Still A Trick Or Two Up His Sleeve.."Wild Card"

Wild Card (2015)

Rated R

Starring Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Stanley Tucci,

Directed by Simon West

The Story:

Nick Wild (Statham) is a bodyguard in Vegas with a heart of gold but with a big gambling problem. Probably not the place to run a business if you've got that kind of issue. Cyrus Kinnick (Angarano) comes into town and wants to gamble big this weekend, so he hires Nick to keep him safe. During that same weekend, Nick stops by for a little revenge session on a thug (Ventimiglia) who beat one of his friends. The bad part, that guy has connections, and now it seems all of Vegas is after Nick. Can he beat the odds and get out of Vegas in one piece?

Wild Card has a great pedigree with the cast and crew assembled, but it hits a few rough notes along the way. That's odd for a movie written by William Goldman, so it's hard to tell if it's deviating from the script or trying to stay true to the story.

It's another one where there are long stretches without action, so that might cause the usual Statham fans to start having withdrawls, but stick around, when he does go into action, it's always worth it.

There are several supporting characters that are in the movie and then disappear without much further fanfare, so it seems odd. Why even introduce them if they aren't going to play any importance in the film?

That complaint aside, I enjoyed the ride from beginning to end. A few familiar beats throughout the movie, but when you've seen a lifetime of action films, it's not easy to find something new.

Normally, you just hope that you aren't disappointed.

I'm rarely disappointed with the entries in Statham's catalog of work, and this one is no exception.

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade:  B- / C+ range

Nothing Ever Truly Stays In Vegas... "Think Like A Man Too"

Think Like A Man Too (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Megan Good, Regina Hall, Gabrielle Union, Terrence Jenkins, Romany Malco

Directed by Tim Story

The Story:

All of the couples from Think Like A Man return as they prepare for the marriage of Michael and Candace (Jenkins & Hall) in Vegas. Cedric (Hart) has the whole thing under control as Best Man and wants to make sure everyone has the night of their lives.

Naturally, everything is about to go off course in a most spectacular fashion!

A great cast attempts to lift the usual shenanigans for a bachelor party in Vegas to lofty heights.

It doesn't work, but at least they try. ;)

There's nothing bad about the film.

Each of the couples' issues will be mostly resolved by the end of the film.

And yes, they even manages to make it to the altar before it's all over.

So the bottom line, if you enjoyed the first film, you won't mind spending about 90 minutes with some old friends.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Amusing but no need to revisit anytime soon.

At Least You Know There Will Be No Sequel... "Last Vegas"

Last Vegas (2013)
Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Michael Douglas, Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen
Directed by Jon Turtletaub

The Story:

Billy (Douglas), Paddy (DeNiro), Archie (Freeman) and Sam (Kline) are lifelong best friends.  When Billy calls Archie and Sam to let them know he is finally tying the knot and saying goodbye to nearly 60 years of bachelorhood, the guys plan a road trip to Vegas to celebrate.  However all four have to be there, and Paddy and Billy had a bit of a falling out.  Archie and Sam will work on getting Paddy to the party, but when all four friends are together, some differences between friends simply have to be resolved.

This is another one of those films that should have been much, much better than it was.

As it is, it's okay.

Nothing great.
But with these four actors on the screen, you're getting quality performances by them all.

It's just that many of the situations of dialogue that they are given don't live up to the moment.

Even the Morgan Freeman factor can't propel this one to greater heights.

That said, the final act helps bring the overall feeling of the movie up a bit.

Good, but not great.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again, but have no need to buy it.

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.

Underrated Gem of the Year? "Now You See Me" Fits The Bill!

Look closer...

The Story:

Four magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco) all receive a mysterious summons.  One year later, the group, now known as the Four Horsemen are about to pull off an amazing trick in Vegas:  They're going to rob a bank.  Naturally, when they succeed, they incur the interest of the FBI (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol (Melanie Laurent).  If that wasn't enough, a former magician, now magic debunker (Morgan Freeman) is watching to see how they do it, and to prove that it's fake.

Got all that?

Good.

Sorry, this movie is flat out fun and entertaining.

I will not reveal much more than I already have, because what's the point of spoiling a movie about magicians?  Then you would lose all of the magic.  ;)

I was sold when the answer to the first magic trick in the movie was the same answer I said outloud.

I knew it was going to be fun after that.

All of the actors in the film do a great job.  Eisenberg and Harrelson take top honors as two of the Horsemen, but don't overlook the fine performance of Ruffalo as the one step behind FBI guy who is determined to solve the puzzle before the last act.

Also, don't underestimate the joy of having Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman working together in a non-Batman film either.  Both actors are in fine form and have some rather pivotal scenes throughout the movie.

I'll mark this one down as one of the more fun and enjoyable movies I've seen this year.

Let's hope the recently announced sequel is just as good, or better.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  At it's heart, it's a heist film.  I love a good heist film.  I hope to add this one to the collection!

Evel Knievel Had Nothing on the Guys from "Nitro Circus: The Movie"

Kids... Don't try this at home...

Unless you want to be famous!

The Story:

Travis Pastrana and his crew of daredevil buddies take extreme sports...to the extreme!

Sit back and watch 90 minutes of death-defying and sometimes amusing stunts performed for your entertainment...

As well as theirs!

The natural comparison to this film would be Johnny Knoxville and his Jackass series.  In fact, Mr. Knoxville stops by and provides some talking head insight into the Nitro Circus.

The best piece of advice he offers... Jackass designs the stunts to fail spectacularly and be hilarious.

If the Nitro Circus fails... they could be killed.

Sobering thought.

So the film follows them around the globe as they prepare for their performance for a sold-out crowd in Las Vegas. 

Many of the stunts they perform have to be done outside of America, for legal reasons.

The movie also spends time allowing you to get to know the crew, so they aren't just faces performing for your amusement.

Celebrity fans, including Channing Tatum (you can never have too much Channing Tatum in a film!) comment on how amazing these guys are.

And they really are.

Give it a whirl though, I promise you won't be bored.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't need to buy it, but I'd have no problems watching the stuntwork again.