We've Got Fun and Games! "Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle"

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blaine, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner

Directed by Jake Kasdan

The Story:

Four high schoolers (Wolff, Blaine, Iseman, Turner) are serving detention when they decide to take a break and play a video game on an old system they find in the room they've been assigned to clean up. They fire it up, and the next thing you know, they are sucked into the video game, Jumanji. Now inhabiting their selected avatars, they must work together to beat the game and get back to the real world without losing all of their lives.

Welcome to Jumanji!

If you saw the trailers, odds are good that you thought the movie looked fun.

The movie lived up to the trailer's hype, and when last I checked, this movie was actually still playing in some theaters in America, even though it is now officially released on digital download and blu-ray and DVD.

This is sort of unprecedented in an age when most movies are coming out for download or purchase 4 months after they premiere. To still be playing in over 1,000 theaters and earning $850,000 when the movie premiered before Christmas is a feat unlikely to be matched...

Until Black Panther. :)

Now, back to Jumanji...

I've never seen the original.

Sorry, somehow it fell through the cracks, and I've never bothered to see it over the last 25 years.

If you're like me, don't worry, you're not missing anything. The movie sets up exactly how and why everything that is happening is coming to fruition.

I don't see anything that flies in the face of the original either, so I would assume fans of that one will enjoy revisiting Jumanji.

What starts as a Breakfast Club moment as the four teens that really have not a lot in common with each other prior to detention turns into hilarity as they each find themselves in the bodies of characters from the video game.

Naturally, each character is about as opposite from the kids in the real world as can be.

I won't say much more so as not to spoil any of the fun, but I would like to acknowledge the following:

1) Jack Black steals this movie out from under everyone.
2) The Rock and Kevin Hart can feel free to continue teaming up and making movies forever.
3) Possibly the greatest screen kiss in the history of cinema is included in this film.

So if you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it.

It's one of the few times in movie history you can find it still in theaters or available to watch at home.

That's pretty impressive.

Final Grade: A

Missed Opportunities... "Baywatch"

Baywatch (2017)

Rated R

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Jon Bass, Ilfenesh Hadera

Directed by Seth Gordon

The Story:

Lt. Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) leads his elite Baywatch squad to protect Emerald Bay from any and all dangers. This summer will be most trying though as they are training 3 rookies to join the team at the same time a dangerous synthetic drug keeps washing up onshore. When the police seem unwilling or unable to handle it, it's up to the lifeguards to save the day.

As with many of the relaunched "used to be a TV show, let's turn it into a movie!" ideas, Hollywood seems to never know what to do with these properties.

Quick, throw the f-bomb every 2 minutes to make sure we get an R rating!

Joke after joke, either situational or dialogue. Some of them will work, some won't!

Are they homages to what came before or parodies of the same material?

It seems like nobody knows for sure, or they keep changing their minds every 5 pages of script.

Here too is the downfall of Baywatch.

There are moments when it's a fun action comedy, then it tries to get too serious.

There are moments when it's madcap zaniness, R rated raunch-com.

It's just whirling around in a blender, and you're never entirely sure what's going to pour out onto the screen next.

It seems that going forward, if these movies are going to be made, pick a tone and stick to it.

The cast does everything they can, and then some, to make the material work.

Efron and Johnson have these parts down to where they can simply go on autopilot and it works, but they need a stronger, more consistent script to make us actually care to see it.

Thankfully it wasn't a huge waste of time like I feared, but if you saw the trailer, you pretty much saw the movie.


 Final Grade: C

A Disney Princess By Any Other Name... "Moana"

Moana (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Auli'i Cravahlo, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jermaine Clement,

Directed by Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker, Chris Williams

The Story:

Moana (Cravahlo) is the daughter of the Chief (Morrison) but dreams of a life beyond their island's reef. With fish becoming scarce, she wants to lead their people to new and exciting places, but is landlocked by her father and their tribe's ideals. When she discovers an ancient artifact, she sets out to find the demigod Maui (Johnson) and restore life to the dying sea.

It's the Disney Princess for the 21st century. She doesn't need a man to help save her...

No, wait.

Even the movie acknowledges Moana as the latest in a long line of Princesses:

"Okay, first, I am not a princess. I'm the daughter of the chief."

