Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Released:  July 2018

Number of Ginger Snaps:  6 out of 10

6 of 10 Ginger Snaps

Director:  Christopher McQuarrie

Writers:  Christopher McQuarrie

Main Actors:  Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg

Producers:  JJ Abrams, Jake Myers, Tom Cruise




Favorite Scene
Office worker stares


Yeah, yeah... but it had gun fights and action and all the cool stuff Val likes... That it did.  However, the story was lacking.  Maybe I'm just sick of Tom Cruise.  Sorry ladies, but I think he's outgrown his action hero-ness.  All I could think about watching the movie is "Dang, how old is he now?"

Or maybe it is because Mission Impossible has been around for so long.  The first movie was 1996.  Over 20 years of pretty much the same thing...  I know "But Val!!!!  James Bond's been around longer!"  At least in the Bond movies they changed who played James Bond.

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Released:  May 25, 2018

Number of Ginger Snaps:  10 out of 10

10 of 10 Ginger Snaps

Director:  Ron Howard

Writers:  Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan

Producers:  Simon Emanuel, Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur

Main Actors:  Alden Ehrenreich, Jonas Suotamo, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover




Favorite Character:  Val (of course)

Okay - yes, this is a Star Wars movie.  No, I'm not giving it 10 just because of this.  It was an awesome movie!!!!  I loved it!  It had chases, explosions, pew pew pews, and just the right bit of silly to make it oh so much of a Val film.  And just cause one of the characters was named Val is not why I'm giving it a 10 either.

I did seriously like this movie.  The plot was great, the acting well done, and the visual effects were absolutely amazing.  I think Donald Glover did a really good job of playing Lando and, though there will never be another Harrison Ford's Han Solo, Alden E. did well in the role.

I do admit that I was a little concerned about Han having any other love interest than Leia.  Since Emilia Clarke actually resembles Carrie Fisher, it eased that concern a bit.

As you can see, I highly recommend this movie.  Highly.  As in - see it... NOW.

Acts of Vengeance

Released:  2017

Number of Ginger Snaps:  8 out of 10

8 out of 10 ginger snaps

Director:   Isaac Florentine

Writer:  Matt Venne

Producers:  Boaz Davidson, John Thompson, Les Weldon

Main Actors:  Antonio Banderas, Karl Urban






Favorite Scene
Frank taking out the Russian gangers.

This was a pretty good movie and I now want to read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.  I wasn't actually expecting the movie to be as good as it was.  Don't get me wrong, I love Antonio Banderas and Karl Urban, but I hadn't heard anything about this movie.  IMDb doesn't think much of it.  I disagree with IMDb (but that isn't surprising).

Anyway, why did I like it?  Well, it really kept me engaged and the fighting was well done.  The acting was excellent, it had a man / dog friendship, and the story line was solid.  It did have a few parts that could have moved a little faster, but it remained engaging throughout.

I do recommend seeing this.  It isn't a 'light hearted escape' movie, but it is worth seeing for sure.

The Hitman's Bodyguard

Released:  2017

Number of Ginger Snaps:  9 out of 10

9 out of 10 Ginger Snaps

Director:  Patrick Hughes

Writer:  Tim O'Connor

Producers:  David Ellison, Mark Gill, Dana Goldberg

Main Actors:  Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman




Favorite Scene
Kincaid and Bryce in the car signing.

This was such a 'me' movie.  Explosions, gun fights, 'love' stuff was funny... It was a pretty good movie and I'd DEFINITELY watch it again.

I really liked the interaction between Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds.  They played the smart ass roles fantastically.  The banter between the two was what made this movie for me.  Don't get me wrong, it was a decent script and the action was impressive, but the two leads totally rocked it.

Obviously, I recommend this movie.  It has pretty strong language and violence, so it isn't for kids, but for us fully grown, adulting peeps, it's worth seeing.

Kong: Skull Island

Released:  2017

Number of Ginger Snaps:  6 out of 10

Director:  Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Producers:  Alex Garcia, Jon Jashni, Mary Parent

Writers:  John Gatins, Dan Gilroy

Main Actors:  Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson


Favorite Quote:  Is that a monkey?

Spoiler Alert!  Don't read if you don't want details on this movie.

I have to admit, I thought this would be a really bad movie.  It wasn't great mind you, but it was not as bad as I was fearing.  I'm not sure why I thought it would be bad.  Maybe because the general story has been done before - big monkey threatens lives, girl bonds with big monkey, people start to like said monkey, then other people try to kill monkey, monkey ends up safe and sound.

Stuff did blow up - a lot.  I did like that part.  It was a slightly different twist on the general story (see above), but I just can't give it higher than an average rating as it just wasn't that great.  The special effects were good, the acting was okay, but the script and plot could have used a little help.  Also, the lizard guys were not that threatening.  I mean come on, they only had 2 legs and I had a hard time believing that Kong couldn't just grab it's tail and end it.

Overall, if you are bored and want to watch this kind of movie, go for it.

Unlocked

Released:  2017

Number of Ginger Snaps:  8 of 10

8 of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Director:  Michael Apted

Writer:  Peter O'Brien

Producers:  Claudia Bluemhuber, Georgina Townsley

Main Actors:  Noomi Rapace, Orlando Bloom, Toni Collette




Favorite Character
Jack

Yeah, yeah, so I haven't posted a review in forever.  2017 was a crazy year, so I'm way behind.  But rest assured, those of you who like my reviews will be seeing more this year.

Now for the review... there were gun fights and some hand to hand combat, so it was right up my preferred alley.  The female character was a bit too emotional at first, but she ended the movie being a total badass (also right up my preferred alley).

I do admit that it took a bit of time to understand what was going on.  It kept me engaged cause I kept trying to figure out who the bad guys were.  There were a couple things that you could easily see coming cause Hollywood tends to use the same kinda clues over and over again.  Despite that, I really did enjoy the movie.  If you want to see an action flick, I recommend this one.

Ben-Hur (2016)

Released:  2016

Number of Ginger Snaps:  7 of 10

7 of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Director:  Timur Bekmambetov

Writers:  Lew Wallace (novel), Keith R. Clarke, John Ridley

Producers:  Sean Daniel, Duncan Henderson, Joni Levin

Main Actors:  Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Rodrigo Santoro, Nazanin Boniadi




Favorite Character
Esther

I remember watching the original Ben-Hur with my mom when I was little, but all I remember from that was the chariot race and the lepers.   Interesting what you remember from a childhood movie...

Anyway, I did not think this was a great movie.  It was entertaining though.  I was engaged the entire time, which is why I gave it a higher rating than I may have if that was not the case.

During the chariot race, all I could think about was the horses.  I'm glad none were actually hurt during the movie, cause you know that isn't allowed (hopefully), but nonetheless, the entire time was preoccupied with my concern about the safety of the horses rather than what was actually happening in the movie.  I am quite sure I had the same concern when watching the original version when I was a little human.

There was not one particular thing that made the movie bad or good.  It was overall a decent and entertaining film.  It is not exactly a 'lift you up / feel great about life' movie, but it held my interest and I wanted to keep watching it.  I'd recommend it for the sole reason of expanding your film knowledge.  This was a classic movie and the redo may be interesting for you to view.