MOVIE REVIEW: ROUGH NIGHT

Five best friends (Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, Zoë Kravitz) from college reunite 10 years later for a wild bachelorette weekend in Miami. Their hard partying takes a hilariously dark turn when they accidentally kill a male stripper. Amid the craziness of trying to cover it up, they're ultimately brought closer together when it matters most.

Director: Lucia Aniello

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jillian Bell, Kate McKinnon, Zoe Kravitz, Ilana Glazer, Ty Burrell, 

Demi Moore

Release Date: Jun 09, 2017

R for crude sexual content, language throughout, drug use and brief bloody images

Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.

Release Date: Jun 16, 2017

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Rough Night is a raucous comedy with a free and loose feel to it with a solid cast.  Writer director Lucia Aniello directs an efficient comedy with only a handful of noticeable dead spots.  The story isn’t ground breaking by stretch of the imagination but the cast keeps it fun for the better part of the film.  Scarlett Johansson, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, Kate McKinnon and Zoe Kravitz make for a fun comedic combination.  Kate McKinnon creates another memorably weird character that steals most of the scenes she’s in.  Johansson is a tad bit under utilized as the “straight man” in the piece.  Ty Burrell and Demi Moore have fun supporting roles that probably could have been played for a few more laughs if the script had given them a little more to do.  Similarly, Paul W. Downs boyfriend character and his bachelor party seemed like it was ripe for more laughs even though his story thread provided some inspired sequences.  There are a few sequences near the end of the film that slow the story down.  They try to give the story a bit of emotional depth which ends up feeling tacked on.  The story doesn’t really need it, its mindless guilty fun that delivers what it set out to do.

B

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Muppets Most Wanted & Divergent

Dearest Blog, having force-fed myself a Serious Grownup Movie last weekend, this week it was back to my usual fare with Muppets Most Wanted and Divergent.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know or have guessed from the trailers.
Since my tolerance for little kids is marginally lower than my tolerance for teenagers, I got Muppets Most Wanted out of the way first.

Fresh off their reunion show and against Kermit's better judgment, a new manager (Ricky Gervais) convinces the Muppets to go on a world tour, but a sold-out European run and a unusually agreeable Kermit may not be the good news they seem.

Dear reader(s), though I try not to read anyone else's reviews before I've written mine, living online as I do, I can't help but see the occasional headline or comment. The general consensus on Muppets Most Wanted seems to be that it's good, but not as good as 2011's The Muppets. Guess I'm once again in the minority, for as much as I loved The Muppets, I think Muppets Most Wanted is even better.
Muppets Most Wanted picks up, literally, where The Muppets left off, lingering just long enough to earn a few laughs with some obvious-but-still-funny sequel jokes. Once it gets rolling, the caper is amusing and never drags, with musical numbers staged at the Siberian gulag providing the best comic moments.

As we've come to expect, Muppets Most Wanted is littered with cameos from celebs and pseudo-celebs, and I shan't name them lest I spoil it for those who want to be surprised. Since I imagine everyone knows who stars in the movie, I can say that Gervais, Tina Fey, and Ty Burrell are in top form, though I find it a little offensive that they enjoy billing over the folks who provide Muppet voices--the movie's real stars. If I have one complaint that isn't really a complaint, it's that a little too much of Muppets Most Wanted may be aimed over the heads of the young target audience; it's undoubtedly a "kids' movie," but I think the adults might actually enjoy it more.

Muppets Most Wanted runs 112 minutes and is rated PG for "some mild action."
Like its predecessors, Muppets Most Wanted is a terrific family film full of music, laughs, and thoroughly entertaining cameos.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Muppets Most Wanted gets seven and a half.

Closing yesterday's docket was the young adult thriller Divergent.

Survivors of an apocalyptic event are divided into factions, based on their personality types. When a young girl discovers she's a Divergent--one of those who fit with no one type and who are considered a threat to the new world order--she struggles for survival within the faction she's chosen.

Dear Blog, I'm nothing if not painfully honest, so if I'm going to criticize something, I'm also going to admit when that criticism might just be due to the fact that said "something" isn't made with me in mind. Not saying it's impossible for someone outside the target audience to enjoy a movie (see: Muppets Most Wanted, above), but being almost 48 years old, I enjoyed Grudge Match a helluva lot more than I enjoyed Divergent, which may not be entirely Divergent's fault. Then again...

We'll get the obvious out of the way first: clearing the two-hour threshold by a good 20 minutes, Divergent is too damn long and easily could have been trimmed by 30 minutes without losing anything of consequence. Making the obligatory comparisons: the story is neither as good as The Hunger Games nor as painfully bad as Twilight. Shailene Woodley is no Jennifer Lawrence, either.

