Like, Four Months Of Movies. Part One

If you read my last post, and according to Google 269 of you at least clicked on it (yay, but not for the best of reasons, and also a couple of those clicks may be my own), you know it's been a rough patch. Between what went on healthwise in both April (while I was still working, to boot) and June, I had some sporadic movie attendance for a while. And I haven't talked about any of them. Tsk. So the first few of these, which I saw between mid-March and early June, have already gone to blu-ray, Netflix, etc. But I'll mention them anyway. After my surgery, though, I've really picked up the pace, so I'm splitting this into two posts. (I was thinking I could also check out some I missed via On Demand or my Amazon Prime subscription's Instant Video feature, but that's for the future.)

The Lazarus Effect: Some researchers accidentally discover a formula that can bring people back from the dead. Naturally, there are consequences. A bit interesting but ultimately more boring than scary. C-plus.

Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron: Bigger, louder, not as interesting nor as well-plotted as the first Avengers film. And no shawarma. B-plus.

Hot Pursuit: Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon, a comedy duo for the ages. Well, the Age of Ultron, maybe. But towards the end it seemed to be trying to pull things together a little. C.

Pitch Perfect 2: Sequel. Meh. A couple of interesting quirks but disappointing. C-plus.

Tomorrowland: Best film so far this year, hands down. For all the sci-fi stuff, it really is a film about how we can still make the word a better place. It made me think of people who I see doing good work (such as this guy) and gave me a hopeful, optimistic feeling. Please see this film. A.

Spy: Melissa McCarthy seems to walk a tightrope with movie roles, at least those I've seen. Bridesmaids, awesome. Identity Thief, not nearly so. Spy is a return to fine form, with a strong supporting cast. A-minus.

Mad Max: Fury Road: Having never seen any of the previous Mad Max films, I still wasn't really lost by this reboot's plot. The future's all gone to hell and Max, now played by Tom Hardy, is fighting to survive and ends up helping some others. Lots of action and mayhem. B.

Next post: everything I've seen since my surgery.

Quick Review: How Do You Know

The bad news is that, despite a cast including Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson, there's not much to "How Do You Know," another romantic comedy that's mostly lacking in both categories. It's harmless but it's just not all that interesting. Witherspoon plays Lisa, a softball player just cut from Team USA. Softball is her life and she isn't ready to move on. She begins seeing Matty (Wilson), a not-too-bright pitcher for the Washington Nationals. (We are told at one point that he makes $14 million per year. This was filmed pre-Jayson Werth, so clearly this is a work of fiction. But the one scene of Nationals Park did show a half-empty stadium.) At the same time Lisa meets George (Rudd), an executive at some sort of firm -- it's not really clear what it does -- run by his father (Nicholson). George finds himself the target of a federal investigation and is trying to deal with that and his feelings for Lisa. The romantic byplay between Lisa and George, and Lisa and Matty, is always in fits and starts. You just wonder why any of these people want to be in a relationship with the other.

So that's the bad news. What's the good news? I have another excuse to look at this picture of Rudd. Duh. My grade: C-minus.