bob-rutzel-1

On the morning of his 5th wedding anniversary Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) returns home from his bar to find his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) missing and the house looked like that there was a struggle and there is blood that was cleaned up. He calls the Police and they sympathize for a while, but later they feel that Nick knows more than he is telling. Did he kill his wife? He claims not.

I suppose the book was pretty good, this movie not so much. The story had a sort of beginning, and a middle where it stayed for most of the time, too long a time; and although, we in the audience, believed that Nick had nothing to do with Amy's disappearance we couldn't help but get bored with everything as this was really dragged out. The ending is too bizarre to go into at this point.

As the police investigate, they find more clues to show that Nick did kill his wife, but everything is circumstantial as there is no body. The police entertain the prospect that Amy was kidnapped and still hold Nick as a person of interest. Nick hires celebrity lawyer Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry) who believes Nick is completely innocent. Nick wants to tell the police that everything looks like he was set up but Tyler Perry won't allow this at the moment.

This movie may have had better intrigue and impact if it was much shorter. I am sure the book had erotic moments as we do see some sex scenes, but these scenes were not at all erotic. Again, maybe the book was better, this movie, not so much. Also, there is sexual language, at times, that use the C word along with other f-bombs.

The movie does go into what actually happened and this gets dragged out too. We keep asking when will all this come to some conclusion? Hey, we can't stay up all night with this the way it is going. We need our sleep. We come to our conclusion that this should have stayed a book.

When we learn everything there is to know we finally get to the ending, which, of course, is dragged out too. It is bizarre and maybe the director or writer was trying to make statements about marriage and the reasons many stay together. You can figure this out and debate it among yourselves.

Our conclusion: too drawn-out and should have stayed a book. The acting was okay, and the story may have had better impact if the movie was compacted so we didn't lose interest. (3/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes, several times Nudity: Yes. Language: Yes.

Mob hit-man John Wick (Keanu Reeves) promised his wife he would quit the business and he does so for 5-years. Then she dies and for him not to be alone she had arranged for a Beagle puppy delivered to him at home. Then the son of mob boss Viggio (Michael Nyqvist) - who John Wick used to work for - wants his car ( a souped-up 1969 Mustang ) beats him up and kills the puppy. John Wick recovers and knows what he has to do. Let the games begin.

Most hit-man stories have the hit-man (or a narrator) tell about his life and the specific numbered rules he lives by. And during the time of the movie, we will see this hit-man break every rule he has. This time it's different. This time it's pure revenge. We don't know the rules John Wick used to live by. But make no mistake about all this, now John Wick is out to make things right…………his way (get chills saying that?).

To be clear we learn that everyone, including Viggio, is afraid of John Wick, but Viggio must protect his son from John Wick.

The rest of the movie is a well-orchestrated choreography of gun fights. Some special effects regarding vehicles are included and are quite good. The cinematography in this gun-fest is also quite good. The music is non-stop heart pounding throughout.

Hit-man Marcus (Willem Dafoe) is contracted by Viggio to take out John Wick. This is insurance in case Viggio's men don't get the job done.

Keanu Reeves is the right actor for this movie. As John Wick, he doesn't talk much but his stares speak volumes (don't forget his guns too). In fact, I have always seen Keanu Reeves as the right actor for any movie he is in. After his character's beating when the car and the dog were gone I felt his pain and loss.

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, not much.

Rating: B

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr) a lawyer and estranged son of Judge Joe Palmer (Robert Duvall) defends his father accused of a hit and run accident that resulted in a death.

The movie should have been titled The Son because it is mostly about Hank Palmer and his wayward ways growing up in the Joe Palmer household. Hank's mother has just died and now Hank must deal with his set-in-his-ways father. We hear all the non-compassionate and brash ways the young Hank treated everyone as he climbed the ladder to success. The family is dysfunctional in many ways, but other issues crop up to complicate matters.

These back stories about the family are fine, but we kept looking for an edge that would prove The Judge not guilty of the charges. So we kept watch with every conversation that Hank has with friends and family to see if something they said would cast some light into getting a not guilty verdict. At the same time we kept hoping for a bonding between father and son although we knew this was next to impossible.

There should have been more tension between father and son and even in the courtroom. I didn't feel that tension. Maybe you will. I kept hoping for a bonding and something that would help the Judge. There should have been tons of tension, and I didn't feel any. I guess, to be honest, I didn't care for either the son or the father the way I should have. Maybe. I just felt something wasn't right (could it have been the dialogues?) Hmmm………..

No Oscars as the acting all around was good, not great. Supporting cast members: Billy Bob Thornton as the opposing lawyer, Dwight Dickham; Vera Farmiga as Samantha (Hank's high school love); Ken Howard as the Judge in Joe's trial; Vincent D'Onofrio as Glen (Hank's older brother); and Jeremy Strong as Dale (Hank's younger brother) were all very good.

To be honest Billy Bob's character as opposing counsel Dwight Dickham was so good I wanted to give him an Oscar. He is that good. He out-shined both Downey Jr and Duvall.

I really liked that silver metallic ring that opened up into a drinking glass for Billy Bob Thornton's character Dickham as he displayed it on the table in the courtroom. Hey, I need to get me one of those.

The ending was kind of inconclusive and you will have to read into it what you want. I mean there were many threads that started in the beginning and they never came full circle to resolution. So you may have to come up with them yourself. They in themselves are not important, but they were there. I'm just saying. (7/10)

Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, some not all that much.