PCP in Theaters - Sicario

Sicario - 2015, rated R.  My rating: 10 out of 10. 

It has been awhile since I've walked out of a movie just in awe of the film overall. Sure, there have been action movies this summer that I enjoyed (but never got around to reviewing) and I'm sure that I'm going to love the upcoming Star Wars flick, but walking out of Sicario I felt something I hadn't felt in awhile: the feeling of just being blown away by a powerful film.

Sicario is a story set in the ongoing pointless War on Drugs being waged by the U.S. Government. It focuses on badass FBI agent Emily Blunt, who is brought on to a task force led by the charismatic Josh Brolin that features the mysterious Benicio Del Toro, the titular sicario (hitman) that is waging a very dark war on the cartels in Mexico. I do not want to get too much into the plot so as not to give things away, but it is an incredible journey filled with tension that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The film features great acting performances from the core trio, and also some pretty beautiful filmmaking. There's extensive long aerial shots of the desert along the border between Juarez in Mexico and El Paso in Texas, shots that are haunting in their beauty. There's also a lot of gruesome scenes in Juarez, driving home to American audiences the cost of the war on drugs of the people in Mexico, costs that most of us either ignore or are ignorant of, such as the massive spike in the murder rate within Juarez as the cartels vie for control of the drug trade. Overall, the film is bleak, nihilistic, and unsettling to the extreme, but that is why it is so highly effective. It really gets under your skin and makes you think, and the incredible performances by all of the actors involve really make the film work in profound ways.

Bottom line, I cannot recommend this film enough. If it is still in theaters by you, make sure you go see it. If not, see it when it comes to DVD or Netflix, because it is easily the best film I've seen in a long while.

PCP on TV - 2015-2016 TV preview - What's on my DVR?

So, I know I've been on an extended hiatus for the majority of 2015, and for that I apologize. My work and home lives have been insanely busy. I have been writing this post piecemeal all summer long though so I could get it up onto the blog for you and return in a big way. So, for the fifth straight year now (wow, I can't believe I've been writing this blog for that long!), here is my extended TV preview. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think and what shows you're excited for down in the comments!

Making their debut this year: (11)

There's a bunch of new shows coming this year that I'm excited for, and fortunately for my time schedule, the majority of them are shortened season shows. Rather than airing a full 22 episodes like most network shows, some of these shows have shorter seasons. I still watch a lot (probably too much) of television, but thankfully as more and more shows are moving towards the limited season format, it allows me to keep caught up with all the awesome that is airing on so many different networks.

The Bastard Executioner - Kurt Sutter and F/X network have had a great relationship. He was involved in the show The Shield as a writer and producer, then created Sons of Anarchy for the network. Now his 3rd outing is set in 14th century England in the reign of King Edward I (aka Longshanks, the same villain king from Braveheart). Starring True Blood's Stephen Moyer, The Americans' Matthew Rhys, and SOA's Katey Sagal, the show features a great cast and it looks to be a good bloody show, kind of like a more historical and less fantastical Game of Thrones. The first season will be 10 episodes and begins on September 15th on F/X.

Blood & Oil - Apparently even though Dallas was recently cancelled by the folks over at TNT (see the cancellations section below), it looks like the Hollywood folks think that Americans like to watch shows about greedy oil tycoons and their dysfunctional families and their competitors. It's got a pretty solid cast though, including Don Johnson, Delroy Lindo, Chace Crawford, and Scott Michael Foster who I loved on Greek as the slacker Cappie. We'll be giving this one a shot, and it begins on ABC on September 27th.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow - This one isn't coming to TV until some time in 2016, but it will be now the 3rd series set in the same shared universe of Arrow and The Flash over on the CW. Since both Arrow & The Flash are a part of my DVR rotation already, I'll be adding this one too as well since it ties in and brings characters from both shows onto the new one. Look for both of those shows to build up this one periodically throughout their seasons, and you should watch all 3 shows if you want to get the most out of this shared universe. No word on the exact premiere date or how many episodes the first season will have, but it is unlikely to have more than 13 in its first year, I'd imagine.

The Expanse - I am really really really hoping and praying that SyFy doesn't screw this one up. The Expanse is based on one of my favorite series of novels in any genre by author James S.A. Corey (which is really a pen name for 2 guys writing together). The network wants this to be their new flagship prestige sci-fi show, like Battlestar Galactica once was. They definitely have some great source material to work with, as the novels are up to 5 books now and counting (with one a year slated through 2019). SyFy is going to run this show like Game of Thrones, with each season being one book. If you like science fiction at all, watch this show, and you also need to be reading the books because they are some of the best books I've read in a long time. The fact that they got some pretty good actors including Thomas Jane and Oscar Nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand & Fog) in the cast, as well as having the show written for TV by the same guys who wrote the awesome dystopian film Children of Men gives me a lot of hope that they are going to get this right. It debuts on SyFy on December 14th for a 10 episode season.

Fear the Walking Dead - The prequel/spinoff of The Walking Dead began in August on AMC and is nearly done with its 6 episode first season. It's already been renewed for a 2nd season too. I'm always down for more zombie mayhem, and it's cool to watch the world fall apart as this show brings us back to the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. It airs on Sunday Nights through October 4th, and will be back for a 15 episode second season some time in 2016.

