Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides

I don't know why it took me so long to see this. It was kind of a mental enigma in which my brain told me one thing, but did not take its own advice. I was excited to see a 4th film in a franchise that has faltered in recent films. Mostly because it was a new story. The writers had wrapped up the trilogy involving Jack Sparrow, Borbosa, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann and their twisted story. This film was going to be a completely unrelated tale continuing Jack Sparrow's travels and that prospect sounded fun. All the while, I feared it would be as mind numbingly awful as the critics said it would be and I will say it took a while to develop into, well, anything. The first 25 minutes is drivel. Nothing happens except the standard "Jack Sparrow escaping dire situations using brain powers and logic his character's speech and mannerisms would never suggest he possesses, while blaring the POTC score we have all come to love." Literally, we were like, what is the point? Luckily Depp delivers once again and makes it all tolerable while the waiting game continues for us, the audience. Once it does pick up, I still don't feel it was as strong as any of its predecessors. It just seemed thrown together. It did still have the wonderful fight scenes and choreography we have come to expect from the franchise, but the jokes were fewer. Depp delivers the majority of the moments that get us to exclaim a verbal HAHA, but that only happens 3 to 4 times. Keith Richards shows back up which I didn't expect, but essential with the addition of a few new characters it really is just another Pirates film, left open ended for a 5th installment. Black Beard (Ian McShane) and Angelica (Penelope Cruz) join Sparrow on the search for the fountain of youth. With a few new surprises along the way (Mermaids were cool) the film definitely wraps up better than it began and when it was over it was erased from my DVR never to be watched again. What On Stranger Tides lacked, compared to the previous films, are those moments great films have that we can watch over and over and over again. I have seen the other 3 films numerous times, but I don't think I'll watch this one again. It doesn't have that hook to get me to stop channel surfing to watch it for 20 or 30 minutes. That is what disappointed me the most, but overall it is very enjoyable and only because Depp is perfect at that character. Also I would have LOVED to see a cameo from Orlando Bloom as Will Turner as he is now Captain of Davy Jones' ship after the 3rd film. That would have been a welcomed call back for me.


NBM rates Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides - Awesome

Puss in Boots

Today is a day I will forever remember. Today was the first time either of my kids watched a movie in the Theater. It so happened to be my daughter which was even more special since she doesn't seem to care for movies like her twin brother does. I wasn't sure how it would go since she is 3 and has the attention span of a...well, 3 year old child. She was in awe and truth be told, I watched her more than I watched the film. Granted I had seen it on DVD months ago, but it didn't matter. I will say this, Puss in Boots is funnier the second time around. I caught way more jokes and references this time. It uses the same model that all 4 Shrek movies did with the fairy tale lore. In P-I-B we deal with Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Magic Beans, and The Golden Goose. The story is solid as can be. A tale of betrayal, revenge, and sibling angst. Love, Lust, and dance fighting. When Puss is roped into helping his pal Humpty steal the magic beans, he has reservations, but with the help of Kitty Soft Paws (Salma Hayek) he can't fail. The action is superb and the imagination of the writers to throw new twists on old tales is greatly appreciated. I found myself laughing out loud more than any other child there. Of course I am WAY smarter than all kids. It is a fact. This film must be watched by anyone who likes good tales and great animation. Puss finds himself in more than one bad situation, but he always manages to get himself out of it. Will they sequel it? I'd say probably. Will I watch it? Definitely. A movie that I may not have given a second thought to, was ultimately enhanced for me by a 3 year old's excitement to watch "the biggest TV ever".


NBM rates Puss in Boots - Phenomenal

Contraband

Yet another enjoyable time killer popcorn movie. You kind of have to know what to expect with movies released in the months before May, and when they hit the rental shelves 4 months later, we just hope it will be good entertainment for the hard earned dollar we spend on it. I did not know a lot about this film, but what I did know made it an easy decision to watch. The cast alone. Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi, and Ben Foster. We get a lot of info quickly about Chris' (Wahlberg) past. This  type of plot development lends itself to a movie like this, so they can fill their time with action and plots, rather than back story. Chris was a smuggler. Actually, he was the best, but he put that behind him. He is married with kids and a legitimate business. No need to fret on the past. His brother in law however is not that smart and when he dumps his load, much like Han Solo did to Jabba the Hut, things turn very badly. Carbonite doesn't exist yet, so death is the consequence for not delivery the goods to the dealer. Unfortunately in an ass backwards world of thuggery and drugs, the debt he owes will not die with him. It is absorbed by next of kin which is Chris and his family. Ribisi plays said Dealer and with his high pitched voice, greased back hair, grisley beard, and neck tattoos he is scary as hell, but the twist is what brings it full circle. I liked the twist, because it made it way more intense. Chris must go on a tanker to Panama and smuggler enough Contraband back into the states to cover the debt. What's the saying? anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. This turns an hour long film into an hour and forty very enjoyable minutes. Chris must protect his family at all costs, but also not get caught, which would land him in jail for life. Very fun, and sometimes extremely intense, I recommend this to any fans of Wahlberg's catalog of films. This falls in line with the style of movies he does, so enjoy.

NBM rates Contraband - Awesome

Man on a Ledge

I love how quickly movies must come to DVD now to help recoup production losses. Gives all of us the opportunity to see it at home 3 months after its initial theater run. This film is no different. I wanted to see it, but never found the time. This is the epitome of a "popcorn movie". Hard not to enjoy, easy to follow, wraps up quickly and neatly. It does not blow your mind or change your thought process about life. It is merely entertainment when you have an hour and forty minutes to kill. Luckily for us it has a stellar cast. Well, maybe not stellar, but above average for sure. Literally 45 minutes are spent watching this "suicide jumper" out on a ledge, but there is a bigger picture. Nick Cassidy (Worthington) is an ex cop looking at 25 years in the klink for stealing a $40 million dollar diamond that he says he didn't steal. Now he is out to prove his innocence. The plot is funny. He now is out to really steal the diamond he never actually took. It's all a conspiracy involving a jeweling mogul (Ed Harris) and some dirty cops. He needs to figure out why they are throwing the book at him and he brews the perfect storm for a heist. His Brother, Joey (Jamie Bell) helps with the heist and though it doesn't change what Ocean's 11 or The Inside Man did, it is enjoyable. Strong performances by Edward Burns, Anthony Mackie, and Elizabeth Banks make this definitely worth watching.


NBM rates Man on a Ledge right in the middle at - Awesome

The Company Men

I love when I record something 6 months ago to finally watch it yesterday. What I love even more is when the film is excellent and I could have seen it 6 months earlier. This is another rare film where the critics rate it higher than users on RT and after watching it, I know exactly why. The reality of it. The subject matter had to hit really close to home for many Americans who lost their jobs during the economic failure a few years back. Bobby (Ben Affleck) is great at what he does. $120K + Bonus and incentives good, then like a fart in the wind, it's all gone. He and most everyone else in his department are fired without warning. Big businesses cutting back to make their bottom line more appealing for a possible sell out. Putting hundreds of people out of a job in order to pad the bank accounts of the few "higher ups". Greed at its finest. Bobby is prideful to say the least. Loves his Porsche, his million dollar home, his country club status and he doesn't want to give any of it up. Selfish man considering he has a wife and 2 kids to think about. Luckily he is married to the best woman alive. I mean in the history of EVER. I don't think this woman exists. That is why this film ultimately fall in the fiction category. She is exactly what he needs after 3 months of job searching when the severance is all gone. She is a realist who knows Family is number 1 and possessions are not important. It is funny what a 12 year old is able to teach a grown ass man when it comes to selfishness and how to see the bigger picture. As much as this is an Affleck vehicle, the list of stars in it flabbergasted me. Tommy Lee Jones is his Boss who had nothing to do with him being let go. Chris Cooper is a sad sack with 30 years with the company. Maria Bello is the brass in charge of firing people and yes her nipples do make a brief appearance as usual. Kevin Costner (Devil Anse Hatfield) is Bobby's Brother in Law/ Comic Relief, and Craig T. Nelson, aka Coach, is the Big Guy in charge, making sure he has plenty of money for himself. A really depressing film that is also very enjoyable to watch. I've been a bit of an Affleck fan of late, and this is no different. He does a great job as a man broken, looking for the mend, and trying to keep it together for everyone's sake. The underlying message is very clear, but it doesn't matter. Great film that should not collect dust on anyone's DVR for any amount of time let alone 6 months.


