“Happy Death Day 2U” Movie Review

    I enjoyed “Happy Death Day” when I saw it in the theaters but when the sequel opened, I just didn’t have time (or money) to rush and see it despite the fact that the film looked intriguing.  “Happy Death Day 2U” was a film I knew I was going to rent or buy shortly after it came out on DVD and Blu-ray.  I decided to play it safe and just rent it at our local Family Video and I was surprised by the film as a whole.

    The film starts off one day after the events of the first film, with college student Ryan waking up in his car to start his day.  As Ryan experiences strange encounter after encounter, his day seemingly can’t get much worse until he is murdered.  Right after his murder, Ryan wakes back up in his car only to seemingly live out the day again.  After initially believing his experience to be deja vu, Ryan informs his roommate Carter and Carter’s girlfriend Tree of what happened.  Tree quickly sums up what happened to her and how she was caught in a time loop yesterday.  Tree and Carter agree to help Ryan find the new killer in order to end the time loops permanently.  After catching the killer, the group unmasks the killer to find out it was Ryan...from the future.  Ryan had invented a time displacement machine in school without realizing the effects of the machine and future Ryan was trying to prevent present Ryan from activating the machine and causing the time displacements.  Ryan decides to activate the machine anyway (so the movie could happen) and Tree is not only caught back in her time loop, but she is also thrown into another dimension in which her killer isn’t the same and she must solve the mystery of who the baby face killer is once again.

    Now, the film took a big risk by switching it’s primary genre from slasher to science fiction.  I actually really liked how different yet similar the sequel felt.  The first film had hints of science fiction throughout because it was essentially a slasher set in the “Groundhog Day” universe.  This sequel sets out to explain what caused the time loop and also dives heavily into parallel universes.  There is a killer but the slasher elements are more of the B plot of the film.  Now, this obviously isn’t going to play well to everyone.  I appreciated the world building the movie attempted however.

    The film was once again directed by Christopher Landon, the son of the late “Bonanza” star Michael Landon.  Landon managed to include little nods and call backs to the first movie that I really appreciated.  It also greatly helped that the film managed to retain all of it’s principal cast without having to recast anyone.  Jessica Rothe returns as Tree, the primary star of both films, and delivers a more nuanced performance this time around.  Rothe’s character is more likable and humorous in this sequel which helps the movie a lot in my opinion.  While I liked the first film, much of my complaints about that film was that Tree was such an unlikable character throughout a bulk of the film.  I am glad Rothe had a better chance to shine in this movie.

    Like a great deal of horror franchises, this sequel was more comedic and took itself less seriously than it’s predecessor.  That isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea and some of the gags don’t land, but it remains typically fun.  Between the more comedic tone and the shift to a more sci-fi feel, some audience members might feel the sequel’s changes are too jarring.  I think it plays out very well however.

    The sequel sets the stage for another possible sequel but since the film made less than it was projected to make, a sequel doesn’t seem likely (although the movie still made a ton of money so it’s definitely possible).  I would like to see a “Happy Death Day 3D” followed by a “Happy Death Day 4Ever”.  I think this is a franchise that might have legs if given the chance.

Grade: B

“Murder Mystery” Movie Review

    Sometimes there just isn’t a lot to watch that I haven’t already seen.  Short of perhaps going to the theaters, checking out the new releases on Netflix is sometimes the best option.  I had heard of a new Adam Sandler film on Netflix which supposedly set records for the streaming service titled “Murder Mystery”.  I was bored one night so I figured I would give it a shot and see if it lived up to Netflix’s hype.

    The film follows Nick Spitz and his wife Audrey on their fifteenth anniversary.  Audrey is frustrated with Nick because they have never taken a trip to Europe despite Nick promising her they would go at some point and she confronts him about it.  Nick, who is ashamed because he just failed his detective test, lies to Audrey and tells her a trip to Europe was his surprise anniversary present to her.  On the flight to Europe, Audrey meets billionaire Charles Cavendish who invites the couple on his yacht.  The pair agree that a yacht would be more fun then a cramped bus tour so they set off with Charles.  While on yacht, the couple meet all of Charles’ family and associates.  The plot thickens when Malcolm Quince, Charles’ uncle, declares that everyone but his new wife Suzi (and Charles’ ex) will be cut from his will.  Before he could sign his new will, the lights go out and Malcolm is dead.  What makes matters worse is that Nick and Audrey have become prime suspects and have to solve the crime to clear their names.

