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. ;)

The Limo Ride Of Your Life..."Stretch"

Stretch (2014)

Rated R

Starring Patrick Wilson, Ed Helms, Chris Pine, Brooklyn Decker, Jessica Alba

Directed by Joe Carnahan

The Story:

Stretch (Wilson) is a down on his luck limo driver who owes a lot of money to a bookie, and if he doesn't pay it off tonight...well, things are going to get ugly. Luckily, his fare for the evening is Roger Karos (Pine) who makes Stretch a deal. If he can run a few errands for him, then his tip will pay off the debt and Stretch will be free and clear. Somehow, it's not going to be that easy...

This is a crazy ride to be sure.

That Stretch came to LA to be an actor, he'll get to finally hone those skills during his adventures this evening.

He's also accompanied by Karl (Helms) who is the ghost of his mentor. Or Stretch's conscience, if Jiminy Cricket were an overbearing jerk. :)

If you ever saw Smokin' Aces and enjoyed it, then Carnahan brings more of his wit and craziness to the table for you.

You'll get sucked in watching things go from bad to worse for Stretch, and wonder what the heck just happened when it's all over.

:)

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

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+

The Trek And The Furious..."Star Trek Beyond"

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

PG-13

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Sofia Boutella, John Cho, Anton Yelchin,

Directed by Justin Lin

The Story:

The crew of the Enterprise lands on an alien planet where their latest enemy (Elba) vows to destroy the Federation. With help from an alien (Boutella) and the Beastie Boys, perhaps Kirk (Pine) and his crew can save the galaxy.

Again.

So at this point, you either love (or at least tolerate) the rebooted franchise, or you hate it.

I'm not sure there's a middle ground.

I've enjoyed both the original series and the reboot for what they are: entertainment.

I enjoyed this installment of the series more than Into Darkness, mostly because I wish they would create new storylines for this crew versus rehashing old storylines.

Though this plot seems vaguely reminiscent of some previously seen episode, or movie...

maybe GalaxyQuest?

:)

Justin Lin moves from the Fast & Furious franchise to take over the Trek franchise, at least for one film.

If he does stick around, expect The Rock to show up in another sequel, soon, but that's about the time the quality of the franchise gets even better.

My biggest complaints for the film:

Karl Urban is woefully underused, as usual, and is still the best character the franchise has.

Star Trek: Beyond.  Star Trek-Beyond.

It's killing me to not have some type of punctuation in the movie title.

Otherwise, I need to know Star Trek Beyond...What?

What have they gone beyond?!?

;)

Final Grade: B-

"The Finest Hours" Is A Great True Story...But A Mediocre Movie

The Finest Hours (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz,

Directed by Craig Gillespie

The Story:

During a tremendous blizzard in 1952, a tanker rips in two and the Coast Guard sends just about everyone they have to try and save any survivors.

This is not that story.

You see, there was a second tanker that also ripped in half and had survivors on it. What was left of the Coast Guard was dispatched to try and find the remnants of that ship and bring in any survivors.

This is that story.

And it's true.

The biggest problem with this, the story and much of the acting and pacing is stiff, wooden and rather boring.

Which seems really weird when you have a thrilling rescue mission at sea that bogs down while trying to be told.

Weirder still that it was a product of Walt Disney studios who excel at these true life stories.

There's equal parts of blame to go around all over the place, even the leading man, Chris Pine, and quite possibly especially him, is not above finger pointing.

His character is probably supposed to be shy and humble, but it just comes across as stiff and unlikable.

Things do pick up considerably once the storm is raging and the rescue attempt begins, but the buildup to it with Pine and Grainger's romance...

Goodness that's some painfully dull cinema to endure.

Good intentions, a great real story that just gets muddied when it was turned into a film.

Final Grade: C

This Movie Should Be Dragged "Into The Woods" And Left There

Into The Woods (2014)

Rated PG

Starring Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Daniel Huttlestone, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Christine Baranski, Tracey Ullman, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Mackenzie Mauzy, and a cast of thousands.

Directed by Rob Marshall

The Story:

What do you get when you combine Cinderella, Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk a wicked witch and an annoying baker and his wife into a musical?

If you guessed an excruciating 2 hours (plus change!) of your life sucked from the earth, congratulations, you've apparently already seen this movie.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I can see that on paper this might sound appealing. 

Apparently, it works on the Broadway stage.