NBM rates The Company Men - Awesome

Hatfields & McCoys (Mini Series)

I don't believe I have ever written about a TV series, but this was no ordinary series. It was hyped and hocked and shoved down our throats for a month, and then it came and went. It came and went in a 3 day period, yet I and I'm sure you, cannot stop thinking about it. To say it was good or even great would be disrespectful for a story that took up over 6 hours of our time. Well, 4.5 hours for those of us with a DVR. I was looking forward to a little American history lesson starring two greats. Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy and Kevin Costner as Devil Anse Hatfield. The lore of these two are as American as it gets. Most of us know these two families spent their existence in a war with each other, often killing members of each other's clan, but no one I talked to really knew why. It starts us out during the civil war where Randall and Anse or actually friends. They watch each other's backs and then out of the blue, Anse abandons his men to return home. From here he goes on with his life, while Randall ends up as prisoner of the north to return some time later. Things are never the same between them and the lines are very blurry as to what is fueling the hatred. At first it was just petty stuff, but after a while it is pure hate that gets passed to the next generation who go to even more extreme measures to display their true feeling for the other family. Basically it turns into 4 hours of senseless murder. Trials, lawsuits, and the over seeing judge is Wall Hatfield (Powers Booth). Talk about the opposite of a blindfolded justice. Randall and Anse hardly go after each other. It's their kids that have turned a dispute into an all out war. The writing and flow is so good, the whole series could be watched in an afternoon. When Monday's episode was over I was unhappy I had to wait 22 hours to see more. Same feeling on Tuesday night, and when it concluded on Wednesday night I didn't know what to do with myself. It is that good. The way the writing is done (Perfectly) we as an audience cannot pick a side. When we begin to lean toward the McCoys being in the right, they do something unforgivable. Truth be told, everyone is a victim and no one is a victim. Just a bunch of rednecks who don't know how to use their words and wisdom instead of guns and knives. As much as this series is fueled by Kevin Costner, it is actually an unrecognizable Tom Berenger that steals the show as Uncle Jim Hatfield. He is the baddest of either group. He has no remorse for any of his actions and to him it is all justified because their name is McCoy. I will also add that this series had one of the best TV scenes of all time. It is when Anse is having a talk with his son Johnsie while fishing. It is intense and very hard to get through, and though I am sure it was for entertainment value only, you have to appreciate that scene for all it represents. I love stories like this, but I also wonder what was added in for entertainment purposes. I wonder if the feud began over Anse's defection from his southern brothers in arms during the Civil War, or if it was really about the land dispute, or if it was a perfect storm of several factors that led to a lifetime of war and pain. In the end we learn a lot about America's most notorious feud. I believe it is even better know than the EAST COAST / WEST COAST feud between Tupac and Biggie. I was extremely happy to read that Monday's premier episode was the most watched event (non sport related) in over 14 years at 13.8 million viewers only to break its own record with Wednesday's conclusion with roughly 14.1 million viewers. Nice. There is nothing not to like about this mini series. It is made by The History Channel and available On Demand and DVD.


NBM rates Hatfields & McCoys - A Work of TV Art

Acolytes

This is an Australian film that no one has ever heard of, so leave it to my Father (who doesn't watch all that many movies) to be the one who has seen it and WILL NOT SHUT UP about it. One thing you should know about him, is he lives on the IFC. That is the Independent Film Channel. I have the utmost respect for that as I am a HUGE  advocate for indie film. After having the sentence "Have you watched Acolytes yet?" shoved down my throat for weeks as if it is on every channel all day long due to its popularity, I found a copy for $2. It is a thriller in every sense of the word. My favorite genre of film and extremely difficult to pull off. Thriller seems to be a mash up between Drama, Horror, and Slasher and if done right it is none of these. If my father had known actors better, as I do, he could have told me Joel Edgerton stars and that would have lit a fire under my butt. He is from last year's Warrior. In Acolytes he plays a serial killer whose secret is found out by a group of teenagers. Simple enough, call the cops and have him arrested...too easy. Why not blackmail the psycho? Good idea. These kids actually hire him to kill a guy who has bullied them their whole lives in exchange for their silence. From here the cat and mouse begins. It is a short film (90 minutes) that is hard to understand at times times due to thick Aussie accents, but to say it is a nail biter is not doing it justice. At one point I looked over at my Wife, who I knew was hating every second of it, only to find out she was digging out her cuticles with her fingernails. I was wrong. She couldn't look away. Acolytes did its job as a Thriller. Where it goes from here is for me to know and you to find out. Which I'm sure will never happen since I am sure I own the only copy on U.S. soil. 
      I am thinking about doing a pay it forward with the DVD. I bought it for $2, and I know at least 2 people that want to see it. I will imprint the inside cover with an email address and instructions of what to do with it after you watch it. Give it to someone you know will enjoy it. Every one who sees it will email me their name and zip code and we can see how far it travels and how many people watch it. What do ya think about that plan? Comment below.


