Something Special Under The Hood..."Monster Trucks"

Monster Trucks (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Thomas Lennon, Barry Pepper, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover,

Directed by Chris Wedge

The Story:

When a previously undiscovered species is found while drilling for oil, the company bigwig (Lowe) decides to keep things hush hush so that he can keep drilling. Except one escapes and is discovered by Tripp (Till) who tries to help it stay one step ahead of the company that's trying to get it back. Using the creature's unique abilities, they will embark on a mission to free the other creatures that the company has captive and return them all to the wild.

Awwww...

This one is definitely geared for kids, which is always apparent when it comes from Nickelodeon Studios.

That said, at least it is entertaining enough to keep the adults entertained that decide to watch alongside their little movie watching buddies.

They've peppered (no pun intended) the film with some very familiar faces and names to up the star power, but naturally, it's Till and the creatures that provide the framework for 90% of the film.

Harmless fun for the whole family, and I'll rarely complain about that.

Final Grade: C+

Trying To Watch This One Is Like "Hell Baby"

Hell Baby (2013)

Rated R

Starring Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb

Written and Directed by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon

The Story:

A couple (Corddry and Bibb) are expecting their first baby. They move into a haunted house in New Orleans, and strange things begin happening.

The first strange thing that happened was the filmmakers made Rob Corddry not funny.

Those that have read my other reviews, I love this guy in just about everything he is in.

Hot Tub Time Machine, I'm looking at you!

But even he can't save this pedestrian parody vehicle.

The first rule of parody is to take the source material and put a humorous or funny spin to it.

I'm not sure how far I made it into this film, 10, 20 minutes...

But it felt like a lifetime until I finally switched it off and sent this one back.

No humor.
No scares.

No likey.

This was brought to you by the creators of Reno 911.

Perhaps I don't get their humor, having never seen that show, I can't say.

But I wasn't a fan of this one at all, and it winds up on my Turkey of the Year list with a miserable showing.

Final Grade: F