We all know that ALL EYEZ ON ME is trying to ride on the very recent success of 2015’s Straight Outta Compton. Let me get this out of the way first: I am not very familiar with Tupac Shakur’s music, or am very familiar with his life, nor have I seen Notorious (the actor who played Biggie reprises his role here), but I did love Straight Outta Compton. The real question is: was this a fast made product rushed into theaters so that way Straight Outta Compton wasn’t out of people’s minds yet or can magic really be recreated that quickly? A little bit of both. All Eyez On Me has the potential, there are several scenes that are as powerful as some scenes in Straight Outta Compton, however this film, even at 2 hours and 20 minutes, felt rushed. Really rushed. And all that leads to this conclusion: while Straight Outta Compton has tremendous focus, All Eyez On Me’s focus is all over the place, which makes it a little bit of a disappointment.

There is a great Tupac Shakur movie somewhere in there. In fact, if this movie was about extended another 40 minutes, maybe even clocking in at 3 hours and 30 minutes, this might’ve been a masterpiece. Instead, this movie seems like it might’ve been butchered in the editing room. For example, Lauren Cohen, from The Walking Dead, is third name billed in this movie, yet she has literally less than 90 seconds of screen time. She plays one of the people that first got Tupac his start with Digital Underground. And we are told this, yet she’s in the movie for less than 90 seconds. I feel maybe she was meant to be in there 15 to 20 minutes but her part was cut. You have also probably heard by now that Jada Pinkett doesn’t approve of the movie because of how they portrayed her and Tupac’s friendship. She might be right. The person that plays her is hardly in there as well, and their relationship is told to us rather than shown to us, and she is maybe in the film less than 5 minutes. Her character is gone for 100 minutes, and then she randomly shows up at the end to argue with Tupac backstage, which according to the real Jada Pinkett, didn’t really happen.

Sorry, my review isn’t really focused and is going all over the place. And that is the point I am trying to make. The movie goes from womb to grave, and the genius of Tupac probably shouldn’t have been reduced to just 2 hours and 20 minutes. It maybe should’ve been a limited series on HBO or Netflix. We are told and shown some of the stuff that made Tupac genius and inspirational…but not enough. And the stuff we are shown, is in and out within a snap of your fingers. The movie also spends wayyy too much time when Tupac is in prison for a rape charge that he supposedly had nothing to do with (no judgement here). While it proved a point or two, I don’t think it warranted 30 minutes, where I and the audience could’ve used 30 minutes added on somewhere else.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a terrible movie by any means. It is completely watchable and at times very engaging. It’s just all over the place and not focused. What Straight Outta Compton did right was focus on the very beginning of N.W.A. and then was smart to stop right after Easy-E’s death. It didn’t show any of them from birth or much of the aftermath afterward, and that made the film solid, tight, and perfect. Maybe this film should’ve focused on when he first started to his death and cut out some of the childhood fat. I don’t know. Like I said, I think a limited series would’ve been perfect for this.

The performances are all spectacular. The actor that plays Tupac, Demetrius Shipp Jr., not only looks like him, but portrays him perfectly with the actual Tupac footage that I have seen. Danai Gurira, another Walking Dead alum (she plays Michonne), as Tupac’s mother, is spectacular as well. There is no problem with the acting here. And no problem with the music either. It is all re enacted to absolute perfection. But Tupac’s true message about what he was trying to do gets lost somewhere in the film, and you can blame it on the film not being solid. The story would at times would contradict his message and then there wouldn’t be any message at all at times, and it was all very frustrating.

This movie is just too all over the place and rushed for me to recommend really. Maybe a one time watch, but it isn’t continually watchable like Straight Outta Compton is. This movie does want me to check out Notorious though and see Biggie’s side of the story. If you are going into this looking for maybe more info on Tupac’s death, you might be disappointed. The movie kind of gives you several suspects, and let’s you maybe try to guess what happened on your own. But if I want to watch a truly great biopic about rap and its legends, its strong message, and its solid focus, I will always put in Straight Outta Compton, and All Eyez On Me will probably never enter my mind for me to stick it in my blu ray player.

