Becky and I went to see American Hustle at the Regal Cinemas in Lone Tree, CO . The Fandango website at American Hustle describes the movie as follows…

‘‘A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that’s as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving’s unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down. Like David O. Russell’s previous films, American Hustle defies genre, hinging on raw emotion, and life and death stakes.“

The Review: Becky and I went to this movie without having any idea what to expect.  We saw the trailers and it looked to me like the movie was going to be terrible.  The story though and the script writing is so well done that you can’t help but like this movie. The characters are interesting and the acting is very good.  It’s about a couple of con-artists who get caught and are then trying to be used by the FBI.  The federal agent played by Bradley Cooper is really funny as he tries to make a name for himself by leveraging Amy Adams and Christian Bale’s characters.

We really liked this movie.  Right from the beginning it opens up with the main character spending all this time combing his hair, which was very strange, until you watch another character mess it all up.  This sort of thing happens throughout the movie with each person in the film trying to pull the wool over someone else because they are all a bunch of con-artists.  There is love, passion, whacky characters, mobsters, strange situations and yet it all comes together with several twists and turns.  Jennifer Lawrence character is hilarious because she is such a witch, yet smart in the way she plays her husband and other people in the film.

It’s one of the better films that is out right now, so if you can handle the language and a typical Rated R type film, you should like this movie.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – **** Don’t Miss It

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Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant and owner of CoolCarGuy.com with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase or consign your vehicle – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter@coolcarguy

Becky and I went to see The Wolf of Wall Street at the AMC Theater in Highlands Ranch, CO.  The Fandango website at The Wolf of Wall Street describes the movie as follows…

‘‘In 1987, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes an entry-level job at a Wall Street brokerage firm. By the early 1990s, while still in his 20s, Belfort founds his own firm, Stratton Oakmont. Together with his trusted lieutenant (Jonah Hill) and a merry band of brokers, Belfort makes a huge fortune by defrauding wealthy investors out of millions. However, while Belfort and his cronies partake in a hedonistic brew of sex, drugs and thrills, the SEC and the FBI close in on his empire of excess..”

The Review: Becky and I were both looking forward to seeing this movie.  After all, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is directed by Martin Scorsese, so we figured this would be a movie that could possibly win some awards for Best Picture.  Wow were we wrong!  This film is a journey into debauchery. We watched the characters do illegal drugs, have non-stop illicit sex with prostitutes and be fueled by greed and outright stupidity.  It’s based on a true story of Jordan Belfort, who goes from rags to riches to prison for insider trading. We watched his train wreck of a life for three hours glorify a salesperson turned con-artist, who quite frankly didn’t spend enough time in jail for his crimes.

I cannot believe that this film is getting such rave reviews?  Especially from liberals who pride themselves on defending the little guy.  Apparently they have no problem making a film that champions a person who was a first-class jerk in every area of his life.  He took advantage of his first wife, his second wife, all the people who worked for him and looked up to him, his children, he was addicted to drugs, addicted to sex, had zero self-control and they actually spent money to make a movie about this guy?  Why? Probably because he earned a million dollars a week breaking the law and stealing from people who didn’t have any money. People so desperate to give him their money, like they were buying an expensive lottery ticket in Penny Stocks. What he did initially was legal, but the drug of money turned him into a monster. The film did illustrate this very well.

Believe me, I could go on because this movie is depraved on many levels.  You will scratch your head asking how anyone could possibly do that many drugs and be that much of a sex addict and function in society. Let alone earn millions with a successful business.  I have no idea how they got an R rating and that this wasn’t NC-17, but they must have pulled some strings.  

The bottom line is that this movie pretty much sucked.  I think the Critics are afraid to say it because of the star power and money power behind the film, but I’ll say it.  It was boring after a while and you just wanted it to end. I’ll be writing a review about American Hustle and that’s also about a con-artist, but the screenplay is good, the characters are not void of a soul and the directing of that film was far better.  If they were trying to make a point about greed, drugs and power, like The Great Gatsby, they should have made the film so that it could be shown in High School as an educational tool. I can’t believe they released this on Christmas Day, it should have been for Halloween.

If I were Jordan Belfort I would be hiding, ashamed to show my face in public because he’s a greedy psychopath according to this film.  The only really good thing about this movie is that Leonardo actually pulled off the character and the acting is very good, but other than that it was a waste of time.  Watching Jonah Hill chew out an employee and eat his pet goldfish is now considered entertainment?  Don’t bring your teenagers to this film because it gives the wrong impression that drugs and being a total mindless jerk in life will get you ahead.  Maybe in Hollywood where stupidity and a life of excess seems to reign supreme?  I watched a number of people get up and leave the theater and I was tempted to leave numerous times.

