I am having a hard time with the situation in this country. I am probably, as a white male, not supposed to write about this. It feels like we have taken some giant steps in the wrong direction. The violence, the tension, and the fact that race is an issue in 2016 is embarrassing.

  MLK Day being last week has made me dwell on this more than usual. Maybe I am blind, but in the 90's after the riots in L.A., it seemed like these type of things were less of an issue. It was almost like we took a different approach. Maybe the social media is compounding issues. I don't know.

 I get yelled at when I say all lives matter and not just black or white. We live in a world where perspective is reality. Like it or not. I wonder now if people like Ted Nugent, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson do more harm than good. Throw Macklemore in there too with the whole "White Priveledge." Hey Ben, shut up!

 We see violence against a young black male, regardless of their character, and there are violent protests in more cases than not. We see violence against white , the news reporters that were shot by a black male, and there are no violent protests. I guess I don't know what a black person goes through because I am not one. I have also never not been able to get along with people of any color. I see personality before skin color.

 Our country has a very violent history full of wrongs committed to people of all walks of life. Here's a news flash though, most of us were not alive to be apart of any side of it. Isn't it time to bury the past and learn from it's mistakes?

 The Oscars are the new hot button. Black actors were over looked so there is a call to boycott? How does that help? It sends a message of segregation. The example is to go. The example is be part of the, "we'll get them next time," mentality. We let Hollywood and celebrities influence our lives too much as it is. Hollywood has been kind to it's population. Those over looked celebrities are already living a fairy tale. Their salary might not be what they want, but I guarantee that the middle class would gladly trade incomes. The world doesn't owe anyone favors. I agree that old men with backwards thinking rule our world. We owe it to ourselves to not fuel their line of thinking.

 As white male, it's my job to not judge books by their covers and make assumptions. People of color need to work harder to not fit into ridiculous stereotypes. It can be done. Like a lot of things, it just takes some extra work. I don't have all the answers, but I do know that we should be ashamed that skin color is such an issue in 2016. It doesn't get better until we make it better. I understand that it is tough to love everyone, but it's really not all that hard to exercise some tolerance. At the end of the day we're not black, white, red, or yellow. We are all just human.

You Need Less Than 3 Hours to Enjoy 13

 It's a political year so why not a movie that makes us remember a big political issue. 13 Hours does just that. We shouldn't need a reminder of how dangerous the world is, but 13 Hours gives us a first hand account. In a nutshell the plot is straight forward and has been national news.

  Six members of the Annex Security Team defend the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, from an attack by Islamic militants. The team is made up of ex special ops guys who all have lives outside of the military now. When American lives are threatened, they become the only thing standing between them and a foreign threat. 

 Michael Bay is the director. He is best known for big explosions and and being very military- friendly. Those are two of the biggest reasons why this film works. Bay doesn't treat it like Transformers. It's a true story and he takes care to treat it with the respect it deserves. It will remind people of Lone Survivor and that is OK. 

   John Krasinski will make you forget he was on The Office. He looks the part and fits in well. He really handles the action and delivers a stand out performance. It's intense and straight forward and doesn't take sides in the political aftermath that follow these events. It doesn't need to. It tells the story of the brave men who saved and gave their lives. That is all it needed to do. If you liked American Sniper, go see 13 Hours. 

Star Wars : The Force Awakens a Franchise

    There may not be more hype associated with any series of films more so than Star Wars. The fan base is rabid, cannon has been written since the first film hit theaters, and the characters are all household names. George Lucas reinvigorated the franchise with his prequels which were largely disliked by hardcore fans. Now J.J. Abrams is tasked with making us the force be with us again. 

30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire at the end of Return of The Jedi, a new threat rises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of Heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance now led by Leia Organa. The galaxy is in turmoil and one of the biggest questions looking is the location of Luke Skywalker who has all but vanished. 

 Let me start by saying all of the expanded universe cannon is tossed aside. Forget what you think you might know. The film has the feel of the original trilogy. It is filmed with more practical effects and that is a good thing. I have love for the prequels, but Lucas fell in love with all things digital. 

