The American Way..."War Dogs"

War Dogs (2016)  

Rated R

Starring Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, Kevin Pollak, Bradley Cooper,

Directed by Todd Phillips

The Story:

David (Teller) is looking for a better way of making a living when he runs into his old buddy Efraim (Hill). Efraim has been making a killing by bidding and winning low-level defense contracts that the big companies don't seem interested in. The two join forces and make their company grow exponentially. However, success goes to their heads, and they decide to bid on a contract that is so big, and so important, nobody else seems to want to touch it.

Naturally, this one is based on a true story.

In a world where the lives of the forces fighting for America's way of life are on the line, you want the lowest possible bidder to be in charge of supplying our troops with their protective gear and ammunition.

Or putting someone in charge that really has no idea what they are doing.

Many might claim I'm talking about the recent Presidential election, but no, I'm referring to two college age kids who get into the very lucrative defense contracting business, with no real clue what they are doing.

Using a bit of clever deceit, they would get information on other bids, and make sure they could come in with the lowest bid while still making a pretty penny.

It's when they decided to get greedy, really, really greedy, that things finally spun off the rails and the two ended up on the radar and facing charges.

The movie waffles between trying to be a comedy and a drama, so the tone is a bit uneven throughout. The dramedy can be difficult to pull off unless you commit early to it being funny, with serious moments, or serious with bits of humor and levity sprinkled throughout.

Still enjoyable, and the cast does a nice job of making their characters three dimensional and ones that you care about.

Final Grade: C+

It @#$&*ing Sucked... "Sausage Party"

Sausage Party (2016)

Rated R

Starring Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Salma Hayek,

Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon

The Story:

Anthropomorphic food get a wake up call when they realize that being chosen by humans is not the blessing they all believe it to be.

I held out for 15 minutes.

15 excruciatingly long, painfully unfunny minutes.

Then eject, send back to Netflix and move on to something, anything better.

Now if your idea of a side-splitting comedy is watching food say #@$#@#$ and want to #$@@#$@# each other, then enjoy this film.

As for me, I didn't find it *#&^ing funny.

:)

This kind of humor is a waste of a great vocal cast.

High school teenagers can, and probably have, written better.

On a positive note, it looked pretty good. Too bad the company opted not to pay all of the artists or give over half of them credit for their finished work.

Yes, I get that it's Certified Fresh and was even on some critics Top 10 lists.

There is always some critical darling that comes along that I don't like.

To be fair, like many critics, this too has the possibility of winding up on one of my End of the Year countdowns.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will wind up on my Turkey of the Year awards.

So far it would be # 1.

With a bullet.

It will be hard-pressed to knock it from this dreaded position.

Final Grade: F 

Be Bored By Those Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear..."Hail, Caesar!"

Hail, Caesar! 

Rated PG-13

Starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johannson, Jonah Hill, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton,

Written and Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen

The Story:

Eddie Mannix (Brolin) is a "fixer" for Capitol Pictures in Hollywood in the 1950s. He makes problems for the stars...go away... As he is dealing with a usual day at the office, one of their biggest stars, Baird Whitlock (Clooney) goes missing.

This is not the fun, farcical tone that the movie trailer suggested. It's a dramedy, to be sure, but if you're expecting a comedy, expect to be disappointed.

If you're expecting a movie with Clooney as the focus, also prepare to be disappointed.

Neither of these issues really bothered me.

If you're expecting a good movie, prepare to possibly be disappointed.

And that is the camp that I fall into.

This loving look back at Hollywood in the 1950s lacks really...everything.

The stars are present.
The scenery is magnificent.

You will believe the 1950s live again!

But really...nothing happens, and everything happens, all in the span of about a day.

A really long day, but you get the idea.

Ah, but it's a Coen Brothers film, so it's probably not about Hollywood at all, but is an allegorical tale about Christianity.

Oh.

Well that changes everything.

Except the part about it being a good movie.

B-O-R-I-N-G.

I do believe I made it through the whole thing, all the while wondering if there was a point to any part of it.