So other than Jurassic World (overrated to some) and Safety Not Guaranteed (good but too small to measure), this is the last films we get from director Colin Treverrov before he starts making the final installment of the new trilogy, Star Wars Episode IX. A lot of reviews on the internet are being very unkind to this film, in fact the hatred is so bad that there are now petitions to get Mr. Treverrov to be fired from co-writing and directing Star Wars, nervous that he’s going to fuck it up worse than Return or Revenge. While I am a little nervous that this filmmaker doesn’t have a lot to warrant this final film in the trilogy (I think they should’ve just kept Rian Johnson), I don’t think THE BOOK OF HENRY is that bad of a film to warrant him getting kicked off the project. In fact, I don’t think the film is bad at all, it is actually pretty decent. Not enough to warrant a buy from me, but saying that this film is “beyond ludicrous” is pretty ludicrous in itself.

It is just a simple family tale that does change tones several times throughout the film, however, I do feel those tone changes are warranted. If you watch the trailer to the film very, very carefully there is a twist that happens mid movie that you’ll be able to see happen from far away. But then again, a person that loves movies such as me, it is hard to get things past me anymore. But the tone is light, charming, and funny at the beginning, tragic in the middle, and a little thrilling in the end, but goes full circle and back to light and charming at the end. But like I said, the film earned it. I mean, with all the superhero shit, sequels, rip offs, remakes, reboots, you would think that something a little original that people would embrace, and if not think it’s fantastic, at least appreciate it for what it tries to do.

And the reason that the films works more than it should is the acting. Naomi Watts, Lee Pace, Jaeden Lieberher, Sarah Silverman, Dean Norris and Jacob Tremebley are all solid and at moments, incredibly moving. Nothing over the top or outlandish. I think the plot point of Naomi Watts, with an “elaborate” plan from one of her sons, setting out to kill her neighbor who is sexually molesting his step daughter. The way that plot point ended I thought was the most logical, and if it would’ve ended any other way, it probably would’ve brought the film to the true outlandishness these critics are thinking that the film actually brings currently.

It’s just a story. A lot of stories you have to leave your brain at the door, suspend your belief, etc., and if you don’t and take everything seriously, you’re not going to enjoy yourself. At some points, yes, you have to suspend your belief with this film. But for me that was okay, but I thought the film was entertaining for what it was. And with people worried that Colin is also writing Episode IX, he didn’t even write this movie, just directed it. Now yes, it worries me that he did co-write the overrated Jurassic World, but I don’t think Lucasfilm would bring him aboard if they didn’t have some confidence in him. Now they could always fire him, they did that to Josh Trank, but I think that was more to his behavior on the Fantastic Four set than it was on the actual product. Every actor that has worked with Colin seems to have enjoyed it, and he does bring out good performances, so I mean, let’s give the guy a chance. If he does fuck up Episode IX, then we can bring the pitchforks.

But in conclusion, The Book of Henry isn’t something to rush for the theater for. But it isn’t the abomination that the critics are making it out to be. In fact, it is a enjoyable afternoon Netflix watch. And something you pay attention to, not just put on in the background while you are cleaning your house. The quick 105 minute runtime flies by, and the ending ending of the film might bring a lump in your throat or two. But as we have all realized with Heath Ledger, some other casting and directing choices, we could be surprised. So let’s give Colin a chance, because really, he hasn’t made a terrible film yet.

Everyone knows that Pixar’s Cars series is basically a prostitute of the highest order. It is an unashamed sell out whore in all of the Disney company. These films are made specifically to cash in on the toy market. Little kids love the damn Cars toys more than they do the actual movies. And this wouldn’t really matter, if the Cars films were actually any good (the first one kind of is, the second one is abysmal trash). And so we are given a Cars 3, before we even get an Incredibles 2, which is bullshit. And while Cars 3 is a lot better than the STD infested Cars 2, it is so utterly predictable and filled with recycled plot points, twists, and storytelling devices, that if you take your kids to see it, you might want to use protection.

