Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday April 19, 2016
Gilbert Films,
Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Laura Ramsey, Jenna Fischer
Ben Baker (Zach Galifianakis) is a severely bi-polar character who has always been best friends with Steve Dallas (Owen Wilson), a selfish, womanizing, greedy, weatherman who hangs around with Ben, but we get the feeling it’s more about what he can get rather than what he can give. When Ben’s long estranged father dies suddenly, Ben and Steve go on a road trip back to the small town for the funeral because Ben is not able to deal with it himself. But things get rather complicated when Ben’s new step-mother Angela (Laura Ramsey) turns out to be very young and very hot, and willing to stay a while longer with Ben and Steve while they work things out.
This is a character study, and really a comedy more than anything, but a bit more complex than most if this genre. With the cast here, including Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Jenna Fisher, and Edwin Herrmann and more, there is certainly no shortage of talent here. There are a lot of clinkers on the “Watch Instantly” category on Netflix, but this one was actually a class film. Watching Zach’s complete transformation in the film is unreal, and I don’t think I’ve seen that character before. The story is very well told, and much more impressive than I ever expected. It’s fast moving, and really funny most of the way through with a little heart. There are lots of lessons to be learned without realizing it. When should the friendship be over, or should it continue, and if not, who ought to break it off? Steve is really nearly incapable of functioning and depends on Ben to make his life possible. He lives on Steve’s couch in a rather useless life. But could it be that Ben is really the one who is leaching off Steve? We really learn to dislike the way Ben acts, especially as things get complicated, and it’s a complex issue that will leave you thinking. This was a worthwhile film, and though rated R for mostly the bad language and a few short, but rather raw bedroom scenes, this isn’t a film for kids. It’s truly for people who are able to handle the drug and alcohol abuse and the reckless sexual behavior, but for mature audiences, I felt after all that this was a worthwhile film. I enjoyed it.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday April 12, 2016
Paramount Pictures, Bad Robot, Spectrum Effects,
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.
Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has just left her boyfriend and is driving down a rural road in Louisiana when she suddenly spins out of control and blacks out. When she awakens, she is shackled to the wall on a mattress in a strange bunker. Not knowing what’s going on, Michelle meets Howard (John Goodman), the man who rescued her and brought her to the bunker to save her life. She soon learns of another resident of the bunker as well, but as Howard weaves his fantastic tale of a major attack killing everyone in the world, and only they are safe in this bunker. Howard is a conspiracy freak, and has been ready for years for an inevitable attack, and now it’s clear he is completely certain there is no life outside the bunker they are trapped in.
This science fiction/horror film is hardly related to the original Cloverfield at all. Other than the name, the movies are not very similar, and certainly not cursed with the same evil that was in the first film. By that I mean the shaky hand-held camera that would like to make you throw up after about 10 or 15 minutes. This one is much more steady, and professionally filmed, and is downright creepy. John Goodman plays the crazy (?) old man very well, and we’re not quite sure if he has any idea what he’s talking about. But neither do the characters. Surprisingly, there is really just the three people in the entire movie, and it is mostly done in the bunker, but an impressive bunker it is. The movie switches gears in the last half hour or show and becomes more of a horror film. The first hour is more a captive trying to escape type film. But the suspense is tremendous, and though it’s not classic horror, it has it’s moments. But it does ratchet up a notch at a time until you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat. Marky Elizabeth Winstead did an excellent job in the lead. You could make an argument that John Goodman has the primary character, but I don’t think so. He is certainly good in his role, but this is Winstead’s movie to make or break, and she nailed it. Though this film is nowhere near as horrifying as the original Cloverfield, I would recommend this one many times over the original. Keep in mind though is it a psychological thriller first, and not really horror until the last 20% of the movie. But when it does come out of the darkness it is really good. All in all I found this a very nicely constructed movie and I can recommend this one for sci-fi/horror fans, for sure.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Warner Bros., Atlas Entertainment, DC Comics,
Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot, Scoot McNairy, Michael Shannon
After his struggle against General Zod, Metropolis has been destroyed. Superman (Henry Cavill) is the most dangerous figure in the world. Some people still view him as good and a savior of mankind, but the rest think maybe he is a threat to humanity as he is like a god and answers to no one, not the military, not the government, just his own will. Bruce Wayne the Batman (Ben Affleck) thinks, Superman is a danger to the world because he has so much power and is not controllable. The rivalry between them is furious, unknowingly fed by Lex Luthor who eggs them on to war. Lex has a secret weapon and its an awesome monster of greater power than both Superman and Batman combined, unleashing it after his plan to have them destroy each other is complete.
This film was met with both undying love, and intense hate. I think the main fuel for the haters is simply Ben Affleck as Batman. I don’t think this is fair, as I think he did a pretty awesome job, but Batman is not a very nice guy in this movie which certainly cripples Ben’s ability to play him properly. I, not surprisingly, find myself in the middle somewhere. Am I glad I went out to see it with my grandson in 3D on the big screen? Certainly! Did I fall asleep in the middle of it? Well, the seats reclined and were very comfy, and for a good while the action died down to a crawl as we tried to spend time listening to the dialog and watch the script try to rationalize why Batman and Superman hated each other. I wasn’t the only one who fell asleep for a while. But the effects were awesome, the 3D was awesome, and that final battle and the surprise character to arrives in the nick of time was awesome! All kidding aside, this film was better than ok, and I’m certainly glad to see it, but I was not blown away by this movie. Although I have never been a big fan of superhero movies anyway, and typically Batman and Superman and the like leave me yawning. This is the same. The final ending surprised me. I hadn’t heard it and I didn’t expect it. But I don’t really believe it, either. We’ll see. You have to watch this, even if it’s on DVD, because it’s going to be part of pop culture for years to come. So you might as well do it and get it over with. It’s not bad at all.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
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