Avengers: Infinity War packs a punch in Marvel's longest movie to date

Movie Title:    Avengers: Infinity War

Grade:  A

Rating: PG-13, 156 minutes  (the longest Marvel film to date)

In a Nutshell:  Starring…well….EVERYONE!  All of your favorite Marvel superheroes get spotlighted, a difficult task that the Russo brothers capably tackled.

As the 19^th film released by Marvel Studios in the past 10 years or so, with more to hit the Big Screen next month and into the summer of 2018, clearly, Marvel is the big boy at the Box Office.

I've been looking forward to this movie for a long time and I don't want to include a bunch of spoilers here, so this review will be, surprisingly, quite short!  I want you to be able to experience all of the fun excitement and heartbreaking drama for yourself. 

The one word that truly describes this movie is EPIC.

                                            

Uplifting theme: 

·    Hope and desperation

• Sacrifice for others
• Revenge
• Love
• The price of war
• Friendship, forgiveness, mending old wounds
• Genocide

Tips for parents: 

• Some profanity, but no F-bombs.
• LOTS of violence, sometimes with bloody, brutal deaths.  Super high dead body count.   
• LOTS of destruction and people in perilous situations.
• Some characters we have come to know and love actually die in this movie.  Your heart will break.  It’s a bit surprising and especially sad for people who really love these characters.
• Some creepy, scary monsters and characters.

                                                         

Things I liked:

• I loved it when the superheroes met each other for the very first time. The audience I watched the movie with especially howled with laughter when the Guardians of the Galaxy (my favorite Marvel characters) meet Thor.
• Josh Brolin as Thanos is awesome.  Thanos is a truly evil villain because of his motivation.
• The humor is perfect.  The characters play off each other really well with extremely entertaining banter.
• I’m not a fan of the “shaky cam” technique, so I was grateful that the Russo brothers were careful not to use it much.  There is, however, a LOT of action, so you'll want to sit towards the back of the theater in order to see it all without getting dizzy.
• Marvel’s storytelling has an unpredictability to it that makes it even more fun for viewers and fans. You just can't always predict what's going to happen.  
• Keep watching after the rolling credits for a final scene that hints at what’s to come.  The good news is that there is more to come! 
• I love it when Marvel gives Stan Lee a cameo spot.  It’s always so fun to see where they put him in the movies.
• Iron Man’s new nano-tech uniform was super cool.
• I adore Paul Betany and loved seeing him “not” red for a short time.
•  Fantastic fight and action sequences.
• Impressive CGI.  It's truly amazing what they can do in film nowadays.

Things I didn’t like:

• When you mix that many bigger-than-life characters, the film is bound to be crowded, busy, and uneven in tone.
• The ending is a bit vague and unfinished.  We don’t quite know what happened, but one thing is certain…there will be a grand finale!  It kind of feels like the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which was good, but somewhat unsatisfying because you knew you’d have to wait another year for the rest of the story.
• Quite a few Avenger-related characters were not present.
•  You really need to have seen all of the recent Marvel movies in order to understand the back stories of the characters and appreciate the many Easter eggs and jokes.

Funny lines:

• “Fun isn’t something one considers when balancing the universe, but this does put a smile on my face.” – Thanos (Josh Brolin
• “Hunk a Hulk of burning love is our favorite.” – Wong (Benedict Wong)
• He’s not a dude.  You’re a dude.  He’s a man.  A muscular man.” – Drax (Dave Bautista) talking about Thor.
• “It’s like a pirate had a baby with a angel.” – Drax talking about Thor
• Kevin Bacon joke.  Ha ha Love it.
• “I seriously don’t know how you fit your head into that helmet.” – Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.)
• “You speak Groot?” – Rocket (Bradley Cooper)

“Yes, they taught it on Asgard.  It was an elective.” – Thor (Chris Hemsworth)

• “We do not want another single pop culture reference out of you during this trip.” – Ironman to Spiderman

Interesting lines:

• Why would I lie?” – The Collector (Benicio Del Toro)

“I imagine it’s like breathing for you.” – Thanos

• “Reality is often disappointing.” – Thanos
• “You’ve got some nerve.” – Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt)

“You could use some of that right now.” – Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson)

• “If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction.” – Thanos
• “The hardest choices require the strongest will.” - Thanos

Movies you need to see to better understand this one:

      

                                                           

                                           @trinaboice

Rampage pushes the PG-13 line

Movie Title:   Rampage

Grade:   B

Rating: PG-13, 
1 hour 47 minutes

In a Nutshell:   My 4 sons used to play the 1997 Midway Rampage video game, so I was curious to see how well director Brad Peyton would adapt the game to a movie for the fans. 

