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Tom Holland Swings into Superhero Stardom in Spider–Man: Homecoming

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“Man … I wonder if Deadpool got my text message …” Spider-Man (Tom Holland) chills out in a scene from Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. Credit: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures © 2017 CTM, Inc. All rights reserved. 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE: 

 


 



KEY CAST MEMBERS: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Donald Glover with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, Jr. 

WRITER(S): Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley; Jon Watts and Christopher Ford; Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers / Based on the comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko 

DIRECTOR(S): Jon Watts

 
WEB SITE: http://sites.sonypictures.com/spidermanhomecoming/splash/#ticketsHERE’S THE STORY: Having just finished up the events depicted in Captain America: Civil War, young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is thoroughly enjoying his time as an “intern” at Stark Enterprises – especially since his internship is really just a cover so his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) doesn’t become suspicious of what he is really doing: Dressing in a special suit designed for him by Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) so he can become a crime-fighting superhero.


Tony, however, doesn’t quite trust the young Peter to go out and save the world, which is why he has his driver Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) routinely checking up on him and trying to dissuade him from biting off more than he can chew. After all, he is still in high school, hangs out with his equally nerdy best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and is on the debate team where he battles the indifference of Michelle (Zendaya) and Flash (Tony Revolori) for the attention of Liz (Laura Harrier).  


But while Peter is trying his best to keep Aunt May and Tony at bay while dealing with the regular pressures of high school, he soon will have to deal with another problem: Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), the head of a cleanup company that gets the shaft when the head of the Department of Damage Control shows up and takes over one his jobs. Undeterred to let yet another Tony Stark venture stop him from earning a living, Toomes later finds some alien technology that Damage Control forgot to take with them …


And this is how supervillians and superheroes, ladies and gentlemen, are made …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who liked Holland’s character in Civil War; people who disliked the “dark” Spider-Man as played by Andrew Garfield; those who prefer the character in his high school settings vs. his adult ones; anyone who doesn’t mind certain elements of Spider-Man’s mythology being remixed for the sake of another new film

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People faithful to the first two Spider-Man films; anyone who has very specific thoughts/ideas about Spider-Man and his suit; people who won’t like how the first series of films are/are not acknowledged

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Spider-Man: Homecoming is a solid film that benefits from the help of Marvel Studios’ direct involvement while at the same time leaves you with more than one “what about that?” question in your head.


A film that tries to meet every challenge facing it while at the same time sets itself up for a new series of them, Homecoming thrives due to the performance of Holland, who arguably captures the truly playful sense of being a high school kid associated with the Spider-Man character while at the same time showcasing he is a capable crime-fighter. Holland nails his interpretation of the spandexed-superhero, making his journey from novice to skilled fighter both extremely entertaining and unique to his movie. His interactions with Downey are about as perfect as they can be, all while maintaining the needed awkward teenager vibe that is essential to the Peter Parker character.


Likewise, Keaton is great, channeling the best elements of his more animated (in terms of energy, not actual cartoons) roles past (think Beetlejuice, but more subtle and terrorizing with the same absence of a potential conscious in most instances). Considering the general public’s lack of knowledge of the Vulture (who, in keeping with most modern super hero movie cannon, is not mentioned by name), Keaton definitely makes his villain a very formidable presence, both from setting up his proverbial turn to the dark side and, in the words of the artist formerly known as The Rock, knowing his role. In fact, as a whole, the film does a solid job of establishing its current characters into the Marvel Universe, making sure that the story fits and adds to the overall canon.


The problems Homecoming has, however, are ones that are innate to a franchise rebooting itself for the second time. Having gone from two great original films (let’s not talk about that third one) to a “darker” pair of follow-ups back to a more humorous one that treads on some familiar territory, Spider-Man: Homecoming – with his heavy dose of humor mixed with the infusion of the Marvel Universe as a whole – attempts to mix the best of all worlds but doesn’t always make you forget the worlds it already has lived in.


Harrier serves her role well as the object of Peter’s affection (always a source of conflict for our beloved hero) … But seeing how the previous sets of films have already seen him love Mary Jane Watson and (late spoiler alert) suffer through the life and loss of Gwen Stacy, seeing exactly how Homecoming sets up his future love stories and how they will play out. Likewise, seeing how in some films he has been the creator of his own suit, been able to shoot webs without the suit and now shifts to a suit made by Tony Stark (although that is somewhat explained later in the film), some fans will no doubt have a few nitpicky issues with whether the film is about Peter Parker’s transition from teenager to titan or about him figuring out his place as a superhero in the world. Of course, yours truly would argue why couldn’t it be about both, but you can’t please everybody. 


Last but certainly not least, as the creative team behind Batman Vs. Superman found out, it’s extremely hard to keep rebooting a character and mixing their origin story – or, as it is in this case, more of a “we’re just going from here now and the others don’t matter anymore” story and expect your audience to follow suit. Once the audience has an idea of what to expect, it’s virtually impossible to start over at zero and now have the expectations/limitations that come with the past rear their head in the present. But then again, that is kind of the neat trick that Spider-Man: Homecoming pulls off – because despite all of those lofty things to overcome, the movie does enough to stand on its own and stand on its own well. It’s web-slinging fun with a very capable cast, a great load of humor – Homecoming is probably the funniest movie not named Guardians of the Galaxy – and enough interesting twists and turns to make it a worthwhile entry into the Marvel Universe.

Where it goes from here, however, remains to be seen …

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

Johansson and Company Turn Up the Funny in Rough Night

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“The untold story of Destiny’s stepchildren is a tragic one, indeed …” Alice (Jillian Bell, second from left in blue dress) takes center stage while her best friends Jess (Scarlett Johansson), Blair (Zoë Kravitz) and Frankie (Ilana Glazer) strut their stuff in a scene from ROUGH NIGHT. Credit: Macall Polay © 2016 CTMG Inc. All rights reserved.  

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE: 

 


 



KEY CAST MEMBERS: Scarlett Johansson, Jillian Bell, Zoë Kravitz, Illena Glazer, Paul W. Downs, Ryan Cooper, Dean Winters, Enrique Muriano, Colton Haynes, Bo Burnham, Demi Moore and Ty Burrell 

WRITER(S): Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs

DIRECTOR(S): Lucia Aniello

WEB SITE: http://www.roughnightmovie.com/site/HERE’S THE STORY: Jess (Scarlett Johansson), Alice (Jillian Bell), Frankie (Ilana Glaser) and Blair (Zoë Kravitz) were the best of friends in college. But now, they’re grown up and dealing with their own problems which is why Jess’ upcoming marriage to Peter (Paul W. Downs) are a perfect opportunity for the four of them to reunite and blow off some steam down in Miami. After all, Frankie is an unemployed activist, Blair is going through a rough patch of her own and Alice is, well Alice seems to enjoy her job as an elementary school teacher.


So, once the foursome meets up Jess’ other best friend, peppy Australian Pippa (played with Kate McKinnon with the right amount of authenticity and audacity), the group looks to have the makings of a perfect weekend. 


Then the stripper (Ryan Cooper) Blair hires shows up … and there’s an incident. (If you watch the trailer, you’ll know what it is.) What follows is more than enough to live up to the movie’s title – and the new champion of the craziest comedy of 2017 thus far. 

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Anyone who liked the movie Bridesmaids; fans of Broad City; Kate McKinnon fans

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who will be uncomfortable with the lesbian subject matter; those who hate watching women behave badly; 

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Women can be and are funny. If you are still having that dumb debate in your head and/or stuck on all the controversy with Kathy Griffin or Amy Schumer, hopefully you will get your mind right and stop having that idiotic notion run through your head.


And if that doesn’t do, how about this – Rough Night is the funniest female ensemble cast movie since Bridesmaids (if not more so) and possibly the best comedy (thus far) of 2017. 


Rough Night hits all the beats one needs to hit in modern comedy: the characters are not one-dimensional, they play the wacky moments as if they were serious moments and play off each other perfectly. Likewise, the jokes are sharp, exploits each characters’ foibles expertly and the inherent silliness forces you to become vested in the story and its outcome. 


The thing that separates the film from the pack, however, is the clever nature of the writing combined with the snappy, fully committed timing of the cast. Throw in the slight role reversal shown by Downs (who co-wrote the script with director Lucia Aniello) and his male counterparts – to say more would put a damper on watching the performance – and the film is as sharp a comedy to release this year. McKinnon, in keeping up with her usual track record, steals the show (this time by playing things more straight – no pun intended – than usual) while Bell shows she can be less in-your-face with a character that is more human than her recent work. Johannson might be the biggest winner, however, for the woman who has convincingly played both strong, sexy super heroes and enigmas proves her comedic chops as a normal, stressed out person just trying to live her life. 


If you and your friends are looking for a good way to enjoy living your lives together, seeing Rough Night is a great way to guarantee avoiding one. 

