The DC Hero We Finally Deserve..."Wonder Woman"

Wonder Woman (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Gal Gadot, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Chris Pine, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, Eugene Brave Rock, Lucy Davis, Elena Anaya,

Directed by Patty Jenkins

The Story:

Bookended by seeing Diana/Wonder Woman (Gadot) in action during modern day, a briefcase delivered by Bruce Wayne allows Diana time to reflect on discovering mankind and embracing the heroic ideal she was born to live.

So, I finally got around to watching Wonder Woman.

I tried not to let the hype surrounding this movie cloud my judgement of it.

While I might be firmly in the camp of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I totally root for DC to get it right and give the audience something worth going to see.

So naturally, I approached this one with cautious optimism.

Is the hype real?

Or is it just clamoring for something, anything from DC to erase the unwatchable bore of Batman vs. Superman or the entertaining in parts but ultimately unsatisfying Suicide Squad?

I suppose it will ultimately depend on who you ask.

I was never blown away by the trailers for Wonder Woman.

It seemed fine enough, but it was missing something for me, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

So the movie has come out, it's made more money this summer than anything else, and I couldn't be happier for the cast, crew, fans and Warner Brothers for finally, finally making a DC movie worth watching.

Depending on your point of view, it's been a long time coming, whether it was Superman: The Movie, Batman (1989) or the Nolan Batman Trilogy.

I finally got around to seeing it...

And much like the trailer, I liked it, but didn't LOVE it.

Again, there's something missing for me, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

I suppose if I have to try and isolate it, perhaps it's the sense of fun, entertainment or enjoyment that I have while watching a Marvel film.

While Wonder Woman is a technically a well made picture, the sense of fun just wasn't quite there. It bubbled under the surface through a lot of the movie.

Now to be fair, there were many, many, many enjoyable scenes and amazing set pieces that oohed and aaahed me as the movie went along.

So again, it's a tough one to judge.

Is it on par with what Marvel is giving me?  No. Close, but no cigar.

If I was given 4 choices of going to see any superhero movie again in theaters, I'd be going back for Guardians or Homecoming before I went back to see Wonder Woman.

That's just me being honest.

Is it better than what DC has been giving me? Absolutely yes.

I love that Wonder Woman has been this successful for DC and for all the little girls around the world that now have a superhero role model on the big screen.

It gives me hope that Captain Marvel and maybe Black Widow will someday headline a film for Marvel or maybe DC will offer up a Catwoman movie that doesn't suck.

: )

Final Grade: B... B+ if I'm really nice. ;)

Clearly The Never Rented Blind Fury Back In The Day... "Don't Breathe"

Don't Breathe (2016)

Rated R

Starring Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto,

Directed by Fede Alvarez

The Story:

Rocky (Levy) is trying to find a way to make a better life for her and her little sister and escape their current life. She has been breaking into houses and stealing things with her boyfriend Money (Zovatto) and their friend Alex (Minnette). When they stumble upon the house of a blind veteran (Lang) who has an insurance settlement  that they know is just sitting in that house in cash, waiting to be pilfered, they decide to embark on one last score.

After all, it's some old blind guy, what could possibly go wrong?

Buckle up for a tension-filled ride if you've missed this one.

This is another thriller disguised as a horror film, and the tension just continues to mount as the movie rolls along.

If you haven't seen, or don't remember the trailer, it pretty much fills you in on what to expect.

A home invasion goes horribly wrong for the invaders when the blind guy inside is so much more than the 3 burglars could possibly be expecting.

This is a man that knows every inch of his house, and soon becomes the hunter as the intruders struggle to find a way out of the house.

Creepy little thriller that will grab you and keep you intrigued until the end.

My only complaint, this movie, and many others, that keep opening with a scene that chronologically doesn't appear until near the end of the film.

While it can be an effective way to jump right into the action, it's use in horror/thriller movies often takes a little wind out of the sails later in the film because you know that scene is coming.

Unless of course, you've forgotten all about it.

Final Grade:  B-

Family Drama..."Switched At Birth"

Switched at Birth (2011)

TV-PG

Starring Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, Constance Marie, D.W. Moffett, Lea Thompson, Lucas Grabeel, Sean Berdy,

Created by Lizzy Weiss

The Story:

When Bay Kennish (Marano) takes a simple blood sample for a high school science project, she inadvertently discovers that her parents (Moffett & Thompson) couldn't possibly be her biological parents. That's when they learn of Daphne (Leclrec), their real daughter who's been raised by a single mom (Marie) after their babies were... wait for it...

Switched At Birth!

So there's the premise for this ABC Family / Free Form original series that is now available to stream on Netflix.

Ah, but there is one catch: Daphne is deaf!

So in addition to a series with a dichotomy of the haves vs. the have nots, there is also the struggle to cope with learning that their daughter is hearing impaired and trying to get to know her while trying to figure out how best to communicate with her.

And for the first half of the first season, this show was so very interesting and they seemingly came up with one cliffhanger after the next.

Then the season kept trudging on, for 30 episodes.

I think they really should have split the seasons in half, but that's just my thoughts.

As it wore on, the show seemed to stray away from the original and emotional concept of getting to know family that you haven't ever met for 16 years yet feel already emotionally attached to.

It made some powerful moments in the series, especially as Bay seemingly gets lost in the shuffle as her parents fawn all over their new daughter, and her real mom never really seems interested in her life.

Quite sad really, and you feel for her as the season wears along.

But again, the 2nd half turns very much into a soap opera (even more than it already sounds like!) with naturally romance after romance until we finally get to the much ballyhooed trial against the hospital for negligence.

It gets seemingly lost in the shuffle for most of the season, then is quick and over, and the season STILL isn't finished yet.

Naturally, my grade diminished as the season wore on, and after we finished, nobody really had a desire to move on to see what happens next, as there are 7 seasons and counting.

I'll blame it on viewer fatigue more than anything else. While we never binged, maybe a good week between episodes is precisely what we needed.

The cast is great, and the story itself, when not in the ridiculously absurd, can be quite compelling.

Final Grade: B

Can Journalism Be Saved? "Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press"

Nobody Speaks: Trials of the Free Press (2017)

TV-14

Written and Directed by Brian Knappenberger

The Story:

When Gawker published a story about Hulk Hogan's sex tape a few years back, Hogan went on the offensive and sued. He sued big time! His judgement was so huge, and his lawyer tricks were played just right that it put Gawker out of business as they could not afford to pay it. Then it was revealed that Hogan was just a pawn in a scheme by a billionaire to take out a journalistic establishment and remove them from the Earth. And no, that billionaire was not Donald Trump attacking fake news...

But that argument makes up much of the 2nd half of this documentary.

If you want to see the beginnings of "fake news", look no further.

This documentary will take you down the slippery slope that is 21st Century journalism, and all the real reporters and bloggers, and everything in between.

It could be argued that the free press is only as free as the owner of the paper, or channel, or website allow it to be.

The left has them. The right has them.

It's hard to find those that simply walk the fine line of reporting the facts without putting a spin on it one way or the other.

Instead, we have to accept that the free press is that which is not controlled by the State, and thankfully we do have that, much to Donald Trump's daily consternation.

This Netflix Original is an eye opening look at today's media, warts and all.

Final Grade: B

How The East Was Won..."Railroad Tigers"

Railroad Tigers (2017)

Not Rated

Starring Jackie Chan, Jaycee Chane, Zitao Huang, Kai Wang,

Directed by Ding Sheng

The Story:

Ma Yuan (Chan) and a group of ragtag railroad workers decide that to get much needed supplies to the poor, they are going to have to start robbing the supply trains that China is heavily guarding as they roll through Japan.

Going into a Jackie Chan movie, you pretty much know what to expect at this point.

Humorous situations. Great stunts.

You'll get all of that here in this movie.

The problem, it's a very slow film that has lots of boredom crammed around those fight scenes.

Creaking in at over 2 hours, the movie is just too long, and the pacing so uneven, that it's hard to gain a vested interest in what is happening onscreen.

Still, Jackie's still bringing it after all these years, and you get to see him team up with his son Jaycee, and see that the master has a willing protege to follow in his footsteps if/when he decides to finally retire.

