richcarter1962 Reviews

Transcendence (I) (2014)

Not As Good as It Could Have Been

[6/10 · 23 July 2014]

I absolutely love the premise of this movie. There are parts of this movie that are well done and thought provoking. Unfortunately there is quite a bit of the movie that drifts and becomes hard to stay interested in. Johnny Depp plays this in his most cool and aloof mode with almost a complete lack of emotion. While that made some sense after he is uploaded into a computer, he pretty much played it the same way when he was human. Rebbeca Hall is better, as Depp's wife, but the script just doesn't really allow her to do anything beyond mediocre. Paul Bettany is the highlight of the movie as far as acting goes.

If your a hardcore SCi-Fi fan, by all means see this movie. If you just have to see everything that Johnny Depp does, then go ahead and watch this. Otherwise there are better movies out there to invest 2 hours of your life in.

Godzilla (2014)

Godzilla Vs. Mothra

[7/10 · 23 June 2014]

I read several user reviews and the first one I read was right on the money. This is a monster movie that tips it's hat to the Godzilla of the 1950's. If you loved the cheesy dialog and campy fun of those then you will love this movie. Of course, the CGI adds a lot that the early movie couldn't, then again you also lose the laughs of an obvious toy stomping around on thousands of fleeing Japanese. Outside of that though the similarities are endless, the dialog is wooden, the lines in some places are laughable. The plot could be predicated by any cinema knowledgeable 6 year old. and please don't go to see it for the acting, I promise you will leave disappointed.

The long and short of it is, if you loved the old Godzilla(as I do), you will love this one even more, otherwise stay home. Oh and one last thing, this is actually not Godzilla, it's Godzilla vs. Mothra, if you're a fan you'll know the significant difference.

Non-Stop (2014)

A Great Thrill Ride

[7/10 · 31 May 2014]

This is not a a very believable movie. There are a thousand things that you can nitpick about the plot, but at the end of the movie I had to look back and say, I really enjoyed that. It's almost non-stop suspense, and I will give the writers this nod, I had no idea who the bad guy was until he's revealed at the very end.

The only reason I watched this movie was that I have become such a fan of the Liam Neeson thriller, I like millions of others became hooked with Taken. When you look at other action stars, say Jason Statham, for instance, he looks like a bad ass. Liam Neeson looks, and has the mannerisms of an everyman, so when he goes into full bad ass mode it's such a wonderful surprise, even when you know it's coming.

This long and the short of it is, this movie is worth your time and I think you'll enjoy it. If you liked Taken, there is an even better chance that you will like it, make no mistake, this is not as good a movie as taken, but it is worth a watch, IMHO

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

If You've Given Up on the X-Men Franchise, DON'T

[9/10 · 29 May 2014]

If you are like me, and a lot of people are, you probably thought that X-Men The Last Stand sucked, with good reason, it did. Wolverine was a little better, but still rated a "Meh, not that bad". First Class was a step in the right direction, but, Days of Future Past brings us back to what we loved about the X-Men in the first movie. I had read a LOT of the reviews and the build up was tremendous, so I went in with super high expectations, which is usually a recipe for disaster, however this time I got everything I had bargained for.

The bulk of the movie is essentially set in the past so you are dealing primarily with a younger set of actors, with exception of Hugh Jackman. Jackman and Lawrence dominate most of the screen time, which was just fine with me, in that, I love Jackman as Wolverine, and Jennifer Lawrence is my favorite young actress(for movies like Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle; Hunger Games, not so much).

As you would expect the CGI was tremendous, but as in most good sci-fi movies, the CGI was NOT the center of this movie. The characters were what drives this movie. The writing and directing are just sooooo much better than any of the other sequels, that's what really makes this a fun and absorbing movie to watch. If you like the X-Men I promise you, you will like this movie, if you've been turned off by the last few sequels, do yourself a favor and go see this one, it is well worth it.

