Down For The Count... "Countdown"

Countdown (2016)

Rated R

Starring Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Katherine Isabelle

Directed by John Stockwell

The Story:

Ray (Ziggler) is a detective who's living on the edge. Facing suspension by his captain (Kane), he goes rogue to save a boy who has been kidnapped and has a bomb strapped to him. His only ally as he tries to elude both the police and the Russian mafia is an Internal Affairs (Isabelle) officer who was leading the charge to have him suspended or fired.

The latest offering from WWE Studios allows Dolph Ziggler (Nick Nemeth) his first feature movie and Kane (Glenn Jacobs) a supporting role as the Captain.

The nice thing with WWE Studios is they pretty much have their own farm system to take the most entertaining superstars and help them transition to actors.

While none of them will likely ever rival the Rock in terms of success or charisma, so far they've all held their own and turned in enjoyable performances in ultimately throwaway "B-Movie" vehicles.

This one is no exception.

Sadly, it may also be one of my least favorites from WWE, through no fault of Ziggler, who I think is one of the best wrestlers in the business today.

No, this one is saddled with a script that is borderline tedious and sometimes laughable. They had about 60 minutes worth of script, and 90 minutes worth of movie to make.

It features one of the worst car chase scenes in cinematic history.

Wait, I think there was actually more than one.

Basically, every time they are in a car... just hit fast forward if you're watching.

They used the car chases to get to 90 minutes. None of them were exciting; no snappy banter, no excellent stunts.

They were actually laughable or painful to watch.

This would make sense if this was the first movie WWE Studios has released, but it's not.

Ziggler deserves better, both inside and outside of the ring.

Final Grade:  C-

When Art Students Go Mad..."The Rape Of Europa"

The Rape of Europa (2006)

Not Rated

Written and Directed by Richard Berge & Bonni Cohen

The Story:

The incredible true story of the Nazis who basically plundered or destroyed thousands of pieces of artwork throughout Europe before and during World War II.

After watching this documentary, it almost lays out the entire timeline of World War II as one big exercise by the Nazis to obtain or eradicate the largest art collection in the entire world. Hitler and Goering, among others, were art collectors who kept the very best pieces for their own personal collection, but the grand design was to open the greatest art museum the world had ever seen.

Well, we know how well that worked out, but it was still a costly battle to stop a museum from being built!

The countless pieces that have possibly been lost to time are sickening.

However, many pieces are still being discovered with each passing generation, many of whom don't even realize what treasures they have been hiding, either hanging on a wall or actually still in a hiding place.

The documentary naturally discusses the Monuments Men operation that was launched by the United States to try and save as much of the art as they could find, and that became the basis for the movie of the same name a few years ago.

Most impressive was the complete and total evacuation of the Louvre museum and their attempts to keep those treasures out of the hands of the advancing Germany army.

A really entertaining, yet somber, documentary.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: Solid B

And You Thought Your Family Was Weird..."The Family Fang"

The Family Fang (2015)

Rated R

Starring Jason Bateman, Nicole Kidman, Christopher Walken, Maryann Plunkett,

Directed by Jason Bateman

The Story:

Annie (Kidman) and Baxter (Bateman) Fang have grown and left their eccentric parents (Walken & Plunkett) out of their lives as much as possible. When Baxter gets injured, his family comes to take care of him, and the family is reunited one more time. But their parents being weird performance artists have left emotional scars on the siblings. However, when their parents go missing and are presumed dead, the kids aren't too sure that this isn't just their latest masterpiece.

If it sounds weird, it's because it was weird.

It's a quirky dramedy that explores the relationship between a family that was so dysfunctional, they had no clue what dysfunction even was.

And yet, they also had a very good time growing up, and the bond between brother and sister is remarkably strong for all that they endured.

It's a very character driven story that flashes back to when the kids were younger and shows what they endured growing up.

The oddest part of the movie is how it seems like it's also part documentary in narration, which gives the movie a bit of an odd flow to it, but it's nothing that is too hard to look past.

Good performances by all of the actors involved, and that's what propels your interest in the movie from start to finish.

Final Grade: C+

Summer Camp + Lake + Masked Killer...Seems Familiar... "Spirit Camp"

Spirit Camp (2009)

Rated R

Starring Roxy Vandiver, Julin, Katy Rowe, Kerry Beyer

Written and Directed by Kerry Beyer

The Story:

Nikki (Vandiver) is forced by her parole officer to go to a Spirit Camp with other cheerleaders who want to excel at cheerleading. Nikki has no desire to be there, and the other girls don't want her there either.  Then, one by one, cheerleaders start meeting their grisly ends as a killer runs loose in the woods, just like he had done years earlier.

Kerry Beyer's love letter to 80s horror films would fit alongside any 80s horror franchise nearly seamlessly.

There are red herrings, misdirection, and buxom cheerleaders getting picked off one by one.

I've said it before, but my only real complaint with horror movies is when the killer doesn't have any real motive or backstory.

Sadly, I feel that is once again the case with this film.

I knew who the killer was pretty early on, though the first kill made it seem completely impossible, so that throws logic out the window at the end of the film.

That complaint aside, the movie was pretty fun and totally watchable.

Which is always a good thing, as far as slasher flicks go.

And yes, thankfully, as it is an ode to 80s films, the killings are not graphic gross-outs that took over the horror genre with the likes of Saw and similar films.

