With the end of June, we've come to the halfway point of the traditionally long four-month summer movie season. In my opinion, even though the box office receipts keep rolling in here and abroad, May and June brought more disappointments than winners. The offerings of July and August aren't usually as strong as May and June, but maybe this year will be different.
Read MoreAs busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, sometimes a simple sentence or two from a friend says it all. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a possible new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for quick-hit movie reviews.
Read MoreHere is the master list of releases and dates for the late half of this summer movie season for 2014. Print it out, slap it on the fridge, and pick your spots. As always, dates and movies shift all of the time, so look before you drive out to the theater. Full preview coming up next!
Read MoreHere are my picks for the "Best of 2014 (so far)" with a halfway count of the five best instead of the full ten. It must be said, that I have far from seen every possible 2014 film entry. Plenty of mainstream and arthouse films have eluded me and my busy schedule, but there is enough to talk about here. As always, in matching with the theme of my website, I couple the best-so-far selection with the film's best life lesson. Enjoy!
Read MoreGo ahead and continue Tom Cruise's solid streak one more movie with the very entertaining "Edge of Tomorrow" opening this week. The funniest thing is Tom is essentially playing the opposite of his usual macho self and it still works. We're used to the take-charge man-of-action characters out of him, not the wimp and coward he plays here. Because of that, there's a certain unexpected humor coming out of "Edge of Tomorrow" that boosts its doom-and-gloom alien invasion setup.
Read MoreFans of the website will know that "Every Movie Has a Lesson" frequently collaborates with "Day at the Movies" run by Lubbock, Texas blogger +Tim Day. We commonly compare our reviews, interests, projects, and tastes to both of our groups of followers. As a staff member of Lubbock Christian University, Tim hosts a one-hour weekly radio show on Chap Radio to showcase "Day at the Movies" and share his opinions on recent theatrical releases, upcoming films, the latest movie gossip, new Netflix and Redbox recommendations, and much more.
Read MoreAll the buddy cop measurements and prerequisites are plugged into the new film "Let's Be Cops," which opens this coming August. I was lucky enough to catch a very advance screening of the film. The writers here, led by director Luke Greenfield of the forgettable "Something Borrowed," have the potential of a unique idea and a decent pair of leads to work with, but it's the real cop stuff that bogs the film down.
Read MoreBuyer beware, do not go into this movie hungry. You will chew the arm off of the person next to you and that's never a good date move (unless you're watching a zombie flick, which this is far from). Folks, do the dinner before the movie on this one, ladies and gentlemen, or you will willingly overeat afterwards. I warned you now. You'll see.
Read MoreThe successful revitalization brought by “X-Men: First Class” and the unfaded star power of Hugh Jackman have brought us to “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” Original series director Bryan Singer, fresh from “Jack the Giant Slayer,” and “X-Men: The Last Stand” screenwriter Simon Kinberg have returned to correct old mistakes, untangle the knots, and realign this previously failed franchise for a healthy new lease on cinematic life and relevance.
Read MoreAmazingly, I’m happy to report that this “Godzilla,” while actually having a trainwreck in it (two in fact), is not a complete trainwreck itself. This is a legitimate summer blockbuster in scale and in quality. The promised size and scope of monster carnage that the 1998 film failed to compellingly deliver and, honestly, we never thought we would see done right on the big screen is successfully accomplished in a big way. This new film makes “Pacific Rim” look as silly as it really is, “Transformers” look downright weak and tiny, and even makes the controversial city destruction final act of “Man of Steel” look like a knocked-over sand castle or two.
Read MoreThat said, the peak occupied by any R-rated comedy isn’t very high and far from snow-capped among the clouds of cinema greatness. Rarely do movies like “Neighbors” create any watershed or bedrock. In terms of peaks and heights, let’s go ahead and just call “Neighbors” your new favorite sledding hill or deluxe tree house. Besides, that’s not the “high” this film is looking for anyway, if you get my drift. The target is decidedly, and rightfully, low-brow.
Read MoreAs much as this new take still feels rehashed on many levels, this sequel is the real deal as an exciting comic book adventure and spectacle. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" is ideally suited to be the blockbuster opening act of the summer of 2014. It indeed does embody a second film that is narrowly better than the first film.
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