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

 

Marvel Ups The Ante, Fun with Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2

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“You thought someone else was going to open a movie this weekend against us?! Fool – we’re gonna be no. 1 for weeks!” Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) laugh in the presence of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) in a scene from James Gunn’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 2. Credit: © 2017 Marvel Studios. All rights reserved. 
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE (RED BAND TRAILER – NOT SAFE FOR WORK!):


 

 



KEY CAST MEMBERS: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Kurt Russell, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Debicki, Karen Gillian and Chris Sullivan

WRITER(S): James Gunn (screenplay); Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (based on the Marvel Comics by); Steve Englehart, Steve Gan, Jim Starlin, Stan Lee, Jacky Kirby, Larry Lieber, Bill Mantlo and Keith Geffen (characters)

DIRECTOR(S): James Gunn

WEB SITE: http://marvel.com/movies/movie/221/guardians_of_the_galaxy_vol_2HERE’S THE STORY: Taking place some time after the events of the first film, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 actually begins with a flashback to life in 1980’s Missouri. It’s here that we see a young man and woman cruising in the t-top sportscar, riding down the open highway enjoy life as they listen to a collection of awesome tunes. It’s here where we see the man embrace the woman, showing her something that her “starman” has planted in the earth …


Flashing back to the present, we find our familiar heroes Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and a baby form of the humanoid tree Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) fighting a huge space creature. It seems they have been hired by Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) to return a very special set of batteries to her people, the Sovereign. Obsessed with perfection, the gold-skinned, gold haired society is quite notably upset once it comes to their attention that Rocket has in fact stolen said batteries for himself, prompting Ayesha to lead a call to chase them down and eliminate the Guardians. And once Ayesha reachers out to Yondu (Michael Rooker), he and the rest of his Ravager buddies are hot on their trail …  


Much to everyone’s surprise, however, is the unexpected help that comes in the form of a man later revealed to be known as Ego (Kurt Russell), a mysterious entity accompanied by Mantis (Pom Klementieff), an antennae’d woman with great empathic powers. But why has Ego traveled across the galaxy looking for the Guardians, Quill in particular? The answer may change the Marvel Universe as you know it forever …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Fans of Guardians of the Galaxy (the movie); fans of the Marvel Studios’ films in general; Chris Pratt fans; people who like superhero movies with a good mix of comedy and action

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who hate alterations to characters like Ayesha’s comic book origins stories; those with short attention spans given the film’s 2 hour-plus runtime 


SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? When you leave a movie thinking “What else could audiences want from that movie?,” it’s probably a good sign you’ve seen a really good movie. And unless your thought process is extremely out of whack, the only other thought one should have about seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 is “I can’t wait to see what they have left for Vol. 3.” 


Vol. 2 delivers all of the risqué, perfectly-timed humor, creative action sequences and dynamic character interplay of the first film (the screen never feels too crowded with characters), but ups the ante with more development of the characters and how their backstories have modeled them into who they are today. This, in turn, enhances the great relationships between the characters –Vol. 2 shows the idea of what constitutes a family to a bunch of rogue misfits isn’t limited to just a bunch of earthbound characters in Diesel’s other “furious” franchise – which is the element that continues to shine in Marvel’s films: Whereas the D.C. films have characters with great powers, Marvel’s power lies in great, fully developed and interesting characters. 


Of course, you can’t have any of that without great individual performances – and Vol. 2 features a cast that works together like the 1996 Yankees, for every player has a role and knows their role quite well. Whether it’s leads like Pratt as a young man coming to grips with his reality as the star-crossed (pun intended) Peter Quill or Saldana and Karen Gillian as a pair of sisters with the ultimate sibling rivalry, bit players like Chris Sullivan – who is the butt of a hilariously savage series of jokes as would-be Ravager leader Taserface – to the point no one feels like a wasted opportunity. Writer/director James Gunn likewise effectively guides his cast as well to set up all of the films twists and turns, mixing in another awesome soundtrack to create what might already be the best movie of the summer. 


Here’s to hoping Vol. 3 expands the galaxy even more.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

Kong: Skull Island an entertaining take on the primate king

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“I HATE the album Monkey Business by The Black Eyed Peas – quit asking me about it!” The titular character lets his rage flag fly in a scene from KONG: Skull Island. Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2017 Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures’ and Ratpac-Dune Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved.

 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:

 

 

 


 

 

 

 



KEY CAST MEMBERS: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Toby Kebbell, Jason Mitchell, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, Terry Notary, Tian Jang, Eugene Cordero, Thomas Mann and John C. Reilly

WRITER(S): Dan Gilroy and Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly; story by John Gatins

DIRECTOR(S): Jordan Vogt-Roberts 

WEB SITE: http://kongskullislandmovie.com/HERE’S THE STORY: Set in 1973 near the height of the Vietnam conflict, Kong: Skull Island begins by introducing us to Bill Randa (John Goodman). Randa works for an agency known as Monarch and he believes there is something worth exploring on a recently discovered, uncharted island in the South Pacific. Fueled by a report from the Harvard education Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) and fellow biologist Sam Lin (Tian Jang), Randa and Brooks convinces a senator to let him piggyback on a mission by Landsat (the agency who’s satellite work discovered the remote terrain) to explore the island. And wouldn’t you know it – Randa is able to get the military escort he requests to accompany them there led by Col Preston Parker (Samuel L. Jackson), several of his best soldiers (Hawkins’ Straight Outta Compton co-star Jason Mitchell, Toby Kebbell and Shea Whigham among others) as well as the tracker (Tom Hiddleston) he hired … And an anti-war photographer in Mason Weaver (Brie Larson).


But once they arrive in the realm of the mysterious island, they are greeted by something no one (or maybe at least one of them) expected: A giant, monstrous ape (portrayed for the screen by Terry Notary) who does NOT take kindly to intrusive visitors. But despite Randa’s and Parker’s mutual desire to prove man is king, they soon learn that Kong – and the other species on the island – have a thing or two to shout about that …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who enjoyed Godzilla (the Warner Bros. version, not the Matthew Broderick version as NO ONE should enjoy that); John C. Reilly fans; Jason Mitchell fans; people who enjoy well done B-movies; those who thought the Warner Bros. version of Godzilla should have had more teeth (no pun intended) to it; people who enjoy summer popcorn movies that arrive a few months early

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who hated Godzilla (both the Matthew Broderick and Warner Bros. versions) and/or The Legend of Tarzan; those who don’t enjoy monster movies; people who hate b-movie fare

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A film with an awful 20 minute opening followed by an hour and 40 minutes of salvageable to actually quirky yet entertaining fare, Kong: Skull Island is a summer popcorn movie come a few months early … Because there are a couple of stale kernels mixed in with an otherwise decent bucket of fun.


There are two things that really make Kong: Skull Island fun – and those are the performance of John C. Reilly as an adopted Skull Island “native” and the presence of Kong (who is utilized properly in each instance) as portrayed by Terry Notary. Reilly’s performance is the perfect mix of fun and whimsical, giving the audience a character worth actually rooting for in a film otherwise devoid of one (save for the giant ape). Indeed, while Goodman and Jackson play their respective roles well – you KNOW what you’re getting from both within 30 seconds of seeing them – and Mitchell and Whigham add a nice bit of realistic-based humor, Reilly provides one that truly supplements the film with a sweet one while Kong is shown to only be a monster in stature, not in practice. 


That’s all you pretty much you need to know about the movie … Save for the monstrous inhabitants of the island (Peter Jackson’s take on the king in his 2005 telling of the giant gorilla’s tale is pretty much replicated here, but with a more ominous, Lone Survivor tone) and the tribal natives, Skull Island covers familiar territory. And at times, some of that territory is a bit too familiar for its own good. Save for a more-important-than-you-realize-opening-sequence, the first 20 minutes of the film is bland but necessary exposition, the cast is forced to deliver some overtly-ominous dialogue and despite receiving top billing, Hiddleston and Larson don’t do anything remarkable in their roles as much as just play them efficiently. Throw in director Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ early homages to Michael Bay action movies (there are some sequences in here that seem straight out of Transformers) and you get an entertaining – but at times, mixed – bag. 


In short, Kong: Skull Island is a lot like visiting your local zoo: There’s a lot to like … But when you pass through the monkey house, you’re gonna smell some things you wish you hadn’t before you get to the end. 

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

 

Passengers on a Troubled Interplanetary Flight

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PASSENGERS- Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence take a ride on a less-than-fantastic-but-not-that-bad voyage in Passengers

 
“Man – is THIS where they store all the unsold copies of MOVIE 43 (I was in that, remember?!) Jim (Chris Pratt) and Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) take in the severity of the challenge facing them in a scene from director Morten Tyldum’s PASSENGERS. Credit: Jaimie Trueblood © 2016 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. 

 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:


 

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sheen, Lawrence Fishburne … and about 5 unnecessary seconds of Andy Garcia

WRITER(S): Jon Spaihts 

DIRECTOR(S): Morten Tyldum

WEB SITE: http://www.passengersmovie.com/HERE’S THE STORY: Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) is like many people – or more accurately, he is like all the other 4,999 passengers and 280+ crew members currently hibernating aboard the Avalon. What is the Avalon? It is a ship run by the Homestead company that is en route to Homestead II, a new colonized planet like several of the others that have popped up in the galaxy following what some consider to be the overcrowding of earth. And given that it will take 120 years to get there, Jim and his fellow passengers/crew should be asleep for awhile.


Jim, however, has woken up unexpectedly about 90 years too soon. Which, as you might imagine, is quite a dilemma.


Discovering that the only other person awake on the ship isn’t a person after all but an android bartender named Arthur (Michael Sheen), Jim is horrified at the prospect of dying alone aboard a ship with no potential help or rescue to be had. That is, however, he discovers the presence of Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence), a writer from New York who was planning to travel to Homestead II for a year, hibernate, and return to earth to write about her experience after all her friends and family are long gone. There’s just one small problem that may complicate Aurora’s plans …


She’s awake now, too – and neither she nor Jim have any idea how to get back to sleep.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Chris Pratt fans; Michael Sheen fans; Jennifer Lawrence fans happy to have her doing anything that doesn’t involve the word “Hunger;” those who enjoy space travel movies in general and/or the idea of undertaking a journey and then having to overcome a problem; those who find the exploration of Pratt’s character’s life interesting

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Those who will find the ending as a bit of a romantic drama cop-out; those looking for more of a supernatural/scientific element to the story; people who eviscerate plot holes (or at the very least, scenarios in films that would seem to be ridiculous or at the very least dumb for someone to find themselves in); people who hate what happens to characters of a certain ilk in movies like this all the time; single people who can’t find anyone on earth to spend their lives with

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? “Imagine the movie Gravity with less eye-popping visual, a romantic plot and more upbeat tone.” – That would be the bare-bones way one could summarize Passengers for someone interested in getting a general feel for the film, one which aspires to be inspirational with a “live in the moment message.”


Problem is, it’s final moments kind or blur that message while giving one of that essentially feels like the filmmakers giving in to something familiar and safe to wrap things up.


