Jumanji: the Next Level

Jumanji: the Next Level

Dir: Jake Kasdan

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina, 

Danny Devito, Danny Glover, Nick Jonas

       In late 2017, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was released and became a smash hit

    grossing nearly a billion dollars. So of course, Columbia Pictures decided to greenlight

    a sequel right away. 

       In this sequel, we find nerdy Spencer, a college student home for the holidays. When

    he decides to visit his grandpa (Devito) who tells him that he doesn't like getting old.

    So heartbroken Spencer fixes the broken Jumanji game and enters into the simulated
    world hoping to become his avatar DrBravestone (Johnson) again.

        Meanwhile his friends Bethany, Fridge & Martha start to worry about him when he
    doesn't show up for coffee. The kids head back into the game as different avatars 
    except for Martha. 

        Veteran actors Danny Glover and Danny Devito show up as their avatars and the
    fun begins. They go on an even more dangerous mission involving restoring a 
    village that was plundered by an evil viking like man.

         The film was slightly better than the previous and delivers on the action sequences.
   Kevin Hart does a good Danny Glover impression. The pacing is so smooth that you
   will not be bored. TNL features a perfect blend of action and comedy. It's not as good
   as the first movie but enjoyable.

 Grade: B-

Frozen II

Frozen II

dir: Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck

Voice cast: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Sterling K.

Brown & Ciaran Hinds

        When the first Frozen came out, it became a worldwide phenomenon from which many

    parents haven't overcome. The song "Let it Go" became a hit and unfortunate earworm

    which became ingrained in peoples ears. Unfortunately, this sequel doesn't live up to 

    its predecessor. 

          Taking place a few years after the last one, we get a little backstory on Elsa and Anna's

    parents and the area surrounding their kingdom of Arendelle. One night Elsa hears a call

    coming from the woods and sets out on an adventure with her friends to locate it.

          Frozen II's plot felt recycled and tiresome and fails to live up to the hype that the 

    first one set. Most of the songs featured are just forgettable and add nothing to the

    overall story. It's not a bad movie per se, just one not worth plunking down your 

    hard earned cash to go out and see. 

              Grade: C+

The Kingsman: The Golden Circle

The Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Dir: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: Taron Edgerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry

 Channing Tatum, Elton John, Jeff Bridges

         This is a bit of a late review since it's been awhile since I've gone out to the theater.

   The Kingsman: Golden Circle is the sequel to the surprise hit that was also directed

   by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class).

         In the sequel, young actor Taron Edgerton is back as Eggsy. the former street

  hoodlum turned secret agent. After his companys headquarters is blown to bits by

  an atomic missile, the world becomes held hostage by an evil woman (Moore) who

  poisons the world's drug supply in exchange for legalizing it. Now it's up to Eggsy

  and his Kingsman pals Gallahad (Firth) and Merlin (Strong) to stop her before it's

  too late. 

   The Good: It like most of the action scenes in the movie as well as the comedy.

   Julianne Moore was devilishly as a nostalgia obsessed sociopath who wanted

  a monopoly on the world's drug cartel. This movie dealt with ethical issues today

  concerning those that use drugs and whether or not it's right to do so. The legend

  Elton John was pretty funny here. 

  The Bad: The overuse of slow motion fight scenes which is prevalent in todays 

  action movies. The use of a small cute dog used as a cheap plot device didn't 

  sit right with me. This movie was quite graphic but that's typical of a Matthew

  Vaughn movie. The talents of Bridges, Berry and Tatum are wasted here and

  contributed nothing to the overall plot. 

  Overall: Although inferior to its predecessor, it's quite an enjoyable sequel. The

  only problems were that it didn't have heart and the creative spirit that the first

  film had. It suffers from the usual uninspired cash grab of a sequel. For a spy

  film franchise, I had expected better than this. 

     Grade: C- (6/10)

Transformers: The Last Knight

Transformers : The Last Knight

Dir: Michael Bay

   Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Laura Haddock, Isabela Moner, 

Josh Duhamel

    $260 million dollars is a lot of money to spend on a movie and it's a total disaster. The

  term movie doesn't apply here. Movies have plots and character development, this one

  has neither. 

     It begins in medieval England during the Crusades where a drunken Merlin (mostly

  plays for laughs by Stanley Tucci) asks an ancient Transformer for an alien spear to

  help him defeat the Saxons.

     Fast forward to the present where Autobots are living among humans in peace. 

   The macguffin of the movie is a medallion in which the Autobots & Decepticons

  want to save their home planet of Cybertron from extinction. An evil alien queen

  brainwashes Optimus Prime in destroying Unicron (which lies on Earth) to save it.

