The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

"Not very good at this whole subtlety thing, are you?"

Napoleon Solo (Cavil) is a former thief, turned top American CIA agent.  He is sent to East Germany to rescue mechanic Gaby Teller (Vikander).  During the mission he encounters top Russian KGB agent Ilya Kuryakin (Hammer) and the two instantly dislike each other.  They are forced to work together, along with Teller, to stop a group of Nazi sympathizers, the Vinciguerra's, from using Teller's father to build a nuclear weapon.

The 3 reluctantly agree to the plan and travel to Rome.  Kuryakin and Teller pose as an engaged couple and meet with Teller's Uncle Rudi (Groth), who works for Alexander (Calvani) and Victoria Vinciguerra (Debicki).  Solo also goes undercover as an antiques dealer and charms Victoria.  Can they put aside their allegiances and distrust to work together and stop the Vinciguerra's?


The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was a TV show from 1964-1968.  It was created by Ian Fleming (writer of the James Bond series), Norman Felton, and Sam Rolfe.  The series starred American actor Robert Vaughn as Solo and Scotish actor David McCallum as Kuryakin, with Leo G. Carroll as Waverly.  The series was popular and spawned a sequel The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. from 1966-1967, starring Stefanie Powers.

Since the 1990s there has been interest in developing the series into a feature film.  Each time there were issues with the project, until director Guy Ritchie signed on in 2013.  Ritchie co-wrote the screenplay with Lionel Wigram and also served as a producer.

The script serves an origin story to the original TV show.  It is set in the 1960s, keeping the same timeline as the series and allowing them to operate at a different time period than most spy series (i.e. James Bond and Mission: Impossible and the Bourne films, which are all set in modern times).  Ritchie wanted the film to be a nice mixture of humor and serious with plenty of action.

They cast British actor Henry Cavil as Solo.  Cavil is best known for currently portraying Superman in Zach Snyder's DC films.  American actor Armie Hammer takes on a Russian accent to breathe life into Kuryakin.  Swedish actress Alicia Vikander is their German ally, Gaby, and French actress Elizabeth Debicki is the femme fatale.

I can't remember ever watching the TV show (or the spin-off), so I don't know how it stacks up against it's source material.  But as a modern action flick, it works well.  Cavil and Hammer work well together, with an easy repartee.  Hammer and Vikander have a strong screen chemistry.  The film is funny and moves at a good pace, with enough plot and action to keep your attention.

The ending sets up potential sequels, although there are no plans at this time to make more films in this series.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) 116 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for action violence, some suggestive content, and partial nudity
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavil as Napoleon Solo
Armie Hammer as Ilya Kuryakin
Alicia Vikander as Gabriella Teller
Elizabeth Debicki as Victoria Vinciguerra
Jared Harris as Saunders
Hugh Grant as Alexander Waverly
Luca Calvani as Alexander Vinciguerra
Sylvester Groth as Uncle Rudi

Shaun the Sheep Movie

Shaun (Fletcher) and his flock live at Mossy Bottom Farm with the Farmer (Sparkes) and his dog Bitzer (Sparkes).  He is sick of the routine and decides they need a day off.  With a little help from the other animals on the farm, they keep Bitzer occupied and put the Farmer to sleep.  They hide the Farmer in a trailer with earphones and take over the farmhouse, until Bitzer finds them.  When they take him to find the Farmer, the trailer rolls away and ends up in the Big City.

The Farmer is banged up and suffers memory loss.  Bitzer chases after the trailer, but isn't allowed to see the Farmer.  Shaun feels guilty and leaves the flock to help Bitzer, but the flock soon follow.  They are pursued by animal control officer / fanatic Trumper (Djalili).  Can the flock find Bitzer and the Farmer and find their way back to the farm?


In 1995, Aardman Animations introduced the character of a sheep named Shaun in Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave.  Richard Starzak took the character and created a TV show about him in 2007 called Shaun the Sheep about the adventures of Shaun and his flock.  Unlike the other films and shows in Aardman's filmography, none of the characters in the show speak.

The show was popular enough for Starzak and Aardman screenwriter Mark Burton to plan a feature film about the characters.  Almost all of the show's characters return for the film, with a few new characters added.  Like the show, none of the characters speak... they do communicate and whistle, but it is mostly non-verbal communication.

It is a cute, family film.  Like the other films in the Aardman canon, it is funny with clever sight gags.  It keeps the kids happy, while still throwing jokes to parents.  Aardman is already planning a sequel for this film.

Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) 85 minutes
Director: Mark Burton & Richard Starzak
Starring: Justin Fletcher as Shaun, Timmy
John Sparkes as Bitzer, Farmer
Omid Djalili as Trumper
Kate Harbour as Timmy's Mum, Meryl
Richard Webber as Shirley
Tim Hands as Slip
Andy Nyman as Nuts
Simon Greenall as Twins

Cooties

"Oh look, carnage!"

