The Love Guru (2008)

It has been a very long time since I had last seen the Canadian comedy legend and former Saturday Night Live Alum Mike Myers (So I Married An Ax Murderer) in a film. Mike has wowed us with how great he has been in various film franchises like Wayne's World, Shrek, and Austin Powers, but for today I had to explore 2008's The Love Guru which written by Myers and directed by Marco Schnabel (Austin Powers In Goldmember). The film stars Myers as Pitka, an American that was raised by gurus outside of the country. Pitka decides that it's time to return to the states to cash in on the self help guru craze so he gets involved with a hockey team to try and give confidence back to it's star player. The film also stars Jessica Alba (The Fantastic Four) as Jane Bullard, Justin Timberlake (Alpha Dog) as Jacques Grande, Verne Troyer (Bubble Boy) as Coach Punch Cherkov, Manu Narayan (The Last Airbender) as Rajneesh, John Oliver (The Lion King) as Dick Pants, Stephen Colbert as Jay Kell, Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show) as Trent Lueders, Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3) as Guru Tugginmypudha, Rob Huebel (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) as Frat Guy, Daniel Tosh (Tosh.O) as Cowboy Hat, Meagan Good (Think Like A Man) as Prudence Roanoke, and Romany Malco (Top 5) as Darren Roanoke.

One thing that I am going to say right off the bat is that Justin Timberlake was the best part of this whole entire film. Justin is a renaissance man who can literally do it all as he has entertained us on the small screen, big screen, and of course on stages all over the world. He was a solid choice to play the rival hockey player who steals the star players wife and he was so funny. It was almost as if Mike Myers gave him all the funny lines and left none for himself in this film. I am not saying that the whole entire film was terrible because there were some funny scenes throughout, but Myers definitely laid an egg with this one as a lot of the comedy just felt forced and some of it was too stupid. I think a character like Pitka would have been better reserved for the Austin Powers series if you toned him down a bit and actually made him funny, but to try and capitalize on the self help craze was what he tried to do and it failed. I don't really have much more to say about the film other than it had some cool cinematography, but not enough to save this one. The film is currently available to stream for free on Tubi so check it out if you dare. I am going to give this one an D+ for a final grade because Timberlake keeps it from being an F.

The Rum Diary (2011)

If you have been living under a rock then you obviously wouldn't know that there is some controversy in Hollywood surrounding the lives of Johnny Depp (Mortdecai) and Amber Heard (Pineapple Express) as both are engulfed in a nasty case. So, I have decided that I was going to check out a film that both former lovers starred in together as I watched The Rum Diary which was released in 2011 and was written and directed by Bruce Robinson (How to Get Ahead in Advertising) and is based off of the Hunter S. Thompson novel. Depp stars as freelance writer Kemp who decides to take a job as a writer for a newspaper in Puerto Rico. The only problem is that things are not what they seem as he tries to navigate himself between the culture of the island and certain characters that inhabit the island. The film also stars Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking) as Sanderson,  Michael Rispoli (While You Were Sleeping) as Sala, Richard Jenkins (The Witches Of Eastwick) as Lotterman, Giovanni Ribisi (Gone In 60 Seconds) as Moberg, Amaury Nolasco (A Good Day To Die Young) as Segurra, Marshall Bell (Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) as Donovan, Bill Smitrovich (The November Man) as Mr. Zimburger, Julian Holloway (Carry On Up the Khyber) as Wolsley, and Bruno Irizarry (Looking for Maria Sanchez) as Lazar.

One thing is definitely for sure and that this film was not as good as Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas which was a classic Thompson novel turned into a film. Johnny Depp was well Johnny Depp and that is you can definitely enjoy his performance in the film, but Eckhart deserves some of that credit as well. This was definitely not my favorite Amber Heard performance as her sexuality was more of the tool used for this film as they had that forbidden affair in the film and most of the time I was like God do it already and get it over with. One thing that I definitely loved about the film was the cinematography which was excellently shot with beautiful tones and some amazing shots of the island and the beach life which was amazing in this film. I think that honestly the sets, the cinematography, and the editing of the film were probably my favorite parts of the film besides the obvious performances I talked about above. I didn't think the story was as interesting as Fear and Loathing, but it definitely keeps you somewhat near the edge of your seat for most of the film. I was curious and the film has a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes which is just about probably where I am overall with the film which means that it may seem a little harsh, but this is not I have to rush to see this kind of film. Which means that I am going to give the film an C for a final grade.

I, Tonya (2017)

I used to do this segment on my other blog called Based On A Truesday story where we explored films that were based on a true story. While it has been a long time since we did it and today is Tuesday after all I thought I would bring it back. The film I chose for today is one that was a huge topic in the 1990's because it was one of the most shocking events to happen in the world of figure skating and I am talking about I, Tonya which was released in 2017 and was directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars And The Real Girl). The film stars Margot Robbie (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) as the controversial Tayna Harding. The film follows Tanya's life from it's humble backwards beginnings all the way to the events that occurred when Nancy Kerrigan was attacked. The film also stars Sebastian Stan (Captain America: Winter Soldier) as Jeff, Allison Janney (The Addams Family) as LaVona, Julianne Nicholson (August: Osage County) as Diane Rawlinson, Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell) as Shawn, Bobby Cannavale (The Irishman) as Martin Maddox,  Bojana Novakovic (Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) as Dody Teachman, Caitlin Carver (Dear White People) as Nancy Kerrigan, and Jason Davis (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) as Al.

This was actually an interesting story about one of the most controversial figures who dealt with very stupid people right from the beginning. There was a lot of pressure on her right from the beginning because she was an unconventional skater put on by her mother. She gets married to basically a guy who was a moron that abused her, and an idiot who thought he was security guard hatched the plan to whack Nancy Kerrigan. The thing that I loved the most about the film is the fact that is says it based off of accounts given by Tanya and Jeff, but they are also telling you to take what they say with a degree of maybe you shouldn't believe everything that they say because how reliable can they really be? Margot Robbie does an amazing job in the film that you could almost take this as Harley Quinn's origin story, but she really does knock it out of the park as the polarizing Tonya Harding. Sebastian Stan also deserves some credit for the job well done that he did, but the real star of the film in my opinion was Allison Janney who played Tony'a unrelenting and unforgiving mother who was the definition of tough as nails. She dominated the screen every time that she appeared on it and she carried the film through in my opinion. I would be interested to know however how much of the story is true because one is always going to paint themselves as innocent bystanders, but the truth is that the deed was done. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.

