Houston, We Don't Have A Problem..."Captain Marvel"

Captain Marvel (2019)

Rated PG-13

Starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Annette Benning,

Directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck

The Story:

Vers (Larson) is a warrior of the Kree civilization who has been having recurring nightmares with flashes of a life she doesn't remember. When she is captured by Talos (Mendelsohn) an enemy Skrull, he helps unlock the secrets locked inside her and sets her on a collision course with Earth that will reveal everything that she cannot seem to remember.

Welcome to Part 21, Year 11.

Never in anyone's wildest dreams, except maybe Kevin Feige's, did anyone dream that when Iron Man was released in 2008 that this is where we would be.

Find me another studio that has enjoyed the success that Marvel Studios has enjoyed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Seriously.

I'll wait.

James Bond has had 25 films over a 50 year span. Some of the efforts have been good...some not so much.

Maybe the closest you could find would be the Disney animated films, which have taken decades to create over 21 beloved movies.

Even Pixar stumbled on their impressive early track record with the Cars franchise.

Someday, the audiences that have watched the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be able to look back and marvel (pun fully intended) at the actors and directors that brought this to life and be impressed by what they managed to pull off and string together.

21 down, 2 more to go this year, and judging by the previews, those will do just fine as well.

They resonate with critics and audiences alike.

However, with Captain Marvel, there seemed to be a larger disconnect, at least in cyberspace, between those that enjoyed it, and those that seemingly hated the movie.

I don't get the hate.

I don't know if I didn't enjoy Captain Marvel as much as I should have, because the whole time a voice in the back of my head was wondering, "what is everyone else complaining about"?

Shame on me for that.

I left the theater with my lovely date, and said, "okay, tell me about all of the plot holes you found and how much you didn't enjoy this one."

To my surprise, she said this was one of the better MCU films that she has seen and she was very impressed.

I'm a lucky guy, right?

So there you go.

About as spoiler-free of a review as you're going to get.

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll see Stan Lee in perhaps his greatest and most logical cameo ever!

Now, let's see her help save the day in Avengers: Endgame!

It's A Rough Job..."The Hitman's Bodyguard"

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

Rated R

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Elodie Yung, Gary Oldman,

Directed by Patrick Hughes

The Story:

Michael Bryce (Reynolds) used to be the best Triple A rated bodyguard in the business. After a disaster he couldn't have seen coming, he's now striving to keep himself employed and working to get back to the top. Hired to escort international assassin Darius Kincaid (Jackson) to testify in court to put a war criminal (Oldman) behind bars, the two have to survive countless assassination attempts and each other if they hope to make it out of the situation alive.

If you saw the trailer and thought it looked like a silly, fun action flick, well you were right.

Ryan Reynolds is back to doing his usual routine of playing himself/Van Wilder/Wade Wilson.

It's worked for his entire career in most movies, so why stop now?

Paired with Samuel L. Jackson, the two get to enjoy the camaraderie that comes in the usual buddy comedy/mismatched dynamic duo genre and all the trappings and cliches that entails.

I happen to looooove that genre, so I'm a fan.

Fun film that with a few tweaks along the way could have been even better than it was.

Your mileage of course can vary.

Final Grade: B-

Hail To The King..."Kong: Skull Island"

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, John Ortiz,

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts

The Story:

With the Vietnam War ending, a team of scientists are using a military escort to a previously uncharted territory in the South Pacific before the Russians discover them on satellite. They will encounter things the likes of which no one has ever seen before...and lived to tell about it.

Loki (Hiddleston), Captain Marvel (Larson) and Nick Fury (Jackson) head to a deserted island...

Whoops, wrong cinematic universe.

Say what you will about reboots, cinematic universes and whatnot...

When they work, they are amazing, and when they don't, they are often colossal failures.

For me, the relaunch of (King) Kong may very well be my favorite iteration of the giant ape to appear on screen.

I know, blasphemy for the 30s original, but this is simply a technically superior storyline.

Or at least one with a much more satisfying ending.

I hate to give too much away for those that haven't seen it, but I never particularly cared for the whole "beauty and the beast" notion that has been a constant in the films.

