Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Laura Dern
Directed By: Josh Boone
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 125 minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Cancer is still one of the touchiest subjects in pop culture. One has to slowly tiptoe around it or find a way to perfectly skate along the razor wire topic and avoid many offensive pitfalls. “The Fault in Our Stars” hits the right chords perfectly with this topic. At times it’s our source of laughter, in multiple instances it’s our plot motivator, and most obviously, it’s the one thing that ready to viciously rip out our hearts and stomp on it.

Woodley dazzles once again, this time as the sardonic teenager, Hazel Grace Lancaster. She’s a terminally sick girl who continues to stave off the cancer that crippled her lungs, with an experimental treatment and an oxygen tank from a bag she pulls behind her. She’s in denial of her own growing depression and is heavily pushed by her ‘smile through the tears’ parents into a cancer support group run by a complacent dweeb with an acoustic guitar. She catches the fleeting glances of an astute and charming boy by the name of Augustus Waters (Elgort), but Gus for short. He has defeated his cancerous foe, but at the cost of his right leg. Rarely do I remember people’s names without writing them down, but these two constantly say each other’s full names with such affection it wasn’t too hard to remember this time around.

Hazel is repeatedly laying down some unspoken life truths that are a mix of harsh realities and sarcastic quips, which is sometimes the best way to come to terms with such a terminal predicament. Woodley once again proves she has some superior acting chops; everything from wordless facial expressions to the emotional complexities of such a strenuous situation. Her near perfect performance is so fantastic, the cracks in Elgort’s acting sometimes show when he has to provide an array of reactionary emotions. Hazel and Gus will obviously fall in love, but their story is a grand one for the current generation of young adults and teens that smile from flirtatious text messages and have a live in the moment motto.

Despite Hazel’s power to blatantly accept her untimely end, she’s unable to bear the notion of affection from others, referring to herself as an emotional grenade waiting to go off. That’s where Gus comes in, to counteract that inclination and channel her gloomy acceptance of death into wanting to live before death comes knocking and accept that the inevitable heartbreak will happen, but they need to enjoy what time is left. Of course nothing is that simple. A wrench isn’t simply thrown into the young love life of these two, but an entire damn toolbox.

The two writers, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, have had some success portraying imperfect romances with “The Spectacular Now” and “(500) Days of Summer”. They have a knack of creating equilibrium between the sappy moments we’ve come to expect from romantic movies with that authentic sorrow that comes from the flaws of everyday people. The plot and characters are so heartwarming, yet despondent; I’m willing to forgive a lot of the typical tropes it employs.

Don’t be fooled though. Between every cutesy smile and lighthearted joke lies some thought provoking philosophies about our personal experiences and demise. Hazel and Gus represent a multitude of attitudes in their over two hour runtime. The last 30 minutes is a cascade of some of the most depressing, yet uplifting scenes I’ve seen all year. If this movie doesn’t remotely pluck at your heartstrings, you definitely have no soul.

Directed by: Doug Liman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 113 minutes

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Earlier this year in January, I was writing a post for my 25 most anticipated films of the year and I came across this film “Edge of Tomorrow”, which told the story about a soldier that went into battle, gets killed and then repeats the battle over and over. I thought myself that this film was going to no question be one of my favorites of the year…and fast forward six months, I was completely right. “Edge of Tomorrow” is “Groundhog Day” meets “Aliens”. I literally haven’t left a theater that pumped in a very long time. The film was two hours long and it was honestly NON-STOP action!! When I compared back to other films I have seen already this summer, I think about “Godzilla” and “X-Men” and there were tons of “filler” scenes where I was pretty bored. Well, there is non of that shit here. “Edge of Tomorrow” is one of the best action films that I have ever seen. Yes, it is honestly that good.

When you are watching this film and you see Tom Cruise’s character Major William Cage get killed a few times and return right back to the same place, you think to yourself “Ok, when is this going to actually get repetitive” but I kept waiting and waiting and literally every time it is repeating it only gets better and better. The action gets more intense and there is even a ton of comedy throughout. The goal of the character in the film is to help Emily Blunt’s character, Rita Vrataski, find the central location for the aliens in order to destroy it. Tom Cruise has never been better in this role. This guy was a beast in this film. Same goes for Emily Blunt, who actually just got rumored to be playing Catwoman in “Batman v Superman”, she is bad-ass in this. Bill Paxton definitely steals his scenes playing Master Sergeant Farrell Bartolome. What a hoot!

This film costed $175 million to make and I swear to God, you can literally see where every single dollar went. I hate when you watch a film and it is just big budget ballooned piece of garage and there is nothing to show for it. The visual effects in this film are extraordinary. They really delivered no question, so far the best that I have seen so far this year. Top that with amazing use of 3D, during the battle scenes, I literally was not able to blink since they were so fast and in your face with the effects. My dad next to me even jumped a few times during an attack from the aliens. Speaking of the aliens, they are like “Transformers” on acid. These guys are freaking crazy and extremely fast, loved them! I left this theater practically screaming, I was so excited and I have a feeling I was not the only one. Overall, this film is the popcorn film of the summer. I can’t wait to see it again in IMAX. Do not miss this film in theaters whatever you do!

Starring: Kane Hodder, Bill Moseley and Dane Rhodes
Directed by: John Schneider
Not Rated
Running time: 1 hour 34 mins
Fairlight Films

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

People of Louisiana get ready. Voo-Doo Con is coming and it’s bringing some of the biggest horror film names of all times with it. My advice: run.

The second feature film written and directed by actor John Schneider, “Smothered” is a tongue in cheek look at the world of fan-driven conventions conceived by a man who has been there and done that. The film tells the story of a group of horror film stars who, in order to make a few extra bucks, decide to spend their weekend at a local trailer….er, excuse me….RV Park at the request of the owner. The idea is that the special guests will scare the visitors and make the weekend extra special.

A few things really stand out in this film. First, the script has obviously been well researched and is well written. Full of “fan-speak,” Schneider has captured the dialogue of the movie geek like no one since Kevin Smith. And he has put those words in the mouths of some of the surprisingly funniest actors around. Kane Hodder, who is probably best known to film fans as fictional bad guy Jason Voorhees and real life killers Ed Gein and Dennis Rader, has an amazing talent for comedy. Hodder is joined by such horror film royalty as Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman and John Kassir.

The film is well paced, with the mood changing repeatedly….from slapstick silly to downright scary….without missing a beat. Schneider has clearly spent some time behind the camera (from the final episode of “Dukes of Hazzard” to “Smallville” to made for television films) and that experience and confidence, especially in a genre’ that’s fairly foreign to him, allows him a free eye (and hand) in his story telling. Hopefully it won’t be eight more years before his next film.

Starring: Carlos Boettcher and Mike Boettcher
Directed By: David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud
Rated: R
Running Time: 97 minutes
Freestyle Releasing

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I remember where I was, and what I was doing on September 11th, 2001 and oddly enough I equally remember my exactly location, and activity the day we started our war in Afghanistan. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 12 and a half years since we first set foot in the rugged Middle Eastern country. While I’m sure there will be plenty of future documentaries and dramatizations to come after we have our final soldier leave, “The Hornet’s Nest” will be a part of the pantheon of important films documenting the sacrifice American troops made.

“The Hornet’s Nest” pulls no punches with its depiction. From the very first frame, we’re implanted right in the maelstrom of war. We hear the violent hiss of bullets whizzing by (sometimes too close for comfort), while troops quickly take cover and return fire. There’s even a couple of gripping moments as they search for IED’s in the dirt paths littered about the countryside. Moments showcasing the lives, thoughts and feelings of the soldiers we watch are embedded in between their multiple near death encounters. With such an unflinching look, it’s a little unnerving when the fire fights start. You’re never quite sure what horrific twists and turns lie ahead or what tragedies the camera might catch.

Giving us this harrowing glimpse of chaos is Mike Boettcher, a Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist, who still looks haggard from his time over there. He’s joined by his son, Carlos, a rookie in the journalism field, who is a constant worry for Mike. Equipped with a couple of hand-held cameras, they conceal themselves amongst the U.S. military. They join them on one of their most dangerous missions yet, Operation Strong Eagle III. It’s not altogether clear what the specifics are, but the gist of the operation involves eliminating the Taliban presence in parts of the Kunar province where local Afghans are still trying to find a way to prosper economically.

The focus seems a bit uneven at times with an unnecessary side story involving our documentarians, Carlos and Mike. This should be a vehicle driven by the brave men and women of the United States, but at times the troops take a back seat to a quasi-emotional and divested look at the father-son relationship of Mike and Carlos. I know that these two are putting their lives on the line along with our troops to bring us this fine look into the warzone, but it feels a bit disingenuous to take even a fraction of the spotlight from the military. Luckily that perspective fizzles out halfway through.

When we are left with the footage of combat, there’s no contesting the raw power it holds. The emotional clutches of “The Hornet’s Nest” doesn’t come from any on-screen violence, but more from the heart wrenching moments. There’s these unbearable moments like when the realization set’s in on the troop’s faces when someone has just died. It’s made even worse when a flood of sadness slams into their demeanor when recollecting their last fleeting glimpses of their friends they’ll never see again. “The Hornet’s Nest” isn’t a political piece nor is it a propaganda vehicle ready to stir patriotism, it’s a powerful human reminder of what the past 12 and a half years have been like for hundreds of thousands. We should never forget these people.

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley and Elle Fanning
Directed by: Robert Stromberg
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hour 37 mins
Walt Disney Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

THIS is how you update a classic tale.

Deep in the heart of a jungle kingdom, we meet the young and beautiful Maleficent (Isobelle Molloy). Living, as she does, in an enchanted kingdom, Maleficent spends her days climbing trees and mending twigs which have been accidentally snapped. One day the young girl meets a young man from the neighboring kingdom. His name is Stefan and for quite a period of time the two youngsters spend their days together learning about themselves and each other. When Maleficent turns 16 if is gracious Stefan that offers up, and gives her, “true loves’ kiss”). But it is not meant to be. Years go by. Maleficent is now a beautiful woman (Jolie), flying over her kingdom and protecting everything in it. Right over the boundary line we find the old and bitter king, close to death. He has promised to anoint whoever can find and kill Maleficent his successor. Now grown up, Stefan (Copley) lures Maleficent to him. Betrayal follows. As does revenge!