But wow, this was a rambling, overblown mess of a movie that just wouldn't end.

You think it will, but no, it's like they remembered, no, we still have the big finale where all the tales must once again intersect with each other in the  most contrived way possible.

So why did I finish the whole film, you ask?

I'm not sure.

Boredom.

Train wreck style, I wanted to see if it could get any worse.

Well, it never truly got worse, but it never got any better.

It was a visually pleasing movie, and all of the actors were game for their roles.

It was simply too much.

And not even of a good thing, it was simply too much of everything.

I'm guessing that some of this was added for the movie, because I can't see a broadway production pulling off that massive of a storyline every night.

Plus, the one thing about a good musical, or even an average musical, is the songs which the cast should sing.

There isn't a memorable tune or melody to be found in this feature from start to finish.

Except one.

The one sung by Johnny Depp to a little Red Riding Hood.

This was perhaps the most cringe-worthy cinematic experience I've ever endured, watching a 50+ year old man dressed as a wolf, but only vaguely, expressing his desires for a child.

Unintentional I'm sure, but wow, does it just come off with a creepiness factor of about 11.

Final Grade: D

We've All Had Some "Horrible Bosses 2"

Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)

Rated R

Starring Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz

Directed by Sean Anders

The Story:

Nick (Bateman), Kurt (Sudeikis) and Dale (Day) return, but this time they have invented a product and they are going to be their own bosses! They pitch it to billionaire Bert Hanson (Waltz) and he loves the idea and orders a boatload of them. The boys get down to business creating the product, all on their own dime, but when they take the product to Mr. Hanson, he declines, having already created a similar product. The guys plot their revenge, and that involves taking Hanson's son (Pine) hostage and ransoming him so they can save their company. Of course where these guys are concerned, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Having been pleasantly surprised at how funny the original Horrible Bosses turned out to be, I was eagerly anticipating the sequel, and hoped it wouldn't be a disappointment.

Long story short, if you liked the first one, there is little doubt that you will enjoy this follow up.

It's rude. It's crude.

But hey, that's where half the charm lies.

Sudeikis is manic, and his delivery is just killer. Listening to him deliver his lines simply kills throughout the film.

Day was a revelation for me from the first film, as I don't believe I had seen him in anything prior to that. As the exasperated one of the trio, he and Sudeikis provide a whirlwind of emotions and delivery that allow Bateman to be "the sane one" in a series of insane moments.

This works, and doesn't make Bateman have to do all the heavy lifting like he does in some other movies.

It provides a nice balance between the 3 stars.

Aniston and Spacey return in brief, but memorable parts that help drive the narrative.

I could think of worse things to endure than the prospect of a third go-round with this group.

Final Grade: B

How To Reboot A Franchise: Step 1: Hire Chris Pine ... "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit"

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

The Story:

This is the story of how Jack Ryan (Pine) becomes an analyst for the CIA.  We will meet his mentor (Costner), his wife (Knightley) and even some pesky Russian villain (Branagh).  In short, this is the origin of America's James Bond.

So the question:

Is it worth it?

In a word: Yes.

While this is not The Hunt For Red October, this is clearly the best Jack Ryan we've been treated to in a generation. 

Honestly, I remember very little about the Ben Affleck version of the franchise, but perhaps that is for the best?

Branagh spins a tight tale behin the camera, while portraying the bad guy in front of it.  With Thor and now Jack Ryan under his belt, his days of being just a Shakespearean director are long gone.

Chris Pine steps in to the role of Jack Ryan, and does a nice job of making anyone that remembers the old movies forget Baldwin, Ford and Affleck.

Of course, this is a lot easier than stepping into the role of Kirk in Star Trek, but just like that franchise, a fresh coat of 21st century paint shows there are a lot of miles left in these franchises.

The only real problem...

Will audiences tire of seeing Chris Pine in everything?

Adding Costner as Ryan's mentor works nicely.  They now have a character that could be spun into his own movies if the mood strikes, either prequels or sequels with or without Ryan as the partner.

Anyway, a good first effort, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a bad reboot to the franchise.  I'd be willing to own/watch it again.

For the Hand of Reese Witherspoon..."This Means War" !

All's fair...