I don’t think Disney will appreciate that I’m comparing their Cars series to disease infested prostitutes but I don’t think anyone at Disney will ever read this review. Let me give you a brief insight one why the first and second Cars movie don’t really work. The first Cars movie is a personality redemption story that had been done too many times before it. Ego-driven person/place/thing ends up as a fish out of water at a place they’ve never been too and redeems his/her/itself by the end of the film and everyone/everything involved comes out the better. The voice talent, effects, and some of the emotion saved that film from being complete drivel, into something halfway decently watchable. The 2nd film made the mistake of taking it’s focus from character Lightnin’ McQueen and instead shifted it to the more annoying Tow Mater, the Jar Jar Binks of Pixar. And the fact that it tried to move that character into a stupid predictable recycled spy storytelling plot was even more ludicrous and lame.

So now we come to the third Cars movie, and while it does right by the switching the focus back to Lightin’ McQueen, it films acts like it is really Cars 4 or 5, recycling the “I’m so old story but I can still make a comeback/be kickass” plots we have gotten from Indy 4, Rocky Balboa and Creed, Live Free or Die Hard, basically any movie franchise well past the third movie where the actor/actress has gotten old and have to prove themselves. And by doing that, everything about Cars 3 is predictable. EVERYTHING. The movie starts out by this new race car name Jackson Storm winning the races over McQueen, and McQueen gets so frustrated by this he tries too hard one race and ends up crashing pretty badly. He then wants to use the non-racing season to get back to what he once was and even better, just to beat Jackson Storm. See where this is going? Even Jackson Storm and other racers start to use the “new technology” storytelling angle to be better racers, while McQueen prefers the old school, analog way. The only really exciting scene in the movie is where Lightin’ McQueen and his new trainer Cruz go to this Demolition Derby (shhhh, they don’t know it’s that, they think it’s a regular race) and compete not to get smashed.

If you don’t see the ending coming, then you don’t go to enough movies. Going down this road and being this predictable doesn’t make the film not watchable, because it is, but it makes it kind of lame and not really all that exciting. Which for a Pixar film, is a crime. The only other Pixar films that are in league with the Cars films for being okay and not that great are probably Monsters University and The Good Dinosaur. Both of those combined with the Cars films are definitely on the very bottom of the Pixar greatness totem pole.

The effects are good and the voice acting is solid, and I like the way they basically made Tow Mater’s role in this akin to Jar Jar Binks in Attack of the Clones, but none of that is enough to sustain this film. We need more original Pixar films (thankfully one called COCO comes out this fall). We don’t need Toy Story 4, or a third Finding Dory, and depending on the quality of Incredibles 2, we might not need that either. What happened to great story ideas like Inside Out? That film is a masterpiece and isn’t a sequel? Can’t we just keep doing original content and go back to doing what Disney did in the 90s and if there is a sequel make it inside different animation studio owned by Disney and make it direct-to-video (thank God they did that with Planes)?

Disney/PIXAR, if anyone is reading this, please for the love of God don’t make a Cars 4. I’m tired of these non-original entries from your company. John Lassiter needs to go away and you need to hire new writers and directors with fresh ideas. We need great films from you again like Inside Out, Wall-E, Ratatouille, Up, and so on. Stop making these films just because you are killing it in the toy market. Parents, stop buying your kids Cars toys so we stop getting this mediocre schlock from Pixar! Buy them Hot Wheels (which are better toys) instead. If we keep going down the same road, we are going to get the same results. Time to take a detour.

47 METERS DOWN was an okay one time watch….until it broke THE NUMBER 1 CARDINAL SIN OF MOVIE MAKING!!!! And it is a cardinal sin of the highest order. Movies stopped doing this in the 90s it was so bad, and the only other movie that has done it (that I can remember) in the 2000s was Repo Men starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. Aron Seeley, if you are reading this you know exactly what I am talking about. And it bugs me that I can’t tell you this sin, as it is a major spoiler for the film and really the only twist that the movie had to offer. I will give it credit for not just ending on that said twist and for going on a little bit longer to wrap some things up, but the twist was still a cardinal sin. And because of it I cannot recommend this film, at all.

And that’s a shame, because there are a lot of things to like about the movie. Claire Holt and Mandy Moore are actually really good in this (even though when Mandy Moore is freaking out and breathing hard it sounds like sex noises). The shark effects are the best I have ever seen. The movie does bring about real tension even though that tension is cliched and has been dumb before. And at 85 minutes, the movie doesn’t overstay its welcome.

