I'm Going To Go "Overboard" On My Review

Overboard (2018)

Rated PG-13

Starring Eugenio Derbez, Anna Faris,

Directed by Rob Greenberg

The Story:

Leonardo (Derbez) is a wealthy snob who has utter disregard for how the real world works, or those that work in it. So when he callously fires Kate (Faris), wouldn't you know that karmic payback was in order as he washes up on shore with no memory, and Kate claims him from the local hospital as her loving husband and devoted father to their three girls. Yep, it's payback time!

Oh no!

It's the dreaded, "Hollywood is remaking one of my classic films that I love" syndrome films.

However, let me ease your worries, hopefully, just a bit.

For those with fond, or distant memories of Overboard (1987) starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, which I actually watched earlier this year because I vaguely remember watching it 30 years ago...

It's not that great. Sure, there are some funny moments, and there's no denying the chemistry between the leads, but much of the humor is actually quite mean as you watch the story unfold.

There's no way that flies in the ultra-hip, totally modern 21st century...

Unless you actually are mean to the man, then by all means, game on!

Thankfully, the man in question is Eugenio Derbez who simply makes great movies that continue to get added to our movie library where we can laugh (and cry) whenever the mood strikes us.

Don't believe me? Go watch Instructions Not Included, a film that made my Best of the Year list not too long ago.

He carries most of the movie here as well, garnering the laughs and the sympathy as the hen-pecked husband who does his best to readjust to a life he doesn't remember.

If I had to choose between which of the Overboard films I'd watch again in the future...

Well I've seen the original twice in just over 30 years.

I've seen the new one once, but I plan on purchasing it and watching it a few more times over the next year.

It's not a masterpiece by any means, but it's fun and enjoyable, and that always fits the bill.

Final Grade: B

Don't Get Mad...Get Even! "Going In Style"

Going In Style (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, Christopher Lloyd, Matt Dillon,

Directed by Zach Braff

The Story:

Joe (Caine), Willie (Freeman) and Albert (Arkin) are three lifelong friends who are heading through tough times, about to get tougher as their pensions are about to dissolve due their company being bought out. Desperate, and realizing they truly have nothing to lose, these 3 seniors decide that the best revenge would be to earn back what is being stolen from them by robbing a bank.

So I never saw the original from 1979, so there will be no comparison with that film here.

I will simply say that I quite enjoyed this film.

Absolutely love the three leads, and they are endearing and a joy to watch on the screen.

Whether the boys will get away with their scheme, you can't help but root for them.

I think there's more to it than just the characters.

There's enough distrust by the American people of banks and big business, you really don't mind seeing them get what is proverbially coming to them.

Of course, they'll have to also deal with a dogged FBI Agent (Dillon) who is hot on their trail and looking for any way he can nail the people responsible.

I had a great time, and I'm happy to give out a higher than average grade for this one.

Final Grade:  B+

To Remake Or Not To Remake..."Pete's Dragon"

Pete's Dragon (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban,

Directed by David Lowery

The Story:

Pete (Fegley) becomes orphaned and is raised in the wild Pacific Northwest by a dragon he calls Elliot. As the years pass, he is discovered by a girl (Laurence) and her mom (Howard), the local forest ranger. The only real problem, Gavin (Urban) has learned that the forest has a dragon in it, and he's decided it would fetch him a fortune.

Well, Disney swung for the fences with this one, making a live action adaptation of a late 70s hybrid live action/animated feature.

The good thing, it's better than the original, unless you happen to adore that movie, then it's quite likely you might hate this one.

Hard to say, I've seen differing opinions all over the internet.

One lady was reduced to tears because of the changes between films.

Yikes.

Some people need to get out more.

:)

Personally, I was pleased that the musical numbers were gone, and so too the abusive foster parents that Pete had to endure growing up.

The problem, for me, that has plagued most of these live action remakes, is that they're still just average at the end.