It almost sounds like a cliché’ to say this, but in my opinion no one BUT Angelina Jolie could have played Maleficent. Already unworldly beautiful, with a little assist from seven time Academy Award winning make-up expert Rick Baker, her angular face is perfect in showing the joy she feels among her fellow kingdom denizens and the betrayal she feels by her circumstances. The story will be familiar to anyone that has enjoyed hearing about “Sleeping Beauty,” but with a few “adjustments” that make the legend not only more exciting but downright horrifying.

But it is not just Jolie that gives the tale a sense of believability. As now-King Stefan, Copley delivers a performance equal in power to Jolie’s. Here is a man who betrayed the one he loved only to suffer forever for his actions. And if you’re going to talk about Sleeping Beauty, you can’t forget the newly named Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) whose innocence is as strong as she is beautiful. The film is quite dark in some places…maybe more than one would expect.

Add to those great performances some stunning visual effects and you’ve now got proof to the old adage that you CAN teach an older dog a new trick. Take flight with Maleficent and learn a new chapter to an amazing story.

Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron and Liam Neeson
Directed By: Seth MacFarlane
Rated: R
Running Time: 116 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

There are actually some lofty expectations for “A Million Ways to Die in the West”. Weird, right? Two summers ago Seth MacFarlane put out the comedy sleeper hit, “Ted”. It combined his “Family Guy” style of random, filthy humor with the likeable personas of Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg coping with the next step of their relationship. Once again MacFarlane throws everything and the kitchen sink from his bag of humor in the hopes of pulling a throaty laugh from his audience and for the most part he succeeds. “A Million Ways to Die in the West” also stirs up a worthy farce of Western movies.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and hail the second coming of “Blazing Saddles”. MacFarlane is the lead, which deters him from drawing some of the biggest laughs in the movie. As Albert, a spineless sheep farmer, he does have some very good quips, but the supporting cast padding is what makes “A Million Ways to Die in the West” a comedy gem. Friends of Albert, Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) and Ruth (Sarah Silverman), are a Christian couple who are waiting until marriage to make love; which is constantly complicated by the fact that Ruth is a prostitute with customers who continuously find more unique ways and inopportune times to tell her to get upstairs and bang them. Louise (Amanda Seyfried) is Albert’s ex-girlfriend who is the butt of jokes, but is now dating the master of mustaches, Foy (Neil Patrick Harris). NPH is an absolute pleasure in every scene, selling every moment more than anyone else in this movie.

Then there’s the warm and beautiful Anna (Theron). A smart, quick trigger gal who finds her way into Albert’s slice of hell town called Old Stump. Upon meeting and slowly falling for each other, she fails to mention to Albert that her husband, Clinch (Neeson), is one of the most dangerous and deadly outlaws in the west that has a sadistic code of ethics when choosing who to kill. Anna and Albert complement each other with their smartass remarks and craving to be with someone who appreciates them for who they are. MacFarlane and Theron sport some decent on-screen chemistry which probably comes as a shock for the thousands who were up in arms over MacFarlane’s “We Saw Your Boobs” at the 2013 Oscars.

The characters in this movie have an odd, child-like approach to plenty of crudeness which makes it all the more humorous and ridiculous. Comedic scenarios feature a combination of sight gags, one-liners and a visually gross punctuation. Also slip in the unnecessary violent death to further accent the title of the movie. With such a palette of absurd and juvenile humor, there’s something for everyone in this rapid fire executions of jokes, at least anyone who isn’t afraid of a little inappropriate, sexual and racial provocation. Some of my more favorite scenes feature a hyper violent bar fight and the interactions between Albert and his aging father who speaks his emotions through expletive hyperboles.

While “Ted” was a perfect blend, cast-wise, “A Million Ways to Die in the West” feels incomplete. The lengthy running time starts to show as we continue to wait for the climactic showdown between Albert and Clinch. Also I can’t quite heap on the same amount of praise to MacFarlane that everyone else got. He isn’t admirable enough to be the improbable hero. He has a low level of smugness that ruins the high octane levels of every-guy so we don’t quite see him as amiable. NPH would have been miles better in the lead role and it’s a puzzle as to why no one pointed this out to MacFarlane when the script was being read. Regardless, “A Million Ways to Die in the West” is the comedy to beat so far this summer.

Directed by: Seth MacFarlane
Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Liam Neeson
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 116 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Seth MacFarlane is easily one of the best comedic minds in the business right now. He has taken over the animation world with his shows “Family Guy” and “American Dad” and recently crossed over into film with the huge summer hit “Ted”. “Ted” was a great film that had a heart and yet was still extremely raunchy and also very funny. “A Million Ways to Die in the West” really had some big expectation shoes to fill. Fans are going to be looking for more of what “Ted” delivered and in my eyes it delivers that and more. When I saw the trailer for “A Million Ways to Die in the West”, I just knew I was going to love it. One of the problems I had with the film was that it shows quite a bit of its key jokes in the trailer. There is still much more fun to be had but I would imagine that people that haven’t seen many of the trailers will enjoy this a bit more. Nonetheless, I was hollering out loud for this film and I wasn’t alone either, if people compare this to “Ted”, they are going to be disappointed because they are two very different films but if you look as a stand alone you will have a blast watching “A Million Ways to Die in the West”.

Our story takes place in a small Frontier town called Old Stump in the year 1882. We meet Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane), who is a sheep farmer that loses his beautiful girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) due to not having enough courage to face a gun duel. While Albert tries to win her back he ends up meeting a newcomer to the town named Anna (Charlize Theron) and the two hit it off. She helps Albert discovers his missing confidence and courage. After spending time with each other they seem to develop feeling for each other but Anna doesn’t let Albert in on the fact that she is the wife to the infamous outlaw Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson). When Clinch arrives in the town, he is looking to call out the man that wooed his wife and it is up to Albert to stand up to him.

I think we have to blame Judd Apatow for running the comedy genre since I feel that he set the path for 2+ hour comedies. I feel that all comedies work best when short and to the punchline. 90 minutes, tops, is what a comedy should be. This film nears the two hour mark and could have easily been trimmed to be much tighter. “Ted” was the same way as well, the film was great in a whole but there were certain parts that dragged major ass, same happens here. You got to give it to MacFarlane though because this is his first film with him in the spotlight, in the leading role, and not hiding behind a voice role. I felt that he really nailed it. He turned out to be a great leading man. I thought he still had great comedic timing and really nailed his jokes. I hope he plans to act more in the future for sure. Charlize Theron was also a nice surprise, I haven’t been a huge fan of her recently but this film really gives her a chance to let loose and have some fun and her performance benefits from it. I like to think that every role can’t be a Oscar winner.

To be completely honest, the rest of the supporting cast including Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman and Liam Neeson are really just background in the film and don’t contribute anything major to the film. NPH is always a riot an,d of course, he sings and dances in this film. I still can’t get that mustache song out of my head. There are also a handful of super quick cameos throughout the film including Alex Borstein, Ralph Garman, Gilbert Gottfried, Ewan McGregor, Ryan Reynolds, John Michael Higgins, Jamie Foxx and Bill Maher. So see if you can catch them on the screen because they are there and gone before you know it. Great Scott, I almost forgot keep an eye out for the great Christopher Lloyd, who pops in for a great cameo as well.

When it comes to Western films, they are a honestly just a hard genre to pull off. People usually don’t come out in droves to see film’s like this but MacFarlance has the balls to try and essentially nail it. I couldn’t help but compare “A Million Ways to Die in the West” to the classic Mel Brooks film “Blazing Saddles”. That film is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary this year and I remember the first time that my father watched it with me. This film reminded me a lot of what that film and what it would have been like if it was made today. This is raunchy, racist, over-the-top and generally offensive. There plenty of foul language, fart jokes and animals getting knocked over. I would be curious to hear Mel Brooks’ comments on the film as well. The locations where this film was shot were also absolutely amazing. Having this be a comedy, you don’t expect amazing visuals but this one really caught my eye and delivered a nice view of the Frontier. This might not be the best comedy ever but I definitely laughed more than not and definitely will be recommending this film!

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Jon Favreau, EmJay Anthony. Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Downey, Jr.
Distributed by: Open Road Films
Running time: 114 minutes

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

This summer, we have huge films like “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and “Godzilla” and then we this little indie film called “Chef”. What is funny is that this film is directed, co-produced, written by and also starring Jon Favreau aka the director of “Iron Man 1 & 2”. He decided to head back to his root ala films like “Made” and “Swingers” and I am so glad he did for a few reasons. The first being that I just love seeing him in front of the camera. When he would appear in his films like “Elf” and the “Iron Man” series, it was a highlight. Second, is that after being so busy with these large Hollywood films, like the character in the film itself, he took a break and went back to doing what he loved originally. I find that very inspiring personally. I absolutely loved this film and  I have a feeling it it will be the sleeper hit of the summer.

“Chef” follows Carl Casper (Favreau), who is a head chef at a restaurant owned by guy who doesn’t know how to run a kitchen (Hoffman). After getting into a way on Twitter with one of the biggest food critics (Platt). Carl hits the role with his son (Anthony) and his ex-wife (Vergara) in order to let things cool down and find his love for food again. When he meets up with his ex-wife’s ex-husband (Downey, Jr.) in Miami, he decides to get a food truck from him and hit the roads in order to capture that original feeling that sparked him to be a chef in the first place. He gets to cook whatever he wants, gets to be his own boss and all without having to deal with food critics. As his son and his sous chef (Leguizamo) hit the road from Miami back to California, they may just find exactly what they have been looking for.

