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Tabari McCoy

McCoy on Movies: London Has Fallen

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Gerard Butler’s Secret Service agent returns to kick ass, spew one-liners in presidential-based action sequel

 

“Get down – they’ve got reviews of our last couple non-Fallen films coming right at us!” President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) ducks for cover under the protection of top Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler, right) as Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett) gets similar help in a scene from director Babak Najafi’s LONDON HAS FALLEN. Credit: Jack English / Gramercy Pictures

 

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
 

 


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Jackie Earle Haley, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Robert Forster, Waleed Zuaiter, Charlotte Riley, Radha Mitchell and Alon Moni Aboutboul

WRITER(S): Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Christian Gudegast and Chad St. John (screenplay); Creightton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt (story and characters) DIRECTOR: Babak Najafi

WEB SITE: http://triple9movie.com/

60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): The unexpected sequel to 2013’s White House action opus Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen once again centers around President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his top Secret Service protector Mike Banning (Gerard Butler). While they two have become the best of friends to the point they are literally now regular running buddies, Mike has been thinking of turning in his resignation and settling down with his pregnant wife Leah (Radha Mitchell). 


Then the Prime Minister of Britain dies unexpectedly following routine surgery, prompting world leaders to all flock to London for his funeral, pressing Banning (his preferred moniker) back into action for the 3-day affair. Banning, you see, doesn’t like having short notice to prepare for things – and neither does Secret Service head Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett) nor Vice-President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman). 


Of course, as fate would have it, Banning and company have plenty to worry about because Aamir Barkawi (Alon Moni Aboutboul), a notorious arms dealer of apparent Middle Eastern origin that the U.S. ordered an airstrike against a few years ago, has been waiting for such an event. So when the opportunity arises to take out several of the top world leaders, he can’t wait, even though he plans to save his biggest revenge for last: Executing President Asher live on the Internet for the entire world to see.


Then again, Barkawi has never met Mike Banning … But he’s definitely about to …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who loved 80s action movies; Gerard Butler fans; people in search of a new one-liner spewing hero; those who always enjoy watching Morgan Freeman be more Morgan Freeman in am authoritative type of role; those looking for a supporting female hero who is solid in her role

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Those who were unimpressed with Olympus Has Fallen (which is a better film); Angela Bassett fans; those who fear a film like this is a bit too xenophobic in its execution; anyone who finds the standard guns-n-bad guys film overdone

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A film that might as well come with a “CNN Headline News/1980s-style action found here!” sticker on it, London Has Fallen doesn’t look to re-invent the wheel by any stretch of the imagination when it comes to action flicks. It simply looks to keep them moving in a stampeding fashion in hopes of box office returns.


Let’s be honest: Gerard Butler is an actor who (depending on how you feel about him, sadly or not) is at his best with a gun or sword in his hands. There’s a reason it’s nearly impossible to think of him and not have this scene from 10 years ago come to mind, for it’s the definitive thing that he does best: Hurt people, spout profane-yet-corny-yet-effective one liners and usually look 80s action hero cool as he does it. London is full of Butler doing all these things as the “I gotta do what my country needs me to do” moments come fast and furious from start to finish. Banning is never without a clever (and potentially derisive) quip or a weapon at just the right time, which does play well against Eckhart’s “I’m just trying to do my best job for the American people so why I am being treated like this” naiveté. 


Make no mistake: Morgan Freeman is the coolest, most level-headed person here and thank God that he is as it is needed in between explosions and fist fights. 


But … That’s where the movie emotionally stops. You don’t care so much as about the characters as individuals as you do as watching America come out on top in what is essentially a live action version of playing Call of Duty or Battlefield with your friends online (complete with an equal amount of cursing and explicit machismo). You can enjoy London Has Fallen as a guilty pleasure – emphasis on “guilty” – on a basic level, but there are no grand statements being made, save for “America will always rise to stop bad guys” and “If you ain’t us, you’re against us.”Liking the film on any other level is on par with the girl who dates a guy for his car, muscles and/or money or the guy who dates a girl because she’s got a million dollar body and a $.10 head – It’s fine, but there’s nothing serious going on there beyond a brief, frivolous fling.Then again, in a world where a reality star could become president, don’t be surprised if you see another sequel with a title like “Tokyo Has Fallen” in 3 years time …
 

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

Tabari McCoy (http://mccoyonmovies.blogspot.com)

McCoy on Movies: TRIPLE 9

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TRIPLE 9
Crime thriller delivers cool characters, but light on story save for some basic cops n’ robbers action

“Are we seriously gonna sit here and let this dude give us secondhand smoke?! I’m trying to enjoy my beer over here!” Marcus Atwood (Anthony Mackie) and Chris Allen (Casey Affleck) unwind at a local bar in a scene from director John Hillcoat’s action thriller TRIPLE 9. Credit: Bob Mahoney. © 2016 Open Road Films.

 


WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
 


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Norman Reedus and Aaron Paul with Gal Gadot and Blake McLennan

WRITER(S): Matt Cook

DIRECTOR: John Hillcoat

WEB SITE: http://triple9movie.com/

60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Triple 9 stars Casey Affleck as Chris Allen, a rookie detective with the Atlanta Police Department where his uncle Jeffrey (Woody Harrelson) is a top cop (his position is never fully reveal but let say he’s a chief). Now fully in the police fold, Chris finds himself in a partnership with Marcus (Anthony Mackie), who would rather not work with a rookie on his beat in the urban, gang-infested streets of Hotlanta. However, Marcus realizes that his new partner might just be the perfect person to help him out – not with a case, but with something much more sinister.