The Story:

Two CIA operatives, FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy) are pretty much the best at what they do.  While they are teamed up on a case, Tuck is trying to get back out on the dating scene since his divorce.  He dates a lovely girl, Lauren (Reese Witherspoon).  Ah, but FDR wanted to be a pal and provide backup to his partner just in case.  When he runs into Lauren later that same night, they hit it off, never realizing he's just made the move on his best friend's new girl.  So when two top operatives become rivals in love, neither one is going to be safe on any date!

This is one of my favorites from last year.

Not "great enough" to be a Top 10 movie of the year, but good enough to be an enjoyable "hey, let's watch this one again" movie.

I love those kinds of movies.  My library is full of them.

: )

The best part, it's a romantic comedy, buried underneath an action comedy.

So win-win for the guys on date night! :)

Reese Witherspoon of course plays the romantic comedy lead in her sleep.  She's the 2010s version of the 80s/90s Meg Ryan.

This is not to be seen as an insult either, I'm quite pleased with the comparison and have enjoyed many romantic comedies starring Ms. Witherspoon.

Chris Pine and Tom Hardy have an excellent rapport as best friends and bitter rivals, often within split seconds of each other.

All the while that they are trying to figure out who gets the girl, an angry villain who has vowed revenge from their last case is trying to kill the boys.

Saving the world, stopping the bad guy, and getting the girl.

CIA 101.

Naturally, you'll see which guy Lauren will pick a mile away.  They telegraph it in the story, but at least it provides the happiest ending all around.

Directed by the always underrated McG, the man makes slick, fun action films.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I liked it so much, I bought it. :)

Blockbuster Weekend Part One: "Star Trek: Into Darkness"

To boldly go where we've already gone before...

For the first time!

The Story:

Kirk (Chris Pine) and the rest of his crew are in trouble for not following standard protocol.  Kirk is removed from his captaincy, just as a Star Fleet officer (Benedict Cumberbatch) goes rogue, causing a terrorist attack.  Kirk demands to hunt this traitor to the far reaches of the galaxy and is reinstated as the Enterprise's commander.  He reassembles his crew and prepares to bring vengeance to the villain.  Ah, but not everything is as it seems, and there are still some twists coming for the members of the Enterprise.

I'm sure everyone has seen this film by now that wanted to, so I won't spoil anything else.

As for me? 

I enjoyed this film.

I've seen/heard all the negativity, but come on folks, it's just a movie.

Spoken like a true non-Trekkie.

Yes, I grew up watching reruns of Star Trek in syndication, but otherwise, never bothered with most of the movies or the various television series that followed.

I've had no problems with the reboot/relaunch of an alternate universe Star Trek.

It was the smartest thing they could've done.

If you want to keep the franchise going into the 21st Century, why not reboot everything?  And they did it in such a clever way, it seemed that you could have the best of both worlds.  Everything that had come before was still there... and now a new crew with some old names was being given their chance to shine.

And they took to their parts really well.

Zachary Quinto continues to grow nicely into his role as Spock, but for me the scene stealer is Karl Urban as Bones McCoy.  He's not around a lot, which is a shame, but everytime he delivered his cranky lines, I laughed.

The guy fills the role perfectly.  I hope to see more of him the next go round.

Hopefully, and assuming there is a next film, the storyline might be original, and concentrate on the main portion of the crew.

Let's see how this 5 year journey works out for the new crew.

I'm game for a return if they are.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd watch it again, and wouldn't mind adding it to the collection with the first one.  Making 2 Star Trek movies in my library as the sum total  of my Trekkiness.

He Takes "Blind Dating" To A Whole New Level

Before he was Kirk...

The Story:

Danny (Chris Pine) has a problem.  He's blind.  But that's not really his problem.  His problem is he doesn't like being treated differently because he's blind, and tries very hard to overcome this by living his life as independently as possible.  His older brother Larry (Eddie Kaye Thomas) was his biggest tormenter as a child, but really loves his brother and wants to make sure he's okay.  Danny is longing for love, and Larry is trying to help, but every woman he meets just isn't clicking for some reason.  Then there is the receptionist, Leeza (Anjali Jay) who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Danny that begins to lead to love.  The only problem there?  She's engaged.  The other plot in the story involves Danny risking everything on an experimental surgery that might give him the ability to see, somewhat, if it is successful.

Chris Pine, before he became a star!

Since I didn't see much of him in his early acting days on tv, this would be one of his first starring roles. 

It's actually a pretty funny movie.  I don't know if this is what helped make him a star, but it certainly is nothing to be embarrassed about in his resume.

