The New Dynamic Duo..."Ant-Man & The Wasp"

Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018)

Rated PG-13

Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Pena, Laurence Fishburne, Walton Goggins,

Directed by Peyton Reed

The Story:

Scott Lang (Rudd) is almost complete with his 2 years of house arrest following the events of Captain America: Civil War. With just days to go until freedom, he begins having strange visions of Janet Van Dyne (Pfeiffer) in the Quantum Realm. Naturally, Hank Pym (Douglas) and Hope (Lilly) are trying to rescue her from the Quantum Realm, and they realize they need Scott's help to accomplish the mission. The only downside, they aren't the only ones who want to enter the Quantum Realm.

So I have to ask, did you like Ant-Man?

Because if you did, pretty much everything there was to like about that movie gets ample screen time in the sequel.

We've got another heist to accomplish, and the every man charm of Paul Rudd makes the trip worth taking.

Now if you didn't like Ant-Man, then there's really no point in bothering with the sequel.

Though I've yet to find anyone who seriously didn't enjoy that movie, at least just a little.

The sequel highlights what I think most fans of the MCU have come to realize with this franchse:

Ant-Man has, from top to bottom, the best supporting cast in all of these films.

The film itself takes place over roughly a 48-72 hour span, so there's a breakneck energy to it as Peyton Reed dials up the ability to shrink and grow to effective (and many times, hilarious!) results.

10 years.

20 films.

Everyone has their favorites, and I have a feeling that this one will land in the first half of many fans favorite listing.

Here's to the next 10 years... and the next Ant-Man sequel!

Final Grade: A

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-

The Thin Blue Line..."End Of Watch"

End of Watch (2012)

Rated R

Starring Jake Gylenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez, David Harbour, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera,

Written and Directed by David Ayer

The Story:

Brian (Gylenhaal) and Mike (Pena) are officers in the LAPD. They're partners. They're brothers. When they uncover crimes being committed that are well above the street thug level that they are used to, they draw the unwanted attention of a Mexican cartel that orders them killed.

Your feeling about the police will likely color your desire to even see this film.

It's brutal and unflinching in portraying life on the streets of California and the dangers that are out there for citizens, criminals, and the police.

Shot in a documentary style for Brian's college class, you'll be up close and  personal as the personal and professional lives of Brian and Mike play out before you.

The rest of the supporting cast is great, and used sparingly.

Again, this is about the partners and the bond they share.

It's also what gives the film the extra heart and soul and may likely lead you to tears by the film's conclusion.

It's a film that had been sitting in my queue for years, and I'm finally glad I got around to seeing it.

Final Grade:  B

The "Collateral Beauty" Of Life

Collateral Beauty (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Pena, Naomie Harris, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightly, Jacob Lattimore,

Directed by David Frankel

The Story:

Howard (Smith) is an advertising executive who owns his own firm. After a personal tragedy, he retreats within himself and his behavior grows stranger and stranger. His three best friends (Norton, Winslet and Pena) also work with him and they are growing concerned that his reckless behavior is going to cause the business to fold and all of their employees will lose their jobs. When they discover that he has written letters to Love, Death and Time, they hire actors (Knightley, Mirren and Lattimore) to play those parts.

Needless to say, the three friends get much more than they bargained for in this endeavor.

It was a very tricky movie to pull off, because quite frankly, aside from a brief glimpse at Howard at the beginning of the movie, there was nothing in the first act of the film that inspired that kind of friendship and loyalty from his friends.

Quite frankly, if not for the rest of the cast, it would have been easy to turn it off.

Howard was so undeserving of anything at all from any character or the audience for that matter.

Thankfully when he finally gets around to interacting with Death, Love and Time, his character finally begins to regain some humanity, and then you can sympathize with what he is going through.

It does indeed pick up though, and the rest of the cast soars as they bring the emotional weight of the film full circle.

A stronger beginning, yes, maybe even making this film a little longer, would have possibly made this an even stronger movie.

I still recommend having a tissue nearby before it is all over though.

Final Grade: B

Houston, We Have Another Problem... "The Martian"

The Martian (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Michael Pena, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover,

Directed by Ridley Scott

The Story:

During the latest manned mission to Mars, a violent storm forces an early evacuation by the crew. During the storm, Astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) is struck by debris and assumed dead when the captain (Chastain) is unable to locate him. They leave the planet and head home to Earth. However, Mark's death is slightly exaggerated and he recovers and finds himself alone on Mars. He must find a way to survive, make contact with NASA, and wait and hope for his eventual rescue with the next planned return to Mars in a few years!

The fun part about coming to review these movies so late in the game is that much of the furor has died down. "Greatest movie ever!" "It sucked!" All those varying opinions are out there, and I just brush them aside and figure out if I liked the movie or not. 

And I quite enjoyed it!

I will mention that this one is nearly 2 1/2 hours long, but it's one where it doesn't feel like it, so that's always a plus.

If you're going for distance, make that time spent on the movie an enjoyable one.

Ridley Scott directs a stellar (no pun intended) cast who all provide outstanding support to Damon.

Damon, however, does the bulk of the heavy lifting as he has to be the center of the movie, acting and reacting to dire situations as they arise during his stay on Mars.

That said, though this is essentially a drama, there is enough humor and levity both on Earth and Mars, that you keep smiling and laughing even as you're on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next and will they get to him in time.

Because quite frankly, if they don't rescue Watley, you're going to feel angry and upset when the film is over.

But, at least you know they tried.

It's quite the enjoyable ride, and if you haven't seen it yet, you're likely in for a great experience when you get around to watching it.

Or, you'll hate it.

:)

Final Grade:  B+

Little Hero. Big Heart. "Ant-Man"

Ant-Man (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Pena, Judy Greer

Directed by Peyton Reed

The Story:

Scott Lang (Rudd) is an extraordinary burglar who gets out of prison and needs to go straight so that he can be the hero that his daughter believes him to be.  However, going straight is tough when your best friend (Pena) knows people that know things and offers Scott a chance to make a huge score so that he can provide for his daughter. The job is quite simple: rob an old man's safe while he's away from home. What Scott finds inside that safe changes his life, forever!

I don't know what the beef between Edgar Wright and and Marvel Studios was, but I am quite content with the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It's a heist film... with superheroes!

It's also a film about love and what a father would do for their family...their daughters...

It's good stuff!

Rudd is his usual everyman charmer, and that pays off in the likeability of the character.

Surrounded with Luis and his friends, this is the most fun you've had at a Marvel film since Guardians of the Galaxy.

This time though, all the action takes place right here on Earth.

It was a perfect way to incorporate Hank Pym (Douglas) into the Marvel Universe and truly know that the film universe can, and will, exist on its own merits and upend everything you think you know with new versions of familiar characters, and you won't really mind any of the changes.

Do you miss seeing the winsome Wasp?

Maybe, but the promise of things to come looms large, and it's an exciting future not knowing what is in store for these characters.

Great storyline, and a thrilling, funny final act confrontation.

The biggest fear with this, and all Marvel movies, they're really using up their supervillains quickly!

Hopefully they don't hold the box office results against this film, I'd happily pony up to watch Ant-Man 2!

Final Grade: A

The "Fury" Of War

Fury (2014)

Rated R

Starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal

Written and Directed by David Ayer

The Story:

Army Sergeant "Wardaddy" (Pitt) takes his Sherman tank and his crew deep into the heart of Nazi Germany during the end of World War II on a daring mission.  Everyone dies.

The end.

This is one of the most disappointing war films I've seen in quite some time.

It's bloody.
It's violent.
It's...

boring.

Didn't care for this one in the least.

At least Saving Private Ryan had interesting characters to care about as they were picked off one by one.

This one, you knew they were pretty much all cannon fodder early on, and they just drug it out to the end of the film.

They kill lots and lots of people along the way, but after awhile, even killing Nazis gets old.

That's a sentence that I never imagined typing.

I expected more. Or better. Or something.

Maybe next time.

Final Grade: C-

Sticking It To The Man! "Cesar Chavez"

Cesar Chavez (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Michael Pena, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich

Directed by Diego Luna

The Story:

The auto-biography of civil rights/labor leader Cesar Chavez (Pena).  His non-violent tactics drew support from Senator Robert Kennedy (Jack Holmes) and helped organize the local farm workers in California to earn decent wages by attempting to unionize the laborers.  However, his strides for equality on the farms took a toll on his life at home.

I remember learning about Cesar Chavez in high school.  Organizing the farm laborers in California, Chavez is one of the integral civil rights leaders in the late 60s that is overshadowed in the history books.  However, what he lived through needs to remembered and this movie does an excellent job of showing what Chavez and the rest of his people endured in the vineyards of California.

Shot at. Locked up. Sprayed with fertilizer.  All that and more were endured by Chavez and his family and the rest of the union members in their bid for better wages and working conditions for the farm workers.

There are sub-titles for the movie, but there is plenty of English to go around, just letting you know what you're in for.

Very solid biopic, and I'm glad Chavez' story was finally told.


Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Wouldn't need to purchase this one, but one that I could see again in the future.