The supporting cast boasts some notable names--Ashley Judd, Kate Winslet, Mekhi Phifer, Maggie Q, and the always magnificent Ray Stevenson--but they seem to have neither the opportunity nor the inclination to distinguish the movie from the current glut of ho-hum young adult fiction. Divergent features broadly-drawn characters and insipid dialogue by the bucketful, and mistakes peripheral character deaths for heartbreaking plot twists.

By now, dear reader(s), you may be asking, "So why did you bother seeing this, anyway?" That question I can answer in two words: Theo James. Yep, I've been nursing a scorching crush ever since he had fatal sex with Lady Mary Crawley in the first season of Downton Abbey and I had to overturn heaven and earth to find out who he was. I hoped he'd be a big deal someday, and, if I wished it'd be in something better than this, well, he's young yet, eh? Divergent doesn't place any particular strain on his acting skills, but I can confidently say I would have been kinda bored with someone I liked less in the male lead. As it stands, James has enough screentime to make Divergent more than worth the price of admission.

Divergent clocks in at a bloated 139 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense violence and action, thematic elements, and some sensuality."

A so-so movie that would have benefitted greatly from a shorter runtime, Divergent may have teens hanging on its every minute, but the rest of us are bound to find it considerably less thrilling.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Divergent gets four and a half.

Until next time...

Oh, don't pretend like YOU wouldn't sit through a so-so movie for this!

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Non-Stop & Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the cinema for the unlikely double-bill of Non-Stop and Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know or have guessed from the trailers.

The schedule dictated that I start my day with Non-Stop.

Somewhere over the Atlantic, a Federal air marshal begins receiving threats to the passengers on his flight. When he's accused of having a part in the hijacking, he must keep them safe while trying to clear his own name.

I think everybody took one look at the trailer for Non-Stop and knew it was going to be another of "those" movies that Liam Neeson makes these days. A fair enough assessment, though I don't imagine they'd keep making them if someone weren't enjoying them. (But, then again, there's always Madea...) At any rate, Neeson plays Bill Marks on the same note he does Bryan Mills and John Ottway and Hannibal Smith, and, if you like that sort of thing (as I do), then you'll have a good enough time with it. His supporting cast is comprised of familiar faces: Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy, Nate Parker, Corey Stoll, Linus Roache, Anson Mount, an underused Lupita Nyong'o, and the suddenly ubiquitous Shea Whigham. No standouts here, Non-Stop is the kind of movie where you probably could have dropped any halfway competent actor into any supporting role and been just fine with Neeson at the helm.

Non-Stop does a terrific job of putting the viewer ON the plane, maintaining tension for the duration of its almost-two-hour runtime. Some of it is predictable and more than a bit hokey, but I was engaged throughout and the eventual resolution did surprise me. Believe me when I say, you won't be in any hurry to get on a plane after you see it!

Non-Stop runs 106 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of action and violence, some language, sensuality, and drug references."

Non-Stop is the Chinese food of the cinema world; you'll enjoy the hell out of it while it lasts, but it won't stick with you long.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Non-Stop gets five and a half.

My closer on yesterday's double-bill was the animated feature Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

Canine genius Mr. Peabody and his adopted human son Sherman must use the Wayback Machine to repair a time rift they created.

Well, dear Blog, regular reader(s) will know that I'm deeply in love with Dreamworks Animation, enough so that I even looked at an open clerical position with them last year. (Dear Employer: I'm not qualified to be their janitor. You're safe.) Even with my high expectations, Mr. Peabody & Sherman did not disappoint. The art and animation are bright, colorful, and sharp. Voice talent includes some notable funnymen (and women): Modern Family's Ty Burrell and Ariel Winter, Leslie Mann, Stephen Colbert, Mel Brooks, and Patrick Warburton. Allison Janney, Stanley Tucci, and Dennis Haysbert also turn up in supporting roles. The movie keeps up a solid pace and doesn't wear out its welcome, maintaining a good balance of kid-safe adventure and humor that's also fun for grownups.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman clocks in at 92 minutes and is rated PG for "some mild action and brief rude humor."

If the movie year generally goes Throwaway Season to Superhero Season to Awards Season, it's fair to say that the animated features are throwing down early this year.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman isn't quite the Lego Movie, but it's still good fun for the entire family.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mr. Peabody & Sherman gets seven.

Until next time...

 

 

Tough times at Downton as Lady Mary takes a job as a flight attendant...

