"Sully" Can Be My Pilot Anytime

Sully (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Valerie Mahaffey, Mike O'Malley, Katie Couric

Directed by Clint Eastwood

The Story:

In 2009, a plane carrying 155 passengers and crew was hit by a massive bird strike after take off, disabling both engines. The captain (Hanks) made a decision to force a water landing on the Hudson River as he felt there was not enough time and power in the plane to make it to any of the neighboring airports. Everyone survived the "Miracle on the Hudson". However, as with all crashes, an investigation was underway, and the panel was determined to prove that Sully acted recklessly and could have indeed landed at an airport.

File this one under miraculous true story.

The movie starts with a bang, and never truly lets up.

Yet it is also paced just slow enough to not feel rushed.

Eastwood has settled in so comfortably behind the camera, and his films are usually quiet, yet emotionally impacting, and this one is no different.

The movie uses creative choices for flashbacks to fill you in on the narrative of Sully's life, so it doesn't unfold like a biography.

It helps to build towards the finale when all of the pieces of Sully's life and upbringing come into play when he makes the decision for a water landing, eschewing the normal protocol of turning back or heading to the other neighboring airports.

It will all come down to the mock flight tests that are performed to decide whether Sully gets to continue his aviation career, or if he is grounded, even though he saved everyone on board.

Final Grade: A-

Edgar Rice Boredom ... "The Legend of Tarzan"

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie

Directed by David Yates

The Story:

John Clayton (Skarsgard) is implored to return to Africa where he grew up as Tarzan because there is great unrest as a man named Rom (Waltz) is up to nefarious treachery. Reluctantly, he returns alongside his wife (Robbie) and the expedition leader (Jackson).

I'm not really sure what happened next, because everyone that was sitting there trying to watch this film was bored to tears.

I turned it off when Tarzan was reunited with the apes who raised him.

:: yawn ::

Much like the flop John Carter, apparently Edgar Rice Burroughs just doesn't translate well to the big screen.

It looked really beautiful, has a wonderful cast that did their best...

But man, totally didn't connect with us at all.

Maybe if they had jazzed things up with some Phil Collins in the background?

:)

Final Grade: D+

A Night At The Opera..."Florence Foster Jenkins"

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson

Directed by Stephen Frears

The Story:

Florence Foster Jenkins (Streep) is a New York City heiress who has devoted her life, passion and considerable funds in support of the opera in the city. Her dream to someday sing at Carnegie Hall is supported by her husband, St. Clair Bayfield (Grant), and he goes to great lengths to provide her with a gracious audience to perform in front of. The problem, Florence can't sing very well, no matter how many lessons she takes. That, however, is not going to deter her from her dream.

A movie like this doesn't get made if it's not based on a true story, so here you have a tale of the worst opera singer in the history of forever, brought to life by an actress considered to be the greatest American actress of all time.

Meh.

It looked great, and captured the time period of New York so very well.

The only reason I even bothered with this one is because it's always nice to catch up on the latest Hugh Grant movie.

As usual, he doesn't disappoint with his performance of a husband who loves his wife, conditionally, because he has a mistress (Ferguson) to provide him with the needs that Florence withholds.

Add a young pianist (Helberg) to the mix, and eventually Florence makes a record, it becomes a smash hit, and Jenkins finds herself playing in front of Carnegie Hall.

However, the reviews that follow are none too kind, and Florence literally dies of a broken heart within days of the performance.

That the recording  is Carnegie Hall's most requested performance speaks volumes of people's willingness to be tortured, or the realization to never give up on your dream, no matter the odds.

A touching sentiment, but one wrapped in an overly long biopic that dragged a bit too much for my taste, though I'm sure Streep's fan base will delightedly enjoy this one.

Final Grade: C-

This Time It's Personal..."Dead Rising: End Game"

Dead Rising: EndGame (2016)

Not Rated

Starring Jesse Metcalfe, Dennis Haysbert, Marie Avgeropoulos, Keegan Connor Tracy, Billy Zane, Jessica Harmon

Directed by Pat Williams

The Story:

Chase Carter (Metcalfe) returns to expose the Army and General Lyons (Haysbert) as being behind the zombie outbreak. They've been discredited, but if he can get hard evidence this time, everyone will have to believe him. And when he discovers that Jordan (Tracy) is alive and has been experimented on, Chase puts the entire mission on the line to also save his friend.

If this review sounds vaguely familiar, it was about this time last year that I reviewed Dead Rising: Watchtower.

