Latino Heat! "How To Be A Latin Lover"

How To Be A Latin Lover (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Eugenio Derbez, Salma Hayek, Raphael Alejandro, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell, Rob Riggle, Raquel Welch,

Directed by Ken Marino

The Story:

Maximo (Derbez) has been living the high life as he basically has enjoyed a carefree lifestyle as the boy toy of a rich widow. But when she dumps him for a younger model, suddenly Maximo has to start all over, and at a much older age. Hoping to crash with his sister (Hayek) and his nephew (Alejandro), Maximo's attempts at adjusting to normal life while finding his next rich conquest lead him on one wild ride after the next.

Eugenio Derbez is two for two with me on films that I've seen him starring in. While this one is not quite as heartwarming and endearing as Instructions Not Included, this one is zany and a lot of fun, and yet with just the right amount of heart as several of Maximo's relationships play out over the course of the film.

Surrounded with an excellent ensemble cast that make Maximo's life increasingly more complicated as all he wants to do is mooch off of someone, but circumstances dictate another fate for everything he plans to do.

Along the way, he slowly mends fences with his beloved sister, and helps to bring much needed happiness and stability to her life. Hayek plays off Derbez perfectly creating a great family dynamic.

Ken Marino steps behind the camera for his first feature, and does a great job. It's a little bit of a rough start, but once it gets going, the story builds and it turned out to be one of favorite films for the whole family this year.

Final Grade: B+

What The Fork!?! "The Good Place"

The Good Place (2016)

TV-PG

Starring Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D'arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, Ted Danson

Created by Michael Schur

The Story:

Eleanor (Bell) wakes up at Michael's (Danson) office. Turns out she's dead, but the good news, is she gets to go to 'The Good Place'. And they only take the best of the best. However, apparently there's been a bit of a clerical error, and this Eleanor has taken the place of the Eleanor that was supposed to be here! She's hoping that by learning to be good from her chosen 'soul mate', Chidi (Harper) she can learn to be good enough to stay before someone uncovers the truth.

When you have Netflix and Amazon Prime, it's hard to miss not having cable television. Eventually, any show will come to DVD and I could try it that way.

Or, they'll stream on one service or another, and I might run into them.

And considering that the majority of the content is original, I really don't have to rely on the networks to supply me with any entertainment anymore.

But that's not to say they aren't trying, or that I'm not appreciative of their efforts.

Scrolling through Netflix, and see a picture of Bell and Danson, you get intrigued enough to read a little snippet of what the show's about.

Try the first episode, and you're hooked! :)

So it goes with The Good Place, a denominational free look at what could transpire after passing over to the other side, and being lucky enough to not go to The Bad Place.

Eleanor is bringing bad things to the Good Place because of the mistake, and she's working really hard to be a nice person. But man, there's certain things and people in her afterlife that are just messing things up royally for her.

But she persistently tries, and sometimes learns what it takes to be a good person after all, even if it's quite by accident.

Each episode ends with a cliffhanger, but thankfully at 13 episodes, they are paced quite nicely and you don't feel rushed or bored.

The set-up for season 2 was well played and really bold for a new show to throw at the audience with the hope of sticking around.

While everyone else is watching NBC right now to keep up, I'll wait a year, and catch it next summer and hopefully find out what happened.

Definitely worth the time.

Final Grade: B+

Clearly This Is Not Your Father's "CHiPS"

CHiPS (2017)

Rated R

Starring Dax Shepard, Michael Pena, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kristen Bell,

Written and Directed by Dax Shepard

The Story:

Jon Baker (Shepard) is a former motocross legend who's trying to get a real job to impress his ex (Bell) so she might take him back. Ponch (Pena) is an undercover Federal agent investigating the possibility that there are some dirty cops on the job at the California Highway Patrol. Let the crashes commence!

I grew up watching CHiPs. Loved that show. Jon and Ponch were a great team, and the crashes were always fantastic.

This is not that show.

This is:  what if Dax Shepard wrote, directed and starred in a movie about the California Highway Patrol?

So depending on what you expect, that might very well determine whether you enjoy this one or roll your eyes in frustration at it.

If you saw his 2012 film Hit and Run, you know what to expect.

I did. I liked it. It was a crazy film, and Shepard showed a lot of skill as the man of many hats, writing/directing/producing and starring.

He's back for more, and this one is just as fun, possibly even moreso.

A lot of the credit for that goes to Shepard himself, but also to Pena who plays his partner, who has no interest in being partners, yet the two manage to bond almost in spite of themselves.

Pena is gold in just about any role he touches anymore, so whenever he's in a film, it's already better just for his involvement.

Don't believe me?