Nor have I ever enjoyed the cage him up and take him to New York plot device.

Skull Island erases both of those shortfalls and gives as as plausible of a storyline for Kong, how he exists, why he exists and why he's never been found before.

That a sequel will invariably come from this is a good thing.

I just hope they realize they've set the bar fairly high for themselves, and unlike another giant monster franchise, I hope they can continue putting out a quality product.

Vogt-Roberts nailed it as only his 2nd feature (the excellent Kings of Summer - still streaming for those with Prime) and first blockbuster/franchise tent-pole right out of the gate. Hope he's brought back along with whatever cast may have survived their first encounter with Kong.

Count me as a huge fan of this one.

Final Grade: B+

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear..."xXx: The Return of Xander Cage"

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Toni Collette, Samuel L. Jackson,

Directed by D.J. Caruso

The Story:

When Augustus Gibbons (Jackson) is killed, the government seeks out Xander Cage (Diesel) to retrieve 'Pandora's Box'. The problem, he's not the only one looking for the device, and Cage will be going head to head with Xiang (Yen) to retrieve the box and all the secrets it holds. Does Xander still have what it takes to be part of the xXx program?

What?

You weren't clamoring for a sequel 15 years after the original xXx movie?

Well, it's only been 12, if you count the sequel that Diesel had no part of, but had Ice Cube as the lead agent.

Now if you've seen either, or both of those, then you know exactly what you're going to see here, and you shouldn't walk away disappointed.

Unless you disliked either, or both of those, but then, why would you be renting this one?  In the hopes it got better with age?

Pfft.

The stunts are fun. The action is good.

I had no problem with this movie at all.

While it won't generate on my best of the year list, it was enjoyable and I would watch it again downt he road.

I'll take popcorn movies like this nearly any day of the week.

Final Grade:  B-

Just How Innocent Is He? "Reasonable Doubt"

Reasonable Doubt (2014)

Rated R

Starring Dominic Cooper, Samuel L. Jackson, Gloria Reuben, Ryan Robbins, Erin Karpluk

Directed by Peter Howitt

The Story:

District Attorney Mitch Brockden (Cooper) has one too many drinks, but decides to drive home anyway. Along the way, he's distracted just long enough while driving that he hits a man with his car. Unwilling to risk the police, he leaves the scene and calls in the accident by way of pay phone to avoid suspicion. However, when Clinton Davis (Jackson) is arrested with the man's body in his van, Brockden does everything in his power to throw the case to avoid sending an innocent man to prison for a crime he didn't commit.

But just how innocent is Davis after all?

If it sounds like your average thriller that you've probably seen before, well, you wouldn't be too terribly far off.

I think the main problem with this thriller is you've got Samuel L. Jackson who can deliver a whole different level of movie than the rest of cast involved.

While he's dialed up to 11, the rest of the cast is rolling through on about a 7.

So the movie crackles when Jackson is around, other than that, things get a little slower and more bogged down.

If you're all caught up on your thrillers, it might be time to queue this one up.

It only took me 3 years to get back around to it.

:)

I watched it on disc, but it is now currently available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C

Edgar Rice Boredom ... "The Legend of Tarzan"

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie

Directed by David Yates

The Story:

John Clayton (Skarsgard) is implored to return to Africa where he grew up as Tarzan because there is great unrest as a man named Rom (Waltz) is up to nefarious treachery. Reluctantly, he returns alongside his wife (Robbie) and the expedition leader (Jackson).

I'm not really sure what happened next, because everyone that was sitting there trying to watch this film was bored to tears.

I turned it off when Tarzan was reunited with the apes who raised him.

:: yawn ::

Much like the flop John Carter, apparently Edgar Rice Burroughs just doesn't translate well to the big screen.

It looked really beautiful, has a wonderful cast that did their best...

But man, totally didn't connect with us at all.

Maybe if they had jazzed things up with some Phil Collins in the background?

:)

Final Grade: D+

A New Take On The Zombie Virus..."Cell"

Cell (2016)

Rated R

Starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Stacy Keach, Ethan Andrew Casto, Clark Sarullo,

Directed by Tod Williams

The Story:

Clay (Cusack) is an aspiring graphic novelist who is on his way to see his son (Casto) after a productive meeting. His phone battery dies while talking with his estranged wife (Sarullo). Suddenly, he notices passengers in the airport that had been behaving normally while on their cell phones, break out into a murderous frenzy. He barely escapes and finds some other survivors including Tom (Jackson) and they decide to head north to find Clay's son.

Equal parts Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Any Typical Zombie movie, you've now got Cell, based on a book by Stephen King.

There is no real mention of what causes the outbreak, and the only real clue is that the villain that seems to be at the center of it all looks just like a character that Clay created.

Hmmm....

Is this a movie that is dreamed by the main character?

I'd like to hope so because the ending was horrible.

Which is disappointing, because up until that point, the movie was actually not to bad for a low-budget thriller.

I'd even go so far as to say watch the movie up until the point Cusack and Jackson part ways.

Once that happens, turn it off, take it out, and send it back to Netflix.

You'll likely find you had a better viewing experience than sticking around for the conclusion.

Reading up on the differences between the book and the movie, the book had a vague, but positive ending.

Not so in this film.

It's neither vague, nor positive.

It downright sucks, even.

And that blame falls directly on King's shoulders as he is the one that wrote the screenplay, wanting to change the ending.

Master of horror...

More like master of horrible endings.

:)

Final Grade: C

Don't Become Too Attached To Anyone..."The Hateful Eight"

The Hateful Eight  (2015)

Rated R

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino

The Story:

Bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) is bringing Daisy (Leigh) in to collect the reward. However, as they race in their stagecoach to the haberdashery to avoid an impending blizzard, they run into another bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Jackson) stranded in the storm. Then they meet Chris Mannix (Goggins), who claims to be the new Sheriff of Red Rock. Once they all make it to the haberdashery, they meet even more people and things get ready to take a very deadly turn.

Someday, Quentin Tarantino will write a movie without profanity or violence.

Maybe even a kids movie.

That day is not today.

:)

No, instead, Tarantino takes us on a trip back to the wild west and puts us into a nest of ruthless rogues who like to talk.

And talk.

And talk some more.

But, that's what Tarantino is known for: dialogue.

And this movie has a ton of it.

Just a bit under 3 hours worth.

The movie starts off with chapters, and that is all fine and good, but then when the movie comes back from intermission (yes, it's that long...) Tarantino makes a stylistic change that I didn't agree with then, and still don't now.

He introduces a narrator for the last half of the movie.

I don't get the choice, other than to remind his audience of what they may not have remembered since the intermission.

It's jarring, and again, out of place since the first half of the movie did not include a narrator, I still don't see why he felt the need to bring one in to the proceedings.

Otherwise, it's a fine cast, and if you love Tarantino movies, you'll probably love this one just as much as the rest of his catalog.

Final Grade:  B-

High School Is Brutal... "Barely Lethal"

Barely Lethal (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Alba, Rachael Harris,

Directed by Kyle Newman

The Story:

Megan (Steinfeld) was raised at an Academy for wayward girls where their instructor Hardman (Jackson) teaches them everything they need to know about becoming assassins.  However, it's not an easy life, and Megan wonders about the childhood she missed out on. On a mission to take down evil-doer Victoria Knox (Alba), Megan finds herself with a way out. She applies to be a foreign exchange student in America, but with all of her training, nothing prepared her for the pitfalls of high school!

A movie that spans all genres to give you an action-adventure-coming-of-age-high-school-spy-romantic-comedy-family-friendly viewing experience.

Whew!

That's a lot of hyphens!

The problem, that's almost too much, and too many different subplots to juggle and cram into one 90 minute adventure.

But they try, and for the most part, it's a cute little movie that indeed can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Nothing that will reinvent any of the genres mentioned above, but nothing that makes you think you wasted an hour and a half of your life.

It's a great cast giving their best effort and having fun while doing so.

Hard to beat that.

I watched on disc from Netflix, but this film is also available to stream instantly on Amazon Prime.

Final Grade: C+

Now That's A Spy Movie! "Kingsman: The Secret Service"

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Rated R

Starring Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson,

Written and Directed by Matthew Vaughn

The Story:

An underground spy network needs to recruit their newest member when one of their own perishes. Harry Hart (Firth) chooses Eggsy (Egerton), the son of the man who saved Hart's life years earlier. Eggsy is very rough around the edges, and not the gentleman spy that typically serves as a Kingsman, but Hart has high hopes. As the process of choosing the newest member moves forward, so does a credible threat from a multi-billionaire (Jackson) with nefarious plan to extinguish much of society.

I thought the film looked pretty good from the trailer.

It exceeded any and all expectations that I had, and will wind up on my Best of the Year list when all is said and done.

This one even gets a nod from the Mrs. as she not only watched it the first night, she sat through it again the next night when the kids moaned about having missed it.

That tells you the film must be pretty good.

And I have an extremely odd taste in what can be considered a family movie!

:)

Thoroughly British, utterly enjoyable, it's an updated take on the spy game that takes a lot of Bond and adds a dash of Bourne and spits out a wonderfully fresh and fun look at the world's 3rd oldest profession.

Give or take.

An amazing cast that has a blast with the material they are given is on display from the very opening of the film. If you think Colin Firth is only a dramatic or comedic actor, get ready for a revelation of Colin Firth: Action Star!

Seriously, he pulls if off in a way that defies any expectations you have of him.

Samuel L. Jackson appears to be having a blast as the villain of the film, and is both frighteningly evil and hilariously funny at the same time.

That said, hats off to Taron Egerton who gets to carry much of the film when Firth and Jackson aren't doing their things.

The franchise, should they choose to turn this into one, is his to enjoy for the next decade or more.

Vaughn, who notoriously stays away from writing or directing sequels to his work, is actually onboard for at least a second chapter of Kingsman.

Works for me!

Final Grade: A-

Celebrate Columbus Day By Rediscovering "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Rated PG-13 for action, violence and pure awesomeness

Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by Joe & Anthony Russo

The Story:

A year after the events from The Avengers, Steve Rogers (Evans) is working for SHIELD, but he's not exactly happy about it.  He doesn't want to compromise his principles, yet it seems like all of the missions from Nick Fury (Jackson) are making Cap uneasy.  However, a far greater threat is lurking to undo everything that SHIELD stands for, and Captain America and the Black Widow (Johannson) may not be able to stop it.

So back during my Birthday weekend, Marvel Studios was nice enough to release this film.
That review, many of you have already read right here:

Cap 2

So, what has changed since April with finally seeing it again in the fall?


Not much.

I still maintain that The Winter Soldier is Marvel's answer to a spy thriller with a 70s feel, and they nailed it.  The spies have super-powers, but hey, didn't it always seem like Bond was a little more than human back in the day?

This is a smart action thriller that just so happens to also have some costumed heroes running around in it.

Take out the costumes, the movie still would work.


It just works better as a vehicle for Captain America.

This is still the movie to beat for Best of the Year honors.

We will see if the awesomeness of Guardians of the Galaxy is able to dethrone it.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: There are 2 movies on my Christmas list. Both are mentioned in this review.  I'm counting on you Santa.  :)

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.

It's Been A Decade, Still Waiting For A Sequel To "The Incredibles"

The Incredibles (2004)

Rated PG for slightly scary stuff... if you're like a baby or something! ;)

Starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee

Directed & Written by Brad Bird

The Story:

Mr. Incredible (Nelson) and Elastigirl (Hunter) were two of America's best superheroes.  However, the times have changed, and all of the old heroes have gone into "retirement" at the behest of the government.  Trying to live a normal life, they started a family, but Mr. Incredible has the itch to get back into the game.  When given a chance to relive some of the old glory days, he takes a chance, but is captured by Syndrome (Lee) a wannabe sidekick with delusions of grandeur.  It's up to the family to save their dad, and the day.  Can they do it?

With the release of this film, it was easily, for me, considered the best superhero movie ever.

If Marvel Studios hadn't hit a home run with Iron Man, I would have maintained that the best way to bring the heroes to life would be to follow Pixar's lead and craft well written stories that allow for the dynamics of animation to best convey the stories of superheroes.

But, Marvel made miracles happen, and the rest is history.

Meanwhile, The Incredibles now celebrates a decade of being one of Pixar's finest films.

It also cements the fact that Brad Bird is arguably the best writer/director of animated films of this generation.

The Iron Giant
The Incredibles
Ratatouille

All written and directed by him.

Probably John Lassetter is the only one more successful, but Bird was doing it prior to his arrival at Pixar, and he's also made the jump to live action films with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was a very highly entertaining entry in that franchise.

The voice cast is spot on in this film, from the kids to every character throughout the film.  The dialogue and plot just pulls you in and holds you until the very end.

Plus, before he was Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson was FroZone!

:)

Excellent, all the way around.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Own it, love it.  Looking forward to the announced sequel (about time!)

I'm Still Waiting On A Sequel... "S.W.A.T."

S.W.A.T. (2003)

Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by Clark Johnson

The Story:

SWAT officers Street (Farrell) and Gamble (Renner) break the rules one time too often, and get suspended from SWAT by Capt Fuller (Larry Poindexter).  Gamble quits and Street opts to work in the armory with the distant hope that SWAT will once again open up to him.  Enter the returning Sgt Hondo (Jackson) who has been sent back to create a new SWAT team.  He recruits a ragtag collection of misfits including Street, and the Captain is out for their heads.  But when a notorious mobster falls into their lap, and offers a 100 Million Dollar reward for his freedom, the SWAT team is going to face their biggest challenge, ever.

Ah yes, this is a guilty pleasure of mine.

I've seen it at least a dozen times, and it never gets old.

Just a hair under 2 hours, but the pacing makes the movie just clip along and feel like it has a much shorter running time.

The movie literally moves at a breakneck pace as the team is built and then they are forced into action to move the criminal to safety.

I also think this is one of the better television shows adapted to the big screen films that has happened.

Naturally, aside from the theme song from SWAT, I barely remember the show at all. :)

All said, it was great work by all involved.  Nobody seems out of place, and all of their actions are believable to the character and/or situations that they find themselves in.

If nothing else, LL Cool J made a nice audition reel for NCIS Los Angeles.

:)

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and it gets played annually, at least.

Spoiler Free Review Of The # 1 Movie In The World... "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Rated PG-13 for action, violence and pure awesomeness

Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by Joe & Anthony Russo

The Story:

A year after the events from The Avengers, Steve Rogers (Evans) is working for SHIELD, but he's not exactly happy about it.  He doesn't want to compromise his principles, yet it seems like all of the missions from Nick Fury (Jackson) are making Cap uneasy.  However, a far greater threat is lurking to undo everything that SHIELD stands for, and Captain America and the Black Widow (Johannson) may not be able to stop it.

Marvel Studios has done it again.
Not content to sit back and let the "summer movie season" begin early in May, they decided to just give April a shot at kicking off the season.

Of course, as Marvel has proven since pretty much the beginning, these aren't just mindless popcorn films.

The story of Captain America provides continuation of the story of Steve Rogers, man out of time, but also serves as a vehicle to showcase SHIELD and the Widow as well.

When Thor: The Dark World came out last year, and ended the year as the Best of 2013 on my list, I was impressed on how it improved on the original film and surpassed it.  I also noted that it was also a competent Science Fiction film feeling to it, with superheroes.

Now, The Winter Soldier is an updated look at Bond/Bourne... but with superheroes, not just spies.

This is the everyman action film filled with car chases and fights to fill the action quota easily.

I haven't decided yet if The Winter Soldier surpasses The First Avenger or not.  If nothing else, they are close equals, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I would say with 2 films, Captain America is now my favorite of the 3 solo hero franchises.

Anthony Mackie makes a fine addition to the universe as Sam Wilson.  Still with the social worker heart, Wilson's origin works perfectly for the movie, and I don't have any problem if the Falcon never soars in a more traditional costume.  This scenario worked like a charm.

So welcome to the franchise, I have a feeling the 3rd Cap film will be called Captain America & The Falcon.  The comic had a healthy run in the 70s using that very moniker.

Also, as Marvel has been doing lately, they switched directors to allow the Russo brothers to tackle Cap, and they knocked it out of the park.  It was interesting to note that they had been selected to finish the trilogy, and I look forward to what they have to offer..

So much to see.

So much to enjoy.

Quit reading the review and go get tickets.

:)

This is the movie to beat for Best of the Year honors.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I will be owning this one, no doubt.  This is up there with The Avengers as one of Marvel's best films.

A Ride Worth Catching..."The Sunset Limited"

The Sunset Limited (2011)
Rated R for language

Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by Tommy Lee Jones

The Story:

Black (Jackson) stops White (Jones) from jumping in front of the Sunset Limited train.  Feeling responsible, White keeps Black  at his apartment overnight.  The two engage in a heated debate about life and death, God and nothingness.

If you want to see anything other than two of the greatest actors from this generation debate and fight about their beliefs, this is not the movie for you.

That's all you are going to get.

Based on the play, the set is Black's dingy apartment.

Aside from occasional noise from the neighborhood and a few distinct visual clues from a nearby window...

The movie rests solely on the shoulders of the two leads.

Hey Wait...Weren't You In Captain America?

However, when you've got your cast as Jones and Jackson, you're in pretty good hands.

Sometimes the dialogue or delivery seems a bit...off... maybe unnatural.  Not sure if it's just the way it was scripted, or maybe an attempt by either actor to bring the tiredness of the fight to their delivery... but those occasions aren't many.

Naturally, when it comes to believers and non-believers, nothing is going to get solved, and no minds are going to be changed by watching a movie.

The ending is ambiguous.

The only thing that is certain, White lived to see another day.  Whether or not his mind was changed or would he try to kill himself again...

?

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  Not a purchase, but I could see watching it again a year or two  down the road.

Gentlemen...Start your Mollusks! "Turbo"

Turbo (2013)
Rated PG for potential snail peril.

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Bill Hader, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by David Soren


You will believe a snail can drive!

The Story:

Turbo (Reynolds) is a garden snail with dreams of something bigger...faster... of racing!  His brother Chet (Giamatti) is the voice of reason, ie: the dream-killer who must remind Turbo that he is a snail, and nothing more.  Ah, but when Turbo finds himself suddenly blessed with speed, it's only a matter of time until he will put up or shut up at the Indy 500 going against his own personal hero, Guy Gagne (Hader).

The critics were wrong.
The audiences were wrong.

What Were They Thinking?  Or Watching?

This movie was amazing!

From Dreamworks, they are bringing another underrated and unheralded masterpiece to theaters to be ignored by the masses.

In 2013 (okay, technically 2012) it was Rise of the Guardians.  In 2014 (okay, technically 2013) it is Turbo.

Going For the Top 10 List Again This Year!

This movie was hysterical.

First, in no small part to the writers who crafted a movie that works for kids and the parents lucky enough to hang out with said kids.

Second, a stellar voice cast filled with recognizable names, but also a lot of great actors who you would know if you saw them, but may not recognize their voices.

"And I Didn't Even Say #$@$@# Once In This Movie!"

Samuel L. Jackson ? Yeah, he's a given.

Michael Pena?  You know him, but unlike Luis Guzman, his voice isn't as obvious to the ear to create a mental picture.

The voices all blend with the story and you don't feel like it's stunt casting.  It's natural, and possibly aside from Mr. Jackson, you don't think, oh yeah, that's THIS GUY every time the snail opens their mouth.  Bill Hader all but disappears under his accent as the film's required bad guy.  Plus, he's not even that bad...at least until the end.

Naturally, Ryan Reynolds imbues Turbo with the very essence of Ryan Reynolds.  I'm not sure how he got a bum rap with RIPD and this movie both opening on the same weekend.  They were both good, but this film was significantly better.

The story itself is just the latest variation on The Little Engine That Could.

"I Think He Can!"

Let's put it another way...

Did you like Ratatouille?

Well then, here you go.  Substitute rats for snails...and cooking for racing.

Bam! Game over.

And while it's not technically everyone can race for everyone can cook...

The message is similar, and translates beautifully to the screen.

:)

Well done to Dreamworks as well for crafting a lush environment that easily makes you forget you're watching animation from time to time.

Welcome to 2014, and for now, Turbo is the film to beat.

"We Have A Winner!"

Animated OR live action.


Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Bought it.  Probably watching it again soon.

I'm In A New York State of Mind..."Die Hard With a Vengeance"

Do I look Puerto Rican to you?

The Story:

John McClane (Bruce Willis) returns, and this time New York City is being held hostage by terrorist Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons).  He's planted a bomb in one of the thousands of New York schools, but wants to play a game of Simon Says with McClane.  After inadvertently helping McClane with his first test,  Harlem shopkeeper Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson) is forced by Simon to help McClane the rest of the day.  Can McClane save the day again?

Ah... that's better.

John McTiernan returns to the franchise, and reinvigorates it with a return to form from the first, with a terrorist act covering up for an elaborate heist.

And why not tie this to the first even further by bringing the best villain family line back into play, as Jeremy Irons steps into the role of Hans' brother.

Yes, if you're going to do Die Hard, you might as well borrow all of the elements that made it work so well in the first place.

It's fun, and it crackles from start to finish.

The banter between McClane and Zeus is gold throughout.  Yes, there's even a subtle lesson in racism tossed in for free, but often overlooked because it actually works in reverse.

It could be argued that part 3 departs too much from McClane as the solo hero and enters buddy cop territory.

Eh.

I see the point, but at the end of the day, it's McClane with a novice who is along for the ride by force, not so much by choice.

While McClane doesn't do much of the claustrophobic sequences this go round, he ends up running amok in New York which can be even more unsettling than being trapped in ventilation or elevator shafts.

If you're going to close out a trilogy, again, like many franchises, you end with a solid bang that is better than the second while falling short of the first.

Die Hard with a Vengeance did that admirably.

They had no idea there would be another movie over a decade later...


Oh, and if anyone can honestly explain to me how they do the water jugs to disarm the bomb, I'd love to hear it.  I laugh during that scene every time because it makes absolutely no sense. :)

Final Grade: A

Rewatchabililty/Purchase Factor: My second favorite in the series, and just a fun movie to watch.  The chemistry between Jackson and Willis is a lot of fun to watch and enjoy.

What In The Wide Wide World of Sports Is "Django Unchained" Doing Here?

How the South Was Won...

The Story:

Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave who is rescued by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a bounty hunter.  He needs Django's help identifying three bounties, and offers to give him some of the reward.  The two get along quite well, and Schultz takes him under his wing.  Django proves to be rather adept at being a bounty hunter, and asks for Schultz's help to find his wife ( Kerry Washington) who has been sold to a southern plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).  The two pull off an elaborate scheme to get to attempt to buy her freedom, but there's a good chance not everyone will walk away from this plan unscathed.

Dear Quentin Tarantino-

I apologize to you on behalf of all of the things I've ever said about your movies.

I didn't enjoy Pulp Fiction, I'm not even sure I finished it, and was unimpressed with Kill Bill.

So I believe I added him to the short list of directors whose work I do not like, and therefore will avoid.

Then I watched Inglourious Basterds, and rather enjoyed it.

So I'm now in a conundrum, has Tarantino's work shifted over time, perhaps showing me a growth in his work?
Was I simply missing out on the greatness that people profess of his work, or was I just not feeling that great when I watched Pulp Fiction?  I do remember being sick that day...

Or do I only respond well to genre films from him, From Dusk till Dawn (horror), Inglorious Basterds (WWII) and now Django (Western) ?

I'm not sure.

But I really enjoyed this film.

Jamie Foxx did a great job as the slave turned gunslinger, and owned the role.  I read that it was designed for Will Smith, but he turned it down because he thought Django wasn't the main character, or because he doesn't kill the bad guy (DiCaprio) at the end.

First, I'm glad that Will Smith didn't take this role.  It would have been too hard to see the guy who grinned his way through Wild Wild West try and become a hardline bounty hunter.  While he can go dramatic, I think he's seen too much as the fun actor to bring the edge that's needed to this part.

Plus, he's wrong.

The REAL bad guy of this film is not DiCaprio.  It's Samuel L. Jackson's character.  Take him out of the equation, and everyone walks out of this film alive.

Never have I rooted for a character to get killed more in a western, and his death was spectacular, and well deserved.

Jamie Foxx works well as the star of the film by allowing everyone else to overshadow him, something that I don't think Will Smith's ego would allow.

One of those, Christoph Waltz is simply amazing in his role as Dr. Schultz.  This is his second Oscar under Tarantino's hand, and he deserved both, as he was the most mesmerizing character in both of those films.

DiCaprio goes full on Johnny Depp mode as the bad guy, and I think he really plays well as the bad guy.  It's a role very unlike him, and I think Tarantino brought out the best in his actors.  Reading the background of the film, they say he used a real glass and actually cut his hand in one scene so that real blood and anger were on his face.

Method actors, gotta love 'em!

: )

Finally, I would be remiss to say that I would like to thank Mr. Tarantino for balancing out two of the most gruesome scenes ever filmed (The Dog and the Mandingo Fight) by trimming their grossness, but also by putting in two of the funniest scenes not in a Western by Mel Brooks.

1) The first big shootout in Candie Land.  The guy screaming in pain as he was shot repeatedly by accident... sorry, that was just hilarious.  That whole gunfight was epic and well done.
2) The Regulators getting to ride, but first discussing their masks.  Hahahahahaha... that was so politically incorrect, it was awesome.


My hat is off to you sir, thank you for an excellent movie.

I may have to revisit your catalog and see if my initial opinion was wrong, or if we've just both changed over the years.


Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could be persuaded to do either.  Be advised, the film is rather lengthly (nearly 3 hours) but sure doesn't drag like it's 3 hours.

Shouldn't "Iron Man 2" Have Been Called 'Iron Men' Instead?

Anything you can do, I can do better...

The Story:

Multi-bajillionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) returns!  It's been six months since the big reveal to the world that he is Iron Man, and now the United States wants its grubby paws on the Iron Man armor.  Leading the charge is a smarmy Senator (Garry Schandling) and weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell).  Torn between the conflict between his government and his best friend, Rhodey (Don Cheadle) isn't sure what to do.  When Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) shows up sporting technology similar to Stark's, all bets are off, and Tony is in the for the fight of his life.

The horrible thing about sequels is that they rarely live up to the status of the film that they are following.  On rare occasions the second film can overshadow the first, Toy Story and the Godfather spring to mind, but most are missing that special something. 

Or perhaps it is just the bar is so high from the audience going in, unlike the first film, that the sequel is doomed from the start.  Which is a shame.

On its own merits, Iron Man 2 is a wonderful superhero film, and really important in the overall development of Phase One of the Marvel cinematic universe.  Of course, this is also hindsight seeing in 20/20, what they were able to put into that movie that would come to fruition later.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) returns to Iron Man, this time not after the credits, but in the film itself.  He lays more of the groundwork of SHIELD and once again Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) returns.  Joining the cast is The Black Widow (Scarlett Johannsen).

Yet even with all these characters vying for screen time, character development and action sequences, nothing really feels rushed or left out.

If anything, the biggest letdown of the film is the somewhat unoriginal thought of having Iron Man fight another Iron Man.  Very reminiscent of the first film, though Jon Favreau amps up the explosive power by adding War Machine to the mix and having the two friends battle against an army of Iron Man wannabes.

Again, judged on it's own, the movie is really quite good out of the shadow of its predecessor.

Plus, often times while the first sequel is often considered inferior, many times the third movie in a trilogy is often as good or just a little less awesome than the original.

We'll see!

Final Grade: Originally a B-, but the years have been kind, and so will I... B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Extremely high, and I have happily finally added the 2nd installment into the DVD Library.  Yay me!