Million Dollar Arm

Million Dollar Arm

Rated PG and Released in Grand Rapids 5/16/14

Reviewed 5/20/14 at Celebration North THeatre

with Gary

3 1/2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Million Dollar Arm is a light-hearted drama inspired by true events. I really like this genre even if it's very loosely based on a true story. I guess they did their job, as it is a sweet and touching film and by the end I wanted to go to India and bring future baseball players back to America. With its PG rating, the whole family can go see it, and it has just enough variety that it will appeal to mostly everyone.

John Hamm plays the self-centered bachelor J.B. Bernstein, a sports agent all about getting the big break. He has a heart in there somewhere even though it seems to be buried. What makes it surface just might be Lake Bell (Brenda Paauwe) his darling tenant.

It could also be the three young Indian men he brings to America after hosting a talent search all over the country. As J.B. sees it, there are a billion untapped potential athletes. These three guys are scene stealers and are just a delight. The relationship starts off as business as far as J.B. is concerned but for these three (who for the most part haven't left their villages their whole lives) it's just the start of a wild adventure.

Alan Arkin plays grouchy old talent scout Ray Poitevint. Arkin is solid as always in this role and he has his usual witty charisma, so you don't want to miss his lines.

There are flaws to this fluffy story and it runs low on steam here and there, but it charges back up for the end. If you are up for seeing a movie without being confused by the storyline and ready to just enjoy without having to think too hard, then see this charmer. You will leave feeling good and that carries a lot of weight.

QUIET Rating system: 3 1/2  Js

Quality: JJj

Understood story:  JJJJ

Interest: JJJj

Entertainment:  JJJj

Time:  JJJj

Godzilla

Godzilla

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 5/15/14

Reviewed 5/16/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Gary, Bran, Denny, Laurie, and Jerry

3 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

We have been inundated with trailers for this movie hot and heavy. This raises expectations. We all enjoyed it, but the rest of the group rated it at a 3 1/2 to 4. Laurie mentioned she liked the love story between monsters. Funny, I missed that part, but in thinking back I guess it was there. There was too much backstory leading up to the showdown, but now that it's out of the way, they can get right to the chase quicker in #2 in the Godzilla franchise.

Digging around in time with Monsters submerged, how they got there is a little muddled in what is taking place and when. But some questions might not be answered this time around. You do get caught up somewhat and realize there are other creatures the army are calling MUTOs (massive unidentified terrestrial organism) as well as Godzilla.

The showdown takes almost the whole movie to arrive to, as the military reaches all over the globe in trying to lure the beasts to one place for good reasons. This film is worth seeing and although we didn't see it in 3D or IMAX it might be worth it. The question looms, is Godzilla a giant lizard villain, or not? Go see it and determine this landmark question for yourself.

QUIET Rating system: 3  Js

Quality: JJj

Understood story:  JJj

Interest: JJJ

Entertainment:  JJJj

Time:  JJJ

Neighbors

Neighbors

Rated R and Released in Grand Rapids 5/9/14

Reviewed 5/13/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Gary, Ben and Jackie

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

This is the second one in a row that will appeal to certain groups, although this demographic is probably wider than Moms Night Out. College age males - this one is for you! Although young parents might be applauding as comical Seth Rogen (Mac) and darling Rose Byrne (Kelly) playing Gen-X new parents display a few victories over thier frat boy neighbors. I am sure when the four of us arrived in the fairly busy show, the audience was surely thinking we were in the wrong movie. We weren't. And we hung in there. Ben thought it was like Animal House, although he liked that one much better. All of us nearing the conclusion thought, "End this already!"

Mac and Kelly have a dilemma - go to the rave their friends are pleading they attend and bring their wide-eyed darling baby girl OR be good parents and just stay put. After much contemplating, they realize what many young moms and dad realize - it's easier to stay at home. But there is something far worse looming - they have new neighbors moving in. It doesn't take any time at all to see where this is headed. Welcome to the neighborhood fraternity house!

The president of the Greek brotherhood is Teddy Sanders, played by super cutie, and sometimes shirtless, Zac Efron and his second in command is Frank, played by fresh faced Dave Franco (brother to James Franco). At first the relationship is amicable, but then very quickly all hell breaks loose. The war is on. We found ourselves chuckling here and there, but then it was time to leave and anxiety set in. We had to make a fast break for the exit, lest any of our kids' friends recognized us in the theatre. Phew!

QUIET Rating system: 2 1/2 Js

Quality: JJ

Understood story:  JJJ

Interest: JJj

Entertainment:  JJJj

Time:  JJJj

Moms Night Out

Moms Night Out

Rated PG and Released in Grand Rapids 5/9/14

Reviewed 5/12/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Gary

2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Patricia Heaton is extremely talented and funny, but even she doesn't carry this TV quality movie. This is one of those they could have made a little more PG-13 and it might have helped. The demographic is so narrow on who this will appeal to as I am not sure who will actually go see it. There are some relatable moments that young mothers will appreciate and find humor in, but that is where it ends.

Three moms, Sondra (Heaton), Allyson (Sarah Drew) and Bridget (Logan White) get together for a much needed night out on the town that seems like an Adventures of Babysitting remake. Just insert moms. Some scenes cause some laughs, but not nearly enough. You could wait and see this when it plays on TV some day. Just please don't pay for it.

QUIET Rating system: 2  Js

Quality: Jj

Understood story:  JJj

Interest: JJ

Entertainment:  JJ

Time:  JJj

The Amazing Spiderman 2

The Amazing Spiderman 2

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 5/2/14

Reviewed 5/8/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Gary

2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Andrew Garfield is back as Peter Parker, aka Spider Man. While I loved the first one with Garfield and thought he was perfect for the part, this seemed like too much of the big set-up for number 3. More story than action at 142 minutes, Gary and I both felt it was too long as we kept looking at our watches. Emma Stone is always adorable and this is no different, as she is fine as Parker's saucy girlfriend Gwen Stacy. Jamie Foxx adds the most zip with his curious character as industry accident Electro.

Graduating from high school both Gwen and Peter are looking for what should be the next step in their lives. Assessing his purpose and trying to get answers to his past leaves Peter with more questions than solutions. Gwen on the other hand is focused and knows what she wants - one being Peter and the other is trying to land at Oxford. All the while an old friend of Peter resurfaces, trust fund kid Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan).

Electro (Foxx), who works at Harry's company, has the "shock" of his life that turns him into the eel monster Electro. Well it goes South pretty rapidly in NYC which allows Harry and Electro to team up but not before there is a lull in the story that gets stuck for some time. The showdown between all the characters in the end make for some great fun and of course it doesn't have a tidy ending leaving it wide open for the 3rd installment. Let's hope there is more to talk about when The Amazing Spiderman 3 rolls around.

QUIET Rating system: 2  Js

Quality: JJj

Understood story:  Jj

Interest: JJ

Entertainment:  JJJ

Time:  J

The Other Woman

The Other Woman

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 4/25/14

Reviewed 4/25/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Cindy

3 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

The Other Woman should be called The Other Women. The "women" are Cameron Diaz (mistress #1) as the sharp attorney Carly, and Kate Upton (mistress #2) as bubble head, but who cares about the brains Amber. Clueless wife Kate King is played by Leslie Mann, displaying a bit of frump in her cardigans, hat and floral attire which I am sure is intentional. Suffice to say this guy is pretty lucky. Cindy and I laughed pretty hard amongst the female-filled audience, but if the guys can get passed "the view", they will also find it to be pretty comical.

Actress Leslie Mann has no shame and she has demonstrated she will do just about anything in a movie. Even though she always has the cooke cutter parts, it really does work foe her. The opening scene with Kate (Mann) blabbering away at her husband Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - Game of Thrones) in the bathroom had the audience laughing. Almost too hard, like we all might relate?

In the suburbs, Kate stumbles upon the realization that her husband is having an affair. Credit can be given to Carly (Diaz) who appears on the Kings' doorstep to surprise dear Mark. In Carly's defense she does not know that Mark is a married man. This allows the two gals to strike up an unlikely friendship after Kate latches on to Carly and won't let go. The pair even become partners in crime with the common goal to make Mark pay for his sins. Lucky for them when they follow Mark to the beach it is right next to Kate's cute brother Phil's (Taylor Kinney) beach house which are dually noted by Carly. While spying, they discover the sneaky husband is cheating on both of them with a third sexpot Amber (Upton).

She is much easier to win over, making it a trio of demise. The first half of this flick is silly fun and then it simmers a bit, but no worries it gets back on track for the predictable but very satisfying ending. Sorry guys, Mark very deservingly "gets" his!

QUIET Rating system: 3 Js

Quality: JJ

Understood story:  JJJJ

Interest: JJJ

Entertainment:  JJJj

Time:  JJj

Transcendence

Transcendence

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 4/18/14

Reviewed 4/21/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Gary

2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Part action drama, part science fiction, Transcendence is not the exciting plot that we anticipated. Not that it was a total bust, but with the likes of Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman we just had higher expectations. It reminded me of Her, another Artificial Intelligence type movie that we saw back in the fall. While Transcendence is not as creepy weird as that one, it still is on the bizarre side.

Depp plays a brilliant scientist, Dr. Will Caster, who learns he does not have long to live after he is shot by an anti-computer activist. He, along with his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and another scientist Max Waters (Paul Bettany), hatch a scheme to download Will's mind into a computer before he expires. Evelyn carries on their dreams while maintaining her digital relationship with husband Will, the now Computer. Yes - it's bizarre. This all goes basically unnoticed even though "the couple" pours a ton of money into a run-down town. They have built the utopia of scientific facilities and to also host Computer Will.

The "Will" machine is rapidly evolving along with his/its intelligence and power. He eventually discovers a way to transcend humans into his minions that are all interconnected to his mainframe and to do his bidding. Several years go by and the government is made aware of the operations thanks to the same activists that shot Will. The group has been obsessed with shutting the site down. Thank goodness for their anarchy and pro-activeness, or where would mankind be? A computer versus man showdown ends the movie where it started. It's a world of no computers, everyone off the grid so to speak. Piles of useless cellphones trash up the streets and keyboards are used as doorstops. Now this would be a living hell. No thank you! I will take my chances with technology.

QUIET Rating system: 2 Js

Quality: JJ

Understood story:  JJ

Interest: JJ

Entertainment:  JJj

Time:  JJ