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.  

The Finest Hours

Released:  2016

Number of Ginger Snaps:  6 of 10

6 of 10 Ginger Snaps

Director:   Craig Gillespie

Writers:  Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson

Producers:   Dorothy Aufiero, James Whitaker

Main Actors:  Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster



Favorite Character
Ray Sybert

This was better than I thought it would be.  Granted, it wasn't great, but it held my interest and kept me engaged.  And it had some cute boys in it, which is always helpful.  Just saying...

I have to admit that this is not really the type of movie I like to watch.  It had action, which I like, but it was based on a real story and focused on the drama aspect.  The acting was okay, the story was okay, and the production quality was decent.  That was part of the problem though - it was all 'okay'.  There wasn't anything stellar about it.

Despite it just being 'okay', I would recommend this movie to those of you who like dramas.  It was entertaining.

10 Cloverfield Lane

Released:  2016

Number of Ginger Snaps:  7 of 10 

7 out of 10 ginger snaps 

Director:  Dan Trachtenberg

Writers:  Josh Campbell,  Matthew Stuecken

Producers:  J.J. Abrams, Lindsey Weber

Main Actors:  John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.




Favorite Character:
Michelle

Favorite Quote:
What, the 'ten new ways to style your bangs'? - Emmett

I enjoyed the movie - it's the kind of films I like - some science fiction, a little scary, a study of human reactions when put into insane situations... Yep... right up the Val alley.

One thing I think would have made it a better movie is to have included another small character or two.  It would have been nice to have been given a little more on what was happening outside of the shelter.  I know - that was kinda the point of the movie, but something - like a short blurb announced on the radio would have helped build more uncertainty about what was really going on.   It just felt like it needed a little more interaction outside of the 3 characters.

John Goodman did an excellent job of being the uber creepy guy.  It's hard for me not to think of him as Roseanne's husband, but he did a good job in the movie.  I definitely did not think of Roseanne at all!

Anyway, overall - recommended (but not for little ones).

The Secret Life of Pets

Released:  July 8, 2016

Number of Ginger Snaps:  8 Out of 10

8 of 10 ginger snaps 

Directors:  Chris Renaud, Yarrow Cheney

Writers:  Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Brian Lynch, Simon Rich

Producers:  Janet Healy, Christopher Meledandri

Main Actors:  Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey


Favorite Character:  Killer Bunny Guy (aka Snowball)

Favorite Line:  You've got the stench of domestication all over you.  - Snowball

This movie was totally silly and adorably cute.  I loved the fast pace of it.  I don't have kids, but I imagine that is a good thing for a kid's movie.  It made me laugh - a lot.  Another good thing for a kid's movie I would think.

I gotta admit, I almost busted a gut when the sausage dream sequence came on.  All I could think of was watching Grease when I was a kid with my friends and all of us singing that song.  Oh memories of youth...

Anyway, I recommend this movie, especially if you want a low brain exercise engagement that makes you happy.

Star Trek Beyond

Number of Ginger Snaps:  9 out of 10

9 of 10 ginger snaps 

Director:  Justin Lin

Writers:  Simon Pegg, Doug Jung

Producers:  JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk, Roberto Orci  

Main Actors:  Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Sofia Boutella

Favorite Character:  Jaylah 

Favorite Quotes:  

Cause if I mess it up, I don't want it to be just my fault.  - Scotty

You gave your girlfriend a tracking device.  - Bones 

I loved this movie - much more than the last one.   I especially liked the opening scene - funny, crazy, spacey awesomeness.  The recognition of Ambassador Spock's death was touching and made me cry. I will always hold a special place in my heart for the first Vulcan I ever knew.  

Anyway, back to the review... I liked it cause it didn't seem to be a copy of an already existing Star Trek movie.  Not that doing that would be a bad thing, but they already did that in the last movie.  This one stood on it's own and developed the same (yet unique) characters very nicely.  It seemed that this movie was more focused on characters and plot then the last one.  I liked that aspect.  Good job Scotty!  I mean Simon!  

Jaylah was fabulous!  The addition of this alien was extremely well done - and not just because she liked the Bestie Boys.  She was a strong, identifiable character AND she wasn't put in only as a love interest!  Well done movie maker guys!  Well done.  I really hope to see her again in the next Star Trek.  

Misconduct

Number of Ginger Snaps:  5 out of 10

5 out of 10 ginger snaps 

Director:  Shintaro Shimosawa

Writers:  Simon Boyes, Adam Mason

Producers:  Ellen Wander, Ryan Black, Bill Delaney

Main Actors:  Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino






Favorite Character:  Doug Fields

Favorite Quote:  "Why the fuck would I do that?" - Jane

Kind of a weird movie.  The director was definitely trying to use the artsy-fartsy aspect of film production, like a long still of an actor's reaction and characters talking just out of the shot.  Some of it worked, some didn't.  Some of it just felt forced - like 'hey!  look at how cool and intense this is!  think profoundly now!'.

The movie did keep me engaged though.  The story was disjointed, probably on purpose.  It needed something more to keep the story line somewhat constant cause I kept thinking 'what?' too many times.  Granted, some level of 'what' questioning is intriguing and definitely keeps the audience engaged, but it got to be too much.  By the end, I just wanted to know what the bleep happened.

I don't think I would recommend this movie to anyone, however, if you do see it, I'd be curious to know what you thought.

The Martian

Released:  2015

8 Out of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Number of Ginger Snaps: 8 of 10

Director:  Ridley Scott

Writers:  Drew Goddard (screenplay), Andy Weir (book)

Producers:  Mark Huffam, Simon Kinberg, Michael Schaefer, Ridley Scott

Main Actors:  Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Chitwetel Ejiofor




Favorite Character
Rich Purnell (from the movie version)
Mindy Park (from the book)

Favorite Line
Rich Purnell is a steely-eyed missile man! (from the movie)
How come Aquaman can control whales?  They're mammals!  Makes no sense.  (from the book)

This is one of the few movies I've seen where I read the book first, then saw the film.  It was an extremely good portrayal of the book.  It did leave out a lot, but that is to be expected.  What they did include was well done and spot on.

I do wish they had done more with the Mindy Park and Rich Purnell characters.  They were a bit more developed in the book.  The actors portrayed them well, but I would have liked them to have had more screen time.  Oh well, there are only so many things you can do in 2 hours.

The acting was very good.  I wasn't sure how Matt Damon would do - I mean, I know he's a good actor, but you know how reading the book before seeing the movie kinda sets you into your own version of the characters.  Matt portrayed Watney very closely to how I imagined Watney would be.

If you read everything up to now, you probably figured I am going to recommend the movie - you're right.  It has earned a Ginger Snap "see this film" rating.

Oh - and I want to go to Hermes so I can float around and slide into other sections of the station.  Just saying...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Released:  2016

7 Out of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Number of Ginger Snaps:  7 out of 10

Director:  Zack Snyder

Writers:  Chris Terrio, David Goyer

Producers:  Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder

Main Actors:  Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot


Favorite Character
Superman (duh)

Favorite Line
I don't think you've ever known a woman like me.


First off, the movie should have been named Superman v Batman - Superman should always be first.  Second, starting the movie off with 911 like destruction made me tear up.  Granted, it's that 'sensitive time' of the month for me, so there is that.  Finally, Wonder Woman rules and should have come into the fight sooner.

Seriously though, it was okay.  It wasn't awesome, but I didn't expect it to be.  The movie was disjointed in both the editing and the story line.  It was difficult to follow everything visually.  I know that it's an action movie, but there was so much going on and continual movement that it made my eyes hurt.

I didn't like the ending.  Not at all.  I know they are probably already working on the next movie, but NOOOOO - that ending bites.  LAME.

Spy

Released:  2015

8 Out of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Number of Ginger Snaps:  8 of 10

Director:   Paul Feig

Writer:   Paul Feig

Producer:  Peter Chernin, Paul Feig,  Jessie Henderson

Main Actors:   Jude Law,  Melissa McCarthy,  Rose Byrne



Favorite Character
Rick Ford


Favorite Quote
I'm immune to 179 different types of poison.  I know because I ingested them all at once when I was deep undercover in an underground poison-ingesting crime ring.  - Rick Ford


Very enjoyable funny movie.  I laughed a lot.  And there were gun fights, explosions, and car crashes.   Right up my happy movie experience ally.

Rick Ford was the best character.  Granted, I do really like Jason Statham (cause he's hot and badass), but he was really funny.  Statham was awesome in the role.   Due to the appreciation I have of his badassness, I recommend the move.  It will make you laugh.

The Hateful Eight

Released:  December 25, 2015

8 Out of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Number of Ginger Snaps:  8 of 10

Director:  Quentin Tarantino

Writer:  Quentin Tarantino

Producers:  Richard Gladstein, Shannon McIntosh, Stacey Sher

Main Actors:  Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh



Favorite Character
Oswaldo Mobray

Favorite Quote
"That door is a whore"

It was definitely Tarantino - blood and guts and gross icky stuff.  I liked it.  The story line was intriguing and kept me engaged.  I wasn't sure who was bad and who was good, which is a sign of a good movie.

An aspect that interested me was the music.  It was an original score and really added to the film.  I guess that should be a given, but I took note of it more in this movie than in others.  It was well 'positioned' I guess would be a good way to describe it.

The characters are always interesting in Tarantino films.  I love the dynamics of the characters in this movie especially.  I think it was the fact that some of them behaved very differently at the end than you would have thought at the beginning.

I recommend this movie for grown ups only.  And not right after you eat a big meal containing meat.  Just saying...

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Released:  December 18, 2015

9 Out of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Number of Ginger Snaps:  9 of 10

Director:  J.J. Abrams

Writer:  J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt, Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas

Producers:  J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Kathleen Kennedy

Main Actors:  Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford...


Favorite Character
Poe Dameron

Favorite Scene
Rey, Finn and BB-8 getting the Millennium Falcon to work


OMG!!!!! I was captivated!  The movie held true to the originals (several similarities with Episode IV) and I felt like a little kid watching the first Star Wars.  Thank you J.J. Abrams!

The only thing I think needed work was a bit more of the 'story'.  Towards the end, it seemed that the movie was moving too fast and was missing some of the in-between scenes.  I also wish that Luke had a bit more than just an appearance at the end.  He didn't even have any lines!

The action, characters, production design, everything was exactly as it should be.  I am definitely going to see this again, and again, and again.

Mortdecai

Released:  2015

7 Out of 10 Ginger Snaps 

7 of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Director:  David Koepp

Writers:  Eric Aronson, Kyril Bonfiglioli

Producers:  Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski, Andrew Lazar

Main Actors:  Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Ewan McGregor



Favorite Character
Jock

Favorite Quote
I eschew discomfort.  -  Mortdecai

This was an interesting movie.  It made me laugh - a lot.  It was odd and quirky, but so am I.   It took me a bit of time to figure out if I actually liked it though.  It took a little while to get into it and to understand the flow of the story.

The Jock character totally made the movie.  He was hilarious!  Paul Bettany did an excellent job portraying Mortdecai's man servant.

I recommend this movie when you want to laugh and not think about anything.

Godzilla

Released:  2014

6 of 10 Ginger Snaps

6 out of 10 Ginger Snaps 

Director:  Gareth Edwards

Producers:  Jon Jashni, Brian Rogers, Mary Parent

Writers:  Max Borenstein, Dave Callaham

Main Actors:  Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston



Favorite Character
Dr. Ishiro Serizawa

Favorite Quote
Gojira may be the answer.  - Dr. Serizawa

There are so many Godzilla movies.  Wikipedia says there are 30.  While I enjoyed all the explosions and shooting in this movie, I kinda feel that it's been done before.  Clearly, it has.

The monster Godzilla fought in this one reminded me too much of Alien.  Not only was the main monster overdone, but they took another well known monster and threw them together.  Even that's been done before - Alien vs. Predator, Cowboys & Aliens...

I didn't hate the movie, but I don't think it was anything special.  Can't Hollywood come up with something new?  George Lucas can come up with new bad guys, can't anyone else?

Big Hero 6

Released:  2014

7 Out of 10 Ginger Snaps 

7 out of 10 

Directors:  Don Hall, Chris Williams

Writers:  Jordan Roberts, Robert Baid, Daniel Gerson

Producers:  Roy Conli, Kristina Reed

Main Actors:  Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney



Favorite Character
Cass

Favorite Quote
Flying makes me a better health care companion. - Baymax

Oh Disney - formulaic movie again.  Sad beginning (always gotta have a tragedy happen to the protagonist), but it was a cute movie overall.  I'd recommend it if you don't have many other choices. I did enjoy the clumsiness of the 6 'heroes' and laughed at some of the references only us old people would get.

My main problem with it was, well, it was a formula Disney animated film.  True, they work, but I can only take them every so often.  The next Disney film I see will most likely be Star Wars.  I'm hoping Mr. Abrams and Mr. Lucas have a very very good story line that doesn't fit typical Disney movies.  Okay... okay... even if it did I'd LOVE IT!!!!