Grief Counseling..."Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Rated R

Starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh

The Story:

As the title suggests, these three billboards are placed outside of the town by a grieving mother (McDormand) questioning the police chief (Harrelson) about why her daughter's murderer has not been caught. 

There's a lot to soak in with this movie.

It's probably the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful of Martin McDonagh's catalog of films. 

That's a good thing, but all of his previous work that I've seen, I've always enjoyed. 

The cast, which I'm limiting to just the three principal players, is simply outstanding. 

I'm happy for the film and all the awards it was nominated for, and rightfully won. 

The worst part was having Harrelson and Rockwell competing against each other for the same category.

Both are great, I would personally have given the edge to Harrelson, but that's me. 

My only real complaint with the film, it wanders a touch here and there, maybe 10 minutes or so too long, but still comes in shy of 2 hours. 

I won't go into much more than that, but if you were hesitant to see it, add it to your list and see what all the fuss was about. 

I think you'll be glad you did. 

Final Grade: A-

Stop Monkeying Around..."War For The Planet Of The Apes"

War For the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Amiah Miller,

Directed by Matt Reeves

The Story:

When Caesar's (Serkis) world is destroyed, he decides to take his revenge against the Colonel (Harrelson) and his army. There is no avoiding war any longer.

Easily better than the Transformer saga, the Planet of the Apes trilogy concludes (?) with quite possibly the best of the series.

That said, I was never the biggest fan of these films anyway, so my judgement might be slightly askew. :)

Caesar's tale wraps up, and they establish enough pieces that it can conclude wrapping back to the original Planet of the Apes film, or they may just continue and keep retelling future chapters.

Beautifully shot, and the incredible production values, if you've come this far into the series, you won't want to stop now.

Harrelson is also a wonderful foil for Caesar and personalizes the war, on both sides.

Final Grade: C+

"The Duel" Fails To Revive The Western

The Duel (2016)

Rated R

Starring Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Alice Braga

Directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith

The Story:

Mexicans are turning up dead in the Rio Grande, and the governor sends a Texas Ranger (Hemsworth) to the town of Helena to investigate a local named Abraham (Harrelson) who may have something to do with it.

The movie starts out with a flashback to discover that Abraham had indeed killed our Ranger's father years earlier.

That is to add yet another layer of intrigue and tension to the story.

Except it didn't.

It actually all started to become a bit tedious and dull once they were in the town, and Abraham holds sway over the entire town in an almost cult-like atmosphere.

He begins to charm Marisol (Braga), the lovely wife of our main character.

So you can see where it's all going.

I accidentally hit the chapter skip button when I attempted to pause the movie about an hour into it.

Maybe less.

Couldn't tell you.

I went back a few chapters, and nothing looked familiar or memorable.

That's when I decided I probably didn't care to see how the film ended, though I had a pretty good suspicion.

Points for making a western and trying to keep the genre alive.

Negative points for making a movie I really didn't care to see how it ended, and seemingly unremarkable after an interesting start.

Final Grade: D+

Look Who's Back... "Now You See Me 2"

Now You See Me 2 (2016)  

Rated PG-13

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Radcliffe, Jay Chou, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine,

Directed by Jon M. Chu

The Story:

The Horsemen (Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco) are in hiding. Rhodes (Ruffalo) is doing his best to keep the FBI at bay, but with the Horsemen down a man, he sends a new recruit (Caplan) to join the team. Of course with Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman) vowing revenge from behind bars, it appears that the walls are closing in, and the Horsemen may have performed their final trick.

Well, that was fun.

I quite enjoyed the original Now You See Me a few years back, and it wound up being one of my favorites of 2013.

As with most sequels, it does not quite reach the lofty heights of the original, and NYSM 2 is no exception.

It's good, and if you enjoyed the first one, there's nothing that's going to stop you from enjoying this return engagement.

The illusions are fun, and even if you know how they pulled the trick off, they are executed very well and are fun to watch.

The cast is great, and while I'm not a big fan of Jesse Eisenberg, he meshes well with this group.

Caplan is a breath of fresh air to the team as she tries to fit in and find her role with the team.

Probably my biggest complaint is the double-duty of Harrelson in the movie. I think I would have simply preferred that he have a brother rather than a twin. There was no identity swapping required, so it seemed silly to me.

But still, good times, and I enjoyed it.

While this one won't make the best of the year, it was still enjoyable and I will likely add it to the library down the road.

