The Debt

Released:  2010

OVERALL RATING:  *  *  *  .5
(on a scale of 1 to 4 - 4 being best)

Director:  John Madden
Writers:  Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, Peter Staughan
Producers:  Eitan Evan, Eduardo Rossoff, Kris Thykier, Matthew Vaughn
Main Actors:  Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain

Directing:  *  *  *  *
Acting:  *  *  * 
Plot:  *  *  *  *
Predictability:  *  *  *  * 
Entertainment Value:  *  *  * 

This was an intense movie.  You really didn't know what was going to happen next, which is why I gave it a 4 for predictability.  I couldn't predict how it would end.  It drew you in and kept you there wondering how the first scenes of the movie came into play.

The characters were very well developed in the film.  You got to see them grow at a pace that was just right.  I didn't feel like anything was missing from our knowledge of the characters.

The movie definitely didn't glorify the spy world.  These were real people with missions to accomplish.  You became sympathetic to their circumstances and wanted them to succeed.  It was not even remotely similar to a James Bond movie.

I'd recommend the movie, but not if you want to watch something light and fluffy.  Wait until you want to see a 'thinking' movie.  It does deal with choice impacts later in life - hard choices motivated by good intentions - or were they really 'good' intentions...?  ;)

Favorite Scene:  The botched escape into west Germany.

The Lone Ranger

Released:  2013

OVERALL RATING:  *  .5
(on a scale of 1 to 4 - 4 being best)

Director:  Gore Verbinski
Writers:  Ted Elliot, Justin Heythe
Producers:  Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski
Main Actors:  Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Ruth Wilson

Directing:  *
Plot:  *
Acting:  *  *  *
Predictability:  *  *  
Entertainment Value:  *

This movie is not worth your time.  I had such high hopes.  The visuals were okay and there were gunfights, explosions, and chases.  Surprisingly, this didn't make much of a difference to a pretty bad movie.

I have no idea what the writers where thinking.  Oh, that's right... THEY WEREN'T THINKING!!!  It was extremely stupid to have the story told by Tonto as a statue in a carnival exhibit that comes to life.  What was that?  Really?

Okay, so that is about all the time I will invest in reviewing this disappointment.

Favorite Scene:  The end of the credits.  Yeah, that bad.