Vox Lux (2018)

I had remembered seeing the title of the film I chose for today somewhere before and I wanted to see it in theaters, but like a lot of independent films it was never released. The film that I am talking about is 2018's Vox Lux which was written and directed by Brady Corbet (The Childhood of a Leader). After surviving a violent tragedy, Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) gets catapulted into super stardom that turns her into a pop hero. We follow Celeste over the course of her career until we get to 2017 and older Celeste (Natalie Portman) is trying to get over a scandal that sort of put a halt to her career as she tries to make a comeback with her new album Vox Lux, but can she survive all the other stuff that comes with it like motherhood? The film also stars Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley) as The Manager, Stacy Martin (All The Money In The World) as Eleanor, Jennifer Ehle (Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies) as Josie The Publicist, Christopher Abbott (It Comes At Night) as The Journalist, Logan Riley Bruner (Orange Is The New Black) as Cullen Active, Maria Dizzia (Martha Marcy May Marlene) as Ms. Dwyer, Meg Gibson (Sex And The City) as Celeste's Mother, and Allison Winn (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Therese.

Going into this film, I definitely wasn't sure what to expect out of it, but what we did receive was social commentary on the powers that pop stars possess over fanbases that gawk at them like they are Gods and Goddesses. They tried to do this thing where you take a train wreck like Britney Spears and you write a film about her comeback and hopes that she rises again, but what they did with this was look at the side of fame you don't see. Natalie Portman definitely puts on a performance in this film that is unforgettable and you see this childish side of her because she has never had anyone in her life tell her that things were not OK to do especially Jude Law's character. You also see her struggle with motherhood and how bad of an influence she is on her own daughter throughout the film as she struggles for normalcy among the Gods. The one thing about this film is that the individual performances in this film greatly outweighed the overall picture and what I mean by that is while the performances were great, the story was just OK in my book. There is really nothing they are providing in this film that people don't already know about pop stars, but the other saving grace is the amazing soundtrack provided by Sia who does a terrific job in the music department. The film is available on HULU as we speak and if you are a fan of Natalie Portman then this might be one you want to check out at least once for how great she was in the film. Other than that, I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

We once again want to apologize because we are not doing Sunday At The Classics again this week, but we have something great for you all today. I am all about checking out film that have garnered some acclaim due to the fact that it's an original film in a world full of remakes and reboots. That is why I decided for today that we would check out the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri because it's originality is the factor that peaked my interest for it’s unique title and for the caliber of the cast contained within the film. Frances McDormand (Isle Of Dogs) plays Mildred, a mother who is not happy whatsoever with the local authorities for not solving her daughters murder case. So to get on their case and get them moving, she decides to take out ads on three billboards outside her town that will challenge the law to get off their behinds and solve case. The film also stars Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers) as Chief Willoughby, Sam Rockwell (Vice) as Dixon, Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class) as Red Wellby, Kerry Condon (Avengers: Age Of Ultron) as Pamela, Darrell Britt-Gibson (Toe To Toe) as Jerome, Abbie Cornish (Limitless) as Anne, Lucas Hedges (Honey Boy) as Robbie, Zeljko Ivanek (Live Free or Die Hard) as Cedric, Peter Dinklage (X-Men: Days of Future Past) as James, Brendan Sexton III (Empire Records) as Crop-Haired Guy, and the film was directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges).

This was an excellent film that just had so many emotions to it and just had so many talking points. First of all, the acting was absolutely superb from way too many people to list in this blog, but you already know that you get amazing performances from McDormand, Harrelson, Rockwell, and Dinklage to name a few. Frances McDormand had the uneasy task of balancing out a character who is tough and a bad ass, but she is also vulnerable because all she wants is for them to solve the case. Sam Rockwell does a terrific job playing your typical backwater cop from a small southern-esque town who doesn’t know any better until something (I can’t tell you what) shows him the way. The second thing that was amazing about the film was the writing because this story kicked ass. You think that it’s going the way you would want it to go until it throws you a curve ball that takes the story in a darker place. There were so many glimmers of hope in the film that were just taken to a completely different place that I was amazed that it worked. The third thing that I loved about the film were the dynamic of the characters and the overall themes because each one was so unique to the story in how it progressed into a moral of no matter how dark things get, sometimes the people you are going against can turn out to be the ones you need. That was the constant theme of the film was redemption because it’s a learning experience for sure. The last thing is the cinematography which was just masterful from shot to shot. This is definitely a film worth checking out if you are a fan of great stories, actors, etc. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

Hands Of Stone (2016)

One sport that I have loved as a child besides wrestling was the sweet science of Boxing. It was a sport where two men met in the ring and they let it all out for 12 or more rounds at a time until one was winner. There have been countless boxers that I wish they would make biopics for and this week’s is one that I have been dying to see for a little while now. So, when you combine those two things (biopics and boxing) then I have to watch it which is the case with today's film Hands Of Stone. The film follows the journey of not just legendary lightweight and absolute bad ass boxer Roberto Durán (played by Edgar Ramírez) and his rise from poverty in Panama to world champion, but it also follows that of his legendary trainer Ray Arcel (played by Robert De Niro) who made his return to the sport he loved and had to let go of for a while all because he believed in the ability of Roberto Duran. Watch as their journey for respect goes through it’s trials and tribulations. The film also stars Usher Raymond (The Faculty) as Sugar Ray Leonard, Ana de Armas (War Dogs) as Felicidad Iglesias, Pedro Perez as Plomo, Rubén Blades (Predator 2) as Carlos Eleta, Óscar Jaenada (The Shallows) as Chaflan, and the film was directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz.

One of my favorite things about the film was definitely the acting from De Niro, Ramírez, and even Usher Raymond. They did an amazing job of painting who Sugar Ray Leonard was back in the day and they fear they had of his boxing style which by the way is not a fear of whether he’ll hurt you or not. However they do portray Roberto as this immature punk kid who has never been disciplined in his life because of how amazing of a boxer he was. They portray him at times to be the uneducated idiot with gloves who couldn’t see the bigger picture. What they do eventually show is his maturity and accent into manhood later in the film. They do a pretty good job with the fight choreography which you have to give kudos to as they try to cut an hour fight into mere minutes and that is difficult because you have to choose the best moments. One of the other things about the film that I loved was the beautiful Ana de Armas who plays Roberto’s wife the film because she was not only great, but she had some amazing scenes in the film (see pic below). Other than that, it was a pretty decent film and it had some amazing cinematography to boot especially the scenes in Panama. The film does at times show how easy it is for a child to grow to hate America just on what he went through and saw in his life. You’ll understand what I am talking about throughout the film. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

The Lost City Of Z (2016)

The whole point of this challenge is to check out different films that we may not have explored before and today we have chosen The Lost City Of Z. I have always been a fan of films that are based off of true stories and this one definitely peaked my interest, but it didn’t last very long in my local theater. The film follows a British soldier by the name of Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) who is fighting every day to restore the family name that was put in limbo by his father. While on a mapping expedition in the Amazon, Percy makes a huge discovery that there may have been a civilization in the Amazon that predates everyone. The only problem is that the journey is not an easy one and he faces many obstacles on his journey to try and discover the lost city he calls Z. The film also stars Sienna Miller (21 Bridges) as Nina Fawcett, Tom Holland (Onward) as Jack Fawcett, Robert Pattinson (Good Time) as Henry Costin, Edward Ashley (Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome) as Arthur Manley, Angus Macfadyen (We Bought A Zoo) as James Murray, Ian McDiarmid (Star Wars: Episode VI-Return Of The Jedi) as Sir George Goldie, Clive Francis (A Clockwork Orange) as Sir John Scott Keltie, Franco Nero (Django Unchained) as Baron De Gondoriz, and the film was directed by James Gray (We Own The Night).

What was surprising about the film wasn’t necessarily the story itself or the way the presented it, but the acting in my opinion is the highlight. Robert Pattinson in particular was a highlight for me as the mysterious, drunk, but loyal Mr. Costin who had accompanied Fawcett on some of the journeys. The actors did such an amazing job of conveying the torture they had been going through on the journey with the sicknesses and the lack of provisions. They did an amazing job as portraying how difficult the Amazon itself was and how things were drastically different there then where they had been. The movie isn’t perfect in any way shape or form, but it’s kind of a cool adventure to be on for the two plus hours that you’re watching. I liked Charlie Hunnam’s performance, but I think too many people stole the show on him on too many occasions. Whether it be Pattinson or Angus Macfayden who plays someone who is not what they are expected to be. I thought the sets and costumes were amazing as it felt like you were really there in the Amazon in 1912 or so. The ending of the film definitely tries it’s best to not speculate on what exactly happened to Fawcett and his son despite all the different theories that there are out there. It’s sad to read online that his other son was never interested in the truth, but rather the revenue over the speculation of his death. Check out the film for yourself, I am going to give it an B+ for a final grade.

Mother! (2017)

I like to think that I am an amateur film critic who is going to be critical of films that I do watch despite who the director or writer of the film is. With that being said, it’s now time to get down to business because this week we are checking out a film from award winning director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) called Mother!. I had been avoiding his films for some reason, but there was no netter day than today to start checking one out. After his house burns down, Him (Javier Bardem) is looking to rebuild his life with his new wife Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) and he is trying to write a new book, but the inspiration is just not there until a couple (Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris) come by and stir things up which provide him with the all the inspiration that he needs. The only problem is how is Mother going to handle all this chaos that has now come into her life? The film also stars Domhnall Gleeson (The Revenant) as Oldest son, Brian Gleeson (Snow White and The Huntsman) as youngest son, Stephen McHattie (Watchmen) as Zealot, Jovan Adepo (Overlord) as cupbearer, Amanda Chiu (The Bold Type) as Damsel, Patricia Summersett (Fareed) as Consoler,  Stephanie Ng Wan (John Wick: Chapter Two) as Whisperer, and Raphael Grosz-Harvey (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) as Philanderer.

If you do not know anything about the film other than what you see in the trailer then you are in for a night of confusion because I went in thinking that this was going to be a Rosemary’s Baby kind of film and boy was I wrong. I left my living room so confused because I did not know at the time what I had just viewed. The whole time I was trying to figure out where the horror was and what in the hell was the point of all these people continuously showing up. The more people showed up, the more chaos that ensued in the film. Now there are two ways that you can look at this film and I chose one of them because it made more sense to me. So, I am going to give you the spoiler alert warning so turn around and leave if you do not want to know anymore. Javier Bardem is an author or poet so he is known as the creator and his home represents the garden of Eden. He hasn’t been able to write a book in a while so the first one is known as the old testament and this new one that he has unleashed on to the world is the new testament. I believe Jennifer Lawrence plays Mary where she is very fragile, virtuous while Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris play Adam & Eve and the Gleesons play Kane & Able. You see the Zealot who plays mankind that in Aronofsky’s opinion has taken the word of Him and has spun it to his control over the people. The baby that the couple have represents Jesus who Him gives away to the people only to have them kill his only son.

Does this all sound a little familiar to you now? Well after hearing this, I finally understood what the film represented and you have to love the directors use of semiotics. This film was the perfect example of that, but shame on me for not realizing this until after I was finished watching it and had to think about it. As I said above, I was expecting Rosemary’s Baby, but instead I got a study in anti-religious semantics. That was definitely not what I was looking for in the film. One of my biggest complaints of the film was the camera work only because it bothered the hell out of me when it followed and copied her every movement as the camera shook up and down as she walked. I loved the look of the film because it had that earthy, grainy kind of look to it especially with the colors and the tones (reminded me of The Witch). Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer were absolutely awesome in the film as well as Bardem and Lawrence, but they were the highlight because as soon as they showed up that is when all chaos ensues. As far as my overall opinion of the film goes, I am not a huge fan of the agendas of directors so I feel as though that I was mislead by the trailer, but I have to give him credit for stumping me. Besides the camera work, the film was done very well and his use of semantics was on point in this film. That is why I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.

IP Man 4: The Finale (2020)

One of my favorite and most recent martial arts series has been the IP Man films which tells the story and journey of the Grandmaster who taught Bruce Lee everything he knew. The last film challenge I did, I covered the first three films and thought there was no better time than now to check out the fourth and final film IP Man 4: The Grand Finale which was directed by Wilson Yip who has directed all the films in the series. The film once again stars Donnie Yen (IP Man) as the title character, but in this film he has found out some terrible news about his health. At first he rejected an offer to fly to San Francisco to see his most famous pupil Bruce Lee (Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan) compete in a karate tournament. Although with the recent news, he takes Bruce on his offer only to look for schools for his son, but he soon finds out that not everything is kosher in San Francisco. The film also stars Scott Adkins (Ninja: Shadow of a Tear) as Barton Geddes, Vanness Wu (Dragon Squad) as Hartman, Vanda Margraf in her debut role as Wan Yonah, Yue Wu (Journey To The West) as Wan Zong Hua, Chris Collins (The Trough) as Colin Frater, He Ye (Mao Zedong 1949) as IP Ching, Meng Lo (The Grandmaster) as Master Law, and Grace Englert (Philophobia) as Becky.

