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American Graffiti (1973)
8.1
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From director George Lucas (Star Wars) and producer Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), American...
Smokin' Aces (2007)
6.8
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Movie
Mob boss Primo Sparazza has taken out a hefty contract on Buddy "Aces" Israel, a sleazy magician who...
Assassin's
Fear Nothing, Volume 1
8.0
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Fear Nothing tells the story of 28-year-old oddball hero Christopher Snow, who lives in the city of...
p3anut (62 KP) rated Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) in Movies
Jan 16, 2022 (Updated Jan 16, 2022)
In a world of bad video game movies this stands out.
Contains spoilers, click to show
So first off this movie had the basic video game movie flaw of how do we turn a popular game into a live action movie? The overall buddy road trip aspect of this movie was pretty boring. But the comedy and the action is what ultimately saves this movie. This is Jim Carrey in a rare return to form. If there's anyone who could bring eggman to life in a believable way it's him. James Marsdens character is ultimately forgettable (like most.of the human characters) but he does add the heart aspect to this movie and the fact that sonic finally doesn't feel alone. I hope the sequels focus more on world building and less on the live action characters with the exception of Dr robotnic and his Assistant.
David McK (3731 KP) rated Wonder Man in TV
Mar 15, 2026 (Updated Mar 15, 2026)
Ben Kingsley.
Trevor Slattery.
How you respond to how the former plays the latter in Iron Man 3 is, probably, a big part of how you'll react to this latest Marvel offering, with Kingsley reprising his role as Trevor Slatterly in what is essentially a buddy comedy.
Set in Hollywood, this follows aspiring actor Simon Williams who dreams of being cast as the titular Wonder Man in a remake of the 80s movie of the same name, but who also has secret - a secret that, in the world of the series, bars him from every getting an acting job again.
I didn't much care for The Mandarin twist in Iron Man 3, so was initially unsure about this.
It turned out to be better than I was expecting helped, no doubt, by the fact each episode of the 8-part series is only about 30minutes or so long.
Trevor Slattery.
How you respond to how the former plays the latter in Iron Man 3 is, probably, a big part of how you'll react to this latest Marvel offering, with Kingsley reprising his role as Trevor Slatterly in what is essentially a buddy comedy.
Set in Hollywood, this follows aspiring actor Simon Williams who dreams of being cast as the titular Wonder Man in a remake of the 80s movie of the same name, but who also has secret - a secret that, in the world of the series, bars him from every getting an acting job again.
I didn't much care for The Mandarin twist in Iron Man 3, so was initially unsure about this.
It turned out to be better than I was expecting helped, no doubt, by the fact each episode of the 8-part series is only about 30minutes or so long.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Stuber (2019) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
An action comedy that takes you for a ride.
Kumail Nanjiani hits my funny bone… again.
Like no other genre, comedy is highly personal and one person’s comedy gold is another person’s comedy nightmare (“Mrs Brown’s Boys” anyone?). Similarly there are some comedians that I really engage with and others that really irritate. For me, stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani falls into the former category. Although having had bit-part roles in many films over the last ten years, it was his starring role playing… well… basically, himself in “The Big Sick” that first caught my attention. Here he repeats that starring role and delivers a deft performance as the shy and ‘scaredy-cat’ driver making a pick-up he won’t forget in a hurry.
He’s paired here, in an unusual ‘buddy cop’/’not buddy cop’ manner, with “Spectre” bad-guy Dave Bautista, a giant of a man who displays a knack for comic delivery (albeit as the straight man) that I was not expecting.
The seeing-eye Uber man.
Bautista plays cop Vic Manning who is in an obsessive pursuit of bad-guy Oka Tedjo (Iko Uwais). Suffering from increasingly bad eyesight, Manning undergoes laser eye surgery on the very day that the “big tip-off” comes through. Being almost blind, Manning hires (read kidnaps) Stu to be his unwilling partner in a battle that puts Stu as well as Manning’s attractive artist daughter (Natalie Morales) in harm’s way.
There’s comedy to be mined in the blind cop set-up…. it’s similar in some ways to the Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor comedy “See No Evil, Hear No Evil”.
Surprisingly visceral action.
We all know that Bautista can do a good fight scene. That fight onboard a train in “Spectre“, with Daniel Craig‘s Bond, was almost on a par with the famous Connery/Shaw fight in “From Russia With Love”. Here, Bautista gets to brawl with gusto in a few scenes.
In general, the “action” in this “action-comedy” is pretty full-on and entertaining. The opening scenes in particular, with Manning and officer Sara Morris (the ever-watchable Karen Gillan) taking on Tedjo in an upper floor of a high-rise building are exciting and dramatic. This is due in no small part to the acrobatic capabilities of Iko Uwais. (Uwais is an Indonesian champion at the martial art Silat… and it shows).
Slick writing that delivers some great lines.