"Same difference."

"No."

"If you wear a dress, and have an animal sidekick, you're a princess."

Yep, she's a Princess all right!

I guess what they are really going for is that she doesn't need a love interest, and that's fine.

There's no room in this coming of age story for a romance, anyway.

The movie itself is fairly fun, if predictable.

The problem with Disney, and the Disney Princess genre if you will, is they have often set themselves bars that are difficult for subsequent movies to hurdle.

Place this one side by side with Tangled, and sorry, Moana doesn't stand a chance.

However, I look at this against Frozen, and I still wonder what people ever saw in that movie.

Different strokes for different folks.

It had its moments, and the bonding between Moana and Maui were indeed the strengths of the film.

But when you add in the deus ex machina of the ocean seemingly as a third character that tossed in save whenever it was needed...

Well, why didn't the ocean just take Moana straight to the end of her mission?

I know, lessons to learn and all that growing up stuff and redeeming Maui.

It's enjoyable enough, mostly harmless, and Jermaine Clement is awesome, and woefully underused as the villain.

Glad I saw it, but won't be rushing out to buy it or anything like that.


 Final Grade: B-

When Is A Superhero Movie Not A Superhero Movie..."The Fate of the Furious"

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell,

Directed by F. Gary Gray

The Story:

You've seen the trailers.  Dom (Diesel) has turned his back on his team, his family. Now it's time to finally find out why.

If you've been there for the first 7 installments, you'll have no problem transitioning into the final trilogy of the Fast and Furious saga.

Yep, Vin's got plans to make 2 more, 10 total, to conclude a little street racing saga that has grown bigger and more popular with the passing of each year and each installment.

Especially once they infused the cast with new blood and new thrills starting with Fast Five and the reassembling of the largest cast pitted against Special Agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) as the only guy who could take them down.

With each passing chapter, the stakes have gotten higher and the stunts more elaborate.

And yes, it's the 2nd greatest superhero universe, right behind Marvel.

Suck it DC.

: )

Now if you don't like these movies, and I can't even fathom that prospect in all sincerity, then this movie isn't for you.

The only thing missing is Paul Walker, but there's nothing that you can do about that. He shared his vision with Vin Diesel, and they're honoring that memory as best they can.

Enjoy the ride, it's a lot of fun.

Final Grade: B+

Dynamic Duo... "Central Intelligence"

Central Intelligence (2016)   

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Danielle Nicolet, Jason Bateman, Aaron Paul

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber

The Story:

Calvin Joyner (Hart) is apprehensive about his impending 20 year high school reunion. The man voted most likely to succeed has felt like anything but successful in the ensuing decades, his best days seemingly far behind him. When he accepts a friend request from Bob Stone (Johnson), it turns out that it's a former classmate who was bullied in high school, but Calvin stood up for him once upon a time. The two reunite, and Bob tells Calvin that he needs his accounting skills to help him find the elusive Black Badger!

Kevin Hart has grown on me over the past few years.

Starting as a supporting cast member, he usually made the movies he was in better, graduating into leading man or at least supporting lead actor in a film.

When paired with the right actor, he forms a great comedy tandem.

Thankfully, he's paired with The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.

This time, Johnson gets to play the action hero again, but in a much more comic role, and with faults and foibles that normally he doesn't get to use in most films.

The results are comedic gold, and it may be an eye-opening film for a lot of moviegoers who may not be used to seeing Johnson displaying his comedic chops.

The movie even keeps you guessing on whether or not Bob really is a traitor or not, so Thurber delicately balances the fun with the action and it combines to be a fun movie for the whole family.

Plus, when any movie gets the "Mom Seal of Approval" by my lovely wife wanting to see it again the same week...

Well, that's a winner in my book.

Welcome to the first contender for Best of the Year 2017 status!

Final Grade: B+ 

Another Inspiring True Story..."Gridiron Gang"

Gridiron Gang (2006)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, Jade Yorker, Setu Tasse, Mo McRea, James Earl

Directed by Phil Joanou
The Story:

At the Kilpatric Juvenile Detention Facility, supervisor Sean Porter (Johnson) has seen enough. The kids come and go and come back again, or wind up dead or in jail. He wonders if he can give them some direction and guidance by bringing football into their lives.