Historically, movies that take video games to the Big Screen are horrible.  Well, yeah.  This movie requires you to turn off your brain and not care.  If you just want to see some monsters destroy a city and watch the ROCK do his thing (he’s awesome), then this movie is for you.  If storytelling and character development is important to you, then you’re going to have trouble watching this.  The monsters look great; it’s the humans in the movie that feel more like they’re in a video game.

                                    

Tips for parents: 

• George , the silverback gorilla, flips the bird several times.
• There is a HUGE body count.  There are a lot of bloody bodies and some of the deaths are almost portrayed as a joke, which was a bit alarming.  Lots of blood splatter.
• Lots and lots of destruction and violence
• Some profanity
• People in perilous situations
• Talk of poachers.  You’ll need to explain to your little ones what poachers are and why they’re so bad.
• Cleavage
• Inappropriate joke at the end.

Uplifting theme: 

• Family
• Friendship
• Loyalty
• Animal protection

                                                  

Things I liked:

• Some humor, although there could have been more since the movie already feels like a cartoon.   
• According to IMDB, an original cabinet of the Rampage arcade game can be seen in Claire Wyden’s office.  That’s a fun Easter egg for fans, but it doesn’t make sense for her to have it. Midway Arcade Origins - Xbox 360
• The movie shows George, the gorilla, living in the San Diego Wildlife Sanctuary.  As far as I know, that doesn’t really exist, but the San Diego zoo is fantastic.  They actually have a really good gorilla habitat there.  About 40 minutes outside San Diego is the awesome Wild Animal Park.  I used to live in San Diego and can highly recommend both!
• I think Malin Akerman’s eyes are so pretty.  I hated her stiff hair that looked like plastic.  Her character, unfortunately, was ridiculous.  If you're a Billions: Season One fan, you'll like that she gets to finally play the boss.
• Well done CGI.  The monsters look really cool.
• You see Dwayne Johnson get out of some zip ties.  First of all, his biceps are soooo massive!  Second, you actually can do it and big biceps aren’t required.  A former CIA agent taught me how.  Make sure the zip lock thing faces up.  Then, lift up your arms above your head and quickly pull them down to your hips, pulling your elbows back as fast as you can.  Ta da!
• SPOILER: Jeffrey Dean Morgan does a bad guy so well.  He was so maniacal in The Walking Dead Season 7 [DVD] that I had to stop watching the show.  Seriously evil.  Luckily, he has a heart in this movie.
• You’ll actually learn a little bit of sign language.  My niece married a deaf man, so I’m always thrilled when sign language is used in movies.  Another movie that uses sign language and is currently in theaters is A Quiet Place.  I thought it was really good!  You can read my movie review of A QUIET PLACE by clicking here.
• I thought it was a respectful nod that the city rampage occurs in Chicago, the headquarters of Midway video games.

Things I didn’t like:

• There were quite a few differences in the movie and game, although George and Ralph keep their names in the movie.  Lizzie’s name is never mentioned as the crocodile.  George was never an albino in the game.  The biggest difference is that the monsters in the video game were mutated humans, not mutated animals.
• The villains are terrible, but not in a good way. 
• Some characters are introduced in the beginning, but completely disappear from the story.
• There are some really dumb details that could have been easily fixed if anyone working on the movie had been paying attention or cared.
• The young male gorilla that is new at the Sanctuary in the beginning of the movie looks totally fake.  George looks much better.
• Naomie Harris doesn’t really do anything, other than run around and rely on the ROCK to come up with a plan.
• The clip in the movie trailer that shows the gorilla crack the crocodile’s jaws open like King Kong does to the dinosaur in his movie didn’t actually make it into this movie.

