Don't Lose Your "Nerve"

Nerve (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade, Miles Heizer, Juliette Lewis, Kimiko Glenn,

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

The Story:

Vee (Roberts) decides she's had enough of being a wallflower and sheds her inhibitions by joining the online game "Nerve". In it, players are given dares that they must complete within a time limit while others watch online. As the game progresses, the dares, and the risks increase exponentially until there is only one winner. When Vee meets Ian (Franco) though, they bond, and she soon discovers there is much more to the game than meets the eye.

Well, that was unexpected.

I hadn't heard about this one until it was just about to come out on Netflix.

I've always enjoyed Emma Roberts in just about any role that she's been in, so I will almost always give it a shot.

Which is amusing, considering I'm not the biggest fan of her aunt's work at all.

Anyway, I was engaged in the game, and the proceedings kept us all on the edge of our seats as one dare led to the next until there were just 2 contestants left standing.

Who will be the ultimate survivor?

I'm actually surprised this sort of game doesn't exist in real life, albeit for far less stakes or with far less money involved.

Or maybe it already does?

: /

Another week, another movie eligible for Best of the Year. 2017 is shaping up to be a great year at the movies.

Final Grade: B+

Look Who's Back... "Now You See Me 2"

Now You See Me 2 (2016)  

Rated PG-13

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Radcliffe, Jay Chou, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine,

Directed by Jon M. Chu

The Story:

The Horsemen (Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco) are in hiding. Rhodes (Ruffalo) is doing his best to keep the FBI at bay, but with the Horsemen down a man, he sends a new recruit (Caplan) to join the team. Of course with Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman) vowing revenge from behind bars, it appears that the walls are closing in, and the Horsemen may have performed their final trick.

Well, that was fun.

I quite enjoyed the original Now You See Me a few years back, and it wound up being one of my favorites of 2013.

As with most sequels, it does not quite reach the lofty heights of the original, and NYSM 2 is no exception.

It's good, and if you enjoyed the first one, there's nothing that's going to stop you from enjoying this return engagement.

The illusions are fun, and even if you know how they pulled the trick off, they are executed very well and are fun to watch.

The cast is great, and while I'm not a big fan of Jesse Eisenberg, he meshes well with this group.

Caplan is a breath of fresh air to the team as she tries to fit in and find her role with the team.

Probably my biggest complaint is the double-duty of Harrelson in the movie. I think I would have simply preferred that he have a brother rather than a twin. There was no identity swapping required, so it seemed silly to me.

But still, good times, and I enjoyed it.

While this one won't make the best of the year, it was still enjoyable and I will likely add it to the library down the road.

Plus, if rumors are to be believed, there will be a Now You See Me 3.

I look forward to it.

Final Grade: B

"Unfinished Business" Is An 'Uneven Movie'

Unfinished Business (2015)

Rated R

Starring Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco, Sienna Miller, Nick Frost, James Marsden

Directed by Ken Scott

The Story:

Dan (Vaughn) has had it with his current company. He quits and tries a Jerry Maguire speech to bring his co-workers with him. Tim (Wilkinson) and Mike (Franco) are the only two that jump in with him. Time passes, and they have one final "Hail Mary" to save their business from going under, but involves a business trip to Europe to land a deal with Mr. Spinch (Marsden). They assume it's a lock, until they realize their old employer is there to close the same deal.

Tucked in this movie was a good story with some funny characters.

They emerge every so often as the film moves along.

They also get buried in a lot of "throw it at the wall and see if it sticks" moments that really do nothing except padding the runtime of the film.

It loses focus often for the sake of the gag, and the gags rarely help the overall momentum of the film. Instead it seems like a lot of pieces that are cobbled together to frame a story from beginning to end, but it's a bumpy, jarring ride to get there.

Are there funny moments? Absolutely, but they often are isolated and alone and rarely strung together.

Vaughn's attempt to help his daughter's homework project seems like a weird narrative device to shoehorn his home life into the work story.

That said, the final product that she turns in is very heartwarming and something most dads should relate to.

It's got some genuine amusement, and a fantastic cast, but just too scattershot to be worth ever revisiting.

Final Grade: C

With "Neighbors" Like These, It Might Be Time To Move!

Neighbors (2014)

Rated R

Starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

The Story:

Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) have just bought their first house and are raising their (really adorable) baby. The house next door is for sale, and they wonder who will move in. Cue the bad boy fraternity of the local college that just happened to have burned their last home down! The President (Efron) and Vice President (Franco) seem nice enough at first, but their partying and the neighbors trying to raise their kids soon begin to clash. Things are about to get ugly.

Funny, but ugly.

I set the bar low for this one.  I had seen the previews, and watching Rogen get blown through the roof with the airbag gag was funny.

It was still funny in the film itself.

This was an escalating revenge comedy as the neighbors and frat members attempted to outdo the other in their game of making life as horrible as possible for one another.

Efron continues to distance himself from his Disney past, and so far he's doing a fine job on both the comedic and dramatic sides of the coin.

Rogen continues playing his usual goofy everyman self, and he does a fine job at it.

The movie works nicely by not giving you either side to really root for or against.

After all, you would think the audience would side with the couple, yet they aren't exactly blameless in this whole thing.  Makes a nice counter-balance for the audience to decide who they want to root for.

Oh, and as I mentioned previously, the daughter? Absolutely adorable.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Better than I was expecting, but not good enough to earn a spot in the library. Could be viewed again in a few years for a few laughs.

Underrated Gem of the Year? "Now You See Me" Fits The Bill!

Look closer...

The Story:

Four magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco) all receive a mysterious summons.  One year later, the group, now known as the Four Horsemen are about to pull off an amazing trick in Vegas:  They're going to rob a bank.  Naturally, when they succeed, they incur the interest of the FBI (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol (Melanie Laurent).  If that wasn't enough, a former magician, now magic debunker (Morgan Freeman) is watching to see how they do it, and to prove that it's fake.

Got all that?

Good.

Sorry, this movie is flat out fun and entertaining.

I will not reveal much more than I already have, because what's the point of spoiling a movie about magicians?  Then you would lose all of the magic.  ;)

I was sold when the answer to the first magic trick in the movie was the same answer I said outloud.

I knew it was going to be fun after that.

All of the actors in the film do a great job.  Eisenberg and Harrelson take top honors as two of the Horsemen, but don't overlook the fine performance of Ruffalo as the one step behind FBI guy who is determined to solve the puzzle before the last act.

Also, don't underestimate the joy of having Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman working together in a non-Batman film either.  Both actors are in fine form and have some rather pivotal scenes throughout the movie.

I'll mark this one down as one of the more fun and enjoyable movies I've seen this year.

Let's hope the recently announced sequel is just as good, or better.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  At it's heart, it's a heist film.  I love a good heist film.  I hope to add this one to the collection!