Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliot

Running time: 128 minutes

This is the third installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. After finally getting his hands on a piece of history he had been tracking since being a kid, Indiana Jones must spring into action again to track down his father, who has been abducted by Nazis on his trek for the infamous Holy Grail.

This third film in the series is a definite improvement from the previous one. The black magic nonsense did nothing for me. Harrison Ford and Sean Connery had a pretty good chemistry on screen as father and son. Some of the plot twists did not make sense, and some of the characters were a little clichéd, but, overall, this was a fun action film.

Rating: «««

The Expendables (2010)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li

Running time: 103 minutes

A group of elite mercenaries is given the job of stopping an ex-CIA agent gone rogue, who has a Latin American dictator under his control. The group also has to deal with in-fighting while trying to accomplish its task.

We have an ensemble of tough guys and most do a decent job. The only exception may be Dolph Lundgren, who is absolutely atrocious. Story-wise, it is quite thin, but that is not the point here. There are fights and more fights, with explosions and chases. The point is to be fun and entertaining, and it is, somewhat. Not a classic, but decent entertainment.

Rating: «««

Springsteen on Broadway (2018)

Genre: Musical

Directed by: Thom Zimny

Starring: Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scalfia

Running time: 153 minutes

This is the recording of Bruce Springsteen’s final performance of his long term residency on Broadway. Over the course of 2.5 hours, The Boss tells stories about his family and about his life and performs acoustic versions of many of his songs.

While I found that this show dragged on a bit at times, I was thoroughly entertained by this Springsteen performance. Many stories were quite sweet and touching, and there were also some funny moments. The strongest point, in my opinion, is when his wife Patti Scalfia joined him on stage for a couple of songs.

Rating: ««««

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (2018)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Aaron Lieber

Starring: Bethany Hamilton, Cheri Hamilton, Noah Hamilton

Running time: 100 minutes

At age 13, Bethany Hamilton lost an arm in a tiger shark attack while surfing. Shortly after, she was back on a surf board. The story of her life came out, with a movie about it and the media frenzy that followed. She got through it all, found love and became a mom. Along with all of that, her passion for surfing has never stopped.

This is a very interesting documentary. Some of the images are so breathtaking that I almost feel like going surfing, Almost. This is an inspiring about never giving up. It went a little long for me, but I enjoyed it very much.

Rating: ««««

Miracles from Heaven (2016)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Patricia Riggen

Starring: Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson

Running time: 109 minutes

Based on the book of the same name, written by Christy Beam, this film tells the story of Anna, a 10 year-old girl who comes down with a rare disease that makes her unable to digest any food properly. Treatments by a specialist are unsuccessful, but, after falling down a hollow tree in her yard and getting rescued, her health issues miraculously go away.

Jennifer Garner offers a good performance in the role of Christy Beam, the mother of Anna. Overall, this faith-based drama is sure to please those of you who believe in miracles and in the power of prayers. As for me, this cute movie lost me along the way, when it kicked into second gear with the preaching.

Rating: ««

Modern Family (2009-2020)

Genre: TV / Comedy

Starring: Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell

Number of seasons: 11

Modern Family focuses on Jay Pritchett, an older man married to Gloria, a much younger Columbian woman, who has a young son from a previous relationship. Jay has two grown kids from his first marriage, Claire and Mitchell. Claire has three children, with her husband Phil. Mitchell is a gay man married to Cameron. Together, they adopted Lily, from Vietnam.

Shot in mockumentary style, Modern Family has the characters often breaking the fourth wall. Each character is well defined and delivered with talent by the cast members. Over 11 seasons, this show offered many laugh-out-loud moments, but there were a few weaker ones that fell kind of flat. All things considered, though this show did go on too long, it offered some very entertaining television over more than a decade.

Rating: ««««

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan

Running time: 118 minutes

This was a prequel to the first Indiana Jones film. Harrison Ford was back as the main character, Indiana Jones, who was asked by desperate Indian villagers to recuperate a mystical stone and to free their children from a cult practicing black magic, child slavery and human sacrifice. With a nightclub dancer and his 11-year-old Chinese boy sidekick in tow, Dr. Jones has his work cut out for him.