  The beginning of the film introduces us to the new characters. In their eyes, Han and company were just legends or fairy tales. It makes sense considering the time that has passed. Poe, Finn, and Rey all seem to mimic the original heroes in their own ways and only time will tell if they can become as loved. It is not your parent's Star Wars with a touch of your parent's Star Wars. 

 The galaxy also faces a new threat in the form of the First Order. The villains again sort of mirror their predecessors. Captain Phasma is pretty intense and the scope of the army is massive. Kylo Ren is the new evil Jedi, but to me was a let down. The story behind him is interesting. It's all relative. Literally. In comparison to Darth Vader and Darth Maul, he just falls short. I am sure he is supposed to do just that. The one thing that the prequels gave us was incredible Jedi versus Sith battles. 

 It is great to see Han Solo and Chewbacca back! It makes the movie, but also is what made me mad about the movie. I wasn't crazy where they took this. I wish we would have gotten more interaction with the original cast. I understand what they did, but I saw it differently. People will probably like the arc, but to me it was not enough of the old. We got a taste and not a meal. I can't say more without spoiling. 

 The story of Luke is set up well and it made me long for the next chapter. Make no mistake this is a great film. It has more positive than negative going for it. I just wish it were more of a continuation over reboot. J.J Abrams did well. He made me feel like a kid again and for that I thank him. The journey back to a time long ago, in a galaxy far far away, is a great trip. The force is strong with this one. 

Creed : More than a Name or Sequel

 How do you make a beloved movie character from the seventies and eighties and make him relevant again? Bring in a younger generation and put a completely different spin on it. Creed does that and more. Rocky is done with boxing and living a quiet life alone. He stays away from the sport until the son of his biggest rival and best friend begs him to train him.

 Michael B Jordan is Adonis Johnson. The illegitimate son of the legendary Apollo Creed. As an up and coming boxer, he lives in his fathers shadow and gets no respect. After deciding he cannot make it in the L.A. boxing scene, he travels to Philadelphia. He finds Rocky Balboa and asks for help. Adonis sets out to create his own legacy while helping Rocky realize that there is still fight left in him.

The boxing scenes are fantastic. The best thing they could do was get real life boxers to play the movie fighters. The fights are intense and Jordan got in great shape. It holds on to a lot of the magic that the original Rocky had. I cannot say it is as emotional, but it certainly tries. Rocky is pretty much where we left him and the arc of the character feels right. Stallone still makes you love the character, even in his seventies. He is also smart enough to leave the boxing to the next generation.

 The film does have a few plot holes, but not enough to make you dislike it. Apollo died in 1984 so Adonis would be a little past his prime, but it still works. Rocky's son is no where to be found and the sickness element plays too quickly. Creed is not Rocky 7. It is a step in a different direction and it works. It reminds us that life isn't about how hard you can hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. Creed is a new legacy that I hope we see continue.

The Martian : Bringing Home a Great Movie!

 It's rare that movie that isn't super hero or controversy based gets a lot of buzz. It is even more rare when it doesn't come in the summer or the holiday movie season. This week The Martian hits theaters. Based off a book and starring Matt Damon it hopes to give viewers a whole new look at the mysterious red planet and a whole different idea about being stranded.

When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must science his way to survival on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and the brightest minds on the planet work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue.

  The majority of the movie is Matt Damon on Mars. He has to grow crops on a planet without water or oxygen. We become engrossed in his struggle. Mars is four years away from the next launch mission and he doesn't even have enough food for one. The science of his stay is cool, but the movie paints an incredible picture of how hard it is to communicate. The shots of Mars look amazing and Damon does a great job of keeping the audience entertained by himself. 

  

   The supporting cast is strong. Jeff Daniels is great as the head of N.A.S.A. and after the Newsroom, is believable in the role. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michale Pena are also really good in their respective roles.  It's a beautiful film and is definitely one to see on the big screen. I could really only find two real issues. I don't feel like we got a real look at how crazy the isolation would have driven Damon's character. The other problem is length. I feel like it could have been about a half hour shorter. Beyond those things, no complaints. It certainly worth the watch!