P.S. Peter Dinklage is everywhere these days and the more I see of him the more I like him,(yes I'm a Game of Thrones junkie). He's the evil villain here in DOFP, and he's excellent.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

I Enjoyed Most of It

[7/10 · 26 January 2014]

The varied reviews of this movie with rating from 1 to 10, from garbage to Oscare nominee and best of Scorsese, amused me, and I have to say I found some truth in most of them. Is this movie entertaining, definitely YES. Is this movie too long, in my opinion, also yes. A lot of the naysayers say that the movie glorified the excesses of drugs, women, money and just about everything that can be abused. I wouldn't say that it glorifies it but rather that it presents a pretty honest view of how these times in the market were. I loved DiCaprio in this role. He doesn't play a lot of characters that are just completely unlikable and here is no exception, the charisma and charm of Jordan Belfort is played well here, but it also shows the fall that ultimately come from the deceit.

If you ever saw the movie Boiler Room, with Giovanni Ribisi, then you know the basic plot and what Boiler Rooms are. Wolf is tremendously better written, directed and acted, but the general plot is the same.

In the end I enjoyed this movie, though I think 30 minutes or so more editing to get the movie down to a more reasonable 2 1/2 hours, would have helped. I agree that this is Scorsese's best movie in years. I enjoyed this movie and I think you will too, just don't expect a morally uplifting theme here, it's not Frank Capra.

American Hustle (2013)

Better than I Thought

[8/10 · 21 January 2014]

I am not at all clear on thos that reviewed this title that said it had no entertainment value. I loved this movie, it was a little quirky and you had to pay more attention than 30 sec. at at time but it was funny, well written and well acted.I grew up in the late 70's and early 80's and a lot of what made this a period piece I related to because it was a the theme of my youth.

I have looked to discount Christian Bale's acting and I feel in some cases I have been justified, but he does a wonderful job in this film, first of all he is hardly recognizable, and please don't think Batman, it's much deeper that that.

I know that people are going to jump on the Jennifer Lawerence band wagon and i can't tell you not to. I am a huge fan of her work, the only regret I have of this film is that I didn't see enough of her in it. Seldom do you see actresses in Hollywood play a character 10 years older than her actual age, and JL does it with incredible accuracy. I am as big a fan as there is of JL but I want to give a shout out to Amy Adams as well, she is spledid in this role. Much more screen time than JL and just so will acted and nuanced.

Don't let the naysayers stop you fomr seeing this movie, it is a fun movce to watch, most especially if you grew up in the 70's.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)

I am really starting like the Ryan Gossling Emma Stone Pairing

[8/10 · 25 November 2013]

First I want to say I do not know how I barely even heard of this movie when it came out. It has a who's who list of A-list actors/actresses and yet I don't remember it getting much press. Well onto how great this movie was. This is a Steve Carell vehicle but all the actors give really wonderful performances, really small parts for some big actors Marissa Tomei, and Kevin Bacon, but they do well with a little screen time. Julianne Moore is as wonderful as ever. And as my title indicates Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone really sizzle together. I watched the their movies in reverse but they were very good in this movie and Gangster Squad earlier this year. and kudos to the youngsters in the movie they were well played and very believable.

This movie was equally well written and directed. It moves along at a nice pace, there is almost no moment in the movie that left me a little bored or thinking of what I was going to have for dinner. There are moments that will tug at your heart strings, and there are outright laugh out loud moments, plenty of both actually.

Even if you don't like romantic comedies, watch this movie, it's probably the best of it's genre in years.

Prisoners (2013)

Riveting

[9/10 · 17 November 2013]

I can't remember the last time I saw a movie this taut, this edge or your seat, and just a plain old riveting. First let's look at the actors Jackman gives a career performance, I've gotten so used to him as Wolverine I had almost forgotten this guy is an outstanding actor. Jake Gyllenhaal also gives a wonderful performance as the detective. A very small role for both actress' (Belo and Davis) but they both give nice performances when they are on screen.

What I really loved about this movie was it didn't try and beat you over the head with the plot and turns, it assumed that the audience weren't a bunch of drooling idiots. It points you subtly in the right direction and lets you figure out the rest on your own. I will credit the director for this.

The characters are so well written and well acted, each of them are three dimensional, and they will keep you guessing throughout the entire film as to who the bad guys and the good guys are.

