"The Infiltrator" Has A Very Dangerous Job

The Infiltrator (2016)

Rated R

Starring Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Juliet Aubrey, Diane Kruger, Benjamin Bratt,

Directed by Brad Furman

The Story:

Robert Mazur (Cranston) is a Customs agent who goes deep undercover to find the bigger fish that are bringing drugs into America. The more he meets with Roberto Alcaino (Bratt) the closer they become as friends. Is Mazur going to be able to make the arrests when the time comes, or is he going to go too deep undercover?

There's a lot of story to cram into a 2 hour drama, but for the most part, the entire cast and crew manage to pull it off without too many loose end/plot holes that make you forget you're watching a movie.

Cranston continues to be the best part of any movie that he's in.

Maybe one of these years I'll get around to watching Breaking Bad, but for now I'll just keep enjoying his roles in films.

The movie does a nice job of trying to show how Mazur had to balance his work life and his home life, and how one small slip of the tongue (I'm engaged...) or taking his real wife out on the town, he would have to think fast to get himself out of these jams.

The rest of the cast matches Cranston's energy in scene for scene, especially Leguizamo as his partner where they both sometimes fear that the other may have gone over to the other side during their investigation.

The biggest complaint I've seen about this movie is that Narcos did it better.

Well, I would hope a continuing series would do a better job of telling a richer story than a 2 hour movie.

Since I haven't had a chance to watch Narcos yet, at least they've set the bar high for it.

I'll try that one in the future, either before or after Breaking Bad.

:)

Final Grade: Solid B

Sibling Revelry... "Sisters"

Sisters (2015)

Rated R

Starring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, James Brolin, Dianne Wiest, John Cena, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, John Leguizamo

Directed by Jason Moore

The Story:

Maura and Kate (Poehler & Fey) are asked by their parents (Brolin & Wiest) to come home and clean out their bedrooms so they can sell the house. They return home, and decide to throw one last bash, just like the good old days. However, this time, Maura asks Kate if she can be the "house mom" for the night and let Maura have a good time for once at a party. Sure...what could possibly go wrong?

Here's a fun little reversal of fortune as Fey gets to play the crazy one and Poehler gets to play the by-the-book sister. You expect just the opposite for each of them. However, Maura wants one night to be the wild one, and let Kate be in charge, so it's fun to see how hard it is to be the other type of sister during the escalating party.

It's also a credit to both ladies that they can each pull off the funny one or the straight man with ease.

Of course, there's more to the story than just the party, but the party drives most of the plot and helps to resolve most of the conflict that was set up before and during the shenanigans.

It also helps that the house party has a crazy cast of insane characters in their own right.

And as usual, John Cena makes the most of his screen time. He might never be The Rock, but he'll have a future once he hangs it up for good in the wrestling world.

Don't get me wrong, I laughed, but I feel like a movie like this, I should have laughed more.

It was good, but I thought it could be better.

Of course, almost all movies could always stand to be a bit better, right?

So at the end of the day, I'm glad I watched it, but I don't have that urge to see it again soon, which is often the mark of a great movie.

Final Grdae:  C+

Super Secret Sleeper Agent! "American Ultra"

American Ultra (2015)

Rated R

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Connie Britton, Topher Grace, John Leguizamo, Walton Goggins, Bill Pullman

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh

The Story:

Mike (Eisenberg) is a stoner who works a dead-end job at the local convenience store while drawing his graphic novel about an ape with super-powers. His girlfriend, Phoebe (Stewart) seems to love him a great deal, but he fears he's going to lose her because he can't seem to get past the phobia of leaving their dreary little existence. Then one fateful evening, a woman (Britton) says some words to him and it unlocks memories and skills that transform Mike into the ultimate secret sleeper agent killer for the CIA. These skills might just help him survive an assassination attempt by the CIA to get rid of him once and for all.

So, watching this movie and it all seemed vaguely familiar. Then I put my finger on it, this is pretty much the tv show, Chuck.

Fair enough. I enjoyed that show.

Sleeper agent assassin who is an amazing killing machine. That they put him into the body of Jesse Eisenberg makes the situation more ironic.

However, it's a pretty fun movie.

Although, if you cannot stand Eisenberg (you know who you are) this movie would probably grate on you for the entire duration. It's also a nice chance to see Stewart doing something other than moping around and longing for vampires.

