Kim Jong-un + James Franco + Margaritas + Katy Perry + Daddy issues = How to Bond with a Dictator.

Who would have guessed that the North Korean supreme leader would be into late night entertainment shows such as Skylark Tonight? Well, turns out Kim Jung-un loves all the celebrity gossip such as Eminem's hidden homosexual lyrics, Rob Lowe's fake hair, or the rumor that Matthew McConaughey was seen having sex with a goat.

These stories are what fuel the talk show Skylark Tonight, hosted by Dave Skylark (James Franco) and produced by his best friend Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen).  Shortly after celebrating their 1000th episode, Aaron is confronted by an old school friend of his who works on 60 minutes who mocks him for producing "fake news." After a small montage of Rapaport contemplating his life, Dave comes up with the grand idea of interviewing the ruthless Kim Jong-un.

The two give it a shot and just before all hope is gone, Skylark Tonight gets a confirmation for a scripted meeting with the North Korean Supreme Leader. Before Aaron and Dave embark on their quest overseas, they are visited by the C.I.A. and are presented with the mission to assassinate Kim Jong-un; knowing James Franco and Seth Rogen, we all know where it goes from there.

The Interview caused quite the conversation with the hacking of Sony and the threats made to any screenings of the film. Economically, little to nothing was spent on marketing due to the fact that it was on pretty much every news channel across the world. So, considering the movie has been out for a while, it was about time I found out what all the hype was about.

First of all, Seth Rogen is Seth Rogen. He played Seth Rogen in Knocked-Up, he played Seth Rogen in This is The End, and he plays Seth Rogen in The Interview. Therefore, not much can be expected out of him considering he has a universal role he utilizes for every film he stars in. James Franco on the other-hand, can really play his part no matter what genre of movies he stars in allowing him to perfectly execute his character Dave Skylark.

The plot-line itself it was a bit cliché. It had the typical "I told you so" plot twist. But being a comedy movie, you can't expect a well developed story-line. The jokes at times were dry and redundant at times. Luckily, James Franco was there to keep the viewer laughing with his careless character Dave Skylark. Out of the whole movie, what stood out the most was the day of adventure and partying Dave had with Kim Jong-un where they drove a tank and bonded together to Katy Perry's "Firework," played basketball, and of course, partied their asses off.

The Interview also has it fair share of symbolical value to it. Kim Jong-un's manipulative ability to portray who he wants Dave Skylark to see reflects what his regime has done to the country of North Korea. Color also plays a key part in this film. Throughout all North Korea, all we see as a viewers are shades of grey. This includes Kim Jong-un's fortress as well. It is constructed with dark grey brick with the only other color noticeable being the red on the North Korean Flag; a classic representation of power. This all changes when Dave and Aaron arrive. Their bedrooms are beautifully decorated and filled with all sorts of colors representing the rest of society or the United States itself.

Despite all the subtle symbolism presented in The Interview, it managed to keep me laughing throughout its entire run. Although its a movie that can easily get tiring, it's a good flick to watch with a couple of bros on a Friday night. The Interview has earned itself a 6.2/10.

Skylark Tonight:

Mother Nature at 29,000 Feet

There' s nothing like the true power of mother nature than the roaring winds and blizzard conditions found on the tallest mountain on Earth. And as Rob Hall, along with the other climbers that attempted to descend in 1996 discovered, the mountain shows no mercy.

Everest is a film adaptation of the book "Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster," by Jon Krakauer. The film follows Rob Hall as he guided a group of climbers under his agency Adventure Consultants up 29,029 feet in an effort to summit the mountain by May 10, 1996. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst when Rob and his climbers were hit by one of the biggest storms while descending Everest. Battling low levels of oxygen, ice-shattering winds, and their deteriorating bodies, the group fought against the conditions set upon them.

 As Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson's character Anatoli Boukreev states, "The mountain has the last word." The expedition claimed the lives of eight climbers with a few of their bodies remaining frozen in time on Mt. Everest.The film documented their path to their deaths.

Everest has a great and healthy balance within its story-line allowing us as an audience to connect with each and every individual's personality. The film features Jason Clarke as Rob Hall whose performance I applaud (considering his terrible participation in the most recent installment of the Terminator saga). The movie also stars Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, Kiera Knightly, Jake Gyllenhaal, and many more. Needless to say, the roles were casted well.

As for the film itself, the cinematography did a great job capturing the enormous and breathtaking landscape that the mountain has to offer. Although, it would've been nice to see the view from the summit for those of us who could never achieve such feat.  Everest portrayed the strong love Rob Hall had for his wife marvelously making me tear up at one point. There was not one moment where I was not biting my nails as the dramatic irony resonated in my head.

However, there were moments where the plot's sense of time didn't exactly play out well on the big screen. Towards the end, its a little hard to keep track of the time they are on the mountain. Such as the scene where Rob Hall is on the brink of death with frostbitten hands and feet and he attempts to get over the south summit with sherpas making their way up to aid in the descent. Just before they can reach Hall, the two sherpas have to turn around because a second storm is about to hit. They tell Rob they will try again when the storms passes.Yet, the movie never shows the storm directly nor a second attempt in a rescue. It just shows Rob Hall blanketed in snow and ice. Thus, creating a break in the timeline for the audience.

Everest provides us with an inside look at the terrors lived spring of 1996. It also sheds light on how small we are compared to the wonders of this planet; and how conquering these wonders entitles us to accepting Mother Nature's challenges and her merciless acts. The movie earns a 7.6/10.

For those of you who read the book, take a look at Jon Krakauer's recent comments regarding the film adaptation Everest by clicking here.

One More for the Mutants.

Comic and non-comic book fans all across the world waited for almost three dreadful longing years for the release of the next X-men film. Ladies and gentlemen, X-Men: Days of Future Past has arrived.

Making close to $300 million this weekend, X-Men: Days of Future Past completely destroyed the box-office knocking all films down a spot on the charts. And after seeing the action superhero thriller Sunday night, it's easy to see why it's such a success.

The film takes place a couple years after the X-Men: First Class movie; well, sorta. The story-line is set over two simultaneous time periods. In other words, they're going on at the same time. The opening scene reveals a dark future for all of mankind. New York, Moscow, and other big cities are no longer the glamorous places they once were. In this dark future, the world is pretty much run by mutant-hunting Sentinels. They are designed to eliminate the mutant population and its trace. Yet, not all hope is lost.

Those who remain try their best to stay hidden from the outside world. As seen in the previews, the remaining mutants are the famous X-Men: Professor X, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Storm, Iceman, Bishop, Colossus, Blink, and Magneto as well as a few more. But no matter how hard they try, it is almost impossible to defeat a Sentinel given the fact that they can adapt and mutate to have any power. This proves to be a downfall for the mutant population.

Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) come to realize that maybe this horrid future can be prevented. The key point in history was in 1973 when Mystique or Raven, played by the sexy Jennifer Lawrence, murders Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), the founder of the Sentinel program. Now, someone must travel back in time to prevent Mystique from making this mistake. Since time travel is so painful, only Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) can bear the journey.

But Wolverine can't do it alone. He must team up with the young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and the egotistical Eric Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender) with the help of some newly introduced mutants like Quicksilver (Evan Peters). Together they will alter the course of time and hopefully save their lives.

X-Men: Days of Future Past has to be hands down the best X-Men movie to date. The casting is just perfect, and the action sequences are amazing. The special effects are visually mesmerizing and adrenaline filled. But be warned, a fresh review on the previous X-Men films such as X-Men 1-3 and X-Men: First Class is highly recommended.

In this movie, all the mutants are pushed to their absolute highest exposing their true powers. There's a scene in particular where Magneto and Storm team up to destroy an incoming wave of pissed off Sentinels and boy do those Sentinels get wrecked! Not only is the old Magneto a total B.A., but the young Magneto has his own tricks up his sleeve. His self-centered personality fuels his hatred towards humans which is clearly shown in this movie.

The plot is perfect. The adaptations made from the original comic book make X-Men: Days of Future Past a captivating film. Each scene makes the audience think deeply on what is really going on. But the fun doesn't stop there. Nowadays, superhero films are becoming famous for the small little details in the movie which test a viewer's true attention. If you already saw the movie, click here to see a few things you might have missed in X-Men: Days of Future Past. 

