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.   

Mr. Peabody and Sherman touch hearts and funny bones

Movie Title:   Mr. Peabody & Sherman

PG, 1 hour 32 minutes

Grade:   B+

In a Nutshell:   You may remember these lovable guys from the old Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends: The Complete Series cartoon from the 1950’s and 60’s.  They finally get the feature animation they deserve.  Back then we didn’t realize that Mr. Peabody would invent tear-away pants and Zumba. 

True to the TV series, there are a lot of silly puns that will make you laugh and moan at the same time. There were potty-humor gags that kids tend to love, such as when a ship flies out of a Sphinx’s rear end, as well as wordplay references to movies that kids won’t recognize, but parents will enjoy, like when King Tut yells Runaway Bride!   Sherman often said “I don’t get it” when the adult jokes would fly over his head.

The WABAC machine (pronounced “Way Back”) is used to transport various characters in the movie to different periods of time and was originally created on the TV show to poke fun at the names of some of the first computers (UNIVAC and ENIAC).  Surprisingly, it is still a term used in some internet applications (Wikipedia) to describe the ability to go back to older content…”Not where, but when.”

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure fans will get a kick out of this animated run through select historical moments.

Uplifting theme: 

• Be proud of who you are and whose you are.   
• It’s a sweet, perhaps overly-sentimental, father-son movie that will leave you grinning as you walk out the movie theater.   
• Every dog should have a boy.

Things I liked:

• I thought it was cute when Mr. Peabody found Sherman as an orphaned baby in a box wearing glasses.
• I got a kick out of hearing funnyman Steven Colbert voice Paul Peterson.  He called Sherman “Dos Shermanos” when he got a little tipsy from Mr. Peabody’s dinner party drinks.
• I can never get enough of Allison Janney, Stanley Tucci, Leslie Mann, and Ty Burrell.  I was tickled to hear Mel Brooks brings Albert Einstein to life.
• The audience laughed with delight during the scene when Mr. Peabody plays a bunch of different audiences.
• A recurring gag occurred every time someone dropped something in Egypt; a servant would race by, pick it up and say something so fast I couldn’t quite tell…“I got it!"
• The audience I sat with instantly fell in love with Agamemnon.  Patrick Warburton always knocks it out of the park with his awesome voice and perfect comedic timing.  I thought his armpits were hilarious.  I thought it was cute when he recruited “Shermanis” to join his Greek fighting team.  One of his many funny lines was “My father is half man, half minotaur, all judgment.”  I thought the Trojan war scene was amusing how they tried to make it look like the movie 300 with slow-motion action sequences.
• Adorable Spartacus scene with Kirk Douglas cameo.

Things I didn’t like:

• The animation design of the hills outside the city of Florence was disappointing.  I loved the detail on the famous Ponte Vechio and the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore.  I was in beautiful Florence a few months ago and was reliving my trip through those scenes.  Unfortunately, the ocean water animation was also poorly done.
• It was hard to cheer for Penny Peterson who was such a brat.  I didn’t care if she got left behind in another time or not.
• I was kind of surprised when Mr. Peabody said something about booby traps and Sherman giggled “You said boobie!”

Funny lines:

• “When Sherman says “I love you Mr. Peabody”, his adopted dog father says “I have a deep regard for you, as well, Sherman.”
• “Pictures were taken for insurance purposes.”  - Principal Purdy
• “Wait, what kind of cake?” – a French man in the crowd during the French revolution scene, responding to Marie Antoinette’s famous line “Let them eat cake!”
• “A cantaloupe?  The lowest of the fruits!”  - A French man
• “When it comes to my daughter, nothing is more important than…(answering cell phone suddenly)  Shello?  Sure, I’ll take a survey.”  - Mr. Peterson
• Penny asks Sherman “Do you do everything Mr. Peabody says?”  “Yeah.”  She asks “Do you know what that makes you?”  “An obedient son.”  “No, a dog.”
• “Oy plagues.  Why did I ever move to Egypt?” – A random Jewish man in the crowd
• “You can’t marry him!  His name rhymes with butt!”  - Sherman
• “This is a little home-spun concoction I like to call ‘Einstein on the Beach.’” – Mr. Peabody
• “So, he’s literally a dog.”  (Mr. Peterson)   “I prefer the term “literate” dog.”  (Mr. Peabody)