Welcome to the sequel, and it pretty much picks up shortly after the end of the last installment.

That said, there's a few tonal shifts in this movie.

Gone is Rob Riggle as the comic relief in the news studio.

Instead, they often cut to the various chess pieces that make up the overall story until all the parts can be linked together at the end.

Again, nothing that reinvents the zombie genre, but if you enjoyed the first one, it's definitely on par with that one, minus the comic relief.

I think there were a few more zombie attacks this time around, and some pretty good set pieces with the folks fighting for survival.

Plus a crazed Billy Zane as a mad scientist, so you've also got that to look forward to!

Final Grade: C+

More Like Average..."The Great Gilly Hopkins"

The Great Gilly Hopkins (2016)  

Rated PG

Starring Sophie Nelisse, Kathy Bates, Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer, Bill Cobbs, Zachary Hernandez, Clare Foley, Billy Magnussen,

Directed by Stephen Harek

The Story:

Gilly Hopkins (Nelisse) has bounced from one foster home to the next, always making herself unwanted by the family until they send her away. She's finally met her match in Maime Trotter (Bates) who is raising one little boy (Hernandez) and caring for her blind neighbor across the street (Cobbs). The more Gilly tries to get under Maime's skin, the more she fails. But her latest attempt to reunite with her mother (Stiles) may just blow up in her face.

Always hoping for an enjoyable family movie, many of kids books to movie translations turn out to be enjoyable enough for a viewing, but nothing I would need to see again, or even bother my family with.

This is where Gilly Hokins falls.

She is totally unlikable for at least the first half of the film, I even debated turning it off, that's how unlikable I found her to be.

I mean, it's not like we haven't seen this story in some form or another already:

unlikable person meets someone with a heart of gold who will melt that icy exterior and the two will bond and become a family.

The rest of the cast kept me interested, and I wanted to see if Gilly could be turned into a nicer person.

Spoiler... of course she can. ;)

Then it all comes crashing down with the arrival of Grandma (Close) and the stage is set for another conflict as Gilly was finally becoming part of a family, only to have that taken away from her as well.

Except this is the movies...based on a book... so there is a happy ending.

In real life, no way does the Grandma ever visit Maime Trotter's house again.

:)

Final Grade: C 

Special Delivery..."Storks"

Storks (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Anton Starkman, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Danny Trejo, Stephen Kramer Glickman

Directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland

The Story:

Storks deliver babies. Or at least they used to, until one stork (Trejo) became too attached to Orphan Tulip (Crown) and refused to deliver her. After that, Hunter (Grammer) turned the service into CornerStore.com and the storks deliver packages to your doorstep with much less muss and fuss. Today, their top deliverer, Junior (Samberg) finds out he's going to be promoted. His first order of business is to fire Orphan Tulip.

Meanwhile, Nate (Starkman) pens a letter to the storks requesting a new baby brother with mad ninja skills. His parents (Burrell and Aniston) simply don't have the time to spend with him, so he wants someone to share his life with.

You can guess how these stories are about to converge, can you not?

:)

Warner Brothers Animation delivers an adorable and very funny animated film to kick off 2017 for our house.

It runs the gamut of emotions, and had quickly become a new family favorite in our house.

I should stop for a minute to mention that the film was written by Nicholas Stoller who also directed this alongside Doug Sweetland, a former Pixar animator. Both make their animated directorial debut with this film, and they've set the bar high for future installments and for the future of Warner Brothers Animation department.

The voice cast is superb from top to bottom and the story is compelling as you wait with each scene to see what is going to happen next.

The relationship between Tulip and Junior is one of the sweetest comic pairings in ages.

And no, they don't have some awkward physical relationship, but they do provide proof that a family is what you decide to make of it.

Add to the mix some of the craziest side characters ever in an animated film, especially Key & Peele's wolf pack and Pigeon Toady (Glickman) and you have a recipe for a very fun film, and one that will be revisited at the end of the year.

How you like me now?

:)

Final Grade: A-

You Don't Want To "Meet The Blacks"

Meet The Blacks (2016) 

Rated R

Starring Mike Epps, Zulay Henao, Gary Owen, Bresha Webb, Lil Duval, Paul Mooney, Charlie Murphy

Directed by Deon Taylor

The Story:

Carl Black (Epps) takes some newfound money and moves his family from Chicago to Beverly Hills. Of course, now that they are there, they are subject to the annual purge ritual that is going to take place that evening.

Good luck.

That's my advice also, if you plan on streaming this one on Netflix.

I gave it a try, but it's just painfully unfunny.

