MOVIE REVIEW: MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU

 

In the 1970s, young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader -- the legendary fighter Wild Knuckles. When the interview turns disastrous, Gru and his Minions go on the run with the Vicious 6 hot on their tails. Luckily, he finds an unlikely source for guidance -- Wild Knuckles himself -- and soon discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.

Director: Kyle Balda

Cast: Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Alan Arkin

Release Date: July 1, 2022

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Sci-Fi

Rated PG for some action/violence and rude humor

Runtime:1h 27m

Review:

Your enjoyment of Minions: The Rise of Gru will depend heavily on whether you still find the yellow denim clad underlings adorable or grating.  The target audience is sure to be delighted by the colorful hijinks and adults will appreciate the bevy of 70s references thrown on screen in rapid succession.  Kyle Balda directs the film with energetic ease in this unapologetically light and breeze children's film.  Sure there is a message ingrained through the film's story but none of it is overly heavy or heart wrenching and for this franchise it works.  The three central Minions, voiced again by Pierre Coffin, are the central focus of the film regardless of the film's title and their adventures deliver the biggest laughs.  Their training with Michelle Yeoh's Master Chow is a particularly fun sequence especially since you get the feeling she's really enjoying herself.  Taraji P. Henson's Belle Bottom is set up as the primary villain and she's fun when she's onscreen but the film doesn't take advantage of her or her crew which are voiced by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren.  Alan Arkin gets a bit more time to shine as Wild Knuckles who is Gru's idol and ultimately his mentor.  If you are still in business with this franchise by the fifth entry,  Minions: The Rise of Gru will offer an fun easy going family film.  

B

MOVIE REVIEW: DEATH ON THE NILE

 

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot's Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple's idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short.

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Cast:  Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, Letitia Wright

Release Date: February 11, 2022 

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images, and sexual material

Runtime: 2h 7m

Review:

Death on the Nile is another lavish follow up to Murder on the Orient Express stacked with stars and style.  Kenneth Branagh is again pulling double duty in front and behind the camera with his love of the material shining thru each moment.  Branagh for his part adds a bit of sensitivity and heart to his turn as Poirot this go around.  The cast is each given their moment to shine with Annette Bening, Sophie Okonedo and Emma Mackey leaving the biggest impression.  The film's pacing is meticulous and measured as we meet all the potential suspects but it falters as the film hits the third act and the bodies continue to pile up with Poirot failing to live up to his legendary detective status.  Death on the Nile is the type of film that works well with in parts but is ultimately an uneven experience especially considering the collected star power behind and in front of the camera.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: ROCK OF AGES

IN THEATERS

ROCK OF AGES



A small-town girl and a big-city boy find their fates intersecting on the Sunset Strip, riding a wave of romance through the height of the "hair metal" scene as the off-Broadway musical rocks its way to the big screen courtesy of choreographer-turned-director Adam Shankman (A Walk to Remember, Hairspray). Arriving in Hollywood with stars in her eyes, Sherrie (Julianne Hough) meets Drew (Diego Boneta), and together they plunge headlong into the local rock scene. Meanwhile, as Sherrie struggles to stay afloat in a churning sea of rock 'n' roll excess, she gets swept off her feet by audacious rock star Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, and Bryan Cranston co-star in a movie featuring music by Journey, Def Leppard, Poison, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Foreigner, Joan Jett, and REO Speedwagon. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director:Adam Shankman

Release Date: Jun 15, 2012

Cast: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Director: Adam Shankman

Rated: Sexual Content, Language, Some Heavy Drinking and Suggestive Dancing

Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min.

Genres: Music/Performing Arts

Review:

80’s hair band rock has that incredible ability to get pretty much anybody to sing along, many a drunken karaoke bars are a testament to that. The musical Rock of Ages strikes me as one of those golden ideas that everybody wishes they would have thought of first, its easy money. The film version of the musical is like mother’s milk, easy to love and hard to criticize. A steady sense of fun permeates throughout the film’s runtime. Adam Shankman, who directed the equally energetic Hairspray, knows the film’s songs are its strong suit and he delivers them in wonderfully garish set pieces. His cast is all strong even if the leads are a tad bland and almost intrusive in the latter half of the film. Julianne Hough is a annoyingly cute and suffers from duck voice. Diego Boneta is capable but easily forgettable. The supporting cast is impressive, made up of big names taking their turn at singing classic songs from the 80’s. Catherine Zeta-Jones is such a wonderful little powder keg that it’s easy to overlook her shoehorned character, the role was created for the film, even if it feels a tad out of place from time to time. Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand might as well be considered a single character as they bounce off each other regular and exclusively. Paul Giamatti could be cast as a sleazy character for the rest of his career and nobody would complain. Mary J. Blige has a small role but reminds everybody what a real singer sounds like. Needless to say the supporting actors are all strong but this is truly one man’s movie. Tom Cruise simply owns the film as soon as he shows up on screen. He turns in a performance that makes you forget the other actors and count the moments he’s off screen.s. His turn as Stacee Jaxx is an awards worthy performance period. While Cruise is in top form even he can’t mask some of the flaws of the film. The film’s runtime is a long slog of 2 hours, if you had drinks it might be easy to sit through but otherwise it’s overlong for no good reason since the plot is as thin as you’d expect. Said plot is an after thought, which is to be expected, really hammering the point that there’s no reason to make the film 2 hours plus. A simple note to film makers, just because you use a monkey in your production doesn’t mean we have to linger on it’s actions throughout the film. It’s not hilarious every time. As is this film is the kind that will work best on video where you can skip to your favorite songs while you have a drink in hand.

B

[Trailer] Rock of Ages

I’ve been a big fan of movie musicals because I fell in love with Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge.

Before that I can say I was generally disinterested in most musicals, since I just can’t get enough of them.

The teaser for Rock of Ages looks like it could be lots of fun with a nice dose of self aware cheese……

MOVIE REVIEW: GET HIM TO THE GREEK

IN THEATERS

GET HIM TO THE GREEK



An ambitious young record company executive attempts to transport an unpredictable rock star to L.A.'s Greek Theatre in time for his hotly anticipated comeback performance in this spin-off of the comedy hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) has just landed his dream job in the record industry, and he's eager to prove his worth. His first assignment: travel to London and escort British rock god Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to the show that will re-ignite his career. Before he departs, Aaron is warned by his boss Sergio Roma (Sean Combs) to never let Aldous out of his sight, and never underestimate his capacity for mayhem. Immensely talented yet deeply tortured, Aldous hit the bottle hard after his popularity began to wane and his girl walked out on him. Aldous is locked in the midst of an existential crisis, and rues the thought of being accompanied across the pond by an insincere sycophant. Though it seems like sex is the only thing Aldous ever thinks about, his thoughts turn to romance when he discovers that gorgeous model/pop singer Jackie Q (Rose Byrne) will be in Los Angeles at the time of his concert, too. Jackie Q is the love of Aldous' life, and he'll do anything and everything to win her heart. With the concert fast approaching and Aaron's fledgling career on the line, the race is on to get Aldous to the Greek, and ensure the big show goes off without a hitch. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director: Nick Stoller

Cast: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Sean Combs, Elisabeth Moss.

Release Date: Jun 04, 2010

Rated: strong sexual content, pervasive language and drug use throughout

Runtime: 1 hr. 49 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

A sort of but not really sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek is tad like a rollercoaster ride. It’s most entertaining in the middle but comes to a jarring halt, fun wise, in the last act. Sadly, the emotional angle falls flat and since the 3rd act deals with it primarily it leaves you feeling way too detached from the Spinal Tap light fun. Nick Stoller, who also directed Forgetting Sarah Marshall, finds some good energy and moves the proceedings along at a brisk pace. Stoller doesn’t over direct the film and allows the strongest part of the film, Brand and Hill’s on screen chemistry, to do the heavy lifting. Russell Brand does fantastic work reprising his faux rock star alter ego Aldous Snow. Brand is just so comfortable on screen as Snow it kind of makes me wonder if we are just looking at him as opposed to a character. Johan Hill provides a good counter point to Brand’s unchecked insanity as the super up tight record label peon. Hill has an excellent understated quality about him that allows him to emote with only minor facial reactions. This gives his character a nice honest heart. Elisabeth Moss is good fun as Aaron’s girlfriend in a limited role. Sean Combs has an innate ability to suck any and all comedy or fun out of scene as he tries desperately to play record version of Tom Cruise’s character from Tropic Thunder and fails miserably. He’s such a dead spot and detracts from some of the funnier moments of the film. Music industry stars pop in cameos giving the film a nice authentic touch, along with some raunchy but funny song lyrics for Snow.

C+