Honestly, as this film was going on, I lost interest pretty face. The storyline made no sense, the acting was bad and I stopped caring pretty quick. I just wanted it all to end. The only bright spot here was Ke Huy Quan as Short Round.

Rating: ««

360 (2011)

Genre: Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Fernando Meirelles

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ben Foster, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law

Running time: 110 minutes

This film goes around the world to look at the lives of various people and their encounters with those around them.

There was a lot of potential here, with a very talented cast on board, but a great lack of story ruined it for me. In the end, I could not help but wonder what the point of it was. Some of the stuff was interesting, but most of it was not.

Rating: ««

ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas (2019)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Sam Dunn

Starring: Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard

Running time: 91 minutes

This documentary relates the story of how three Texas boys, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, became the bad and nationwide blues/rock trio known around the world as ZZ Top. We learn how they first went at it hard, took a break, and then made a comeback to reinvent themselves with their now infamous look.

I love a good rock music documentary and this one is solid. We hear from the three members of ZZ Top, from people in their entourage and from other musicians that were greatly influenced by the trio. And we heard the band’s music quite a bit, which is always nice. I love this one very much.

Rating: «««««

The Blind Side (2009)

Genre: Biographical / Drama

Directed by: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron

Running time: 126 minutes

Based on the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis, this film tells the story of Michael Oher, a football offensive lineman. Growing up in a difficult situation, Oher was taken in and then adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuoy, was given help with his education, played college football and was then drafted in the NFL.

This is a touching film. Sandra Bullock offers a solid performance and so does most of the cast. Story-wise, this film went a little long, with a bit of preachiness. It may all seem like a watered down Disney story, but it is a feel-good movie. Sometimes, one just needs that.

Rating: ««««

Indiana Jones and The Raiders of The Lost Ark (1981)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Running time: 115 minutes

In the first installment of this popular franchise, archeologist and professor Indiana Jones travels around the world to try to stop a group of Nazis from getting their hands on the coveted and powerful Ark of The Covenant. In the process, he reunites with a former lover, Marion Ravenwood, and his arch enemy, French archeologist René Belloq.

This film, and the whole Indiana Jones franchise for that matter, has grossed many dollars over the years and have mostly been critically acclaimed. Harrison Ford did a great job bringing the main character to life. The action is fast-paced and there is a lot of humor here. While this type of film is not my regular cup of tea, it was somewhat entertaining. The bad guys were very clichéd and there was too much stuff being piled on at times, but this movie is fine for what it was meant to be.

Rating: «««

Room (2015)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson

Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen

Running time: 118 minutes

After being abducted and raped, Joy Newsome has been held captive in a small room in a shed. With her 5-year old son born Jack, born in captivity, Joy starts planning a way to finally be freed from their captor.

This is a powerful film that stays with you long after its done. The first part, when Joy and Jack are locked in that small place they call Room, is beautifully shot and it is sure to make one feel claustrophobic and insane.

Room is a compelling story of survival and resilience. Some scenes made you feel uncomfortable and scared for the outcome. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay handled their roles greatly. I feel like there were a few missing pieces, story-wise, but, all things considered, this is a film to see.

Rating: ««««

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Genre: Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Martin McDonagh

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

Running time: 115 minutes

Mildred Hayes is a woman in Ebbing, Missouri, whose daughter was raped and murdered. Frustrated over the lack of progress in the investigation over many months after the crime, the grieving mother decides to rent three billboards near her home to confront the authorities about what she sees as lack of effort on their part. This move is far from pleasing the local cops and the general population in the area, as many people try to convince Mildred to remove her billboards.

This film walks the tight rope between black comedy and drama and it does it quite well. A well experienced and talented cast was sure working in its favor. Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell all offered extraordinary acting performances.

The script is not without its flaws. There are a few clichés and shortcuts, and I hate a non-resolution ending. But, overall, this is a film well worth seeing.

Rating: ««««

Bert Kreischer: The Machine (2016)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Ryan Polito

Starring: Bert Kreischer

Running time: 70 minutes

In this comedy special, shirtless comedian Bert Kreischer talks about his kids, his encounter with a bear, his experience skydiving with Racheal Ray and much more. The main dish here is the Russian mafia/I am The Machine story. It is hilarious and almost too unbelievable to be true. The majority of the material here is rock solid. Love this comic and this show.

Rating: ««««

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom

Starring: Richard Gere, Joan Allen

Running time: 93 minutes

This American remake of a Japanese film, based on a true story, tells the tale of the real close relationship between Professor Parker Lewis and Hachi, an Akita dog that was freighted from Japan to America as a puppy and that ended up stranded at the train station, where Lewis found him and brought him home.

As a dog owner, I was profoundly touched by this story of love and profound friendship between master and pet. Dogs are a man’s best devoted friend, and this is shown here. Is it a great work of cinema? Not really, but it mostly hit all the right notes for me. The acting was good and the story was compelling for the right frame of mind.

Rating: ««««

Minority Report (2002)

Genre: Science-fiction / Action

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Ferrell, Max von Sydow

Running time: 145 minutes

Set in 2054, this film tells the story of John Anderton, who is hired to lead PreCrime, a specialized police department in Washington DC that stops murders before they happen by using psychics called precogs, after his young son was killed. Anderton starts to doubt the PreCrime process when he finds himself becoming the target as a suspected future killer.

This is a very complex multi-layered film carried out masterfully by Steven Spielberg. It raised much discussion about free will vs determinism. I am not a big sci-fi guy, but I got emotionally involved in this one. The acting was solid and the action was good. This is one film that deserves to be seen more than once in a lifetime.

Rating: «««««

Wonder (2017)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Stephen Chbosky

Cast: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay

Running Time: 113 minutes

Based on the novel of the same name, Wonder tells the story of August “Auggie” Pullman, a 10-year old boy born with a rare medical facial deformity. In spite of 27 surgeries, he still looks quite different than the other kids. After being home schooled by his mom for years, he enters the school system for the first time, which will require a lot of adaptation for everybody.

This is a sweet little movie with a nice message. The acting is quite good and the story is compelling. I did not cry! I will go to the grave blaming allergies on this one. No, seriously, some of the stuff was a tad unrealistic, but, overall, this is some well done entertainment.

Rating: ««««

Marc Maron: End Times Fun (2020)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Lynn Shelton

Cast: Marc Maron

Running Time: 71 minutes

In his latest comedy special, Marc Maron talks about Donald Trump, vitamin hustlers, yoga instructors and superhero movies lovers. He closes on his own end times fantasy.

As he usually does, Marc Maron offers a good dose of laughs here. Unfortunately, on some occasions, the soap-box preaching is a tiny detriment to the laughter. I laughed out loud almost ll the way through, but the show ended a little weakly for me.

 

Rating: ««««

Brain on Fire (2016)

Genre: Biographical, Drama

Directed by: Gerard Barrett

Cast: Chloé Grace Moretz, Jenny Slate, Thomas Mann

Running Time: 131 minutes

Based on Susannah Cahalan's memoirs, titled Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, the film tells the story of this New York Post journalist whose mood and actions started to get really affected by a mysterious disease that was hard to diagnose and that almost spelled the end of her life.

This film has not been treated nicely by critics. Personally, I thought it was fine for what it was. The acting was okay and the story was compelling enough.

 

Rating: «««

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Genre: Superhero

Directed by: Shane Black

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce

Running Time: 131 minutes

As Tony Stark deals with the ramifications of the Avengers experiment, he must also get to work to counter a terrorist attack launched against the United States by a mysterious evil force known as The Mandarin.

This film has its moments in terms of action and liners, but many twist and turns in the plot are nonsensical and it quickly made me lose interest in the outcome. The acting was fine, but the story was lackluster.

 

Rating: ««