I want a kill, not an in-depth autopsy.

> :  p

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+ 

You'll Want A "Ticket Out" Of Seeing This One

Ticket Out (2012)

Not Rated

Starring Ray Liotta, Alexandra Breckenridge, Billy Burke, Colin Ford, Ciara Bond

Directed by Doug Lodato

The Story:

Jocelyn (Breckenridge) wants to leave her abusive husband (Burke) and take her kids (Ford & Bond) with her. She learns of an "underground railroad" that helps spouses find safety. She meets Jim (Liotta) and he tries to get her to safety, but her husband and authorities are hot on their trail!

Oh my...

This was a Lifetime movie, gone horribly awry.

Where to begin?

The acting.

I know I probably shouldn't pick on child actors, but Colin Ford's portrayal as the son is laughingly bad. I wanted to reach through the screen and slap him around. His range is nonexistent and he makes his moments of peril laugh out loud moments.

Burke and Liotta are even phoning it in, but hey, a paycheck is a paycheck.

The plot.

Well, I may have fast forwarded through the explicit proof that the husband was indeed abusive, because aside from Jocelyn claiming it, there's really no proof that there is abuse.

No, I'm not saying we need to see her getting slapped around, but you'd think it would be addressed more than it was, considering it's almost the entire impetus of the film.

It also has one of the worst confrontations ever filmed where the son shoots the father.

Which again, coupled with the bad child acting...

This movie is now playing like a bad comedy!

I think I let it play until the 30 or 40 minute mark, out of trainwreck status and to give Liotta a chance to save the film.

He couldn't.

I did fast forward to the end to see how they would resolve the whole thing.

Needless to say there was a twist!

Should I spoil it?

Why not, the movie isn't worth watching anyway.

So Liotta is an undercover agent who is trying to track down the underground railroad people.

He gets shot by the husband, allowing the wife to escape at the end.

No, seriously.

Final Grade: D

They Dont' Make 'Em Like This Anymore..."Electric Boogaloo"

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)  

Rated R

Starring Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Sybil Danning, Nearly Anyone Who Ever Worked On A Low Budget 80s Cannon Film Masterpiece.

Written & Directed by Mark Hartley

The Story:

This is the story of Menaham Golan and Yoram Globus, two Israeli cousins who really loved Hollywood movies. They loved them so much, they decided to make their own. So began the fabled rise of Cannon Films. And ultimately with the rise of Cannon, the fall was not far behind.

So, if you grew up in the 80s and rented movies, which pretty much includes everyone likely reading this review, you know what Cannon Films is/was/will always be...

The Greatest Studio Ever!

Okay, that might be overreaching, but Cannon cranked out some serious movies in their day. While other studios would put out 6-8 in a busy year, Cannon was trying to crank out 6-8 in 2 months!

As they were filming one, they'd be lining up 2 or 3 more.

Making up the scripts as they go, check!

Making some of the shlockiest B-Movies we've ever had the pleasure of watching, check!

Making Chuck Norris a star, check!

Resurrecting the career of Charles Bronson, check!

Giving the movie public what they didn't know they needed: Breakdancing movies...check!!!

And really, any studio that gave us the title Electric Boogaloo, that's aces in my book!

I still use that title today when I await sequels to movies.

Now, sit back and reflect as writers, directors, stars and other folks that were there reflect on what Cannon Films meant to them, their careers and movies in general.

In essence, Cannon paved the way for other studios, like Miramax, who would come along and break the old studio system.

The difference, while Miramax concentrates on quality, Cannon was trying to overwhelm us with quantity!

Where it all went off the tracks was when they decided instead of making a film for a few million dollars that made its money back and then some, it was time to make a big budget film...

Superman IV !!!

I have now, thanks to footage in this documentary, seen more of Superman IV than I had ever seen before in my life.

And yes, it's as bad as I feared!!!

The problem was, they wanted to make a good movie with a big budget...they just ran out of money and then went ultra-cheap.

And the end was near...

The cousins attempted to go it alone, and each created their own company and their first movies out of the gate would be about the latest craze that was going to sweep the nation...

The Lambada!

That's right, one cousin gave us Lambada! The other, The Forbidden Dance.

They hit theaters at the same time, divided the marketplace, and doomed both companies.

Of course, decades later when the cousins learned of this documentary, they rallied together like old times and put out their own documentary...

And it made it to theaters first.

:)

I haven't seen that one, but this one is currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A-

No Wonder They Stopped Worshipping The "Gods Of Egypt"

Gods of Egypt (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Brenton Thwaites, Courtney Eaton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Chadwick Boseman, Gerard Butler, Bryan Brown, Rachael Blake, Geoffrey Rush,

Directed by Alex Proyas

The Story:

The story of how Set (Butler) betrayed his brother Osiris (Brown) and took over the throne of Egypt, much to Horus' (Waldau) dismay. The only one who can hope to stop Seth is a little mortal named Bek (Thwaites) who refuses to acknowledge the gods of Egypt, but will do anything to help his beloved (Eaton) return to life.

And yes, of course this is based on a true story.

Or, at least the cool myth of Osiris, Set and Horus.

Getting my background for the film, it appears that the main complaint about this film, it should have been filled with black actors instead of white actors.

Okay.

I guess.

In theory, it should have been filled with actual Egyptian actors, but this is Hollywood, and you pretty much take what you're given.

