MoVTie Critic

  Recently, I did a post on another Science Fiction movie "Revolt" and was pleased with what it had to show, yet just recently I noticed two films about alien invasions at the box and rather try to write multiple post of the same movie genre, I decided to put them head to head to see who would come out on top for the most Green Mountain Stars (G.M.Stars).   Up first is "Alien Domicile". In the film, Hanna (Elly Brown) is a D.O.D. who wakes to find herself in a lower level room of a base in Nevada (believed to be Area 51) with no memory as to how she got there and with three other strangers, Lt. Gail Sullivan (Sabrina Cofield) of the U.S. Air Force, Dimitri (Eduard Osipov) a technician, and Russell Turner (Michael Monterio) a Government worker who all seem to be suffering a lapse of time and memory. Unbeknownst to them, a special forces team led by M.S. Ryan Pierce (Michael A. Tushaus) to take out an unknown enemy. When the two collide, it becomes clear t...

Just about every little girl wishes at one point of being a mermaid. Just sprouting that beautiful sleek, strong colorful tail and diving beneath the waves to see all the wonders the ocean has to offer. Yet what would happen if they found out, that mermaids are not just the stuff of legends and that they would soon find out what it takes to become one? Siren (Emmy Perry) lives in a quiet beach town with her mom (Elisabeth Rohm) and her best friend Crystal (Nikki Hahn). Life seems rather simple, even when a new kid Adam (Jack Grazer) moves to town. Yet that all changes when she is told within a week of her twelfth birthday that she is in fact a mermaid and that she will be transitioning into her gills and tale come that special day. While taking in the news and dealing with the changes is complicated enough, it becomes worse when Adam's father Gary Wilts (Stephen Snedden) is hunting for mermaids putting Adam in a difficult position between the love of his father and his l...

Since the classic black and white films depicting H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds" and many other Close Encounter films we have wondered what would happen if something were to invade our world and how we would strike back if given the chance. Bo (Lee Pace) is an American soldier who awakes in an West African prison aside a French doctor working as a foreign aid (Bérénice Marlohe) in a chaotic scene of robotic machines from another world wiping out humanity. With no memory of his past and only a partial name tag and a tattoo on his forearm as clues, they set out to a base said to be still fighting the alien invaders while trying to survive the hostile environment and others that are willing to kill without question. As they get closer to the base, it becomes clear to Bo that he has something that makes him different from others that may either aid him or destroy everyone. While there are many alien invader films out there, the aspect of this film that makes it stand out ...

Yes this is no joke, the movie is literally called "A Dog and Pony Show", and much like the title implies, it features performing animals. While this may not appeal to adults, it's a heart-warming film with slapstick comedy that young children will love. Dede (voice of Mae Whitman) is the headline performing dog (for some reason not the same dog on the movie poster, nor is there a sheep with glasses) for a traveling circus who has as much ego as talent. When she is suddenly separated from her circus family after a failed kidnapped attempt, she finds herself being taken in on a failing farm by a boy named Billy (Zachary Lowry) and his father Aaron (Ralph Macchio). The farm animals who have dysfunctions from a hypochondriac horse to a narcoleptic rooster come to befriend her as she helps them try to save their home and in turn comes to find that home and family are where you make it. It's very obvious at first look that the C.G.I. effects are simple and much of t...

 In my experience, there are two kinds of thrillers, those that keep you intrigued and the ones that completely creep you out by how far out they are. Loosely based on the play, "Iphigenia", Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) a cardiologist has a wonderful life. A beautiful wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), two beautiful children Kim and Bob (Raffey Cassidy and Sunny Suljic), good career, even taking some time out of his schedule to spend time with a needy kid named Martin (Barry Keoghan). At first, the time spent together is innocent, giving him the fatherly figure he lacks since his father died, but Martin's desire for Steven's time and attention soon turns to obsession and chooses to make Stephen make a terrible sacrifice or else he will lose all that he holds dear. Such artistic takes are not always understood at first and come off as bizarre and questionable. The strange acts of the characters in the odd topics they bring up and their behaviors are enough to make...

  Picture if you will that you're going about your day as if it were any other when you suddenly get word that a good friend of yours has been violently killed, there's no motive, there are no leads and everyone around you is quick to make assumptions and move on, except you. Would you give in, or would you search for answers? Addison Schacht (Ansel Elgort) finds himself in such a position when only after six months of losing his mother his friend Kevin (Jared Kemp) is shot to death while working at his job at the coffee shop. When hearing the news, he returns to find that rumors of gang violence as a motive are already circulating which doesn't sit well with him. With no success at getting the school or the police to listen to him, Addison decides to take matters into his own hands, and with some reluctant help from his friend/girlfriend Phoebe (Chloe Grace Moretz), he starts to find pieces linking Kevin to the dark underbelly of Washington D.C. which may in turn put...

