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!

Monsters University

G
Starring The Voices Of: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Helen Mirren.
Total Running Time: 1 Hour and 47 Minutes

This is the prequel to the Pixar original "Monsters, Inc" of 2001. It is the story of Mike and Sully and how they meet and become buddies.
When they first met, there was a little animosity between them. When Mike (Billy Crystal) applies and is accepted to the "scaring program" to scare human children at Monsters University, he is absolutely elated!
 It has been his dream to attend MU all of his life. On the other hand, Sully (John Goodman) takes it for granted and just expects to be admitted to the scare program because his family had all gone through the program before him.
They are told by the scary and very intimidating Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) that at the end of the program there will be a test that they must take in order to continue on with the program, if they fail it, they will be out immediately!
Mike is terrified and becomes consumed and obsessed with studying and preparing for the final exam.
Sully is more laid back and easygoing. He doesn't worry about the consequences.
Sadly, they both get kicked out of the scare program and they have just one chance to get readmitted.
They have to join forces with a team of outcasts and win the intramural games, that way they will be allowed back into the scaring program.Their team is known as the Oozma Kappa (OK). They have to go up against the tough-guy athletic team known as the Roar Omega Roar (ROR), they are patterned after the Greek systems at many universities.
The games were fun and exciting to watch. All of the monsters and cute little characters were adorable and Pixar as always did an outstanding job on the detail and development of the creatures! Pixar is in a league of its own in the animation department and it did not disappoint in Monsters University!
The one thing missing in this movie was the absolutely adorable "Boo" from Monsters Inc. I really missed the human contact and the relationships that made Monsters Inc. so irresistible!
I really enjoyed this darling little film, but would have loved to see a child or two meshed into the story.
I think children of all ages will enjoy this movie.
Parents be advised that some characters get bullied a little bit and some get their feelings hurt.
I am giving "Monsters University" three and a half bags of popcorn!

Man Of Steel

PG-13
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe and Antje Traue.
Running Time: 2 Hours and 23 Minutes

Okay, so there has been a lot of talk about this movie. Some people are even saying that it has an over-riding Christian message to it. If that is the case, then it is alright with me!
While there have been many "Superman" movies, this one, "Man Of Steel", was really good.
 I am partial to Christopher Reeve as the super-hero but Henry Cavill did a very good and convincing job.
We begin as Superman (Henry Cavill) is being born while the planet he is on is under assault. With the transition taking place and his future at stake, his parents Jor El (Russell Crowe) and Faora Ul (Antje Traue) make the decision to send him to planet earth where he will grow up safe and help save mankind.
The evil General Zod (Michael Shannon) is frantic to find the baby Superman and pledges he will not rest until he does! That sets up the plot for this story.
Young Clark Kent grows up on a farm as an only child with his earthly parents, Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane). They recognize that he is not an ordinary child.
 They discover that he has super-strength and super-powers that are far superior to anyone living on earth and that he does indeed have an extraterrestrial heritage! They teach him that he can never, ever use his powers, that he must suppress them, that he must fit into society just like the rest of the kids for his own safety.
He attends school and settles into regular life just as any other ordinary child would.
I especially liked one particular scene where he is on the school bus with the other students when he is approached by a bully! He finally cannot suppress his super-powers any longer and uses them to strike back at the bully!
 He eventually grows up to be a very sensitive and responsible young man. He has a very tender and touching relationship with his earthly parents.
He encounters Miss Lois Lane (Amy Adams) as her job takes her to the Antarctic to report on a mysterious and strange occurrence.
When General Zod finally discovers that  Superman is living on Planet Earth, he overtakes the world's airwaves to warn everyone that there will be grave circumstances if this mysterious individual who has been living amongst them on Earth, is not turned over and surrendered to him immediately!
All chaos ensues and the Earth is under a vicious attack!
I really enjoyed this movie a lot. I thought that the characters were well cast and I really liked the storyline.
 It was fun and exciting and the special effects were a thrill ride! The relationships were touching too.
Parents be advised there is a lot is sci-fi violence and action, some mild language and a naked baby boy briefly on three occasions.
I am giving "Man Of Steel" four bags of popcorn.

Star Trek Into Darkness

PG-13
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldano, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin,
 Alice Eve and Benedict Cumberbatch,
Running Time: 2 Hours and 3 Minutes

Okay, so it's been four years (2009) since we last saw Captain James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and all of the rest of The USS Enterprise crew. It seems to me like it was well worth the wait! The crew is back in stellar form to boldly go where no man has gone before!
So this movie starts out on an alien red planet where a giant volcano is about to erupt. Captain Kirk and crew have to make a quick decision to escape or lose their lives! One small problem, Spock is not on the ship with them and if they leave without him, he will die! As Kirk begs and pleads for him to come aboard via (beam me up Scotty) Spock is stubborn, devoid of emotion and indecisive!
Then a somewhat terrorist-style attack takes place in London, rocking the security of the entire planet earth! Trying to figure out who the culprit is and what their deviant plan is, the Enterprise heads into Klingon territory and all heck breaks loose! That is where they encounter the villain "Khan"!!! He appears as any other normal human being but, he is not! He is evil, diabolical and very, very sinister! He is not phased by any kind of physical pain whatsoever, he is virtually indestructible! When Captain Kirk beats him severely, he doesn't even whence, not a single sign of pain or any damage to his body.
This was such a fun and entertaining movie, it basically pits the good guys against the bad guys. With all of the amazing sci-fi action and the great storyline, I don't think you will be disappointed.
Parents be advised, I would recommend this movie for children twelve and over, there is a lot of sci-fi action and violence, explosions, Khan breaking peoples necks, an unexpected woman in her underwear, two women momentarily in bed with Captain Kirk and some swearing. There were also some really sweet and tender moments as well.
It was fun to see how they incorporated some of the stuff from the original TV series.
 I really enjoyed the movie and it had some cool and quirky characters, just a great summer escape movie.
I am giving "Star Trek Into Darkness" four bags of popcorn.

Iron Man 3

PG-13
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley
Running Time: 2 Hours and 9 Minutes

This movie is about the billionaire, playboy/genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who just about loses everything to find out who he really is.
Tony Stark is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder following Loki's assault on New York City during "The Avenger's" movie from last summer. He finds himself struggling to function and unable to sleep. He spends all of his time in his multi-million dollar mansion working on his "Iron-Man"suits and perfecting them even more.
 Bad-guy Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) threatens Tony Stark and things start to get crazy! When Tony Stark is interviewed on live television and gives out his personal address, you know something sinister will occur!
Of course they will hunt down his house and search him out and blow his gorgeous home to smithereens!
From there, he finds himself in a small town in Tennessee where a young boy befriends him.
Then the real villain surfaces as the character Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) who has held a grudge against Tony Stark for several years. Killian is determined to get back at Tony for ignoring him and not taking him seriously! From there the movie is about his vendetta and how he accomplishes his goal!
I really did not enjoy this movie as much as I had hoped too. I really have enjoyed the "Iron Man" franchise and loved both "Iron Man" 1 and 2 and last year's,  "The Avenger's". There was a ton of action in this movie and computer generated action sequences were amazing, I just felt like the story was weaker and not as strong as the former movies.  Robert Downey Jr. is always great and you can't help but love him.
Parents be advised, I would recommend this movie for children twelve and older because of all the sci-fi and the intense action sequences. There is also a brief suggestive scene with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) in her underwear.
I am giving "Iron Man 3" three bags of popcorn.

The Host

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, William Hurt, Max Irons, Jake Abel and Chandler Canterbury,
PG-13

Stephanie Meyer, the incredibly popular author of "The Twilight" series, is at it again. She wrote the novel "The Host", which this movie is based on. She once again focuses on the young female genre for her audience. This movie is about aliens that have come to earth to take over the human race. Their motivation is to find humans and implant them with a glowing centipede type of creature that completely alters and takes over their body and their identity! After the alien transformation takes place, the victims eye color changes to a bright blue with a white circle around it. As with the "Twilight" series, she centers her main character around a beautiful young woman, Melanie/Wanda (Saoirse Ronan), as a very conflicted young woman who has had her body taken over by the aliens also know as the "Seekers"! However, her real identity as Melanie has remained alive and now she and her body host Wanda as a new personality inside her body. Wanda has more dominion than Melanie and therefore is stronger than her. Melanie has to learn to accept this condition and move forward to try and save her younger brother and the few remaining family and friends that are hiding in a remote mountain bunker, before they are discovered and taken over as well. After the transformation takes place, she manages to escape her captors and heads out to find her people. She has an internal struggle with Wanda and ends up in a bad car wreck out in the middle of nowhere. When the Seekers discover she is missing, they set out to find her to bring her back. After wandering in the desert aimlessly for a couple of days, her people find her and take her back where she is safe with them. When they discover she has been transformed and her eyes are different, many of them do not trust her and they are reluctant to have her there with them and feel that she is a threat.
Now it gets even more complicated. Melanie had previously been in a relationship with a very handsome young man named Jared (Max Irons), now he is angry and feels that he has been betrayed and has lost her forever. Next enter Ian (Jake Abel) also a very handsome young man who takes sympathy on her, befriends her and starts to have a relationship with Wanda. This becomes very strange and uncomfortable. She finds herself able to turn on her Melanie personality for Jared and her Wanda personality for Ian. A unique and unusual love triangle to say the least.
All in all, it was a very different movie. It did keep my interest and I found the plot and the story unique. This movie will definitely appeal to the young female audiences! After the screening of the movie was over, the young audience erupted in applause! My own daughter went with me to the screening and she had read the book three times! She was very excited to see it and was curious to see how they were going to portray the book on screen. She enjoyed the movie but liked the book a lot more.
I would recommend this movie for children twelve and over. There are some disturbing images, some sexual situations and some scary situations.
I am giving "The Host" two and a half bags of popcorn!