It has since been added to the Netflix streaming library since I watched it, and is currently available to stream as of this writing.

Final Grade: C/C+ range

I Should Have Stopped At The Trailer..."Power Rangers"

Power Rangers (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Becky G., Elizabeth Banks, Bryan Cranston, Bill Hader,

Directed by Dean Israelite

The Story:

5 Teenagers stumble upon an ancient alien craft and receive powers from an ancient alien race. Under the tutelage of a robot (Hader), they must learn to morph into Power Rangers if they hope to stop an ancient evil (Banks) from finishing her plan to destroy the earth that she had attempted centuries earlier.

Well, let me first say that I never planned to see this movie.

However, seeing the trailer last year, it was very well done and seemed very interesting. I was actually hooked, and then they revealed it was for Power Rangers.

Well played studio marketing, I'm intrigued.

I never bothered with the show during the 90s for my kids, so I had no nostalgia or anything else driving me to see it or to compare it to.

That said, the execution left a lot to be desired.

I believe boredom sat in rather quickly, as all the charm and intrigue of the trailer quickly faded away as 2 minute fun from the trailer expanded to a bloated 2 hour run time that was far from fun.

Too long, too cliched, too bad.

Final Grade: C-

Actors Gotta Act..."Collide"

Collide (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Kingsley

Directed by Eran Creevy

The Story:

Casey (Hoult) loves Juliette (Jones) so very much, that when she needs a medical procedure, he turns back to his old way of life as a driver for drug runner Geran (Kingsley). However, Geran let's Casey know that the real money would be if they could hit the supplier, respected businessman Hagen Kahl (Hopkins). And then the real fun begins!

Sadly, that is a very true statement.

The movie opens with a terrific chase and crash, and then goes back to fill us in on the narrative of how we wound up at the opening.

And it's 10 minutes of Hoult and Jones saying "I love you...no, I love you...I love you more..."

Cue the fast forward button.

I was tempted to take the movie out, I mean clearly this is a budget film, no harm no foul; Kingsley and Hopkins are just collecting their paychecks.

Then I began to realize that I'm not very fond of Felicity Jones as an actress. Granted, I've not seen her in much, but she's yet to stand out to me as a great actress I look forward to seeing in a movie.

She was okay in Rogue One, but her supporting characters were infinitely more interesting.

And as the mum in A Monster Calls... ugh...so pathetic and sad as a character, I really didn't care that her character was going to die by the time the movie ended.

See?

The mind wanders when the movie creates boredom.

And I pause the fast forwarding and watch Hopkins and Kingsley interact for possibly the first time ever together on screen, and it's pretty interesting. They both try and dial their characters up to 11, especially Kingsley who seems to be channeling his Mandarin from Iron Man. :)

Which leads us to the 45 minute-ish mark.

That's when things get interesting as the movie veers back to the action caper the opening so promised us.

And yes, it delivers quite well on the back half of the movie.

So I'm torn on a grade for a film.

I mean, dismal start, I actually fast forward past the 20 minute mark that I set for myself just to see if the movie had any potential on the other side, while other movies get yanked out of the player and returned to Netflix without the same courtesy.

I'm nothing if not a movie hypocrite sometimes.

So we'll grade fair, and say terrible first half, pretty good second half...

Final Grade: D+

Heed The Warning..."Get Out"

Get Out (2017)

Rated R

Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Marcus Henderson, Betty Gabriel, LilRel Howery,

Written and Directed by Jordan Peele

The Story:

Rose (Williams) is taking her boyfriend Chris (Kaluuya) on a weekend getaway to meet her parents (Keener & Whitford). There are a few odd things around the house that cause Chris concern, but even he is unprepared for the horrible fate that awaits him unless he can...

Get. Out.

Okay, I'm sorry, but this was not a horror film.

A thriller? Maybe suspense film?

Absolutely.

But when I think horror, this is not at all what I think of in a film.

There's a few parts that make you jump, but no, I'm going to have to say I was sold a bill of goods for one movie, and presented another.

That's fine.

It's like being told a movie is a comedy, and then not laughing.

As long as the film is a good one, I can adjust, no harm, no foul.

Just bad advertising.

That's where I'll put Get Out.

It's a movie I'm deliberately talking around, because I hate to spoil films for anyone that may not have seen it yet, even though I'm usually the last guy watching something.

:)

Otherwise, really good movie. Jordan Peele does a great job as first-time (I believe) writer-director for a movie that isn't a comedy.

Though yes, there is some humor to be found in the movie.

Kaluuya is phenomenal carrying the movie as pretty much 95% of the entire movie centers directly or indirectly around him.

Oh yeah, and not to scare anyone away, but the movie does tackle some weighty issues such as racism and classism, but not in nearly the "we have to hit you over the head with it" way that many films try and portray things.

Which makes this film the best kind of 'ism' film, escapism.

Final Grade: B-

To Catch A Killer..."Solace"

Solace (2016)

Rated R

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Abbie Cornish, Colin Farrell

Directed by Alfonso Poyart

The Story:

FBI Agents Merriweather & Cowles (Morgan & Cornish) have been tracking what they believe to be a serial killer. The attacks are grisly, the clues are nonexistent. So they turn to Dr. John Clancy (Hopkins), a psychic who has helped solve cases in the past. The only problem, it appears that the killer (Farrell) they seek is also a psychic, and he's way ahead of the FBI. And if John's visions are to be believed, not only can they not catch him, none of them may survive the hunt to track him down.

A fine thriller with a unique premise, having two people with psychic abilities on both sides of the law in a game of cat and mouse where it begins to become quite obvious that the cat and the mouse will change positions several times throughout the movie.

Now this may not be a Silence of the Lambs Academy Award winning performance by Hopkins, he does get more screen time and much more to do this go round than in the last dozen movies that I've seen him in, combined.

In fact, the main cast all are quite good in their roles with some interesting twists and turns of the plot along the way.

Farrell too seems to finally have a meatier role than I've seen him in, seemingly for ages. He seems to be enjoying himself in the role, and the ability to work with Hopkins was probably a plus for him in taking the part.

Overall, it kept me interested until the end, and with a few changes could've gone from pretty good to must see.

Final Grade: C+

The Man Who Fell To Earth..."The Space Between Us"

The Space Between Us (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Asa Butterfield, Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino, Britt Robertson,

Directed by Peter Chelsom

The Story:

Gardner (Butterfield) was the first human born on Mars. His mom died during childbirth, and there was no clue who his father was. Inquisitive, the astronauts that have been at the Mars facility have helped raise him, and he is very smart and inquisitive, but a tad socially awkward. Thanks to technology, he has been in contact with one girl, Tulsa (Robertson) on Earth. What Gardner wants more than anything is to come home to Earth and find his dad, meet Tulsa, and feel what it's like to be human. Unfortunately, since he was born in space, his body and organs are not used to Earth's gravity, and the trip very well may kill him.

Not your typical coming of age storyline, but one that I found enjoyable to watch, cliches and all.

Gardner has pretty much learned anything and everything in life from NASA engineers and technology at his disposal, but he has to still learn what it's like to be human.

He has found a kindred spirit in Tulsa, who longs for a life that is anything but the life she currently lives.

Of course how can a boy who cannot live on Earth come home, find his father, find true love and survive all in the span of 2 hours?

While not perfect, for the most part the movie works just fine from start to finish.

The cast does a fine job, and it's always a pleasure to see Oldman and Gugino in just about any movie.

The ending really works for the film and ties up the narrative nicely

Final Grade: B-

A Tale As Old As Time..."Beauty & The Beast"

Beauty & The Beast (2017)

Rated PG

Starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Hattie Morahan, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson

Directed by Bill Condon

The Story:

A prince (Stevens) who rejects the needs of an old beggar (Morahan) is cursed to life as a beast unless he can find love, and have someone fall in love with him despite his looks. With the chance of the spell being broken in time to stop the transformation from being complete, chance sends Belle (Watson) to the castle in search of her father (Kline) and then the race is on to see if these two will fall in love and break the spell.

