Kev's Reviews

  Former special-ops agent Frank Martin is back in this gripping, edge-of-your-seat action flick. Now retired, Martin (Ed Skrein) is living a less perilous life and has left his former life as a special-ops mercenary south of France  - that is until he falls in the clutches of a fem-fatal and her posse of three equally gorgeous women plotting revenge on a villainous Russian kingpin.  This film is slightly corny but it's not really about the plot as it is sensation. It's about getting your heart pumping , engaging the sensation of feel rather than a confounding plot that you don't get until the billionth time. It's about speed; fast cars and fast women. It's not a film you'd bring your grandma to. And if you have a problem with that - well....let's just say you might have bigger issues to deal with. *** (three stars.)

  Confusing, confusing, confusing. This very perplexing, and sloppy novel begins as General Custer lays dying on the battlefield at Little Big Horn. As he lets out his last breath, Custer's spirit levitates and finds a new body to invade - a Sioux warrior named Paha Sapa. Dan Simmons weaves the two lives together in a retrograding fashion as the story focuses on both the general's and the Native American's pasts. As a reader, I want to go on an adventure,be entertained and think (not too hard) about the story. Simmons demands the reader to pay close attention to the story as the reader struggles  to follow diverging pasts. The story can be difficult to follow, particularly toward the beginning of the book before the reader is accustomed to the back-and-forth, decade-skipping flow of the narrative. I had to read reviews while reading the book just to keep up with the convoluted story. This book definitely made me work. ** (two stars).

When a present-day journalist (Dougray Scott) investigates Opus Dei founder Josemaria Escriva (Charlie Cox), he discovers a deep, dark secret that links his own father, Manolo (Wes Bentley), to Escriva. Manolo and Escriva were once close friends until the pair took two entirely different paths when war showed its ugly face. Manolo fought alongside the rebels, while Escriva pursued his faith and became a priest for the Roman Catholic church. Based on the incredible true story, this drama reveals the core values that killed a long-lived friendship. *** (three stars). The acting could have been better.

Based on the critically-acclaimed novel written by Best-selling author Stieg Larsson, David Fincher directs this gripping thriller that follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) and pugnacious computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) who team up to investigate the mysterious disappearances of wealthy-man Henrik Vanger's (Christopher Plummer) niece. The pair are bound on a a gut-wrenching journey paved by the young girl's snatcher that will lead to an end nobody can foresee! **** (four stars). This is not a film for the weak of stomachs, but the acting was phenomenal! This flick will definitely receive Oscar-nominations.

Former baseball all-star Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) joins the Oakland A's, a baseball organization that simply cannot hold their own in the big leagues. The team faces financial issues  that lead to numerous devastating, but necessary, cut-backs  on players and managers. With controversial methods, Billy Beane leads this revamped Oakland team to the playoffs, but will they make it to the ultimate summer event every baseball player dreams about...The World Series? I give this film full of all-star actors **** (four stars). Co-staring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill and Robin Wright.

After being tormented by nightmares about The Poet, FBI agent Rachael Walling receives a notice informing her of the resurfacing of the Poet. The serial killer who threaded poetry of Edgar Allen Poe into his heinous crimes is back- and has not forgotten about his relentless pursuer. Meanwhile, retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch is phoned by an old friend's widow, wanting to consult with Bosch about her husband's death. Seemingly natural, her husband's death was blown off by the police, but it was the perfect killing for the Poet, the very man he was hunting. Bosch crosses paths with Walling in a California desert where corpses are being dug up by the feds. The two, wanting the same accomplishment, team up. Facing all odds with the Poet and the FBI, Bosch and Walling will chase the Poet down a wicked ride full of suspense! They venture into his own darkness. .. Michael Connelly, yet again, delivers in this intense thriller! **** (four stars).

When an unidentified space craft lands in Johannesburg, South Africa , a group called the Multi-National Unit pushes the extra-terrestrial passengers into containment zones where they work constantly, even with the MNU commandeering the parts the aliens need to revive their vessel. Tensions between the humans and the aliens boil, until a rogue MNU worker aids the aliens in repairing the space craft, and leads a resistance movement against MNU and the organization's leader. I give this Golden Globe-winner and Academy nominee for Best Picture **** (four stars). This is the type of flick that some people like and others don't.