Disney has taken beloved animated classics, or in this case, an older movie (heheheh...) and just put a new coat of paint on it and pushed it out the door.

Maleficent at least had the decency to tell an entirely new story, and it remains the benchmark of quality for these films.

The rest have come across as average, which for other studios might be okay, but when this is Disney putting out a Disney movie, it seems like we should expect a little bit more, and I'm still just not seeing it.

Again, there's nothing wrong with the film on its own merits, it simply exists.

Plus, like most movies, they severely underutilized Karl Urban and so his villainous turn is half-hearted, at best.

Perhaps I'm jaded because How To Train Your Dragon has already taken the story of a boy and his dragon and raised the bar so well, this one just didn't have a chance.

Final Grade:  C

Hollywood Remake 3:16... "Ben-Hur"

Ben Hur (2016)  

Rated PG-13

Starring Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro,

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

The Story:

Judah Ben-Hur (Huston) a Jewish prince has been accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala (Kebbell) and exiled from his homeland to serve aboard a Roman naval vessel as a slave rower. When good fortune strikes, Judah is freed and washes ashore where Ilderim (Freeman) teaches him to be the best chariot rider so that he can return home and get revenge against his brother.

Naturally, this is a remake of the classic Charleston Heston movie of the same name. I don't think I've ever seen that one at all, or at least more than a few parts, so I have no basis to compare the two.

I have seen plenty of other movies in my time though, and this one seems strikingly familiar to Gladiator, sometimes too much so.

Also a touch of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, but that may just simply be because of the wise Morgan Freeman character teaching the young hero how to be better to overcome his enemy.

Alas, both of those movies have left enough impression on my mind to make me realize that this story is their inferior.

The naval battle is pretty impressive, but otherwise this story is a bit long.

Plus, while it's an effective storytelling device to start the story in the middle of things and then flashback to what had happened before, in this case, I believe it weakened the overall story.

There is no question that Judah and Messala are going to have a showdown at the chariot race at the end of the movie.

So there is little suspense when the brother turns, or when Judah is trapped aboard the slave ship.

Start at the beginning and go from there, it would have created the stronger narrative and made the movie more gripping of an experience.

Then of course there is the minor story about this guy named Jesus (Santoro) which is almost a throwaway subplot that seems almost tacked on because they felt they had to.

Sometimes it feels forced, and I can't help but wonder if they shouldn't have either left it out entirely, or beefed it up so there was more to it than the compassion coming full circle with the drink of water.

Watchable, but there's plenty of other sand & sandal epics that you could watch instead.

Even the really cheesy Gods of Egypt.

:)

Final Grade: C-

Time To Enlist..."Dad's Army"

Dad's Army (2016) 

Not Rated

Starring Bill Nighy, Toby Jones, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Gambon, Bill Paterson, Tom Courtenay, Blake Harrison, Daniel Mays,

Directed by Oliver Parker

The Story:

The small town Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard is patrolling their town and keeping everyone safe from Nazi intruders during the closing of World War II. Under the leadership of Captain Mainwaring (Jones) and Sgt. Wilson (Nighy) they keep their motley band as ship-shape as possible. However, with the threat of a Nazi spy infiltrating their town at the same time a lovely journalist (Zeta-Jones) arrives, the crew will have to really mind their manners if they don't want to spoil the D-Day mission!

As I was completely unaware that this is a remake of the beloved late 1960s BBC comedy of the same name, I have no comparison with which to make between this movie and that show.

Which means, unlike that segment of the audience, I quite liked this film.

Those that were familiar, well, they pretty much savaged the very existence of this one, whether it seems they saw it or not.

So apparently Americans aren't the only ones who hate remakes of their childhood favorites.

:)

Anway, the movie is humorous, not gut-bustingly funny, so plan your viewing accordingly.

It's a slow, deliberate build and you can pretty much figure out what is going to happen and when, but it's still an enjoyable experience.


Final Grade: B-

Can "Point Break" Live Up To Its Name ?

