Mr. Right is one of better surprises from 2016 from the screenplay written by Max Landis mixing romance with violence and featuring two charismatic performances from Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick who was absolutely adorable in her role.
Jeepers Creepers 2 isn’t anything great and doesn’t quite have the same atmosphere as the first half of the original, however on the whole it’s still an entertaining horror-thriller with more tinge of humor thrown in this go around. The cast, outside of Ray Wise, aren’t as memorable and a few are more than obnoxious (albeit purposefully).
Jeepers Creepers works as a decent creature feature, albeit an uneven one with a great first half (solid 4/5) but devolves in the second half to standard fare. That said, Victor Salva’s film offers some good scares, nice performances by Justin Long and Gina Philips who work well opposite one another and some respectable make-up work.
Triple 9 didn’t exactly fulfill its potential given the cast and a solid start yet still it’s very entertaining with some well shot action scenes and fine performances by Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie and Clifton Collins Jr. who at times steals the show.
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London isn’t a good movie and where the first at least had the fun factor, this one is left with bad writing and below average acting since it doesn’t have the benefit of featuring the likes of Angie Harmon, Ian McShane or even Darrell Hammond as presumably the studio wanted to cut costs.
Zoolander No. 2 might’ve had good intentions behind the camera for Ben Stiller and its cast, but the jokes rarely landed leaving us with the stupidity of the original without any of comedy. I can’t say I had a displeasured experience while watching, merely indifference and counting down the time until it would finally end.
The Finest Hours is not a great movie but perfectly adequate that tells a compelling story that is utterly amazing. The performances by Chris Pine and Casey Affleck aren’t anything awe-inspiring yet decent enough to carry their respective roles and storylines. While it could’ve been better, this is a movie at least worth a rental.
Cao Ballou is a well done and one hell of an entertaining, and oft funny, Western comedy. The movie excels with the performances by its two leads — Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin — and some catchy tunes to go along with a well written story and characters.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is not a great movie, even by zombie standards, but the comedic moments work and the cast is nicely put together highlighted by Lily James and Sam Riley in the lead roles, though Lena Headey and Charles Dance aren’t used as effectively.
Eureka is a bit of a forgotten film from the 1980s, one that is doubtful to be mentioned amongst Gene Hackman’s greats with an uneven story that goes from an adventurous first half, the best part, to a Citizen Kane-like story for the second and a third act playing out like a bad episode of “Law & Order”.
How to Be Single is just the latest ensemble rom-com that doesn’t quite work with an unfocused story and message, however the cast turns in the best performances as possible given the material, though it belongs among the ranks of Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve if not a slight step above them.
While 20 years later Independence Day doesn’t quite hold up, the entertainment and cheese factor at least still is there and makes for an enjoyable disaster flick, not to mention President Whitmore’s call to action speech still gives me goose bumps to this day.
Deadpool takes a conventional plot and turns it into one of the more unconventional superhero, yet anti-superhero, movies to come out, going so far to make fun of the genre. That said, the villain is bland and forgettable and my second viewing wasn’t as good as the first, though at the end of the day, it’s still a vastly entertaining film.
Garden of Evil may not be a well remember Western from 1950s but it’s still a entertaining film featuring strong yet charming performances from Gary Cooper and Susan Hayward. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers good video and audio transfers and in a nice surprise, some respectable features.
One thing you can’t deny, the Italians know how to make some of the more unusual films and the ‘70s they were at their peak. Apassionata isn’t just soft-core porn-like film but instead a study of the domestic, suburban family and the deep, messed up drama that occurs within.