You can skip this movie, unless you want to take a trip into the whacky world of a crazy con-man. Here’s a good article on the real story behind this movie that is worth reading – An Open Letter to the Makers of The Wolf of Wall Street, and the Wolf Himself

John – * Don’t Bother
Becky – * Don’t Bother

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________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant and owner of CoolCarGuy.com with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase or consign your vehicle – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter@coolcarguy

Becky and I went to see Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues at the Regal Cinemas in Lone Tree, CO.  The Fandango website at Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues describes the movie as follows…

‘‘With the 70’s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), returns to the news desk in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.” Also back for more are Ron’s co-anchor and wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weather man Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), man on the street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) – All of whom won’t make it easy to stay classy…while taking the nation’s first 24-hour news channel by storm...”

The Review: Years ago, Becky and I went to see the first Anchorman movie and it was so bad that I remember we walked out of the movie.  We decided to go see the second installment and it was just as stupid as the first one, but it was pretty funny at times.  This has to be one of the worst movies ever made, but it did have quite a few laughs.  It’s completely ridiculous, stupid, has no real story-line or plot and is more like a non-stop Saturday Night Live skit that goes on for two hours.

The characters are goofy and Ron Burgandy is totally nuts, but that’s what makes the movie funny.  The actors are very good at playing their stupid characters and this film is just complete nonsense.  You have to be in the mood to see this movie for sure and you will probably either love it or hate it.  There isn’t anything serious about this movie.  There are plenty of crude and inappropriate situations that are over-the-top.

A number of the characters are very funny,like Steve Carell’s character that really made the movie in my opinion.  All of the characters on the news team work really well together, which you would expect.  I did laugh quite a bit in this movie, but it got a little old after a while because it’s just way too whacky.

Becky liked the movie more than I did.  I didn’t dislike it, but it was just as ridiculous as the first one.

John – ** Rental
Becky – *** Worth The Trip

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________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant and owner of CoolCarGuy.com with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase or consign your vehicle – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter@coolcarguy

I took Conroy, Corban and Bianca to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug at the AMC Theater in Castle Rock, CO to the Midnight showing on opening night a couple of weeks ago. The Fandango website at The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug describes the movie as follows…

‘‘Having survived the first part of their unsettling journey, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his companions (Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage) continue east. More dangers await them, including the skin-changer Beorn and the giant spiders of Milkwood. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood Elves, Bilbo and the dwarves journey to Lake-town and, finally, to the Lonely Mountain, where they face the greatest danger of all: the fearsome dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch“

The Review: Becky hated The Lord of the Rings and I couldn’t get her to go and see The Hobbit either, so she refused to see this movie.  I on the other hand love this series and so do the kids.  This movie was extremely well done and if you’re a fan of the book series or the first films than you should like this movie too.

The story is different than the books with an expansion of the evil White Orc, the Necromancer and also some new characters. There is a new female wood elf character that comes into play in this movie that the Director has taken some liberties with compared to the book.  This is the second movie in the trilogy and it’s an exciting movie with the giant spiders and other challenges that the Hobbit and the Dwarves face on their journey to the Lonely Mountain.  It’s very well done.

One of my favorite characters in this film is actually the great and evil dragon Smaug.  A friend of mine who saw the movie said, “I didn’t know the dragon could talk?”, which is really cool because you get to see the pride and arrogance of this massive creature. Smaug believes that he is invincible and I liked the way that they tied his eyes to the evil eye of the Necromancer and the villain in The Lord of the Rings.

If you’re a fan of science fiction, fantasy or The Lord of the Rings trilogy then you will surely like this movie.  If you’re like Becky and you don’t like these types of films than you should skip it.

John – **** Don’t Miss It
Becky – * Don’t Bother

Bianca – **** Don’t Miss It
Conroy – **** Don’t Miss It
Corban – **** Don’t Miss It

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________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant and owner of CoolCarGuy.com with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase or consign your vehicle – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter@coolcarguy

Becky and I went to see the new film Out of the Furnace a couple of weeks ago at the AMC Theaters in Castle Rock, CO.  The Fandango website at Out of the Furnace describes the movie as follows…

‘‘From Scott Cooper, the critically-acclaimed writer and director of Crazy Heart, comes a gripping and gritty drama about family, fate, circumstance, and justice. Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has a rough life: he works a dead-end blue collar job at the local steel mill by day, and cares for his terminally ill father by night. When Russell’s brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) returns home from serving time in Iraq, he gets lured into one of the most ruthless crime rings in the Northeast and mysteriously disappears. The police fail to crack the case, so – with nothing left to lose – Russell takes matters into his own hands, putting his life on the line to seek justice for his brother. The impressive cast of Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson are rounded out by Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Saldana and Sam Shepard...”

The Review:  Out of the Furnace is a film that is designed around a somewhat strange screenplay and carried on the big screen with totally raw acting.  Every actor in this movie is amazing, but especially Casey Affleck, Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson.  Woody’s character is pure evil on the same level as the Joker in the Batman series.  He does an amazing job pulling this character off.  The guy is totally disturbing in this movie and Christian Bale is like Batman without the suit.

The story is really wild and is a story within a story that deals with the issue of poverty in America.  It’s a very dark film that doesn’t have any high end special effects or ridiculous scenes like so many action movies of today.  I don’t think this is a movie that everyone is going to like because it is a difficult film, almost like one of the older classic films like “Walking Tall” or “The Pride of Billy Jack” where there is action in a movie that is more of a drama about good versus evil.

Becky and I really liked this movie and thought it was a Don’t Miss It.

John – **** Don’t Miss It
Becky – **** Don’t Miss It

Sponsored By: SHAREMERCHANT.com:  Get paid to share!  Find out how you can earn $1,500 a month using and recommending products with a low cost business.  Become a Share Merchant!

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________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant and owner of CoolCarGuy.com with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase or consign your vehicle – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter@coolcarguy

Becky and I went to see a the new Hunger Games movie a few weeks ago at the AMC Theaters in Highlands Ranch, CO with our kids.  The Fandango website at The Hunger Games: Catching Fire describes the movie as follows…

‘‘THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever...”

The Review:  The second movie in The Hunger Games trilogy was much better than the first film.  I didn’t really like the first flick, but I did think that this one was much better.  I thought they did a much better job of getting the audience more emotionally connected with the characters in the film.  The conflict between good and evil in this movie is very obvious.  You can see how wicked people can become when the value of human life is diminished.  Although this movie is far fetched, it’s believable because of the corruption of man’s fallen nature.

The characters were well done in this movie, but the scenes are pretty graphic and it is disturbing to see young people playing a game of death to kill each other.  However, it is trying to make a point about what people will do when they are putting in desperate situations and forced to survive.  The acting is good and the main character is without a doubt the star of the film.

We all liked the film and thought it was worth the price of admission.  If you’re a huge fan of the book series, then you should really like this movie.  We liked it and we didn’t read the books, except for Conroy who did.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – *** Worth The Trip

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________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant and owner of CoolCarGuy.com with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase or consign your vehicle – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter@coolcarguy

Becky and I went to see a the new Thor movie a few weeks ago at the AMC Theaters in Highlands Ranch, CO with our kids.  The Fandango website at Thor: The Dark World describes the movie as follows…

‘‘Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all…”

The Review:  This latest installment of Thor keeps many of the previous characters as the last one, including Thor of course and his evil brother, Thor’s mortal love interest played by Natalie Portman and a number of other previous actors that were in the first movie.  This time around, the evil villain is much more powerful and darker with a plan to destroy planet Earth, along with the Universe and plummet everything into total darkness.  The problem though is that the evil characters are

much more powerful than Thor or his fellow ancient gods of Asgard.

This was the real problem with this movie is that Thor is supposedly the god of Thunder and yet he gets his butt kicked by the Dark Lord in this film.  However, this is the challenge with most Marvel super hero movies.  The super hero is powerful, but the bad guy is usually more powerful until the very end and then as our son Corban put it, “The Marvel super hero gives the guy a one hit and kills him.”.  The story wasn’t bad and the characters are pretty fun, but these films always end the same and the bad guys are always stronger, but seem to get defeated easily by the end of the movie.  They are way too predictable, which takes away most of the excitement of the movie.

If you’re a big Marvel comic book and Thor fan than you’ll probably really like this movie.  If you’re not a super hero fan, you will probably like parts of the movie, but more than likely be bored.  I think we were more bored by this movie than we expected.  We didn’t dislike the movie, but it wasn’t that much different than the first movie, which made it a little too boring for us.  Some of the other super hero films are much better than these Thor movies.  We would suggest saving your money and waiting for the rental.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

Sponsored By: SHAREMERCHANT.com:  Get paid to share!  Find out how you can earn $1,500 a month using and recommending products with a low cost business.  Become a Share Merchant!

Click here!

________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant and owner of CoolCarGuy.com with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase or consign your vehicle – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter@coolcarguy