All of these films are excellent and I have enjoyed every single one of them whether it's 100% true or not. I loved how every film in the series brought someone unique in true Kung Fu style to be the big bad villain in the film. There was Mike Tyson in IP Man 3, Darren Shahlavi in IP Man 2, and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi in the very first film. So who were they going to get to be the big bad in this film? Well at first it seemed like a video game with all the different levels and bosses before you get to the main, but in the end it was Scott Adkins who played a racist Marine who was ultra aggressive and a believer of Karate. All of the fights in the film were unbelievable and amazing, it was so cool to see all of the fight choreography that went into making this film awesome. The fight between Yen and Adkins was absolutely dramatic in every sense and they did it with not just punches, kicks, slams, and breaks, but emotion as well. One huge theme in the film was definitely racism as the Chinese faced it all the time back in the 60's and 70's and this film definitely exposes a lot of it. If you know anything about Bruce Lee then you definitely know that he faced a lot of the racism back in his time which is why he went to Hong Kong to be a Kung Fu star that he would ultimately become. I think you should definitely give this one a watch, it is well worth it. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

Ingrid Goes West (2017)

Sometimes the films I chose for the challenge can be totally random like a lot of the films or they can be planned right from the start like a lot of the films I choose. Nonetheless, I have grown to become a huge fan of independent films due to the creative and artistic freedom that they possess. I had heard a lot of buzz surrounding this week’s film Ingrid Goes West and the fact that it starred Aubrey Plaza (An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn) made it easier to choose. Ingrid Thorburn (Plaza) is not your normal everyday girl who does your normal everyday stuff. You see she has a problem and that is as soon as someone likes or responds to her on Instagram, she becomes instantly obsessed with that person. In fact after a Instagram star (Elizabeth Olsen) responded to her, Ingrid packed up and moved west, but will the Instagram star figure it out or will Ingrid be able to slide right in to her friends list? The film also stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton) as Dan Pinto, Wyatt Russell (Overlord) as Ezra, Billy Magnussen (Game Night) as Nicky, Pom Klementieff (Uncut Gems) as Harley Chung, Meredith Hagner (Horse Girl) as Charlotte, Hannah Pearl Utt (Eat Prey) as Nicole, and the film was directed by Matt Spicer (It’s Not You It’s Me).

Ingrid Goes West is able to take the classic obsession genre of films like Single White Female and it’s able to make it current with the social media aspect. While I believe that everyone in the film did a wonderful job as far as the acting was concerned, I feel that Aubrey Plaza stepped it up big time in this film. She was able to play this vulnerable woman who just wants to be accepted, but can’t help that there is something seriously wrong with her. O’Shea Jackson Jr. is another actor in the film that definitely deserves some props as he went from playing the rough and tough Ice Cube role in Straight Outta Compton to playing this lovable, cool dude who just happens to be obsessed with Batman. It was definitely a role flip for him and I love that because he challenged himself. The film features a bright young cast that could be giving us a preview of the future, maybe? Even if it doesn’t mean that, you still should check out this film because it has so much to offer from the black comedy aspects to the cinematography which is pretty good as well. I thought the ending was going to be pretty dark as it seemed like it was going to end on such a horrific note very reminiscent to what happens today, but luckily we get some sort of a happy ending. The film could be considered to be social commentary on the way things are today and maybe we should look at social media differently. Anyways, I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)

I was looking for something to watch and I figured I would check something out from Disney Plus and I have always been a fan of the Ice Age movies. I know i have seen most of them and I wasn't sure where I left off, but I knew I hadn't seen 2016's Ice Age: Collision Course which is the fifth film in the series and was directed by Michael Thurmeier  and Galen Tan Chu (Ice Age: Continentel Drift). Everyone's favorite gang of prehistoric creatures is back, but their about to have a whole lot of problems all thanks to Scrat who while chasing his Acorn manages to find a spaceship that just happens to set off so many events including an asteroid that is heading to destroy Earth and the gang has to scramble to save it from happening. The film stars Ray Romano (The Irishman) as Manny, Queen Latifah (Chicago) as Ellie, John Leguizamo (Spun) as Sid, Denis Leary (The Amazing Spider-Man) as Diego, Keke Palmer (Hustlers) as Peaches, Adam Devine (Jexi) as Julian, Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers) as Shira, Wanda Sykes (Bad Moms) as Granny, Simon Pegg (Shaun Of The Dead) as Buck, Seann William Scott (American Pie) as Crash, Josh Peck (Spun) as Eddie, Nick Offerman (The Little Hours) as Gavin, Jessie J as Brooke, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) as Shangri Llama,  and Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as Gertie.

I liked some of the cameos in the film like the one done by Neil deGrasse Tyson, but even that couldn't really save the film for me. I definitely loved how they explained how the universe came to be all thanks to Scrat, but I thought the film overall was OK. It had a solid premise and they checked all the boxes of turning points, the hook, subplots, and all that stuff when it comes to the writing, but the film just wasn't as funny as any of the other ones that I had seen. One thing that is for sure is that if it was a Disney movie from the start, it probably would have better, but this is why 20TH Century Fox is no longer a thing. There was definitely a lot of potential for this film because I loved a lot of the subplots and I even loved the voice acting and the animation, but a lot of the stuff just wasn't as funny as previous films. They had a who's who of actors in this film and they all did very well, but there is a reason there is not a number six on the way besides the fact that Disney is probably not interested anyways. I always thought that Ray Romano was always a perfect choice to play a Mastodon thanks to his voice and actually most of them fit their characters pretty well. I know the flying dinosaurs were somewhat a part of the film, but I thought their presence could have been a little more than it was. Too much time spent on Scrat and his space adventures which some were funny and some were meh. I am going to give this one an B- for a final grade.

Teen Spirit (2018)

I decided to do something a little different for today so unfortunately for those of you out there that enjoy it, there will be no Sunday At The Classics this week. Every where you look on Television, there is a singing reality show on almost all the channels from The Voice to American Idol to even niche competitions from Country to rock and rap opes too over the years. The film I chose for today kind of explores this subject matter in 2018's Teen Spirit which was written and directed by Max Minghella (The Social Network). The film stars Elle Fanning (The Neon Demon) as Violet, a shy girl from a small town who dreams of escaping the town by becoming a singer. With the help of an unorthodox mentor (Zlatko Buric) she will enter a singing competition that tests all of your skills as a performer in this new age spin on the old Cinderella story. The film also stars Agnieszka Grochowska (Child 44) as Marla, Archie Madekwe (Midsommar) as Luke, Millie Brady (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) as Anastasia, Vivian Oparah (I May Destroy You) as Kelli, Ria Zmitrowicz (On The Edge) as Hayley, Olive Gray (Home From Home) as Lisa, Rebecca Hall (Professor Marston & The Wonder Women) as Jules, and Daisy Lowe (Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie) as Teen Spirit Host.

