Film Review “Vacation”

Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate and Chevy Chase
Directed by: John Francis Dailey and Jonathan M. Goldstein
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 39 mins
Warner Bros.

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

There’s a scene in the new film, “Vacation,” where one of the young sons of a now grown-up Rusty Griswold tells his father, “I’ve never even heard of the original vacation. Rusty’s response: “Doesn’t matter. The new vacation will stand on its own.”

Well, I’ve heard of the original. It’s a minute shorter and a heck of a lot funnier.

For the uninformed, 1983’s “Vacation” told the story of the Griswold family and their attempt to spend a family vacation at the Disneyworld-esque amusement park known as Walley World and the many mishaps that befell them on the way. In this version, it’s older son Rusty (Helms) who decides to rekindle that old feeling by taking his wife and sons to see the famous Moose. Along the way they stumble onto toxic waste, learn that Mrs. Griswold (Applegate) had a hell of a good time in college and discover that, despite all that can (and does) go wrong, dad’s heart is always in the right place.

What slows the film down some is Helms, who usually excels in supporting comedy roles. As the lead here, he doesn’t really bring any energy to the role. Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold had a way of making Walley World seem like it really WAS the greatest place on earth. Helms just seems to think everyone already knows it. I would have much rather seen the original Rusty, Anthony Michael Hall, who still acts (he was so good in the “Dead Zone” television series) show up and bring have some fun. It’s not that the film isn’t “funny,” it’s that it isn’t FUNNY! The situations here are mostly too wild to laugh out loud. Here’s it’s a lot of nervous giggling and hoping that the next gag will be as funny as Helms and company try to sell it. The supporting cast does better, laugh wise, with Leslie Mann shining as the now grown-up Audrey and Chris Hemsworth shining as he plays a rural weatherman with a six pack abdomen and a little more than that packed below. He is truly unrecognizable and a hoot to boot.

This summer, give your new vacation a look if you’re really looking forward to it. Otherwise, sit back and remember how good the first “vacation” was!

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Film Review “Pixels”

Starring: Adam Sandler, Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hour 45 mins
Columbia

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

In 1982 the world changed. Especially for kids. That was the year that video arcades began springing up all over the world, giving you a few minutes of fun for every quarter you dropped into them. The better you got, the longer your quarter went. That year found four young boys competing for Nintendo domination: Brenner, Cooper, Ludlow and Eddie. Their achievements were video-taped and included in a capsule sent out into space. 33 years later that capsule was found, a presumed challenge accepted, and now the quartet must pool their skills, remember their patterns and save the world.

A fun reminder for anyone that ever put a dollar bill in a change machine and pumped quarter after quarter into “Missile Command” (guilty) “Pixels” is really a series of individual episodes featuring a different video character from the past. The four boys have now grown up into men with varied careers. Brenner (Sandler), who came in second in the 82 tournament, is now a NERD (think the GEEK SQUAD from Best Buy), installing the latest electronic equipment into homes. Cooper (Kevin James) is somehow the President of the United States, caught in a mini-scandal when a bout of fatigue at an elementary school makes it look like he can’t read. Ludlow has gone off the grid, his mind a jumble of conspiracy theories. And Eddie, the winner of the event? Let’s just say he’s right where he belongs.

Things pick up some when President Cooper assembles his friends to take on a group of aliens who have recreated the actions of the video games of the past, allowing such forces as “Galaga” and “Pac Man” to attack. The effects are well done, but sometimes they overwhelm the on-screen action. The cast is game, no pun intended, with Gad and Dinklage rising high above the material. Sandler only pulls a couple “Sandler-isms” out here, which people who aren’t fans of the actor should appreciate. And a special nod to Q-bert, who has fun with a small, supporting role. Fans of the 1980s will also appreciate that the aliens appear in the form of people very popular in that decade, from Ronald Reagan to Madonna to Max Headroom. And if you have to ask who Max Headroom is, you probably shouldn’t be seeing this movie.

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Film Review “Southpaw”

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua
Rated: R
Running Time: 123 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

After being denied a much deserved Oscar nomination for best actor last year for “Nightcrawler,” Jake Gyllenhaal is back to beat the hell out of anyone who thinks otherwise. While last year he was downright chilly as a cunning sociopath with an appetite for visual destruction, in “Southpaw” he’s a mumbling, short-tempered boxer by the name of Billy Hope. The gusto that Gyllenhaal has given in his performances over the past couple of years on display in “Southpaw,” but his acting prowess is too good for this script.

When we meet Billy, he’s being bandaged up for an upcoming boxing match. It’s one of the few instances in this movie we don’t see him beaten, bruised, or bleeding. Gyllenhaal sets the tone capturing the mannerisms of an all-star athlete psyching himself before a match, but once he speaks, he captures the literacy of Mike Tyson, and that’s not a bad thing when you’re portraying someone whose life is all about getting bashed in the head by fists.