Clint Hadson (Wood) is trying to write a horror novel, but needs to be a substitute teacher to make ends meet.  He subs at his old school, Fort Chicken Elementary School and runs into his old crush, Lucy McCormick (Pill), who teaches at the school.  At lunch, a student named Shelly (Sunny May Allison), eats a tainted chicken nugget and starts exhibiting strange behavior.  During Clint's class, she bites another student and then runs away.  Soon most of the students have been scratched and attack and kill their teachers.

Clint and Lucy and a few other teachers are in the teacher's lounge and avoid the attack.  Clint and Lucy are joined by Lucy's boyfriend Wade (Wilson) who teaches gym, violent teacher Rebekkah (Pedrad), scared teacher Tracy (McBrayer), socially awkward teacher Doug (Whannell), and stoned crossing guard Rick (Garcia).  Can they fight off their students long enough to get help?


The posters for this film looked intriguing enough for me to check it out on Netflix.  The synopsis sounded good too, so I gave it a try.

The first thing you need to know about this film is that it's written by Leigh Whannell (one of the writers of the Saw movie franchise) and Ian Brennan (one of the writers / creators of TV show Glee).... and that is a good description of what you're getting.  It is a horror movie that doesn't shy away from gore and creepy characters, but is also funny and a little off-beat.  Whannell contributed his love of horror, while Brennan replaced the straight up scares with absurd pay-offs... and somehow it works.  The film also has 2 directors: Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion.  Milott and Murnion have worked together since film school, but this is their first time directing a feature film.

The film was initially premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2014, but didn't officially release until 2015.  The main change from the Sundance premiere and the film as it is now, is the ending.  The original ending is preserved on the DVD, but was replaced with a more satisfying ending.

The cast is comprised of well-known faces in comedy.  Elijah Wood is best known for his role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but has had a long career in both TV and movies in a variety of genres.  Rainn Wilson starred in the TV show The Office (the US version), Alison Pill has done a little bit of everything including TV (The Newsroom) and comedy (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Jack McBrayer was on TVs 30 Rock, Jorge Garcia was on TVs Lost, and Nasim Pedrad was a regular on Saturday Night Live.  And both of the writers have roles in the film, Whannell is Doug and Brennan is Vice Principal Simms.

The premise is interesting and the cast is good... I didn't love the gore, but otherwise it is a decent film.  Not as funny as I expected, but not scary (just gross).  Don't watch while eating...

Cooties (2014) 88 minutes
Rating: R for horror violence and gore, language including sexual references, and some drug use
Director: Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion
Starring: Elijah Wood as Clint Hadson
Alison Pill as Lucy McCormick
Rainn Wilson as Wade Johnson
Jack McBrayer as Tracy Lacey
Jorge Garcia as Rick
Nasim Pedrad as Rebekkah Halverson
Leigh Whannell as Doug
Peter Kwong as Mr. Hatachi

Road to Singapore

Josh Mallon (Crosby) is the heir to a shipping empire, started by his great grandfather.  He wants to sail around the world on one of the ships, alongside his best friend Ace Lannigan (Hope), but his father "the Skipper" (Coburn) wants him to take over the family business.  Josh's fiance Gloria (Barrett) starts planning their lives together, starting with getting Josh behind a desk.

Josh and Ace escape and head toward Singapore, but their money runs out on the small island of Kaigoon.  They rescue dancer Mima (Lamour) from her abusive partner Caesar (Quinn).  Both men vow to avoid women and romantic entanglements, but both start to fall for Mima.


The first film collaboration of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and the beginning of their successful franchise of Road to... films (they made 7 altogether, always with Dorothy Lamour).  The film was initially offered to other comedians before they decided to go with Crosby and Hope.  Crosby and Hope had previously worked together live, but this marked their first on-screen pairing.  The studio added Lamour, who was popular at the time.  To round out the cast, they brought in Jerry Colonna, who appeared on Hope's radio show.  Colonna was best known for his loud singing and ability to stretch notes for long periods of time.  He appeared in 2 other Road films.

The script was written by Frank Butler and Don Hartman, but the writing teams of Crosby and Hope also contributed material that was already in the stars wheel-houses.  They also started a running gag (that appeared in all of the Road films) of the pat-a-cake game.  Also, like the other films in the franchise, both Crosby and Hope's characters are chasing after / in love with Lamour's character.

I am most familiar with their Road to Bali film, but this was a solid start to the series.

Road to Singapore (1940) 85 minutes
Director: Victor Schertzinger
Starring: Bing Crosby as Josh Mallon
Dorothy Lamour as Mima
Bob Hope as Ace Lannigan
Charles Coburn as Joshua "Skipper" Mallon IV
Judith Barrett as Gloria Wycott
Anthony Quinn as Caesar
Jerry Colonna as Achilles Bombanassa

Thunderball

"What exactly do you do?"
"Oh, I travel... a sort of licensed troubleshooter."