If he didn't succeed, we wouldn't be watching this movie, now would we.
:)

Yep, another based on a true story which are always nice to drum out the annoying headlines of the news.

Here we go back a decade,  in case you missed it on the first go-round for the film, to a young wrestler turned actor, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as he was still billed.

One of his first forays into Hollywood outside of WWE studios, and thankfully this one was better, and more successful than his other movie from 2006: Southland Tales.

Raise your hand if you endured that one.

Me too, and I'm sorry for your loss.

But you see the chemistry and charisma and Johnson lights up the screen whenever he's there. The guy is a natural, and it's been fun watching his career move from the ring to the screen with occasional forays back to the squared circle to relive past glories.

Be forewarned, while this could be a film that is viewable for the entire family, this isn't a sugary sweet Mighty Ducks type of affair.

I had forgotten how violent the movie starts out with, and the violence is targeted at kids.

But that's also life in some streets in America.

Worth a viewing or a revisit if you haven't seen it in some time.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade:  C+

A Great Reason To Move..."San Andreas"

San Andreas (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Art Parkinson, Paul Giamatti

Directed by Brad Peyton

The Story:

Los Angeles Fire Rescue pilot Ray Gaines (Johnson) grabs a chopper and heads north to San Francisco when a series of earthquakes shakes the San Andreas fault line and threatens to personally kill Ray's daughter (Daddario).

And when it's Mother Nature vs. Dwayne Johnson...

My money's on The Rock.

:)

Look, if you like popcorn disaster movies, you're going to have a pretty good time here.

The special effects are pretty good, and crazy scenarios aside (bay area boat race, I'm looking at you) it's all pretty good stuff.

The strained marital relationship seems a bit contrived simply to set up the damsel in distress scenarios, but it is what it is.

Everyone does a great job with their roles, no tongues planted in cheeks, this is straight-up end of the world how do we survive chaos.  Giamatti excels in his role as one of the scientists that finally comes up with a program that can predict earthquakes...

Just in time to see his machine go absolutely crazy with the mother of all quakes!

If you want to see more disaster on screen than you've seen since the last Roland / Emmerich production, look no further.

Final Grade: C+

Bittersweet Farewell... "Furious 7"

Furious 7 (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Kurt Russell, Sung Kang,

Directed by James Wan

The Story:

Deckard Shaw (Statham) is pretty upset about what Dom (Diesel) and his guys did to his little brother in the last film. So he begins his revenge, first by killing Han (Kang), putting Hobbs (Johnson) in the hospital, and then targeting the rest of the family for extinction. With a little help from the Feds (Russell), Dom assembles the crew for one last ride to stop Shaw and save themselves.

Well, that was a bit anti-climatic.

Justin Lin steps away from the franchise, and the film feels like it loses a little something in the process.

Or, it's the giant elephant in the room of losing Paul Walker mid-filming that hangs over this seventh installment in what is quickly becoming the most entertaining non-superhero, superhero franchise of them all.

A lot of things get thrown at, and through, walls this go round to see what sticks.

If you've been along for the entire ride, you'll be mostly satisfied. If you're starting from the ground up here, you might be in over your head.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of Hobbs, but that's purely selfish.

Just give him his own franchise already.

:)

I would also have to commend Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris for putting a lot of the fun moments into the film. Gibson, especially, as Roman brings the laughter, even when you know it's going to be funny, somehow his delivery or actions make it even better.

Everything is different now, but that's okay.

The Furious Franchise is all about family.

Families change over time, but they are still family at the end of the day.

So too are the fans.

Can't wait to see what happens in Furious 8.

Final Grade: B+

The Rock Is "Hercules". Talk About Typecasting!

Hercules (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell,

Directed by Brett Ratner

The Story:

Hercules (Johnson) is much more man than the legends would have you believe. However, he travels with his companions to earn their wages and set up for an eventual retirement. When he is approached to help Lord Cotys (Hurt) train an army to defend themselves, Hercules and his companions may have finally reached the end of their legend.