You see, Marcus – like Rodriguez (Clifton Collins, Jr.), Gabe Welch (Aaron Paul), his brother Russell (Norman Reedus) and his best friend/fellow former military soldier Michael Atwell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) – is a actually a criminal. Yes, like homicide detective Rodriguez (and formerly Welch), Marcus wears a badge, but is a member of a gang that recently pulled off one of the biggest bank heists in the city’s history. Why? To retrieve information from a safety deposit box for Irina Vslalov (Kate Winslet), wife of a currently incarcerated Russian mob boss who has taken over in her husband’s place. Irina is also the sister of Elena (Gal Gadot), who just so happens to be the mother of Michael’s son Felix. (And now you know why Michael is doing jobs for Irina.)


However, just when Michael thinks he and his boys are out, Irina pulls a bait-and-switch by informing him he has to do one more job so that she can get the information she needs to spring her husband from prison … Unless he never wants to see Felix again and risk them all be mob targets, that is. To pull it off, Michael and his crew realizes there’s only way to create a big enough distraction to draw away the police so they can do the crime: A “triple nine,” or a call to an officer down at the scene of a shooting.


And guess what rookie detective seems like the perfect candidate to suffer the fate of Michael and company’s wrath?

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Casey Affleck fans, Woody Harrelson fans; Chiwetel Ejiofor fans; people who enjoy crime/heist movies and don’t need too much more than cops and robbers to be happy

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Russian Americans; Anthony Mackie and Aaron Paul fans; people who hate crime flicks that could have been better with a little tweaking; police departments worried this man give some criminals ideas …


SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Triple 9 is a movie that features some really great performances … In a movie that in and of itself is solid but not that memorable overall. Instead of taking the time to fully develop the story through one or perhaps two characters’ eyes, Triple 9 that tries to cram in too many characters in one setting, which kind of wastes the performances of Harrelson, Ejiofor and Affleck, which are excellent. 


While Affleck’s is the character you are seemingly supposed to care most about on the surface, you are given so little about his background and motivations (other than being a good cop) that he has to rely on his sheer quiet intensity to carry you through. We’re not certain why he is a new member of the Atlanta PD, where he came from (apparently he may have been in the military at one point) and the nature of he and his uncle’s relationship and how it led to this situation. Likewise, Harrelson’s character gets to say a lot of cool lines (which fortunately don’t come off as corny at all), but his character does so much foreshadowing that a lot of conflicts that could have been cool to watch play out unfortunately come off predictably or at the very least, expected. While Affleck’s low-key but steady intensity keeps him compelling, it would be nice for him to have more to work with than a very cool demeanor. 


Ejiofor’s character is the one that sadly suffers the most because of this, as his is by far the most interesting character in the mix. But instead his character – who IS the most well-developed of the three mentioned – is given a bit of a mixed presentation to the audience and becomes the most sympathetic one in the entire film. But instead of really going for it, director John Hillcoat seemingly instead chooses to boil it down to a rather bland power struggle between he and Winslet’s character. Sure, there is a payoff, but it’s not as great as it could have been potentially. 


Fortunately, these things are not enough to derail the film, which does deliver entertaining, traditional good guys and bad guys style action sequences with enough flavor to keep you interested even if you always seem to be one step ahead of its characters in terms of what’s happening. The performances of Affleck, Ejiofor and Harrelson are compelling enough you are able to stay engaged and the well executed heist and gun battles scenes deliver much needed shots of adrenaline when necessary. It’s not spectacular, it doesn’t have a Training Day style character or intensity that stands out, but it’s solid enough.


Whether or not you find it solid enough, however, remains to be seen – but chances are good if you choose to see it, you’ll be satisfied with your choice. 

 
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

Tabari McCoy (http://mccoyonmovies.blogspot.com)
 

McCoy on Movies: HOW TO BE SINGLE

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HOW TO BE SINGLE

 

“Man, if this movie isn’t good they’ll have to replace this prop with a real bottle!” Robin (Rebel Wilson) and Alice (Dakota Johnson) enjoy a night out on the town in a scene from director Christian Ditter’s romantic comedy HOW TO BE SINGLE. Credit: Barry Wetcher. © 2016 Warner Bros. Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. and Ratpac-Dune Entertainment, LLC. 

 


WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
 

 



KEY CAST MEMBERS: Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Alison Brie, Nicholas Braun, Damon Wayans, Jr., Jason Mantzoukas, Jake Lacy and Anders Holm

WRITER(S): Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein (screenplay); Liz Tucillo (novel on which the movie is based)


DIRECTOR: Christian Ditter

WEB SITE: http://howtobesinglemovie.com/

60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Alice (Dakota Johnson) is dating Josh (Nicholas Braun) and everything is fine. Then Alice, much to Josh’s dismay, decides that they should go on a break so that she can find herself. So naturally she moves to New York and gets a job as a paralegal at a law firm which her new loquacious, free-spirited co-worker Robin (Rebel Wilson) describes as “two guys and a Jewish guy – just kidding: they’re all Jewish.” And while Robin does her best to get Alice out into the city to go party, Alice’s sister Meg (Leslie Mann) is all about her job as a doctor delivering babies, even though she has no desire to have one of her own.


