2014's Top Movie Picks!

As always, this is the start of the list of what's grabbed our attention here at Ace38.  Must see's are as always, in bold.  Check local listings as release dates are subject to change.

JAN. 17 - Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

FEB. 7 - The Monuments Men

FEB. 21 - 3 Days to Kill

MAR. 14 - Walk of Shame

APR. 4 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

APR. 18 - Transcendence

MAY 2 - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

MAY 9 - Chef

MAY 16 - Godzilla

MAY 23 - X-Men: Days of Future Past

JUN. 6 - Edge of Tomorrow

AUG. 1- Guardians of the Galaxy

AUG. 8 - Into the Storm

AUG 15 - The Expendables 3

AUG. 22 - Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

SEP. 19 - The Maze Runner

SEP. 26 - The Equalizer

10 Best Films of 2013

10 BEST FILMS OF 2013    

10.  White Reindeer:  A touching look at a woman coming to grips with her husband’s murder and other revelations that come to light during her favorite time of year; Christmas.

9.  Warm Bodies:  A different type of zombie film, leaning more towards Hunger Games than Dawn of the Dead, but never crosses the line into schmaltzy.  Loads of fun.

8.  Europa Report:  A return to slow boil, atmospheric space horror in the vein of (but not as good as), Alien.

7.  The World’s End:  The close of the Cornetto trilogy with a bang, as five friends plan to relive a youthful drinking expedition and stumble into the apocalypse. 

6.  Pacific Rim:  Giant robots battle giant monsters in a fight to save mankind.  Great way to prime audiences for next year’s return of Godzilla.

5.  Bad Milo:  A movie about a guy with a murderous demon living in his ass makes the best of list?  Yup, it’s very well done and has more lurking under the hood than you’d think….no pun intended.

4.  Blackbird:  What happens when you make a threat out of anger?  We’ve all done it…but what if you threatened to do it at school with no intent of carrying it out?  How would you clear your name?  This film shows you just how hard it would be.

3.  Captain Phillips:  Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass take a story we know the ending to, and put us on the edge of our seats again.

2.  The Way, Way Back:  Sam Rockwell with another tour de force performance as the manager of a water park who befriends a timid young man with a difficult family situation and brings the boy out of his shell.

1.  Gravity:  There was simply no other film this year that matched the beauty, story and emotional response generated by this simple tale…what if you were stranded in space?  Outstanding film.

It's that time again...the 10 WORST movies of 2013!!

10 WORST FILMS OF 2013

10.  How I Live Now:  Popular teen angsty drama lit turned into a woefully crappy film. 

9.  Lovelace:  A fascinating story, a good cast, and no one bothered to act.

8.  Elysium:  Beating the euphemism dead horse a bit too severely.

7.  The Wolverine:  YAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN.  Stupid premise, stupid writing. 

6.  White House Down:  The more stupid and less interesting takeover movie this year.

5.  Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters:  Fun fiction turned into a plotless bore.

4.  Movie 43:  Glad there wasn't really 42 others before...

3.  A Good Day to Die Hard:  More like a good way to suck hard...

2. Grown Ups 2:  Cause it feels weird to not have a Sandler movie on this list…

1.  This Is The End:  These guys can’t even play themselves without looking like dumbasses.

Mini Review: "Escape From Tomorrow"

A great premise, combined with the guerrilla style filming, was tremendously intriguing.  Execution, however, was sub-horrible.

F

3 movie reviews to catch up!

How I Live Now:  Yet another teen-lit novel brought to film, this schizophrenic film offers nothing whatsoever worth seeing, and in fact you're rooting for the enemy very early on.  F

Blackbird:  Haunting look at what happens when you express your anger a little too much in this post Columbine world, and if its ever possible to prove your innocence when all it was was words to release anger.  A-

White Reindeer:  A touching look at a woman's life after a tragedy right around the Christmas holiday and what she learns about her late husband.  B

Mini Review: "Ender's Game"

A nicely done piece of sci-fi with an interesting view on ethics and morality in warfare.

B

Mini Review: "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

Overlong, abrupt ending and focused too much on the setup when the book placed most of the action and story in the arena part of the plot.  Also, at times it felt as if star Jennifer Lawrence was sleepwalking through the part.  Jena Malone was a scene stealer though.

B-

Non Film Post: Winter Weather Incoming!

