You'll Have It His Way...Or Else! "The Founder"

The Founder (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern, Linda Cardellini,

Directed by John Lee Hancock

The Story:

Ray Kroc (Keaton) was a salesman on the road trying to make a fortune. When a restaurant out in California ordered multiple milkshake makers, Kroc assumes it's a mistake and heads west. When he meets the McDonald brothers (Offerman & Lynch) he is struck by how efficient, and delicious, their restaurant is. He wants to franchise their restaurant. The boys are reluctant at first, but eventually relent.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Keaton is on fire with his acting career over the last few years. The Founder is no exception. He plays Kroc with a drive and ambition to get his franchises off the ground and turn them into a household name.

Stymied at nearly every turn by the McDonald brothers, he can't seem to figure out how to turn a profit on the restaurants.

Then, as Lucy Van Pelt once lamented that all she wanted was real estate...

Kroc is told to buy the land, and rent the property to the new franchises.

Not only does this turn the tables for Kroc, it also establishes McDonalds as one of the largest property owners on the planet.

Highly recommended.

Final Grade: B+

A Fairly Dynamic Duo... "Daddy's Home"

Daddy's Home (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Thomas Haden Church,

Directed by Sean Anders

The Story:

Brad (Ferrell) really loves his wife (Cardellini) and her kids. He's trying to be the best step-dad in the world to them, and as time has passed, their intense burning hatred of him is slowly becoming casual indifference. Then Dusty (Wahlberg) breezes back into town, and Brad quickly falls from grace and slowly loses his mind as he attempts to win back the family that he's always wanted.

Much like the last time these two teamed up (The Other Guys) there are laughs to be had, but overall, it was just an okay movie.

Naturally everything goes wrong for Brad, and while comical at first, it just keeps compounding and you're like, "okay, I get it".

Not everything in life, or movies, needs to be turned up to 11.

Eventually the tables will turn and the charmed life that Dusty is enjoying will fail, but it takes quite a bit for him to realize that there is more to being a dad than just "being cool".

The energy and interplay between the two is there, and I hope that should they decide to buddy up again, they will finally get that script that puts it over the top as a truly enjoyable film that lives up to the high expectations the audience has going into the film.
 
The best bits usually involve Thomas Haden Church. That guy kills i as Brad's boss. :)

So yes, there are some laughs, but for me, not everything clicked perfectly this go round.

And really, when the kids are the ones using the most profanity in the film, it's time to get another opinion on the script.

I've seen kids that don't care for an authority figure (see Uncle Buck) and they don't need to swear up a storm to get the point across.

Final Grade: C+

It's A Mystery To Me Why People Hated "Scooby Doo".

Scooby Doo (2002)

Rated PG

Starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Rowan Atkinson, Isla Fisher,

Directed by Raja Gosnell

The Story:

Mystery Inc. is no more! The gang has gone their separate ways, but the call for them to return to Spooky Island grudgingly reunites the team as they investigate the strange goings on at the request  of Mondavarious (Atkinson). By the time the gang solves the mystery, they will have faced the most evil villain Mystery Inc. has ever encountered!

Of all the attempts to bring Hanna Barbera animated classics to life, this is the best of the bunch.

It gets more than its fair share of ridicule, but really, time has been pretty kind to this one.

I will confess that I do own a copy, but I happened to notice it as a newly added title on Netflix recently and thought, why not.

Hehehe.

It was still pretty darn funny.

As the credits began to roll, here's a main reason why the movie was so good:

Written by James Gunn.

Yep, the same guy that brought Guardians of the Galaxy to life, wrote the screen play and all that was fun about this movie, a giant kudos goes to Gunn.

That said, don't discount the performances by the leads of Mystery Inc.

Prinze and Gellar do admirable with their stints as Freddy and Daphne.

But this movie belongs to Cardellini and Lillard who encapsulate everything we've ever seen with Velma and Shaggy and bring those characters to life straight out of the cartoon. Lillard especially channels the voice and mannerisms and just seems like a perfect cartoon counterpart to Scooby.

When it was all over, I was pleased to have watched it again, probably for the first time in nearly 15 years.

I remember being amused then. I was still amused now.

Can't really ask more than that from a movie, can we?

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade:  C+ / B- range

Set Those DVRs..."Welcome To Me"

Welcome to Me (2015)

Rated R

Starring Kristen Wiig, Linda Cardellini, Joan Cusack, James Marsden, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Robbins,

Directed by Shira Piven

The Story:

Alice Klieg (Wiig) has issues. When she ends up winning the lottery, she decides to take her winnings to a television station that makes infomercials and create her own talk show. The show is a trainwreck, yet begins to draw an audience. As her new form of therapy, Alice is about to bare her soul to the world and maybe learn a few things about herself in the process.

I don't know, this is one of those movies that is impossible to describe accurately.

A dramedy, to be sure, Alice suffers from borderline personality disorder.  Apparently this is a real thing that a lot of people suffer from, and reading some reviews around the internet, apparently Wiig nails the disorder perfectly and did indeed provide some therapeutic relief for many people who were able to go, "that...that's me!"

The supporting cast, and it is a great one, do just that, they support Wiig fully. While at first the station is eager to get their hands on the money, most of the workers there end up caring a great deal about Alice as her life unspools before them.

Get ready for a quirky experience.

Available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

I Wish I Could Move To "Gravity Falls"

Gravity Falls (2012)

TV Y-7

Starring Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, Alex Hirsch, Linda Cardellini

Created by Alex Hirsch

The Story:

Twin siblings Dipper (Ritter) and Mabel (Schaal) are sent to spend the summer in Gravity Falls, Oregon. They are in the care of their Great Uncle Stan (Hirsch) who runs a tourist trap in the town. Dipper soon discovers that the town is filled with supernatural secrets and he spends his time trying to solve these secrets while also pining away at the girl of his dreams, Wendy (Cardellini).

I watch very few cartoons anymore, so if I do, it has to be well-written and have a great voice cast.

This has that, in spades.

Credit, of course, needs to be heaped on Hirsch as the series creator, head writer, and main vocal talent for not only Gruncle Stan, but also Soos, the handyman at the Mystery Shack, and other characters.

Each episode has built slowly from each other, expanding the secrets of Gravity Falls. However, there is rarely any point that you just can't jump in as a new viewer and understand what is going on.

Of the 27 episodes that have aired on the Disney Channel, I'd like to say they were all perfect, but I can't.

The one with Mabel's crush on the boy band is the least favorite of the entire family.
I don't know, something about that episode just didn't do it for anyone in the family, and it was even deleted from the DVR.

That's some serious business right there!

Otherwise, it's a lot of fun and again, some of the best writing on tv, period, cartoon or not.

Naturally, dealing with supernatural, your parental discretion is warranted.

However there hasn't been too much to worry about overall.

Except maybe Stan in his boxer shorts...

:: shudder ::

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Most episodes have been seen several times. Summerween (a holiday that should be adopted!) is a personal favorite. :)