Meanwhile, Tom (Anders Holm) is busy running his bar … And Lucy (Brie Larson) is busy stealing his WiFi signal to run the dating algorithm she’s constructed to help her find the perfect mate … On one of the 10 online dating apps she is using. And poor Ken (Jake Lacy)? He just wants to date Meg, even if he is completely unaware of the decision she has already made by the time he meets her.


But no worries – they’re all about to get a valuable collective lesson in the title of this movie.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann fans; older women trying to talk themselves into dating younger men; people to see a depiction of an interracial couple in a mainstream film where their race is not a focal point of their relationship; people looking for way to either start or end a friends with benefits relationship

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Rebel Wilson fans who feel her character is one note; people who would like to see Dakota Johnson in something where she can show a better range of her acting talents; those who feel the film’s casual sex depictions are way too casual; people who dislike films where the characters make decisions that feel unnatural/forced for the sake of the story and not based in any real reality; people who like consistent storytelling and/or would prefer for the movie to be much closer to the story in the original novel.


SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? How to Be Single is a lot like real dating in the modern world: There are times when it doesn’t make sense, it’s loaded with people that are a mix of self-loathing, psychopathic and, for the most part, self-destructive even when their behavior obviously is. 
In other words, it’s got some nice parts jumbled up with a whole lot of bad ones that – once again like a real relationship – the movie wants you to overlook even though they are killing your enjoyment of it. 
 
How to Be Single‘s characters aren’t really that likable. That’s kind of a problem because you never really care about what happens to most of them, especially by the time the film tries to come around to making them redeemable. Johnson’s put-on helpless romantic casually jumps from one relationship to the other with fool-hearted whimsy, only to watch it of course blow up in her face – but not because of anything she does, mind you. No, that’s up to the dudes to do whether immediately or later as they are pretty much as one note as can be (save for Jason Mantzoukas as one of the suitors for Brie’s character). 


Wilson’s character is there to serve as the comic relief … But other than a barrage of jokes about how promiscuous she is or feels Johnson’s character should be, there’s not much to her. Whereas sometimes you have the “she’s-fun-because-she’s-so-outrageous” vibe with a character, Wilson’s is more of the “I’d watch this person from a distance but never really wanna hang out them because she’s annoying and not a good person.” In short, her character is just a garden tool  – and no, I don’t mean a rake – that says inappropriate things and then is supposed to be “fun.” This is another main problem with the film as the characters come off either severely undeveloped or illogical thanks to weak storytelling (see the character portrayed by Damon Wayans, Jr.), the others come off as one-dimensional (see Johnson), fun but dumb and one dimensional (see Wilson) or way too good of a person to be in the situation they are in so you’ll root for them because they deserve better (see Jake Lacy). 


Now, will the film make you laugh? A bit – I can’t deny that there aren’t funny parts as Lacy and Mann have a good chemistry together and fans of Mantzoukas work of the FX show The League will be happy to see he can channel his inner Rafi in a calmer, nicer character without losing his comedic edge. However, since Johnson is neither the funny one or one you feel enough care for to get completely invested in her and her alone, she’s kind of just there to take the punches for the most part. 


The fault for that falls squarely on the shoulders of director Christian Ditter and the film’s screenwriting team. By trying to cram so many stories in at once, they fail to really make one of them standout before wrapping everything up at the end in a “see, it all makes sense now, see?!” fashion. (Maybe diverting from the source material wasn’t such a good idea, hmm?) 


In summary, How to Be Single is a movie that’s not bad enough to hate, but definitely not good enough to love or recommend or more than a silly diversion (at a matinee price). However, if you are currently dating someone and have a desire to be single, take them to this movie under the guise of thinking it’s a must-see romantic comedy.


You’ll likely be single by the time the credits roll.
 

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

The most insane superhero antihero movie of all time hits the big screen … But should you see it?

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DEADPOOL
The most insane superhero antihero movie of all time hits the big screen

“Oooh – this movie blogger thinks he can come up with a better snarky caption for my own photo as I break the fourth wall?! Good luck with that there, butter – I hope you and your four readers enjoy this!” The titular character (Ryan Reynolds, center) prepares to break the fourth wall before heading into battle with Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and the aptly-named Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic) in a scene from director Tim Miller’s debut feature DEADPOOL. ™ & © 2015 Marvel & Subs.  ™ & © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. 

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:


 

 


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Karan Soni, Leslie Uggams, Jed Rees, Brianna Hildebrand and the voice of Stefan Kapicic

WRITER(S): Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza (character); Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (screenplay)

WEB SITE: http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/deadpool


60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): A most unconventional movie that was a LONG time in the making,  Deadpool stars Hal Jor-, er, Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson. Who is Wade Wilson? He’s just your average former special forces mercenary turned man for hire. The notorious “merc with a mouth” is living a pretty low-key life, hanging out a bar run by a guy simply known as Weasel (T.J. Miller) that is unlike any other in town. 


