Special: Rambo: Last Blood, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Missing Link Mini-Reviews

Rambo: Last Blood:

Synopsis: Almost four decades after he drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD marks the last chapter of the legendary series.

My thoughts: They certainly tried to go back to it's roots with the flick by trying to insert some storytelling in, especially when compared to the last Rambo flick. However due to that it acted more like a thriller for the first hour before kicking into overdrive for the final 30 minutes. This balancing act failed and so did the points. It had it's good and bad qualities but in the end, Last Blood, is a sad way to end the franchise if it is indeed "Last".

Final verdict: 3.5 Home Alone traps out of 5.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile:

Synopsis: Elizabeth Kloepfer refused for years to acknowledge that her boyfriend was a serial killer. Her partner, Ted Bundy, became famous in the 1980s for committing several heinous crimes against women, despite her disbelief, who watched passively as the murders were unleashed from a very unique perspective.

My thoughts: The cast is fantastic, as is the source material of course. Where this film dropped the ball was it's uneven direction and tonal shifts all over the place. I can understand the tone shifts when dealing with Efron as Bundy since they wanted to convey how he was 2 completely different people however they did it poorly and also decided to shift tones on secondary characters that didn't need it which took away from the watching experience.

Final verdict: 3.5 Ted Bundy tapes out of 5.

Missing Link:

Synopsis: Tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Link recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, our fearless trio of explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to the far reaches of the world to help their new friend. Through it all, the three learn that sometimes you can find a family in the places you least expect.

My thoughts: Laika has been on fire so I was definitely excited for this film, even once I saw the trailer and seemed "meh" towards the film as a whole, it was still Laika and it was still going to be good... But unfortunately it was just fine. There was nothing exciting going on here. It was dull, it was a generic world travelling story. None of the introspective views Laika films usually include but at least we got a good amount of gags to save this from being a complete letdown.

Final verdict: 3 yeti relatives out of 5.

Special: Top 10 Non-Christmas Movies That Take Place At Christmas

Well readers it's finally December so we're ready to tackle some Christmas lists this holiday season. To check out some past lists of the ilk search the blog for "Christmas" or when you get down to the bottom of this post the tags are listed and if you click on "Christmas" all the posts should come up. Anyways this week we're tackling 10 movies that aren't considered "Christmas Movies" but that take place on Christmas... So here we go.

10. Friday After Next

Finds Craig (Ice Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps) back in the old neighborhood where it all began. It's Christmas time and a ghetto Santa Claus breaks into their run-down apartment, stealing all their presents, along with anything else he can stuff into his sack, including the rent money hidden in their stereo speakers. Their only hope to not get evicted before Christmas is to take jobs as security guards at a local mall, where they learn some comic lessons about the true meaning of the holidays.

Best Christmas Quote: "That's right. Got my ass back in the projects. The only place where you get robbed by Santa Claus on Christmas Eve." - Craig Jones

9. Catch Me If You Can

Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) worked as a doctor, a lawyer, and as a co-pilot for a major airline -- all before his 18th birthday. A master of deception, he was also a brilliant forger, whose skill gave him his first real claim to fame: At the age of 17, Frank Abagnale, Jr. became the most successful bank robber in the history of the U.S. FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) makes it his prime mission to capture Frank and bring him to justice, but Frank is always one step ahead of him.

Best Christmas Quote: "Carl? Carl! Merry Christmas! How is it we're always talking on Christmas, Carl? Every Christmas, I'm talking to you!" - Frank Abagnale Jr.

8. Trading Places

Upper-crust executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and down-and-out hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) are the subjects of a bet by successful brokers Mortimer (Don Ameche) and Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy). An employee of the Dukes, Winthorpe is framed by the brothers for a crime he didn't commit, with the siblings then installing the street-smart Valentine in his position. When Winthorpe and Valentine uncover the scheme, they set out to turn the tables on the Dukes.

Best Christmas Quote: "Okay, pork belly prices have been dropping all morning, which means that everybody is waiting for it to hit rock bottom, so they can buy low. Which means that the people who own the pork belly contracts are saying, "Hey, we're losing all our damn money, and Christmas is around the corner, and I ain't gonna have no money to buy my son the G.I. Joe with the kung-fu grip! And my wife ain't gonna f... my wife ain't gonna make love to me if I got no money!" So they're panicking right now, they're screaming "SELL! SELL!" to get out before the price keeps dropping. They're panicking out there right now, I can feel it." - Billy Ray Valentine

7. Rocky IV

After reclaiming the boxing championship title, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) plans to retire and live with his wife, Adrian (Talia Shire). However, during an exhibition match, Rocky's friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is mercilessly beaten to death by hulking Russian newcomer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Rocky vows payback against Drago and flies to Russia to train for a Christmas Day fight. Despite their different training methods, Rocky and Drago both wage a long and intense match.

Best Christmas Quote: "Are you planning to grow reindeer or something? How the heck are you supposed to train here? What a depressing vacation. What about the Rose Bowl game? I hope they have my comics here." - Paulie

6. Prometheus

The discovery of a clue to mankind's origins on Earth leads a team of explorers to the darkest parts of the universe. Two brilliant young scientists lead the expedition. Shaw (Noomi Rapace) hopes that they will meet a race of benevolent, godlike beings who will in some way verify her religious beliefs, while Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) is out to debunk any spiritual notions. However, neither the scientists nor their shipmates are prepared for the unimaginable terrors that await them.