Heroes Reborn - Heroes was a fun show, until it completely jumped the shark and never lived up to its potential. Now NBC is bringing it back for a 13 episode run. Lets hope they learned from their mistakes the first time around, and bring us a show that is exciting and worth watching again. I'm glad that many of the better characters from the original, like Hiro and HRG are back too. The heroes return on September 24th on NBC.

My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Well, with all the superhero and sci-fi shows I'm adding to our DVR, I have to let my wife pick some new shows too. This one on the CW looks pretty funny, especially if they stick with the crazy internal monologues and musical numbers. The fact that this show was originally planned for Showtime also increases my interest in checking this one out, as maybe it will be a little bit more edgy than your standard network show. Also, the creater and star, Rebecca Bloom, used to write for the hilarious Robot Chicken, so that gives me hope as well. It debuts on the CW on October 12th.

Quantico - This thriller on ABC looks kind of like a cross between The Americans and Homeland, with a dash of Shondaland thrown in (one review called this show Grey's Academy) featuring a group of recruits at the FBI academy at Quantico, but one of them is apparently a terrorist mole. It should be interesting to see if they can keep up the suspense, or perhaps the show will go the way of Katherine Heigl's short lived spy thriller State of Affairs. We'll be tuning in as long as it's good though. It debuts on September 27th on ABC.

Scream Queens - I figure this first season of the show will be its best, as that is Ryan Murphy's track record (Glee, Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story). His shows always start out great and then eventually go off the rails into awfulness. It's got a great cast though, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Abigail Breslin, and Oliver Hudson, so hopefully the show will be a lot of fun to watch. It begins on Fox on September 22nd and is slated to run for 15 episodes.

Supergirl - Although this new DC comics show is from the same people that created Arrow & The Flash (and Legends of Tomorrow), there is no word yet on if it is set in the same universe. Since it airs on CBS, not the CW, I'm not holding my breath for cross-network tie ins, but who knows? The show looks light and fun, more like The Flash than Arrow, so this should be a fun little superhero show. Kara Zor-El flies onto our TV screens on CBS beginning on October 26th.

Wicked City - This 80s era true crime thriller is based loosely on the story of the Sunset Strip Killers in Los Angeles. Airing on ABC, it has a limited run of 10 episodes and stars Ed Westwick and Erika Christensen as the killers, and I can definitely see both of those actors in that role so that is some good casting there. We have to wait until October 27th to see if the show is any good, but hopefully it will be enjoyable. Westwick was the best part of Gossip Girl, and Christensen was very creepy in the flick Swimfan.

After the jump: what is returning to the DVR, what got cancelled, and what almost made the cut but not quite. Click on "read more" for the rest! -->

I'm back! But still so busy...

In years past I have done a summer movie preview and it has been one of my more favorite posts to write. Unfortunately, it is a very time consuming post to write, and I just did not have the time to do it justice this year. So, it isn't happening this year, sorry. I can tell you that I did love Avengers: Age of Ultron, and I also really can't wait to see Mad Max: Fury Road, Jurassic World, and Ant-Man this summer. Beyond that, I don't know what else I'll be seeing in theaters this year, or waiting until it comes out on blu-ray to watch at home. So, apologies for the lack of a summer movie preview this year, but that's what happens when life gets super busy and gets in the way. I have already started on my fall TV preview though, and have written about a third of it, and it will be done in time for the fall TV shows kick off.

For the record, I did complete grad school, getting an A in my final class and graduating with my MBA. So, I should be able to start writing more, hopefully, but I am still insanely busy with work these days so who knows. But thanks for your patience, if you're still even coming by here to check out what I'm up to on my blog these days. If I'm just writing for my own entertainment, then so be it :-D  I have quite the backlog of movies to review, so expect to see a lot of short quick-hit reviews like I have in the past. I also have in-theater reviews to write for Avengers 2, Furious 7, 50 Shades of Grey, and Hunger Games 3, the last two of which are already out on DVD now. Wow, I'm really backlogged. Hopefully I'll find the time to get caught up soon!  Thanks again for your patience!

I should be back in May

Sorry I've been so quiet lately. I'm in my final semester of grad school and I've been insanely busy with that, and with work and family as well. If all goes according to plan, this will be my final semester of grad school and I should be able to blog on a more regular basis starting in May. I thank you for your patience and I'm sorry it's been so quiet lately.

PCP - Mark your calendars now

Updated 10/29 with the Marvel announcement of their slate yesterday. Picture has been updated.

There are a lot of superhero movies coming out in the next few years, thanks to all the different studios that own various different properties. This handy infographic from the folks at comicsalliance.com can help you to plan your calendars now, in case you need to take time off to be there for these on opening day. Some of these I'm very excited for, some not so much, but I know I'll wind up seeing all of them anyways. I'm most pumped for Avengers: Age of Ultron and for Captain America 3. What are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!

