kybearfuzz | Recent and Upcoming Movies -- The Revenant, 13 Hours, The Boy (Reply)

I've been to the movies a couple of times this past couple of weeks and my feelings on them are a going a bit against the flow of most opinions.

Last weekend, I went with friends to see "The Revenant". The story of a trapper guide who survives multiple life-threatening situations to avenge the killer of his son. It's a long movie, nearly three hours. After the movie, my friends and I ripped it to shreds, agreeing that the flick was about a 1/2 hour too long and there were so many things going wrong for the main character that it was almost comical. Every time he seemed to catch a break, something bad happened. Angels from above could have come to rescue him and they would have been crushed by a falling meteorite before they could take him.

The best thing I can say is that the scenery was beautiful. If anyone can't tell from the previews, this is pretty much Leonardo DiCaprio's latest Oscar grab. While he does give a great performance, there are moments you can almost see him pandering for heavy drama and attention, and it's hard not to see the character as Leonardo. The person who really deserves an Oscar is Tom Hardy, whose performance as the antagonistic villain from Texas was incredible. Seriously, you almost don't recognize him in this movie, he's that blended into the character.

While I'm not in total agreement with Rotten Tomatoes, who has it "certified fresh," I'm not sad I went to see it, but it's unlikely I'll watch it again.

This past Saturday, the Cincinnati MovieBears went to see "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Bengahzi". When I scheduled the movie, I was worried that it would be politically heavy and would suck. However, there was some promise of muscled, bearded soldiers and explosions, so I figured there was an equal chance it wouldn't suck. Luckily, the latter happened and the political stuff was toned down significantly. The movie centers around a group of contracted ex-military security men who are the only line of defense when a secret CIA compound in Libya comes under attack by local militant factions. The six are bearded, burly, and sexy. There are a couple of shirtless scenes, including the newly muscle-bound John Krasinski (of "The Office").

The movie is also 2.5 hours long, but it seems to fly by much quicker. The characters are likable and the tension is pretty high for the bulk of the movie. Rotten Tomatoes has it around 59%, just below the lowest 60% fresh rating, but I did enjoy this one. I'd watch it again.

I'm doing an impromptu Cincinnati MovieBears to see "The Boy" this coming weekend. Attendance for the MovieBears events when it comes to horror movies is generally low, but I thought I'd give it a chance. The previews look pretty creepy, so I'm hopefully it's good.