Need For Speed 2014

Aaron Paul
Dominic Cooper
Michael Keaton


This is the take off on the classic game Need for Speed in which there have been five different titles of the past few years. The game has a huge following and the fan base keeps growing higher with each new release. One of the biggest releases was Hit Pursuit in which would could play as a racer that was trying to win many long distance races with the police bearing down on you or play as the police and stop the racer from completing his race. The game became so popular that they took it to the next level and made a movie.

Aaron Paul (Toby Marshall) was recruited after his success on the hit show Breaking bad. His demeanor and style of acting fit the character they were look for and it so works. Dominic cooper (Dino Brewster) plays the rival in this movie in which he believes  he his the best but knows that until he beats Marshal no one will look to him in that respect.

The movie begins with us finding out Marshall's father had passed of leaving him a business that is in bad financial debt. Marshall is given the opportunity to finish a car in which Ford and Shelby were working on themselves. A completion of this car could bring big bucks. Marshall gets one interested buyer and w/o Brewster's permission  he shows what it can do and sells the card for a substantial profit. Brewster hates the idea that Marshall drove it and offers him a chance to win Dino's share of the pot. Well I don't want to describe what happens but it's an amazing race which was driven on I 684 is Westchester NY  (I have driven this route but no where near the speeds they hit. I maybe broke 100mph.) Cause of the race Marshall ends up in jail and you have to watch to see why.

Keaton who plays "The Monarch" is a mysterious man who finances a race know as the Deleon. The most secret race on the west coast in which Marshall intends to get invited to get retribution on Brewster and clear his name. There are a lot of high flying stunts that are truly amazing and some wrecks that will make you cry for the car that was lost.

Unthinkable 2010

Unthinkable 2010

Staring
Samuel L Jackson
Carrie Ann Moss
Michael Sheen

Plot: A terrorist has placed three nuclear bombs in remote locations in the United States. The FBI, Homeland Security and other agencies are trying to find them but with no luck. They have called in the help of an interrogator or torturer to try and get him to give the info of the  locations before all the bombs go off.

First things first the name of the movie says it all. The terrorist happens to be an American citizen (played by Sheen) named Younger. He had changed his religion after serving over seas and has black ops training. He stole a large of amount of nuclear material to make these bombs and has know how to make them has well. Sheen plays a great character and automatically makes us want to hate him right away which to me means he played the portrayal of the character  right. His objective isn't to set them off but,  to get certain requests done in his favor and he will tell the locals.

The F.B.I lead agent Helen Brody (Moss) has been put in charge of finding out clues to where he has planted the bombs. When she first learns of the Younger it is cause he is wanted for questioning in a murder. She then recognizes his face and realizes  he has been on her terrorist watch list and begins to call in her team to try and find out everything they can on him from his family to where he buys his groceries.

The government  however has other plans on getting the information out of Younger. They call in the help of a man named Henry Harold Humphries or "H" (Jackson) to extract information out of younger. Now the Geneva convention states that no enemy combatant can be tortured but, what no ones knows means nothing. This by far to me is the most sadistic character to date that Jackson has ever played. "H" has been doing this "job" for years and is only called in on special requests. You can only guess what he does to Younger through out this movie and shows no remorse. His role play with Moss is fantastic. Agent Brody is against the torture in every way and "H" is for it to get information. However through out the movie we see that Brody starts to slightly agree with it and "H" will stop if people ask.

Will "H" get the information that Brody needs to set out and find those bombs or will we see the lights go out in America. Note if you can't stand torture or can get nightmares easy this isn't a movie for you.

The Last Stand 2013

 2013

Staring
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Johnny Knoxville
Forrest Whittaker
Luis Guzman



Plot: A Cartel leader has escaped federal custody and needs to make his escape across the boder back to Mexico. Armed with a corvette zr1 and a plan to cross the border at a remote point very little law enforcement, the small town of Sumerton Tx and their small sheriffs office will have to do anything in it's powers to prevent him from crossing at this remote point.

This movie was the first full length movie That Arnold has done since leaving the political scene.  He plays the Sherriff of a small town and has a hand full of deputy's that he can work with. The idea of a Cartel leader first escaping an armed federal escort to a maximum security prison not unheard of. Next having a team of mercenaries find a way to get him across the border at a remote location with little or no federal protection from border hoppers (even tough there usually going the other way). Distinctly possible right? Finally a small town,  sheriff with a handful of very inexperienced  deputy's and a moron who happens to have a stockpile of weapons and try's to stop all this. Very Impossible.

The movie does make a good return for Schwarzenegger. He does show he can still be a Hollywood act and not a politician. I think personally he shows he has a ton of fight left in him and I am pretty sure that we will see him much thinner and better than the Expendables 2 version as well. All in all a 7 out of 10 for this movie.