Things to look for:

• Van Gogh with bandages on his ears
• The little boy in Sherman’s classroom whose feet can’t reach the floor when he’s sitting down at his desk.
• Boxers with hearts on them
• The dog with the cone on its head at the beginning of the movie.
• Try to figure out what the mystery meat is on the cafeteria food trays.
• The picture of cats hanging in Principal Purdy’s office at school.
• Picture of Ghandi next to Sherman’s bed.
• Rubic’s cube (Hint:  look for Einstein).
• “I love New York” t-shirt and underwear.
• Bill Clinton cameo.

Tips for parents:  Some inappropriate jokes, but mostly harmless.  Parents and children watching the movie in the audience I sat with enjoyed the movie equally.  It’s certainly no Frozen magic, worthy of an Oscar, but it’s very energetic and fairly entertaining family fun.  The visits through time should spark some conversations with your kids about history…."not where, but when.”

Endless Love film feels like an endless cliche

Movie Title:   Endless Love

Grade:  D

In a Nutshell:    D for dumb. In the words of the Houston Press movie critic: “Finally, a love story for attractive white people.”  Ha ha  This remake of the 1981 Franco Zeffirelli film about young love features the handsome Alex Pettyfer and lovely Gabriella Wilde who have chemistry on the big screen, but are trapped in a predictable cliché that makes the movie seem endless. Teenage girls will probably think it’s good, which of course, is the target audience. 

The story is about a rich, beautiful girl with no friends.  Right.  The world is full of them.  Lame.   Add in the mean father who doesn’t let the misunderstood beautiful, rich daughter do anything she wants.  Seventeen year olds know what’s best for them. It’s a little bit like the original Footloose without the music or dancing or humor.

Uplifting theme:   Raging hormones prevent you from making wise decisions.  Oh, I mean “Love is worth fighting for.”

Things I liked:

• I’ve always liked Joely Richardson.  Unfortunately, the writing for her character isn’t very good.  The writing isn’t very good for any of the other characters either.

Things I didn’t like:

• She goes from being awkward in high school with no social life to meeting this guy and losing her virginity in 2 days.   Aw, true love.

Funny lines:

•  “You never mentioned that.”  - (David)  The funny thing about that line is David and Jade had just barely met, so of course she hadn’t told him everything about her life yet.
• “You think she’s real?  A girl looks like that with that much dough?  She can’t be real.  I know these things.”  - Mace
• “Let’s be young and dumb just for one night.”   Jade – That line made me laugh because they’re both young and have been acting dumb for many nights.

Tips for parents:  One F-bomb, pre-marital relations, marijuana, drinking, and an affair.  The tagline for the movie is “Say goodbye to innocence”, which should be warning enough for parents. 

I never saw the Endless Love (1981) with Brooke Shields, but I hear it was better.

2014 Oscar Winner list

I always love the glitz and glamor on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.  You've probably heard by now that Ellen crashed Twitter as she took the world's famous Selfie with a few A-listers during the evening.  What you really want to know is who won, right?
And the Oscar went to ....

Best Picture:

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity"

"Her"

"Nebraska"

"Philomena"

"12 Years a Slave" WINNER

"The Wolf of Wall Street"


Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"

Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"

Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave"

Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" WINNER


Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"

Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"

Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave" WINNER

Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"

June Squibb, "Nebraska"


Best Director:

David O. Russell, "American Hustle"

Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity" WINNER

Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"

Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"

Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street"


Best Actor:

Christian Bale, "American Hustle"

Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"

Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"

Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyer's Club" WINNER


Best Actress:

Amy Adams, "American Hustle"

Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" WINNER
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"

Judi Dench, "Philomena"

Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"



Best Original Screenplay:

"American Hustle"

"Blue Jasmine"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Her" WINNER
"Nebraska"


Best Adapted Screenplay:

"Before Midnight"

"Captain Phillips"

"Philomena"