Tell me Ant-Man would be as good without his character.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Sure, it's stupid, crude... but when it's funny, it's spot on.

And the crashes, well they do the memory of their namesake proud.

I saw this one awhile ago, and whenever I see the logo on Amazon or Vudu, I still smile thinking about the movie.

For me, that says a lot about how fun it really was.

Final Grade: C+/B-

Here's To All The "Bad Moms" Out There!

Bad Moms  (2016)

Rated R

Starring Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Christina Applegate, Jada Pinkett Smith,

Written and Directed by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

The Story:

Amy (Kunis) has finally had enough. She's been trying to juggle all the demands that come with having a job and kids, but she's always late for something and letting someone down. So when the head of the PTA (Applegate) adds one more task to Amy's never-ending to-do list, Amy offers up a big "F.U."to the world and quickly realizes that being a bad mom might actually do her some good.

On paper, the premise for this movie is hysterical.

In practice, it is very scattershot.

Some jokes land like a guided missile and just destroy with laughter.

Others fizzle out and arrive as a dud on impact.

That's the risk you take when you dial up the stakes on R-rated raunchy comedies.

I say it every time, if you've got to be profane, so be it, but you've got to be funny, first.

If the joke doesn't make you laugh before you add all the profanity, it's rarely going to work as the finished product.

The cast though, is immensely likable and keeps you invested in the movie.

Kunis does her best to carry the whole thing on her shoulders, and she does a great job.

The hardest part is accepting Kunis as a 30-something year old with pre-teens.

I've always seen her in the flirty romantic comedies or what-not, but never as a mom before.

That said, she channels the frustration and annoyance at a life that is so dictated by everyone else, you believe her when she snaps, and you're actually happy for her.

That they dialed a few too many situations up to 11, well, that's on the writing and directing tandem of Lucas and Moore.

Hahn works as the aggressive, over-the-top new best friend, and Bell makes the most of her timid, mousy friend who is just excited to be accepted by anyone, and that becomes empowering all on its own.

Applegate also does a great job as the villain of the film. Her comeuppance at the end is both satisfying and heartbreaking in equal measure.

I'm not sure where they'll go next with the inevitable sequel, but I'll come back and see how they're doing.

Final Grade: C+

Militant Cookie Entrepreneur..."The Boss"

The Boss (2016)

Rated R

Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Ella Anderson, Tyler Labine, Kathy Bates,

Directed by Ben Falcone

The Story:

Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) is a millionaire who winds up in jail after a little bit of insider trading. When she comes out, she learns that she can't just Martha Stewart her way back to the top. She intrudes upon her former assistant Claire (Bell) and her daughter Rachel (Anderson). When Michelle tastes some of Claire's brownies, she decides that she's got her new business venture to get on top, no matter what scout troops she might have to demolish to get there.

I approach every Melissa McCarthy with great caution these days.

She seems genuinely funny, but I've found that more often than not, she's being pigeonholed into playing the same acerbic wise-ass in every role.

And her delivery is impeccable, and sometimes her dialogue is outrageously funny...

Other times, it falls flat for me.

I would chalk The Boss up as my favorite of her starring roles thus far.

I think the only thing I would change, is her Chevy Chase falling down schtick.

We get it, you're a physical comedienne, but really, what point did the pratfalls serve in this movie?

The sofa bed, I get it. It was a set-up for the last joke in the movie, so I'll give you that one, but the fall down the stairs?

Time to let the stunts go.

They really don't service the plot very much, and again, you're getting yourself typecast.

Now, all of that said, I laughed a lot more in this movie than I expected to, but a lot of that laughter gets to be spread around to the rest of the cast, especially Kristen Bell as the poor Girl Friday who finally stands up for herself, and still gets run over at the same time.

I'm now more optimistic for future projects than I was before I watched this one.

And no, that doesn't count Ghostbusters, because every trailer I saw looked lame.

: )

Final Grade: B-

"When In Rome" You Might Meet Your True Love

When In Rome (2010)

Rated PG-13

Starring Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Alexis Dziena, Danny DeVito

Directed by Mark Johnson

The Story:

Beth (Bell) attends the wedding of her sister (Dziena) in Rome.  She takes some coins from The Fountain of Love which causes the men (Arnett, Heder, Shepard, DeVito) who threw those coins into the fountain to fall madly in love with her.  Can she balance her career with the affections of these men as she tries to figure out a way to break the spell, and maybe realize that the one guy not under a spell (Duhamel) could be her Mr. Right?

This is a fun little romantic comedy that is light, breezy and easy to enjoy at any time.

I've seen it a few times, and it's one that even the kids enjoy watching when it's on.

Bell gets to play the leading lady, and has a fun time playing the romantic, harried lead against a host of different leading men.

