Time To Enlist..."Dad's Army"

Dad's Army (2016) 

Not Rated

Starring Bill Nighy, Toby Jones, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Gambon, Bill Paterson, Tom Courtenay, Blake Harrison, Daniel Mays,

Directed by Oliver Parker

The Story:

The small town Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard is patrolling their town and keeping everyone safe from Nazi intruders during the closing of World War II. Under the leadership of Captain Mainwaring (Jones) and Sgt. Wilson (Nighy) they keep their motley band as ship-shape as possible. However, with the threat of a Nazi spy infiltrating their town at the same time a lovely journalist (Zeta-Jones) arrives, the crew will have to really mind their manners if they don't want to spoil the D-Day mission!

As I was completely unaware that this is a remake of the beloved late 1960s BBC comedy of the same name, I have no comparison with which to make between this movie and that show.

Which means, unlike that segment of the audience, I quite liked this film.

Those that were familiar, well, they pretty much savaged the very existence of this one, whether it seems they saw it or not.

So apparently Americans aren't the only ones who hate remakes of their childhood favorites.

:)

Anway, the movie is humorous, not gut-bustingly funny, so plan your viewing accordingly.

It's a slow, deliberate build and you can pretty much figure out what is going to happen and when, but it's still an enjoyable experience.


Final Grade: B-

A Peek Behind Hollywood's Curtains... "America's Sweethearts"

America's Sweethearts (2001)

Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Christopher Walken, Seth Green

Directed by Joe Roth

The Story:

Lee Phillips (Crystal) has been fired as a movie publicist by his boss (Stanley Tucci).  However, when the latest film is being held hostage by director Hal Weidmann (Walken) they beg Lee to come back and try and save the movie that stars the split power couple of Gwen and Eddie (Zeta-Jones and Cusack).  Can Lee save the movie and the couple?

I may be in the  minority but I am one of the few that likes this movie.

I found the film to be very funny and engaging when normally all-star films like this flop.

With Crystal as the helm as one of the writers, all of the characters have a unique voice and vision within the film.  Even the smallest parts have something to add overall to the film.

Hank Azaria probably has the best role in the film as the home-wrecking Spaniard with the crazy accent. :)

It's an interesting, if madcap look at life behind the camera as well for Hollywood stars. 

You can see the romantic setups coming from a mile away, but with the cast and storyline that's assembled, it is definitely a ride worth taking.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own a copy of this movie, and I would say it gets a spin every few years.

Further Proof That Sequels Are Rarely As Good As The Original..."RED 2"

So close...

The Story:

Frank (Bruce Willis) is enjoying a quiet life with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) when Marvin (John Malkovich) comes calling.  He tries to warn them that danger is heading their way, but Frank wants to lay low and keep Sarah safe.  Oddly enough, Sarah is actually itching to see some action again, even though she is ill-prepared for it.  Then before you know it, trouble hits and the guys are on the run again, trying to figure out how to save the world and clear their names before they are killed.  This time however, it looks like Victoria (Helen Mirren) has been  hired by the British to make sure that Frank doesn't succeed.

Uh-oh!

I loved the first film.

One of my Best of the Year films, and one that I can watch at just about any time.

Was it the Morgan Freeman factor?  Hard to say.

They also had a much better 'bad guy' who was just doing his job, Karl Urban.

Here...

Not so much.

It's a muddled mess as they jaunt to Europe trying to evade nearly every government and assassin that is trying to take them down.

Including Frank's old flame, Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones).

Here's a piece of advice for successful movies that want to franchise:

Don't hire Catherine Zeta-Jones for your sequel.

Ocean's Eleven rocked.
Ocean's Twelve...not so much.
Ocean's Thirteen thankfully regained much of the original swagger.

So I guess, that bodes well for Red 3!

:)

Instead, you've got Neal McDonough tracking the team, and he's great, but no Karl Urban.  Then you throw in an Asian assassin (Byung-hun Lee) plus everyone else after Frank...

And now you have to find time to squeeze in "The Package" (Anthony Hopkins).

They went with an "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" approach when they should have tried to dial it back a few notches.

Ah well, it wasn't a complete waste, but it was unable to capture the lightning in a  bottle of the first film.

Better luck next go round.

Final Grade: B- / C+ range.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Like I said, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as the first one.  I'm sure I'll get it though. : )

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.

He Shoots...He Misses! "Playing for Keeps"

Gooooo...away.

The Story:

George(Gerard Butler), a former soccer star becomes the little league coach for his son's team.  This gives him more time seeing his son since his marriage to Stacie (Jessica Biel) fell apart. Things get complicated as George wants to become a sports anchor for ESPN, and all the Soccer mom's want to get in George's pants.

Another contender for Turkey of the Year.

Which is a shame, because I love Gerard Butler.  Or at least his accent. : )

Even his romantic comedies which are blasted by critics, I've actually enjoyed because he seems to be having a good time, and generates at least some chemistry with his leading ladies.

And here, Gerard Butler is really the only star who attempts to rise above the atrocities being committed in the movie.

He's a good guy, sucked into bad situations, each one more absurd and foolish than the last one.


As for the rest of the cast... well if they decide to make a Desperate Housewives spinoff, here's the cast to start with:

Jessica Biel plays the annoying ex-wife.
Catherine Zeta-Jones comes off slightly less annoying than the last movie I saw her in (Lay the Favorites) but cannot rise above the script.
Uma Thurman is downright pathetic in her role.
Judy Greer always annoys me in any role she ever plays. : )

Dennis Quaid chomps the scenery overacting to his heart's content as a soccer dad with a wandering eye...

The movie made it past the 20 minute mark, I think, only because nobody was paying attention to it.

It just continues to go downhill from there, I looked around and nobody was paying attention to the film, and those that were, were not too happy with it, so out it comes.

Pretty sure Butler will rebound with Olympus Has Fallen. Or at least, How to Train Your Dragon 2.


Final Grade: D-

Would I Own It: Hahahahaha...

"Lay the Favorite" in the Do Not Watch Pile

It sounded good on paper...

The Story:

Beth (Rebecca Hall) comes to Vegas to work as a cocktail waitress.  She instead gets hired by Dink (Bruce Willis) to help him with his gambling business.  This doesn't sit well with Dink's wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who wants the girl out of their lives.  Yet she seems to be helping Dink make some serious cash, so Dink is torn...  and the movie keeps going...

I don't know what to say about this one.

So yesterday, Bruce Willis is barely in a direct to DVD outing that is actually pretty good.
Today, he's in a direct to DVD movie that is a rambling mess.

Not funny enough to be a comedy.
Not dramatic enough to be a drama.

Not anything really.  I wouldn't even call it a dramedy. 

The acting chops of Willis, Zeta-Jones and Vince Vaughn are all for naught in this film.

I ended up watching this at 1.5x, and it still took forever to finish.

Save your time, save your queue rotation... skip this one.

Final Grade: D+

Would I Own It: I wouldn't bet on it.  You see what I did there?  That's funnier than any joke in this movie.  True story!

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 43 ~ The Mask of Zorro

This is a fun movie which is a blast to watch.

The story in a nutshell... The original Zorro (Anthony Hopkins) loses everything one fateful night and spends the next 20 years in jail.  When his enemy returns to Mexico, he escapes, and trains a new Zorro (Antonio Banderas) to help him save the day...and his daughter (Catherine Zeta Jones) and continue the legend of...

Zorro!

This movie falls into that "Hollywood remakes" that gets it right instead of failing to be inspired by the original versions.

By 1998, had you asked me what the greatest comic book movie ever made would have been, I likely would have responded that this movie was the closest to a great comic book movie that you could get.

Technically, Zorro was a creation of the pulp digests of the day, which was the forerunner to comic books.  So yes, I would have been correct.

: )

Now that another decade has passed, Zorro will slide out of the comic book movie and take its place as a fun action picture instead.

The opening sequence alone is worth the price of admission.

The introduction, at least to me, of Catherine Zeta Jones, was similar to Jack Black's appearance on the countdown yesterday.  Apparently she'd been in stuff before this, but for the majority, this was her big break in a larger role, and she seized it to become the star she is today.

She has great chemistry with Antonio Banderas, who revels in the part of the new Zorro.  The movie is his to carry, and he does a great job proving to audiences that he deserves a chance as a leading man in Hollywood.

The sequel, while okay, was not as fun and exciting as this one.

Better, was the inspired casting of Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots in the Shrek franchise.  While those also do not make the countdown, they were under serious consideration, and frankly a lot of that was due to Antonio's charisma as the little cat who was clearly an extension of this character.