I've seen enough black actors playing white roles and women playing men's roles, etc. etc. etc...

I pretty much don't care anymore.

As long as they are a decent actor in a decent story that will hold my interest, I'm pretty easygoing on this subject.

So the question becomes really this:

Is the film any good?

The answer?

Yes, it kind of is.

Not in a Gladiator or Ben Hur or other dramatic swords and sandals epic drama.

More in the Clash of the Titans can I check my brain at the door, munch some popcorn and not be thoroughly bored for the next 90 minutes, then Gods Of Egypt succeeds.

The size differential aspect between gods and mortals is a concept that doesn't get used very often, and establishes that there is indeed something different about this Gerard Butler than other Butlers we may be used to.

It's a cheesy throwback, but with today's technology doesn't look nearly as laughable as it once did.

The action scenes are well choreographed and the plot keeps moving you along to the final battle with very little to drag things down.

It's a popcorn movie, through and through. :)

 C+

Above And Beyond..."13 Hours"

13 Hours (2016)

Rated R

Starring John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Max Martini, David Costabile, Matt Letscher,

Directed by Michael Bay

The Story:

Benghazi, Libya. In 2012, it was declared one of the most dangerous places on Earth, and pretty much all foreign governments pulled out of the area. The United States left a sorta secret CIA base in the area, and they were defended by former military special ops personnel. On September 11th, Ambassador Stevens (Letscher) has come to Benghazi to spread the message of peace through the land, and that's when terrorists decide to storm the Ambassador's compound. The security team at the CIA base want to go protect the Ambassador, but are told to stand down by the Chief (Costabile). They finally defy his orders and go to try and save the Ambassador before it's too late.

And we all know how it ends.

Ambassador Stevens and 3 of the security team members would die as a result of the attacks on the 2 compounds.

I won't name the names here, you can find them on a million news reports, and it then spoils which actors wind up getting killed.

It's more stressing not knowing which characters are going to end up not making the trip home alive, and you feel the tension and stress that the movie tries to convey.

Speaking of which, Michael Bay, give him credit, tells a really powerful war story here.

He's aided by a wonderful cast of mostly actors that you haven't seen before, minus Krasinski, who pulls off the role as a former Special Ops who is now wanting to provide for his family by taking this dangerous assignment.

By the 45 minute mark or so, you're so invested in these characters, you almost don't want to keep watching the movie because you know bad things are going to happen.

Plus, you know my usual complaint about how movies are too long or feel longer than they are?

That doesn't apply here.

The 2 1/2 hours are riveting and you remain engaged throughout.

As for the political finger-pointing that comes with this movie, Bay sidesteps pointing any direct fingers at the White House or those in positions of power that could have done something, but the implication is there that something could have been done in a much timelier manner.

It was a tragedy that shouldn't have happened and also shouldn't be ignored.

Final Grade: Solid B  /  B+

Epic Movie...Epic Fail. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot,

Directed by Zack Snyder

The Story:

Taking place at the climactic battle in Metropolis, Bruce Wayne (Affleck) watches as Superman (Cavill) pretty much destroys the place in an epic showdown with General Zod. Fast forward 18 months, the world isn't sure whether or not to trust Superman, and reports of the return of the vigilante Batman, more ruthless than ever are circulating out of Gotham. These two are on a collision course, and it's not going to be pretty.

Okay, so let me repeat something I've said before:

The first cinematic team-up of Batman and Superman, ever, should have been a license for DC to print money. It should have been so amazing when it was released, that it would still be playing in theaters today.

It should be the highest grossing movie of all time, even after adjusting for inflation!

Why?

EVERYONE knows who Superman and Batman are.

Even if you've never read a comic book, you've seen them, somewhere. Shirt. Lunchbox. Underwear. Hat. Action Figure. Previous movies. Cartoons.

But yet, that didn't happen.

Why not?

Take your pick, this movie offers up 2 and a half hours (!!!!!) of reasons about what went wrong.

Here's my observations:

1) We don't want to be like Marvel!

Good call, so put out dour movies with no humor or really likable characters.

Really, that seems to be DC/Warner Brothers rallying cry.

We want to be the "adult" superhero movie.

They want the critical acclaim and adulation that came with the Nolan Bat-trilogy, but the box office success of Marvel.

I hate to say that you can't have it both ways, because clearly you can.

Except your rallying cry says "we don't want to be Marvel!" and they've consistently put out movies that have been critical and commercial hits.

I can sit here and compare Marvel to DC all day long.

No seriously, I'm at work, and it's kind of fun taking a break you know. :)

But at the end of the day, I try and judge a movie simply by what it brings to the table...

But yes, comparisons are hard to avoid.

Here's some other areas I feel the movie went wrong:

A) Hey, let's make a cohesive DC Universe!

Great idea. Wrong tactic.

Again, Marvel introduced us, slow burn, to each character who would eventually make up the Avengers.

DC has started with The Avengers, more or less, and said, see, one big universe.

Except they are starting with a sequel to a movie (Man of Steel) that...sucked...is that the good critical term?

I have little problem with Cavill in the suit, of course, they rarely let him say or do much except punch and be angry while wearing it.

I have a bigger problem with the suit.

That's not Superman.

He should be bright and shiny (not literally...ugh...) but those reds and blues should pop out, and not be subdued and shadowy, nearly black on viewing.