Funny lines:

• “Of course the wolf flies!” – Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) 
• “You know there are other ways of dealing with people, don’t you?” – Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris)

“Of course I do, but that’s no fun.” – Davis

• “That’s a big arm.  Don’t fight it.” – Davis
• “Who are you?  Homeland? CIA?  Justice League?” – Dr. Kate Caldwell  
• “Girls love him.  I should shave my head.” -  Nelson  (P.J. Byrne)

         

  

                                        
                                         @trinaboice

A Quiet Place is gripping

Movie Title:  
    A Quiet Place

Grade:   A-

Rating: PG-13,
   90 minutes

In a Nutshell:   We all fell in love with John Krasinski when he first appeared in The Office: The Complete Series.  

He has since gone on to show us his action hero chops in movies like 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and his creativity and humor in "Lip Sync Battle." This is now his third time directing and I'm convinced he will continue to bring us something fresh.

If this movie were a typical talking horror movie, it wouldn’t have been nearly as frightening.  The tension and suspense are magnified in the silence.  #StayQuiet

                                             

Tips for parents: 

• There are a lot of subtitles kids will need to read.
• The alien monsters are pretty scary looking.
• Children are constantly in perilous situations.
• Bloody, dead body.
• You see a pregnant woman's "water" break and later you see blood when she's getting ready to give birth in a bath tub.

Uplifting theme: 

• Family, unity
• Sacrifice
• Resourcefulness

                                                               

Things I liked:

• I loved seeing John Krasinski and his lovely, talented wife Emily Blunt in a movie together.  I can’t wait to see her in the upcoming "Mary Poppins"!
• My niece learned American Sign Language and later married a deaf man who has a cochlear implant, like the one seen in this "silent" movie.  It’s so wonderful to see capable deaf people portrayed in films.  Another movie that puts ASL in the spotlight is "Rampage."  Millicent Simmonds, who plays Regan Abbott, is actually deaf in real life.  This is her second movie; her first was Wonderstruck.
• Yes, you get to see the aliens.
• Every time I saw a trailer for this movie, the audience would get completely silent and you could feel the tension in the theater.  That’s how gripping this movie is.
• More often than not, horror movies have a lot of characters so that people can be killed off.  The result is usually that we don’t care about them.  In this movie, we’re only given one family and we become quickly invested in them.
• I always get annoyed by the dumb choices characters make in horror movies, but this family is pretty smart and has figured out how to live in a silent world.
• I like that this movie starts on Day 89 after the alien invasion happened.  It would have been a much different movie if it had shown Day 1.  Not knowing many details about what happened added to the tension.

                                               

Things I didn’t like:

• It didn’t make sense to me that Regan Abbott would even need a hearing aid in a world where silence is what keeps people alive.  Interestingly, it’s her hearing aid that becomes an important part of the story.
• The viewer is never told where the alien creatures come from.  It appears they simply kill noisy people, rather than eat them.  The little we know about them comes from old newspaper headlines that are hung in the family’s basement and a few TV sound bites.  Fans of this movie are making all kinds of YouTube videos to talk about the details they wish they knew.
• There are some little details that might annoy you, so just don’t worry about them.
• If you watch this in a theater, PLEASE be quiet so that everyone else in the theater can enjoy the quiet experience.

                                     

                                              @trinaboice

Ready Player One celebrates video games over the decades

Movie Title:      Ready Player One

Grade:  A-

Rating: PG-13, 140 minutes

In a Nutshell:   The creator of the largest virtual reality world ever, called the OASIS, dies and leaves a challenge to anyone who can find three invisible keys that lead to a hidden Easter egg to win a fortune and ownership over the OASIS.  Directed by Steven Spielberg, it is full of imagination, fun, action, romance, humor, and a moral lesson.  Game on!