Egads.

Where do I begin?

I consider the 1991 animated version to be one of Disney's very best movies they've ever made.

So I've tried to approach each of the Disney live action remakes with an open mind that they're taking a good movie, trying something new-ish with it, to varying results.

Maleficent - loved it. It was actually a different take on the Sleeping Beauty story and was quite enjoyable. Later efforts, like Cinderella offered no new take on the classic, and were downright boring. Even The Jungle Book, it started off okay, but when it began singing, I totally lost interest in the film and would never bother with it again.

Which leads us to Beauty & the Beast.

It's probably unfair of me to judge this film based on the animated classic, but it's hard not to when it follows nearly every beat of the story identically.

I have no idea how close/far it follows the Broadway musical, as I've never seen it.

And for much the same reason that I was worried about seeing the film version.

Can they do the story justice?

In a word: No.

Now if you've never, ever, ever never seen the animated movie, then you'll likely enjoy this film.

I'm happy for you.

The story itself is a great one.

And the songs, especially those that were in the original, are beautiful and very catchy.

Yet when transposed to this movie...

For me, it just didn't work.

Belle's opening number has some pauses in the song that just kill the flow of the song.

Nearly all of the songs are like that, close, but not quite catching the spirit and oomph that the original had.

The cast..

Luke Evans actually pulled off Gaston very well, and of the entire cast, I think he did the best job of making the character his own.

I suppose I might as well get the sexist label out right away:

Belle, whose name means beauty (says so, right in the song) is played by Emma Watson.

Yeah... so I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that this casting was about as smart as casting Kristen Stewart as Snow White against Charlize Theron as the evil queen. Who's the fairest in the land?

Exactly.

But whatever, she's the star, but as I watch the movie I become painfully aware that her acting and emotions are rather stilted and wooden.

In one scene, where the Beast finally lets her go, what should be a face of relief, or happiness, or just about anything is conveyed with a look of anger. Or constipation. I'll let you decide.

Stevens does fine under the makeup (which is tremendous) as the Beast.

In fact, the whole movie is gorgeous, I will always give credit where it's due, and it's a beautiful movie to watch.

But again, I can't help but compare it to what came before, and this one comes up lacking.

Big time.

I liken it to having a delicious dinner, possibly the best you ever had.

Then going to another restaurant, or maybe a friend's house, or even trying it yourself.

All the ingredients are pretty much the same, or as close as you can muster.

And it's okay at the end, but it never does quite taste as good as the meal you're trying to recreate.

In the end, the more I watched this film, the more I wanted to turn it off and watch the animated version.

That leads me to a Final Grade: C no... C-....D+

Things That Make You Go Boom..."Mine"

Mine (2017)

Not Rated

Starring Armie Hammer, Tom Cullen, Annabelle Wallis

Written and Directed by Fabio Guaglione & Fabio Resinaro

The Story:

After an aborted mission, Marine sniper Mike (Hammer) must make his way to an extraction point with his partner (Cullen) to make it to safety. However, when they wander through an old mine field, Mike triggers one but stops before he steps off and it can explode. There is a small chance that the mine is a dud, ruined by years of exposure. Help is about a day away from arriving. Can his mind and body endure waiting that long for a chance at survival?

A psychological war thriller, this one rests squarely on the shoulders of Hammer to carry nearly the entire picture, oftentimes very much alone.

With material by the Brothers Fabio, who sound more like Italian restaurant owners or possibly Mafia family members than writer directors, they don't do too bad for their first feature.

The problem, the movie was a little long, and what Mike has to endure is almost too much to suspend disbelief for.

One of these days, Hammer is going to get the movie that makes people stand up and notice and make him a star.

This is still not that movie.

But, a good first step for the writer/director tandem, and another film that distances Hammer from The Lone Ranger fiasco from a few years back.

Final Grade: C

School's Out For Summer..."Fist Fight"

Fist Fight (2017)

Rated R

Starring Charlie Day, Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell, Dean Norris, Christina Hendricks,

Directed by Richie Keen

The Story:

On the last day of school, English teacher Andy (Day) inadvertently gets History teacher Strickland (Cube) fired from his job. Strickland decides to retaliate and says at 3:00 when school is out, they're going to fight. Andy then spends the rest of the day trying to make amends or do whatever he can to get out of the fight. Naturally, it doesn't go so well.