Weeks later, I don't believe I can look back and find the point.

I would have preferred a movie that focused more on Mannix, and maybe less sideshow stories and make a bigger case or two for him to try and solve.

As it was, it just seemed like a whole lot of loose ends that are vaguely tied together by his role.

But, I will award points for the look of the film.

And a reminder that if you want a better film about 1950s Hollywood, do yourself a favor and watch Trumbo instead.

Final Grade:  D+

One Of Last Year's Best..."How To Train Your Dragon 2"

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Rated PG for violence and dragons!

Starring Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Honsou

Directed by Dean DeBlois

The Story:

It's been several years since we last met the Vikings of Berk on the big screen, and as the film opens, it turns out they have adjusted to life quite well being dragon-riders.  Stoik (Butler) has designs on Hiccup (Baruchel) taking over as Chieftan of Berk, but Hiccup is too busy trying to find his way in the world and deciding what he really wants to be.  He's having too much fun exploring the world with Toothless and discovering all of the new lands.  It's on one of these adventures when he discovers two very important things:  there is an evil army collecting dragons in preparation for war; there is a mysterious dragon-rider who has ties to Berk and could help Hiccup unlock more dragon secrets than he ever imagined.

Dreamworks Animation has done it again.

If it sounds familiar, that means you read this review when I saw it in theaters last year.

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and it found its way under the tree.

That should come as no shock to anyone either, Dreamworks has been on a roll that the other studios haven't been able to match.

At least at our house, if not the box office.

I gave the nod to the original for my Top 10 of 2014 simply because I hadn't seen it before, so it was eligible.

Take it off the table, and Part 2 easily makes the Top 10 films of last year.

It's simply breathtakingly gorgeous, and the scope of the film grew tremendously since the first part.  Time has passed, the characters have aged and grown.

There will be a shift in the dynamics of the film by the time the credits roll.

Whether that's good... we'll find out in Part 3!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: We own it, and are looking forward, sadly, to the final installment.

The Undercover Brothers Like No Others! "22 Jump Street"

22 Jump Street (2014)

Rated R

Starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube,

Directed by Phil Lord

The Story:

Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) are going back undercover to college this time, instead of high school. In basically the exact same movie as the last one we saw!

Their words, not mine.

But the joke is indeed, that this film is pretty much a note for note remake of 21 Jump Street.

Which is fine, because 21 Jump Street was one of those surprise hits from a few years back.

Tatum showed he has a great sense of humor, Hill showed off that he could be an action hero.

Mostly.

:)

Again, it would have been a bit better had this go-round been not entirely a retread of the first one.

The buddy cop saga does grow a bit between the two leads, and that makes for about the only real growth in the movie as the two realize that their brotherhood is real, and that's a nice development.

When the funniest part of the film is the extended credits for each of the subsequent numbered Jump Street sequels, then perhaps there is no future for the franchise.

Somehow, I'm sure we'll see 23 Jump Street at least.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was probably enough for me on this one.

He Comes In Peace. Mostly. "Megamind"

Megamind (2010)

Rated PG

Starring Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill

Directed by Tom McGrath

The Story:

Megamind (Ferrell) is the world's greatest supervillain.  However, he is constantly kept in check by Metro Man (Pitt).  After years of putting Roxanne (Fey) in peril, the relationship is changed forever when Megamind kills Metro Man!  Missing his heroic arch-nemesis, Megamind creates a new hero to fight (Hill).  But when he goes rogue to use his powers for evil, Megamind must become the hero he never wanted to become.

A loving homage to superheroes, Dreamworks unleashed Megamind to help put a twist on the genre.

While not the perfection of The Incredibles, this film still has quite a bit to offer, not the least of which is the top-notch vocal talents of the 4 lead characters.

Dreamworks Animation continues to produce stealth classics that are overlooked and under-appreciated by the audience and critics.

I would be more than happy to see a sequel in the future, but I don't see that coming anytime soon.

So in the meantime, I'll just sit back and enjoy this one.

I think as time passes, this one will get more appreciated for all that it has to offer.