That being said, along with the cardinal sin that it makes in the movie, there is a lot to not like about the film. Even though the acting is good, the characters are extremely fucking dumb. They make so many dumb God damn choices in this movie I didn’t want them to make it out of their situation alive. The beginning was slow and the movie set up a relationship divide between the two sisters that really didn’t pay off in the end (the cardinal sin is partly to blame). There is a little fling with the two guys that get the girls on the boat to go shark sight seeing that really didn’t pay off either. Didn’t establish any relationships with them and after the girls go into the water they aren’t really seen all the much again. And when they are it’s again part of the cardinal sin.

The cardinal sin also ruins some of the great tension that the film brought along with it. Not all of it mind you, but about 10 minutes of it. If you’ve seen Repo Men or have followed the context clues I have given you, you can probably figure out what the cardinal sin is. If you have no clue, and see the movie, you will know when it happens, and then shake your head in shame.

If they can take those shark effects they used in this film and put them in a better film, it could be one of the best shark films ever made. In my mind, there are only two shark films worth seeing, JAWS and DEEP BLUE SEA. Never has a shark film even come close to beating those two classics in the ocean thriller genre. The Shallows, which I did not care for, is better than this film. And you know what all three of those sharks movies have in comparison to this one? They didn’t break the cardinal rule of film making/storytelling. There were many ways that this film could have went without having to go that route, and I can’t believe they didn’t take them. I can’t recommend this film because of it. And unfortunately I will never forget this film because of it either.

I was really looking forward to Rough Night. Even though it looks like a lighter version of a baby making session between The Hangover and Very Bad Things, I love the cast of lovely funny ladies, and am always up for some weird hilarious hijinks. It pains me to say that the movie just ended up being a somewhat chuckle worthy but entertaining one time watch. It seems as though the script was just borrowed from better films and tried to recycle some dick, drug, and fart jokes and have it be more shocking just because it is coming out of Scarlett Johansson’s mouth. I just didn’t laugh out loud all that much because the jokes and the hijinks were just not original. I’m fairly certain they even completely ripped off Weekend At Bernie in some scenes. However, the movie was still salvageable because of all the very funny and lovely ladies involved and one other thing the trailer is not showing you, that ended up being funnier than the girls adventure.

That’s right, what the trailer doesn’t show you is bits and pieces from the male side of the bachelor parts, which I thought was funnier than what the script had in store for the women. This one the one smart thing the script did, was turn a lot of sexist and stereotyping on its head. When the movie went to Johansson’s fiance, Bo Burnam and the best use of diapers as comedy since Raising Arizona, the movie kicked into high gear with the laughs. I won’t get into that situation other than that. The problem I had with the girls’ story is that the script didn’t really take any risks. Without being too spoiler-y, before the incident with the dead stripper arrives, and I mean RIGHT BEFORE, you can tell where the film is going to go by the way one of the characters acts. I don’t think a lot of the general audience is going to notice, but when a twist at the end is revealed, it really wasn’t a twist, as I knew that twist was going to be a possible way for the girls to get out of their situation.

I wanted the script to take more risks. There could’ve been better and smarter ways for the girls to get out of their situation. And better and smarter ways = better hijinks and genuinely funny (and not forced) moments. There is a situation with Demi Moore and Modern Family’s Ty Burrell that could’ve gone a bunch of different places, but instead went to a very cliched and obvious resolution. It was a little disappointing. But as for the girls themselves, I loved all of them and they honestly tried to make the material in the script work. They looked like they had a fun time making the movie, and it shows here.

Scarlett proves that she can do comic and not just be a superhero all the time, although she proved in better in Don Jon. Jillian Bell is….well Jillian Bell here and nothing new acting wise out of her but I’ve always found her hilarious and she brings high energy to this. I love Broad City (which is funnier than this) and Ilana Glazer brought her comedic skills in tact here. And Zoe Kravitz, who I have never seen in a comedy before I think, did fine here as well. And Kate McKinnon, I love her in anything she does, and in this she is one of the better parts of the movie, playing it as an Australian friend of Johansson’s that isn’t too into American culture.

