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The Hurricane Heist (2018)
The Hurricane Heist (2018)
2018 | Action, Thriller
Doesn't Go Far Enough
There are times when all I want to do is to sit in a darkened movie theater, turn off my brain, and let a movie with a silly, over-the-top premise wash all over me. THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS films are an example of an "A" in this category. Last year's GEOSTORM was a "B" (it was so over-the-top that it was fun, especially when the meteorologist declared - as if he was reciting Shakespeare - "Oh my God, it's a GEOSTORM!"). Unfortunately, a "C" example of this is THE HURRICANE HEIST.

Directed by Rob Cohen - who brought us the original FAST AND FURIOUS film lo' those many years ago - THE HURRICANE HEIST tells the tale of a HEIST set during a...anyone?...HURRICANE. That's pretty much all you need to know of the plot. The rest is action, escapes, weather gone bad, bad guys being bad guys and good guys being good guys.

The good guys are Toby Kebbel (so good as the motion capture bad-guy ape in DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES), perennial "B"-movie actress Maggie Grace (TAKEN, LOST and the immortal HOT GIRL, FAST CAR, EATING A BANANA) and Ryan Kwanten (I guess he was in TRUE BLOOD). What do these good guys have in common? They are not hard to look at on the screen. The two men also have really bad Southern accents.

The bad guys are led by Ralph Ineson ( a perennial "that guy" in such films as STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE) and a host of "red shirts". The problem is that Ineson plays his bad guy role as a "that guy" and the "red shirts" have no personality at all. One guy tries to be the "loose cannon" but he doesn't go far enough, nor does Ineson or ANY of the bad guys.

Oh...did I mention Ben Cross (Sarek in the new STAR TREK films)? Cross leaped off the screen in the Oscar winning film CHARIOTS OF FIRE way back in 1981 and was going to be "the next big thing". How has that worked out for him? I'm sure he's making a nice living, but...

But...you don't come to this kind of films for the acting. You come to it for the insane premise, the over-the-top acting, the out-of-this-world stunts and special effects. Unfortunately, THE HURRICANE HEIST plays each one of these "safely". The premise is insane, just not insane enough. The acting is melodramatic - just not over-the-top. The script doesn't really have any "oh-my-gosh, did he just say that" lines and the action, stunts and special effects are pretty good, (maybe even good), but not great.

A pretty mediocre time at the movies. It did serve it's purpose, I turned my brain off for two hours. I just wish it didn't power down as well.

Letter Grade: C (thanks for trying)

5 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Andy K (10823 KP) Mar 10, 2018

Great review. Almost makes me want to watch it!

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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) Mar 11, 2018

Save your time - rent GEOSTORM instead

Step Sisters (2018)
Step Sisters (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Drama, Family
Netflix Original
I have seen very good movies on Netflix and I have seen very bad movies on Netflix. This one lands somewhere in between. The overall plotline of the movie was good to me. A girl from one sorority is charged with helping another flailing sorority by teaching them how to "step" as they call it, and clear up their name. If the girl succeeds in helping them she gets a recommendation to Harvard Law. However, along the way she faces many difficulties, obstacles, and choices that help her come to realize that maybe she isn't living the life she wants afterall. This movie uses college situations and sorority ideals to delve into societal and racial issues that we see in the world today. At some points the arguments got kind of hazy and confusing, but overall the message remained clear. Putting aside racial boundaries and focusing on strengthening each other can form a bond between the most unlikely people. Sure this theme is a little played out, but nonetheless I enjoyed the movie. The music was a great addition and the cast performed very well. The overall comedic factor was great as well. Not the best of movies, but definitely worth the watch if you are interested. *If racial issues and arguments offend you i would be cautious while watching this movie. While it is not a serious movie at all, i do feel that stereotypes were made and used throughout that might trigger some people. While i do not support such stereotypes, I do feel like this movie was still an alright movie that some people may enjoy watching.
  
Transformers (2007)
Transformers (2007)
2007 | Action, Sci-Fi
The Technology (0 more)
The Acting or lack thereof (4 more)
Megan Fox
Shia LaBouf
The Directing is terrible,
Unintelligible action.
The technology of the animation is purely what keeps this at a 2. Everything else is atrocious.
If you took a bad MTV music video and made a fight sequence where you didn't know who was who, this is the movie attached to it. And then they made more of this garbage. I'm just really glad michael bay made these movies instead of destroying other great Intellectual properties.
  
A Simple Favor (2018)
A Simple Favor (2018)
2018 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Not bad
This one came up on a list of if thrillers to watch so I checked it out. It actually surprised me. The description doesn't do it justice. Started out a little slow but it took some turns and twists that weren't expected. Great story all around with very good performance by Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick(both good actresses). The cinematography was well done, too. If you're into mystery/thrillers with a touch of comedy thrown in, you'll enjoy this movie. Worth a watch!
  
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) created a post

Nov 24, 2019  
So me and my partner went to see Frozen II this afternoon... Unfortunately, I can't write a true review as we were shown into a screening that was already 40 minutes in... Having just assumed we had somehow missed the first few minutes, we stuck with it, and by the time we realised just how much we had missed, the movie was pretty much over. So yeah, not a great time!

Please help me vent my frustration by sharing your own bad cinema experiences with me!
     
Show all 13 comments.
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James Koppert (2698 KP) Nov 26, 2019

my worst one was watching a movie where a couple sat on the back seat and one made stupid noises and thought the entire cinema wanted to hear them. My partner grabbed me and made me sit down as I was about to kick off. Both of them then ended up being jailed for having sex in Dominoes Pizza while waiting for their food.

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Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) Nov 27, 2019

I was once forced to watch inception.......wait it gets worse, after I told everyone to switch off their phones, roughly half way through, one of the people I went with had their phone go off! He even answered it?! Couldn't say anything as he was my lift home, to make it more awkward was that once it was finished, everyone was expressively relieved, except for him who said -out loud- that it was really good....the looks we got. Had to wake a member of the group up.

You Should Have Left (2020)
You Should Have Left (2020)
2020 | Horror, Mystery
Not bad
This movie turned out better than I thought it would. Kevin Bacon is a decent actor and overall the acting was good in this one. The cinematography was well done. The story, while slightly predictable, had a few good little twists and turns. Nothing gory or that scary about this one. It had a couple of jump scares, but mostly this was a more cerebral tale. If you're into "lost souls" types of horror films, you'll enjoy this one. Worth a watch.
  
Rocketman (2019)
Rocketman (2019)
2019 | Biography, Drama
Rocketman was good. Wasn't what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. If you're expecting a Bohemian Rhapsody type of movie, you should know it's not. It was shot more in the style of Across the Universe, which is one of my favorite musical movies. They did a great job of incorporating his songs to associate to different parts of his life and helping in telling his story. If you're a fan of Elton John and musicals, then I think you'll enjoy it.
  
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
1964 | Classics, Comedy, Drama
Peter sellers (4 more)
Herbert Lom
Burt kwork
Elke somner
Henry Mancini music
No pink panther (0 more)
Been watching on Netflix as a follow up to the pink panther but not a sequel it's not bad a movie Peter is excellent as clouseau this time investigating a murder in usual bumbing style. Plus the introductions of Herbert Lom and Burt kwork who would later both appear in the pink panther sequels. Also Henry Mancini theme is up there with the pink panther theme overall good film Shane no pink panther