Instant Family is a new comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne and Octavia Spencer.
Directed and co-written by Sean Anders, it’s the story of a couple dealing with the humorous challenges that come with adopting three children at once.
I don’t know how much I’ll enjoy this, especially since I didn’t totally love Wahlberg’s Daddy’s Home movies. Still, I’m in because I appreciate him, and I’m excited for the happy ending. I really want the happy ending!
Isabela Moner. Eve Harlow, Iliza Shlesinger, Tom Segura and Tig Notaro also star.
I Love You, Daddy (2017), John Malkovich, Chloe Grace Moretz
In I Love you Daddy, stand up comic Louis C.K. is a successful television writer whose daughter becomes the interest of an ageing filmmaker with an appalling past.
Written and directed by C.K.; Helen Hunt, John Malkovich, Chloe Grace Moretz and Rose Byrne star.
I can try and imagine the various ways Louis C.K.’s character is going to try and deal with the situation, but I’m sure the way he executes will turn out better than what I picture.
As a big fan of his stand-up comedy and television show, Louie2010-2015, before even reading the synopsis, I’d already decided to watch. Louis C.K. is one of my favourite comics, after all.
Peter Rabbit is the film adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s classic tale of a rebellious rabbit determined to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden.
Will Gluck directs while James Corden, Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie and Domhnall Gleeson star.
I grew up reading one or two of the Peter Rabbit books, but I only remember the stories vaguely.
My curiosity about how much I loved the books, and the general cuteness of all the animals, is why I’m tuning in. Also, I’ve always enjoyed stories about mischievous and clever animals.
Directed by Lorene Scafaria, Susan Sarandon stars as Marnie, The Meddler, an ageing widow who moves to LA where her grown up daughter (Rose Byrne) lives, so she can start a new life.
Soon after, the meddling begins and my sympathies lie with Marbie’s daughter. The meddling is super annoying, but it’s not the reason for my negative opinion of this movie.
I’m not a fan of The Meddler because I don’t think it’s particularly well executed. Though a comedy/drama/romance, I don’t recall laughing more than once (if at all). There are a couple of potentially heartwarming mother/daughter moments and I did find myself feeling bad for Marnie as a woman seeking new purpose in her life after loss. However, none of that proved enough to change my view of SCafaria’s movie. Additionally, Sarandon’s seemingly ‘ropey’ NYC accent certainly didn’t help matters.
The few scenes featuring J.K. Simmons were the only real highlights for me. Still, I’m sure I’d have been happier re-watching I’ll See You In My Dreams (2015).
There’s a reason why the trailer for The Meddler is nowhere to be found on this blog. My instincts told me that ‘promising’ is not how it looked. Having now watched the movie, I’m reminded to trust my instincts more.
If you happen to love this movie, please feel free to tell me I’m crazy in the comments. Who knows, maybe I missed something. Though, unlikely is my guess.
Neighbors 2 – Sorority Rising (2016), Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne
I remember watching Neighbors (2014) and not liking it enough to write anything worthwhile. 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 2did this year, ‘suffer’ it certainly does.
As per the original movie, this one too is directed by Nicholas Stoller. A second bit of good news is that 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 certain that most of my laughing happened during theNeighbors 2 trailer.
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, or, movies in general that very little is new to me anymore? Has my taste altered that much?
All I know at this point is that whatever the answer, thank goodness for the early work.
The Movie My Life 