Moms' Night Out (2014)

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Mom’s Night Out (2014)

5/10

Starring

Sarah Drew

Sean Astin

Patricia Heaton

Andrea Logan White

Robert Amaya

Directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin

Mom’s Night Out is a faith based Christian family movie that takes too long to begin and when it does, the anti-climax ending is what will finally be the nail on the coffin for a not so great movie.

The movie wasn’t half bad if you are in for some faith based tale alone. Because every other thing that happened in the movie that was meant to make me laugh, to be honest did, but then the whole plot falls apart the longer the movie stayed on the screen.

The major issue I had with the movie, was not the acting (which is typically the issue many have with Christian movies), but the fact that I was supposed to be touched in some religious way by this movie. I felt more of it being a B-Movie gone Christian, than a Christian movie meant for the cinemas.

The acting in the movie was not bad at all, to be honest I have to give it to Christian movie makers for coming out gun blazing with the acting that we get to see in today’s Christian movies, maybe because many of the main screen actors are now involved, professing their faith to all or the budget used in these movies have increased tremendously.

The movie will not leave you gasping for breath laughing if that is what you are looking for, but guaranteed you will be laughing if you watch this movie about 3 moms who decided to put the whole stay home mum life on the shelf and have a night out.

Their night out was led by mother of three Allyson who with her friends Izzy and Sondra expected a night to unwind while Allyson's husband, takes care of the kids.

Their night started with Allyson screwing up their dinner reservation, and then Allyson’s sister in law’s infant son, Phoenix, goes missing.

The mothers gang up to search for the boy, while at home the husbands are finding it hard to take care of the kids with no casualties.

Other than the fact that the movie grossed twice its budget in the Box Office I see it having high DVD sales as many will be curious to see homemade family fun that they can watch with their children and not feel threatened by what the movie screen could throw at them.

If you are looking for a decent movie for the Sunday get together with the family, then this movie can be the one for you, you just have to be patient for like 40 minutes for them to be done with the intro of all the cast involved.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

7/10

Starring

Chris Pratt

Zoe Saldana

Dave Bautista

Vin Diesel

Bradley Cooper

Directed by James Gunn

Guardians of the Galaxy had one boring intro that you will soon forget the moment the movie kicks off. I was looking forward to meeting Rocket (A genetically modified raccoon who is a bounty hunter and mercenary. He is a weapon expert able to make weapons out of the things around him and a masterful battle tactician), and the moment Rocket was introduced I could not help, but wish that he remained on screen the whole time I was watching.

I loved the idea that he (Rocket) never saw a bad moment to make an inappropriate joke. Then there were the other characters all memorable in their way making it a sure thing that I will definitely be looking forward to a part 2 of this film and will be watching this movie.

For someone like me who is having his first introduction to The Guardians of the Galaxy I have to say that the director and screen writers (James Gunn directed and wrote the screenplay with Nicole Perlman) extremely delivered.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional space superhero team, who first appeared in the Marvel universe in 2008. They are a bunch of misfits who were bound together by different courses, but happened to be in the same vicinity as the other (based on this movie).

Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) stole a mystical orb that the villain Ronan the accuser wants. The orb has infinite energy which Ronan wants to use to destroy a planet named Xander. Ronan sent Gamora (Zoe Saldana) after Quill to get the orb, but Gamora wants the orb for her own personal motive. After Quill stole the orb a bounty was placed on his head, a bounty that bounty hunters Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) wanted, so they too went after Quill.

All four of them get themselves arrested and thrown in Jail where they met Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), who was ready to do all it takes to get revenge at Ronan for killing his family.

With all this together, what the movie delivered was humor, action and memorable lines all the way.

One of such memorable lines is, "I am Groot"

The difference in the movie line-up from the original initial line-up is the exclusion of Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock.

The movie was a huge commercial success, making more than four times its $ 170 million budget, making it a must that Disney has put in for a sequel.

Have you seen this wonderful movie called Guardians of the Galaxy?

Maleficent (2014)

Maleficent (2014)

7/10

Starring

Angelina Jolie

Sharlto Copley

Elle Fanning

Sam Riley

Imelda Staunton

Directed by Robert Stromberg

Disney decided to re-write the Sleeping Beauty story and show us how Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) became a villain. The film is a live-action re-imagining of Walt Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, and the story is from the perspective of the antagonist, Maleficent.