I highly, highly. recommend you see the newest addition to the X-Men saga. If you need a little refresher, click here. But otherwise, many of you will remember the big events from previous films. The ending is both emotional as well as a great cliffhanger. Not only that, but by now you should all know that sticking around until after the end credits is a good thing to do. After the end-credits, a small clip is shown which foreshadows the villain of the next X-Men movie which has been officially titled, X-Men: Apocalypse and is set to release spring 2016. I for one, will be going to see X-Men: Days of Future Past again since I was a little rough on my mutant knowledge. This, unfortunately, made the movie a little confusing. Yet, otherwise, it fulfilled my expectations as far as epicness goes.

One of the most satisfying movies I've seen so far. It will not let down. X-Men: Days of Future Past is one of most thrilling, action-packed, adrenaline-pumping joyride released this year. It receives a well deserved 9/10.

Cop Comedy Season Has Begun.

It seems that 2014 will be the season of cop comedies. With Ride Along being the first and Lets Be Cops coming out soon, there's a lot of pressure to be the comedy of the year.

Kevin Hart has managed to make his way into the movie scene starring in a variety of comedies this past year and is continuing to enroll himself with more parts. So this isn't the last we'll see of him.

Ride Along premiered at the start of this year. It's promising trailers excited audiences all over the country. The film follows Ben Barber (Hart) and his beau Angela Payton (Tika Sumpter) as they live on their daily love life. The only problem is Angela's brother James (Ice Cube) isn't too fond of Ben. When Ben is ready to take the next step in his relationship, Angela tells him she wants her brother's blessing.

Feeling intimidated by detective James Payton, Ben decides to enroll into the police academy hoping it will impress him. James's reaction is very skeptical. I mean, come on, Kevin Hart is 5'2". Who wouldn't be skeptical? James decides to take Ben on a ride along to see if he can handle the heat. The duo embark on a bonding journey filled with hilarious scenes and lines.

I was part of that excited audience. But I never had the chance to see it in theaters. I rented it last night and was really stoked to see Kevin Hart. He is hilarious. But when analyzing the movie as a whole, it really isn't that great. The plot is super underdeveloped making every single scene highly predictable.

The story line was too linear and did not expand beyond its boundaries. The action sequences were actually pretty good. But the whole movie wasn't terrible. It was actually pretty funny. Kevin Hart is such an energetic actor which factors into his humor. Well done Kev. As for Ice Cube, what can I say? He doesn't change. Picture his role in 21 Jump Street and place into Ride Along. They are almost identical.

I recommend this movie if you're looking for a good laugh with your friends and family. Trust me you'll find it hilarious. I looked crazy laughing at the movie while watching it during the night. The humor is golden. Maybe don't pay too much attention to the story line and pay attention to what they're actually saying. That's the key in enjoying this comedy. I rate Ride Along with a 6/10.

Take a Trip With the Millers!

Don't think two metric tons of marijuana can be smuggled across the border? Well think again. Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, and Will Poulter managed to do it in their new film We're the Millers.

The comedy follows David Clark (Sudeikis), a middle-aged drug-dealer, as he is given the mission of smuggling a "smidge" of marijuana across the border after going into debt with drug-lord Brad Gurdlinger. Realizing that it would be extremely difficult for him to accomplish the mission on his own, he decides to pose as a family. In comes stripper Rose O'Reilly (Aniston), Casey Mathis (Roberts), and Kenny Rossmore (Poulter) to help David as they travel across the border in an RV.

Throughout the film, the "family" starts to grow on each other even though they may not want it. They realize that if they're going to survive, they will have to work together to keep each other safe.

I was really excited to watch this movie after I saw the trailer for it. It looked hilarious! After several months, I finally got around to seeing this comedy. Honestly, I'm glad I did!

The movie is really funny. The actors are amazing in playing each of their roles. Jennifer Aniston is sexier than ever considering she's 45! Look at her!

The overall plot is very predictable. Which is kind of a let down. But, the story line's predictability allows room for more comedic lines giving the film the humorous support it needs. Jason Sudeikis plays his role in the same way he plays other characters in previous movies. So there is nothing huge to expect out of him. The rising star, Will Poulter, does a great job of executing an awkward, low self-esteem teenager. Not only that, but I am extremely jealous of him. He is probably the only guy out there that can say he made out with Jennifer Aniston and Emma Roberts! You are one luck guy Poulter.  Click here to watch the clip. 

We're the Millers has its fair share of heartwarming scenes that makes the film connect to the audience more effectively. Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn are also hilarious in representing the typical cheery-road trip family. I highly recommend you see this movie. I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it. 