All I can say to you the potential viewer is get this movie, get a big thing of popcorn and extra large drink because you are NOT going to want miss a minute of this movie, in fact you really don't want to pause it either.

Elysium (I) (2013)

Good Moments but all all together not very impressive

[4/10 · 13 November 2013]

I starting by reading a few of the user critics entries. I was never going to give this movie much respect but after reading all the plot holes, I realized this was a really bad movie.

2 things that I did take away from this movie, 1 Matt Damon should never take a roll that he has to shave his head in. This not a good look for him. 2nd Jodie Foster should stay away from rolls where she has to do an accent. In fact she shouldn't do roles where she is the bad guy, or bad girl in this instance.

The entire theme of the movie shamelessly steals from the Tome Machine and HG Wells' Eloi and the Morlocks. Other than that than spend a couple of hours watching something that will no doubt, not leave an impression on you. Definitely wait for the BlueRay release.

The Wolverine (2013)

Shameless Attempt to Leverage 1 more Movie with X-Men

[4/10 · 12 November 2013]

I checked the box that says this review might contain spoilers, really if you don't know what's going to happen 20 minutes into the movie then your just not paying attention, in your defense, it is pretty hard to focus your attention on this movie. Let's get the one bright spot out of way, Hugh Jackman gives another solid performance as Wolverine, outside of that this movie is BAD, the writing was horrible, the plot was horrible, there were a couple of new special effects. I couldn't decide in the last 20 minutes of the movie if they were ripping off Iron Man or Cletus the NFL robot you see every Sunday.

Honestly I wouldn't recommend wasting your time with this movie, it is easily the worst of all the spinoffs of the X-Men, and that's saying something because the Last Stand pretty much stunk it up as well.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

Thomas Horn; Next Mcaulay Culkin

[8/10 · 31 August 2013]

I do not know anyone with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, after watching this movie I was intrigued so I read up on it, and based on what I read Thomas Horn nailed it. Make no mistake about it even though there are 2 A listers, Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock not to mention a cameo by John Goodman, young Tom Horn is the star of this movie. It lived and died with him, and for my money it lived.

This is not an action movie, there aren't even any scenes of the towers other than 1 brief one at the end of the movie. This is a movie about coping with loss, not just Thomas Horn's character, but Sandra Bullock, the Grandfather, and all the people that he meets in his quest to find the lock that fit his key. It is also not a fast paced movie, I'm not really sure you could make a fast paced movie with this theme, character development demands that you spend a little time inside the skins of the characters and that takes time.

If you want to see a movie that will make you think about losses in your life, but still have an uplifting message then this movie will serve that purpose wonderfully. If you want something with lots of explosions and car chases, this is not for you.

Now You See Me (I) (2013)

Very Entertaining Flick

[7/10 · 30 August 2013]

I went into this movie with low expectations. For no other reason than I have found that many times movies that have a really "cutsie" plot are often no more than that. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. The start of the movie really got me hooked, it is well paced and does a pretty good job of developing a brief backstory on the main players. It does drag a little bit in the middle of the movie, and at over 2 hours it was a little on the long side. The end picks up and is fast paced right up through the end. The plot is a little thin but it was tolerable.

All in all, for me this was an entertaining movie, the acting wasn't bad, no Oscars here, but I will recommend this movie if your in the mood for something light that doesn't require too much thought.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

This Girl Cannot Act

[5/10 · 7 August 2013]

I could have ended my review with just the title. I hope this movie lets people know, Kristen Stewart can't act, she has the emotional range of Keaneau Reeves, which is to say the same as a box of rocks. One reviewer asked why does she keep her mouth open all the time. She's a mouth breather, if you don't know what that means, it's an insult, look it up on the Urban Dictionary, it describes her to a tee. Chris Hemsworth was tolerable. and only barely, but compared to Kristen he was a veritable Sir Lawerence Olivier. I am a fan of Charlize Theron and thought she did a pretty good job, not nearly her best work, but still good.

The visuals as so many are today aided by CGI were good, some were even stunning, but a couple of stunning visuals hardly made this movie worth wasting 2 hours on.

