300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

Nice!  It is so rare that a film sequel matches the original and this one did.  Ladies, yes there is a ton of blood but a ton of eye candy for you.  Dudes, the previous point will make this something you can watch with that special lady....just don't tell your wives or you will end up like one of the Persians.

I saw this movie right after watching "3 Days to Kill" and seeing Amber Heard trying to portray a bad a$$, stone cold killer.  Man, if only the casting director of '3 Days' had waited till he met Eva Green.  She played Artemisia and kicked.  Brutal, cold, and good acting.

The directing of this was awesome and the cinematorgraphy just great.  It was dark and moody but not so dark that you couldn't see everything.  The action scenes and all were just awesome.  Good times.

Music was good and acting was above average so this was a good old popcorn chomping good time.

3 Days to Kill - (2014)

Kevin Costner seems to get movies where his acting is good, then not so good, then good, etc.  This was a GOOD job.  He played a mix of Bull Durham and whatever his character's name was in Waterworld (1995).

Overall this was a good film, the action, cinematography, music and all, but what was a REAL DRAG were the costars....most notably Amber Heard.  Who is she, where did she come from and how did she get this role...or others I have seen her in.  Her acting was really bad.  Her character could have been a really cool one had it been played by an Angelina Jolie or Kate Beckinsale.  Perhaps the only good part about her acting is that it possibly caused a short run of this film in the theaters and therefore sped its delivery into my hands.

Script and story were good, cinematography was good and the soundtrack okay.  I give the soundtrack the okay because I don't remember it.  To me that means that it neither added nor detracted from the film.  Costner, Hailee Steinfeld (daughter), and Connie Nielsen (estranged wife) were fine in the acting....Heard I have mentioned.  Directing and all was dandy too.

It is not a bad film to see but if there are other pressing ones, see them first.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

I really looked forward to this based on the comments and all that folks had given and that I had heard on the radio and so on.....I couldn't finish it.  One of the ways I judge a movie is by how much I passively think of it (when I am not watching it) during the 2 to 3 days/evenings it takes me to finish it.  Further, I only remembered what I was watching when M. Gustav played by Ralph Fiennes appeared upon my hitting 'Play' on my personal DVD player.

Watching it became a chore and I have enough chores during the day.  I quit and have accepted my lack of hipness.

Mechanically, the film was sound.  The characters remained their quirky weird selves, the sound track, directing, cinematography, and writing remained constant and quirky throughout as well and never swayed.  That was impressive; however, no matter how well prepared and delivered to me a plate of haggis might be, I still ain't eating it and would send it back too.