Category Archives: My Collection

My Collection

The Hurt Locker

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The Hurt Locker has always been a movie that I’ve wanted to see. Consistently rated 5 stars and being a war movie usually means I will be thoroughly entertained. The premise of the movie is a sound one, but the over arching story line just was not gripping to me.

Some of the missions and sub-stories seemed disjointed at times. I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard of a Humvee of a unit going out by themselves, seen in the movie numerous times. Having had some friends that served over in the sandbox, I don’t think anyone would ever go out on their own (but what do I know).

Actors/Actresses:

Everyone in the movie are not A list actors. In fact I’m not sure who was in the movie. The cast does do a good job of playing up to it and  Jeremy Renner, the main character does a great job playing an adrenaline loving EOD guy.

Verdict:

I really think that the movie was a good idea. I just never could get into the movie and sit still to watch it for the full two hours. I could empathize with the main character, but even his full narrative wasn’t gripping. It isn’t a keeper, but one you could watch once if there isn’t anything else on.

Mel Brooks, My Collection

Blazing Saddles

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Blazing Saddles has to be one of the funniest movies ever made and surely could not be made now. There are so many off color jokes that are sexist, racist, and ethnically insensitive a movie studio would run as fast as possible. That said, if you don’t laugh at the movie and enjoy the story line there is quite possible something terribly wrong with you.

The railroad discovers quick sand as they are going across the southwest desert and needs to be diverted. Unfortunately the town of Rock Ridge lies directly in the path of the new railroad and the townspeople do not want to let them pass. The governor and attorney general Headly Lamar has other plans and sends Bart, a former railroad construction slave, to be the new sheriff. Instead of the townspeople revolting they instead rally behind him and fight off the railroad mercenaries. The movie ends with one of the most hilarious  fight scenes that have ever been filmed.

Actors/Actresses

There is a star studded cast from Gene Wilder as a drunk gunslinger to Alex Karras as a huge oaf who is highly philosophical. Cleavon Little plays an African-American sheriff at a time where there were none and does an amazing job.

Verdict

A must see, must own movie. If you have only seen this movie on television then you are missing out on tons of jokes, one liners, and double entendre.

Chad Stahelski, My Collection

John Wick

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If you are looking for a movie that is under 2 hours with nonstop action with very little plot and storyline, John Wick is for you. This is fully a guy flick, and any man will instantly connect with the character, especially if you are a dog lover.

It is obviously over the top and not realistic. If that is what you are looking for, keep moving. The one thing that I do like though is the gun play is very realistic. No unlimited amounts of ammo here. The fight scenes are good as well. Body blows do seem to have an effect on him.

Actors/Actresses

While I have never been a Keanu Reeves fan, I’ve never been a hater either. He does a good job in the movie, showing good emotion and toughness with that little bit of Keanu that SNL made fun of in the Celebrity Jeopardy skit. He makes John Wick really seem like a pissed off guy ready to exact his vengeance.

Verdict

This is definitely a movie to rent. I wouldn’t buy it and probably would never watch it again. But if later on it is on TV or Netflix and there is nothing else to watch, it is a good time waster.

David Ayer, My Collection

Fury

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If you are looking for a good war movie to watch and not feel like you wasted two hours, Fury is for you. It has a very shallow story/plot line but delivers a lot of good action back to back. There are a few awkward scenes in the movie where a sub plot was forced in. These are easily overlooked as the war time action and heroics pick back up.

Some will complain about some “historical inaccuracies” regarding the tanks of WWII. Remember this is a movie, not a documentary. They do hold to historical details such as the US Sherman tanks being severely outgunned by the German Tiger.

Brad Pitt as usual does a great job as a battle hardened leader, and the surrounding cast has a good variety of characters that the dynamic of the tank crew for the most part just works. The final battle scene, while over the top, will keep you entertained and wondering what happens right up until the end.

Grab this one at the RedBox or wait until it is available on Netflix. Not one I would purchase, unless it was really cheap on sale.

SideNote: I rented this on BluRay and it  makes me laugh that as picture quality has gone up, we make a concerted effort now to make it look old with filters and post processing.

John Landis, My Collection

The Blues Brothers

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Definitely one of my favorite movies. This is a true American classic with great movies, great car chase scenes, and us against the world mentality. If you have never seen this movie, you should put it at the top of your list. The amount of quotable lines that everyone will know is off the charts in this one.