Here’s a list of a few recent viewings I have gone through lately that I didn’t do a review or didn’t want to review for whatever reason.  Hopefully I can give a short review that may peak your interests to either watch or pass on a film you might have been considering.  There can be a mix of newer/older movies with a few insights.

Safe

                Safe is really just another Jason Statham movie (thanks to my wife who told me that before watching it so I couldn’t get it out of my mind as the film went on).  The difference in this film from his others is that this one has a little bit of heart to it.  Showing a tough and rumble character caring to protect an innocent is not new territory, but it is fairly new for Jason Statham who usually just beats his way through the other characters in his films from start to finish.  Here he is a depressed former cop who has lost everything and finds a little spark of hope in life in protecting a little Chinese orphan who is being chased by the mafia.  Don’t expect anything new action wise, but it may be worth a shot if you’re a fan of Statham’s.  2 and ½ stars out of 4

Crazy Heart

                I had always heard about this movie from its initial release up until a month or so ago when I finally watched it.  It deserves its very high praise for not only its star, Jeff Bridges, giving one of his best performances, but for the real life no happy endings way it was presented.  Now, I may not have liked the unhappy way it ended, but it was great to watch a master of his craft show us a depressed victim who has fallen so far and barely maintaining his grasp on any semblance of fame he once had.  It dealt with a man’s sin haunting him in a very real way and even though it may not have given the character full redemption in the end, you get the sense that he will be redeemed from his past failures.  For a guy like me who HATES country music, I downloaded practically the whole soundtrack after watching this film.   3 stars out of 4

Sinister

                Yet another promising horror film brought to nothing because of choppy storytelling and predictable scenes.  I had such high hopes for this one from the trailers, but it fell flat.  There are huge holes in the “why is the evil demon doing what he’s doing and why is he going about doing it that way” plot.   Even with some pretty good set ups and camera shots, I just couldn’t get into the film.  How do you make a movie about old 8mm footage of grisly murders that may or may not have happened because of an ancient urban legend that takes little children not scary?  Answer, you put Ethan Hawke in the starring role, get a choppy editor and then get the story to build and build only to have it pay off in the most predictable and boring way.  1 and ½ stars out of 4

Finding Neverland

                It is great when you watch a film that makes you feel like a kid again, especially if that movie is more geared toward an older audience.  The film is mainly about the power of imagination and creativity and the way in which the creators bring those themes together for this film makes a fluid and engaging story.  Johnny Depp creates another great character by playing the man who wrote Peter Pan.  The story is told not only through his eyes, but the through the eyes of his imagination as it is woven in and out of the story as it unfolds, giving us a glimpse of what he is envisioning when he is playing with kids or dreaming on his own.   It looks great as it comes across the film and the audience is able to enjoy each character fully as each ones grows and learns throughout the film.  Worth a try if you haven’t seen it.  3 stars out of 4