As my son and girlfriend can attest to, around 6PM on Monday I stated that I thought the risk of prolonged sleet was higher than was being predicted, and by yesterday morning the local meteorologists were calling for added sleet.  Now, I grant you, I dont have fancy computer modeling software and tons of records and access to all of NWS data, but I do have a pretty good feel for weather based on a lifetime spent following it, access to a lot of NWS mapping data and the know how to read it.

Here's my call on the incoming winter storm and its output.

THURSDAY 12-5-13:  Sleet should begin in the Tulsa area before noon, and my hunch tells me we should be seeing it here by 10AM.  Sleet will come in waves, meaning you'll hear it bouncing off the roof sometimes and others you'll have to be outside to see that its still occurring.  Road conditions are still warm enough that travel should be acceptable during daylight hours, however the melting that occurs from travel will result in slick spots on bridges and overpasses starting around noon.

Sleet should end around 5PM, leaving approx 1/2" of accumulation.  Travel conditions will remain acceptable during the evening rush, with slick spots on bridges and overpasses being a concern.  Those same areas should become slick around 8PM with arterial and residential streets showing slick spots around 10PM.

FRIDAY 12-6-13:  Snow should start around 1AM in the metro, and continue through the day.  Roads will be slick and hazardous during the morning rush as the layer of water and sleet freezes with the insulating blanket of snow.  Heaviest bands of snow will be just to the south and east of the city (think Okmulgee, Wagoner).  Snow should end by 8PM as the storm exits the area.  3-3 1/2" of snow will accumulate across the city.  Roads will continue to be slick and hazardous through the weekend, as a secondary storm adds a trace to 1/4" of additonal snowfall during the overnight hours of Sat/Sun

Hot Picks Updated!

Hottest picks are in bold

Zero Dark Thirty:  A-

Mama:  B-

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters:  D

John Dies at the End:  A

Warm Bodies:  A

A Good Day to Die Hard: D

Dark Skies:  C-

The ABC's of Death:  F 

Evil Dead:  C-

Oblivion:  A

Iron Man 3:  B-

Star Trek Into Darkness:  B

The Purge: C

World War Z:  B

The Heat:  D-

Pacific Rim:  A+

Red 2:  B+

Elysium:  D

We're the Millers:  B+

Kick-Ass 2:  A

The Worlds End:   A

Parkland:  A

A Single Shot:  B-

Gravity:  A+

Bad Milo!:  B+

Machete Kills:  A-

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane:  A+  

CBGB:  F

Captain Phillips: A+

Carrie:  (Waiting for DVD)

Ender's Game:  (Waiting for DVD)

Thor: The Dark World:  B+

How I Live Now:  (Will review this weekend)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire:  (Review coming 12-5)

American Hustle:  DEC. 13

August: Osage County:  DEC. 25

Mini Review: "Thor: The Dark World"

While a little more haphazard than the cheeky original, The Dark World offers up a reasonably cohesive story, some decent enough performances and a tantalizing ending.  Fun addition the the Marvelverse.

B+

Mini Review: "Captain Phillips"

Once again, Paul Greengrass creates a wonderfully engrossing tale out of story we already know the ending to.  The masterful performances by Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi help greatly in bringing the story to life.

A+

Oops! Behind Again!

Wow, having a girlfriend is really taking a toll on my movie going!  Sorry all, I know we're behind but with nothing coming out till 12-13, we'll take advantage of this time to catch up.  You will see reviews for Captain Phillips and Thor: The Dark World by this weekend and reviews for Ender's Game and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by 12-7.

Mini Review: "Machete Kills"

Goofier, sillier and just as much fun as the original.  Can't wait to see the third movie!!

A-

Mini Review: "The Way Way Back"

A difficult film to watch at first, till Sam Rockwell's character appears.  Then the unlikable characters begin to fill in and enrich the story, leading to a heartwarming finale.

A

Mini Review: "Haunter"

"Groundhog Day" for a teen girl ghost.  Yawwwwwwwwwn.

D

Mini Review: "Parkland"

What a unique look at the JFK assassination without any of the childish conspiracy crap from angles we've never seen it from.

A

Mini Review: "Passion"

Typical Brian de Palma crap.  Good performance by Rachel McAdams though.

D

Mini Review: "Gravity"

An absolutely mesmerizing and spellbinding film.  Nothing short of absolute and pure brilliance.

A+

Updated Hot Picks!