It’s just that the movie could’ve been so much more with a little more focused writing and better, non recycled jokes. It is completely watchable and entertaining, and the guy’s side of the bachelor party is well worth a early bird/matinee ticket price or a one time watch somewhere else. Especially the diaper scenes. I’ll recommend the diaper scenes alone. My expectations were high, and they usually always will be for R rated comedies, because you have the R rating, so you need to take it places that shows off that beautiful restriced goodness and even push boundaries to get to that NC-17 rating. This movie didn’t really push anything, and the entire problem was with the script. But hey, if you ladies out there need a date night with your girlfriends, this movie is perfect for you and I recommend seeing it on that fact as well. You might enjoy it more than I did. Oh, and stay just a little bit after the credits for a funny song by Kate McKinnon. So again, in summary, one time watch for me, might be funnier for you. Depends on your mood and if you’ve had a rough night yourself.

I know it’s not technically Mid-Way Through The Year until June 30th but I really can’t see Transformers 5 or Cars 3 making the best list (maybe worst?) and if Rough Night, Book of Henry, or Baby Driver happen to get on there, I’ll let you know.  So here is my best and worst list of films for 2017 so far:

My Mid-Way 2017 Top Ten Films So Far:

1. John Wick: Chapter 2
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
3. Wonder Woman
4. Logan
5. Get Out
6. Split
7. Colossal
8. Alien: Covenant
9. Sleight
10. The Founder

So my friend Kimberly Finke and I usually see all horror movies that come out together. I think I’ve mentioned her “ass out to pass out” in an earlier review, where you can tell instantly how she feels about a certain movie. Well, today, we came up with a new term for how we feel about, not only horror movies, but any film honestly. If we don’t like a film, and almost every other critic does, especially with anything over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, we are going to say we were “bewitched” by that certain movie. We are getting that term, because last year’s The Witch got solid, solid…SOLID reviews, and Kim and I didn’t care for it at all and wonder why everyone else did. Well, unfortunately, we both were “bewitched” by IT COMES AT NIGHT.

And it’s not like we weren’t warned. We weren’t expecting some zombie horror film where all questions were answered and everything tied up in a bow. We knew going it that it was a slow burning, tense, paranoia little family thriller that happened to contain a fast spreading disease that would kill you, and that it was only 95 minutes long. Well, at 95 minutes, the movie felt too long. I was bored through most of it. But don’t get me wrong, it is a well made film. The acting is incredible, the cinematography and direction is way above average, and the fact that it didn’t explain where the outside world is and where this disease came from was pretty eerie, cool, and commendable. But the movie just didn’t click with either of us.

It mainly didn’t click for me not because of some of the boredom, but because of the ending. If I had to compare the ending to something, I would compare it to the end of Masters of None Season 2, where it just goes in and out of fading out, and then just ends. Not to say there isn’t explanation, because there kind of is, but after a huge tense and crippling climax, to just do that felt like a kind of cheat out other than making the movie five minutes longer and dissecting it just a little bit more. When the end credits rolled, I shrugged and got out of my seat. I didn’t really care for any of the characters to care about their fates or care what happens to the world around them.

Which leads us to another problem. The acting might be incredible, and I might not care about the who, what, where, when, and why of the disease, but I would like to care about the characters. And I just didn’t. There wasn’t enough character development. They tried to make some at the very beginning with a semi gruesome funeral, but it just doesn’t work. The movie is more thriller than scary, which might not have been the way to go. If you think there are going to be a bunch of zombies running around (which the trailer completely leads you into thinking that is the case) you are going to be very, very disappointed. But I heard that was the case beforehand. So I was ready for it and accepting, I was just bored.

Joel Edgerton proves again that he is a underrated acting force to be reckoned with, and Riley Keough here is completely wasted. Edgerton was maybe the only character a “kind of” cared about. And that “kind of” is being very generous. When a 95 minute movie is slow, that’s not really boating well. But hey, if you are a creepy, horror, thriller fan, you might actually like it. In fact, most critics are. This seems to be the weekend of disagreeing with critics and the general population for me, except for Megan Leavey. Agree with most that that is excellent. I don’t think it’s my mood, because I was really looking forward to this film, the most of any film this weekend, and my expectations I don’t think were too high. Just sometimes, it just isn’t in the cards, and we end up being “bewitched” by things. Don’t let me review sway you into seeing it or not. Go with your own opinion. But in the end, I ended up with blue balls, and didn’t “come” at all. *drops mic*

The thing I liked the most about MY COUSIN RACHEL is that it relies solely on its ambiguity to engage its audience. If you are looking for definitive answers whether Rachel is a evil and conniving bitch or not, look elsewhere, because the ending makes you think for yourself. If you are disappointed by a no answers (a la Damon Lindelof) type of movie, then stay far away. However if you want to piece the clues together, even after you walk out of the theater, you might find this as a nice one time watch interesting little mystery with some very good performances.

