Not Your Daddy's Renaissance Fair..."Knights Of Badassdom"

Knights of Badassdom (2013)

Rated R

Starring Ryan Kwanten, Steve Zahn, Peter Dinklage, Jimmi Simpson

Directed by Joe Lynch

The Story:

When some Live Action Role Players accidentally conjure up a live action demon, all hell is literally going to break loose. Do these  wannabes have what it takes to save the world?

Okay, when the subject of your movie is LARPers bringing a demon to the world and then trying to vanquish it, you either need to be a big budget, A-list actors that take the very subject with a degree of seriousness just this side of Hamlet...

Or you embrace the silliness of it, bring together an ensemble of great character actors, slap the most awesome name this side of an 80s movie, and see what happens.

As you can see from the cast picture, they opted for the easier film to make.

It's silly.

But totally watchable.

It's a horror-comedy with fantasy/sci-fi tendencies.

Not every film can make that claim.

Plus, nearly every character in the film is totally enjoyable, thanks in no small part to the great cast that they managed to assemble for the film.

To be fair, Danny Pudi's part is way too small, but what can you do?

So if the cast photo and title aren't enough to make you want to see it...

well, you take your films too seriously.

; )

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

C+

You Wouldn't Like Them When They're Angry... "The Angry Birds Movie"

The Angry Birds Movie (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Peter Dinklage, Sean Penn, Bill Hader,

Directed by Clay Katis & Fergal Reilly

The Story:

On an island of very happy flightless birds, Red (Sudeikis) just doesn't fit in. He doesn't much care for the other birds, and though they put on a happy face, they really could do without him as well. When his anger gets the best of him, he winds up in therapy where he meets Chuck (Gad) a bird who has a problem with authority, and expresses it at high speed; and Bomb (McBride) who has a tendency to blow up when stressed or surprised. However, when Leonard (Hader), a green pig arrives at the island with seemingly benign intentions, something seems off to Red, and he and his therapy pals are going to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.

Well, they probably began production on this while the Angry Birds iron was still hot, but this seems to be one of those "too little, too late" moments where, hasn't the Angry Birds phase come and gone by now?

But, let's tackle this movie and see what it got right, and what it got wrong.

First, the voice cast, only partially listed above, is top-notch and has some great comedians and actors assembled from top to bottom, even some parts that are only briefly in the movie.

That said, Jason Sudeikis almost sounds bored throughout the movie. Perhaps it's being unable to see Sudeikis delivering the lines himself, as he usually puts a lot of visual energy into his performance, but it seemed to almost be disconnected from where I was sitting.

Not his finest work of the year, but plenty of solid fare from other films this year that I've seen, so no worries.

Of course, you also have the curiosity factor of Sean Penn doing voice work in an animated movie.

Sure...

The animation itself, again, very pretty, no complaints. It's lush, and they adapted the characters and scenery from the movies to near perfection.

Overall, however, the jokes seemed to fall flat throughout the film. I smiled a few times, but I don't recall a whole lot of laughter from myself or any of the kids that watched with me.

That's not good for an animated kids movie.

Plus, this movie contains one of the grossest gags ever in the history of cinema, and I have to say I'm a little amazed that they got away with a PG vs. a PG-13 rating because of it.

In fact, it was moments like that, and few others peppered throughout the film that almost made it seem like they wrote it as an R rated movie, then went back and toned it down as they realized they should be trying to appeal to kids.

Didn't hate it, but came away disappointed.

Final Grade: C-

Militant Cookie Entrepreneur..."The Boss"

The Boss (2016)

Rated R

Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Ella Anderson, Tyler Labine, Kathy Bates,

Directed by Ben Falcone

The Story:

Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) is a millionaire who winds up in jail after a little bit of insider trading. When she comes out, she learns that she can't just Martha Stewart her way back to the top. She intrudes upon her former assistant Claire (Bell) and her daughter Rachel (Anderson). When Michelle tastes some of Claire's brownies, she decides that she's got her new business venture to get on top, no matter what scout troops she might have to demolish to get there.

I approach every Melissa McCarthy with great caution these days.

She seems genuinely funny, but I've found that more often than not, she's being pigeonholed into playing the same acerbic wise-ass in every role.

And her delivery is impeccable, and sometimes her dialogue is outrageously funny...

Other times, it falls flat for me.

I would chalk The Boss up as my favorite of her starring roles thus far.

I think the only thing I would change, is her Chevy Chase falling down schtick.

We get it, you're a physical comedienne, but really, what point did the pratfalls serve in this movie?

The sofa bed, I get it. It was a set-up for the last joke in the movie, so I'll give you that one, but the fall down the stairs?

Time to let the stunts go.

They really don't service the plot very much, and again, you're getting yourself typecast.

Now, all of that said, I laughed a lot more in this movie than I expected to, but a lot of that laughter gets to be spread around to the rest of the cast, especially Kristen Bell as the poor Girl Friday who finally stands up for herself, and still gets run over at the same time.

I'm now more optimistic for future projects than I was before I watched this one.

And no, that doesn't count Ghostbusters, because every trailer I saw looked lame.

: )

Final Grade: B-

It's An Entire World Against Adam Sandler. He's Used To It. "Pixels"

Pixels (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Monaghan

Directed by Chris Columbus

The Story:

In the 1980s during an arcade championship, the action is recorded and sent into space as part of a time capsule of life in America should any alien life wonder what's going on down there. Now, they've come, and they took the recordings as an act of war! So it's up to Brenner (Sandler), Ludlow (Gad) and Eddie (Dinklage) to try and save the day at the request of the President of the United States (James) The stakes are high, because they will be battling the aliens and the first team to lose 3 lives, it's Game Over for real.