I think the biggest knock against this one, aside from Brett Ratner directing, was that it didn't play up the actual legend of Hercules.

On the contrary, it actually made sense out of how a legend of Hercules could have grown without him being the actual son of Zeus.

If he indeed was not the son of Zeus.

McShane and Sewell provide great support to The Rock as his compatriots.  The whole ensemble works, and makes the most of their screen time together building camaraderie amongst the group.
Naturally, Dwayne Johnson is his usually charismatic self and plays the part of Hercules with his usual wink and smile delivery, but enough remorse and regret because of his troubled past.

It may not be the greatest adaptation of the legendary warrior, but I enjoyed it.

Come to think of it, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better version anyway.

So there!

:)

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I enjoyed it enough, and was pleased to see a copy under the tree for Christmas. :)

If You Smell... What The Gods... Are Cookin' "Hercules"

Hercules (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, John Hurt, Aksell Hennie, Ingrid Berdal, Reese Ritchie, Tobias Santelmann, Rebecca Ferguson

Directed by Brett Ratner

The Story:

Hercules (Johnson) is now a mercenary, traveling the lands with his trusted companions (McShane, Sewell, Hennie, Berdal and Ritchie), earning their keep by giving the people what they want: the legendary Hercules.  When hired to help Lord Cotys (Hurt) save Thrace from the centaur army of King Rhesus (Santelmann), Hercules and his crew are going to be able to retire from their  mercenary ways and live life like the kings they have served...
Provided they live through it!

An interesting take on the legend of Hercules.

What if Hercules was simply that,  a legend of Greek Mythology?

Embellishing the stories and exploits of Hercules has brought the warrior fame and recognition around Greece.

Some of his labors are shown at the beginning of the movie, but as the story unfolds, the labors are explained away as heroic deeds, to be sure, but ones that were greatly exaggerated.

Now shunned from Athens because of a horrible mistake, Hercules just wants to be able to get far away from his legend and be free.

Brett Ratner does a fine job crafting a period action yarn.  The scenery is just beautiful and the massive battle scenes are very well done.

I have always loved seeing how the Greek/Roman armies fought in battle, and I wasn't disappointed.

Add in the occasional humorous moment or dialogue, especially from McShane or Sewell, and it makes for a fun 90 minute romp at the cinema.

Dwayne Johnson of course is a natural to play Hercules.  He adds a layer of sadness to the son of Zeus which truly humanizes the character.

At the end of the film, whether Hercules truly was the son of Zeus is open to interpretation, but there is no doubt that he is very much a hero.

Final Grade:  Solid B.  I had a good time.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd happily buy this one and watch it again in the future.

The Right Manny For The Job... "The Pacifier"

The Pacifier (2005)

Rated PG

Starring Vin Diesel, Lauren Graham, Faith Ford, Brittany Snow, Max Thieriot, Carol Kane, Morgan York, Kegan & Logan Hoover

Directed by Adam Shankman

The Story:

Navy SEAL Shane Wolf (Diesel) is reassigned to protect the family of a scientist who died.  While the mom (Ford) goes with the Navy to attempt to find out what her husband left behind, Shane must babysit the kids (Snow, Thieriot, York and Hoover).  Naturally, his way of doing things, and the way the kids think things should be done are at odds.  However, bad guys are lurking and if the kids and Shane don't kill each other first, the bad guys might take them all out.

It's Uncle Buck meets Under Siege.

Actually, that's a pretty good description.

Vin Diesel struck out into family friendly territory with The Pacifier.
Much like The Rock, Disney took an action star and tried to turn him into a family friendly movie star.

In both cases, it pretty much worked.

Now, you can dislike this film (or any of the Rock's) all you want, but Disney succeeded with what they set out to do.

That the Tooth Fairy and The Pacifier teamed up in Fast Five for one of the most successful movies in the Fast & Furious franchise?

Full circle.

:)

I like films like this that allow action stars to broaden their career into comedy.  It's one of the muscles they usually only get to flex with a quick one-liner or a sarcastic dispatching of a villain.

If you can pull off broad, family friendly slapstick and walk away with your career intact, you're going to be somebody.

It doesn't hurt if you've got the charisma of Vin Diesel or Dwayne Johnson though.

