Instant Death

Stumbling across a movie you've never heard of can be a bit of a crapshoot. Sometimes the movie's good, sometimes bad. Today I found 2017's Instant Death, and it is 84 minutes of Grade-A schlock.

Another in a long line of 'old guy gets revenge' films, the plot of this movie is just one cliché after another; John Bradley (played by Lou Ferrigno) is a Special Forces veteran who is trying to reconnect with what family he has left. Then one day, after witnessing a gang-related murder, he finds himself in the crosshairs of a drug lord named Razor. When the gang goes looking for John and learn that he's not in town they attack his family to draw him back. Once he finds out that his daughter was raped and beaten and his granddaughter killed, John becomes a one-man wrecking crew hell-bent on vengeance. 

As an actual action movie, it's pretty terrible. As an unintentional comedy it's fantastic. The fight scenes in this movie are bad to the point of being hilarious, and Ferrigno's 'tough-guy' threats are cheesy as a can be. As a result, I'm kind of torn on this one. Quality wise, the movie deserves a 1 out of 5. However, I got so many laughs out of it that I do actually recommend it as a "so bad it's good" movie.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

The Greatest Showman is a new musical to hit theaters, and is inspired by the life of P.T. Barnum.

With a strong cast consisting of Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams and Zendaya just to name a few, I was pretty excited going into this one. Now, if you go into this expecting a fairly accurate biopic about P.T. Barnum then you need to know that this is not that. Its a big, glitzy, crowd-pleaser, with a lot of heart.

At approximately 1hr 45mins the film moves along at a brisk but satisfying pace. It's well directed, well acted (for the most part), and has a captivating plot. The only knock on the film is that there is one particular song and dance sequence in the middle of the film that felt a bit shoehorned in and I didn't feel like it added anything to the film. 

Overall, is this the best musical of all-time? No, but it is fun, a few of the songs are pretty catchy, and Hugh Jackman is fantastic.

I enjoyed it and, though I can foresee this one getting some mixed reactions from audiences, I recommend it.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Coco (2017)

Coco is the latest film in long line of (mostly) quality movies from Pixar. While recently there have been a few Pixar films that missed the mark for me, I was still excited to check this one out.

The film starts out with a young Mexican boy named Miguel who is passionate about music but belongs to a family that has forbidden him from becoming a musician. He learns pretty early on that his great-grandfather was a famous musician and of course he takes this a sign that he should pursue his dreams. Although this is a pretty basic setup and the first 20mins are nothing special, the film picks up and gets really good after that. Miguel travels to the 'Land of the Dead' in search of his famous musical relative and there are a couple fun, though predictable, little twists along the way. As with most movies from Pixar. the characters are fun and, visually, it's a beautiful film.

Overall, Coco a solid film. It's probably not going to be a lot of people's all-time favorite Pixar movie, but it is one of the better ones and did exceed my expectations. The story is strong, heartwarming, and I'm sure will leave more than a few viewers with a tear in their eye by the end. 

I give it a 4 out of 5.

A Brief Review of Thor Ragnarok

The third film in the 'Thor' franchise and Marvel's 17th entry in its cinematic universe, Thor Ragnarok shows a continued effort by the studio to keep the stories and characters fresh. The movie has a lot of solid comedy, good acting, some entertaining action set pieces and, for most Marvel fans this will probably end up being their favorite Thor film. Now, that doesn't mean its perfect. There are some minor flaws, particularly with pacing, but since this is a new release I'll save some of that for a more in depth review later on so I don't spoil anything.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and, while its not my favorite MCU film, it's probably pretty high on the list. The comedy was laid on a bit too thick in a few places which took away from any real tension developing, but when the jokes work they really work. It's a fun movie. An all-time great movie? No, but fun.

4.5 out of 5

Movie Review: American Made (2017)

Those who frequent this blog may remember that I wrote a piece a few months back titled "10 Tom Cruise Movies Everyone Should See" (you can check that out by clicking here). Obviously 'American Made' wasn't out at the time I wrote that but if I ever decided to update or redo that list of films, this one would be hard to leave off.