     Meanwhile, mechanic and aspiring inventor Cade (Wahlberg) comes across the

  medallion and does what he can to protect it from the wrong hands. Izabela (Moner)

  an orphaned street smart girl, joins Cade in helping the Autobots to defeat the

  Decepticons. The TRF led by Capt. Lennox (Duhamel) and his men hunt down

  Cade.

     While this is happening, historian Sir Edmund (Hopkins) helps a young woman 

  Vivian (Haddock) to find a magical sword that controls the fate of the Transformers.

   The Good: The non stop action scenes along with some funny one liners.

   The Bad: The non stop explosions just for the sake of having them. The many 

  subplots made it difficult to follow. The talents of the famous Anthony Hopkins

  are completely wasted here for nothing. Optimus Prime turning evil only lasted

  for a few minutes unlike what the trailers had you believe otherwise. Even 
  though filmed on IMAX cameras, the aspect ratio kept changing every other 
  minute from full screen to letterbox format.

  Overall: The plots of these movies are getting dumber each time and should be 

  rebooted with better writers. Thankfully the franchise that started with Bay 

  directing is ending with him. If you're a fan of the Transformers franchise like 

  me, skip this one. Don't waste your money or time with this one. In fact, for a 
  much better plot, watch the original 1987 version instead.

Grade: D (5/10)

John Wick Chapter 2

John Wick: Chapter 2

Dir: Chad Stahleski

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Laurence Fishburne

     In John Wick 2, a mobster's priceless car gets totaled while chasing a bad guy 

  on a motorbike. Wick gets into a fist fight with an Asian gang. That's just the 
  first 5 minutes. 

     Keanu Reeves stars as the titular character, a hit-man who's brought out of retirement

 one last time to kill the sister of a powerful, underground mobster. He travels to Italy

 and is dressed in the finest clothing Italy has to offer. John is armed with an array of

 guns to take care of some business. Wick kills people left and right, all without
 breaking a single sweat in his expensive suit. 

     Like most movie sequels, this one pales in comparison to 2014's surprise hit
 of the year. The action sequences are few and far in between the slow exposition
 scenes that good films succumb to. Returning to direct is Chad Stahleski who also
 served as Keanu's stunt double in "The Matrix" trilogy. 

  The Good:

      The opening car chase scene and the absence of the shaky-cam during the fight
 scenes that is prevalent in today's action films. The fact that no dog was harmed
 or killed to motivate John Wick was a huge plus for me. 

  The Bad:

     I didn't really care for the paper thin characters or the slow pacing of the film.

 The expectations I had for this movie wasn't met and failed to deliver. I thought

 the dialogue was laughably bad as well as the story itself.

    Overall, John Wick Chapter 2 is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination.

 It's a decent movie that requires little to no brainpower to enjoy. If you have nothing
 else better to do on the weekends, it's definitely worth the watch.

Grade: C+ (7.5/10)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

           

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Dir: James Gunn

        Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillian, Bradley Cooper &

   Vin Diesel (voices), Kurt Russell, Pom Klementieff

   some spoilers ahead

       At some points during the GOTG 2, Gamora (Saldana) shoots a refrigerator sized 

  cannon while Yondu (Rooker) slaughters alien men with a whistle controlled arrow.

  But no weapon can control the cuteness that is baby Groot, a tiny tree that dances 

  to ELO during the opening scene.

      Marvel's favorite band of cosmic heroes are back in this sequel from 2014's

  surprise hit. This time, Peter Quill's (Pratt) lineage is explored and learns who

  his father may be.

      

      After fighting a ginormous alien, the team is attacked by a race of golden

  skinned aliens called The Sovereign. They are after valuable batteries that 

  Rocket Raccoon (Cooper) stole from them. Our heroes make the jump to 

  hyperspace where they crash land in a forest world. There they meet a middle

  aged man (Russell) claiming to be Peter's dear old Dad. 

      Hot on their trails are the Ravagers, a group of intergalactic pirates who raised

  Peter since being abducted as a boy. Silently working with the Guardians is
  their disgraced leader Yondu (Rooker) who vows revenge against the men
  who ousted him. The muscle of the group, Drax (Bautista) is treated like comic
  relief with funny quips.

     This movie felt like a step down from the original probably because this scifi

  flick is more story driven than action oriented. Each character is better fleshed
  out and we get to learn more about them. The plots themselves are contrived
  while the humor felt forced making the jokes fall flat. The touching scene made
  me want to cry hard. 

     Russell's subplot smelled awful alot like another well know space opera that

  explored the father-son dynamic. But they did it better and it was more believable.
  This story was watered down and contributed little to the MCU. The first one was
  so good because it had heart and characters that we've never seen before. Perhaps,
  next time James Gunn can return to what made the first GOTG movie so great,
  a sense of fun and adventure. 

     Grade: C (7/10)
Baby Groot: A

Fate of the Furious

         

Fate of the Furious

Dir: F. Gary Gray

Cast: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham,

Ludacris, Tyrese, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood

Spoilers Ahead (proceed with caution)

    

    Eight movies in sixteen years seems quite impressive for a franchise that started 

as a movie about illegal street racing. It shows no signs of slowing down. In fact 

the stunts seem to get bigger than the previous installment.

    Vin Diesel returns in his role as famed street racer Dom Toretto. This time
we find him living the quiet life down in Cuba with wife Letty (Rodriguez).
That comes to a screeching halt when he meets Cipher (Theron), a mystery
woman with dirt on Dom's past. She blackmails him into doing her dirty 
work that includes causing property damage and injuring people.

    Special Agt. Hobbs (Johnson) is coaching his daughters soccer team when he

gets the call to assemble his team. The only people that know Dom the best are

his friends. Kurt Russell helps them as Mr. Nobody, a secret govt ops

agent who uses spy tech to track Dom down. Scott Eastwood fills the

pretty boy quota as his trainee. Roman (Tyrese) and hacker Tej (Ludacris)

play off each other well trading insults back and forth.

   

    Also joining the team is criminal Deckard Shaw (Statham) who's got an 

axe to grind with Cipher because she coerced his brother Owen to do her

bidding. Her team steals the surveillance system (God's Eye) and uses it to
her advantage to keep tabs on Dom. The fate of a nuclear war lies in the 
hands of Hobbs team & they must stop her before it's too late.

     The franchise stresses the importance of family and Fast 7 felt like a heart-

felt goodbye letter to Paul Walker, Dom's metaphorical brother. This time 
around it felt like empty, soulless cash grab that should've ended. Universal
will keep milking this series until it stops making them money. 

     The plot becomes your usual action fare with big, loud explosions and 

crashes that would make Michael Bay jealous. Jason Statham's character
was the bad guy in the previous and now treated like a member of Dom's crew.
This movie completely forgets everything that was established in the previous
films. 

     Although these movies seem to become a major franchise with more 

sequels lined up, the plots are becoming dumber and dumber. It has 
become a parody of itself with it's over the top action scenes. It's just 
a matter of time until this franchise runs out of steam.

  Grade: C

Logan

Logan
Dir: James Mangold
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holdbrook,

      

        When the first X-Men movie was released seventeen years ago, Hugh Jackman 
 became a star and household name. It ushered in an era of superhero movies and 
 changed the landscape of the summer blockbuster. In Jackman's final and most 
 famous role as Wolverine, he finds himself tending to his mentor Professor X 
 (Patrick Stewart) whom he must hide from society. 

        Along the way, he takes in Laura (Dafne Keen), a genetically engineered little 
 girl with powers just like Logan's. Together they go on the run from an sinister 
 corporation rounding up mutants from experimentation purposes. Little Laura 
 spends most of the movie as mute and unleashes her inner monster when threatened.

        

       The serious tone in this movie makes you forget that it's a comic book movie. It

 touches on one's mortality when mutants have died out. Logan's body is also dying 

 and must need injections to keep him healthy.

      Although the movie was pretty violent in nature, it is deserving of it's R rating.

 It is a well acted movie with likable characters that you can relate to. It is not only 
 only one of the most gritty superhero movies, it's also one of the best. Despite the 
 slow pacing of the film, Jackman's run as the Wolverine ends off an a high note.

                                             Grade: A (9/10)

Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War

Dir: The Russo Bros. 

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, 

Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Chadwick Boseman

   In the new movie, Captain America: Civil War, the government wants to put restrictions
  on the Avengers after causing many innocent lives lost due to defending the Earth from
  sinister forces. 
      Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) supports this cause along with other super powered
individuals.Captain America (Chris Evans) has conflicting ideas about it while trying to
protect his best friend Bucky from having to answer for his crimes while brainwashed by 
the evil organization, Hydra.
     Bucky goes on the run after being framed for the murder of Black Panther's father by
a mysterious man with a hidden agenda. We also get to see what happened to Tony's 
parents long before he became Iron Man.
      While the movie is long, sadly it suffers from the third movie syndrome.The action
scenes are few and far between. The plot felt dragged out almost to the point of boredom.
I felt that there were too many plots going on while trying to set up other films to come.
       The surprise villain of the film was mostly forgettable, looking nothing like his
 comic book counterpart. 
       The good parts of the movie were the funny one liners and the introduction of 
Spider Man. The battle at the airport was pretty fun to watch. This felt more like 
Avengers 2.5 than a Captain America movie. This is my favorite MCU movie 
of the year.
       I had high expectations for this movie but felt it didn't live up to it.All in all it 
was pretty mediocre just not as good as CA: The Winter Soldier.
  

Grade C (6/10)