PCP on DVD - Planes

The other movie I watched while I was home sick with my child was nowhere near as fun as The Lego Movie. Instead it was thoroughly disappointing, and it is 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Planes - 2013, rated PG.  My rating: 4 out of 10

Pixar's Cars is probably one of the weakest films from that studio, and I never saw its sequel but heard it was terrible. When Pixar refused to make a 3rd film in the series, Disney decided they were going to go and do so themselves. Set in the same world as the Cars movies, the film is nothing but a shoddy merchandising cash grab and nothing more. It is not surprising, considering how much money the Cars series made Pixar and Disney that they would want to cash in as much as possible, because there is nothing that Hollywood likes more than beating a dead horse for every last dollar.

The film is totally predictable and lame. This is what happens when Disney makes a movie without Pixar's magic, it just sucks. As soon as I learned that the film was about an around the world race, I already knew who was going to win it, and what plot "twists" would happen along the way. The film was ridiculously formulaic and completely unoriginal. Even my son got bored, checking out at about the half way point of the movie, unlike The Lego Movie which kept him enraptured.

Bottom line, stay away from this one. If you haven't exposed your kids to this one yet, don't, in case they do like it. It's not a movie you want to be stuck watching on repeat.

PCP on DVD - The Lego Movie

So, my son is getting old enough to watch movies now, as he's almost 3 years old. Recently, he was home sick for a few days because he had Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease, and had to be kept quarantined from his daycare so as not to infect everyone else. We spent the time watching a few movies and some of his favorite television shows, and surprisingly, one of the movies we watched for him turned out to actually be quite fun for me as well.

The Lego Movie - 2014, rated PG. My rating: 9 out of 10.

I had heard good things about this film from some friends who had seen it with their children, but I was skeptical when it first was announced. The movie seemed like it would be a 90 minute commercial for a children's toy (albeit, the best toy ever), and I didn't think that there was any way this film could be that good. Man, was I wrong.

The Lego Movie turned out to be very funny, both for kids and grown ups, and it was surprisingly way better than I expected. It turns out that it is from the same writer/director duo that helmed the also funnier than I expected 21 Jump Street, (and its sequel that I haven't seen yet), as well as the quirky yet funny animated series Clone High. Given that the things I've seen them do before had me in stitches, it should be no surprise that this film was also quite hilarious.

The film works on so many levels. It is a straight forward action film, your typical hero's journey, with a plot that is simple and easy for children to understand, obviously, because it is primarily a kid's flick. However, there's a lot going on at a deeper level for adults as well. There's a lot of jokes that primarily adults will get that will fly over the heads of some of the kids, and the film also serves as a deconstruction of many action film tropes, similar to how 21 Jump Street also made fun of many of the film tropes that it employed. One of the funniest jokes in this one, on a meta level, is the interactions between the characters of Superman and Green Lantern. Superman finds Green Lantern to be annoying and lame, and does what he can whenever possible to get away from him, which is funny for the kids, but for the adults it is even funnier, when you realize that Superman is voiced by Channing Tatum, and Green Lantern by Jonah Hill. There is something about that casting gag that just cracks me up, every time I've watched this movie (which is many times now as my son loves it). The rest of the voice cast is outstanding as well, including Morgan Freeman, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Charlie Day, & Will Ferrell in major roles.

I don't want to give away any of the plot details, especially the third act plot twist, but I do recommend you go out and see this film yourself. Even if you don't have kids, there's a lot in this film for you to like as well. So, go out and pick this up on Blu-Ray if you haven't seen this yet, I promise you won't be disappointed!

PCP in Theaters - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I've been so swamped lately, as you've probably heard me lament a few times on the blog now, that I haven't been able to write a review of a movie I saw in theaters in July, until now. It might still be in theaters, at the cheap ones, by the time this goes up, but otherwise it'll probably be out on home video soon.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - 2014, rated PG-13. My rating: 9 out of 10.

The sequel to the prequel that doubled as a reboot of a classic franchise hit theaters earlier this summer, an event that would probably be considered unbelievable to the stars of the original Charlton Heston classic, but obviously Hollywood works way differently these days than it did 45 years ago. The reboot/prequel Rise of the Planet of the Apes was actually a pretty good sleeper hit 3 years ago, but it was dwarfed at the box office by that summer's biggest hits, finishing in 11th that year in total box office behind Harry Potter 8, Transformers 3, Twilight 4, Hangover 2, Pirates 4, Fast & Furious 5, Mission Impossible 4, Cars 2, Sherlock Holmes 2, & Thor 1, and finishing a mere 100 grand ahead of Captain America 1.  <side note - wow, that was a lot of sequels that summer> So, if you missed Rise 3 years ago, you weren't alone, but it is still a good film that I encourage you to check out. (I gave it an 8/10).

Fortunately, even if you never saw Rise, you can still check out Dawn without being too lost. It's set a few years after a plague released at the end of the previous film has wiped out a majority of humanity, and the group of Apes living in the mountains outside of San Francisco has grown tremendously. Meanwhile, there is a small band of humans living in San Fran, and everything is quiet until the two groups encounter each other. Problems ensue, obviously.

