Ed's Review Dot Com

Kramer & Sigman Films, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Zaftig Films,

Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro

Nicky (Will Smith) is an experienced con-man. He’s a the top of his trade, but when he meets scammer Jess (Margot Robbie) who wants to be his apprentice he is apprehensive. But she’s insisting, and she does really have talent, so he introduces her to the rest of the team, and she becomes one of the gang. In the end, they are going to try to pull off one big scam.

I had no idea going in what this movie was about. The NetFlix description did not do justice to this movie. I feel that this is a nod to the original con-man movie “Sting” because of the format of the film and the surprise (sort of) ending in the end. Basically it’s a movie in two distinct parts. Part one is when Harry Met Sally. I mean when Nicky met Jess. Then it jumps to a whole new story three years later. There’s no indication what has been happening between the two in the missing years. That is an interesting way to tell the story and makes it a bit more mysterious. Like any good mystery story, there’s a lot you don’t know and it’s hard to know who’s scamming who until it’s all played out and the credits are crawling up the screen. I was not blown away, a phrase that I love to overuse, but I have to admit it was an interesting story. A lot of people did not appreciate this film, probably because they expected something different than what it was. Instead it was cleverly put together, very interesting to watch, and quite cool. This is the best I’ve seen Will Smith in a long time, although he was way down on the list of people they wanted to play Nicky, it turned out that he did a very good job. He didn’t overplay it, and kept his cool, and played the perfect con-man in my opinion. I was very impressed. Furthermore his kids were nowhere to be seen, so that’s a definite plus. This is one that caught me by surprised, and I was pleased at how easy it was to get into the story. I can recommend this one as worthwhile to spend some time on.

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Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Marv Films, Cloudy Productions,

Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Sofia Boutella, Sophie Cookson

A young boy, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) loses his father while he was very young. He’s grown ihttp://www.edsreview.com/wp-admin/edit.phpnto a troubled kid, but underneath it all he seems to have a good heart. When he finds himself in serious trouble, he remembers a pendant his father gave him when he left the last time, with a message to call the number on the back side. He called the number, and Harry Hart (Colin Firth) appears and takes care of the problem and brings Eggsy to the headquarters of a top secret spy organization that is called upon when there’s a global crisis. Eggsy’s father was a spy, and Harry sees good in him and begins his training. But as an evil technology wizard sets in place a plan to take over the world, Eggsy finds himself in the middle of the struggle.

My first thought in watching this film is that it is really a rip off of James Bond. Secret rooms and equipment that is extremely technological, like umbrellas that are bullet shields and hand grenade lighters are some of the things they use. Then the second thought was that it was really kind of silly. Then after finishing the film, I found that I did kind of enjoy it a lot. Further reading and I found out that this is based on a comic book and it all fell into place. Not intended to be serious literary content, it’s a comic book. That makes perfect sense. Colin Firth was pretty good, even though over the top a bit, it suited his character, and he had some of the funniest action battles I have ever seen. Samuel L Jackson is a really unusual bad guy, and he too has some really funny parts. He can keep up with the best James Bond villains. He was really good. All in all, it’s a fun superhero type film that is not all that serious but was a lot of fun after all. If you enjoy the superhero or the super spy films, then his one is right up there with the others. I recommend it, but remember that you’re going in to a comic, not classic literature.

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Blue-Tongue Films, Blumhouse Productions,

Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton

Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a fabulously wealthy young couple that has just moved to Los Angeles to make a change in their life. It is revealed that a major tragedy sent Robyn off the deep end, and they are thinking a new life in a Beverly Hills mansion might help settle things down. As they arrive, they bump into Gordo (Joel Edgerton) who recognizes Simon from their High School days. Gordo starts to insert himself into their lives, showing up on their doorstep, dropping off gifts in the night, and though Robyn is concerned but sympathetic, Simon just wants him to get out of their lives. Things escalate and Robyn isn’t sure what is really happening and if it’s real or imagined in this high suspense thriller.

This movie just arrived in the theater, and since I’m getting really tired of superhero/comic book movies, and since nothing else interesting showed up this week, the wife and I decided to catch the matinee for something to do. I had heard good things, but I wasn’t prepared for the strength of the suspense. This film was really creepy. It twists and turns and really builds up the terror. The setting is fantastic, basically in two locations, and the sound track and sound effects were really excellent. It was a really well told thriller, and I was really impressed. I must admit that I’m not the biggest Jason Bateman fan, and he’s been in some so-so movies, but he was really great in this one. He showed all the sides of this character with sharp accuracy and inevitability. Basically the three main characters were all good, and it’s basically a three person movie. But the real highlight of this film is Joel Edgerton. He played a very difficult role in Gordo the Weirdo that must have been a challenge in a way that will leave you stunned. He was really great in this role and deserves a lot of recognition for this role. All in all I cannot forget this film, nor this experience. It was really suspenseful, scary, and the tension was really intense. I really enjoyed this film, and I hope it gets the recognition from the public that it deserves. This is a film that should be experienced in the dark theater on the big screen. It seems like it’s catching on, and I hope it does very well. Excellent thriller! See it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Escape Artists,

Sienna Miller, Dave Franco, Tom Wilkinson, James Marsden, Nick Frost, Vince Vaughn

Dan Trunkman (Vince Vaughn) is a business executive who suddenly finds himself out of a job. His plan is to go out on his own and try to start his own company. Sales are hard but he has the opportunity to get the largest sale of his life, but he has to travel to Europe to get it. He makes two new friends, one old guy Tim (Tom Wilkinson) who’s being forced to retire against his will and a young go-getter with no experience at all who had arrived looking for a job when Dan hires him. His name is Mike Pancake (James Marsden) and the three of them head off on the road to try to make the sale at all costs. But the competition is fierce.

This movie is a bit of a dud. It had promise, but fell into the trap of using all the cliches that have been done over and over. James Marsden is the highlight of the film, if there is one. The comedy just doesn’t seem to get off the ground, and I am not really sure where to place the blame. The script certainly isn’t very good, but I’m not sure if the writing is the problem or if it just wasn’t put together too well. There are a few gags that are pretty funny, and I have always enjoyed Vince Vaughn, but this is not one of his better films. I certainly was able to get through it ok, and as I said, there were a few pretty good exchanges, but for the most part I just didn’t really get involved in the story. This is one I would suggesting passing by I’m sorry to say. I wanted it to be better.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

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