Clearly This Is Not Your Father's "CHiPS"

CHiPS (2017)

Rated R

Starring Dax Shepard, Michael Pena, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kristen Bell,

Written and Directed by Dax Shepard

The Story:

Jon Baker (Shepard) is a former motocross legend who's trying to get a real job to impress his ex (Bell) so she might take him back. Ponch (Pena) is an undercover Federal agent investigating the possibility that there are some dirty cops on the job at the California Highway Patrol. Let the crashes commence!

I grew up watching CHiPs. Loved that show. Jon and Ponch were a great team, and the crashes were always fantastic.

This is not that show.

This is:  what if Dax Shepard wrote, directed and starred in a movie about the California Highway Patrol?

So depending on what you expect, that might very well determine whether you enjoy this one or roll your eyes in frustration at it.

If you saw his 2012 film Hit and Run, you know what to expect.

I did. I liked it. It was a crazy film, and Shepard showed a lot of skill as the man of many hats, writing/directing/producing and starring.

He's back for more, and this one is just as fun, possibly even moreso.

A lot of the credit for that goes to Shepard himself, but also to Pena who plays his partner, who has no interest in being partners, yet the two manage to bond almost in spite of themselves.

Pena is gold in just about any role he touches anymore, so whenever he's in a film, it's already better just for his involvement.

Don't believe me?

Tell me Ant-Man would be as good without his character.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Sure, it's stupid, crude... but when it's funny, it's spot on.

And the crashes, well they do the memory of their namesake proud.

I saw this one awhile ago, and whenever I see the logo on Amazon or Vudu, I still smile thinking about the movie.

For me, that says a lot about how fun it really was.

Final Grade: C+/B-

Not A Reality Show...Or Is It? "Pawn Shop Chronicles"

Pawn Shop Chronicles (2013)

Rated R

Starring Paul Walker, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Vincent D'Onofrio, Chi McBride, Elijah Wood, DJ Qualls, Kevin Rankin,

Directed by Wayne Kramer

The Story:

A trio of stories involving some meth addicted white supremacists (Walker & Rankin), a man (Dillon) who finds a clue about the disappearance of his wife, and an Elvis (Fraser) impersonator all intersect through a Southern pawn shop.

Doesn't sound like anything you'd be interested in?

You might be right.

But this is a straight up, B movie, let's throw everything at the wall and see what the heck even sticks.

Surprisingly, more of it sticks than misses.

Each tale unfolds one by one, and it's not until you see the next story where you realize they intersect to tell of a single crazy day.

The glue to each tale is the pawn shop run by Alton (D'Onofrio) who sits around being harassed by Johnson (McBride) all day long.

Each tale stands on its own, with its own strengths and weaknesses.

The cast is top-notch playing some of the oddest characters in their careers.

Walker is much missed, and he's hilarious in this role as a white supremacist who finds out the real reason that they even go to the meetings is for the delicious buffet that's served. Otherwise, they really don't have a problem with the people they are supposed to hate.

Yep, that's the kind of crazy we're dealing with.

Or you have an Elvis impersonator who sucks at what he does who is offered a deal with the devil and takes it.

Like I said, it's unusual, but the cast and story kept me involved from beginning to end.

Final Grade:  B-

So Far, So Good..."The Magnificent Seven"

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard, Luke Grimes

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

The Story:

A town living in fear from a wealthy, ruthless mine owner (Sarsgaard) hires a noble gunslinger (Washington) to help save them. He rounds up a few infamous names to assist him with the job, and the Seven ride into town to help the townspeople learn to stand on their own two feet and repel the enemy.

If it sounds vaguely familiar, then congratulations, you have children and watched A Bug's Life.

Or quite possibly you grew up with the original western, The Magnificent Seven with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen.

And the magnificent Elmer Bernstein score.

Then of course, it would be remiss to not mention Seven Samurai, since it's the version that got this whole story on film in the first place and is considered by many to be a masterpiece.

So where does the newest version land?

As I mention in the title, so far, so good.

It's not a game-changer, and likely to bring westerns back to the silver screen on an annual basis or anything, but it's a nice star-studded remake with enough changes to the characters and motivations to make it worthwhile.

To be fair, I also went back and watched the 1960 version afterwards, and it too has its flaws and isn't quite the perfect western I remembered it to be.

Overall, I quite liked the majority of character changes that the remake made on the characters. They all became a little more three dimensional than their 1960s counterpart.

Plus, the coward of the group wasn't so much a coward, as a suffer of PTSD, and I thought that was quite a novel idea.

Of course, they started the movie a bit over-the-top with just how villainous our bad guy really was.

Had they dialed that back a bit, I think they could have possibly matched or bettered the 1960 version.

