Hadn't seen this one in many years, maybe last time was back in high school 20+ years ago. Delightful musical-comedy featuring the great Gene Wilder and deadpan, sarcastic humor that I immensely loved. Also the production design was excellent and musical numbers, including the catchy Oompa songs were wonderful. **4.25/5**

It's good stuff, but ought to have been so much more.
'The Gray Man' features all the ingredients to have become a quality movie. Unfortunately, it is simply 'just' a watchable popcorn action flick. That's not necessarily a criticism in itself, it's just that I had hoped for far greater.
Ryan Gosling puts in an entertaining performance, his dynamic with youngster Julia Butters is reminiscent of his similar showing with Angourie Rice in 2016's 'The Nice Guys'. Chris Evans and Ana de Armas are noteworthy positives alongside Gosling.
The worldwide vibe of the story is cool, while the action sequences - aside from one 'skydiving' scene - are satisfactory enough. I enjoyed the film thus have no real complaints, it just could've/should've been something more memorable.

**Overall : The big-budget, big stars, and big action felt more like a knockoff of other action franchises than a success in itself.**
The Gray Man is the result of putting a Fast and Furious movie in a blender with Taken or John Wick and Michael Bay. The outrageous action and super cheesy dialogue try to take itself as a serious spy movie. Don’t get me wrong-it’s not a bad movie. The fight choreography is pretty good, and the Gray Man boasts an impressive A-list cast. It is a decent generic action flick. But the goofiness of Chris Evans’ villain was almost at Batman & Robin levels. I really wanted to rate this movie a little higher (like a 3.5 of 5 or 7 of 10), but it just falls short.

Anyone thinking the CIA is anything other than awful, should in my humble opinion, take a long look at their actual history.
Anyway, putting aside the predictable effort to set up this nasty little three letter acronym as virtuous, there's not a lot going on here.
Its your usual rather heavy handed, cruel, cynical, US action flick.
Exposition is polished but then it needs to be, because there's not a lot else on offer that I can see. Suffice to say, instantly watchable and just as forgettable.
So if you want simple action and can look past the not so subtle messaging, this is a marginally alright watch.

Seing this as another run to the mill Netflix release should not keep your hopes up. Netflix is where mediocre goes to congreate to the masses.
We have another spy action movie amongst us. Last one before this was Kate, that was another bland action-spy movie.
This offers absolutely NOTHING new to the table. We seen every trick this movie offer before. Over-skilled agents. Clever coreographed fight scenes, Trick tactics, agents with no names, An agency who elimintaes their own agents, expendable kill teams, plenty conspiracies and tons of action.
But i have to say i enjoy Gosling alone in this one. He plays it cool. Its just shame that he is backed up with a script littered with clichés from start to end.
We also have Ana De Armas who is fast becoming the new Tom Holland that appears everywhere. An actress that is milked trought the Hollywood system and spewed out to never be heard of again some day.
But the movie is for sure a worthy popcorn flick with no expetations to give. On a entertainment standpoint it delivers.

Well at least this latest Netflix effort gives us some eye candy in the form of the annoyingly ageless Ryan Gosling and a slightly hammy Chris Evans, but the rest of it is derivative even by their standards. We start with a young man being released from prison by "Fitzroy" (Tommy Lee Jones) so he can join an elite CIA hit squad. Named "Six" (Gosling), his first mission is straight out of the "Mechanic" (2011) only it's an erstwhile colleague that he is sent to eradicate. A task that proves remarkably simple but is accomplished not before, luckily for us, he is given a micro chip that illustrates his new boss "Carmichael" (an underwhelming Regé-Jean Page) is about as crooked as the day is long. There now ensues a series of long "John Wick" style combat scenes as try as this hugely well equipped CIA operation does, it simply cannot capture "Six". Desperate times call for desperate measures so "Hansen" (Evans) is drafted in to finally do the business by kidnapping the easily accessible niece of the now retired TLJ, and using her as leverage he tries a different tack. Wholesale slaughter follows and along the way some lovely buildings in Prague and Croatia become neat piles of rubble; the local citizens are dropping like flies sending those in the CIA PR department into spasms... Well you get the gist. The always over-rated Ana de Armas sports quite a colourful suit at the start, but as usual her contributions are pretty unimpressive; TLJ is nowhere near his best and the thing lurches on towards a really inevitable conclusion that stretched out the thinnest of plots and showed a really disconcerting image of a CIA completely out of control, running rampage - and that scenario isn't remotely plausible. There is plenty of car-chasing, gunfights and pyrotechnic displays but that's nowhere near enough to compensate for a pretty unremarkable script and an amalgam of stories we have seen done better elsewhere, many times before. That said, if you get a chance to see it during it's limited cinema run then I'd give it a go. On television this is just subscription fodder with A-list cows that you will instantly forget.

