Nerd in the 'Noke

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), PG, 102 minutes - I hadn't realized it until a couple of days ago, but this review is an anniversary post of sorts.  Not only was the original How to Train Your Dragon the first review posted here on the blog, but as it turns out, that was also five years ago! How to Train Your Dragon 2 takes place five years after the events of the first film, a time in which the people of Berk have learned to co-habitate with dragons and work together to build a thriving society.  Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has become well respected and his father Stoic (Gerard Butler) the village chief has named him his successor.  Along with his dragon Toothless, Hiccup still likes to roam, explore, and map out previously uncharted territories surrounding Berk.  On one of their scouting trips, they come across what could be considered a dragon oasis.  Along with this exciting discovery, Hiccup uncovers the whereabouts of two people from Berk's past.  One his thought-to-be

Edge of Tomorrow (2014), PG-13, 113 minutes - Have you ever wondered what a sci-fi/alien invasion version of Groundhog Day might look like?  No?  Well, to be perfectly honest I haven't either, but with Edge of Tomorrow that's exactly what we get.  Based on the 2009 Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka (which has also been adapted to manga), Edge of Tomorrow deals with the United Defense Force's attempt to thwart the invasion of Earth by an alien race known as Mimics (think of a cross between a lion and the sentinels from The Matrix). Major Cage (Tom Cruise) is a U.S. military public relations desk jockey that is thrown onto the front lines by General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) of the United Defense Force (UDF) after a disagreement the night before what will become the final battle.  Thrust into action with no battle experience, Cage last's longer than most of the rest of J Company and even manages to kill a large Mimic as it impales him.  

A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), R, 116 minutes - First things first: A Million Ways to Die in the West is a raunchy raunchy comedic western.  This isn't the sort of 'R' rated film you take your kid to.  For anyone familiar with writer/director Seth MacFarlane's work that may not be much of a surprise.  For those that aren't, the trailer - even the non-red band trailer seen below - gives a pretty good idea of what to expect. This is MacFarlane's first theatrical project since 2012's Ted, the surprise comedic hit from that summer.  A Million Ways to Die in the West follows suit with loads of MacFarlane-brand humor.  Albert Stark (MacFarlane) is a paranoid, down on his luck sheep herder from the western frontier town of Old Stump, Arizona in 1882 and believes that pretty much anything can and will go wrong in the wild west.  Examples of which are illustrated throughout the film, some more ridiculous than others. I always have difficulty writing