The script is by Tripper Clancy, with this being his first US film after penning two previous German films. And it really made me laugh a lot, both in terms of some of the set up scenes (one in an animal hospital is particularly funny) and in some of the dialogue. As an example, when pushed to the limit of his stress, Stu wails “So I’m gonna have to get cheap student therapists who quote white guys with Indian names and tell me that I should meditate. I…DO…MEDITATE!!!!”.
Also top-notch is the use of music in the film. A use of the Hollies classic “Air that I breathe” during the above mentioned Animal Hospital scene was brilliant.
Summary
Comedies need to make me laugh. This one did. Repeatedly. It even made the illustrious Mrs Movie Man laugh too. Repeatedly. As such “Stuber” comes with a “recommended” from me.
Like no other genre, comedy is highly personal and one person’s comedy gold is another person’s comedy nightmare (“Mrs Brown’s Boys” anyone?). Similarly there are some comedians that I really engage with and others that really irritate. For me, stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani falls into the former category. Although having had bit-part roles in many films over the last ten years, it was his starring role playing… well… basically, himself in “The Big Sick” that first caught my attention. Here he repeats that starring role and delivers a deft performance as the shy and ‘scaredy-cat’ driver making a pick-up he won’t forget in a hurry.
He’s paired here, in an unusual ‘buddy cop’/’not buddy cop’ manner, with “Spectre” bad-guy Dave Bautista, a giant of a man who displays a knack for comic delivery (albeit as the straight man) that I was not expecting.
The seeing-eye Uber man.
Bautista plays cop Vic Manning who is in an obsessive pursuit of bad-guy Oka Tedjo (Iko Uwais). Suffering from increasingly bad eyesight, Manning undergoes laser eye surgery on the very day that the “big tip-off” comes through. Being almost blind, Manning hires (read kidnaps) Stu to be his unwilling partner in a battle that puts Stu as well as Manning’s attractive artist daughter (Natalie Morales) in harm’s way.
There’s comedy to be mined in the blind cop set-up…. it’s similar in some ways to the Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor comedy “See No Evil, Hear No Evil”.
Surprisingly visceral action.
We all know that Bautista can do a good fight scene. That fight onboard a train in “Spectre“, with Daniel Craig‘s Bond, was almost on a par with the famous Connery/Shaw fight in “From Russia With Love”. Here, Bautista gets to brawl with gusto in a few scenes.
In general, the “action” in this “action-comedy” is pretty full-on and entertaining. The opening scenes in particular, with Manning and officer Sara Morris (the ever-watchable Karen Gillan) taking on Tedjo in an upper floor of a high-rise building are exciting and dramatic. This is due in no small part to the acrobatic capabilities of Iko Uwais. (Uwais is an Indonesian champion at the martial art Silat… and it shows).
Slick writing that delivers some great lines.
The script is by Tripper Clancy, with this being his first US film after penning two previous German films. And it really made me laugh a lot, both in terms of some of the set up scenes (one in an animal hospital is particularly funny) and in some of the dialogue. As an example, when pushed to the limit of his stress, Stu wails “So I’m gonna have to get cheap student therapists who quote white guys with Indian names and tell me that I should meditate. I…DO…MEDITATE!!!!”.
Also top-notch is the use of music in the film. A use of the Hollies classic “Air that I breathe” during the above mentioned Animal Hospital scene was brilliant.
Summary
Comedies need to make me laugh. This one did. Repeatedly. It even made the illustrious Mrs Movie Man laugh too. Repeatedly. As such “Stuber” comes with a “recommended” from me.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Bad Boys for Life (2020) in Movies
Jan 23, 2020
Creaky buddy-cop sequel does feel a bit like a prison sentence. Any film calling itself 'Bad Boys' which opens with one of the 'boys' rushing to the birth of their grandchild likely has serious self-awareness issues, and it proves to be the case here. The same kind of schtick as in the other two films - Smith and Lawrence squabble a lot, shoot people, quietly actually really love each other, etc, etc. Though it has to be said that this film does favour Smith fairly blatantly (one wonders how the salaries of the two stars compare).
Putting a film this dumb, vacuous and mechanical out in January really does throw the weaknesses in its construction into sharp relief: it basically goes comedy bit, action bit, sentimental character bit, comedy bit (and so on) for two hours and then stops. Easy on the eye, but makes one of the Lethal Weapon sequels look like a classy piece of work. I would say at least it's not a Michael Bay movie, but the Prince of Darkness turns up in a cameo acting role. Scrapes an extra star for the odd vaguely funny line and one genuinely startling plot development, but the rest of it is deeply crass and equally predictable.
Putting a film this dumb, vacuous and mechanical out in January really does throw the weaknesses in its construction into sharp relief: it basically goes comedy bit, action bit, sentimental character bit, comedy bit (and so on) for two hours and then stops. Easy on the eye, but makes one of the Lethal Weapon sequels look like a classy piece of work. I would say at least it's not a Michael Bay movie, but the Prince of Darkness turns up in a cameo acting role. Scrapes an extra star for the odd vaguely funny line and one genuinely startling plot development, but the rest of it is deeply crass and equally predictable.
The Dog
Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2014 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR...
