Ed's Review Dot Com

Blueprint Pictures,

Penelope Wilton, David Strathairn, Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel, Bill Nighy, Richard Gere

Time has passed since “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (2011) and Sonny (Dev Patel) the young entrepreneurial owner and manager of the hotel has big plans. Engaged now, and planning to expand the hotel with a second property he heads out to the U.S. to talk with some hopeful business partners. They are sending a secret inspector to visit the hotel before they make their decision, so Sonny is going crazy trying to figure out who this inspector is and how to impress him. Meanwhile, the residents from before are still there and are partners in running the hotel, although they have many side issues going on, and everyone is very busy. This fitting sequel to the original brings back the familiar characters and adds a few more for good measure.

The original was certain a surprise hidden gem of a movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and though I had never heard of it before, I was really impressed with the characters. Basically the first movie was about senior citizens from Britain who lost everything, and went to India answering an ad about this amazing retirement hotel which wasn’t exactly as promised. A lot of the humor of the first movie brought to our attention the problems with trying to settle in India and the issues that caused. We became very familiar with the characters in the original and got to know their quirks and character. This sequel is very different because now we are already familiar with the characters, so we don’t need to become acquainted with them in this film. Additionally, the issues with the hotel are already known to us, so we get to see how, in the years that followed, they made it better together. This is, however a good sequel with lots of activity going on to keep it interesting. We’re involved in Sonny’s wedding and the problems of trying to grow the enterprise and his problems in trying to do both at the same time. Additionally there are side stories going on with each of the characters that makes it quite worthwhile. There are some of the greatest actors of all times in this film and the quality of their acting abilities also adds to the wonderfulness of this movie. I would definitely recommend you watch the original 2011 film first to get really familiar with the characters, and then watch this right after when you’re still familiar with it. That way it’s a seamless transition and that would be one hell of a double feature. I believe the first film was the better of the two, but that may be mostly because of the newness and uniqueness of the many characters, but this one is darn near as good, and certainly feels a lot more comfortable with the relationship we already have with the characters. I highly recommend both films.

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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.

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Big Indie Pictures, ShivHans Pictures,

Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Plummer, Josh Peck

Danny Collins (Al Pacino) is a rock and roll legend of the 1970’s. He sang some garbage songs that become hugely popular, and here 40 years later, drugs and booze have taken their toll. Danny is still singing the same songs, and wasting as much money as he can. But things are getting rough, and Danny’s best friend and manager Frank Grubman (Christopher Plummer) has set him up with another world tour to bring in some much needed cash. But he has a surprise for him. Frank just got his hands on a letter that was written back in the 70’s from John Lennon himself after a televised Danny Collins concert with some really good advice and invited Danny to call John and discuss it. The letter had never been delivered. Danny was struck deeply by the letter and the advice John gave him and cancels the tour, heads to a hotel in New Jersey to stay long term to change his life around and make thing better. But there are a few other secrets that made Danny choose New Jersey as his estranged son and his family live nearby. With the help of hotel manager Mary Sinclair (Annette Bening) who Danny took a liking toward, he’s trying to change things around. This story is loosely based on a real person who received such a letter from John Lennon that had been undelivered for many years and is based upon his experiences trying to live up to the advice John really did give.

Al Pacino really nailed this role. I was not expecting him to be able to pull this off. Michael Corleone, yeah, or even Satan himself, but a 70’s rock star? Really? He gave it a great deal of effort and played it amazingly. He was extremely funny and quite believable, and really did carry this film. But he had some excellent help. Annette Bening was also very good in her role and it was very nicely done. Jennifer Garner also played the wife of Danny’s son and she had a wide eyed innocence in trying to deal with the whole issue that really added a lot to the film as well. And of course Christopher Plummer was also perfect in his role as the long suffering manager but more of a best friend who really wants to help. All in all, this is a fantastic cast, and I was really blown away with the film. I enjoyed it very much, and highly recommend this movie. I’m not sure how I missed hearing about this one, but this is a great DVD rental and a really enjoyable evening watching this. I was very impressed.

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Gary Sanchez Productions, Warner Bros.,

Will Ferrell, Craig T. Nelson, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, T.I.