Plus, if rumors are to be believed, there will be a Now You See Me 3.

I look forward to it.

Final Grade: B

Twists And Betrayals Everywhere..."Triple 9"

Triple 9 (2016)

Rated R

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Afffleck, Anthony Mackie, Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul, Kate Winslet, Norman Reedus,

Directed by John Hillcoat

The Story:

Some dirty cops are finally in over their heads when they are blackmailed by the Russian mob to pull off a daring heist. The only way to make it work, they will have to call in a "Triple 9": officer down call. The only problem, the rookie officer they choose to eliminate isn't going down without a fight.

The problem that usually happens with these "all-star cast" movies, is they just aren't that great.

They're good, but the plots are thin or too convoluted for their own good or there are issues with the narrative that make the movie seem like a direct to DVD feature versus that of a must-see theater experience.

Triple 9 does nothing to change my perception on that being the reality of these types of films.

:)

It's good, but not great.

It wants to be a crime / thriller / heist / action / drama / twisty action film that needs to juggle so many characters, situations and motives that it ends up doing a disservice to most of them.

This is of course, no fault of the stellar cast that do their best to make their characters someone to root for, or against, as the movie rolls along.

Again, nothing spectacular, but it's entertaining enough for a viewing, but I can't find any reason to come back in the future to revisit the film.

C+

A Fun Little Heist Film... "After The Sunset"

After the Sunset (2004)
Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle
Directed by Brett Ratner

The Story:

Max (Brosnan) and Lola (Hayek) are jewel thieves.  Really good ones.  They've been chased by FBI Agent Lloyd (Harrelson) but never caught. He knows they are guilty, but can never prove it.  When they retire to a tropical island paradise to get married, Lloyd shows up on their doorstep to let Max know that he knows the real reason Max is there is to steal the one diamond he never got his hands on.  Then local mobster Henri (Cheadle) tells Max he better steal the diamond for him.  What's poor Max going to do?

Ah yes, the heist film.

I love them.

This one is also a lot of fun.

It plays up the humorous aspect, which is something you should expect from a Brett Ratner film.

As I am an unabashed fan of Ratner's films, I have no problem with that.

The movie barrels along nicely, very little drag at all through the proceedings.

The scenery is stunning, and all of the actors seem to be having a great time with the movie.  Some great chemistry between the three leads makes for a very engaging story.

Like the gem Max is coveting, this film is an overlooked gem that has aged gracefully over the last decade.

Final Grade: B+ maybe even A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, and sadly it's been out of circulation for far too long.  I forgot how fun it was.

An Idea Most Fowl... "Free Birds"

Free Birds (2013)
Rated PG

Starring Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Amy Poehler, George Takei

Directed by Jimmy Hayward

The Story:

Reggie (Wilson) is a turkey who cannot make his flock understand the truth about their fate.  Enter Jake (Harrelson), a turkey on a mission:
To go back to the first Thanksgiving and get turkeys off the menu.  Using an experimental time machine named S.T.E.V.E. (Takei), the birds take flight and wind up in Plymouth.  With the help of the local population, these two birds must outwit the pilgrims who want them dead...and cooked to a delicious ending!  Who will succeed?

To my knowledge, this is the first full-fledged animation venture from Reel FX Creative Studios.

And for the most part, they do a decent job with what they produced.

The animation looks lush and vibrant and the voice acting is decent.

Basically, it's an okay story that will entertain the kids for 90 minutes and won't sap all of the willpower of the adults who are watching.

The problem with that, we've grown accustomed to Pixar and the other animation studios really stepping up their game in recent years to deliver masterpiece after masterpiece.

When we receive something lesser...

Somehow we feel cheated.

So I'm looking forward to their next film, I just hope they work a little harder on the script.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Sorry, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will remain the only film in rotation so far...

Streaming TV Weekend: "Cheers"

Norm!

The Story:

Welcome to Boston, home of Cheers, the bar where everybody knows your name.  The owner is Sam Malone (Ted Danson) ex-ballplayer, former alcoholic and noted womanizer.  The rest of his staff includes Carla (Rhea Perlman) and Coach (Nicholas Colasanto).  Norm (George Wendt) is the bar regular that everyone calls out to when he comes through the door.  There's also a know-it-all mailman (John Ratzenberger) lurking around as well.

