Death Hunt

Actors:  Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Andrew Stevens, Angie Dickinson
Rating:  7 out of 10, another movie from my distant past that hasn’t aged as well as others.  Bronson, one of the original monosyllabic heroes, a poor man’s Clint Eastwood, and his Dirty Dozen buddy Lee Marvin are too old to be chasing each other around the Canadian Rockies.  They both spend a lot of movie realistically out of breath. It’s also unexplained how Apollo Creed ended up in the great white north serving as machine gun fodder.  All that being said the scenes where either Bronson or Marvin are on the screen are worth the watch, the rest of the cast, not so much.
MVP:  Marvin as the world weary Mountie – Millen, could still dominate the screen

American Werewolf In London

Actors:  Jenny Agutter, David Naughton, Griffin Dunn
Rating:  8 out of 10, I couldn’t believe this wasn’t a part of my library.  It’s easy to forget how groundbreaking the special effects for this movie were at the time of its release.  It’s still a great mix of horror and comedy, especially the conversations between the two Americans, even after one of them is a rapidly decomposing undead.  I also want to check in to a hospital where you get to go home with Jessica 6.  While some of this does look dated because special effects have evolved so much since, this was still a lot of fun to watch.
MVP:  Agutter (I am consistent) as nurse Alix and the only real actor amongst the leads

World War Z

Actors:  Brad Pitt, Daniella Kertesz, Mireille Enos
Rating:  9 out of 10, I’m a huge fan of the book which my daughter induced me to read as I’m not into this whole recent zombie craze. I was unsure how they would capture the broad strokes of the book in a movie however this was a great ride.  A singular movie that pushes tension to incredible heights, let’s you breath for a little bit and then ratchets up the stress again. It was a little light on the back story but Pitt was a perfect choice for the understated lead. He’s on a world wide tour to see different kinds of zombies and kill them.  This was definitely a new take on an overdone genre. One where you can clearly see the money spent up on the screen.  I know that’s overused but completely appropriate here; really scary stuff.
MVP:  Daniella Kertesz as the stoically brave Israeli soldier/hottie Segen

Star Trek Into Darkness

Actors:  John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Peter Weller, Anton Yelchin
Rating:  10 out of 10, I absolutely loved the first JJ Abrams Star Trek movie so I was prepared to be underwhelmed. Somehow he took it to another level because this was not just a better film but significantly better. The movie starts out with a bang and never lets up – it almost leaves you breathless. I loved the odes to the original series – many small and a couple of huge ones. It was so very cool to see all the subtle little connections thrown in.  The strength of this new incarnation is the truly ensemble cast instead of being just the Jim Kirk show.  I’m such a jaded movie goer that it’s rare that special effects blow me away – these did. 
MVP:  Cumberbatch as a truly creepy Khan

Movie 43

Actors:  Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell, Halle Berry, Leslie Bibb, Kate Bosworth, Gerard Butler, Kieran Culkin, Josh Duhamel, Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman, Greg Kinnear, Johnny Knoxville, Justin Long, Julianne Moore, Chloë Grace Moretz, Chris Pratt, Dennis Quaid, Liev Schreiber, Seann William Scott, Tony Shalhoub, Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, Uma Thurman, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, Seth MacFarlane
Rating:  6 out of 10, Okay, I'm not proud of it, but I watched it.  This was billed as maybe the worst movie ever but I was intrigued by how so many Oscar caliber, A-List stars appeared so I rented it as a lark.  I’m still mystified but, honestly, it wasn’t as bad as the political correct police have ranted about.  It is incredibly, possibly even epically inappropriate comedy explored by some of today’s biggest stars.  Hugh Jackman with testicles hanging under his chin will give you an idea of the level.  To hear at least one of the Farrelly brothers, with no filter whatsoever, was involved completes the picture.  I have to guiltily, and somewhat ashamedly admit that I laughed out loud on several occasions.
MVP:  Sudekis as possibly the worst batman ever – so funny torturing the boy wonder

