Terminator Genisys

Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney,

Rating: 8 out of 10, I know this movie is being skewered by critics and geekdom in general (of which I count myself a proud member) but I kind of liked it. I’ve always considered the series finished after the first two movies which remain near the top of my list of best sci fi movies ever. The third and fourth entries were gallant but abysmal when compared with the original two; lacking the Cameron touch certainly didn’t help. This movie picks up and re-tells the story from the first two movies with a new cast, except for the governator and a completely new premise. There’s more of the Kyle Reese life in the future with John Conner and of course an insidious Skynet upgrade of terminator technology. The story moves along smartly with the requisite non-stop battles, updated with 21st century CGI. The original plot is turned on its head but what I really liked was the almost continual odes to scenes from the first two movies. Some were more subtle than others but they permeate the film from beginning to end. In this re-boot Kyle returns to the past to find Sarah already up to film 2 levels of deadliness thanks to yet another “friendly” terminator’s arrival even earlier in her life. This leads to an interesting dynamic in the central love story between the two. The Khaleesi holds her own as Sarah but Jai Courtney is certainly no Michael Biehn. Ahhnuld figured out a way to age his character to explain away the ravages of the past thirty years and he remains the best thing about this latest movie. My only beef with the film is the toning down to reach a PG-13 rating. The first two movies rocked because of the unrestrained violence which provided the needed edge to outline the desperate struggle of Kyle and Sarah to save humankind. Missing that edge may have generated a few more adolescent ticket sales but hurts the movie. It certainly prevents it from joining the first two movies as epics. Of course I’m prejudiced when it comes to the “myth”.

MVP: Arnold in his signature role

Dracula Untold

Actors: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Art Parkinson, Charles Dance

Rating: 7 out of 10, It was a new take on Dracula (if that’s even possible) as Prince Vlad decides to rent the powers of the local vampire for a few days to head off an invading army of Turks.  He can return to human form if he resists “dining” for three days; you all know where that’s headed.  I liked the movie because it was pure escapism which is what my battered spirits needed at the time, no need to think, just enjoy the ride. Evans is an interesting actor and renewed his action credentials from his recent turn in the Hobbit trilogy. Unfortunately he takes really bad political advice from his advice but you had to see that coming.

MVP: Evans as the completely misunderstood bloodsucker

Focus

Actors: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney

Rating: 7 out of 10, This is a Will Smith vehicle ably supported by Margot Robbie the unforgettable wife of the Wolf of Wall Street. Smith is excellent as always but labors under the pressure of a character who’s a really bad guy. Smith is probably the most likable actor in cinema today but here he plays a con man who orchestrates thefts at major social events. This type movie only works, at least for me, when the con men are ripping off guys that deserve to be victimized – someone lower on the loathsome scale than the thieves. There’s a few cute twists thrown in but I couldn’t get past the feeling these guys deserve to be incarcerated. Great chemistry between Smith and Robbie elevated it above those thoughts. I should have loved it, what with skimpily clad women, exotic locales and of course Miss Robbie, but I only liked it.

MVP: Robbie as the startlingly hot Jess

Jurassic World

Actors: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, B. D. Wong, Irrfan Khan, Jake Johnson

Rating: 9 out of 10, I liked, but did not love the movie. It was a workmanlike effort with all the expected thrills and shocks but this is territory already well covered by the preceding films. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are very good in the lead roles but the signature endangered kid roles were glossed over. CGI dinosaurs have reached the point where they no longer have the same wonder the first films generated which means the story needs to make up the lack of compellable factor which isn’t really there. The plot involves a rejuvenation of the park from the earlier films, including some of the old sets (Easter eggs galore). Pratt plays the plucky adventurer with a flock of semi-trained raptors. There’s a needless evil industrial-military game going on behind the scenes which is exposed when the latest creation – a specially “designed” dinosaur escapes and wreaks havoc on humans and dinosaurs alike. The film tried to incorporate themes and plot lines from all three preceding films and this detracted. All this being said, it was a great little thrill ride, well deserving of summer popcorn status but it definitely does not soar.

MVP: Chris Pratt as Owen Grady, cementing his action credentials wrangling Raptors

Run All Night

Actors: Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Common, Ed Harris, Nick Nolte

Rating: 8 out of 10, Liam Neeson and Ed Harris as aging New York City Irish mobsters – never a bad bet. Their characters grew up as brothers and Neeson served as Harris’ designated assassin. The toll on Neeson’s soul was palatable as he’s become a drunken has been when the movie starts. They both have adult sons who are brought into conflict through a gaping plot hole but that, at least, allows the action to kick into high gear. Neeson sheds his alcoholic haze as soon as his son is threatened and proceeds to go all Brian Mills on legions of overweight Irish thugs while at the same time dodging the police as well as Common as a laser designated assassin sent after them. The action is pretty much non-stop after the catalyzing scene and while that is worthwhile you should see this movie for the scenes between Neeson and Harris. Both actors are in top form and you get a real sense of two old friends who reluctantly allow the mobster “guy code” to fracture their close relationship. This is definitely a “guy flick” as there are no female characters allowed any depth whatsoever. As with any action movie there are times when you have to suspend disbelief, such as how Neeson could be falling down drunk in the late afternoon transforming into the Millsian killing machine by early evening. Good movie with a lot of depth, all of it supplied by Harris and Neeson

MVP: Neeson, who else, as Jimmy Conlon, the father-assassin protecting his son

The Sting

Actors: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Harold Gild, Eileen Brennan

Rating: 9 out of 10, I couldn’t believe this wasn’t part of my film library and added it immediately upon realizing this shortcoming. The DVD is not a good quality but you can't dim the talent on the screen. Newman and Redford made two of the unlikeliest but likable buddies in movie history. Newman was all nuance while Redford was so much more than a pretty face. This is the mother of all con movies with Newman as the grizzled pro and Redford as the up and coming grafter. They decide to exact some revenge on Robert Shaw playing a truly evil Irish gangster who killed one of their friends. So many twists and turns with a fantastic ragtime score and authentic feel for depression era Chicago. One of the best films ever.

MVP: Newman, as Henry Gondorf, the ultimate in con artists

Tomorrowland

Actors: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key

Rating: 7 out of 10, Tomorrowland immediately tapped into several pillars of my childhood fantasies. I actually attended the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City which is the starting point of this Disney vehicle although I think Clooney had more fun on his ride through It’s a Small World than I did. I wanted so much to love this movie because it did tap into those youthful dreams cultivated each Sunday night watching Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. It just misses though by effectively hiding the message of hope and imagination in an obscure plot. Clooney and the young female lead, Britt Robertson, are very good although they lose each scene they share with Athena (watch out for her in the future). The movie spends too little time in the fantastical Tomorrowland and too much getting the heroes there although it was instructive to learn where Gregory House ended up after his television show ended. The movie briefly soars with a siege at Clooney’s house and a glimpsed commercial but I wanted the whole thing to fly and it didn’t.

MVP: Raffey Cassidy emerges as Athena the conscience of Disney