That's Batman's job.

B) Nobody cared that Superman died (whoops, Spoiler!) .

Let's be honest, when Doomsday killed Superman in the comics (whoops, spoiler again!) it was a BIG deal! Sure, nobody thought he would stay dead dead, but for a bit, he was dead. And the world mourned.

Why?

He'd been doing it for-ev-er. He was the gold standard that all the heroes looked up to, and when he gave his life in battle, the entire world mourned. All the heroes gathered to bury their comrade, and the entire world was saddened.

Hello... not 5 minute earlier, the world was trying to decide if they should worship Superman or deport him because he was too dangerous and an unknown entity.

So when Superman dies at the end of the movie...meh.

Aside from Martha (Lane) and Lois (Adams) who really cared? Batman, a bit, because he realized he had misjudged Clark. But the show by America was just that, a show. "Whoops, our bad, thanks Supes!"

C) The Dark Knight Returned Too Soon

Speaking of scrambling storylines, how about the proverbial DC omelette where they took the battle from The Dark Knight Returns and mixed it into this film. Except again, they take the older, wiser (eh...) Batman against a rookie Superman. Too soon, too unnecessary.

D) Someone thought Jesse Eisenberg would be a great Lex Luthor.

He didn't. Shame on you, and I hope you're now looking for work somewhere. Not sure what movie he thought he was in, but he seemed to be channeling more of the Joker than Luthor when he was onscreen.

E) The "Ultimate Edition" DVD has another 30 minutes of footage that makes the story better

Bzzzt.

Wrong answer.

While it may be true, no DVD release containing footage should make a movie "make more sense and be easier to follow" than what was released in theaters. If that's the case, your editors are failing at their job.

An enhanced version should enhance the story, not tell it better.


Okay, I need to stop kicking this dead horse while it's down, so what, if anything did they get right:

I) Ben Affleck makes a great Bruce Wayne & Batman

II) Gal Gadot is great as Wonder Woman

III) Jeremy Irons was terrific as Alfred


The fact that this movie was so savaged by critics and rejected by audiences caused DC/Warner to stop, reshoot Suicide Squad to inject "more humor" and move some studio bosses around to get a better handle on their universe.

So basically they decided:

1) We don't want to be like Marvel!

Good call.

However, I need to grade on a curve with superhero films, and much like The Fantastic Four suffered because of what they "Should Have" done compared to what they did, so to will this film.

There was just too much unrealized and wasted potential, and too much grim atmosphere.

Not my particular flavor of superheroics.

If I'm going to spend 2 1/2 hours of my life watching superheroes...

well...

Make Mine Marvel.


Final Grade: D+

"The Brothers Grimsby" Is Downright Painful

The Brothers Grimsby 

Rated R

Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher,

Directed by Louis Leterier

The Story:

Nobby (Cohen) and his little brother Sebastian (Strong) were orphaned growing up, and separated by adoption. Nobby has always been waiting to find his long lost brother, and when the two are finally reunited, he actually blows Sebastian's cover as a top MI6 agent, and now Sebastian is wanted for murder. The brothers have to stay alive and clear their names before their reunion is short-lived.

You know those trailers where you think you probably saw all the good parts already?

Well, if you saw the trailer for The Brothers Grimsby, you were pretty much correct.

As this was my first Sacha Baron Cohen movie, I cannot compare it against his previous offerings to decide if this is along the same lines as those films.

It's enough to make me realize that I'm not Cohen's target audience though.

There are glimpses of a smart, Bond-style parody, and getting Leterier to direct an action-comedy was likely a wise choice.

However, the few smart gags that happen are surrounded by a dozen crude jokes with little or no humourous value in them, whatsoever.

Which is a shame, because it wastes a pretty good cast.

That Isla Fisher chose this over Now You See Me 2, time to fire your agent.

And Mark Strong tries to save the movie by being just plain awesome, but it's too little, too late.

I can't, in any good consciousness, recommend this movie.

I will give it bonus points for thankfully being shorter than most movies.

Do yourself a favor, and go watch Kingsman instead.

Final Grade: D+

Inside Is A Good Movie Just Trying To Get Out..."Term Life"

Term Life (2016)

Rated R

Starring Vince Vaughn, Hailee Steinfeld, Bill Paxton, Jonathan Banks, Jordi Molla, Terrence Howard, Jon Favreau, Mike Epps,

Directed by Peter Billingsley

The Story:

Nick (Vaughn) is a planner. He does the research on how to pull off the perfect crime, then sells that information for a price, and everybody wins. Except this time, when the people that bought the plan are murdered, Nick finds himself on the run from the police and the mob.  And the worst part, they're coming after Nick's daughter (Steinfeld) so he has to try and protect her and stay one step ahead of everyone else at the same time.

On paper, this probably looked and sounded amazing.

Well, I suppose it really did, as apparently it started off as a graphic novel before it was adapted into a movie.

:)

But something is fundamentally amiss in the film, and it's hard to know exactly what's not clicking.

It seems to center mostly on the story itself, or at least the actions of the characters as the story unfolds.

There should be tension and energy that just doesn't come through on the screen, but on occasion, you get a glimmer of the thriller/heist this film wanted to be.

Good, not great.

That seems to sum up a lot of movies lately.

It's an amazing cast, many of whom are onscreen for but a moment, their talents kind of wasting away in the roles they were given.

And the less we say about Vince Vaughn's hair in this film, the better.

:)

Final Grade:  C

"Krampus" Knows If You've Been Naughty...And Will Make You Regret It!

Krampus (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Emjay Anthony, Stefania LaVie Owen, David Koechner

Directed by Michael Dougherty

The Story:

Max (Anthony) and his family (Scott, Collette & Owen) have become disillusioned this holiday season. So that means, Krampus has decided to visit the family and rekindle their holiday spirit, even if it kills them!

I've seen a lot of good horror comedies so far this year.

Heck, I have a couple that will be vying for favorite movie of the year honors when all is said and done.

Krampus won't be joining that list.

The main problem, as I saw it, the movie tried too hard to be scary and forgot to be funny.

And then they tried too hard to be funny and would forget to be scary.

So you take a good cast and give them a film with an uneven tone, and the results will be average, at best.

So yes, there's a few good laughs, and a few good scares.

But when it's over, much like the ending, it will be a vague exercise in trying to remember what exactly you just saw.

Final Grade:  C

A Night Over 30 Years In The Making..."Huey Lewis & The News"

So, I'll let you all in on a little secret:

Huey Lewis & The News is my favorite band of all time.

So there you have it, you now know 2 people who admit to that fact (Marty McFly was the other).

When I flipped the radio from country to Top 40 Pop/Rock around 1982/1983, it was just before the debut of Sports.

Needless to say, over the next few years, I wore that cassette out listening to the entire album, not a bad track to be found. A few years later, Fore! came out, and same thing, amazing album from first song to last, and that cassette too was eventually destroyed by constant use.

:)

And much like all musical acts of the 80s, the 90s came, introduced the world to Grunge music, and all of my favorite artists disappeared and became relics of a bygone era.

Thankfully, people realize there was some pretty good music put out in that decade and most of those songs are standard issue on Adult Contemporary stations.

Many of those musical acts reunite now as a nostalgia acts to the amazement of the crowds.

Yet Huey Lewis & The News never stopped working during that time.

They continued to put out material, and while it never really caught on with the changing musical taste of each new generation, their longtime fans bought it, loved it, and continued to sell out his concert tours every summer.

So, about the time I watched Live Aid, little me vowed to someday see Huey Lewis & The News in concert.

Little did I know that journey would take about 30 more years than I expected!

: /

I always wanted to see Huey when I was in Maryland. He came to Wolftrap across the river in Virginia every year, but the timing never worked out right.

Then for the decade plus that I was stuck in South Carolina, I never found him any closer than 4 hours from home, and that just wasn't going to work.

I was amused that seemingly every year he did play a venue or two in Oregon...

Which brings us back to now.

His summer tour was announced, and he was playing two sites: the amphitheater in Bend or a Casino on the way to the Coast.

While I wanted to take everyone to Bend, because I raised a whole family of Huey Lewis & The News fans, that was going to be pricey.

So instead, I bought two tickets to the show at the casino, 21 and older only, and watched as the show quickly sold out.

I won't mention how horrible the website was for purchasing tickets as I saw the 2 front row center seats in my cart vanish...and by the time I was able to get the cart to function correctly, I was now about 20 rows back...

Or maybe I will mention it! :)

Then we were hushed about it.

Because whenever we make plans in the future or for something remotely fun, life or annoying people always seem to arrive unannounced at the last minute and ruin it.

Thankfully, not this time.

So as we sit in our seats waiting, the show is about to begin...

And a very familiar heartbeat begins...

The Heart of Rock & Roll starts playing and we jumped to our feet, as did several people throughout the sold out concert as we clapped, sang and danced along.

That was followed by She's Some Kind of Wonderful, and then went into I Want A New Drug.

Now, you know those songs...

Played live, are those quiet, slow tempo songs you should sit on your hands and listen to?

No.

But apparently for the crowd of old fogeys behind us, they kept poking my wife and me and telling us to sit down.

They even pushed our chairs into the back of our legs.

I turned around mid-song and one lady asked me "How's the show? I wouldn't know because I can't see it."

Apparently she didn't notice the two jumbo screens in front, or two big screens to the side that she could have looked at.

Or, horror of all horrors...actually stood up and enjoyed the show herself.

I shrugged my shoulders, smiled, and went back to clapping and standing, soaking in the moment.

This was a bucket list item for me.

See Huey Lewis & The News LIVE IN CONCERT!!!

Mission accomplished!

And they did not disappoint.

It was an amazing set full of hit after hit after hit!

Huey has an easy rapport with the crowd, telling us he knows we want to hear something new, but too bad, he's in charge, and he's in a hit-singing mood.

Eventually he did indeed give us 2 new songs that night, and they seamlessly fit in with the rest of his catalog.

Slowly, as the concert wore on, others finally unable to ignore the infectious energy of the band and those of us in the crowd who know a good thing when they see it, rose to their feet and really seemed to bring the entire energy level up in the place.

Aside from some sticks that never get out of the mud, by the time it came to cheer for an encore, that place was rocking.

And gracious Huey came back to the stage and played us 3 more songs.

When it was all over, you know there were some hits that just don't make it out due to time limits, but you feel like you've had the best night of your life.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat.

I got to see Huey Lewis & The News in concert, and I was able to take my beautiful bride with me!

The only downside, all of the kids at home who wanted to go, but were age restricted.

