“Between Two Ferns: The Movie” Movie Review

    The skit show “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” featured on the website Funny or Die is a satirical talk show hosted by Zach Galifianakis.  Chances are good, the only people who would even be interested in this feature film version are people who have already seen the show online before.  Galifianakis has ‘interviewed’ everyone from Bruce Willis to President Barack Obama.

    The film version of the show is a mockumentary depicting how “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” is made.  After an unfortunate accident at the public access studio where his show films occurs, Galifianakis has no choice but to take his show on the road.  If he can film enough episodes to make his boss Will Ferrell happy, Ferrell will give him his own legitimate talk show.

    I really enjoyed this film and laughed quite a few times.  Like the online skits though, the film has a very dry and at times offensive sense of humor that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.  I enjoyed the ‘interviews’ featured in the movie and it is also nice to see that so many celebrities with a good sense of humor about themselves and their careers.

    Much of the the strength of this movie comes from the actual interviews and a lot of the plot actually serves as more of padding to make this film have a feature length run time.  The film is set up a lot like the films based on “Saturday Night Live” skits from the early 2000s were.  You take a funny concept and stretch it out as much as possible and hope it works.  This shouldn’t be too surprising seeing as Will Ferrell is a producer and co-star of the film.

    Ultimately this is a film that made me laugh several times but doesn’t break any new grounds and plays things surprisingly safe especially for Zach Galifianakis...and that’s okay.  If you enjoyed the Funny or Die skits, you need to see this movie as soon as possible.  If you find “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” annoying, stay far away from this movie.  Personally, I think this was a rare win for Netflix.

Grade: B-

“Rambo: Last Blood” Movie Review

    Sylvester Stallone has played many popular characters over the years but without a doubt his two most famous characters have been Rocky Balboa and John Rambo.  I have always preferred the Rocky franchise personally but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy most of the Rambo films.  By far the best film in the franchise was “First Blood”, the very first Rambo movie.  By the time he reappeared in “Rambo: First Blood Part II” and “Rambo III”, Rambo had become something of a superhero, a larger than life badass.  “Rambo” on the other hand attempted to ground the character a bit more but still was larger than life compared to his portrayal in “First Blood”.  I wasn’t sure what to expect with this film since Sylvester Stallone has mellowed a bit lately on the action front.

    This installment of the popular Rambo franchise finds John Rambo raising his niece Gabrielle on a large ranch in the United States after finally returning to the country at the end of “Rambo”.  Rambo has finally come to some piece in his life now that he has a purpose and someone who depends on him.  Rambo’s world is turned upside down when Gabrielle goes to Mexico to get answers from her father and ends up being kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery.  Once Rambo finds out, he sets off to rescue Gabrielle and he will let no one stand in his way.

    At the time I am writing this review, movie critics have already declared this film to be the equivalent of a dumpster fire and the film hasn’t performed well at the box office so far.  It seems like some people think the film has a Pro Trump agenda while other people seem to think the film advocates pointless violence.  I am in by no means a Trump supporter and I do think all the pointless violence going on in the world now is a talking point and should not be ignored.  That being said, I don’t think it is fair to blame any one film for it’s depiction of violence or to accuse a film like this as being bias.  To be rather blunt, “Rambo: Last Blood” is simply a stupid popcorn flick that gives fans of the action genre plenty to smile over.

    This was not my favorite Rambo movie nor was it my favorite film of the year, but it was enjoyable and still a step up from the over the top nature of “Rambo III”.  John Rambo still remains something of a superhero but shows more signs of vulnerability and flaws.  Stallone brings a sense of mortality to his portrayal of John Rambo that hasn’t been there in the other sequels.

    Yes, the film is still over the top and ridiculous at times.  The “Home Alone” inspired final act feels a bit ham fisted but this is a film largely driven by a sense of vengeance so you can forgive some of the film’s more far fetched aspects because you are rooting for Rambo.  Retooled a little, “Rambo: Last Blood” could have easily worked as a “Death Wish” reboot.

    While this may indeed be the final Rambo movie, the ambiguous ending certainly can leave room for a sequel.  Also, I think Sylvester Stallone would love to play Rambo in yet another film if the script was right.  “Rambo: Last Blood” isn’t a great film but it is a pretty fun movie to watch.  If you like the other Rambo movies, you will love this one.

Grade: B-

“Men in Black: International” Movie Review

    It is hard to describe how different and fresh the original “Men in Black” felt upon it’s release in 1997.  The film was very much a product of it’s time but still feels delightfully quirky to this date.  The film was so popular that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones returned to star in two sequels.  The newest film in the franchise, “Men in Black: International”, stars two new lead actors.  Despite the fact that I am a fan of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, the decision Sony made of not having either Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones return kept me from wanting to see this film in theaters.  Still, I was curious enough of how this film turned out that I ended up buying it when it was released.