I thought the film had a lot of potential to take the story in so many places, but you have to give Max Minghella a lot of credit for at least trying because he was a true auteur where he wrote and directed the film. That means if anything goes wrong with the film then you are full on the person to blame for all of the films failures. There were a lot of subplots in this film that were thrown in and some were just never full explored which was a shame because it would have made the film a little bit better. I definitely thought the film was very well shot and I loved the overall glossy look of it, but going into this I thought it was going to be a different film. I definitely wanted to see more of a grittier or maybe grimier side of the entertainment business and I thought they could have explored more of that angle then just a straight on singing competition combined with teenage stupidity and teen angst. I think that would have taken the film over the top, but maybe next time. I liked the combo of Fanning and Buric because it sort of made them the odd couple where you have this guy who was a famous composer in his time coaching a girl to be a pop singer. That scenario definitely made the film a little bit interesting and I say these things, but I want you to know that I did enjoy it. Would I watch the film again? To be perfectly honest, I probably would not venture into this again because it's a one and done in my opinion. That is why I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.

V For Vendetta (2005)

We are taking a little break from watching Jean-Claude Van Damme films and we are checking out a film that I have been meaning to watch for a while now. Whenever it hits November 5TH on the calendar, my friends are always preaching, "Remember, remember, the fifth of November" which is a reference to the film I chose for today in 2005's V For Vendetta which was directed by James McTeigue (The Raven). It's the future and Great Britain is under tyrannical rule where the government has cut them off from the world, but there is one person who will not stand for it any longer. The mysterious shadowy figure simply known as V (Hugo Weaving) is the one who is challenging the tyranny that is ruining the country and he does it with the help of a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman). The film also stars Stephen Rea (Interview With The Vampire) as Finch, Stephen Fry (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) as Deitrich, John Hurt (The Black Cauldron) as Adam Sutler, Tim Pigott-Smith (Quantum Of Solace) as Creedy, Eddie Marsan (Concussion) as Etheridge, Rupert Graves (Death At A Funeral) as Dominic, Roger Allam (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) as Lewis Prothero, Ben Miles (Ninja Assassin) as Dascomb, John Standing (The Eagle Has Landed) as Lilliman, and Sinéad Cusack (Wrath Of The Titans) as Delia Surridge.

This was a magnificent film and what a lot of people may not realize is that this is technically a comic book movie that was a win for DC Comics as it's based off of the Alan Moore/David Lloyd comic of the same name. It proved that with a great script and a great team behind it you do need to have a film with superheroes and mutants to have it be an excellent film. All of the actors in the film did a terrific job especially Portman, Weaving, John Hurt, and Stephen Fry who played a closeted gay talk show host in the film. The action scenes are amazing and the fight choreography is pretty top notch as well as Weaving is exciting with all of V's moves and contraptions. The film definitely did not let you down as it kept you intrigued from the moment it started to the minute it ended and that again is due to the excellent writing by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. It's crazy to see how popular this film became and how the Guy Fawkes Mask literally took over revolutionist/anarchist culture especially in the US. That is the sign of a film that truly made an impact and it should tell you again how amazing written, acted, edited, and shot it was. The cinematography in this film is great and they did a great job capturing all of the action. That is why the film is joining the elusive A+ club because that is exactly the grade that it's going to get.

Swelter (2014)

So far in this blog, we have seen the Muscles from Brussels Jean-Claude Van Damme (Black Eagle) play the hero, a dramatic role, and a villain. So, I figured for today we would check out one where he played a bank robber in the form of 2014's modern day western style film Swelter which was written and directed by Keith Parmer (Mob Rules). Ten years before, five men tried to successfully rob a casino, but much to their avail their perfect plan fell apart and four of them went to jail. Fast forward the ten years and the four men break out of jail and they want the 10 million dollars they stole, but where is the fifth member? He turns out that he is alive and is living in a town in the middle of the desert where he is the sheriff, but he has no recollection of his past. Well now his past is about to catch up with him when they come looking for him. The film stars Van Damme as Stillman, Lennie James (Fear The Walking Dead) as Sheriff Bishop, Grant Bowler (Guns Akimbo) as Cole, Josh Henderson (Yours, Mine, & Ours) as Boyd, Daniele Favilli (Puncture Wounds) as Kane, Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full Of Grace) as Carmen, Freya Tingley (No Way To Live) as London, Peter Vack (CBGB) as Madsen, Tracey Walter (I Spit On Your Grave) as Old man Henry Johnson, Arie Verveen (The Thin Red Line) as Reverend Joshua Stone, and Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2) as Doc.

I know it's listed as an action, crime, drama film, but this is totally a modern day western with the outlaws that are coming into town and they know a secret. The Sheriff of the town isn't the most popular person in that town because they don't understand him, nut as the film goes on they begin to. The gang comes riding into town and it's an all out western when the sheriff comes looking to end these clowns once and for all. It's just that modern technology is involved and cars replace horses in this film, but their bank robbers looking for the loot and every gang has the one guy whose had enough of the life (Van Damme) and every gang has the fearless leader (Bowler), and the scumbag (Favilli). There definitely wasn't enough of Van Damme, but when he was on screen he was working that old charm of his with the ladies. I liked the gang and some of the characters in the film, but there were some characters that I thought were OK like the two Native American Biker Gang guys. I get it that it's a western so you have to have them, but they just could've had more personality then they did is all I am saying. This was an OK film for Van Damme, it was definitely something different, but the real star of the film was Lennie James who I could have believed would be sheriff in the old wild west. Some of the dialogue and interactions could have been better, they could have explained what happened to some characters, but the cinematography was pretty good. I am going to give the film an C+ for a final grade.

Black Eagle (1988)

So I guess right now I am on this binge of watching the muscles from Brussels and today we are going back to the 80's and we are checking out a film where he plays the villain. The film that I am talking about is 1988's Black Eagle which was directed by Eric Karson (The Octagon). A couple of American fighter jets are shut down over the air space in Malta and these fighter jets contain some very expensive and sought after technology on them that the Russians want to steal. So the CIA decides to send in their best guy Ken Tani (Shô Kosugi) to go in and recover the system before the Russians can get to it, but it won't be an easy job. The film also stars Jean-Claude Van Damme (Wake Of Death) as Andrei, Doran Clark (The Powers Of Matthew Star) as Patricia Parker, Bruce French (Mission: Impossible III) as Father Joseph Bedelia, Vladimir Skomarovsky (Fatal Attraction) as Col. Vladimir Klimenko, William Bassett (House Of 1000 Corpses) as Dean Rickert, Dorota Puzio (People You May Know) as Natasha, Kane Kosugi (Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear) as Brian Tani, Shane Kosugi (Nine Deaths Of The Ninja) as Denny Tani, Joe Quattromani (Helen Of Troy) as Lino, Alfred Mallia (A Fine Romance) as Peter, and Gene Davis (Tales from the Hollywood Hills: A Table at Ciro's) as Steve Henderson.