I remember rushing out to a little hole in the wall theater in NYC to catch a screening of “Made” and I just remember thinking how much I really loved Favreau and his writing in that film was just amazing. Not that I don’t appreciate his work on blockbusters like “Iron Man”. I just loved this heart warming story and characters that he has created here. They are sweet, funny and at the same time a little edgy. Favreau’s son in the film is played by EmJay Anthony and he is really fantastic. I forsee a star being born here…watch out! Sofía Vergara is very toned down in the film and also her character is very likable. I really enjoyed her role in this film. John Leguizamo is not good but absolutely amazing in this. Funny and yet has a big heart. Topping off this cast are appearances from Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr (in a small but very key role). I loved every character in this film and every actor did such a stunning job of hitting a home run!

We were lucky privileged to get a chance to actually chat with Jon Favreau and EmJay Anthony at the film’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, click here to check it out. So, I had a feeling that this was going to be something special. For Favreau’s first indie film in thirteen years, I literally left the theater so happy and quite freaking hungry. I should have started this review with a warning actually.  Do not see this film without eating before or during because it is jam packed with amazing food that will literally make your mouth water and your stomach growl. Like I said, I easily see “Chef” being the sleeper hit of the summer, so if you get tired of superheros and giant monsters this month, I highly recommend kicking back and enjoying this really funny and sweet film. Great! Now I am hungry again…can I get Favreau to make me that grilled cheese?!

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Starring: AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz
Director: Ti West
Distributed by: Magnolia Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 100 minutes

Film: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Honestly, I am really starting to get a fed up with horror films that are found footage. I was watching this film and watching the clock and just waiting for something to happen. I waited 45 minutes and still nothing scary or even remotely disturbing occurred yet. In fact, I found myself rather bored. I understand it is cheaper for these indie directors to make a film via the found footage route but I think that this style has really getting very old.

The film follows a fashion photographer who gets a message from his sister, who was traveling out of the country in order to quit her drug habit, to meet her at a place called Eden Parish. Accompanying him on the trip are his his friends who work for magazine Vice, who comes to get the story. But when they get there and start meeting and interviewing the people whom live there, they find that this may not be the peaceful community and safe haven that it is said to be.

The rest why I wanted to see “The Sacrament” is because it was directed by Ti West, who was responsible for some pretty cool horror flicks like “The House of the Devil” and “The Innkeepers”. I liked his style but I feel that this film was a real step backwards for him. When you see what he did with a film like “House of the Devil”, setting up that creepy vibe and then delivering a killer payoff, this film is just such a let down. This film is not like that at all.

I can honestly appreciate a slow burn horror film but this was not that at all. Absolutely nothing happens for the first 80 minutes and they try and throw in some shock value but nothing too shocking and definitely not scary. I still have hope for Ti West because I know he is a talented young director and we will see him do much better things in the future…but this is definitely not one of them. I recommend you go watch “The House of the Devil” and skip this for sure.

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Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hours 11 mins
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

What do you get when you put eight Academy Award nominated actors in a film that takes place primarily in the 1970s. If you said “American Hustle,” you’d be wrong (only five nominees in that one). The correct answer is easily the best film in the “X-men” series so far, “X-men: Days of Future Past.”

Our story begins sometime in the future. The world, as we know it, is no more. Mechanical soldiers known as Sentinels have taken to destroying most of mankind – both mutants and humans. A small band of mutants is doing their best to survive when they come upon an idea. Knowing what spawned the Sentinel Program, they devise to send someone back in time, to 1973, to stop the event that has brought them to this bleak future. It is decided that, because of his genetic makeup, Logan (Jackman) should make the trip. Though the time travel trip will be dangerous, Logan’s mission once he gets there makes the trip look like smooth sailing.

A well written and brilliant mash up of “X-Men” characters, both past and future, “X-men: Days of Future Past” is a smartly crafted, brilliantly acted comic book related masterpiece! When Logan completes his time travel journey, his task is an unenviable one: he needs to reunite Professor Charles Xavier (McAvoy) with his one-time friend Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender). The hard part of the mission will be convincing the duo that Logan has been sent back to contact them…by them! Along the way Logan will meet younger versions of his fellow X-men, among them Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and the girl known as Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). Not only are these mutants younger, they have not all developed the way they will in the future. The same goes for Logan, who discovers that his adimantium claws have yet to be made. When he springs into action he’s back to just plain old bone. But he still knows how to use them!

Perfectly accompanying the story is an incredible display of special effects that will boggle your mind (especially in 3D). One such scene features an attempted prison break slowed down to milliseconds courtesy of Quicksilver (Evan Peters). The third highlight of the film are the performances. Once again, Jackman leads the way, giving Logan the same emotional depth he showed in last year’s stand-alone Wolverine film. McAvoy and Fassbender continue the great work they showed in “X-men: First Class.” Great work also by their futuristic counterparts, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan. And new to the story, as the main catalyst of the Sentinel program, is the outstanding Peter Dinklage.

Director Singer, sadly making headlines for some alleged off-screen antics, keeps the action in the forefront while not sacrificing the story. Put everything together and you’ve got one of the best films of the summer.

Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Running time: 131 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is the seventh film in the “X-Men” film series. It is billed as partially a sequel to “X-Men: The Last Stand” and also a sequel to  “X-Men: First Class”. If you are not familiar with the series, “The Last Stand” was the final X-Men before they did two spin-offs with Wolverine and made “First Class”, which was a prequel story. So if you not caught up to date with this series, things could get a little confusing with this one. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” also brings back director Bryan Singer, who directed 2000’s “X-Men” and 2003’s “X2”. “X2” is probably still the best film in the franchise but it is great to see Singer back behind the directors chair. You can tell that they were really trying to give this film a lot but for me it feel a little flat in terms of being epic.

What “X-Men: Days of Future Past” does has is one hell of an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Nicholas Hoult, Shawn Ashmore, Peter Dinklage, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. Now as cool as that sounds, I really wasn’t blown away. I enjoyed the film but I felt that it was very slow moving throughout certain parts. I also felt like the parts set in the future weren’t really fleshed out and it felt like a way for them just to throw in the past roles for Stewart and McKellen to get a better drawn. In fact, these guys did fairly little at all in this film. Jennifer Lawrence was exceptional as usual. James McAvoy also did a fantastic job. Halle Berry was next to useless in the film as well as Anna Paquin, who was like billed fifth yet had about five seconds of screen time and no lines. I dig what they were going for but it feels just a bit too ambitious and the pay off is too obvious.

The film picks up in the dystopian future of 2023 with all life forms practically extinct at the hands of the robots known as Sentinels. We meet up with the few remaining mutants  including Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine, Storm, Iceman, Shadowcat, Colossus and even a few new characters (to the series) including Warparth, Sunpot and Blink (all of whom, I would have loved to see fleshed out much more).  They are all teaming up in order to survive and try to find a way to eliminate the creation of the Sentinels. With the help of Shadowcat, they send Wolverine back to 1973 to stop Raven aka Mystique from killing the scientist that created the Sentinels, which was the event that lead to their current impending doom. Wolverine has to race against time to try and convince a much younger Professor X and Magneto to work together in order to try and save the world.

My biggest problem with this film is that it relies heavily on the events of “X-Men: First Class”, which is not my favorite entry in the franchise at all. There were parts that I really loved here like the addition of Quicksilver (Evan Peters) but the character was there and gone again before you finished blinking. Our audience in the theaters was literally screaming out loud with laughter and cheer during his scene and I was so hoping that there would be more…but that was not the case. I do not know why they went heavy on focus with Wolverine (again!). I mean hasn’t he had enough films focused around his character already, I want a few face for these films…aka more Jennifer Lawrence perhaps. There is quite the future already planned out for this series with “X-Men: Apocalypse” already scheduled for a May 27, 2016 release date.

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” film was actually shot in 3D, which I thought that it was very impressive. I have heard mixed feelings on it already but I actually really enjoyed it. The scenes set in the future were very well done and the ending climax was quick impressive as well. Since this film was set split from the future and 1973, there is two different look to the film itself. I really liked how the 70’s scenes have a completely different almost washed out look to them. I also enjoyed the Super 8 footage used in certain scenes. If you have read any other reviews, I have seen this film being called “the best superhero films to date”, I personally didn’t think that was the cast at all. It is definitely a step up from “X-Men: First Class” but there were certain parts that dragged for me. I also felt like the story set in the future ended up really being more of a filler and didn’t really get a chance to really kick ass. Worth checking out if you love “X-Men” just keep expectation on the lower side.

Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore and Bella Thorne
Directed By: Frank Coraci
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 117 minutes
Warner Bros.

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

I remember talking with Media Mikes co-founder, Michael Smith, at the beginning of the summer about the chemistry between Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and how the duo have probably put out the better of the Adam Sandler comedies; “50 First Dates” and “The Wedding Singer”. While he saw the potential for Barrymore and Sandler to perfect their trio of romantic comedies with “Blended”, I simply saw “Adam Sandler and Friends Go to Africa and Make Fart Noises with Their Mouths”. I’m here to say that Michael Smith was right.

“The Wedding Singer” is by far one of the diamonds in the rough in the Adam Sandler collection while “50 First Dates” was made watchable by the magic of the two. This time around, they do it again. “Blended” is the story of two single parents, Jim (Sandler) and Lauren (Barrymore). Jim has three daughters while Lauren has two sons (they’re just one child short of a Brady Bunch reunion) and while they’re both suitable as stressed out single parents, they’re both lacking a set of skills to deal with their children of the opposite sex.

A blind date brings these two together and it goes nothing short of an ocean liner hitting an iceberg. First off, the date is at Hooters, then they can barely make eye-contact, and they’re both plotting an early exit and I haven’t even gotten to Jim knowing each waitress on a quick first name basis. It’s obvious these two are going to cross paths again (and they do a couple of times), but the story needs to really cement a ludicrous predicament for them to be stuck somewhere. How about a trip to Africa? A trip to Africa it is. Although I find it odd the movie never tells us the country…or city that the trip takes place…as if the intelligence of our characters only goes as far as believing the entire continent of Africa is just one big country.

It’s quite fascinating that if you were to cut out the gross out humor, like rhinoceroses banging, this is a very good comedy. There’s a lot of surprising laughs, provided by the children, and when Jim and Lauren take jabs at each other. Now that Sandler has aged and isn’t violently screaming for laughs, he is quite charming as a humble father of three who adds a level of sorrow because he’s afraid to move on past his first wife who’s dead. He’s shockingly believable as an apprehensive man who’s still in love his wife who has passed on.

My list of groans and cheers are about at equal length. While the running time definitely stretched this well beyond its means, I’m glad the movie took the time to slowly create the bond between Jim and Lauren. When the movie isn’t forcing a product placement in front of us, there’s actually a thoughtful reason why Jim loves going to Hooters (maybe the first in history). I know I’m beating a dead horse, but Sandler and Barrymore were the reason I inched to the positive side. I’ve never seen Barrymore this funny or Sandler this heartwarming. You almost forget both are happily married with their own children in real life when on-screen sparks fly between them. I guess Sandler just needed a break from his usual drab, but I’m sure he has some more head-shakingly bad movies in the works. Until then, enjoy “Blended”.

Starring: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi and Alan Arkin
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Rated: PG
Running time: 2 hours 4 mins
Walt Disney Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

In 2008, sports agent J.B. Bernstein, struggling to keep his firm afloat, devised an idea that, he proposed, would bring “a billion, with a ‘B’” fans to the game of baseball. Inspired by watching a few games of cricket, Bernstein (Hamm) proposes a competition known as “Million Dollar Arm.” To those who participate, the two that can throw a baseball the fastest wins a chance to come to America and be signed by major league scouts. Of course, things aren’t as easy as they sound.

Based on a true story, “Million Dollar Arm” is an uplifting and inspirational tale that invites the audience to put themselves in the culture of another person. When Rinku (Suraj Sharma, the young man from “Life of Pi) and Dinesh (Madhur Mittal from “Slum Dog Millionaire”) impress J.B. enough to warrant a trip to the states, the two must adapt to an entirely new way of life.

First all, it’s so nice to see Jon Hamm on the big screen. I’ve enjoyed his work for a couple of years and he’s never disappointed. Here he reveals the smooth talking J.B. to be much more than the slick hustler others think him to be. The two young actors who portray the “winners” are equally good. Lake Bell has a nice turn as J.B.’s rental tenant. But the prize here goes to Indian actor Pitobash. As the boy’s interpreter and all around baseball guru, he gives a portrayal the glows with enthusiasm. As the boys learn the game, fueled by Power Bars and pizza, their culture is almost lost. The Indian actors are well cast and the audience is made to feel what they feel. Only a short period where the film becomes “Jerry McGuire” slows the story down. That and the fact that the boys always seem to be throwing from the “stretch.” If they went into the windup they’d add a few MPH to their velocity. Just saying.

Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Running time: 123 minutes

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

In October 2010, I was pushing a very small film called “Monsters”. It was directed by first-time director Gareth Edwards, click here is our interview with him. I had a feeling after watching this film that this guy was going to be HUGE! I just knew it. Well, “Monsters” did quite well worldwide at the box office and even spawned a sequel “Monsters: Dark Continent”, due out later this year. Most importantly what it did though was bring this director into the spotlight. Only a few months later, in January 2011, word was released that Gareth will be rebooting the “Godzilla” franchise. So I couldn’t be happier for this guy and in case you are wonderful, he knocked it out of the park with “Godzilla”. I usually hate going into a film with high expectations but it was impossible for me not to with “Godzilla”. It was easily my most anticipated film of the year, no question. There were moments in the film where I completely forgot to breathe and had my eyes tearing since I was neglecting to blink due to fear of missing anything. Gareth Edwards finally gets “Godzilla” right! A must see this summer!

One thing I loved about this movie was that you could tell that Edwards is truly a fan of the “Godzilla”  franchise. You can just tell that he wanted to make sure to get everything right for the fans. Personally, I have been actively avoiding spoilers and images from the film before seeing it in order to be completely surprised. Let me tell you that Godzilla looks absolutely amazing…and also extremely terrifying. He left me with chills for quite a while after his first body shot. Even though Edwards didn’t do the visual effects like he did on “Monsters”, I can tell that he still has his mark on it here because it really leads you on and then when you just expect it, it does a full reveal and leaves you screaming in your chair. The first time that we get a full view of Godzilla, I think half the theater was clapping and the other half was speechless while shitting their pants (I was the latter). I love the design the character, it is so sharp and captures the essence of the character well. Sure, it isn’t a man in a rubber suit, we all know how classic that look is but this is the NEW Godzilla and he has never looked better. Everything was done absolutely perfect down from his roar to his trademark atomic breath. Yes, the atomic breath…holy cow, I literally almost got up and cheered in my seat.