Pratt, like Lawrence, does an acceptable job in his role as a man facing a serious prospect of dying and dying alone once he awakens far too early on his journey. Unfortunately, the depth of that harrowing experience is offset with montages of general “woe is me” platitudes and conversations with a delightfully glib Michael Sheen. Keep in mind of course that you know what he is going to do about three scenes before he does at every turn and much of the build up that should be building in Passengers often fails to have more than an expected “and here we are” finish. Instead of building, many scenes feel like they are plateauing – a notion that will take away from one’s potential enjoyment. Much the same can be said for Lawrence’s character, which plays out more as a damsel in distress and the force that drives Pratt’s character to mature (and not in a vice-versa, mutual sense). Saying too much about Fishburne’s role would be to give away too much of a story where there is not much to dive too deeply into; all you need to know is that he serves a very specific – and convenient – purpose (a purpose which drove a fellow critic friend hilarious up a proverbial wall at the screening, mind you).Conveniences such as Fishburne’s role are the other major knock on Passengers attempt at smooth sailing, for there are just many things that seem and/or are illogical even in the world in which the film exists. (EVERYONE aboard the ship is asleep?! Not one person was kept awake with the option of going on a shift with another hibernating crew member? The ship is supposed to be this perfect that NOTHING could go wrong? Ever?!) Again, these aren’t enough to completely throw the film off course (pun intended), but they are enough to make one take pause.

But if you’re looking for a movie with two pretty people trying to deliver an inspirational romantic drama, you could do worse than to hitch a ride with Passengers.

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

The Force Returns: Rogue One

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The first stand-alone (kind of) story that is not considered an official episode in the Star Wars canon but one that fits in between episodes III and IV, Rogue One is centered around Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). Jyn is the daughter of Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a man who has tried to leave his life as a top weapons engineer for the Empire behind. 

“All right troops … We’ve got to get ready for those after Christmas sales quick!” Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones, center in vest), and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna, in brown jacket) prepare to head out on a mission that may change the galaxy – and their lives – in a scene from ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY. Credit: Film Frame © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:


 

 

 



KEY CAST MEMBERS: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Forest Whitaker, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Jimmy Smits, Ian McElhinney, Wen Jiang, and the motion capture talents of Alan Tudyk 

WRITER(S): Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy (screenplay); John Knoll and Gary Whitta (story by) and George Lucas (based on characters created by)

DIRECTOR(S): Gareth Edwards

WEB SITE: http://www.starwars.com/films/rogue-oneHERE’S THE STORY:   Unfortunately for our would-be defector and his family, Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) is determined to do his job and bring Galen back, which results in a young Jyn having to flee until she is rescued by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker). A former member of the Rebel army, Saw has become deemed an extremist who trusts very few people as he maintains his focus on taking down the Empire by any means necessary despite the great cost to him personally. But while many people are out searching for Jyn and Galen, there is a pilot named Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) that is soon one of the most sought after plans in the galaxy. Why? Because he apparently has seen the Empire’s plans to build a weapon – the infamous Death Star as it is known to longstanding Star Wars fans – capable of wiping out entire planets with just one blast. And since Galen is the man Orson needs to finish building it, it only makes sense why Jyn hasn’t seen her father in 15 years …


But once Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and K-2SO (performed for motion capture by the versatile Alan Tudyk) come to rescue Jyn in hopes of finding her father first, all the players and their roles come into focus. For if Cassian and K-2SO can’t stop Galen, the Death Star may live up to its name in horrifying fashion … Especially if the Empire gets its way. But what they don’t know, however, is the fact that since a version of the Death Star already exists, the expression “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” is about to take on a whole new meaning in a battle for intergalactic supremacy …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Die-hard Star Wars fans – especially those who love extended battle scenes; little girls who are enjoying the female-friendly expansion of the franchise’s universe; people who love diversity in film;  those who would rather stick with the familiar aspects of the Star Wars universe vs. the newer elements or those from the less-than-stellar prequel trilogy

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Those who have never cared about the Star Wars franchise as this film won’t make them begin to do so now; casual Star Wars fans who will find it to be more of the same; those who hate films with a lot of long, droll verbal expositions; those who find the film to be full of battle sequences to make up for the lack of character development; anyone who hates a cookie-cutter fed to the audience hero

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Despite being a long at 2-hours plus epic, Rogue One delivers enough of what Star Wars fans enjoy to make this trip into a galaxy far, far away worthwhile in between episodes.


Rogue One doesn’t really do anything spectacularly well at all; instead, it stays the course by delivering justenough of what fans have come to enjoy to keep things moving in telling the story of how the Rebels were able to get the intelligence needed to later blow up its crowning achievement. Luna is capable enough at hitting his marks as is Jones in providing the Han Solo-like accompaniment to her young Skywalker-esque hero. (Don’t worry – there are no training montages as no Jedi-like training figure is to be found her for young Jyn’s journey.) Character-wise, the highlights are found no in our leads nor Mendelsohn’s rather paint-by-numbers villain but instead in the form of Wen Jiang and Donnie Yen. Whereas Jiang excels in playing the strong, dedicated gun toting soldier Baze Malbus, Yen brings out the strongest emotional connection to the audience as a blind, non-lightsaber toting Jedi* (*it’s never made clear if he truly is or not) who is certain to never forget that the force is with him even when things appear to be at their most bleak.


Throw in some homages to the previous films and cameos by some of the galaxy’s best-known and beloved characters and Rogue One lives up to its billing as a Star Wars story. It would just be a better story if it didn’t feel so familiar as you watch it. Whereas the ways in which our heroes cheat death and then formulate their plans will likely enthrall younger fans, they – just like the extended battle sequences – will feel like familiar territory to older, wiser viewers. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just a “we’re sticking with what we know works so we’re not re-inventing the wheel or in this case, lightsaber” thing.


But it’s a thing that works well enough that it will keep fanboys from going rogue and blasting yet another Lucasfilm production on the Internet in a galaxy far, far closer than the one he created. 
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

Bad Santa 2 – The Perfect Holiday Film?

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Despicable people doing humorous things makes for raunchy fun in Bad Santa 2

“So … Just tell me: Did they REALLY cut that guy’s foot off in that one episode of Mad Men?!” Diane (Christina Hendricks) glares at Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton, center) as his literal partner-in-crime Marcus (Tony Cox) does the same in a scene from BAD SANTA 2. Credit: Jan Thijs for Broad Green Pictures/Miramax © 2016 Santamax Distribution, LLC. All rights reserved. 

 


WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:
 



 



KEY CAST MEMBERS: Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Christina Hendricks, Brett Kelly, Jenny Zigrino, Jeff Skowron and Ryan Hansen

WRITER(S): Johnny Rosenthal and Shauna Cross (screenplay); Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (based on characters created by)


DIRECTOR(S): Mark Waters

WEB SITE: http://www.badsanta2.com/HERE’S THE STORY: Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) is tired of being a loser. To hear him tell it, he was born a loser, has been living like a loser and is ready to die a loser – which is why he’s about to kill himself in the motel he’s been living in. But just as he’s in the act of doing it, his old buddy Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly) – the kid turned now 21 year old sandwich maker who took to him as his adopted dad – walks in, not knowing what Willie is doing. 


Soon thereafter, Willie gets reacquainted with another old face in the form of Marcus Skidmore (Tony Cox), his height-challenged criminal associate that he hasn’t spoken to in quite some time. Then again, when someone tries to kill you, you really don’t expect to keep in touch with them. As it turns out, however, Marcus has a big score lined up with a Chicago benefactor that needs Willie’s safecracking skills. Reluctantly going along with the plan, Willie is beyond upset when he finds out who the benefactor is: His mother Sunny (Kathy Bates), a criminal in her own right planning on ripping off the charity she’s been working for after getting out of prison. Sure, the plan might involve Marcus and Willie buddying up to Diane (Christina Hendricks), wife of the charity’s founder Regent Hastings (Ryan Hansen) and their top female security guard Gina de Luca (Jenny Zigrino) … But when there’s $2 million to be had for the taking, you do what you gotta do, right?


Which includes not killing each other … At least not with anything other than insults.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who enjoyed the first film; anyone who loves off-color humor and plenty of it, especially of a sexual nature; those who like a film that doesn’t fit the mainstream but has an actual story that works from start to finish; Kathy Bates fans

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who hated the first film; those who feel that anything Christmas/holiday related should NOT be associated with anything crass, lewd and/or potentially offensive; those who feel like the film does not take alcoholism or depression seriously;  activists who might view the film as promoting the verbal abuse of little people

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? The rare comedy sequel that surpasses the original in terms of both its storytelling, its comedy and – in this case, it’s downright disgraceful behavior – Bad Santa 2 is the perfect holiday film for anyone looking to watch bad people behaving even worse … And laugh all time they do it. 

Make no mistake: Bad Santa 2 is as ribald as a rated “R” comedy can be these days, so if you are easily offended or watch the trailers and go ‘This doesn’t seem to be be for me,’ stick with that assessment. As anyone familiar with the first film might expect, Thornton’s performance in Bad Santa 2 is filled with all the crustiness, acerbic/sarcastic nature and yet, when faced with the optimism and innocence of Thurman, desire to do the right thing (in all the most wrong ways possible). Of course, one could say the same can be said for Cox and Bates as the three sling jokes with equivalency of heavyweight boxers in the 1970s. Whereas Thornton and Cox dish out insults throw profane insults at each other left and right, Bates more than holds her own, delivering crushing truths no proper mother would ever say to her son and discourse that would make even the most respectful man consider domestic violence. 


Not to be left out, Hendricks and Zigrino get down in their own dirty ways, the former as a sexually frustrated wife and Jenny Zigrino as a security guars with a VERY specific fetish of her own that plays for big laughs. (To say more about it would be to give too much away.) However, the x factor that keeps you from feeling horrible about enjoying watching so many terrible people be, well, terrible is the performance of Kelly as the adorably naive Thurman. Ever an optimist who simply does not understand evil, bad or indecent things, Thurman is the one positive figure in the film who represents all of the things that one is supposed to appreciate about life – a fact not lost on Thornton’s character (and in turn, the audience). While in almost any other situation Thurman’s character would be a completely annoying caricature, Kelly hits his beats with precision to make it all come together. 


