Ed's Review Dot Com

Anchor Bay Films, Code Entertainment, Dundee Entertainment

Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Linda Cardellini, Tony Darrow, Robert Davi, Fionnula Flanagan, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, Paul Sorvino, Mike Starr

The 1970’s was a wild time in Cleveland, Ohio. Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), an Irish mobster was fearless in taking on the Italian Mafia. This movie is his story from his rise in the criminal underworld to his eventual fall. Danny was fearless, and after numerous failed assassination attempts, Danny turned the mafia into a laughing stock, even granting TV interviews where he’d make fun of their attempts to kill him. He was fiercely proud of his Celtic heritage and opened a club with a huge Irish flag outside and used to sit out in the open under the flag daring someone to come after him. He started out in the Longshoremen’s Unions, then took over and formed the Garbage Collectors union. He was a known FBI informant, and played both sides. Many looked at him as the Robin Hood of Collinwood.

Co-starring Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken, this movie has some great performances. Paul Sorvino has a small role but adds a lot to the story. I was very impressed by the way they told this story. It was very well done. The story is exciting, and Stevenson’s portrayal of him is excellent. He’s fearless and menacing, but shows the soft loving and caring side as well. Danny was someone who donated money to help children, donated food to the food banks, and often paid off debts for friends and near strangers when someone was in need. As a very well done crime story, this is a good as any of the great mafia pictures. Click here for the Wikipedia biography of Danny Greene.

I enjoyed this film a lot, and recommend it to anyone fans of crime stories or biographies. It is based on a book by the same title. It’s a very well done little film.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Michaels-Goldwyn, Relativity Media, Rogue

Will Forte, Val Kilmer, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Maya Rudolph, Powers Boothe

Oh my, I was a bit afraid going in, and my worst fears were realized.  It’s an amazingly bad movie.   MacGruber is a one joke spoof that thinks it’s a tribute.  It was really funny when they did it on SNL.  MacGruber, the unflinching super hero who can fix a rocket with a rubber band and a paperclip, and can disarm any bomb using his mind power.  Then repeat it in as many situations that are different locations with the same ending.  MacGruber gets distracted and kaboom.

Well the sketch is starting to wear thin.  They are doing things like putting Betty White in it as MacGruber’s grandmother to distract him while he blows everybody up.  Still funny?  Well, a little bit.   But a sketch does not a movie make?   What can you do?  Make it bigger with bigger explosions, and add back story to try to fill in the blanks.

Well, it doesn’t work.  I love Will Forte, and he’s one of my favorites on SNL for his range of characters and humor.  I’m a bit Wiig’d out (doesn’t it seem like instead of SNL it ought to be called  “The Kristen Wiig Show?), lately by overuse of Kristen in every skit, but she is talented.

So why did this movie FAIL big time?  Well, they took themselves a bit too seriously, and that blew it.  In something like Austin Powers, there were strong characters and it was pure tongue in cheek.   Here, they didn’t go the “Police Squad/The Naked Gun” route with a Frank Drebbin who is a likable screw-up who had a heart of gold.  MacGruber is an ass.  He’s about as unlikeable as they come.  The jokes (?) are rarely even worth a chuckle, and dancing naked with a stalk of celery stuck in your butt cheeks is about as “funny” as it gets here.   There is a certain group out there who really defend this movie to the depths, but I was really disappointed.   There have been a lot of SNL to Feature Movie failures, but this rates up there with the worst of them.  I really think this will be forgotten and filed in the dusty part of the library next to “It’s Pat!”

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Stage 6 Films, Insight Film Studios

Cuba Gooding, Val Kilmer, Michael Ironside

Hardwired is a solid “Very Long Wait” film on Netflix, but as some guy said in a review,  a very long wait does not necessarily make it a great film.  A lot of people hated this movie, and I think I can understand their reasoning.

It’s very science fiction, and it’s been done…with the evil corporations and rebel individual who tries to fight the establishment.  Cuba Gooding wasn’t fabulous in this film, but he didn’t suck either.  It’s a Canadian film, which is fine, but it’s not real big budget and there are some silly premises that wouldn’t cut it in a big budget Hollywood film, but it was interesting and it is an interesting premise.  A man was in a car accident and should have died.  Because he had no ObamaCare, he was saved by the previously mentioned “evil corporation” as a test subject.  Turns out they’re implanting recievers in peoples brain to sell advertising space.  After all, they’re running out of places to put up billboards, so why not in our heads? Well, naturally Cuba doesn’t buy their products, and the chase is on.

I went in not expecting a lot, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I enjoyed the time I spent watching it, and though it isn’t great, it was ok.  I like science fiction films, and the action was pretty good, and the chases didn’t suck.  I bought the concept and just watched and enjoyed the ride.  If you are not too critical and not looking for the best picture nominee, then you might enjoy this one too.  I definitely did.