That's Going To Be A Really Busy Place... "Bad Kids Go To Hell"

Bad Kids Go To Hell (2012)

Rated R

Starring Cameron Deane Stuart, Ben Browder, Ali Faulkner, Augie Duke,

Directed by Matthew Spradlin

The Story:

It's Saturday afternoon at Crestview Academy, and six students begin their day of detention. The rumors of the school being haunted begin to seem true as one by one, the students meet their grisly fates!

It's the Breakfast Club re-imagined as a horror film, and for the most part, it works fairly well.

It's many of the cliches of high school and horror movies all woven into one crazed Saturday detention hall.

The best parts of the film are the flashbacks that show how the new kid, Matt (Stuart) was involved in just about every aspect of each of the other kids getting suspended. Normally, it was by circumstances that were beyond his control. Wrong place, wrong time.

It's no wonder nobody else really likes him.

:)

You'll see some of the twists and turns coming, but for the most part, Spradlin wrote and directed a pretty decent horror comedy that works on many levels.

Plus, it really does go full circle with The Breakfast Club when you find out who the principal of the school is.

:)

Naturally after sending the disc back, I have since discovered that it's also streaming on Amazon Prime.

I need to check that site more often. :)

Final Grade: C+ / B- range

"The Voices" Made Him Do It

The Voices (2014)

Rated R

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick, Jacki Weaver

Directed by Marjane Satrapi

The Story:

Jerry (Reynolds) is a nice, quiet, unassuming guy who has some issues. His doctor (Weaver) insists that he take medication, but when he does, life seems so dull and grey. He prefers to skip the meds, because life seems so much brighter and he gets to talk to his pets, Bosco and Mr. Whiskers. They talk back to him as well and encourage him to do things. Some of those things aren't very nice...

 Here's a dark comedy about a serial killer who doesn't really mean to be one.

He's simply trying to date his office crush, Fiona (Arterton). Things take a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills her.

Or was it an accident?  Jerry is never really sure.

That was bad enough, but when Fiona's head starts telling Jerry about how lonely she is and would really like a friend, that's when Jerry has to decide whether or not to go after Lisa (Kendrick) and have a relationship with her, or make her a victim.

Hey, I guess if you can have a successful series on cable about a serial killer, what's wrong with a darkly humorous movie that tries to have a little fun with the voices that some people have in their head?

The worst part about the movie: you start feeling bad for Jerry and hope that he will get away with it. Perhaps that's just how likable Reynolds is as an actor.

:)

Available for streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.


Final Grade:  C+

It's All About Igor..."Victor Frankenstein"

Victor Frankenstein (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy

Directed by Paul McGuigan

The Story:

This is the story of how Victor Frankenstein (McAvoy) met a circus freak (Radcliffe) with a brilliant mind and the two became friends and even contemporaries. Be ready for a twist on the relationship that you thought you knew.

Also, be ready to be rather bored while watching it.

:)

Okay, maybe not bored. It's not that it's bad or anything, it's just rather plodding in how it goes about everything. It's a period drama that hopes to be something more, but really isn't.

By the time they get around to building the creature, the movie is just about over.

However, since this isn't really supposed to be THAT story... it's already been told a number of times.

Instead, the relationship and dynamic between Igor and Frankenstein is the focus of the movie, and their scenes together  is the highlight of the movie.

McAvoy does everything at hyper speed, making his Victor the crazy one in the movie.

Radcliffe brings soul and heart to the role of Igor who winds up being much more than just a lab assistant to Victor's plans.

Of course, when it ventures into Igor's potential love interest, I found myself happy for Igor but otherwise, didn't really care.

My guess is, they were hoping to make this feel like the updated Sherlock Holmes series starring Robert Downey Jr. by breathing life and style into a centuries old franchise.

Nice idea, but it doesn't come off as well this go round.

Final Grade:  C

"I, Frankenstein" Brings You Up To Date On The Creature

I, Frankenstein (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Aaron Eckhart, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Bill Nighy, Jai Courtney

Directed by Stuart Beattie

The Story:

The Creature (Eckhart) is immortal. He buries Dr. Frankenstein in a graveyard but is attacked by demons. He is rescued by Gargoyles who are actually angels on earth to help keep the demons at bay. They ask him to join their ranks to fight evil, but the creature refuses. Centuries pass and now the demons are working on perfecting Dr. Frankenstein's formula to create an army of the immortal dead. It's time for the creature to choose a side.

Well, that was something alright.

You think you're getting a tale of the Creature, and he falls smack dab into a centuries old battle of good vs. evil with demons and angels.

Not a bad direction, really.

It's reaching for the stars and trying to tell an epic tale.

However, it plays it too straight to be B-Movie horror fun yet not epic enough to be a sweeping fantasy tale.

