to work together.  Teamwork doesn’t have “I” in it.

Things I liked:        Great voice actors include Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl, Maya Rudolph, and even ventriloquist Jeff Dunham.  Unfortunately, none of them had good material to work with, so their talents were underutilized. I thought the red cardinal that Racoon carries around was pretty cute and I liked the 3D popcorn popping effect.

Things I didn’t like:  When the writers couldn’t think of clever jokes they just resorted to lots of farting and burping. The animation itself was simply inferior.  The supporting characters lacked visual distinction or interest.  The scary rat gang looked like ugly stuffed animals.

Funny lines:

• “Is that Bubonic Plague you’re wearing?”  - Surly
• “That’s my cologne, made of tree sap and falcon tears.” - Surly

Inspiring lines:

• Hmmmm….can’t think of any.  Pretty sad, right?

Things to look for:

• Baby squirrel sucking its thumb
• Little bird’s trembling lips when the tree burns

Tips for parents:  See something else.