So if we do it again next year, I'm probably going for the venue that doesn't restrict by age.

And we'll be there.

And we'll be standing.

Cheering.

Singing.

Clapping.

Dancing.

You've been warned.

Buy your tickets accordingly.

:)


Final Grade: A+

They Saved The Last For Last..."Allegiant"

Allegiant (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Naomi Watts, Jeff Daniels, Octavia Spencer,

Directed by Robert Schwentke

The Story:

Tris (Woodley), 4 (James) and their crew decide to leave the walled city of Chicago and see what truly lies on the other side. There they meet David (Daniels) who claims that Tris is the key to rebuilding the future. But can he be trusted?

At this point, can anyone in this franchise be trusted.

So, I've stuck with the franchise this long, you feel you might as well finish with it, am I right?

Well, judging by the box office, about half of the fans abandoned ship this go round.

Possible reasons?

Well for starters, Allegiant does not rhyme with Divergent or Insurgent. Clearly the pattern was broken, and people may have mistakenly thought this was a brand new Dystopian Future movie.

;)

More likely, people are simply tiring of the Young Adult books brought to cinematic life after all of the Hunger Games, this series, the Maze Runner and a few other films as well.

These aren't superhero movies. These are films about depressing futures.

Oh, so maybe they are just like DC superhero movies. ;)

Either way, perhaps the audience is growing tired of that genre.

Or perhaps they are simply getting tired of a storyline that seems just a bit padded at this point.

Because, quite frankly, it seems like the same thing that happened in the last movie happens in the next movie.

They escape the ruthless clutches of a power-mad leader, only to watch as all of the factions begin fighting amongst themsleves to see who becomes the new power-mad leader.

So the franchise is treading water.

And when you bring in less than 100 million dollars from your previous film, the 4th film in the franchise, 4th!!?? gets changed on the schedule from a next summer in theaters to a next year on tv as a springboard for a new TV show.

Good luck with that.

So on that note, I bid this series farewell.

Final Grade: C

I Wanna Fly Like "Eddie The Eagle"

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman,

Directed by

The Story:

Eddie Edwards (Egerton) is actually a pretty good British skier, but when he fails to make the Olympic team, he checks the rules and realizes that the British downhill jumping ski requirements are very lax, and exploits that loophole to become the team.

This is the story that, alongside the Jamaican bobsled team, made the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics likely the greatest Olympics in modern history.

Or at least the one with the best "feel good" moments from watching that I can remember.

While the backstory of Eddie gets Hollywood-ized, such as the invention of a coach (Jackman) that didn't really exist, the feel-good nature of Eddie's tale comes through strongly.

The real sad take away from this film is that the British, along with most other countries, have changed the rulebooks so much, they have taken away the opportunity for anyone not entrenched in the Olympic money machine to ever replicate Eddie's journey and even get the chance to compete in the Olympics.

And that's a shame, because while America, or at least journalists reporting from the Olympics, are at least obsessed with the medal count, it's the human stories that touch most viewers.

And you don't need to dig to find how this child was raised in 13 broken homes to reach our heartstrings, it's the passion and joy from the athletes that make us gravitate towards liking them.


Final Grade:  B

Possibly The Greatest "Race" In History

Race (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt, Carice van Houten, Barnaby Metschurat, Eli Goree, Shanice Benton,

Directed by Stephen Hopkins

The Story:

Jesse Owens (James) heads to Ohio State, becomes a track legend under the tutelage of coach Larry Snyder (Sudeikis) and eventually becomes the Olympic hero that everyone remembers.

The time has come to tell his story, finally.

Why it took 80 years to get to the big screen is beyond me, but with the cooperation of Jesse's family, it's finally here.

Naturally, some things are going to be compressed for time, changed for dramatic emphasis, but the nuts and bolts of the story are all the same.

The pressure faced by the Olympic committee to even go to Germany in 1936 is presented.

So too is the pressure Owens himself faced, told by the NAACP to sit out the games as a protest.

I'd like to think that history has made that symbolic gesture seem pointless, as normally the only way to confront a bully is to look him square in the eye, and then punch him square in the face.

Owens did that, and more.

James is great as Owens, bringing to life one of America's greatest Olympic legends.

And he is presented, warts and all, and not lifted up as something other than a normal man, who just happened to be really, really fast.

The real revelation is Sudeikis playing a non-comedic role.

He gets a great chance to shine, and his scenes with James bring their chemistry to life.

Also of note, Germany filmed the games for the documentary Olympia, and that storyline also unfolds in this movie, and much of what they brought to that production is the backbone of televising modern sporting events.

Final Grade: Solid B

Just In Time For The Olympics..."The Bronze"

The Bronze (2015)

Rated R

Starring Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong,

Directed by Bryan Buckley

The Story:

Hope Annabelle Greggory (Rauch) was the little Olympian that could, fighting through an injury to win Bronze in gymnastics. Years removed, she lives like the Queen of Amherst Ohio, living the life of a celebrity. But now there is a new gymnast in town, Maggie (Richardson) who has the potential to go all the way. It's up to Hope to see that she gets there, but Hope isn't sure she's ready to give up her status as the most talented Olympian in her hometown.

If you saw the trailer, you know that Melissa Rauch is going to spout some of the most vulgar insults you've ever heard in a film about the Olympics. That she can pull it off with a straight face and a crazy delivery is just one of the things that starts to win you over about this film.