Darren (1599 KP) rated 48 HRS (1982) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: 48 Hrs starts as Ganz (Remar) gets broken out of jail while on work detail by Billy Bear (Landham), he heads off to clean up old debts leaving cops bodies in his path of destruction. It doesn’t take long for Ganz to clash with detective Jack Cates (Nolte), where Ganz forces Jack into a difficult situation.
Jack must go to prisoner Reggie Hammond (Murphy) a wise cracking con man to help track down Ganz using his street knowledge. In what is an unlikely partnership turns into something special as the two find a way to get to the bottom of the crime.
Thoughts on 48 Hrs
Characters – Jack Cates is a grizzled cop, he gets the job done with his experience keeping him in high regard. He must stop the killer using criminal Reggie Hammond as the best chance to catch this killer. Reggie Hammond is a criminal near the end of his stint in jail, he is wise-cracking fast-talking meaning he can bullshit his way out of any situation he finds himself in. He uses this chance of time out of jail to settle a few scores. Elaine is the girlfriend of Jack who is tired of not making things serious between the two. Ganz is the killer on the loose, after his break from prison, he has a short-temper which causes his itchy trigger finger to fire on any enemy he comes across.
Performances – Nick Nolte is a great choice for a seemingly warn down cop, he takes the non-sense style needed for the role and goes with it. Eddie Murphy was one of the most popular stand-up comedians at the time, this was his film debut and he handed it very well, bringing his own energy to the role which could have been something we have seen before. James Remar is good as a villain because it is a character we have seen before, but he really convinces in this role. There is a negative here, that is Annette O’Toole, which to be fair isn’t her fault because the character is written so poorly
Story – The story follows a cop and a criminal work together to stop another criminal, yes this is a buddy cop movie. We have unlikely partnership which must work together to get the common goal. This is a story we have seen plenty of times since and it seems to be a hit or miss through the years, but this does keep things simple enough to enjoy not looking to throw us any surprises along the way.
Action/Crime/Comedy – The action is by the book for cops and criminals, nothing is over the top and mostly comes off like you would expect. The crime world is the cop needing to work with the criminal that is the best chance to catch a cop killer. The comedy comes from the odd pairing that must work together.
Settings – The film is set in San Francisco which always seems to be a great location for any crime comedy world to unfold.
Scene of the Movie – Settle this with fists.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Ganz seems a lot easier to catch.
Final Thoughts – This is a good buddy comedy that bought us Eddie Murphy to the big screen. We get the action and comedy without being buried with one too often and most importantly we are entertained.
Overall: Great fun action comedy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/05/26/franchise-weekend-48-hrs-1982/
Jack must go to prisoner Reggie Hammond (Murphy) a wise cracking con man to help track down Ganz using his street knowledge. In what is an unlikely partnership turns into something special as the two find a way to get to the bottom of the crime.
Thoughts on 48 Hrs
Characters – Jack Cates is a grizzled cop, he gets the job done with his experience keeping him in high regard. He must stop the killer using criminal Reggie Hammond as the best chance to catch this killer. Reggie Hammond is a criminal near the end of his stint in jail, he is wise-cracking fast-talking meaning he can bullshit his way out of any situation he finds himself in. He uses this chance of time out of jail to settle a few scores. Elaine is the girlfriend of Jack who is tired of not making things serious between the two. Ganz is the killer on the loose, after his break from prison, he has a short-temper which causes his itchy trigger finger to fire on any enemy he comes across.
Performances – Nick Nolte is a great choice for a seemingly warn down cop, he takes the non-sense style needed for the role and goes with it. Eddie Murphy was one of the most popular stand-up comedians at the time, this was his film debut and he handed it very well, bringing his own energy to the role which could have been something we have seen before. James Remar is good as a villain because it is a character we have seen before, but he really convinces in this role. There is a negative here, that is Annette O’Toole, which to be fair isn’t her fault because the character is written so poorly
Story – The story follows a cop and a criminal work together to stop another criminal, yes this is a buddy cop movie. We have unlikely partnership which must work together to get the common goal. This is a story we have seen plenty of times since and it seems to be a hit or miss through the years, but this does keep things simple enough to enjoy not looking to throw us any surprises along the way.
Action/Crime/Comedy – The action is by the book for cops and criminals, nothing is over the top and mostly comes off like you would expect. The crime world is the cop needing to work with the criminal that is the best chance to catch a cop killer. The comedy comes from the odd pairing that must work together.
Settings – The film is set in San Francisco which always seems to be a great location for any crime comedy world to unfold.
Scene of the Movie – Settle this with fists.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Ganz seems a lot easier to catch.
Final Thoughts – This is a good buddy comedy that bought us Eddie Murphy to the big screen. We get the action and comedy without being buried with one too often and most importantly we are entertained.
Overall: Great fun action comedy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/05/26/franchise-weekend-48-hrs-1982/
Becoming Richard Pryor
Book
A major biography-intimate, gripping, revelatory-of an artist who revolutionized American comedy....