Creed

Wow, where to start. There were high points in this movie. I enjoyed a lot of the callbacks to the "Rocky" series. The training sequences were great and staging the whole of the first fight between Creed and Leo the Lion in one continuous shot was ballsy as hell and really worked. However, that's where my praise has to end. Michael B. Jordan is a much better actor than this movie let him show. If you liked him here, please rent "Fruitvale Station" immediately, for which he should have gotten award attention. Creed's character development was shallow at best, and we aren't given enough of him as a child in the streets for me to buy the rage he stows inside him. But, for me, the crime was how Rocky's character was written. Anyone who knows anything about concussive trauma knows that, if you follow the trajectory of Rocky's head trauma, he should be significantly impaired in this film, and he's just not. Stallone has always been so careful to sell Rocky's TBI that I was floored at how much better his condition was than in "Rocky Balboa". However, when I saw Stallone neither wrote nor directed this film, so much made sense. This was an average film that could have been great in more capable hands. And, further, Stallone's performance was not strong enough for the Oscar nod he got. Sorry, but this was just average for me. 3/5

EDITED TO ADD: Ack, totally forgot. The revelation in this film was Tony Bellew who played Pretty Ricky Conlan. I had to look him up after I finished, and he really is a boxer. Damn that kid can act. I hope to see him do more in the future.

Creed on Netflix

Escape Plan

The plot may be weak but Arnold & Sly together was a treat & the action on the escape was wonderful & pure. 3.5/5

 Escape Plan on Netflix

The Expendables

Insultingly bad. I've literally never heard such poorly written dialogue in a professional movie w/a budget. 2 stars

Follow-up: The only reasons it gets two stars are:

• There were some epic action sequences
• The cinematography was nice
• Jason Statham was, well, Statham-y.
• Mickey Rourke had a nice emotive scene

Whatever the situation, there are only so many things you can have a character say in a movie like this. At every opportunity, without fail, if there was an awkward, lame or overly-expository way to say something, that is what they did. I wasn't aware that Stallone was such a hack, so I place the blame on the writer that I know is a hack, David Callaham. Also? Jet Li was wasted, Sly and Eric Roberts should have traded roles and there were plot holes you could fly a Grumman Albatross through. It was shit. Insulting, nonsensical shit. Best part of the experience was the gag reel on the DVD.

The Expendables at Netflix