NBM rates Acolytes - Awesome

Snow White and the Huntsman

I have been excited about this movie for some time now. The more and more footage they released, the more I was angsty for June 1st to arrive as I am very limited as to how often I can actually get to the movies these days. Well today was the day, and though it was not "The Greatest Film of the Year" it was rather enjoyable for me. I do understand why it has not fared well on RT leaving it at an even split between likers and haters. It is an origin story that must deliver enough history to not feel choppy or empty, all the while it cannot be overly long. Let's face it, we are not prepared to see Lord of the Rings run time when it comes to Snow White. At 2 hours 7 minutes, it does a great job of getting that first 18 years out of the way of the story at hand. Most of the opening is narrated by The Huntsman (Hemsworth), to fill us all in with as few visuals and screen time as possible so we can have a clear picture of everyone's motives leading into the hunt. The trailers are so fast for this film, all of us should be well aware of what it is about. We are merely going to be wowed by visuals and to see how it all pans out. The Evil Queen (Theron) has the ability to stay young forever by sucking the youth out of young people. When she is informed that one particular girl will pass her in the fairest department ultimately leading to her demise, she will not let this happen. Especially with the alternative she is given. Kill Snow White and become immortal. Not a tough decision. This is when the movie begins to get good. Then we have about an hour and of running and chasing. The dark forest is the best part of the film and I wish they could've stayed there longer to experience the horror within. It had several shout outs to other films in my opinion. The first is Neverending Story (ATREYU!!!!), then it begins to feel like the fire swamp from The Princess Bride, and lastly Batman Begins. That one may throw you, but that refers to the hallucinogen effect some of the plants emit. The Troll (pictured above) was the coolest, but the story must progress. Onward and upward. I am going to talk about why the film was great as opposed to discussing any plot points. I pretty much gave the whole plot to you already. All movies today are special effects heavy, and in my opinion if done poorly, it can ruin a movie. The effects in SWATHuntsman are some of the best I have ever seen, if not the absolute best. It relies a lot on fantasy and creatures that do not exist and to make them as real as they were is a feat. I could not believe the flawlessness of it all, and that takes us to the Dwarfs. You know from the Disney classic "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs." The funny thing here is none of the actor portraying them are actually little people. I guess Willow is out of a job. He was the go to guy when small stature was necessary, but CG put him out of a job. Anyway, of the 7 I recognized 5, and I was pleasantly surprised. Nick Frost (Ed from Shaun of the Dead), Ian McShane (Deadwood), Tobey Jones (I don't know why I know him), Bob Hoskins (Roger Rabbit), and Ray Winstone (Indy Jones/Crystal Skull) all did a superb job. They had 2 roles. Little warriors and comic relief, although the comedy was few and far between, they were a rather enjoyable bunch. There is not a lot I can say about this film that is negative. It told a story. It twisted what we grew up with and added lots of flair. I do feel I built it up in my head to much, there is no way it could live up, but it sure came close. The battles were awesome, and the fights were brilliant, and Charlize was sexy scary. Great role for her. I am not a Kristen Stewart fan, but I made it through 2 hours without throwing up in my lap, so I guess she was bearable, and of course Thor was his usual self...only drunker. If you had desire to see this before today, then you will enjoy it. If you are on the fence, then I believe it is a crap shoot for you. If you have no desire to see it, then don't. It doesn't deliver any mind blowing features everyone must witness now in case the world ends tomorrow.


NBM rates Snow White and the Huntsman - Awesonomenal
Phenomenal for acting and CG
Awesome for story. We do know 100% of the plot before the opening credits even roll.