His character is a bit like Lenny from “Of Mice and Men” because he has a gentle heart, but wields the strength to break some bones. Billy has a lovely wife, Maureen (McAdams) and a 10-year-old daughter whom he absolutely adores, Lelia (Oona Laurence). He turns into a pile of mush talking to them and fawns over them constantly, but once he steps into the ring, he turns into an absolute monster. This big swing in delivery and emotions is what makes Gyllenhaal’s performance one of the best this summer.

The story that Gyllenhaal gets to act in is not as stellar. The high-life ends when a freak accident, which I’m still not sure what happened in it, kills Maureen, and leaves Billy and Lelia alone. The story logistics, or domino effect of bad events after Maureen’s death, are hasty and illogical. Focusing on them could easily cloud one’s judgement and prevent one from enjoying the cheap entertainment that “Southpaw” is. Billy loses custody of his daughter, he loses his home and his livelihood, and he’s left penniless in the streets, all within a matter of days. You think the undefeated lightweight champion of the world could afford a better trial lawyer and would have at least a couple of million for the rainiest of days.

Instead of solving problems in a clear, concise manner, the movie relies on aged sports movie clichés to get from one scene to the next. One instance for example is when Forest Whitaker shows up as the Apollo of the movie, Titus. Titus has some strict morals about training a professional boxer that he ends up forsaking so it won’t inconvenience the plot. While all of this certainly puts a damper on everything, if you treat it like most summer blockbusters, you shouldn’t have too hard a time enjoying what transpires.

“Southpaw” is an enjoyable break from the explosions and CGI of the summer, as long as you’re not putting it in the ring against “Rocky” or “Raging Bull”. “Southpaw” gives us one of the more loveable brutes of the summer, while providing cheap popcorn entertainment. For all its faults, it can be enjoyed as long as you turn your brain off. And if I can be forgiven for just one more heap of praise for Gyllenhaal, seeing his shapeshifting transformation from role to role since “End of Watch” is reason enough to purchase a ticket for “Southpaw”.

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Film Review “Trainwreck”

Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader and Lebron James
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 5 mins
Universal

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I sometimes wonder who decides on the titles of films. When the film “Wind” came out I’m sure there was more than one critic who summed up the film by saying, “WIND Blows!” So if you’re going to call a film “Trainwreck”…. I think you get the picture.

We meet nine-year old Amy (Devin Fabry) and her little sister, Kim (Carla Oudin) as their father (Colin Quinn) is explaining to them why he and their mother are getting a divorce. He doesn’t make a lot of sense to the girls but Amy does take to heart one piece of wisdom from her dad: “Monogamy isn’t realistic.” Now in her early 30’s, Amy (Schumer) is still following her dad’s advice, hopping from relationship to relationship with no thought of the other person. She has convinced herself she will never fall in love. And then she meets Dr. Connor (Hader).

A hit and miss comedy that at times hits and at others misses badly, “Trainwreck” isn’t one, but it teeters in that direction. The ads proclaim that it’s “from the guy who brought you Bridesmaids,” (which Apatow produced) but unfortunately it’s not from the gal that wrote “Bridesmaids.” Star Amy Schumer wrote the script here, and while the film is funny in parts, sometimes the raunch factor is so over the top that you wonder how a skilled comic mind like Judd Apatow let some of the “jokes” slip by. And this is coming from someone that loves a good dirty joke.

The film’s saving grace is its cast. Bill Hader is so damn likeable that you can’t help but wish he had chosen a better film. Schumer also credits herself well here, though you wish she had a better writer. Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable as Schumer’s magazine editor-boss and delivers many of the laughs. But I have to give a special shout-out to Lebron James and WWE star John Cena, both of who prove themselves very funny people indeed. Would love to see the two of them teamed up in a film, like Van Damme was with Dennis Rodman in “Double Team.” That would be a collision I’d welcome seeing.

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Film Review “Ant-Man”

Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Corey Stoll
Directed By: Peyton Reed
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 117 minutes
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

In the hearts and minds of many, Robert Downey Jr. will always be Iron Man, Chris Evans will always be Captain America, and Hugh Jackman will always be the Wolverine. This isn’t a bad thing because these are all beloved characters that have now been etched into movie history. Of course some people, like Ben Affleck, will always be remembered for the abysmal “Daredevil” movie. So with that said, Paul Rudd, you are Ant-Man, and damn good at it.