"12 Years a Slave" WINNER

"The Wolf Of Wall Street"

 
Best Animated Feature:

"The Croods"

"Despicable Me 2"

"Ernest & Celestine"

"Frozen" WINNER

"The Wind Rises"


Best Foreign Feature:

"The Broken Circle Breakdown," Belgium

"The Great Beauty," Italy WINNER

"The Hunt," Denmark

"The Missing Picture," Cambodia

"Omar," Palestine


Best Visual Effects:

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation"

"Iron Man 3"

"The Lone Ranger"

"Star Trek Into Darkness"



Best Cinematography:

"The Grandmaster"

"Gravity" WINNER

"Inside Llewyn Davis"

"Nebraska"

"Prisoners"


Best Costume Design:

"American Hustle"

"The Grandmaster"

"The Great Gatsby" WINNER

"The Invisible Woman"

"12 Years a Slave"


Best Documentary Feature:

"The Act of Killing"

"Cutie and the Boxer"

"Dirty Wars"

"The Square"

"20 Feet from Stardom" WINNER







Best Documentary Short:

"CaveDigger"

"Facing Fear"

"Karama Has No Walls"

"The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life" WINNER

"Prisoner Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall"









Best Film Editing:

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity" WINNER

"12 Years a Slave"


Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

"Dallas Buyers Club" WINNER

"Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa"

"The Lone Ranger"


Best Music (Original Score):
"The Book Thief"

"Gravity" WINNER
"Her"

"Philomena"

"Saving Mr. Banks"


Best Music (Original Song):

"Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone"

"Happy" from "Despicable Me"

"Let It Go" from "Frozen" WINNER

"The Moon Song" from "Her"

"Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"




Best Production Design:

"American Hustle"

"Gravity"

"The Great Gatsby" WINNER

"Her"

"12 Years a Slave"


Best Short Film, Animated:

"Feral"

"Get a Horse!"

"Mr. Hublot" WINNER

"Possessions"

"Room on the Broom"


Best Short Film, Live Action:

"Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)"

"Avant Que De Tout Perdre" (Just Before Losing Everything)

"Helium" WINNER

" Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa?" (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)

"The Voorman Problem"


Best Sound Editing:

"All Is Lost"

"Captain Phillips"

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

"The Lone Survivor"


Best Sound Mixing:
"Captain Phillips"

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

"Inside Llewyn Davis"

"Lone Survivor"

The Son of God movie review

Movie Title:   Son of God 
PG-13, 2 hours, 18 minutes

Grade:   B

In a Nutshell:   As a Christian, I really wanted this film to provide a spiritual feast, but it’s really only a snack.  The movie is willing, but the spirit is weak.  Considering how strongly I feel about the life-changing topic, I found it to be more like an illustrated children’s Bible, highlighting only a few parts of the four Gospels that tell the story of Jesus Christ. It’s certainly not a detailed study, nor an entirely accurate account of the scriptures, playing more like a “Greatest Hits” version.

The audience I joined was reverent and hopeful enough, but the big screen version felt like a choppy, re-edited collection of The Bible: The Epic Miniseries that aired on the History Channel last year. Indeed, that’s exactly what it was. One critic noted that if The Bible: The Epic Miniseries was a Cliff’s Notes for the scriptures, then Son of God is the cheat sheet. Although the target audience consists mainly of supportive believers, the movie is more of a basic introduction to the Christian faith, visiting the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The audience was frozen in their seats during the crucifixion scenes and you could have heard a pin drop....or a tear drop.  It's hard to sit through that without feeling in awe.

Uplifting theme:   The movie’s witness, as well as mine, is that Jesus Christ lives!   