Point Break (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone, Delroy Lindo

Directed by Ericson Core

The Story:

"Utah" (Bracey) is an ex-X-treme athlete who joins the FBI after a horrible accident. When he sees that there have been a series of "robberies" by other extreme sport junkies, he wants to go undercover and become one of them. He meets Bodhi (Ramirez) and quickly ingratiates himself into their midst. But when these eco-terrorists go too far, will Utah stop them, or help them?

"I'll take 'Pointless Remakes for $500, Alex"

This unnecessary update of the Keanu / Swayze masterpiece.

"What is 'Point Break' ?

I mean, wow.

Really?

I suppose if you're going to steal the main idea from a movie, you might as well give them the credit in the title.

But really, there were enough differences between this movie and the original, slap some different names and you could've gotten away with it...

But no.

You had to go Utah and Bodhi.

Even so far as Utah being just a nickname! It could have been ditched at any time.

We have eco-terrorists instead of bank robbers.

Multiple extreme sports, not just surfing (and sky-diving).

This owes as much to xXx as Point Break, so they could have called it X-Treme Green and received the same (or maybe more?) box office returns.

But when you call yourself a movie that in some corners is considered a great movie or cult classic, well, you're the one that invited the comparisons.

To start with:

Luke Bracey is no Keanu Reeves. You can dog Reeves all you want, but Bracey is a cardboard cutout compared to Keanu.

Edgar Ramirez is no Patrick Swayze. However, he's just about the most energetic and charismatic thing in the movie, so he's got potential.

Ray Winstone is no Gary Busey. That's a good thing, as the world can only handle so much Busey. That said, I did like the role of Pappas in this film, and it was again, such a departure from the original that this movie could have survived without the familiar title.

Delroy Lindo is no John McGinley. That's also a good thing, because Lindo brings class and dignity to his role, small as it may be.

But again, there were so many changes, many of them for the better, in this film that it didn't need the familiar title card.

The special effects and stuntwork were phenomenal. The scenery and locations were beautiful, and if it was green screen/CGI, it was very good and not obviously fake.

But then you have shot for shot homages to the original, the most glaringly awful example is Utah chasing Bodhi, he falls, hurts his leg, and fires the gun in anger...

Why?

In this universe, Utah never hurts his knee, so there is no reason for that bit of a leap to hurt him.

Booooo.........

So yes, perhaps I've been overly critical.

After all, I don't even have 25 years of love for Point Break, I literally saw it a few days before the remake.

But come on.

Use better judgment when you remake these films.

Or just write something original, and avoid the comparisons.

Final Grade: C  

Spies Like Us..."The Man From U.N.C.L.E."

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Christian Berkel, Hugh Grant

Directed by Guy Ritchie

The Story:

The two best spies in the world, Napoleon Solo (Cavill) from America and Illya Kuryakin (Hammer) of Russia must work together at the height of the Cold War to stop a German scientist (Berkel) from making nuclear weapons for some very bad people. They enlist the aid of his daughter, Gaby (Vikander) to help them. But can these two adversaries put aside their differences long enough to save the world?

Aside from the name and concept, I've never watched a single minute of the television show that this is based on, so I cannot compare and contrast how well/how poorly it stands next to its predecessor.

I can say the following with little worry though:

1) It looks great. It captures the feel of a world of the late 50s/early 60s very well with the sets and costumes.

2) This movie is the best I've seen from both Cavill or Hammer in ages. So that's a big plus, considering how much I disliked the Man of Steel and Lone Ranger reboots.

The downside?

The movie felt a little long and a little boring.

Not quite 2 hours, but it felt every minute of it, and maybe a few more for good measure.

Bursts of greatness bogged down by stretches of boredom is not what I want from a spy movie.

Ever.

So much potential, and I'm up for a sequel if they are game and can tighten things up a bit.

Final Grade: C

The Name Sounds Familiar... "Poltergeist"

Poltergeist (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett, Kennedi Clements, Jared Harris, Jane Adams

Directed by Gil Kenan

The Story:

The Bowen family moves into a house. The house is haunted. The house eats the youngest child (Clements). The Bowen's bring in the one man (Harris) who might have a chance at saving their daughter.

They're back.

Okay, that's a short and to-the-point synopsis of the movie.

First, hands up everyone who saw and remembers and probably loves the 1982 original film.

Cool.

Me too.

That said, it's been about...30-ish years since I last saw the film.

I'm still haunted by the fried chicken leg scene.

:: shudder ::

And of course, everyone remembers "They're he-re"

So why remake the film?

Money.

Money talks, and like it or not, Poltergeist is a "franchise".

The funny thing, get rid of the "They're he-re" line and name this film something else entirely, more people would probably have enjoyed it and/or bashed it less for being a "horrible remake" of a beloved 80s movie.

At this point, every haunted house movie is derivative of Poltergeist, or the Amityville Horror or any of a number of films that have come before.

Much like the RoboCop remake, or Total Recall, when they keep referencing names or trying to recreate scenes instead of just taking the idea of the film and doing a "what can we do now?" approach to the film, it causes too many memory reflexes for many viewers to just sit back and enjoy the show.

Thankfully, I was able to enjoy this movie for what it was, and only had a few flashbacks to the original film.

Sam Rockwell, as always, makes a great anchor for the film as we not only suffer with his ordeal of trying to save his family after the ghosts make themselves known, we feel his pain as he tries desperately to take care of his family before that even happens.

Harris also makes a great ghost hunter and provides much needed humor and seriousness as the needs arise.

You know, when it's all said and done, this was still a rather well-made story and can stand on its own two feet next to the original.

Final Grade: B-

Not Ready For AARP Just Yet..."The Equalizer"

The Equalizer (2014)

Rated R

Starring Denzel Washington, Chloe Grace Moretz

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

The Story:

Robert McCall (Washington) works at a local hardware store. However at night at a diner when he can't sleep, he reads quietly and strike up a conversation with a local call girl (Moretz). One night when she shows up the worse for wear, Robert makes a call on her employers. Things take a turn for the worse, and suddenly Robert is wanted by the Russian mob.

No good deed...

So, hands up anybody that remembers or actually watched the 80s television show of the same name starring Edward Woodward as Robert McCall.

Wow, that's not many hands.

That's okay, I barely watched any of it at all, but my dad loved the show. It was too slow and not much action.

I mean, here was this senior citizen out there fighting crime.

I believe he paved the way for Murder She Wrote and Matlock!

But I digress...

The movie amps up the action just a bit, but they keep the tension and drama building throughout.

I quite enjoyed this version of The Equalizer, and would be happy to see a sequel in the future if they so desired.

Final Grade: B

You Look Very Familiar... "RoboCop"

RoboCop (2014)

Rated PG-13 for violence and language

Starring Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson,

Directed by Jose Padilha

The Story:

In the future, OmniCorp has been sending their cyborg troops overseas as peacekeeping soldiers ensuring real people aren't dying anymore.  Only America is refusing to allow these tin men to patrol the streets, and with pressure on politicians by OmniCorp president Sellars (Keaton) and crusading journalist Pat Novak (Jackson) are lobbying to get a RoboCop trial program off the ground.  The missing ingredient: the human factor.  When they receive the gift of a cop that was targeted for assassination (Kinnaman), they hardwire him into the RoboCop program.

This is not your father's RoboCop.

Or mine, for that matter.

The original, satirical take on America in the 80s is still a science fiction classic, however, my fears, as I voiced in my review last year of the original RoboCop (1987), were thankfully unfounded.

While many of names remain the same, there are subtle, and less subtle shifts in tone and behavior to the original.

Whereas Total Recall tried to change the story completely, the over-reliance of the original ended up casting a shadow that the remake could not crawl out from under.

RoboCop takes the least amount of the original and transplants it, without the satiric tone, into a possible future America that could likely exist.