I think I struggled to get to the 20 minute mark, waiting for something, anything of interest to happen to make me want to stick around and see what might happen next.

If it was supposed to be a parody or satire of the Purge movies, I'll never know.

I decided to purge it myself.

Final Grade: F-

- 

Here's To All The "Bad Moms" Out There!

Bad Moms  (2016)

Rated R

Starring Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Christina Applegate, Jada Pinkett Smith,

Written and Directed by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

The Story:

Amy (Kunis) has finally had enough. She's been trying to juggle all the demands that come with having a job and kids, but she's always late for something and letting someone down. So when the head of the PTA (Applegate) adds one more task to Amy's never-ending to-do list, Amy offers up a big "F.U."to the world and quickly realizes that being a bad mom might actually do her some good.

On paper, the premise for this movie is hysterical.

In practice, it is very scattershot.

Some jokes land like a guided missile and just destroy with laughter.

Others fizzle out and arrive as a dud on impact.

That's the risk you take when you dial up the stakes on R-rated raunchy comedies.

I say it every time, if you've got to be profane, so be it, but you've got to be funny, first.

If the joke doesn't make you laugh before you add all the profanity, it's rarely going to work as the finished product.

The cast though, is immensely likable and keeps you invested in the movie.

Kunis does her best to carry the whole thing on her shoulders, and she does a great job.

The hardest part is accepting Kunis as a 30-something year old with pre-teens.

I've always seen her in the flirty romantic comedies or what-not, but never as a mom before.

That said, she channels the frustration and annoyance at a life that is so dictated by everyone else, you believe her when she snaps, and you're actually happy for her.

That they dialed a few too many situations up to 11, well, that's on the writing and directing tandem of Lucas and Moore.

Hahn works as the aggressive, over-the-top new best friend, and Bell makes the most of her timid, mousy friend who is just excited to be accepted by anyone, and that becomes empowering all on its own.

Applegate also does a great job as the villain of the film. Her comeuppance at the end is both satisfying and heartbreaking in equal measure.

I'm not sure where they'll go next with the inevitable sequel, but I'll come back and see how they're doing.

Final Grade: C+

Back In Business..."Mechanic: Resurrection"

Mechanic: Resurrection  (2016) 

Rated R

Starring Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones, Michelle Yeoh, Sam Hazeldine,

Directed by Dennis Gansel

The Story:

Arthur Bishop (Statham) is living alone, and peacefully, thanks to faking his own death. However, someone knows who he is, and what he can do. So he must kill 3 people, all to look like accidents, if he has any hope of returning to his private life and non-murderous ways.  Bishop is going to kill a few more people than that by the time he gets his revenge...

I'm a sucker for a good Jason Statham film.

I wasn't really expecting a sequel to 2011's The Mechanic.

That itself was a reboot/re-imagining of the 1970s Charles Bronson film of the same name that saw Bishop, a notoriously ingenious hitman, train a young apprentice to seemingly take his place, but realizing the young apprentice actually wanted to kill the master, well, as you can see, Bishop survived that encounter and here we are.

The trailers looked like the movie would be a good time for Statham fans, and since The Transporter series foolishly jettisoned their leading man to start over, at least this was a franchise for Statham and his legion of fans to fall back on.

Thankfully, it delivered everything it promised.

Beautiful locations, exciting stunt set pieces and good, old-fashioned Jason Statham butt-kickery.

That's enough to keep this fan happy.

:)

The fights were good, the premise was sound, and it kept my interest from start to finish.

And yes, the elaborate swimming pool scene is very well done and worth the price of admission.

 Final Grade: B

Destined For Greatness Come "Hell Or High Water"

Hell or High Water  (2016) 

Rated R

Starring Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham

Directed by David Mackenzie

The Story:

Toby and Tanner (Pine & Foster) hatch a scheme to rob banks to cover the mortgage to save the family farm and give it to Toby's kids. Of course Texas Rangers Hamilton and Parker (Bridges & Birmingham) are determined to figure out who is committing the robberies and stop them before they strike again.

That description doesn't really do justice to just how good this movie really is.

It's a character driven story arc for starters, with each of the 4 leads given ample screen time and opportunity to present their character and win over the audience.

By the mid-point, you're rooting for both the outlaws and the lawmen, and it provides such a gradual build of sympathy and respect for all the characters.

Through some judgement errors, things take a turn for the worse as the movie progresses and it steamrolls to the inevitable conclusion.

But it is most definitely a ride worth taking.

