I just finished "Central Intelligence". I'm on a roll! Third movie in just over a day!

Well....actually I have the flu. Almost all better, though! And it did give me chance to watch some movies.

"Central Intelligence", while not bad, is a mish-mash of styles. One thing you should know is that this movie was executive-produced by Steve Mnuchin, who either is or will be our next Secretary of the Treasury. Political parallels abound!

For instance, you never really know who the good guys are in this movie. Well, you do THINK you know but you're not really sure. Same with Mnuchin - he was appointed by a Cheetos-complected dude that I am not sure is a good guy or not. I hope he is a good guy, but the jury's still out.

The Rock, however, brings his Franchise Viagra to this one. He's great!

The Kevin Hart is pretty good, too. Most movie roles that The Kevin Hart takes are not all that good, mainly because they cast The Kevin Hart as some kind of wise-cracking moron. But in this movie, The Kevin Hart is mainly the straight man for The Rock. And The Rock is funny! This makes The Kevin Hart funnier, too.

If you watch "Real Husbands of Hollywood" - and you should be, it's the funniest show on TV! - you notice the same thing. The Kevin Hart is played off of as the straight man at least half the time, which makes JB Smoove and Nick Cannon and even Robin Thicke funnier. Which in turn amplifies the funny lines that The Kevin Hart delivers. NOTE! JB Smoove, Nick Cannon and even Robin Thicke are not The JB Smoove, The Nick Cannon and even The Robin Thicke because they are not in a movie with The Rock. You only become The Anybody by associating yourself with The Rock.

The movie starts off in 1996, where The Jason Bateman and some other bullies make fun of The Rock, who at the time was fat and timid. While the rest of the entire school is enjoying the last assembly of their lives, which is honoring The Kevin Hart for being the greatest student/athlete/human ever to attend said school, The Rock is dancing in the shower. The Jason Bateman and his cronies mug The Rock and throw him out onto the gym floor, in front of the entire student body. He's naked. The Kevin Hart is appalled and gives The Rock his letterman's jacket to cover up with.

Fast forward 20 years later and The Rock connects with The Kevin Hart on Facebook, although now he has a new name, so The Kevin Hart doesn't know exactly who this "Bob Stone" guy is until The Rock tells him, "Hey, it's me - that fat kid whose name used to be Bob Weirdich" (say it out loud, you'll get it). They meet at a bar where The Rock ultimately subdues about 6 thugs who try to take The Rock's chair. The Kevin Hart is impressed!

The Rock plays it over-the-top, almost as a child whose attention span ends within one second, which is also about as far into the future that he ever thinks about. But of course, The Rock probably knows what he's doing.

And what he's doing is reeling The Kevin Hart into a CIA conspiracy that deals with....oh, it doesn't matter. It could deal with next year's prime time lineup on The CW and it would be just fine. Suffice to say that The Rock tells The Kevin Hart that it's up to them to save the world.

This is complicated by the real CIA always trying to arrest and kill The Rock. They are spectacularly unsuccessful in most of those attempts.

Lots of mildy-to-wildly funny things happen, and The Rock and The Kevin Hart end up saving the world. Then they go to their high school class's 20-year reunion, where The Rock meets up with the girl he had a high school crush on, played by an uncredited The Melissa McCarthy. Casting The Melissa McCarthy in a movie is always potentially cool but, as with pretty much every movie she's ever been in save and except for "Spy", her talents are not fully utilized. At least in this movie they didn't make The Melissa McCarthy a completely unlikable character like she was in "Tammy"; "Identity Thief"; "The Boss"; and I assume all of her movies that I didn't see.

I've got it! Here is the cast of the perfect movie:

LEAD MALE - The Rock
LEAD FEMALE - Jessica Alba
SUPPORTING MALE - Arnold Schwarzenegger
SUPPORTING FEMALE - A likable Melissa McCarthy

You could put those actors in ANY script and it would be a winner!

Someone call the Head Cheeto in Charge and tell him Mnuchin is resigning. He has a movie to executive produce with me!

"Central Intelligence" gets 3 Unicorns out of 5 Unicorns. It makes sense if you watch the movie.

Feel better, Rodeo!

djThunderfunk said:

Feel better, Rodeo!

Thank you! I'm hoping to be 100% tomorrow. Thanks again!

Suicide Squad (2016)

What a mess--one of the worst superhero movies I've seen in a long time. 1.5/5

Guys do you like The Help 2011 film? to me is a great film, the is a scene that makes me cry every time i watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq6UgU6tSXA

214 said:

Jim: The James Foley Story (2016) - An in-depth look at the life and work of American journalist James Foley, who was killed by ISIS terrorists in 2014.

The accounts from former captives about their experiences inside the ISIS prison were especially harrowing. 3.5/5

[Edited 2/13/17 8:53am]

djThunderfunk said:

damosuzuki said:

blow out (1981) - i tend to revisit brian de palma's 'remake' of blow-up far more often than i watch the original. i'd never say it's a better film, but i do think it's really great, filled with memorable images & moments. 4.5/5.

