Jack the Giant Slayer

Jack the Giant Slayer (PG-13) 2013

Directed by Bryan Singer

Starring:  Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Ewan McGregor, Eddie Marsan, Ewen Bremner, Christopher Fairbank and Warwick Davis

Here We Go:  The classic story of Jack and the Beanstalk gets a special effects makeover for this larger than life giants vs. humans face-off.  The scale of this movie is impressive and the story all makes sense, but there is just something about this movie that is just a little underwhelming.  The action/fighting scenes are pretty cool and love interest angle is predictable but sweet enough.  There's just something that was missing.  I guess there's just too much predictability and not enough twist, but I can see how kids would like this.

Bottom Line:  Watch it if you need a time killer or if you're sick of playing with your Legos - but only if it's free.

Red Dawn

Red Dawn (PG-13) 2012

Directed by Dan Bradley

Starring:  Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Adrianne Palicki, Josh Hutcherson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise, Kenneth Choi and Alyssa Diaz

Here We Go:  This is not the film that the 1984 class was.  But, then again, I didn't expect it to be. The plot for all intents and purposes is the same as 1984 but the villain has changed.  My biggest problem with this movie was that Josh Peck was horribly cast.  He just didn't fit the role.  He looked exhausted the entire movie and constantly sounded hoarse as though he had been screaming for days on end.  His acting and casting was so poor that I found myself focusing on him instead of the rest of the movie.  Remove Josh Peck from the movie and its not that bad.  

Bottom Line:  Watch it if you don't mind Josh Peck.  

Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch (PG-13) 2011

Directed by Zack Snyder

Starring:  Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm and Scott Glenn

Here We Go:  Babydoll (Browning) is sent to a shady asylum where she teams up with other patients and plans an escape.  Sure, at the root of this movie there is definitely a disturbing foundation where girls are taken advantage of and politics and money mean more than the moral high-ground.  But the way that this movie shifts from reality to fantasy, and takes the girls out of their vulnerable roles into being deadly warriors, just makes it all eye candy.  Reality is a dark 1950s world that looks touched by Tim Burton.  Fantasy is world of action packed, robot slaying and full-on combat with some guidance from a sensei-like Scott Glenn.   Mix together an awesome soundtrack, sexy women battling it out with guns and swords, and a larger than life fantasy world, and you end up with a pretty hot movie. 

Bottom Line:  If you like an action packed movie that doesn't follow the typical prototype, this is the movie for you.

The Amazing Spider-man

The Amazing Spider-man (PG-13) 2012

Directed by Marc Webb

Starring:   Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Irfan Khan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Chris Zylka and Max Charles

Here We Go:  I wasn't really into the Tobey Maguire version of the films so this was a nice start to the reboot of the series.  Andrew Garfield is good as Spidey and not as whiny as Tobey Macguire's Spider-man was.  Emma Stone is also an upgrade over Kirsten Dunst for the female lead.  Other than the new actors, we also get a new costume for Spider-Man and a new "villain" but we are still set in Spider-Man's New York City with the same basic Spider-Man story (although there are a few tweaks to it that I won't reveal here).  Garfield's Spider-Man seems to have more of an edge to him than Tobey Maguire's which, I think, makes him more like the version from the Comics.  Overall, this was a good direction to take the series and I'm looking forward to the sequel.  

Bottom Line:  Watch it.