:)

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Harmless fun for the whole family.  The kids love it, and it's an enjoyable film to revisit every so often.

"The Rundown" - The Humble Beginnings Of An Action Star

The Rundown (2003)
Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, Rosario Dawson

Directed by Peter Berg

The Story:

Beck (Johnson)  is a bounty hunter who wants to get out of his line of work and become a chef.  If he takes one last job, to bring back the boss's son, Travis (Scott) from the Amazon, he'll get his money, and be free to go.

What could possibly go wrong?

Ah, the Rock's first film, free from the Mummy-verse, this was the 2nd production offering from the newly created WWE Studios.

This is one that's a guilty pleasure that I usually leave on if I'm surfing through channels and stumble across it.

The Rock gets off to a great start as an action hero, even getting the proverbial passing of the torch from Ah-nuhld at the very beginning of the film.

Seann William Scott is annoyingly hilarious as the 2nd half of the proven successful buddy cop/partner film.  The oil to the Rock's water.

Great B Movie fun, enhanced by Christopher Walken chewing up the Amazon as the bad guy who's making life difficult for both of the guys.

The fight scenes are impressive and very well-choreographed.

Peter Berg is a very underrated director in my opinion.

The running time is just about perfect, just over 90 minutes, and there's really never any dull moments.

I hear rumors that a sequel is in the works.

About time.

:)

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and I try and watch it at least once a year.

Relive The Heist Heard Round The World..."Empire State"

Empire State (2013)
Rated R for language and violence

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Michael Angarano, Dwayne Johnson

The Story:

Chris (Hemsworth) starts working as a security guard for the Empire State armored car company.  Shortly after starting, he is involved in a robbery attempt.  At that point, he mentions to his friend Eddie (Angarano) that the security is pretty lax and the millions they store in the vault would be easy pickings.  Well, Eddie talks... wheels get set in motion, and suddenly the company is robbed.  Detective Ransone (Johnson) begins investigating and all signs point to the robbery being an inside job.

Did I mention that this was a real story?

The actual Chris involved wrote the script and produced the film.

Guess where he got the money?

:)

You'll find out at the end that some of the money that went missing was never recovered. 

Things that make you go...hmm...


Overall, not a bad film, though Hemsworth could use a shot of charisma.  He's definitely not his brother, but come on, between this and Paranoia, I'm finding it hard to take him seriously as the star of a film.


Don't let the cover fool you, Emma Roberts is nothing more than a glorified cameo.

Even The Rock...sorry, Dwayne Johnson, only is in the film for less than half the runtime.  His parts are well used to bridge the movie together.

But this is all Hemsworth, all the time.

As Heist Films go, it's okay.  Considering they got away with it, to some extent, way to go guys.


Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.


Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a purchase, but I could watch it again if it was on and I couldn't find the remote. ;)

Need For Speed Weekend "Fast and Furious 6"

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Rated PG-13 - Language, violence, car crashes galore!

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson

Directed by Justin Lin

The Story:

Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) is an evil man.  His band of car terrorists are robbing military convoys to obtain parts that could destroy a country.  Agent Hobbs (Johnson) realizes he needs to fight fire with fire, so he recruits Dom (Diesel) to reassemble the crew to help him take down Shaw's gang.  The kicker?  It appears that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is alive and working with Shaw.  With their crew reassembled for one more run, Brian (Walker) asks for one thing: full pardons for everyone.  Hobbs relents, and the game is on!

Buckle up!


One of my Top 10 Films of 2013 (Best Films of 2013) holds up as well, possibly even better on a repeated viewing at home.

If You Can't Beat Them... Join Them in the Sequel!

The bar that was elevated with the 5th film is possibly surpassed ever so slightly with this 6th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise.

The heist elements are still there, though to a lesser extent as now the team is working on the side of The Man, though they are still willing to bend as many laws and rules as possible to get the job done.

Lin returns to helm his final installment of the series, and he goes out with a bang.  A lot of bangs.

I Believe I Can Fly...

He amps up the  car chase from 5 with a tank chase in this movie.  It's amazingly destructive and just an adrenaline rush to watch.

All of the players are given ample opportunity to shine, and that's saying something for a cast this size.