The movie itself is very grounded with Danny and his family.  I think that helped make it an even

The family is nervous when they discover Danny is looking into the risky surgery to restore his sight.  Again, the family bonds throughout the film, and they seem like they could actually be a real family by the way they behave around each other, unlike many movie families where if you put some thought into the characters, you start to doubt they could all be biologically related.  Not by the looks, but just by the interactions between them.  This family seemed genuine and real.

Also amusing is Jane Seymour as Danny's therapist who helps Danny on his quest to get his sight back.  Naturally, like all movie therapists, this doctor has a problem as well... : )

The final scenes with Danny trying to get to the restaurant to see Leeza (literally and figuratively) before it is too late are a bit heavy-handed getting there, but the speech at the restaurant makes up for that.

Funny and sweet, can't ask for much more than that from romantic comedies.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I would watch this one again.  Very cute movie.  Especially watching Danny hustle at a game of Horse.  : )
more enjoyable movie for me.  The brothers acted like brothers, and their relationship is lively and full of both love and sibling rivalry.

A Dysfunctional Family Affair... "People Like Us"

Sometimes the greatest family, is the family you don't know about.

The Story:

When a record producer dies, his son Sam (Chris Pine) heads home reluctantly with his girlfriend (Olivia Wilde).  He arrives late to console his mother (Michelle Pfeiffer), but Sam just wants to get back to his job before he gets in a world of trouble.  That's when he receives a windfall of cash from his father's will, with implicit instructions to give it to a boy named Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario) and to 'take care of them'.  That's when Sam discovers that he has a sister he never knew about named Frankie (Elizabeth Banks).  Sam could really use the money... nobody would ever know... but this is family...

Did I mention that it's based on a true story?

Of course not, but they claim it is.

Don't all movies make that claim nowadays?

But anyway, Sam could really use the dough, but the more he gets to know Josh and his new sister, the more troubled he becomes with making the decision to just take the money and run.  Things complicate further when Frankie mistakes this caring, sweet guy for a possible romantic interest.

Eww.

Naturally, it all blows up when he reveals who he really is, and then in typical family fashion... fights and grudges ensue.

Can Sam make everything right?

Maybe, just maybe, and with a little help from his father one last time, the family can become stronger.

It's a great ending.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I have now had the distinct pleasure of watching this film twice, so I would say that yes, I could watch it again and wouldn't be opposed to adding it permanently to the library.

The Real Review... "Rise of the Guardians"

 

Okay, now that I had my April Fool's Joke yesterday, let's bring you the REAL review today...

 

 

The only thing that can stop the Boogeyman...

The Story:

The Guardians watch over the children of the world.  North (Alec Baldwin) is the guardian of wonder.  E. Aster Bunnymund (Hugh Jackman) is the guardian of hope.  The Sandman is the guardian of dreams.  And the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) is the guardian of memories.  When all of this is threatened by Pitch (Jude Law) who is attempting to destroy all of childhood's hopes, dreams and wonders.... can the addition of perpetual mischief-maker Jack Frost (Chris Pine) tip the scales in favor of good, or is humanity doomed?

After months of tears and begging, I finally gave in and watched the movie.

It was everything that my kids swore to me, and more.

Much darker than Wreck-It Ralph, that doesn't mean there isn't a sweet side to this story.

It's fun, but not "funny", so the two films are on entirely different spectrums of animated entertainment.

You want fast visuals and fart jokes? Wreck-It Ralph is for you.

You want something deeper for yourself as a parent and for your kids to gather, then this is that film.

The animation from Dreamworks is superb, as always.  The voice acting is stellar, again you never lose sight of the character onscreen due to the voice of the actor in a stunt-casting role.

In fact, Alec Baldwin is all but unrecognizable as North enlisting a jovial Russian/German hybrid for his Santa.

I can see why many people could be turned off by the darkness of this film, but you're wrong.

It was a well-made film, and a shame that we have a generation of kids (and adults) that may not be able to appreciate that.

My only complaint with the film?

Whoever decided to end the film with THAT musical interlude...  I don't care what your intentions were, and from what I read, the idea behind it was sweet....

But that was just plain awful.

Maybe that's where DreamWorks went wrong?  You walk out of the theater, and the song over the credits is your last feeling, and if you walk out to that, you're not feeling it.

Final Grade: A.  You missed out on the + due to the musical choice.

Would I Own It: Already done!  The kids were suitably impressed.