This movie comes with a sense of dread, paranoia, jealousy, hatred, romance, and dark mystery. Did Rachel poison and drive her former lover mad and then is doing the same thing to his cousin? For what end? Money, power? Or is she really just all that innocent and both men really are losing their minds? I loved this mind game that the movie brought. I kept switching my opinion one scene after another, so the unpredictability is off the charts good. Rachel Weisz and Sam Caflin play off each other extremely well, with Weisz’s charm (but is there a darkness under it) and Caflin’s gullibilty (or is he right) moving the narrative forward while also confusing the shit out of the audience.

Usually these movies set in that old timey era bore me in places, but after this film was over I was left sitting in my seat saying, “wow, that was fast,” and then trying to figure out the movie afterward. I wouldn’t buy this and consider it really just a one time watch, but I definitely recommend it purely because of its unpredictability and the acting. I wouldn’t liked the film to be a little longer and see Caflin’s character plans for revenge against the woman who possibly murdered his guardians gain a little bit more meat to its bones. Instead, she arrives, he is flabbergasted, and it feels like a snap of the fingers where he is instantly in love with her. Eventually I believed it, but right away I was questioning the screenwriters and director’s rush of emotions. I guess they didn’t want the film to get boring?

Definitely a good Netflix watch when it eventually hits that platform. Don’t bend over backwards to see it. It isn’t the be all end all period pieces of be all end all period pieces. It is a little better than average paranoid period piece tiny thriller. The way the film makes you think and the performances keep it from being mediocre and less than mediocre. And isn’t a movie that makes you think at least somewhat commendable?

You know, sometimes doing film reviews don’t work out in your favor. I had this whole first paragraph for my THE MUMMY  review prepared by telling you a true story. This friend, when I was growing up, picked up one of his dog’s giant shits, let it sit in the sun for a couple of days, wrapped it in gauze, and called it a “gross, smelly mummy.” Then I was going to compare that experience to this movie by calling it a “mummified piece of shit.” There was more to it, but the review was absolutely going to work in my favor. I went into the theater expecting the movie to be DOA, because I was never excited by the trailers, the Rotten Tomato score is awful (somewhere in the 20s), and I still love the 1999 one with Brendan Fraser (the rest of them sucked). But alas, the movie is honestly not bad at all. I was entertained by it, Tom Cruise still brought his A-game, even though he was terribly miscast, the effects were good, I chuckled several times, and I liked the way they set up the Dark Universe and look forward to seeing more films, especially if Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll comes along for the ride.

I think critics were expecting too much. I think they were expecting the Dark Universe films to be well…darker? And while this is much darker than the 1999 Mummy film, it still has that “tone.” In fact, there is one scene in the film, if you spot very carefully, that makes me think that those Mummy films exist in this Dark Universe canon (you’ll see, and if you don’t see, there are plenty of articles already spoiling what that connection is). Maybe the critics didn’t want that ‘tone’ again? But if you get too dark, then people start complaining Batman V Superman style and you get royally stomped on in that regard. So where is that line? Where is the line where you can be dark, but also fun and adventurous and have a great time at the movies? I thought this movie honestly traveled that line very well. There were parts that made me jump, and parts that were intense, but also parts that were fun and exciting. So…again, what is the line that audiences and critics are expecting?

I agree with the critics on a couple of things. The movie does almost start out as an exact storytelling remake of the 1999 film, but then gets into it’s own thing by the plane crash that you see in the trailers. Tom Cruise didn’t need to be in this movie at all. He is in his 50s and is playing a character that seemed to be written in his early to mid 30s. And there are a couple of scenes where a dead character is talking to Cruise a la a giant rip off of An American Werewolf in London. But other than those three complaints, the film really isn’t that bad. In fact, the hour and 45 minutes went like that *snaps fingers.* I was incredibly entertained, the action was well shot and fun, Sofia Boutella makes a better Mummy than Arnold Vosloo did in the 1999 version, Tom Cruise still brought his acting A game, I liked the humor, and a whole bunch of other little things.

