Inside Is A Good Movie Just Trying To Get Out..."Term Life"

Term Life (2016)

Rated R

Starring Vince Vaughn, Hailee Steinfeld, Bill Paxton, Jonathan Banks, Jordi Molla, Terrence Howard, Jon Favreau, Mike Epps,

Directed by Peter Billingsley

The Story:

Nick (Vaughn) is a planner. He does the research on how to pull off the perfect crime, then sells that information for a price, and everybody wins. Except this time, when the people that bought the plan are murdered, Nick finds himself on the run from the police and the mob.  And the worst part, they're coming after Nick's daughter (Steinfeld) so he has to try and protect her and stay one step ahead of everyone else at the same time.

On paper, this probably looked and sounded amazing.

Well, I suppose it really did, as apparently it started off as a graphic novel before it was adapted into a movie.

:)

But something is fundamentally amiss in the film, and it's hard to know exactly what's not clicking.

It seems to center mostly on the story itself, or at least the actions of the characters as the story unfolds.

There should be tension and energy that just doesn't come through on the screen, but on occasion, you get a glimmer of the thriller/heist this film wanted to be.

Good, not great.

That seems to sum up a lot of movies lately.

It's an amazing cast, many of whom are onscreen for but a moment, their talents kind of wasting away in the roles they were given.

And the less we say about Vince Vaughn's hair in this film, the better.

:)

Final Grade:  C

Didn't Quite Hit The High Notes Of The First One..."Pitch Perfect 2"

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins,

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

The Story:

The Bellas are back, and the 3 time champs are on a roll and performing for the President when a wardrobe malfunction by Fat Amy (Wilson) gets them banned from further competition by the A Capella Governing Board (Higgins & Banks). They make a desperate gamble: if they win the European Championship, they are fully reinstated. It's a big task as no American team has ever beaten Europe's finest.  Can they pull off the greatest upset of all time?

If you've never watched a movie before, the suspense might kill you.

For everyone else, it's a foregone conclusion. :)

I make no apologies that I loved the first film. I don't remember if it made my Top 10 list the year it came out, but it was definitely an honorable mention film.

While just about the entire cast returns for the sequel, much of the charm and fun of the first film is gone, because we know what to expect.

That's not to say you won't enjoy this one, because you will, just not as much.

But this one has a lot of juggling to do as they are ready to let this group of Bellas graduate, but they bring in one lone recruit (Steinfeld) who will need to carry the franchise going forward if there is indeed a Pitch Perfect 3.

If there is, it has to have the duo of Higgins and Banks providing commentary again because they are the brightest spot in the movie, and the two never fail to entertain with their insane and inane commentary.

Final Grade: B-

High School Is Brutal... "Barely Lethal"

Barely Lethal (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Alba, Rachael Harris,

Directed by Kyle Newman

The Story:

Megan (Steinfeld) was raised at an Academy for wayward girls where their instructor Hardman (Jackson) teaches them everything they need to know about becoming assassins.  However, it's not an easy life, and Megan wonders about the childhood she missed out on. On a mission to take down evil-doer Victoria Knox (Alba), Megan finds herself with a way out. She applies to be a foreign exchange student in America, but with all of her training, nothing prepared her for the pitfalls of high school!

A movie that spans all genres to give you an action-adventure-coming-of-age-high-school-spy-romantic-comedy-family-friendly viewing experience.

Whew!

That's a lot of hyphens!

The problem, that's almost too much, and too many different subplots to juggle and cram into one 90 minute adventure.

But they try, and for the most part, it's a cute little movie that indeed can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Nothing that will reinvent any of the genres mentioned above, but nothing that makes you think you wasted an hour and a half of your life.

It's a great cast giving their best effort and having fun while doing so.

Hard to beat that.

I watched on disc from Netflix, but this film is also available to stream instantly on Amazon Prime.

Final Grade: C+

Have You Got "3 Days To Kill" ? Okay, How About 2 Hours?

3 Days to Kill (2014)

Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen

Directed by McG

The Story:

 Ethan (Costner) is a CIA operative who is diagnosed with a critical disease.  Wanting to make up to his daughter (Steinfeld) for all the lost time and attention, he moves to be close to her and his estranged wife (Nielsen).  However, when a ruthless agent (Heard) comes calling with a possible cure to prolong Ethan's life in exchange for his help in nabbing some really bad dudes...

What would you do?

And yes, reluctantly, Ethan agrees to try and catch the Wolf and the Albino.

Of course, he needs to keep his life hush hush from the family since he swore that life was over.

This marks two nice turns for Costner as the aging hero (Jack Ryan) who can still bring it in a fight.

Steinfeld plays the jilted, angry teenager role that is becoming all too cliche in these films.  One of these days they'll do a story about the kids who love that their parent(s) are assassins and think it's awesome.

Strangely cast is Amber Heard who is just... mean.

You'd think she was actually the villain of the piece, but she's working for the United States.  Apparently, she just doesn't want to get her hands dirty, so that's why she's got Ethan.

I think I would have preferred a little more to her story, but at close to a 2 hour running time, something had to give.

Apparently, hers was the more judicious plot piece to eliminate.

Still, not a bad action-thriller.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a bad little thriller.  That Kevin Costner may have a future in Hollywood.

War Is Just A Game With A More Serious Outcome..."Ender's Game"

Ender's Game (2013)

Rated PG-13 for violence

Starring Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Aramis Knight

Directed by Gavin Hood

The Story:

In the future, the Earth was threatened by an alien race.  Saved by a heroic pilot (Kingsley), the Earth regrouped and has formed a battle fleet that will chase down the aliens and ensure that they are never again threatened by the species.  To do this, the military uses children who they push and assess to see if they can find their next great leader. Colonel Graff (Ford) believes he has found such a prodigy in Ender Wiggin (Butterfield) and he is recruited to lead the forces into battle.  But is a child really the right leader in the balance of life and death?

Well, it was no After Earth, thank goodness!

But again, I've been stuck in a rut with a bunch of average movies.

Granted, at the end of the day, that's way better than a bunch of terrible movies.

This film feels like it could have used a bit of trimming to shorten it's almost 2 hour runtime down to 90 minutes.

A few tweaks here and there, could have lifted this one a little higher.

No complaints with Harrison Ford, thankfully growing his hair back.  His gruff demeanor lends more believability to the film and tries to anchor it with his performance.

Ben Kingsley is also a nice, but wholly underused, addition to the cast. The character is integral to the film, and I would have liked to have seen more.

Otherwise, the kids engaging in military games, pushing each other in the pursuit of their objectives and the final question of who were the real monsters keep this film from being a total letdown.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again, but I'd be in no hurry.