Without giving too much away here's a sort overview:

Tom Cruise plays Barry Seal, an airline pilot, who is recruited by the CIA to gather reconnaissance information regarding a communist threat in Central America. It isn't long before Barry finds himself not only in charge of a massive covert CIA operation, but also flying drugs into the U.S. from a South American cartel. Tensions ramp up with Barry caught between the CIA, the DEA, and the cartel. It's a wild ride.

 The film is well directed and Cruise turns in a really solid performance. The movie is fun, exciting and even the little moments of comedy sprinkled throughout all hit the mark. It was definitely nice to go to the theater and watch a film that felt like something fresh among the vast landscape of prequels, sequels, reboots, and re-imaginings.

Overall, this is one I definitely recommend seeing.

 I give it a 4.5 out of 5


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Spider-Man: Homecoming

It's no secret that we are living in something of a golden age for comic book movies. With even more obscure characters getting a lot of love at the box-office, it's no surprise that the big Hollywood decision makers keep green-lighting films about the most marketable of all superheros; Spider-Man.

Just within the last 15 years we've had Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and now Spider-Man: Homecoming. So, is it really worth spending you're hard earned money to see yet another Spider-Man movie? Yes, because this time I think they nailed it. I'm not going to give a bunch of spoilers away because this film is new and I do think it is worth going to see.

  

Now, for starters, the previous five Spider-Man films have ranged from good to awful. Both Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield have taken up the role of the title character and both received mixed reviews. The general consensus is that Maguire didn't fully capture the Spider-Man side of the character and Garfield wasn't a believable Peter Parker. This time around they got it right, as Tom Holland was a great casting choice. He's believable as both a high school age Peter Parker and as Spider-Man, making it easy to become fully invested in this character. The supporting cast of Peter's friends and classmates is solid, Marisa Tomei is great as Aunt May, and Robert Downey Jr. delivers the goods as Tony Stark like he always does. However, the real standout in the film is Michael Keaton as the Vulture. It's easily one of the best villain performances in the MCU.

Which brings me to my next point; this is a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Previously, because of Sony holding the movie rights, Spider-Man films have existed off in their own little world. Now, we have the extra complexities of Spider-Man wanting to become an Avenger and prove himself Tony Stark. Being part of a movie universe that includes Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, etc. allows this film to have a simple story without the need to make it about saving all of New York city. The film does have some good action and spectacle, but for the most part it all takes place Queens. It's established that the Avengers will save the world, Peter should just focus and on being a "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man" and that really works in the movie favor.

Overall, the movie is fun, it has a lot of heart, and it exceeded my expectations. If you're a Spider-Man fan then you're going to have a ton of fun watching this one. It's by far my favorite Spider-Man movie to this point, and I highly recommend it.

I give this one a 4.5 out of 5.

If you'd like to see how I think Spider-Man: Homecoming stacks up against the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you can check out my complete MCU rankings by clicking here.

Sandy Wexler (2017)

Curiosity finally got the better of me. Despite repeatedly seeing this title pop up on Netflix and saying to myself "Not this time Sandler, I won't get burned again", I couldn't help it. There was a time in my life when I was a big fan of Adam Sandler, I had a few of his comedy albums and movies like 1995's 'Billy Madison', 1996's 'Happy Gilmore' and 1998's 'The Wedding Singer' are films that I still get a lot of laughs out of. However, over the last 15+ years, the decline of Sandler has resulted in many films that don't even come close to duplicating the entertainment value of his earlier works. 

 

This film, about a small-time 90's talent manager, is just another bad movie in Adam Sandler's filmography. The jokes don't land, the main characters aren't that interesting, the 'heart-felt' moments feel contrived, and even though the runtime is just over two hours it feels like it's never gonna end. It's another dumb voice, awkward Sandler character bumbling and stumbling through a paper-thin plot. 

The one positive about the film is that it's fun to see the ridiculous amount of cameos in the film. "Weird Al" Yankovic, Jimmy Kimmel, Dana Carvey, Darius Rucker, Mike Judge, Penn Jillette, Henry Winkler, Jon Lovitz, Chris Rock, Judd Apatow, Jay Leno, and a long list of others pop in at various points throughout.

Overall, it's a bad movie and I can't honestly think of one person I know that would actually enjoy it.

I give this one a 0 out of 5.

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The Mummy (2017)

"The Mummy" is the most recent attempt by Universal to kick start a connected Avengers-style universe featuring all the classic monsters (Frankenstein's monster, the Wolfman, the Mummy, etc.). Now, I'm a big fan of all the classic Universal monster films including 1932's 'The Mummy' starting Boris Karloff. Additionally, I enjoyed 2 out of the 3 Mummy films with Brendan Fraser. Were they great like the original with Karloff? No,  but they were fun adventure flicks.

So,  is this latest Mummy film any good -or- does it deserve much of the hate it's getting from critics? 

Well, a little of both. Again, I'm a fan of monster movies and, anyone who reads this blog regularly will know, I'm a fan of Tom Cruise so I was excited to see this. 

Well, I enjoyed it. Is it perfect? Definitely not, but it was entertaining and I thought it was a decent mashup of action and horror. Some of the world-building to established the connected universe was slightly distracting. The action is mostly good, and the CGI is pretty solid. There are a few comedic moments as well, some good and some of which don't stick the landing but it never took me out of the film. 

Overall, It's entertaining. I definitely enjoyed it more than the last film I reviewed... (you can check out my Wonder Woman review by clicking here). Despite a few flaws, I actually had a blast watching this one

I give it a 4 out of 5.

Have a suggestions for a review? Leave it in the comments below. 

Wonder Woman

'Wonder Woman' is the latest attempt by DC Comics and Warner Bros. to get the ball rolling on a successful, cinematic universe that they hope will rival what the folks at Marvel Studios have been doing since 2008. 'Man of Steel' was underwhelming, 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice' was overstuffed and kinda boring, and 'Suicide Squad' was just a mess. So, is Wonder Woman the shot in the arm the DCEU needs and is it a film worth checking out? The answer to both is 'Yes'... for the most part. 

'Wonder Woman' is the best this extended universe has to offer thus far. It's not perfect but the good outweighs the bad. I did enjoy it being set during WWI as most movies set during a World War opt for WWII (probably because everyone knows the Nazis were bad, and that makes for an easy good vs bad dynamic). I think Gal Gadot was a great choice to play Wonder Woman and the rest of the cast is good enough. Also, in contrast tosome of the previous DCEU entries this isn't a bleak, gloomy movie. There are action scenes that aren't in the dark or the rain, and there's even some comedy that works. However, while the scenes with Wonder Woman kicking ass are genuinely entertaining, the rest of the film is pretty average. 

Overall, if you like comic book movies (which I do) then this is probably a good one to check out, but if super heros aren't your thing then this isn't a 'must-see' that's going to blow you away. 

I give it a 3 out of 5


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Today's Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

I went into this one with pretty low expectations. The first Pirates film in this franchise was a bit better than I expected back in 2003, but the Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow flamboyant drunk schtick has grown old over the years. 

This one is more of what you'd expect going in; Johnny Depp swaggering about and finding himself in over the top ridiculous situations. It's done just well enough to be moderately entertaining, but the film overall is a bit underwhelming. Unfortunately, the other main characters are so dull that the drunken slapstick and predictable gags are the glue that holds the film together. The plot is pretty much par for the course; there's some curse and, for some reason, this is linked to Capt. Jack Sparrow. There are also some pacing issues and I found myself checking the time more than once.     

Overall, if you like the other 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films then you'll like this one. It's probably not the worst one. 

I give it a 1.5 out of 5.

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