James Bond (Connery) is sent to a health clinic for some R&R.  While there he encounters the suspicious Count Lippe (Doleman).  Lippe tries to kill Bond, but is unsuccessful.  Lippe is at the clinic to lead a SPECTRE mission to steal 2 atomic bombs.  SPRECTRE is successful and contacts the British and American governments, demanding a ransom of 100 million dollars in diamonds or they will destroy an unspecified city.  MI6 calls in all double 0 agents to stop SPECTRE.

Bond goes to Nassau to find Domino Derval (Auger), the sister of the pilot SPECTRE used to steal the bombs.  He is aided by CIA agent Felix Leiter (Van Nutter).  He learns that Domino is the mistress of Emilio Largo (Celi), SPECTRE agent #2.  Largo and Bond are aware of each other and begin a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, accelerated by the arrival of SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe (Paluzzi).  Can Bond find the bombs and stop Largo?


The fourth film in the James Bond series, based on the novel Thunderball by Ian Fleming.  Terence Young returned to the directors chair (he directed the first, Dr. No, and second, From Russia with Love, Bond films).  The story was part of a lawsuit between Fleming and collaborators Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham.  McClory and Whittingham and Fleming wrote the story together as a screenplay for a film that never happened.  Fleming then turned the story into a novel.  After the lawsuit was settled, McClory was named a producer on the film (to prevent him from making a competing film).

This is considered one of the best Bond films (alongside Goldfinger).  The story is strong and the cast is good.  It was filmed on location in the Bahamas, with significant portions of the film filmed underwater.  Like Goldfinger, this film has all of the classic aspects that make a great Bond film: a shady organization, 4 beautiful women including a dangerous assassin, sharks, etc.  It has an iconic opening song, "Thunderball" performed by Tom Jones.

In 1983, the story was remade as Never Say Never Again, once again starring Connery as Bond.  This film was not produced by Eon films.  McClory retained film writes for the story, and he was part of a private production company that greenlight this film.

Thunderball (1965) 130 minutes
Director: Terence Young
Starring: Sean Connery as James Bond
Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo
Claudine Auger as Domino Derval
Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona Volpe
Rik Van Nutter as Felix Leiter
Bernard Lee as M
Martine Beswick as Paula Caplan
Guy Doleman as Count Lippe
Molly Peters as Patricia Fearing
Earl Cameron as Pinder

Nativity!

"You're through to the next round!"

"There is no next round."

Paul Maddens (Freeman) is a frustrated primary school teacher.  He used to dream about a career in acting or producing, but decided to teach instead.  His dreams were destroyed years before when the school nativity play that he wrote was lambasted by local critic Patrick Burns (Carr).  Now he hates Christmas and just tolerates his students.  His friend Gordon Shakespeare (Watkins) is the celebrated teach / director at the private school, who writes the best school nativity plays.

This year the prinicapl Mrs. Bevan (Ferris) puts Maddens in charge of the nativity and gives him a teaching assistant, Desmond Poppy (Wootton), to help with the show.  Poppy and the students are excited about the show and have lots of ideas.  When Maddens runs into Gordon, he claims that his girlfriend Jennifer Lore (Jensen) who is a big-time producer in America, is going to see his show and film it.  The story is a lie, Jennifer and Maddens haven't spoken in years and she isn't coming to to the show.  Soon the entire town hears the lie and excitement mounts.  Can Maddens and his show live up the excitement of the town and learn to love Christmas again?

All around the world children take part in nativity plays around this time of the year.  Debbie Isitt wrote this film (and also directed) after watching her daughter's school nativity play.  It is a cute little film, much better than the trailers.

The film takes time building up the nativity and the final part of the film is the actual nativity in it's entirety.  You hear snippets of the songs and see parts of the dances earlier in the film, but it was fun to see the entire production (complete with behind the scenes disasters).  There are 6 songs in the nativity, and all are toe-tapping and infectious: "Nazareth", "One Look", "Sparkle and Shine" (my favorite song), "She's the Brightest Star", "One Night, One Moment", and "Good News".  You can find all of the songs on YouTube.

Martin Freeman is cute as Mr. Maddens.  He starts stern, but you grow to love him over the film.  Marc Wootton is funny as Mr. Poppy and all of the kids are adorable (and talented).

This film did well enough for Isitt to make 2 sequels: Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger (starring David Tennant) and Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey (starring Martin Clunes).  The only character to appear in all 3 films is Wootton's Mr. Poppy.  I haven't had a chance to see (or find) the sequels yet, but I'm excited to see them!