At least, it all comes together as best one could hope for a film loaded with explicit language, sexual situations, politically incorrect, well, everything, drug and alcohol abuse … And quite possibly the world’s worst mother and son.

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

Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme Arrives on the Big Screen in Magic Fashion

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“This window needs to be cleaned … But I ain’t gonna be the one to do it!” Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the titular character in a scene from director Steve Derrickson’s take on Marvel’s “sorcerer supreme,” DOCTOR STRANGE. Credit: Jay Maidment © 2016 Marvel Studios. All rights reserved. 


WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:


 

 



KEY CAST MEMBERS: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chitewel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel MacAdams and Benjamin Bratt

WRITER(S): Jon Spaith, C. Robert Carghill and Steve Derrickson (screenplay); Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Comic book characters on which the film is based)DIRECTOR(S): Steve Derrickson 

WEB SITE: http://marvel.com/doctorstrangepremiereHERE’S THE STORY: The first “new” character (not new if you are a fan of the comic book) in Marvel Studios Phase Three plan, Doctor Strange stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Steven Strange, a renowned neurosurgeon. Working alongside his on-again, off-again girlfriend Christine (Rachel McAdams), Strange is as skilled as he is full of himself – which is to say very. 


Then, he crashes his expensive sports car in an accident that shreds his divine tools (his hands) to pieces, leaving both his career and his life in shambles.


Desperate to save his life’s work, Strange seeks out treatment from just about everyone he can think to no avail, each attempt leaving him more bitter and broken. It’s only then that he happens to hear about and then seek out Johnathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), a once paralyzed man who miraculously is not only no longer paralyzed, but back to playing pick-up basketball at a local park. Pangborn tells him about a mysterious place in Nepal that may be able to help him, leaving Strange to spend his last dime to travel there in search or refuge. But once he’s there, Strange discovers just how strange the place he has come is compared to anything he has ever encountered before.


Meeting up with a bald woman known simply as “The Ancient One” (Tilda Swinton) and her main assistants Wong (Benedict Wong) and Mordo (Chitewel Ejiofor), Strange undergoes a major transformation that, while it does not affect his hands in the way he foresees, affects his understaning of the world and his place in it forever.


And that’s a good thing, especially since Kaecillius (Mads Mikkelsen) – a.k.a. The Ancient One’s former apprentice – has taken his knowledge of her teachings and plans to apply them for a very nefarious purpose …  

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Benedict Cumberbatch fans; people who will enjoy the Inception-like scene shape shifting; those who generally enjoy Marvel films

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Those who feel the film is a bit “whitewashed” or, ironically, too ethnically diversified given the actors playing certain roles in the film that were not those ethnicities in the comic; religious people who feel the film dives too much into things like the black arts, etc.

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A Marvel origin story film that actually focuses on developing its lead character well to the point you almost crave some more information about the secondary characters, Doctor Strange is another win for the premier comic book movie studio.


Cumberbatch fully throws himself into the character of Steven Strange, giving him a complete evolution, if you will, as man who goes from arrogant, self-serving should-be hero to humbled, thrust into action actual hero. While that story in and of itself is nothing new, Cumberbatch delivers a needed mix of ego, humor and disbelief along his journey, which makes his character’s eventual 360 transformation believable, honest and most importantly given his character’s nature, smart. His responses to his situation are completely normal, a factor which is important in making the character believable and both heroic as he does progress. While Swinton and Ejiofor deliver solid performances in their supporting roles as the guides of Strange’s journey – Wong, however, is hilarious in his role – it is Cumberbatch who succeeds in channeling the story through him in a fashion that thoroughly works. This is a movie about a man’s journey on the road to becoming a hero, not a good guy vs. bad guy movie and the film plays out that way. While one could argue all superhero origin stories are that way, Doctor Strange digs deep into its protagonist’s life with the action sequences only existing when feeling necessary and not because he quote-unquote “kicks ass.” 


While the beginning of the film may have a bit of a slower pace atypical of most Marvel films, Director Scott Derrickson deserves a good amount of credit for making the mystical world of Doctor Strange accessible for the non-comic book viewer, breaking down the things that need to be for the casual observer while leaving enough insider nods for the die hard fan. While the talk of magic, mystic arts and the like might be a bit much at first, the strength of the tale told under Derrickson’s director will start to hook you before eventually delivering a satisfying cinematic experience. 


Then again, Marvel’s been making movie magic with that formula now for years, so why would they stop doing it now?
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

McCoy on Movies: The Girl On The Train

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“Man, I should have just taken an Uber to work … But then again, ‘The girl in the Uber’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it!” Rachel (Emily Blunt) peers out as she passes the home of the seemingly perfect couple … Only to discover something completely unexpected in a scene from director Tate Taylor’s take on the best-selling novel THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. Credit: DreamWorks Pictures © 2016 Storyteller Distribution Co.


WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:





KEY CAST MEMBERS: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Allison Janney, Edgar Ramirez, Lisa Kudrow and Laura Prepon

WRITER(S): Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay); Paula Hawkins (based on the novel by)DIRECTOR(S): Tate Taylor

WEB SITE: http://www.thegirlonthetrainmovie.com/HERE’S THE STORY: Based on the book of the same name, The Girl on the Train stars Emily Blunt as Rachel, a divorcee who still not over her ex Tom (Justin Theroux), who has since moved on to marry and have a child with Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). A recovering alcoholic, Rachel has been staying with her friend Cathy (Laura Prepon) for the past 2 years trying to get back on her feet, which mostly consists of her riding the train from the suburbs into Manhattan Monday–Friday.


The most exciting part of Rachel’s existence, though, is the part of her train ride that passes by a seemingly perfect couple of Scott Hipwell (Luke Evans) and his wife Megan (Haley Bennett). Seeing Megan embrace Scott on weekly if not daily basis, Rachel is fascinated by the woman she sees as still having the life she lost in her divorce, a part of herself she can’t imagine ever getting back. Then, one day, she sees Megan kissing a different man who turns out to be Dr. Kamal Abdic (Edgar Ramirez), who also just so happens to be Megan’s therapist. Becoming more and more obsessed with Megan while trying to deal with losing her old relationship, Rachel finds herself in a precarious position once she sees Megan walking one day into a tunnel, determined to confront her about her apparent affair. 


But what Rachel doesn’t know is while she thinks the woman she has been obsessing over has such a perfect existence, the truth of Megan’s life is revealed one moment at a time … All of which comes to a head the moment Rachel decides to follow her into the tunnel …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Fans of thrillers; Emily Blunt fans; those who enjoy watching films that delve into the lives of damaged characters and watching how to they try to piece together their existence; people who like stories with twists

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Recovering alcoholics; women in abusive relationships; depressed people who obsesses over strangers; people who hate films that have slow pacing; anyone who can’t buy into the film’s story 

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A film that could be best described in some way as a spiritual cousin to Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train is a thriller that delivers emotionally-strong performances to satisfy those looking for twisty “what’s going on here” tale … Even if there are times the film’s slow pace and twisty tale.


Blunt captures the essence of Rachel with skilled acumen, a necessity in a film of this type with so many slow reveals. Weaving between the present and the past, The Girl on the Train requires an actresses able to not only showcase the best and worst of times in Rachel’s life but also how she is unable to cope with her own life when she knows she’s being self-destructive. Blunt truly shows her skill as an actress in revealing and showing all of these various aspects of Rachel to bring out sympathy and empathy to her character as she tries to make sense of the world around her. 


Likewise, Bennett does an extraordinary job at stripping away the supposed perfect image that Blunt’s character constructs, bringing the “the grass is NOT always greener” cliché out to full blossom. While possessing all the physical attributes Rachel rambles about and wishes she still possessed, Bennett brings out a sadness in her character that shows how much in common the two women have. Of course, this helps act as fine balancing line between the two to keep the film’s emotional undercurrent steady. While Ferguson’s performance accomplishes what needs to be done to move the story forward, it isn’t exactly as memorable as Blunt or Bennett’s, which provide an emotionally necessary juxtaposition. The guys in the film fit in like jigsaw pieces to fill in the bigger picture, but they fit into the story well enough to hit all the necessary beats. 


The only problem is sometimes the beats take a bit too long to get to under director Tate Taylor (The Help, Winter’s Bone) as there are some scenes that feel a bit jumbled in terms of the timeline and fitting into the big reveal of the text. Other than that, the film hits more often than it misses and delivers tension, emotion and intrigue. If nothing else, The Girl on the Train will make you think twice about your daily commute, the people you see and the lives you believe they may or may not live.


It will also make a lot of dudes think twice about not protecting their passwords.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

McCoy On Movies: The Magnificent Seven

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Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt star in director Antoine Fuqua’s take on one of the most revered Westerns of all-time … But does the 2016 version of The Magnificent Seven live up to its name?

“All right, enough with the Mr. Ed jokes, fellas – just ride the doggone horse!” From left to right: Byung-hun Lee, Ethan Hawke, Manual Garcia-Rulfo, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Onofrio and Martin Sensmeier star in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s and Columbia Pictures’ THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Credit: Sam Emerson. © 2016 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures Industries. All rights reserved. 
WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Byung-hun Lee, Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Haley Bennett, Matt Bomer and Luke Grimes

WRITER(S): Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni (based on the original screenplay by); Richard Wenk and Nic Pizzolatto (screenplay)DIRECTOR(S): Antoine Fuqua

WEB SITE: http://www.mag7live.comHERE’S THE STORY: A multi-cultural remake/re-invisioning of the 1960 classic – itself a remake of the Japanese film Seven Samurai – the 2016 edition of The Magnificent Seven stars Denzel Washington as Sam Chisholm. Chisholm is a bounty hunter with government certification who finds himself in the sights of Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett). Cullen is the wife of Matthew (Matt Bomer), who is one of the victims of Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), a gold mining magnate of the most villainous degree. And in 1879, a man of Bogue’s stature is one that one generally does not mess with, at least not without knowing that retribution will be swift and definitely coming. 


