Straight Outta Compton

A heartwarming story about 5 gay men living on the streets of inner city Compton, CA.  The year is 1986, the setting is the gang world and the story is courageous.  These five young African American men come together through the trials and tribulations of the most dangerous city in America.  With only one outlet for homosexual, minorities they start an underground knitting club that catches America by storm!  The rest they say, is history!  Seriously, this movie was awesome!  I read a review the other day from an IMDB member who said it was disgusting, pornographic, and was a false depiction of inner city youth.  Not where I'm from yo!  The streets of Palmyra taught me the game!  The acting was excellent, the cast was outstanding especially Eazy-E and Ice Cube.  The story brought back some great memories of discovering this group for the first time in the late 80's and thinking they were the coolest thing ever.  I did have a few problems of what the movie left out.  The 90's war between Dre and Eazy was huge but in the movie they only touched on it for a few minutes.  Also, some of the iconic pictures taken weren't shown when they were getting famous.  Lastly, the story kind of left out a lot of the contributions MC Ren and DJ Yella gave to the group.  It was a little like the Ice Cube and Eazy story.  Apparently the original cut was 3 1/2 hours long so they had to edit some.  So far, this is one of my favorites of 2015 and would recommend it to anyone who thought they were a gangster in the 90's.  Not naming any names, Mark, Jason, Colby, Zach, Hoser!

FYI:  The Jheri Curl wigs used in this film were $15,000 a piece!!!

****1/2

April Fool's Day

Surprise!  you're dead!  Hahaha, Happy April Fool's Day!  Here is an oldie but a goodie that I just re-watched last night.  It was one of my favorites when I was a kid and remember watching it over and over again.  Well my lucky, reluctant wife got to sit through it with me and I am sure she followed it well as her eyes were glued to her phone the entire time.  What I love best about this film is the true 80's blanket that wraps you up and takes you back to your days of youth.  Everything from the clothes, to the language, to the cheese.  Not to mention a young Biff Tannon has a great role in this.  The best part is the twist this movie has and maybe a little played out at this point but in the 80's it was fresh and new.  Basically a group of college kids are invited to "Muffy's" lake home for spring break.  They dont all know each other but all hold some dark secret that will be exposed when the killings begin!  Its a good, fun trip down memory lane and is a must watch if you ask me.  Or is it?  April Fools!

FYI:  This film was titled Horror Party when released in Germany.

****

San Andreas

Look Out!  It's an earthquake!  No wait, its a tsunami!  Wait, scratch that, its a fire!  Hold, nope, its a building collapsing!  Stop, just stop, its everything at once!  Leave it to The Rock, to play in yet another throw away blockbuster.  Don't get me wrong, I really like everything he is in, and secretly have a man crush on him, but damn Dwayne, really?  This natural disaster movie is the same as every other natural disaster movie.  We have key elements that are a core function of these types of movies all complete with unbelievable, unrealistic acts of heroism using boats, planes, helicopters, cars, and pure brute strength.  Here are the automatic characters of every disaster movie:  #1 Daughter of hero who is beyond super street smart having all of the skills to survive any situation without messing up a single hair.  #2 Divorcee rekindling love in the face of disaster.  #3 Young witty kid with all the resources to survive.  #4 Genius professor who knows more than the rest of the world but continues to be a basement dweller until the time is right.  #5 Super human strength and speed to out run any explosions, falling buildings, and debris.  And last but not least, some weak foreigner who gets hurt and slows down the pack.  Tired of my bashing yet?  It wasn't all that bad, if you include cool special effects, some good karma, and the man himself, I would probably watch it again.  As a matter of fact, I will have to along with the rest of you as it will soon be a TBS, TNT, Spike, and AMC run over, and over again.  Give it a shot, it was enjoyable.

FYI:  An actual earthquake professor said most of the disaster in this movie wouldn't or couldn't happen.

***1/2

Entourage

Tune in for the latest wacky adventures of E, Drama, Turtle, Vince and Ari!  These zany cats are at it again with larger than lifestyle, Hollywood shenanigans!  Oh, did you think I was talking about the HBO series?  I was, just a longer, more expensive version that was released in theaters.  I loved the series and kind of liked the movie but it was very unnecessary.  With this amount of pub, they should have just started the series again.  Here are some of the problems I had with this film.  Wayyyy to many cameos, most of which are on set for a mili-second.  The wardrobe director for Drama should be shot!  The plot was a stretched out version of the 1/2 hour show, and no one ever says what real people in real life would say.  I mean, I know its about Hollywood actors but c'mon!  Pudgy little Haley Joel Osment does a pretty good job of making you hate him, and Ari basically steals the show, again.  All in all it was a pretty good easy to watch film but if you didn't like the series you wont like this.  I wouldn't waste anymore than a dollar on it, unless you are going to a special screening at Vince's house.

FYI:  An early Tuesday night screening of this film grossed over $2 million!

**1/2

Cop Car

Leave it up to Bacon to play a PIG!  Cops these days, always getting a bad rap.  Seriously, this sheriff is just trying to take out the trash and ends up with the worst luck.  So he has a bit of a cocaine, illegal gun, and money laundering problem.  What good cop doesn't?  This tale starts off with two 10 year old boys running away from home (who reminded me of Jason and myself long ago) and they run across a cop car, complete with keys and unlocked doors.  They did what any curious young man would do, take it for a joyride!  Well things aren't as easy as these kids planned, especially when they try out the CB, guns, and the gas pedal.  Bacon finds the car missing and goes into a frenzy!  This was an amazingly told story and had a great flow to it.  It becomes pretty tense and really brings you into the story.  You find yourself over-routing for the young boys and get nervous for them at every turn.  This movie really showed how innocence and ignorance can certainly turn the tables on a kid, especially if they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.  There are a few unrealistic parts of the movie and it is always hard for me to put suck a young kid in adult situations having them do just fine, but then again I may just be a grumpy old man.  This was a great movie and I would pay to see it.  Bacon is yet again creepy, and makes me think of Jim Carey from Me, Myself and Irene but nails the part like always.  A must see.

FYI:  The piano score for this movie was written by a 13 year old kid.

*****

These Final Hours

And the Million Dollar Question is:  The end of the world is just hours away, what do you do?  A. Party like a Rockstar?  B.  Church it up and beg for forgiveness in the afterlife?  of C.  Gather up your family and start the executions?  This hidden Netflix gem will help you through these thoughts and possibly give you a good idea of what you will end up doing in the end.  Glad the Bro's pushed me to watch this film sooner than I had planned, it was great!  Set in Australia, the world is mere hours from becoming a ball of fire from the planet killing asteroid headed our way.  Everyone is in pure chaos and the streets are filled with lunatics, rapists, killers, and one saint.  The main character who is on his way to an epic worlds end party fueled with drugs, alcohol, and naked women gets sidetracked to save a little girl from being raped and tortured by some disgusting bottom dwellers.  His moral compass sets in and decides to spend the rest of his life trying to help her.  Of course you can imagine they run into some crazy situations along the way, and where they end up...watch the movie!  After watching this movie I had the discussion of what would you do, and came to the conclusion that the Rockstar parts sounded pretty nice!  Give this one a shot, its well worth it!

FYI:  The drug fueled party scene is how James Franco's house looks every Wednesday night!

**** 

Aloha

Depressed living in Hawaii kind of seems like saying, money doesn't buy happiness.  It just doesn't make any sense!  When you are a movie character without a care in the world, living in the most beautiful place in America, and have a hot chick with job security, you should probably just shut up and live in the moment.  Cameron Crowe has a different opinion with Aloha.  Start off with an all star cast of A Lister's, throw in an amazing setting and you are well on your way to a PG, TBS, every Saturday film.  Here is the scoop;  Cooper, an ex-military man working in the private space sector returns to his glory days in Hawaii to take on a once in a lifetime gig.  Once there he meets up with his old fling, gets confusing feelings and starts to meddle.  Meanwhile he is followed by a military watch dog (Stone) who he falls for but cant quite compete with her moral compass.  The tone of this movie which jumps all over the place, starts to flirt with an ethical message, only to left turn into an anti-climatic half witted love story.  There were some really good scenes, the best is with Cooper and Krasinski and the no word conversation.  It was cinema gold.  Baldwin, Murray, McBride all had good parts but seemed a little thrown together.  I was entertained but not impressed.  Give this one a watch but you will be better off waiting for TV.

