HERCULES (2014) – My rating: 7.5/10

Ho Hum, it’s pretty much the same story I’ve seen and heard many times before. While Dwayne Johnson makes a fantastic Hercules, he can’t change the redundancy of the story. Hercules is about a strong man or Demigod (which ever tickles your fancy), who’s family was killed while he was drugged by some unknown person. Since he doesn’t know what happened, he can’t defend himself against the accusation that he killed his wife and 3 children in a drunken stupor. In the meanwhile he’s asked to defend villages, towns and nations against armies, thieves, monsters and robbers because of his strength and knowledge. Finally he comes across a situation that encourages him to commit to saving Greece from a ruthless warlord only to find truth and freedom. I really liked Hercules because I really like period pieces. It was done tastefully and was entertaining. The cast was brilliant and well acted. I think we are at a point in history where not too much will surprise us and I don’t see plots and story lines being too different. I think Hercules is a decent investment of time and money.

LAST VEGAS (2013) – My rating: 7/10

Last Vegas is a pretty good movie.  Michael Douglas (Billy), Morgan Freeman (Archie), Robert Di Nero (Paddy) and Kevin Kline (Sam)  are best friends from childhood.  Now senior citizens, they get together to attend a wedding in Las Vegas.  Michael Douglas is getting married to someone half his age and is not in good favor with one of the members of this elite party of long time friends.  It seems they butted heads years ago because Paddy’s wife died and Billy didn’t attend the funeral, among other things.  To complicate matters more, they meet a singer in Las Vegas, Diana (Mary Steenburgen) and both Paddy and Billy fall for her.  Eventually they suck up their differences and the journey continues. Last Vegas is  a lesson in friendship, trust and doing the right thing.  An enjoyable movie with a wholesome message.  Now that it’s out on DVD,  I think it’s certainly worth checking into.  There are some very funny moments and its interesting to see how the team works out all their problems.