Nerd in the 'Noke

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), R, 122 minutes - I may have been overly excited for this film due to finally having seen the first John Wick just last weekend, but John Wick: Chapter 2 definitely didn't disappoint. There's a bit more going on in this second installment, but it works well, fleshing out more details of the underground hitman network introduced in the first film.  Director Chad Stahelski wastes little time jumping into the action, kicking the film off with John (Keanu Reeves) charging into a Russian chop shop run by Abram Tarasov (Peter Stormare) - brother of Viggo, uncle of Iosef from the first film - in search of his stolen 1969 Mustang.  After calling a truce with the Russian and retrieving his car (albeit virtually totaled), John returns home to what he thinks will be the quiet life of retirement.  Shortly thereafter, he is visited by Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), who is calling in a marker on John (a blood-sworn debt).  We learn that Jo...

John Wick (2014), R, 101 minutes - John Wick has been on my 'need to watch' list for quite a while.  Longer than I had realized actually.  I remember hearing good things about it shortly after it was released, but apparently time then got away from me.  I was aware that it was well received enough that a sequel was being made.  What I didn't realize was that the sequel was already completed and being released last weekend.  That's when I decided that it was about time to see what all of the buzz was about.  Nothing like being two years late to the party! John Wick is a fairly straight forward, but wonderfully made revenge flick.  Wick (Keanu Reeves) is an ex-hitman, known as 'The Boogeyman', who has retired to the quiet life and settled down with his wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan).  As the film begins, we learn that Helen has recently passed due to an unspecified illness.  Knowing that John will require something to fill the void left in ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), PG-13, 137 minutes - From what I have read online, the creators of the latest Pirates installment wanted 'dumb' down the plot. That isn't meant in a bad way, there was just so much going on in the second and third films (who was two timing who) it really took away some of the fun. This time around they were definitely successful in providing a plot that isn't so convoluted, but it dragged on a bit. On Stranger Tides marks the first film in the franchise that isn't directed by Gore Verbinski. Instead Rob Marshall (Memoirs of a Geisha, Chicago) was at the helm. Of course Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow returns. After all, there wouldn't be a Pirates of the Caribbean franchise if not for him. The rest of the cast is comprised of a nice mixture of familiar faces (Geoffrey Rush, and Kevin McNally) and new characters (Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane). The story does include a little two timing - or ...