It’s a difficult job to be the Marvel movie that follows up the box office success, “Age of Ultron,” but “Ant-Man” is not only a sufficient follow-up, but better than the epic spectacle earlier this summer. While “Ant-Man” may not have the budget, the explosive scenes, and the plethora of characters building around its hyperbolic villain, it’s still grand. Its pint sized hero does everything wonderfully on a much smaller scale, but with a lot more heart.

Scott Lang (Rudd) is a cat burglar who constantly reminds everyone that his robberies were not violent. He’s recently been let out of jail and is staying with his buddy Luis (Michael Pena). Scott wants to do right. He has the smarts and drive, but as his wife says, he leaves when things get tough. So after some unsuccessful attempts at getting a decent job, including a shameless product placement, Scott quickly resorts back to a life of crime.

Luis has the scoop on a home with a massive safe in the basement. Scott breaks in, and his first foe is an impressive metal door with a thumb print key lock. He disposes of this quickly, seemingly ready to meet the illegal challenge. But it isn’t gold bars, jewelry, the Ark of the Covenant, or any treasure like that inside this mystery vault. Instead it’s a suit, and as the cliché goes, it comes with a great power. Scott may not be ready for the power, but the creator of the suit, Hank Pym (Douglas), is ready to teach him.

Like most origin stories, it does deal with the obligatory training scenes and exposition that we’ve become accustomed to in many of these superhero movies. “Ant-Man” reminds me a lot of “Iron Man” in that the training sequences are coupled with personal growth in our hero. It isn’t simply bulking up, learning fighting tactics, and growing into a suit, but it’s also about growing as a person. We don’t need the end of the world to be impressed with superhero movies, but we’ll certainly have a lot more admiration for someone who’s just as human as me or you. With Paul Rudd’s acting and the clever writing, “Ant-Man” becomes one of the best Marvel movies.

“Ant-Man” is enjoyable, fun, exciting, and filled with humor. It knows when to be emotional and it knows when to laugh at itself. A lot of that is thanks to the script penned by Edgar Wright. While three others were attached to it, Wright’s mark has been left. Peyton Reed, who is far from being known for directing action movies, does an OK job replicating Wright’s style of direction. The blueprints were there, but there is this faint feeling that it could have been perfect if Wright was behind the camera.

Ant-Man joins a very crowded field of superheroes, and sure to become even more crowded with Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and others on the horizon. While I’m sure Marvel will handle all of these characters like it has in the past, with grace, heart, and comedy, but as of right now, Ant-Man’s short stature has left the biggest mark on the Marvel universe. Good things do come in small packages.

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Film Review “Minions”

Starring the Voices of: Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, and Jon Hamm
Directed By: Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda
Rated: PG
Running Time: 91 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Minions have the lovability of a puppy dog, the comedy stylings of a group of rambunctious Kindergarteners, and they’ve now gotten their own movie. A lot can go wrong when you give the side characters of your main movie their own big picture. When it works, like “Puss in Boots,” it works, but it’s not a very memorable entry. The creators of “Minions” have surprisingly avoided the potential spin-off pitfalls by realizing the best way to handle their yellow pill shaped creations, is by simply allowing them to be silly.

The plot in this movie is paper thin, but it doesn’t need the emotional heft we’ve seen in the previous “Despicable Me” movies. Sure our pint sized pals have their own characteristics, but they don’t have the depth of Gru or the deep characteristics of any of the other humans inhabiting this world. “Minions” mainly follows the three yellow creatures named Kevin, Stuart, and Bob. Their journey begins after a brief and funny backstory on how the minions have become servants. The brave trio is about to go out into the world to find a deviant master. They’ve spent years huddled in the cold ice chambers of Arctic after centuries of accidentally killing or shaming all their previous rulers.

The three arrive in the states and find their way to a villain convention where they become enamored by Scarlet Overkill (Bullock). Unlike Gru, she’s very selfish in her ambitions, which aren’t necessarily made clear. The majority of the movie moves at a disorganized pace that only serves one purpose, to make you laugh and to entertain. And honestly, that’s all I really want out of a movie about the minions.

Despite my enjoyment of all the visual gags and slapstick humor, I wish the story wouldn’t have plodded around so much. The weakness comes when Kevin, Stuart, and Bob are on their own. They communicate through their own gobbledygook language and it doesn’t feel as fast paced as a skit when the minions act more like a collective brain than in an individual manner. Kevin, Stuart, and Bob manage to create their own identity by the end of the movie, but it’s not a very strong one or one that helps differentiate themselves that much from the others in the minion collective. Kevin is the leader of the three, Bob is the most playful and childlike of the group and Kevin is….Kevin.