MORE SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/
"The Gray Man holds the energetic, over-the-top, explosive action from the Russo Brothers, which should be enough to entertain the vast majority of the audience throughout the admittedly generic, predictable screenplay. Excessive camera movement occasionally sabotages the fantastic fight choreography, but nothing that lasts too long.
Regardless of the valuable technical aspects, the success of this movie is inherently connected to the superb performances from a cast packed with chemistry. Ryan Gosling demonstrates that he knows how to play an action protagonist, Chris Evans clearly has tons of fun playing a "bad guy" full of personality, Ana de Armas captivates as the sidekick badass, while Jessica Henwick is underused - the actress has done more than enough in her career to portray bigger roles.
See it in the theater, if possible."
Rating: B

_The Gray Man_ has some impressive action sequences, but is such a lackluster film experience overall. Most of the action is bogged down by sloppy editing where a complete absence of proper lighting ruins whatever positives the film had going for it. The talented cast does what they can with their roles, but it’s not enough to make the film entertaining. Ana de Armas is mostly forgettable apart from shooting tranquilizer darts in guy’s butts and firing a rocket launcher a few times. Tedious and sluggish with punches and kicks and kills that barely satisfy, _The Gray Man_ is a dead on arrival action thriller that squanders potential almost as often as Ryan Gosling chews gum.
**Full Review:** https://hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Gray-Man-2022-The-Yawn-Ultimatum

I don't know what the point of this movie is. Just a guy who's crazy from ptsd. There's no point to the movie at all.

One of those films where once again there is a huge difference between the critics' and the viewers' assessment. Which one will you choose?
In the genre of war films, I'm slowly leaning towards the critic. In 'Brothers' each of the characters seems overdrawn to me. No one reveals anything surprising, everyone fulfills their cliché. The story strictly follows the black and white stereotype of the situation in Afghanistan, completely disregarding being coherent. A Marine has been missing for less than a year and his family is already living 3 chapters after that?
If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the movie - because it underscores all the clichés you're promised in a good 2 hours. On a positive note, it has become a fast paced piece of work. But I got about as excited by the production as I did watching campfire TV at night.

George Clooney starred, co-wrote and directed this interesting wartime drama. It centres around an elite squad sent to try to rescue precious works of art from the retreating Nazi war machine. Not elite in an SAS or SEAL type military sense, but dedicated to identifying and preserving these artefacts that could be anything from a small painting to a life-sized statue. Historically and logistically it is all over the place, but it has a feel-good sentiment to it for the most part. It focusses on another quite visceral, but perhaps less often considered aspect of the atrocities to posterity carried out during WWII. Matt Damon ("Granger") features occasionally as he tries to convince "Claire Simone" (Cate Blanchett) in Paris that they are not just going to loot the art for their own museums and there is enough action involved to illustrate just how dangerous the end of the war was as they race to prevent the destruction. The production is adequate, nothing more to be fair, but this film is enjoyable to watch with a message that endures long after the mediocre performances from the talent have diminished. Perhaps some objectivity behind the camera might have helped - Clooney is too close to what is clearly a labour of love for him, but it's still worth a watch.

Anyone recall the toys you used to get where you could push play-dough up through the body and it would come out through holes in the head like coloured hair? Well that's what these "Trolls" reminded me of - a wet dream for marketeers, toy makers. and burger chains. The actual plot centres around the peaceable trolls who must flee their home when the menacing "Bergen" arrive bent on eating them all for a "trollstice" treat. "King Peppy" and his annoyingly optimistic daughter "Poppy" lead their people to a safe hideaway but a surprise visit from their nemeses means "Poppy" and her pal "Branch" have to set off to rescue them from the merciless cleaver of the "Chef" and the new young "King Gristle". What now ensues is a series of escapades as they quite literally have to escape from the pot and the fire, stop their entire population ending up garnished and maybe, just maybe, convince their foes that happiness does not, in fact, come from eating a troll - well not unless it's a chocolate one. This will probably play well to very young children - there are lots of vibrant colours, a few songs to liven things up and just a hint of "Janet and John" moralising about what truly matters in life. It's a film you'll watch once, but I doubt it needs revisiting.

**The message was about teaching the truth behind falsified believes.**
This is a good film than how it was labelled. At least I enjoyed it, despite being an adult, particularly a male and a bachelor. It looks more a little kids' film than for anyone else. Because the film was based on the famous dolls. Usually film comes first and then follows its dolls to the markets. But this film has a reverse concept and a very much acceptable. Yes, it was not great as Disney's or Pixar's animations, but the DreamWorks animation is always there behind these two, considered the third best and according to that limit, you should expect the film.
It's a musical like most of the animations are and one of the tracks made into the 2017 Oscars for best film songs list, but the film did not make into best the animated feature. Directed by the director of one of the sequels of 'Shrek' series. Technically, it sounds awesome with cute character models, colours, songs, music and particularly the voice-overs. The story wise, it's not bad, except the concept of eating trolls makes the real young kids go fright.
Good for families and even better if you choose to watch it in digital 3D format. The runtime was good with a fine pace. In the line of smurfs, gnomes, fairies, and now these trolls to add in the list for children to watch growing up. Don't bother watching it if you are an adult and only like and enjoy adult films, other than seeing it neutral, as well as opinioning. Purely an entertaining film and I strongly suggest it for the little ones.
_7/10_

The Babysitter is a fun, bloody, and stylish horror-comedy that kicks off with a great setup. The camera work in the opening scenes is clever, subtly switching perspectives to bring us closer to Cole’s world, which adds a nice touch to the storytelling. The character buildup for Cole is solid and gives the movie a strong foundation. However, I felt the decision to focus almost entirely on Cole and not dive deeper into Bee’s character was a missed opportunity. For a movie named after her, Bee deserved more backstory or emotional depth to balance out the story.
The pacing picks up nicely in the second act, delivering a mix of absurd deaths, fast-paced action, and quirky humor that feels both chaotic and entertaining. The climax does its job in tying up Cole’s arc, but it’s hard to ignore the plot holes that pop up along the way. Still, the ending lands well enough to leave you feeling satisfied. The direction is decent, and the cinematography stands out with its vibrant visuals and sharp editing. The music is a highlight, perfectly matching the tone, though I couldn’t help but feel that having a proper score would’ve added more impact in certain moments.
Overall, the movie is a campy, lighthearted watch with a lot of energy. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which works in its favor, but it’s far from perfect. If you can overlook the occasional lack of logic and embrace its over-the-top nature, you’ll have a good time. It’s a fun ride but could’ve been even better with a bit more depth and polish.

The plot seemed great, the concept seemed like a lot of fun. It seemed like the perfect throw away guilty pleasure Halloween movie.
Even some of the lines were awesome in a way that fit perfectly into the Halloween throw away guilty pleasure fair.
But still, it left a horrible taste in my mouth. It was positively awful.
And then I saw it, the director, McG.
It all made sense, it was a movie that went too far and not in the great wonderful pushing the limits kind of way, but in the too friendly afraid to take a serious turn, afraid to take a comedic turn, so rather its best to charge head-long into the realm of mediocrity kind of way.
Every point that the story could turn into something great, every little part where a a spurt of blood could be real gore, every place where it could have been hysterical...it seems like the director backed off.
He took a turn out of fear and the result was...meh. Only "MEH" in all caps.
Its a shame, it could have been a great fun Halloween Guilty Pleasure. It could have been a cheap Scream, an expensive Evil Dead. Instead its just...meh.
And what is worse, its Meh for lack of will.

Great watch, would watch again, and do recommend.
This is surprisingly gruesome and self-aware, and is just filled with odd, but entertaining moments throughout the movie.
They do an excellent job of building atmosphere throughout the movie, mostly intensity of whichever situation is happening.
There is plenty of humor mixed in, and a great story.
The ending is admittedly a little iffy, but they clearly have some sort of plan in mind.

The Babysitter is a fun, over-the-top horror/comedy, which will have very polarizing opinions, depending on the viewer.
I'm quite sure The Babysitter has some deep flaws. There are certainly some issues with the logic, probably anyway. Maybe the characters are a little one-note. The thing is, I was having way too much fun to care.
From the comic-book text overlays to the major twists and turns to the child-engineering-prodigy trope to the humor-gore, I really, thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
The tone started off as a comedy/coming-of-age story, but when it decided to delve into horror, it really delved into horror. It kept some of the comedic and coming-of-age elements, but from the first instance of horror on, it was without a doubt a horror movie, just a dang fun one.
I'd imagine this is a rather polarizing film. Either people will love some of the wackiness, or they'll feel it gets in the way of what The Babysitter could be. From some people, there will be eye-rolling and snickering, and from others, there will be belly laughs and big smiles.
I highly recommend checking it out, but don't go in expecting a serious movie, or you'll be rather disappointed.

I may take issue with Samara Weaving, but a fun movie's a fun movie. End of story. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Robbie Amell in this, who in the past has always disappointed me. Those small praises aside, _The Babysitter_ is not exactly groundbreaking cinema, and while I certainly enjoyed having it on in the background to a certain degree, I didn't get enough from it to say it's outright worth your time.
_Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._

***Pedestrian horror sorta-superhero starring Vin Diesel***
An 800 year-old immortal Witch Hunter (Vin Diesel) now lives in swank New York City, still hunting malevolent witches with the help of two priests, an aged one (Michael Caine) and a novice (Elijah Wood). Rose Leslie plays a winsome witch with mettle while Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is on hand as a formidable evil warlock.
I thought I’d like "The Last Witch Hunter" (2015) since it mixes “End of Days” (1999) with “Van Helsing” (2004) and elements of “Ghost Rider” (2007) and “The Mummy” (1999) but, while Vin Diesel towers in the lead role, the story is meh. The overblown intro with its CGI-laden witch grotto sequence wasn’t a good first impression. By the halfway mark I wanted to turn it off, but I persevered.
Everything is here for a quality movie of this sort, but the story isn’t captivating and doesn’t build any drive. It just goes through the motions. The script needed a serious rewrite. But Vin Diesel is charismatic as the witch-hunting ‘James Bond’ and redhead Leslie has some appeal.
The film runs 1 hour, 46 minutes and was shot in Pittsburgh and Southern Cal.
GRADE: C/C- (4.5/10)

You cling to your pathetic life, those closest to you betray you and those you claim to protect don't even know your name.
Hmm, okies. It feels like the studio execs sat around the big table and thought here's Vin Diesel lets build a boisterous popcorn franchise setting piece around him.
Plot has Diesel as the title character who here in the modern world is all that stands between humanity and the combined forces of the deadliest witches in history. Cue lots of crash bang and wallop, digital blitzkrieg and Vin with a glint in his eye in spite of not having the emotional paths required for the role. In support are Elijah Wood, Michael Caine and Rose Leslie, all of whom arguably come under the miscast banner.
There's some smart ideas at the film's core, the nightmares and dreamscapes narrative smarts particularly hint at what might have been a potent asset to the pic. There's some nifty set-pieces on show as well, which just about stops this from being a boring picture - but it comes mightily close, and in HD form it looks and sounds terrific. Yet it's never a fully realised whole for dramatic impact, with the casting decisions only compounding this feeling.
In nutshell terms The Last Witch Hunter is a passable time waster that entertains if one is in an undemanding mood. 5/10

Arguably the coolest poster a movie's ever had.
Vin & Co. lay the cheese on **thick** in this one. I'm talking slab of fried haloumi thick. But that's not exactly the end of the world. It's kind of like if _Constantine_ was way worse, or if _Seventh Son_ was way better. With a little 2004's _Van Helsing_ thrown in for good measure.
_Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._

**The initial tableaux:**
**Initial, part I**: We're in the black plague era in Europe, say 13th century. The spread of the plague is attributed to the spellcasting of evil witches. Vin Diesel's character, Kaulder, is one of the witch hunters who finds the Witch Queen. Kaulder and company put an end to the plague, but at the cost of Kaulder's wife, his only child, and most of his hunter friends. While dying, the Witch Queen curses Kaulder.
**Initial, part II**: In current New York City, Kaulder is still hunting witches. Yes, the same Kaulder. He's allied with an old group within the church, the Axe and Cross, which tries and imprisons witches. They also keep secrets. Kaulder's main contact with Axe and Cross is Dolan the 36th, played by Michael Caine, in one of those short roles that he does so well. Dolan is quite old, and Dolan the 37th seems ready to take over being contact with the immortal Kaulder.
**Delineation of conflicts:**
In the present, witch activity seems to be picking up. Something large is brewing. Kaulder suffers a number of reverses, and his list of allies shrinks.
The film began in apocalyptic mode, and near the end it is almost there again. Kaulder must face what he did not face the first time, 800 years ago.
**Resolution:** Will Kaulder find new allies, or must he carry the day himself?
**One line summary:** Attempt at another Vin Diesel movie franchise.
**_Statistics:_**
**Cinematography:** 8/10 Well done on the whole; the visuals kept my attention.
**Sound:** 8/10 Dialog is clear. Music seemed appropriate.
**Acting:** 5/10 Michael Caine was fine in his short role as noted above. Vin Diesel is convincing as an action hero, even here with swords, magic, fists, and intention instead of cars, guns, and explosives. Julie Engelbrecht had her fine moments as Kaulder's arch nemesis, the Witch Queen, at the very beginning, and at the very end. Olafur Darri Olafsson was a blast as Belial, an in-your-face opponent for Kaulder.
Elijah Wood's performance sucked rocks. Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, 17 episodes) was almost interesting as Kaulder's on-again, off-again witch ally. That was a bit weak, since she was supposed to be the female lead.
**Screenplay:** 5/10 Violence and threat moves the plot along, so the 106 minutes runtime does not drag too badly. I'm glad I saw the film, but would not watch it again. Why not? The narrative is not well-constructed. It seemed like every five minutes there was some change or rules, or some impressive (?) artifact to consider.
At the end of the film, I felt that I should have been happier for the protagonist, but just could not be. Would there be major challenges for him in the centuries to come? Would Chloe be a reliable ally? By this time I did not care, and I felt this to be a major failing of the film.
**_Final Rating:_** 6/10 I liked it better than most people did, but I would be hard pressed to say, 'you must see this one.'

> Fighting the same witch twice in the 800 years!
I have seen Vin Diesel in many avatars, from the sci-fi to action, adventure and thriller, they all suits him better, but this supernatural theme seems weird. There was lots of action, so it does not feel like a fantasy film, which is merely the idea of film concept. From the director of 'Sahara', the story of an cursed with eternal life witch hunter named Kaulder. Except the opening, the remaining film sets in the present New York city where he has to stop a witch who is trying to bring back the witch queen from the dead.
It was just another those films where the ancient meets the modern world. Okay, I agree a few films did impacted from the last two decades since the evolution of the CGI. Even though, they were not considered the greatest, in the meantime, I don't know where did this one come from. It was not based on any book, but I think just to make a few quick bucks using the star power. Other than that this film offers nothing new.
Yes, I liked the Diesel's presence in this, but he should not do films like this, except if the screenplay and role developed to his caliber. It was not a big box office hit, but merely survived and critically didn't. Even the film fanatics and fans of the star disappointed with it. Now I can't believe the sequel is announced, but I hope it won't take off. Anyway, it could become a decent television series rather than a film franchise.
Diesel is the reason for this film to look okay and the story was maybe the hundredth time used. Come on we all know this story, but with a new cast and the settings, it looks different. So for me the film was an average, other than that, I don't think it is worth recommending to the others. If you still want to see it, then pick the digital 3D version where you can at least enjoy some special effects.
5/10

There was a time when the movie gods were treating audiences to the omnipresence of zombies. One could not swing a dead cat without running into zombie-related cinema. It was all the rage at the box office that was experiencing a certain celluloid renaissance with overloading narratives within the “zombie zone”. Sure, zombies are still the norm in pop cultural media on both the big and small screen (anybody not heard of “The Walking Dead”?). However, another iconic horror-induced symbol–the witch–is making its way back into prominence in the cinema circles. Unfortunately, the “twitch of the witch” is explored in an over-the-top, messy and misplaced CGI-coated production of the outlandish The Last Witch Hunter.
So there are a number of reasons why the whimsical wasteland The Last Witch Hunter might be considered high-tech jumbled junk. Nevertheless, the consensus is that sometimes high-tech jumbled junk is one enthusiast’s treasured and enjoyable guilty pleasure worth its mindlessness in gold. Well, The Last Witch Hunter certainly will attract its share of followers as a gaudy and grainy fantasy adventure both big in scope and surreal absurdity. Still, this mythical monstrosity feels annoyingly strained and tries too hard to sell its outrageous, synthetic spryness.
The Last Witch Hunter is about larger-than-life throwaway silly thrills and cherishes its berserk-style entertainment with unapologetic relish. There is nothing inherently wrong with upping the ante in boisterous bounciness but Hunter is unfocused and all over the map while never committing fully to being a distinctive, impish-minded vehicle. Instead, Hunter is incoherent and erratically ridiculous as it shamefully incorporates bits and pieces from other better-made schlocky showcases.
The casting of the monotone and muscle-toned Vin Diesel seems inspired and logical for something as clumsily radical as The Last Witch Hunter. Diesel, the movie action star that made his notable mark in money-making film franchises that include The Fast and the Furious and Riddick entries, sinks his teeth into another so-called explosive characterization in Hunter’s 800-year old immortal witch hunter Kaulder. Of course Kaulder is a tortured soul and has made it his mission in hunting down naughty witches throughout his eternal existence. Kaulder needs to eradicate these magical misfits in his bid to deal with the tragic curse that has dominated his tattered psyche.
Kaulder may have an affinity for seeking and wreaking havoc on the notorious witches that threaten to corrupt the surroundings but he is partial to one witch in particular–the youngish Chloe (Rose Leslie from “Game of Thrones”) whose assistance is invaluable to the brooding Kaulder. Also, Kaulder is joined by diminutive cleric sidekick Dolan 37 (Elijah Wood) as well in the quest to hunt down these wily witches.
The mysterious vibes pertaining to Kaulder is somewhat realized. For instance, we know that Kaulder works steadily for the organization known as Axe and Cross. Plus, we are introduced to Kaulder’s only close buddy Dolan 36 (Oscar-winning Michael Caine) and are given a vague backstory about Kaulder’s troubled past and histrionics. The no-nonsense Kaulder’s passion for witch hunting is the only straight-forward sign that we definitely have no doubt about one way or the other.
"Witch" way to go? Who knows but only one witch hunter can answer that in Vin Diesel's Kaulder from the flaccid fantasy THE LAST WITCH HUNTER
“Witch” way to go? Who knows but only one witch hunter can answer that in Vin Diesel’s Kaulder from the flaccid fantasy THE LAST WITCH HUNTER
In addition to highlighting Kaulder and company’s expectations to wipe away the “broomstick broads”, the plot starts to thicken as concerns are brewing involving the resurrection of the menacing creature in the Witch Queen (Julie Englebrecht). Naturally, the Witch Queen presents an immediate danger to the cautious Kaulder because of their nostalgic convoluted conflicts previously. Can the crazy-minded coven that looks to promote the Witch Queen succeed and overcome the slaying methods of Kaulder and his crew of crusaders?
Notoriously clichéd and cockeyed, The Last Witch Hunter is a corrosive concept meshed together with all the creative comparison of a tangled ball of yarn. Similarly, director Breck Eisner’s toothless witch fantasy adventure Hunter echoes the same kind of forgettable computer-generated gibberish that was evident in this year’s bombastic medieval miscue The Seventh Son featuring the Academy Award-winning Jeff Bridges front and center in another numbing sword-swinging, supernatural sideshow of sorts. The overall film project, plagued with Eisner’s scattershot direction and a tepid script by a trio of screenwriters in Cory Goodman, Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (responsible for the disastrous Priest and Dracula Untold), screams of a flavorless stew–many ingredients are mixed in but a natural taste for the concoction never comes into fruition. Relentlessly murky and misguided, The Last Witch Hunter fails to trigger anything remotely intriguing beyond the furious flourishes of shocking, cartoonish imagery.
The premise can be regarded as feeling woefully forced and choppy. The dank cinematography is indistinguishable and the visual special effects are an ambivalent hit-and-miss result depending on what frame of the movie’s indescribable spectacle that grabs your undivided attention at the moment. The storyline is hardly gripping or contemplative even from a campy standpoint. The Last Witch Hunter is frivolously flaccid and never manages to capture any of its dizzy-oriented imagination no matter how wildly off-kilter it tries to achieve in its aimless execution.
Diesel fans may buy his high-wire act in Hunter and go with the flow but the actor does not deviate away from the familiar characters he has revisited countless times over in his better known on-screen outings. For years Diesel has reveled in preposterous volt-making vehicles for the most part has captured the curiosity of his targeted demographics in both excitable fanboys and hormonal female followers alike. The question remains: can they show some solid consideration in having the balding bad boy of action-packed capers toil among the foolish inclusion of wayward witches and sorcerers in an exposition that looks as if it was conceived with a Middle Ages crayon? The supporting players in Hunter are as arbitrarily acknowledged as the saturated and over-indulgent whims of this far-fetched fable that seems uniquely colorless despite its chaotic grand package of black magic banality.
Somehow labeling Diesel’s Kaulder as the “last witch hunter” feels deceptive because if the Hollywood sequel machine has its way their version of “last” will undoubtedly be continuous into the next eye-rolling chapter. The real sinful hex at large that some unsuspecting moviegoers will ultimately suffer is succumbing to the laughable supernatural spell that The Last Witch Hunter will cast in insufferable, confusing fashion.
The Last Witch Hunter (2015)
Summit Entertainment
1 hr. 46 mins.
Starring: Vin Diesel, Elijah Wood, Rose Leslie, Michael Caine, Julie Engelbrecht, Olarfur Darri Olafsson, Rena Owen
Directed by: Breck Eisner
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror and Fantasy/Supernatural
Critic’s rating: * 1/2 stars (out of 4 stars)
(c) Frank Ochieng (2015)

***War of the rats in crumbling Stalingrad during WWII***
RELEASED IN 2001 and directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, "Enemy at the Gates" takes place in the last four months of 1942 during the pivotal Battle of Stalingrad. Russian troops are carted in by the literal trainloads as the Germans attack/bomb the city. Once the dust clears the situation settles into a more personal battle of sharpshooting wills. A lowly young Russian soldier named Vassili (Jude Law) distinguishes himself for his shooting skills and is promoted as a national hero to motivate the Russian cause. After numerous German officers are assassinated, Major König (Ed Harris), the top German sniper, is assigned to seek out and eliminate Vassili.
Most WWII films take place on the Western Front whereas "Enemy" is one of only two mainline films I can think of that address the Eastern front, the other being Sam Peckinpah's underrated "Cross of Iron" (1977).
Three things stuck in my mind after seeing “Enemy at the Gates” years ago: (1.) The opening sequence where the Russian troops are boated across the Volga to join the fight is extremely harrowing, not far removed from the opening D-Day invasion in “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), but different. “Enemy” is worth viewing for this sequence alone. (2.) The city-in-rubble sets with bodies strewn everywhere had a lasting impression on me as did the scurrying-like-rats-through-the-rubble warfare. (3.) Some may find this weird, but I always remembered the discreet lovemaking scene while the soldiers lain in the rubble trying to sleep. I'm not sure why this left an impression, maybe because it struck me as so real: Men & women would be drawn to one another and mate even in the worst possible scenarios.
The film was based on the book "War of the Rats" by David L. Robbins and thus intentionally provokes the imagery of human rats scurrying through the debris. The cast also includes Joseph Fiennes as the political officer who elevates Vassili to hero status via his pamphlets and articles, while Rachel Weisz plays the romantic interest between the two. Ron Perlman is also on hand in a limited role as Vassili's sharpshooting comrade.
As with any film based on historical events there are facts-obsessed critics who decry the lack of authenticity in this or that detail (e.g. "The zippers on the trousers aren't right, blasphemy!!"), but "Enemy" gets the gist correct and, besides, it motivates the viewer to research the actual Battle of Stalingrad. What more can you ask for?
The fact is Vassili had 260 verified Nazi kills and played a key role in motivating the Russians to victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, the largest and bloodiest battle in the history of warfare (with roughly 2 million killed, wounded or captured). The movie effectively shows how the Russian combatants weren't necessarily professionally trained soldiers; many of them were peasants, workers, teachers, mailmen, farmers, etc. They knew they could die the next morning hence they celebrated (and made love) while they could. Stalingrad was one of the major turning points of World War II; from then on it was all downhill for Germany.
FINAL WORD: "Enemy at the Gates" details an oft-ignored important aspect of WWII, the Eastern front. It has several memorable scenes, especially the opening crossing of the Volga and also a clever sequence involving a large shard of reflective glass.
THE FILM RUNS 2 hours, 11 minutes and was shot entirely in Germany (Brandenburg and Bavaria).
GRADE: B+

**_Suffering betrayal, an author faces challenges at his remote lake house_**
A successful writer (Johnny Depp) is finalizing divorce proceedings while working on a new book at his house on a lake in upstate New York when a hick from the Deep South shows up at his doorstep, accusing him of plagiarism. Maria Bello and Timothy Hutton are on hand as the wife and her beau.
“Secret Window” (2004) is a drama and crime mystery that morphs into thriller/horror in the last act. It was based on Stephen King’s novella, but director David Koepp changed the climax because “the ending is everything,” as the movie argues.
The locations are excellent (cited below) and the depiction of a writer’s mundane daily life is accurate, as well as amusing. Depp is always good while Gillian Ferrabee is a highlight on the female front in a cameo (as Fran Evans). It’s cut from the same cloth as "What Lies Beneath" and, maybe, "Cold Creek Manor,” yet mixed with the later “1922” and an angle that I can’t give away or it’ll ruin your experience (although it’s kinda obvious and predictable). I enjoyed the flick, but it’s underwhelming and won’t watch again. I prefer those other three, yet this isn’t far off.
The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot at Bromont Sur Le Lac, Québec, which is about 45 miles east of Montreal, plus areas nearby, including the big city. Second unit work was done in New York City.
GRADE: B-

Really good watch, would watch again, and can recommend.
This is a great mystery / psychological thriller, but most of what makes it interesting is a spoiler.
They do a great job of creating the tension, or Johnny Depp does, as he's alone on screen for about half the movie. The rest of the cast is excellent and gives exactly what is needed to bring the movie, and the audience, to a natural conclusion.

**A successful writer who accused of plagiarism.**
It was based on the novel, though the original title makes more sense than this film. Maybe they wanted to avert the spoiler. But I don't think it would have affected much, because the twist comes at the final segment. The tale of a writer who is in the middle of divorce and now living alone is the lake house got threatened by a stranger, because according to him he stole his story. Followed by many unpleasant events, how he gets out of the trouble told in the next half.
Feels just an okay kind. Though Johnny Depp was good. The suspense was good, particularly in the first half, but later it comes falling down. The second half was average, the twist was not interesting enough. After some point, you might predict it, but the point is it was too familiar. I especially did not like the finale, it was like not in detail. Still a watchable film, because of the actor and for decently made. So I think worth a watch if you keep a low expectation.
_6/10_

You strike me as the kind of guy who's on the lookout for a head he can knock off with a shovel.
It's actually a film that shows both the good and bad sides of Johnny Depp and Stephen King adaptations to film form.
Depp plays a writer who whilst going through a divorce and living out in the country in isolation, is suddenly menaced by John Turturo, who claims he is the victim of plagiarism perpetrated by Depp. Mysteries and murky shenanigans to follow...
That the film, in spite of its flimsy heart, is watchable, is down to the two stars, both are filing in for eccentricities and spooky menace respectively. Yet it's a bit of a one trick pony and difficult to take seriously, while it's also surprisingly bloodless, negating the interest of the potential Stephen King blood-lust crowd. The reveal is something of a cheat given what has gone before, belief of suspension is so stretched to breaking point, you literally should be wondering just what all other characters were doing in the film?!
Still, Johnny and John, resplendent with weird hats and hairdo's, give good camera time and save David Koepp's movie from stinker damnation. 6/10

Love this movie growing up. Everytime I went to a fair I was always hoping to find a machine like this. Still one of my favorite movies of all time.