The Loft

Rated R / 1 hr 48 min / Thriller

What is it about?

A group of five friends are at a party for a building opening. One of the friends is the architect that designed the building. He brings them up to a loft in the building and proposes that they all use the place as their spot to relax without having to go to a hotel or have their significant others see it on their credit card statement. The others don't know what to make of it at first. The last of the five friends finally gets married and as his wedding present the architect hands him a key to the place. The others all also get keys at the wedding. After several months of using the place for their secret trysts, one of them comes in to find a dead girl handcuffed to the bed. Now they need to figure out who did it and how to clean it up without giving it away to the police or their wives.

You will like it if...

You like intelligent thrillers. The actors in this movie are decent, but none really carry that star power of the A list actors. Karl Urban and James Marsden come close, but neither distinguishes themself over any or the other actors in the film. The script is the real star. The story builds slowly as they give you a information bit by bit leading to the finale where you learn the why and how of everything. Each twist and turn is doled out in a way to keep an even pace to ensure the audience isn't bored. Even though the film throws a lot at you, it's not difficult to keep up with what is going on. The Loft is an above average thriller, but it never rises to the point of being something special that you must see. In the end it is somewhat interesting and a bit entertaining, but never quite reaches the point of being a great movie.

Mortdecai

Rated R / 1 hr 46 min / Action - Comedy

What is it about?

Follow the misadventures of Lord Mortdecai, a shady art dealer who is completely broke. He meets up with a collector to sell a vase, but the collector decides he is going to double cross Mortdecai. He also wants one of Mortdecai's fingers. His trusty manservant Jock gets him out of trouble. Upon his return Mortdecai is approached by an old friend from school who now works for Mi5. Mi5 Agent Martland needs his connections with the shady underbelly of the art world to help solve a crime and catch a terrorist. A painting has been stolen that many collectors want, and they all seem to think Mortdecai has it. The terrorist, the collector who wants Mortdecai's finger, and a crazy Russian collector are all chasing after him for this painting. Will Mortdecai be able to find the painting before it's too late?

You will like it if...

You like clever action comedies. It's hard to compare this movie to other movies because this kind of movie is very rare. There are many movies that are clever or try to be, like Now You See Me or Law Abiding Citizen. The action comedy genre is dominated by movies like 21 Jump Street. None of these have the zest for silliness that Mortdecai has. From a comedic aspect the movie is hilarious in spots, but in others the jokes completely miss or go over the head of the audience. They don't let Johnny Depp run too far off the ledge with the silliness, opting for a more intellectual humor more often than I thought they would based off the preview. Don't worry, there is still plenty of silly to go around as well. Gweneth Paltrow is fantastic as Lady Mortdecai, but while her character is critical to the story it still feels like she was underused. Paul Bettany isn't given many lines to work with, but he is constantly pulling Mortdecai out of trouble in the action scenes, sometimes to comedic effect. I enjoyed Mortdecai, but it's not for everyone. It's a hybrid movie that tries to do a bit of everything, but doesn't truly excel at anything. The melding of comedy, action, and story makes for an enjoyable experience.

American Sniper

Rated R / 2 hr 13 min / Action - Biography - Drama

What is it about?

This movie follows the life of Chris Kyle. He starts out as a cowboy who is riding horses in competitions on weekends. After a weekend of competing, he comes home to find his girlfriend cheating on him. He kicks the girlfriend and the guy out. Something important comes out of this encounter. He realizes that he is destined for a higher purpose. He signs up for the NAVY and during Seal training they find that he has skill with a sniper rifle. On his wedding day he finds out that he is being deployed to Iraq. He goes on to become the most lethal sniper in American history through three more tours of duty. His family wants him to come home, but he brings the war home with him.

You will like it if...

You like war films that deal with the tortured souls who fight in it. First and foremost Bradley Cooper gives the best performance of his life. You can tell that he is very passionate about the character he plays. Clint Eastwood has a tendency to make long drawn out movies that have long lulls in the action. American Sniper is the exception. It is long and drawn out, but I never felt like the action dropped off like in his other films. The movie isn't perfect. It displays the horrors of the war in Iraq effectively, but the story flops all over the place like a fish out of water with no direction. I think that is mostly the result of trying to compress several years of Chris Kyle's life into a movie. Clint Eastwood did the best he could with the source material and crafted the best war movie I've seen in several years. It felt like everyone involved brought their A game to try to do justice to the story of Chris Kyle's life.

One last thing I want to mention. I have seen a lot of people spouting hate towards Islam, muslims, etc.. after seeing this movie. This is a story about protecting each other, not hating people for their religion or where they grew up. If you're not mature enough to avoid giving into that stigma then you shouldn't watch this movie because you're missing the point. Chris didn't want to pull that trigger to take a life. He did it because if he hadn't then someone else would have died.

Taken 3

PG-13 / 1 hr 49 min / Action - Crime - Thriller

What is it about?

In this third edition of Taken, Liam Neeson reprises his role as Bryan Mills. His ex-wife meets up with him to say that she is having problems with her current husband. They are trying to work things out, but she still thinks of Bryan. She texts him to meet at his place for bagels. He goes to pick some up. When he gets home, the ex-wife is already there and the door is unlocked. He steps on a knife that appears to have blood on it. He finds her in his bedroom with her throat slit. While trying to check her pulse, the police burst in to arrest him.

You will like it if...

You liked the second Taken movie. Just like the previous movies the action is front and center. There are a lot of jump cuts in the fight and action scenes that gives the illusion of speed, but it also makes it hard to see exactly what is going on at times. It's like watching a flip book where each frame doesn't really match up with the previous frame. The script tries to be clever, but there are too many holes in it to succeed. Liam and Forrest do their usual serviceable jobs, but it seems like they are winking at each other when they interact. Even with all of the issues, the movie still manages to be entertaining. It could have easily been a much better movie than it ended up being. If you love Liam Neeson movies then this is a decent one to go see, otherwise it's just your average action/thriller.

Selma

PG-13 / 2 hr 13 min / Biography - Drama - History

What is it about?

The civil rights movement is in full swing in 1965. Martin Luther King Jr. is looking for a place to push President Lyndon Johnson to pass a bill that would protect those who only wish to execute their legal right to vote. After a terrorist attack on a church that kills four children, King decides on Selma as the place to tackle this problem. Standing in their was in Sheriff Jim Clark who is a bit of a bully. The first confrontation is at the City Hall building where the voting registration office is. The sheriff blocks them there, and the standoff ends in violence. They arrest Dr. King, but that does not weaken his resolve. They decide to organize a march on the state capitol in Montgomery.

You will like it if...

You like moving political dramas based off the civil rights movement. The story in this movie is even more impactful if you consider that it only covers one small part of the story of Dr. Martin Luther King. The story in this film is powerful and moving like many of King's speeches. It's easy to get caught up in the strong emotions of the story. The acting is decent, but at times it can feel a bit like a documentary rather than a movie. Considering recent events you can pick a cause to apply what you learn from this movie. Just think of what the United States would be like today if good men did nothing when they were called to action in Selma. Think of what we could all accomplish if we banded together and tried to fix the problems of today. I would recommend this movie to anyone that is interested in making the world a better place for the future. It's not a perfect movie and drags in parts, but it is an inspiring look at one of the impactful moments of the civil rights movement.