Things I liked:

• The Portuguese actor who plays Jesus (Diogo Morgado)  is a little Brad Pitt-esque.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.  He’s handsome and kind-looking, but some reviewers criticize his portrayal as a hippie being followed by a band of scruffy misfits.  Of course, some said that about Jesus himself.
• The lovely Roma Downey of Touched By an Angel: Complete Series Pack portrays a sweet Mary, mother of Jesus. She also co-produced the film with her husband Mark Burnett.  It’s nice to see her again. She was the only one in the movie whose face wasn't dusted with dirt.
• The cinematic journey starts with “In the beginning, the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was there with Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses...” We’re given a quick walk-through of our religious history and then the narrator says “In the struggle for the promised land, He was always by our side.  He was the light shining in the darkness.  Then, He came into the world.”  We learn that John the Beloved is the narrator, as he begins and ends the movie with his testimony.  I love movies that carry us full circle to a poignant message.  John explains “I was one of His followers.  After what I saw, how could I not be?”
• I always like to see different interpretations of Pontius Pilate.  This version features a continuously scowling Roman prefect who is annoyed by the constant Jewish disturbances and more worried about keeping the peace in order to preserve his own political position and comfortable lifestyle.
• I loved it when the camera went underneath the Sea of Galilee to show us Jesus’ face above the water, reaching down to move the water and command the fish to swim into Peter’s nets.  Jesus tells Peter “I will make you a fisher of men”.  A confused Peter asks “What are we going to do?”  “Change the world.”
• While the Pharisees and Sadducees are depicted as jealous and fearful in their piety, other Jews are shown faithfully wearing phylacteries and prayer robes, strictly obeying the law out of love.  There are fanatics and hypocrites in every religion, but there are also believers who inspire us to live more valiantly.
• I love symbolism so I thought it was awesome when Judas spit the bread out of his mouth.  Bread, of course, is a symbol of Jesus Christ.  Did you know that the name Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, means “House of Bread”?   
• Thousands of hours of film have been recorded to tell the story of Christ, so I always appreciate subtle interpretations that directors are able to include in their version to speak to us.  I liked it when Jesus gently kissed the heavy cross he struggled to carry.  There’s a lesson in there for all of us; our trials will cause us to stretch and grow, so we should greet them with gratitude, rather than anger.

Things I didn’t like:

• The aerial views of Jerusalem looked like a child’s toy model of the legendary holy city that was put together in 15 minutes.
• One of the most disappointing features of the film is what it does NOT have: Satan.  The devil does not get his due…or screen time…in this movie because the filmmakers chose to intentionally edit out all of the scenes that reveal a Lucifer that looks too much like President Obama.  Producer Roma Downey told the Hollywood Reporter “This is now a movie about Jesus, the son of God, and the devil gets no more screen time.”  While I admire her desire to put the spotlight on the Savior, her choice also waters down the need for a redeemer and removes the necessary contrast that opposition provides in good film, as well as in religion.  It appears more like she is bowing down to Hollywood and political pressure than proclaiming that Jesus atoned for our sins and conquered death and hell.  The reason we need Jesus is because of Satan.  Sin separates us from God and Jesus bridges that gap.  Because of Satan we have spiritual and physical death; because of Jesus, we can live.
• The writing is inconsistent, sometimes quoting scripture from the traditional King James version of the Bible, while other times using today’s modern lingo.
• As if the audience weren’t sophisticated enough to recognize a powerful phrase or prophetic moment, a base note sounded after every significant spot in the movie.
• I really hate it when lousy movie extras are shown in the background shaking their fists weakly in the air and grumbling that they’d rather head to the Kraft food table than act.  There were, however, a few authentic-looking extras in the crowd with missing teeth and a Mediterranean look.
• I’m sure Sana Mouziane is a lovely person in real life, but I thought she was a terrible Martha.  
• The film was lacking a powerful musical score.  With the right music, an entire moment can be transformed into something truly magical.

Inspiring lines:

•  Jesus meets Peter for the first time and says “Peter, just give me an hour and I will give you a whole new life.”  Peter looks surprised and answers “Who says I want one?”  Jesus makes that same offer to all of us.
• “Put God first and everything else will follow.”  -  Jesus
• “If you hunger for righteousness, you will be filled through me.”  - Jesus

Tips for parents:   There are many bloody images when Jesus is beaten and crucified that can be quite disturbing to young children and even some adults.

Terrific videos about the life of Christ:  I can highly recommend the inspiring collection of free videos at www.BibleVideos.com that will strengthen your faith in the Savior.

