A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)

A Million Ways to Die in the West is Seth MacFarlane's latest attempt at a feature length film since Ted. The result: a million crude and rude jokes. Don't get me wrong, the movie made me laugh quite a bit. But instead of enjoying that laughter for the sake of a good joke, I felt bad for letting myself laugh at such crude and tasteless jokes. 

Watching renowned actors Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron in such a crude film tampered my respect for them. The roles they played could easily have been taken by lesser actors. If these two stooped to roles so beneath them, it's a bad sign for their careers. I guess that comes as no surprise given the veteran Neeson's roles in a slew of mindless action films.

I guess once you get over yourself (as I should when I watch films like this), it is an entertaining comedy set in the west that does not require nor deserve a second thought. Conclusion: Pass On It

Rating: 6/10

Godzilla (2014)

Godzilla is easily one of the, if not the, most anticipated film of 2014. It's trailer had all of the right things: evidence of a story, dramatic dialogue, scenes of the aftermath, and little hint at the king of monster's actual physical appearance. What audiences got was a film that lacked identity. 

Imagine watching a film and after a third of the way through, most of the storyline dissolves and it basically becomes a porno loosely based on the premise of the film. Hard to imagine, but that was the sense I got in the theatre when watching Godzilla. The first third was driven by a powerful acting performance by Bryan Cranston, allowing the audience to sympathize with his struggle. Even Aaron Taylor-Johnson's acting performance came as a pleasant surprise early on in the film. However, (SPOILER ALERT) when Cranston's character dies, the movie loses guidance and results in destructo-porn. Taylor-Johnson becomes a bumbling shell of what he could have been and Ken Watanabe could have saved some face, but his character was unintentionally funny with the way he carried himself. 

Once Godzilla proves himself (or herself) as the king of monsters, the San Francisco media thanks him. There is no way in the world that the general public could have known the Godzilla was the equivalent of the storing force of nature. For all they know, the monster fought two other monsters in the middle of San Francisco. No more, no less. 

This movie was set up and headed for better things. At some point, it just failed to execute and gave into the temptation of bringing in the big bucks by virtually destroying an American city. I guess there is room for a sequel, but it won't even have the promise of a plot. Conclusion: Disappointing, Pass On It

Rating: 6.75/10

Neighbors (2014)

Have you ever seen a trailer that whetted your appetite so much that your expectations were way too high? I'm sure we all have. Have you ever seen a movie that had all its good parts in the trailer? Well, I sure did when I saw Neighbors. I wasn't so misled to expect a smart comedy, rather just a series of good laughs. Instead, I was treated to another one of those Seth Rogen comedies that kept hitting you over the head with a sledgehammer (or in this case, a dildo) for crude joke after crude joke. 

The premise of having a fraternity move in next to a new family is interesting because there is no way the two could coexist. At least, that's what one is led to believe. Instead, in the film, Rogen's character wants to party with the college kids and the fraternity is set against him only after Rogen violates a circle of trust. This sets off a powder keg of mindless antics. Once its over, you don't feel any satisfaction or humor. Nothing. If you were me, who was so wrongly misled by the trailer, you'd feel disappointed. Conclusion: Disappointing, Pass On It

Rating: 5/10

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Admittedly, I did not see the first Amazing Spiderman, but after seeing its sequel, I feel as though I don't have to and that I probably shouldn't waste my time. What I got from this new series of Spiderman is a hero who is caught up in serious affairs, but deals with them without seriousness. A whiny, unlikeable Peter Parker is not the character audiences would like.

This film was caught up between entertaining children and entertaining teens. The whole teenage drama that ensues in this story is quickly and frequently dumbed down by childish antics. The acting in this new series is poor all around. Watching respectable actors in the older roles is painful because there is nothing for them to develop. The younger actors were terrible. They were unlikable and irritating.

The one redeeming factor of this movie is that the "spider" sequences in NYC were better than the past series. Comparing Electro to Doc Oc is no contest as I think that Spiderman 2 was the best spider flick of all time. Conclusion: Pass On It

Rating: 4.5/10