I was amused by Jeff Bridges' character the most, as he seemed very closely resembled to the peace officer from R.I.P.D.

As one of only 17 people on the planet who actually liked that film, his character was the highlight of the movie, and he does it again in this film, balancing a character who is full of himself because he is that good at what does and being actually likable.

Whether or not the film has a happy ending completely depends on you point of view to what happens during the film.

It's the right ending for a great movie.

Final Grade: B+

If Only It Were The End... "X-Men: Apocalypse"

X-Men Apocalypse (2016) 

Rated PG-13

Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Lucas Till, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp, Olivia Munn,

Directed by Bryan Singer

The Story:

En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse (Isaac) was the first mutant, he stole his powers from others like him and made himself powerful and immortal. Buried for centuries in Egypt, he is awakened in the 20th century and begins to find his new horsemen, including Magneto (Fassbender), Storm (Shipp), Angel (Hardy) and Psylocke (Munn).  It's up to Professor Xavier (McAvoy), Mystique (Lawrence) and Beast (Hoult) to recruit and lead a new team of X-Men, including Jean Grey (Turner), Cyclops (Sheridan) and Nightcrawler (Smit-McPhee) into battle to save the world

Boring.

No wait, this is a superhero movie...

Super-boring!

The one exception: the Quicksilver (Peters) scene. That's amazing stuff, and I could watch that anytime. I wish they would have done that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but oh well, too late now.

I'm not trying to pick on Fox and say that the X-Men should move back to Disney so that we can have one cohesive universe...

But if they're listening, they should.

:)

But at least, unlike the Fantastic Four, they've been moderately successful with the movies, especially after rebooting with First Class and Days of Future Past.

I'm not sure what went wrong but I found myself consistently indifferent to this movie.

I wanted to like it, but it seemed to be in a constant state of "there's so much going on, yet nothing's really happening!" for nearly 2 1/2 hours!

So much potential, and instead it's like watching a franchise tread water until they can get to the next movie.

I'm afraid I have to say it, but when I look back on how much I enjoyed this to just about any other film in the X-Men experience, I'm unimpressed.

Plus, take into account how much I love this genre, and what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is doing, so much like Batman vs. Superman, I have to grade accordingly...

Final Grade: D+

Those Pesky Aliens Are Back..."Independence Day: Resurgence"

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Jeff Goldblum, Liam Hemsworth, Jessie T. Usher, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, William Fichtner, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner,

Directed by Roland Emmerich

The Story:

20 years ago, the aliens invaded our world, but humanity stood tall and persevered. Now, as the anniversary grows near, it turns out the aliens have been plotting their revenge, and the world might just be doomed after all.

The tagline said "We had 20 years to prepare. So did they."

Apparently, someone forgot to tell the writers that they had 20 years to prepare a good follow up.

Which led to the major problem that audiences could not be prepared for how ultimately dull Independence Day 2 would turn out to be.

Now Independence Day itself is not the greatest movie ever made...

But man, is it a bucket of popcorn, kick back and have fun kind of movie.

20 years later, if they could have harnessed half that energy, this movie would have been awesome.

But they didn't.

They whiffed and missed with nearly any and every attempt to capitalize on whatever they got right in the first one.

Will Smith, the cocky pilot who was going to save the Earth single-handed if need be, gone.

Replaced by generic son, Dylan Hiller (Usher) who is there to inspire confidence, but is bland as cardboard.

So they add Jake Morrison (Hemsworth) to help add to the cocky, charismatic quota, but he's more insane, yelling all the time, than charismatic.

Then we have one of the most rousing movie speeches ever given in a movie, replaced by 2 proverbial "rah-rah, let's get 'em" speeches, one by Hiller that is about as uninspiring as they come;  the other one by President Whitmore (Pullman) himself.

It doesn't even come close to the goosebumpy vibes of the first.

It's like they realized, you know, we can't even begin to top that one...let's not even try.

Jeff Goldblum suffers here, just as he did in Jurassic Park 2 - He's the supporting character, not the lead. When you make him the lead, he has to carry too much of the film, and ultimately it undermines the very fun reasons why we all loved his character so much the first time.

That said, the film isn't that bad. It's one that catches the audience up on a lot of characters and situations that feel like just yesterday we saw for the first time.

The special effects are top-notch, and the story itself is entirely watchable.

It doesn't hold up like the original, but there are still plenty of little things to like about this follow-up.

