Burning The Candle At Both Ends... "John Wick"

John Wick (2014)

Rated R

Starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki,

Directed by Chad Stahelski

The Story:

John Wick (Reeves) is a former mob hit man, who is now happily retired, having settled down with his wife. However, when she dies, she arranges for a little pooch to be delivered to her husband so he wouldn't be alone. When some thugs target Wick for a robbery, they make the mistake of killing his little puppy.

John Wick is now about to come out of retirement for canine vengeance!

Seriously, that's the plot of the film.

I saw this one received a lot of accolades from people as the coolest action flick in ages.

Meh.

I didn't see it quite that way.

It's the best thing I've seen from Keanu since...hmm...The Replacements! So it's been a 14 year dry spell for him, but this one is fine.

Not great, but fine.

Again, while the storyline seems far-fetched, in the logic of this movie, it makes sense.

Wick is a man of honor and is respected by friends and foes alike.

Plus, he's impossible to kill.

:)

And without spoiling too much, since John Wick 2: Even Wickier is in production, it's safe to say you'll figure out how it ends.

Final Grade: B-

We Must Avenge Channing Tatum! "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" !

Get a piece of the Rock!

The Story:

Since the last movie, apparently all of the cool Joes are now gone, leaving only Duke (Channing Tatum) and Snake Eyes (Ray Park) as the only members still around.  They lead a new crew featuring Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Roadblock (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).  When all of the Joes are assembled to keep a nuclear warhead from falling into enemy hands, the President (Johnathan Pryce) orders them killed.  Remember, he's actually Zartan in disguise!  All of the Joes are killed except our new trio (and Snake Eyes...) and together they must discover who brought them down and why... before it's too late!

First, the lingering question of "Where did all the other Joes go?"... lingers.  I don't believe it was ever explained to satisfaction.  I think there was a throwaway line about after the nanomite incident... but that doesn't explain how your entire team disappears.  I was pretty sure everyone was still around when the last film ended.  If it was mentioned other than that, I missed it.

Second, the rumors of the movie being reshot to include more Channing Tatum (because every movie needs more Channing Tatum!!) proved false.  Yay!

If I spoiled that little factoid that Duke doesn't survive the film... well, sorry.  I gathered that piece of information from the trailer without even seeing the movie. :)

Sure, I was sad to see Duke killed, but it's a plot device, and if Scarlett, Duke and the rest are fodder, hasta la vista Duke.  When you think about it, every Joe is expendable at the end of the day, except Snake Eyes.

And apparently now, Roadblock.

Once again it is Dwayne Johnson to the rescue of a franchise.  He brought respectability to the Mysterious Island, and he proved to be an equal as the new guy in Fast Five, and helped propel Fast Six to even bigger box office heights.

Throw the guy into the G.I. Joe mix, and the guy owns the franchise from the minute you see him onscreen.

There is also the glorified cameo from Bruce Willis as the original G.I. Joe from which the unit was named.

A lot of fun, and as expected, even better than the original. 

And yes, I suppose the easiest explanation for the smaller cast, is you can tell a better story when you are only concentrating on a trio of heroes vs. over a dozen.

Plus, it's probably a lot cheaper. ;)

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't own it yet, but I'm hoping that situation works itself out in the future. : )