3 Days to Kill

3 Days to Kill

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 2/21/14

Reviewed 2/26/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Gary, Aaron and Danelle

2 1/2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Called a spy action drama, it can really be pared down to a drama with some spy action. The storyline caught us off guard with an unexpected premise. Kevin Costner plays dying CIA agent Ethan Runner trying to reconnect with teen daughter Zoey Runner (Hailee Steinfeld) who lives with her mother, his estranged wife, in Paris. Zoey harbors resentment towards her dad but it's certainly justified. Costner is probably more apt at roles similar to his upcoming movie Draft Day, not so much as CIA tough guy spy. His performance is passable at best; Costner is no Liam Neesen. Danelle and Aaron, being our harsher critics, thought it was barely a 2. We all thought it was worth seeing, but better suited for a trip to the cheapie theatre.

Ethan Runner has just tangled with a hunted bad guy known as "The Albino" who barely escapes from the beaten up Ethan after a heavy pursuit in the D.C. area. After lying in the hospital, Ethan learns of his illness which prompts him to head to Paris and spend as much time as he can with his daughter.

Zoey doesn't welcome her absentee father with open arms. In spite of that, he still manages to wiggle his way into both her and Christine's (Connie Nelson) lives. He convinces Christine that he is no longer involved in the agency as he is sick so she allows it, but with hesitation.

Kind of abruptly another CIA agent, not-very-dressed-for-the-job sultry Vivi Delay (Amber Heard), seeks out Ethan and makes him a bizarre offer. Hunt down The Albino who will lead to his boss The Wolf, the real target, and simply kill them. The stipulation is that Vivi will provide him experimental drugs for his illness. Hesitating for just a moment, Ethan is convinced. After all, this will allow more time with his family. Why gun-toting spy Vivi, who seems to know the whereabouts of everyone, doesn't do the deed herself is not really addressed. All the while Ethan is fighting his way around Paris, he is trying to win over Zoey with some rather goofy ideas, but he is a little out of practice with the parent thing. In the backdrop is Ethan and Christine rekindling their apparent spark that didn't die out. Some humorous moments, with a smidge of sentiment, takes place when Ethan moves back to Paris and a family of squatters has taken over his apartment. This became more touching than the major father-daughter storyline that was supposed to charm us. As it is winding down, 3 Days to Kill has a predictable conclusion that left us hoping for more fireworks and excitement down the stretch. That being said, I wouldn't skip it all together but knowing this flick is no Taken will help lower your expectations and make it more worthwhile.

QUIET Rating system: 2 ½ Js

Quality: JJ

Understood story:  JJ

Interest: JJJ

Entertainment:  JJj

Time:  JJ

Pompeii

Pompeii

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 2/21/14

Reviewed 2/24/14 at Celebration North Theatre in Grand Rapids, MI

with Gary

2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Pompeii is a historical catastrophe movie that reminds me of the storyline in Gladiator with Russell Crowe. Family gets killed, survivor is put into slavery, becomes the baddest gladiator there is, executes revenge on the powerful leader behind the evil, and finally...no happy ending. There...I saved you the trouble. This one just has a volcano in the mix and Gladiator is one fine movie with great acting. This was neither.

Milo (Kit Harington) is the Russell Crowe of Pompeii. The movie's setting is around 79 A.D. in the charming, fairly quiet city of Pompeii on Italy's coast. The governor of the city Severus (Jared Harris) and his wife Aurelia (Carrie-Ann Moss) have a beautiful daughter Cassia (Emily Browning), who is just returning from visiting Rome. Milo the gladiator is being transferred with other fighters to Pompeii to fight their way around the arena in the new surroundings. His shackled caravan encounters the demure Cassia traveling back as Milo helps with her horse alongside the road. A flitting connection passes between the two but Cassia shakes it off as she is overly anxious to get back home with her family.

