Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Knock Knock is the latest Eli Roth misfire and although on paper it sounded good, the execution was anything but. The acting was bad, including Keanu Reeves and his wooden performance, to go along with poor writing. Not sure in what circumstance I would ever revisit this film.
While it’s an interesting title and Virginia Madsen is one fine actress in more ways than one, the actual execution of this 1987 horror film doesn’t come close to living up to its title and instead is a frankly dull film and has nothing to do with zombies in the classic sense (flesh eating types).
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Smell of Fear is easily the weakest of the three movies with the bulk of the humor connecting in the opening and end sequences, the latter courtesy of Leslie Nielson’s physical comedy, with the middle part eliciting a couple chuckles but little else.
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The Naked Gun 2½ isn’t as good as the first but Nielson is still a lot of fun to watch and the jokes at least are more consistently spread out compared with Naked Gun 33 1/3.
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Minions is a harmless but still average film that kids will certainly love. That said, this is something that probably would’ve worked better as a short for either a TV special or showing prior to the eventual Despicable Me 3 theatrical release.
Mistress America is a quirky comedy with two fun performances by Greta Gerwig (who co-wrote and produced) and Lola Kirke that makes this at the very least worth a rental even with some uneven scenes particularly the “Connecticut” section. Still, this movie stands out from all the rest and might have some replay value if Baumbach’s style is your thing.
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The Car is a cheese-ball action/thriller with more laughable scenes than anything scary or even horrific. The acting is subpar however I can’t place much blame on James Brolin or Ronny Cox considering the material they’re given. Producers wanted this to be Jaws on land which in itself is a hilarious concept and boy did this deliver the goods with a supernatural twist at the end.
American Ultra has some things going for it from an interesting story that combines Bourne with Pineapple Express to fun performances by Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart who shows some actual charisma utterly lacking in many of her other movies; yet at the same time, and as outlandish and fun as the story is, it’s not terribly memorable.
Grace of Monaco might’ve been well meaning and the production and costume designs are well done and the performance by Nicole Kidman wasn’t bad but it’s easy to see why it failed to go to theaters and instead aired on Lifetime instead. However, when a movie opens with “the following film is a fictional account inspired by real events,” you’re already behind the eight ball.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is another successful entry into the long-running franchise. There are some fun nods to the original series and previous films, yet makes a mark in its own right. Tom Cruise once again is incredible with his stunt work and the villain this time around was at least devious enough.
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Amy is a compelling documentary detailing the tragic life and death of a person who, at least to me, appeared destined for a dark outcome, drawn in by forces both inside and out from a father only interested in her fame and money and a husband introducing her to, or at the very least, furthering her addiction to drugs. Beyond her celebrity status it is a glimpse at addiction in a general sense.
Women’s Prison Massacre, the latest to a variety of exploitation movies from the 1970s, and frankly these kind of films aren’t exactly my thing but with that said there is a certain entertainment value in just how bad it is topped with some over-the-top acting in conjunction with incredibly awful dubbing. This release from Shout via their Scream Factory line, is rather disappointing.
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Ant-Man may just be a middle-of-the-road flick compared with the other MCU films, but it’s still fairly enjoyable if not filled with plot holes and inconsistencies that I could easily overlook due to the entertainment factor and a well rounded cast headlined by Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas.
Momentum isn’t a very good movie but clocking in under 90-minutes, it’s fine for a slow Saturday night. However, my biggest gripe isn’t with the acting, stunts and the like but with the story and how they attempt to make this the first movie of a series; considering the lackluster (to say the least) box office, I doubt a sequel is forthcoming.
Romance & Cigarettes is an odd ball of a film, a mixture of genres and while I can appreciate what director John Turturro attempted to do, it just didn’t quite work but with a cats like this headlined by the great James Gandolfini, to go along with Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet, might make at least watchable.
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