In the age where we can just type in a name or a few chosen words and up pops a profile, a picture, even a video someone has posted and we get a look into their life. Some choose to use it to be heard, others choose it to be famous, but what happens when we abuse this luxury, and what happens when someone decides such sinful acts don't belong on the internet? Being filmed from the point of view of the killer and through images captured by computers, phones, even a droid, we watch the lives of seven teenagers unfold as an unknown killer stalks them. Ashley (Lizzie Gordon) a senior who has transferred to a new school after an incident at her old school is soon befriended by Hailey (Gabrielle Romanello) and Jenn (Megan Mendellin) who are looking for a replacement for their ex-friend Nicole (Cody Renee Cameron) to join them in their broadcastings of them with their other friends Brock (Charlie Ian), Tony (Cody Bruno) and Cade (Evan Sloan) using drugs and participating in sexual ...

   With all the movies we've got coming out with superheroes such as "Black Panther", "Deadpool 2", and the much anticipated third chapter of "The Avengers", it seems were just all looking for the next group of heroes to come along and learn their origin story and see what awesome power they have so that we can find some relatable connection to them. "Guardians" is about a group of heroes who were experiments of a Russian scientist who went rogue left over from The Cold War. Now in present day Russia, a project called "Patriot" has decided to find these individuals to stop the very scientist who created them who after an explosion in his lab has left him with super strength and has the ability to control electronics at his will. It will take all of them with their combined gifts of levitating the Earth, moving at the speed of wind with quick blades, turning invisible in water and transforming into a humanoid bear to stop him b...

  For many under the age of twenty-five, it's hard to remember that day since it was so confusing not fully understanding what was happening and why, but for those like me who were old enough to remember life before 9/ll and understand what happened and see how much everything changed overnight, it still can shake us even now. This story follows the events through the lives of five people who become stuck inside an elevator between the 37th and 38th floor in the North Tower just as the first plane hits. Jeffery Cage and his wife Eve, (Charlie Sheen and Gina Gershon), a maintenance worker Eddie (Luiz Guzman), a bike messenger Michael (Wood Harris) and a young single woman Tina (Olga Fonda). As the five try to figure out what's going on outside and how they will get out before the cable snaps, they must rely on each other and an elevator monitor (Whoopi Goldberg) who is only able to speak to them through an intercom as the events unfold. As the second plane hits, it soon bec...

Many know Samuel L. Jackson started his career with small roles such as the armed robber in "Coming to America" until working his way up to the big roles such as "Pulp Fiction", "Snakes on a Plane" and his recent role with Ryan Reynolds "The Hitman's Bodyguard", but I'll bet many didn't hear about the Finnish-Britain film "Big Game" The story starts of with soon to be 13 year old Oskari, (Onni Tommia) a Finnish boy preparing to go out into the wilderness armed only with a bow and arrow and a four wheeler with some basic supplies for a right of passage that if completed will make him be seen in the eyes of the village men that came before him as a man. Meanwhile, Air Force One is flying overhead to Helsinki on business when they suddenly find themselves under attack. Forced to abandon the plane in an escape pod, President William Alan Wallace (Samuel L. Jackson) is found by Oskari and must go with him on his hunt if he...

Remember when your mother or father told you to never judge a book by its cover, well that certainly qualifies here, only when they said it to you, they were expecting you to find something good inside. This documentary-style film follows average people who have qualified with their own "original recipes" and will compete for one million dollars in a cooking competition, but just as soon as the ovens turn on the heat turns up the drama for many of these contestants that vary from two competing sisters, an odd man standing out, a mother with two outspoken children and a housewife with a bun already in the oven. With foul-mouthed remarks and just enough cheese to supply a Super Bowl party. It's needless to say at this point that the statement at the bottom, "A half-baked comedy with extra cheese" is a pretty accurate statement. The plot was weak the characters were all over the place with their personalities. It was easy to see why both Melissa and Louie...

Normally, I wouldn't try to do a movie that is past opening week let alone all the way through onto Blu Ray and DVD, however I feel this was very under publicized and overlooked by many. So I decided in the spirit of "Movies You May Have Missed" to do a post about this film. Harry Hole (yes, I know, bad name) (Michael Fassbender) is a Norwegian detective who is on the trail of a serial killer who strikes women when the snow falls after receiving a letter from him putting him a cat and mouse game. With the help of his new recruit Katrina (Rebecca Ferguson), he starts to connect his case to other stemming over the past few decades to another detective Rafto (Val Kilmer). As the killer becomes more bold, the bodies start to add up in this cat and mouse game as they search for the connection and that the answer may be closer than they think. While I was impressed it had big names like Val Kilmer and J.K. Simmons in this, I found the story to move a little slow. You al...

Thanks to my father, I have grown up watching old western shows and movies and have an appreciation for the cultural influence it had on his generation and continues to inspire others today. I've watched episodes of Bonanza, The Rifle Man and countless other films I couldn't even begin to name, many starring the legendary John Wayne, so when I saw this 2010 western starring "Game of Thrones" actor Peter Dinklage, I knew I had to add it to the blog. In this modern western, a woman named Juliette Flowers is on a journey to make good on a promise that she made to her late lover Ransom Pride to bring his body back home to be buried beside his mother, however there are those out for blood with other ideas. A voodoo woman by the name of Bruja has taken claim of his body because he shot her brother before he died and demands a trade. Offering to bring his brother, Juliette sets out to bring Champ Pride, but his father Reverend Early Pride, a high and mighty preacher wa...

The world of science fiction has come a great distance since the days of Star Trek and is now loved by more than the awkward nerds. Yet there are those that still can't quite grasp the storylines and it just goes over their head. This film had a mixture of confusion and insight.   Ana is an American student studying at Oxford for her Ph. D. in chemical engineering. While experimenting with algorithms, she stumbles across away to cause matter to vanish. Recruiting her fellow classmates Nate and Liv to help with her experiment they discover they can move matter through wormholes they create. With a chance at funding, they move on to testing on something bigger than lab rats, Ana. After volunteering as the test subject, she finds herself unable to remember the events of the experiment or retain any new memories and her colleagues and those around her seem to be behaving differently towards her. With vivid dreams and a growing distrust in others, it fuels her paranoia that somet...

Anyone who's a mom knows that a life of diapers, stepping on toys and chauffeuring noisy children day in and day out can make you want to reclaim your freedom. That's what these four moms decide to do. Emily (Kate Aselton), Jen (Jessica Chaffin), Melanie (Bridget Everett) and Jamie (Molly Shannon) play four suburban moms with different ways they go about raising their kids get together for a mom's night out that quickly turns into an escapade of crazy antics, drinking and marijuana and having the night of their lives while discovering who they are and discovering the strength of friendship. This film can be described as a blend of "Bad Moms" and "Rough Night" on a tamer level. I found the characters to be relatable when it came to being down to earth with each other, yet there were times I wondered how many women would behave like this if given the chance. We all wish it, but to make it a reality is unrealistic, yet that just may be the whole po...

No, this is not a sequel to Will Ferrell's holiday classic, and while it's no longer the holidays, I thought after seeing this it was worth a mention. This film follows a man named Nick and his fiancé Victoria on Christmas Eve looking through an old toy store that Nick inherited. While searching in the back, he comes across a trunk with a creepy looking red and green elf with a knife in its hand next to an old "naughty list" written on a piece of cloth and is suddenly having snow fall on him indoors and a strange symbol branded onto his wrist. Having the elf suddenly vanish, he dismisses it as one of his "episodes" because of an incident that happened as a child at Christmastime, which has given him a great dislike for the holiday, but Victoria loves the holiday and wants to have a future with him, so she surprises him with her family and just as a snow storm is moving in, that's when the terror begins. One by one, the evil elf starts to pick the...

   Well, here's my first review. I just got done watching this one so the images are still pretty vivid. Let's start off by saying if you're into horror/thrillers like me, even the bad ones then this might be worth a watch. It takes place on a college campus, the typical setting for many horror movies where Laura (Alycia Debnam-Carey) is your pretty but not full of herself popular girl. She's got good friends, a med-student boyfriend and lots of social media post and pics of her living her wonderful life. It starts off with her and her friends attending one of her lectures and the professor announcing that a fellow classmate named Marina or Ma Rina on social media (Leisl Ahlers) has committed suicide leaving the room silent and Laura guilt-ridden. Why? Because flashing back to two weeks before you learn of how she accepted a friend request from the quiet, loner, pulling hair out of her own head Ma Rina. At first all seems well and that she's a unique interes...

Hey all you readers out there and welcome to my blog. I bet you're wondering what's with the misspelling, well, that's just my way of getting your attention and to establish that I'm from Vermont and I love movies. As far as my full name is concerned, it's not so important. Just call me Em. I've been a fan of movies for years, comedies, horror, suspense thrillers, even the cute kid movies, both the blockbusters and the little known indie films. I also happen to be an aspiring writer and have dabbled with the idea of doing a blog for a while and have finally decided to go for it. A few times a week, I'll be giving my opinion on films I've viewed, a few hit films that have come out and films that I will be referring to as, "Movies you may have missed". These are the films that haven't gotten publicity or you might only find at film festivals until they hit the Wal Mart $5.00 boxes or Netflix. This way you're getting the insight on a film ...