Resolution (2012)

A mission to save a drug addicted friend becomes a surrealistic struggle for survival.  Indie film! Indie film!  Despite some (short) moments of brilliance they are unable to escape the 'feel' that this is one of those shoestring budget films that does a lot of meandering around relatively small events as a way to fill time. I was intrigued though not particularly interested in where the movie was going and finally resigned myself to mostly waiting to see if they would pull the cord on the big reveal.  On the plus side the characters were less cliched than some and smarter than most (after a certain point) in their dealings with the growing sense of impending doom. I would love to see what was hanging on the lift for the final scene because you just know they had a picture there...

Broken City (2013)

A corrupt ex cop finds himself in the middle of a very tangled web of deceit, corruption, and murder.  This reminded me of a lower profile movie called Silver City but with a noreaster flavor.  Well produced crime drama with a very capable cast and enough action and tension to push along the well rounded story line at a steady pace.  There are a few cheats, nothing too notable, and lip service is paid to the moral superiority of liberalism (which is almost by rote in any movie where the topic can possibly come up), but overall these issues are minor and don't detract too much from the experience.  Couple nice twists give the villain extra bad guy credit. Wahlberg has developed nicely as a player and this role will certainly add to his portfolio.  Fans of the genre should enjoy this one well enough to make the watch worth the trip.

Standing Up (2013)

A couple kids are the victims of a summer camp prank when they are stripped and marooned on 'Goat Island'.  This is a coming of age movie that is both enjoyable to watch, carries a powerful message, and will strike a cord with everyone who didn't 'fit in' at some point in their childhood.  Family friendly and heart warming. Recommended.

The Host (2013)

Alien parasites invade and capture the earth controlling nearly the entire human population.  This one is getting panned pretty hard by the professional sniffers and I guess its taking a beating at box office as well. I think the last time I had seen anything on this movie before seeing it was a trailer awhile back, possibly quite a while, so I really had nothing in the way of expectation going in except the tie in to the Twilight franchise (I'm not exactly sure what that tie in is) so I was thinking along the lines of a romance aimed at 13 yr old girls. So lets look at it. This isn't hard core sci-fi, more like a movie pizza with the sci-fi as the crust and the romance the toppings. And its the kind of a pizza you order for 13 year old girls having a sleep over.  If you are looking for some sort of intellectual or spiritual experience you won't find it here. However if you are looking for the warm fuzzy that comes with discovery and young love I have seen far, far worse offerings than this one. I can very easily see this being reworked into a TV series.  Think V meets Twilight, but with cooler aliens and no sparkling. Personally I think they could have done with an extra 30 minutes to explore the aliens a bit more, but thats the sci-fi in me yearning for a pot sticker at a pizza party.

Shotgun Wedding (2013)

A long planned high dollar wedding is suddenly thrown into a tailspin after a drunken accident.  B movie hybrid.  This is a movie where the subject matter is secondary, and stereotypical humor and characters drive the action. Definitely helps to have a twisty dark and juvenile funny bone.  FX are surprisingly good and once 'the event' (okay the maid of honor gets shot in the face with a shotgun) happens the pace of the movie picks up and suddenly a million and one things are being thrown at you.  I have to say I found it quite entertaining, even laughing out loud in more than a few places.  My only real bitch is that sometimes its hard to determine if there is supposed to be a 3rd party present or not (the camera) as I stated previously, this is a hybrid (traditional plus in movie cameras- why this is an issue will become apparent).  But don't plex too long, its not that big a deal if you are enjoying the ride.  Great ending.  If you can groove to an off kilter beat then I would say absolutely give this one a watch. Recommended.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

G.I. Joe returns with a second installment on the franchise.  This time Cobra has the upper hand while the Joe's find their backs to oblivion as the clock ticks down to global destruction.  Okay, there is plenty to like with this one, cool FX, plenty of action, more of those sci-fi gadgets that go bang! Pace is fairly rapid throughout so not much time to let your attention wander.  On the down side they lost some of what made the first Joe movie so cool turning this one into a Dwayne Johnson strokefest with Bruce Willis coming to the party late to help with the finale'.  But be that as it may, the Rock seldom disappoints and he is in fine form in this one.  Still a lot of fun so leave your brain somewhere safe and plug in for the ride. Recommended.

The Baytown Outlaws (2012)

A local hit squad is hired by an outsider to do her dirty work.  Think Smoking Aces meets The Boondock Saints.  A supercharged vision of violence, gunfire, redneck badass, T&A, corruption, and crime. Not much to think about with this one just strap in and enjoy the mayhem.  Situational humor and old school honor sets this one above the average. Recommended.

The Devil's Rejects (2005)

*TOP TEN ALERT* 
A band of killers on the run determined not to let it ruin their day.  The second half of Rob Zombies House of 1000 Corpses (a far more traditional style slasher/horror movie), this was the movie that made me a Sid Haig fan. Definitely a one of a kind ride combining depravity, humor, horror, a great story line, superb dialogue, excellent camera work (one of the murder sequences has an almost dreamlike quality) and an unmistakable stamp of someone who enjoys creating movies. The characters are colorful and delightfully twisted. The whole movie is like one giant carnival ride, an absolute joy to watch. Mind the R rating.  Highly Recommended.

13 Eerie (2013)

A group of forensic students go to a remote location for a supervised field test. Because every field trip should be to an old prison where the army did secret experiments on the death row inmates. Despite some cliches, this was actually a pretty good zombie movie. The hybrid Romero\O'Bannon zombies seem to be whats popular now, fast moving but still 'die' by splattering their juicy maggot ridden brain. FX are very good for the most part with the flesh tearing positively gruesome, but a little thin in others.  Some observations, apparently small gay men can't drive for shit and never step in front of an armed woman. The characters run the gamut from 'damn that was smart' to 'hurry up and kill this dumb-ass'.  Totally delicious ending. If you have been craving meatier zombies this is a double stack.

The Dead Girl (2006)

This is a series of stories tied to the discovery of a dead woman. It may not sound like much when you read the blurb but this is a pretty entertaining and thought provoking bit of film making. Not much in this film is upbeat and the emotional impact is pretty extreme in some places. Good production value and excellent delivery by all the players make this a top notch viewing experience. Recommended.

Gangster Squad (2013)

A post WWII Los Angeles gangster is challenged by a couple determined policemen. This is sort of a west coast version of 'Untouchables' with Sean Penn as 'the gangster' looking like he was an extra in Dick Tracy. A pretty decent watch, it has its flaws but nothing really horrible (well there is a scene in particular, but I digress). Vintage Hollyweird with a Philip Marlow flavor. Not a bad offering, but nothing that stands out.