    Okay, now I know critics don’t tend to be kind towards Adam Sandler and in some cases, he has deserved the roasting, but I don’t hate him.  Yes, I am pretty sure he uses his production company as a tax write off for vacations as many people joke about but he has made a few decent films as a result.  How do I feel this movie stacks up?  Well, the movie has a decent story and ‘feels’ like a movie (a quality not present in every Netflix film).  So despite it being somewhat bland at times, the movie wasn’t terrible.

    Now, this movie is a prime example of the type of film Adam Sandler does now that most of his older fans wish he wouldn’t continue doing.  Why you might ask?  Well, while the movie isn’t terrible, it is a very ‘safe’ movie.  There are funny moments but most of the humor is derived from relatable situations like snoring or being cheap as opposed to Sandler’s quirky personality.  The reason people still love “Happy Gilmore” and “Billy Madison” so much is because they were Adam Sandler showcases, not because of their stories.  I personally wish Sandler wasn’t so safe anymore.

    The film stars Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston and the pair seem to be destined to be the king and queen of Netflix movies.  Sandler and Aniston reunite for this film and have a natural chemistry as a result.  Luke Evans is charming and dashing as usual.  It was nice seeing former Bond girl Gemma Arterton again.  I think the last film I saw her in was “Clash of the Titans”.  Lastly, seeing General Zod himself, Terence Stamp, was also a special treat.

    “Murder Mystery” is a decent yet safe comedy with some legitimate laughs sprinkled throughout.  The film won’t be a classic but I have seen worse comedies in theaters.  Ultimately, it’s worth a watch in my opinion.

Grade: C+

“Dark Phoenix” Movie Review

    The final Twentieth Century Fox owned and controlled “X-Men” movie was released a few weeks ago to little fanfare and a terrible marketing campaign.  “Dark Phoenix” unwisely dropped X-Men from the title which I am sure led to some audience members being unaware that this was meant to be a continuous of the X-Men saga.  As many of you know, Disney bought Twentieth Century Fox and has gained the rights to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four.  The next X-Men movie besides from the already filmed “New Mutants” will likely be a complete reboot set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The film starts out showing how Professor X and Jean Grey met.  The film then jumps to show the X-Men on a rescue mission to save the astronauts of a destroyed space shuttle.  While on the mission, Jean Grey absorbs what turns out to be the Phoenix force.  As Jean Grey starts to lose control, the mental barriers Charles Xavier put in her head start collapsing and Jean realizes her father is still alive so she takes off to find him.  Professor Xavier and the rest of the X-Men try to bring her back to the school but they end up fighting and Mystique is killed in the battle.  Seeking sanctuary, Jean Grey seeks out Magneto Buy is turned away by him before he found out what she had done.  Hank McCoy/Beast decides to leave the X-Men over the grief of losing Mystique and ends up seeking out Magneto as well.  Beast informs Magneto that Jean had killed Mystique, the woman both men had loved, and the two decide to set off to kill Jean Grey as a result.  The X-Men are forced to square off with them before an alien threat forces all parties to work together for the sake of the entire planet.

    So, there is a lot of story going on with this film, both in front of and behind the cameras.  Currently “Dark Phoenix” is the worst reviewed X-Men film to date and probably will remain so for a long while (unless “New Mutants” ends up taking that honor).  The critical bashing the film took certainly didn’t help the film at the box office, as the film opened to disappointing financial results.  I had to check out the movie for myself however, not only as a film reviewer, but as someone who has seen every other film X-Men related (including the made for TV movie “Generation X”).  Without further suspense, I will say I found the film to be okay.  It wasn’t a masterpiece nor as bad as some of the reviews made it out to be either.  The worst thing I could say about the movie is that I expected a little more from it.

    The film focuses on the popular Phoenix saga from the X-Men comics.  This story arc was already used in the clustered “X-Men: The Last Stand” so this was essentially a reboot of that sequel.  Unfortunately, this film proved to be just as clustered but instead of focusing on action, this film was clustered with melodrama.  Personally, I prefer a messy action film over a messy melodrama.  I won’t say “X-Men: The Last Stand” was a better film, but it was no worse either, and to spend time rehashing this particular storyline, you want the film to top the film it’s rebooting.

    One very distracting aspect of all the X-Men films is their lack of solid continuity throughout the franchise.  These films span decades but the filmmakers use the same actors without any age prosthetics.  You would think I multimillion dollar film could invest a little money into age makeup or cgi touchups on the actors.  Another solution might have been to set all the films in the 60s-70s but that didn’t seem like a sensible solution to the studio.

    The film primarily starred “Game of Thrones” breakout Sophie Turner as Jean Grey/Phoenix.  Turner does a fine job as Grey but can only do so much with the material she was given.  Jennifer Lawrence was quickly killed off on the film and sort of phones in her performance.  You could tell she was done with the franchise and just wanted out.  James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender continue to prove to be the backbone of the films and deliver stellar performances as the head figures of two drastically different ideologies.

    Say what you want about filmmaker Bryan Singer (and he may very well deserve it) but the X-Men movies have always been their best with his direction.  His ability to relate to the source material and use his struggles with his homosexuality as an allegory for the mutant struggles.  Singer has also proven to be the only filmmaker to successfully showcase the character of Quicksilver (Joss Whedon included).

    It should be noted that the ending had to be changed due to it’s similarity to the ending of “Captain Marvel” which was released a few months before “Dark Phoenix”.  It is believed the original ending featured the Skrulls (which makes sense since the aliens depicted in the film were shapeshifters) and a battle fought in space.  It’s ironic that the filmmakers changed the ending for it’s similarity to the ending of “Captain Marvel” yet decided to leave the opening of the film untouched considering it was almost identical to the opening sequence of “Shazam!” (which is based on a different Captain Marvel ironically).

    While we talk about the film’s final act, why on Earth did someone think turning the final battle into a literal train wreck was a good idea?  I can just imagine the meeting to change the ending going like this...

Fox Executive:

I can’t believe this!  Disney is making a Marvel movie with almost the same ending that is hitting theaters before us!  This is a nightmare!

Script Writer:

This is terrible!  What are we supposed to do?

Fox Executive:

I was hoping you might have some ideas.  The last thing we want is for this to turn into another train wreck like “X-Men: The Last Stand”.

Script Writer:

Did you say something about a train wreck?

Fox Executive:

F*** yeah I did!

Script Writer:

Interesting...  Also, I like that you threw in a random F bomb.  Being a PG-13 movie, I feel it is my moral obligation to throw in one random F bomb (randomly turns to a page and places his finger somewhere) HERE!

Fox Executive:

Are you drunk?

Script Writer:

Nooooo....now hold my beer!

    So in a nutshell, I found the movie to be okay with some enjoyable action set pieces but nothing about the movie will wow you either.  Still, there are far worse movies that have hit theaters this year alone.

Grade: B-

“Mo’ Money” Movie Review

    Growing up in the early 90s, one of the biggest and funniest programs airing on network television was a little show called “In Living Color”.  What made the show so unique is that along with talented comedians like Jim Carrey, the cast was also comprised of most of the the Wayans family.  While Keenan Ivory Wayans hosted the show, the breakout Wayans brother was Damon Wayans.  From characters like ‘Homey the Clown’ and one half of ‘The Homeboy Shopping Network’ as well as ‘Men on Films’, Damon Wayans quickly proved to be one of the shows most valuable players.

