Search

Search only in certain items:

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Direct sequel to 2017s 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'; itself a quasi remake of the 1995 original updating it to a more modern audience in which the cursed game is now a video game cartridge rather than a boardgame.

Anyway, this mainly follows the same characters as in the previous entry but also introduces a few new 'real life' characters into the mix (portrayed by Danny DeVito and Danny Glover), with those characters then also getting sucked into the game.

As before, most of the comedy comes from watching the in-game characters (still portrayed by Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) doing imitations of their 'real life' counterparts, with Jack Black again stealing the show with his imitations!
  
40x40

David McK (3191 KP) rated Lift (2024) in Movies

Mar 21, 2024  
Lift (2024)
Lift (2024)
2024 | Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
6
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Heist movie mainly starring Kevin Hart (in a mostly light hearted role) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the two leads (with room for the likes of Sam Worthington, Jean Reno and Vincent d'Onofrio most noticeably), with the former a master thief and the latter an intelligence agent - each of whom previously fell for the other, when both undercover - who have to put aside their past differences and lead a heist on board an aircraft in flight (hence the double meaning behind the name 'lift'), transporting gold to a terrorist.

I watched this mainly so I could play spot-the-location (some of it being filmed in my home country of Northern Ireland), but have to say it was also better than I was expecting!
  
Ride Along 2 (2016)
Ride Along 2 (2016)
2016 | Action, Comedy
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube reprise their roles in Ride Along 2 which hits theaters this weekend. In the sequel, Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) is a rookie cop seeking to prove his worth as he aspires to become a detective like his soon to be brother-in-law James, played by Ice Cube. After a stakeout to catch a local drug dealer doesn’t go as planned, due to Ben’s meddling, the two stumble upon a flash drive which leads them to Miami to investigate further. Once there, they find themselves facing off with an international drug and gun smuggler (Benjamin Bratt) with the help of tough Miami Detective, Maya Cruz (Olivia Munn).

Fans of the first film will not be disappointed in this sequel to the film which introduced us to the bumbling antics of Ben Barber and the seasoned veteran James Payton. Ride Along 2 succeeds where other “Buddy Cop” movies and sequels have failed in the past. There is great chemistry between Hart and Cube. The film features great comedic timing with the characters, as well as, a healthy amount of dramatic and relatable issues throughout. The jokes are fun, and, at times witty. The humor doesn’t look for the cheap laugh by recycling the same jokes from the previous film. The only real problem with the film is that the plot is too similar to the original in a number of ways. Ben finds himself wanting to prove he deserves to be a cop, not only to himself, but to James, as well.

They find themselves trying to bring down a criminal empire all by the end of the week when Ben is set to marry James’ sister. Despite some of the moments being a bit far-fetched, the film does not rely too many references to the original in order for people to follow along with the story. It can easily stand alone. Fans of the first film, as well, as those who love a good Police themed comedy will enjoy the ride. Hopefully, the Brothers-in-law will return for a third film.
  
40x40

LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies

Jul 5, 2020 (Updated Jul 5, 2020)  
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
If it ain't broke and all that
Reviewed in one sentence -
There's a bit where Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson full on anime punches an ostrich. 6/10





To elaborate slightly - Jumanji: The Next Level isn't quite as fun as it's predecessor, mainly because it's pretty much a strikingly similar re-tread.
It's still a lot of fun with some imaginative set pieces, mostly decent effects, and a strong cast - Karen Gillan once again shows off just how much star quality she has.
It's fairly forgettable, but it's feel good. Kevin Hart spends half the film doing a hauntingly accurate impression of Danny Glover which never stops being amusing, and by the time the films increasingly absurd climax comes around, it's clear that you would have to be a bit of a Grinch to not take something positive away.
  
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
Tenet teaser attached to movie (0 more)
One of the main draws for me to see this movie was that Nolan's @Tenet (2020) teaser trailer was attached. The other was that I haven't seen any movies and wanted to recoup my $20 for my AMC A-List.
This was a standard big, dumb, fun(ish) action film. The stunts were interesting to watch, though unbelievable. In fact, most of them were very similar to M:I6 Fallout's stunts. Hell, this film also had Vanessa Kirby in it.
The story line was predictable, and only slightly amusing. Ryan Reynolds appeared like a wild unicorn and did his Ryan Reynolds thing. Kevin Hart also appeared, and again, was slightly humorous. It was overly long, they should have cut at least half an hour out. The last part was a big ol' ode to the Rock (I will NEVER cease calling him the Rock).
  