Or at least, it won me over.

She co-wrote with her husband, the movie, but she gives plenty of good material to the rest of the cast to equally enjoy in the antics.

Gary Cole gets most of the best parts as her beleaguered father who wants only the best for his little gymnast, and may have been a bit of an enabler over the years.

Sebastian Stan also arrives as the Olympic coach who has a past with Hope and wants to get Maggie's services for the Olympic team.

The gymnastic routines themselves are quite good, and the filmmakers did a nice job of sprinkling in actual former gymnastic stars as commentators which helps lend an additional air of authenticity and fun to the proceedings.

Final Grade: B-

Our First DC Premiere..."Suicide Squad"

Suicide Squad (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman, Karen Fukuhara, Adam Beach, David Harbour

Written and Directed by David Ayer

The Story:

Amanda Waller (Davis) has decided that in a world with more and more metahuman activity, she needs to assemble a team that is able and willing to do whatever it takes to protect National Security. After all, the next Superman might just be a hostile. So she rounds up the worst of the worst, implants them with a transmitter that doubles as a bomb, and under the leadership of Rick Flag (Kinnaman), the Suicide Squad is born.

Or...

The Story:

A group of scoundrels we've never met before team up to save the world while tossing off one-liners during action sequences set to a cool soundtrack.

Sound familiar?

Yes, Marvel Studios did that 2 years ago with Guardians of the Galaxy, and earlier this year with Deadpool from Fox.

Sorry folks, in the world of superhero movies, comparisons are inevitable.

But let's make this perfectly clear up front, don't compare Suicide Squad to the Avengers, at that point we move from comparing apples to oranges to apples and bananas. Save that comparison for when they finally roll Justice League into theaters.

So, is this movie as bad as Rotten Tomatoes claims, and rabid fanboys have decried that since this is the second DC movie in a row with low scores, that site should be shut down?

No.

It's totally watchable.

Is it rewatchable, either in theaters or at home?

That's debatable.

The Good:

I got to hang out with some of my kids at the movies. Can't ever go wrong with bonding over popcorn and a movie, am I right?!? :)

Viola Davis owns her role as Amanda Waller. She might actually be more frightening than Batman. :)

Will Smith returns to form in his first action flick since 2012's MiB3, and it's a welcome return. It's like an old suit that he slips right into, and watching this film makes me ready for his return as Mike Lowry in Bad Boys 3 (and apparently 4!)

Margot Robbie owns Harley Quinn. While I would have preferred her actual outfit, well, this is the revamped Harley costume they want to go with. Still, when these two are onscreen, the movie picks up tremendously.

The rest of the crew?

When they are given anything to do, it's quite enjoyable. Bonus points to Jai Courtney for actually putting some charisma into a role for a change, his Captain Boomerang is one of the high points as well.

The Bad:

Everyone else is woefully underused and underdeveloped. It seems like most are there simply to give Deadshot and Harley a breather in the action.

The villain? Also falls into the meh, who cares department. But, it was pretty much that way too when they used her in Ghostbusters. :)

The Joker. Totally could have done without him. Aside from the backstory with Harley, which is necessary, he actually becomes a distraction as the film wears on. As for him channeling both Nicholson and Ledger as his inspiration, I found it seemed to channel more of Jim Carrey's Riddler.

Setting scenes to music can be effective.

Setting nearly every scene to music can be overdone.

They decided to dial it up to 11 and introduce everyone to their own killer beat, when it might have been more effective to stagger all of the team introductions out through the film versus one after the other after the other.

Ah well, not my film, not my universe.

: )

That said, of the 2 (or is it 3?) films from the DC "Shared Universe", this is easily my favorite.

I've yet to see Batman vs. Superman (and the kids still don't want to see it!) but it's coming next week on Netflix.

And Man of Steel sucked.

Though I don't think it's considered part of the shared universe, or at least probably wasn't before it tanked.

Finally, you can tell the film was meddled with, even without reading all of the reports about the reshoots after Batman vs. Superman was given a resounding thumbs down upon reception.

We'll see where DC goes from here, but you have to hope, at least for their sake as well as the audience, that they are correcting the ship and if not trying to outright copy the Marvel movie formula, at least copy the part where we like seeing their movies.

:)

Final Grade: C+

It's Bound To Be A Funny One..."Mel Brooks: Make A Noise"

Mel Brooks: Make a Noise (2013)

TV-PG

Starring Mel Brooks

Written and Directed by Robert Trachtenberg

The Story:

Part of the PBS "American Masters" series, this in-depth biography finally lets Mel Brooks talk about his favorite subject: himself!

Okay, that may or may not be true, but for the first time that I can recall, here's Mel opening up about his life, his career and his films, in his words, as well as some of his collaborators over the years.

If you've never seen his work, this will help showcase his efforts in one career spanning retrospective and you'll begin to understand why he's so funny and a comedy legend.

If you're a fan of his work, this is icing on a delicious cake of a career.

The great thing about Brooks career, is even his bad stuff is good, when compared to other offerings.
It's only when you compare one Brooks film to another that you can really see the difference, which also elevates how truly great his best films really are.

The biography also reveals a lot of interesting facts that you may be unaware of, or have simply forgotten over the years.

Definitely worthwhile.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing. You can probably also find it, and other American Masters episodes on the PBS.org website.