I don't want to say too much more without spoiling the plot, but the film is quite fun and filled with some great action scenes. It also has some incredible motion-capture work and some of the best CGI I've seen in a film. The various primates are so well rendered, they come across as completely believable on the screen. No lame rubber masks like the prior films in the series, here the technology is seamless and gorgeous. The film is also pretty touching and has a lot of heart. Overall, the film is very enjoyable, and I am already looking forward to the next one in the series. Already, the reboot series has already surpassed the original series in terms of quality of storytelling. If they keep it up, they can keep making Apes films as long as they want.

PCP on TV - 2014-2015 TV preview - What's on my DVR?

It's fall now, so it is time for the return of my annual TV preview. Sorry this is late, some shows have already begun, but I've been swamped at work lately. Welcome to the 4th edition of this post! Wow, I can't believe I've been running this blog for that long. Anyways, once again, here's my recap of all the shows that I'll be watching this fall, plus what is returning from last year, and what got cut. If you're not watching some of these shows, you're missing out! Also, you may notice some formatting changes from last year's post, I tried to streamline things for you to make things simpler.

Making their debut this year:
I think this year is our smallest additions to the DVR in a long time. That's probably a good thing, as it was starting to get a bit overwhelming with how many shows we watched.

Black-ish - This comedy focusing on an African-American family in a multicultural America is a big risk for ABC, but some are calling it an updated Cosby Show. It'll be interesting to see how Laurence Fishburne does in a comedy, something he hasn't done in a long time. Anthony Anderson should be pretty funny in the starring role at least. It makes its bow on September 24th.

The Flash - Arrow is already one of my favorite shows on TV, and it really got great during its 2nd season. During last season, it introduced the character that would become the Flash, and they are expanding the universe with this spin off. Considering there will be crossovers between the two shows, it's a natural fit to add this one to the DVR. Plus, it looks pretty good. The Flash speeds on to our TV on the CW network on October 7th.

Gotham - Although it is not tied to the same television universe as Arrow and The Flash, Gotham City is obviously a big part of the DC universe. This prequel show on Fox focuses on a young Detective Gordon, long before he becomes commissioner, and a Bruce Wayne that's still a child. The early buzz on this show is that it is the best new show of the fall, so that sounds pretty promising. Gotham begins on Monday September 22nd.

Marvel's Agent Carter - Marvel continues to expand its universe, and unlike DC is still keeping things tied together (they also have shows on some characters like Daredevil coming to Netflix in the near future). Agent Cater is the female agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. back in the founding days of the organization in the 1940s, played by Hayley Atwell, and she was Steve Rogers' (Captain America) love interest back in his films. This retro show should be pretty fun, but still tie in to the overall Marvel universe of films and television, so in a sense it is required viewing. It is only going to be a partial season show, filling the gap of the two halves of its corporate sibling Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when that show goes on a production break. It's debut date is TBD at the present time, but look for it in 2015 probably, or in December of this year.

State of Affairs - Katherine Heigl, who used to be one of my biggest Hollywood crushes a decade ago, returns to television as a CIA agent in a new series involving espionage, and with the US President played by Alfre Woodard. It'll be interesting to see if Heigl can play someone tough, after playing someone neurotic in practically every movie she's done lately. It could be good, and it could be terrible, but this is one my wife wants to watch, and considering I'm adding three comic book shows this year, I kind of owe her one. It doesn't make its start until November 17th on NBC.

After the jump, read on for what's returning to the DVR and what got cut! --->

PCP in Theaters - Guardians of the Galaxy

It's been more than a month since Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters, and it has been even longer since I saw the film, but I'm finally getting around to writing my review. Better late than never right? Besides, it was still the #1 film at the box office on Labor Day weekend, so obviously a lot of people are still watching it. Probably because the film is frakking awesome!

Guardians of the Galaxy - 2014, rated PG-13. My rating: 10 out of 10.

Look, I know I'm a bit of a nerd and a Marvel movies fanboy. So, take this review with a slight grain of salt. That being said, the characters in GotG are ones that I was not familiar with before seeing this film. I have never read any of the issues of the comic, and couldn't tell you anything about any of these characters before seeing the film. When I first heard that Marvel was going to make this film, I couldn't believe it. With such a deep roster of characters in the Marvel universe, this was the film they were going to make? Would Marvel have its first flop on its hands since it started making its own movies? I was concerned.

I shouldn't have been worried. The film is a ton of fun, despite having to do some major plot expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Marvel is using this film to greatly expand the universe inhabited by their Avengers, and a lot of items introduced in this film were done to make it so people understand when they show up in future Avengers installments, especially the powerful Infinity Stones and the character of Thanos. For the completely comic book ignorant, like my wife, she got confused at times as to who characters were and what were their motivations. For example, she has no clue the difference between a Skrull and a Kree, and doesn't know Nova Squadron from Thanos. So, her perspective on the film was different from mine, and she didn't enjoy the film as much as I did.

As I've said, I had a lot of fun with this film. The film has plenty of humorous moments, it is very obvious that this film is not taking itself seriously at all. Which, in the case of these characters, really works. In addition to many laugh out loud moments, the film also has a ton of heart. You wouldn't believe that a barely talking tree-creature could be the heart of a movie, but Groot pulls it off.