Arnett, Heder and Shepard bring different levels of zaniness to their roles giving Bell the hardest time trying to brush them off.

DeVito brings a level of humanity and sadness to his part.

At the end of the day though, it's Duhamel who grounds the movie as the potential suitor who gets overlooked too often.

Mr. Right is often there, people are often just too busy with their lives to notice.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and it gets watched every so often.  Always a fun time.

I Refuse To Drink The "Frozen" Kool-Aid

Frozen (2013)

Rated PG

Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Johnathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana

Directed by  Jennifer Lee

The Story:

Elsa (Menzel) has the power to turn things to ice with her touch.  When she accidentally hurts her sister Anna (Bell), her parents forbid the two from seeing each other again.  Anna is heartbroken, wondering what she did to lose her sister.  When Elsa's powers rage out of control, she escapes the kingdom to live alone and never hurt anyone again.  She doesn't realize that her powers left her kingdom under a blizzard, so Anna and Kristoff (Groff) set off to find her and turn the blizzard off.

I wanted to like this film, I honestly did.

I didn't.

I take my Disney film seriously, and this movie let me down on so many levels.

While I didn't hate it, and believe me, I came really close, I would consider this one of Disney's most contrived, clichéd entries in ages.

That the entire world thinks this is the greatest Disney film of a generation, makes me weep for our future.

Plus it wins an Academy Award for best animated film and best song?

So much wrong...

Where do I begin?

The musical aspect...

The songs are hackneyed and overdone, bursting into song way too frequently in the first 1/2 of the movie, then going silent through the end.  Poor pacing for a musical.  Also lacking much of the fun, depth and beauty of the Alan Menken scores.

"Let It Go" belongs in a Disney film or a broadway production.

Not on Top 40 radio.

Every hour.

Gratingly out of place, it makes me dislike this movie even more every time I hear it play.

Think "My Heart Will Go On" from Celine Dion/Titanic.

Yeah, it's like that.

The characters...

Which ones WEREN'T directly lifted and remodeled after Tangled?

And not just the people...

The horses in the kingdom were direct copies of Maximus.

Sven, the reindeer, got Max's personality aspect, though severely dumbed down.

Olaf (Gad) the snowman?

Terrible! One of the worst "funny sidekick" characters I've had to endure in all of Disney-dom.

He walks around throughout the film and his delivery makes him sound drunk, or high, throughout the entire film.  Eesh.

The Romance...

Hello, poorly contrived, out of left-field.

Kristoff, if anything, would have been smitten with Elsa, not Anna.

This was a complete cop-out and just smacked of a last ditch effort to give Anna a happy ending.

Well, Anna should never have agreed to marry Hans, or Disney never should have pulled a 180 on his character after such a short and shoe-horned introduction.

Think about it:  How did Hans know he was in the presence of Princess Anna?  Nobody had ever seen her outside of the castle.

Contrived!

There was a good story somewhere in the source material to be had.

This was not it.

Final Grade: I lean towards C-... but then I just want to Let It Go...

D+ and eligible for Turkey of the Year!

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I won't buy it and I definitely won't watch it again.

Witness Protection due to a "Hit and Run"

If you're going to outrun your past...drive a fast car!


The Story:

Charlie Bronson (Dax Shepard) and his girlfriend Annie (Kristen Bell) live in a small town and are relatively happy.  Then Annie is told about a killer job that's available and one that she is ideally suited for.  The only complication?  It's in Los Angeles, and her boyfriend is in Witness Protection because of something that happened in L.A. that he is hiding out from.  He insists on taking her to L.A., after all, it's been 4 years, what could possibly happen?

Okay, first off, it's a budget movie, in the very sense of the word.  Apparently a 2 million dollar budget, and half of that was to make sure they had music.  So I'm guessing the actors themselves either did it as a favor to Dax, or took about a 5 dollar paycheck.

But you know what?

It's still a pretty fun little movie.

As Charlie and Annie leave town, they are followed by the Federal Marshall (Tom Arnold) who doesn't want them to leave, Annie's ex who thinks Charlie is going to kill Annie.  Naturally, he Facebooks the bad guy (Bradley Cooper) and all parties zero in on Charlie to make his life miserable.

Nothing life changing.

Nothing earth shattering.

Just a fun little movie that zips along at a pretty good pace, and then it's over.

Fair enough.



The action scenes are well done, the humor is there, the dialogue works throughout.  Apparently Dax Shepard wanted to give it a try as writer/director/producer and star.


The kid's got potential!


Final Grade: B-

Would I Buy it For the Vault: Tempting.  I could certainly watch it again, and that says a lot for many movies these days.