Only God Forgives (2013)

Everyone Owes Me a Dollar

[3/10 · 30 July 2013]

That's right I feel that everyone that I keep from watching this movie and wasting 90 minutes of their life should send me a dollar. Oh my gosh where to begin. The first 20 minutes of the movie nothing is spoken except subtitled Thai, and there was only about 3 lines of that. I thing I can say about this movie, it never gets "wordy".

If you are a Ryan Gossling fan, don't see this movie, it will make you hate him, at least a little. Best I can figure out he is trying to play this dark brooding character, somewhat reminiscent of Christian Bale in Batman, boy is ever not the actor to try and pull that off. In Goslings defense, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, no one could have made up for the horrible direction, or the equally horrible script.

Do yourself a huge solid, and don't waste that 90 minutes of your life. (and send me a dollar).

Dead Man Down (2013)

It's Like Deja Vu All Over Again

[5/10 · 28 July 2013]

Yes I ripped off my summary line from Yogi Berra. It seemed only fitting since this movie didn't bring anything new to the table (think Payback and about a dozen more revenge movies). I generally like Collin Farrell movies and when I sat down to watch this I was expecting something decent, that's pretty much what I got, something descent.

The movie starts out pretty well, it lays out the characters and their purpose throughout the first 1/4 of the movie. Then it gets very slow in the middle, and finally it got to the last 25% and that was bang, bang shoot'em up, which I also enjoyed.I would not pay money to go and see this in a theater. I do think it's worth renting when the time comes.

Oblivion (I) (2013)

Another Dud from Cruise

[4/10 · 27 July 2013]

I love good SciFi movies, unfortunately this movie does not belong to that group. I will give you the one thing that was good about this movie. The visuals were stunning. If you don't care about plot and just want to see something pretty, then by all means see this movie.

The plot is paper thin. They rip-off just about everything in this movie from some other SciFi's. I would love to see Tom get back to what he did well, a sort of devil may care guy, think Risky Business. Once again his character here seems to be soulless and made from cardboard. The 2 women weren't much better. For me, I didn't care about any of these characters; maybe the writers/director didn't want us to, if that is the case they succeeded famously.

If you are a SciFi aficionado, of Ray Bradbury and his sort story telling then you will probably like his movie, if your taste in SciFi leans towards Star Trek then don't see this movie you will not like it.

Mud (2012)

A Complex Movie with a Simple Theme

[8/10 · 26 July 2013]

I just watched this last night it is very good movie. I'll first give you my impressions. For the first half of the movie Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn came to mind, much of that was the setting itself, the filming was excellent, I could smell the damp smell of the river just by watching. If your to young to have read Mark Twain then perhaps Stand by Me might be a more recent movie had the same feel to it. The middle of the movie reminded me of Summer of 42', this is definitely a coming of age story. By the last quarter of the movie it turns into a fast paced shoot'em up movie.

For my money this was the best acting that Mathew McConneghy has done since his breakout roll in A Time to Kill. For much of the movie I wasn't sure where they were taking this character, eventually he gets to where you think he might end up, but it's an interesting route that he takes to get there. The 2 young stars were the real story here. It's the story of 2 14 year olds coming to grips with divorce, the loss of parents, the bond of true friendship and, of course, young love.

All in all this is a character driven movie, the story is an old one and nothing much was new here, that's OK though. The acting was excellent and by the end you care about all the characters even with their flaws. If your like me you will come to care about these characters deeply by the end of the movie.

The Conjuring (2013)

If You Don't Love to be Scared, this is not your movie

[9/10 · 18 July 2013]

First let me say, I DO NOT like scary movies as a general rule. When I saw that James Wan was directing (of Saw Fame)I was even less enthused simply because I consider Saw to be torture porn. What got me to watch this movie, despite my misgivings, was the fact that the MPAA gave this movie an R rating. When the producers went back and asked "Why", the MPAA simply said it is "just too scary" well that piqued my interest. I mean how scary can a movie actually be. Watch this movie and you will find out just how scary a movie can actually be.

