Showing posts with label Dwayne Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dwayne Johnson. Show all posts
Forgiveness Is Faster, But Revenge Rules
Driver (Dwayne Johnson) is out of prison and he’s got one thing on his mind, revenge. He was in prison for his role in a bank robbery. He was the only remaining survivor after the group was ambushed and killed for their loot. It was then he vowed to get even, and kill all those involved. Today, he begins to keep the vow.
His vengeance leads him first to a telemarketer and after walking into an office and gunning him down in broad daylight he as a Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) on his tail. The Cop and his partner for this case (Carla Gugino) try to put together the pieces and find out who this man is that committing cold blooded murder, and why.
There is one more thing that will make the next couple days a bit interesting. Someone has hired a Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) to take out Driver as they feel they might be at the top of his list. Now it’s just a matter of who will be killed next. Is anyone safe? Just how will this revenge plot play itself out?
This feels a bit like a classic revenge movie. There is the foreboding music, the washed out colors, and the really rough visuals. Dwayne Johnson sheds the lighthearted image he has recently led with in films for the rougher, tougher role. It works, as Johnson can do just about anything.
The rest of the cast rolls through the punches, even if only onscreen briefly. It’s a bit of a murky developing film; there is not much beyond the base plot line. I still found myself racing as the revenge played out. The faster it went, the faster I went. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Despite the fact that some may object to the film’s revenge story, it shouldn’t slow down. Faster is perfect for the audience it’s searching for, and still fun for just about all the rest of us.
C+
Faster
CBS Films
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Rating: R for strong violence, some drug use and language.
Runtime: 95 minutes.
READ MORE
Driver (Dwayne Johnson) is out of prison and he’s got one thing on his mind, revenge. He was in prison for his role in a bank robbery. He was the only remaining survivor after the group was ambushed and killed for their loot. It was then he vowed to get even, and kill all those involved. Today, he begins to keep the vow.
His vengeance leads him first to a telemarketer and after walking into an office and gunning him down in broad daylight he as a Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) on his tail. The Cop and his partner for this case (Carla Gugino) try to put together the pieces and find out who this man is that committing cold blooded murder, and why.
There is one more thing that will make the next couple days a bit interesting. Someone has hired a Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) to take out Driver as they feel they might be at the top of his list. Now it’s just a matter of who will be killed next. Is anyone safe? Just how will this revenge plot play itself out?
This feels a bit like a classic revenge movie. There is the foreboding music, the washed out colors, and the really rough visuals. Dwayne Johnson sheds the lighthearted image he has recently led with in films for the rougher, tougher role. It works, as Johnson can do just about anything.
The rest of the cast rolls through the punches, even if only onscreen briefly. It’s a bit of a murky developing film; there is not much beyond the base plot line. I still found myself racing as the revenge played out. The faster it went, the faster I went. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Despite the fact that some may object to the film’s revenge story, it shouldn’t slow down. Faster is perfect for the audience it’s searching for, and still fun for just about all the rest of us.
C+
Faster
CBS Films
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Rating: R for strong violence, some drug use and language.
Runtime: 95 minutes.
 |
| London gets obliterated by Cobra Commander |
G. I. JOE: RETALIATION (2013). Director: Jon M. Chu.
In this follow-up to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the president of the United States has been replaced by a double, the evil Zartan (Arnold Vosloo), a lieutenant in the Cobra organization. While the Cobra operatives who were captured and imprisoned in the last film manage to break out, an operation to wipe out the "Joes" -- a crack fighting unit whose main opponents are Cobra Commander and his gang of terrorists -- nearly succeeds in obliterating the entire team; Duke (Channing Tatum) is one of the casualties. Fortunately, the survivors -- Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D. J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) -- join forces with grizzled General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis) -- to take down the "president" before he and the Cobra Commander can cause havoc and mayhem throughout the world. Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) is a Cobra agent who decides to help the Joes when he realizes how much he's been manipulated by Zartan. Unless you're a G. I. Joe fanatic, Retaliation can be confusing, but there are some genuinely impressive stunts and FX work, especially the chilling destruction of London by the Cobra Commander's special missiles. [This obliteration of a world capitol seems pretty much forgotten by the movies' end -- huh?] The acting is serviceable for this kind of stuff, nothing more, although Jonathan Pryce does manage to impress as the president and his duplicate. Like the previous film, this is sometimes too frenetic for its own good. A bit with some weird mechanical bugs is notable.
Verdict: For Joe fans mostly. **1/2.
Pay Attention to The Other Guys
We’ve seen buddy cop movies before. They are a staple of the movie going experience. You know, these are the ones that feature the cops that are the rock stars of the department. They crash cars, hog the glory and enjoy the women at every turn. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are THOSE guys.
But this movie only spends a short span with those guys; this movie is about the other guys. Allen (Will Ferrell) is a hard working desk jockey. He’s more comfortable sitting behind a desk and filling out paperwork that no one wants to worry about. His partner, Terry (Mark Wahlberg) has been off the regular beat for some time. He had an incident that sent him to the sidelines and made him a hated member of the New York police department.
Now, Allen and Terry see their chance to take over the beloved role of leaders in the department and get back involved in their police work. The two are becoming comfortable with each other and their lives outside of work. Terry is shocked at Allen’s wife (the lovely Eva Mendes) and Allen’s ability to make virtually every woman become enamored with him.
The two must work together to get to the bottom of a mysterious case as the other guys become THE GUYS.
Will Ferrell tends to be a take him or leave him kind of guy in most circles. I generally have chosen to take him, and laughed my way to the exit at most films. The Other Guys is no exception. Ferrell works in the role as the uptight desk jockey with some secrets. He works best when he is keeping it a bit cool on screen.
Wahlberg shines in the comedic realm. The sheer look on his face on many of the occasions when he is pondering what Eva Mendes sees in Ferrell will have the chuckles emanating from even the toughest individuals to crack.
The wasted thing seemed to be Jackson and Johnson. Those two could have had a whole buddy cop movie to themselves and it would have been extremely fun.
While much of the humor in the film works, the plot line with Allen and Terry working to solve the crime felt like it fell flat. Thankfully that was a smaller section of the film and the laughs kept coming throughout the remainder of this film.
Since I sometimes feel like, “the other guy” in the film critic community, I definitely relate to these guys. Better yet, I laughed along with these guys and that is an accomplishment. Despite some small dead zones, The Other Guys is fun, funny and a good time at the movies. At least in this case, it’s worth it to pay attention to The Other Guys.
B/B-
The Other Guys
Columbia Pictures
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
READ MORE
We’ve seen buddy cop movies before. They are a staple of the movie going experience. You know, these are the ones that feature the cops that are the rock stars of the department. They crash cars, hog the glory and enjoy the women at every turn. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are THOSE guys.
But this movie only spends a short span with those guys; this movie is about the other guys. Allen (Will Ferrell) is a hard working desk jockey. He’s more comfortable sitting behind a desk and filling out paperwork that no one wants to worry about. His partner, Terry (Mark Wahlberg) has been off the regular beat for some time. He had an incident that sent him to the sidelines and made him a hated member of the New York police department.
Now, Allen and Terry see their chance to take over the beloved role of leaders in the department and get back involved in their police work. The two are becoming comfortable with each other and their lives outside of work. Terry is shocked at Allen’s wife (the lovely Eva Mendes) and Allen’s ability to make virtually every woman become enamored with him.
The two must work together to get to the bottom of a mysterious case as the other guys become THE GUYS.
Will Ferrell tends to be a take him or leave him kind of guy in most circles. I generally have chosen to take him, and laughed my way to the exit at most films. The Other Guys is no exception. Ferrell works in the role as the uptight desk jockey with some secrets. He works best when he is keeping it a bit cool on screen.
Wahlberg shines in the comedic realm. The sheer look on his face on many of the occasions when he is pondering what Eva Mendes sees in Ferrell will have the chuckles emanating from even the toughest individuals to crack.
The wasted thing seemed to be Jackson and Johnson. Those two could have had a whole buddy cop movie to themselves and it would have been extremely fun.
While much of the humor in the film works, the plot line with Allen and Terry working to solve the crime felt like it fell flat. Thankfully that was a smaller section of the film and the laughs kept coming throughout the remainder of this film.