Plus, if they would have used the Bernstein theme before the very end, I might have graded this one higher as well.

I mean, you sit there just dying to hear the theme!

:)

Final Grade:  B-

The Universe Expands..."Daredevil: Season 2"

Daredevil: Season 2 (2016)

TV-MA

Starring Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Royce Johnson, Jon Bernthal, Elodie Yung, Scott Glenn

Created by Drew Goddard

The Story:

With Wilson Fisk (D'Onofrio) behind bars, you would think life in Hell's Kitchen would slow down. However, there's a new crazy in town, killing bad guys and making a name for himself as The Punisher (Bernthal). Matt (Cox) will have to suit up as Daredevil to try and bring him down before the entire city is bathed in blood. If that wasn't going to be difficult enough, there's another blast from Matt's past just around the corner as Elektra (Yung) comes calling.

Another solid season in the books for Netflix and Marvel.

While there is still some pacing issues that feel like 8-10 solid episodes drag out to 12, it's a bit better this go-round.

I'd even go so far as to say the first 4 episodes are must-see, dynamic storytelling at its finest.

There is a beginning, middle and end to the story that flows just like a perfect comic book story arc.

The problem, once Elektra arrives on the scene, I began to lose interest.

Truth be told, I was never really a fan, and I think I mentioned before that I've never truly cared for Daredevil.

The focus in the storyline shifts, and takes away from the entire Punisher storyline.

I was greatly disappointed that the trial, which could have been 4 riveting episodes on their own felt rushed and shortchanged.

Foggy (Henson) is being criminally underused in the series when he is the glue that holds the show together.

They could have easily worked the trial for 4 episodes, and then put the final 4 episodes on Castle in prison doing what he needs to do to survive and get close to Fisk.

Then you end the season by getting Frank out of jail which leaves the rest of the Elektra story for season 3, and continue Frank's tale in his own series, which thankfully is going to happen.

I'm still not the biggest fan of Karen Page (Woll) but making her a journalist is a great change of pace and one that shakes up the dynamic.

Much like Jessica Jones, I'm really more interested in the supporting cast than the main character.

Because when you pull back from the show and judge it from a distance, Matt Murdock is possibly the biggest jerk in the Marvel Universe right now.

He does what he wants, when he wants to, consequences and friendships be damned.

Plus, I'm willing to suspend belief on what Daredevil can do.

But when he becomes the ultimate super-ninja of all time...

Yeah, I hated that in the comics and it drives me batty on this show as well.

So critical of a show I can't wait to see Season 3 from, right?

:)

Final Grade: A-

"Run All Night" Feels Awfully Familiar

Run All Night (2015)

Rated R

Starring Liam Neeson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman, Boyd Holbrook, Vincent D'Onofrio

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

The Story:

Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) has a choice to make tonight. His son, Mike (Kinnaman) was about to be killed by Danny Maguire (Holbrook) so Conlon shot him and killed him. The problem? Maguire's dad, Shawn (Harris) is the mob boss that Jimmy works for. Shawn is now going to kill Mike first, and then Jimmy unless Jimmy can save them both and kill all of Maguire's men, and possibly Maguire himself, first.

It's going to be a long night!

And at almost 2 hours, it really is quite a long night.

The latest in the string of get Liam Neeson to play his Taken role and shoot the bad guys while escaping.

This one falls squarely between Non-Stop and A Walk Among the Tombstone, and behind Taken.

The movie crackles with Neeson or Harris, sadly the two barely share any screen time together, and again, after 90 minutes of watching Neeson dispatch anyone and everyone, the movie plays like a deja vu film reel versus something new and exciting.

Even D'Onofrio is mostly wasted as the cop who wants to arrest Jimmy, and has been trying for years but can never pin anything on him. He spends what little screen time he has 5 steps behind the action.

Pity.

 Final Grade: C- range.

Who Are We To Be "The Judge" ?

The Judge (2014)

Rated R

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall,Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D'Onfrio, Jeremy Strong,

Directed by David Dobkin

The Story:

Hank Palmer (Downey Jr.) is a hotshot lawyer from Chicago who pretty much has it all. He receives news that his mother has passed, so he goes home for the funeral. There he reconnects with his brothers (D'Onfrio and Srong) and continues an icy relationship with his father, The Judge (Duvall). However, when his dad is accused of murder, Hank insists on trying to save his father from prison. However, even Hank is going to try every trick in the book, especially when it looks like the truth is going to do anything but set his father free.

This film is a bit of an odd duck.

Completely a drama, the tone remains light and comedic throughout. However, I think that owes more to it trying to relate to real life than anything else. Sometimes, these things happen, and if you don't laugh, you'll likely explode.

The trick at this point is divorcing Robert Downey Jr. from the role of Tony Stark. Hank Palmer is as smooth and assured of a character as Stark, so at times, it's easy to forget which Downey we're watching.