James Wan did a masterful job in shaping this movie, there's really nothing new under the sun here, it has the same fair as a lot of other horror movies, but the way it's presented, particularly the last half, will have you putting your hands in front of your face. I swear I walked out of the theater and I was tired from watching this, wrung out, like I had just went 10 rounds with a heavy weight. This movie pulls no punches,there are parts that are hard to watch, but you will anyway.

If you like horror movies, don't walk but run to see this. If you're like me and don't care for horror movies, do yourself a favor and see this movie anyway it's well worth your time.

The Purge (I) (2013)

Cute Idea - Horrible Execution

[4/10 · 18 July 2013]

I watched this movie against my better judgement. Most of the reviews on IMDb rate this movie somewhere between awful and horrible. I was hoping that maybe they were being too harsh, they were not. I made the mistake of thinking that Lena Headey and Ethan Hawke were both credible actors. (I love Headey as the evil queen in Game of Thrones) whoever wrote her dialog in this mess should be drawn and quartered. By the end of this movie I was actually hoping that the "good guys" would get killed just to keep them from having to suffer this script anymore.

All in all this is a bad movie, don't waste your money or your time watching it. Trust me you'll thank me in the end.

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Want to Be Entertained; Pull Up a Seat

[9/10 · 6 July 2013]

Before I write a review I like to take a look at the "Loved It/Hated It". I do this before watching some movies/TV shows that I am uninformed or wary of wasting my time. I have to say I can't even remotely relate to what the "Hated It" folks are rambling on about. This series is well cast,(and a bit daring I think for casting Peter Dinklage (the dwarf) in one of the primary roles), he is excellent, you're not sure at the start of the series if your going to like or hate him but by the end of season 1, if you're anything like me, he has become one of your favorites. Lena Headey and Sean Bean are really the only actors that I was familiar with before watching GoT, but each character seems perfectly cast to me.

I did not watch this on HBO and therefore did not have to wait for weeks or months for the next installment, and thank goodness, once I started watching it was almost impossible for me not to go ahead and watch the next episode because the end of each episode left wanting more, and isn't that what a really good show should do.

I will say this, I was startled by this series in one way, they are not shy about killing off main characters in this show. I know that this is based on the series of books, A Song of Ice and Fire, I have not read them but I understand that they stay very true to the novels, but I would have found this just as startling for a novel, I won't spoil it for you by saying which characters but I will say steel yourself they come fairly often.

Because this is HBO there is a fair amount of nudity, sex and some fairly graphic violence, but I found none of it offensive nor gratuitous, but if that sort of thing bothers you it is the only reason I would say not to watch this series. I have watched all of the first 3 seasons and now can't wait till Season 4 begins, I hope you will enjoy these as much as I have.

Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

If You Like Die Hard; Read On

[6/10 · 1 July 2013]

This movie is basically a rehash of Die Hard (the first one) with Gerard Butler playing the part of John McClain, without the smart-ass attitude, there are no one line zingers like yippee kiya m*&^%$. Gerard Butler does a good job bringing a little more gravitas to the character, although the movie could have benefited from lighter moments. I liked Butler in Law Abiding Citizen and 300 and I liked him in this. Arron Eckhart does a passable job as the President, and Morgan Freeman does his usual great job playing the speaker of the house. If you're watching this because you're an Ashley Judd fan, don't, she's in about the first 5 minutes of the movie.

Now for the things I didn't like about the movie, the script was thin, very thin. Dylan McDermott (and I usually like this guy) was possibly the worst villain of all time. His lines were delivered woodenly, sometimes they were so bad that I wasn't sure if they were meant to be serious or funny. His 15 second rant at the President about selling out to the highest corporate bidder was not only laughably bad, it also didn't have any bearing on the plot of the movie.

All in all, I have seen worse movies, the action is very good, Butler has some great fight scenes reminiscent of 300, and there are lots of gun fights and just good old fashion blowing stuff up scenes. My advice is that if you are a big Die Hard fan, then you will probably like this movie, if you are watching this because it has some great actors and you're expecting something new and wonderful, don't waste your time, you will be sorely disappointed.

