Turkey Trot 2015 Video

 My goal for the turkey trot video was to finish in less than 30 minutes.  How did I do?  Check out the video and find out.
Enjoy!

My Spoiler Free Star Wars The Force Awakens Review

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Movie Review by Brian Wezowicz

 George Lucas created perhaps the single most recognized piece of pop culture in Star Wars (Now subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope) in 1977.  For almost 40 years it (and its subsequent sequels and prequels) has shaped the lives of millions of fan boys and fan girls across the globe.  With that being said, George Lucas has spent the past 40 years taking a Jabba sized dump on his most prized (and lucrative) creation with his endless tinkering of the original trilogy, and his widely panned prequel trilogy.  Even the most loyal prequel supporters (I'm including myself) can fully admit that they were a huge disappointment filled with already dated CGI and wooden dialogue and acting.

We all breathed a sigh of relief when he handed the reigns over to Disney and their chosen director JJ Abrams.  BUT I think a lot of us were concerned because we didn't know what to expect.  I, personally, shied away from any spoilers and reviews before I saw this film.  I wanted to experience it with fresh eyes and ears.  I can tell you that my already sky high expectations were blown away.  RejoiceStar Wars fans! The Force Awakens is an epic masterpiece.

Now Disney and Lucasfilm have spent considerable time and energy into keeping the plot to this film under wraps, and I know there are a large amount of people who will kill me if I ruin anything for them.  So I'll list what I loved about this film.

 - It feels like a Star Wars movie.

The prequels suffered because they were dragged down by unnecessary plots featuring trade negotiations and Senate procedures.  In its simplest form, a Star Wars film is about good vs. evil... set in space.  This film feels right.  There's a new Empire (now dubbed The First Order), and its up to our band of rebels to take them down.

- It sounds like a Star Wars movie.

John Williams' score is omnipresent throughout this movie and it adds a layer of excitement, wonder, humor and realism to every scene.

 - It looks like a Star Wars movie.

JJ Abrams insistence on focusing on practical effects is extremely effective.  This movie looks GORGEOUS.  Whereas the prequels felt like you were watching a video game, this film looks real because it IS real.  Actual sets, makeup and costumes go a long way in painting the picture of this Galaxy far far away.

- Our old friends are back and better than ever.

Han, Chewie, Leia are other favorites all back and these famous actors infuse their characters with life, humor, and wisdom that only 35+ years of experience playing them can do.  I was worried that JJ was going to focus too much on nostalgia, but that's far from the case.  Harrison Ford, in particular, knocks it out the park in his most famous role.

- The familiar plot feels fresh.

No spoilers, but this movie is basically an updated version of A New Hope.  However, at the same time, the script sets up an entire new battle between good and evil, while not boring us with the details.  The First Order is set up without spending an hour explaining us how they rose to power.  We'll get to that in good time, so just sit back and enjoy this ride.

- The Lightsaber battles are out of this world, yet totally plausible.

The thing I most disliked about the prequels (besides Jar Jar) was how crazy the Lightsaber battles were.  There were too many flips and flops that didn't seem organic within this movie franchise.  The saber battles in this film seem to have been grounded (quite literally... there aren't any flips) in reality.  They seem more like the samurai battles were were originally mimicking.

- It leaves me thirsty for more.

I'm REALLY excited to see where this franchise goes.  The Force Awakens has a nice self contained story, while opening the window to a wider world that we'll get a better look at down the line when Episode VIII comes out.

Rejoice fans and non fans alike.  The Force Awakens is the movie event of the decade.  It's an epic masterpiece that will truly stand the test of time.  4 out of 4 stars.

See it now, see it often, and bring friends.  Congratulations JJ Abrams.  This is your finest work yet.  You even managed to keep the lens flares to a minimum.

Mockingjay Part 2 - A dark, fitting conclusion to the Hunger Games saga

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Movie Review

by Brian Wezowicz

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, besides being a mouthful of a title, is an incomplete movie.  By the very nature of its title, it is a continuation.  I will fully admit that the final book of Suzanne Collins' epic young adult trilogy is nothing but a blatant cash grab.  These movies both dragged at times because they needed to pad the script to make two movies out of one book.  With that being said, I am a fan of both movies, and Part 2 is certainly a fitting conclusion to the series.

Mockingjay Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 left off.  The rebels of District 13, led by Katniss Everdeen (an always entertaining Jennifer Lawrence), are prepping to strike the nefarious Capitol and strike the critical blow in the reign of President Snow (played with a slithering callousness by the great Donald Sutherland).  The only issue remains is whether to trust Peeta, who has been corrupted by the candidate like a Panem version of The Manchurian Candidate.

Whereas Part 1 drags and crawls at a snails pace, Part 2 moves along with full steam ahead.  It rarely lets its foot off the gas pedal, as our heroes storm the walls of the Capitol.  There are some genuinely horrifying, almost horror movie-esque moments as Katniss & Co. have to snake their way through the Capitols series of terrifying boobie traps (the river of boiling oil is especially impressive), barely escaping by the skin of their teeth.  By the time they reach the final battle, you as an audience are as exhausted thanks to some impressive camera work that fully immerses you in the battles.

The complaint I have about this series, and this film in particular, is that it really struggled to flesh out the love story (or that it felt necessary to inject one in the first place). It feels forced, particularly when there's a break from the action and the script tries (and fails) to inject some romance into an otherwise bleak dystopian future.  It doesn't help that the superb Jennifer Lawrence is surrounded by rather wooden actors seem incapable of showing any other emotion than terror.  I don't get a sense that there is a romantic connection between any of them.

Sadly, Mockingjay Part 2 also stalls in the sequences in between the action.  The producers very easily could have trimmed the fat from both films and made a truly spectacular Mockingjay movie.  I understand the economics of splitting up the final book, but in a creative sense, it left both movies feeling incomplete.

I'm giving this movie 2.5 stars out of 4.  There's a lot of good, but I can't rate it any higher since you need to see the first one to fully enjoy this one.