Tag Archives: Ike Barinholtz

Crime, Fantasy, No Spoiler Reviews, Sci-Fi

BRIGHT (2017): The Things I Liked…

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Bright (2017), Edgar Ramirez
Bright (2017), Edgar Ramirez

Directed by David Ayer (End Of Watch (2012) and starring Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace and Edgar Ramirez, Bright is a buddy/cop movie set in a world where humans live alongside fantasy creatures. It’s also a film that isn’t quite all I wished it to be.

The issues I have with Bright start with the story. Perhaps the fact of fantasy and sci-fi not being my go-to genres has something to do with it but I just didn’t fully buy into the world the story occupies. I’m not even sure that the truth of how Orcs, elves, fairies and humans came to co-exist in LA let alone planet Earth was properly explained.

Then there’s the fact that due to pacing and one or two other unfortunate factors, the movie did’t get particularly interesting for me until ‘the cop shooting’ that happens approximately forty minutes in. Even then, I still found myself thinking about how much more I enjoyed End Of Watch, especially the story and co-star chemistry.

I’m certainly not saying that I think Bright is all bad – because if it were, I’d have stopped watching long before the end – the way I recently did with A Bad Mom’s Christmas (2017). The things I did enjoy about Ayer’s movie start with the vibrant graffiti in the opening sequence, followed by the impressive Orc prosthetics. Then there’s Noomi Rapace’s villain character; particularly the way she fought and dressed. Last but in no way least, I rather liked how well Edgar Ramirez wore his elf/vampire look. It was very much a greater highlight than expected.

A thought that entered my mind soon after I hit ‘play,’ ‘I bet Will Smith is super happy about not having to wear any Orc prosthetics or makeup. I know I would be‘. Who said that acting isn’t hard work?

Give Bright a chance if you’re curious enough. Or you can always watch /re-watch End Of Watch, if not some other far better buddy/cop movie.

Happy Film Loving

G

Action, Comedy, No Spoiler Reviews

SNATCHED (2017): There’s Something I Liked…

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Snatched (2017), Amy Schumer
Snatched (2017), Amy Schumer

The trailer for Snatched, an action / comedy about a mother / daughter adventure in South America had me a little hopeful.

Starring Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn and directed by Jonathan Levine, I have to say that unfortunately I can’t say that I liked the finished film as much as I’d hoped.

There are a few welcome and unexpected twists in the story and a funny piece of dialogue approximately every twenty five minutes that I enjoyed. Yet, overall, Snatched is slow in pace and largely unbelievable. It’s also not adequately fun, funny overall or executed well enough for me to forgive how unbelievable it is.

You may watch Snatched and find it less disappointing than I have, perhaps. However, should you want an action / comedy that isn’t necessarily completely believable yet executed in a way that makes the lack of believability a non-issue, try The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017).

Happy Film Loving

G

Crime, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

BRIGHT (2017): New Trailer From Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace…

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bright-2017-will-smith

Will Smith, Noomi Rapace and Joel Edgerton’s new movie, Bright is directed by David Ayer and set in a world where mystical creatures live side by side with humans.

Smith plays a human cop who’s forced to work with an Orc (Edgerton) to find a weapon everyone is prepared to kill for…

I’m going to think positively about this movie for three reasons. The first  two being that the story is intriguing  and this trailer looks promising, even though it shows very little. Lastly,  Ayer’s last movie (Suicide Squad (2016) was far from great but he did make several before that which are still celebrated today; Fury (2014), Training Day (2001) and End Of Watch (2012) to name just three.

And there I was thinking that orcs only existed in Warcraft (2016)

Edgar Ramírez, Lucy Fry, Ike Barinholtz and Kenneth Choi also star.

Bright Release Dates: December 2017 (US & UK)…

Happy Film Loving

G

Comedy

SNATCHED (2017): New Trailer From Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn…

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Snatched (2017), Goldie Hawn, Amy Schumer
Snatched (2017), Goldie Hawn, Amy Schumer

Read my spoiler-free movie review of Snatched (2017).

Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn’s new  action / comedy Snatched  centres around a mother daughter adventure in south America. And the following trailer makes it look rather good…

My fingers are crossed that this is even better than I anticipate. I figure that I can be a little hopeful since Spy (2015) was great and some of the producers behind that worked on this. One can only hope.

Ike Barinholtz, Randall Park and Christopher Meloni also star.

Snatched Release Dates: May 12th, 2017 (US & UK); May 18th, 2017 (GER)…

Happy Film Loving

G

Comedy, No Spoiler Reviews

NEIGHBORS 2 – SORORITY RISING: The Thing I Liked…

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Neighbors 2 - Sorority Rising (2016), Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne
Neighbors 2 – Sorority Rising (2016), Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne

I remember watching Neighbors (2014) and not liking it enough to write anything meaningful. I wasn’t in love with the Neighbors 2 – Sorority Rising trailer either at first, but it grew on me after a week.

Fast forward to now having seen the sequel, the film suffers from the dreaded sequel disease of repetition. Though certainly not to the levels that My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 did this year, suffer it certainly does. As per the original movie, this one too was directed by Nicholas Stoller.

None of the performances by the stars including Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco or Chloë Grace Moretz were bad. I just wasn’t much amused. In fact I’m quite certain that most of my laughing happened during the Neighbors 2 trailer.

Neighbors 2 - Sorority Rising (2016), Chloë Grace Moretz
Neighbors 2 – Sorority Rising (2016), Chloë Grace Moretz

Try as I must, I managed to find something I enjoyed about the movie and that is the message(s) at the end – however forced they may have felt.

From here on, the Neighbors 2 experience is going to be placed firmly behind me. especially  as I get busy re-watching my favourite of Rogen’s work;  Pineapple Express (2008), This Is The End (2013) and The Interview (2014). There’s also the wonderfully inappropriate Sausage Party (2016) to get excited and hopeful about.

I’m starting to wonder why it is that I seem to find myself enjoying Rogen’s Newer work less and less. I wasn’t even able to make it through the first third of The Night Before (2015) before needing to bail because I didn’t buy into any of the character’s actions. Am I simply getting too old and therefore no longer the target market? Have I watched so many of his movies / movies in general that very little is new to me any more? Has my taste simply changed…?

All I know at this point is that whatever the answer, thank goodness for the early work.

Happy Film Loving 🙂

G

Comedy

NEIGHBORS 2 (2016): Fun Trailer Starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron & Rose Byrne

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Neighbors 2 (2016) Ike Barinholtz, Zac Efron, Seth Rogen
Neighbors 2 (2016) Ike Barinholtz, Zac Efron, Seth Rogen

Neighbors 2 is the sequel to Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron’s Neighbors (2014). The latter being a movie about new parents who are forced to live next door to a loud, partying at all hours type of fraternity. In the second instalment, again directed by Nicholas Stoller, the young couple’s new problem is the Sorority next door…

I must admit that the first film isn’t one of my favourites of Rogen’s comedies, even though his character’s reaction to the baby/ condom scene is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in a film/ trailer. It’s up there, not to far from the pooping in street scene in Bridesmaids (2011).

I’ve decided that, like a young so and so who must not let their past failed relationships stop them from getting involved in something that could be amazing, I’m going dive into Neighbours 2 – Sorority Rising (2016) – with reasonably more than average expectations. Call me foolish…

May I please, not be filled with regret.

Neighbors 2 Release Dates: May 20th, 2016 (US); June 16th, 2016 (IT); July 6th, 2016 (FR)…

Happy Film Loving 🙂

G