I just want to be clear about one thing about this film before we go any further and that is that Jean-Claude Van Damme did not lose to Shô Kosugi in this film. Both of the times that they fought, Kosugi would run away from the fight and Van Damme's character suffers a tragic death at the end of the film which once again prove she did not lose. Van Damme's Andrei was actually getting the better of Kosugi's Ken Tani and it was a decent fight between the two of them. I also just remembered something and that towards the end of the second fight, Andrei was shot by a priest which was why he could not chase after Kosugi. If you looked at the VHS cover to this film, it was a big build up of the action star vs the Topfighter and it could have been because Van Damme had just released Bloodsport I believe before this film. That could also be another reason for this film being so low key even to this day, but it was a decent film. There are a lot of things that the guys over at How Did This Get Made could pick apart like the fact that they say that Patricia Parker was a CIA agent who was really good, but in reality at what? Babysitting? Was the government wasting tons of dollars on an official babysitter? The car chase scene was OK, I think the music was a little more dramatic than the actual car chase and the acting was actually pretty good for the most part. I thought it was cool that Kosugi had his two kids in real life (Kane and Shane) play his sons in the film so you know that they didn't really have to act much there. I thought for the most part that Van Damme's weird relationship in the film with Natasha was like alright we get it there's a sexual attraction there, would you just let them hook up? It usually doesn't take Van Damme that long to get laid in a film, but it was right before the second fight that they finally let him. It was a decent film and it's available on Amazon Prime and I am giving the film an B- for a final grade.

Wake Of Death (2004)

If you are wondering then the answer is yes we are doing back to back nights with the muscles from Brussels as we check out another film from my favorite action star. The film that I chose for today is 2004's Wake Of Death which was directed by Philippe Martinez (The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud) and it stars Jean Claude Van Damme (In Hell) as storied club enforcer Ben Archer who has just decided that he is going to hang up the boots and retire from that business. Unfortunately for Ben, his wife works for immigration services and after finding a ship full of refugee Chinese people, she is murdered at home for taking care of a girl who belongs to a drug kingpin. With his wife dead and his son kidnapped, Ben has no other choice, but to seek revenge against those who wronged him and get his son back. The film also stars Lisa King (The Wonderful World Of Disney) as Cynthia Archer, Simon Yam (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life) as Sun Quan, Philip Tan (Kung Pow: Enter The Fist) as Han, Valerie Tian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) as Kim, Tony Schiena (The Merchant Of Venice) as Tony, Anthony Fridjhon (District 9) as Max, Tom Wu (The Gentlemen) as Andy Wang, and Danny Keogh (Invictus) as Hoggins.

The action sequences in this film are actually pretty exciting stuff from the scene in the whore house to the showdown on the boat and even the car chase scene is good. I wished the ending of the motorcycle chase scene was more fulfilling then it was, but it was still good stuff. I was expecting a lot more out of some of the characters in this film, but Phillip Tan and Simon Yam did not disappoint at all in this film as they brought their a games to the film. Their characters were well written and I even loved the angle with the Frenchman who were absolutely nuts in this film. It was a fun sequence, but there was definitely some stuff they could have worked on, but it's action film what more do you want. They obviously didn't have a lot of money to do this film because some of the slow motion sequences were a little meh, but the cinematography and editing were pretty good. I would definitely say that this is an underrated Van Damme film because he is his charismatic self in the film. That is one of the reasons I love him so much because he's amazing when he gets on screen. Which is why I have decided that for a final grade, I am going to give Wake Of Death an B- for a final grade.

In Hell (2003)

I have decided that I am on an Action bender and I need to catch up on my Van Damme filmography and I have seen a lot, but there is also a lot I haven't seen. This time, we are looking at the 2003 action drama In Hell which was directed by Ringo Lam (City On Fire) and it stars Jean Claude Van Damme (Black Water) as Kyle LeBlanc, an American living and working in Russia who one unfaithful night hears his wife being murdered on the phone. As he rushes home to try and save her, it is too late as she has passed away. The man who did the deed is freed and in an act of rage, LeBlanc kills him right in the court house sending him to jail. The only problem is that this is a jail where the warden gets greedy and men are forced to fight including a now broken and crazy LeBlanc who after so many wins is forced to fight the baddest man from a rival jail played by Michael Bailey Smith (The Hills Have Eyes). The film also stars Lawrence Taylor (The Waterboy) as Prisoner 451, Lloyd Battista (Treasure of The Four Crowns) as General Hruschov, Carlos Gómez (Desperado) as Tolik, Manol Manolov (The Black Dahlia) as Ivan, Chris Moir (Hollywood Mom) as Billy, Billy Rieck (NYPD Blue) as Coolhand, Alan Davidson (Rounders) as Malakai, Robert LaSardo (King Of New York) as Usup, and Juan Fernández (The Collector) as Shubka.

With all things considered, this actually wasn't a bad film from the Muscles From Brussels as this was in the era of him looking like he's making hundreds of films. There are some parts of the story that I certainly take issue with and that has more to do with character development especially with Lawrence Taylor. LT for most of the film looks like he doesn't give a crap about anyone, but one scene he enacts some revenge on someone for betraying a friend and its like since when did he care about that character? There were some things that were added that I could have done without like the fact that we knew this bug that flies around is symbolic because it's his wife or at least in his mind he believes that, but then finally after all he has been through the big turns into the ghost of her. Is this all in his head or is this reality and why did we need that? While I thought that they could have hired actual Russians to be in the film, I did like a lot of their selections like LaSardo, Juan Fernández, and some of the other goons that we see like Raicho Vasilev who plays Andrei the first goon of all goons. I wish they had done with him because he was actually good at what he was doing. The cinematography and the editing was well done in the film and while this may not be his best film, this is definitely up there for JCVD. So, I am going to go ahead and give the film an B- for a final grade.

