Here Kitty Kitty..."Keanu"

Keanu (2016)

Rated R

Starring Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Tiffany Haddish, Method Man, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Jason Mitchell, Jamar Malachi Neighbors, Luis Guzman, Will Forte, Nia Long,

Directed by Peter Atencio

The Story:

Rell (Peele) is having a rough time when a wonderful kitten that he names Keanu winds up on his doorstep. Rell is smitten, and begins enjoying life again. However, when he comes back home with his cousin Clarence (Key), someone has broken into the house and kidnapped Keanu. The duo pretend to be a pair of notorious drug dealing hitmen in order to infiltrate a local gang and free Keanu!

Yep, that's it.

It's a tale of two guy pretending to be two guys they aren't, all to rescue a cute little kitten.

It shouldn't work as a feature length movie, yet it does.

The main reason, of course, is the comedy duo of Key & Peele.

Full disclosure, I've never seen their show, so I've got nothing with which to compare their comedic antics.

I'll assume their show was this much fun, which means I'll probably be watching it down the road.

But their chemistry is one of a well-honed comedy duo and their antics serve both short-term laughs and long-term comedy payoffs.

Plus, they recognize the musical genius of George Michael, and that's always a plus!
:)

Final Grade: B+

A Better Second Outing..."The Do-Over"

The Do-Over (2016)

Rated R

Starring Adam Sandler, David Spade, Paula Patton, Heather Hahn, Nick Swardson, Luis Guzman

Directed by Steven Brill

The Story:

Charlie (Spade) is not living the life he envisioned for himself. When he runs into Max (Sandler) his best friend from high school at their reunion, the two reconnect and spend a weekend catching up. That weekend ends with Max faking their deaths in a boating accident and assuming the identities of two recently deceased people that nobody knows are dead. Which is great, because they suddenly have a great house and a ton of money at their disposal. However, when assassins come calling to kill the duo, they begin to realize that maybe they are in over their heads!

Okay, that's much better.

Still, a lot of room for improvement and humor to the films, but this is a drastic upgrade from The Ridiculous 6.

For starters, there was actually more than one funny moment in the film, so like I said, much better.

This is a return to the crude, R-rated Sandler pictures, which he gravitates between these and the family-friendly version of himself, so keep the kids away.

He and Spade, and everyone else for that matter, seem to be having a pretty good time making this one, so that's a plus as well.

The framework of the story is actually a really good one and had they taken out some of the crude jokes and just gone for funny, or even tried to make it an action-comedy, I think the results would be even better.

I don't want to spoil why the 2 other individuals get killed, but if the same storyline were starring anyone else, it could be a drama or thriller.

I would say that Netflix is probably much happier with this film than the first one that brings Sandler directly to the streaming service, except Netflix proudly proclaimed that The Ridiculous 6 was the most watched movie... ever.

And people say they don't like Adam Sandler films.

Netflix knows better.

:)

Let's hope the improvements keep coming, by the 4th film, we could have a best of the year contender.

Final Grade: C

My Money's On the Big Guy... "The Last Stand"

He always said he'd be back...

The Story:

Sheriff Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is in charge of a small town just across from Mexico.  There's not a lot of crime... really, there's not a lot of anything to worry about.  So when FBI Agent
Bannister (Forest Whitaker) loses a drug cartel figurehead (Gabriel Cortez) in a high speed chase through the desert, there's only one town that stands between the fugitive and freedom.

Welcome back, Ah-nuhld, you didn't miss a beat.

I have no gripes with this movie whatsoever.  It's an action flick designed for Arnold's return, and as such, it fits very nicely in with the rest of his body of work.  Better than many of his films, not as good as the classics.

No shame there, for any actor.

As he showed in his extended cameos in the Expendables franchise, the man obviously still has a few action flicks up his muscled sleeves before he calls it a career.

They also make sure that he's surrounded with some comic relief in the form of a deputy (Luis Guzman) and town eccentric (Johnny Knoxville) whose penchant for weaponry will naturally come into play before the movie is over.

I don't think there are any real surprises to be had in the film, as it follows the by-the-numbers approach to most action films to a  "t".

Again, I don't have any problems with that, and if you want to see Arnold still kicking butt at the age of 92, here you go!

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I would be willing to watch it again, and if I find it for a decent price, I could own it someday.