Assault On Wall Street 2013

 2013

Staring
Dominic Purcell
Erin Karpluk
Edward Furlong
John Heard


Plot: Rosie Baxford (Karpluck) had a brain tumor and now has successful treatments for its removal and is well on her way to recovery. Her and her husband Jim Baxford (Purcell) want to start their life over and begin a family. It is explained to them by the Doctor that she will need a series of injections and at this time it would be high risk for them to attempt to start a family. Money becomes a factor and Jim finds out his Pension and Investments have be cheated from him and now the money to finance his wife's  recovery is gone.

This movie really hits home with me on many levels. First the insurance issue they face when they schedule the first set of I injections she is going to need will be full cost because they have reached their maximum pay out for the year. There had been many times in the past with my old insurance that I reached that level and had to pay out of pocket. The Boxford's are not a rich family but they have at this point little debt and begin to use credit cards to pay for the expensive injections and expensive medications needed to be taken out of the doctors office.

Jim had served in the armed forces and when got back had a broker invest in what he believed safe transactions in the Real Estate market and other safe bonds. As soon as he goes to his broker to cash some of it in to help pay of the medical necessities of his wife he finds out that things have gone wrong. The real estate the broker invested in was corrupt even though The broker told him it was safe and the CEO of the bond firm (Heard) has sold the bonds on the market and converted them into nothing to hide wrong doings and to keep his clients at the expense of his investors.  Jim partner Sean (Furlong) stands by him through out the movie even going as far as giving him Ten Thousand dollars to help out which Jim gives as a retainer to an attorney who says he can help but really in my opinion jerks Jim around telling him one thing and doing something else.

The Boxford's lives show what happens when someone needs expensive medical care and they use their entire savings plus max out all credit cards. The dominoes begin to fall on their life to the point they can's pay the mortgage and the treatments can no longer be afforded.  Rosie believes she is hurting her husband because of all the money she needs and takes her own life to try to alleviate his stress. When Jim gets and finds her dead he takes matters into his own hands and plots his revenge on the people who have wronged his family.

This is a fast paced movie which offers it's watchers a glimpse of how your lives can change and people can rob you blind and get away with it. One of the focuses we hear mention is the bail out of the countries banks (the TARP 750 billion bail out) and how money was used to still give the big wigs their bonuses and helped people like Madoff strive.

I said in the beginning this movie hit home for me and here is why.  My wife and I have been in the money situation and still are today after over 5 years of surgeries needed for my back and other treatments cost us our entire life savings, my big investment portfolio, her investment portfolio and the selling off of possessions and borrowing big time money from family to pay a ton of medical bills. I feel cheated by a ton of people in my past of taking advantage of me and costing us our life savings to make sure I am well. Unfortunately this movies story line happens to many families every day by not being able to afford medical needs cause insurance money caps or people who robbed them blind and get away with it.

Demolition Man 1993

 1993

Staring
Sylvester Stallone
Wesley Snipes
Sandra Bullock

Plot: Super cop John Spartan (Stallone) is a top cop in 1996 and in chase of the criminal mastermind Simon Phoenix (Snipes). After a bust gone wrong Spartan is accused of killing 20-30 hostages and as punishment is frozen along with Phoenix in a new maximum security prison. Over 50 years goes by and Phoenix is up for parole and escapes the prison. The way of life has changed over 50 years and the police force is not capable of apprehending Phoenix so they thaw Spartan to come back and chase down the maniac he already brought down once.

When I watch this movie I have good and bad thoughts about it. It makes for a great action adventure movie with a little comedy thrown in here and there. However the changes that happen during the time period while the two are frozen are only explained to us and we have to make a mental picture of how things happened. The time period we are in is a clean world so to speak. Everything is neat and tidy and crime free. The only person still wanting a piece of action is Lenia Huxley played by the
beautiful Sandra Bullock. It his her idea to have John Spartan released and reinstated to the police force since he once captured him before. Throughout the movie we watch not only Spartan adapt to the new world he is living in but, the world has to relive the past they left behind.

The main purpose for these criminals to be frozen is to be able to put suggestions of good into their mind. Teach them new skills that will make them good people and adjust to a new society. However there is always a twist. We see that Spartan has been given the talents of a top seamstress but, Phoenix has been given the talents to be a super criminal. Who gives him this power well you just have to see and find out. The movie moves pretty quickly and provides some humor brought in by Rob Schneider and Dennis Leary. Both have bit parts but have talents to bring a little life to a action packed movie. Leary plays the leader of  the underground society that doesn't want to live in the current future and wants to retain its past. Leary also adopts to the person he was in real life the rebel who we all loved. His song I'm an Asshole made him the perfect fit for the character he plays.

The movie provides non stop action and suspense. Stallone and Snipes make perfect advisories in this futuristic storyline. I wish the movie was longer so we could get more of a background on what happens after they get frozen but, it is explained well enough that we get our own visions on what had happened.  I won't be giving any quotes from this movie because there is only a hand few that stick out and they won't make the same impact as if you first hear them in the movie.

Over all the movie is a good movie to watch at least once if you are into this kind of movie. I believe that this movie is ok for anyone 10 years or older. Language is not heavy and not much blood seen in the movie except on Stallone (go figure)

My question to you if you have seen this movie. How the hell does Taco Bell win?