Snitch

MOVIE DETAILS:                         

DIRECTOR: Ric Roman Waugh

GENRE: Action/Adventure, Crime, Drama

RATED: PG-13

CAST: Dwayne Johnson, Rafi Gavron, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon

SYNOPSIS: Based on a true story, a father helps his son who is facing 10 years in prison after being set up in a drug deal. He goes undercover and sabotages a drug cartel for the attorney in exchange for the release of his son. 

PERSONAL COMMENTARY:                                                     

The idea of this film is based on the 1992 true story of James Settembrino, whose son received a mandatory sentence of at least 10 years in prison for selling LSD. Although James Settembrino did try to help give information about drug dealers in return for his son's release, his efforts were essentially in vain. The movie, of course, does not accurately portray the real story. 

If you're expecting an exciting action movie, then this is not it. This movie leaned more towards the drama genre, diving deeper into the complexities of the relationships between characters and the realistic situations. In some instances it seemed dull since I felt like I had seen the same type of relationship or character before.

There may have been an imbalance between the drama and action in the movie, which made it feel like the pacing of the movie was a bit off. It took a while to get the story going, but it was an interesting watch overall. I would rate this movie a 3.6 out of 5.

A Good Day To Die Hard

MOVIE DETAILS:                        

DIRECTOR: John Moore

GENRE: Action, Crime, Thriller

RATED: R

CAST: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch

SYNOPSIS: John McClane goes to Russia to help his unruly son. Little does he know, his son is working for the CIA and is currently in the middle of a mission. In the right place at the right time, McClane teams up with his son work to complete the mission. 

PERSONAL COMMENTARY:                                                        

I wouldn't exactly say that I am a fan of the "Die Hard" movies, but I have watched and enjoyed them. I believe it is the fifth movie, and l think it is starting to get a little dull. 

The action and special effects were pretty intense and exciting, especially since the sound was blaring in my ears at the theater. The action escalated quickly in the first few minutes, and it was well spread out through the entire movie. However, other than the action, there was little else to the movie. It was a pretty typical storyline that included father-son bonding while beating up bad guys, and that's all there is to it. There wasn't much to the characters and personas themselves.

Overall, from what I remember of the previous movie, I did like "Live Free or Die Hard" much more than this one. I wouldn't recommend watching this, and I would give it a 3 out of 5.

Warm Bodies

MOVIE DETAILS:                                                

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Levine

GENRE: Comedy, Horror, Romance

RATED: R

CAST: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich

SYNOPSIS: In the midst of a zombie apocalypse, R, a zombie, saves Julie, a human, from a zombie attack. They learn more about each other, and R starts becoming more human-like.   Together, they go on an adventure and spark the transformation of the lifeless world. 

PERSONAL COMMENTARY:                                                   

This was a refreshing movie. The concept was new and interesting, and there was a good balance of comedy, horror (more like action and adventure with an extra thrill now and then), and romance. I feel like if any one element was removed, it probably would have been lacking. One thing I did not expect was all the action that was going to be in the movie. I thought there would be hardly any action at all, but there was plenty for a romantic comedy. 

This was probably directed towards a younger female audience, and (maybe) I am considered part of that audience, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway. All in all, it turned out to be a very adorable and heart-warming movie, and it's a nice watch. My rating would be 4 out of 5.

Gangster Squad

MOVIE DETAILS:                       

DIRECTOR: Ruben Fleischer

GENRE: Crime, Drama

RATED: R

CAST: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone

SYNOPSIS: Mickey Cohen is the mob king in early 1950s Los Angeles. He has his mob, the police, and politicians under his control and pretty much gets everything his way. No one dare stands against him, except for a small group of guys from the LAPD...

PERSONAL COMMENTARY:                                                            

"No names. No badges. No mercy." That pretty much sums it up. The storyline was pretty simple, but there was action and cool special effects. 

What stood out to me the most was the theme. The old, "retro-ish" feel of the film was pretty awesome. I liked seeing the classic style; it's something I hadn't seen in a while. The theme just fit right in with the story of mobs and gang wars and vigilantes. The cast of familiar faces also fit the style, and it had a pretty cool "look and feel" to it. 

Other than that, I'm not sure what else to say about this movie. It was entertaining, but I think it would have been better to watch it on TV someday in the future. I'm thinking I'll give this movie a 3.8 out of 5.