MOVIE REVIEW: John Wick

On paper, John Wick comes off as one of those generic revenge action thrillers that can interchanged with other films on the genre. It also stars Keanu Reeves who hasn't had a big hit both in the box office and with the critics in a lead role since 1999's The Matrix which is now considered a classic.

Fortunately, the streak is now broken with John Wick, an engaging and satisfying bloodfest led by Reeves as a retired hitman who just lost his puppy given to him posthumously by his late wife, to his old co-workers and must do payback time to those who did a part of it.

With a premise like that, beautifully dark production design in a criminal underground world  plus an excellent supporting cast led by Bridget Moynahan as Mrs. Wick, Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane and Game of Thrones' Alfie Allen, John Wick is one of 2014's biggest surprises in Hollywood that puts Keauu Reeves  back in the game. It joins Speed and The Matrix as the best ones in his career.

MOVIE REVIEW: Fury

Fury is the name given on a Sherman Tank that's led by Sgt. Don "Wardaddy" Collier (Brad Pitt) and his men gunner Boyd "Bible" Swan (Shia LaBeouf in his best performance so far since his Transformers days), driver Trini "Gordo" Garcia (Michael Pena), loader mechanic Grady "Coon-Ass" Travis (Jon Bernthal from The Walking Dead) and new guy Norman Ellison (The Perks of Being a Wallflower's Logan Lerman), as they navigate their way thru Nazi Germany in the last days of World War II. The end may be near but the enemy is still giving a fight to the finish.

Directed by David Ayer who made the commendable LA cop movie 2012's End of Watch, Fury may bear some similarity to it rather than what most people compare to which is Saving Private Ryan. The graphic gore and war violence are the only things similar to Spielberg's masterpiece. Fury is more on the camaraderie of men put together in a sea of uncertainty and danger that guarantees no happy ending for them and yet they still can engage in funny dialogues and actions and that reminded me of Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena's characters relationship in End of Watch.

With some remarkable scenes, great production design and a spot on musical score by Steven Price who won last year's Oscar for Gravity, Fury is not our grandfather's World War II film, it is realistically bleak but it sure is entertaining.

MOVIE REVIEW: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

All of us have experienced bad days in our lives and for 12 year old Alexander Cooper played by Ed Oxenbould, it is just too much to bear and he wished that his family might experience it too.

Steve Carell is perfect as Alexander's dad, the ever optimistic Ben, who even after he got laid off at his work, still finds a silver lining being with his family. Jennifer Garner as right on the spot as Kelly the Mom. She is what to expect from a Disney mom: loving, caring with some crazy moments. Dylan Minnette as the hopelessly romantic older brother, Kerris Dorsey as the aspiring actress older sister and Elise Vargas as baby Trevor complete the family.

The recession and the use of gadgets and social media was integrated in the film to keep up with the times and kids in this generation would surely relate to it. Director Miguel Arteta, known for his adult comedies Cedar Rapids, Youth in Revolt and The Good Girl, does a complete turnaround from his filmography and crafted Alexander that reminds you of the old live action Disney films in the seventies and early eighties. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is one of the longest movie title we have seen so far in recent memory but it only has a running time of an hour and 21 minutes and it's packed with enough laughs and life lessons for kids of all ages.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Judge

Veering away from the two film franchises that made him the highest paid Hollywood actor today, Robert Downey Jr. chose to do The Judge, a beautifully shot courtroom family drama with a pedigreed supporting cast led by Oscar winners Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton as well as nominee Vera Farmiga. Dax Shepard and Vincent D' Onofrio are also in the film.

Downey plays Hank Palmer, a city big shot lawyer who goes back to his childhood home town after the death of his Mom. His Dad Joseph (Duvall), whom he is not in good terms with, is one of the town's revered judges and when he was suspected of murder in an incident after the funeral, Hank now reconnects with the family and friends in the town he left behind. Farmiga plays Hank's old flame and Thornton as the opposing lawyer.

Despite it's starpower, The Judge could have been better. With Downey, he never left his Tony Spark persona in the film. Fortunately he and Duvall have great chemistry and the scenes of them together are one of the highlights of the film  The director David Dobkin is much more known for his comedies Wedding Crashers and Shanghai Knights and by that alone, drama ain't his forte.

The Judge is not a boring movie and it ain't great too. If you are a Robert Downey Jr. diehard fan then by all means go. The Judge is a commendable filler for those who thirst for Tony Stark and can't wait till The Avengers 2 comes out May of next year.

MOVIE REVIEW: Gone Girl

Based on the phenomenal global bestseller by Gillian Flynn, I finished reading Gone Girl two days before the movie opened here in the United States and if you love it then you won't be disappointed for the film version stays faithful to the book, it helps too that Flynn also wrote the screenplay and is ably directed by David Fincher (Seven, Zodiac, Fight Club and The Social Network among others).

Gone Girl is the story of Nick and Amy Dunne (Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike), a New York City based couple who due to the recession, had to move back to Nick's hometown of New Carthage, Missouri to start a new life. As they are trying to rebuild, Amy suddenly disappears hence the title and maybe Nick the husband has something to do with it...or not??!!!

Ben Affleck gives the best performance of his career as the aggrieved husband who may have some secrets that lead to the disappearance of his wife but Rosamund Pike outshines everyone in the cast that also includes Neil Patrick Harris, as Amy, the wife who may have some secrets as well. This is a star making turn from the British actress mainly known for her roles in Die Another Day, Pride and Prejudice and Jack Reacher. For such a complex character, Pike is excellent that she reminded me of past strong female characters created by Alfred Hitchcock, don't be surprised it she gets an Oscar nomination for this.

Dark, intelligent and mildly comic, Gone Girl is way better than David Fincher's other bestselling film adaptation: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. No one thought that after Rooney Mara's Lisbeth Salander that he would create another great female character with Rosamund Pike's Amy Dunne. It is great edge of your seat, whodunnit entertaining thriller that's well worth of your hard earned money and two and a half hours of your time.