Just like in the previous movies, “Minions” work best when they react to a situation. Overkill is the deepest character in the movie, but she’s the developed character that populates the “Despicable Me” universe. But if she was created to simply be a piece for the minions to react to, then her purpose has been served. It just feels like a waste when you bring on a big name like Sandra Bullock to voice As for the other voice actors, they’re very good, especially Jon Hamm who plays Scarlet’s lover/accomplice. He almost sounds like Bill Hader, who I highly regard as an amazing voice actor. Not that Hamm is in his post-“Mad Men,” he should consider more voice-acting roles.

It isn’t the best children’s movie of the year, but that’s certainly hard to do nearly a full month after Pixar released its shoe-in for the best animated feature film of the year Oscar. While Pixar has the awards, “Minions” will certainly be raking in the money, but that’s because at the end of the day, the minions are still loveable. “Minions” is fan-service and playful entertainment, plain and simple. If you want more story and plot, maybe you should wait until “Despicable Me 3”.

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David Keith talks about his latest film “Awaken”

There are some actors who, when you first see them, they stick with you. The first time I saw David Keith on screen was when he played the young Army PFC that spends some time with Bette Midler in “The Rose.” Next for me was his role as Robert Redford’s fellow prisoner (and eventual right hand man) in “Brubaker.” But it was his role as Naval Pilot Candidate Sid Worley in “An Officer and a Gentleman” that made not only earned him two Golden Globe nominations but stardom.

Since then he has had high profile roles in both film (“Firestarter,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Major League II”) and television (“Flesh and Blood,” “High Incident,” “The Class”). I had the great opportunity to meet Mr. Keith in 1993 on the set of “Major League II” in Baltimore and a nicer, more down to earth person I’ve never met. Especially at 11:00 at night on a cold October evening at Camden Yards.

This week, Mr. Keith’s film, “Awaken, co-starring Daryl Hannah and Jason London, arrives on DVD. Mr. Keith recently spoke with me, with that soft Tennessee twang, about his latest role, his work preferences and feeling much better, thank you.

Mike Smith: Give us a brief introduction to “Walsh,” your character in “Awaken”
David Keith: He is a black market organ harvesting surgeon on an island where some bad people are kidnapping people, making them live in the jungle so they can clean out their systems and then harvest their organs for wealthy people who have loved ones who need an organ transplant but don’t want to wait in line for them.

MS: What, if anything, attracted you to the project?
DK: The producer and co-writer (Natalie Burns) is a friend of mine. She asked if I would come do a role for her. I said “yes” before I read the script.

MS: You seem to work equally between film and television. Do you have a preference?
DK: If I could be stuck in one job for the next ten years it would be in a situation-comedy. That is the best medium because it combines the best of theater and the best of film. When you do a play on Broadway you have to sign a two-year contract, but you get sick of it after about three months when you’re doing eight shows a week. When you do a movie, you never shoot anything in order. There’s no audience. There’s no real feeling of the project as one piece like there is in theater. In a sit-com it’s like doing a different play every week. You’re the same character but you’ve got new lines – new scenes – new things to do each week. And the hours are tremendous work – about four to six hours a day – five days a week, instead of fifteen hours a day, six days a week on a film. So sit-coms are my favorite medium. And “The Class” is my favorite sit-com that I’ve ever been on.

MS: You’ve directed in the past. Any intention of getting back behind the camera again?
DK: Yes, but only under my terms. Those were not great directing experiences – I didn’t have the control I needed. I did the best I could with what I had to work with. I have a script I hope to make. I had the money all in place years ago but then the guy who had signed the contract reneged on the contract. That script is still sitting in my drawer waiting for someone to come along and say, “let’s make this movie.” (laughs)

MS: What do you have coming up next?
DK: I don’t actually know what my next job is going to be. I had some medical issues – nothing serious, nothing to worry about – that kept me out of work for the last year. I haven’t worked in a year for the first time in my career.

MS: Everything is good now?
DK: Everything is good, yes. I’m healthy and ready to go. Now it’s up to my agents. I don’t live in L.A., I live in Tennessee. I don’t go to auditions. Somebody has to remember me and want me. (laughs)

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Film Review “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”

Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke and Ronald Cyler II
Directed By: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 105 minutes
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Depending on how well you pitch it, self-loathing can be quite comical. Pointing out your own faults to elicit a laugh can work out well. I do it all the time with people I know because it allows me to show to them that I’m human, that I understand my flaws, and that I’m comfortable with my shortcomings…kind of. Then of course, across the way, there’s that thin line of self-loathing. It’s not too far and if you cross it, you find yourself in actual self-loathing territory. It’s a self-loathing that spins off into depression and depressing other people. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” beautifully blends a coming-of-age story and the tricky subject of youthful enmity.