While the film gets slightly bogged down a couple of times from too much information and new characters being dumped on the audience, its hyperkinetic energy quickly brings the film back up to speed. The action sequences are pretty awesome and the CGI really makes this expanded universe believable. As a comic book film in the MCU, it is just as good if not better than anything that has come before. As a science fiction film, it is the most fun I had in space since seeing Serenity many years ago. It's not every day that a great space adventure comes along, and GotG really delivers as a space epic.

Bottom line: if you haven't seen Guardians yet, I can't encourage you enough. It easily was the best movie of the summer. I can't wait til its sequel in a few years!

Sorry it has been so quiet around here

How busy have I been lately? Quite a bit, obviously, since I only had 1 post in August go up here on the blog. We did a weekend getaway vacation, work has been crazy, & my son came down with Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease, which was a royal treat to deal with. My projector at home also recently bit the dust, meaning I now have to watch movies on a mere 42" TV like a savage. (#firstworldproblems). So, I haven't had time to write lately, which is unfortunate, since I love writing these posts and sometimes I feel like I am letting those of you that actually read this stuff down with a lack of content. I once again have a backlog of reviews to crank out, including 2 movies that I've seen in theaters somewhat recently. I'll try to get those up first, along with my huge annual fall TV preview post. So, look for those posts in the coming weeks. Work is going to continue to be busy, and grad school is resuming again, so posts will be sporadic, but I'll try to get some done when I can. In the meantime, if you haven't already, follow the blog on Facebook if you want to be kept in the loop when I update, as well as get bonus content not featured here on the blog. The link to do so is here --> LINK

Anyways, sorry I've been not posting, I'll try to get some stuff up soon!

RIP Robin Williams

I was all set to sit down and write a couple new blog posts on the 2 most recent films I saw in theaters, Guardians of the Galaxy and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but I find myself unable to focus on those movies after getting the tragic news about the passing of Robin Williams yesterday. His work in films and TV had such an impact on so many people, which was plainly evident by the massive outpouring of shock and grief on social media yesterday and today. My timeline in both Facebook and Twitter were filled with comments from people, including myself, expressing their memories of Williams and how he had impacted their lives, as well as sorrow over his lifelong struggle with his personal demons.

My earliest memories of Williams were from watching episodes of Mork & Mindy as a young child, which was his primary exposure to many of my generation. We also knew him as the lovable Genie in Aladdin and the hilarious Mrs. Doubtfire, amongst many other roles. For me, the pivotal role that really touched me more than any other Williams role was his Oscar nominated turn in Dead Poets Society. I know I’m not the only one who was impacted by that classic film, as at least half a dozen others in my timeline updated their status with “Oh Captain My Captain” upon hearing the news. As an actor, Williams had incredible versatility, whether he was playing a zany, manic goofball, a serious hero, or an off kilter psychopath like he did in Insomnia and One Hour Photo.

 

Too many of my generation know him from film and television, but forget that he was also an incredible stand-up comedian. His stage sets were filled with his trademark energy, and fortunately many of those performances live on the internet thanks to YouTube and other video hosting sites. There is an edited version of the first stand up performance I ever saw him in, back in the telethon Comic Relief VI, 20 years ago, that you can easily find on YouTube. I didn’t realize until that performance that I saw when I was 12 that he was a stand-up comic in addition to being a film and TV star, and he was hilarious. The clip online is only 8 minutes, which is a shame because the whole set is hysterical and I can still recite portions of it to this day.

My son now is only two and a half, but when he gets a bit older, he too will be introduced to the incredible performances of Robin Williams. He’ll see Aladdin, Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire & Jumanji, and the Night at the Museum series in his childhood, and when he gets older I’ll make sure to show him Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting when he is old enough to appreciate the lessons from those films

I am still in shock today. I still cannot believe that he is gone. Having struggled with depression myself in the past, I know how hard of a demon that can be to deal with. My deepest condolences go out to his loved ones and friends in this tough time. I hope he has found the peace in death that he didn’t have in his life. So long Mr. Williams, and thank you for all of the great memories. You will be forever missed.

Lastly, if you yourself are struggling with depression and you need help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. 

Like CRAPOLA on Facebook!

I've finally gotten around to making my blog have its own Facebook page. It only took me 3 years. So, if you haven't already, go and like the blog on Facebook. You'll get notification of new posts, plus lots more content as I'll be updating that more frequently than the blog here, especially for breaking news. Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/crapolablog?ref_type=bookmark

PCP on DVD - Pompeii

Sometimes when I watch a movie, I realize I've made a horrible mistake. Pompeii was one of those films. So, rather than waste even more time with a real review, I'm going change things up for this one.

Pompeii - 2014, rated PG-13.  My rating: 3.5 out of 10. 

From a visuals standpoint this film was decent, with cool destruction sequences at the end. Otherwise though, it was a pretty bad movie with a plot ripped off from other films I've seen before. Overall, it was pretty much a waste of an hour and forty-five minutes.

Things I'd wish I'd done rather than watch this movie:

• Listen to Bastille's Pompeii on repeat for 1 hr 45 min. It's a good song, but I'm sure after listening to it that long I'd probably grow sick of it.
• Watch the parts of Titanic again that this film stole the plot from
• Watch the parts of Gladiator again that were again stolen by this film
• Watch star Emily Browning's prior film Sucker Punch again (and I gave that one a 4 when I reviewed it)
• Get spoilers on star Kit Harington's show Game of Thrones directly from George R.R. Martin
• Watch star Kiefer Sutherland's 24 series while being waterboarded
• Spend time with my wife and son
• Spend time working on other reviews for my blog
• Do pretty much anything else

Bottom line - don't waste your time on this movie.

PCP on DVD - Veronica Mars

Whenever people talk about great shows that were cancelled too soon, one of the ones regularly mentioned is Veronica Mars. The series only lasted 3 seasons on TV (2 on UPN, 1 on the CW) from 2004-07, yet it managed to build a very loyal and devoted fan following. Creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell had always wanted to do a film, but were unable to convince Warner Brothers to greenlight the movie. Then came the crowd-funding website Kickstarter. Thomas had the idea to use Kickstarter to gain funding for the show, showing the WB that there was indeed an audience wanting to see the movie get made. The film set records on Kickstarter, hitting their goal of $2,000,000 in less than 10 hours and overall receiving over $5,700,000 in donations from over 91,000 fans to get the movie made. So, Thomas and Bell had their film, now the question was, would the fans of the show actually enjoy the movie they had funded?


Veronica Mars - 2014, rated PG-13. My rating: 8 out of 10.

I was a big fan of the show Veronica Mars, unfortunately not discovering it until after it had already completed its run on the air. For those of you unfamiliar with the show or movie, Kristen Bell starred as the titular character, a (then) teenager who moonlights as a private eye in her dad's PI firm, while facing the challenges of high school and college, but never losing her extremely sarcastic outlook on life. The show (and movie) have a ton of great one-liners, both from Mars and her on and off again boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). The show was a noir-ish mystery series, and that mood and feel carries over to the movie very well. Even if you haven't seen the show, however, the film is still actually rather well done, and can stand alone as a good way to spend your time, with a nice character-driven mystery. You might not get all of the in-jokes and shout-outs to the series if you haven't seen it, but since the film is set nine years after the final season of the show, it still does a pretty solid job of reminding viewers who is who and introducing all of the important characters in a clear way.

This time around in the movie, the case revolves around Logan being accused of murder, and Veronica, who had gotten out of the PI life and had just passed the bar exam, being pulled back in in order to help save her ex from jail time. The mystery was actually pretty good, and I had fun trying to solve the case along with the characters in the movie.

Overall, it was nice to inhabit the universe of these characters again, and the movie will have a place on my shelf next to the TV series that spawned it. If you're looking for a good mystery film, I do recommend this. And if you never watched the TV series, I strongly encourage you to do so, as it was easily one of the better TV shows of the past decade.

PCP on DVD - About Time

Before my wife had added this to our Netflix queue, I knew nothing about the British film About Time. Upon learning that it was another romantic movie involving time travel and starring Rachel McAdams, who also was in The Time Traveler's Wife, I didn't have high expectations that this film would be any good. It turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.

About Time - 2013, rated R. My rating: 9 out of 10.

As I learned from when I was hunting for the poster image to use in this blog post, About Time is from the writer of a few other great British rom-coms: Love Actually, Notting Hill, and Four Weddings & a Funeral. This movie stars upcoming Star Wars Episode VII star Domnhall Gleeson (real life son of the outstanding actor Brendan Gleeson) as Tim, a young British lawyer, who meets and falls in love with an American, Mary, (Rachel McAdams). But Tim has a secret that he doesn't share with Mary, a secret that is only known to the men of his family. When he turned 21, his father, named in the film only as Dad (Bill Nighy), lets him in on the family secret: the men of the family can time travel, back to any point in time they have personally lived before. Tim uses his powers to correct mistakes he makes in wooing Mary, and to lead a better, more fulfilling life, helping out his friends and family members along the way to also lead better lives.

I liked About Time's use of time travel, as it was a novel way I don't recall ever seeing portrayed in a film or book before. I also liked how Tim's dad explicitly points out that it can't be used to kill Hitler, giving a small shout out to the common joke about what one would do if they could time-travel. The film is also really funny, with Tim having some great one-liners and jokes. The time travel is also used to comedic effect, most notably in one montage where he cycles through possible best men at his wedding, based on their awful speeches.

Overall, between the funny dialogue, great chemistry between Gleeson & McAdams, and great life lessons imparted by the film to the audience, I found About Time to actually be a surprisingly good romantic comedy. I can definitely see this film being added to the rotation of rom-coms my wife and I watch when we are in the mood for a good romantic comedy, and I want to make sure it is a film that doesn't make me want to puke. This one definitely would be on that list. So, if you're looking for a good date movie, check this one out, I doubt you'll be disappointed!

PCP in Theaters - X-Men: Days of Future Past

It has been an insanely busy last few weeks at work for me, and busy on the weekends as well, so it was nice to finally have a chance to get to the movie theater again for a new flick on the big screen. Although it came out a month ago, we finally got a chance to see X-Men: Days of Future Past in theaters this past week. And fortunately, unlike the Amazing Spider-Man 2, this summer's second (third if you count April's Captain America 2) major comic book franchise film did not disappoint.

X-Men: Days of Future Past.  2014, rated PG-13. My rating: 9 out of 10.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (hereafter referred to as XM:DFP) has a very challenging act to pull off. The film has to combine the characters from six previous X-Men films, and also find a way to paper over the continuity errors and other problems with the preceding films, which is especially difficult because originally the timeline of X-Men: First Class was not designed to match up perfectly with the original films (as noticed most readily by Emma Frost being younger in the 1970s in X-Men Origins: Wolverine than she was in the 1960s in X-Men: First Class). It also has to do justice to one of the most popular story-lines from the comic books, when the franchise already botched a different popular story-line (the Dark Phoenix) in X-Men 3. So, going in to this film, I was hopeful that it would be able to pull this off, but I was worried that the deck was stacked too much against the movie for it to be a success.

I was very glad to be completely and utterly wrong. The movie wound up being a ton of fun and was very entertaining. The film starts out in a bleak dystopian future, where mutant-killing robots known as Sentinels have slaughtered millions, not only mutants but humans that were carriers of the mutant genes and due to have mutant children or grandchildren. There is a great action sequence following characters we have never seen on film before, including Blink and Bishop, and some we have in Ice-man, Colossus, and Kitty Pride, as they fight to survive against the Sentinels. Their group links up with Wolverine, Professor X, Magneto, and Storm, and come up with a way to send Wolverine's consciousness back to his body in the past, to prevent the Sentinel program from ever getting off the ground, thus preventing this dark future from ever coming to pass. From there, the film switches focus to the 1970s, where Wolverine has to bring together the younger versions of Magneto and Professor X to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing the creator of the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask (Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage), because his death actually causes his robots to be put into production.

The film is very heavy on action, but it also has quite a few funny moments as well, and many shout-outs to the other films within the series or events that readers of the comics will understand but might be missed by those that have only seen the films. The film makes no allowances for new viewers, as it expects you to have seen the prior films and know who is every character on the screen. So, if you haven't seen at least X-Men 1-3 and First Class, you might be a little bit lost. The best action sequences are Magneto's escape from prison in the past (filled with some very funny moments thanks to Quicksilver), the battles with the Sentinels in the future, and Magneto's battle with the Sentinels in the past. The movie clearly spent a large portion of its $200 million budget on special effects, and they look fantastic. And while the film is not quite perfectly able to iron out the myriad continuity issues from having to fix the narrative errors of the previous six films, they do a good enough job to make the film work here.

Overall, XM: DFP was a very enjoyable movie, and easily the best in the series since X-Men 2. We got to see many familiar faces from the prior films, as well as some awesome new mutants too. The film also ends with a scene after the credits that makes fans of the comics very excited, and sets up the next film in the series, X-Men: Apocalypse coming in 2016. I can't wait!

PCP on DVD - Yet Another Backlog Clearout

Once again, I found myself facing a giant pile of films that I needed to write reviews for, but not the time to do it justice. So, like my many prior backlog clearouts that I have done, here's a quick burst of 12 mini-reviews for some movies that I've caught on DVD since last fall, in alphabetical order.

42 - The Jackie Robinson biopic was extremely well acted, especially by the star, Chadwick Boseman, who I don't recall seeing in anything before this. He did such a great job here though, and he's been tapped to star as James Brown in that legend's upcoming biopic as well. The film does a great job of showing the challenges that Jackie Robinson had to face in breaking the MLB's color barrier. A fitting film for an American hero. My rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Argo - What can be said that hasn't been said already about the Oscar Winner for best picture from a year ago? The acting was outstanding by the incredible cast. Ben Affleck has really matured into an incredible director, he hasn't had a misstep in a few years now, and has fully redeemed himself for Gigli. My rating: 10 out of 10.

Carrie - It's been too long since I saw the original, so it is hard to compare the remake to this one. Thanks to modern technology though they were able to do some really cool things with her telekinetic powers though. But like many Stephen King adaptations, the film was only meh at best, and this remake was probably not necessary.  My rating: 6 out of 10.

Despicable Me 2 - I liked the first one a whole lot better than this one. The first one was a pleasant surprise, this one was a bit of a repetitive retread. Hopefully the spin-off film starring the minions will be funnier. My rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino is the man. I love his movies, and Django Unchained was probably his best yet. Outstanding film. Everyone involved, but especially Jamie Foxx, Leo DiCaprio, and Christoph Waltz were a blast to watch in this film.  My rating: 10 out of 10.

Monster's University - While not as good as the original, it was still nice to inhabit the universe of these characters again. It wasn't as big of a disappointment as Despicable Me 2 was, but it was still somewhat of a let down. Pixar might be starting to lose some of its magic. My rating: 8 out of 10.