If you’re not into video games, this movie is probably not for you.  I don’t really play video games, but I still enjoyed it.  I have four sons who played video games for many years growing up, so I was exposed enough to most of the characters that make an appearance in this movie that I got a kick out of it all.  One of my sons is now living his dream as a 3D character artist for the hugely successful video game company Blizzard.

                                              

Tips for parents: 

·       Ready Player One is rated PG-13 for tons of violence, bloody images, partial nudity, profanity, and some suggestive material.  
   *  I was worried that the movie would glorify video games and encourage kids to plug into technology even more, but the message in the end is that we all need each other and real life.   I thought the ending was actually very sweet.

·       Some profanity and other crude language.

·       A character flips the bird.

·       It shows real people losing touch with reality as they play video games.

·       Several people have face and body tattoos.

·       The leading lady’s avatar (Art3mis) has a super skimpy outfit on.

·       You see the partial naked back side of a virtual reality woman. 
*   There is an important reference to “Rosebud” in the 1941 movie Citizen Kane that very few kids or even adults will catch.

·       

Uplifting theme: 

·       “People need to spend more time in the real world.” – Wade/Parzival

·       “It’s not about winning, but playing.” – Wade/Parzival

·       “As painful and terrifying as the real world can be, it’s the only place you can get a decent meal…because reality is real.” – Halliday

·       “No man is alone who has a friend.” – I-R0k

·       Illusion vs. reality

• Real world consequences

                             

Things I liked:

• The movie itself is classic Spielberg with absolutely fantastic action sequences and imagination.  
• The special effects are really well done and blend easily from virtual reality environments into scenes with people in reality. 
• The movie is overflowing with references that span several decades of movies, music, and pop culture, focusing mostly on the 1980’s.  While the main character (Wade Owen Watts) is looking for the grand prize, there are TONS of fun Easter eggs for the audience to look for and enjoy during the entire film.  At one point, there is a scene with a famous Anime motorcycle that Spielberg is notorious for having rejected 30 years ago, dismissing it as “unsalable” for film.  It’s fun to see how he now embraces and celebrates it on the big screen. 
• There is some humor and heart in the film with most of the comic relief provided by a scary-looking, yet hilarious character named I-R0k, voiced by T. J. Miller. 
• Alvin Silvestri offered an energizing and fun musical score.  Originally, Steven Spielberg’s favorite composer, John Williams, was going to tackle the project, but he had to step away to finish his work on another Spielberg film, The Post
• If you can, try to see the movie in 3D, but it’s still fun without the glasses and extra fee.  
• Climb Mt. Everest with Batman.  Ha ha
• I love Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance in anything.

Things I didn’t like:

·   Older folks will probably claim the movie is on sensory overload (they’re right), but the younger crowd will feel like they’re right in the middle of playing a video game.  A really old guy sitting near me in the theater got up and walked out.

• There are a LOT of exposition scenes that tell us what’s happening and the movie drags a little bit in the Third Act.  
• It’s a very long 2 hours 20 minutes flick, so Grandpa or Junior may fall asleep.
•  Sit farther back in the theater; otherwise, you won’t be able to focus on everything going on.  There is a LOT happening on the screen.

Funny lines:

• “There are only 3 things I hate in the world: Steam Punk, pirates, and Tabouli.” – I-R0k (T.J. Miller)
• “Am I being punked?” – Aech/Helen (Lea Waithe)
• “She wanted to go dancing, so we went to a movie.” – Halliday (Mark Rylance)
• “She could be a dude, a 300 pound dude who lives in his mother’s basement…and his name is Chuck.  Think about that!” – Aech/Helen
• “Voila….which is French for….” – I-R0k
• “Do you want it or not?” – Anorak (Mark Rylance)

Interesting lines:

• “People go to the Oasis for all the things they can do, but they stay because of all the things they can be.” – Wade
• “A fanboy knows a hater.” – Parzival
• “Things move forward whether you like it or not.” – Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg)

If you loved it and want more, check out the book that it’s based on, Ready Player One ,written by Ernest Cline.  The movie adds to and deletes from the source material, frustrating true fanboys, but they both have something to offer.  Cline actually mentioned Steven Spielberg in the original novel.

     

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                                                              @trinaboice