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Gareth von Kallenbach (974 KP) rated Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) in Movies
Jul 31, 2019
Over the top hyperbole is nothing new for the “Fast and the Furious:” franchises as ever since the series shifted gears from Street Racing to action series with the fourth film; the stunts keep getting larger and more outrageous with each offering.
With the 9th film in the series currently filming; the first Spin-Off film “Hobbs and Shaw” has arrived and combines Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), with his rival Shaw (Jason Statham) as they are reluctantly forced to work with one another to stop a deadly viral agent from being unleashed on the world.
The fact that an enhanced individual with a score to settle named Brixton (Idris Elba) is intent on stopping them no matter what leads is pretty much all the plot viewers are going to get as it provides the reason for the cast to race and punch through London and other locales along the way.
The film has some glaring plot holes which are so large you could drive any of the tricked out vehicles the film features through and one in particular seems to over complicate the narrative when it is clear that a certain character that has been monitoring them all along knows the truth and can easily clear things up.
The two stars work well with one another but are not really given much to do other than glare and chest thump with each other early on but as the film goes on they are allowed to display a bit more comedy which does help the film along with a two-hour run time.
The film does have tons of over the top stunts many of which strain plausibility even by action film standards but you know what you are getting into when you sign on and if you are coming to a Fast and Furious film expecting realism than you obviously have not seen any of the prior films in the series.
That being said the finale is absurd and clearly pandering to Dwayne Johnson but it was nice to see some new wrinkles to his character and some diversity to the series added in.
http://sknr.net/2019/07/31/hobbs-and-shaw/
With the 9th film in the series currently filming; the first Spin-Off film “Hobbs and Shaw” has arrived and combines Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), with his rival Shaw (Jason Statham) as they are reluctantly forced to work with one another to stop a deadly viral agent from being unleashed on the world.
The fact that an enhanced individual with a score to settle named Brixton (Idris Elba) is intent on stopping them no matter what leads is pretty much all the plot viewers are going to get as it provides the reason for the cast to race and punch through London and other locales along the way.
The film has some glaring plot holes which are so large you could drive any of the tricked out vehicles the film features through and one in particular seems to over complicate the narrative when it is clear that a certain character that has been monitoring them all along knows the truth and can easily clear things up.
The two stars work well with one another but are not really given much to do other than glare and chest thump with each other early on but as the film goes on they are allowed to display a bit more comedy which does help the film along with a two-hour run time.
The film does have tons of over the top stunts many of which strain plausibility even by action film standards but you know what you are getting into when you sign on and if you are coming to a Fast and Furious film expecting realism than you obviously have not seen any of the prior films in the series.
That being said the finale is absurd and clearly pandering to Dwayne Johnson but it was nice to see some new wrinkles to his character and some diversity to the series added in.
http://sknr.net/2019/07/31/hobbs-and-shaw/
Gareth von Kallenbach (974 KP) rated Bad Teacher (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Recently jilted by the sugar daddy of her dreams apathetic schoolteacher Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) must return to her day job. Just as Elizabeth has settled in to her listless career reality, a single and wealthy substitute teacher (Scott Delacorte played by Justin Timberlake) appears. Elizabeth must now prove that she is the best teacher in the school to win Delecorte’s attention and wallet. However her nemesis the overachieving and oddly bubbly educator, Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch) also has eyes for the new faculty member.
Rounding out the eccentric cast of characters is the shy teacher Lynn Davies (Phyllis Smith), the lazy yet funny gym teacher Russell Gettis (Jason Segel), and the dolphin obsessed principal Wally Snur (John Michael Higgins). Further supporting the leads are a number of up and coming child-actors such as Kaitlyn Dever who plays know-it-all student Shasha Abernathy to crush obsessed sad sack Garrett Tiara (Matthew J. Evans).
Despite the strong cast, “Bad Teacher” will likely become associated with Cameron Diaz who uses her intense and direct comedic strength to shine in the nefarious role. Portrayed by Diaz, the character of Elizabeth comes across as wickedly manipulative yet manages to remain likeable.
But, “Bad Teacher” will not have you gasping for air between fits of laughter. The film has slow moments and a number of letdowns. Among the worst is the lackluster comical styling of Justin Timberlake as Scott Delacorte. While the role is critical to the film’s plot, the character is underdeveloped. Moreover Justin Timberlake does nothing for the part which is an unwelcome shock to audiences who associate his name with some of the funniest moments in recent “Saturday Night Live” history as well as his impressive performance in “The Social Network”.