Seeing her husband and her town of Rose Creek suffering under the vise-like grip of Bogue, Cullen sets out to find someone that might be able to help stop his reign of terror – and that’s where Chisholm comes in. For he is the man Cullen tracks down to help her save Rose Creek, but he knows he can’t do it alone.


This is why he recruits a team of randy soldiers to help him in battle. This includes: gambler/card trickster Joshua Faraday (Chris Pratt), gentle mountain man Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), wanted Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Maneul Garcia-Rulfo), reformed Confederate soldier Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke) and his Asian partner in gun – and knife fights – Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee) and Native American warrior/raw meat enthusiast Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), who was told by his elders that “his path is different.” Knowing they only have a week to train before Bogue returns from Sacramento to attempt to wipe out the whole town, Chisholm and his men try to get the town – and much to his chagrin, a very determined Mrs. Cullen – ready to fight.


Considering they will truly be in a fight for their lives, they’re going to need all the help and training time they can get. 

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt fans; people who like action films that focus on story development and strong female characters; those who enjoy well-done good vs. evil stories even if they are somewhat predictable at times.

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who hate remakes; people who can’t get buying into the film’s multiracial cast being set together in 1879; those who dislike excessive violence, which this movie has in spades; those who feel like they are over Washington’s cool, calm and collected thing and Pratt’s boyish charm thing

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? The cliché says you are never supposed to judge a book by its cover, or, in a movie’s case, by its trailer and cast. Then again, given how many clichés one can find in the western genre, you could possibly be forgiven for doing that in the case of The Magnificent Seven. 


For when a project is done as well as director Antoine Fuqua’s affair is, the first glance is the right glance if it makes you think it is a pretty magnificent movie.


Seven isn’t one of those remakes that tries to re-invent the wheel as much as it attempts to simply nails each one of its beats exceptionally well to the point that if you are not a die hard fan of the original – it is in the Library of Congress’ film preservation archive, after all – this one will suit you quite nicely.Washington does his usual superb job of bringing his subtle-yet-focused swagger to the role of Chisholm, a man whose motivations for accepting the job are not fully detailed until the film’s climatic moments. Likewise, Pratt wields his boyish/devilish charm to the hilt, making his upbeat yet skilled gunslinger effective as needed to balance out Washington’s unflinching demeanor. You get exactly what you anticipate from the two leading men in leading men roles, fortunately without any cliché-in-a-non-entertaining-because-it-just-doesn’t-feel-organic fashion moments.

The rest of our would be heroes likewise hit their marks, adding a unique flavor to the mix that never feels as forced as one might fear it may, Sensmeier and Lee especially as each plays their role with nothing but a stoic pride, reverence and relevance. While their characters are supposed to be a rag-tag group of fighters, there is nothing that feels unnatural about their work together. When you have badasses that know they are badasses, it’s much better to have them simply show they are badasses than to have them repeatedly say they are (think every 80s action movie starring men now in their 60s).

Bennett shows a solid turn as a strong female character, exhibiting a balance between wife pushed to her limits and woman in a harsh time (and even harsher environment). While there are times she almost feels a bit too put upon, but she does her best to rise above the near one-note (but somewhat needed) nature of her character. Sarsgaard turns in his finest villainous turn to date because he does the thing many actors fail to do in villainous roles: Embrace the fact they are the pure embodiment of pain, torture and despair that will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. Instead of being an after thought that fails to live up to his ominous presence, Sarsgaard makes sure that you know there will be no stopping him and that he has not one ounce of remorse in his being – and that’s what a good villain does.

Director Antoine Fuqua of course deserves credit for making all of his moving pieces fit together, which, given the star power involved, was obviously not an easy task. As stated above, each actor makes the most of their moment en route to reaching their individual destinies, which is just all you can ask (other than doing something remarkable that takes the performance to another level). The scenery stays within the tradition of what one associates with the Old West from the dusty, life-worn roughnecks of saloons to the unrelenting beauty of the frontier. Save for possibly replaying a copy of Red Dead Redemption, Seven combines modern drama with the classic Western tale exceptionally under Fuqua’s watch, the battle and gunfight scenes showcasing excellent tension creation in slow, steady builds before bombastic, grandiose all out violence.

Whether or not the Western as a genre comes back into vogue remains to be seen; if Hollywood delivers more immersive experiences like The Magnificent Seven, though, there’s a good chance they might ride again.

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

 
 

McCoy on Movies:The Light Between Oceans

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Derek Cianfrance has adapted and directed a best-selling novel into a major motion picture.

“Hold me … This turtleneck is itchy and I am about to lose it!” Isabel (Alicia Vikander) and Tom (Michael Fassbender) embrace in a scene from director Derek Cianfrance’s take on M.L. Steadman’s best-selling novel THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS. Credit: Davi Russo © 2016 DreamWorks Pictures. All rights reserved. 




WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HE

 

 

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Florence Clery, Jack Thompson, Leon Ford and Bryan Brown

WRITER(S): Derek Cianfrance (screenplay); M.L. Steadman (novel on which the film is based)

DIRECTOR(S): Derek Cianfrance

WEB SITE: https://dreamworkspictures.com/films/the-light-between-oceans
HERE’S THE STORY: Based on M.L. Steadman novel of the same name, The Light Between Oceans stars Michael Fassbender as Tom Sherbourne, a man looking for a refuge – both physically and mentally – following his military service in World War I. He finds it in Janus Rock, an island off the coast of Australia where a lighthouse keeper job has just opened up. It is at his interview where he ends up meeting Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), a young woman who takes an instant liking to Tom despite his seemingly dark and solitary tone.


Once married, Tom and Isabel seemingly have the best of times, and look forward to starting a family of their own. Then, tragedy strikes, leaving them both – Isabel especially – devastated. So, when a dead man and a crying infant wash ashore out of nowhere, Tom and Isabel face a moral dilemma they had not anticipated: Report the dead man and take care of the baby until the authorities alive or simply tell no one and raise the baby as their own since people know they had been trying to start a family and haven’t seen the couple in weeks.


So why then, is the presence of Hannah Roennfeldt (Rachel Weisz) on the mainland so threatening to Tom? Because he knows that if Hannah ever finds out the secret doesn’t know, it could shatter his, Isabel’s and little Lucy’s (Florence Clery) idyllic life together.
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who enjoy period dramas with moral dilemmas; Michael Fassbender fans; those who like emotionally wrought stories and are in the mood for one

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who hate movies where the story feels dragged out and slow to develop; those who find moral dilemma dramas where the characters place themselves into trouble problematic; anyone who watches the trailer and finds the film’s story as coming off to dry 

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A film that is very well-acted but a bit long in its proverbial tooth, The Light Between Oceans is a well-executed drama … That you may likely never want to watch again after it’s over.


Back in the year 2000, a lot of things were different. We didn’t have the constant threat of terrorism in our collective conscious quite yet, Livestrong bracelets, trucker hats and popped collars were in vogue and this song and singer’s hair hadn’t yet been played to the point where it would become a punchline in the annals of music history. I bring that up because that is also the year the movie Requiem for a Dream (which I argue was and remains the finest acting work of a then young Marlon Wayans career) was released. An emotionally devastating piece of work also starring Jennifer Connelly and a “you mean to tell me THAT guy is going to play The Joker one day?!” Jared Leto, Requiem was once dubbed by a friend of mine as “the feel bad movie of the year.” That turn of phrase has stuck with me ever since as one I frequently cite when describing a film that, while having many positive attributes as a film, is one that may be hard to digest unless you are just in the mood to, well, be sad or contemplative.


The Light Between Oceans fits this mode to the proverbial “T” as you watch Fassbender and Vikander struggle with both their own individual and collective personal tragedies, moral dilemmas and general sadness as they try to push through. You will feel and understand each emotionally wringing moment they endure and every moral dilemma they face as they continue to try to push through and in turn, roll your eyes and go “noooo!” once one of them starts to go a bit off the rails. Likewise, as Weisz’s character suffers through the pain of discovering the Sherbournes’ secret and then the disconnect she experiences as a result.  


However, unlike the previously mentioned Aronofsky work, Oceans doesn’t have that long-lasting quality that  grips you emotionally as much as it keeps you interested enough to see what will happen. The characters are wrought with distress, grief, guilt and pain, but not so much that your empathy rises to match your level of sympathy. Likewise, the long, drawn out pace of the film wears on your attention span/interest level; fortunately; the story does not play out in stereotypical fashion but a much more realistic sense, which keeps the film from falling into overproduced Lifetime movie status. 


Whereas Fassbender plays the moral glue of the story, Vikander proves herself extremely adept at portraying a woman so desperate to enjoy an element of life she cannot, she will go to an extreme to do it. Anyone who has a young child or that has lost one will easily be able to understand her actions, even if they (hopefully) don’t agree with them, which is a testament to her commitment to her performance. Young Florence Clery deserves a good deal of credit for her performance as 4 year-old Lucy, as the words “oh she’s so cute!” or “oh that’s so sad!” will ring in your head every time she’s on screen.) Writer/director Derek Cianfrance sets all of his cast again picturesque backdrops and uses the environment effectively in telling his story … It’s just a story that thanks to many moments might seem better suited for this woman than the average movie goer.


But should you choose to go, you’ll find there is a lot of darkness in The Light Between Oceans but not enough to keep it from having some shining moments of dramatic expression.

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

 

Suicide Squad D.O.A. or destined for greatness?

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“In the 90s, hip-hop had the Hit Squad, the Flipmode Squad, then the Def Squad … What should we call our group when we drop our mixtape?!” L to R: Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) in Warner Bros. Pictures’ comic book-based action-adventure SUICIDE SQUAD. Credit: Clay Enos © & ™ 2016 Warner Bros. Pictures and Ratpac-Dune Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved.