Nativity! (2009) 105 minutes
Director: Debbie Isitt
Starring: Martin Freeman as Paul Maddens
Jason Watkins as Gordon Shakespeare
Ashely Jensen as Jennifer Lore
Marc Wootton as Desmond Poppy
Alan Carr as Patrick Burns
Ricky Tomlinson as The Mayor
Pam Ferris as Mrs. Bevan

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

"You would take the Nazis' own car?"

"One must adapt oneself to the tools at hand."

During WWII, Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) goes undercover to get American scientist Dr. Franz Tobel (Post Jr.) out of Switzerland.  Tobel created a powerful weapon that the many companies want to control, but he has agreed to give it to the British government.  Holmes and Tobel successfully escape Switzerland with the weapon and return to Baker Street.  Holmes warns that Tobel still is not safe, but Tobel sneaks out to see his girlfriend Charlotte Eberli (Verne).  On his way back to Holmes he is nearly murdered.

Tobel presents a demonstration of the weapon to Sir Reginald Bailey (Herbert), who wants to mass produce it for the war.  Tobel insists that only he can make the weapon, and divides the pieces between 4 scientists so that no one else knows the secret, and then Tobel vanishes.  Soon Holmes and Dr. Watson (Bruce) learn that their arch nemesis Professor Moriarty (Atwill) is the culprit.  Can they solve the mystery and outsmart Moriarty?


The fourth film the Sherlock Holmes series starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.  Earlier films in the series maintained the Victorian setting from author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, but this film transplanted Holmes and Watson to contemporary England.

The opening credits say the story is based on Doyle's "The Adventures of the Dancing Men", but the only similarity between the two is the coded message comprised of stick figures.  In the film, as they are solving the puzzle, Watson mentions in passing the events of the novel.  The story as a whole is an original by W. Scott Darling and Edward T. Lowe Jr., with a screenplay by Edmund L. Hartmann.  This marked the first time Roy William Neill directed a Sherlock Holmes film, and he directed the remaining 10 films in the series.

This is the second appearance of Holmes nemesis Professor Moriarty in the film series.  He previously appeared in the second film The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, although he was portrayed by a different actor.  This time Lionel Atwill took on the iconic villain.  Atwill appeared in the first Sherlock Holmes film The Hound of the Baskervilles as Dr. Mortimer.  He is calculating and menacing as Moriarty and a good choice for the role.

The cast and script are fine, but it is not a good Holmes story.  Without Atwill's Moriarty, it would be completely forgettable.

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) 68 minutes
Director: Roy William Neill
Starring: Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson
Lionel Atwill as Professor Moriarty
Kaaren Verne as Charlotte Eberli
William Post Jr. as Dr. Franz Tobel
Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade
Holmes Herbert as Sir Reginald Bailey

Trainwreck (2015)

"Monogamy isn't realistic!"
"I didn't understand that word at the time but now, I know exactly what he was talking about."

Amy Townsend (Schumer) is a successful writer for S'Nuff magazine.  She is focused on her job and sleeps with whoever she wants, but doesn't stay overnight.  Growing up her father, Gordon (Quinn), continually told her and and her sister Kim (Larson) that "monogamy isn't realistic" and encouraged them to avoid commitment and getting hurt.  Gordon has M.S. and is living in an assisted living facility, while Amy and Kim go through his house and try to find a way to support him.  Kim is happily married to Tom (Birbiglia) and the supportive step-mother of his son Allister (Evan Brinkman).  Despite their differences the sisters are close.

Amy's domineering boss Dianna (Swinton) assigns her a story about athletic surgeon Dr. Aaron Conners (Hader).  Amy knows nothing about sports and doesn't want to do the article, but wants a promotion and moves forward with the article.  After her latest relationship ends, she has drinks with Aaron and sparks fly.  The more time they spend together, the more Amy starts to question her views on relationships.  Will she choose monogamy or kick it to the curb?


Amy Schumer is a big deal right now.  She has a successful stand-out show and her own sketch show on Comedy Central Inside Amy Schumer.  I have seen a few clips from her show, and don't love her style... but her interviews are entertaining.  This film was popular in theaters and I have been eager to see it.

Schumer wrote the script, at least partially based on fact (she has a sister named Kim and her father has M.S.).  Judd Apatow likes her work and was impressed with the screenplay and signed on direct the film (this is the first film he has directed that he didn't write).  The scripts alternates between brutal comedy and emotional moments, mostly regarding her family.

The cast is good.  Schumer takes the lead, with SNL alum Bill Hader.  Hader can do a little bit of everything, and here he is the romantic lead while still getting some understated comedy.  Tilda Swinton is almost unrecognizable as Amy's cutthroat boss Dianna, but nails the role.  SNL alum Colin Quinn is great as Amy's unfiltered father.  Brie Larson and Mike Birbiglia are good sports as Amy's sister and brother-in law.  But the real breakouts are John Cena and LeBron James.  Cena is best known as a wrestler for the WWE, but is also a talented comedy actor.  This year he appeared in 3 comedy films: this one, Sisters, and Daddy's Home.  He is ridiculous here and game for everything Schumer throws his way.  Basketball star LeBron James plays a version of himself that is sensitive and loves Downton Abbey and is Aaron's best friend.  He is great, especially his scenes with Hader.