When we first meet Greg (Mann), he’s socially awkward, but has mastered the art of fading into the background. Despite this, he’s maintaining a stable acquaintanceship with everyone in his school. He divides the cliques like world leaders divide their countries. He has it in good with the people of each land, but he maintains his own invisible island that has a unique identity, but he conceals it. The only person, who knows his interests, likes and dislikes, is Earl (Cyler). Like a lot of best friend stories, their meeting as elementary school students isn’t spectacular, but being young and impressionable does help build a firm basis friendship.

That young susceptible brain of theirs falls prey to Greg’s father, played by Nick Offerman, who is perpetually stuck as the bizarre and sage father in indie movies. Through his father’s influence, the two find a love for trashy, poorly made movies. Through that mutual admiration, they create their own parody movies of well-known movies like “Apocalypse Now” and “A Clockwork Orange”. This is Greg’s basic existence. It doesn’t seem like he wants to be bothered to do more nor does he want to attempt to do more, but that’ll quickly change.

At the request of his parents, he visits a former childhood friend, Rachel (Cooke). Everyone views the hangout time as beneficial for Rachel because she needs someone in her time of need. Technically, like everyone, she does. But Rachel is also someone that seems to be confident in her own minimalistic self-preservation. She doesn’t want to burden other people with her upsetting diagnosis, much less tell that to Greg, whom she barely talks to. Despite his awkwardness and many in-poor taste jokes, she finds his goofiness charming and sees the kindness in his soul.

Throughout, we’re reminded that this isn’t a movie where the two inevitably fall in love and have a cliché passion scene. That, in itself, is absolutely refreshing. It would cheapen what’s happening if she were to fall in love with the first boy to acknowledge her illness and be there in her time of need. It would feel cheap if he made a move as she goes through chemotherapy. They both care about each other, but not like that. They don’t need to. The love they feel for each other is completely platonic, but still very heartfelt.

At an integral point in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”, the movie turns on a dime from a comedy into a drama. It’s a very smooth, but sudden transition. Up until that point, Greg has been adorkable, but at that point, his darkness is revealed. Despite the minutes, hours, and days of concern he’s shown, this selfishness blooms and takes over. The situation and the muddying of his perception and the audience’s perception are done elegantly.

Coming-of-age stories have the inevitable growth, or at the very least a melancholy ambiguity haze hanging over them, at the end, and “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” isn’t any different. It’s the filming and editing style, as well as the realism in our characters that helps propel this one into the top tier of this genre. It’s also great to see to see leads that aren’t impervious to emotional flaws and growing pains.

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Film Review “Terminator Genisys”

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 5 mins
Paramount

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

The year is 2029. Resistance leader John Connor is about to send his trusted lieutenant, Kyle Reese, back to the year 1984. His mission: protect the woman who will one day become John’s mother. Sound familiar?

An amazing twist on an old story, “Terminator Genisys” is a film bursting with action and surprises. Forget everything you think you know about the “Terminator” galaxy because director Taylor and his screenwriters have turned the story upside down. When Reese (Courtney) meets up with Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), he is surprised to find her with a Terminator of her own, who has been protecting her since she was nine. This is just one of the twists that come at you as fast and furious as the explosions on screen.

The cast is top-notch. I thought Courtney was a little over the top when he played Bruce Willis’ son in the last “Die Hard” film but here he brings a well of emotions that constantly rise up. Emilia Clarke is just as tough (and sexy) as Linda Hamilton was in the original films while Jason Clarke shows us a John Connor we never would have expected. And, of course, there is Schwarzenegger. Reprising the role that made him a star, he makes his re-programmed T-800 feel, dare I say it, almost human. He also has a great sense of humor. In the film it is learned that the outer skin on the Terminators is organic and that it ages just like the real thing, so when Arnold shows up with wrinkles and gray hair it’s explained.

The story moves fast, has plenty of action and just enough humor to keep you chuckling. Arnold promised he’d be back and he kept his word in spades!

 

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Film Review “Ted 2”

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth McFarlane and Amanda Seyfried
Directed by: Seth McFarlane
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 55 mins
Universal

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

When we last left our furry pal, Ted, he had just been rescued from a demented bear-napper by his best friend John. As the credits rolled, the future looked bright for the two pals. Fast forward three years….

As we reunite with Ted (McFarlane), we join him as he is about to be married to his cashier girlfriend Tami Lynn (Jessica Barth). With a service presided by none other than Flash Gordon (Sam J. Jones) himself, things should be swinging. But sadly, John (Wahlberg) is down in the dumps, having married and divorced Mila Kunis between films. Life continues to go on until, after some very hilarious mishaps trying to artificially conceive a child, Ted and Tami Lynn decide to adopt. This brings Ted to the attention of the authorities who have, until now, not bothered with him. However, now that he wants to be a parent, the state announces that Ted is property, not human, making him unable to adopt. John convinces Ted to take his matter to court and they hire brand new attorney Samantha L. Jackson. What will the verdict be?