The Call (II) (2013)

Not the Best Action Movie but Not that Bad Either

[7/10 · 15 June 2013]

Just watched this last night, waited for it to come out on DVD because the reviews had been horrific. I have never given any credence to the entertainment value of a movie based on the critical reviews, in fact many times it's often the reverse, if it's panned critically then I like it. For this reason I have been a huge fan of the viewer critiques on IMDb, now I can see that once again I am going to have to adjust my scale, it seems that most of the self appointed movie snobs that go to the premiere's etc, etc, then run home to write a review of the movie, have now decided that in order to measure up against their paid brethren they too must trash anything that doesn't have Daniel Day-Lewis in it, (that's right I said it, I don't care for DDL movies, they are BORING).

Now kids back to our movie, Haley Berry, as you would expect, is excellent. I have always felt she was under appreciated because she is just so darn beautiful. I found the rest of the acting competent, nothing jumps out you, good or bad. This is an Action/Suspense Thriller and it fits the bill nicely in all categories. I was on the edge of my seat for much of the movie. The characters are worth caring about, Haley's and Ms. Breslens, the only 2 that really matter in this movie.

My only knock on the movie was the ending is a little odd, well let's just say I found it an odd choice, but for those knock the movie for being formulaic and hate the ending, you can't have it both ways, either the movie is formulaic and the ending is too, or it's not formulaic and you hate the ending.

In closing this is a fairly short movie, it doesn't get bogged down and you'll learn some things about 911 operators jobs that you didn't know, it's well worth a watch.

Pitch Perfect (2012)

What Glee would be, (if it sucked)

[2/10 · 3 March 2013]

Well it's official this is BY FAR the WORST movie I have ever set through in it's entirety. I kept making little excuses to myself, maybe the plot will reveal itself. I gave this movie a 2, and the only reason I gave it that is I have to save 1 star for a movie that is worse than this one. Just to let you know, the acting was horrible, the plot was not in evidence anywhere in the film. At least they were consistent the writing was just as bad as the acting, and let's not forget the brains behind this whole pathetic movie the director, he was just as inept as everyone else.

The story is somewhat of a "Bring It On" melded with "Glee", and a little "Full Metal Jacket" not that anything in the movie reminded me of Full Metal Jacket", but it did make want to eat my gun, just like Private Pyle.

Oh and while I am on the topic the little lie I told myself was that at least once they got to the competition at least these kids would be able to sing, wrong again, the music is not even any good. I suppose when you bring a lot of no name actors/actresses into a movie that was poorly written, poorly directed, poorly acted then you probably shouldn't expect much from it, hence the generous 2.

Do yourself a favor, don't waste 2 hours of your life watching this, I would rather watch Curling Finals from Quebec, at least it's funny.

50/50 (2011)

I'm in the middle on this one

[7/10 · 2 March 2013]

I will start by telling you 2 things about this movie that I think are important to someone about to sit down and watch. This is not a very fast moving tale, it does plod along in spots where I believe the director was trying a convey a subtle point. The other thing you need to know, and this is most important thing, this is not a sappy, tug at your heart strings kind of a movie. This was a fairly honest portrayal of how one man deals with the idea that he only has a 50% chance of living.

Both the lead actors are good, I am thrilled to see JGL branching out he is an extremely talented actor. If you're expecting a typical Seth Rogan movie, it's not this one, he is really very good at portraying the best friend who at first doesn't have a clue how to help his friend deal with his situation. Not one time did he go into the "Hey look at me I,m a funny fat guy. Cheers to Anna Kendrick as well, I loved her as the therapist that had to deal with a very angry young man.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

For Everyone who Gave This Movie a 1

[10/10 · 14 February 2013]

I have written a few reviews on IMDb and Shawshank is one of my favorite movies of all time. I don't necessarily think this movie was a 10 but an easy 9 for me. I am giving it a 10 because of the negative reviews that I read with saying they gave this movie a 1 just because others had given it a 10. As far I'm concerned it's mine to give, if I want to to give every a movie a 10, (which by the way I don't). I am just sick of people telling me that a movie can't be great because it was story driven and not character driven, maybe I like story driven movies, I certainly liked this one. So here's another 10 for you movie snobs will have to eradicate.