    The film starts in 2016 with men in black agents H and O on a mission to stop the Hive from invading Earth.  Agents H and O start to fight off the invading Hive as the action cuts away to leave their fate ambiguous.  The film cuts to the year 1996 to show a young girl named Molly who befriends a little alien the men in black are looking for.  The film then takes us to present day where Molly is on a quest to find the men in black organization and join it (due to her experience as a child).  Molly is finally successful and impresses Agent O so much that she recruits her on a trial basis and transfers her to the UK division.  At the UK division, Molly (now known as Agent M) reports to High T and we learn that he and Agent H were supposedly successful in stopping the Hive and are considered to be heroes there.  Agent H was become something of a mess since the incident however.  Agent M quickly teams up with Agent H on a case which has links to the Hive.  The pair quickly discover all isn’t as it seems however.

    This film ended up getting mixed to poor critical scores and most audiences compared the film to hot garbage.  I have known more than a few people who saw it and hated it.  Naturally, I wasn’t expecting much when I watched it.  Color me surprised when I actually found myself enjoying the film.  Now, I don’t think it is a masterpiece or as good as the first film, but it was at least on par with “Men in Black II” (although that film also did poor critically).

    “Men in Black: International” wisely went with the soft reboot approach, meaning that it was mostly a new cast but all the other films are still cannon.  There are nods to the original film including a painting featuring Agents J and K which were nice pieces of fan service.  It was also nice seeing Frank the Pug and the worm guys make cameo appearances.

    F. Gary Gray steps in to helm this installment.   Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the first three films, does executive produce this chapter.  Gray doesn’t quite have the same quirky charm that Sonnenfeld brought to the franchise.  Gray tends to make very polished and clean looking films which doesn’t quite fit the style of a lived in world like “Men in Black”.  It’s easy to see why Sony wanted Gray, he was hot off the incredibly successful “The Fate of the Furious” and is a very talented filmmaker but I am not sure if he was the best man for the job this time.

    The cast definitely helped elevate this film and while no one can replace Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson do about as good as anyone could.  Hemsworth and Thompson have a natural chemistry and are fun to watch together.  Hemsworth is an extremely gifted comedic actor and he is able to showcase his comedic chops in this film.  Liam Neeson also adds some prestige to the film as High T.  “Men in Black 3” actress Emma Thompson reprises her role as Agent O which was a nice little acknowledgement of the previous films.  The highlight of the film, for me at least, was the character of Pawny.  Kumail Nanjiani voices Pawny and the character adds a lot of levity to the action set pieces.  Nanjiani is one of those comedians who can be given average material and make it gold.

    The franchise has come a long way from it’s origins in Malibu Comics but still has something to offer in my opinion.  “Men in Black: International” is not as good as the first movie (by a long shot) but it is still on par or better than a lot of other movies I have seen this year.  It is a fun popcorn flick that doesn’t take itself too seriously and the lead actors make it feel a little more special than it is.

Grade: B

“The Curse of La Llorona” Movie Review

    I really enjoy horror films based on actual events like “The Amityville Horror” and “The Conjuring”.  To me, regardless of how accurate they really are, even the hint of truth makes those horror films that much more terrifying.  To me, “The Conjuring” remains one of the best horror films of recent memory because it was based on the real case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren.  Seeing as the film was based on real life investigations of the Warrens, the possibility of a franchise based around their cases seemed very promising.  Flash forward six years later and two spin-offs have been released this year alone.  I recently watched one of those spin-offs, “The Curse of La Llorona” and will now share my thoughts on the film.

    The film focuses on case worker Anna Tate-Garcia as she is checking in on her client Patricia Alvarez who’s children have disappeared.  During the welfare check on her children, Patricia attacks Anna as she finds her children locked behind a door.  Patricia begs Anna not to open the door but Anna does so anyway as Patricia is arrested and her children are sent to a children’s shelter.  Anna’s actions have dangerous consequences however as ‘the weeping woman’ drowns Patricia’s children and then marks Anna’s kids as her next victims.  Now, Anna quickly learns that the paranormal is real and must enlist the help of former priest Rafael Olvera to protect her children from La Llorona.

    “The Curse of La Llorona” is based on a piece of Latin American folklore.  The story centers around a beautiful young woman who gets married and has children but despite her beauty, her husband cheats on her sending her into a rage in which she drowns her children.  Due to her horrific actions, she is forced to wander for eternity until she can find the bodies of her children.  The weeping woman in folklore drowns children in hopes that their bodies will end her suffering since she cannot find her children’s bodies.  Unlike “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle”, this movie is based solely on folklore.

