Not As Painful As It Sounds..."Kill Me Three Times"

Kill Me Three Times (2014)

Rated R

Starring Simon Pegg, Alice Braga, Teresa Palmer, Sullivan Stapleton, Luke Hemsworth, Callan Mulvey, Bryan Brown

Directed by Kriv Stenders

The Story:

Charlie Wolfe (Pegg) is a hitman on the job in Australia when he gets his next assignment. It seems that Alice (Braga) has a price on her head, but when Charlie arrives to take care of matters, he discovers that a local dentist and his wife (Stapleton & Palmer) are attempting to take care of his problem for him. So Charlies sits back and watches the mayhem unfold.

To try and describe the further what is going to happen would ruin much of the charm and storyline of the film.

I think they were going for a Tarantino-esque Australian caper, and I'd say they pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Action, humor, oddball characters, they're all added into the mix with twist and turn and betrayals lying around every corner.

The glue that holds the whole narrative together is Wolfe, who may not be the best hitman in the world, but he's the only one available in this corner of the world, so he apparently keeps a steady income.

It's a perfect fit for Pegg, and he makes the best of it whether it's through dialogue or just reaction shots.

The rest of the cast fills their roles nicely with some familiar and not too familiar faces providing Pegg different characters to work with.

All in all, an enjoyable caper from beginning to end.

Currently streaming on Netflix if you're in the mood to give it a try.

Final Grade: C+ / B- range

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-

You'll Never Make It At The Next Level... "Greater"

Greater (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Christopher Severio, Neal McDonough, Leslie Easterbrook, Peter Gray Lewis, Frederic Lehne, M.C. Gainey, Mark Dobies,

Directed by David Hunt

The Story:

Brandon Bulsworth (Severio) dreamed of playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks since he was little. He lacked the size, but he had the heart. If only he could get his chance, he could show the coaches, and the world, what he could do.

Naturally, based on a true story.

Bulsworth's life is probably part of Arkansas lore at this point, but for the rest of us, it's a nice movie that flashes back to Brandon's life as he struggles to become...well... greater than what he is.

His high school coach believes in him, and gets him a tryout at Arkansas. They are unimpressed, but Brandon foregoes a full scholarship at a junior college to instead walk on at Arkansas. The financial impact will likely cripple his mother (Easterbrook) and his big brother (McDonough) is frustrated that Brandon's heart is overruling his head.

However, you can probably tell where this movie is headed.

After all, they rarely make movies about has beens, or never weres.

Of course all of this is told via flashback as we prepare for Brandon's funeral.

Because on top of the inspirational football life, Brandon was a devout Christian, whose faith and determination helped him become the man that he was.

Which of course leads his brother to the awful question of why do bad things happen to good people.

It's a fine balance that the film walks, as it is neither a complete sports movie nor is it a complete faith movie.  Both are presented equally, fairly, and are well done.

Even though you know what the movie is building up to, you may still find yourself with a lump in your throat by the end.

Final Grade: B+

The DC Hero We Finally Deserve..."Wonder Woman"

Wonder Woman (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Gal Gadot, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Chris Pine, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, Eugene Brave Rock, Lucy Davis, Elena Anaya,

Directed by Patty Jenkins

The Story:

Bookended by seeing Diana/Wonder Woman (Gadot) in action during modern day, a briefcase delivered by Bruce Wayne allows Diana time to reflect on discovering mankind and embracing the heroic ideal she was born to live.

So, I finally got around to watching Wonder Woman.

I tried not to let the hype surrounding this movie cloud my judgement of it.

While I might be firmly in the camp of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I totally root for DC to get it right and give the audience something worth going to see.

So naturally, I approached this one with cautious optimism.

Is the hype real?

Or is it just clamoring for something, anything from DC to erase the unwatchable bore of Batman vs. Superman or the entertaining in parts but ultimately unsatisfying Suicide Squad?

I suppose it will ultimately depend on who you ask.

I was never blown away by the trailers for Wonder Woman.

It seemed fine enough, but it was missing something for me, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

So the movie has come out, it's made more money this summer than anything else, and I couldn't be happier for the cast, crew, fans and Warner Brothers for finally, finally making a DC movie worth watching.

Depending on your point of view, it's been a long time coming, whether it was Superman: The Movie, Batman (1989) or the Nolan Batman Trilogy.

I finally got around to seeing it...

And much like the trailer, I liked it, but didn't LOVE it.

Again, there's something missing for me, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

I suppose if I have to try and isolate it, perhaps it's the sense of fun, entertainment or enjoyment that I have while watching a Marvel film.

While Wonder Woman is a technically a well made picture, the sense of fun just wasn't quite there. It bubbled under the surface through a lot of the movie.

Now to be fair, there were many, many, many enjoyable scenes and amazing set pieces that oohed and aaahed me as the movie went along.

So again, it's a tough one to judge.

Is it on par with what Marvel is giving me?  No. Close, but no cigar.

If I was given 4 choices of going to see any superhero movie again in theaters, I'd be going back for Guardians or Homecoming before I went back to see Wonder Woman.

That's just me being honest.

Is it better than what DC has been giving me? Absolutely yes.