It winds up as an average film that fine for a viewing, but the odds of watching it again or hoping it's the start of a franchise diminish before the credits are over.

But, at least I went the entire review without commenting on Jai Courtney's lack of charisma.

Oops.

:)

Available to stream on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: C

A Fairly Dynamic Duo... "Daddy's Home"

Daddy's Home (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Thomas Haden Church,

Directed by Sean Anders

The Story:

Brad (Ferrell) really loves his wife (Cardellini) and her kids. He's trying to be the best step-dad in the world to them, and as time has passed, their intense burning hatred of him is slowly becoming casual indifference. Then Dusty (Wahlberg) breezes back into town, and Brad quickly falls from grace and slowly loses his mind as he attempts to win back the family that he's always wanted.

Much like the last time these two teamed up (The Other Guys) there are laughs to be had, but overall, it was just an okay movie.

Naturally everything goes wrong for Brad, and while comical at first, it just keeps compounding and you're like, "okay, I get it".

Not everything in life, or movies, needs to be turned up to 11.

Eventually the tables will turn and the charmed life that Dusty is enjoying will fail, but it takes quite a bit for him to realize that there is more to being a dad than just "being cool".

The energy and interplay between the two is there, and I hope that should they decide to buddy up again, they will finally get that script that puts it over the top as a truly enjoyable film that lives up to the high expectations the audience has going into the film.
 
The best bits usually involve Thomas Haden Church. That guy kills i as Brad's boss. :)

So yes, there are some laughs, but for me, not everything clicked perfectly this go round.

And really, when the kids are the ones using the most profanity in the film, it's time to get another opinion on the script.

I've seen kids that don't care for an authority figure (see Uncle Buck) and they don't need to swear up a storm to get the point across.

Final Grade: C+

Another Inspiring True Story..."Gridiron Gang"

Gridiron Gang (2006)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, Jade Yorker, Setu Tasse, Mo McRea, James Earl

Directed by Phil Joanou
The Story:

At the Kilpatric Juvenile Detention Facility, supervisor Sean Porter (Johnson) has seen enough. The kids come and go and come back again, or wind up dead or in jail. He wonders if he can give them some direction and guidance by bringing football into their lives.

If he didn't succeed, we wouldn't be watching this movie, now would we.
:)

Yep, another based on a true story which are always nice to drum out the annoying headlines of the news.

Here we go back a decade,  in case you missed it on the first go-round for the film, to a young wrestler turned actor, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as he was still billed.

One of his first forays into Hollywood outside of WWE studios, and thankfully this one was better, and more successful than his other movie from 2006: Southland Tales.

Raise your hand if you endured that one.

Me too, and I'm sorry for your loss.

But you see the chemistry and charisma and Johnson lights up the screen whenever he's there. The guy is a natural, and it's been fun watching his career move from the ring to the screen with occasional forays back to the squared circle to relive past glories.

Be forewarned, while this could be a film that is viewable for the entire family, this isn't a sugary sweet Mighty Ducks type of affair.

I had forgotten how violent the movie starts out with, and the violence is targeted at kids.

But that's also life in some streets in America.

Worth a viewing or a revisit if you haven't seen it in some time.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade:  C+

Financial Crisis Fodder... "The Big Short"

The Big Short (2015)

Rated R

Starring Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, John Magaro, Finn Wittrock,

Directed by Adam McKay

The Story:

3 separate but equal stories propel the story of the collapse of the housing market. Michael Burry (Bale) begins the proceedings with the realization that the housing bubble is about to explode, not just pop. He invests the millions he has under his control on the fact that this will happen. Banks line up to take his money, and the waiting and the "are you crazy?" begins. Meanwhile Jared Vennett (Gosling) learns of the venture and proposes it to just about everyone until Mark Baum (Carell) decides to invest as well. Finally, two young entrepreneurs (Magaro and Wittrock) enlist the reclusive Ben Rickert (Pitt) to get their feet in the door so they too can all bet against the housing market to crash.

Something it had never, ever done before.

Bet you know how this one ends, right?

Correct, because most of us lived through it, and still haven't fully recovered.

That's what makes this movie so irritating.

It's good, don't get me wrong.

However, McKay has to enlist some weird shtick throughout the movie to inject humor in an otherwise humorless situation.

Why is Margot Robbie in a bathtub? For no other reason than to put her in a tub of bubbles and explain part of the financial crisis.

So the movie can be jarring in delivery from time to time, but otherwise, it's a pretty compelling movie.

However, it's also extremely depressing because you realize that you're rooting for these people to "win", which means the average homeowner loses.

The banks got bailed out, these guys got rich, and it was everyone with a mortgage who ended up getting screwed.

So that sort of tempers the overall enjoyment of the film.

That said, all of the actors do a great job, and you have to give credit to Steve Carell for giving probably the best, and most passionate and pained performance of the entire cast.

Final Grade:  B