Archive for May, 2015

Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),

Adam Scott, Gillian Jacobs, Chevy Chase, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Angela Kerecz

The gang is back, but when Lou is shot, the gang decides the they have to go back in time to find out who did this, and stop him. But the tub does not take you where you want to go, it takes you where you NEED to go, so the guys end up 10 years in the future to stop the one who traveled “back” to shoot Lou. Good thing the hot tub still works.

This is the “long awaited” sequel to 2010’s Hot Tub Time Machine. It’s the same old gang, minus John Cusack as Adam, but we get the addition of Adam Scoot to play Adam Jr. in the future. This is a raunchy sequel to the equally raunchy original movie, but it isn’t hitting on all cylinders. First and foremost, the plot is really nutty. They are so confused with going to the future to fix the past which is the present is so confusing that even they lose the way. The concept of time travel in a Hot Tub was very unique and original in the first movie, and the issues problems with the paradox of time travel and the uniqueness of the idea was very fresh in the original. Now it’s not original and they lost sight of the original. The whole plot is really screwed up here. It’s funny in some parts, but not nearly as good as the original. So we’re stuck with some good actors doing the best they can with a weak story. Five years to develop a sequel and it still didn’t measure up. So what do I say about Hot Tub Time Machine 2? Well, it’s funny in places. Adam Scoot and Craig Robinson are especially good, but many of the jokes and gags fall flat, and the nasty stuff is hit or miss sometimes. A few times they seem to go a little too far. So it’s a good film to skip, cause you don’t really need to see this one. But if you really like the first one and you’re interested in a bunch of clowns bouncing through time with basically no purpose, then give it a try. It’s not horrible, it’s just not very good.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Brownstone Productions, Gold Circle Films, Universal Pictures,

Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks, Katey Sagal, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine

The US Champion A Capella group the Barden Bella’s are back from their championship win in the original in this song filled comedy sequel. Excited to perform in Washington D.C. for the President, an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction happens that cause the Bella’s to be stripped of their title and disbanded. But they make a deal that they are still allowed to attend the world championship contest in Copenhagen, and if they win, they will be reinstated. Despite all the challenges that face them, they set out to beat the German team and bring home the victory.

This is a worthy follow-up to the original movie. The humor is spot on and the music is really good. These girls can harmonize. There are a lot of cameos in this movie that will be surprising and unexpected. The script is predictable, and the plot is just like the first one. But there are so many good performances, and the humor comes out of nowhere. Many of jokes I wasn’t able to hear because the audience was laughing so hard from the previous joke. Granted this is a serious girl power movie, but that’s ok. There is plenty of fun moments for everyone. I was really surprised. I waited a long time to see the original film because I expected it to be just awful, but when I saw it I was surprised. This one is certainly just as good, just as funny, and equal or better than the first one. Elizabeth Banks had a part in this film that was really funny, but she also directed it. Like the hecklers from The Muppet Show or the announcers from many great comedy sports films, these two are hysterical, basically due to the lack of any sort of filter on this pair. They say what they are thinking no matter how wrong! There is another subplot in this film about an artist and a music producer that is absolutely hysterical. I was surprised when I got to theater on a Tuesday evening and found nearly every seat filled. The crowd was tremendous and it looks like a lot of folks are going to agree with me that the humor was spot on. Not extremely vulgar, it keeps the PG-13 rating, but the jokes are to the point and pretty raunchy from time to time. This was a good sequel and if you’re a comedy fan, this is one you don’t want to miss.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday May 19, 2015

  • American Sniper
  • Before I Disappear
  • The Blue Room
  • Cymbeline
  • Girlhood
  • Hot Tub Time Machine 2
  • Leviathan
  • The Lving
  • Maya the Bee Movie
  • Strange Magic

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Abduction Films, Manis Film, Pink Buffalo Films,

Michael Ironside, Gill Bellows, Jesse Moss, Emily Perkins, Brittany Allen, Melanie Papalia, Sean Rogerson, Anja Savcic, Freddie Stroma

April (Brittany Allen) is a young woman whose parents have divorced. Mom is planning to sell the cabin in the woods for the cash, and asked April to go out there to take some pictures to help sell the place. She invites her boyfriend Kyle (Freddie Stroma) to go along, but he invited two other girls and guy who are their friends to make it a fun weekend where he planned to propose to April and throw a celebration party. But strange things are happening in the woods, and a crashed space ship creeps them all out until they realize that this is the real thing and their time is limited in this sci-fi horror film.

This is not a great film by any means, but it is what it sets out to be. It does not have high hopes for Oscar worthy performances. Basically it’s a little sci-fi horror film with scary aliens and lots of suspense. It’s a low budget film, put together with a lot of love of the genre, and it pulls it off pretty well. It takes a while for us to actually get to see what’s really going on, which helps build up the suspense as we get little hints and glimpses to let us know something is really wrong, but once the suspense has built up enough, the terror hits us full blast. Good performances by the whole cast, and certainly well done CGI and special effects make it a lot better to watch. This is the kind of little horror film that us horror fans love to pop in the DVD, pop some popcorn, and turn out the lights and enjoy. Yeah, it’s director more toward the teen audience perhaps, but I enjoyed it as well, and I haven’t been a teen in 40 years or so. Rather well done low budget scary movie that gives you what it sets out to do. Recommended for horror fans.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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EuropaCorp, Ithaca, The Javelina Film Company,

Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, Meryl Streep, Miranda Otto, John Lithgow, James Spader

Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) is a tough old single broad living out west in a small farming community. She’s definitely a lady, longing for a husband and children, but destined to a long lonely single life due to the fact that men say she’s too bossy and way to damn plain looking. Times are very hard in the little town, and three of the wives have suffered very horrible tragedies and have lost their minds. A danger to their husbands and families, the minister in the little church has made arrangements for them to be taken back across the plains and across the river where they will be cared for by a church there where they have some relatives. But who can make the 5 week or so journey across the dried up plains to accompany these women. Mary Bee talks the reverend into letting her take the journey as she has no family to support and can cook and take care of the women and she is just as tough of any of the men. She rounds up an goofy old outlaw, George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones) whom she rescues from being hanged and coerces him into accompanying the 4 women on the journey. Needless to say it is a long hard journey filled with danger and hardships, and only their will to go on keeps them going.

This was a very surprising film to me. I was really blown away by it. I have not seen a western in a long time, and this was a really great story. The script is excellent, and it’s filled with top notch performers like James Spader, Meryl Streep, John Lithgow and others. The setting is dreary and dark and very realistic and you really feel the pain of the times they are going through. The performances of Hillary and Tommy Lee are simply outstanding, but it’s the humor set against that harsh reality of frontier life that is so impressive. This is an excellent film, and certainly a hidden gem. I don’t know how I never heard about this film and just stumbled across it by accident, but it was a serendipitous moment when I put this one on. There are some problems, mostly in the timing of the story as there are conflicting statements about what time of year this story is set, but it’s easy to overlook that, as it’s not that important. It’s sometimes hard to watch, as it’s so realistic, and it’s definitely stark, but I couldn’t turn away, and I was disappointed when it was over, as I wanted to know more. This is one film well worth tracking down, especially if you’re fond of really great Westerns.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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