​Head to head action as two comic heroes fight for justice. I’m giving Batman Vs Superman an A-.
Either you are team Superman or team Batman as the two heroes decide that the other is a vigilante rather than a good guy. Each has their reason for thinking that (and we get to see Bruce’s reasoning in a flashback to his parents’ deaths and the destruction of Metropolis). However, both are being played by Lex Luthor who is out to destroy both alien and man in his own takeover of the world. 

​The only reason this movie was made was to set up the next movie—The Justice League where Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Aquaman come together to protect our planet. We don’t really learn anything new or have an “a-ha” moment. In fact, much of the movie feels like a repeat of the previous Batman and Superman movies. Only the appearance of Wonder Woman, makes the story come alive.

​Fans of action movies will enjoy the movie’s cinematography. Detroit aficionados will spy many local landmarks from the filming in Detroit a couple of summer’s ago. But die-hard comic fans will lament the story in this movie since there’s a departure from the comics and blatant disregard for the Dark Knight movies. The key is to go in with an “open” mindset. 

​Gritty and dark, it was hard to see in some of the scenes. With strange dreams, Bruce Wayne becomes more paranoid about the destruction Superman brought. But I never saw Batman going to save the city of Metropolis nor does he feel bad about the destruction he brings on his city. Superman is just as focused on Batman and sees him as a thug. If only the two men would have talked. Both knew Lex was manipulating things behind the scenes but didn’t do anything to stop him. It’s this driven need for retribution that drives the movie, with each man questioning their role in being a hero. The movie was good but not exceptional. Although it did leave me excited about the future movies for Wonder Woman and Aquaman. 

Raunchy with oh so many swear words, The Bronze isn’t for the faint of heart. I give it a C.
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Hope Anne Gregory is Amherst’s angel after helping her gymnastics team win the bronze medal while performing injured. This spoiled has been thinks that the world owes her because she was once a winner. Forced to become a coach for another local gymnast, Hope must re-evaluate her life and what’s important.

​Melissa Rauch from Big Bang Theory, who is hardly recognizable from her TV work, wrote the screenplay along with her husband. She decided that she couldn’t allow anyone else to play Hope Anne because she loved the character so much. The Bronze seems more like a Hallmark movie rather than something for the big screen, however with all the sex and swear words, it’d never make it on TV. The movie begins with a bang and features a sex scene that will make you never look at gymnastics again. 

​Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) plays Hope’s foil, Lance. He has a grudge against her a mile long. He will do anything to gain the advantage and make Hope play for his missing limelight. He’s sneaky and vindictive, doing anything to win. Gary Cole plays Hope’s father and could certainly use a lesson in parenting. He created the monster and has to find a way to live with it. 

​Filmed in my hometown of Amherst, Ohio, seeing local landmarks was a bonus for me, although that won’t mean anything to the average viewer. Because I was worried that I would rate the movie higher because of my connection, I checked with my husband for his grade and we were so close, so I’m sure that I didn’t inflate my score. 

​The Bronze is a movie with a message as Hope Anne learns humility and finds her own way out of the limelight. But it’s not for the easily offended. I’d save the money and catch this movie on DVD. 

​Expecting Whiskey Tango Foxtrot to be a comedy will have you saying WTF. I am giving it a B+.
Tina Fey plays Kim Barker, a news correspondent who signs up to go overseas to Afghanistan to cover the war. Asked because she was single without children (basically no one would cry if she died), Kim finds herself in dangerous situations as well as competition for breaking news.

​Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is based on the real life experiences of Kim Barker, who wrote a book about her adventures. The previews show this movie’s funny parts and with Tina Fey in the lead, you expect a comedy, yet this movie is a poignant reminder of the casualties of war…relationships, morals, and liver.

​Kim’s relationships are the focus as she navigates this new world. Her “fixer” shows her the way to blend into the culture. The men want to become her “special friend” while her boyfriend back home doesn’t like waiting on Kim. It’s Kim’s relationship with her British counterpart played by Margot Robbie that changes the most. 

​I found Martin Freeman as Iain MacKelpie to be an amazing character. He’s fun and flirty but also serves as a sounding board and partner for Kim. I’d love to have seen a different ending to their relationship. 

​Movie-goers liken the movie to MASH in how it portrays the truth about war but in a way that doesn’t preach. We see things from Kim’s point of view which becomes skewed as she pushes to keep in the limelight. It’s like an addiction. And while the movie has its light moments, it will give you a different perspective of overseas news and the people who report it!

Filled with non-stop action and danger, London Has Fallen is an exciting movie that will have you on the edge of your seat. I give it an A-.
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In retaliation for a bomb strike, a gun supplier takes out the world leaders during the British Prime Minister’s funeral. Gerard Butler is Mike Banning the president’s secret service head. It’s his job to keep the president alive when the bad guys come calling. You can’t trust anyone since there’s a mole in M-6 helping the bad guys as they take out the world leaders, France’s, Japan’s, Germany’s and many more lose their lives in a swift strike.

​Mike Banning is invincible in this movie. No matter how many people shoot at him, he keeps going and hardly ever gets hurt. But I pity the people around him. They aren’t so lucky. In one scene the special British forces that are there to help him retrieve the president end up dying all around him, while the bullets miss him. These silly inconsistencies give the movie an unrealistic feel. Although, at least they do have to reload the guns. Too often in action movies, guns never need to be reloaded. Thankfully, in this one, they show Mike putting in new magazines.

I admit that I’m a huge Gerard Butler fan. But I didn’t see the first movie, Olympus Has Fallen. However that doesn’t distract from this movie. I could sit and just listen to Gerard talk but there is one scene that has all the women’s wombs clenching. I even heard moans in the theater.

​Action movie fans will love the amazing chase scenes as cars go flying and Gerard leans out doors to kill the bad guys. Eerily this movie foretells what could really happen in our world as extremist groups set out to change the landscape of democracy. I can only hope that Gerard Butler comes to my aide.