Topher Grace is hilariously evil as the CIA operative who demands Mike's death, and sends scores of agents into this town to kill him. All that was missing was the twirling of a villainous moustache.

A very fun script by Max Landis and great direction by Nima Nourizadeh makes this one a much more enjoyable experience than Nima's last effort, Project X,  had been.

Overall a pretty fun viewing experience and with a few tweaks (possibly including recasting Eisenberg and Stewart who have little chemistry together) this could have been even better.

Final Grade: B-

A Movie You Can Sink Your Teeth Into... "Chef"

Chef (2014)

Rated R

Starring Jon Favreau, Oliver Platt, John Leguizamo, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, Emjay Anthony

Written and Directed by Jon Favreau

The Story:

Chef Casper (Favreau) is preparing a master feast for the premiere restaurant critic in town (Platt) . However, the owner (Hoffman) wants to play it safe and go with the old standby, after all, that's what made them famous. The critic tanks the place, Casper loses his mind, and his son (Anthony) just wants to hang out with his dad. However, when Casper gets an old food truck, his best friend (Leguizamo) and son and go on a cross-country trek during the summer, Casper rediscovers the magic that had been dormant for so long and his food is going viral, but in a good way. :)

See also the autobiography of Jon Favreau replacing food with movies. ;)

Favreau started as an indie crowd pleaser before getting called up to the big leagues to helm big studio hits (Elf, Iron Man).

Apparently along the way, he lost a bit of himself and what he wanted to do was see if he could reclaim his magic.

In Chef, he does just that.

He brings his indie sensibilities back to the forefront, but this time he's able to bring some of his A-list pals that he's made along the way with him.

They are brief, but memorable characters, but at the end of the day, this is a story about a man reconneecting with the passions in his life:

1) Food
2) Son
3) Wife

Now is the part where I have to dock Favreau just like everyone else or then I appear to be a hypocrite.

The story of a son and father reconnecting?
That's PG-13 fare my friend.

Dial the language back a bit, broaden the audience, let me share a pretty fun road trip with the family, and you've got an instant addition to the library.

Again, that's me and my soapbox.

To me, a few of the tirades are fine (and funny).  However, that's the point of language.

Restrain it, and when you do unleash profanity, it underscores the emotional impact of the scene.

Use it all the time, it's just another adjective or adverb that keeps the audience limited.

My two cents.

Either way, still a good movie and worthwhile viewing.


Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again, and like I said, had the language been toned down, this would have been a no-brainer for best of the year honors.

You're Invited For A Little "Ride Along"

Ride Along (2014)

Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter, John Leguizamo, Laurence Fishburne

Directed by Tim Story:

The Story:

Ben (Hart) is a security guard in love with Angela (Sumpter).  However, her big brother, James (Cube) is an Atlanta detective who doesn't approve of the relationship.  In order to get rid of Ben, he organizes a ride along to scare Ben away from wanting to be a cop, and wanting to be with his sister.  However, when things take a dangerous turn, maybe Ben will show he actually has what it takes to make the grade.

One of the first box office hits of 2014 is available to own on DVD, and it's a pretty good one.

Ice Cube does great, as usual, as a comedic action star.

Reunited with Tim Story (Barbershop), he's back at the top of his game as the tough straight man to Kevin Hart's antics.

Meanwhile, Kevin Hart continues to impress with this follow-up to Grudge Match, this time as a full-fledged co-star and not just the comic relief.

He pulls off the role really well, and keeps the character from being annoying, which is really important to making the film enjoyable.

If you don't like Ben, you won't root for him to succeed and win James' approval, and then the whole movie falls apart.

This film takes the perfect buddy cop, oil and water, formula and plays it to perfection.

You will probably see the twists and turns of the police investigation unfold, but that's okay.

At the end of the day, you'll be glad you came along for the ride.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I would have no qualms about adding this one to the library, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

The World Gets A Bit Dangerous "Walking With Dinosaurs"

Walking With Dinosaurs (2013)

Rated PG for scary dinosaurs

Starring Charlie Rowe, Karl Urban, Angourie Rice, John Leguizamo, Justin Long, Skyler Stone, Tiya Sircar

Directed by Barry Cook & Neil Nightingale

The Story:

In Alaska, an archaeologist (Urban) is driving his niece (Rice) and nephew (Rowe) to a site where he had found a dinosaur tooth.  Unimpressed, the nephew decides to sit at the truck and pout, when a bird named Alex (Leguizamo) comes along to tell the kid about the story about how that tooth came to be found where it was.  Cue the flashbacks and the story of a little dinosaur (Long) who grows up to be the leader of his herd though unlikely odds.

