Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the follow up to both the 2014 Godzilla film and 2017's Kong: Skull Island. I'm normally not in favor of adding qualifiers when discussing whether a movie is good or not. However, in the case of the Godzilla films there is 'Good' and then there is 'Good for a giant monster movie'. That's not a slight against this or any of the other of the films, I LOVE Godzilla movies but plot, character development and acting takes a backseat to the destruction and giant monster fights. After all, that's what I think most people who see these movies (myself included) are paying to see. 

The setup to the big monster action revolves around a device that emits frequencies that can awaken, calm, or even enrage the different monsters or "Titans" as everyone in the movie refers to them. An eco-terrorist organization plans to use this device to awaken all of the creatures in order to bring balance back to the Earth... Yea, it's one of those 'man is the real monster' because we pollute the planet plots. Of course, this is a stupid plan and when Ghidorah starts wreaking uncontrollable havoc Godzilla has to save the day and reclaim his place as King of the Monsters. While the plot is nothing special, I was happy that the monsters were shown a lot more than in the 2014 film. However, I do wish the final confrontation wasn't another fight in the rain at night.

If you're going to see this one, then I suggest trying to see it on as big of a screen as possible. I took my 7 year-old (who had been dying to see it since he saw the first trailer), and we both had a hood time. Our local AMC had it playing in one of their biggest theaters which is the ideal way to watch something like this in my opinion. It's a film that is worth checking out for the spectacle rather than story and, although I wouldn't call it a great movie overall, I had fun with it.
I give this one 3.5 out of 5 and it's probably something I'll end up purchasing on Blu-ray when it comes out.

Aladdin (2019)

Disney's latest live-action remake/retelling of one of their classic animated films is Aladdin. I wrote a blog post a little while back about these remakes (you can check that out HERE) and my conclusion was that they're a bit of a mixed-bag overall. The same holds true with this one, and it may end up being the most average movie this year. I did like a good deal of stuff in the film but it's mostly stuff I like about the original... You ever watch 1992's Aladdin? Well, then you've pretty much seen this one. 

Aside from this one being live-action there are a few differences worth noting; This genie is of course played by Will Smith and, while he doesn't have quite the high energy of the late Robin Williams, I liked this interpretation enough. There are also a few new songs intermixed along with the old ones, and some minor tweaks to story but nothing significant. 

Overall, I found the movie pretty entertaining. It's a big budget Disney film ($183 million according to Box Office Mojo), with a solid Director in Guy Ritchie, a decent amount of spectacle, and a good cast. 

It's not as good as the animated one in my opinion and I'm not going to rush out to see it again, but it's ok.
 2.5 out of 5

Billy Bathgate

1991's Billy Bathgate is a movie that frustrates me. I like the 1930's setting, I love films about organized crime, and the cast is solid. This film should work, but it just doesn't.

Based on a novel of the same name, which I admittedly have never read, Billy Bathgate is the story of a teenager from the Bronx named Billy (played by Loren Dean). Early on Billy meets a gangster named Dutch Schultz (played by Dustin Hoffman) and joins his organization. Alongside Dean and Hoffman the film also stars Bruce Willis and Nicole Kidman, and both are fine in this one. For me, Billy is the weakest part of this film and the main reason why I don't like it more. Unlike a good crime film like Goodfellas in which we see the rise and fall of our main character(s), Billy basically just serves as a personal assistant to Dutch. He doesn't kill anyone, or have to dispose of a body, or launder money, or rough-up a guy... he's a bland, vanilla character. Now, I get that we're supposed to like Billy but, a good movie can get you to empathize with people who do terrible things over the course of the film. In all fairness, even though Billy is a flat character, he isn't the only problem. The movie also has some scenes that drag on too long and yet simultaneously doesn't seem to have time to give any character development to the other members of Dutch's crew. The movie also fails to reach a satisfying conclusion; a main story thread that drives the plot is Dutch's upcoming tax-evasion trial. However, even though Dutch is acquitted of the charges he's abruptly gunned down by a rival gang a short time later.

Overall, Billy Bathgate is a film I want to love but I just don't. It isn't unwatchable, and there are bits here and there that I do think are good, but I don't recommend this one.
1.5 out of 5

Crocodile Dundee II

The follow-up to 1986's Crocodile Dundee, and taking place shortly after the events of that film, is the aptly named Crocodile Dundee II. Released in 1988, the sequel picks up with Mick Dundee and Sue Charlton (played again by Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski respectively) living together in New York City. When Sue gets kidnapped by a drug lord because her ex-husband mailed her some evidence for safe keeping, it's up to Mick to save her. After he does, the cartel wants revenge and sets out to kill Mick and Sue. So they head to Australia because Mick feels safer there then in protective custody. Of course, this proves to be the right decision because the cartel doesn't stand a chance trying to take on Dundee on his own turf.

There are some good moments in this sequel but they're few and far between. Some of the fish-out-of-water bits with Dundee in New York are funny, but overall it lacks a lot of the charm of the original. Pacing is the biggest issue here for me. Even though I like these characters, the film is less than 15 minutes longer than the first one and yet it feel SO much longer. By the time Mick rescues Sue from the drug lord's mansion in New York it feels like the film should be wrapping up but, that happens around the halfway point.

Despite this film doing very well at the box-office is 1988 (earning $239,606,210 worldwide according to Box Office Mojo), it was panned by critics and for good reason. For an 'adventure-comedy' it doesn't deliver enough of either in my opinion and, even though I've seen it multiple times, I don't recommend it. 

1.5 out of 5

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

While far from my favorite filmmaker, Guy Ritchie has made several films that I really enjoy such as Snatch (2000), Sherlock Holmes (2009), and RocknRolla (2008). My favorite of his films though is 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The story is about four friends Eddy, Bacon, Tom, and Soap who, after buying their way into a rigged high-takes card game, end up owing a serious debt. As a result, it then becomes a heist film as the four only have a week to come up with £500,000. 

As far as crime-capers go it isn't anything groundbreaking but, it's well done and very entertaining with a number of fun twists and turns along the way. Additionally, I think the dynamic between the four leads Nick Moran as Eddy, Jason Statham as Bacon, Dexter Fletcher as Soap, and Jason Flemyng as Tom works really well. 

If you've never seen Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and you like crime films, especially ones with a comedic edge, then I recommend checking this one out.

 4 out of 5

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is the recently released direct-to-Netflix movie staring Zac Efron as serial killer Ted Bundy. This biographical crime thriller doesn't touch on Bundy's upbringing, or really anything of his life before he started his murder spree. Additionally, we don't see much of the actual violence. The majority of the film splits time between Bundy being in and out of courtrooms and scenes featuring his girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall (played by Lily Collins).

The movie overall is pretty interesting if you're into films about serial killers and Zac Efron gives a really solid performance. However, it is a Netflix movie and it shows. The movie seems to lack direction, and the cinematography and score are nothing to write home about.

Not bad for what it is, but it's really only worth watching for Efron.

2.5 out of 5

The Great Outdoors

A year after starring in two very good comedies, Spaceballs and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, John Candy teamed up with Dan Aykroyd for the 1988 film The Great Outdoors. 

In the film Candy plays Chet Ripley, an average Joe who takes his wife and two sons on a summer vacation to a lakeside cabin in Wisconsin. Shortly after they arrive their vacation is disrupted by Chet's flashy, jerk of a brother-in-law Roman (played by Dan Aykroyd). A good chunk of the films comedy comes from the tension between the two and, while I wouldn't call the result an amazing comedy, enough of it works to be entertaining. There is a sub-plot with Chet's son Buck having a little summer romance with a local girl, but it doesn't add much to the film in my opinion and my guess is that it was only in the movie to get the runtime up to 90 minutes. As for the performances of the two leads; Dan Aykroyd's character is played a bit over-the-top but, I think it works. John Candy is just being his usual likeable self, slapstick gags and all.

Overall, The Great Outdoors is a fairly average comedy. There are some genuinely funny lines and memorable moments but, I don't regard it as the highlight of either star's filmography.

I give it a 3 out of 5.

Dumb Voices and Fart Jokes: Revisiting 'The Master of Disguise'

The Master of Disguise is a 2002 "comedy" starring Dana Carvey, that features a bare-bones plot that only serves to loosely tie together a series of Carvey impressions. 

In the film Carvey plays Pistachio Disguisey, a bumbling goof who can't seem to help mocking people with his impressions of them. As it turns out Pistachio comes from a long line of "Masters of Disguise". A fact that is only revealed to him after his father and mother have been kidnapped. With the guidance of his grandfather (played by Harold Gould) Pistachio learns the way of the Disguisey and soon hires an assistant named Jennifer (played by Jennifer Esposito). Together Pistachio and Jennifer seek to unravel the mystery of Pistachio's missing parents. As it turns out, the evil Devlin Bowman has been forcing Pistachio's father to steal items such as the Liberty Bell and the U.S. Constitution while disguised as celebrities. Oh, and the running gag with Bowman is that he farts every time he laughs. 

This movie is objectively bad. It current holds a whopping 1% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 3.3 on IMDb, and frequently appears on 'Worst Movies of All-Time' lists. It's poorly directed, edited, acted and the overall story and jokes feel like they were written by a group of 6 year olds. That being said, while the execution was a complete failure, I think there is a good idea for a film here; Dana Carvey is a talented impressionist and character actor, he proved that for years on Saturday Night Live and he's very funny in the Wayne's World movies. In the right hands, this could've been a hilarious showcase of Carvey's talents. Also, to be fair, there is a quick gag where Abraham Lincoln dances to the song 'I Like to Move It' that I genuinely find quite funny... and the movie is only 81 minutes long, so that's a plus.

For me, The Master of Disguise falls just on the right side of watchable and I have seen it a number of times. However, I don't recommend it.

1 out of 5