Unbeknownst to Cassia's parents, she has fended off advances from the vile leader Senator Corvus (Kiefer Sutherland). She has put him out of her mind because she thought she would never see him again. Unlucky for her though, Corvus is paying visit to Pompeii under the premise of investing into rebuilding the city, but his real intentions are revealed rather quickly. Meanwhile, slave Milo and privileged Cassia exchange glances at every slight chance they get. I guess this is enough cause for everlasting love. Corvus is observing these little encounters and possessively he wants Cassia for himself.

Soon the big day for the gladiator fight has arrived and her parents sit with Corvus in the box overlooking the colosseum. Corvus doesn't want to take any chances, forcing a big set up in the arena to get rid of his rival the handsome Milo. All the while the real danger is the brewing and spattering volcano that is looming loose in the town for the escaping people. There is a lot to contend with - splitting lava bombs, surging water, earthquakes, and soldiers killing their way out of the chaos. Safe to say the volcano wins. Gary and I both thought it was not bad enough to be a walker-outer and just good enough to see some time. But definitely don't rush out now; save this one for home.

QUIET Rating system: 2 Js

Quality: J

Understood story:  JJj

Interest: JJ

Entertainment:  JJj

Time:  JJj

About Last NIght

About Last Night

Rated R and Released 2/14/14 in Grand Rapids

Reviewed 2/18/14 at Celebration North in Grand Rapids, MI

with Cindy

1 1/2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Cindy and I both thought if you could just watch the last 20 minutes of this movie you might actually laugh and enjoy it without cringing. The first 80 minutes we winced at the over the top raunch and language and if they would have cleaned it up, even a bit, it would have been a much-improved film. Kevin Hart, who plays Bernie in this remake of the 1980s About Last Night, can be hilarious, but it's disappointing and unnecessary with all the excessiveness. In the original Bernie was played by funny guy Jim Belushi and Danny was played by Rob Lowe. And who could forget Demi Moore as Danny's love interest Debbie!?

The two friends, Bernie (Hart) and Danny (Micheal Early), hook up with two best friends and roommates. That has trouble written all over it. Debbie (Joy Bryant) meets Danny when she tags along with her friend Joan (Regina Hall) who is seeing Bennie. Serious Debbie and good-guy Danny are darling and begin dating, which at first seems rather slow, but they jump right in and have some real chemistry. While the other two, raw-tongued Bernie and salty Joan, are combative and perverse at every turn. The new couple eventually moves in with each other even as Bernie and Joan plead with them not to, giving every reason in the book. They sabotage the relationship at every turn almost unintentionally, but they are the ones that actually break up first. After that Bernie and Joan's confrontations are pretty comical. The ups and downs of relationships leading to breakups can make for some good story lines. They can make you laugh and get teary and About Last Night had a legitimate nice ending with some of that. Cindy and I contemplated leaving about half way through and we would have missed the best part. But was sitting through the rest of it worth it? Probably not.

QUIET Rating system: 1 1/2 Js

Quality: Jj

Understood story:  JJ

Interest: JJ

Entertainment:  Jj

Time:  Jj

RoboCop

RoboCop

Rated PG-13 and Released 2/14/14 in Grand Rapids

Reviewed 2/18/14 at Celebration North in Grand Rapids, MI

with Gary and Aaron

2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

The remake of the 1987 RoboCop action film really lacks action. While this is disappointing, it is certainly an improvement in the action and special effects over the original. Not to worry, this story is all set up for the sequel which I predict will be much better. We all agreed - we liked it, glad we saw it, but surely not blown away.

In 2028, the stellar veteran Detroit cop Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is critically injured while on the job. It's very troubling to see what is left of Alex when they show the grotesque head planted on a few organs. Enter sleazy Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) who runs OmniCorp (company that manufactures robots), and his goal is to plant robots in every U.S. city. His claims to make cities safer, as if he has everyone's best interests, are at the forefront. We soon learn that big money is behind the motives. No surprise. Flashes of Pat Novak (Samuel Jackson) doing infomercials on the behalf of the drone-like systems that OmniCorp has planted all over the world, excluding the U.S., have clear intentions. It is a crafted marketing campaign. Putting Alex in the robot suit controlled by Raymond Sellars' scientists so Americans will want robots to police their cities is his goal. If the public wants half man/half robot, then Sellars and OmniCorp will give them that. Reluctant at times, Dr. Norton (Gary Oldman), the scientist behind the latest OmniCorp creation, has heightened Alex's intelligence and squelched his emotions so he can only systematically fight crime. This is not how his wife Clara Murphy (Abbie Cornish) remembers him and she is sure they have messed with him. I think it doesn't make much difference; Joel Kinnaman seems right at home playing emotionless. There is a lot of build up in the story to get to this point and it gets exciting for a time. But as fast as it winds up, it winds back down. If you are considering RoboCop for the theatre, even the IMAX doesn't really give it enough oomph for a trip. This is definitely a renter.

QUIET Rating system: 2 Js

Quality: JJj

Understood story:  JJ

Interest: JJ

Entertainment:  JJ

Time:  JJ

Winter's Tale

Winter's Tale

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 2/14/14

Reviewed 2/16/14 at Celebration North Theatre in Grand Rapids, MI

2 1/2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Winter's Tale is based on a 1983 book by the same name, but unexpectedly the movie is not the usual romantic drama. It was surprising to see Will Smith playing Lucifer, who I think was miss-cast in this serious role. It was odd that he was kind of a nice devil. While Russell Crowe as demon Pearly Soames was better, he didn't really come across as menacing as you would suspect. I found Colin Farrell (Peter Lake) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Beverly Penn) delightful together and definitely the pair was the best part of the film. Although the supernatural and jumping around in time were executed awkwardly, I still thought it was a pleasant enough story.

The life-long thief Peter Lake (Farrell) is being pursued hot and heavy by Pearly Soames. In the 1890s after rescuing the infant Peter adrift in New York Harbor, Pearly raises him. Peter doesn't want to follow in demon stepdad's footsteps and breaks off. This sets off a lifelong pursuit to kill poor Peter. The problem is "lifelong" for Pearly could be eternity, so he has lots of time to catch Peter.

Doesn't sound much like a romance yet...but Peter is rescued from his pursuers by a magical winged horse that guides him. The horse named "Horse" leads him to Jessica's house. Peter misinterprets Horse's intentions and attempts to rob the mansion. What he doesn't plan on is the beautiful Beverly instantly captivating him. A major roadblock in the quickly brewing romance is that the 21-year-old is dying of Consumption. They don't have much time, maybe six months, so they make haste and Beverly's stern but loving father Mr. Penn (William Hurt) gives a half-hearted approval. Beverly's little sister seems unimportant to the story, but she is the key to the interwoven tale that Peter has to figure out. Jump forward to 2014, and this is where the plot gets pushed very quickly. Peter (now in present day) has to piece together the puzzle that has been laid before him. Meanwhile Pearly gets permission from Lucifer to keep pursuing him "making a deal with the devil".

Encountering Virginia Gamely (Jennifer Connelly) and her dying daughter in the NYC park, is not by chance for Peter Lake. Virginia escorts the very confused Peter around to unravel the mystery. It seems by now that the little sister (of the earlier dying Beverly) should be 100, but she is currently the owner of a newspaper that Peter's new friend Virginia works for. All the paths are crossing as they are supposed to and it may sound confusing, but it really isn't. I liked Winter's Tale, with its magical Disney-like qualities at times, but with all the metaphoric significance the movie misses the importance that the book explains. But that is how the movie adaptation goes. There is never enough time to get in all the details. This is not a home run by any stretch, but in spite of being an unconventional romantic drama, it did get me teary a few times. So if that is the gauge, then mission accomplished.

QUIET Rating system: 2 ½ Js

Quality: JJJ

Understood story:  JJ

Interest: JJJj

Entertainment:  JJj

Time:  JJ