The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (3D IMAX)

It's Peter in OSCORP-land when all of web-slinging Peter Parker's (Andrew Garfield) relationships seemed to be connected through OSCORP and they all take a dark turn. Girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) works there, best friend Harry Osborn (Dane Dehaan) becomes head of it, Spider-Man rescuee Max Dillion (Jaime Foxx) is also employed there. Lots of 3D special effects action on the huge IMAX screen as Parker tries to deal with his personal problems amidst battling Electro, the Green Goblin, and the Rhino. Look for hints to the next sequel villains in the Special Projects room. Stan Lee makes his traditional cameo.

Alien gives it 3 ½ "Roosevelt" stars out of 4.

Read More

The Other Woman

A smart lawyer (Cameron Diaz), a naive housewife (Leslie Mann), and a voluptuous twenty-something (Kate Upton) discover their man has been cheating on all of them so they band together to seek their revenge. These three ladies are perfectly cast for their roles. Diaz is the sensible leader of the pack, Upton is the dumb blond with the body, Mann is the insanely hilarious clueless nervous wreck who steals the show when Upton isn't moving in slo-mo. This hysterically funny film is loaded with laughs derived from clever dialogue and physical comedy. It's definitely a chick flick for girlfriends to bond together over, especially if they have ever been cheated on.

Alien gives it 3 ½ "roshambo" stars out of 4.

Read More

Brick Mansions

It's RoboCop Detroit sans "RoboCop" meets "Escape from New York" meets "Fast & Furious" with an undercover cop (Paul Walker) and a do-the-right-thing con (David Belle) must rescue a nuclear device and an ex-girlfriend from a powerful crime lord (RZA) in dystopian Detroit. This action-packed Luc Besson remake of the French film "District B13" features thrilling car chases, amazing acrobatics, and slick choreographed close quarters hand-to-hand combat. The director Camille Delamarre also did "Taken 2" & "Transporter 3" if you get my drift. It is a guilty pleasure fun thrill ride for adrenalin junkies.

Alien gives it 3 "parkour performance" stars out of 4.

Read More

The Railway Man

Based on a true story, see how individual lives are effected by time spent in a Japanese POW camp. About 40 years after WWII, a railroad enthusiast (Colin Firth) meets a lady (Nicole Kidman) and they fall in love. However, she soon learns about his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. This excellent film tells his story, The brutal mistreatment of the POWs may hard to watch for some, but war leaves its mark on everyone. Stay for the credits to see photos and comments about the real life characters portrayed.

Alien gives it 3 "man or monster, revenge or forgiveness" stars out of 4.

Read More

Bears

Follow two bear cubs, Amber & Scout, during their first year as they journey across Alaska with their mom, Skye, in search of food after hibernation. Threaten by an avalanche, a stalking wolf, and other bears, mama bear does her best to care and protect her babies. This Disney Nature movie is beautifully shot with telephoto lens, underwater cameras, and slo-mo film. John C. Reilly does a wonderful job of narration with his unique and humorous style. This family film is fun and educational.

Alien gives it 3 "frolicking & foraging" stars out of 4.

Read More

Million Dollar Arm

It's "Slumdog Millionaire" meets "Trouble with the Curve"when a sports management agency travels to India in search of raw new talent for Major League Baseball. John Ham, Lake Bell, Bill Paxton, and Alan Arkin are the name draws for this inspirational story that sounds too improbable to be believable. However, this film is based on a true story that most people never even heard of. Alien loved the film's sense of humor and the exposure of cultural differences. This fun family film felt Disney-fied just to pitch that perfect plot until the real life photos and clips were revealed during the credits. This January 22, 2014 review has been postpone until the film's official estimated release date in May 2014.

Alien gives it 3 "unconventional recruitment strategy" stars out of 4.

ps
It is indeed a strange irony that three baseball fans from San Francisco launched a venture in July 2006 that led to the discovery of India's first professional baseball pitchers, who were signed two years later by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the very team that beat the Giants the day the initial idea was conceived.


Million Dollar Arm (revisited)

Alien just got another chance to screen this marvelous film and it seemed even better the second time around. Disney magic knocks one out of the park with great characters, exotic locale, wonderful sense of humor, and lots of heart in this inspirational true story for all of those dreamers out there.

Alien gives it 3 ½ "let's play ball" stars out of 4.

Read More

Oculus

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the deadliest of them all?

Eleven years after witnessing the death of their parents, two traumatized kids grow up to seek answers from an antique mirror suspected of harboring evil spirits. Good performances (from 6 actors playing 4 characters) with a mind-bending plot that blurs the lines between past & present and between reality & fantasy make this low budget film effective and entertaining. The story is more twisted than scary. Today's thrill seekers craving startling CGI special effects may feel deceived by the old style smoke-and-mirrors routine. Some also may be disappointed by the outcome, but it's not totally unexpected considering the horror genre (although more psychological than gory).

Alien gives it 2 ½ "Lasser Glass" stars out of 4.

Read More

Rio 2

In this sequel, our fine feathered friends, Blu & Jewel, along with their three kids leave the city comforts of Rio de Janeiro and venture into the wilds of the Amazon rainforest searching for more of their kind, the rare blue Spix's macaws. Hot on their tail is the vengeful cockatoo, Nigel, and his minions, Gabi the poison dart frog and Charlie the anteater. It's Rio Carnival, road trip, father & child reunion, fish out of water, Amazon's Got Talent, endangered species, save the rainforest, and bird cup soccer all rolled into one delightful animated family fun song-and-dance comedy adventure.

Alien gives it 3 ½ "flock of fun" stars out of 4.

Read More

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The triple threat team of Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) thrill audiences with their skills to kill in a battle between S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, where it's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. An assassin called the Winter Soldier is HYDRA's mysterious mayhem man with a metal arm. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) are back leading the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Robert Redford and Emily Van Camp get featured roles. This action packed special effects spectacular stays true to comic book storyline form. Alien could sense where the film was going but that wasn't a bad thing. The Marvel machine continues their movie magic mesmerizing audiences around the world. Stay seated through the credits for two tease clips hinting to what may be next in stored for future Marvel projects.

Alien gives it 4 "Operation: Insight" stars out of 4.

Read More