Aside from the obvious chemistry that Diesel and Walker have accumulated over the life of the franchise, it's always  hilarious whenever Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) share some screen time.


The only flaw from the film, aside from the Rock's disappearing and reappearing goatee... ;)  is the massive, 800 mile runway at the end of the film.

Just Sayin'...

Suspend your disbelief (like you haven't already with this franchise) and it won't bother you too much.

Finally, for those that like to turn off a movie as soon as it is over, sit through the credits for about a minute.

There is a scene for the setup of Fast 7.

It also shows you that Tokyo Drift is really Fast & Furious 6.5, not 3.

Also, kudos to Universal for however they did it, whether it was scrapping the initial release and redoing all of the discs or what they did, but they included a beautiful tribute to Paul Walker that is really a nice recap of the franchise, focused on Walker's involvement.

It's still hard to believe he's gone, or how emotional that made me, and I would assume other Fast & Furious fans.

As I mentioned in my In Memoriam post about Walker, fans feel strongly when celebrities pass because next to family, friends or co-workers, these actors, musicians, authors, etc. bring us together as a collective audience.  Any friends of mine who enjoyed this franchise will mourn what could have been with 7 or beyond.

Heck, I've let the entire family gather around and watch this franchise at home with Dad, so we've lost someone that's been in a lot of movies the family has enjoyed for the last 13 years.

So thank you Paul Walker for the fun body of work that you've left for us to enjoy.
You will be missed.

And thank you Universal for the Fast and Furious franchise.  What started as a movie focused on street racing has blossomed into a wonderful franchise that has simply gotten better every time a new one comes out.

That's impressive.

Checked last year's review (Fast 6 Theater Review) and the film gets a slight bump between theater and DVD release.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:   Without a doubt, in fact it was under the tree for Christmas, so I'm quite the happy guy! ;)

It's Time To Pump...You Up! "Pain and Gain"

Truth is stranger than fiction.

And way more coked up!

The Story:

Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is a fitness trainer at a local gym in Florida.  He's tired of getting nowhere in search of the American dream, so he has a plan:  Steal it from a rich jerk, Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub).  So he enlists his best friend Adrian (Anthony Mackie) and they bring in some even bigger muscle in ex-con Paul (Dwayne Johnson) to pull off their heist.  Things don't go so well, but eventually they begin to bleed Victor dry of all of his assets.  Then things begin to go from bad to worse for the trio...

Sure, some of the events are exaggerated for the big screen, but basically, this is a true story unfolding before your eyes.

It's unbelievable in the ineptitude of our trio, and also the sheer willpower of Victor to not get killed!  Insane...

I must mention that it's a film directed by Michael Bay, which should immediately make many people roll their eyes and groan.

Not this guy, I've got no problem with the majority of his films.  They're perfect popcorn films.

The hard part of this film is that it is based on a true story.  It's hard to root for either side because one side is doing illegal things and the other is a jerk.  But you feel bad rooting against either, because they do a good job playing their roles.

The guy deserves to have his money stolen... and they deserve to go to jail.

Hard to have a rooting interest when your own film divides the feelings of the audience.

Of the cast, The Rock easily steals the picture as the larger than life coke head.  He's funny and he delivers the best lines throughout the film. 

Also not mentioned is the always great Ed Harris as the private detective who helps bring the trio to justice.  Nice to see him playing a good guy again, as he's been wearing the black hat too often lately.

Crazy story you have to see to believe.

Final Grade: B-/C+ range.  Good but not great.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  I'd probably have to pass on owning it, and I'm not sure I'd sit through it again.  Once was good.  Maybe after a few years have passed?

The Man Who Changed the Monday Night Wars..."WWE: For All Mankind: The Life and Career of Mick Foley"

Have a Nice Day!

The Story:

This is the story of Mrs. Foley's baby boy.  The man who grew up to be the wrestling icon known by many names, but forever linked as Mick Foley.

Wrestling fans will love this basic career overview.  Some things sweep under the rug if you've seen other DVDs/read books, but if you're going to have a well-made documentary on Mick, this is the one.

The man took a beating for our entertainment, and for that we applaud him to this day.