I've grown really tired over the years about people who complain an awful lot about Adam Sandler movies.

They aren't funny.
He's not funny.
He can't act.
They're stupid.

Give. Me. A. Break.

Or better yet, do better.

It's a free country, let's see what you've got.

If you don't find Adam Sandler to be funny, that's your right as a citizen of Planet Earth.  But to say his movies aren't funny or aren't any good is an absolute lie.

Some of the best times I've had watching movies with my family have featured Adam Sandler in them.

The Wedding Singer.

Billy Madison.

Bedtime Stories.

Mr. Deeds.

That's 4 off the top of my head.

While Pixels doesn't quite hit the level of those films, it was still a fun ride.

Watching the video games that we all played and loved as kids (and still do) come to life as an actual life-threatening device was pretty darn amusing in the grand scheme of things.

So really, Adam Sandler movie reviews are rather pointless in the grand scheme of things.

Either you're going to see it, or you're not.

Nothing will ever change your opinion, and I can't help it if more than half of America is wrong.

Seems like we already prove that every 4 years when we vote already.

:)

Final Grade: C+

'Cause You've Had A Bad Day... "The Angriest Man In Brooklyn"

The Angriest Man In Brooklyn (2014)

Rated R

Starring Robin Williams, Mila Kunis, Peter Dinklage, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson

The Story:

Henry (Williams) is having a bad day. When he is finally seen by Dr. Gill (Kunis), it's not even his doctor, but someone covering for the doctor so he could start his weekend early. Naturally, Henry lets the doctor have it verbally chastising her up one side and down the other. She doesn't want to release the news to Henry that he's got a brain aneurism, but when push comes to shove she blurts out that he's only got 90 minutes to live.

So begins Henry's last day in New York.

Facing that news, Henry decides that all that truly matters is making amends with his family.

Naturally, with each reconciliation, he is thwarted at every turn as the countdown to the end of his life draws ever closer.

Can he reconnect with his wife (Leo) and son (Linklater) before it's too late?

Meanwhile, Dr. Gill is chasing all over New York to find him, even enlisting Henry's brother (Dinklage) on the chase.

This is another one of those films that is both endearing and heartbreaking to watch, so soon after the passing of Robin Williams.

It's one that has a few too many parallels, and I'm not sure if the viewing so close to his death provides extra emotional impact or not.

Either way, it's a film you may not have heard about, but one that is well worth your time.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Too dramatic to be a crowd pleasing multiple viewings. However, it's one that a few years down the road could be watched again for some laughs and tears.

Now Playing..."X-Men: Days Of Future Past"

X-Men- Days of Future Past (2014)

Rated PG-13 for language, violence, and Hugh Jackman's bum

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page,

Directed by Bryan Singer

The Story:

In the future, the war between humans and mutants is nearing its end.  What is left of the X-Men make one last stand.  If they can use Kitty Pryde's (Page) talents to send Wolverine (Jackman) back to 1973, he can avert the assassination of Dr. Bolivar Trask (Dinklage) by Mystique (Lawrence).  The government will capture Mystique and use her unique DNA to create the Sentinel program and use those weapons to wipe out mutant-kind.  Wolverine will need to reunite Xavier (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) to help him stop Mystique, and hopefully change the future.

Well, how about 20th Century Fox.

In one fell swoop, they fixed everything that was wrong with the X-Men/Wolverine franchise with a bit of a soft reset button.

All it took was a bit of time travel, and a willingness by the franchise to embrace the awesomeness of X-Men: First Class and move forward.

Initial reaction?

This is probably the best X-Men movie yet. 

I may have to watch First Class again just to make sure, but it was pretty darn good.

I was never that enamored with either of the first X-Men movies, and I didn't hate the 3rd nearly as much as every other human.

Totally disappointed with the first Wolverine solo movie, mostly for the total butchery of Deadpool.

:: sniff ::

But again,  one fell swoop, and everything can now be different.

The best parts of the movie:


1) Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver - Awesome. Hilarious.  Now that we've seen what the X-Men can do with him, let's see what Joss Whedon can do in The Avengers.

2) Blink - She was awesome, and short-lived (once upon a time) in the comics.  She was awesome in the film.

If you've abandoned the franchise at any point, come on back.  If you've never set foot in the franchise... you might get a little confused, but I think the plot is solid enough not to lose you too much, give it a try.

And yes, sit through the entire credits.  You'll be treated to a scene that does two things:

1) It sets up the next X-Men movie.
2) It answers an age old question about how something was made.

:)

And yeah, I still don't get people that get up and leave at the end of comic book films!

I felt bad for this one lady and her kids.  The husband/dad was growing impatient at having to sit and watch the credits roll.

As the credits just about finished, he told her "there's not anymore credits to put a scene into, let's go".

Jerk.

So they left, and were out of the theater just as the teaser played.

Ah well...

I think I'll have to give the X-Men the ranking of 2nd best comic-book movie of the year so far.

Moving ahead of Spider-Man 2, but trailing Captain America.

Let's see how the Guardians do in August.

Final Grade: A-/B+ range

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'll be adding it to the X-Library this Christmas.