July 2015 – Tail Slate

Director Tarsem Singh’s ‘Self/less’ is sadly, soulless

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Matthew Goode, Natalie Martinez, Victor Garber, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Dockery, Derek Luke, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen and Melora Hardin

Writer(s): David Pastor and Alex Pastor

Director(s): Tarsem Singh

Human beings have been in search of immortality since we first learned about death. Self/less is the latest in a long line of films exploring the ‘what-if’ of being able to live beyond our alloted “three-score and ten” as someone once wrote.

‘Max’ may be the dog of a movie some think it is

by Brian Milinsky

Prior to the Second Gulf War we heard all about WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Max is a movie about MWDs (Military Working Dogs), or at least one MWD in particular. The titular MWD is a Belgian Malinois whose handler is a third-generation Marine named “Kyle Wincott” (Amell). He is following in the footsteps of his father “Ray” (Haden Church) who was injured during his military service. He now runs a storage locker facility. His wife “Pamela” (Graham) is in real-estate and Kyle’s younger brother “Justin” doesn’t really give a damn about anything except the computer games he hacks for money.

‘Terminator Genisys’ Disappoints

by Brian Milinsky

Emilia Clarke in 'Terminator Genisys' — Emilia Clarke in ‘Terminator Genisys’

Terminator: Salvation failed to successfully reboot the franchise in 2009, earning back just over 60% of its budget at the box office. Perhaps this attempt at re-rebooting the Terminator films should have been titled Terminator: Placenta rather than Terminator Genisys, as it is more like an afterbirth than a rebirth.

‘Ted 2’ is funny, but not as funny as the original

by Brian Milinsky

If you’re planning to see Ted 2 and you didn’t see the original, don’t worry. It’s self-contained. The original was not a great film, but was hysterically funny. This is also not a great film and while it is funny, it’s not as funny as the original.

‘Jurassic World’ went giant rather than just standing pat

by Brian Milinsky

Chris Pratt in 'Jurassic World' — Chris Pratt in ‘Jurassic World’

Before you walk into the auditorium to watch Jurassic World, the fourth film in the franchise, bear in mind that this movie spent more than a decade in what some refer to as “development hell.”