In the first episode, Diane (Shelley Long) comes to the bar about to be married, but her man needs to obtain the ring from his ex wife.

You can imagine that it doesn't end well for her.

And there you have the set up that would last for almost 5 years.

Starting in 1982, this 30+ year old NBC comedy series is still hilarious.

Created and written by the trio of James Burrows, Glen and Les Charles, whoever thought a show about a bar would be one of the better sitcoms in television history?

Having not seen the original episode since it probably aired in '82, it was a crazy trip on the way-back machine when I was surfing for something to watch.

It still holds up, it's still funny and doesn't appear to have suffered with age.

All good things, especially when dealing with sitcoms.

I have said before that I preferred the seasons after Diane left the show, but Cheers made the most out of the on-again/off-again romantic tension between Sam and Diane.  Unlike Moonlighting, the show didn't lose its steam by pairing up the two in later years.

The sweet reminder was just how funny Coach was.  It was sad when he passed away, but Cheers did great by casting Woody Harrelson to step in as the dimwit of the bar.

The show is still great, and if it's been some time since you've watched, now is a great time to revisit some old friends.

And if you've never seen it before, you're in for a treat!

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I doubt I'll ever buy the 11 seasons, but it's nice to know that I can stream it at any point if I have time but don't want to go for a movie to have a pretty good sitcom on standby at a moment's notice.

Underrated Gem of the Year? "Now You See Me" Fits The Bill!

Look closer...

The Story:

Four magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco) all receive a mysterious summons.  One year later, the group, now known as the Four Horsemen are about to pull off an amazing trick in Vegas:  They're going to rob a bank.  Naturally, when they succeed, they incur the interest of the FBI (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol (Melanie Laurent).  If that wasn't enough, a former magician, now magic debunker (Morgan Freeman) is watching to see how they do it, and to prove that it's fake.

Got all that?

Good.

Sorry, this movie is flat out fun and entertaining.

I will not reveal much more than I already have, because what's the point of spoiling a movie about magicians?  Then you would lose all of the magic.  ;)

I was sold when the answer to the first magic trick in the movie was the same answer I said outloud.

I knew it was going to be fun after that.

All of the actors in the film do a great job.  Eisenberg and Harrelson take top honors as two of the Horsemen, but don't overlook the fine performance of Ruffalo as the one step behind FBI guy who is determined to solve the puzzle before the last act.

Also, don't underestimate the joy of having Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman working together in a non-Batman film either.  Both actors are in fine form and have some rather pivotal scenes throughout the movie.

I'll mark this one down as one of the more fun and enjoyable movies I've seen this year.

Let's hope the recently announced sequel is just as good, or better.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  At it's heart, it's a heist film.  I love a good heist film.  I hope to add this one to the collection!

"Seven Psychopaths" in Hollywood? I Demand a Recount!

There's a lot of crazies in California...

Here are 7 of them.


The Story:

Marty (Colin Farrell) is a struggling screenwriter who is mentally blocked on his latest screenplay, Seven Psychopaths.  He's been getting some ideas from his good friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) that is helping him to flesh out and create the psychopaths that the tale requires.  Meanwhile, Billy and his pal Hans (Christopher Walken) make some quick money by stealing pets and returning them to their owners for a big reward.  The problem?  They just stole the wrong guy's (Woody Harrelson) dog, and he's not going to rest until he makes them pay!


The film lives up to its name.  There are indeed seven, if not possibly more, psychopaths on the loose in this film.  While Harrelson, Walken and Rockwell are chewing up the scenery at every turn, Farrell tries to remain the sane center, grounding the flick in reality.

The movie is absurd, and delightful, often at the same time.

If you saw Martin McDonagh's first film, In Bruges, also starring Colin Farrell, you kind of get the idea of what to expect:  Clever dialogue, crazy characters, and bloodshed aplenty.




If you haven't, you should, it's a pretty good film.

Seven Psychopaths takes all of that, and ramps it up several notches.

Everyone does a great job, stellar acting from top to bottom.  Walken actually plays the more subdued character this go round, taking a backseat to the zany Rockwell and the angry Harrelson.  The dialogue has flashes of insane brilliance, but stays pretty consistent great throughout.

The film isn't for everyone, but if you like black comedies, you're probably going to enjoy this one.


Final Grade: B
Is It Worth Adding to My Film Collection: It could be, but probably will not.  Since I am the only one who would watch it at my house, I usually have to pass on movies like this.