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-

The Secret Is Out There..."Hector and the Search For Happiness"

Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014)

Rated R

Starring Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Jean Reno, Christopher Plummer, Ming Zhao, Toni Collette

Directed by Peter Chelsom

The Story:

Hector (Pegg) is a psychiatrist who leads a seemingly ideal life. Except he seems both bored by his patients and his girlfriend (Pike). So one day, Hector decides to throw caution to the wind and embark on a global adventure to discover what true happiness is.

A quirky little indie dramedy that grows on you as the film rolls, Pegg continues to shine as a leading actor who seems perfectly at home in these offbeat love stories.

He absolutely loves Clara, but feels the need to see what life could throw at him if he leaves his very organized life behind for a moment and travels the globe.

Along the way he encounters all manners of characters who impart their wisdom of how to be happy, and how they achieve it. Naturally, each one adds a new layer to Hector and he is able to use what he's learned along the way to help him out of situations as the needs arise.

Naturally, there is the other woman (Collette) who Hector needs to see to find out what he might have missed out on, or if there is a chance that she was his happiness all along, and Clara is a substitute of what might have been.

If you've seen enough movies in your life, you know pretty much how this movie will play out from start to finish.

Still, it's a journey that's always worth taking, and a great cast that takes you along for the ride.

Final Grade: B

"Krampus" Knows If You've Been Naughty...And Will Make You Regret It!

Krampus (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Emjay Anthony, Stefania LaVie Owen, David Koechner

Directed by Michael Dougherty

The Story:

Max (Anthony) and his family (Scott, Collette & Owen) have become disillusioned this holiday season. So that means, Krampus has decided to visit the family and rekindle their holiday spirit, even if it kills them!

I've seen a lot of good horror comedies so far this year.

Heck, I have a couple that will be vying for favorite movie of the year honors when all is said and done.

Krampus won't be joining that list.

The main problem, as I saw it, the movie tried too hard to be scary and forgot to be funny.

And then they tried too hard to be funny and would forget to be scary.

So you take a good cast and give them a film with an uneven tone, and the results will be average, at best.

So yes, there's a few good laughs, and a few good scares.

But when it's over, much like the ending, it will be a vague exercise in trying to remember what exactly you just saw.

Final Grade:  C

"Enough Said" About This Relationship

Enough Said (2013)

Rated PG-13

Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, Catherine Keener

Written and Directed by Nicole Holofcener

The Story:

Eva (Dreyfus) is a divorced, single parent who works as a masseuse. She meets Marianne at a party, the two connect, and Marianne becomes her next client, and they actually becomes friends as well. Marianne does like to complain about her ex husband, a lot.  At the same party, Eva met Albert (Gandolfini) as well. No real attraction, but the two went on a date and began seeing each other, and they really seem to like each other's company.

Stop me if you can see where this is going.

:)


Now, just because we know who everyone is, doesn't mean that Eva does.

At least, not at first.

However, once she meets Albert's daughter and then sees her again at Marianne's house, well the truth is now revealed to Eva.

And once she knows the truth, Marianne's words begin to slowly poison Eva's relationship with Albert.

Will the two find true happiness, or are they as doomed as Albert's first relationship?

Great chemistry from Dreyfus and Gandolfini, and the relationship seems "real" thanks to the efforts of Holofcener to make the two seem like real people, having real conversations.

Kind of refreshing.

Final Grade: B-

Dysfunctional Coming of Age Tale... "The Way Way Back"

The Way Way Back (2013)
Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell

Directed & Written by Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

The Story:

Duncan (James) is a shy 14 year old coming to spend the summer at the beach house of his mom's (Collette) new boyfriend (Carell) and his daughter.  Next door is the beautiful Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb) and her crazy mother (Allison Janney) and the lazy-eyed brother, Peter.  Also spending a lot of time at the house are neighbors Kip and Joan (Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet).  Sam absolutely hates it there, and finds a bike and rides off into town.  He goes to Water Wizz, the local fun park and befriends Owen (Rockwell) and gets a job.  Finally starting to come out of his shell thanks to his co-workers, Duncan is about to have the best summer of his life.

As the poster proclaims, from the studio that brought you Little Miss Sunshine, and really, that should tell you everything you need to know.

However, unlike Ruby Sparks which was brought to us by the director of Little Miss Sunshine, and sits on my list as the most hated movie of 2014 so far...

The Eighth Dwarf: Mopey

This one is at least watchable.

I've been outspoken that Little Miss Sunshine was overrated, and this one lines up to receive the same accolades, but to me it is a dramedy that isn't nearly as funny as previews or critics would have you believe, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The laughs are genuine and serve the story well when they come, and not overplayed antics to serve a storyline.

If anything, the story is slow and deliberate, almost too slow at times.  There is an awful lot of the same thing happening over and over again, but yet it is compelling enough to not turn it off, and that mostly comes off the strength of the actors.

If I had to choose to watch either of these movies again, this would be selected.

It's the Sam Rockwell Show!

The main reason is a simple tour de force by Sam Rockwell who delivers another great performance, but then, when doesn't he?

Had there been any other actor in the role, I likely would have downgraded this movie farther.  But he's entertaining and keeps me coming back, hoping more of the movie will be centered around his character and less about Duncan's troubles at home.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No, I'm good.  If I were to watch it again, I would simply fast forward to Rockwell's parts and call it a day.