FILM REVIEW   -  " Delivery Man "  -  Vince Vaughn takes a step up in acting as he learns to accept responsibility in the entertaining and predictable tale.  If you buy into the plot line in the first 30 minutes, you are in for some light comedy and tender moments.  PG - 13  103 minutes

FILM REVIEW   " The Hunger Games :  Catching Fire "   -   Well done in all respects, fast moving and great entertainment.  Books were wonderful but sorry I read them first, for they spoiled the magic of film
for me.  How can anyone not love J.L. It should not make any Top 10 lists but who cares. That was not its intention.  Enjoy and hope parts 3 & 4 are released soon.

FILM REVIEW " This Is The End " -  This not only the worst film I have seen this year, it may be the worst film in the last five years.  It is a comedy that is not funny.  In 41 years of teaching Film Appreciation, I have identified 15-20 things that make a quality film.  This film has none of them.  Twenty years from now if it comes on late night TV, turn it off immediately !    

FILM REVIEW "The Internship" -  This is the first feel good funny film of the summer that I have seen.  The comic lines come so fast that you will enjoy it several times on cable to catch the response lines you missed while you were laughing.  With good writing, you would expect stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson to shine.  They do with an energy that, at first, tests your believability,  but quickly becomes contagious.  The added surprise is the quirky cast of computer interns that grow into rounded characters we care about after two hours.  Yes, the ending is predictable but getting there is great summer fun.
   For those who missed the trailers, the story revolves around our two stars who lose their long time jobs and find themselves out in a world that requires computer skills and in competition with young job hunters who grew up with new technology at their fingertips.  Life experiences equal the playing field as the pair compete for a few new positions as interns at Google.  Rated PG-13 for sexuality, some crude humor, partying, and language.

FILM REVIEW -Oblivion- It's Tom Cruse so I have to go.  I'm a fan , even in average films. He has a charm and screen presence that can brighten up even a dull script.  Oblivion's screenplay is interesting and worthy of a second look.  But the problem is that it is too long and slow to develop.  At least 15 minutes could have been edited out and replaced with some action chase sequences.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but , 3D would have improved the final product.
   Science Fiction, by it's nature,  asks us to suspend our disbelief for a few short hours as we enter the year 2077.   OK,  I did that and got lost in earth 60 years after an alien invasion and war destroyed the planet . The set design is stunning and the future technology held my interest.  But then the plot took a turn that I just could not buy into.  Just as Cruse's character is forced to take a memory erase every 5 years, I was wishing for one at that point.  Despite all this, I was entertained.
   We are told early on that humans won the war, but because of nuclear fallout, were forced to relocated to the planet Titan.  Cruse and his sexy partner , Andrea Riseborough, are left to repair Drones and keep watch over the few leftover aliens who live on earth  But Cruse's memory keeps flashing back to a familiar face , Olga Kurlenko, and he begins to question everything.  At this point we meet Morgan Freeman,  who is excellent but underused in the storyline.  Anything more said would spoil it for the viewer.
Directed by Tron Legacy's Joseph Kosinski      PG-13   126 minutes  2 1/2 stars

FILM REVIEW - "42"- This film has been getting great reviews and for good reason.  It should be required curriculum for every High School freshman Social Studies Program.  The message is clear without hitting you over the head time and again.  Racial prejudice is wrong and should not be tolerated.
I guess I have been watching too many action adventure films with non stop scenes .  Halfway into "42" I started to notice several slow scenes filled with interesting dialogue.  Were they necessary ? YES ! I had forgotten something very important -character development.  This film has it and it works well.
  "42" is two intertwined stories of the lives of baseball great Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager and president, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford). The action takes place during three critical years in the lives of both men as Rickey searches for and wills Robinson to be the first African American to play Major League Baseball.  Robinson's talent and restraint in the face of constant adversity earns him the respect needed to allowed many others to follow.  In baseball history, you can't mention one without the other.
   Boseman's performance is professional and human.  Ford has several powerful scenes and delivers in each.  His character at first seems to be driven by money, box office and winning.  But as we see later on, it is much more than that.  But the shinning performance in the film is Jackie's wife, Rachel (Nicole Beharie).
Her style, devotion and strength light up every scene in which she appears. Christoper Meloni as Jackie's friend and traveling companion rounds out a fine cast.
   One sequence at the ballpark sums up this entire story.  A father in the stands is shouting racial comments to Robinson as he comes up to the plate. His son, at first , looks not understanding.  Then he joins his dad in the verbal taunts.  3 Stars   Rated PG-13  language    128 minutes  
 

FILM REVIEW-"Spring Breakers"-  Great editing by Gami TVs own grad Sam Kirner and a driving, pounding soundtrack are the highlights of this crime thriller.  The storyline is in two parts and could have been separate films. They are loosely joined together, with the second half easily the better of the pair.
Both scripts are constantly interrupted by scenes of college students at their Spring party best and two rival gangster groups at work and play. Neither flows smoothly and the problem seems to be a weak script and poor direction.
  The action begins with three college age students who decide to rob a fast food restaurant in order to pay
for their Spring Break.  The trio add innocent friend Selena Gomez and head for St. Petersburg, Florida
to let loose and be free after a many months of study.  Several days of intense party scenes are followed
by jail and an introduction to the crime world in the Sunshine state.  Other cast members include Venessa
Hodgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, and Heather Morris.  James Franco, as the insane drug lord, has
the lone stand out performance.   The camerawork is often too tight and out of focus, techniques that are intentional but annoying.  The ending, while intense, is unbelievable. Skip the movie, buy the soundtrack !
Rated R  Sexual content, violence, nudity, drug use, language. 92 minutes

FILM REVIEW -"Olympus Has Fallen"- This is the time of year that many average and below average films are released. This film is not one of those.  It is an above average action packed roller coaster ride. It will not end up on anyones top 10 list at the end of the year, but it will entertain you from start to finish.  Yes, we have seen the plot before.  It took place on the President's plane, and on a train in other thrillers.  But there is something special about the White House.  It intrigues us.  So when terrorists take over this national treasure and hold the President hostage, FBI agent Gerard Butler fights the good fight from the inside.  Die Hard fans would appreciate the situation. Aaron Eckhart plays the hard nosed President who refuses to give up the secret code that could cause a disaster.  Morgan Freeman does a professional job as the Speaker of the House who is forced into several difficult decisions.  Ashley Judd, Angela Bassett and Dylan McDermott are a welcome addition to the cast. The special effects are top notch and director Antoine Fuqua uses his talents to the fullest. Check this one out, you won't be disappointed. Action Adventure 119 minutes R  21/2 stars

FILM REVIEW - "Quartet"- An original setting and storyline for a film that has a target audience of the over fifty generation, but that should be seen by anyone younger who needs to learn about the wisdom that comes with age.  Themes include living life to the fullest, getting second chances, setting standards for ones self, accepting ones limitations, the nature of pressure, knowing when to let go, and passing your skills & knowledge on to our youth. This is the directorial debut for Dustin Hoffman.  The plot centers around a retirement home for performers in the entertainment field, many from the world of Opera. It stars Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon  and a wonderful comic role by Billy Connolly. The one drawback is a far too quick
ending that tied up loose ends a bit too neatly.  But clearly this is the best new movie for the first three month of the 2013 movie season.  Comedy  PG-13  3 1/2 stars