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The rock, yes he is pretty badass in this, but he captured the person playing him (no idea how to explain that part lol) well. (1 more)
It was actually quite funny.
Exceeding expectations
All the 4 avatar characters are awesome and well played. You get the sense of the person behind the avatar. I loved Jack Black, whom I usually cannot stand. Kevin Hart was his usual brilliantly funny self, the rock i mentioned in my good bits and Karen Gillan was fabulous!!!
I was sceptical, being a HUGE fan of Jumanji. After they get to the tree house with a little shout out to Alan Parish (which i absolutely loved, melted my heart, felt like something so natural, to give a nod to the comedy legend Robin Williams.) It definitely didn't feel like an insult to the orginal, more like a tribute in a way. I glimspe into where Alan spent all those years.
  
40x40

AJaneClark (3962 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies

Dec 13, 2019 (Updated Dec 13, 2019)  
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
I had hoped for so much more, and yet there I was in the cinema believing I had gone back in time and was watching the very first, and by first I mean The Rock Remake all over again.
Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable enough, and i definitely did not hate it. But i found myself rolling my eyes as the same jokes and gags were repeated and rehashed.
With a great cast, you couldn’t help but wish for something more. As before Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart work well together and bring the characters to light. It didn’t hurt that Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and Rory McCann make appearances and bring their own elements of performance to add to the mix.
It was light and funny, my 10 year old most certainly enjoyed the humorous elements, but it was a sequel that could have been a remake of a remake.
  
40x40

Versusyours (757 KP) Dec 13, 2019 (Updated Dec 13, 2019)

Looking forward to this and the 10 year old in me will love it!!

Central Intelligence (2016)
Central Intelligence (2016)
2016 | Action, Comedy
5
6.9 (22 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Great poster. So-so film.
“Saving the World Takes a Little Hart and a Big Johnson”. I doubt I have ever passed a film poster before and dissolved into paroxysms of mirth, so this film at least wins one award with me.
The story is pretty inconsequential, and used as a framework to build set pieces around. Kevin Hart (“Ride Along”) plays Calvin Joyner – the life and soul of his high school and the guy voted ‘Most likely to succeed’. He’s also a nice guy, sensitively covering the modesty of overweight loser Robbie Wheirdicht (a good Dwayne Johnson lookalike actually played by internet wedding-dance sensation Sione Kelepi) after he’s been ridiculed by bullies in front of the whole school.

But sometimes life doesn’t go to plan and twenty year’s later Calvin may have married his high school sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet) but has ended up in a low-level forensic accountancy job and not where he wants to be.

Robbie on the other hand has transformed his life and physique to become Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson), a man with a ‘certain set of skills’ and, as it turns out, a rogue CIA operative. Bob is on the trail of financial codes to help identify the location of the traitorous ‘Black Badger’ who killed his long-term partner Stanton (Aaron Paul). But the Black Badger could be anyone, and the CIA lead (Amy Ryan) suspects it might actually be Stone. With the stakes rising the inept Joyner needs to make a decision on who to trust and who to fear.

The comedy lead Kevin Hart previously impressed with “Get Hard” and raises a few laughs in this one, notably with his attempt at his signature flip twenty years later than he should have attempted it! Johnson’s character is written to be just plain weird and with Johnson’s limited acting range (think Arnie in “Jingle All The Way”) it’s a performance that is on the outlandish side of bizarre. Together the duo make for a likeable pair but this is a very lightweight comedy and is generally a smile-along rather than a laugh-along. It is also uneven in tone, occasionally straying into highly un-comedic territory: a throat-ripping out scene anyone?

The director is Rawson Marshall Thurber who previously directed the better comedy “Dodgeball” and the far worse “We’re the Millers”. So that should set your expectations.

A fairly ho-hum comedy which might entertain you on a long plane flight but is not worth forking out much cash to rent.