Now You See Me

Actors:  Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mélanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine
Rating:  8 out of 10, A really good movie about magicians, who thought that was possible.  Caine and Freeman are back together without the caped crusader and both playing villains which is a cool twist.  Jesse Isenberg is definitely moving beyond his typical geek roles and Isla Fisher is her usual awesome (in everything except off screen marital choices). It was neat to see two older, supremely competent actors like Freeman and Caine on the screen with young talent like Eisenberg, Fisher, and the peerless Mark Ruffalo who all more than held their own.  I was prepared to dislike this film but it drew me in. 
MVP:  Ruffalo as the harried, or is he, FBI agent Dylan

Lady in Cement

Actors:  Frank Sinatra, Raquel Welch, Dan Blocker, Richard Conte
Rating:  6 out of 10, Sinatra returns as the least tough private eye Tony Rome who is still too cool for school.  There is an incredibly slow car chase though Miami Beach, I guess they felt they had to obey traffic laws.  The eye candy this time out is Raquel Welch, at the height of her formidable looks.  She changes hair style with every scene and adequately flaunts her not inadequate charms throughout.  This was before she learned to act though.  Frank doesn’t seem as focused on this sequel and all the best scenes belong to Dan Blocker, Hoss from Bonanza.  He plays a man mountain who beats everybody in sight to a bloody pulp.  It’s sad we lost him at a young age – he was very watchable.  The rest of the movie, except for Ms Welch in a bikini, was not.
MVP:  Blocker as Gronsky, a very dangerous man

Tony Rome

Actors:  Frank Sinatra, Jill St. John, Sue Lyon, Gena Rowlands, Simon Oakland,  Richard Conte
Rating:  7 out of 10, A film from my pre-teen years when I didn’t fully appreciate just how cool Mr. Sinatra was.  He plays a gambling addicted Miami private eye helping out a rich family in blackmail plot.  Only Sinatra could make wearing a black suit and hat on the beach look normal. Frank was the man.  I had also almost forgotten how drop dead gorgeous the young Jill St John was – this movie helped rekindle that obsession.   A jarring, almost television quality soundtrack detracts from a fairly tight story. Mr. Sinatra should stay away from fight scenes but he does brandish a fiendishly effective karate chop to the back on several occasions.  There’s also the double entendre scene about female anatomy that is so, so funny.  A very nice stroll down memory lane.
MVP:  Frank in the title role owns the film

Cold Light of Day

Actors:  Henry Cavill, Sigourney Weaver, Bruce Willis, Verónica Echegui
Rating:  7 out of 10, This was billed as a Bruce Willis action flick but he’s only in it for a very short time.  I was pleasantly surprised by this very good action movie even with the fairly gaping plot holes. Why can’t a trained assassin who just shot someone from extremely long range kill the hero when firing from point blank distance, instead shooting at his feet so he can dance over the near misses (that always pisses me off). Cavill (Superman) is the lead and has definitely progressed since Immortals as far as acting – now only wooden instead of leaden. He does clueless well.  His family is kidnapped and as a businessman now finds himself caught in a vortex of violence between competing police, spy, and terrorist agents. If you can ignore the plot holes this was a very good flick that moves right along with an extremely engaging cast. Sigourney Weaver plays the villainess and is still so good at action and the one liners that you almost start rooting for her instead of the hero.
MVP:  Verónica Echegui as Lucia the newly discovered half-sister steals every scene

Headhunters

Actors:  Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Synnøve Macody Lund, Julie Ølgaard, Eivind Sander
Rating:  9 out of 10, I usually avoid sub-titles like the plague but was told by a person I trust implicitly that I had to see this.  Boy, was she right.  We have an undersized overachieving businessman/art thief with a trophy wife who makes the mistake of pissing off Jamie Lannister.  A move that lands him up to and then well over his eyes in crap, literally.  I loved this movie as we watch this guy become more and sympathetic as he endures one torturous debacle after another.  It’s a very smart thrill ride with some cool twists.  I can’t recommend this movie enough.  
MVP:  Aksel Hennie as the long suffering Roger Brown, there are Norwegians named Roger Brown?