Super, Sucks, or Surprise . . . February 20th releases

What a start we've had to an insanely epic line-up for 2015!  With all of the superhero movies coming out, the new Star Wars movie, the new Mission Impossible movie, and Jurassic World, this is the year for big-budget sequels!  So where is the room for originals or indies?  There are a few, but overall, it's going to be interesting to see how they fair in this monster line-up.  Here's a look at the February 20th edition, with the addition of Kingsman, of Super, Sucks, or Surprise...


  Kingsman: The Secret Service

This movie looks funny and very interesting.  Colin Firth's (The King's Speech) character reminds me of a combination of James Bond and John Steed from the original Avengers. The cast of characters looks intriguing as it includes, in addition to Firth, Samuel L. Jackson (The Avengers), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Mark Hamill (Star Wars: Episodes IV, V, &VI), Michael Caine (The Prestige), Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean) and newcomer Taron Edgerton (Legends).  It has the potential to be lots of fun with an entertaining twist on traditional British spy plots.  It also has the potential to be just another cheeky plot.

                                      Potential? . . . Surprise!



 Hot Tub Time Machine 2

There's only one question: WHY?  The first one was pointless.  If at all possible, this one is less than pointless.  The title should be Hot Tub Time Machine 2: Soaking More Stupid.  Enough said. I will not be going to see this movie if you handed me the tickets and paid my gas to go.

Potential? . . . Sucks!





The D.U.F.F.

A teen flick about social hierarchy in schools, this movie is about the "Designated Ugly Fat Friend" or DUFF who tries to create a social revolution in her school.  Not new material, but this is the first time someone has actually entitled a movie so brazenly.  What bothers me most about this particular movie is that the role of the actress playing the "DUFF", Mae Whitman (The Perks of Being a Wildflower) is not even close to being fat.  If they try to imply that kids can be mean just because you're not the skinniest person in the room, then that's one thing, but if it comes off implying that she's fat because she's not as skinny as the super-model skinny teens they've hired to play the popular girls, then we have a problem.  We'll have to wait and see.
   
                                      Potential? . . . Surprise!



McFarland, USA

I am impressed with the movies that Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves) has been involved in recently.  This movie, too, looks to be an inspiring one.  Working with a group of hard-working Hispanic youths from the high school where he has just been hired as the P.E. teacher, Costner sees that the families all work very hard and as a result, a group of young men in his class show the potential to be competitive cross-country runners. With the Nki Caro, director of North Country and Whale Rider, directing this, it could be a classic.

Potential? . . . Super!

That's about gist of this week's releases.  The remaining two films: Gloria, about a rock star Gloria Trevi, and Wild Tales, a foreign film about six stories of revenge, look like horrible films and BOTH rate the EPIC Suck! level - particularly the one about Trevi.