This weekend it was off to the pictures--a week late, as has become my norm--for Zombieland: Double Tap.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
The makeshift family from Zombieland soldiers on in the post-zombie apocalypse world.
Ten years on from the first Zombieland, and with many a zombie offering in between, it's remarkable how fresh Double Tap manages to be. Certainly the personalities from the first film remain the same, and there are a fair few nods to the original, but there are enough new faces and new happenings that Double Tap never feels like a warmed-over cash grab.
Zombieland: Double Tap retains its predecessor's sharp sense of humor, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments tempering gruesome kills. The terrific cast--Jessie Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin-- falls right back in step, and the couple new additions are a good fit, each adding something fresh to the mix. The movie is well-paced and doesn't outstay its welcome, a feat that seems a more and more pleasant surprise on the rare occasions it happens these days. Double Tap serves both as an entertaining continuation and a satisfying conclusion (if it is one?) to a fun series. Be sure to stick around for amusing mid- and post-credits stingers.
Zombieland: Double Tap clocks in at 99 minutes and is rated R for "bloody violence, language throughout, and some drug and sexual content."
Zombieland was my number-one movie of 2009, and, ten years later, Double Tap proves a worthy follow-up.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Zombieland: Double Tap gets eight.
Zombie slayers Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock square off against the newly evolved undead.
Director: Ruben Fleisher
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone,
Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson
Release Date: October 18, 2019
Genres: Action, Comedy, Horror
Rated R for bloody violence, language throughout, some drug and sexual
content
Runtime: 1h 39min
Review:
Sometimes delayed sequels to beloved films can leave fan feeling short
changed there are plenty of examples out there from Anchorman to Zoolander
follow ups.So it’d be fair to say that
going into Zombieland: Double Tap you wouldn’t be remised if you came into this
sequel with lowered expectations. Added to the fact, zombies have kind of
peppered the cultural zeitgeist since the original premiered.Somehow Ruben Fleisher and his cast pulled
off an impressive bit of alchemy by delivering a worthy follow to the original
film.The film moves at a breakneck
speed but it still give you time to get reacquainted with the characters from
the first film before introducing a handful of new characters which work
impressively well.Woody Harrelson,
Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone all fall back into their roles
with incredible ease, their love of the character are apparent in each frame of
the film.Joining the group is Zoey
Deutch who steals nearly every scene she’s in as vapid blond.Rosario Dawson is always a welcome addition
and she works well as a counter point and love interest to Woody Harrelson’s Tallahassee.More familiar faces show up before the whole
things done, don’t leave right when the credits roll, and its all so much fun
you don’t really notice or care that there’s not really much a plot in this
sequel which ultimately doesn’t matter.
Batman (voice of Will Arnett) defends Gotham
City from criminals and
supervillains while bonding with a young orphan (Michael Cera) he accidentally
adopted -- who, of course, eventually becomes his sidekick Robin. This spin-off
of The Lego Movie also features the voices of Rosario Dawson as Batgirl, Zach
Galifianakis as the Joker, and Ralph Fiennes as Batman's loyal butler Alfred
Pennyworth. Directed by Chris McKay (Robot Chicken). ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi
Director Chris McKay
Cast: Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Zach Galifianakis,
Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes
Release Date: Feb
10, 2017
Rated PG for Rude Humor and Some Action
Runtime: 1 hr. 44 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Animated, Comedy
The Lego Batman Movie is a worthy follow up to The Lego
Movie.It’s not as thoroughly enjoyable
as The Lego Movie but it hits more often than it misses.Will Arnett returns as the blocky caped
crusader and he’s clearly having a ball.Michael Cera costars as the overly eager to please Robin.They both play off each other very well along
with Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes who round out the hero side of
things.Zach Galifianakis is just as
much fun as the Lego Joker.The plot
itself is more simplistic than The Lego Movie but it’s filled with enough jokes
and bat references to keep most adults laughing for the better part of the
films running time.Its visual flare and
cast are enough to overlook most of its minor flaws.
Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for a highly-anticipated pair of pictures: John Wick: Chapter 2 and the Lego Batman Movie.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear reader(s), what follows is the historic, first-ever, perfect-nine-Weasley double-bill! Steel yourselves!
First on yesterday's agenda: John Wick: Chapter 2.
John Wick is dragged out of retirement when an old marker is called in.