 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:

 

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Shailyn Pierre-Dixon, Ike Barinholtz, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Joel Kinnaman, Karen Fukuhara, Scott Eastwood, Jim Parrack and Adam Beach

WRITER(S): David Ayer (Screenplay); John Ostrander (Comic book on which the film is based)DIRECTOR(S): David Ayer

WEB SITE: http://www.suicidesquad.com/HERE’S THE STORY: Following up on the events of Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad finds Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) looking for a way to deal with the new “metahumans” that have been discovered on earth. For while Superman was on the humans’ side of doing the proverbial right thing, the next one, Waller warns, might not be. And to protect the United States against such a terrorist threat, she advises it might be wise for the government to allow her to enact her top secret project idea: Task Force X, a group of the worst of the worst criminals/metahumans/flat out lunatics already in prison that can take on the worst missions … And be thrown under the bus if something goes wrong.


This “Suicide Squad” includes Floyd Lawton a.k.a. Deadshot (Will Smith), an assassin-for-hire who’s weakness is his love for his 11 year-old daughter (Shailyn Pierre-Dixon). There’s Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), formerly known as psychologist Harleen Quinzell before falling in love with one of her patients at Arkham Asylum. Next up is Chato Santana a.k.a. El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), a literal human barbecue of former gangbanger given his inherent ability to cause damage with fire and Digger Harknesss a.k.a. Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), an Australian bank robber/assassin who never met a safe he didn’t want to steal.


Rounding out this merry mess are Waylon Jones, the “Killer Croc” who has the worst skin condition ever since no amount of ProActiv is going to reduce his reptilian features or cannibalistic nature and Dr. June Moore (Clara Delevingne). An archeologist in her past life, Moore’s body has since been inhabited by the Enchantress since she went and played Lara Croft in a cave tomb she shouldn’t have tried to raid. With Waller controlling the Enchantress’ heart, Commander Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) – the soldier assigned by Waller to lead the Task Force X team – has no choice but to look out for More’s heart since he is and has been in love with her for a long time. At least Flag has Katana (Karen Fukuhara) to watch his back with her mystical sword. What makes it mystical, you ask? Nothing other than the fact it traps the souls of everyone it kills, like that of her husband when he was killed with it by the man Katana obviously took revenge upon. 


Offering each member of Task Force X time-off from their lengthy prison sentences if they agree to report for duty – and certain death if they disobey Flag or Waller at any time – it should go without saying many of our anti-heroes are reluctant to sign up. But once a major threat reveals itself, Task Force X is pressed into battle.


Whether or not they are prepared for the enigmatic lunatic known as the Joker (Jared Leto) – a.k.a. Harley Quinn’s “pudd’n” – when he comes to spring her, however, remains to be seen …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? D.C. Comics fans who loved the film’s first trailer; Harley Quinn/Margot Robbie fans; Will Smith fans longing for him to do some lighter fare; those looking for strong female characters in a traditionally male dominated genre; anyone who found Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice overly hated unnecessarily; pop music fans

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Die-hard Marvel fans who flat out dislike D.C. and some of its properties that are too similar to Marvel ones; Heath Ledger fans who cannot accept anyone else playing the role of the Joker; Suicide Squad comic fans who will crave more from Katana; people who never used to like Will Smith during the early days of his movie career; people who find Viola Davis’ character to be too over-the-top in terms of her exhibiting authority; people who have issues whatever they may be with Robbie’s and Cara Delevingne’s character’s costumes, sexual natures and/or acting;

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Given the overall response to its predecessor Batman Vs. Superman and that wave of less-than-stellar reviews from other outlets that don’t matter as nearly as much as this one, one might think Suicide Squad might be an aptly and unfortunately named prediction of your viewing experience at the theater. Fortunately, I can tell you that is the furthest thing from the truth. 


Suicide Squad, which features the star-making turn from Robbie her supporters have long been waiting for in addition strong performers from Davis and Smith – is the most fun you’ll have at the movies this summer.


Writer/director David Ayer (whose last film was the forgotten 2014 Brad Pitt war-epic Fury) and his cast have seemingly done the impossible with Squad, creating a story that fits the conventional comic book canons while being accessible and enjoyable enough you don’t have to be this guy to enjoy it. And if you are that guy, you won’t hate it, either, thanks to a mix of humor, intense action, precisely inserted serious character backstories and music that all comes together for one fantastic fireball of an anti-hero story. 


Robbie steals nearly every scene she’s in, delivering the definitive live-action Harley Quinn performance much like Heath Ledger did for the Joker in The Dark Knight. Knowing how to channel the parts of Quinn that are equally sexy, funny, lunatic and violent, Robbie is dynamite in making sure her character’s lovesick school girl goes beyond just a playful smile and adoring affection of the Joker. From her laughs and quirks to outbursts and combat skills, Robbie’s performance is a memorable one that will be remembered long after the final credits. While many people will come in wondering about Leto – who does a fine job with his cyberpunk Sid Vicious-style turn as the Joker (he’s not trying to be Ledger, thankfully, as much as he is just being his own insane version of the character) – they’ll leave thinking about how well he works with Robbie instead.  


Likewise, Smith gives a great performance as the assassin-for-hire Deadshot, mixing in his Independence Day-style humor and quips while splicing in the dramatic tone and physical presence found in his more serious work such as Ali and Concussion. Smith plays off Kinnaman’s overwhelmed Flag and Davis’ strong-jawed Waller well, providing a great agitator (both verbally and in terms of skill level) to both while keeping the story moving along. Smith’s interactions with Pierre-Dixon – who delivers a strong performance in her own right – are priceless, proving once again just how well he works with kids … Save for that After Earth movie.


The actor who gives their character the deepest emotional connection to the audience, however, comes from Jay Hernandez. Hernandez gives El Diablo – who could easily be a one-note, forgettable character in the story – a significant sense of a fully-rounded character as the only member of the team who hates their abilities because of all the personal pain he has caused. Hernandez’s commitment to making you feel his character’s grief and personal turmoil only makes his overall increasing role in the story that much greater, leading to a perfectly-paced payoff that comes together in a blaze of glory (pun intended). While some fans will no doubt clamor for more from Fukuhara and Courtney’s characters, Hernandez more than capably illustrates why it’s not necessarily to give everything away at once and how great it can be once a side character finally gets their moment.   


Then again, this all falls back upon the strong script and environment delivered by Ayer, who makes sure every moment of Squad means something to the overall package. From clever and well-placed music selection that become as much as part of the environment as the characters their selves to special effects that actually are, Ayer may have many fans longing for him to do every D.C. Comics movie for the foreseeable future. Make no mistake: This film isn’t exactly kids stuff despite its PG-13 rating as there are plenty of bullets, knife/sword fights, kicks, punches and foul language to make even Tony Stark blush. However, if you are looking for a film that truly embraces its lunacy and invites you to do the same, Suicide Squad will be a Blu-Ray worthy addition to your movie collection once you’re done enjoying it on the big screen.


While Marvel remains the king on top of the comic book movie mountain, Suicide Squad gives hope to long-suffering D.C. Comics’ fans their favorite superheroes and villains may finally get the justice (ok, that time the pun wasn’t intended) they deserve. 
 
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

McCoy on Movies: Jason Bourne

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Matt Damon is back in most famous solo role … But does Jason Bourne have enough fight left in the tank to deliver a hit?

“Now, for the last time before I start breaking things, explain the ending of No Country For Old Men so that I understand it!” CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) gets confronted by an old nemesis (Matt Damon) when the titular character comes looking for answer in JASON BOURNE. Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon © 2016 Universal Pictures. All rights reserved.


WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:





KEY CAST MEMBERS: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Riz Ahmed, Ato Essandoh, Scott Shepherd, Bill Camp and Julia Stiles

WRITER(S): Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse (screenplay); Robert Ludlum (characters)
DIRECTOR(S): Paul Greengrass

WEB SITE: http://www.jasonbournemovie.com/
THE STORY AS BEST WE KNOW IT: Picking up a decade after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, Jason Bourne begins with showing just how far off the grid the titular character (Matt Damon) has gone, since he earning a living as an underground fighter in Greece. So, when he sees former Treadstone operative Nicolette “Nicky” Parsons (Julia Stiles) only to discover she has information for him … And this information could end up causing Bourne to ask more questions with answers he may not ready to handle.


Meanwhile, CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) is alerted to Nicky’s activities when an old laptop goes off and cyber intelligence agent Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) alerts him to the problem. Now about to launch a program more intense than the Treadstone one that birthed the CIA’s prodigal son, Dewey can’t afford to have Parsons and Bourne popping up causing trouble. Thus, in addition to have teams ready to track him around the world, he has a man simply known as the Asset (Vincent Cassel) ready to strike at a moment’s notice to take care of the problem. But since he’s working very closely with Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed), a Mark Zuckerberg-like head of a company called Deep Dream on its latest software release, Dewey has bigger fish to fry.


That is, if Bourne doesn’t end up frying him and everyone connected to Treadstone and the CIA’s latest Black Ops program first.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS MOVIE THE MOST? Matt Damon fans; Alicia Vikander fans; Edward Snowden enthusiasts; People that enjoyed the previous Bourne films (not including that one starring a current Avengers-alum we shall not speak of)

WHO WILL HATE THIS MOVIE THE MOST? Those who are starting the notice all the similarities between the Bourne movies in terms of story and scenes; Julia Stiles fans; Those growing tired of following all the twists and turns as Bourne fills in the gaps in his backstory. 
SO IS IT GOOD, GREAT, JUST ALL RIGHT OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? A film that personifies the mantra “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” Jason Bourne is fine action movie that will satisfy fans of the Bourne series … Even if they’ve seen a LOT of it before. 