Then he meets Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), a woman just as seemingly sick and twisted as he is with whom he of course falls madly in love with. 


However, as Wade is telling all this to his cab driver Dopinder (Karan Soni), he’s actually preparing for something more than just a leisurely ride: Getting revenge on Francis a.k.a. Ajax (Ed Skrein), the “doctor” the recruiter (Jed Rees) told him he would cure him of the cancer that was bound to kill him. And while it did cure of him of his cancer, the treatment had some serious side effects that no 30-second commercial could fit into that tiny disclaimer text at the bottom of the screen. Getting to Ajax won’t be easy, though, since his female enforcer Angel Dust (Gina Carano) is strong enough that she would make what Holly Holm did to Ronda Rousey look like a proverbial day in the park … And if that wasn’t bad enough, Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic) and the girl with what Wade admits is the coolest name ever, Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianne Hildebrand) – two devotees of a certain bald professor you may have seen before – are determined to keep Wade and is rebellious ways in check. 


Yeah, you might wanna get ready for what follows as you’ve definitely never seen a superhero – make that anti-hero – movie like this before.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Ryan Reynolds fans; T.J. Miller fans; Pretty much anyone who likes the Deadpool comic books, the 2013 video game or saw the test footage short (that ended up in the movie) on YouTube and went “WHAT WAS THAT?”

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Parents who want to drag their underage kids along and then are upset at how much they have to block their child’s eyes and/or ears during the hour and 40 minutes-plus run time; people who hate foul-language and/or extreme violence; those who want Deadpool’s origin story to stick 100% to the comic book’s canon; anyone who finds Ryan Reynolds annoying


SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Arguably the most anticipated Marvel movie debut* (yes, any dedicated Marvel movie fan knows that Wade Wilson has appeared in other X-Men movies but we mean solo movie centered around him) since Iron Man, Deadpool delivers the most insane, ridiculous super – or anti-hero, rather – movie you could possibly imagine. 


Fortunately, that is a very, very good thing: Because Deadpool is a can’t miss love story that is perfect for anyone looking for a Valentine’s Day treat … Provided they don’t mind the profanity, gun violence and sexual innuendo to make Amy Schumer blush.


Deadpool, much like Reynolds breakout eponymous character in Van Wilder, is the superhero equivalent of the 1980s high school cool kid who cracks wise and has no one who can tell him what to do yet underneath it all is actually a good dude. In this case, however, he’s just an extremely foul-mouthed, prone to fits of violence, heckler-who’s-funnier-and-much-more-self-aware-than-the-comic-on-stage-and-knows-it good dude who is going to get the last word by hook or crook. Reynolds plays the character with pretty much all the wiseass yet sensitive exuberance needed to bring him to life, nailing each bit of the action along the way. When Deadpool breaks the fourth wall, Reynolds makes sure to do it in the way that the character shows he knows you know what the joke is. Likewise, when he cracks wise or curses, Reynolds is sure to do so in a way that either goes right for the burn to whoever the target of his verbal slice is and in similar fashion when the film enters its serious territory he adeptly conveys why what’s going down is serious business.


Of course, the movie wouldn’t work without the expert level performances of the surrounding cast as Skrein’s banter with Reynolds’ character comes off in a spirited, almost seemingly serendipitous fashion. Likewise, whereas Soni does a phenomenal job in becoming caught up in Deadpool’s world and worldview, Miller does what he does best – being a calmer, thinner and more intellectual version of Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow movies – as Deadpool’s confidant who before and after his transformation. The same can be said for Kapicic as the voice of the CGI-created Colossus, who’s attempts to make a true hero out of Deadpool fail in vain in nature as much as they are fodder for comedic enjoyment, which is often.


Thankfully, the ladies are not left out in the Deadpool world as they are critical – and entertaining – parts of the story as well. Whereas Baccarin delivers on providing the former Wade Wilson a strong – and more importantly, 100 percent believable – love interest (these two characters are made for each other), Carano and Hildebrand provide two interesting characters who prove you can make a big impact on screen without having to say that much. Throw in screen veteran Leslie Uggams as Wade’s elderly blind roommate and the ladies of Deadpool add enough testosterone-friendly estrogen to the mix to make it appealing to men and women alike. 


For a man making his directorial debut, Tim Miller really shines in keeping all of the chaos of Deadpool to a high level of enjoyment. The action sequences snap with a dynamic mix of adrenaline and inappropriateness fitting of its subject, the visual effects never feel out of place and the actors deliver dedicated, inspired performances at every turn. The bullets, swords, fists and … Well, Negasonic Teenage Warheads fly with purposeful intent, the dialogue is full of “Wait, he/she said WHAT?!” moments and the story is told with a skill to make all of the insanity make as much sense as possible to have you develop both interest and empathy for its protagonist. Throw in a tight interweaving of the past and present to show the viewer how Deadpool went from a simple (alright, NOTHING about him is “simple”) mercenary to an enhanced superhuman and Miller’s debut piece is one future superhero movie directors would be wise to emulate. Make no mistake: Deadpool is not a movie for everyone. There is a ton of profanity, sexual situations (that means nudity!) and some liberties taken with a few of the characters, Deadpool included. (Spoiler alert: his signature vehicle is not seen in the movie unless it’s in a post-credit scene, I guess you’ll have to settle for this in the meantime.) Those minor issues notwithstanding, Deadpool is a movie that was largely made in part by the fans and in turn pays them back by giving them pretty much exactly what they want: A cool guy in a suit with superpowers who makes them laugh while kicking a lot of ass in the process, but still has a good heart underneath it all.Don’t believe me? Watch the movie – he’ll likely tell you that himself.