Here's where I'm up on my soap box with the language issue. The movie is littered with a mine field of f-bombs to navigate through.

But as I've always said, if you can take the language out, and the jokes would still work, then it's actually funny.

And, I laughed way more often than I was expecting/hoping during this film.

I would say that 90% of that comes squarely because of Charlie Day.

He has perfected the exasperated everyman character to a "t" in his previous film outings where he often plays the buddy of the main character.

Well, here he graduates to the star of the show and carries the entire film on his shoulders. Everything that happens is based on his actions and the spiraling descent into madness as he feverishly works to avoid a confrontation at the end of the day.

So, if you don't like Charlie Day, you'll likely not care for the film.

Ice Cube has less screen time, but his presence is always felt as the hour ticks closer to the 3:00 showdown.

They are also surrounded by some of the worst teachers ever to grace the screen, especially Holly (Bell) the school guidance counselor who is a train-wreck of emotional baggage. :)

So yes, it's crude, but I laughed a lot and the movie kept me interested.  I can live with that.

Final Grade: B-

Something Special Under The Hood..."Monster Trucks"

Monster Trucks (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Thomas Lennon, Barry Pepper, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover,

Directed by Chris Wedge

The Story:

When a previously undiscovered species is found while drilling for oil, the company bigwig (Lowe) decides to keep things hush hush so that he can keep drilling. Except one escapes and is discovered by Tripp (Till) who tries to help it stay one step ahead of the company that's trying to get it back. Using the creature's unique abilities, they will embark on a mission to free the other creatures that the company has captive and return them all to the wild.

Awwww...

This one is definitely geared for kids, which is always apparent when it comes from Nickelodeon Studios.

That said, at least it is entertaining enough to keep the adults entertained that decide to watch alongside their little movie watching buddies.

They've peppered (no pun intended) the film with some very familiar faces and names to up the star power, but naturally, it's Till and the creatures that provide the framework for 90% of the film.

Harmless fun for the whole family, and I'll rarely complain about that.

Final Grade: C+

Welcome Home Web-Head! "Spider-Man: Homecoming"

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr.

Directed by Jon Watts

The Story:

Peter Parker (Holland) is trying to adjust to life as Spider-Man all the while waiting for the next call-up to something big by Tony Stark (Downey Jr.). When he discovers that a new bad guy, the Vulture (Keaton) is up to something really big, Peter gets tired of being ignored while he tries to enlist help, so he tackles it on his own. Needless to say, his web-slinging and high school problems are going to cause more problems than your typical high schooler has to endure.

Welcome home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spidey!

The deal that allowed Marvel Studios to use Spider-Man pays off huuuuuuge for Sony as they craft the best Spider-Man film so far.

For those of you that loved the Raimi trilogy...or at least Part 2, you're welcome to think that's the best Spider-Man ever.

I never cared for Tobey in the role, nor Dunst as M.J.

I much preferred Garfield's take in the role, but those films weren't without their flaws.

Now along comes Homecoming.

Holland is quickly winning me over as Peter/Spidey.

It also helps that Keaton's Vulture is an impressive and logical foe to set this whole thing up, and he is great as the film's bad guy.

Are there flaws?

Probably.

Am I willing to overlook those?

Absolutely.

The biggest complaint I could see is the characterizations of most of Peter's supporting cast.

I simply remember: this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not the comics.

Then yeah, I'm good.

What else can I say at this point?

1) The Spider-Man theme song makes an appearance.
2) Possibly the best ending of any Marvel movie.
3) There are indeed 2 scenes that appear after the credits.

I highly encourage you to stick around for both!

Congratulations to all involved, I'm now going to type what I thought unthinkable just 2 short months ago...

Sorry Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.... there's a new favorite movie of the year in town!

Good luck Thor: Ragnarok... you've got your work cut out for you.