Knock Knock (2015)

At one point in the early to mid 2000's, there was a new group of horror directors that were taking the genre by storm and one of those was Eli Roth who made films like Cabin Fever, Hostel, and The Green Inferno to name a few. So for today's film, I thought I would check out one that Eli both wrote, Produced and directed in 2015's Knock Knock. The film stars Keanu Reeves (The Devil's Advocate) as Evan, an architect, a husband, and a devoted father who has to stay behind thanks to work while the wife and kids go out to the beach home. While a night alone in your home sounds good to most, it's about to get interesting for Evan when he helps out two girls stranded in the rain. What was a kind gesture by Evan, quickly turns into a seductively deadly game of cat and mouse that will make Evan regret what he did. The film also stars Lorenza Izzo (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) as Genesis, Ana de Armas (Hands Of Stone) as Belle, Ignacia Allamand (The Green Inferno) as Karen, Aaron Burns (The Green Inferno) as Lewis, Colleen Camp (Die Hard With A Vengeance) as Vivian, Dan Baily as Jake, Megan Baily as Lisa,  Antonio Quercia (La leyenda de el Crack) as Uber Driver, and Otto as Monkey. 

I had an idea as far as what direction they were going to take in the film just based on the trailer alone and this was a film that so many told me to avoid watching, but I don't understand why. Does it have it's flaws? Sure, it has plenty of flaws contained within it, but I will say one thing and that is Ana de Armas was definitely not one of them. She had me convinced the whole entire film that something was seriously deranged about her and I am not taking anything away from Lorenza, but she just seemed like a follower while Ana was the real messed up one. Some of the dialogue in the beginning of the film was kind of atrocious and I could have done without plenty of it, but it's after the deal is done that I think the film gets better. The girls turn up the intensity on Keanu Reeves and I finally saw some emotion out of the guy that was above what he had done before. There are some pretty intense scenes in the film, but the last sequence of the film has to be one of those that when it's over you're like I was pretty sure that A was going to happen and not B. As good or as bad as you may think the film was, one thing that I was happy about was that Monkey, that adorable French Bulldog was not harmed at all during the film. I would have shut off the film if he had been, but with that being said, watch at your own risk and leisure. I am going to give the film an B- for a for a final grade. 

High School Hellcats (1958)

It's another Sunday in the books which can only mean one thing and that it is another Sunday At The Classics. This is the time when adventure into some of the older films from Hollywood as check out films that were made before 1969 which was considered to be the end of classic Hollywood. I was cruising through Amazon Prime looking for a film when I came across today's title High School Hellcats which was directed by Edward Bernds (The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters) and was released in 1958. The film stars Yvonne Lime (I Was A Teenage Werewolf) as Joyce Martin, a good girl who has just moved into town with her family who just happens to fall in with the bad crowd. You see, she joins a group called the Hellcats which is sort of a sorority at the school to try and feel accepted, but only her new boyfriend and teacher know how dangerous that move can be. The film also stars Brett Halsey (Return Of The Fly) as Mike Landers, Jana Lund (Married Too Young) as Connie Harris, Susanne Sidney (General Electric Theater) as Dolly Crane, Rhoda Williams (Space Master X-7) as Ms. Davis, Robert Anderson (My Friend Flicka) as Police Lt. Manners, Viola Harris (Sex And The City 2) as Linda Martin, and Don Shelton (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) as Roger Martin.

This was the era of the teen angst films where they tried to show you how bad the youth of America could be and believe me the poster you see above is more seductive than the whole entire film itself. This is an example of how the choices you make can impact your future and if you choose to run with the bad crowd then expect the judgement you'll receive from others. Joyce is a good kid that decides to make the wrong choice by becoming a Hellcat, but she was the new kid in town who obviously just wants to be accepted at school. The acting for the most part was pretty good especially from Lime, Halsey, Harris, Lund, and Sidney, but there were a couple of instances like at the party where the director must of been like, "Ok, you've been drinking so just act like you think you would if you drank a lot." Only to have some of the results be OK while others were a little cringe, but it's the 1950's. Other than that, everything else in the film is pretty straightforward as far as subplots and such, but I wish we had more suspense towards the end of the film because a little more buildup would have made it better. The opening scene with the substitute teacher also could have been done a lot better than it was. I think they had in their heads how it should go, but just not well executed. It wasn't a bad film at all, it just needed a little work at times, but with that being said I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.

Thelma & Louise (1991)

With this challenge, I am trying to knock off some titles off of my list that were critically acclaimed films that I never bothered to watch, but I know the iconic scenes. You are going to notice on this blog that there are a lot of those. One of those films on my list was on courtesy of HULU and that was 1991's Thelma & Louise which was directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner). The film stars Susan Sarandon (The Witches Of Eastwick) as Louise and Geena Davis (Tootsie) as Thelma, a couple of girlfriends who decide one weekend that they want to get away from it all to do some fishing and hang out. Those plans come to a screeching halt when Louise murders a man who tried to rape Thelma and now the two are on the run from the cops as they try to make it to Mexico. The film also stars Christopher McDonald (Happy Gilmore) as Darryl, Michael Madsen (Once Upon A Time In Mexico) as Jimmy, Harvey Keitel (Isle Of Dogs) as Hal, Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day) as Max, Brad Pitt (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) as J.D.,  Timothy Carhart (Black Sheep) as Harlan, Lucinda Jenney (Thinner) as Lena, the waitress, Sonny Carl Davis (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) as Albert, and Ken Swofford (The Andromeda Strain) as Major.

This is another film that I waited too long to watch and one of the striking things about this film is that screenwriting. Callie Khouri who is a writer for Nashville among other things gets full credit for the terrific job she did on the film. She set up all the right events like the hook which was Harlan getting shot and then all of the turning points and subplots were just so fluid and the characters she created were awesome from Pitt's appearance as J.D. which was fantastic. This was when Pitt was in his crazy character phase like Kalifornia, etc. and that is essentially why we love Brad Pitt because he's awesome. Sarandon and Davis really carry the ball all the way through this film and to be honest they do not drop it at all. David and Sarandon were amazing with Sarandon having a slight edge even though Davis has some bad ass scenes too. One of my favorite things about this film because it is just as much a driving movie as much as it is a crime drama is that the cinematography is absolutely amazing especially when they get to Arizona. There is some beautiful shots of those beautiful and unique mountains that you can picture when you think of The Grand Canyon and Arizona. It's almost it's own character as they drive across the south and we feel we are on the trip with them. One of the things that bugged me is the scene when they cops are arriving to Darryl's house and it looks like it;'s raining on one side and not the other but you can clearly tell some of it is hoses. Other than that, this is a definitely a film worth checking out especially for the famous hand holding car scene at the end. That is why I am giving the film an A- for a final grade.