Movie Reviews: THE INCREDIBLE HULK & THE HAPPENING

Sunday, June 15, 2008
Movie Reviews: THE INCREDIBLE HULK & THE HAPPENING
IN THEATERS





THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Still stuck with the ability to turn into a raging behemoth, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately searches for a cure that will rid him of his gamma-irradiated alter ego once and for all. However, he's barely given a chance to stop running from the obsessed General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), who will use the entire might of the U.S. military to find Banner and kill the Hulk. Meanwhile, Banner must also deal with his tortured relationship with Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), as well as contend with a new opponent, another gamma-created monstrosity called the Abomination (Tim Roth).

Cast Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, William Hurt (more)

Director(s) Louis Leterrier

Writer(s) Edward Norton, Zak Penn

Status In theaters (wide)

Genre(s) Action/Adventure

Release Date June 13, 2008

Running Time 114 minutes

MPAA Rating PG-13 - for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content

Review:

Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk supplies plenty of what most felt was missing from Ang Lee's much maligned Hulk, lots of crazy smashing and carnage. Gone is the Freudian mind trip and it's been replaced with a more straight forward comic book action movie. Personally, I have always thought Ang Lee's Hulk wasn't as horrible as most make it out to be, it's slow but thoughtful and really try to turn the genre into something artful, even with it's faults it was bold. That being said it didn't get the reception that most would have expected. Leterrier's straight forward action flick is pretty much bare bones in terms of story and heavy on the smashing. It knocks out the origin in the opening credits and immediately begins making visual connections to the 70's TV show, something that continues throughout the film. Edward Norton as Banner is good if not great. Norton isn't really given very much to work with as the script is clunky, filled with unnatural dialogue. Norton gives it his best try and makes Banner a brooding reluctant hero who hates his power. He's effective but I can't help but feel that with a better script he could have done so much more with the character. Liv Tyler has the thankless job of being the female lead and she's given even less meat to chew on and it shows. Her character is fairly one dimensional and in the end we know fairly little about her and Banner history. William Hurt gives General Ross a slightly harder edge but it veers terribly close to caricature which isn't helped by the fact that the character lacks depth. Tim Roth's character is the hidden gem here and at times I was more interested in his character than Banner's. Roth does a solid job here and actually brings a lot more to the table than the bigger names. Action wise Leterrier's keeps the carnage coming throughout, huge set pieces filled with Saturday morning comic book goodness. The final battle, which is nearly 20 minutes long, starts to feel a bit like a video game more than an actual movie, this is mainly because the CGI varies from very good to very bad. The mildly redesigned Hulk looks a tad less cartoon-ish equipped with more rippling sinewy muscles this time around. As a whole The Incredible Hulk delivers what you would have expected from this modern day Jekyll and Hyde action flick, lots of bashing mixed with a dash of anguish. Is it great? Not really. Is it fairly enjoyable, sure but its kind of forgettable as well.

C+


THE HAPPENING


When the entire fate of humanity is threatened, Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) takes his family and tries to avoid the impending apocalypse.

Cast Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Betty Buckley (more)

Director(s) M. Night Shyamalan

Writer(s) M. Night Shyamalan

Status In theaters (wide)

Genre(s) Action/Adventure

Release Date June 13, 2008

Running Time 91 minutes

MPAA Rating R - for violent and disturbing images

Review:

I had given up on M. Night Shyamalan films after The Village, his mock Hitchcock style had just grown old and his twist endings were becoming more and more tired. I skipped Lady in the Water entirely and from everything I've read and heard it was probably for the best. Still it was hard not to be intrigued by The Happening, it looked like it may have something worthwhile, it looked like it might be suspenseful. Sadly it's neither of those things. Shyamalan has been on a fairly steady decline since the oft overrated The Sixth Sense launched his career and now his craft is at such a level of degradation that one has to wonder if his first success was more dumb luck than actual talent. Not since George Lucus have I seen a director suck the life out his actors so completely. Mark Walburg is horribly miscast and has to utter some of the worst dialogue outside of an independent middle school stage production. Zooey Deschanel is completely wasted and is also given lines of lame of dialogue to utter. She's tasked only to occasionally react and move along a subplot that doesn't fit or really matter to the overall story. John Leguizamo is in the film for a quick moment and disappears from the story so quickly it makes you wonder why Shyamalan bothered to cast him in the first place. Slow, feeling hours longer than its actual running time, The Happening plods along like some lost troll on the road to no where. Shyamalan might tell you this film says something about man and his place on the earth and that conversation would probably be more compelling and suspenseful than this waste of celluloid.


D-