Over time, film franchises develop certain traits that become the selling points of their existence. In Jason Bourne, director Paul Greengrass (who also co-wrote the script) makes sure all the tentpoles are present so there’ no mistaken what film you’re watching. Unfamiliar with the Bourne movie staples checklist? It includes: 

  • Jason Bourne will ALWAYS disappear into a crowd and only one person, either his latest attempted assassin or the woman trying to possibly help him will see him right before he turns out of sight;
  • The government official in charge – in this case, Tommy Lee Jones’ Dewey – will ALWAYS have a secondary backup plan in the form of an assassin designed to take Bourne out and be willing to sacrifice the first line of defense to get them into position to kill him;
  • There will ALWAYS be a male assassin that has either a personal connection to Bourne and/or seems to be his equal since they went through similar training that he must fight in a really crowded room or underground space;
  • If you get close to Jason Bourne, you’re going to die … Or at the very least, have to go into hiding;
  • Any cell phone in a Bourne movie will at least be used once or twice to feature a U.S. government official making a veiled or direct threat that will eventually but certainly blow up in their face;
  • Bourne will suffer a series of flashbacks that will only become clear right before his final confrontation sequence;
  • The government official he is set to face off with will always try to convince Bourne he needs to “give in” to being Bourne and forget anything about being David Webb (his birth name in case you forgot);
  • Bourne will ALWAYS learn he was lied to even more than he already had learned he had been lied to before; AND
  • Bourne is ALWAYS gonna leave someone a message to let them know that if they pursue him, he’s one step ahead of them AFTER everything above happens.
Now, while all of the above sounds formulaic … Well, sorry. That doesn’t make it any less true. It also doesn’t make Jason Bourne any less entertaining once things really get rolling after a somewhat slow start.
Looking every bit like a man who has had the government trying to kill him for more than a decade (and a very in shape but definitely 45 year-old man), Damon proves himself more than still capable of making you believe in the mystique that is his character: Calculated, skilled, confused and trying to make sense of it all. When it’s time to punch, kick and/or shoot, he does. When it’s time for him to be surprised by a new revelation that the audience may or may not see coming, he’s surprised and conflicted. And everything else pretty falls into place.
Likewise, Jones plays his role like many of his male predecessors before him: Cold, calculating and calm under pressure with Cassel doing what an assassin with a vendetta against our protagonist would. Jason Bourne isn’t attempting to reinvent the wheel by any means, just make sure it is shiny and still looks good. Per her usual, Alicia Vikander is able to make her character have more meaning (both in terms of her significance to the story and her actions) than one might expect. Doing both of those things is vital to the story working, but without Vikander exhibiting skill in doing so, the film would largely fall apart, so she deserves credit for making sure that not only does not happen, but makes you wonder how her character will evolve in the Bourne universe.
In short, Jason Bourne ultimately proves you’ll remember his name … Even if you remember a little bit of this story because you’ve seen bits and pieces of it before.

RATING OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN:

Who You Gonna Call?

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The most controversial movie of the summer is here … But is the 2016 all-female lead version of Ghostbusters as good, better or worse than the original? The answer lies within

 

“If this was the 90s, one of us would bust out rapping at any second …” Abby (Melissa McCarthy), Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), Erin (Kristen Wiig) and Patty (Leslie Jones) prepare to stare down evil inside the haunted Mercado Hotel in a scene from Paul Feig’s reboot of GHOSTBUSTERS. Credit: Hopper Stone. © 2015 CTMG, Inc. All rights reserved.
 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Matt Walsh, Michael K. Williams, Neil Casey, Ed Begley, Jr., Karan Soni, Zach Woods and Michael McDonald 

WRITER(S): Kate Dippold and Paul FeigDIRECTOR(S): Paul Feig

WEB SITE: http://www.ghostbusters.com/HERE’S THE STORY: Possibly the most controversial movie of the summer, Ghostbusters is a reboot of the beloved 1984 film that now stars Kristen Wiig as Erin Gilbert, a professor at Columbia University thisclose to obtaining her tenure. Problem is, her old friend Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) has just put the old book they co-authored together up on Amazon.com. That wouldn’t be so bad if the book didn’t propose the presence of ghosts and other spirits in our world, which Erin knows might make her look like a crackpot and ruin her tenure chances. 


But once Ed Mulgrave (Ed Begley, Jr.) comes calling to Erin to let her know about the presence of a ghost at a nearby museum, Abby and her assistant Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) reluctantly rope her along for the ride to investigate – which turns out to be an experience they will never forget. For not only do they see a ghost, the ghost sees them – which leads to a rather nasty encounter for Erin and her dry cleaning.


Meanwhile, subway worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) is simply doing her job when chasing an aspiring graffiti artist leads to her discovering a ghastly figure of her own and eventually contacting Abby, Holtzmann and the now-fired Erin. And as a series of similarly otherworldly events unfold, the foursome decide to go into business, eventually settling on the name Ghostbusters (much to Erin’s chagrin) and hiring Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) as their secretary … Even though the only thing he knows how to do well it seems is make Erin’s heart aflutter with his good looks.


But why are all these ghosts starting to suddenly pop up in New York City? No one knows for sure … Except maybe for Rowan (Neil Casey), that is …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Feminists; Kate McKinnon fans; Leslie Jones fans; those who like modern sitcom comedy; Chris Hemsworth fans; those who don’t have an affinity for the original 1984 film 

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Dedicated fans of the 1984 film; people who generally don’t like franchise reboots/remakes; Melissa McCarthy fans looking for her to do something different; people who come to the movie expecting the humor found in Feig’s previous best-known works like Bridesmaids or Spy

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Much safer and played broad for laughs than it should be, the new Ghostbusters movie is about as polarizing as Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump. And unless you’re 100 percent on board with one of those candidates, you’ll realize that is a choice that might make many people want to abstain from electing it as their choice over the original. First, while the well-documented online backlash about the film’s female leads was in many instances ridiculously misogynistic, one thing that it was somewhat valid was the fact that the move was gimmicky. And not just because of the casting of four female leads. For one, while it’s no secret executive producer Dan Aykroyd had been pushing for years to get a third Ghostbusters movie made, neither is the fact that by casting four female leads the production team knew they were going to have a built-in talking point. Despite the success of women like Amy Schumer, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Samantha Bee, Jessica Williams and more recently Nikki Glaser, etc., the debate over whether or not are women funny has long since been settled. Because they are. And Ghostbusters co-writer and director Paul Feig’s 2011 female comedy magnum opus Bridesmaids is a prime reason that has since been settled to all but the usual Internet trolls. 



In the case of Ghostbusters, though, once you get past that issue, you have to examine the actual film itself. And in doing so, the flaws start to become more and more detectable by each frame. Whereas Leslie Jones’ character was looked to be made a fool in the trailer – another source of deserved and preventable controversy – she actually makes her character fit into the mix … But for every one person that will see her actions as funny and fitting, there’s the distinct chance others will see her as the loud black female that is usually the loud black male role in a comedy with a predominantly white cast. Feig and Jones’ have defended the character in recent interviews, but depending on what you see (or more accurately, want to see and focus on), it’s going to be hard to tell either side of that argument they are wrong. 



It has its fair share of laughs, to be sure, and the acting – even that of Leslie Jones (which was among the many beleaguered elements of the film’s debut trailer) – is not horrible and works for the characters. McKinnon essentially steals the show with her character’s super wackiness (this is her on Saturday Night Live turned up all the way to “10”); then again, her character is so wacky and off the wall that she might be too intense for some people. (Harold Ramis’ character was weird but subdued; McKinnon’s is NOT subdued to put it mildly.) But other than Jones and McKinnon, the biggest laughs are generated from Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of an ultra-dimwit male secretary – a not-subtle-at-all dig on gender roles. Despite their comedy pedigree, Wiig and McCarthy’s characters are so one dimensional they are under utilized. While the chemistry among the four female leads is clear, that chemistry isn’t matched with the material as the jokes – for a film that is attempting to flip its haters on its ear – is often to broad and doesn’t go big enough. Often fed with a “here comes the joke!” setup, the 2016 Ghostbusters always make sure you are two steps ahead of them, which hurts the enjoyment of the film. 


While men in the film are often the patsy of the joke, the lead male villain portrayed by the relatively unknown Neil Casey (an actor/contributor to several hit comedy shows in recent years including Kroll Show, The League and Saturday Night Live) is, well, not good – both in terms of as a character and in Casey’s portrayal of it. This is no Gozer or Vigo the Carpathian here, he’s not even a Zuul – he’s just … Corny. Likewise, despite Dan Aykroyd’s self-serving boasts, this version of Ghostbusters, no matter how you slice it, is NOT funnier or scarier than the original. The graphics look better, but that doesn’t make it better. Still, that is not the biggest problem the film has …


No, the biggest problem with this version of Ghostbusters has is the one that was the easiest to prevent: The only thing that is original about it is the casting of the four female leads. For JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE FEELS LIKE THEY TRIED TO MAKE THE FIRST FILM OVER WITH NO NUANCE TO MAKE IT STAND ON ITS OWN. (Sorry for yelling.)

Cast-wise, it’s the same except you’ve got two passive, somewhat simple scientists (the Dan Aykroyd character) instead of one, the wacky scientist (the Harold Ramis character) … And the non-scientist black character (the Ernie Hudson character) – but no Bill Murray character, which was so essential to the first one. Likewise, there’s the delusional I will be the leader of the ghosts character (see the first two films), but no Walter Peck EPA villain that was perfectly snarky to deal with nor any other really intriguing side characters save for some extremely quick cameos from the likes of Matt Walsh and Steve Higgins.

What? Surprised I didn’t mention the cameos from the original cast? That’s because they really aren’t that good – Aykroyd has the best joke of any of them and it’s now in the film’s opening week TV commercials. (It is nice to see Annie Potts in a movie again, though … And the subtle tribute to the deceased Ramis was kinda nice.) There’s also a rehash of Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but they are little more than meaningless nostalgia meant to appease fans of the original – and the usage of one of them makes even less sense. I mean, the original theme song is used and then presented with a lame modern remix for heavens sake – how much more of an homage are you trying to make?!

Therein lies the failed opportunity of a movie that many will say is fine but many more will likely say never needed to exist: It fails to outdo the original, placate many of its detractors (although one must admit they likely may not have ever been placated) and give its four female leads the vehicle worthy of their talent to overcome the monumental task ahead of them. If the mission was to craft a movie worthy of a girls’ night out – sorry again, Mr. Feig – and/or create a simple cinematic diversion for the mainstream, then mission accomplished.

