Ed's Review Dot Com

Amasia Entertainment, 3311 Productions, Circle of Confusion,

Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, James Ransone, Anson Mount, Michael Eklund, RZA

Martha McKay (Anna Hendrick) just caught her boyfriend cheating and is extremely depressed when she meets a guy named Francis who seems to be Mr. Right (Sam Rockwell). Mr. Right though has a secret. He’s a top notch hitman who has turned against those that hired him and now they are all rather upset with him and trying to kill him. Because Martha is now in the picture, the two of them have to try to survive as this relationship takes a very strange turn.

This is a very weird and quirky movie that is really so absurd that is it quite funny. Sam Rockwell plays the deadpan character who just shakes of his own actions with a shrug while the world is crumbling around him. Anna Kendrick’s character likewise is very complex. She goes through a range of emotions all across the spectrum. Yes, this is an absurd comedy, but like many others that came before, this one kept me very interested. This one is way off the beaten path, and I was really surprised at the quality of the performances in this little movie. I had never heard of it before, but found it quite enjoyable in a quirky way. It’s a strange story, but the irony of the situation is played out very well. This is a good little movie.

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Amazon Studios, Bleeker Street,

Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville

Elvis Presley (Michael Shannon) had finished his stint in the Army. He was well established at this point, and needed something to keep himself occupied. Watching TV, he became obsessed by the troubles in the US, with civil unrest and rampant drug use. Elvis wanted a badge. He had a dream of becoming a CIA agent, and set off to Washington D.C. to deliver a handwritten letter to President Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey). Surprisingly, the two had a famous meeting in the oval office, and this is the story of the events that led to that meeting and the results afterward.

This is a very interesting film. First, this is my first time (I think) viewing an Amazon Studios film. Yeah, that’s the Amazon.com people who like everybody else are jumping into content creation. This was the first feature film picked up by Amazon. Kevin Spacey was heavily involved in the production of this film, and does a hell of a Nixon impersonation. He was really superior in his portrayal of President Nixon. Michael Shannon does his best to try to be Elvis, but actually he doesn’t look or act much like Elvis and I have seen numerous Elvis impersonators (a few in this film, even) who can do Elvis better than he did. But that’s not a huge deal, as no one is really going to be Elvis. This is actually a fairly decent retelling of the what happened according to the folks who were there at the time. This is a small film, very low budget, and not even 90 minutes long, but still it’s an interesting story, one that I’ve heard tell of for most of my life since it happened in 1970, but something I was never really sure of what actually occurred. This was and interesting experience, and if you are interested, I certainly would recommend you watch it.

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Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday July 19, 2016

• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice [Click here for Ed’s Review]
• Elvis & Nixon
• Kill Zone 2
• Miles Ahead
• My Best Friend
• Outatime
• A Perfect Day
• The Perfect Match
• Rio, I Love You
• Underdogs

Red Hour Films, Scott Rudin Productions,

Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penélope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, Benedict Cumberbatch

Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) was one of the worlds to Supermodels known for his infamous “looks” one of which could stop a ninja throwing star with just a stare. Fifteen years have passed and much has changed. Zoolander got married and had a son, and built a building on the edge of a cliff, but dramatically it collapses killing his wife. He struggled as a single Dad, but his son was taken from him he hit rock bottom and moved to live a solitary life. His rival Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson) and Derek run into each other and are invited to Rome for a chance to redeem himself and try to win his son back. This is the sequel to the original Zoolander from 2001, fifteen years ago.

Zoolander is a mix-up of good ideas that often just don’t pay off. The story is really silly, and the jokes sometimes fall flat, but in the next moment it is really funny and there are tons of infamous cameos by major stars that pop up and surprise us. All in all, the movie is like a car that won’t start half of the time, undependable, but good solid transportation when it works. Same thing here. Sometimes it’s just awfully silly and like a number of Stiller flicks (Dodgeball?) it is overly adolescent humor. On the other hand it’s embarrassingly funny, one of these shameful pleasures that we sometimes enjoy, so I don’t want to right out trash this movie. It is what it is, and it is what you would expect it to be. Like’s Sahsa Baron Cohen’s Borat, it knows it’s being stupid and just doesn’t care. If you like slapstick, tongue in cheek humor that is a big far out there, then what they heck, enjoy it. I really did, even when I didn’t realize it. Of course I like Three Stooges / Peter Sellers kind of humor, so it’s kind of in my wheelhouse in that respect. I certainly didn’t hate it, and it does pile a lot of crap on the pretentious fashion industry which is funny in itself. I did enjoy myself, and though the serious minded folks out there really trashed this thing, I would not be so quick to dismiss it. If you’re really in the mood for something that won’t ask you to think about the plot, and will allow you to just relax and enjoy an hour and half, then why not. There is a PG-13 theatrical version around and a DVD Non-Rated version. I’m not sure about the PG version, but the Non-Rated one I saw was really funny. Owen Wilson did a good job, and Will Ferrell was his usual over the top character in a minor role, although he added a lot to the comedy. If you’re not easily offended, see it. You’ll probably enjoy it too.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Dentsu, Fuji Television Network, Illumination Entertainment,

Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Buress, Albert Brooks

Max (Louis C.K.) has a great life. He’s been with his owner since he was a puppy, but when she brings home Duke (Eric Stonestreet) Max is really annoyed. He wants to setup Max to get rid of him, but things get real when Max and Duke both are kidnapped. The rest of the pets in the building ban together to rescue them. They want to rescue them and get get back home before the owners get home in this rollicking animated film full of talking animals! Well, they can talk to each other, but not to the people. But these are some clever pets.

I got to take my Grandson and his Dad and Mom to see this at Downtown Disney while taking a break from catching Pokemon in Pokemon Go. (Yeah, we caught a lot). I really enjoyed this film, although there are a couple little problems with it perhaps. I didn’t see those, and it was only after talking to other people that I realized what they were saying. This is a PG film, not a G rated kids film, and there is a good deal of fighting and angry yelling and stuff. There is a band of gang members who are lead by killer rabbit Snowball (Kevin Hart) and the voices of the gangstas could make you think it’s a bit racist and stereotypical. But aside from that, everything ends nicely and everyone gets along in the end. The best part of this is the intense action sequences which are really fun to watch, the one liners that these characters are always spitting out that made me laugh out loud numerous times. Really! This keeps the grown-ups interested throughout, and the kids will be blown away with the really funny and cute animals representing a plethora of species. All in all, I really enjoyed the story, and was easily about to look past the obvious racial and gang stereotypes and I really enjoyed the movie. I recommend it for all but the youngest children, but I think you ought to watch it with them and be available im case there are questions.

Two final comments: There are some really, really funny animated cameos that are really delightful, and the cartoon at the beginning was worth the price of the movie by itself!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog