Cold War Cliches..."Atomic Blonde"

Atomic Blonde (2017)

Rated R

Starring Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, John Goodman, Toby Jones, Roland Moller

Directed by David Leitch

The Story:

Agent Broughton (Theron) is the best in the business, and that business is spying. It's the height of the Cold War, and a list of double agents has gone missing, and she must travel to Berlin to retrieve it before it falls into the wrong hands. Naturally, she shouldn't trust anyone...

How do you make an 80s action thriller spy movie for a 21st century audience?

You turn James Bond into Jane Bond, and set the screen ablaze with something the audience hasn't seen before.

Except the whole list of double agents things was played out long before the 90s even ended, so it seems all so familiar, no matter how much action and great soundtrack they attach to it.

Or maybe I'm jaded because it was as good as the trailer indicated, but didn't rise to be any better than that.

Can I really blame a movie for simply repeating what has come before, 100s of times? It's not their fault the audience has seen them all already, so it's hard to reinvent the genre.

Theron makes a great action star, and I won't lie and say I won't be back again if there's a sequel.

Hopefully, there will simply be a bit more to the story to really stand out and make it a must see affair the next time around.

Final Grade: C+

Hail To The King..."Kong: Skull Island"

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, John Ortiz,

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts

The Story:

With the Vietnam War ending, a team of scientists are using a military escort to a previously uncharted territory in the South Pacific before the Russians discover them on satellite. They will encounter things the likes of which no one has ever seen before...and lived to tell about it.

Loki (Hiddleston), Captain Marvel (Larson) and Nick Fury (Jackson) head to a deserted island...

Whoops, wrong cinematic universe.

Say what you will about reboots, cinematic universes and whatnot...

When they work, they are amazing, and when they don't, they are often colossal failures.

For me, the relaunch of (King) Kong may very well be my favorite iteration of the giant ape to appear on screen.

I know, blasphemy for the 30s original, but this is simply a technically superior storyline.

Or at least one with a much more satisfying ending.

I hate to give too much away for those that haven't seen it, but I never particularly cared for the whole "beauty and the beast" notion that has been a constant in the films.

Nor have I ever enjoyed the cage him up and take him to New York plot device.

Skull Island erases both of those shortfalls and gives as as plausible of a storyline for Kong, how he exists, why he exists and why he's never been found before.

That a sequel will invariably come from this is a good thing.

I just hope they realize they've set the bar fairly high for themselves, and unlike another giant monster franchise, I hope they can continue putting out a quality product.

Vogt-Roberts nailed it as only his 2nd feature (the excellent Kings of Summer - still streaming for those with Prime) and first blockbuster/franchise tent-pole right out of the gate. Hope he's brought back along with whatever cast may have survived their first encounter with Kong.

Count me as a huge fan of this one.

Final Grade: B+

Boston Strong... "Patriots Day"

Patriots Day (2016)

Rated R

Starring Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Alex Wolff, Themo Melikidze, J.K. Simmons, Kevin Bacon,

Directed by Peter Berg

The Story:

A beautiful morning for the Boston Marathon in 2013 gives way to chaos as the Tsaranaev brothers (Wolff & Melikidze) detonate bombs near the finish line. Sgt. Tommy Saunders (Wahlberg) is pulling security and is near ground zero when the bombs explode. He helps lead the Boston Police Department and the F.B.I. manhunt to capture the suspects before they can strike again, or leave the city to strike elsewhere.

Naturally, this is based on a true story.

The 2nd true story for Mark Wahlberg to save the day is better than Deepwater Horizon.

As I mentioned in that film review, it's hard to accurately gauge the entertainment value on a movie where lives were lost and every day people step up and do heroic things.

The main argument that Patriots Day seemingly endured was the every man police sergeant who was in the right place at the right time at every step of the investigation.

Well, it's called a narrative device people. :)

It allows the story to flow a little better instead of jumping around from points A-F and introducing new characters along the way.

It's not a documentary.

It is engrossing and engaging.

It's also uplifting and poignant.

The drama of the police hunt, the emotional barrage of the victims of the bombing.

Keep a tissue handy, you might need it.

Very well done, but I've also come to expect that from Peter Berg who continues to craft very well made movies throughout his career.

While I rarely go back and watch movies like this again, I could see this as being an exception to that rule.

Final Grade:  B+

There Goes The Neighborhood..."10 Cloverfield Lane"

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg

The Story:

Michelle (Winstead) is driving home late one evening and becomes involved in a car crash. When she awakes, she finds that she is being take of by Howard (Goodman). Apparently Emmett (Gallagher) is also being looked after by Howard as she learns that he rescued them both from some horrendous disaster and they should be thankful to even be alive in an underground bunker that he built. Michelle doubts the sincerity of the story and begins to think that Howard is making the entire story up, so she begins planning on how to break free.

But what if he's telling the truth?

Well, that was something alright.

The spiritual sequel to the 2008 found footage hit Cloverfield, this takes place almost entirely in the bunker as the 3 characters get to know each other.

It starts off creepy enough, wondering if you can actually trust Howard at his word.

But then you think you can.

Or can you?

And that twisting, back and forth logic propels most of the movie.

Then, it feels the need to loop back to the original movie, and nearly all of the suspense and tension just flies out of the film, like letting loose a balloon.

Perhaps not an unjustifiable ending, but one that a psychological thriller that makes up the majority of the run-time didn't deserve.

But when you switch gears, and genres, that quickly, you get what you deserve.

So a pretty good movie gets a markdown for an ending that underwhelmed.

Final Grade: B-

April Showers Bring Christmas Movies! "Love The Coopers"

 

Love The Coopers (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, Steve Martin, Amanda Seyfried, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde, Anthony Mackie, Jake Lacy,

Directed by Jessie Nelson

The Story:

The Coopers are all coming home for the holidays. Along the way they are going to confront some uncomfortable truths about themselves and their family. After all, that's what the holidays are for.

While stacked with a lot of comedic actors, this movie isn't so much funny as it is amusing.

It's a dramedy about family dynamics and life choices that don't always turn out the way people want or expect them to.

You've got the parents (Goodman & Keaton) who are going through the motions for the benefit of their children. This will apparently be their last Christmas together and the reasons why are not immediately recognizable but will be slowly unearthed as the movie progresses.

The oldest daughter (Tomei) who runs into a bit of problem with the law (Mackie) trying to decide what to get her sister for Christmas.

The youngest daughter (Wilde) is not ready for another year of being looked down upon, so she grabs a stranger (Lacy) and convinces him to be her fiancée for the holidays.

Then the son (Helms) whose marriage has tanked and he's having issues of his own being a good dad.

Finally grandpa (Arkin) who has the sweetest story of the bunch about his relationship with a young waitress (Seyfried) at the local diner.

Marriages on the rocks. Feelings that have been hurt for years, it will all culminate in the happiest ending possible for this family.

All tied loosely, and rather strangely by narrative from the family dog (Martin) which is rather annoying because he's the dog, and sometimes they use his narration, sometimes they don't. An omniscient narrator would have been just fine, and slightly less annoying.

Worth a viewing, but doubtful to become a beloved holiday tradition in many families.

Final Grade:  C+

You've Got To Know When To Fold 'Em... "The Gambler"

The Gambler (2014)

Rated R

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, John Goodman

Directed by Rupert Wyatt

The Story:

Jim (Wahlberg) is an English professor who has a serious gambling problem.  The problem, he doesn't know when to walk away while he's ahead.  So when he gets in debt up to his eyeballs, he asks another loan shark (Goodman) for more money so he can pay off that debt.  Of course when he squanders that money, he better pull something out of his hat before he winds up swimming with the fishes!

Sure, it sounds good on paper.

But man, was it poorly executed.

Clocking in at just a shade under 72 hours long, or at least that's how it felt, The Gambler was a good 80 minute movie with incessant, unneeded padding before, during, and after it was over.

Case in point, when he runs at the end of the movie.

And runs.
And runs.
And runs some more.
And keeps on running.
Please note he doesn't sweat after running through the entire city.

I got the point of the scene about 15 seconds into the running and knew what it was leading up to.

That it took 5 minutes (did it really? hard to say, felt like a shade under forever) to get there...

Unforgivable.

When the movie was good, though infrequent, it was pretty good.

So Marky Mark escapes worst of the year honors, but just barely.

Final Grade: C-

Whatever You Do, Don't Throw Off... "The Emperor's New Groove"

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Rated G

Starring the voices of David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, Wendie Malick

Directed by Mark Dindal

The Story:

Emperor Kuzco (Spade) is ready to build himself a birthday present: Kuzco-Topia! The problem? It sits on the hilltop owned by Pacha (Goodman), so the Emperor breaks the news that Pacha's gotta go!  Meanwhile, Yzma (Kitt) is plotting to overthrow the Emperor so that she can rule the kingdom.  Her plan goes awry, and Kuzco winds up as a talking llama in the care of Pacha.

Based on a true story!

No, not really, but welcome to one of the best Disney films of the last generation.

It's funny, from start to finish.

Aside from a great opening number, it's not a musical.

You can think of it as a Buddy Picture... or a Road Picture.  Either works.

Pacha and Kuzco are polar opposites, but they grow to appreciate and care for each other before it's all said and done.

Spade is at the top of his sarcastic game, and turns in likely his best movie performance.

And remember, I like most of Spade's films.

Goodman is great as Pacha, a year before he killed it as Sulley for Pixar's Monster's Inc.

Wendie Malick is hilarious as Pacha's wife, and she comes in quite handy during the 2nd half of the film.