Brimming with vulgar language and shockingly bold comedic scene choices “Bad Teacher” will surely offend bashful audiences. Still, the film is funnier than “There’s Something About Mary” and the recently disappointing “The Hangover: Part II”.
It is not a slam-dunk but “Bad Teacher” will give audiences some unexpected summer laughs, if they are prepared for the onslaught of vulgarity that this film hinges upon.
Rounding out the eccentric cast of characters is the shy teacher Lynn Davies (Phyllis Smith), the lazy yet funny gym teacher Russell Gettis (Jason Segel), and the dolphin obsessed principal Wally Snur (John Michael Higgins). Further supporting the leads are a number of up and coming child-actors such as Kaitlyn Dever who plays know-it-all student Shasha Abernathy to crush obsessed sad sack Garrett Tiara (Matthew J. Evans).
Despite the strong cast, “Bad Teacher” will likely become associated with Cameron Diaz who uses her intense and direct comedic strength to shine in the nefarious role. Portrayed by Diaz, the character of Elizabeth comes across as wickedly manipulative yet manages to remain likeable.
But, “Bad Teacher” will not have you gasping for air between fits of laughter. The film has slow moments and a number of letdowns. Among the worst is the lackluster comical styling of Justin Timberlake as Scott Delacorte. While the role is critical to the film’s plot, the character is underdeveloped. Moreover Justin Timberlake does nothing for the part which is an unwelcome shock to audiences who associate his name with some of the funniest moments in recent “Saturday Night Live” history as well as his impressive performance in “The Social Network”.
Brimming with vulgar language and shockingly bold comedic scene choices “Bad Teacher” will surely offend bashful audiences. Still, the film is funnier than “There’s Something About Mary” and the recently disappointing “The Hangover: Part II”.
It is not a slam-dunk but “Bad Teacher” will give audiences some unexpected summer laughs, if they are prepared for the onslaught of vulgarity that this film hinges upon.
Gareth von Kallenbach (974 KP) rated The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a criminal defense attorney who works out of his Lincoln Town Car in Los Angeles, hence the title of the movie and book “The Lincoln Lawyer” by Michael Connelly. Mickey defends all kinds of criminals and all he expects from his clients is that they pay him. While he may be a rather shifty lawyer, he is a loving father to his daughter Hayley (Mackenzie Aladjem) and he obviously still cares for her mother Maggie McPherson (Marisa Tomei).
Now although he has many clients, none are really big money clients. That changes one day when Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a rich Beverly Hills playboy, is arrested for assault & attempted rape and he wants Mick to defend him. At first Mick believes that he will be able to easily get his client acquitted, but as he and his investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy) dig deeper, they discovery disturbing information about the case and it’s possible link to another.
In his quest to win the all mighty “Not Guilty” verdict, Mick has many obstacles (both professional and personal) placed before him that he must successfully navigate around, and treachery hiding in the shadows that he must bring into the light or else he may lose more than just a case.
While the entire cast was incredible, Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe gave equally amazing performances (this is especially true for any scene that they were both in). The characters were well-developed, believable and for the most part likable, heck I even liked the biker Eddie (Trace Adkins). The storyline was intriguing with a twist or two that I did not see coming and it also had some very nice humor sprinkled in. I did find that in a few scenes the dialogue seemed to be a bit unnatural for what was going on but it didn’t really detract from the overall scenes in question. Personally I hope this film does well enough that they make a sequel (I believe the book’s sequel is The Reversal) because I would like to see more of these characters in action.
Now although he has many clients, none are really big money clients. That changes one day when Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a rich Beverly Hills playboy, is arrested for assault & attempted rape and he wants Mick to defend him. At first Mick believes that he will be able to easily get his client acquitted, but as he and his investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy) dig deeper, they discovery disturbing information about the case and it’s possible link to another.
In his quest to win the all mighty “Not Guilty” verdict, Mick has many obstacles (both professional and personal) placed before him that he must successfully navigate around, and treachery hiding in the shadows that he must bring into the light or else he may lose more than just a case.
While the entire cast was incredible, Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe gave equally amazing performances (this is especially true for any scene that they were both in). The characters were well-developed, believable and for the most part likable, heck I even liked the biker Eddie (Trace Adkins). The storyline was intriguing with a twist or two that I did not see coming and it also had some very nice humor sprinkled in. I did find that in a few scenes the dialogue seemed to be a bit unnatural for what was going on but it didn’t really detract from the overall scenes in question. Personally I hope this film does well enough that they make a sequel (I believe the book’s sequel is The Reversal) because I would like to see more of these characters in action.
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