Hottest picks are in bold

Zero Dark Thirty:  A-

Mama:  B-

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters:  D

John Dies at the End:  A

Warm Bodies:  A

A Good Day to Die Hard: D

Dark Skies:  C-

The ABC's of Death:  F 

Evil Dead:  C-

Oblivion:  A

Iron Man 3:  B-

Star Trek Into Darkness:  B

The Purge: C

World War Z:  B

The Heat:  D-

Pacific Rim:  A+

Red 2:  B+

Elysium:  (Review by 9-13)

We're the Millers:  (Review by 9-13)

Kick-Ass 2:  A

The Worlds End:   A

Parkland:  (Never played in Tulsa)

A Single Shot:  B-

Gravity:  (Review coming tonight)

Bad Milo!:  B+

Machete Kills:  OCT. 8

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane:  A+  (Finally getting a wide release on 10-11 after 6 years)

CBGB:  F

Captain Phillips:  OCT. 11

Carrie:  OCT. 18

Ender's Game:  NOV. 1

Thor: The Dark World:  NOV. 8

How I Live Now:  NOV. 15

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire:  NOV. 22

American Hustle:  DEC. 13

August: Osage County:  DEC. 25

Mini Review: "CBGB"

A film about the most historic club in rock music, the birthplace of punk....exciting right?  Wrong.

F

Editors Note:  CBGB opens Oct. 11

Mini Review: "Bad Milo"

When does a movie about fear of parenting and father issues become a movie about a guy with a murderous demon living in his ass?  When that movie is Bad Milo.

B+

Editors Note:  Bad Milo releases in the US on 10-4.

Mini Review: "The Prowler"

1981 slasher getting a cult following.  Short of the excellent gore effects by Tom Savini, I don't see why.

D

Mini Review: "A Single Shot"

A great performance (as usual) from Sam Rockwell and a decent story totally destroyed by the almost indecipherable audio.

B-

Editors Note:  A Single Shot opens today in limited release.

Mini Review: "Lovelace"

Boring, slow and droll.  The cast is wasted in this film.

F

Mini Review: "The Wolverine"

Too long, too silly and badly written.

D-

Mini Review: "Elysium"

Disappointing.  Visually stunning but cold story.

D

Mini Review: "We're The Millers"

Funnier than I expected, even though I called how it would end during the opening credits.

B+

Mini Review: "The World's End"

Absolutely spectacular!  A great way to end the trilogy, however..it was the weakest of the three films.

A

Top PIcks - Updated With Full Fall Schedule!!

Hottest pics in bold

Zero Dark Thirty:  A-

Mama:  B-

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters:  D

John Dies at the End:  A

Warm Bodies:  A

A Good Day to Die Hard: D

Dark Skies:  C-

The ABC's of Death:  F 

Evil Dead:  C-

Oblivion:  A

Iron Man 3:  B-

Star Trek Into Darkness:  B

The Purge: C

World War Z:  B

The Heat:  D-

Pacific Rim:  A+

Red 2:  B+

Elysium:  (Review by 9-13)

We're the Millers:  (Review by 9-13)

Kick-Ass 2:  A

The Worlds End:   (Review by 9-14)

Parkland:  SEPT. 6

A Single Shot:  SEPT. 20

Gravity:  OCT. 4

Bad Milo!:  OCT. 4

Machete Kills:  OCT. 8

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane:  A+  (Finally getting a wide release on 10-11 after 6 years)

CBGB:  OCT. 11

Captain Phillips:  OCT. 11

Carrie:  OCT. 18

Ender's Game:  NOV. 1

Thor: The Dark World:  NOV. 8

The Wolf of Wall Street:  NOV. 11

How I Live Now:  NOV. 15

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire:  NOV. 22

American Hustle:  DEC. 13

August: Osage County:  DEC. 25

I know, I know...

I'm behind again.  Playing catchup, I promise.  I'm going to try to watch a few today, and maybe ...hopefully..The Worlds End over the weekend.

Mini Review: "Kick Ass 2"

Freaking incredible!!  And not as violent as you've heard.

A

Mini Review: "This is The End"

Sadly, not fast enough.....

D

Oops....

Hello friends, I know I'm behind, so expect some catch up over the next few days.  We'll be adding several reviews the next few days (which means lots of movie watching the next couple as well), as well as fall updates to the top picks list.  Stay tuned!

An update on this summer's top picks!

