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+

So Many Dystopian Futures To Choose From... "The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials"

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dylan O'Brian, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brode-Sangster, Dexter Darden, Alexander Flores, Patricia Clarkson, Barry Pepper,

Directed by Wes Ball

The Story:

Thomas (O'Brien) and his friends have escaped the Maze. Now they are in what they believe to be a safe haven, but it turns out that is simply a place where they can harvest the kids and try and find a cure for the ravages of the earth. So they escape and head towards freedom, staying one step ahead of WCKD while trying to find the whispered resistance fighters in the mountains. They have to survive the trials of life outside, which includes the Cranks...otherwise known as zombies.

That's right, things get cranked up a bit in the Dystopian Future world of the Maze Runner with the introduction to the fact that there are zombies out there.

Sadly, that introduction is short-lived and while a burst of energy, it fades quickly as the movie returns to the kids running for their lives and being chased by the government.

For over 2 hours.

I haven't figured out who decided, and when, that movies should start having 2+ hour run times.

On occasion, when you have a great film, go ahead and do it.

When your film is "meh" and runs closer to average than masterpiece, and you're stretching your epic-ness over a multi-film saga...

Sometimes judicious editing could benefit you.

Again, the arrival of zombies is rather exciting and unexpected, but it's short-lived and takes place in the middle of the film to give you a shot in the arm before devolving back to a cat and mouse game where you're actually hoping another dog shows up and shakes things up.

I'll be back to see the next installment, but as it is, I'm already forgetting a lot of what just happened in this one.

Final Grade: C

The Only Way To Learn About True Stories is Through a "Snitch"

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Unless your dad is The Rock.

The Story:

Jason Collins (Rafi Gavron) is out of high school, getting ready for college...and enjoys a little weed from time to time.  So his friend tells him he's going to send him a package and to hold it until he gets there.  The package arrives, and it's filled with pills...and a sting operation to arrest him.  His mother (Melina Kanakaredes) is distraught, and turns to her ex-husband, and Jason's estranged father, John (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) who is a successful construction worker to get him out of jail.  The Prosecuter (Susan Sarandon) says if Jason is willing to set up other druggies, he'll get a reduced sentence.  Jason doesn't know anyone else, and refuses, so he's about to do some hard time.  Dad steps up and offers his services.  Soon he's in over his head as he goes from local distributor to working directly for the cartel.  Will John be able to save his son, or will the cartel find out he's a snitch and kill him first?

Everyone should already know by now, that if The Rock is in the movie, I'm going to be watching, right?  I love the guy, always have, always will.

The fact is, he's only made two movies that I really didn't care for, Be Cool and Southland Tales.

Both were bad, but Dwayne isn't the problem.

Even the best action hero can't save a weak script.

And therein lies the problem with today's movie.

Inspired by true events...yawn...heard it all before...

The movie doesn't ratchet up the drama or the tension to really pull you in as a drama or a thriller.  The action pieces are spread too far apart to make this one an action flick.

Instead, it sort of labors along on the Rock's broad shoulders, but even he can only carry a movie so far on his own.

Along for the ride is Barry Pepper, looking an awful lot like Daniel Bryan under the most ridiculous beard this side of Duck Dynasty, as an undercover cop.  Then there is the "whatever happened to" Benjamin Bratt, as the cartel leader.  It was nice to see him again, I don't think I've seen him in anything since Miss Congeniality.

Not a total waste of time and effort to watch it, but could have been much better.

Final Grade: B-... I'm afraid if I give the Rock a C+, he might come and punch me!

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Sorry Rock, I'm afraid this one isn't going to be added to the collection.  But don't worry, we'll always have The Tooth Fairy! :)

Nothing a Band-Aid Won't Fix... "Broken City"

Based on a true story.

Well no, but with political corruption... yes... yes, it is.

: )

The Story:

Billy (Mark Wahlberg) is a former cop who lost his job seven years ago to protect the department and the Mayor (Russell Crowe) from a scandal.  Now, as the race for Mayor is heating up, Billy is called in to find out who the Mayor's wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is sleeping with before the rival camp does.  However things get really shady when the man that Billy is following turns out to be the campaign manager for the candidate trying to unseat the Mayor!

While interesting, there was a lot to do about nothing.

A very talented cast, also including Barry Pepper, Kyle Chandler and Griffin Dunne are more or less wasted on bit parts that could have easily been fleshed out more.

Considering the amount of movies that I've watched recently that have crossed the 2 hour mark, this one certainly could have spiced up the drama surrounding the infidelity... or really shown the animosity between the two mayoral candidates.

Instead, the movie starts off in the middle of some action, and then 7 years slip by.  With a week to go in the campaign, suddenly the Mayor brings Billy in as a private investigator.

Too rushed.  Too predictable.

Neither is a good situation for a political drama.

For what it is though, everyone does a great job.

No complaints with what they gave the audience, other than I wished it had been more.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not going to happen.