Final Grade: A

Sign Me Up...'Police Academy"

Police Academy (1984)

Rated R

Starring Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Kim Cattrall, G.W. Bailey, Bubba Smith, George Gaynes, David Graf, Leslie Easterbrook,

Directed by Hugh Wilson

The Story:

In response to a crisis, the standards for Police Academy entrance are lowered.
A lot.
This is the story of those recruits attending the Police Academy.
Heaven help us all.

There are 2 types of people in this world.

Those that enjoyed Police Academy. And those that are wrong.

I am firmly in the first camp, and I'll give the declining quality of the next 5 installments...

But come on, the first one is gold.

It still holds up, it's still funny, and it's still just as much dumb fun now as it was over 30 years ago.

The cast is filled with great character actors and the so likable he's got a career pass, Steve Guttenberg as the star.

G.W. Bailey is hilarious as Lt. Harris who wants nothing more than these dirtbags to go home.

Rapid fire jokes and situations were the order of the day, and this movie never fails to make me laugh.

It's making the streaming rounds on Netflix as of this writing, which is where I stumbled upon it the other night and thought, "why not"?

It may not be a masterpiece, but it's a guilty pleasure that I had the opportunity to see when it premiered in 1984 (thanks Dad!) and have been a fan of ever since.

Final Grade: B+

Not Much Happens... "Aftermath"

Aftermath (2017)

Rated R

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Scoot McNairy

Directed by Elliott Lester

The Story:

Jake (McNairy) is an air traffic controller who makes a horrific mistake on the job. Roman (Schwarzenegger) lost his wife and daughter on one of the planes that crashed. Roman sets out on a course of revenge while Jake's life also spirals out of control.

Trust me, I'm trying to ramp up the drama, but really, not much happens during the movie.

It's just a long dramatic pause so that Ah-nuhld can muster revenge because the airlines never actually apologized for the crash.

Yeah, I know, it makes no sense in the real world or in the fictional movie world either.

Enough happens to keep a passing interest in the movie, and then it culminates in a final act that just seems disjointed enough to provide any emotional impact on the movie to move the audience.

It just ends and the credits roll. No satisfying conclusion to what just happened.

Then you feel like the main character, just with less revenge on your mind, and more of a quest to find a more satisfying movie to watch.

Maybe tomorrow?

Final Grade: C

Have A Little Faith..."The Resurrection Of Gavin Stone"

The Resurrection Of Gavin Stone (2017)

Rated PG

Starring Brett Dalton, Angela Johnson-Reyes, Shawn Michaels, D.B. Sweeney, Neil Flynn,

Directed by Dallas Jenkins

The Story:

Gavin Stone (Dalton) is a former child actor who has one altercation with the police too many. Forced to do community service instead of jail time, he opts to assist a church in his hometown. While working on a strained relationship with his dad (Flynn), he becomes intrigued by Kelly (Johnson-Reyes) who is directing the church's Passion Play. What better community service for an actor than to play the role of a lifetime, and tackle Jesus. The church has one stipulation though, all actors have to be Christians. Easy enough, Gavin is an actor after all, and he'll just wing the whole Christian thing as well.

So I'm sure I've already lost a few people's interests because it's a "Christian movie".

So now, I'll lose the rest of you: It was made by WWE Studios.

How's that for a change of pace from the folks that give us B movie action flicks every few months?

It's a light comedy with a touch of romance as Gavin tries desperately to woo Kelly. What he learns, among many things, is the harder he tries, the more he fails.  It is when he is sincere and honest that Kelly, and most everyone else, really open up to him and like the Gavin Stone that stands before them.

Naturally there needs to be a 3rd Act conflict that threatens everything that has unfolded for Gavin on his journey of redemption.

It comes by way of Hollywood calling him back to the world of network television, and naturally, he needs to be back in Hollywood.

The same weekend.

Is Gavin going to choose Hollywood or the small town?

And is any of his pretending to be a Christian going to sink in and stick?

Dalton does a great job as the former star who has crashed back to Earth hard, and wants nothing more than to recapture the glory of his past. By the end of the movie, you can see the changes that have come over him and it's a sweet story to behold.

Final Grade: B