Pompeii serves up ash and cheese for disaster lovers

Movie Title:   Pompeii

PG-13, 1 hour 38 minutes

Grade:   B

In a Nutshell:   This disaster movie is getting terrible reviews, but I still got a kick out of the swords-and-sandal attempt at filling in the details of how things went down in Pompeii .  The plot is paper thin, but the special effects (I saw it in 3D) are cool and it’s been awhile since we’ve had such a massive destruction movie like this.  As a kid, I was fascinated by disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure , Earthquake , and The Towering Inferno . 

I was just in Italy last spring, but didn’t have enough time to visit Pompeii .  I hear it’s chilling to see the human remains frozen in time and to imagine the devastation that ended their lives.  It’s so heart-breaking, which could have made for a profoundly deep movie, but the film stays at the surface of emotions, mixing some gladiator fight scenes with a forbidden romance. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson of Resident Evil , the movie tops your bag of popcorn with lots of cheese.

Uplifting theme:   Get a 72 hour emergency kit.  I’m kidding, but really not.  I liked how some of the characters faced imminent death with dignity and love, rather than fear.  One character (no spoiler alert here) declares “I don’t want to spend our last few moments together running.”  While the younger generation today often paints their lack of societal comportment behind the flag of “YOLO” (You Only Live Once), the idea of living life to the fullest is inspiring, because none of us really does know how much time we have left on this earth.

Things I liked:

• The aerial views of the city in the movie were really good and allowed you to visualize what life may have been like back then.  Pompeii was an ancient Roman city that was buried under 20 feet of ash after the earthquake and eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.  During the excavations, plaster was used to fill in the spaces between the ash layers so that you can see the exact position people were in when they died.  Today the ruins include a forum, baths, artwork, markets, a port, pools, houses, amphitheater, aqueduct, and many homes.  
• I’m so glad that 3D isn’t used for silly visual gimmicks anymore, but has become much more sophisticated, enhancing the viewing experience.  The CGI was really good and even made me flinch a time or two.
• I’ve always been a huge fan of 24: The Complete Series and enjoyed watching Kiefer Sutherland.  I don’t think I had heard him speak with a British accent before.   He certainly doesn’t look Roman, but it was still good to see him on the big screen.
• The playful banter between the two main gladiators was endearing.  Adewale Akinnuoye, who plays Atticus, is such a beast.
• I liked the pretty beads in Cassia’s and Aurelia’s hair.  Let’s see if that starts a new fashion trend.
• The eagle was a symbol of Rome and used frequently in the movie to illustrate the overarching power and authority of the oppressive empire.  I thought it was clever to show certain characters (no spoiler alert here) die underneath a big statue of an eagle that had fallen on top of them.
• The friendship between Cassia (Australian beauty Emily Browning) and Ariadne (Evil Dead star Jessica Lucas) was sweet and I liked it when the camera caught a quick glance of them as they held hands for courage.
• I saw the famous Roman Coliseum last April and marveled at the tunnels underneath the fighting floor.  I liked how Pompeii tried to recreate historic architecture and culture.
• I liked the dramatic chorus of masked performers who narrated the gladiator battles in the arena.  Kind of creepy and cool.
• Ash floats through the air after the volcano blows, reminding me I need to put a few more face masks, lip balm and bandanas in my emergency preparedness kit.  I had never really thought about how dark it would have been, as the thick ash clouds covered the sun.
• I appreciated some of the details, like when you see blood dripping down from Milo’s finger after a fight.
• The ending is super cheesy, but I still liked it.

Things I didn’t like:

• It tried to be too much like Gladiator .  Atticus even had a little wooden doll like the African gladiator in that movie.  It feels a bit like a mash-up of Gladiator , Titanic , and Earthquake .
• The casting wasn’t very authentic to the time and culture, although Milo (played by Game of Thrones Kit Harington) looks Italian.  He’s actually a British actor whose real name is Christopher Catesby.
• Cassia says “You came back for me” when her beloved rescues her from her villain.  That line has been used so many times in film history by damsels in distress that I’d really like to hear something new and creative.