As funny as the first film, though a little slow towards the end, “Ted 2” is everything you were probably expecting and more. Starting with the film’s lush, Busby Berkley-style musical opening, the film delivers surprise after surprise. Wahlberg is once again sweet and charming as John while McFarlane makes Ted the most lovable bear to hit the big screen since Winnie the Pooh got his head stuck in the Honey Pot. The supporting cast, including Patrick Warburton and Michael Dorn, get to have plenty of fun as well, as do the many stars making cameo appearances, including Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno and a very disturbing Liam Neeson, who will make you look at breakfast cereal in a whole other light! And for NFL fans, there’s a very funny bit with Tom Brady who, ironically, is having his suspension appeal heard this week. At least the guy has a sense of humor.

The laughs come free and easy and McFarlane paces them well. Again, the film does drag a little in the last hour but by then you can probably use a break from all the laughing you’ve done.

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Film Review “The Connection”

Starring: Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lellouche
Directed by: Cedric Jimenez
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hours 15 mins
Drafthouse Pictures

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

In 1971, the movie “The French Connection” did many things. In Hollywood, it won (5) Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and made a star out of Gene Hackman. Outside of Hollywood it did something very few films at the time did: it opened people’s eyes. That same year, President Nixon declared that drug abuse was America’s “public enemy number one!” The film also did something for the country of France. It embarrassed them. Out of that embarrassment came the events that are chronicled in “The Connection.”

When we first meet police magistrate Pierre Michele (Dujardin in an amazing performance), he is helping supervise juveniles who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Impressed with his work, his superiors put him in charge of the Organized Crime squad, hoping that he will be able to stop “the French connection,” the almost unstoppable passage of heroin from France to the rest of the world. Much like Hackman’s Popeye Doyle, Pierre tends to listen to his gut when working on a case. His rival is Gaetan “Tany” Zampa, a drug dealer with a network that keeps him almost untouchable. Almost.

A first rate thriller, “The Connection” excels because co-writer and director Jimenez has chosen to show both main characters in their entirety. Not just at work (enforcing the law or, in Zampa’s case, breaking it) but home with their families. Both men have young children that they adore and wives that often feel neglected because of their husband’s hours. Running the period of 1975 through the early 1980s, the film is a continual rollercoaster, with great highs and depressing lows. The cast here is top notch. Dujardin won an Oscar a few years ago without saying a word. He tops that performance here. For those of you that may only be familiar with him from “The Artist” or his short role in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” I urge you to see “The Connection” and marvel at Dujardin’s layered and nuanced performance. The supporting cast is equally up to the task and there isn’t a false performance in the bunch.

“The Connection” is currently playing exclusively at an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema near you.

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Film Review “Inside Out”

Starring the voices of: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader and Phyllis Smith
Directed by: Pete Docter
Rated: PG
Running time: 1 hour 34 mins
Walt Disney Pictures

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

What is your earliest memory? Mine is Christmas 1963. I can’t remember a lot of what went on but some of that day’s events are vivid in my mind. Seeing photos from that day years later convinces me my memories are true. In the new film “Inside Out”, we learn that our life is really made up of memories. Some are fleeting and some permanent. Some are stored indiscriminately and others are put in the core memory. Either way, life isn’t always easy as it seems (or seemed).

Meet Riley (Kaitlyn Dias). She’s had a great life. Popular in school, loving parents and a love for junior hockey, which should be natural since she lives in the snowy Midwest. But one day her dad announces that he’s taken a new job in San Francisco. And soon, everything Riley has ever known, or can remember, is in the past. She doesn’t like her new city – it doesn’t help that the moving van hasn’t shown up yet – and begins to rebel against her folks. But it’s not her fault. Blame her emotions. Seriously. Joy (Poehler), Sadness (Smith), Fear (Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). These are the ones helping run Riley’s life, constantly battling and then working to preserve each memory perfectly. Unfortunately what once was a great memory can be altered by another emotion interfering. A perfect day outside can be ruined if Sadness gets her hands on it. Joy does her best to keep things up-beat but she’s only one emotion among an assembly of many.

Like most PIXAR/Disney films, “Inside Out” is technically brilliant. Director Docter, who also directed the original “Monster’s Inc.” and “UP,” winning an Academy Award for the latter, continues what he started in “UP” by bringing emotions to the forefront of the story. What pulls the film down, unfortunately, is that it is so depressing at times, as if Sadness had gotten ahold of the script. Little girls on either side of me at the screening were crying at times and, while it’s nice to know they understood the film, I can’t thank a trip to the multiplex to make my child cry would be something I’m looking forward to.