W'e're the Millers is now one of my favorite comedies to date. It earns a 8/10.

Red Band Trailer 2:

Spider-Man Steps It Up

This past Friday, the highly anticipated sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man hit theaters creating a wave of reactions.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 continues the story of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) as he lives on his life saving innocent civilians and maintaining a relationship with his belle, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Yet, Gwen proves to be his weakness. Throughout the film, Gwen's father, Captain Stacy (Denis Leary), appears  in Peter's visions reminding him of the promise Peter made: whatever Peter does, Gwen must stay out of it.

While Peter is struggling with his relationship, the rich prep boy Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) comes back to the city to visit his father on his deathbed. After Norman Osborn dies, Harry inherits the multi-billion dollar corporation, Oscorp, along with its handy perks.

Now, where does Electro come into play you ask? Well, Electro is just another employee at Oscorp who idolizes Spider-Man every second he breathes. He has no friends and no apparent family. Everyone is basically disrespectful to him to the point where no one knows his name. When Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) is the result of an electrifying accident, he emerges as the infamous Electro. Now Spider-Man must face one of the most powerful villains exposed to the superhero to date. But wait, Green Goblin wants some of the action too.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn't necessarily at the top of my list of movies to watch this month. Mostly because I've never been a huge fan of Spider-Man. But the first released trailer for the movie drew me into the superhero's universe. In the trailers, three villains are shown. This made me really excited about the amount of action there would be. Man was I right!

The action sequences between Spider-Man and Electro are wonderfully done. A little respect is returned to the denoted superhero when Spider-Man demonstrates his powerful capabilities and wits when it comes to battle. The dubstep being played in synchronization with Electro's zaps add to the epic theme of action. Although the confrontation between vigilante and villain were pretty awesome, it turned out to be a flaw.

With the amount of work and time put into the battles of Electro and Spider-Man, a high expectation was set for the next action scene with the following villain. So when Spider-Man met the Green Goblin, I was a bit disappointed. They fought for maybe two and a half minutes. It exposed the difficulty of having too many villains.

If you can't decide if you want to go see the movie or not, just watch the trailers. They are such spoilers that it doesn't make the premiere any exciting. You only miss a few details (I won't spoil it for you). If it weren't for the under-developed action sequences, the movie would be a lot better. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 receives a 7.8/10.

80's High School Musical

Musical movies are always a rough business to go into. Not only does the producer have to take into account the musical numbers, but he also has to incorporate a good story line. Rock of Ages is a good example why the clash of these two concepts doesn't always work.

The film takes place during the late 80's and early 90's in LA. The story follows Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough); a typical small-town girl with a dream of making it in the music business. After getting her suitcase stolen, Drew Boley (Diego Boneta) approaches her and offers to help get her a job at The Bourbon. The club is run by Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and is known to host the biggest Rock n' Roll stars of the decade. But now, the club will go bankrupt if it doesn't pull out enough money to preserve the "Holy Grail of Rock."

Dennis decides to book none other than the most famous group of the 80's. Arsenal is led by rock star Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). A concert and a scam artist later, The Bourbon is still in a hole. Meanwhile, Sherrie is still struggling to hit it big and Drew may have gotten the career he hoped for. Oh but wait, there's more. A puritan driven group is threatening to shut down The Bourbon.

Since I have sisters, it was painful for me to sit and watch all three High School Musicals in a row. So naturally, I dove into Rock of Ages with a little skepticism. And guess what? I was right! The plot isn't developed far enough making everything seem rushed and out of place. The actors played really cheesy roles expect for a few. Such as the strip club owner Justice (Mary J. Blige) or rocker assistant manager Lonny (Russell Brand) who did a good job executing their roles. Lonny was actually pretty funny.

The only thing that saved this movie was the amazing soundtrack that tagged along throughout the movie. I do have to applaud Tom Cruise for doing a pretty good job of playing a drugged up horny rocker. Kudos to you man. Alec Baldwin had a terrible performance. It just didn't fit him. I recommend you stick to your Capital One commercials cause your acting days are over.

When looking at the film as whole, the movie isn't all that bad. But when playing close attention to the dialogue in each scene, it ruins it. It's just another lame musical that fails to deliver a well thought out story line. If you're into musical movies, I say you watch it. It might play well for you. But for me, Rock of Ages is going to have to be a 6/10.