Diluting The Brand..."Kingsman: The Golden Circle"

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Rated R

Starring Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Hanna Alstrom, Edward Holcroft, Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, Jeff Bridges, Elton John

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

The Story:

With the Kingsman organization in chaos, Eggsy (Egerton) and Merlin (Strong) head to the States and meet up with another unknown secret service organization: The Statesman. Together, they must foil the plot of the nefarious drug lord, Poppy (Moore) before much of the world population is killed by her poisoned merchandise.

In 2015, Kingsman: The Secret Service took the movie world by surprise, and was a critical and box office smash. I enjoyed it so much, it wound up as my 2nd favorite film of 2015, surpassed only by Ant-Man as favorite film of the year.

As 2017 draws to a close, the eagerly awaited sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is here.

However, as with most sequels, they rarely measure up to the original.

And in 2017, Kingsman is going to have to work really hard just to make the list, let alone come in 2nd place.

The fights, the soundtrack, they've already been done, so Kingsman basically had its own reputation to fight against.

It could be argued, that like Guardians of the Galaxy, the 2nd installment is a virtual retread of the original, just dialed up to 11.

However, unlike that one, which has an emotional arc at the end, this one just seemed to be dialed up to 11 and given an even longer running time with which to wreak havoc.

Cue extra scene time for Elton John and just a lot of extras that put this one so far over-the-top, it makes the first film seem like traditional spyfare at this point.

Sadly, the trailers ruin the fact that they brought back Harry (Firth) but it's a fine return to the fold.

Also amusing was the relationship between Eggsy and Princess Tilde (Alstrom) that could have easily been the throwaway gag of the first film but actually centers and provides much of the emotional distress for the 2nd.

All that said, there is an even more emotionally devastating moment in this film than in the first, and I was none too pleased with the decision.

I won't begrudge the studio a 3rd installment, but it just isn't going to be the same after this.

Final Grade: B-

The Price Of Fame... "$ellebrity"

$ellebrity (2012)

N/R

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Elton John, Kid Rock,

Directed by Kevin Mazur

The Story:

Kevin Mazur is a professional celebrity photographer.  Not a paparazzi.  This documentary will shed some light on what the paparazzi really is, what they really do, and how it affects our lives, as well as the lives of the celebrities they are stalking.

You may require a shower after watching this film.

First, sure, it's hard to feel bad for celebrities. 

Getting paid millions of dollars to sing, or act, or whatever seems like the easiest gig in the  world.

However, what is normally overlooked is the media presence that being a celebrity creates, at least for those that live in the New York/LA/Miami big city lifestyle where celebrities are a normal occurrence and paparazzi can congregate.

Easy fix: Move to Iowa.

Not taking that step though, the celebrities have to deal with a constant barrage of cameras and questions from people trying to make a quick buck on a shot, be it glamourous or not.

At events, that's standard.

At the grocery store, or dinner, or...

Well, maybe that line has been majorly crossed at this point.

Plus, there is the point: What about the children?

While the parent(s) chose fame, genetics chose the child.  Why are they under the microscope of public consumption?

However, until America's gossip habit fades, this problem is likely never going away.

One final point that they make rather well about why it will never go away:

Reality Stars.

Oxymoron, really.

But those that crave the attention have forever shifted the balance and now the real stars are forced to endure.

Or move to Iowa.

It is available to stream on Amazon Prime for free if you have that service.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a purchaser, but one that would be sobering to watch every decade or so to see if things have gotten better, or likely, worse.