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 
Tabari McCoy (http://mccoyonmovies.blogspot.com)

McCoy On Movies: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES

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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES
The audacious send-up of Jane Austen and the modern zombie phenomenon delivers a delectable bite of camp, comedy and cult classic entertainment

“This will teach you disrespect the good name of the house of Bennett!” Jane Bennett (Bella Heathcote), right, and her sister Elizabeth (Lily James, center) lead their sisters through a battle in a scene from screenwriter/director Burr Steers take on the Seth Grahame-Smith’s best-selling remix of Jane Austen’s best-known novel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE & ZOMBIES. Credit: Jay Maidment. © 2016 CTMG, Inc. All rights reserved.
WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE: 


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Lily James, Bella Heathcote, Sam Riley, Douglass Booth, Jack Huston, Matt Smith, Douglass Booth, Charles Dance, Sally Phillips, Suki Waterhouse, Ellie Bamber, Millie Brady and Lena Headey
 
WRITER(S): Burr Steers (screenplay); Jane Austen (novel) and Seth Grahame-Smith (novel based on the original novel on which the film is based 


DIRECTOR(S): Burr Steers


WEB SITE: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/prideandprejudiceandzombies/
 
60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): The film adaptation of writer/director/actor/author Seth Grahame-Smith’s audacious re-envisioning of Jane Austen’s classic novel, Pride And Prejudice & Zombies stars Lily James as Elizabeth Bennett. Elizabeth is one of five sisters who’s mother (Sally Phillips) has one common goal for them all: Get them married to someone rich as soon as possible. So, when the handsome and rich Mr. Bingley (Douglas Booth) takes a fancy to Elizabeth’s sister Jane (Bella Heathcote), her family is delighted. Darcy (Sam Riley), Mr. Bingley’s best friend, however, is not … For he is the epitome of upper class prejudice, a fact not quickly lost upon Elizabeth at first glance. 


With a budding romance in the air, Jane and Mr. Bingley find the couple becoming closer and closer, which prompts Jane to go visit him at his sizable estate … Only to have an accident. Of course, an accident riding across town is bad enough, but there is one particular detail that makes the situation much worse than usual …


London, where they live, is in middle of a zombie outbreak with the dead walking the earth.


Sent to the Far East to train to defend their selves against such a problem, Jane, Elizabeth and the rest of the sisters are fully prepared to slay the undead, as is Darcy. And once zombies begin to pour out of every nook and cranny on their to potentially taking down the fortified walls of London, Elizabeth and Darcy must put aside their differences if they and the rest of mankind is to survive …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Zombie movie fans; people who found previousPride and Prejudice films in need of something more lively (no pun intended); people who will be happy the film stays true to the spirit of Austen and Grahame-Smith’s original works, Matt Smith fans; Lily James fans; people who will see it as a bit of modern feminist chic WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People suffering from zombie hangover; those wanting it to stray away from Austen’s original themes and dialogue; people who feel like Austen’s classic work should never have been abominated in this fashion; those who feel the incorporation of Asian martial arts into the piece is somehow offensive

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A film that should never have worked based upon a book that should have never worked when considering the original novel on which it is based, Pride And Prejudice & Zombies (PP&Z for short from here on out) might arguably be the best adaptation of Austen’s work ever. If that’s not true, well, it’s at least the most entertaining one thanks to a mix of well-crafted characters, performances, dialogue and fight sequences that may finally bridge the gap between lovers of classic literature and comic books.

The cast of PP&Z could not have done a better job in infusing the right mix of humor, camp, seriousness and edge in the film as the dialogue and its delivery remains true to the spirit of Austen’s work while delivering the zest and energy of Grahame-Smith’s unique take. The zombies are not used as a crutch; instead, the cast plays things out while maintaining the traditions of the era, the quirks of each particular character – James, Smith and Riley standing out exceptionally well in this task – while at the same time making the story feel fresh. The conflicts of upper and lower society, what constitutes love … And of course, the necessities of what makes for a proper young woman (in this case, casting aside one’s martial arts training, sword and/or pistol to be a wife) are all present and expertly incorporated into the mix.

Whereas Heathcote and James present a great chemistry as sisters with different outlooks on life, Riley and James are downright dynamic in their juxtaposition as diametrically opposed zombie slayers and protectors of their family/friends. Likewise, Smith plays his role much like Elizabeth Banks’ Hunger Games approach to her Effie Trinket character, pompous, prim and proper all the way along that he is so perfectly campy his Doctor Who fans will beg for more screen time. Even Headey is great in her role as a legend akin to a zombie-slaying, all powerful Oz take on the role of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, especially when she is put to test to prove Elizabeth’s worth.

