Month: May 2015 (Page 2 of 10)

Movie Review: “Aloha”

May 28, 2015 / Jack Giroux

Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Alec Baldwin, Bill Murray, Danny McBride

Cameron Crowe

Thus far, optimism has reigned supreme in this summer of moviegoing. “Mad Max: Fury Road” was about finding hope and redemption in a wasteland, “Tomorrowland” championed positivity, and now the king of sincerity himself, Cameron Crowe, has given us “Aloha.” The director’s latest effort is a Cameron Crowe film through and through – a heartfelt, funny and honest, albeit a little messy, romantic comedy.

Like most of Crowe’s protagonists, Brian Gilchrist (Bradley Cooper) isn’t the man he once was, a washed-up defense contractor looking for a comeback. His boss, famed billionaire Carson Welch (Bill Murray), is planning on launching a satellite out of Hawaii, and it’s Brian’s job to make sure the launch goes according to plan. Professionally and personally, the cynical Brian runs into more problems than he expected. For starters, his ex-girlfriend Tracy (Rachel McAdams) is now married to John ‘Woody’ Woodside (John Krasinski) and has two kids. Old feelings for Tracy arise when Gilchrist reunites with her, in addition to new ones for his babysitter/partner, Allison Ng (Emma Stone), an ambitious pilot who sees Brian for the man he used to be and the man he could become.

There’s actually more to “Aloha” than that plot description. There are a lot of moving pieces in Crowe’s script, and it takes time for them to become a cohesive unit. The details of Brian’s mission are a tad hazy at first, and his relationship with Allison is initially rushed, as she falls for him a little too quickly. But by the time the second act rolls around, Crowe and the cast are mostly smooth sailing.

Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Movies

Aloha Aloha review Bradley Cooper Cameron Crowe Emma Stone Rachel McAdams

Movie Review: “San Andreas”

May 28, 2015 / Jason Zingale

Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Giamatti, Ioan Gruffudd, Archie Panjabi

Brad Peyton

Roland Emmerich would be proud. “San Andreas” is every bit the big, dumb and loud disaster movie that everyone expected it to be, delivering on that promise with some sensational, effects-heavy action that’s practically begging to be turned into a theme park attraction. Though some people will undoubtedly criticize the film for doing exactly what it sets out to achieve, “San Andreas” is pretty upfront about its intentions, doing no more and no less than it needs to in order to get its characters from point A to point B. This is the type of guilt-free popcorn movie that the summer blockbuster season is built around, and while it never amounts to much more than cinematic eye candy, that’s kind of the point.

Dwayne Johnson stars as Chief Ray Gaines, a former military helicopter rescue pilot who now works for the Los Angeles Fire Department saving lives alongside the same crew that served with him overseas. When a big earthquake hits Nevada, tearing apart the Hoover Dam in the process, Ray is forced to cancel a road trip with his daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) to help with the rescue effort. But Cal Tech seismologist Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti) predicts that an even bigger earthquake is going to occur along the San Andreas Fault, with San Francisco getting hit the hardest, placing Blake smack dab in the middle of the impending destruction. After rescuing his soon-to-be ex-wife, Anna (Carla Gugino), from a crumbling building in Los Angeles, the pair heads to San Francisco to save their daughter before she becomes another victim of the devastating quake.

Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Movies

Alexandra Daddario Carla Gugino Dwayne Johnson San Andreas San Andreas review

Workouts and Weights: Finding the Right Gym for You

May 28, 2015 / Bullz-Eye Staff

Not all gyms are equal and depending on what your personal goals are and what you are looking to achieve from your workout routine, it is possible to find the right gym for you, if you ask the right questions before you sign up.
Gym membership has certain advantages and one of them is the chance to use a range of fitness equipment that would cost you a lot of money to buy if you were considering setting up a small gym at home.

Here is a look at key factors like cost and other points to consider so that you are able to find the right gym for your needs.

Prioritize

A good starting point would be to create a list of priorities. Write out a list of facilities and equipment that you would absolutely want to have in the gym you are thinking about joining and then dilute the list down to items that you would also like to see.

Lifestyle

time to choose a gym

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

May 28, 2015 / Bullz-Eye Staff

You may have noticed the popularity of MMA (mixed martial arts) events on television and pay-per-view specials in addition to seeing a few notable athletes in movies and television. The popularity of MMA is fairly new, yet a number of martial arts that fighters use to defeat their opponents, including Brazilian jiu jitsu, have existed for centuries. Below, you’ll be more interested in the sport after learning of the many benefits training affords.

History

In the early 1600s, Japan experienced a time of peace following feudal wars, yet military and civilians alike shared the mantra, “live in peace but remember war.” It was agreed that people should learn self-defense, and many styles of fighting were used, yet grappling, fighting without the use of weapons, grew in popularity. Grappling incorporated many techniques and styles used in hand-to-hand combat while its main focus taught disciples to fight from the ground. Jiu-Jitsu grew from Judo, and the Gracie family is often credited with bringing the style of fighting to Brazil and ultimately the USA.

Lifestyle

MMA

Coming Soon: A Moviegoer’s Guide to June

May 26, 2015 / Jason Zingale

After a successful start to the summer thanks to surefire hits like “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and over-performers like “Pitch Perfect 2” and “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the blockbuster movie season continues with a pair of much-anticipated sequels, the big screen debut of an HBO favorite, and a welcome return to originality from the brilliant minds at Pixar. This month also features its share of Sundance favorites, so you’ll have a hard time not finding an excuse to visit your local theater a few times throughout June.

“Entourage”

Who: Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara
What: As his first piece of business as Warner Brothers’ new studio head, former super-agent Ari Gold greenlights Vincent Chase’s directorial debut.
When: June 3rd
Why: It’s been four years since “Entourage” ended its incredible run on HBO, and in that time, there’s been a lot of talk about a potential big screen revival from series creator Doug Ellin, producer Mark Wahlberg and the cast. But now that it’s finally here, does anyone even care? That’s what we’re about to find out, but if “Sex & the City” (which had a similar gap between its series finale and the first movie) is any indication, the studio has nothing to worry about. “Entourage” already has a built-in audience, so the real question is whether non-fans will bother to take the plunge, and perhaps more importantly, how much they’ll need to know about the series to understand the events of the film.

“Spy”

Who: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne and Jude Law
What: A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer and prevent diabolical global disaster.
When: June 5th
Why: Despite starring in some of the worst comedies of the last few years, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of Melissa McCarthy slowing down. For what it’s worth, “Spy” looks like it might be McCarthy’s best starring vehicle to date, although that’s largely due to the other people involved. It’s nice to see Jason Statham finally getting a crack at comedy (even if he’s playing the straight man here), while Jude Law and Rose Byrne are some of the most dependable actors in the business. The movie also played like gangbusters at SXSW earlier this year, and though that’s not exactly the best gauge of its quality, it can’t be any worse than “Tammy.”