FYI:  Emma Stone's character is based on an actual person who's Dad was half Asian, half Hawaiian.

**

Southpaw

Heart warming story about a left-handed accountant in a world of righty's.  This poor pencil pusher cant seem to use his mouse, always gets ink on his hand, and gets tangled in his phone cord day after day.  He dies old and along after a terrible life in the right mans world, southpaw.  What do you think?  Want to see this movie?  Okay, no accountant, but just substitute that for "Boxer", keep him right handed, and throw out the dead old and alone thing and its basically the same movie.  Southpaw was excellent, and Jakey Boy is one hell of an actor.  He played the punchy, dumb-ass really well.  The girl who played his daughter was amazing and Forrest Whitaker effortlessly steals the scenes once again.  There were some holes with this flick, so I am going to give it the old, "The Good, the bad and the ugly".  The good:  Great acting by almost everyone in the film.  It contained boxing!  Good story that was filled with emotions.  The Bad:  When your the world champion with a 47-0 record and start to go broke, just do a damn Wheaties commercial.  Kind of a tired played out story of riches to rags to life lessons learned.  The Ugly:  Why anyone casts .50 Cent in any role known to man is beyond me he sucks.  I would say this is one of my favorites of the year, which is full of good blockbusters so far.  Give it a shot, and remember, these actors have personal trainers, personal chefs, and millions to look that good.  Don't be so hard on yourself like I am.

FYI:  Eminem was initially cast to play the lead in this movie.  THANK GOD that changed!!!!!!!!!

****

Terminator:Genisys

Spoilers!

Ready for this one?  The year is 2026, you are leading the resistance against the machines and ready to win.  Just as you break through the final door, you find out the machines have yet again thrown a killer cyborg to the past to kill your mother.  You then send (again) your father, who doesn't know he is your father to save your mother.  When he arrives in 1984, things aren't as expected and Mom saves Dad along with Terminator numero uno, Ahnold.  Time travel to 2017, where Arnie has been waiting and bam, you are now there too, but you are now a machine :(  Mission #1, take down Sky Net, meet former self to warn, blow up as much as you can, take down the existence of AI.   Whew!!!  Amidst all of the terrible reviews saying this was the worst terminator movie and maybe one of the worst movies made, I have to say I completely disagree!  I thought the amount of action, humor and time travel was really cool and smart.  The throwback scenes where Arnold fights himself from the 80's was awesome.  John Connor is finally played with some conviction, Reese was a bad ass, and I could even stand Sarah Connor which I haven't been able to in the past.  I actually heard one review say that this movie was unrealistic and far fetched?!?!  This is the 5th installment of the damn Terminator, what movie did they watch?  I would actually rate this as my 3rd favorite in the series with 1 & 2 leading the back.  Give it a watch, and remember, I'll be back!

FYI:  There are two more films following this one already green lit

***1/2

Spy

If James Bond, and Chris Farley had a baby you would get SPY!  Sophisticated, intelligent, clumsy and extremely lucky being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Don't let the heavy frame fool ya, McCarthy rocks the shit in this movie!  I didn't expect much from this as her last few movies have been pretty big throw away's.  She has a good shtick, but they all begin to play out the same.  Spy was just the opposite!  This movie had a great funny story line that had a number of hilarious scenes.  McCarthy wasn't the only comic relief in this movie, she was surrounded by the usual tough guys and stuck ups making huge fun of themselves to bring the comic level up another notch.  You know the story, CIA basement dweller and IT nerd gets put out in the field to solve the case of a Nuke being sold.  She has to observe and report but ends up infiltrating the bad guys out of spite.  I have to say that Jason Statham's character was the best, he has literally been killed 87 times as a spy and goes rogue exposing himself as the idiot he is.  Good laugh and light hearted movie that restores my faith in McCarthy!

FYI:  Director Paul Feig said he made this movie because he knew no one would let him direct a real James Bond movie.