Finally, Kitt and Warburton make for a dynamic evil duo that will keep you in stitches throughout.

There's nothing that I don't love about this film.

Perfect.

No Touchy!

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it and it's one of our favorite Disney's of all time.  The little one has discovered it and it's been playing almost daily.  No complaints. :)

The Race To Recover History..."The Monuments Men"

The Monuments Men (2014)
Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban

Directed by George Clooney

The Story:

Frank Stokes (Clooney) convinces FDR that finding all of the stolen art that the Nazis have made disappear across Europe is a noble pursuit.  Allowing him to assemble his own team, Frank recruits some of the finest art historians of the time and asks them to go in harm's way in search of thousands of years worth of world history.  They will mostly succeed, but there will be casualties along the way.

But of course, it is based on a true story.

This is an odd duck of a story.

The truth behind the assignment should have been more than enough to make this movie work.

And yet...

As noted by the trailer, much humor is attempted to be infused into the situations.

Some of the jokes work better than others.

Essentially, the team splinters into 1 or 2 man teams in search of clues to the whereabouts of thousands of missing paintinings, sculptures and other works of art.

As the war draws to a close, the team reunites to get to the large cache of art before the Nazis can destroy it all.

For the most part, the team succeeds.

They also recount the more famous finding: the millions of gold bars also hidden in the mines.

Everyone in the cast does a fine job.  Some characters seem less fleshed out than others.  You can probably figure out which characters are more likely to not survive the war than their counterparts.

It was good.

It should have been better.

Final Grade: Going with a B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I wanted to like this one more than I did, and add it to the World War II library of films.  Maybe someday, but no real hurry.

The Last New Review of 2013..."Monsters University"

Every story has a beginning...

Sometimes we just don't see it until later.

The Story:

Mike (Billy Crystal) wants nothing more than to grow up and be a Scarer!  He follows his lifelong goal and enrolls in Monsters University.  It is there that he meets Sully (John Goodman) and to say that the two don't hit it off would be an understatement.  When the boys wind up on the bad side of the Dean (Helen Mirren), they will have to put aside their differences and team with some...underwhelming Scarers if they have any hope of getting back into the Scare Program.

I have gone on record as saying that Monsters Inc. is probably my favorite of all of the Pixar movies.

Billy Crystal is one of my favorite comedians of all time, and the relationship between Boo and Sully brings a tear to my eye every time I watch the movie. 

Yes, still.

So going in to the prequel, I tried to set the bar low. 

Real low.

There's no way that they could achieve that level of greatness in my eyes.

And they didn't.

It's good.

Better than the Cars franchise, and way, way better than Brave.

But not nearly as good as the first Monsters Inc.

That said, I'm okay with that.

It was still pretty funny and as beautiful as Pixar can make it.

The closing montage was a nice bridge between the movies too, and I kicked myself for doubting that John Ratzenberger was finally going to NOT be in a Pixar movie!

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes to both.

Beginning tomorrow, it's a walk down memory lane and a look back at some of 2013's higher points.

What Happens In Vegas..."The Hangover: Part III"

I can't believe I watched the whole thing...

The Story:

The Wolfpack returns, one last time as things come full circle.  Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) must track down Chow (Ken Jeong) who has $21 Million in stolen gold from Marshall (John Goodman) or Marshall is going to kill Doug (Justin Bartha).  Strangely, this time everyone remembers everything that has happened to them, so there is no memory loss aspect this go-round.

As I said, this film brings the trilogy full-circle to a conclusion.  How satisfying it is, totally depends on how much you enjoyed these films.

I've been firmly in the camp of "they're okay, but nowhere near as great as people make them out to be".  At least, I guess the first one.  I'm not sure the same acclaim came with the second one.

This series has provided a series of gags which elicit smiles, smirks, chuckles, groans or outright laughs.

Sadly, the outright laughs usually number single digits in each of the films.

How Mr. Chow became the focal point of the series is a strange twist of events.  He's begun to overshadow the movie himself, which is weird for what should be an outrageous buddy film.

The three leads have their parts down pat, and they seem to quite enjoy doing these films, but I think they're probably all glad that this series is hopefully behind them.

It's run out of steam, and it's best to part ways now, though the filmmakers definitely leave an opening if they want to make a 4th film.

How Stu is going to get out of that mess is anyone's guess.

Again, depending on your enjoyment of the first two will help gauge your enjoyment of this one.

Final Grade: C, which is about on par for the whole series for me.  This is not as good as the first but better than the second.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nope, not a franchise I need to see again.

We're In For a Bumpy Ride..."Flight"

Not based on a true story...


The Story:

Airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is an alcoholic, and enjoys cocaine, and really, any other drug he can get his hands on.  Unfortunately, he likes to indulge this before work, after work, and heck, during work.  The really weird part, he seems to be completely functional at that level of impairment.  Amazingly enough, his plane malfunctions, and Whip does everything in his power to save the jet and the 102 onboard.  It crashes, 6 die, and then the trial and true test of his piloting and his character will be put to the test.


A story so unbelievable, you believe that it's real, but it's not.  Completely fictional, a rarity in Hollywood these days.

Denzel is on his game, as always, as a pilot who is really good at what he does, but he's not really that nice of a guy.

In his corner is the union rep for the pilots (Bruce Greenwood) who brings in a sharp lawyer (Don Cheadle) to save his friend, but even their attempts at working magic get hampered because of Whip's constant addiction, fed with great amusement by John Goodman.

It's a double-edged sword of a movie.  He's not a bad guy, he just did some foolish things.  However, he's done them so well, for so long, that's simply how his body works.

None of that had anything to do with causing the crash, and you wonder if he will get away with murder, or at least, manslaughter.

The ending is both wonderful, and terrible, at the same time.

I give all the credit in the world for that to Denzel, the story, and the superb direction by Robert Zemeckis.  It's nice to see him not doing that weird animation style for a change. : )


Final Grade: B

Would I Own It: Since it is a drama, it's unlikely, but I could watch it again in the future.

Sometimes the Oscar Goes to the Right Film... "Argo"

 

 

It's 1979, and things in Iran just got real...

The Story:

Based on the true story of the upheaval in Iran in 1979 when the Shaw left, the Ayatollah took over, and Americans were glued to their sets watching the Hostage Crisis unfold on national television.  However, 6 of the Americans left the embassy and were hidden at the house of the Canadian Ambassador.  The CIA puzzled with how to get them home, and every idea was awful.  So they took the best of the worst options:  Go into Iran posing as a Canadian film crew, and get the hostages out.  The chance for failure, about 99%.  That is not going to stop Agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) from trying.  The movie's name?  Argo.

Okay, is everyone done bashing Ben Affleck's career?  If not, this should silence the critics.

From the opening Warner Brothers logo, you are in 1979, there is no denying it.

I have yet to see the rest of the Best Picture nominees from the year, but I see no reason to think the Academy got it wrong on this one.

I would say the snub for Best Director comes from the fact that, it's Ben Affleck.

Thankfully, it would seem that every other voting entity got over themselves and any disdain they had for Gigli... and got it right.

Kudos also to Alan Arkin and John Goodman as the Hollywood producer and special effects guy who went out on a limb to provide the most elaborate back story ever for a covert operation.  Their dialogue is hilarious, and they provide some much needed smiles in an otherwise harrowing ordeal.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

Final Grade: A

Would I Own It: That's a tricky one. Dramas only have so much replay value, as I have to psych myself up for a movie like this.  Rewatchable? Yes.

 

 

 

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 14 ~ The Emperor's New Groove

Yes, you read it correctly. 

Disney's greatest cartoon is none other than The Emperor's New Groove.

I would say it's their most underrated cartoon ever, but in nearly ever circle I've traveled in, everyone LOVES this movie.

For those of you that haven't, here's what you've missed so far:

Emperor Kuzco wants to build himself a birthday present: another home for himself.  Unfortunately, the location is on the property of local peasant, Pacha and his family.  Meanwhile, his trusted advisor, Yzma, is plotting his death so she can take over the kingdom.

The plan backfires and turns Kuzco into a llama...

Oh sure, it sounds silly... and if it were a live-action film, it  just might be.  But as an animated feature, it works in spades!

Speaking of spades, let's get on with the characters...

Emperor Kuzco is voiced by David Spade.  He is at his hilarious best as the spoiled, cynical emperor who is suddenly transformed into a llama.  His only hope lies with the peasant Pacha, who he just tried to take his home away from moments earlier.  John Goodman returns to the countdown in a voice-over role, playing Pacha, the man with the heart of gold who helps the emperor, despite his misgivings that it will probably be in his best interest to let the llama fend for himself against those who might see him harm.

Which leads us to Yzma, voiced by the wickedly delightful Eartha Kitt.  I would stack her right at the top of Disney villains, as she is certainly over-the-top in pure evil-ness.  As with most Disney villains, she requires a comedic sidekick to make the audience snicker instead of cower when they are on screen together.  We receive Kronk this time, and he is absolutely hilarious.  Voiced by the distinctly obvious Patrick Warburton, it's a joy to watch and hear Kronk throughout the movie.

Disney attempted to recreate the magic a few years later with Kronk's New Groove, but it just didn't have the same ooph that this one has.

I would guess the movie has played at least 100 times in our house over the years.  Sure, it seems like a lot of viewings, but that is spread out over 6 kids and 12 years.

That it's also my wife's favorite Disney, if not outright movie, movie...

Yeah, this was going pretty high up the list.

: )