Guns Akimbo (2019)

Sometimes being a part of a major franchise can be both a blessing and a curse for an actor or actress where some have prospered with a career outside said franchises while others have perished. Some of the major players to have found careers outside their big breaks were Zac Efron (High School Musical), Robert Pattinson (Twilight), and the man at the center of today's film Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter). The film of his that I chose for today is 2019's Guns Akimbo which is an action comedy that was written and directed by Jason Lei Howden (Deathgasm). Radcliffe plays Miles, a computer programmer who thinks that it's cool to troll people online while drunk inside while the subject matter is of a real life game where people are pinned against each other to the death. To get even on Miles, the creators kidnap him, bolt guns to his hands, and force him to face the best player in the game or they will kill his ex-girlfriend. The film also stars Samara Weaving (Mayhem) as Nix,  Rhys Darby (What We Do In The Shadows) as Glenjamin, Ned Dennehy (Mandy) as Riktor, Mark Rowley (The Last Kingdom) as Dane, Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Hotel Mumbai) as Nova, Grant Bowler (Killer Elite) as Degraves, Racheal Ofori (Artemis Fowl) as Effie, Edwin Wright (Turbo Kid) as Stanton, and Milo Cawthorne (Deathgasm) as Hadley.

This was a bad ass film and I love some of Howden's work cause Deathgasm was a bad ass film in it's own right. This one is taken to a whole other level with all of the bad ass action scenes especially when Samara Weaving is on screen being a total bad ass who snorts drugs to power up like in a video game. I love all the little things that they added in editing like the bullet count in the guns that Miles has and some of the scenes where people are watching has a very Death Race look and feel to it and why shouldn't it since this is almost the same thing. The stories are almost very similar in which there is something to be won, but the forces that be want to keep taking from you to hope that you don't win. I feel a film like this with the right kind of promotion behind it could have done very for itself in the box office cause I feel it had everything action fans would want and Daniel Radcliffe is a name that so many of his fans would show. Hollywood needs to realize that there is great material out there being made, they just need to take a chance and Samara Weaving is proving to be a household name. I have loved her in everything that I have seen her in as she has not disappointed me yet. A part of me is wondering if a sequel is being made because I would love to see them continue the story for sure and with that being said I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade. By the way, Rhys Darby has an awesome cameo as the homeless guy in this film, lots of great stuff there.

Concussion (2015)

Things have definitely changed as far as what is allowed in the National Football League and what is not allowed today as compared to the time when I played football as an young adolescent. When we were out in the football field, it was like we were being trained to be battering rams not knowing the long terms effects that it would have on us. That is why I decided to check out the 2015 film Concussion which was written and directed by Peter Landesman (Parkland). The film stars Will Smith (Bad Boys For Life) as Dr. Bennet Omalu, an accomplished pathologist who discovered a serious condition known as CTE when football players began killing themselves. This is the film about his journey and the long hard road he took to change the culture of football in America. The film also stars Alec Baldwin (Fun With Dick And Jane) as Dr. Julian Bailes, Albert Brooks (Drive) as Dr. Cyril Wecht, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Beyond The Lights) as Prema Mutiso, David Morse (The Green Mile) as Mike Webster, Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket) as Dr. Joseph Maroon, Mike O'Malley (Sully) as Daniel, Eddie Marsan (Vice) as Dr. Steve DeKosky, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Suicide Squad) as Dave Duerson, Luke Wilson (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Roger Goodell, Paul Reiser (Horse Girl) as Dr. Elliot Pellman, and Richard T. Jones (Vantage Point) as Andre Waters. 

The lesson to be learned from this film is that you never mess with science because science proves whether things are wrong or right. There is never usually a question of doubt and the NFL dropped the ball big time when it came to the discovery of CTE as they tried to bury this doctor who discovered it. It's quite shocking to the extent to make sure this guy was never heard or taken serious. He was literally public enemy one who just wanted the NFL to take precautions which they obviously would years later after the senate was on their case. The story was obviously one we have seen before in cinema when the little man takes on the giant corporation and he somehow defeats him like the story of David vs Goliath. It's a classic tale that you could literally compare so many stories to, but this one is heavy because head trauma is a scary thing. I definitely enjoyed Will Smith's acting in this film as he was the star of the show, but I have admit that I did not that was David Morse playing Mike Webster in the film. I did not recognize him at all and that is credit to the make up department. This is definitely a film to check out if you are a fan of films that are based on true stories, a fan of science, and a fan of the NFL which never ceases to amaze me. One thing that I will criticize is that I did not like Luke Wilson as the choice for Roger Goodell. Other than that, I enjoyed it and it's free right now on Tubi so chek it out. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade. 

The Devil's Advocate (1997)

A movie that has always intrigued me since it's release was 1997's The Devil's Advocate and I have no idea why it took me 23 years to watch the film. Nevertheless, I needed something to watch for today and Netflix happened to have the film so I chose it for today. The film stars Keanu Reeves (Toy Story 4) as hot shot young Florida defense attorney Kevin Lomax who has an unbelievable track record in Florida as he has never lost a case in his life. That kind of record garners some attention from the big Apple as Kevin is offered a very well paying job to be the new defense attorney at a high law firm with a high end boss. The only problem is that things may not appear to be what they are as Kevin takes the job and it could cost him everything. The film also stars Al Pacino (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) as John Milton, Charlize Theron (Mad Max Fury Road) as Mary Ann Lomax,  Jeffrey Jones (Mom and Dad Save The World) as Eddie Barzoon, Judith Ivey (Flags Of Our Fathers) as Alice Lomax, Connie Nielsen (The Hunted) as Christabella Andreoli, Craig T. Nelson (The Family Stone) as Alexander Cullen, Tamara Tunie (As The World Turns) as Mrs. Jackie Heath, Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Shaft) as Leamon Heath, Debra Monk (This Is Where I Leave You) as Pam Garrety, George Wyner (Spaceballs) as Meisel, and the film was directed by Taylor Hackford (Ray).

One of the things that hit me really hard for some reason was the scene when Keanu was struggling to get into Charlize's room at the hospital and she cuts her own throat. For some reason and I don't know why, but it just shocked me and made me sad. If you think about it for a minute, they did their job and that is what was great about this film is that it was the total package. The story was so well written that it had me intrigued from the minute it started to the minute it ended. The twist at the end got me really good because I thought the film was over before that happened and I was like where the hell can they go from here? Let me tell you when you see it, they do not disappoint. The other thing that was great about the film was the strength of the performances which was knocked out of the park by Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino who made a great on screen duo in this film. Then there is everyone else that starred int he film that did an amazing job like Charlize Theron who played the right kind of crazy and even Debra Monk as well. This was an excellent film and I can not believe that it took me this long to watch it. Some of the effects were a little cheesy in some parts, but overall it wasn't that bad. That is why I am going to go ahead and give the film an A for a final grade.