The Wolverine

PG-13
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen,Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Svetlana Khodchenkova
Total Running Time: 2 Hours and 6 Minutes

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Hugh Jackman starring as "The Wolverine" for his sixth time!!! Hard to believe that he has reprised this role six times. That is the record for any actor!
He finds himself literally holed-up in a prison in Nagasaki, Japan when the atomic bomb goes off. With his amazing super-powers of strength and the ability he has to regenerate himself and never age or get old, he is able to help save the life of a Japanese soldier named Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi).
Years later he is living his life somewhat as a mountain man type keeping a low-profile and agonizing the loss of his beloved Jean (Famke Janssen). He is riddled with guilt over her death, she is always haunting him to please die and be with her.
 He is hunted down and found by Yukio (Rila Fukushima). She insists that he join her on a flight to Tokyo, Japan to meet with Mr. Yashida, who is requesting to meet with him because he is on his death bed and that is his last dying wish.
Wolverine reluctantly agrees, and off they go. He is taken to meet Yasida who is gravely ill. Yashida is shocked to see Wolverine after all of the years that had passed by and Wolverine had not aged at all! Yashida is very old and decrepit. Yashida had become a very rich and powerful man in Japan. He decided to sign over all of his wealth to his grand-daughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto) and by-pass his son Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada) which really angers him.
Many gangsters and bad guys are trying as hard as they can to find her and kidnap her for her wealth! She and Wolverine pair up and go into hiding to keep her safe. They start to fall for each other and they have a brief bedroom scene.
Wolverine does encounter one villain, Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova). She tempts her victims, then kisses them with her viper tongue and she also has poison breath. She is not very strong in the movie and her character is fairly weak. However, the highlight of the movie was when Wolverine has a fight scene on top of a bullet train. A very high speed and intense scene!
I actually enjoyed The Wolverine. It was better than I had anticipated. The story was stronger and his character was well defined and you really felt his pain and agony.
Parents be advised, this movie is a really hard PG-13. I would not recommend it for anyone under the age of 15. There is a ton of fighting with really intense sci-fi action. There is also some sensuality and sexuality. There is also some profanity and the F-bomb is also dropped.
I am giving "The Wolverine" three bags of popcorn.

The Lone Ranger

PG-13
Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Ruth Wilson, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson and Helena Bonham Carter.
Total Running Time: 2 Hours and 29 Minutes

Okay, so a lot of the main-line critics have raked this movie over the coals! After the screening was over, the audience went crazy in shrills and applause in favor of it. I can honestly say that I really enjoyed this movie. The overall atmosphere was very positive! Granted I did see it in Salt Lake City, and a lot of the movie was filmed here in our beautiful state of Utah! I wasn't quite sure how the story was going to be told, not being a huge fan of the old television or radio series. But, I found the movie to be exciting and entertaining. It was a lot of fun! Maybe it would have pleased more people had it been titled "Tonto and The Lone Ranger", after all, Johnny Depp did steal the show with his unique portrayal of "Tonto" an American Indian.
The movie starts in San Francisco in 1933, as a young boy is in a museum and a really old Indian statue comes to life and tells him a story, which I found to be quite touching.
The story takes place back in the American old West in the 1800's. It stars John Reid/The Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) as the wholesome and loveable young lawyer who is just returning home from Law School and is eager to find and prosecute bad guys!
 While John is en-route back home via the incomplete Transcontinental Railroad, both Tonto (Johnny  Depp) and the really bad guy outlaw Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner) are both being transported on the very same train. As luck would have it, the Cavendish gang hijack the train and set Butch free! The train derails,
 pandemonium breaks loose and all of the passengers are traumatized. Tonto was arrested and put in jail. Young John is enlisted alongside his brother as a Texas Ranger to hunt and capture Butch Cavendish. Things don't go as planned and they are ambushed. Tonto is released and he and John Reid find themselves  together again. Tonto informs Reid that he is now a "spirit walker" (one who has been to the other side),or that he has died and came back. So he must now wear the mask of The Lone Ranger. They find themselves in all kinds of difficult and some funny situations because of Tonto's humor. Overall, they eventually learn to tolerate each other and work together, I liked the interaction between them.. I really enjoyed the beautiful red rock scenery and the action sequences. I found it pretty amazing how they worked with all of the trains. I liked the interaction with the horses as well, HI Ho Silver! I really did enjoy this movie, I think it was interesting and a lot of fun. Parents need to be advised that it is PG-13. There is violence and a short scene in a brothel. In one scene the bad guy eats the heart of a man he has just killed! It was way over the top and super gross! Parents be advised, I would not recommend this movie for anyone under fourteen. I am giving "The Lone Ranger" three bags of popcorn!