Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Movie Screening

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Director Jonathan Liebesman's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is not as terrible as one might have expected. But in the sense of bringing back memories to this 90s child, this movie is the best so far this year. 

The film does suffer because of the comic book-based elements that inevitably must be grounded in the 'real world' with, at times too much backstory. From main character and our eyes into the lives of the Turtles, April O'Neil (Megan Fox.)

O’Neil, a struggling news reporter seeking to make her bones on a story about the FOOT Clan. In doing so, she encounters the Turtles and befriends them, realizing that she -- and her scientist father -- had a hand in their origin. 

Through a series of confusingly-written scenes that burden us with too much backstory, we learn that the Ninja Turtles were her pets as a young child, and that her father was shot and killed by the villainous Eric Sachs (William Fichtner). The movie is obsessed with explaining how things work in a world dominated by sentient, talking turtles trained in the art of karate. 

From here, the movie auto-pilots its way through weightless, logic-less CG set pieces as Sachs and his Master, Shredder, scheme to unleash a deadly pathogen into New York City, one which Sachs will make money on by providing the government with a cure -- which he'll derive somehow from the Turtles' blood. Given the obsession of explaining the science, I was relieved with the lack of information provided here.

When the Turtles plays the nostalgia card it happens without being forced, which is refreshing. Fans will be pleased to finally see their beloved characters cut loose in action scenes, in ways that enjoyably harken back to the animated series. 

Megan Fox arguably gives her best performance in a summer tentpole to date, but she's still unable to quite nail the deadpan humor the character is often required to deliver. Her dream to be taken seriously as a journalist, which she announces repeatedly, is dropped in favor of an unconvincing and un-earned goal of accepting the turtles as her brothers.

And So It Goes - Movie Screening

I am a member of Gofobo.com, a site that offers it's users the opportunity to screen films prior to their release and requests reviews in return.

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I was not really excited for this film before going and didn't do much in terms of research on the film either. I suppose I was not disappointing by the film either but I really wasn't wooed by this retirement-age romance film.

The title of the film, “And So It Goes” seems to be a much intended hat tip to the inevitable detours and potholes of life, and the movie all but surrenders — to the kind of geriatric burlesque that seems to be the only game in town for stars of "Social Security age".

When we first meet him, Oren (Michael Douglas) is trying to unload his own estate before retiring — something that would please no one more than the fellow tenants of the lakeside fourplex where Oren lives. Among the residents is widowed lounge singer Leah (Diane Keaton.)

Orens own troubled relationship with son Cameron gives him an estranged adult son (Scott Shepherd), who turns up out of the blue on the eve of a nine-month prison sentence and asks Oren to take care of 10-year-old Sarah (Sterling Jerins), the granddaughter he didn’t know he had. And from there, you can imagine the rest of the film, Oren’s shriveled-up heart enlarges by the requisite two sizes, etc.

Watching “And So It Goes,” it's not hard to become bored with the film and it's easily replicated themes. Whenever the film feels like it might be on the verge of such a turn, it reliably opts for the cheap punch line or easy pathos. In all of the films 93 minutes, you never feel anything significant is at stake for anyone.

Begin Again - Movie Screening

I am a member of Gofobo.com, a site that offers it's users the opportunity to screen films prior to their release and requests reviews in return.

Before seeing this film, I did my research and looked for trailers as I had not heard anything about the film until I was invited to screen it. The trailers told a slightly different story but the film did not disappoint! I loved it!

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In New York city, Dan (Mark Ruffalo) stumbles into a bar, drunk after a long and trying day in which he loses his job. There she is, Greta (Keira Knightley), a songwriter whose music and singing do not evoke interest from the crowded bar. But the lyrics of a broken love affair speak directly to Dan's own life experiences. Dan tries to convince Greta into a record deal but her experiences with ex-boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) leave her hesitant.

Begin Again's story line was easy to follow and the broken love stories that were portrayed in both Greta and Dan's lives were easy to relate to. I was expecting amazing music from this film but I was blown away by every track. I surprised myself even with my interest in purchasing the sound track, something I have never done.

Not surprisingly, this film uses music to define a love that is platonic. On a bench, ear buds in and lost in the music, they forge an intimacy you can't pin down. Luckily, the love was nothing more than platonic and Ruffalo's marriage is saved, not sure I could handle seeing Knightley and Ruffalo together anyways. This film really wiggles it's way directly into your heart.

Actors: Keira Knightly, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Cathering Keener, James Corden, Ceelo Green , Aya Cash, Yasiin Bey, Hailee Steinfeld, Mos Def