Why wouldn't we want to send robotic soldiers to fight wars and save hundreds/thousands of human lives?

You would think it would be a no-brainer, but politicians want human capability for discernment to be included.

Kinnaman brings life to the suit, literally if not figuratively.  Not familiar with his work, the big names all float around as secondary figures.

At the end of the day though, if I am only going to watch another RoboCop with my kids (assuming they want to watch it again...), it would end up being this version.

Simply because the tone and violence is dialed waaaaay back this go round.

The revamped RoboCop is a perfectly serviceable science fiction/action flick for a new generation.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: It actually wasn't too bad.  I don't think I'll rush out to own it, but I could watch it on cable in the future.

We Need To Talk "About Last Night"

About Last Night (2014)

Rated R for language and situations

Starring Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy, Joy Bryant

Directed by Steve Pink

The Story:

Bernie (Hart) and Joan (Hall) hit it off on a date, so naturally they hoped to hook up their best friends Danny (Ealy) and Debbie (Bryant) and maybe those two would hit it off and be happy.  And they do, and they are for some time.  However into every life some reality will come, and when the going gets tough, will these couples fight to keep a relationship, or simply go their separate ways?

A romantic comedy/dramedy remake of a 1986 film starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore that I never bothered to get around to watching.

Given what I've seen of this film, there's no big loss, though they do offer a nice meta-moment by having the characters in this film watch that film during the movie.

Clever.

This movie is watchable, but not very memorable.

The best part of the movie is probably the unleashing of Hart and Hall to literally go at it (figuratively and literally) in the movie.  So over-the-top, you can't help but laugh at their conversations.

However, they are supposed to be second-fiddle to the main love story, so when the main story is kind of boring...

That doesn't exactly set this up for a memorable picture.

So yes, it's watchable, but on the list of recent Kevin Hart pictures or romantic comedy/dramedy, this one comes in a dead last place.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was enough.  Hopefully this doesn't get remade again in 30 years.

Not The Worst Television Remake Of All Time..."Bewitched"

Bewitched (2005)

Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine,

Directed by Nora Ephron

The Story:

Jack Wyatt (Ferrell) is on the ropes with his movie career.  He's had a few bombs, so he is hoping that a trip to the small screen in a remake of the beloved 60s sitcom Bewitched will be just the ticket.  But Jack wants to make sure he's the star, so the plan is to find an unknown to play Samantha and that way Darrin can be the focus of the show.  When he meets Isabel (Kidman), Jack realizes that she is perfect.  He's smitten, and she's cast.  However, what Jack doesn't know is that Isabel really is a witch, and she's got some ideas of her own.

So where did this one go off the rails?

Nearing the 10th anniversary of this film, and I gave it a spin again recently.

It was still cute.

No, it's nothing to set the world on fire or change cinema forever...

But come on, it wasn't that bad.

Perhaps it had a built-in hatred from audiences even before it was released?

After all, people complain about the bankruptcy of Hollywood ideas and the constant recycling and remaking of old properties.

Then you advertise that you are remaking Bewitched, and audiences hated it on principle alone.

Of course, it arrives with a twist, it's a remake within a movie, so it's very clever in NOT being a remake.

Add to that the clever notion that Isabel and her family are witches, and it should have been enough to appease the haters, but it failed.

Why?  Hard to say.

Ephron gave it her best as writer and director, and the cast is first-rate.

Kidman gives a spunky, humorous performance as Isabel/Samantha.  Even down to the nose twitch, she plays the part well.

Ferrell plays the ego-centric but mostly harmless Jack with his usual goofy, everyman charm.

MacLaine vamps it up as an aging Hollywood diva and Michael Caine plays pretty much himself.

Don't forget the delightful cameo by Steve Carell channeling his best Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur, and this was a movie that should've been better than it was.

It should've been better received and remembered.

Final Grade: C+/B- Range

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: It's cute..it's sweet..it's harmless.  Perfect movie to watch on a slow night.