Final Grade: B+

"Runner Runner" Not Bad, Not Bad

Runner Runner (2013)

Rated R

Starring Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie,

Directed by Brad Furman

The Story:

Richie (Timberlake) is trying to make ends meet and make his college tuition by rounding up people to use an online poker site owned by Ivan Block (Affleck). However, when Richie ends up losing a fortune, he discovers a flaw in the system and crashes a party to let Ivan know that his site is being rigged by someone. Ivan thanks him by offering him a job, and Richie quickly rises to become his right hand man. However, that's a very dangerous place to be...

There are flashes of brilliance and great performances to be had throughout this film.

Timberlake, as always, seems to be a natural in front of the camera, and when he hangs up his singing career for good, he's got a great second career to fall back on.

Naturally, a hero is only as good as the villain, and Affleck plays along as the menacing thug who can make or break Richie (or anyone for that matter) with just a few choice words.

When the two are together, the storyline picks up.

The problem, the two don't share a whole ton of screen time.

The other major players are Arterton as Ivan's girlfriend who has a thing for Richie...

And Mackie who gets to play a corrupt FBI agent.

Throw in a heist, betrayals and backstabbing and the movie had great ideas that just didn't fully come across.
That's a shame, because again, those flashes of brilliance could have made this a repeat viewing.

Final Grade:  C+

"You're Next" Finally Made It To the Top Of The Queue...

You're Next (2011)

Rated R

Starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, AJ Bowen, Wendy Glenn, Joe Swanberg, Rob Moran, Barbara Crampton

Directed by Adam Wingard

The Story:

Paul and Aubrey Davison (Moran & Crampton) have all of their children and their significant others come home to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but things take a scary turn when masked evil-doers begin picking off the family members, one by one.

What's going on, and what do these masked men want?

You'll have to watch to find out!!

So yesterday, I reviewed a thriller that wasn't very thrilling, and compared that disappointment to a comedy that isn't funny.

Don't forget to add to that list of disappointments, horror movies that aren't that scary.

You're Next fills that bill perfectly.

Now, if you've never, ever, in the history of horror movies ever watched a scary movie, you might like this one.

If, however, you've waded into the bloody waters of horror movies ever before, you'll find this one to be poorly laid out and laughably acted by nearly the entire cast.

You'll figure out whodunit, and why, long before the reveal comes.

In fact, the reveal comes so slowly and poorly resolved later, that you'll have come up with at least a dozen, better, alternatives for this film. :)

The one exception is our "Final Girl", Sharni Vinson who is about the only redeeming quality to the entire film.

It's on her efforts alone that I don't fail this one.

But man, I really wanted to.

Final Grade: C-

You Might Need "Regression" Therapy To Remember This One

Regression (2015)

Rated R

Starring Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis, Emma Watson, David Dencik,

Writtena and Directed by Alejandro Amenabar

The Story:

A detective (Hawke) uses a psychoanalyst (Thewlis) to get to the bottom of a dad's (Dencik) confession that he raped his daughter (Watson).

And so begins a thriller that is dark, disturbing, and most depressing of all, not very thrilling.

There are twists and turns aplenty in the film, but there's never any real sense of urgency, dread, or real emotion whatsoever displayed onscreen.

Instead of putting thrills and suspense in a thriller, they almost try and make it a horror movie by ramping up the gore, but that doesn't really help this movie either.

It's a heinous crime that may or may not have happened, as Regression Therapy has been seen as both an amazing tool for recall as well as one that can plant false memories as well.

Which story you see here, you'll have to watch for yourself.

Not sure if the tale they used was an actual case, or just based in general off the litany of regression cases that have happened.

Nothing amazing, but not a total waste of time either.

It's average, which sometimes is more frustrating than being either a good or bad movie.

Pick a side at least.

Now streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: C

They Don't Just Report The News... "Special Correspondents"

Special Correspondents (2016)

Rated TV-MA

Starring Ricky Gervais, Eric Bana, Vera Farmiga, Kelly MacDonald, Kevin Pollak, America Ferrera, Raul Castillo, Benjamin Bratt,

Written and Directed by Ricky Gervais

The Story:

Frank (Bana) is a great radio journalist in New York who pushes the envelope too often. His boss (Pollak) warns him that the next screw up will be his last. Taking technician Ian (Gervais) with him on assignment to Ecuador will be just the assignment he needs to show his boss that he's still got what it takes and keep his job secured. But when a strange turn of events leaves them stranded in New York, the duo hatch a scheme to report what's happening in Ecuador right from the streets of New York. When they begin breaking bigger news stories than anyone else, they find themselves at the very heart of the news they are reporting!

One of the Netflix original movies currently available for streaming, as noted it is written, directed and stars Ricky Gervais.

So unless you can't stand him, you might like this movie.

:)

The movie has a bit of a slow start, but it picks up nicely as the boys do all of their reporting from "Ecuador".

That's where a lot of the fun and humor sets in as they continue to break a story that wasn't a story at all, until they break it.

Eventually, the two become center to the storyline itself, and then it stretches credibility by making the guys break into Ecuador so that they can resolve the storyline honestly.

It would have been much easier to fake their way out of the country, but then you don't get the emotional finale.

It's a wonderful cast, and it's fun to see Bana again, in just about anything now that I think about it, but also looking to be having a little bit of fun with his character.

Final Grade: B-