That Was Something All Right... "Handsome: A Netflix Murder Mystery"

Handsome: A Netflix Murder Mystery (2017)

TV-14

Starring Jeff Garlin, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Sedaris, Stephen Webber, Christine Woods, Hailee Lautenbach,

Written and Directed by Jeff Garlin

The Story:

LA Homicide Detective Gene Handsome (Garlin) and his partner Fleur Scozzari (Lyonne) are hot on the trail of a murderer who chopped up a babysitter and placed her on the lawn of movie star Talbert Bacorn (Webber). Between this case and Handsome's personal life, he's got his hands full.

This is a strange little Netflix Original film.

It starts with Webber addressing the audience as himself, and that sort of sets the tone for this one. Sadly, he says "and I play the murderer..."

So that kind of sucks any and all mystery from the film at that point.

All that said, it's Garlin's baby from start to finish.

There are some genuinely funny bits, some head-scratchers, and some strange, awkward moments that take place.

But the film is never dull, I'll give it that.

His banter with Lyonne is some of the highlight of the movie.

It's an odd duck, but has a lot of charm thanks in no small part to Garlin himself.

Yes, I'd come back for a sequel, but hopefully a little more "Mystery" can be put into that one.

Final Grade: C+ 

The Limo Ride Of Your Life..."Stretch"

Stretch (2014)

Rated R

Starring Patrick Wilson, Ed Helms, Chris Pine, Brooklyn Decker, Jessica Alba

Directed by Joe Carnahan

The Story:

Stretch (Wilson) is a down on his luck limo driver who owes a lot of money to a bookie, and if he doesn't pay it off tonight...well, things are going to get ugly. Luckily, his fare for the evening is Roger Karos (Pine) who makes Stretch a deal. If he can run a few errands for him, then his tip will pay off the debt and Stretch will be free and clear. Somehow, it's not going to be that easy...

This is a crazy ride to be sure.

That Stretch came to LA to be an actor, he'll get to finally hone those skills during his adventures this evening.

He's also accompanied by Karl (Helms) who is the ghost of his mentor. Or Stretch's conscience, if Jiminy Cricket were an overbearing jerk. :)

If you ever saw Smokin' Aces and enjoyed it, then Carnahan brings more of his wit and craziness to the table for you.

You'll get sucked in watching things go from bad to worse for Stretch, and wonder what the heck just happened when it's all over.

:)

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

Just Like Old Times..."Back In The Day"

Back in the Day (2014)

Rated R

Starring Michael Rosenbaum, Morena Baccarin, Nick Swardson, Harland Williams, Isaiah Mustafa, Kristoffer Polaha, Jay R. Ferguson,

Written and Directed by Michael Rosenbaum

The Story:

Jim (Rosenbaum) is an actor who left home to become successful out in California. He's doing okay, but not getting the roles he wants. Depressed, he heads back home to Michigan for their upcoming class reunion. He reunites with his best friends (Mustafa, Williams & Polaha) and finds the one that got away (Baccarin). He finds out she's finally engaged after all these years... to his arch nemesis (Ferguson). Cue the hijinks...

Rosenbaum crafts a film that is equal parts raunchy R rated comedy mixed with a romantic comedy.

It's a tough act to balance, but he does balance it fairly well, and the cast is game for everything he throws at them.

Naturally, the story behind the story is a chance for him to reunite with his former love, and the girl that he's never gotten over.

And it appears he might be in luck because she has not moved on after all these years, but with an impending marriage just days away, Jim's got a very limited window of opportunity to win her back.

Meanwhile, his friends are all married now, and Jim isn't the best influence on them.

Jim's got some decisions to make.  Clearly you can go home again, but then what?

Final Grade: C+

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-

You'll Have It His Way...Or Else! "The Founder"

The Founder (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern, Linda Cardellini,

Directed by John Lee Hancock

The Story:

Ray Kroc (Keaton) was a salesman on the road trying to make a fortune. When a restaurant out in California ordered multiple milkshake makers, Kroc assumes it's a mistake and heads west. When he meets the McDonald brothers (Offerman & Lynch) he is struck by how efficient, and delicious, their restaurant is. He wants to franchise their restaurant. The boys are reluctant at first, but eventually relent.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Keaton is on fire with his acting career over the last few years. The Founder is no exception. He plays Kroc with a drive and ambition to get his franchises off the ground and turn them into a household name.

Stymied at nearly every turn by the McDonald brothers, he can't seem to figure out how to turn a profit on the restaurants.

Then, as Lucy Van Pelt once lamented that all she wanted was real estate...

Kroc is told to buy the land, and rent the property to the new franchises.

Not only does this turn the tables for Kroc, it also establishes McDonalds as one of the largest property owners on the planet.

Highly recommended.

Final Grade: B+

Cruise Control..."Jack Reacher: Never Go Back"

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Danika Yarosh,

Directed by Edward Zwick

The Story:

Jack Reacher (Cruise) has been helping Major Turner (Smulders) on a recent investigation. He promises to stop by for dinner when he finds himself in DC. When he finally arrives, he learns that Turner is in jail for crimes Reacher believes she could not have committed. So he decides to get her out and uncover the truth for himself. However the bad guys may finally have the edge on Reacher, and a way to hurt him personally.

Game on.

In all honesty, I barely remember the first Jack Reacher movie.

I think at the end of the day, there were some stunts that were pretty good, but if memory serves, they seemed to make Cruise more of an 80s throwback action hero, but it was still watchable.

So nearly 5 years later, I approach the sequel with a shrug and a "we'll see" attitude.

I honestly had no problem with this movie.

It told the story it wanted to tell, kept me interested and entertained along the way.

The lethal game of cat and mouse moves across country as Reacher tries to stay one step ahead of those chasing him, while hunting down the people in charge so they can get their lives back.

I may have to go back and see if the first one still holds up, because this may be a case where the sequel outperforms the original.

And either way, I'll take this series over any of the Bourne films any day.

Final Grade:  B-

DeNiro Tries To Be "The Comedian" To Mixed Results

The Comedian (2017)

Rated R

Starring Robert DeNiro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito, Patti LuPone, Edie Falco, Charles Grodin,

Directed by Taylor Hackford

The Story:

Jack Burke (DeNiro) is an aging insult comic who is relegated to playing small clubs because that's all his manager (Falco) can get him booked for. However, when he's booked for assault, his community service leads him to new opportunities, both personally and professionally.

I guess the biggest question from this film would be "what went wrong"?

The cast, including those named above and those that I didn't list are a phenomenal group of actors and real life comedians.

Yet the biggest complaint of this movie is that it isn't funny.

I don't think it was supposed to be.

It's a dramedy.

There is humor in it, but the proceedings aren't slapstick fall down funny.

Perhaps it wasn't dramatic enough, or funny enough, as it tries to tow the line and be the best of both worlds.

Or perhaps it's the romantic subplot between Jack and Harmony (Mann) who meet during community service?

Not sure.

It wasn't a must-see movie, but it held my attention throughout.

I laughed at the actually funny parts, and it held my interest through the dramatic.

Hey, I didn't turn the movie off, and since I consider that a sign of a really bad movie, it can't be all bad.

So it's not exactly what went wrong, more of what could they have done better?

I think the biggest thing, as an insult comic, the world has to love the man doing the insults.

See Don Rickles.

In this movie, nobody liked Jack, except his old fans, and they only liked the old sitcom Jack, a character he was desperately trying to forget.

So if you start with an unlikable character, you're already facing an uphill battle to earn the love from the audience.

It's a hard balance to achieve, and I think that all things considered, they did the best job possible.

Final Grade: C+