Branch Out: Rookie of the Year (1993)

A movie you may have missed- less than 25,000 reviews on IMDB.

 

12-year-old Henry Rowengartner signs on to pitch for the Chicago Cubs after an accident leaves him with a powerful pitching arm.

My Rating: 8/10

IMDB Ratings: 12,137

Source: IMDB

Weekly Recap: August 18- 24, 2013

A recap of the movies I watched for the first time this past week. 

Featured:

42 (2013)- 6/10

The story of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. The movie had potential, but it didn't quite live up to the power of the historical feat. The acting was decent, and the baseball scenes looked real enough, but the movie lacked heart. 

 
The Rest:

Outside Providence (1999)- 6/10- Dildo goes to prep school- a fun coming-of-age comedy.

Mercury Rising (1998)- 5/10- I was quite a performance by youngster Miko Hughes, and Bruce Willis plays a familiar role. 

Dredd (2012)- 4/10- For a movie where the action was pretty much non-stop, it was rather boring.

Movies watched this week: 4

Movies watched in 2013: 127

Source: IMDB

Trailer of the Week: Parkland (2013)

Parkland recounts the events that occurred at Dallas' Parkland Hospital on the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. This will give us a glimpse into the lives of the others that were directly affected that day. It looks to me like this will be similar to Bobby (2006), which chronicled the night Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. A great cast and great source material gives this movie the potential to be great. Parkland is set to hit theatres in October.

Source: IMDB, YouTube

From Daredevil to Superman to Batman

Ben Affleck may just tackle every superhero. First he was Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil- terrible movie in my opinion. Then he played the man that played Superman in Hollywoodland. And now he will be the new Batman.

I read a few weeks ago that WB wanted an 'older' Batman to star along Henry Cavill in their new Batman-Superman movie, and Ben fits that bill. I actually like the choice. He has a few years on the new Superman, but isn't too old to put on the mask and kick some tail. Aside for a few terrible performances (see Gigli) he has been pretty solid- especially the last few years.

The untitled Batman-Superman movie is shaping up quite well. Hopefully it is successful and we will finally get the Justice League movie that has been talked about for years now.

Source: JoBlo

Branch Out: Little Big League (1994)

A movie you may have missed- less than 25,000 reviews on IMDB.

 

 

Twelve-year-old Bill Heywood becomes the owner of the Minnesota Twins after his grandfather leaves him the team in his will. After firing the hated manager, Bill appoints himself as the leader of the team and attempts to lead them to the playoffs. 

 

 

My Ratings: 8/10

IMDB Ratings: 5,711

Source: IMDB

 

 

Weekly Recap: August 11- August 17, 2013

A weekly recap of the movies I watched for the first time this past week.

Featured:

Movie 43 (2013)- 3/10

An out of work writer pitches a movie with insane story lines.  They weren't lying when they said it was the biggest cast of stars ever assembled. That being said, it is just plain bad. I get why the actors would make a movie like this- take a break just to make a nonsense movie- but none of the stories were funny. They were just too over-the-top for my taste. 

The Rest:

It's a Disaster (2012)- 6/10- A funny movie in a not-so-funny situation. What would you do if you were stuck in a house with your closest friends, knowing you had just hours to live?

Something Borrowed (2011)- 5/10- A predictable rom-com in which John Krasinski is under utilized, but Ginnifer Goodwin is charming enough. 

Scooby Doo! Stage Fright (2013)- 5/10- Another Scooby Doo adventure- this one featuring a 'phantom' terrorizing a talent show. 

Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives (2013)- 5/10- It caused quite a stir when people discovered it was a mockumentary (although obvious) but still an interesting look at the largest shark that ever existed. 

Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977)- 5/10- A lot of the kids are back, but it's not the same without Buttermaker as the coach.

Deathstalker (1983)- 2/10- A warrior with a magic sword out to save a princess from an evil magician by winning a tournament. The plot sounded fun at least. 

Slap Her... She's French (2002)- 2/10- A teen comedy? featuring extremely bad accents. 

Movies watched this week: 8

Movies watched in 2013: 123

Source: IMDB

Trailer of the Week: Prisoners (2013)

What a nightmare it must be to have your children go missing. The cast is top both for this one- with Hugh Jackman and Terrence Howard as the father's to the missing girls, Jake Gyllenhaal as the detective looking for them, and Paul Dano as the potential suspect. I certainly wouldn't want to face an angry Jackman; I don't suppose metal claws will be coming out of his hands though. Prisoners looks like it will be a fun thriller and I am quite sure we will get a twist or two. It is set to release in September.


Source: YouTube

Branch Out: Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

A movie you may have missed- less than 25,000 reviews on IMDB.

 

 

 On the last day of summer camp 1981, the counselors try to settle all their unfinished business. Including pent-up sexual frustrations, unresolved post-traumatic stress, pending separations and the big talent show.

 

 

My Rating: 8/10

IMDB Ratings: 18,280

Source: IMDB

Weekly Recap: August 4- August 10, 2013

A recap of the movies I watched for the first time this past week. 

Featured:

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)- 6/10

The Joes are back to stop Cobra Commander from taking over the world; including Joe himself. Most of the cast is new, but there are some familiar faces. As ridiculous as the first G.I. Joe was, I enjoyed it for what it was. I had the same feeling with Retaliation. As ridiculous as it is at times, it is still mindless fun. 

The Rest:

Jack Reacher (2012)- 5/10- Tom Cruise proves he can still bring it on the action front, but the movie was just lacking something to take it to another level.

Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)- 4/10-The animation was impressive at times, but overall it felt uninspired.

Movies watched this week: 3

Movies watched in 2013: 115

Source: IMDB

Trailer of the Week: Devil's Pass (2013)

The Dyatlove Pass Incident is one of the most fascinating stories I have come across. You should read up on it if you have not already heard of it. I'm glad that there will finally be a movie made about the incident, but I am a little wary of Devil's Pass. The found footage approach is a nice touch but it looks like the filmmakers may screw up a great historical story. It is hard to tell form the trailer, but there appears to be some underground bunker that houses strange creatures- not what I think of when I read about the 1959 incident. Regardless I will be checking it out. Devil's Pass has already been released in other countries, but is set to release in the US late August.


Source: YouTube

Top 10 Worst Shark Movies

In honor of Shark Week I wanted to put a list of my Top 10 Shark movies together, but aside from Jaws and Jaws II, there aren't many good ones. There are, however, a lot of bad ones. Thank you SyFy.

10. Dark Tide (2012)- 3/10

 

A year after her partner was killed by a great white shark, a professional diver (Halle Berry) returns to the water after a wealthy man pays her to dive with the great whites. 

9. Sharknado (2013)- 2/10

 

A freak hurricane hits Los Angeles, scooping up sharks in water spouts and carrying them inland.

8. Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009)- 2/10

 

Two prehistoric sea creatures are freed from their icy grave and re-engage in battle along the California coast. 

7. Creature (1998)- 2/10

 

A marine biologist (Craig T. Nelson) tries to stop a shark-like creature that is terrorizing a secret military base and the island it is located on. 

6. Megalodon (2002)- 2/10

 

A deep-sea drilling operation frees a sixty-foot prehistoric shark- the Megalodon. 

5. Malibu Shark Attack (2009)- 2/10

 

A hunting pack of prehistoric goblin sharks terrorize lifeguards in their half sunken lifeguard stand after a tsunami floods Malibu. 

4. Dinoshark (2010)- 2/10

A dinoshark is freed from a glacier, thanks to global warming, and begins killing tourists and locals in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

3. Sharktopus (2010)- 2/10

 

A military created half-shark, half-octopus creature escapes and brings terror along the coast of Mexico.

2. Two-headed Shark Attack (2012)- 2/10

 

A two-headed shark sinks a Semester at Sea ship and goes after the survivors that escaped to a deserted atoll. 

1. Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002)- 1/10

Two researchers discover that the Megalodon is still alive in Mexican waters, and is feeding on anything that crosses its path. 

Source: IMDB

 

 

Branch Out: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

A movie you may have missed- less than 25,000 reviews on IMDB.

A documentary about die hard video game players seeking to break classic arcade game records, including Donkey Kong. 

My Rating: 8/10

IMDB ratings: 23,744

Weekly Recap: July 28- August 3, 2013

A recap of the movies I watched for the first time this past week.

Featured:

Wild Target (2009)- 7/10

A veteran hitman (Bill Nighy) fails to kill his latest target, a lovely female thief (Emily Blunt), causing to go on the run together. As one would expect, he falls for her charms. This was a nice little find on Netflix instant. Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt are a great team, and Ron from the Harry Potter series was quite funny as well. 

The Rest:

Evil Dead (2013)- 7/10- There was a bit more terror and gore than the Bruce Campbell version, but there were quite a few nods to the original.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)- 5/10- I did not like Jim Carrey much at all in this one, but Steve Carell brought a few laughs. A decent magic flick. 

Planet Hulk (2010)- 4/10- Although I like the story lines, the Marvel animation movies just don't do it for me. 

Movies watched this week: 4

Movies watched in 2013: 112

Source: IMDB

Trailer of the Week: Lone Survivor (2014)

Based on the failed 'Operation Red Wings' mission in June 2005 where 4 SEAL Team members set out to capture a Taliban leader- only one survived. It loses some of its suspense when you know the outcome (as is the case with most movies based on true events). That being said, Lone Survivor is still a movie I will be checking out. Peter Berg showed he can handle combat movies with The Kingdom, and needs to return to that form after Battleship and Hancock. Lone Survivor is set to release in January 2014.

Source: YouTube

Branch Out: The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)

A movie you may have missed- less than 25,000 reviews on IMDB.

A documentary of the time John Lennon transformed from a musician to an antiwar activist, and how the U.S. government tried to silence him. 

My Rating: 8/10

IMDB Ratings: 3,380