Final Grade: Solid B, maybe B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I already own it, and it's a fun one to pop in and rewatch every so often.

How To Enjoy The Weekend Part 2: "How To Train Your Dragon 2"

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Rated PG for violence and dragons!

Starring Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Honsou

Directed by Dean DeBlois

The Story:

It's been several years since we last met the Vikings of Berk on the big screen, and as the film opens, it turns out they have adjusted to life quite well being dragon-riders.  Stoik (Butler) has designs on Hiccup (Baruchel) taking over as Chieftan of Berk, but Hiccup is too busy trying to find his way in the world and deciding what he really wants to be.  He's having too much fun exploring the world with Toothless and discovering all of the new lands.  It's on one of these adventures when he discovers two very important things:  there is an evil army collecting dragons in preparation for war; there is a mysterious dragon-rider who has ties to Berk and could help Hiccup unlock more dragon secrets than he ever imagined.

Dreamworks Animation has done it again.

That's pretty much your spoiler-free review right there!

:)

If you loved the first one, and just about everyone who has ever seen it, does... well, you're going to love this one.

If you've missed the first one, I don't think you'd be too terribly lost.  The narration provides you everything you need to get caught up, but it doesn't feel like a horrid rehash of what has gone one before.

The animation is mesmerizing.  Such beautiful landscapes, it's absolutely breathtaking.

The voice work is top-notch, with several new characters being introduced alongside all of your favorites from the first film.

What can be said about Toothless?  Perhaps the cutest animal ever to appear on film.  Half cat... half dog...

All dragon.

The only piece of advice I might offer...

Don't be surprised if like over half of my viewing companions last night...

Tears might be shed.

You've been warned.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: It's a purchase...no question.  Only a few of the family will see it in theaters, the rest are waiting for DVD. 

Will there be a 3rd outing?  Hard to say, but if they choose to, we'll be back!

How To Enjoy Your Weekend..."How To Train Your Dragon"

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Rated PG for violence and dragons

Starring Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristin Wiig, America Ferrera,

Directed by Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

The Story:

On the island of Berk, the Vikings are led by Stoick the Vast (Butler).  What these Vikings do is try an survive and kill dragons when they are attacked.  Stoick's son Hiccup (Baruchel) is not exactly the Viking his dad had hoped he would be.  Very imaginative, but not very...Viking-like...Hiccup wants to help out, but nobody really wants him around.  When he uses one of his contraptions to actually shoot down the elusive Night Fury dragon, Hiccup will go to prove that he's got what it takes to be a Viking.  However, when he finds his dragon, he is going to discover that everything the Vikings thought they know about dragons...

Is a lie!

Better late than never is one way to approach this film.

My kids have adored this movie for the last 4 years, and they always begged me to watch it.  I would always come up with some excuse or another to not join in the festivities, so this one remained unseen by me until recently.

However, with a sequel set to come out today, and the kids hoping that I will either take them, or maybe go with them, there was no time like the present to give this one a shot.

Boy, am I glad I did.

Continuing in a line of impressive Dreamworks Animated films, this movie has everything you want in an animated movie:

a) It's absolutely gorgeous
b) The voice cast is great, but not overbearing in stunt celebrity casting
c) The story itself is enjoyable
d) There is a deeper heartfelt aspect to the movie that proves it's not just for kids.

Sadly, many of Dreamworks offerings are overlooked at the box office, but when they have a hit, it hits big!

It's weird at the feast or famine aspect of Dreamworks at the box office.  This was every bit as enjoyable as Rise of the Guardians or Turbo, but those two were flops and this was a success.

At this stage in the game, Dreamworks should be celebrated like Pixar.  They aren't, and that's puzzling.

I won't attempt to explain it, I'll just admit that I'm disappointed.

At the end of the movie, the film has resolved all of the issues that were raised during the film.

That they put their hero(es) as capable to save the day with a disability is an extra feather in the cap that Dreamworks should really be proud of.

As usual, my kids were right, and I'm glad they finally got me to come around.

