Robot & Frank (2012)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no major reveals or plot twists**

In the near future, an elderly and retired cat burglar named Frank Weld (Frank Langella) lives alone in a messy house buried deep in the woods of Cold Spring, Ney York. Frank, suffering from a severe case of dementia, constantly refuses his son, Hunter’s (James Marsden) offers to seek help. But Hunter is tired of taking ten hour trips to visit and check up on Frank, so Hunter gives Frank two non-negotiable options. Option one, Frank can spend the rest of his days in a research facility/retirement home dedicated to studying memory loss. Option 2? Frank allows a live-in robot to take care of him.

Robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) is forced on Frank, and Frank is reluctant to accept Robot into his life at first, but things change, when Frank realizes he can train Robot to do anything. Meanwhile, Frank tries to woo Jennifer (Susan Sarandon), a local librarian, under the watchful eye of her boss, Jake (Jeremy Strong). Frank’s growing bond with Robot is disrupted by his visiting daughter Madison (Liv Tyler). Madison is dedicated to a life of philanthropy, and she doesn’t like the idea of her father relying on a robot.

With Robot’s help, Frank plans one more big heist, but he'll have to outsmart a suspicious Sheriff Rowlings (Jeremy Sisto). Frank suffers a series of unexpected setbacks, forcing Frank into a tough decision that will change his life forever.

Brilliant. It’s the first word that comes to mind for describing Frank Langella’s performance. Langella is this cranky old codger at first, but as the story develops, you’ll see a vulnerable old man, who’s frightened at the thought of living a broken and lonely life. Plus, Langella is able flex his muscles with some smooth charisma during a handful of scenes with Sarandon, and Langella oozes confidence, while reliving his glory days as a cat burglar. It’s a remarkable performance, because the Frank character is loaded with so many layers, and Langella nails each one.

I give the nod to Liv Tyler for the second best performance in this cast. Madison is this obsessive hippie, and at times, you get the sense she’s a self-righteous phony. Madison hates robots, and she’s for all things natural, but there’s a scene where Madison uses Robot (unbeknownst to Frank) to clean up the house. Madison tries to take credit for Robot’s work, but Frank is able to catch her in a lie. Although, through all her protests and preachy lectures, you’ll be able to see Madison has a good heart, and the best intentions for her aging father. Jeremy Strong is believable as this pretentious and snobbish jerk, who’s determined to make Frank’s life a living hell (more on that later), and Jeremy Sisto has a handful of funny moments, as this dimwitted sheriff, who’s more interested in praising Frank’s glorious past as a skilled thief. No major complaints from Sarandon and Marsden, because they both delivered solid performances. 

The “machine bonding with a human” is a storyline we’ve all seen before. In the case of Robot & Frank, it’s about a bitter old man, who’s losing his grip on reality, and Robot is his only friend left in the world. Plus, It’s hard to ignore Frank Weld’s status as an anti-hero here. And you know what, it’s easy to root for him, when you consider his adversary. Jake is an unlikeable and preppy snob, who walks around with this undeserved superiority complex, and Jake turns into a bully with Sheriff Rowlings conveniently in front of him. He’s such a worm, so it’s hard to feel ANY sympathy for Jake.

Robot & Frank provides a nice balance of quirky comedy, and a touching drama about an aging man, who’s afraid of living his last days alone. You’ll find yourself cheering for Frank during his last heist and the aftermath of a risky coverup, because Langella brings an irresistible amount of charm and tenderness (in certain scenes, mainly towards the end) to this character. Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations for this one, but Robot & Frank was a pleasant surprise for me.

Rating: 9/10


Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready

Robot & Frank (2012)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

In the near future, an elderly and retired cat burglar named Frank Weld (Frank Langella) lives alone in a messy house buried deep in the woods of Cold Spring, Ney York. Frank, suffering from a severe case of dementia, constantly refuses his son, Hunter’s (James Marsden) offers to seek help. But Hunter is tired of taking ten hour trips to visit and check up on Frank, so Hunter gives Frank two non-negotiable options. Option one, Frank can spend the rest of his days in a research facility/retirement home dedicated to studying memory loss. Option 2? Frank allows a live-in robot to take care of him.

Robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) is forced on Frank, and Frank is reluctant to accept Robot into his life at first, but things change, when Frank realizes he can train Robot to do anything. Meanwhile, Frank tries to woo Jennifer (Susan Sarandon), a local librarian, under the watchful eye of her boss, Jake (Jeremy Strong). Frank’s growing bond with Robot is disrupted by his visiting daughter Madison (Liv Tyler). Madison is dedicated to a life of philanthropy, and she doesn’t like the idea of her father relying on a robot.

With Robot’s help, Frank plans one more big heist, targeting Jake‘s wife, Ava (Bonnie Bentley) as the unsuspecting victim. Frank maps out a strategy to steal Ava’s lucrative and luxurious jewelery collection, but Frank runs into some problems after a suspicious Jake notices a rare book missing from the library. Jake and Sheriff Rowlings (Jeremy Sisto) launch a stakeout mission to catch Frank, and with his back against the wall, Frank is forced to make a tough decision that will change his life forever.

Brilliant. It’s the first word that comes to mind for describing Frank Langella’s performance. Langella is this cranky old codger at first, but as the story develops, you’ll see a vulnerable old man, who’s frightened at the thought of living a broken and lonely life. Plus, Langella is able flex his muscles with some smooth charisma during a handful of scenes with Sarandon, and Langella oozes confidence, while reliving his glory days as a cat burglar. It’s a remarkable performance, because the Frank character is loaded with so many layers, and Langella nails each one.

I give the nod to Liv Tyler for the second best performance in this cast. Madison is this obsessive hippie, and at times, you get the sense she’s a self-righteous phony. Madison hates robots, and she’s for all things natural, but there’s a scene where Madison uses Robot (unbeknownst to Frank) to clean up the house. Madison tries to take credit for Robot’s work, but Frank is able to catch her in a lie. Although, through all her protests and preachy lectures, you’ll be able to see Madison has a good heart, and the best intentions for her aging father. Jeremy Strong is believable as this pretentious and snobbish jerk, who’s determined to make Frank’s life a living hell (more on that later), and Jeremy Sisto has a handful of funny moments, as this dimwitted sheriff, who’s more interested in praising Frank’s glorious past as a skilled thief. No major complaints from Sarandon and Marsden, because they both delivered solid performances.

The “machine bonding with a human” is a storyline we’ve all seen before. In the case of Robot & Frank, it’s about a bitter old man, who’s losing his grip on reality, and Robot is his only friend left in the world. Towards the end of the movie, Frank almost drives the nail into the coffin for his relationship with Hunter by using him as a scapegoat to fool the police. Jake and Sheriff Rowlings are one step away from throwing Frank in jail, but Frank plants a case full of junk on Hunter for a diversion, so Frank can escape with Robot. Madison? As I said before, Madison isn’t perfect, but she’s trying to help. Frank constantly scolds Madison for her caring efforts, and there’s a scene, where Frank angrily tears open a bag of cereal in front of Madison.

But the grizzled lion has a few gentle and soft moments here. During the finale, Robot urges Frank to erase his memory. Frank refuses to disclose the location of Ava’s jewels, so Robot’s memory contains the only form of evidence against Frank. Frank is reluctant to erase Robot’s memory, because Robot is Frank’ s only friend in the world, who’s capable of recalling some happy moments. He struggles with this decision, but Frank realizes erasing Robot’s memory is the only surefire exit strategy for escaping a lonely death in prison. Frank unwillingly erases Robot’s memory, and as Robot enters his shutdown sequence, Robot collapses into Frank’s arms for an unintentional  hug.

And there’s a nice surprise during the final moments, when Frank visits Jennifer at the library. Frank scans the wall of pictures in Jennifer’s office to find of picture of Jennifer and himself together. Here, Frank discovers the truth: Jennifer is his ex-wife. Frank and Jennifer divorced each other thirty years ago, but Frank’s memory loss prevented him from connecting the dots. It’s a genuine shock, because you could tell there was something about Jennifer that lured Frank into the library over and over again, but it’s almost impossible to guess the truth until the big reveal. Good stuff.

