Get Me To The Church On Time... "Naked"

Naked (2017)

TV-14

Starring Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall, Dennis Haysbert,

Directed by Michael Tiddes

The Story:

Rob (Wayans) is set to marry Megan (Hall). One small problem, on the day of his wedding, he wakes up naked in an elevator with no clue how he got there. He's got to race time to get to the altar in time to get married. Too bad he's not going to make it.  The good news, he's going to wake up again in the elevator and have another shot at it, until he gets it right.

So if you've seen Groundhog Day before, you pretty much know what to expect from this movie.

If you've never seen Groundhog Day, well shame on you, you should definitely go watch it.

I happen to be a big fan of Groundhog Day, and the line of movies that have followed in those same footsteps to bring you the same story, over and over again, of someone trying to figure out what they need to do in the cosmic scheme of things to unlock their day from replaying for the rest of eternity.

Naked follows the formula just fine, the initial trial is just getting Rob back into clothes so he can try and get across town and get married.

Each time he gets ever closer to his bride but repeatedly comes up short.

Along the way he's going to learn some things about himself and his new family that will help to shape and change him into being a better person.

Wayans does a fine job carrying the movie on his shoulders. His character isn't flawed as much as he's immature at the beginning and has to do some growing up to discover what it is he truly wants out of life.

Pretty fun from start to finish, and another enjoyable Netflix Original.

Final Grade: C+

Sunday's Screamer...I Mean Streamer..."A Haunted House"

Some weird things are going on in this house!

And there's a ghost, too!

The Story:

Malcolm (Marlon Wayans) has his girlfriend Kisha (Essence Atkins) move into his house with him.  Malcolm didn't ask for the demon to come along with her.

Ah yes, a parody of the "found footage" horror movies that are box office hits.

And, they do some of the same stunts, which actually generate some suspense and chills, but they are buried deep and wide amongst the throw it at the wall and see if it sticks comedy.

Now, for those that have seen the Scary Movie franchise, you probably know exactly what kind of comedy you're going to get.

When Marlon Wayans is your most grounded character in the film, you know there's going to be issues. :)

You've got Nick Swardson playing Chip the gay psychic who is infatuated with Malcolm, and is more concerned with getting with Malcolm than getting rid of the demon.

Then you have Cedric the Entertainer at the end of the film as the exorcist.  Small part, but he has a good time with it.

Whether or not they are successful ridding the house of the demon...

Well, I just saw that a sequel is in the works, so that should give you a clue.

Available to stream instantly as of this writing on Netflix.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nope, I'm good on this one.  There were some amusing gags in the film, but not enough to warrant subsequent viewings.  Yes, I will likely watch the sequel though.  :)

A Real American Hero..."G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra"

If knowing is half the battle, what exactly is the other half?

The Story:

The G.I. Joe team recruits Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) into their ranks.  It seems that the nefarious COBRA organization has some nanomite technology in their hands, and they plan to take over the world!  Can the Joes save the day?  Or are they doomed to failure?

You know what, I don't get all the hate towards this film.

Going back and watching the 80s cartoon...yeah, it's not as great as we might seem to remember it being.

:)

Plus, I never bothered with the action figures.

No, instead, this movie came out, yet another Hasbro toy property brought to the big screen.  2 years removed from the blockbuster success of The Transformers (a movie that blows by the way! : )  )The trailer premiered, and they promised me an action movie, and the movie delivers.  Some great effects and stuntwork and some killer action set-pieces, I have absolutely no complaints with what the finished product wound up being.

The majority of the characters are all here, with a pretty impressive cast filling in all of the roles.  An argument could be made that perhaps it was all too much...too soon and it could have been spread out over a franchise instead of cramming everything and the kitchen sink into one movie.

But come on, it was cool to see Snake Eyes (Ray Park) up on the big screen.

At the end, the Joes save the day, imprison Cobra Commander and Destro, but Zartan has taken the place of the President.

I smell sequel!

: )

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and I've watched it 2 times since the first time I've seen it.  Still enjoy it each time.