Best Christmas Quote: "No, no, no. It's Christmas, captain, and I want to open my presents." - Charlie Holloway

5. First Blood

Vietnam veteran and drifter John J. Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) wanders into a small Washington town in search of an old friend, but is met with intolerance and brutality by the local sheriff, Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy). When Teasle and his deputies restrain and shave Rambo, he flashes back to his time as a prisoner of war and unleashes his fury on the officers. He narrowly escapes the manhunt, but it will take his former commander (Richard Crenna) to save the hunters from the hunted.

Best Christmas Quote: None. That's right. They make no mention of the holiday but eagle eyed viewers can see Christmas Decorations in various location throughout the movie so put it on and enjoy.

4. Go

Grocery store clerk Simon (Desmond Askew) occasionally sells drugs from his cash register at work, so when soap opera actors Adam (Scott Wolf) and Zack (Jay Mohr) come looking for Ecstasy on a quiet Christmas Eve, they are surprised to find Ronna (Sarah Polley) covering his shift. Desperate for money, Ronna decides to become an impromptu drug dealer, unaware that Adam and Zack are secretly working for obsessed narcotics officer Burke (William Fichtner).

Best Christmas Quote: "They can't evict you on Christmas! Then you'd be ho-ho-homeless!" - Simon Baines

3. Kiss Kiss Band Bang

Two-bit crook Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) stumbles into an audition for a mystery film while on the run from the cops. Winning the part, he lands in Hollywood, where he's flung into a tangled, murderous conspiracy with his childhood sweetheart, Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan), and hard-boiled private eye Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer). This deadpan, affectionate parody of film noir tropes is named for film critic Pauline Kael's influential 1968 collection of film reviews and essays.

Best Christmas Quote: "Merry Christmas, sorry I fucked you over" - Perry van Shrike

2. Batman Returns

The monstrous Penguin (Danny DeVito), who lives in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with wicked shock-headed businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) to topple the Batman (Michael Keaton) once and for all. But when Shreck's timid assistant, Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), finds out, and Shreck tries to kill her, she is transformed into the sexy Catwoman. She teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly unexpectedly when she confronts the caped crusader.

Best Christmas Quote: "Two lives left. I think I'll save one for next Christmas. But in the meantime, how about a kiss, Santy Claus?" - Selina Kyle/Catwoman

1. Iron Man 3

Plagued with worry and insomnia since saving New York from destruction, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), now, is more dependent on the suits that give him his Iron Man persona -- so much so that every aspect of his life is affected, including his relationship with Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). After a malevolent enemy known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) reduces his personal world to rubble, Tony must rely solely on instinct and ingenuity to avenge his losses and protect the people he loves.

Best Christmas Quote: "Pepper, it's me. I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time, so... first off. I'm so sorry I put you in harm's way. That was selfish and stupid and it won't happen again. Also, it's Christmas time. The rabbit's too big. Done. Sorry. And I'm sorry in advance because... I can't come home yet." - Tony Stark/Iron Man

Special: Spectre/The Peanuts Movie/Creed Mini-Reviews

Spectre:

A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre.

My thoughts? Having not properly prepared myself before watching Spectre by watching Craig's previous outings as Bond, it would usually be hard to figure out where this new entry places among the others but Spectre was so below Skyfall and Casino Royale it's almost humorous that they only decide to put out a high quality Bond film every other one. Upon first viewing I might even put this new entry below Quantum of Solace which is disappointing given the potential with Christoph Waltz as the big baddie, if anyone seemed to be a tailor made Bond villain it's him, good thing they wasted that potential, on a side note bring back Javier Bardem. Not to say this movie is awful, just well below what should be Bond standards.

Final Verdict: 3 (almost 4) out of 5 helicopter tricks.

The Peanuts Movie:

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved "Peanuts" gang make their big-screen debut, like they've never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation. Charlie Brown, the world's most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron.

My thoughts? Bringing the fun of The Peanuts to a brand new generation that likely don't even know what a comic strip is, The Peanuts Movie succeeds on all kinds of levels. They make all the beloved characters likeable in their own way and the story was crafted in a fun way that it has a comic strip aesthetic to it where they give us a bunch of little drop ins that all have their charm to them but all work as a branch to the overall story. The animation is simplistic but beautiful. It made a fan out of me and I don't even care for the Peanuts holiday specials.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 dog flying aces.

Creed:

Adonis Johnson never knew his famous father,world heavy weight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there's no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed's legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa. Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo - the fierce rival who became his closest friend.

My thoughts? Much like the aforementioned Casino Royale, Creed doesn't act as another entry into a long running series that ran out of breath, rather it breathes fresh air into the series lungs giving it a rebirth. Yeah maybe the plot is a little too formulaic, but really, that's the only "bad" thing you could say about Creed, the movie that is, you can say a lot of bad stuff about the band. Either way this might be the best film of the year.

Final Verdict: 5 out of 5 underdog stories.