Mortdecai (2015)

There was absolutely no rhyme or reason in why I chose the film that I did for today other than who stars in the film. So with that being said, the film that I chose for today was the 2015 comedy Mortdecai. The film stars Johnny Depp (Murder On The Orient Express) as Charlie Mortdecai, an British aristocrat and a shady part time art dealer who lives a certain lavish lifestyle that has gotten him into hot waters with England. You see Charlie owes the government 8 million in back taxes that have not been paid and he agrees to take a job tracking down a once thought to be lost art piece by Goya that could have some information on it that leads it's possessor to millions. The only problem for Charlie is that other people are after this piece too and he'll have to be quick. The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man 3) as Johanna, Paul Bettany (Avengers: Infinity War) as Jock, Ewan McGregor (Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey) as Martland, Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) as Georgina, Jonny Pasvolsky (Picnic At Hanging Rock) as Emil, Michael Culkin (A Very English Scandal) as Sir Graham, Guy Burnet (The Feed) as Maurice, Jeff Goldblum (Deep Cover) as Krampf, Ulrich Thomsen (The Celebration) as Romanov, Paul Whitehouse (Alice Through The Looking Glass) as Spinoza, and the film was directed by David Koepp (Stir Of Echoes).

I actually thought for the most part that the film was a lot of fun and while that might not make the film brilliant, it was enjoyable to sit through for over an hour. I have always been a huge fan of Johnny's and I always have believed that no matter how bad the film, he has rarely ever given a bad performance. I thought the supporting cast was also very helpful in making it what it was, but I was not a fan whatsoever of McGregor's role in the film. I am not entirely sure if that was the point or if I just hated his role altogether, but this was definitely one of my least favorite roles of his. Paul Bettany deserves some credit in this film as he delivers what is his Ponton to the Clouseau like character that Depp plays as the roles almost mirror each other, but the difference is Bettany's character Jock is more loyal and Depps Mortdecai is a little more spineless and they are not cops. I definitely think that without Bettany and Paltrow, I don't think this film would have been that good in the long run, but the film has some fun action and not enough of Jeff Goldblum. That was definitely one of my biggest complaints was that there was not enough Goldblum in this film who you don't even know is in it till it's almost too late. The film is available right now on HULU and while this was not my first choice for the day, I am not entirely disappointed. I am going to give the film an B-/C+ for a final grade.

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)

One of the most iconic villains to ever appear in a comic book could arguably be The Joker with all of his misadventures with the Batman. It was until the 1990's animated series that they would introduce one of the most iconic sidekicks in Harley Quinn. In 2016's Suicide Squad, she had finally hit the big screen with Margot Robbie playing her, but the film was lackluster. Now it's 2020 and she's back with her very own film in Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Things have been rough for one Harley Quinn, she's dealing with a bad break up with the Joker and she kind of has nothing to do, but no one else in Gotham knows this yet. Well after she decides to blow up one of the Joker's favorite spots, the word gets out and now every one is after her. one Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) a.k.a. The Black Mass who is trying to regain a stolen diamond from a young girl. With help from some friends, she'll try everything to stop him from catching and potentially hurting the girl. The film also stars Rosie Perez (White Men Can't Jump) as Renee Montoya, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane) as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Underground) as Black Canary, Ella Jay Basco (Veep) as Cassandra Cain, Chris Messina (Argo) as Victor Zsasz, Steven Williams (Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday) as Captain Erickson, Ali Wong (American Housewife) as Ellen Yee, and the film was directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs).

I went into this film with very low expectations and I left a pretty happy person. I truly felt like this is what Suicide Squad should have been because this is a way better film. The movie was a lot of fun to watch as Harley Quinn broke everything down herself as she narrates the film. I definitely loved the fact that it sort of continues right where Suicide Squad ended or at least that is where it seems like it takes off from. The only thing that I ask is where the hell is the Batman when all of this crap is happening right in Gotham. I mean you have one guy cutting off people's faces and he just keeps doing it without any worries of the Batman. Other than that, I loved all of the action in the film, but what is Warner Brothers deal with doing the slowmotion thing all the time? I get that they want to emphasize the action and the power of those actions, but they went a little overboard. I definitely loved the freedom they had in this film to swear and do all sorts of things that other films have not been able to do. It was just a fun action adventure with one of the craziest gals in Gotham City and I am going to say here and that is I am hoping for a sequel because I believe in more adventures of Harley and her gang of misfits. There were several nods to the comics from all the different costumes like the animated series outfit or The New 52 Harley Quinn on roller skates as well as some pop culture stuff like the Madonna video that they interrupted. I am going to give the film a grade that is somewhere between A-/B+ because this is worth checking out.