I love that Wonder Woman has been this successful for DC and for all the little girls around the world that now have a superhero role model on the big screen.

It gives me hope that Captain Marvel and maybe Black Widow will someday headline a film for Marvel or maybe DC will offer up a Catwoman movie that doesn't suck.

: )

Final Grade: B... B+ if I'm really nice. ;)

Clearly The Never Rented Blind Fury Back In The Day... "Don't Breathe"

Don't Breathe (2016)

Rated R

Starring Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto,

Directed by Fede Alvarez

The Story:

Rocky (Levy) is trying to find a way to make a better life for her and her little sister and escape their current life. She has been breaking into houses and stealing things with her boyfriend Money (Zovatto) and their friend Alex (Minnette). When they stumble upon the house of a blind veteran (Lang) who has an insurance settlement  that they know is just sitting in that house in cash, waiting to be pilfered, they decide to embark on one last score.

After all, it's some old blind guy, what could possibly go wrong?

Buckle up for a tension-filled ride if you've missed this one.

This is another thriller disguised as a horror film, and the tension just continues to mount as the movie rolls along.

If you haven't seen, or don't remember the trailer, it pretty much fills you in on what to expect.

A home invasion goes horribly wrong for the invaders when the blind guy inside is so much more than the 3 burglars could possibly be expecting.

This is a man that knows every inch of his house, and soon becomes the hunter as the intruders struggle to find a way out of the house.

Creepy little thriller that will grab you and keep you intrigued until the end.

My only complaint, this movie, and many others, that keep opening with a scene that chronologically doesn't appear until near the end of the film.

While it can be an effective way to jump right into the action, it's use in horror/thriller movies often takes a little wind out of the sails later in the film because you know that scene is coming.

Unless of course, you've forgotten all about it.

Final Grade:  B-

Family Drama..."Switched At Birth"

Switched at Birth (2011)

TV-PG

Starring Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, Constance Marie, D.W. Moffett, Lea Thompson, Lucas Grabeel, Sean Berdy,

Created by Lizzy Weiss

The Story:

When Bay Kennish (Marano) takes a simple blood sample for a high school science project, she inadvertently discovers that her parents (Moffett & Thompson) couldn't possibly be her biological parents. That's when they learn of Daphne (Leclrec), their real daughter who's been raised by a single mom (Marie) after their babies were... wait for it...

Switched At Birth!

So there's the premise for this ABC Family / Free Form original series that is now available to stream on Netflix.

Ah, but there is one catch: Daphne is deaf!

So in addition to a series with a dichotomy of the haves vs. the have nots, there is also the struggle to cope with learning that their daughter is hearing impaired and trying to get to know her while trying to figure out how best to communicate with her.

And for the first half of the first season, this show was so very interesting and they seemingly came up with one cliffhanger after the next.

Then the season kept trudging on, for 30 episodes.

I think they really should have split the seasons in half, but that's just my thoughts.

As it wore on, the show seemed to stray away from the original and emotional concept of getting to know family that you haven't ever met for 16 years yet feel already emotionally attached to.

It made some powerful moments in the series, especially as Bay seemingly gets lost in the shuffle as her parents fawn all over their new daughter, and her real mom never really seems interested in her life.

Quite sad really, and you feel for her as the season wears along.

But again, the 2nd half turns very much into a soap opera (even more than it already sounds like!) with naturally romance after romance until we finally get to the much ballyhooed trial against the hospital for negligence.

It gets seemingly lost in the shuffle for most of the season, then is quick and over, and the season STILL isn't finished yet.

Naturally, my grade diminished as the season wore on, and after we finished, nobody really had a desire to move on to see what happens next, as there are 7 seasons and counting.

I'll blame it on viewer fatigue more than anything else. While we never binged, maybe a good week between episodes is precisely what we needed.

The cast is great, and the story itself, when not in the ridiculously absurd, can be quite compelling.

Final Grade: B

Can Journalism Be Saved? "Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press"

Nobody Speaks: Trials of the Free Press (2017)

TV-14

Written and Directed by Brian Knappenberger

The Story:

When Gawker published a story about Hulk Hogan's sex tape a few years back, Hogan went on the offensive and sued. He sued big time! His judgement was so huge, and his lawyer tricks were played just right that it put Gawker out of business as they could not afford to pay it. Then it was revealed that Hogan was just a pawn in a scheme by a billionaire to take out a journalistic establishment and remove them from the Earth. And no, that billionaire was not Donald Trump attacking fake news...

But that argument makes up much of the 2nd half of this documentary.

If you want to see the beginnings of "fake news", look no further.

This documentary will take you down the slippery slope that is 21st Century journalism, and all the real reporters and bloggers, and everything in between.

It could be argued that the free press is only as free as the owner of the paper, or channel, or website allow it to be.

The left has them. The right has them.

It's hard to find those that simply walk the fine line of reporting the facts without putting a spin on it one way or the other.

Instead, we have to accept that the free press is that which is not controlled by the State, and thankfully we do have that, much to Donald Trump's daily consternation.

This Netflix Original is an eye opening look at today's media, warts and all.

Final Grade: B