If the mission was to create a film that could be considered as beloved as the original, well, I’m sorry – the question isn’t who ya gonna call, it should have been why did the call to get this version of Ghostbusters get answered.

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

 

McCoy on Movies: THE CONJURING 2

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The world’s most famous paranormal investigators return and head to England for a supernatural sequel that’s actually super.

“Hey – I thought I returned that Halloween costume back to the rental place last week. Oh wait – that ain’t no costume!” Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) comes face to … Mirror with an otherworldly presence in a scene from James Wan’s THE CONJURING 2. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures © 2016 Warner Bros. Pictures and Ratpac-Dune Entertainment. All rights reserved. 



WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
 


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe, Frances O’Connor, Simon McBurney, Lauren Esposito, Benjamin Haigh, Simon Delaney, Patrick McAuley and Franka Potente

WRITER(S): Carey Hayes, Chad Hayes, James Wan and David Leslie Johnson (screenplay); Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes and James Wan (story) 
DIRECTOR(S): James Wan
THE STORY AS BEST WE KNOW IT: Based on a true* (more on that in a minute) story, The Conjuring 2 like its predecessor stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Lorraine and Ed Warren. Who are the Warrens? Just the married paranormal investigators who looked to see if there really were demonic forces at play that inspired Ronnie DeFeo to commit the crimes that would eventually become known worldwide as “The Amityville Horror.” The case takes such a toll on Lorraine that she tells Ed she really needs a break with no new cases.


Across the Atlantic Ocean, 11 year-old Janet Hodgson (Madison Wolfe), her sister Margaret (Lauren Esposito), two brothers Johnny (Benjamin Haigh) and afflicted-with-a-slight-stutter-Billy (Patrick McAuley)  and their mother Peggy (Frances O’Connor) are dealing with their new life … After Peggy’s husband left to start a new family without them. Getting busted for doing something naughty at school she actually didn’t do, Janet finds herself in a bit of trouble one night and decides to pass the time playing with an ouija board. And then after a bit of weird noises, sounds and and incidents in the presence of the entire family, their neighbors and the police, Ed and Lorraine are eventually asked to come to the scene to investigate on behalf of the Catholic Church.


As one might imagine, things take a steady downturn once our favorite married non-caped crusaders arrive on the scene …
WHO WILL LIKE THIS MOVIE THE MOST? Fans of the first film; people who believe in ghosts, spirits and our ability to communicate – positively and negatively – with them; those who enjoy smart supernatural horror/thriller movies; movie fans who enjoy films that have a slow burn to a climax 

WHO WILL HATE THIS MOVIE THE MOST? Atheists and people who don’t believe in ghosts/spirits/demons; people who get annoyed with British accents; those who want the film to dive more into the authenticity angle of the events; anyone who scares easily but doesn’t like it when that happens
SO IS IT GOOD, GREAT, JUST ALL RIGHT OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? As a movie critic, I am not here to debate the existence of ghosts. Nor am I here to examine any issues of faith. Thus, if you want someone to dive into a detailed, thorough analysis of the facts vs. what may or may not be true in regards to what the Hodgson family did or did not experience. For that, a simple Google search will suffice, unless you’re extremely lazy and then you can go here or here or even here.  


So, if we’re not here to debate the existence of ghosts, demons and/or the supernatural, the only thing left to ask is whether or not The Conjuring 2 is a “good” movie. And in terms of of a supernatural thriller that is based on a true story, it is good … Very good, indeed.


There are several things happening at once under director James Wan’s eye in The Conjuring 2: [1] You are witness to a love story between a husband and wife who believe in the same things and are bolster in that by their belief in each other; [2] You are watching grown adults attempt to struggle with whether or not they believe what they are experiencing is real and, if so, what that means to their lives on this planet and [3] You are watching a supernatural thriller which doesn’t go for cheap thrills and instead works to scare you on multiple levels. 


Wan has come a long way from his torture porn Saw days (I have it on good authority to never use the words “torture porn” to him, by the way) and The Conjuring 2 is the proof. The story is a told in proper storytelling fashion where characters are allowed to figure things out and make sense of it all in their own mind; instead of doing irrational “horror movie” things (see just about any horror movie made between 1979-1994), the characters reactions feel real, the pacing feels organic and the story unfolds to the point where everything – whether real or not – is enticing. You feel every bump in the night that the Hodgsons and Warrens experience because as well as Wan sets the scenarios up, the cast equals in execution. Farmiga and Wolfe are the true shining stars in the piece as each makes every horrifying moment jump out of the screen, Wolfe in particular as she does that thing that is key to making any movie with a child work: Showing acting talent to the point it doesn’t feel like she’s acting at all. 


Other than that, there’s not much else one really needs to know about The Conjuring 2 save for simple praise. The special effects work without every feeling corny or dumb, the cast avoids doing stereotypically stupid things (for the most part) and the scares build well to the point you will feel at least a little creeped out lying in your bed alone at night … Or at the very least make you want to go church.


That’s probably the highest compliment I can give any supernatural/horror film – and that’s based on true events.
RATING OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN:

 

McCoy on Movies: POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING.

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The Lonely Island continues to skewer modern music with hilarious Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping


“Yes, I stole these pants from the unfinished live action Monsters Inc. movie – what of it?!” Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) performs to his adoring fans in a scene from POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING. Credit: Glen Wilson © 2016 Universal Studios. All rights reserved. 



 


WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
 

 


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Chris Redd, Imogen Poots And a bunch of cameos you may or may not expect …

WRITER(S): The Lonely Island a.k.a. Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone
DIRECTOR(S): Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone
THE STORY AS BEST WE KNOW IT: Written, directed and starring the comedy rap/R&B trio that had its breakthrough on Saturday Night Live as The Lonely Island, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping stars Andy Samberg as Conner4Real, a pop star music sensation. Growing up, Conner a.k.a. Kid Conner was best friends with Lawrence a.k.a. Kid Brain (Avika Schaffer) and Owen a.k.a. Kid Contact (Jorma Taccone), the duo with whom he formed the rap trio known as the Style Boyz. Once they got signed to a major record label, the trio blew up thanks to hit songs like “Donkey Roll.” 


But, to all those who he would consider part of his “Contourage” fan base, it was clear that Conner was true star of the group, leading to his debut album “Thiller, Also,” a 4 million record selling smash. Sure, Lawrence may be mad at him for never giving him credit for any of the Style Boyz success and moved to Colorado to become a lonely farmer, but Owen has settled in nicely as Conner’s DJ, willing to do whatever he can to help his best friend be a star and enjoy a part of the success.


Then, Conner drops his second album, CONNquest – and it bricks. HARD.


Now faced with a conscious of both crisis and concert ticket sales, Conner and his team – which includes Owen, his manager Hank (Tim Meadows) and publicist Paula (Sarah Silverman) – try to figure out ways to stop his fall from grace, only to see one disaster seemingly follow the next. But if there’s one thing Conner knows – as every true pop star knows – it’s that you never stop never stopping … 
WHO WILL LIKE THIS MOVIE THE MOST? Longstanding Lonely Island fans; people who are current with today’s music and pop culture trends and what is being both paid tribute to and lampooned viciously here; people who like grade school, lunchroom table jokes done in excess
WHO WILL HATE THIS MOVIE THE MOST? People who are unfamiliar with and/or hate pretty much everything mentioned in the previous section. 
SO IS IT GOOD, GREAT, JUST ALL RIGHT OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? If you are familiar with the docu-style films artists like Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry have released in recent years, the world that seemingly exists in its own TMZ bubble and/or the actions of artists like Justin Bieber and other like him, you will find Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping to be a hilarious send up of it all with some of the craziest songs and “I didn’t see that coming!” raw material in years.


If not, you’re probably not gonna like it. At all. But that doesn’t mean you’re right as much as it does you are simply not the audience for this movie. Because what it does well, it really does well to the point you won’t be able to help but truly, as this generation of musicians and its fans would say, LOL from all the OMG and WTF moments throughout its 87 minute running time. 


If you are familiar with The Lonely Island from their not safe for work ditties like this or this or this or even this, you likely already know what to expect what you’re going to get in Popstar: A collection of crazy songs that show you just how crazy certain elements of the modern world are, especially when they are set to music with clever lyrical skill, pitch and cadence and focus as if they were dead serious (which in turn makes them hilarious). What you might not fully appreciate until you see the movie, however, is how they perfectly and expertly capture the essence of not only how many actual pop stars today come off in interviews, how they fall victim to so many silly scandals and bad promo ideas and the stories that permeated just about every Behind the Music VH1 ever aired – or will. 


Whereas Samberg and his Lonely Island crew nail all the lack of self awareness many pop stars have before showing their sensitive-yet-still-unaware sides, the rest of the film’s cast does a great job at doing the same in this mockumentary. Littered with celebrity cameo appearances, everything from the insatiable for headlines and unaware of their own lunacy nature of TMZ to artists talking about how inspired they get by others is on display in Popstar, all to hilarious effect. Be it Conner’s tabloid relationship with Ashley Wednesday (Imogen Poots), his friendship/rivalry with budding rap star Hunter the Hungry (played brilliantly by stand-up comedian Chris Redd channeling what seems to be his inner Odd Future/Tyler the Creator – link VERY NSFW and must be watched till the end to get the full effect of what he is doing/lampooning/paying homage to) or his rocky relationship with his team, Popstar leaves no pop music stone unturned.


Now, if you HATE most of modern pop music and cannot find the humor in it with all of its outrageous characters, explicit lyrics, social commentary and/or general silliness, you may have trouble finding the humor/genius in Popstar. For then, the film will just be a barrage of immature behavior, nudity, crazy sounding beats and commentary on social issues that you may mistakenly find insulting instead of lampooning just how uncomfortable we are talking about them.  


But don’t let that stop you from checking it out for yourself and seeing on which side of the equation you fall …

RATING OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN:

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