Film: Money Monster

GENRE: Drama, Thriller

RATING: R for language, some violence, brief sexuality
RUNTIME: 1 hours and 38 minutes

STARRING: George Clooney (Descendants, Michael Clayton, ER)

Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich); Jack O’Connell (Unbroken)

DIRECTOR: Jodie Foster (Little Man Tate, The Beaver)

WRITERS: Jamie Linden (Dear John, We Are Marshall)

Alan DiFiore (Grimm, The Bridge); Jim Kouf (National Treasure)

PLOT: A man with nothing to lose takes a financial TV host hostage when the stock market takes a large dip.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I was sucked in by the big names. Also, having just taught it in my Business class, I understood some of the stock market lingo used in the film.

STORY STUFF: I found the story and energy less Network-ish as many critics cited and more like a film called Mad City which starred Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta. The story kept me invested (sorry, bad pun) for most of the time but the ending felt flat and left me unsatisfied. Also, there were some police procedures that seemed highly questionable. The story also made me roll my eyes at the New York public and their selfishness.

ACTING STUFF: Great acting all around but I come to expect that from Clooney and Roberts. It was nice to see O’Connell hold his own with these A-list stars.   

ARTISTIC STUFF: There’s not much to focus on creatively. Foster does a fine job but nothing amazing. I guess I like the real-time aspect of the movie.     

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like Clooney and understand stocks a bit.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: X-Men: Apocalypse; Popstar

Film: Captain America - Civil War

GENRE: Action, Adventure

RATING: PG-13 for violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 26 minutes

STARRING: Chris Evans (Captain America, Avengers, Snowpiercer)

Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man); Anthony Mackie (The Night Before)

DIRECTORS: Anthony & Joe Russon (Winter Soldier, next Avengers)

WRITERS: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Narnia, Captain Americas, Agent Carter, Pain & Gain)

PLOT: Captain America and Iron Man are on different sides of a bill demanding political oversight. Oh there’s a lot of fighting.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a long time. Especially after this dull April.

STORY STUFF: I found the story engaging because I had no idea how it was going to turn out. Apparently, it is very different from the comics (which I haven`t read). I wish that I didn`t know in advance who all were going to appear in the film, it would have been an awesome surprise. Thanks a lot, internet. I was confused as to why Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) had such a small role as Everett Ross. After some research, it seems he factors into the Black Panther storyline. Oh, those Marvel universes.

ACTING STUFF: Glad to have Paul Rudd as Ant-Man bringing in some much needed comic relief. Also Tom Holland is pretty fun as the new Spider-Man, he does a great job showing his age. The rest of the Avengers are great as usual.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: Beautifully choreographed fight sequences. Hand to hand combat and the big epic battle were top notch. Don`t know why this was in 3D though as it didn`t enhance a thing, so I suspect a money grab.   

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like Marvel movies

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Money Monster, Angry Birds