Mishmash of Movie Reviews

In theaters now, but not on this critic's list of high priorities. I'm stealing opinions from the Dallas Morning News, and making rash statements with nothing to back them up.

Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. They gave it a C- and the previews looked about that rating. Tina can be so funny, and Paul Rudd is likeably sweet, but as a romantic pair? Um, that doesn't strike me. She's a Princeton admissions officer. He teaches at an unusual school that has a worthy student. She comes out to review the case file, hilarity is supposed to ensue and they fall for each other. Apparently this movie bogs down and slogs through 110 minutes.

The Croods - family movie. animated flick about the Stone Age. Solid B given by DMN. They said it's not the Flinstones and not Ice Age, but funny as the Crood family learn about the world and take some risks in life.
Olympus Has Fallen - C-. It's Die Hard in the White House, starring Gerard Butler (he's cute, but not a good actor) as the secret service agent left inside the White House to save the President from hostages. Apparently it lacks suspense. Not good for a thriller.

Spring Breakers - Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens leave Disney World (literally) and are grown up girls gone bad. Violence, nudity, robbery, James Franco with corn rows, and crazy party scenes. Apparently this movie actually has the suspense lacking in the Olympus movie. This R confection of girls in bikinis is given a B-.

Oz The Great and Powerful (a D) stars James Franco as the wizard before the fabulous classic The Wizard of Oz. One word. Why?

Onward to What's in Your Queue?  I have watched these films on Netflix.

Man on a Ledge stars Sam Worthington. Nick is a fugitive ex-cop out on a window ledge in Manhattan. Is he really going to jump or is there more to the story. Bad guy, mega mogul Ed Harris is across the street along with his safe containing a huge diamond. Could Nick's brother and crew be boring under that building to steal it? And why? This is a fun rental and had some twists and turns.

Step Up Revolution - another in the Step-Up dance movies. The kids are interchangeable as are the plots, but the dancing is fabulous. Everyone has abs of steel and look great in stretchy outfits. One bonus - Peter Gallagher plays the mean father of our heroine. He's so good. Those eyebrows deserve their own applause.

Chronicle - Teens stumble on a weird substance in the Pacific Northwest woods. Soon they exhibit super powers, but trying to harness this power proves challenging. It's the old using power for good or evil plot, but there are twists and turns. The special effects are clever and I liked this movie. It was recommended by younger guys at my work, and for once they were right.

The Flat - this documentary is haunting. Arnon Goldfinger's grandmother dies in Tel Aviv. She was 98. As they clean her apartment they find papers and photos that stun them. This Holocaust survivor and her husband were friends after the war with a former SS officer and his wife. How could that be? The history Arnon uncovers along with emotions makes for a stunning documentary and quite a family tale. Big thumbs up on this one. (Of course, I'm fascinated by that whole time period and the survivors,etc. - strong people with quite a history).