Terminator Genisys: Big, dumb fun

Do not go to this movie if you are seeking a plot that makes sense.  Do not go if you are seeking good acting, though Emilia Clarke does a credible turn as Sarah Connor.  Do not go if you're seeking a mental challenge.

Do go, however, if you'd like to turn off your brain for a couple of hours and watch things, in the immortal words of Billy Bob Briggs, blow up real good.

The film is both a reboot of the Terminator franchise and an ode to the first installment in that series.  Arnold is back, but through the magic of this-makes-no-fucking-sense-whatsoever, he's now a good-guy terminator whom Clarke affectionately calls "Pops."  Oh, yeah:  he's her daddy.  Not physically, of course, but emotionally.

Did I mention the movie makes no sense?

The effects are good, the many villains are interesting, and I do love watching Clarke.  Arnold trying to learn to show emotion also provides some high points.  I enjoyed myself.

Just don't go without being clear on what you're signing up for.

A movie quiz for this weekend

Will you go see a nearly talent-free male star try to keep his career going in a weak franchise vehicle

OR

will you skip Channing Tatum in Magic Mike XXL and go see Arnold in Terminator Genisys?

Decisions, decisions.

Sabotage

Seven of us watched a matinee showing today of this latest offering from aging and aged action star, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Three guys spread around the place as if afraid to be near each other; I was one of them.  Two male-female couples held down the edges of different upper rows.  Both women looked pissed to be there. 

I couldn't blame them.  With only a 21% critical rating on Rottentomatoes and a 39 on metacritic, the film was definitely a risk.  At the same time, the audience ratings on those services were 50 and 6.5, respectively, so the odds were good that if you liked this sort of movie, you'd probably have fun watching it. 

Predictably, I enjoyed myself.  Arnold delivered what is for him a nuanced performance, which is to say that in addition to grimacing and squinting, occasionally other parts of his face moved, mostly as if he meant them to.  Most of the supporting cast didn't have a ton to work with, but they did well with the material available.  Mireille Enos chewed the scenery in a role made for doing just that, but she did it so well that now I'm a fan and can't wait to see what she does next.

I've read multiple reviews that referred to odd plot twists, but I have to disagree with all of them.  The plot was straightforward from start to finish, always driven by Arnold's character and the personalities of his team.  So, I found it reasonably satisfying and had no issues with it.

If you like this sort of film, you'll probably have a good time at Sabotage.

Escape Plan

In a post nearly four months ago, I said I would have to catch this action flick, so on the last night of CONtraflow I treated myself to a late showing of it. I know that many of you are now thinking, "Wow, he really will see anything," and of course that's mostly true, but this one proved to be an entertaining bit of fluff.

Yes, we had to tolerate Stallone sitting and thinking, but the director wisely distracted from this cerebral activity with lots of graphics. Stallone and Schwarzenegger looked old, but they still have presence, and they were clearly having fun together. Jim Caviezel took a break from his Person of Interest duties to deliver a similarly muted performance as a bad guy, the warden of the impossible-to-escape-from prison in which Stallone finds himself. You already know the plot, but that doesn't matter, because the movie implements it reasonably well and with good pacing, so the ride is fun.

If you're up for watching these two old action stars have fun with a prison breakout story, you'll enjoy Escape Plan. I did.

Another must-see flick for any bad-movie fan

I knew it was coming.

Kyle pointed out the trailer. 

Stallone.

Schwarzenegger.



Escape Plan

I am so there.