G.I. Joe Retaliation review

I wanted to review The Place Beyond the Pines not G.I. Joe. Unfortunately it was only playing in limited release indie theaters. So, here's my review of G.I. Joe Retaliation. So If you're going to see this movie you should know some things. One, you shouldn't be going for the plot or dialogue. Two, (This is for you girls) if you're going to see Channing Tatum, I'm just gonna say maybe you shouldn't. Three, despite a weak plot there are some totally ass-kicking fight scenes and explosions! This movie stars Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, and Bruce Willis (though neither Tatum or Willis are in that much of the movie). The plot is basically some Cobra baddies kidnap the president and have an impostor replace him. Then they have some convoluted plot to have every country destroy their nukes so they can use their new weapon to destroy a lot of countries. So, overall the movie was all style and no substance. It had some cool fights but wasn't much to talk about. I give G.I. Joe Retaliation 2.7 out of 5 stars. You can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovie and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies. Happy Viewing!

#tbt American Beauty review

Beautiful. That's really the one word I can use to sum up the amazing 1999 Sam Mendes film, American Beauty. It's about a father with a seemingly perfect family in a cookie-cutter neighborhood. On the outside that is. On the inside they have many problems. When the father, Lester Burnham, (played awesomely by Kevin Spacey who won an Oscar for this role) starts to go through a mid-life crisis and falls in love with his daughter's friend, problem's arise. Right next door, an amateur filmmaker and teenage pot dealer played by Wes Bentley is in love with beauty and Lester's daughter, Jane. Yet, he has to hide this from his strict military father played by Chris Cooper. Freshly funny, slightly sad, with some awesome cinematography, American Beauty is truly beautiful. This film won five Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture. It is worthy of all of them. I went into this movie knowing it would be good, but not expecting as much as I got. My mind was blown by how damn good this film was! I may even go as far to say this is Kevin Spacey's best movie and certainly Sam Mendes's. Just see this film! Happy Throwback Thursday and as always, Happy Viewing! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!

Olympus Has Fallen review

Die Hard in The Whitehouse. That's kinda the premise of Antoine Fuqua's new action flick starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman. So here's what it's about: Some North Korean terrorists take the Whitehouse and hold the president (Eckhart), along with other members of the cabinet hostage in the bunker below the Whitehouse. Disgraced Secret Service agent Mike Banning fights his way through the Whitehouse to try and save the president and stop nuclear annihilation. So, I went into this movie thinking it was gonna be another dumb action movie. In a sense, it was another dumb action movie, but with a cooler plot and slightly more emotion.  Although this certainly isn't The Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman does an okay job. Robert Forster has a nice small appearance as a military commander (He was in Jackie Brown for those of you who don't know who Robert Forster is). Aaron Eckhart really doesn't do too much besides sweat and yell, but I guess that's what he was supposed to do as the president held prisoner. Gerard Butler is stoic and a total badass. Now his acting was nothing special but he really looked cool and kicked terrorist butt. So yeah, the acting is not this movie's strongest suit and it does get unrealistic at times but hey, it captivates you and has a story that keeps you watching and sitting at the end of your seat. I give Olympus Has Fallen 3.6 out of 5 stars. Happy Viewing. If you have a chance, like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies and follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies!

#tbt Kill Bill Vol. 2 review

A few weeks ago I reviewed Quentin Tarantino's 2003 cult hit, Kill Bill Volume 1. This week I am going to review the almost equally awesome sequel: Kill Bill Volume 2. Volume 2 starts out the same way Volume 1 started out, with Bill (David Carradine) shooting The Bride in the head. Then it shows The Bride driving to kill bill. After an awesome opening the movie only gets better. The rest of the movie shows her being taught to fight well by Pai Mei, hunting down the final members of The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad: Elle Driver, Budd, and finally Bill. The movie pays homage to Japanese samurai flicks and kung fu movies, but this film pays much more homage to spaghetti westerns and Japanese horror. There are some terrific shots and it really ties the series together. The dialogue is pretty great, (hey it's Tarantino, it better have great dialogue), and the plot is as original and cool as ever. The end is so good it just wraps the whole series up in a nice bloody bow. Of course, if you haven't seen Kill Bill Vol. 1, you absolutely HAVE to see it before seeing Vol. 2. I have to say I love the Kill Bill movies and highly recommend them. They may not be as good as some Tarantino films like say Pulp Fiction or even Reservoir Dogs, but they are pretty damn good. If I had to choose which Kill Bill film I liked better I don't think I could. I'd be like picking a favorite child! (Okay maybe it wouldn't be like that but whatever) Anyway, Kill Bill is great watch it! Happy Throwback Thursday and Happy Viewing! You can follow me on Twitter at @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone review

It's not a great movie, but it is pretty damn funny! The Incredible Burt Wonderstone stars Steve Carrel, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, and Olivia Wilde; it's directed by Don Scardino. So I thought Burt Wonderstone wasn't a terrific movie, it was kinda dumb and played it safe comedy-wise. It wasn't all bad though: Steve Carrel and Steve Buscemi are pretty funny as two has-been magicians in Las Vegas. Olivia Wilde doesn't really do anything in the movie, besides looking pretty, and seems like an almost unnecessary character. I mean, I get they they needed her for a love interest and other things, but her acting was kind of flat and she was really just there to be there. Alan Arkin is good as always as an aging magician in a retirement home who helps Wonderstone (Carrel) out of a slump. So basically the movie's about two childhood friends who grow up to be rich magicians called Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton. After many years of doing their act, they start to lose ticket sales and their act is becoming too old. A new Criss Angel-esque magician named Steve Gray, (Carrey), emerges and takes their spot. Stuff happens, Burt and Anton split up, Burt goes through the whole cliche transformation thing and at the end everyone's happy. So yeah, it's predictable, and yeah, it's dumb at times. Yet, it made me laugh. Through all the stupidness and flimsy acting, (I'm looking at you Olivia Wilde), the movie is still kind of hilarious. I'd recommend this movie to anyone whose looking for an easy laugh and some light comedy. I give The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 3.4 out of 5 stars. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies. Happy Viewing!

#tbt The Shawshank Redemption review

Timeless. The Shawshank Redemption is a great, if not the best, prison break movie ever. It's based on a short story by Stephen King and stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Red. It's about a banker (Robbins) who is wrongly accused of killing his wife and her lover and sentenced to a life in the Shawshank Prison in Maine. He befriends a man named Red (Freeman) and they have many adventures in the prison like, building a new library and fighting off prison bullies, or "The Sisters". After a long time Andy does the impossible and breaks out in a feat of courage and bravery. If you haven't seen this film already, you should. It's a classic and unforgettable. Shawshank is a fairly long movie but it doesn't feel long at all. It whizzes right by, and before you know it it's over. I'd recommend this movie to anyone. A good screenplay by Frank Darabont also helped make this movie memorable. Happy Viewing and Happy Throwback Thursday. Don't forget to Follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!

#tbt Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring review

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today I'm going to review the 2001 Peter Jackson epic, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring! So for starters I consider Fellowship of the Ring to be the second best movie of the four movies. I'm counting the 2012 version of the Hobbit also. Although I think Return of the King to be the best of the four, Fellowship is pretty damn amazing! With a terrific cast of Ian McKellen, (Sorry, Sir Ian McKellen) Elijah Wood, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, and about twenty other great actors/actresses, this movie does not disappoint! If you don't know the plot, shame on you. Because I'm a nice guy, I'll tell you the plot anyway. So this really evil Dark Lord Sauron gets destroyed except for his life force which is bound to The One Ring. Bilbo Baggins, who got the ring in The Hobbit, gives it to his nephew Frodo. Frodo finds out its true nature and goes on a journey to Mt. Doom to destroy it with his friend Samwise. Along the way Frodo meets new companions like Aragorn, Merry and Pippin. He fights Orcs and almost dies. All of this gets packed into a ball of adventure and excitement that is this movie! The effects in this movie are kinda mind blowing considering it was only made in 2001. The direction is great and it stays true to the novel. I highly recommend watching the whole trilogy! Happy Viewing! Follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies, thanks!

Jack the Giant Slayer review

Giants, beanstalks, and Ewan McGregor with a funny haircut. These are a few of the things you'll see in the new Bryan Singer movie Jack the Giant Slayer starring Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, and Ewan McGregor. The movie's about a farm boy named Jack (Hoult), who takes some beans from a monk in exchange for his horse, than accidentally plants them unleashing a giant beanstalk that leads high into the clouds. The princess is accidentally swept up and Jack and some knights go up to save her. When they arrive to the island in the clouds, they find an ancient race of giants hungry for revenge and human flesh. Now, let's talk about how good the movie actually was. Jack the Giant Slayer is okay. For an amateur filmmaker it would be pretty good, but this is coming from Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, the team who brought us The Usual Suspects. The Usual Suspects was a terrific movie with a terrific plot and a terrific twist at the end. Jack the Giant Slayer is an okay movie with a decent plot, (although that plot has some holes in it) and a kind of predictable end. Don't get me wrong, the movie wasn't awful, it ha it's moments. Some parts were fun and fast-paced with lots of cool CGI action. Stanley Tucci stole the show as the hissable villain, and Ewan McGregor was pretty good. Other than that it was just okay. If you have small kids, they'll like it because it looks cool and is action packed. Adults may or may not like it depending on their taste. Personally I thought it was mediocre. I give Jack the Giant Slayer 3.4 out of 5 stars. Happy Viewing! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!