A very good retrospective with some wonderful insight from a plethora of wrestling greats throughout Mick's career.

The new documentaries from WWE are really pushing their products to the next level.  Very well made, and including a whole lot of company representation offering insight.

Much less fluff, much more heart behind the product.

It's like they finally realized that we already watch your product, we don't need something special to make us turn in.

We want something memorable to tie the careers of our favorite wrestlers into a well made package.

It's actually a joy to hear Mick recount how and when he SHOULD have retired from the ring... 

The man had as many farewell moments as he had differing ring personas.

This one is right up there with the C.M. Punk offering.

Available to stream instantly as of this writing on Netflix.

As a reminder, that's only the documentary, for the matches, you'll have to buy the disc.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Extremely high!  Naturally. : )  There was only one Mick Foley, and those of us who watched the Monday Night Wars will never forget him.

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. : )

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! :)

You Will Believe A Lot of Things Can Fly... "Fast and Furious 6"

It's always been about family...

The Story:

The gang is enjoying their lives of luxury, when Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) comes calling to enlist Dom (Vin Diesel) and the crew to help take down Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).  It seems that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) isn't as dead as everyone thought, and she's working for Shaw to steal some military technology.  Brian (Paul Walker) says that they'll help catch Shaw and save Letty... if they can get full pardons and get their lives back.

The little franchise that could.

For those that have never seen one, the opening credits pretty much catch you up on everything you need to know.

For those of us that have been around since the beginning, this movie is as satisfying as Fast Five had been.

Plus, my long-standing question of how did Han survive Tokyo Drift gets answered. 

The correct order for viewing the franchise is now: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7... coming to theaters next summer!?!

As for the movie itself, there are two moments that require a suspension of disbelief.  Diesel going Superman on the bridge... and the world's longest runway...

Other than that, Justin Lin goes out with a bang for the series.  Hopefully the new director keeps up Lin's vision and keeps the series both exciting and fun a the same time.

Fast Seven is set up, thanks to an ingenious flashback to Tokyo Drift.  While it's sad to see Han truly go... I've got to admit I'm really excited for the next installment.

Now playing in theaters near you this weekend...

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Oh yeah, I'm all over this one when it comes to DVD! : )

The Best One Yet... "Fast Five"

What a Rush!

The Story:

After O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) break Dom (Vin Diesel) from the clutches of the man, they hightail it to Rio.  Needing to make some money, they attempt to swipe some cars from the DEA.  Whoops.  Turns out one of those cars belongs to the Kingpin of all Rio (Joaquim de Almeida) and he wants his car back.  Since escaping justice is a bad thing, the United States sends the biggest, baddest agent, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) to Rio to find the boys.  The guys decide to go for one last score, and then disappear forever.  To do that, they're going to need some help.  And who better to help than everyone that was in the first 4 movies?

Yes indeed, they bring them back: Roman and Tej (Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris from 2 Fast), Han (Sung Kang from Tokyo Drift)... but didn't he die?  They never do explain this one.  Glad he's back though.  I've heard rumors that Tokyo Drift is supposed to take place after everything that happens in these films.  Meh... I'll just assume Han got out alive. : )

Justin Lin puts his stamp on the franchise with the biggest, loudest, and best part of the franchise to date.

Bringing back all of the components from each of the films is a clever and welcome touch.  Gives plenty of screen time to catch up on the characters and see how they've changed, or not changed over the years.

After all, this marked a decade of franchise-ability for The Fast and the Furious.  I don't think it was their intention to make a tent pole franchise when they started, but they have one now.  And this one actually unfolds as if they had been plotting it this way since the very beginning.

That's pretty impressive for a movie about street racing.

Oh, and kids, don't try street racing at home!

The Rock and Diesel squaring off makes for an energetic fight sequence in the middle of the movie.

I will also go on record that the final car chase sequence is most likely my favorite car chase in this franchise, or in just about any other movie for that matter.

This one transcends the other films in the franchise by adding the heist element, and as I've gone on record many times, I love me a good heist flick!

And stick around after the credits as they set up the sequel for Part 6...in theaters NOW!

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Infinite.  Really enjoyed watching this one again.  Impossible not to enjoy this film.