Also, I’m happy they didn’t go with a sappy and clichéd happy ending. After Frank erases Robot’s memory, Frank FINALLY agrees to move into the memory loss center/retirement home for the elderly. The last minutes of the movie show Frank, Jennifer, Hunter, and Madison together on a picnic, and they’re sharing family time together. Before everyone leaves, Frank hands Hunter a note revealing the hidden location of Ava’s jewels:  The jewels are buried in Frank’s garden in the backyard. Frank prepares to return to his room, when he spots two robots, who remind of Robot, but Frank’s not 100% sure they’re the same robot, because Frank erased Robot’s memory. It’s a bittersweet ending with the right amount of melancholy, because either way you choose to look at it, Robot & Frank didn’t reach too far to pull tears out of you, and Frank’s encounter isn’t too corny, not by a long shot.

It’s hard to ignore Frank Weld’s status as an anti-hero here. And you know what, it’s easy to root for him, when you consider his adversary. Jake is an unlikeable and preppy snob, who walks around with this undeserved superiority complex, and Jake turns into a bully with Sheriff Rowlings conveniently in front of him. He’s such a worm, so it’s hard to feel ANY sympathy for Jake, when Robot and Frank steal his wife’s jewels. In fact, I was hoping (with fingers crossed) Frank would find a way to steal everything from the safe, with a clean getaway, leaving Jake embarrassed and frustrated.

Robot & Frank provides a nice balance of quirky comedy, and a touching drama about an aging man, who’s afraid of living his last days alone. You’ll find yourself cheering for Frank during his last heist and the aftermath of a risky coverup, because Langella brings an irresistible amount of charm and tenderness (in certain scenes, mainly towards the end) to this character. Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations for this one, but Robot & Frank was a pleasant surprise for me.

Rating: 9/10


Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready

The Box (2009)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no plot twists, major reveals, or character deaths**

It’s 1976 in Richmond, Virginia, and one morning, a married couple receives a mysterious package on their doorstep.  Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) takes the package inside, as the delivery man drives away. At breakfast, Norma’s husband, Arthur (James Marsden) opens the plain brown package to reveal a seemingly harmless black box with a red button, and a note for a prescheduled meeting with Mr. Steward.

After a frustrating day at work, Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), a disfigured man, pays a visit to Norma to discuss the box. If Norma or Arthur push the red button, they will receive a payment of one million dollars, tax free. The catch? After pushing the button, an unknown victim will die. Mr. Steward isn’t allowed to disclose the identity of his “employers,” Norma and Arthur can’t discuss the box with anyone else, or the deal is off, and they have twenty-four hours to make a decision.

Norma works as a school teacher for kids at a private institution, Arthur works for NASA as an engineer, but Norma is devastated by a recent financial setback at school, and Arthur’s application for an open spot as an astronaut is rejected. At work, Arthur develops a shoe mold to support Norma’s disfigured foot. Norma needs surgery to repair the damage to her foot, but the surgery is too expensive.

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck, Norma pushes the button on the box. As promised, Mr. Steward delivers a briefcase packed with one million dollars. But The Lewis Family doesn’t have a chance to enjoy their newfound wealth, because Norma, Arthur, and their young son, Walter (Sam Oz Stone) experience a series of supernatural and life-threatening disturbances linked to Mr. Steward and his secret network of employees ………

Norma and Arthur are two good-hearted, hard working people, so it’s easy to sympathize with and root for their characters. Through Norma and Arthur, The Box does a good job of tugging on your “What would you do, if you were in their shoes?” thought process. You’re a hard working family man or woman, who wants to provide a comfortable life for your loved ones, so would you accept the offer, if Mr. Steward showed up with the box and a briefcase full of one million dollars?  There’s a scene, where Norma and Arthur are lying in bed discussing the offer, and Norma urges Arthur to consider pushing the button. Norma is terrified at the possibility of living a hopeless, dead end life, and Norma knows there’s a 99.9% chance they’ll never see another golden opportunity to have one million dollars.

