Man On A Ledge

When I initially saw the previews this looked like a pretty dumb movie.  I saw the preview again and got somewhat intrigued by it.  I took my time getting around to actually watching it though and when I finally did sit down to it, I was enjoyed it quite a lot.

The movie is about Nick Cassidy, an ex cop who was sent to prison for stealing an enormous diamond and supposedly selling it off in pieces.  He escapes from prison right at the beginning of the movie and checks into a hotel and goes out on the ledge as a jumper to try to protest his innocence, hence the movie title.  I can admit that there was some immediate action but then a fairly slow start and a plan that didn't not seem overly thought out.  However as you delve deeper into the movie you notice things such as how great Elizabeth Banks is doing at playing a character that is not exploring her humorous side.  I was impressed with her ability to pull off the serious cop psychologist character.  I must say that the last half of the movie is the greatest and the ending half an hour makes the entire movie worth watching.  I actually found that some events were not as predictable as in many movies, and I think that the delivery went well.  There were definitely some shaky parts in the middle and some holes in the side story that never got fully filled in.  But the last part definitely jumped the ratings up in my book.  I give this movie 3 and a half to 4 stars out of 5.  Definitely not the greatest movie you will ever watch, but entertaining none-the-less and better than many movies I have seen lately.  Not to mention I love Sam Worthington from Avatar who has a nice voice to listen to :)  Ed Harris always plays a great bad guy to me as well.

It got about a little over a 50% approval rating and was ranked 5th when in the theater.  Worth a see on a lazy afternoon or when you can't sleep at night.

The Wolverine Review

Last night I had the opportunity to make it out to see Wolverine.  As a fan of the X-Men movies from the very beginning, I can honestly say that they have done a superb job with both Wolverine installments.  Although it is helpful to have seen previous movies before watching The Wolverine, I would say that the number one movie that you must watch before this one is X-Men Last Stand.  There any many Jean Grey references and if you have not yet seen this movie, you may feel at a loss as to why this is such a big deal for Logan.  The time period of this movie is after the X-Men last stand, with Logan hiding out in Canada. 

In case you know nothing about the X-Men it is based upon the Marvel Comics.  Wolverine is played by Hugh Jackman and he is a mutant who can heal himself (which also greatly decreases the rate at which he ages), very keen senses and also has adamantium (an insanely strong medal) throughout his
body with 3 retractable claws in each hand to slash and fight with. 

In this movie, Logan (Wolverine) is having constant bad dreams, usually about Jean Grey, but also one about Japan and the bombing at Nagasaki and a samurai soldier that he rescued.  He ends up being summoned by this same samurai soldier on his death bed and ends up in the middle of a corrupt Japanese political game.  The man Yashida offers to provide Logan with a way to end his eternal life and finish out a normal life and die at the end.  This movie also features Viper as a villain. 

I rate movies based on movie theater worthy, DVD worthy, or Netflix worthy.  This movie was definitely movie theater worthy.  There were some great cinematography, and it does not bore with a great story line.  I recommend staying through the end of the credits as you will get some insight into what is in store next for the X-Men.  X-Men movies are notorious for leaving clues about future projects at the end of the credits, and this one does not fail to answer some speculative questions, as well as leave you thirsty for more X-Men.   I will definitely buy this movie when it comes out!

Here is the Trailer, I used the International one and I do not have any rights to this video , it is used for entertainment purposes only. 

*I do not recommend looking into the wikipedia on this movie before you watch it.  It is filled with spoilers.