Final Grade: C+

The Enemy Of My Enemy..."The Man In The High Castle: Season 2"

The Man in the High Castle: Season 2 (2016)

TV-MA

Starring Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans, Luke Kleintank, Joel de la Fuente, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Rufus Sewell,

Created by Frank Spotnitz

The Story:

Tensions in America are straining in the early 60s as The Resistance continues to chip away at both the Japanese Pacific States and the Greater Nazi Reich. The web of deceit and lies on all sides will tangle even further this season as the world stands at the brink of a final war.

So the slow build of Season 1 is long gone, and you know the majority of the characters by heart this go round.

Here's the genius of it all though:

while we watch an America under control from the Axis Powers, you begin to sympathize with characters in leadership roles on both Japanese and Nazi fronts.

That's right, this Amazon Original has Stockholm Syndromed the audience!

:)

Julia (Davalos) tries to escape to the Nazi Reich, and seeks Obergruppenfuhrer Smith's (Sewell) protection.

The Japanese want her dead, and so do the Resistance. Smith feels it's in his best interest to keep her alive, at least for now.

However, all is not well at the Smith household on both a personal and professional level.

Let's just say that a big part of season 2 involves the tenuous alliance between Germany and Japan that has been tearing apart at the seams, and there are some really big events that happen that pretty much burst right on through.

10 episodes. Available to stream for those with Amazon Prime.

I would highly recommend starting with Season 1 first if you haven't though, just to get a lot of information on who, and what, you're witnessing.

It's worth it.

Final Grade: A-

Nic Cage Is An "Army Of One"

Army of One (2016)  

Rated R

Starring Nicolas Cage, Russell Brand, Wendy McLendon-Covey

Directed by Larry Charles

The Story:

When Gary Faulkner (Cage) gets a message from God (Brand) to go find Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, the unemployed handyman on dialysis sets out on his holy crusade.

Is this the part where I say it's based on a true story?

Of course it is.

And filing this one under the truth is stranger than fiction department, it is indeed a crazy ride that Faulkner embarked on, and came so very, very, very close to succeeding.

How close?

Well, let's just say that within days of Faulkner's last attempt, mission accomplished.

You can draw your own conclusions from there.

So when you say you need to portray a man that's just this shy of crazy on screen, who can you turn to?

The obvious answer is Nic Cage. And he's at his manic best...and yet...he's also oddly restrained.

Toning down his usual over-the-top Cageisms, he channels the feelings of man who is sincerely convinced that God wants him to find Bin Laden when all other efforts have proven futile.

The movie wanders a bit here and there, but for the most part, you remain glued to the proceedings wondering what the heck is going to happen next with Faulkner.

In that case, mission accomplished!

Final Grade: C+ 

Don't Lose Your "Nerve"

Nerve (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade, Miles Heizer, Juliette Lewis, Kimiko Glenn,

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

The Story:

Vee (Roberts) decides she's had enough of being a wallflower and sheds her inhibitions by joining the online game "Nerve". In it, players are given dares that they must complete within a time limit while others watch online. As the game progresses, the dares, and the risks increase exponentially until there is only one winner. When Vee meets Ian (Franco) though, they bond, and she soon discovers there is much more to the game than meets the eye.

Well, that was unexpected.

I hadn't heard about this one until it was just about to come out on Netflix.

I've always enjoyed Emma Roberts in just about any role that she's been in, so I will almost always give it a shot.

Which is amusing, considering I'm not the biggest fan of her aunt's work at all.

Anyway, I was engaged in the game, and the proceedings kept us all on the edge of our seats as one dare led to the next until there were just 2 contestants left standing.

Who will be the ultimate survivor?

I'm actually surprised this sort of game doesn't exist in real life, albeit for far less stakes or with far less money involved.

Or maybe it already does?

: /

Another week, another movie eligible for Best of the Year. 2017 is shaping up to be a great year at the movies.

Final Grade: B+

It @#$&*ing Sucked... "Sausage Party"

Sausage Party (2016)

Rated R

Starring Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Salma Hayek,

Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon

The Story:

Anthropomorphic food get a wake up call when they realize that being chosen by humans is not the blessing they all believe it to be.

I held out for 15 minutes.

15 excruciatingly long, painfully unfunny minutes.

Then eject, send back to Netflix and move on to something, anything better.

Now if your idea of a side-splitting comedy is watching food say #@$#@#$ and want to #$@@#$@# each other, then enjoy this film.

As for me, I didn't find it *#&^ing funny.

:)

This kind of humor is a waste of a great vocal cast.

High school teenagers can, and probably have, written better.

On a positive note, it looked pretty good. Too bad the company opted not to pay all of the artists or give over half of them credit for their finished work.

Yes, I get that it's Certified Fresh and was even on some critics Top 10 lists.

There is always some critical darling that comes along that I don't like.

To be fair, like many critics, this too has the possibility of winding up on one of my End of the Year countdowns.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will wind up on my Turkey of the Year awards.

So far it would be # 1.

With a bullet.

It will be hard-pressed to knock it from this dreaded position.

Final Grade: F 

It Takes A Thief..."Precious Cargo"

Precious Cargo (2016)

Rated R

Starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Bruce Willis, Claire Forlani,

Directed by Max Adams

The Story:

Karen (Forlani) has swiped some important information from Eddie Pilosa (Willis) and he wants to make sure she can't use it. As his boys try and track her down, she goes to meet her former lover, Jack (Gosselaar) an exceptional thief in his own right to enlist his assistance in the prize that Eddie is trying to get: millions of dollars worth of gems. But in a world of thieves, who can you trust?

As with all heist movies of any sort, the amount of twists, turns, and betrayals are part of the fun of the movie, so I won't elaborate on anything of the sort here.

For a budget B movie though, they do a very good job of keeping us as entertained as possible. I'm reminded of last year's Heist, both are films that delivered far more interest than other would-be blockbuster films with three times the budget.

The cast does a fine job, and Gosselaar acquits himself nicely in this film as the hero with a heart of gold, but also at least half a brain on knowing who he can and cannot trust.

Bruce Willis delivers a little more than a glorified cameo in this one, and he seems to at least be interested in what's happening in this one compared to some of his other straight to DVD fare.

Not the greatest heist / action caper I've ever seen, but the best one of the year so far.

:)

Final Grade: C+

Terrible Title...Not A Bad Movie..."Skiptrace"

Skiptrace (2016)  

Rated PG-13

Starring Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Bingbing Fan, Eric Tsang, Eve Torres, Winston Chao,

Directed by Renny Harlin

The Story:

Detective Bennie Chan (Chan) is on the trail of shadowy gangster who killed his partner (Tsang) years ago. His obsession with a case is taking a toll on him, and he is sent on vacation. Meanwhile, an American gambler (Knoxville) is having issues of his own. When he witnesses a murder, he might finally have the evidence that Chan needs to finally catch the bad guy red-handed!

If that plot sounds awfully familiar, it's pretty much the plot to Rush Hour and works pretty much the same way:

Chan can't find notorious bad guy.

Chan meets his humorous partner.

The two are oil and water.

They work against each other.

They finally work with each other.

They catch the bad guy.

Happy ending.

And if you've got a successful scenario like that, and the most famous international action movie star of all time, you don't tinker with it too terribly much.

So yes, it's familiar enough...

That's what you get with just about any Jackie Chan film.

And if you're a fan, that's really more than enough.

Considering the man is over 60, his action scenes are still really enjoyable to behold and it's amazing what he can still do out there.

Knoxville works well as an obnoxious American, but when hasn't he?

:)

Final Grade: C+

Dynamic Duo... "Central Intelligence"

Central Intelligence (2016)   

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Danielle Nicolet, Jason Bateman, Aaron Paul

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber

The Story:

Calvin Joyner (Hart) is apprehensive about his impending 20 year high school reunion. The man voted most likely to succeed has felt like anything but successful in the ensuing decades, his best days seemingly far behind him. When he accepts a friend request from Bob Stone (Johnson), it turns out that it's a former classmate who was bullied in high school, but Calvin stood up for him once upon a time. The two reunite, and Bob tells Calvin that he needs his accounting skills to help him find the elusive Black Badger!

Kevin Hart has grown on me over the past few years.

Starting as a supporting cast member, he usually made the movies he was in better, graduating into leading man or at least supporting lead actor in a film.

When paired with the right actor, he forms a great comedy tandem.

Thankfully, he's paired with The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.

This time, Johnson gets to play the action hero again, but in a much more comic role, and with faults and foibles that normally he doesn't get to use in most films.

The results are comedic gold, and it may be an eye-opening film for a lot of moviegoers who may not be used to seeing Johnson displaying his comedic chops.

The movie even keeps you guessing on whether or not Bob really is a traitor or not, so Thurber delicately balances the fun with the action and it combines to be a fun movie for the whole family.

Plus, when any movie gets the "Mom Seal of Approval" by my lovely wife wanting to see it again the same week...

Well, that's a winner in my book.

Welcome to the first contender for Best of the Year 2017 status!

Final Grade: B+