Screenwriter/director Burr Steers, however, is the one that serves to come out as the biggest winner from PP&Z as there is rarely a dull moment in his take on the insane-on-the-surface-but-intriguing-and-compelling-in-practice comedy/romance/drama/zombie movie. His cast performs top notch under his watch, he balances with a near perfect hand the mix of slasher camp and courtesan cinema and the fight sequences deliver true, enthralling action with just the right mix of tension and comedy. Had there been a few more threatening moments of zombie action, the film might just be perfect.

Or at least as perfect as any film with a premise this outrageous could ever hope to be, that is. Anyone thinking otherwise has too much pride and an unjust prejudice against a future cult classic that might arguably be the best film released so far in 2016.

 
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

 

 

 

McCoy on Movies: DIRTY GRANPDA

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Robert De Niro and Zack Efron team up for raunchy, raucous buddy comedy

“Sorry about your jaw … But you gotta memorize your lines!” Jason Kelly (Zac Efron) shares – uncomfortably from the looks of things – a bed with his retired military officer grandfather Dick (Robert De Niro) in a scene from Dan Mazer’s comedy DIRTY GRANDPA. Credit: Bob Mahoney © 2015 Lionsgate Pictures. All rights reserved. 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE: 



 




KEY CAST MEMBERS: Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Mantzoukas, Danny Glover, Dermont Mulroney, Julianne Hough, Jeffrey Bower-Chapman, Zoey Deutch, Brandon Mychal Smith, Michael Hudson, Jake Picking, Henry Zebrowski and Adam Pally


WRITER(S): John Philips


DIRECTOR(S): Dan Mazer

WEB SITE: http://www.dirtygrandpa.movie/

60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Jason Kelly (Zac Efron) seemingly is about to solidify his ticket to the good life. After all, he has a great job as a lawyer – specializing in SEC compliance – at the law firm his dad (Dermont Mulroney) works at and he’s set to be married to his fiancé Meredith (Julianne Hough) in a week.


Then his grandmother dies.


Re-united at the funeral with his cousin Nick (Adam Pally), Jason gets an unexpected request from the widow of the deceased/his estranged grandfather Dick (Robert De Niro) – drive him to Boca Raton, Florida per the trip he was supposed to take with his wife. After some poking and prodding, Jason reluctantly agrees and set out to hit the road from Atlanta to Florida. Then he makes an unexpected discovery, the less said about that, the better.


Stopping at a diner along the way, Jason finally learns of his grandfather’s true intentions of going to Florida: Going to spring break to party. And once he and Dick meet up with Bradley (Jeffrey Bower-Chapman), the easy – to put it nicely – Lenore (Aubrey Plaza) and Jason’s former classmate Shadia (Zoey Deutch) outside the diner, Jason quickly realizes he’s in for a lot more than he bargained for.


Grandfather-son bonding may never be the same again.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who enjoy raunchy, bawdy, politically incorrect comedies that have a surprising amount of heart and modern ones like Sisters, Trainwreck, Project X, Revenge of the Nerds and The 40 Year-Old Virgin; Aubrey Plaza fans who loved her work in The To Do List; Robert De Niro and Jason Mantzoukas fans

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who hate  enjoy raunchy, bawdy, politically incorrect comedies like the one mentioned above; possibly the LGBT community and the NAACP; Robert De Niro and Zac Efron fans who feel they should be above films like this; any parent who takes their child to this film and then feels compelled to need to cover their child’s eyes and/or have an uncomfortable ride home 

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A movie that lives up to its “R” rating in just about every sense imaginable, Dirty Grandpa is raunchy, rowdy, politically incorrect … And if that doesn’t bother you, you will also likely find it to be something its TV commercials likely might make it seem hard to believe: Funny – jaw-droppingly funny.


I’ll admit it: When I saw the trailer for Dirty Grandpa, my first thought was “Why in the world is Robert De Niro in this?” Watching the movie, the answer becomes pretty clear: He must have known it would be a lot of fun to play Dick, a dirty (both in language and tone) old man who is still full of life and underneath it all has a pretty decent heart. De Niro shines from start to finish as the bawdy senior citizen who says exactly what is on his mind regardless of who is around but eventually proves himself to be cool because he actually gets people and takes them as they are. Efron is there to play the straight man and does so well, furthering distancing himself from his Disney days, much like Hough who plays the pretentious … princess effectively to spur his actions. Jason Mantzoukas plays his character, which if you are familiar with his work on The League won’t come as a surprise, effectively crazy to the point his lunacy – while ludicrous in terms of believability in a real world sense – works well. Mantzoukas makes his beach shop owner a lovable lunatic, acting as a nice bridge between De Niro and Efron to allow them to keep their characters (somewhat) grounded in reality. Then again, Aubrey Plaza shows that her work in the under-appreciated The To Do List was not a one-time thing as she and De Niro pull of the most insane, filthy – and hilarious – series of exchanges since Steve Carell and Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd were all sitting around together playing video games in The 40 Year-Old Virgin. Plaza commits 100% to the role fully just like De Niro and Mantzoukas, which makes for a cavalcade of crazy comedy.