The first John Wick was a pleasant surprise. With very little buzz and a not-quite-A-list lead, it turned out far better than the generic actioner promised by the trailers. Following up such unexpected success almost unfailingly leads to disaster, but I am pleased to report John Wick: Chapter 2 actually breaks the mold and improves upon the original.
Beginning with the obvious: Keanu Reeves has found the role for which he was born. Sure, the guy has all the acting chops of "Shepherd #3" in your local elementary-school Christmas pageant, but he's given us a few iconic leads over his long career, and John Wick seems destined to become one of his best remembered. Reeves works even the film's corniest lines to perfection and still manages to be the perfect stoic killing machine. A solid supporting cast includes Ian McShane, Common, Laurence Fishburne, and the suddenly-ubiquitous Ruby Rose. John Wick: Chapter 2 boasts epic fight choreography, a dark humor that always hits its mark, and stellar production design. A shootout in a hall of mirrors is a real standout, along the lines of the original's red room scene. The extraordinary body count undoubtedly renders a picture like this not everyone's cup of tea, but if you're able to set aside genre bias, you'll have to admit John Wick: Chapter 2 is one hell of a great movie.
John Wick: Chapter 2 clocks in at 122 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence throughout, some language, and brief nudity."
John Wick: Chapter 2 is a strikingly filmed, beautifully executed movie that's well served by its self-awareness. I pondered long and hard, looking for a reason to dock it even a half-Weasley, and I couldn't find one. Of a possible nine Weasleys, John Wick: Chapter 2 gets nine.
Fangirl points: My beloved Ian McShane! Peter Serafinowicz!
Next on the docket, The Lego Batman Movie.
The Bat goes brick.
The Lego Batman Movie has all the sharp colors, cool artwork, and constant motion that are hallmarks of most good animation these days, but considering it a kids' movie does it a great disservice; it is straight-up comedy gold, and I mean hilarious. I can't remember the last time I heard a cinema crowd laugh as hard or as much. The movie lovingly makes fun of the Bat-verse, from Will Arnett's sulking, self-centered Bruce Wayne to hilarious callbacks to various film faceoffs with his arch-nemesis the Joker. If Gotham's Clown Prince isn't your favorite baddie, never fear, the Lego Batman Movie not only features many of Batman's classic enemies, but cameos by villains from the furthest reaches of fiction. A rockin' score by Lorne Balfe occasionally echoes past Batman themes, underlining the movie's nods to Bat-history, while standing firmly on its own Lego feet.
The Lego Batman Movie runs 104 minutes and is rated PG for "rude humor and some action."
The Lego Batman Movie is everything a moviegoer could want, be he die-hard Batfan or casual walkup.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Lego Batman Movie gets nine.
It's been a long wait but we finally have our first look at the follow up to the original Sin City. This sequel has been talked about for years but stuck in perpetual production hell until it finally gained traction in the last year and half.
This teaser is likely to thrill fans but probably won't convert newcomers. Since the sequel is being released around the same time as this past year's Machete Kills, I get the feeling that Rodriguez and Miller are going all out.....
A thieving art auctioneer seeks the help of an alluring hypnotherapist in order to repair his damaged memory and recover the treasured Goya painting that he stashed following a brazen heist in this kinetic thriller reteaming Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle with Trainspotting and Shallow Grave screenwriter John Hodge.. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson, Danny Sapani, Tuppence Middleton.
Release Date: Apr 05, 2013
Rated R for language, Graphic Nudity, Sexual Content, Some Grisly Images and Violence
Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.
Genres: Suspense/Thriller
Review:
Danny Boyle’s pulse pounding techno noir film Trance is a mind bending assault on the senses. It starts off with a wonderfully shot heist that provides the mcguffin for the plot. Once Rosario Dawson’s character is introduced it’s easy to wonder what’s real and what’s not. It’s a film that’s best during the journey down the rabbit hole. It’s a bendy journey which borders on directorial excess but it’s never boring. The film and performances are all incredibly engaging even if the actual plot is a poorly built match stick castle which relies a little too much on chance. James McAvoy gives a wonderfully frazzled sweaty performance as the sort of lead. Rosario Dawson, sporting an impressive hair bun, is just luminous as the hypnotherapist. Dawson just commands the screen every time she’s on it regardless of how ludicrous the situation. Vincent Cassel character is underwritten but he’s always dependable. Boyle’s film would have faired better if it’d been left open ended since it’s so intent on playing games with our senses. Still it’s the type of film that’s probably worth revisiting.
