Saving Private Ryan

Movie: Saving Private Ryan

Main Actors: Tom Hanks and Matt Damon

MPAA Rating: R

Passionate Expressions: Oh my goodness there are a lot of these

Useless Vulgar Language: There are a few here and there, but they barely make this category as everything is filmed within the context of constant conflict

S in a Good Light: There wasn’t any sex in this movie

S in a Bad Light: Still no sex

Manly Violence: This movie portrays some of the most Manly Violence in History, so yes, it is in there. Those WWII veterans are not poor men who are ruined forever who should be pitied as a lot of wimps out there would like us to believe. These men are heroes. Heroes who deserve as much praise as we can give them before they are all gone from this earth.

Action Violence: None

Pointless Violence: None

Manly Rating: A+

Scorecard
Cinematography: A
Visual Effects: A
Sound/Score: A
Story: A+
Acting: A+

Food to Watch With: A roast beef sandwich.

Plot Synopsis: A small team of Rangers is sent to find Private Ryan and bring him home to his mother when all of his brothers are killed in action.

Review: It is hard to write a review for a movie that shows war with such honesty because how can one review a war. While the story is not true and a lot of events were thrown together to give the movie a consistent flow, the ideas and realizations that were had are. I will say one thing. Don’t watch this movie and approach a WWII veteran with the idea that you now know what he’s been through. Don’t be that guy. Just thank him and buy him a beer weather he can drink it or not.

Life Lessons: There are a lot of them in here, to many to be put into this review. Watch the movie, discuss it with others and don’t take what you have for granted.

Summary: EPIC!

Would I Watch This Again: Yes, I would watch it as often as I get the chance.

Starship Troopers

Movie: Starship Troopers

Main Actors: Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris (really, it’s Neil Patrick Harris)

MPAA Rating: R

Passionate Expressions: Lots and lots of them. Wouldn’t you have some if you were about to be killed or ripped apart by giant insects.

Useless Vulgar Language: Not as much as you might think.

S in a Good Light: Nope

S in a Bad Light: Yes there is, naked showering and a sex scene. They did seem to keep it short and not during anything important so you have just enough time to check to see if you have any new emails.

Manly Violence: Wall to wall manly and insectly violence.

Action Violence: Not really

Pointless Violence: Yes. I’m going to get lots and lots of grief over this but I don’t believe in females being in the military, not in the combat roles anyway. So any scene of violence that was in here and a woman got killed or hurt I would list under pointless violence because in my humble opinion they shouldn’t have been there anyway. Not that women shouldn't pick up a weapon and defend house and home, but...i think you get my drift. Also, there were some scenes where the violence was a little gratuitous, where it moved from story telling to – lets see if we can have a scene about brains being sucked out cause that would be cool – kind of violence.

Manly Rating: A

Scorecard
Cinematography: C
Visual Effects: B
Sound/Score: A- (I know, surprising, right)
Story: A-
Acting: B-

Food to Watch With: Hmmm, a tough one if you are squeamish about insects, which I am, so I would recommend bland food like Roman noodles or a large order of KFC mashed potatoes with a bottle of Pepto-Bismol close at hand.

Plot Synopsis: Space bugs destroy Buenos Aires and the Humans decided to exterminate the ugly things.

Review: Another good Sci-Fi flick that was good for reasons that are not the norm. All in all, the major story line was pretty standard as far as Sci-Fi goes. Giant war: man vs. Insect. At first glance it might actually be seen as a B-level flick but fortunately the producers elevated it to something more. The real genius of this film was in the mix of comedy and sacrifice. One of the major themes throughout the movie was about the military dictatorship that ruled the human race. The commercials, the propaganda and the way they showed everyday life was hilarious. I love the US Military, and someone captured what the US Military would be like if it was in charge of the planet to a T. You might think I’m bashing what they showed, but I’m not. I loved it. Not saying we should go that route, but they took what was intrinsically good about the military but is usually misunderstood and forced you to come to terms with it and accept it (if you were going to like the movie that is).

Life Lessons: If you have small tactical nukes, maybe you should use them more often. Also, don’t ask Drill Instructors stupid questions.

Summary: It is a movie that delivers what it says it will and more.

Would I Watch This Again: Yes, I like it more each time I do.

Taken

Movie: Taken

Main Actors: Liam Neeson

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (There are other versions of this movie, I’m only doing a review of the one that was mass released in the US that was PG-13)

Passionate Expressions: Yes, but they don’t go overboard

Useless Vulgar Language: Some times the bad guys delved into this category, but lets face it, they are BAD GUYS.

Sex in a Good Light: Not in this movie

Sex in a Bad Light: They could have gotten into this, and I don’t know if they did in other versions; but no, it was not in this one.

Manly Violence: Yep, and lots of it

Action Violence: Nope

Pointless Violence: Nope

Manly Rating: A

Scorecard
Cinematography: B
Visual Effects: B
Sound/Score: B
Story: A+
Acting: A

Food to Watch With: Have yourself a good old BBQ, whatever meat you want.

Plot Synopsis: An American girl is kidnapped in Paris and her ex-CIA father goes to get her back.

Review: Great movie. I’m usually all for showing things how they really are but it was nice of them to create one that pretty much does that while at the same time keeping it PG-13. This is one that you might be able to watch with your wife (if she is sensitive to violence I would still recommend watching it first yourself and determining if she would like it) and maybe with your teenager. This movie was basically the same idea as Man on Fire just toned down a little bit and you get to listen to Liam Neeson say things. The whole thing was acted and filmed well and there was only 1 time where I felt like he attained super-hero status (I was sure there was one time where he got shot in the back but he just walks it off because he is Liam Neeson and that’s what he does) and the movie made some great points about the world not being a safe place and American’s in particular being very blind to what is right outside our doors.

Life Lessons: He has played god, Aslan, Titan and pretty much every other diety, I’m pretty sure he can kick anybodies butt.

Summary: Great movie with good points that you usually only get in an R rated movie

Would I Watch This Again: I am planning on doing so soon.

Tangled

Movie: Tangled

Main Actors: Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi

MPAA Rating: PG

Passionate Expressions: None

Useless Vulgar Language: None

S in a Good Light: A first kiss

S in a Bad Light: Non-existent

Manly Violence: There is some cartoon violence and most of it is centered around comedy

Action Violence: Didn’t see any

Pointless Violence: Definitely not

Manly Rating: A

Scorecard
Cinematography: A
Visual Effects: A
Sound/Score: A
Story: A+
Acting (Voice): A

Food to Watch With: If you are watching with your kids probably nothing, if you are watching with your significant other have some kind of romantic treat to share.

Plot Synopsis: The story of Repunzel (the girl with the long hair)

Review: I always go into a John Lassiter movie wondering if this will be the time that he messes up, if this will be the time that Disney gets the better of him and he makes something like “Sharks” or “Shrek”. But, just like every other time, I left the theater feeling like I had just seen something special. This movie, like most of the movies he makes, tends to be able to be viewed by two different audiences. Kids (of course) and Adults (mostly couples). He can make the film appeal to adults without trying to put crude jokes in the dialog and hope the kids don’t understand it and he can make it appeal to kids without throwing so much movement, color and all out chaos that they act like they just ate an entire box of Rice Crispy Treats cereal (yes it does exist and yes it is delicious). The best way I can sum up a Lassiter film is to borrow a saying from my wife, “He treats kids like small adults”. The movie was full of comedy, had a strong sense of adventure and was one of the most…..correction…WAS the most romantic movie of 2010. I’m not going to tell you about the movie cause I don’t want to take away anything from the experience of seeing it for yourself.

Life Lessons: Throughout the movie there were many talking points that you can have conversations with your kids about among which are: Lying, Deception, Selfishness, Manipulation, Kidnapping and Sadness.

Summary: Great movie that I will be buying as soon as it is available on DVD

Would I Watch This Again: It would be a sure bet that I will.

The Crazies

Movie: The Crazies

Main Actors: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell and Joe Anderson

MPAA Rating: R

Passionate Expressions: Yes, there are a lot of them in this movie, but I believe they are all under this category

Useless Vulgar Language: Not really

Sex in a Good Light: I don’t remember any sex in this movie

Sex in a Bad Light: Ditto

Manly Violence: Lots and lots of manly violence, in fact it was some of the best manly violence I have seen in a while

Action Violence: Nothing that wasn’t tied to the story line

Pointless Violence: A lot of the violence done by the “crazies” is in and of it’s self pointless; but, for the most part, whenever you pit two groups against each other one’s violence is pointless, the others is justified. Just look at Israel and Palestine. There was also a scene in the middle of the movie (the signature scene from both the original and this remake) where people who are tied to beds are killed by a “crazy” with a pitchfork. While a lot of this movie was consequence driven and hectic to the point where you would believe that the order of events could be considered accurate, most of the worst violence was either flashed by or implied. The pitchfork scene however was not; which leads me to believe that they just wanted a horror scene. If the rest of the movie had been shot with the idea that the camera does not turn away, to totally immerse you, then I wouldn’t have said anything about it. But that is not the way the movie was filmed, only this scene. So careful, this scene could jolt you out of the movie and distract you for the rest of the film. I for one, couldn’t watch it, it wasn’t necessary to the story, and it was intentionally filmed to scare and sicken.

Manly Rating: A

Scorecard
Cinematography: B
Visual Effects: B
Sound/Score: B
Story: A
Acting: A

Food to Watch With: Eat whatever you want, just don’t drink any water!

Plot Synopsis: A small town sheriff attempts to rescue his wife after an insidious military chemical gets in the water supply and starts turning everyone into Psycho Killers.

Review: I thought this movie was a pretty good representation of what a married man should do in an emergency (even if the emergency is your neighbors trying to kill you). The filmmakers could have focused on the evil military and government who created the spill but instead only used them as plot devices to drive the actually story of a man and his wife. The movie also avoids the trapfall of the main characters becoming super-human and deciding that not only can they survive, but they can figure exactly what is happening and bring the evil-doers to justice. Instead it shows them doing the only information finding that someone in their situation would do, survival information. Blaming can be done later. Watcher beware, this movie is intense

Life Lessons: If you’re the Sheriff, it’s your party, do what you want to.

Summary: Excellent movie that has a simple plot that I think a lot of men could learn from.

Would I Watch This Again: Yes.