The story starts off in 1999 in the Philippines, where two scientists (Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins) find an uncovered tomb containing a fossil of a very large creature with two preserved pods…though one was broken opened and whatever was there was now missing. We then head to Japan where we meet Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston), a nuclear physicist/engineer and his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche), a nuclear regulations consultant at the Janjira nuclear plant. As they are investigating an emergency at the plant, whatever was awoken from its sleep in the Philippines made its way to their plant to feed off the nuclear energy leading to the destruction of the plant. Though no proof was every gathered of the creature, the city was quickly evacuated and we flash forward 15 years to the present where Joe is still on the hunt for answers and calls to his son for help, Ford Brody, who is fresh out of the military. He also happens to be a explosive ordnance disposal technician (as you can imagine that becomes important later). As we find that the MUTO creature is looking for its spouse to reproduce, enter Godzilla who (like always never explained why) comes in to save us against these giant monsters. An all out battle is waged that spans from Japan to Hawaii to Las Vegas and California.

The film is nicely paced and runs just over two hours. In fact, Godzilla doesn’t make a full appearance until around the one hour mark but from that point on it is shear madness and shit gets very real. I would have liked to seen more of him, of course, but I feel that it was well calculated and like “Jaws”, it is what you don’t see that is more exciting. Godzilla’s nemesis’ in the film, aka MUTOs, which is short for “Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism” are pretty damn bad-ass and look just as stunning as Godzilla does. Speaking of stunning the film doesn’t just look outstanding it also sounds amazing and is lead so well by Alexandre Desplat’s score. If you see this film, I cannot recommend any higher to see it in IMAX 3D. I literally had my entire body shaking from the intense bass that dished out in the theater. The 3D effects are not overly noticeable, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t amazing. They are just well planned and add some amazing depth, especially to the battle scenes. Whether you are a hardcore Godzilla fan or have never seen a single film, this film can be enjoyed by anyone as it is a great blend of action/disaster/kaiju  film. After the very small budgeted “Monsters”, I am sure we were all concerned if director Gareth Edwards could handle such a large blockbuster but he really blew me away with this film. I urge you do not miss this film in theaters! It is quite the experience.

Starring: Allie MacDonald, Meat Loaf and Minnie Driver
Directed By: Jerome Sable
Rated: R
Running Time: 89 minutes
Magnet Releasing

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

If there’s one musical slasher to see this year, it’s “Stage Fright”. Or maybe it’s this summer’s gory ode to musicals. Or maybe it’s 2014’s catchiest, disillusioned fantasy about someone who wanted to see all the theater kids at their school slaughtered. Regardless of the movie’s intentions and lack of settling on a genre, “Stage Fright” is one of those guilty pleasures that combines two unlikely affections, Broadway and horror.

I must admit these are both guilty pleasures of mine. I have “Wicked” on my iPod and “Cannibal Holocaust” in my DVD collection. While “Stage Fright” doesn’t quite meet the satisfying highs that both of these make within the context of their own category, it manages to stitch together a working piece of parody that provides some hearty laughs and a string of snickers during songs. At times it’s surprising how much more fulfilling the corny songs are than the eventual killings.

The movie presents us with two siblings, Camilla (MacDonald) and Buddy (Douglas Smith), the children of a murdered opera diva, Kylie (Driver). She’s stabbed to death by a freak wearing the mask of the villain in the musical she’s performing in, The Haunting of the Opera. The murder goes unsolved and the young ones are taken in under the care of one of Kylie’s former lovers, Roger (Meat Loaf). Fast forward to 10 years after these events, the two children are all grown up and toiling in the kitchen of Roger’s dilapidated summer camp for theater kids. The deeply in debt camp allows it’s summer time students to put on their own plays and this summer, they’re putting on a Japanese version of The Haunting of the Opera. Once again another psycho, this time donning a Kabuki mask, stalks the sets and bides his time before he can kill the young campers.

The cheesiness seeps into nearly every line of dialogue and shows that director Sable has a deep appreciation of horror and the musical styling of theater. For every reference to “Hellraiser” and “Friday the 13th”, there’s an obvious nod to “Phantom of the Opera” and unforeseen wink at “Glee”. While the blueprints are obvious, Sable’s final product is a bit shrouded. The straight face acting would lead you to believe this is a parody, but to the astute viewer, the potpourri blend of humor, theatrics and midnight frights are an homage to Sable’s influences. I can understand why this can be off-putting to viewers hoping for one or the other.

Despite having to play the shy girl that eases out of her cocoon throughout the running time, MacDonald really blossoms when panic sets in. And if that’s her actually singing in this movie, I can’t believe this incredibly attractive 26-year-old actress only has 20 acting credits to her name. While Minnie Driver gets her name near the top, her short screen time and quick murder appears to be a bow to “Psycho”. Meat Loaf really steals the scenes he’s in and in my humble opinion, needed more opportunities to really belt one out and stretch those monster vocal cords of his. Not that I’m complaining that Sable was able to nab Meat Loaf for another rare on-screen singing role.

“Stage Fright” is far from perfect and definitely needs to be refined, but the nucleus of this movie is fun enough to turn a blind eye to its predictability. I wouldn’t actually mind seeing a stage performance of this movie with a lengthier amount of time given for silly songs and a splatter zone for audience members. It worked for “Evil Dead: The Musical”. Sable’s next project will be featured in “The ABC’s Death 2”, which might show us which one of his talents is stronger, music or violence. Until then, relish in the absurd tongue-in-cheek goodness that “Stage Fright” gives in every octave.