Plus, I really like the way they handled Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (if you think that is a spoiler, come on). You know that CGI crap from Stephen Sommers Van Helsing movie? Nowhere to be seen here. Hyde comes out more like the novels made him, more human like with a menacing behavior and a little more strength, with it very much being a change in performance required by Russell Crowe. Really loved what they did with that. And the little nods to future films were cool (by the way don’t stay after the credits, nothing there).

So will you like it just because I think the critics were wrong and I liked it? Of course not. You might hate it as much as them and think I am completely out of my fucking mind. I am just giving you my opinion. I had a fun time, think it is a fun adventure that families could share together, and think there are worse films to see at the theater right now than this. Does it get close to the masterpiece that is Wonder Woman? Hell no. Is it better than Guardians Vol. 2? Those are two different films, but again, hell no. This movie isn’t the freshest batch of popcorn you could have at the theater right now. It is more like day old popcorn, that you just douse and douse with a whole bunch of butter to enjoy at the moment, nothing more and nothing less.

Wow, this movie was so much better than I expected. And you know why I expected it to be a “meh” kind of movie? Because the fucking marketing for this film is completely wrong. Let me guess, you think that most of the 2 hour run time is due to Megan Leavey trying to adopt her Marine war bomb sniffing dog and trying to overcome many obstacles to do it? WRONG. Spoiler alert: That’s the last 15 minutes of the film. This is more of a war movie than any of the trailers and TV spots are letting on. Some people have asked why the fuck this movie isn’t called A Dog’s Purpose, because it makes more sense other than that other Lifetime nonsense crap that came out in January. It’s because the movie is really about Megan Leavey. Sure the dog is in there a lot too, but it’s about Leavey’s personal journey to connect with another soul (that soul being the dog) and to find her place in life in an atmosphere that is almost too dark to see through.

And it’s a very, very good film. Not a masterpiece per say, there are better war films out there, but at my screening last night, there probably wasn’t a dry eye (out of happiness) in the theater, and that’s saying something. Kate Mara gives her best performance here since House of Cards, honestly this may be her best performance in anything to date because a lot of people consider her wooden, but she is anything but that here. The film is actually very entertaining for its subject matter, the pacing is near perfect, and the story flows fluidly from point A to B to C. At the beginning she is a troubled young adult, goes through Marine training and dog training, and comes out after an injury only to find out she connected with her bomb sniffing dogs soul. It’s actually quite touching, and it probably wouldn’t have worked with Mara or the dog.

Draco Malfoy…oh excuse me, Tom Felton shows up as a Marine that is an expert already in the field of dog bomb sniffing, and he is getting a good job trying to make a general audience forget he ever said the word “POTTER!” with such hatred. Common is pretty good as the overall leader of the dog bomb sniffing unit of the Marines, and Ramon Rodriguez shows up as a fellow Marine/love interest, and maybe the only part of the story that could’ve been cut out and had not made much of a difference. It would’ve been better if they had just been really good friends and not lovers. Also, I wonder if that part was shoe horned in to make the film longer, as it didn’t need to be. I’m going to look further into it, but if that did indeed happen, then I guess putting it in the film was okay.

I’m just looking at a picture of Megan Leavey right now, and holy shit does she look like Kate Mara, so the casting director did pretty well with her job for this movie.  The movie also does a pretty good job with the overall tension of finding bombs and whether or not someone has a bomb on them or not. I have not felt that kind of tension since The Hurt Locker (still the better film) and I commend the movie for making me be on the edge of my seat during those scenes.

Overall, there are many movies like this one. Whether they work or not is another story. There are some that have worked, and many, MANY, that have not. I think the marketing of this film is ultimately going to hurt the audience that sees it, but Megan Leavey is one of those films that completely works during it’s two hour run time. I was entertained more than I thought I’d be, and was way more engaged with the emotional bond between Leavey and Rex than I thought I would be. While PG-13 this is I would consider a very good older family film. But probably not for kids under 10 years old. Highly recommend, it is better than it looks in previews. I guarantee it.