Schumer's humor isn't for everyone.  There is a lot of sex and cursing in the film, but if you can get past that, it is a funny film with a great cast.

Trainwreck (2015) 125 minutes
Rating: R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Amy Schumer as Amy Townsend
Bill Hader as Dr. Aaron Conners
Brie Larson as Kim
Tilda Swinton as Dianna
Colin Quinn as Gordon Townsend
John Cena as Steven
Mike Birbiglia as Tom
Jon Glaser as Schultz
Vanessa Bayer as Nikki
Ezra Miller as Donald
LeBron James as LeBron James

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

"That's a high speed chase! You just had to get the four-by-four, didn't you?!"

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is trying to prove the existence of the Syndicate, a mysterious and dangerous group of international spies.  His actions, and the rest of the IMF, are called into question by CIA Director Alan Hunley (Baldwin).  Hunley convinces Senate committee to roll the IMF into the CIA, despite protests by William Brandt (Renner).  Brandt is able to warn Hunt, who goes off the grid.  Hunt stays just one step ahead of the CIA for months, while Benji Dunn (Pegg) is forced to undergo weekly polygraph tests to keep his job and Luther Stickell (Rhames) retires.

Benji receives opera tickets and travels to Vienna where is met by Hunt.  Hunt believes he is close to proving the existence of the Syndicate, but needs Benji's help to identify and track a mystery man and woman.  The woman is Ilsa Faust (Ferguson), who is undercover in the Syndicate.  Hunt saves her life and she reluctantly agrees to help the two take down the Syndicate, with an agenda of her own.  Meanwhile, Brandt and Luther team up to find Hunt and Benji, who have targets on their backs.  Can Hunt and his team clear the IMF and take down the Syndicate before more people are killed?



The Mission: Impossible franchise is still going strong.  Like the previous films, this is a stand-alone film with dramatic stunts and near impossible feats.  All of the films follow the same basic premise (with minor alterations and a few exceptions): Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt is given a mission, assembles a team, and then something happens that puts him at adds with his own agency or another government agency that ups the stakes for Hunt and the team.  I still haven't seen the third film, but the only film that deviates from the pattern above is the second, which is the only film to see Hunt get his mission from IMF and not have any turbulence with that agency... it is more of a man vs. man (or team vs. team) film.  There is at least 4 years between each film, and so far each film has had a new director: Mission: Impossible in 1996 (directed by Brian de Palma), Mission: Impossible II in 2000 (directed by John Woo), Mission: Impossible III in 2006 (directed by J.J. Abrams), and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in 2011 (directed by Brad Bird).

The film begins in the middle of a mission and culminates in the plane scene depicted on most movie posters and the trailer.  The action continues from there, with a intricately paced and choreographed scene in a Vienna Opera House and the big heist later in the film.  As usual, Cruise does many of his own stunts and dives right into the action.  In this film, he meets his match in Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust.  Ferguson gets the chance to show off her fighting skills throughout the film, and regularly saves Cruise's character (a  nice change of pace).  Simon Pegg's Benji even gets in on the action, even though he is mostly on hand for comic relief.

In addition to Cruise and Pegg, Ving Rhames is back as Luther (the only character beside Cruise's Hunt to appear in every film).  Jeremy Renner also returns as William Brandt.  Alec Baldwin is good as the CIA Director who doesn't understand the IMF or their methods.  The only weak point is the villain, played by Sean Harris.  He isn't particularly menacing or memorable (he's just bland).

Overall a decent action film, and a good addition to the M:I franchise.  A 6th film is planned... with the return of McQuarrie as the director.


Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) 131 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and brief partial nudity
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
Jeremy Renner as William Brandt
Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust
Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
Sean Harris as Solomon Lane
Alec Baldwin as CIA Director Alan Hunley
Jens Hulten as Janik "Bone Doctor" Vinter

Ant-Man

"My days of breaking into places and stealing shit are over! What do you need me to do?"
"...I want you to break into a place and steal some shit."
"...makes sense."

Thief Scott Lang (Rudd) just completed this prison sentence.  He wants to start fresh so he can see his daughter Cassie (Fortson), but his criminal record makes it impossible for him to find a job.  He is living with his old cellmate Louis (Pena), who hears about a heist job this is perfect for Scott.  Scott agrees, and with the help of their friends Dave (Harris) and Kurt (Dasmalchian) they break into the home of Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) to steal from his vault.