Of course, like almost every road trip/buddy comedy, Dirty Grandpa tries to insert a bit of a moral/life lesson at the end that Dick teaches his grandson, which is a nice touch … But let’s be realistic. NO ONE is going to leave Dirty Grandpa talking about the wisdom Dick passes along to his grandson. What they will be talking about, however, is the copious amounts of “did they just say that?!” moments found within the film. De Niro and company hold nothing back – vocally OR anatomically – in going for the most inappropriate (and in turn, hilarious) laugh possible. Race, sexual orientation, ageism … None of these things is off limits for Dirty Grandpa; the key is that as the film eventually goes on to prove is that there is no malice behind the jokes. Laughs are not made at the expense of others’ feelings in saying that any group is inferior to another, they are simply “here’s something about you ripe for comedic fodder” – and therein lies all the difference.

Then again, if you are offended/prefer not to see a 70-plus year-old man hitting on college age girls, are uncomfortable with anyone using racially-charged words in any capacity if they are not members of the ethnic group deemed “allowed” to use them and/or an admittedly graphic amount of graphic language, avoid Dirty Grandpa at all costs. Likewise, if you find the premise too outlandish, fear the sexual content will be too intense/perverse, you likely will be best served by staying away from the film.

Should those happen to not be issues, however, Dirty Grandpa will make you laugh possibly till your sides hurt … Or at least long enough to make you feel like you need to go to church to make up for watching and enjoying it.

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

McCoy on Movies: Ride Along 2

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RIDE ALONG 2
Kevin Hart, Ice Cube team up again for another comedic tale of law and in-laws … But is it it worth it to ride along with them and watch?

“Wanna know how come I got the Hangover role instead of Jackie Chan? Listen closely …” Ben (Kevin Hart, left) and James (Ice Cube) react to the latest revelation of AJ (Ken Jeong) in a scene from director Tim Story’s RIDE ALONG 2. Credit: Quantrell D. Colbert © 2015 Universal Studios. All rights reserved. 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE: 


 


KEY VOICE CAST MEMBERS: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Olivia Munn, Benjamin Bratt, Ken Jeong, Olivia Munn, Bruce McGill, Tika Sumpter and Sherri Shepherd 

WRITER(S): Phil Hat and Matt Manfredi (written by); Greg Coolidge (characters)

DIRECTOR(S): Tim Story

WEB SITE: http://www.ridealong.com/

60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Back for a second adventure after 2014’s surprise box office hit, Ride Along 2 once again stars Kevin Hart as Ben Barber, a video game enthusiast who has finally become a member of the Atlanta Police Dept. … As a low level beat cop. His soon-to-be brother-in-law James (Ice Cube), however, is what Ben really wants to be: A detective. And even though James has softened his stance on his sister Angela (Tika Sumpter) marrying him, he has no qualms about telling Ben he is just not detective material.


Of course, Ben ends up interjecting himself into James’ latest case tracking down a drug dealer who has a mysteriously encrypted flash drive on him. That flash drive leads James to need to travel to Miami to track down a hacker simply named AJ (Ken Jeong), which gives Ben the perfect opportunity to tag – er, make that ride – along with him to show he has what it takes … As well as let Angela and Cori (Sherri Shepherd) finish planning the wedding in peace.


So what happens when Ben and James – a.k.a. the “brothers-in-law” – hit South Beach? As you might expect, nothing goes quite like they expect …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Die-hard Kevin Hart fans; people who enjoy staring at Olivia Munn; people who like Ken Jeong; people who have spent too many hours playing Grand Theft Auto-style video games 

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People tiring of Hart’s same-natured film projects and/or find them a bit uninspired; people who didn’t like the original Ride Along; Olivia Munn fans who wish she had more to do in the film; Benjamin Bratt fans who think he would be above a project like this

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? “Harmless albeit familiar fun.”Those were the words I found ruminating in my head after finishing Ride Along 2, which attempts to break no new ground while being just entertaining enough to keep you from completely detesting it. It’s by no means a “good” movie by good movie standards, yet it finds a way to keep you watching it the entire time.

Hart and Cube have a weird chemistry – not good, not bad, but … weird. You understand why Cube’s hard-edged James does not like him, for his character has all the same critiques about Hart’s character Ben as many of Hart’s detractors have about him as a real person. (He’s loud, he’s annoying, he’s always doing something when he should just chill out a minute yet while nine things he does are ridiculous, the tenth may be, as Cube’s character says, “genius.”) While there is nothing genius about Ride Along 2 – the thin plot is well, thin, Sherri Shepherd’s role as Ben and Angela’s wedding planner doesn’t really make sense given how she argues with both of them and the less said about the scene with the alligator, the better – director Tim Story delivers a competent enough story to keep you enticed enough to watch it to completion.

Then again, if you’re coming to Ride Along 2, you’ve likely seen Ride Along – which means you likely aren’t coming for the story as much as you are to watch Hart be hyperactive, watch Cube make that scowl he’s made since the days of Amerikkka’s Most Wanted and see Jeong do what he did with the Hangover sequels, Community and what the real-life doctor-turned-stand-up-comic-turned-actor is trying to do on Dr. Ken: Save subpar material with his “Go-for-it” personality. Sadly, Olivia Munn does her best to keep things moving with as Detective Maya Cruz and staying in character … But the character seems just slightly out of place with the Cube/Hart/Jeong dynamic. (The fact she seems to be channeling Stephanie Beatriz’s Rosa Diaz but not as well is also a potential whoopise.)