I would say Blow Out is better than Blow Up. Much better.

I would say the opposite. Jane Birkin, The Yarbirds and London--Blow-Up wins.

damosuzuki said:

RodeoSchro said:

EmmaMcG said:

RodeoSchro said:

I just finished "Central Intelligence". I'm on a roll! Third movie in just over a day!

Well....actually I have the flu. Almost all better, though! And it did give me chance to watch some movies.

"Central Intelligence", while not bad, is a mish-mash of styles. One thing you should know is that this movie was executive-produced by Steve Mnuchin, who either is or will be our next Secretary of the Treasury. Political parallels abound!

For instance, you never really know who the good guys are in this movie. Well, you do THINK you know but you're not really sure. Same with Mnuchin - he was appointed by a Cheetos-complected dude that I am not sure is a good guy or not. I hope he is a good guy, but the jury's still out.

The Rock, however, brings his Franchise Viagra to this one. He's great!

The Kevin Hart is pretty good, too. Most movie roles that The Kevin Hart takes are not all that good, mainly because they cast The Kevin Hart as some kind of wise-cracking moron. But in this movie, The Kevin Hart is mainly the straight man for The Rock. And The Rock is funny! This makes The Kevin Hart funnier, too.

If you watch "Real Husbands of Hollywood" - and you should be, it's the funniest show on TV! - you notice the same thing. The Kevin Hart is played off of as the straight man at least half the time, which makes JB Smoove and Nick Cannon and even Robin Thicke funnier. Which in turn amplifies the funny lines that The Kevin Hart delivers. NOTE! JB Smoove, Nick Cannon and even Robin Thicke are not The JB Smoove, The Nick Cannon and even The Robin Thicke because they are not in a movie with The Rock. You only become The Anybody by associating yourself with The Rock.

The movie starts off in 1996, where The Jason Bateman and some other bullies make fun of The Rock, who at the time was fat and timid. While the rest of the entire school is enjoying the last assembly of their lives, which is honoring The Kevin Hart for being the greatest student/athlete/human ever to attend said school, The Rock is dancing in the shower. The Jason Bateman and his cronies mug The Rock and throw him out onto the gym floor, in front of the entire student body. He's naked. The Kevin Hart is appalled and gives The Rock his letterman's jacket to cover up with.

Fast forward 20 years later and The Rock connects with The Kevin Hart on Facebook, although now he has a new name, so The Kevin Hart doesn't know exactly who this "Bob Stone" guy is until The Rock tells him, "Hey, it's me - that fat kid whose name used to be Bob Weirdich" (say it out loud, you'll get it). They meet at a bar where The Rock ultimately subdues about 6 thugs who try to take The Rock's chair. The Kevin Hart is impressed!

The Rock plays it over-the-top, almost as a child whose attention span ends within one second, which is also about as far into the future that he ever thinks about. But of course, The Rock probably knows what he's doing.

And what he's doing is reeling The Kevin Hart into a CIA conspiracy that deals with....oh, it doesn't matter. It could deal with next year's prime time lineup on The CW and it would be just fine. Suffice to say that The Rock tells The Kevin Hart that it's up to them to save the world.

This is complicated by the real CIA always trying to arrest and kill The Rock. They are spectacularly unsuccessful in most of those attempts.

Lots of mildy-to-wildly funny things happen, and The Rock and The Kevin Hart end up saving the world. Then they go to their high school class's 20-year reunion, where The Rock meets up with the girl he had a high school crush on, played by an uncredited The Melissa McCarthy. Casting The Melissa McCarthy in a movie is always potentially cool but, as with pretty much every movie she's ever been in save and except for "Spy", her talents are not fully utilized. At least in this movie they didn't make The Melissa McCarthy a completely unlikable character like she was in "Tammy"; "Identity Thief"; "The Boss"; and I assume all of her movies that I didn't see.

I've got it! Here is the cast of the perfect movie:

LEAD MALE - The Rock
LEAD FEMALE - Jessica Alba
SUPPORTING MALE - Arnold Schwarzenegger
SUPPORTING FEMALE - A likable Melissa McCarthy

You could put those actors in ANY script and it would be a winner!

Someone call the Head Cheeto in Charge and tell him Mnuchin is resigning. He has a movie to executive produce with me!

"Central Intelligence" gets 3 Unicorns out of 5 Unicorns. It makes sense if you watch the movie.

The Rock as a lead and Arnold Schwarzenegger only in a supporting role??? Melissa Mccarthy anywhere near the project??? That's what you call the perfect movie cast? I think that flu is messing your head. Plenty of bed rest hot drinks.

Yeah, I have to face reality. The Rock is young(ish), and Arnold is not. But Arnold can pull off a supporting role. He's awesome in the Expendables movies!