The film is well cast. Who else could play the always effervescent Joy but Amy Poehler. Her supporting cast of emotions are equally well cast. And they are joined by such familiar voices as Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Diane Lane, Laraine Newman and, of course, PIXAR’s good luck charm, John Ratzenberger. The characters they play are also well crafted, especially Sadness, who sheds tears at the drop of a hat while insisting she knows what “funny” is, like that movie she saw where “the dog died.” Though no dog dies in this movie, some people may go home so depressed they might think that theirs had!

On a brighter note, get to the theatre early enough to catch the new PIXAR short entitled “Lava.” It will definitely make you smile.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, review

Film Review “Jurassic World”

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Vincent D’onofrio
Directed By: Colin Trevorrow
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 124 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Like most Millennials, “Jurassic Park” still holds a special place in my heart. When it’s on TV, I watch it. When I think dinosaurs, I think of the creatures I saw stalking around in Steven Spielberg’s movie. And it was the first PG-13 movie I got to lay eyes on. I’m sure most people, when talking about “Jurassic World”, will reminisce about “Jurassic Park”, much like a friend they haven’t seen in a while, but have not forgotten. “Jurassic World” is a sufficient new friend that you’ll also gladly reflect back on in 20 years.

Seemingly ignoring the events of “The Lost World” and “Jurassic Park 3” (thank God), “Jurassic World” seems to follow the real world’s timeline, picking up over 20 years after the events of its 1993 counterpart. This time around, the park is more than Jeeps on a monorail style track going from exhibit to exhibit. The park is a lush and lavish Disney World style resort. Interactive exhibits and museums are sprawled out everywhere. There are hints of the stereotypical spa baths and golf courses that accompany these amusements. Then of course, there are the dinosaurs. Every exhibit births a new awe inspiring moment for the people within the movie and us viewers in the theater.

Claire (Howard) runs the show behind the scenes, attracting new investors, cracking the whip in the control room, and making sure no disasters happen. She’s hoping to see a spike in attendance, and some more corporate investors, with her future attraction, Indominus Rex. Now I know the few paleontologists who read movie reviews are already swearing at their computer screens that that’s not a real dinosaur. Well, it isn’t. Since kids these days (in the movie and probably in real life) just aren’t wowed by dinosaurs anymore (stupid kids), they’re having to concoct some news dinosaurs in the lab.

Everyone loves this idea, except Owen (Pratt). Owen is like the park ranger. He lives in a mobile home trailer on site, rides around on a motorcycle, and to be blunt, is a total badass. Anyone who can crack the code to how to be the Alpha to a pack of velociraptors is pretty awesome in anyone’s books. Owen understands animals more than anyone around him. Where he sees nature, they see green. So when he learns that they’ve created a monster and treated it worse than Harry Harlow treats monkeys, he can sense trouble.

Even before the inevitable jailbreak, “Jurassic World” is a lot of tongue-in-cheek fun. Even after the jailbreak, there’s a perfect balance of humor and suspense. The creators of “Jurassic World” seem to understand how far to push their outlandish ideas without teetering into “Lost World” territory and they make their characters a lot more intelligent than the ones scurrying about in “Jurassic Park 3”. A lot of time and care went into the story and they’ve really handpicked the best cast. Count this as blockbuster number two for Chris Pratt who seemingly can do no wrong since bulking up for “Guardians of the Galaxy”.

It becomes painfully obvious in the third act of “Jurassic World” that there were four screenwriters. They quickly try to wrap up every sub plot, which becomes a hassle and a little bit too choppy when we want the dinosaurs to keep chomping away. It’s easy to gloss over some of these moments that need polishing when there are a couple clever twists on some of the typical clichés we’ve come to expect from our summer blockbusters.

“Jurassic World” far exceeds expectations with a fun cast and exciting story. It’s the perfect popcorn flick for sun weary crowds. Sure it’s sometimes hammy and predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in Meta commentary. Without going too much into the details, there’s a great moment where a character points out the commercialization of attractions, well after many gratuitous shots of product placements in the movie. If it took them over two decades to nail down a legitimate sequel to “Jurassic Park”, I’m willing to wait that long again for an epic sequel to “Jurassic World”.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, jurassic, review, world

Film Review “Spy”

Starring:  Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham and Jude Law
Directed by:  Paul Feig
Rated:  R
Running time:  2 hrs
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

As much as I love Melissa McCarthy, I learned with last summer’s “Tammy” that she is so much funnier when surrounded by a great comedic cast.  Nothing against Susan Sarandon but I think the last time I consistently laughed at a film she was in was 1977’s “The Great Smokey Roadblock!”  That being said, with the cast appearing on-screen with Ms. McCarthy in “Spy,” she has herself another classic.