James (Will Ferrell) is the luckiest guy in the world. Engaged to the daughter of the boss, Martin (Craig T Nelson), James is rolling in dough and doing a great job in the finance business. Allissa (Alison Brie) pushes him hard, but he’s doing well until the cops barge in on their engagement part and James is arrest for fraud and facing a long stint in San Quentin. Though James insists he’s innocent, he’s really afraid as he has no idea how he will survive in the Pen. But though the guy who run the car wash in the parking garage, Darnell (Kevin Hart) is as gentle and good as they come, he needs some cash in a hurry and when James assumes he’s gangsta because he’s black he hires James to “Get Hard” and prepare for life in prison.

This is a typical Will Ferrell comedy and it is his usual character. Whether Buddy the Elf or Ron Burgundy or any of his sport characters, it’s pretty much the same guy. No stretch here. James is a bumbling innocent eyed guy who is doing his best, but nothing goes right for him. But I must admit that I did enjoy this film quite a bit more than a lot of the other Ferrell films. A lot of that is Kevin Hart who is really funny, and his gang of relatives who are the real gangsters who make friends with James as they seek their help. They are really funny too, and a great add to the film. Craig T Nelson plays the SOB Father of the Bride who is really a jerk. Alison Brie rounds out the picture as the spoiled brat daughter and she does a good job too. Actually there are no bad actors in this film, and they really all gave their best which shows. The humor is funny. Unless Ferrell just irritates the heck out of you (which a lot of people report), the movie is pretty good. I enjoyed this and thought it was a relaxing and funny DVD and well worth recommending for a good slapstick comedy.

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Columbia Pictures, Happy Madison Productions, Hey Eddie,

Kevin James, Raini Rodriguez, Eduardo Verástegui, Daniella Alonso, Neal McDonough, David Henrie

Paul Blart (Kevin James) is back. Since we last saw him at the heroic crime bust at the mall, he has gotten married (for 6 days) and divorced, and become somewhat of a recluse. He still does his job, but it seems to have taken a lot out of him and he’s pretty down. But he’s invited to the security guard convention at the Encore in Las Vegas, and rumor has it that he’s going to be the keynote speaker. So that picks him up as he and his daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez) head out to Vegas for a fun time. But Maya is hiding a secret from her Dad, and between the two of them they figure somethings wrong. Turns out a huge robbery is in progress and it’s up to Paul and his security guard buddies to get to the bottom in this comedy sequel to the original Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

The critics killed this movie. It’s available very cheaply on Amazon. But, perhaps there’s no one on the planet that has the taste in movies like me, cause I really enjoyed it. Am I a fan of Kevin James? Well not really, but I think the Paul Blart character is lovable and inept, but with such a big heart that he’s really likeable. I guess one thing that tickled me a lot was the fact that it was filmed in the wynn and Encore hotels in L.V. on site, and I am very familiar with the location. We had a birthday celebration with my daughter on her 21st birthday and stayed at the Encore, so the locations, the buffet, the pool, the rooms, the casino, the gardens, etc. were all very recognizable. This added a lot to the reality of the film since it was such a good attempt at making it real. There were even some scenes inside the wonderful La Reve show that I have watched twice and really enjoyed. Yeah, Paul is Beverly Hillbillies/Green Acres funny, down home good ole slapstick and pratfalls, and some people can’t deal with that anymore, but somehow I enjoy that kind of mindless humor. I like Paul Blart, and I felt bad when things went badly for him, and I was proud and happy when he did good too. Not nearly as stupid and silly as Dumb and Dumber, but on the same wavelength in a way. It is adventure and suspense and the crime part was somewhat believable and credible, so it was a real situation, although exaggerated for comedic effect. Kevin had some good backup players, the most misfit gang of partners I think I have ever seen, but the have each other’s backs. This may be the anti-Ocean’s Eleven, now that I think of it. I felt this was a harmless adventure through the lights and glamor of Sin City, and I really enjoyed it from start to finish. I recommend this comedy to anyone who wants to have a light evening of laughs and enjoyment and a visit to Vegas. Nice job.

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