The only item in the vault is a suit and helmet, which Scott takes.  When he puts on the suit, he shrinks to the size of an ant, but his strength increases.  Dr. Pym wants Scott to wear the Ant-Man suit to infiltrate his former company and destroy the research of his protege Darren Cross (Stoll).  Cross is obsessed with the legend of Ant-Man and is looking to replicate Pym's research so he can sell the technology.  Pym's estranged daughter Hope (Lilly) still works for the company and monitors Cross' progress.  He is getting dangerously close to replicating the Ant-Man serum.  Can Scott learn to use the Ant-Man suit in time to stop Cross?


Ant-Man was created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber in 1962.  The character was featured as part of another series, before receiving his own beginning in 1963.  Since then, four different characters have taken up the mantel of Ant-Man (or his other alter egos).

While Ant-Man is considered an important character for Marvel comics, and appears in most versions of the Avengers, he has not achieved the same popularity as other Marvel characters.  The character first appeared on live television in a Saturday Night Live sketch, portrayed by Gareth Morris (who had a cameo in this film).  In 2003 writer/director Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish announced plans to make an Ant-Man film.  They officially teamed up with Marvel Studios in 2006, but the film was continually delayed.

Ultimately, Wright and Cornish left the project in 2014, prior to filming, due to creative differences with Marvel.  Both receive writing and producing credits on the film.  Adam McKay was brought in to do some re-writes to the script, while Peyton Reed assumed the role of director.

Despite the turbulence behind the scenes, it is a great movie.  Unlike the other Marvel films, this is a heist film.  There are stakes, but everything focuses on training for the big heist.  The tone alternates between humor and serious moments with ease, fully embracing the ridiculousness of the character and letting star Paul Rudd and Michael Pena show off their comedic range (Pena gets the most laughs).  They did some interesting things with the camera perspective to show the difference in Scott's size throughout the film, it is perfectly captured during the final battle between Corey Stoll's Darren Cross and Rudd's Scott Lang.

I wish Edgar Wright's vision for the character (with him in the director's chair) was the final product, but I love the film as it is.  Marvel has already announced a sequel for 2018 (after the next Avengers film).  The Avenger cameo and final scene set up the first film in Phase 3: Captain America: Civil War, in which Rudd's Ant-Man appears.

This is the final film in Phase 2 of Marvel's Cinematic Universe, following Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Ant-Man (2015) 117 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man
Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym
Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne
Corey Stoll as Darren Cross / Yellowjacket
Bobby Cannavale as Paxton
Judy Greer as Maggie Lang
Abby Ryder Fortson as Cassie Lang
Michael Pena as Luis
Tip "T.I." Harris as Dave
David Dastmalchian as Kurt

Goldfinger

"Do you expect me to talk?"

"No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

James Bond (Connery) is sent to Miami to observe wealthy jeweler Auric Goldfinger (Blackman).  Goldfinger has been buying up large amounts of gold, and MI-6 believes he has nefarious purposes for it.  Bond and Goldfinger take an immediate dislike to each other, which only escalates with each encounter.

Bond is caught on Goldfinger's property by his bodyguard Oddjob (Sakata).  Goldfinger initially plans to kill Bond, but decides it is better to keep him on hand until the plan is done.  Bond is whisked to Tennessee by Goldfinger's pilot Pussy Galore (Blackman).  Can he alert Felix Leiter (Linder) and the CIA in time to foil Goldfinger's plot?


The third film in the James Bond series (after Dr. No in 1962 and From Russia with Love in 1963).  This film set in place many of the tropes that would be associated with the series: the opening credit sequence (with original song), the good-natured ribbing between Q and Bond, the tricked out car, etc.  The title song, "Goldfinger" sung by Shirley Bassey, is one of the most iconic Bond songs.  During the 2013 Academy Award celebration of 50 years of James Bond films, Shirley Bassey performed the song live (it was the only song from the franchise to be performed at that ceremony).  The James Bond theme is the most iconic, but "Goldfinger" is a close second.

Like the previous films in the series, the story is based on Ian Fleming's novel Goldfinger, which was published in 1959.  Screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn made some changes to the story, but kept most of the plot in tact.

Auric Goldfinger is the perfect menacing villain.  As played by Gert Frobe, he is suave and sophisticated with flashes of the darkness.  He is an iconic Bond villain, over the top enough to keep you entertained.  Harold Sakata also delivers an iconic performance as Oddjob.  Sakata was an Olympic weightlifter, that coupled with his intimating stare drew the attention of Bond producers Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli.  Oddjob is a silent character, but he still ranks among the top villains.  This is my favorite Bond film; Sean Connery is my favorite Bond and this is his best outing.

This film has it all: lasers, a ridiculous plot to foil, the iconic image of Shirley Eaton covered in gold paint, death by hat (how many films can boast that?), and many more moments that make this film a "must-see."  It may not bear the same weight it did when it was first released, but it is a strong part in popular culture.  It has been mocked (Mike Myers Austin Powers: Goldmember) and other spy movies have duplicated the iconic moments from it.  It also appeared on 4 of AFI's top countdowns: 100 Years...100 Thrills, 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains (Goldfinger is on the Villain list), 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes (this film was the first time Bond asked for "A Martini. Shaken, not stirred"), and 100 Years...100 Songs (for the theme song "Goldfinger")

Goldfinger (1964) 110 minutes
Director: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Sean Connery as James Bond
Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore
Gert Frobe as Auric Goldfinger
Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson
Harold Sakata as Oddjob
Tania Mallet as Tilly Masterson
Bernard Lee as M
Cec Linder as Felix Leiter

Inside Out

"I say we lock ourselves in our room and use that one swear word we know. It's a good one!"

Riley Anderson (Dias) is 11 years old.  She loves her family and friends and hockey.  Her emotions are controlled sunny optimist Joy (Poehler), broccoli hater Disgust (Kaling), perpetually annoyed Anger (Black), nervous Fear (Hader), and gloomy Sadness (Smith).  When Riley's Dad (MacLachlan) gets a new job in San Francisco, the family packs up and leaves their home in Minnesota.

With everything in upheaval, the emotions disagree on how to navigate their new surroundings.  After Riley cries in class, she makes a new sad core memory.  Joy tries to get rid of the memory and she and Sadness are sucked out of headquarters.  Can Joy and Sadness find their way back to headquarters before the other three destroy everything?


Another hit for Pixar!  The creators of Pixar's Up, Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen, teamed up again to co-write and co-direct this film.  They brought in psychologists to consult about emotions.

Pixar is known for making strong films, that have beautiful and dynamic visuals alongside a range of emotions.  This film is the perfect concept to tie all of that together.  The film took four years to come together and went through many different versions before settling on the final product.  The story is easy to follow and blends humor and emotional moments.  There is so much to take in as Joy and Sadness travel through Riley's brain, and it is an interesting ride.

Pixar always find the right people to breathe life into the characters.  Lewis Black is the obvious choice for Anger, and the animators incorporated aspects of his stand-up into the character.  Amy Poehler excels at portraying confident and enthusiastic characters (see TV's Parks and Recreation) and is the perfect choice for Joy.  Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling are always good, and both are exceptional here and Phyllis Smith brings a lot of depth to Sadness.  Richard Kind is endearing as Bing Bong, and Pixar favorite/regular John Ratzenberger has a small part towards the end.  Muppet performers Frank Oz and Dave Goelz play characters Dave and Frank respectively in a brief cameo.

It is a cute movie (make sure you have tissues nearby) and sure to nab at least an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film.  Make sure you stick around during the credits.  The DVD also features the short film Riley's First Date? that features the characters from the film (specifically the emotions of Riley's parents).  You can also find the short film on YouTube.

Inside Out (2015) 94 minutes
Director: Pete Docter & Ronnie Del Carmen
Starring: Amy Poehler as Joy
Phyllis Smith as Sadness
Bill Hader as Fear
Lewis Black as Anger
Mindy Kaling as Disgust
Richard Kind as Bing Bong
Kaitlyn Dias as Riley Andersen
Diane Lane as Mom
Kyle MacLachlan as Dad

The Natural

"You read my mind."
  "That takes all of three seconds."

Roy Hobbs (Redford) is a talented baseball player and receives the call to try-out for the Chicago Cubs at the age of 19.  On the way to the try out, he strikes out "The Whammer" (Joe Don Baker) the best hitter in the major leagues, and draws the attention of Harriet Bird (Hershey).  The next day, Bird shoots him in the stomach and then commits suicide, destroying his dreams of a career in baseball.

Sixteen years later, Hobbs is 35 and finally gets his shot at the major leagues.  He is signed to the New York Knights, despite the protestations of Pop Fisher (Brimley) the team manager.  The Knights are in last place, but Hobbs and his hitting starts to change the team.  His career is followed closely by reporter Max Mercy (Duvall) and the teams other owner, The Judge (Prosky).  Hobbs also attracts the attention of gambler Gus Sands (McGavin) and Memo Paris (Basinger).  The team needs to win the pendant or Pop loses his job.  Can Hobbs lead the team to victory, while reconnecting with his first love Iris (Close)?


In 1952 Bernard Malamud published the novel The Natural, which served as the inspiration for this film.  The screenplay, written by Roger Towne and Phil Dusenberry, keeps the characters from the novel but changes some details and the ending.

A friend suggested this film, and I loved it.  It starts a little slow, but captures your attention as the story progresses.  It is a good sports film and is now considered to be a classic.  The story also tabs into the desire to become a legend.  Robert Redford is a strong lead, and is aided by a strong supporting cast.  Robert Duvall and Darren McGavin are very good at portraying shady characters, and put that to good use here.  Glenn Close is great, and Kim Basinger's Memo is enticing enough to warrant her screen time (even if her acting is now great).