When the film begins we are introduced to the suave Bradley Fine (Law), the kind of secret agent that pauses to make sure his hair looks good after he gets physical with the bad guys. But, as everyone knows, you’re only as good as the people around you, and Fine is working with one of the best – Susan Cooper (McCarthy).  Coop’s job is to watch Fine’s back electronically and talk him through his mission, alerting him to on-coming baddies and the closest secret exit.  While working on a case together something goes horribly wrong and Fine is killed.  Susan is devastated.  However, when her agency needs someone to go out into the field – someone unknown to the enemy – Susan is given the chance.  World diplomacy may never be again.

A true comedy adventure, “Spy” is Melissa McCarthy at her best.  There are very few comedians, man or woman, that have her physical and comedic skills.  As she frequently changes disguises (and names), she becomes that character completely.  Again, she is aided by a great ensemble cast, including Law, Rose Byrne (her “Bridesmaids” co-star), Allison Janney, Bobby Cannavale and British funny lady Miranda Hart.  But the comic secret-weapon here is action star Statham, who plays an over the top version of his normal screen hero.

The script, by director Feig, is full of classic situations, both comedic and dramatic.  Some of the set pieces, including car chases and gun battles, are well staged.  The fact that he is directing and co-writing the upcoming “Ghostbusters” re-boot tells me that film is in more than capable hands. 

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Film Review “Entourage”

Starring: Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Pivens
Directed By: Doug Ellin
Rated: R
Running Time: 104 minutes
Warner Bros. Pictures

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Back in 2007, on the advice of a college friend, I was told to give HBO’s “Entourage” a try. After four episodes, I called it quits. Not because it was an atrocity, but because it wasn’t my thing. I could see why it was recommended and why it would inevitably gain popularity and go on for another seven seasons. It was short, fun, and one’s opinion mainly hinged on the likeability of the core group.

There’s Vincent Chase (Grenier), the movie star in this world, Vincent’s best friend and manager, E (Connolly), Vincent’s brother, Johnny Drama (Dillon), and Turtle (Ferrara), who serves no real purpose at all. This is the core group of guys, constantly being weaved in and out of each other’s social lives along with their laughable adult lives in sunny Los Angeles.

The movie “Entourage” brings them back from the dead in a movie that’s three to four times longer than any episode they ever conceived. Back to wrangle these idiots is Ari Gold (Pivens), easily the best character amongst this core. Gold is once again quick-witted, funny, crudely charming, and multi-layered, unlike the aforementioned characters. Just like the TV show, Gold is the best thing about all of this. If he’s not on screen, it doesn’t feel like it’s worth my time.

Vincent’s story revolves around his directorial debut, and we’re supposed to believe that this sometimes oblivious person has crafted a masterpiece, but he needs some more money to put the finishing touches on it. Gold is back, not as Vincent’s agent, but as the head of the studio financing Vincent’s vision. As for the rest of the gang, they’re back, but it’d probably be better if they weren’t.

“Entourage” must have fallen off the deep end since those first four episodes that I watched. What seemed like a clever jab at Hollywood has now become obsessed with everyone partying, drinking and having sex. That was in the episodes I saw, but not to this excess or to this tasteless amount featured in the movie. It’s especially awkward for Johnny Drama who’s nearing the age that crosses the border from confident to creepy.

Vincent, who’s supposed to me the most freaked out about a movie that may be scrapped, seemingly reacts in a lukewarm manner to everything wrong happening to him. They’re over budget, everyone doubts his skills, financiers are getting ready to back out, and all he does is stare blankly into the camera. Gold is reacting as any sane person would, as he yells, punches inanimate objects, and creates new swear words. “Entourage” should be about Gold, not Vincent. Vincent is supposed to be a fresh, exciting, new actor, but half the time it seems like he’s waiting for someone to feed him a line or the director to give him his motivation.

It’s also a bad sign when the cameos in your movie are more memorable than what happens to your main characters. But it’s also a good sign when those cameos include Liam Neeson, Bob Saget, Tom Brady, and a slew of other people willing to give a cheap laugh at the expense of themselves or others. When Gold is on screen, “Entourage” is clever and fun, but when Vincent is on screen, it’s painful and dry. Maybe they should break up this entourage and just make a movie called Ari Gold. Now I’d pay to see that.

“Entourage” is a difficult movie to love, but an easy movie to hate. At its core, it’s fan-service, plain and simple. If you didn’t watch the show, you’re not going to see what all the fuss is about, but if you own every season on DVD or blu-ray, you’re inevitably going to add this movie to your collection.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: entourage, film, review
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