Since I sometimes feel like, “the other guy” in the film critic community, I definitely relate to these guys. Better yet, I laughed along with these guys and that is an accomplishment. Despite some small dead zones, The Other Guys is fun, funny and a good time at the movies. At least in this case, it’s worth it to pay attention to The Other Guys.
B/B-
The Other Guys
Columbia Pictures
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
Strap In And Enjoy The Ride
Before we get started, let me say, I’m a junkie for these films. It seems every time they show up on Starz or HBO, I’m tuned in while I’m working. Why? Because they are escapist fun and take you somewhere that you’ve wanted to go. Fast cars, fast women and non-stop action are the normal course of action when you sit down with the Fast and Furious action.
Dominic (Vin Diesel) is on his way to serve an extensive jail sentence when a group of cars surround the bus. Those cars are led by former FBI agent Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) and some of Dom’s Family. Dom will regain his freedom and we are off to the races with the next installment in the Fast and Furious series.
The fugitives land in Rio de Janeiro Brazil and aren’t there long when a job is set in motion. But that job quickly goes bad and now the US government is keen to where the fugitives are hiding. The government has sent their best tracker, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) to get Dom and Brian back and he is not one to miss out on his target.
Brian and Dom have a way to get even with the Brazilian who has made their life miserable and it will take the best of all the crews they have assembled over the years to get the job done. It’s almost an impossible mission, but the prize will change their life forever. Can they finish the job, or will Hobbs bring them in before they can get the job done.
When I sit down with a movie like Fast Five, I am not looking for Award winning screenplay, or actors that blow me away. I AM looking for something that might be worthy of a Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nomination for Best Action Film. I’m looking for explosion, check. I’m looking for at least one terrific action sequence, check. And I’m looking for amazing cars and non-stop action, check.
This is a film that you can check your mind at the door and just flat out enjoy. If you think too much about the plot, you will find plot holes bigger than on a piece of Swiss cheese. But that’s not what you are doing here. You are sitting back and enjoying some crazy action.
Fast Five does one thing well, it keeps you interested throughout the over 2 hour film. And, if you wait for the credits…you will see where a sixth film might go. (It’s worth sticking it out).
Don’t think too much; just strap in and enjoy the ride.
B
Fast Five
Universal Pictures
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordanna Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, sexual content and language.
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes
READ MORE
Before we get started, let me say, I’m a junkie for these films. It seems every time they show up on Starz or HBO, I’m tuned in while I’m working. Why? Because they are escapist fun and take you somewhere that you’ve wanted to go. Fast cars, fast women and non-stop action are the normal course of action when you sit down with the Fast and Furious action.
Dominic (Vin Diesel) is on his way to serve an extensive jail sentence when a group of cars surround the bus. Those cars are led by former FBI agent Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) and some of Dom’s Family. Dom will regain his freedom and we are off to the races with the next installment in the Fast and Furious series.
The fugitives land in Rio de Janeiro Brazil and aren’t there long when a job is set in motion. But that job quickly goes bad and now the US government is keen to where the fugitives are hiding. The government has sent their best tracker, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) to get Dom and Brian back and he is not one to miss out on his target.
Brian and Dom have a way to get even with the Brazilian who has made their life miserable and it will take the best of all the crews they have assembled over the years to get the job done. It’s almost an impossible mission, but the prize will change their life forever. Can they finish the job, or will Hobbs bring them in before they can get the job done.
When I sit down with a movie like Fast Five, I am not looking for Award winning screenplay, or actors that blow me away. I AM looking for something that might be worthy of a Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nomination for Best Action Film. I’m looking for explosion, check. I’m looking for at least one terrific action sequence, check. And I’m looking for amazing cars and non-stop action, check.
This is a film that you can check your mind at the door and just flat out enjoy. If you think too much about the plot, you will find plot holes bigger than on a piece of Swiss cheese. But that’s not what you are doing here. You are sitting back and enjoying some crazy action.
Fast Five does one thing well, it keeps you interested throughout the over 2 hour film. And, if you wait for the credits…you will see where a sixth film might go. (It’s worth sticking it out).
Don’t think too much; just strap in and enjoy the ride.
B
Fast Five
Universal Pictures
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordanna Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, sexual content and language.
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes