Central Intelligence (2016), Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson
Central Intelligence is a watchable action/comedy because of the fantastic dynamic between Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson’s characters.
As for how believable I found the movie in regards to the way some of the story and action unfolded, let’s just say my disbelief was hardly ever fully suspended.
Nevertheless, i say watch it for the light entertainment and humour. Just don’t expect to be convinced by everything that takes place.
Jason Bateman’s small part is a highlight, as was the message about bullying.
Stepdad/biological dad comedy, Daddy’s Home stars Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell, a pair who have shown great onscreen chemistry in the past. For example, 2010’s The Other Guys.
Directed by Sean Anders, Daddy’s Home won’t ask too much of you except that you sit down, relax, and accept a few laughs. Generally speaking, you’ll be ok as long as you don’t mind the absence of surprises, plot-wise.
Daddy’s Home (2015), Will Ferrell (Stepdad)
The best thing about the movie, for me is the onscreen chemistry and verbal sparring between the two lead actors. If you love Farrell and or Wahlberg, you’ll probably watch the movie regardless. So, to that I say, enjoy! I’m excited for you about Daddy’s Home 2, which is due in November 2017.
Dirty Grandpa is a comedy about a lecherous grandfather and his uptight grandson who go on a road trip that one of them really wishes wasn’t happening.
Starring Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Aubrey Plaza and directed by Dan Mazer, this is one of those movies that has a good number of funny moments. The only thing is, those great moments are unfortunately followed by a few ill-advised scenes with dialogue and story development that needed more work/editing.
I enjoyed watching De Niro as an outrageous and expletive-filled senior citizen, the opposite of what he did most recently in The Intern (2015). I just wish the script had been better.
Dirty Grandpa (2016), Aubrey Plaza (r)
As for the other characters, ‘Caricaturish’ is sadly the word that comes to mind for Julianne Hough’s role as Meredith. I don’t know if my objection is to the type of person she portrays, the way she played her, or both. Lenore, (Plaza) is probably the only one that didn’t make me cringe in parts. I’m not quite sure what some might think that suggests about me. Hopefully, it says that I enjoy language and love to see it used creatively.
Dirty Grandpa, for me, is a story of bonding between a grandson and grandfather. I thought there was no need for the clichéd young romance. But then again, I’m not a teenager, or a Zac Efron fangirl.
It’s probably fair to say that the actors did the best they could with the material at hand. I certainly wouldn’t tell someone looking for a really great comedy to make time for Dirty Grandpa. But, if you’re a big fan of at least one of the actors, even I know I can’t stop you.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016), Nia Vardalos, John Corbett
I really, really, REALLY wanted to love My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, but the truth is I’d be lying if I claimed to have had a great time.
Directed by Kirk Jones and starring Nia Vandalos, John Corbett, Elena Kampouris and Joey Fatone, the film picks up approximately 12 years after the first one ended. As you can imagine, life has moved along for the characters – some things have certainly changed but far more has stayed exactly the same and not in the best way.
It’s not great when you realise thatin My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, at least 90 percent of the moments that were supposed to be funny are more or less repeats of jokes that were much funnier in the first movie.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016), Joey Fatone, Andrea Martin
If I were to pick one good thing about this sequel, I’d say that personally, it was great getting to hear aunt ‘bobopsky’ deliver a few more funny lines. By aunt bobosky, I of course mean aunt Voula, my favourite character from the first movie; the one played to great comic effect by Andrea Martin. Sadly though, even she nor the memory of how great she was in the first film could prove quite enough to save this sequel.
There are aspects of the execution of one or two moving moments in the film that I enjoyed. It’s just that when I look at said moments as part of the rest of the story and not just random stand alone moments, they begin to appear quite contrived and sometimes definitely awkward.
It’s kind of strange for me that some might see the film and think a lot happened. For me it feels as though hardly anything happened at all. Except for the usual chaos of the Portokalos clan.
I remember finding Michael Constantine’s portrayal of Toula’s dad (Gus) amusing in the first movie. This time round, his narrow view of a woman’s role in the world was very annoying to say the least.
There’s a very slim chance that I may not have been in the right state of mind to receive what My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 had to offer. Whatever the case may be, my worst fear about the sequel has definitely come true because I honestly could have done without it.
For anyone that hasn’t seen either film, I recommend seeing the original and making sue to stop right there.
Directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy; Spotlight simply and effectively tells the true story of the Boston Globe’s uncovering of a huge child molestation scandal within the local Catholic Archdiocese.
McCarthy’s film is a moving story that deals with the abuse of societies most vulnerable and one that rightly shook the entire Catholic Church to its core.
The main focus of Spotlight is the work of the Globe’s Spotlight team and the people they encounter as a result of their investigations. It’s through their hard work that we get to learn about what happened once they dedicated themselves to the child molestation case. The obstacles they encountered and what it took to get the truth to print. All of this comes together well to create a good mix of tense, suspenseful dramatic and emotional moments.
I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that Journalists as a group can be quite the irritant at the best of times. But then I encounter a bunch as passionate and dedicated to a worthy cause as the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team and I’m reminded afresh that the heart of the journalist is almost always in the right place.
Being a winner of Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards is one reason I had to watch Spotlight. The others include the important story and the excellent cast attached. There’s Stanley Tucci, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, John Slattery and of course, Mark Ruffalo, an actor who always seems to make great choices.