It won't be 4 years until I see the sequel.

If you or your kids haven't seen it yet, or as a primer for this weekend's sequel, I highly encourage you to do so!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I already own it.  Looking forward to the sequel.  And this marks the 2nd Dreamworks Animated film in the running for Best Films of 2014. If Part 2 is half as good, I may end up with 3 animated features from one studio all vying for the top spot!

Come back tomorrow and see how Part 2 fared!

:)

Greed Is Good. "The Wolf Of Wall Street" Is Not

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Rated R for Excessive language, nudity and drug use

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio

Directed by Martin Scorsese

The Story:

Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) is a stock broker.  This film chronicles his rise to riches, and his fall due to corruption.

Color me not-interested.

The movie opens with excess after excess flying off the screen.

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, DiCaprio does nothing to make me want to endure 3 hours of watching this sleazy con-artist go from rags to riches, to richer still.

This is not to say that this movie isn't probably good or entertaining.  Scorsese and DiCaprio seem to have developed some magical chemistry together.

But when I'm five minutes into a film, and the main character is snorting cocaine off a the butt of a hooker...

Yeah, I'm in for a long 3 hours, or I can cut my losses and realize that this brand of entertainment is just not for me.


So off it went, and I don't feel like I really missed anything.

Final Grade: D

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Of all the things I think I could accomplish in my  life in a 3 hour span... attempting to watch this movie again...ever...does not make the list.

Nothing A Little Armageddon Won't Cure..."This is the End"

Based on a true story.

Somewhat.

The Story:

Jay Baruchel comes out to L.A. to visit his best friend, Seth Rogen.  Rogen wants to go to James Franco's house for a party, but Jay is uncomfortable with all of Seth's Hollywood friends.  Seth assures him it will be fine, and so they head to the home. 

Naturally, that's when the Apocalypse happens.

So, in a few movies I've reviewed, I've mentioned that there are some actors who literally just play themselves on the screen.  Seth Rogen...Jonah Hill... those guys, right?

Well, this movie does one better, they actually play themselves, playing themselves.

Genius!

And for what it is, it works.

These guys are friends, or at least act like it in the movie.

Jay plays the outsider of the group who just doesn't click with the Hollywood crowd, and then the literal apocalypse kicks off, and people are raptured to Heaven.

Naturally, none of our cast makes the cut, and they spend the rest of the movie trying to stay alive, and not kill one another, while holed up in Franco's abode.

The crew of survivors also includes Craig Robinson and Danny McBride. 

They throw nearly any and every joke against the wall to see what sticks.  All the while, mayhem ensues.

There are some howlers, there are some eye rolling, but the guys give it their all.

Plus, there's Channing Tatum.  Apparently everything is better with more Channing Tatum.  That's the new Hollywood mantra.

However, I will give them a plus for having the decency to kill Rihanna.

: )

For the fans that have enjoyed all of their other films, you'll probably see no reason to miss this one.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was enough, thanks.

All Everyone Wants Is To Be "Accepted"

Where everyone that applies gets in!

The Story:

Bartleby Gaines (Justin Long) has graduated, but no college said yes to the potential freshman.  He hatches a plan with his friends and their only friend who got accepted into a college, Sherman (Jonah Hill) to create a website for a faux college where these others that got rejected could go in the fall.  They rent an old insane asylum near the campus of Harmon University so they actually have a place.  Then using Sherman's uncle Ben (Lewis Black) to improve as the Dean, the parents are fooled and Bartleby and the gang are set to enjoy a year off on their parents dime.  The only problem, the accepted button actually works, and a week after the guys think they've got a semester of slacking, suddenly find themselves with several hundred new applicants.  What's a fake college to do, except get serious about their education!

I find this movie to be hysterical.  Funny, well written, and Justin Long and Jonah Hill are masters at playing themselves in these roles.  The laughs come fast and furious, with most working perfectly to execution.

One thing I realized having not seen this one in a few years, Jonah Hill used to be Huuuuuge!  Dangerously so.  I have to give him credit for slimming down over the years and not getting bigger and exploding!