Fans of the book were not happy with the changes to the script, but the film was nominated for 4 Academy Awards: Best Support Actress (Glenn Close), Best Cinematography (Caleb Deschanel), Best Art Direction (Mel Bourne, Angelo P. Graham, Bruce Weintraub), and Best Original Score (Randy Newman).

Definitely worth checking out.

The Natural (1984) 137 minutes
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs
Robert Duvall as Max Mercy
Glenn Close as Iris Gaines
Kim Basinger as Memo Paris
Wilford Brimley as Pop Fisher
Barbara Hershey as Harriet Bird
Robert Prosky as The Judge
Richard Farnsworth as Red Blow
Darren McGavin as Gus Sands

Before We Go

"Sometimes you have to just make the choice and jump."

While running to catch the 1:30am train to Boston, Brooke Dalton (Eve) breaks her phone.  She misses the train, which is the last train out of the station, and her purse is stolen.  She has no money, no identification, and no idea what to do.  Musician Nick Vaughan (Evans) sees her predicament and offers to help.  However, his credit cards are declined and his cell phone is almost dead.

They start walking around New York City trying to find a way for Brooke to get home.  Both are avoiding and running from their problems, but begin opening up to each other.  Can they solve their problems before the next train to Boston?


For his directorial debut, actor Chris Evans wanted to keep it simple.  He chose a simple story about two people talking.  In addition to directing the film, he is also the male lead and one of the producers.  The dialogue takes center stage and is an honest portrait of two people.

He shares the screen with Alice Eve.  Eve and Evans have excellent chemistry and take their time building the characters and their relationship.  Other characters are discussed prior to their first moments on screen.  One of these characters is played by Mark Kassen, who is also one of the producers on the film.  Evans' brother Scott Evans has a brief cameo.

It is a little indie film that doesn't try to hard.  Other reviews compare the story to the Before trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (which I have not seen and am not interested in), which Evans sights as an inspiration.  I like the ambiguity of the ending and look forward to seeing what Evans will do with his next time in the director's chair.

Before We Go (2014) 95 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and some suggestive content
Director: Chris Evans
Starring: Chris Evans as Nick Vaughan
Alice Eve as Brooke Dalton
Mark Kassen as Danny
Emma Fitzpatrick as Hannah

Little Women (1933)

"If wearing hair up means becoming a lady, I'll wear it down until I'm 100 years old. "

The women of the March family are extremely close.  With their father fighting in the American Civil War, the four daughters circle close to their mother Marmee (Byington) and struggle to make ends meet.  Oldest sister Meg (Dee) works as a seamstress, headstrong Jo (Hepburn) dreams of being a writer but spends her time taking care of their difficult Aunt March (Oliver), shy Beth (Parker) likes to stay close to home and play on their out-of-tune piano, and Amy (Bennett) is pretty but selfish.  Despite their own dire finances, the March women are always on hand to care for their ill or less fortunate neighbors.

The girls befriend their neighbor Laurie (Montgomery) and his grandfather Mr. Laurence (Stephenson).  Jo is content to dream up stories and plays to perform with her sisters, but everything around them is changing.  Meg is courted by Laurie's tutor John Brooke (John Davis Lodge) and Beth falls ill with scarlet fever.  Can the bond of the sisters triumph over their circumstances?


This is the third film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel; the previous versions were silent films released in 1917 and 1918.  After the success of this film, Little Women was adapted again in 1949 with June Allyson and again in 1994 with Winona Ryder.  I grew up watching and loving the 1949 version.

This film marked the second collaboration between director George Cukor and actress Katharine Hepburn.  They first worked together on A Bill of Divorcement in 1932.  They would work together on 8 more films: Sylvia Scarlett in 1935, Holiday in 1938, The Philadelphia Story in 1940, Keeper of the Flame in 1942, Adam's Rib in 1949, Pat and Mike in 1952, Love Among the Ruins in 1975 and the TV film The Corn is Green in 1979.

Hepburn excels as Jo, a part that seems to be tailor-made for her.  She shines the brightest on screen and slips easily into the role.  And in the hands of Cukor, the film is an enjoyable ride through the novel.  Douglass Montgomery matches Hepburn's energy in all the scenes they share and you can't help but love watching them on screen together.  The rest of the cast do well in their roles, with the sisters having an easy and believable chemistry.

An excellent adaptation.

Little Women (1933) 115 minutes
Director: George Cukor
Starring: Katharine Hepburn as Josephine "Jo" March
Frances Dee as Margaret "Meg" March
Joan Bennett as Amy March
Jean Parker as Elizabeth "Beth" March
Spring Byington as Marmee March
Douglass Montgomery as Theodore "Laurie" Laurence
Paul Lukas as Professor Bhaer
Edna May Oliver as Aunt March
Henry Stephenson as Mr. Laurence