Matthew Liedke

The Water Diviner review

Director:
Russell Crowe
Cast:
Russell Crowe
Olga Kurylenko
Yilmaz Erdogan
Rated: R

Russell Crowe both acts and directs in this picture which takes place in the aftermath of World War I. Crowe plays Connor, a father of three boys in Australia who lives a peaceful life. As the war raged on, though, Connor’s sons were brought into the war and tragically, were all killed in action.

The movie picks up with Connor and his wife learning of the news. After another tragedy occurs in his family, Connor decides to go to the battle location where his sons died and bring them back to Australia for a proper burial.

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Ex Machina review

Director:
Alex Garland
Cast:
Domhnall Gleeson
Oscar Isaac
Alicia Vikander
Rated: R

Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb in “Ex Machina,” a sci-fi film directed by Alex Garland. Caleb works for a company that is more or less the equivalent to Google in our world. The film opens with Caleb being invited to spend a week at the home of the tech company’s founder and owner.

Upon arrival, Caleb learns that the CEO Nathan (Isaac) lives in a subterranean type home and his residence is actually used for research and development.

Currently, Nathan is trying to create an artificial intelligence system and asks Caleb to test the A.I.

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Avengers: Age of Ultron review

Director:
Joss Whedon
Cast:
Robert Downey Jr.
Chris Hemsworth
Mark Ruffalo
Chris Evans
Scarlett Johansson
Jeremy Renner
James Spader
Samuel L. Jackson
Rated: PG-13

In 2012 “The Dark Knight Rises” was released and while it was good, it didn’t live up to its predecessor, “The Dark Knight.” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is in a similar position.

In the sequel to the 2012 superhero team-up flick, the audience finds the Avengers group traveling the world, defeating the evil organization Hydra and searching for a powerful weapon the villain of the first film used. Upon retrieving said artifact, though, Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., has a terrible vision caused by a new foe.

To prevent this vision from becoming a reality, Stark decides to change the future and create an artificial intelligence system, called Ultron, to protect the Earth. His invention backfires, though, as Ultron deems humanity a threat and decides to take action, leaving it up to the Avengers to stop the mechanical menace.

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Top 10 Comic Book Movie Weapons

10. The Batarang – Batman Films
Throughout all of the “Batman” films, a few gadgets have stayed consistent, one is the grappling hook that helps the caped crusader get from A to B, and the other is the Batarang. From the animated films to the Nolan-verse, these bat shaped weapons have been the Dark Knight’s main tool for taking down bad guys. Surprisingly, the Batarang acts less like a boomerang and more like a shuriken throwing star.

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The Age of Adaline review

Director:
Lee Toland Krieger
Cast:
Blake Lively
Michiel Huisman
Harrison Ford
Ellen Burstyn
Rated: PG-13

In “The Age of Adaline,” Blake Lively plays the titular character who, while well over 100 years old, only looks about 28. This is the result of an accident that happened decades ago and for Adaline, there doesn’t seem to be a medical reason for it. Do to her inability to age, every 10 years, Adaline packs up, moves and changes her name so people won’t get suspicious.

The movie picks up just as Adaline is preparing another change in her life. Just as she seems ready to move on, though, a man named Ellis (Huisman) enters her life and the two get along well. The issue, though, is whether Adaline wants to break her promise to herself on whether or not to keep moving on with a new identity now that she’s met Ellis.

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It Follows review

Director
Andy Fickman
Cast:
Kevin James
Raini Rodriguez
David Henrie
Neal McDonough
Rated: R

An unstoppable evil entity is the antagonist in “It Follows,” a movie that is a throwback to the horror movies of the late 70s/early 80s. The film is about Jay (Monroe), a woman dating a man named Hugh (Weary). After the two have sex, Hugh informs Jay that he has actually passed on the evil spirit that had been following him.

Now the entity, which can take on the appearance of anybody, is following Jay and she has to discover how she can stay one step ahead.

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Unfriended review

Director
Levan Gabriadze
Cast:
Heather Sossaman
Matthew Bohrer
Courtney Halverson
Shelley Hennig
Moses Jacob Storm
Will Peltz
Renee Olstead
Rated: R

A group of high school friends decide to hang out on a Skype chat in “Unfriended,” a movie that completely takes place on a computer screen. It seems like a fairly average night for the group until an unidentified person joins their Skype chat.

The group soon begins to believe that the unidentified person is actually their friend who committed suicide after a series of extreme cyber bullying.

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Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 review

Director
Andy Fickman
Cast:
Kevin James
Raini Rodriguez
David Henrie
Neal McDonough
Rated: PG

In the thrilling sequel to the equally engaging (OK, who am I kidding), film “Paul Blart: Mall Cop, actor Kevin James once again returns as the titular character who still seems to be riding on the coat tails of what happened in the previous movie.

Speaking of the first film, everything that happened in it is negated in the first three minutes to help set up the plot for Blart’s next adventure.

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The Longest Ride review

Director
George Tillman Jr.
Cast:
Britt Robertson
Scott Eastwood
Alan Alda
Jack Huston
Oona Chaplin
Rated: PG-13

“The Longest Ride” follows a pair of young adults, Sophia (Robertson), a college student and Luke (Eastwood) a bull rider, who meet at an event and become a couple. After going on a date one night, the couple discover a crashed car and help an elderly man (Alda) get to a hospital.

At the hospital, Sophia learns that the man’s name is Ira and they begin to get to know each other. Through the relationship, Sophia begins to read Ira’s letters and she discovers a love story through them. While learning about Ira’s love story it helps her own relationship with Luke.

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Woman in Gold Review

Director
Simon Curtis
Cast:
Helen Mirren
Ryan Reynolds
Daniel Bruhl
Katie Holmes
Rated: PG-13

Helen Mirren stars as Maria Altmann in this film based on a true story. Altmann is a woman who escaped Austria in her youth due to the takeover by the Nazi-led German forces. However, left behind was a family heirloom in the form of a painting done of her aunt.

The film picks up decades later in the 1990s during a time where Austria opened up an opportunity for people to get back items that were unjustly taken. Altmann decides to hire a lawyer named Randol (Reynolds) to help her get back the art that was taken from her family, however, the task seems to become difficult as the attempt turns into a lengthy legal battle.

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