Willie's View Movie Reviews

DR.STRANGELOVE is a film that I have avoided all of my moviegoing life until now, thanks to the 100 Movies Scratch-Off List. I always thought that STRANGELOVE was too smart of a film for me to watch and possibly like. For many years, I've read how highly regarded this film is in the film enthusiast world. They are right. STRANGELOVE is one of the greatest films I've never seen until now. Let me briefly describe this film in my dumbed down way instead of using the typical synopsis that is used for this film. STRANGELOVE is Stanley Kubrick's 1964 satirical look at the Cold War. The world is plunged into chaos when a United States General orders a nuclear attack on Russia. The story unfolds in three different areas. On a U.S. Military Base, an airplane(bomber plane) and the Pentagon with the President (played with a straight face by the brilliant Peter Sellers). What transpires over the 95-minute runtime begins as a political thriller laced with witty comedy. As the plot ...

    This is the first entry in my MOVIE SCRATCH-OFF BUCKET LIST Challenge.     The Original JURASSIC PARK recently celebrated it's the 25th Anniversary along with the fifth film launching into theaters (in America) this past weekend. I thought it fitting to kick off this 100 movie list challenge by starting with Steven Spielberg's classic film adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel JURASSIC PARK.      If you didn't know, the film is about genetically created Dinosaurs that are put on an island off the coast of Costa Rico and have had a theme park built around them. A group of scientists (Sam Neil, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum) are invited to check out the park and give the creator, John Hammond (played by the late Sir Richard Attonbourgh) their opinions. Add Hammonds two visiting grandchildren, a crooked employee and a violent storm to the mix and you have one heck of a classic thriller that left me feeling like I just climbed o...

         I recently discovered the MOVIE SCRATCH-OFF BUCKET LIST poster and decided to purchase it. The list features classic movies, some that I've seen before (The Original STAR WARS TRILOGY, THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY, JAWS, PSYCHO, and MEMENTO) and others I've never seen before (2001, DR.STRANGELOVE, OLDBOY, DRIVE). I will be posting my thoughts of each of the 100 movies on the list in future blogs entries. I invite you to watch those movies you have never seen before and rewatch the ones you have seen. Like my self, you will discover classic movies for the first time, while revisiting some of your favorite films. Maybe your thoughts will change on these films after watching them either for the first time or the fifth or sixth time.     If you are interested in purchasing this poster, check out the video above for more information or just google THE MOVIE SCRATCH OFF POSTER.

It's been three years since we got a Jurassic Park sequel. Now it's time to return to Isla Nuebla for another terrifying (hopefully) visit with those genetically recreated dinosaurs. Question #1: What sequel does this make? This is the fifth film in Jurassic Park series and is a direct sequel to Jurassic World. Question #2: Is Chris Pratt in this or was he too busy playing Star Lord in the Marvel movies to make it back for this one? Yes, Chris Pratt is back as velociraptor wrangler, Owen Grady. After being guilt-tripped into joining his on again, off again girlfriend, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard, who is also back) on a return trip to the island of Dinosaurs to help another Billionaire investor rescue the dinosaurs when an erupting volcano (that wasn't in any of the other movies) threatens to make the dinos extinct. Question #3: Is it really necessary to have another sequel? Depends on if you are a fan of the previous 4 films, which I am. Anytime H...

   After 14 long years, The Incredibles are back. But what took them so long? THE INCREDIBLES 2 picks up seconds after the first one ended-The Incredibles about to fight The Underminer. One thing we do learn right off the bat is that the story didn't stop at the original's ending. This second entry of the beloved superhero family starts off with a frantic pace and never lets up. That's a good thing. A really good thing.    Is the second better than the first? Yes and No. There are things I really can't talk about because they are most definitely spoilers that could ruin your enjoyment of this film. I can tell you that writer /director Brad Bird has come up with a plot and story that is as complicated and deeper than the first one. It also has a faster pace than the first one. Those are all really good things. The one aspect I enjoyed most about The Incredibles 2 is the family aspect. Not only can I relate to it as a Father, but I found scenes in the mo...

  TAG is an often rude, crude and foul-mouthed comedy about a group of friends who get together every May to play a game of tag. The premise sounds childish and outlandish but to my shock and surprise, TAG works due to the fact that in the ned, the film has what I call redeeming social value. Translation-it has a heart.     TAG features a very strong ensemble cast that includes Ed Helms (in a very good performance), Jake Johnson (NEW GIRL) as a marijuana smoking jerk(another good performance), Jon Hamm (MAD MEN), Hannibal Buress (whose work I'm unfamiliar with), Annabelle Wallis as a Wall Street Journal reporter (underused here), a scene-stealing Isla Fisher as Ed Helms wife and Jeremy Renner as the untouchable, untaggable friend who reveals this is his last game and is getting married to a snobby young lady (played by Leslie Bibb). There is one other actor that I have to mention, LilRel Howery. He is another actor who is given very little to do and ...

   GRINGO tells the story of a good man named Harold (played well by David Oyelowo) who gets taken advantage of by everyone around him. His best friend and boss (one of my favorite actors working today-Joel Edgerton) Richard, uses Harold for his own interests and business gains. Richard is a real creep. He's a lying,cheating thieving excuse for a man. His partner in crime and business is Elaine (Charlize Theron), who is an equally unlikable person. Together or separately, Richard and Elaine screw over everyone around, especially poor Harold. I'll leave out all the details and just tell you that Richard and Elaine run a pharmaceutical company and have made some bad deals with the mexican Drug cartel. They use an unwitting Harold to do their dirty work. But when Harold finally catches on to their shenanigans, he learns to finally stand up for himself. But he finds himself neck deep with the Mexican Drug Cartel and other untrustworthy people, or are they?  That is the fun ...