****

Last Vegas

The best part of getting older is believing the fact that in your 70's, you and your three best friends from grade school will someday meet up in Vegas for a 20's something weekend.  Be prepared to pack your medications, cash in your pension, and let it all hang out!  The Rolling Stones aint got nothin on these 4 dudes from the Bronx.  It took me a while to check out this film thinking it would be your typical old man buddy film that has tired jokes and shows geriatric dudes in impossible situations.  I was only half right.  This perfectly cast film had me laughing out loud a number of times and was pretty underrated if you ask me.  4 friends who have known each other since 3rd grade all meet up in Vegas for a Bachelor Party weekend.  The groom is Douglas who is marrying a girl half his age.  They decide its not going to be a slot machine, buffet and asleep by 9 sort of trip.  Quoting one of the lines from the movie, "They are going to party like its 1959".  There is some past built up tension between a few of the characters that makes it an actual story and not an old man "Hangover" film.  Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline stole the show!  They had the best lines and their parts were hilarious.  Throw in Turtle from Entourage and it all comes together.  Somewhat predictable and some good cameos made this a light-hearted feel good movie.  I am holding out hope that I can throw a party like these guys in 30 years.

FYI:  All four lead actors have won Oscars

***1/2

The Gallows

Remember back in the day when you would break into your High School and tear shit up?  You know who you are!  How many of those kids around the country do you think were murdered by the ghost of some kid who died there 30 years before?  My guess is a lot!  This eerie tale is a step by step guide put out there by the PTA to deter kids from actually doing any of these criminal acts again.  Let this be a lesson to you, Teachers are fed up, and they aren't going to take it anymore!  So another found footage film, which seems to be the go to norm for any low budget horror film these days.  I really like them but think this could have been just as successful without.  The best part of this movie is that is was written by a kid from Beatrice, Nebraska, who only six years after graduating High School has a major motion picture showing across the US.  GO BIG RED! :)  The story takes place in Beatrice, a small town in NE, where the annual school play is about to take off.  The kicker is, the play is homage to the same play "The Gallows" put on 30 years prior where a kid accidentally died during the show.  Stupid I know, and most likely would never happen, but I have seen dumber things in schools these days.  Well the worst actor of the film is a former football stud who quits the team to play the lead because he likes the drama nerd.  His friends talk him into breaking in and destroying the set so they cant do the play and that's when they meet their doom.  Good twists and some good cheap jump scares.  For a low budget film that grossed 10 times the films budget, I would say it is a success.  Give it a shot, its worth a good fun scare.

FYI:  The lead actress is Kathy Lee and Frank Giffords daughter, a hot girl who seems to be missing her lips???

***

Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation

Impossible airplane stunt, explosion, shoot out, car crash, snipers, computer hacking, more explosions, death, resurrection, motorcycle chase, hot chick, another shoot out, mind blowing climax!  No I wasn't just describing my regular Saturday nights!  Well, Maybe I was at the end there :)  The 5th installment of Ethan Hunts incredible feats against the world of evil.  This franchise just keeps getting better!  Going back after this and watching part one was like taking away technology for a day.  The progression of these films have been outstanding and this installment takes the cake!  First off, I love Tom Cruise.  I will say it over and over again, I have yet to see a bad movie from this guy.  Weird, and a little deranged, yes, but awesome.  And who isn't messed up in Hollywood?  Don't try to give me an example because I will find proof that your wrong. The action and story in this movie was great but to be honest what made it was the comedic writing and delivery from some of the actors.  Especially, with a capital "E", Simon Pegg!  He is a genius and brings this movie together and showing an obvious Tom Cruise following suit.  One of the surprising parts was Rebecca Ferguson, who I never thought was all that hot, even at the beginning of this movie.  As the film went on she became a goddess, and acted quite well.  I think this is a great movie theater flick you wont mind spending the money on.  Take the kids, mine loved it!  This message will self destruct in 5 seconds.

FYI:  Cruise and Pegg did all of their own stunts.

****

Supremacy

Oh how the world works in mysterious ways!  When true evil in the form of a racist bigot, gets released from prison only to go on a murderous, kidnapping rampage minutes later, what do you think happens next?  He meets a wise old black man who changes him all around in one night.  Classic tale of idiocy diminishing before your very eyes due to the fact that the opposite race is not as trashy as you.  I guess the moral of this story is, always overestimate the angry white man, because underneath it all, he is a blubbering pussy.  Now throw in Derek Luke, you know the actor that plays every young black man in almost every movie ever (Boobie Miles).  For the kicker, you may know how much I hate Danny Glover, I really despise him.  He nails it in this movie!  He plays an old broke down man with a bad history and even worse bones.  His movements are painful and facial expressions are priceless.  Overall I liked this flick, it has a touch of made for TV in it at times but the acting was all pretty good.  Apparently it is based on true events which makes it better knowing its not your typical new age exploitation film.  There were some holes, and some highly unbelievable scenes, like when the whitey leader abandons his soldier!  If you cant trust a Neo-Nazi, who can you trust.  Give it a shot, its a Netflix, so its basically free!