Now You See Me - Visually this film was very striking, and it was entertaining thanks to the charismatic performances of the extremely talented cast, combined with some pretty cool magic tricks. Too bad the film squanders a bit of the goodwill on a "twist" ending that the film doesn't really truly lay any groundwork for, resulting in a somewhat unbelievable ending. My rating: 7 out of 10.

Oz the Great and Powerful - I thought this film was a lot of fun and it was way better than I expected. I especially liked some of the little Sam Raimi touches such as debris flying at James Franco in a way that reminded me of the Evil Dead series. While it could have been better, it was a fun ride that I enjoyed. My rating: 8 out of 10.

R.I.P.D. - This comic book adaptation about a supernatural police force had a lot of potential, as well as two great leads in Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. Too bad it was really just a weak Men in Black ripoff, just with demons instead of aliens as the opposition. My rating: 4 out of 10.

Silver Linings Playbook - Another film worthy of all of the praise it has received. It was filled with outstanding performances, including a surprisingly great turn from Chris Tucker in a tiny role. I had this reaction upon seeing him in the film as well. Overall, a very entertaining and touching film. My rating: 10 out of 10.

This is 40 - The spin-off from Knocked Up was very funny for me and my wife, as Paul Rudd's and Leslie Mann's relationship on the screen reminded us quite a bit of our own and had us in stitches for much of the film. My rating: 8 out of 10.

World War Z - The book that this was based on was way better. Also, I'm sorry but they aren't zombies if they move fast. Also, this film was extremely unbelievable. Any viral plague that goes to full fatal infection in 12 seconds after exposure, combined with fast-moving zombie carriers, would lead to the total extinction of humanity as a species. Simply based on exponential growth, the population of a city like New York City would be completely overrun in a matter of minutes. So, points off for major unrealism, but otherwise the film was fun and had good scares. My rating: 7 out of 10.

PCP on DVD - Iron Man 3

I am really a big fan of the linked Marvel Cinematic Universe, but because they are making so many films all tied together, it sometimes becomes hard to see all of them in theaters. Iron Man 3 was one that I had to wait until home video for, because my wife & I were kind of turned off to the character after the disappointing Iron Man 2. Thankfully, the third entry in the series was far stronger than the 2nd.

Iron Man 3 - 2013, rated PG-13. My Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Iron Man 3 takes place in the aftermath of The Avengers, with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) suffering from PTSD from the events of that film. He faces down a new threat, known as the Mandarin, a terrorist responsible for acts of brutality around the globe. He also faces a second threat, an attempt at making Captain America-like super soldiers from a program called Extremis. Little does he know that the Extremis program and the Mandarin are linked in hidden ways.

RDJ is great as usual as Stark; honestly Marvel knocked the casting for this role out of the park when they hired him several years ago. He delivers the sarcastic one liners very well, but he also does a great job of showing us Stark's pathos and despair after the traumas he faced in his last outing.

Also great in this film are the action sequences. The sequence with Iron Man having to rescue people in free fall from an explosion on Air Force One was incredible, even if not realistic (for one thing, you can't hear anyone yelling at you in free-fall, something I learned when I jumped out of a plane a few years ago). The finale showdown between a whole slew of Iron Man armor suits and an army of Extremis soldiers was also quite awesome and spectacular.

Overall, the film was definitely a step up from the 2nd in the series, and it helped revitalize the character quite a bit. I'm looking forward to seeing how they use him in the next Avengers film, hitting theaters in 2015. I know that for that film, I won't be waiting until DVD to see it.

PCP on DVD - We're the Millers

I'm always looking for a film that can make me laugh. When a film comes along with a pretty solid comedic cast, I always give it a shot, even though the cast of a film is never a guarantee of it actually being a good movie - case in point, Movie 43. Fortunately, We're the Millers was better than I expected and had me cracking up in several places.

We're the Millers - 2013, rated R. My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

We're the Millers tells the story of a drug dealer, David (Jason Sudekis), who has to become a drug smuggler after his stash and money is wiped out in a robbery, putting him deeply in debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms). Brad orders David to become a drug mule, or be killed. In order to avoid suspicion at the border, David comes up with the brilliant idea to use a fake family taking a vacation in a RV to get the drugs through, thinking that a family would be less likely to face scrutiny at the US-Mexico border. So he recruits his neighbors to pose as his fake family: stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston) as his wife, and homeless runaway Casey (Emma Roberts) and local geek Kenny (Will Poulter) as his children. The film tells the story of their crazy road trip and the various cartel villains and federal agents they encounter, especially the hilarious Nick Offerman as Don, head of another RV driving family they encounter, who just so happens to also be a DEA agent. Along the way, the fake family is transformed into a real one, while still bringing the laughs at a pretty steady clip.

Last I heard, they are considering doing a sequel to this film. If they are, then I am on board with spending another few hours with this wacky family. The film entertained me quite a bit, and the outtakes in the end credits were actually quite funny as well, so make sure you stay tuned for those, including a pretty good practical joke played on Jennifer Aniston. Overall, I recommend We're the Millers, as it was one of the funnier films I've seen in awhile.