Note I said a likable Melissa McCarthy. That's the key. Did you see "Spy"? She's great in that! When they don't make her a b****, she is funnier than anyone else IMHO. Unfortunately, she's played a b**** in pretty much every movie she's been in (that I have seen) except for "Spy" and "Bridesmaid".

bad timing (1980) - a film executive described nicolas roeg's fifth film as a 'sick movie made by sick people for sick people' and it's not too hard to see why it provoked that reaction. a relationship drama punctuated with some truly raw moments, it has an ending with behaviors & actions that are believable & awful. it's an achievement of some kind, but it will probably leave you feeling bad about having seen it.

[Edited 2/13/17 11:50am]

EmmaMcG said:

damosuzuki said:

it was this movie more than anything else that kept me from following through on watching every oscar nominee. i just don't have it in me to endure 161 minutes of grinding monotony. hats off to you for taking a bullet.

If you haven't seen it, how do you know it's monotonous? Perhaps you'd like it?

absolutely right, i can't completely dismiss it, and if it does pop up on a streaming service, i'll probably give it a chance.

.

this is just a short-term dismissal. when i was considering take a shot at watching all oscar-nominated films & i took a long, hard look at what I would have to get through, and i considered the reviews i'd heard from the critics i follow (even the positive ones made it sound like a slog), & my own generally indifferent reactions to most of scorcese's recent epics (even the departed), i tapped out.

[Edited 2/13/17 11:34am]

sexton said:

djThunderfunk said:

I would say Blow Out is better than Blow Up. Much better.

I would say the opposite. Jane Birkin, The Yarbirds and London--Blow-Up wins.

blow out is a really good thriller, but i think of blow up as an film that captures a scene perfectly & played a big part in defining an era that i really love, so it just means much more to me.

[Edited 2/13/17 11:43am]

sexton said:

djThunderfunk said:

I would say Blow Out is better than Blow Up. Much better.

I would say the opposite. Jane Birkin, The Yarbirds and London--Blow-Up wins.

damosuzuki said:

damosuzuki said:

sexton said:

I would say the opposite. Jane Birkin, The Yarbirds and London--Blow-Up wins.

blow out is a really good thriller, but i think of blow up as an film that captures a scene perfectly & played a big part in defining an era that i really love, so it just means much more to me.

[Edited 2/13/17 11:43am]

Fair enough. I'm an "audio-head" myself so the redo with sound rather pictures strikes a chord with me.

Split 3.5 / 10

Academy Award-Nominated Animated Short Films 2017:

Borrowed Time (2015) - A weathered Sheriff returns to the remains of an accident he has spent a lifetime trying to forget. With each step forward, the memories come flooding back. Faced with his mistake once again, he must find the strength to carry on. 3.5/5

Pearl (2016) - Set inside their home, a beloved hatchback, Pearl follows a girl and her dad as they crisscross the country chasing their dreams. 3/5

Piper (2016) - A mother bird tries to teach her little one how to find food by herself. In the process, she encounters a traumatic experience that she must overcome in order to survive. 4/5

Blind Vaysha (2016) - From the moment she was born, Vaysha was a very special girl. With her left eye she can only see into the past, and with her right she can only see the future. 3.5/5

Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016) - The brutally honest story of Robert's turbulent relationship with a self-destructive, yet charismatic friend from childhood, who cries out for help from a military hospital in China and sets Rob on a wild ride to get him home to Vancouver. 3.5/5

my best fiend (1999) werner herzog's documentary on his relationship with klaus kinski.

.

while shooting fitzcarraldo in peru, klaus kinski's behavior was so erratic & disruptive & violent that one of the native peruvians working on the film went to herzog and offered to kill kinski as a favour.

.

3.5/5

A Monster Calls 5 / 10

The Revenant

4 outta 5 stars. Cinematography was on point. Performances were on point. Direction was
on point. Score was on point.

But the story is old hat.

Old hat?

I saw Manchester again on a date.

It holds up well, and as much as I hate to admit this, Casey Affleck was better than anyone in movies in 2016 not named Viola Davis.

Signs (2002) gets 4 out of 4 stars: ****

I've always enjoyed M. Night Shyamalan movies. This film earns its worth for praise because of the two youngsters who play Mel Gibbon's children. Morgan and Bo, played by Roy Culkin and Abigall Breslin. More than that Shyamalan brings movements of levity in a story for which the main characters have been traumatized. Signs, is defiantly a nod to the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchock.

Toni Erdmann (2016) - A practical joking father tries to reconnect with his hard working daughter by creating an outrageous alter ego and posing as her CEO's life coach.

A late addition to my top ten films of 2016--and a much better 160+ minute viewing experience than Scorsese's Silence. The birthday party scene is a must-watch. 4.5/5

An American remake starring Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wiig is already planned. Ugh.

The Great Wall 6.5 / 10