FYI:  The real dude got 274 years in Prison for this!

***

Primer

Think you understand time travel?  Well here is your explanation.  Setting a wormhole time contingent lapse through isometric pressures formulating the contained atomic flow of space time continuum.  Therefore pulsating a systematic rendering of anatomic weight/mass formulating an unconsciousness transcendence of proportional retribution.  This will then reconfigure electrodes and bursting atoms creating a simultaneous clone absorbing life-scale time continuum.  Easy huh?  If you understood any of that, and it actually made any type of sense, then run to your Netflix and watch this movie immediately.  When you do, comment on this post and explain it to me please!  This is regarded as one of the most complicated movies of all time, and I agree.  It took over the number one spot from Interstellar.  This was a really well done low budget film!  No real action, and a set that is basically a garage, a storage unit, and a hotel room.  The dialogue is so complex but written so well that it fools you into thinking you actually understand these nerds.  There are many mysteries with this film that I am still pondering like loss of writing skills, what happens to the doubles, where are they in the time line, how did it actually happen????  This is a definite watch about two men that accidentally invent a time machine and within days begin to abuse it.  You can instantly stream it from Netflix, just make sure you are well caffeinated and ready to listen.  After you watch this film check out this site for some explanation,

 http://www.sparknotes.com/mindhut/2013/06/20/primer-understanding-the-most-complicated-sci-fi-movie-ever-made

FYI:  This movie was made for $7000

****

Unfriended

That's not how this works!  That's not how any of this works!  Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, You Tube, Google, Readit, Pinterest, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Evil lurks in your device, escape while you can!!!  Especially when there is a ghost involved!  These little high school cyber bully's get exactly what they deserve!  This was an unexpected gem, and I loved every minute of it!  It was the perfect horror movie for today's youth.  Being a father of two kids, i can tell you that getting the screen out from in front of their face is about as easy as smashing my head through a brick wall.  The kids in this movie are no different and are just as technologically sound as your everyday average kid today.  In this suspense thriller, someone posted an embarrassing video of a high school girl after a party and she ends up killing herself, on a video, online.  Well she is back, with a vengeance!  The entire movie is shot through the computer camera from the group Skype of 5 friends and ends up in a great game of truth or dare.  This was gritty and real and due to the context it didn't matter if the acting was bad, and it wasn't too bad.  I had a lot of fun watching this and was really surprised at how well of a job they did.  This is a definite watch recommendation for me!

FYI:  This entire movie was filmed in one house, with the actors in different rooms for 6 days.

****

Demonic

Ahh, another tale of the old spooky house at the end of the woods!  Why not watch this one?  You have the elements that suck you in as a horror movie fan.  Cool spooky poster, Check!  Evil title, Check!  Taglines that say, "from the Director of The Conjuring" and "Every House has its Secrets!"  Check!  Red flag number one, it has been released in about 12 countries other than this one!  Another red flag may be the fact that Mario Bello is in it.  Although she is easy on the eyes, she has been in some pretty low budget, borderline made for TV types lately.  Frank Grillo is good, but he tends to over act, and the main teen-age characters in this movie were pretty awful actors.  Basically the kids go to this old house hunting for ghosts due to the murder that happened years before.  It just so happens that one of the kids Mom had known the killer.  Why not take him along, it might manifest the spirits enough to tear shit up.  Half found footage, half aftermath film it wasnt that bad.  I enjoyed most of it even with the played out story-line.  The end gives a bit of a twist that is not uncommon, but fits the story.  Some scares but definitely more of a suspense thriller than a horror movie.  Now get your Ouija board and light some candles, its time for a witch hunt!

FYI:  One of the film crew contracted rabies from a bat while filming!

**1/2