    The film follows conman Johnny Stewart as he meets a young woman named Amber one day and wants to impress her.  Unfortunately, the only way to impress her seems to be to go legitimate and get a real job.  Johnny gets a job in the mailroom where Amber works.  Johnny becomes convinced that he needs to have money to keep Amber in his life so he steals credit cards that were returned from people who passed away he received in the mailroom so he can afford fancy things.  After a shopping spree, his boss Keith finds out and makes him steal credit cards for him or he will turn him into the police (as it turns out, he planted those cards in hopes Johnny would use them so he could have leverage on him).  After Johnny helps Keith out a few time, he decides to quit while he is ahead.  Meanwhile, Johnny’s conman brother Seymour decides to use a stolen credit card and gets caught by the police.  Seymour agrees to wear a wire and catch Keith but is instead held hostage by him.  Johnny must now rescue his brother from his sinister boss.

    Before I watched this movie to review it, I had never seen this film before butI had always been curious about it being a big “In Living Color” fan.  I know the film wasn’t well received upon it’s release but a lot of comedies don’t fair well with critics.  So what did I think of the film?  I didn’t hate the movie nor did I think it was hilarious.  The movie didn’t wow me but it kept my attention and there were a few moments that made me chuckle.  I definitely see why critics ripped this movie apart.  Damon Wayans was fresh off “In Living Color” and was hilarious in the show, you very much expect a lot from a comedic performer in their prime and this movie felt a bit lazy.  The film was filled with cliches and humor that fell a bit flat.  That being said, looking at it through a nostalgic lens, seeing all the 90s fashions and trends definitely made me reminisce about the time period depicted on film.

    With the inclusion of characters like Anton Jackson and Blair Edwards, the film feels like an attempt to make an “In Living Color” movie in the same vain Lorne Michaels managed to turn “Saturday Night Live” skits like “Coneheads” into motion pictures.  I mean, the title even came from a phrase used often on ‘The Homeboy Shopping Network’.  To some degree, I feel like not making this film a direct “In Living Color” tie-in was a bit of a missed opportunity.  If the film focused on one of Damon’s hilarious characters, I think the movie would have faired better.

    The film is notable for being the first film to address the subject of identity theft (this film was made before the term ‘identity theft’ was even coined).  It was also the film debut of one of the original kings of comedy, Bernie Mac.  Marlon Wayans, Damon’s real life little brother, plays his little brother in this film.  Marlon had only appeared in one film before this movie.  It was also fun to see a young Harry Lennix play a nerd.  Typically now, Lennix plays commanding military figures.

    “Mo’ Money” isn’t a terrible movie and as at times good for a laugh or two but it isn’t the comedy classic Damon Wayans was capable of making.  The film is interesting to watch as a crash course into 90s fashions however.  One thing about the ending of this film that I noticed though, why did so many 90s films feature main characters outrunning pursuing cars.

Grade: C

Buy the “Mo’ Money” and “High School High” Double Feature Blu-ray Here!!!

“Excess Baggage” Movie Review

    While going through the movies I wanted to watch to review, I came across the movie “Excess Baggage” which was generously supplied to me by the good folks at Mill Creek Entertainment.  I know I give them a shout out a lot, but they deserve it for all the support they show writers and content creators.  What caught my attention with the “Excess Baggage” release was honestly the incredibly cool VHS style slipcover.  So, when I finally had some free time, I popped this movie into my Blu-ray player and watched it for the first time ever.

    The film follows a young woman named Emily who has faked her own kidnapping to get the attention of her rich father.  Everything goes to plan and she even places herself in the trunk of her car in order to fool the police.  Things go off the rails when a young man named Vincent decides to steal Emily’s car, with Emily still locked in the trunk.  Vincent wants nothing to do with Emily or her plans and sets her free in the hopes everything blows over.  Things get even more complicated however when Vincent’s place burns down, with Emily’s stolen car inside.  This makes it seem as if Vincent kidnapped Emily and Emily is unwilling to clear him unless he helps her.  Now Vincent and Emily are in over their heads together.  What makes matters worse is that the pair might be falling for each other.

    I had no idea what to expect for this film aside from the fact that it was labeled a comedy.  Let me start by saying that the film isn’t a laugh out loud style comedy, instead it was more of a 90s style romantic comedy (which I guess counts as a comedy but it is a little different than a traditional comedy in my opinion).  Watching it, I found the film to be decent but it also wasn’t exactly filled with memorable moments.  It also had a slightly silly premise in my opinion.  There was a sense of nostalgia watching this movie however because it felt very much like a film I would have rented at the video store as a kid.

    After doing a little research on the film, I found out that the script for the film was the winner of the first annual Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition.  I thought that was kind of a cool bit or trivia.  I also found out that the amazing Aaron Sorkin did a rewrite of the script before it went into production (although it still tested poorly with audiences and had to undergo reshoots).

    The film starred Alicia Silverstone and she actually was fairly good in the film.  I have not seen much of her work outside of “Batman & Robin”, but I know she was never a critics darling.  Still, she actually surprised me a bit in this movie as a result.  Benicio del Toro is also sweet and charming in one of his first roles as Vincent.  Harry Connick, Jr. has a small role as one of Vincent’s associates.  The highlight of the film however is Christopher Walken as Emily’s uncle.  Every role Walken takes on, he absolutely owns.  I was surprised to see that Marco Brambilla directed this.  Brambilla was fresh off of his debut film “Demolition Man” when he filmed this.  As a big fan of “Demolition Man”, seeing his name on the credits definitely perked my interest.

    “Excess Baggage” is the type of movie that takes you back to a different time when movies didn’t have to feel so overly complicated.  While this movie might be easily forgotten, that is also the worst thing you can really say about the movie.  The movie is your average romantic comedy and is worth checking out simply to see Benicio del Toro as a charming young actor.

Grade: C+

Buy “Excess Baggage” on Blu-ray with a Retro VHS Cover Here!!!

“Aladdin” (2019) Movie Review

   Since it was announced, I have been a bit on the fence about my desire to see the live action version of “Aladdin”.  On one hand, I don’t necessarily see the necessity to remake all the Disney animated classics into live action movies.  On the other hand, I really liked “Aladdin” and Will Smith is one of my favorite actors.  Ultimately, I ended up seeing the movie in theaters...because of course I did.

    Like the animated movie, the movie is based on the Middle Eastern folk tale ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ (aka ‘Arabian Nights’).  The story follows a poor street urchin named Aladdin who ends up meeting his kingdom’s Princess, Jasmine, and falls in love with her.  Aladdin flirts and charms the Princess until he is caught and forced to retrieve a magical lamp for the Sultan’s aid Jafar.  Aladdin ends up keeping the lamp which contains a magical Genie who is able to grant him three wishes.  Aladdin decides his first wish should be to become a Prince so he can court and marry Princess Jasmine.  Aladdin and Jafar square off shortly afterwards and battle for the fate of the kingdom itself.

    This live action version of “Aladdin” received mixed reviews from critics but how did I think it faired?  Well, I really enjoyed it although the film wasn’t without some flaws.  The biggest problem with the film was that the first act of the movie was a bit clunky.  Part of this was due to director Guy Ritchie awkwardly shooting a few of the opening musical numbers.  The actors seemed nervous and a bit out of their element in the first act and it just didn’t quite click until Will Smith entered the film and then a sense of comfort came over the film and the film improved drastically.

    On the subject of Will Smith and the cast.  I guess it is impossible not to compare Will Smith’s Genie with the legendary Robin Williams’ take on the Genie.  Well, all I can say is Will Smith did a great job of making the character his own and if you can’t see anyone but Robin Williams as the Genie (which I understand), this movie is never going to work for you.  My advice would be to have an open mind and give Will Smith a chance.  As already stated above, Mena Massoud as Aladdin was a bit awkward at the beginning but when paired with Will Smith, he became very charismatic and really started to own the role.  Naomi Scott from “Power Rangers” and “Terra Nova” plays Princess Jasmine very well.  The only real let down was Marwan Kenzari as Jafar (although it was more of a script issue as opposed to an acting issue).  Kenzari wasn’t terrible but I wish Jafar was more menacing in the script.

    While I didn’t love some of Guy Ritchie’s direction in the first act, there were several touches he added to the film that I enjoyed.  I thought he did a really good job allowing his cast to play the roles to their strengths instead of trying to carbon copy the animated film.  Ritchie also gave the film a bit of a Bollywood flair to it that I very much enjoyed.

    After all is said and done, this “Aladdin” film serves as a fine live action companion to the animated film.  While I am not sure why Disney feels it is necessary to turn all their animated classics into big budget live action fairs, the results have been fairly well so far.  You can’t top the Disney music either!  The magic is still alive with this adaptation and I think the film is definitely worth a watch!

Grade: B

“Body Count” (1998) Movie Review

   The other day I decided to start watching another film that the good folks at Mill Creek Entertainment supplied me and out of the movies they sent me, I settled on “Body Count”.  I wanted to see it mainly because it had a large recognizable cast yet I had never heard of it before and I wondered how a movie with such an impressive cast could just slip under my radar this long.  Thankfully Mill Creek Entertainment always seems to unearth these forgotten films for our viewing pleasure.

    The film focuses on a group of criminals after they pull off an art heist at a museum that doesn’t go to plan.  As the group tries to make it to Miami to sell the art pieces, the in fighting among the criminals slowly increases, as does the body count (see what I did there).  The friction among the group is further increased when they pick up a woman who seems more than willing to play each criminal off of each other.

    By now you are probably well aware I love to do my research on films after I see them.  I like to read about the history and share some of the highlights with you if I find any.  Well, I had a very hard time finding out much information about this movie besides the basics.  I did find out that this film wasn’t released in theaters (hence why it went under a lot of people’s radar).  It premiered on Showtime in 1998 and it skipped a theatrical release due to negative test screenings.

    I am going to start by saying this movie has flaws which I will get into but it wasn’t terrible.  In fact, I think the movie could have easily scored a theatrical debut (and very possibly have made money and garnished positive reviews) if one aspect of the film was changed.  What could have changed?  I honestly think that if the ending had been a bit better, it would have done a lot better with test audiences.  The ending was a bit silly and left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.  The end could have easily been saved with an amazing twist.  I half expected something more to happen but the film just sort of ended.

    It was easy to see the influence of early Quentin Tarantino films on this movie.  From the all star cast (including Ving Rhames from “Pulp Fiction”) to the non linear story telling and strong language, you could tell there was hope that audiences would see it on the same level as a Tarantino film.  “Body Count” lacks the style and flair of a Quentin Tarantino film however.

    The film was filled with mostly unlikable characters.  David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino and John Leguizamo all play incredibly horrible characters you root against.  The only likable character in the film was Pike played by Ving Rhames...and he was still playing a criminal.  The film did have a moment that tickled me from former ‘New Kids on the Block’ member Donnie Wahlberg as he starts talking about the future being about protein.  For some reason, knowing that Donnie is a co-owner of Wahlburgers made this bit an odd bit of foreshadowing and also a bit funny.

    One part I thought was done fairly well was the actual robbery.  In a lot of respects, it reminded me of the opening robbery scene from “The Dark Knight”.  One by one, the criminals in the movie end up picking each other off and increasing their own shares (just like what happened in “The Dark Knight”).  I should mention that while most of the music is rather generic in the film, the music used for the bank robbery was very well done and I wonder if Hans Zimmer used any musical cues from this movie in “The Dark Knight” because it sure sounds like it, but it could be a coincidence as well.

    “Body Count” won’t be any golden standard for crime thrillers but I have also seen far worse films.  Had the film been tweaked a bit, it could have been a classic.  As of right now, we should just be grateful the film has seen the light of day thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment.

Grade: C+

Buy “The Trigger Effect” and “Body Count” Double Feature Blu-ray Here!!!

“High School High” Movie Review

    So I am not going to lie, when I saw that Mill Creek Entertainment was releasing “High School High” on Blu-ray, I got very excited.  I fondly remember the movie from years ago and I even owned a copy of the film on DVD (which was just a Full Frame presentation).  Thankfully this film is presented in Widescreen format and in 1080p (thank you Mill Creek Entertainment).

    The film focuses on Richard Clark as he leaves his job at an established academy to teach at an inner city high school.  The school is rundown and the students lack direction.  Richard is ever the idealist and wants to improve the school and the education the students receive.  Richard’s class, particularly a student named Griff, start to believe in him and more importantly, themselves.  Richard also has the support of fellow school staff member Victoria.  Richard and Victoria even begin a romantic relationship while the school begins to get cleaned up.  Richard is met with resistance in the form of high school gang leader Paco however.  Paco (and the mysterious individual he is working for) will stop at nothing to stop Richard.

    Does this plot sound familiar?  Well, don’t panic if it does.  Countless movies in the 90s dealt with teachers trying to better an urban area school and this film is a parody on that craze.  Through satire (and sometimes just stupid humor) “High School High” provides plenty of laughs and chuckles to make it worth a watch.  “High School High” was one of those films that got panned by critics even though I thought the film had a lot of laugh out loud moments. I am honestly surprised it never got to be a cult classic at the very least.  Parody mastermind David Zucker co-wrote and produced this film.  Zucker decided to parody films like “Stand and Deliver”, “Dangerous Minds”, and my personal favorite “The Substitute” with this.  It works just as well as his other parody films in my opinion.

    “Saturday Night Live” veteran Jon Lovitz plays Richard Clark in the film and it proves to be one of his best roles outside of SNL.  Tia Carrere plays his love interest and is a natural in such comedic roles after “Wayne’s World”.  A pre “8 Mile” Mekhi Phifer plays Griff while a pre “Half Baked” Guillermo Diaz plays Paco.

    “High School High” isn’t a comedic masterpiece but it never pretends to be either.  Instead, it’s goal is solely to make the audience laugh and leave you feeling happy after leaving the theater/living room.  In my book, “High School High” joins movies like “Strange Wilderness” and “Starsky and Hutch” that should have been seen by more people but got buried by critics.  It’s definitely worth a watch if you need a laugh and help get your mind off of your troubles.

Grade: B

Buy the “Mo’ Money” and “High School High” Double Feature Blu-ray Here!!!

“Godzilla” (2014) Movie Review

    The second American remake of “Godzilla” was released during a time when I rarely went to the movie theaters.  (I know, super weird to hear such things).  I have to admit though, the film caught my curiosity and I liked the trailer.  At the worst, I figured it would be at least on par with the first American made “Godzilla” film which I oddly didn’t hate like many other people did (though it has many problems).  This film turned out to be very different than that film unsurprisingly.

    The film follows a Navy Lieutenant named Ford Brody who accompanies his father Joe to Japan to investigate what caused the meltdown that killed Ford’s mother at the Janjira Nuclear Power Plant.  Upon their investigation, a creature emerges and ends up killing Joe.  Ford, being a Navy Lieutenant and witnessing this creature, is informed about Project Monarch which studies monsters and he is told about Godzilla.  Project Monarch hopes that Godzilla might be able to fight these new creatures, dubbed MUTOs, along with the United States Armed Forces.  Ford finds himself caught in the middle of the rampage caused by the monsters fighting.  Will Godzilla end up being a savior to humanity or an unstoppable monster?

    To be completely honest with you, I was actually pretty excited to see this movie when I finally got it on video.  A large reason I had so much faith in this movie was because of Bryan Cranston.  Cranston was still doing an incredible job on “Breaking Bad” at this time and he could only elevate a project like this.  To his credit, he does add a sense of realism and does an amazing job...SPOILER WARNING...for the few minutes he is in the movie.  Unfortunately, Cranston is the only actor who manages to ground the film with his presence with the exception of Ken Watanabe who is also hardly used.  Instead the film focuses primarily on the couple of Ford and Elle Brody who are a bit of blank slates in this movie.  Now, I don’t blame the actors for this because their characters had almost no development.  Once Godzilla shows up, the focus on human emotion takes a backseat.  Aaron Johnson-Taylor and Elizabeth Olsen play the Ford and Elle Brody and both actors have done fantastic work in the past, it is just a shame they weren’t given more to work with.

    A lot of the problem I had with this film was with a lot of the narrative decisions.  As stated above, you don’t hire Bryan Cranston for your film and then kill him off in the first act.  Even Cranston himself called his character’s death a “narrative mistake”.  Then there was the somewhat confusing way Godzilla was viewed by Project Monarch in this movie.  It seemed like the organization was a bit all over the place with what they believed Godzilla’s motivation to be.  Then there was Ford and Elle Brody who ALWAYS seemed to travel right in the path of destruction.  No matter where Godzilla and the MUTOs happened to end up, so did the Brody family.  Lastly, while the action was well done, it took awhile to finally see Godzilla in all his glory.  This isn’t a horrible creative decision, but I just personally wanted to see more of Godzilla early on.  While I didn’t love the design of the MUTOs, I thought the design on Godzilla was top notch and deserved more screen time.

    This film marked the beginning of Legendary Studios’ MonsterVerse which now includes “Kong: Skull Island”, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”, and the upcoming “Godzilla vs. Kong”.  In some ways, this film felt a little more like “Cloverfield” (minus the shaky cam) than a traditional Godzilla film from Toho.  While I think there was more quality that went into this movie and definitely more care, I don’t know if I enjoyed it more than the first American “Godzilla” movie.  Sure, the first one was dumb and had a lot of flaws too, but it also knew it was a dumb popcorn flick.  I enjoy when movies take themselves seriously, but sometimes there is a middle ground as well.  Essentially what hurt this movie the most was it’s structure.  It just needed some tweaks and it could have been mind blowing, instead we ended up with a respectable popcorn flick, which is nothing to be ashamed of either.

Grade: C

“John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum” Movie Review

    Well I am a little behind on my updating my blog with new movie reviews this week due to a mini vacation I took to Cedar Point this week.  I have many new reviews from movies Mill Creek Entertainment provided I still need to finish and a few others I have been working on.  Still, the other day we decided to catch a movie to cap off our little vacation so we both settled on “John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum”.

    The film follows former assassin John Wick on the run after a huge bounty is placed on his head.  Assassin after assassin try to kill John Wick as he leaves New York for Casablanca to try to get his excommunicado status waived.

    Now, I really enjoyed the first film in the series but I actually have not seen the second movie yet.  The first movie caught me off guard with how well done it was and how good Keanu Reeves was in the film.  Going into this movie however, I had an idea of what to expect.  This movie delivered exactly what I expected it would, killer action.

    The film starts off with action immediately and doesn’t let up until the credits roll.  This non-stop action approach typically doesn’t work well in most cases but it actually turned out fairly well for this movie.  Much like “Mad Max: Fury Road”, the fact that you already know the character from previous installments already gives you a sense of investment in them and makes you care what happens to them at the end.  The film doesn’t have to give you room to breath as a result (although it doesn’t work as well as a stand-alone movie as a result).

    What makes the John Wick movies feel so special is that Hollywood doesn’t really make action movies like these anymore and when they do, it is usually a sequel to an 80s franchise with an aging star.  While Keanu Reeves isn’t a young man, it doesn’t look his age at all and he is still a good decade or so younger than someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone.  The film also embraces elements of noir films in it’s visual style.  This helps set it apart from many other films because it literally has a unique look of it’s own.

    Keanu Reeves once again returns to the franchise as John Wick and delivers another great performance.  Joining him on his adventure this time is Halle Berry as a woman who owed John Wick a debt that he cashed in on.  Berry does a very good job creating a character you relate to in a short amount of time.  Also joining the cast is Mark Dacascos as the main assassin after John Wick.  Dacascos’ character of Zero is both threatening and amusing because he is a bit of a John Wick fanboy and sees himself as a mirror of John Wick.  It is good to see Dacascos in a more prominent role since “Brotherhood of the Wolf” and the tv series “The Crow: Stairway to Heaven” seem like forever ago.  Stuntman Chad Stahelski directed the movie and his love for in-camera stunt work is front and center in this movie.  Interestingly, Stahelski was Brandon Lee’s stunt and body double on “The Crow”, meaning that he and Dacascos essentially played the same role in two different projects.  Rounding out the cast are returning “John Wick” stars Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick.  All three men help elevate the project from a standard action film.

    “John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum” delivers on the action and leaves you on the edge of your seat until the end.  You more than get what you paid for with this movie ticket, that’s for sure.  While I didn’t think this third chapter was as good as the first movie as far as the story, it was still a thrill ride best seen on the big screen.

Grade: B-