The movie started in that light seeing Maleficent good and then turning evil because of a betrayal. I was hoping it will remain as such and also hoping there will be battles galore, but I was surprised on how the movie ended turning out. It came to be, Maleficent wasn’t bad at all, in fact she was just misunderstood.

Regardless of this, the big question is, “how good was this movie?”

And the answer is, it was very good, as it wasn’t boring and it was a different story from what I’m used to, but.

The “But” in this movie is that it was not glamorous nor memorable enough to be a classic, but it can be classified as wonderful. I sat through it, blown away by the CGI and the plot. It ended up being one of those movies that if you missed seeing it, it will impact on your portfolio of 2014 movies that you must see.

Angelina Jolie was in a class of her own in this flick, I loved her grace and her poise. She made being Maleficent enviable. The other cast were also on point in this movie and the special effect blends, are a must see.

The movie starts with us seeing little Maleficent doing well in the forest and making all things good. She met and fell in love with a human named Stephan, who was power hungry. And when the time came for him to choose between his love for Maleficent and his love for power and glory, he choose the later and stripped Maleficent of her wings.

It was revenge that drove Maleficent to put a curse on Aurora, a curse she later regretted as she and Aurora grew fond of each other. This fondness began when Aurora was taken to the woods to keep her away from Maleficent’s curse. The three fairies were asked to protect Aurora and keep here away from any spindle and or Maleficent. But there in the woods, Maleficent cared for the child even better than the three fairies who were supposed to be her nannies.

It was this caring in the shadows that drove them together and they formed a bond.

If you ever catch Maleficent on TV, watch it. The movie is a good enough for you and the family. Also, the movie was a huge commercial success raking in over $ 757 million from its $ 180 million budget.

Again, the movie’s special effects were the crown on this Disney re-write and finally the joke is on you when you think you have figured out the love first kiss secret.

Splash (1984)

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Splash (1984)

8/10

Tom Hanks

Daryl Hannah

John Candy

Eugene Levy

Dody Goodman

Directed by Ron Howard

I can’t count the numerous times I have seen Splash as a kid. My aunt had a VHS tape of it and we watched it until the tape curled.

Way back in the 80s when the green screen phase has not gotten around yet or motion capture had not grown into play, actors and actresses had to wear suits to portray the charades they wanted to pass across in the movie. Daryl Hannah did that, and did it magnificently as she plays Madison the mermaid in this 80s classic.

Splash was no different from any other romantic comedy when you look at the plot foundation, boy meets girl and falls in love. But the story had its own curve ball which was distinct from what we know love stories to be and familiar to The Little Mermaid Disney movie (1989).

Splash is also a Disney movie, but released under their Touchstone studio, which was created to carry the more matured stuff, and Splash was their first movie.

The story starts when young Allen jumps into the sea and was saved by a little girl (a mermaid). Now grown Allen (Tom Hanks) is finding it hard to fall in love, and after his colleagues wedding goes for a boat ride by the sea, where he falls in and is saved again by the same girl, but now grown (Daryl Hannah).

Much later she comes to the city to look for Allen and they met and fell in love, but she is keeping a secret from Allen and Allen is dying to know.

Yes of cause there is more, a scientist (Eugene Levy) seeks to expose her for the mermaid that she is.

The acting in this movie will make your mouth water as Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah and John Candy delivered such a mind blowing adaptation of the script, that you wouldn’t forget the movie so quickly. The movie’s screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

Directed by Ron Howard (How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) & A Beautiful Mind (2001)) who did a masterful job in the bringing to life the script to the screen, Splash is one film that stood out in the 80s and I bet if you were born then, you are aching to see it again.

Splash was a major financial success for Disney, the movie was made with $ 8 million as budget and it went on to gross over $ 69 million in the box office alone.

The was a TV-movie sequel that was done in 1988 called Splash Too, I can recall only a few scenes from this, but the movie didn’t have the stars of the first in it. It had Todd Waring as Allen Bauer (instead of Tom Hanks) and Amy Yasbeck as Madison Bauer (instead of Daryl Hannah) and it was directed by Greg Antonacci.

Enough said about Splash, if you have not be privilege enough to have seen it, go see it now.