Interesting lines:

•  “No gladiator should die from a knife to the back.”  - Atticus
• “He’s a politician.  Be careful what you say to him.”  - Aurelia
• “Why so serious?” – Atticus.  Wait, wasn’t that Heath Ledger in Batman?
• “This is not sport.  This is politics.”  - Corvus the Senator

Things to look for:

• The Boss Slaver’s curly bangs looked more like something out of the Hunger Games.
• The frescos painted on the walls…many were actually preserved during the excavation of the city and offer a peek into life during that time.

Tips for parents:   Some profanity, brutal gladiator fight scenes, whippings, disturbing death moments, bloody killings.  The body count in this movie is unusually high.

Other media that features Pompeii :   

• Bastille’s song Pompeii in their album
• British TV series
• Doctor Who episode
• Cambridge Latin Course Unit 1: Pompeii Book 1 that features a story about Pompeii

3 Days to Kill movie review

Movie Title:   3 Days to Kill

PG-13, 1 hour 40 minutes

Grade:   B

In a Nutshell:   I’ve seen this movie a million times.  Of course, I haven’t seen this actual movie before, but it sure felt like it.  It’s pretty formulaic: crusty old international spy…done.  Creepy looking villain who just won’t die…done.  Obligatory car chase scene…done.  Snarky teenage daughter who has a conflicted relationship with her absentee father…done.  Sexy vixen spy who always has a cigarette in her hand and who is too cool and hardened for her young age…done.  Absentee father trying to reconcile with his family….done.  Sweet revenge…done.

Don’t get me wrong.  If you love all that stuff (I do!), you’ll be entertained.  If you’re looking for a fresh story, move on.  Writer Luc Besson can pump out action-thrillers that will help you pass a fun hour and half with a bowl of popcorn, but not deep story lines that will spark a very long dinner conversation.  If you enjoyed his recent flicks The Transporter , Lockout and The Family , then you’ll get a kick out of this one as well.

Uplifting theme:   

• Unfortunately, many people wait until they hear the big “C” word (cancer) from their doctor to start prioritizing what’s truly important in life.  It always comes back to family.  The movie addresses the constant battle to balance work and family life. 
• The father rescues his daughter several times and she rescues him right back.

Things I liked:

•  I loved the daughter’s obnoxious ring tone I Love It (I Don't Care)   I hate that stupid song and thought it fit the bratty daughter’s personality perfectly.
• Cute twin girls.  I have a twin sister!
• The movie takes place in beautiful Paris.  You get to enjoy lots of views of the Eifel Tower.
• The comical relationship between Ethan and Mitat, the father of the twins, who he tries to get information from…professional and parenting information.  I've always enjoyed Kevin Costner who does a great job at playing the straight man with humor.
• Ethan’s wife is beautiful, played by the stunning Connie Nielsen.  She kind of reminds me of Diane Lane, whom I recently met in person!   Below is a terrible picture of me, but isn't she cute?

Things I didn’t like:

•  Kevin Costner’s gravelly voice.  He reminded me of Christian Bale’s voice in Batman's I Love It (I Don't Care) .
• There is a scene were the vixen CIA agent (Amber Heard) and Kevin Costner argue about goatees and young men right after he kills people.  It’s supposed to be witty and charming, but it’s not quite a successful effort.  3 more days on the script could have put together better playful banter for the entire movie.
• It’s silly that an experienced assassin would be flustered by almost anything.
• I hate it when rude teenagers call their dad by their first name in an act of defiance because they don’t think their dad has been a good father.  It’s been done a million times in movies and always bugs me.
• “What kind of kid doesn’t know how to ride a bike?” asks Ethan.  His daughter hurls “The kind of kid who doesn’t have a father to teach her.”  I saw that line coming a million miles away.  Of course she doesn’t know how to dance either, so they share bonding moments riding a bike and learning how to dance.  Cookie-cutter scenes.
• The names of the bad guys aren’t the most original or awe-inspiring: The Wolf and The Albino. 

Funny lines:

•  “Ethan, don’t say anything weird.”  - Daughter says to her dad when she leaves him alone with her boyfriend to talk for a few minutes

Tips for parents:   Decapitation, shooting, torture with some blood.