The Not Even Close To Fantastic 4

You're a large movie company. You've attempted to create a profitable franchise out of a classic comic book. It didn't go like you planned. You're about to lose the rights to the characters. What do you do? Reboot and rush a film into production. Grab a young director and in typical Fox fashion, change too much about the source material. All of that happened and once again ladies and gentlemen we get the Fantastic Four.

    The character names are the same, but a lot has changed this time around. This was always considered a cheesy comic, but it was about heart and family. The characters are central figures in the Marvel Universe. Reed Richards and Dr.Doom are two of the greatest minds in the universe. The new movie gets that part right and that's about all it does right.

    It's a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel's original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy. (C) Fox

    In the comic, they fly into space and experience cosmic energy. This time they teleport to another dimension. This is an OK twist. It's acceptable. The science behind it is cool. The talents of the team are introduced and it is nice. It does a nice job of showing how the teams talents are all necessary. Wait a minute. Ben Grimm is just thrown in so no it doesn't. 

   The cast is really pretty good. Miles Teller is solid Reed Richards. Kate Mara is a serviceable Sue Storm. Jamie Bell has very little to do. He doesn't compare to Michael Chiklis as the Thing in the previous version. Chiklis captured the heart and voice of the blue eyed rock monster. Michael B. Jordan took a lot of fan boy bashing, but is a great Human Torch. Toby Kebbel is a very charismatic Victor Von Doom. All of them suffer from one problem. The horrible script and bad directing.

   The biggest travesty of this version of the Fantastic Four is Dr. Doom. He is one of the greatest villains in the Marvel Universe and once again he is bastardized. He is a brilliant, but ruthless dictator. He is powerful and merciless unless you watch this film. He is a smart, but jealous outcast who rather that wear armor gets fused in metal. He isn't dangerous. Just stupid in this film.

   What's worse is the film went though re-shoots. Early word leaked that doom was a computer hacker and the Internet exploded. I actually think Fox listened and tried to fix it. They failed. Again. If you watch, you can see that they did intend for him to be a hacker. I have said it over and over again. Superhero films are only as good as their villains and once again Dr. Doom is just Dr. Dumb.

    The costumes are stupid. The Thing needs pants. The film is saved by it's great special effects. Oh wait, no it's not. The effects are lame. They are cartoonish and no where close to summer blockbuster level.  Josh Trank was fired from directing one of the new Star Wars movies and after seeing this, thank God.  Marvel cancelled the comic book so that it didn't have to embrace this movie. That alone should tell you everything you need to know about this travesty. I hope Fox learns from this, but let's be honest. They won't. Maybe one day we'll see Marvel's first family get the treatment they deserve.
That day is definitely not August 7th 2015.

   
      Mission Impossible and Fast and Furious have a lot in common. They are both franchises that get better with age. It is tough to reinvent and top the amazing stunt sequences in both franchises, but they keep doing it. Tom Cruise at 50 plus is still on point as Ethan Hunt. You can tell he has fun doing these and they put the effort into the story. Tom is one of the most polarizing actors in Hollywood, but he turns in more quality films than garbage. The latest Mission is one of the best yet.

1.   The IMF is now disbanded and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise)is disavowed and a new threat --called the Syndicate -- soon emerges. The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order via an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Faced with what may be the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation.  Hunt and his team must avoid the C.I.A., British Intelligence, and save the world from it's most dangerous threat he's seen. 

   Everyone has seen the trailer with Cruise on the plane. The plane stunt is cool, but the movie goes next level with the rest of the sequences. The water tank is incredible and Rogue Nation has one of the best chase sequences filmed in recent years. Cruise does all of his own stunts and these are impressive. I didn't think you could top the building stunt from the last film, but they managed to do it. The film is more than just stunts. The story is on point. The right amount of twists, drama, action, and comedy. 

 The cast gels. Jeremy Renner is a star on the rise. He stole the show in Avengers earlier this summer and is definitely a bright spot in a movie that has a lot of them. The old cast mixes well with the new and Cruise is the glue that keeps it together. Good story. Incredible stunts. Great cast. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is an intense , but fun ride. It proves again how some franchises get better with age. See it in XD. A film like this is made for the best digital sound and picture. The sixth installment has already been green lit and it is a mission that I will certainly accept. 

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