Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - Movie Review

Let Me Have It Rating: 4/10

So here we have it.  Another Jack Ryan film that will never live up to the original with Harrison Ford.  Or even the one with Alec Baldwin.  Sorry Chris Pine.  Now there was some action.  There was some layers to the story that we didn't get with any previous ones.  But here's what we're missing.  Payoffs!

What's a payoff?  That's when they set you up for something in the beginning of a movie and then that comment, story, quip pays off later.  Coming full circle and making the different pieces make sense.

I'll give you an example.  Keira Knightley's character doesn't want to get married, for reasons unknown.  We find out throughout the movie that Jack Ryan's proposed and asked many times.  So do we ever really find out why?  Do we learn what happened to make her doubt him?  No and then she marries him at the end when he almost dies.  Yep.  So fellas out there, if your lady won't say no, just try and almost get yourself killed and she'll be more than ready to walk down that aisle.

And Kevin Costner, so sorry.  I kept waiting for you to turn out to be a bad guy at the end.  Don't you now that in these stories, the mentor has to either die or turn to the dark side to add some drama and leave the main character out on his own?  He never really had to grow up in this film.  He always had big brother watching.

I'll keep waiting for a Jack Ryan that gets me to the emotion of the original.  Good attempt, but fell well short.

The Monuments Men - Movie Review

Let Me Have It Rating: 4/10

So I wanted to like this.  It have everything I normally like in a movie.  Period drama.  Based on a true story (that's always to catch for me).  Interesting cast of characters.

Here's the rub.  Yeah, the story was real, but it didn't really go anywhere.  There was no drama and the "tension" of the Russians trying to get the art too was like a train 100 miles away going 3 miles an hour, but COMING RIGHT FOR US!  No tension there.

It's like each character was 1/2 a character.  Matt Damon's character went off and met with Cate Blanchett and there was a little tension then a romantic nod, which never developed and then nothing.

George Clooney's character seemed passionate at the beginning with the opening pitch to the president, but that didn't carry through, especially when they were trying to find the Madonna & child statue.

I just didn't get the sense that there was really a big drive there.  It would have been better to take one or two of the characters and go deeper versus having all the different characters and going half-way with them.  Bummer, because this could have been both interesting and education if it had been done right.

The Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts Book Review

 Let Me Have It Rating: 9/10

Okay, I have to start by saying I'm a total junkie when it comes to romance novels and trilogies.  I love the story that good authors weave for you that shows how two people fall in love.  The thing I love about trilogies is that you really get to know the characters more in depth because you have more time to spend with them.

Now I know vampires are all the craze but to me this story is different.  The women in this book are just as powerful and important as the men, and each brings a different strength.

The character I love, however is Cian, the vampire fighting against his own kind.  His initial reaction to seeing his brother is one of indifference built from years of living, well not just years but hundreds of years.  But you get glimpses that he's different.

I find throughout the series that he brings the different characters together, playing to their strengths and their weaknesses.  He learns to trust and bond with humans, something he thought was outside of his possibility.  And when it comes to love, he walks away rather than hurt the one he has come to care for deeply because there would be no future for either of them.

The battle between good and evil ties these together and the stories of vampires, vanquishers and villains carries the story quickly.  To me, Nora Roberts is a great teller of tales.  Making the characters and the stories come alive, forcing you to feel connected and finding yourself identifying with one or more of them.

So if you're looking for a good vacation read and want a series that will keep your attention, provide a mix of love and lore, fights and friendship, then I would recommend getting this series of books. 

And I'd love to know how you think this measures up to other vampire series out there when it comes to strength of characters.

Inferno by Dan Brown Book Review

Let Me Have It Rating: 8/10

Welcome back Robert Langdon.  I thought we'd lost you when I finished reading the Lost Symbol, but you were back in action in Inferno.

The concept is interesting for this book.  The population growth of the earth is unsustainable and something will need to happen or we'll use up every natural resource and eradicate our species.  Those are facts that are currently being researched and discussed by those projecting the fate of our planet's future.

Throughout the entire book, you're left with the feeling that the eccentric mastermind behind the "solution" is going to create something that will kill and kill in great numbers.  And because as a reader, I didn't question that assumption, I was intrigued by the final solution.

The other great character in this book is Dante.  We've all heard of Dante's Inferno and his journey into hell, but very few of us have read it.  Inferno touched on Dante in the way The DaVinci Code touched on Leonardo, making the reader want to find out more for themselves.

I can see Tom Hanks getting another job out of this action thriller and look forward to the next book from Dan Brown, hopefully coming soon.

The Wolf of Wall Street Movie Review

Let Me Have It Rating: 5/10

Let me state this right up front.  The only reason this gets a 5 is because it's based on a true story.  And if all that crazy stuff actually happened to one person, I'm amazed Jordan Belfort is still around to tell any tales.

Now I'll say up front, I'm usually not a huge Martin Scorsese fan and this is another movie that validates my belief.  180 minutes!  Seriously?  I watched it from the comfort of my couch, but couldn't imagine watching this at a theater.

So if I had to sum up this movie in one word it would be the f-word.  And I'm sparing the readers from the actual word because if you watch this film, you'll get to hear it probably about 10,000 times.

One comment I heard from a writer once.  If you have to use words to add exclamation, us them to pack a punch because when every character uses it ever other word, it loses all meaning.

So this guy is a crazy, narcissistic wall street type (yeah, like that's a stretch) who doesn't think anything bad's going to happen (isn't that what they all think) and then his world comes crashing down and he takes everyone with him (okay, that's pretty true to live circa 2008).

It just didn't seem to be much of a story.  Do drugs, cheat everyone, scam the system, and...  I usually like stories that are based on real life people but in this case, unless it's a cold, rainy day and you can't find anything else to do with your afternoon, I wouldn't recommend watching this.  Sorry Leo.

American Hustle Movie Review

Let Me Have It Rating: 3/10

I have to start by saying that the seventies were alive and well in this film, almost to an extreme.  It's like someone checked out pictures on Google of what people looked during the disco decade and then picked one of each type of person.

The opening scene with Christian Bale spending what felt like hours fixing his fake hair set the stage for the drag that was this film.  There was no reason the run time on this had to be 140 minutes.  It's like the film editor was asleep at the switch and woke up everyone so often to say "guess that looks okay."

None of the characters were that endearing either.  The only one you felt a little bit interested in was Amy Adams portrayal of Sydney.  I was hoping her character would end up double crossing them all, but needless to say that didn't happen.

I know there were a lot of Oscar nominations for this film, including Jennifer Lawrence.  While I thought her character was interesting, I didn't think it was worth all of that flair.  Part way through the film I was still asking myself what is the point and the payoff at the end didn't seem to make it worth the time investment.

So would I recommend this film.  Nope.  Sorry folks.