So apparently the brains behind this thought, let's take the BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs , and cross it with The Land Before Time...

Yes, these dinosaurs talk, though they don't do mouth movements, so it's not nearly as cutesy or annoying as you might think.

I don't know what to think...

The movie itself is nice to look at.  Using actual scenery with CGI, the landscapes and backgrounds are lush and beautiful.

However, I'm not sure how impressed I was overall with the dinosaurs.

Maybe it was the inclusion of humans in Jurassic Park, but I almost think those dinosaurs looked more realistic.

Anyway, the story itself isn't that terrible, and it's a film that the whole family can sit and enjoy/tolerate for 90 minutes, then it's done.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No, I think I'm okay.

Corruption In Detroit? Time For An "Assault On Precinct 13"

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Rated R - Violence & Language

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Byrne

Directed by: Jean-Francois Richet


The Story:

It's New Year's Eve and a Detroit police station is going to close its doors one final time.  Sgt Roenick (Hawke) and a skeleton crew of police are holding down the fort when a prison transport carrying notorious mob boss Marion Bishop (Fishburne) arrives seeking shelter from a snowstorm.  Things go from bad to worse when the station is besieged by vigilantes looking to take out Bishop.  Imagine Roenick's surprise when he learns that those killers outside are actually cops, looking to take out Bishop before he can testify that there are dirty cops in Detroit!

Where's RoboCop when we need him??!!

"At Least They Aren't Remaking This Classic!"

I apologize, I've never seen the original version written & directed by John Carpenter from the 70s, so I am unable to compare and contrast the two films.

How Dare You Not Watch Our Version!

That said, I've watched this film on two different occasions.

I've enjoyed the film both times.

It's tightly scripted, well-acted by an impressive cast that also includes Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo and Maria Bello.

Someday I Will Voice An Animated Sloth And Become More Famous Than All Of You!!

It's a thriller that ratchets up the suspense with each passing moment.  The only hope the precinct has of survival is to arm the prisoners and work together to stay alive.

Of course, cops and robbers don't exactly trust each other, so it's an uneasy alliance at best.

Add to that the layer of intrigue by having the cops as the ones on the outside attempting to kill everyone inside, and you've got a pretty gripping tale.

It's a B movie that doesn't attempt to do anything but entertain the audience and tell a decent story.

On that note, it succeeds brilliantly.


Final Grade:  B

Would I Watch It Again?  Yes, it's entertaining and clips by at a decent pace.

Would I Purchase It?  I've had it on my wish list for almost a decade now.  Perhaps someday I will pull the trigger?

Vigilante Justice...or "Righteous Kill"?

It's gotta be a cop!

The Story:

Veteran New York detectives Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are on the trail of a serial  killer who is offing scumbags.  Now, while killing scumbags wouldn't seem like such a bad thing, when several of the other detectives, including Corelli (Carla Gugino), Perez (John Leguizamo) and Riley (Donnie Wahlberg) all begin to think it's a cop, naturally tensions start to rise.  But when they accuse Turk of being the killer...

Well things are going to get ugly.

Remember back when the movie "Heat" came out, and it was the first time that DeNiro and Pacino had ever worked together onscreen?  People were wild for that film...

Meh, I didn't much care for that one either.

: )

I mean, there's nothing inherently wrong with this movie, it just never kicks it up to that next level of thriller/drama/cop movie that a cast like this deserves.

First you have the serial killer, and the cops are hot on the trail.  He leaves poems explaining that these victims are bad people that somehow escaped justice, so now they face vengeance.

Cool.  I get it, and I'm with you.

Then all signs seem to point to one suspect, and so you know it can't be that guy... right?

So yes, it almost becomes a paint-by-numbers exercise in who-really-dunnit?

However, you probably figured that all out about 10 minutes after the movie started and know who the killer really is...and isn't.

But coming nearly 13 years after Heat, well, Pacino and DeNiro aren't exactly at the top of their games anymore.  Don't get me wrong, they're still good, but maybe no longer great.

So now it isn't about how great it is to have these 2 actors together, it's a nostalgia trip down memory lane because these two can play hard-nosed cops in their sleep.

Don't believe me, watch the movie.

; )

Final Grade:  C+... maybe a B- if I'm being generous.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nope, I'll be passing.