In a sense, this is the antithesis of Animal House.  Whereas they really didn't care about college, these kids simply weren't good enough to get in.

Yet a funny thing happened on their way to not-learning.

They actually learned a great deal, and come out better for it in the end.

The impassioned speech at the end as to why their school should be accredited and not become a boring clone of what works in other schools is in reality a wake-up call for what is wrong with the education system today, and it's getting only worse, not any better.

But that's way too deep for this movie.

: )

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and considering how funny it really is, I don't watch it nearly enough.  I'll blame the language, as it's a pretty hardcore PG-13 film!

When #$@# Hits the Fan... Call "The Watch"

Here's an odd one... did it fail because it delivered something other than promised?

Or because it was a giant Costco commercial?


The Story:

When a night watchman at the local Costco is skinned alive, Evan (Ben Stiller) organizes a neighborhood watch to catch the killer since the police don't seem overly concerned with solving the crime, although they happen to think that maybe Evan did it.  So with the recruitment of 3 other, his neighborhood watch goes out to find the bad guy, only to uncover something even more sinister and shocking!



So really, where did this movie come off the rails?




My guess is the "out of this world" storyline that takes over the murder mystery. 


Honestly, I don't know.  On paper, the story has potential.  In execution...

It's not bad.  It's not great, either.

This is another one, hey, if you've got 90 minutes to spare, sure, give it a spin.  You might not hate it. ;)


The pros:  You've got Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill playing Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill.  If you like they way they act and spit out their dialogue, you are going to love them in this one, because hey, if you're going for a Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill character, you might as well hire the real deal.

The writing and dialogue is at times hilarious, stupid, hilariously stupid, or some combination.

As usual, this is an "R Rated Comedy" where they go for the profanity or bodily fluid humor... the shock and awe of comedy.  Instead of being smart with the script (there actually is a nifty story in here) they throw R rated humor at every situation to force humor where it could simply be found naturally.


My opinion, they could have cut back the raunch, gone PG-13, tightened up the script and sucked in the family market with the story.  Oh well, what's done is done.

Final Grade: C+
Would I add it to my collection: Nope.

A Night on the Town With... "The Sitter"

Would you want this man to watch your kids?


The story:

Noah, a college-aged slacker is sitting at home while his divorced mom is set to go on a date.  Unfortunately, plans go awry and she will be forced to cancel her plans at happiness unless she could find someone willing to babysit some children.  Cue the son feeling bad, and opting to do it, even though he's a guy, and guys don't do that.  The kids are dysfunctional, at best, but hey, so's the sitter.  Naturally, Noah gets a booty-call from his girlfriend asking him to come to a party, and don't forget to bring the coke...

So, what would you do?


Naturally, Noah is taking these little hellions with him on the ride and night of their lives.  There will be explosions, gunshots, and an odd assortment of characters, most notably Sam Rockwell as the world's nicest drug dealer, that fill out the movie.

Noah, of course, is played by Jonah Hill.  Jonah is not your typical Hollywood leading man, and all the more awesome that he's making it work.  If he doesn't write his own material, he has the same routine that he's done for most of his slacker-roles in movies, and it works, and I laugh everytime.  They guy is funny.

Here's my problem with the movie...

They started off so crudely to make sure YOU KNOW THIS FILM IS RATED R!!!!

This could have been this generations' "Adventures in Babysitting".  A cult-classic that kids "that age" went to see, and had a blast with it.  There is a lot of humor and heart in this movie that could have easily been tailored to fit a PG-13 set-up, which really, that's what this film could have been.

It could have been huge for families to see and laugh along with.

Instead, they went the easy route, made it an R-rated raunchfest, and much of the soul of the movie gets lost in the translation.

It was nice to see the kids connect with the sitter as the night went on, and the movie would have worked so much better if they had just decided to tone it down a bit and let the message come through.

Amusing film... disappointed because it could have been much bigger/better in the overall scheme of things.

Worth a look, but otherwise, just a 3 out of 5.