    This film’s marketing was odd in the sense that it wasn’t officially marketed as a ‘Conjuring Universe’ film although the film was very clearly set within the franchise.  Tony Amendola reprises his role of Father Perez from “Annabelle” and the Annabelle doll herself makes a cameo appearance in this film.  Perhaps they were afraid this film would be received negatively which is odd considering the film was about on par with “The Nun”.

    Now you might be wondering why I haven’t already given you a sense of what a thought of the movie and there is a good reason for that.  Honestly, I felt the movie was rather bland.  The scares were few and far between and the story wasn’t quite engaging enough to make up for that.  Also knowing it is based on a folklore instead of (reputed) actual events takes a little something away from the film.

    This film suffers from much of the same pitfalls that befell “The Nun”.  Both films lack character development and the cinematography for both films is too darkly life.  Darkness does not, in itself, indicate spooky things, it just makes things hard to see for the audience.

    Ultimately the film isn’t terrible but falls very short of greatness.  It is the kind of film you will watch once and might enjoy but you probably won’t ever revisit.  The film had promise, but ‘the Conjuring Universe’ needs to do some course correcting sooner than later.

Grade: D+

”It: Chapter Two” Movie Review

    I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed “It” when it premiered a few years ago.  I am not a huge horror fan nor am I a big Stephen King admirer but the film adaptation of “It” was delightfully well executed.  The book the film was based on is massive, and “It” only comes around half of the source material, notably the portion which covered the main characters as children.  I was eagerly awaiting how “It: Chapter Two” would turn out ever since the project was announced.  Luckily for me, “It: Chapter Two” was finally released last week.

    The film takes place 27 years after the first film and follows Mike contacting childhood friends Bill, Beverly, Richie, Ben, Eddie, and Stanley to come back to Derry, Maine after it is discovered that Pennywise has returned.  The friends reunite once again to honor the pact they made as kids to stop Pennywise once and for all.  To do so, they must all gather personal tokens in order to do an ancient ritual they hope will be the key to killing Pennywise once and for all.

    Luckily for me, the film largely lived up to my expectations and I thought it was among the best films of the year.  The film isn’t perfect but the pros definitely outweigh the few cons the film has.  I have to admit that I was concerned considering in the original “It” miniseries, the part featuring the adults was the weakest act despite decent actors.

    Perhaps the biggest strength of the movie is it’s cast.  I loved the young cast of the first film and I was a little on the fence about some of the adult casting in this film, mainly Isaiah Mustafa since I was afraid he would take me out of the movie because of his Old Spice commercial fame.  Fortunately, Mustafa was actually fairly good in the film (although not the highlight either).  James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain headline the ensemble cast (and reunite after appearing in “Dark Phoenix” together this year) and give incredible performances.  The real standout performance came from “Saturday Night Live” alumni Bill Hader.  Hader is at times hilarious and at other times appropriately terrified.  Bill Hader really surprised me with how good he was considering Hader’s casting was the one I was most concerned with.

    In addition to the new cast, the young actors from the first film also return to play the young versions of the main characters.  Their performances are among the highlights of the film once again.  Their scenes play like a scarier version of the film “Stand By Me” which is also based on a work by Stephen King.  As good as the adult actors were, they still did not mesh as well as the young cast did.  Perhaps that is because the group seems to be close in real life, even appearing at public events like the Motor City Comic Con together.  The only problem with the young cast some people have in this film is because they were de-aged via computer animation (though I didn’t really notice it when I watched it).  Lastly, Bill Skarsgård also returns as Pennywise the Dancing Clown and once again kills it (pun intended).

    Director Andy Muschietti once again creates a creepy atmosphere and gets incredible performances from his cast.  Muschietti will no doubt have an incredible career ahead of him and I look forward to what he brings to the upcoming DC film “The Flash”.  The cinematography of the film is also incredible and several shots are stunning throughout.

    One complaint some movie goers might have about the film comes from how similar the film feels to the first part.  This is typically a problem most sequels face and this film is no exception.  Despite the fact that this film largely serves as a scavenger hunt, much of the scares remain the same.  The film is also not as scary as the first film and focuses more on being a character study (though the scares that do come up are very well executed).

    One potential problem audiences might have as well is the runtime.  At around three hours, the film is a real workout on the bladder.  There are definitely scenes that could have been edited out without hurting the final cut.  That being said, even at three hours, the film is fairly well paced and does not feel as long as it is.

    One incredible aspect of the film that wasn’t ‘needed’ but added a lot to the film were all the little nods to the Tim Curry miniseries and the Stephen King Book.  I also loved the little Stephen King cameo in the film which also proved King has a sense of humor about his work.

    “It: Chapter Two” isn’t quite as good as “It” but it was still a very good film.  If you enjoyed “It”, the sequel is definitely a treat you would be sure to enjoy.  I am hoping that “Doctor Sleep”, the next Stephen King adaptation, lives up to these films.  Fingers crossed.

Grade: A-

“Angel Has Fallen” Movie Review

    Despite the fact that “White House Down” came out the same year as “Olympus Has Fallen” in 2013 and everyone was sure “White House Down” would be the bigger winner in the showdown between films with similar subject matters, “Olympus Had Fallen” proved to be the victor in the epic showdown of the two films.  The film went on to spawn two sequels, “London Has Fallen” and the newly released “Angel Has Fallen”.

    The last film of the trilogy follows Mike Banning as he is faced with the choice of staying a Secret Service agent or accept a promotion and become the new Secret Service director.  Before Mike is even given the chance to think about rather he wants to give up on his action packed job in exchange for a pay raise, President Trumbull and Mike are left the only two survivors in an attack that appears to point at Mike being the prime suspect.  Now Mike Banning is on the run to clear his name and find the person responsible for attacking the President and for framing him.

    The film is an enjoyable popcorn flick much like the other installments.  While there isn’t much character development in the film and the story is rather simplistic, the action set pieces are pretty fun.  This is a film series that is supposed to harken back to 80s action films like “Die Hard” and “Cobra”.  In this regard, I feel the film (and the film series as a whole) is fairly successful.

    The film features Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman returning to their previous roles.  Butler seems to enjoy playing Banning and it shows.  Morgan Freeman literally sleeps his way through most of the film but Freeman is one of the few actors who can still excel while napping.  The real breakout new addition to the franchise is screen legend Nick Nolte as Clay Banning, Mike’s father.  Nolte’s grizzled Vietnam veteran gives the film the levity it was lacking before he shows up.

    “Angel Has Fallen” may not a heady awards contender and it may not leave you thinking after you exit the theater, but it does a good job of providing an enjoyable movie going experience and in the end, sometimes we just need some escapism.

Grade: B-

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” Movie Review

    It is getting around the time of year when studios start releasing spooky films in hopes they might have legs until Halloween, however some studios release their films around summer in time for a Halloween release on home video.  “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” decided to gamble on a late summer release so it will be interesting to see if the film does better on DVD and Blu-ray than it did at the multiplex.  The film is based on the book series by Alvin Schwartz and the illustrations by Stephen Gammell.

    The film tells the story of friends Stella, Auggie and Chuck as they get their revenge on bully Tommy on Halloween night only to have Tommy chase them to a local drive in theater where the trio hide in the vehicle of Ramón.  The group decides to check out the Bellows haunted house after and they discover a secret room where Sarah Bellows was supposedly locked away.  The group get locked away in the room when Tommy finds them.  Upon discovering the diary of Sarah Bellows, they are eerily set free and each go home.  The diary begins to add a scary story by itself about the bully Tommy and a scarecrow.  Once Tommy goes missing, the group realize that maybe something is going on with the diary and they are write, for the book begins to write scary stories about them all.  Now they must race to figure out how to stop the diary before it is too late.

    Let me start by saying this is an enjoyable horror film geared towards the pre teen demographic.  The film contains plenty of jump scares and twisted visuals but nothing too graphic either.  The creepy visuals might by too much for some younger visuals but young adults will no doubt enjoy the frights.  It’s amazing how the drawings of the book seem to come alive and the visual flair of Guillermo del Toro is easy to see in the movie.  It is definitely a creepy experience.

    The story plays out with plenty of scares but not much character development.  The four main characters aren’t given a lot to do except seem scared.  Gabriel Rush reminds me of a young Jason Sudeikis but that was about all I took away from his performance, while Austin Zajur seemed to channel Shia LaBeouf throughout the film.

    One aspect that I thought took something away from the movie slightly was that the film shared a plot that was very similar to the recent “Goosebumps” adaptation.  Seeing as how both films were also based on popular young adult horror books, it slightly took away from an overall enjoyable film going experience.  They just needed to change up the plot device a bit more in my opinion.

    “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” will probably never be considered a classic but it has such a unique style that it shouldn’t fade away completely either.  It is an overall enjoyable popcorn flick and I have a feeling the film will be destined to cult classic status at the very least.

Grade: B-