Hottest pics in bold

Zero Dark Thirty:  A-

Mama:  B-

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters:  D

John Dies at the End:  A

Warm Bodies:  A

A Good Day to Die Hard: D

Dark Skies:  C-

The ABC's of Death:  F 

Evil Dead:  C-

Oblivion:  A

Iron Man 3:  B-

Star Trek Into Darkness:  B

The Purge: C

World War Z:  B

The Heat:  D-

Pacific Rim:  A+

Red 2:  B+

Elysium:  AUG. 9

We're the Millers:  AUG. 9

Kick-Ass 2:  AUG. 16

The Worlds End:   AUG. 23

Machete Kills:  OCT. 8

Carrie:  OCT 18

Ender's Game:  NOV. 1

Thor: The Dark World:  NOV. 8

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire:  NOV. 22

Update

Nope, haven't forgotten about you my friends.  Just been kinda hectic around here lately, between the new girlfriend and life in general, things are crazy.  However, this weekend you'll get reviews of Kick-Ass 2, and most likely Elysium.  You may also get The Conjuring and This Is The End.

Mini Review: "Grown Ups 2"

Crap...crap and double crap.

F

Mini Review: "Only God Forgives"

What a piece of dull, limp, pseudo arty drek.  Absolutely horrible film.

F

Mini Review: "Red 2"

Fun fun fun, Helen Mirren steals the movie.  Shut your brain down good time.

B+

Mini Review: "The Attacks of 26/11"

A docu-drama based on the attacks in Mumbai, India in 2008.  Riveting film, well done and no punches pulled.  Great work.

A

Mini Review: "White House Down"

Typical left wing pandering by a director who essentially makes the same movie over and over, just changes the setting.

D

Mini Review: "The Heat"

The least funny comedy in quite some time.  I think I laughed 3 times.

D-

Movie Review: "Pacific Rim"

Pacific Rim 2013.  Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Day.  Rated PG-13.  Running Time 132 minutes.  Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

For those of you in my general age range (I'm 42), you may remember the first time you watched Toho's Godzilla stomp on screen, or RKO's (or Paramount's) King Kong.  That sense of amazement and wonder that accompanied this giant rampaging force of nature on screen.  Well, get ready to be transported back to childhood, as Pacific Rim perfectly captures that sense of wonder and awe that makes the giant monster films great.

Plotline is this:  In a future world, giant undersea aliens (known as kaiju) rise up from a fissure in the ocean floor and begin to attack major cities worldwide along the Pacific basin.  After huge expenditures in munitions to take down the first kaijus, mankind responds by building giant robots, called jaegers; to combat the rising threat.  These robots are piloted by two people joined by a neural link allowing each person to control one side (or hemisphere) of the robot. While defending Alaska in the kaiju war, the jaeger known as Gipsy Danger falls during battle.  It's pilots Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff) and Raleigh (Hunnam) Becket are joined when Yancy is yanked from the machine and killed, leaving his brother to not only have felt the death, but on a long journey back to the jaeger corps.

Direction, cinematography and writing are nothing short of excellent.  Director del Toro makes the jaegers and the kaiju look realistic and lively, as opposed to the usually overly fluid movements provided by CGI.  Actors handle the roles admirably and keep things interesting.  With the exception of the obvious ending, I dont have any nitpicks of the film.  Probably del Toro's best work to date.

Pacific Rim is a stellar film, with smart characterizations and writing, great visual effects and performances.  So far, the best movie of the year for me.

A+

Mini Review: "Sharknado"

There are just not enough words to describe either how (a) beautiful star Cassie Scerbo is and (b) how so very massively cheesy Sharknado is.  Yet, its bizarrely stupid fun.  I hope the Rifftrax guys have their eyes on this.

D

A current look at the Top Picks

Hottest pics in bold

Zero Dark Thirty:  A-

Mama:  B-

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters:  D

John Dies at the End:  A

Warm Bodies:  A

A Good Day to Die Hard: D

Dark Skies:  C-

The ABC's of Death:  F 

Evil Dead:  C-

Oblivion:  A

Iron Man 3:  B-

Star Trek Into Darkness:  B

The Purge: C

World War Z:  B

The Heat:  REVIEW COMING THIS WEEKEND

Pacific Rim:  JUL. 12 (REVIEW COMING TOMORROW)

Red 2:  JUL. 19

Elysium:  AUG. 9

We're the Millers:  AUG. 9

Kick-Ass 2:  AUG. 16

The Worlds End:   AUG. 23

Machete Kills:  OCT. 8

Carrie:  OCT 18

Ender's Game:  NOV. 1

Thor: The Dark World:  NOV. 8

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire:  NOV. 22