But on the flip side, YOU are solely responsible for killing another person, if you push that button. Sure, you don’t know them personally. Still, you’re taking a life. Before pushing the button, Norma tries to dismiss the unknown death as a forgettable blip (i.e. pushing the button could kill a murderer on death row, a serial killer, etc. You know, someone, who deserves it) on the radar, but Arthur reminds Norma of the consequences. What if Mr. Steward’s network chooses a child for the death? A neighbor down the street? Or an innocent and happy person, who enjoys life? Before the supernatural side of the story kicks in, The Box is more than capable of tantalizing and toying with your mind, as you weigh the pros and cons during Norma and Arthur’s thought-provoking moral dilemma.

The Box features a handful of preposterous moments, but I didn’t hate this one. Yes, the finale is a disappointment, but The Box is one of those psychological thrillers that’ll keep you guessing until the very end. I was on the edge of my seat, because I had to know what would happen after Norma pushed that button. And the hazy cinematography really enhances the nostalgic 1970’s setting. Plus, director/writer Richard Kelly creates the perfect spooky atmosphere for The Box, especially during a few nighttime scenes. A good example is Arthur and one of Steward’s chosen victims sitting in a car at night. A Salvation Army-esque Santa is standing in front of the car, ringing his bell with this dazed look on his face for a distraction, and out of nowhere, a truck slams into the car. Creepy, creepy stuff.

Is the Box perfect? No. But there’s enough eccentric wonder here to captivate a more patient audience, and The Box is capable of luring you into a right vs. wrong quandary, with a tempting and lucrative decision.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready

The Box (2009)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

It’s 1976 in Richmond, Virginia, and one morning, a married couple receive a mysterious package on their doorstep. Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) takes the package inside, as the delivery man drives away. At breakfast, Norma’s husband, Arthur (James Marsden) opens the plain brown package to reveal a seemingly harmless black box with a red button, and a note for a prescheduled meeting with Mr. Steward.

After a frustrating day at work, Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), a disfigured man, pays a visit to Norma to discuss the box. If Norma or Arthur push the red button, they will receive a payment of one million dollars, tax free. The catch? After pushing the button, an unknown victim will die. Mr. Steward isn’t allowed to disclose the identity of his “employers,” Norma and Arthur can’t discuss the box with anyone else, or the deal is off, and they have twenty-four hours to make a decision. To show appreciation for Norma’s generous hospitality, and to prove the deal isn’t a hoax, Mr. Stewart gives Norma a crisp one hundred dollar bill as a gift.

Norma works as a school teacher for kids at a private institution, Arthur works for NASA as an engineer, but Norma is devastated by a recent financial setback at school, and Arthur’s application for an open spot as an astronaut is rejected. At work, Arthur develops a shoe mold to support Norma’s disfigured foot. Norma needs surgery to repair the damage to her foot, but the surgery is too expensive.

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck, Norma and Arthur consider Mr. Steward’s offer. On one hand, Norma dreads missing the once in a lifetime opportunity of becoming a millionaire, and Norma wants the money for a more secure and stable future for herself, Arthur, and their young son, Walter (Sam Oz Stone). Arthur struggles with the thought of being responsible for the death of an innocent person, but Norma is willing to accept the risk, and with one hard slap, Norma pushes the red button.

As promised, Mr. Steward delivers a briefcase packed with one million dollars. Overwhelmed with guilt, Arthur orders Mr. Steward to keep the briefcase, but Mr. Steward refuses. With a looming sense of a third eye watching their every move hanging over them, Norma and Arthur are unable to enjoy their newfound wealth, and after a series of bizarre incidents, including reoccurring nosebleeds from other people, Norma and Arthur fear for their lives and Walter’s safety.

During the investigation to dig up more info on Mr. Steward, Norma and Arthur discover a hidden world full of supernatural obstacles and Mr. Steward’s zombified employees, who will stop at nothing to protect Mr. Steward and the secrets behind the box. And Arthur jeopardizes everything by breaking a rule: Desperate for help, Arthur exposes Steward’s identity to the police. To make matters worse, Arthur urges Norma’s father, Dick Burns (Holmes Osborne), a trusted detective in the local police department, to run the numbers on Mr. Steward‘s license plate……..

