Worth A Shot..."Jean Claude Van Johnson"

Jean Claude Van Johnson (2016)

Not Rated

Starring Jean Claude Van Damme, Phylicia Rashad, Kat Foster,

Directed by Peter Atencio

The Story:

Sure, you know Jean Claude Van Damme (Van Damme) the actor. But Jean Claude has a secret, and after trying retirement, he checks in with his manager (Rashad) to get back to his "other job": covert assassin! That's right, in between filming his smash hits, Jean Claude has kept the world safe by offing bad guys in real life. However, he may have been out of the game too long to win back his ex-love (Foster) and stay alive!

Ha!

What a fun premise this one turned out to be.

Van Damme is not afraid to poke fun at himself and the movies he's starred in over the years.

He's always seemed to be a likable guy, and this seems to put icing on the cake that Van Damme is the man!

It's a fun, breezy 30 minute adventure that sets up the pilot for what could be an Amazon original series.

But only if you watch.

I'm in, and hopefully we can find out what happens next, and if Van Damme and his girlfriend will finally be reunited, or if their love is doomed, and what cheesy flick he has to star in to pull off his assignments.

:)

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime for viewing.

Final Grade:  Solid B 

What Would Guns N Roses Say? "Welcome To The Jungle"

Welcome To The Jungle (2013)
N/R - Language, Nudity

Starring Adam Brody, Rob Huebel, Kristen Schaal, Jean Claude Van Damme

Directed by Rob Meltzer

The Story:

Chris (Brody) is getting walked over at the advertising agency he works at, especially by his boss, Phil (Huebel).  When the CEO (Dennis Haysbert) organizes an island getaway team-building exercise under the tutelage of Storm (Van Damme).  However, things deteriorate quickly, and it becomes a Lord of the Flies madness when the pilot dies and Storm gets eaten by a tiger!  It's up to Chris to save the castaways, but he is undermined by Phil at every turn.

This isn't your average Gilligan's Island episode!

Those were funnier... : /

Definitely a B movie... maybe closer to a Z movie...

There were a few good lines to be delivered throughout the movie, but otherwise, this was best viewed at 1.5x on the PS3.

: )

Brody does his best to win the picture over on the shoulders of the likeable underdog, but it's an uphill battle from the start.

Van Damme does a nice turn as the motivational leader, having some fun with his image.

They could have tightened up the script a bit, and this would have been a much better experience.

There was a good story buried in there, with flashes of brilliance and what could have been popping through on the screen throughout the movie.

However, there were long stretches of mediocrity in between.

If you've got nothing better to watch, but otherwise, you'll be fine to miss this one.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No thanks, I'm good.