Again, this is not exactly a bad thing, if you want someone to be an awesome Robert Downey Jr. / Tony Stark amalgam, you might as well hire the guy, right?

Duvall also commands the screen, walking a fine line between pride/ego and pain. It's one he pulls off effortlessly, and so easy to see how a father and son can both love and hate each other, so much, at the same time.

Especially when they are both too stubborn to communicate with each other.

Surrounded by a fine supporting cast that gets to shine with little moments, it's a great character piece which ultimately takes you around in circles and puts everything right back together again at the end.

Just differently.

Life life.

No complaints here.

Final Grade: B

Because The Internet Demanded One More Review For "Daredevil"

Daredevil (2015)

TV-MA

Starring Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Vincent D'Onofrio,

Created by Drew Goddard

The Story:

Matt Murdock (Cox) was blinded as a youth. Years later, the blind lawyer hopes to make a difference by defending the defenseless in Hell's Kitchen, New York. He does this by day with his lawyer partner, Foggy Nelson (Henson). However by night, Mr. Murdock has a secret. He's the crime-fighting vigilante known as Daredevil.

This is his story.

:: insert Law & Order bomp bomp here::

So a while back, Marvel announced they were partnering with Netflix to bring some of their 2nd or 3rd tier characters to the small screen.

Guardians of the Galaxy hadn't hit yet.

Agents of Shield was doing so-so in the ratings.

Perhaps this was a chance for Marvel to recoup what was looking to be a dismal future?

Hahahhaha....

Hardly.

Instead, it stands as the latest stroke of genius from the House of Ideas.

Those that know me, and my love of Marvel comics, also know that I have no love for Matt Murdock.

Daredevil is a comic that I can read for an issue, maybe 3-4 tops before I simply cringe and throw it away.

He's a preposterous character. 

He's been portrayed as the quippy-jokester... well, that's Spidey's gig.

He's the bad-ass vigilante... Batman's been there, done that.

And really, a blind lawyer? That can only go so far in comics before the reader is bored to tears.

And no, I've never bothered with Frank Miller's take on the comic, I really don't care that much about Daredevil, in print.

So it was with a big fat, "meh", that I approached the launch of Daredevil on Netflix.

Would it be grim? Would it be gritty? Would there be humor? Would I care to finish the first episode, let alone come back for seconds?

I'm happy to report that the answer to all of those questions is, Yes!

It's dark. It's brooding. But there's a light touch of humor laying over the cast which makes the show quite entertaining.

They could have easily left out the naughty language and toned back the violence if they wanted to grab the mainstream superhero audience, but they opted not to.

That could be a genius move on the part of Marvel and Netflix.

Wait, what? Comic movies aren't just for kids?

Nope, these are the Walking Dead-ish Superhero shows for adults who don't want to watch superhero movies.

They walk a nice line between Law & DisOrder. You get Murdock as lawyer, then you'll get a bit of Murdock as vigilante.

It's a nice balance, and they show never stays too much on either, nor do they seemingly shortchange the other part of the story.

All this being said, I've only watched the first episode. I'm not a big fan of binge watching, I like to take my time and enjoy what I'm seeing. I'm in no hurry.

Cox is great in the role. Looking over his roles, I'd have to say this is probably the first time I've ever seen him. He's great, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table in future episodes.

Heck, I haven't even seen the villain yet, but you feel the gravitas that they've given D'Onofrio for the role.

Looking forward to the remaining 12 episodes.

All in good time.

Final Grade: A-

Don't Mess with First Responders... "Fire With Fire"

Don't mess with firemen...

The Story:

A young fireman (Josh Duhamel) witnesses a murder. Okay, several murders.  He can identify the shooter (Vincent D'Onofrio) much to the pleasure of the cop (Bruce Willis) who's been trying to nail this scumbag for years.  Only problem, the bad guy threatens the fireman, the fireman gets sent to Witness Protection...

But that isn't safe enough!

When the girl of his dreams (Rosario Dawson) gets hurt, our hero decides he's had enough hiding, and decides to take the fight to the bad guy, and only one can walk away!

Is this the greatest action movie ever? No.

Is there a reason it had like no release whatsoever that I'm aware of?  Nope.

In other words:

It's NOT THAT BAD.

: )

It's a well paced action film, and D'Onofrio relishes playing the bad guy with more gusto than I've seen from him since he attempted to take over the world in Men In Black.


Josh Duhamel makes a credible action hero and leading man in the picture.  Bruce Willis is there in a role that has a little bit of support to the story, more than just a cameo or anything, but not a huge amount of screen time.

Streaming Instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Would I Own It: Possibly. I'd certainly be willing to stream it again in the future.