I Can't Believe They Made A "Trolls" Movie

Trolls (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Christine Baranski,

Directed by Walt Dohrn & Mike Mitchell

The Story:

The trolls are the happiest little critters that live in the woods. The Bergens are the most miserable. When they discover that they can become happy by eating trolls, well, you can pretty much guess that the trolls are going to have to work really hard to have a happy ending to this film!

I never saw a preview for this film. No trailers. No anything.

I heard it was coming, and I thought, really? Trolls? Those little ugly dolls from when I was growing up?

Really?

How is Dreamworks going to make this into a film?

And this is Dreamworks, and aside from Shrek, they make some pretty fun movies, but it will likely tank at the box office.

But hey, that Justin Timberlake song is pretty catchy, so what the heck, I'll rent it for the kids.

So I did.

Then I watched it.

Oh my goodness.

No matter what I was expecting, which admittedly wasn't much, I was blown away with how much fun and enjoyment I had watching this one.

It was cute. It was silly. It was fun.

It was a musical!

And in a good way, where the songs enhance the story, not become the story.

A mix of new songs and some classics mixed in for fun, it's easy to be swept up by the proceedings and you'll be as happy as Poppy (Kendrick) as the movie rolls along. Accompanied on her journey is Branch (Timberlake) the one troll in the kingdom who doesn't share the affinity of optimism and happiness that all the other trolls embody.

Yep, you get sucked in to this fun little world, and if you're not careful, you'll get sucker-punched by an emotional wallop late in the film.

I know I did.

When "True Colors" is sung, the reaction is heartfelt and genuine.

I still get a little misty-eyed thinking about it.

So, once again, well done Dreamworks.

I enjoyed this one so much, I bought it.

"For the kids".

:)

Following Storks, this looks to be a really fun year for animated films, with 2 very different, very unexpected films vying for Best of the Year honors.

 Final Grade:  B+

"Runner Runner" Not Bad, Not Bad

Runner Runner (2013)

Rated R

Starring Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie,

Directed by Brad Furman

The Story:

Richie (Timberlake) is trying to make ends meet and make his college tuition by rounding up people to use an online poker site owned by Ivan Block (Affleck). However, when Richie ends up losing a fortune, he discovers a flaw in the system and crashes a party to let Ivan know that his site is being rigged by someone. Ivan thanks him by offering him a job, and Richie quickly rises to become his right hand man. However, that's a very dangerous place to be...

There are flashes of brilliance and great performances to be had throughout this film.

Timberlake, as always, seems to be a natural in front of the camera, and when he hangs up his singing career for good, he's got a great second career to fall back on.

Naturally, a hero is only as good as the villain, and Affleck plays along as the menacing thug who can make or break Richie (or anyone for that matter) with just a few choice words.

When the two are together, the storyline picks up.

The problem, the two don't share a whole ton of screen time.

The other major players are Arterton as Ivan's girlfriend who has a thing for Richie...

And Mackie who gets to play a corrupt FBI agent.

Throw in a heist, betrayals and backstabbing and the movie had great ideas that just didn't fully come across.
That's a shame, because again, those flashes of brilliance could have made this a repeat viewing.

Final Grade:  C+

Taped From New York...It's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"

Television history is being made before your eyes...

It's not often that The Tonight Show gets a new host.

This is the 6th time in 60 years that someone new has taken over the desk.

The last time that I put any serious time into watching this show, Johnny Carson was the host.

When he said goodbye, I was upset that David Letterman lost the gig to Jay Leno, so I moved to CBS with Dave when Leno came onboard, and that's pretty much where I stayed for the next 22 years.

Sure, there were occasions when Jay would be on, usually because I had let an episode of ER or Law & Order run through the local news, and then The Tonight Show would start and the monologue would be half over before I realized I needed to change it.

I rarely found Jay Leno funny.

Amusing, sure.  

He's had lots of amusing bits over the years, but a great majority of those are because of the dumb people in America (Jay Walking, Headlines) moreso than anything Leno brought to the table.

Then there was the whole Conan O'Brian fiasco, and any begrudging respect I might have had for Jay over the years was washed away.

So it was with great happiness and a touch of skepticism that I welcomed the news that Jimmy Fallon was taking over The Tonight Show.

Taking it back to its roots in New York City.  Bringing a younger generational spin to the granddaddy of late night talk television.

Thanks to the Winter Olympics and a newborn, I watched The Tonight Show for seemingly the first time in a generation when Fallon came aboard.

And I laughed.

In fact, to sum up my feelings on the regime change:

I've laughed more in 2 weeks watching Jimmy Fallon than I did in 22 years with Jay Leno.

I've always been a fan of Jimmy Fallon since his days on Saturday Night Live.  His comic sensibilities and all around showmanship have been on display over the last two weeks.  

To be fair, I never watched an episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Sorry, I was hooked on Craig Ferguson.

So, not being familiar with any of his routines from that show, I'm not sure what skits/routines are old bits, but they all work for this viewer.

Whether he's dancing with Will Smith looking at the history of hip hop dance or rapping with Justin Timberlake, there's nothing Fallon is afraid to try.

Pretty cool.

I'm happy to say that I'm once again a fan of The Tonight Show.

I think Johnny Carson would be proud of what Jimmy Fallon is bringing to the show and bringing it into the 21st Century.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: If I'm up, I'll keep tuning in.  Otherwise, I'll keep checking out the video highlights on YouTube/Facebook/Twitter, etc.

I Had Absolutely No "Trouble With The Curve".

While I really don't care for baseball, I do apparently enjoy a good movie centered around the sport.


The Story:

Gus (Clint Eastwood) is a scout for the Atlanta Braves.  The problem is, his eyesight is fading.  However that doesn't mean that Gus can't still do his job.  However, as a precaution, his boss (John Goodman) convinces his daughter (Amy Adams) to take some time away from her work and keep an eye on her dad as he scouts a top high school recruit in the Carolinas.  A rival scout from the Red Sox (Justin Timberlake) that Gus scouted for his team years earlier, arrives on the scene to check out the kid, and Gus' daughter!  Can Gus successfully scout the kid and save his job, or is he doomed to retirement?

First, it's nice to see Eastwood in any movies these days.  The man is a legend on the screen, and it's nice that he's still doing what he loves.  For the first time in awhile, he also steps out from behind the camera and lets someone else do the heavy lifting, so you know that has to be daunting to be the first guy to direct an acting AND directing legend in some time in your first time out!  Luckily for Robert Lorenz, he's actually been helping Eastwood for the last few years helming some of his features.

Then we have the plucky Amy Adams as Mickey, Gus' daughter.  While working her butt off to become partner in a law firm for the better part of a decade, she uses these few days off to try and reconnect with her father, and she comes to some realizations about herself and her father.

However, I will save the best for last, and say without a doubt that I am becoming a huge fan of Justin Timberlake, the actor.  He seems very at ease on the big screen, and his persona and demeanor carry him fairly effortlessly through the movies.  I enjoyed his Sci Fi flick In Time, really thought he was hilarious in Friends with Benefits, liked his work in the Social Network, and yes, he even did a great job voicing Boo Boo in the Yogi Bear movie.

So yes, all in all this movie was a very pleasant surprise for me from start to finish.  I went in with no expectations, and was very pleased with the movie I watched.

Could be a contender for the "Best of the Year" listing.

Recommended for a rental, and I could see adding this to the "Purchase to watch again later" pile as well.

Final Grade:  A-