Director Tim Story has a nice little video game sequence in the film that works, Cube and Hart make their weird chemistry watchable, Sumpter and Munn do the best they can to keep it together and Jeong does enough to make the piece salvageable. It makes Ride Along 2 one of those movies that if you happened to be flipping through the channels on a Saturday afternoon, you’d watch … Until you find something else better to do.

Hopefully, Hart has something better in him – or at least will find it before Ride Along 3 likely gets greenlit and it suffers from sequel-itis even though this one is better than its predecessor – even though that’s not really saying too much. Much like Hart and Cube their respective selves, Ride Along 2 is likable … enough. It’s just not their best work.

 

Introducing McCoy on Movies: Review of CAROL

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A movie blog written by someone smart enough to know his opinions may not match yours.

 

 

“There you go … Relax those shoulders … And if this were the 1990s, I’d probably put on a little R. Kelly for how I’m about to get my groove on!”




Cate Blanchett stars as the titular character as she gets close with Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), a shy department store clerk who may become something more in a scene from director Todd Haynes’ take on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, CAROL.



Credit: © 2015 The Weinstein Company.


WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:






KEY CAST MEMBERS: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy, Cory Michael Smith and Carrie Brownstein


WRITER(S): Phyllis Nagy (screenplay); Patricia Highsmith (novel The Price of Salt on which the film is based)


DIRECTOR(S): Todd Haynes

WEB SITE: http://carolfilm.com/

60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): An adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt, Carol stars Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet, a rather quiet, introverted clerk working at a New York City department store. Then she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), a woman that is seemingly everything she isn’t in terms of being confident and glamorous, save for one commonality between them: Attraction. The men in their lives, however – be it Carol’s head-over-heels but oblivious boyfriend (Jake Lacy) or Carol’s controlling, moral-thumping husband (Kyle Chandler) – are none too keen of the situation once they become aware something is going on between their would-be other halves.


But for Carol and Therese, an attraction as strong as the one they share is going to be hard to quell, the wishes of men or society be damned … 

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Ohioans who worked on or know people in the film; LGBT community members and supporters; Cate Blanchett fans; people who enjoy watching portrayals of understudied segments of mid-20th century America; fans of Patricia Highsmith’s work 

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Anyone upset about Cincinnati’s decision to be the first city in the nation to ban homosexual conversion therapy; people who feel a disconnect to the story because of their own personal beliefs and/or not being a member of the LGBT community, thus not having the same emotional connection to the story as others; people who believe homosexual relationships are directly related to the dissolution of the American family … And pretty much anyone else you can think of who hears the word “lesbian” or “gay” and chuckles or goes into a rage

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Carol is a film about which some people will have plenty to say and others, very little. For on one hand, some could easily dismiss the film as a very nice looking tale of a May-December (or more like May–October) romance between two women that doesn’t go far enough in exploring its affects on its main characters outside of one speech in a lawyer’s office and conversation between its female protagonists. Those same people may then look to quickly say something to the effect of Blanchett is commanding of the camera as Carol, a woman who in one breath is as confident and alluring and then, in the next, vulnerable as one can be when awaiting someone to whom you want to give your heart and not knowing they will return the favor. 


Likewise, Mara – who is so adept at playing introverted or mysterious that she’s even talked about it on national television – is great at bringing at, on the surface, is a rather mundane character to life even if she seemingly spends most of the time reacting to things happening around her until she is placed into the role to make a very important decision … Even if she is guided inadvertently to that decision by Carol’s hand. 


On the other hand, there is a LOT one could say about Carol one could discuss at length, from the depiction of men in the film to its status as a romantic drama vs. being a “lesbian romance” film – Salon.com already took the liberty of doing that if you want to examine those issues – to less hot-button topics such as its pacing, the transformation of Cincinnati into 1950s New York City and the like. Other might lament the film not going deeper into exploring the outside forces on Carol and Therese’s relationship or explaining exactly what happened between Carol and her best gal pal Abby (Sarah Paulson). 


Then again, an infinite number of essays could be written about these topics, what the true realities of being in a lesbian relationship during this time in American history were, the ways in which different aspects of society reacted to them and others that the film does not have the time to explore in detail because – as should be evident – a significant number of them exist. Instead, Carol seeks to simply tell a story of two people who find something in each other that they have not found in the people they are already paired up with and – instead of going for something salacious or titillating, looks to present it in a more organic, simple and (perhaps most importantly) natural fashion, which may be its biggest achievement of all. As a film, however, Carol features performances that – which occasionally almost veer into “this is my big moment” territory early on before the actors find their collective grooves – seem well-fitting to the time period it depicts with settings that gorgeously reflect them. 

Thus, if you know the subject matter is not of interest to you because you have an issue with it for whatever reason, Carol will do nothing – other than trying to show you women who simply fall for one another, why and how much richer they make each other’s existence – to change your mind. That is why the film might be so successful in that task, however, with those who are not steadfast and dogmatic in their thinking as it present their relationship as nothing more than a normal relationship, which may in turn say more about such relationships are usually portrayed in media than not – and perhaps that is a sign of the progress the LGBT has been clamoring for for years in making a movie that ISN’T about being “gay,” “lesbian” or the like, but simply a love story. 

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):