Norma and Arthur are two good-hearted, hard working people, so it’s easy to sympathize with and root for their characters. Through Norma and Arthur, The Box does a good job of tugging on your “What would you do, if you were in their shoes?” thought process. You’re a hard working family man or woman, who wants to provide a comfortable life for your loved ones, so would you accept the offer, if Mr. Steward showed up with the box and a briefcase full of one million dollars?  There’s a scene, where Norma and Arthur are lying in bed discussing the offer, and Norma urges Arthur to consider pushing the button. Norma is terrified at the possibility of living a hopeless, dead end life, and Norma knows there’s a 99.9% chance they’ll never see another golden opportunity to have one million dollars.

But on the flip side, YOU are solely responsible for killing another person, if you push that button. Sure, you don’t know them personally. Still, you’re taking a life. Before pushing the button, Norma tries to dismiss the unknown death as a forgettable blip (i.e. pushing the button could kill a murderer on death row, a serial killer, etc. You know, someone, who deserves it) on the radar, but Arthur reminds Norma of the consequences. What if Mr. Steward’s network chooses a child for the death? A neighbor down the street? Or an innocent and happy person, who enjoys life? Before the supernatural side of the story kicks in, The Box is more than capable of tantalizing and toying with your mind, as you weigh the pros and cons during Norma and Arthur’s thought-provoking moral dilemma.

So we’re in the final moments of the movie, and a deaf and blind Walter is locked inside the bathroom at the Lewis‘ home. With their backs against the wall, Mr. Steward offers Norma and Arthur a way out with two non-negotiable options. Option one, Norma and Arthur can keep the money, and live a life free of interference from Mr. Steward’s employees, but there’s one catch: If  Norma and Arthur keep the money, Walter must live the rest of his life blind and deaf. Option two? Mr. Steward gives Norma and Arthur a gun with one bullet in the chamber, and Arthur must kill Norma. If Arthur kills Norma, Walter’s blindness will disappear, Mr. Steward promises to restore his hearing, and the one million dollars will sit in a secure account, gaining interest until Walter turns eighteen. Unable to bear the thought of being responsible for condemning their own son to a life of darkness, Norma urges Arthur to pull the trigger. After a pair of tearful good-byes, Arthur kills Norma.

I have mixed feelings about this finale. Yeah, Mr. Steward and his network stripping Walter of his vision and hearing was a nice out of left field shock, but when Mr. Steward announced the options, you knew Norma and Arthur would take the unselfish path. The Box already established Norma and Arthur as two people with big hearts, so I had a hard time buying into the frantic “WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!!!” act from Diaz and Marsden. Also, when you consider all of the fantasy hoopla and diabolical foreshadowing, it’s hard to ignore underwhelming feelings for this finale. The Box leads you to believe they’re building towards some BIG shocking twist, but the surprise (using that word very loosely) of Arthur killing Norma didn’t do anything for me.

The Box features a handful of preposterous moments, but I didn’t hate this one. Yes, the finale is a disappointment, but The Box is one of those psychological thrillers that’ll keep you guessing until the very end. I was on the edge of my seat, because I had to know what would happen after Norma pushed that button. And the hazy cinematography really enhances the nostalgic 1970’s setting. Plus, director/writer Richard Kelly creates the perfect spooky atmosphere for The Box, especially during a few nighttime scenes. A good example is Arthur and one of Steward’s chosen victims sitting in a car at night. A Salvation Army-esque Santa is standing in front of the car, ringing his bell with this dazed look on his face for a distraction, and out of nowhere, a truck slams into the car. Creepy, creepy stuff.

Is the Box perfect? No. But there’s enough eccentric wonder here to captivate a more patient audience, and The Box is capable of luring you into a right vs. wrong quandary, with a tempting and lucrative decision.

Rating: 7/10


Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready