Movie Review #274: "Dope" (2015)

Movie: "Dope"
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes

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Malcolm (Shameik Moore) lives in Inglewood, CA in an area known as 'the bottom.' He is a 90's hip hop geek, a straight-A student, is in a punk band with his friends Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) and Jib (Tony Revolori), and is applying for admission to Harvard. He does his best to avoid trouble in his crime-ridden neighborhood, but after being invited to a party by a girl he has the hots for named Nakai (Zoë Kravitz), Malcolm inadvertently gets into a situation that could turn his whole life upside down.

So often, films of this style focus on people whose stories are deeply involved in gangs or drugs, and how this affects their lives. "Dope" takes a slightly different approach to the typical 'life in projects' style of movies with a a fresh outlook, some witty dialogue, a kick ass soundtrack and some phenomenal acting. In this film, the main protagonist Malcolm, played wonderfully by Shameik Moore, is a geek. He gets straight A's and hopes to one day attend Harvard. It's his senior year and he has just been doing his best to survive his situation, living in a bad part of town but sticking out like a sore thumb. His two best friends are a lesbian named Diggy, played by Kiersey Clemons, and Jib, played by "The Grand Budapest Hotel's" Tony Revolori, who is primarily of Latin American decent, but proudly notes he is 14% African (according to Ancestry.com), which gives him liberties to use certain terms. Together, these 3 friends share a deep love of 90's hip hop, culture, and even the dress of the decade, the part that sports a stereotypical 90's style clothing and hairstyles. They are in a punk band together called Awreeoh (pronounced Oreo), which is suuuuper normal for most kids from Inglewood, right? Malcolm gets bullied quite a bit as others attempt to steal his shoe and chase him down. This one kid in particular, a kid who is deeply involved in the gangster lifestyle and identifies as a Blood, constantly harasses Malcolm and his friends. It's this bullying that sets off a chain of events for Malcolm that flips his life upside down, some for the better, most for the worse. While riding home on his bike from school one afternoon, he and his friends take a different path to avoid this bully and the Bloods. To do this, they have to pass by the drug dealers of the neighborhood, one in particular named Dom, played by rapper A$ap Rocky, who asks Malcolm to do him a favor by delivering a message to a girl named Nakai, played by Zoë Kravitz. Malcolm is very attracted to Nakai and it's her invite to a party that gets Malcolm into situations he's managed to avoid up until this point in his life. From there, things go from bad, to worse, to worser for him and his friends as they find themselves stuck with a ton of dope to sell.

It's hard for us to understand sometimes that no matter how good a person you are, and no matter what you do, there is no avoiding trouble when you're constantly surrounded by poverty and the criminal elements of life. It also shows that simply standing in line at a burger place in certain parts of America, hell, even California, the state we call home, can be a dangerous proposition. While "Dope" does dive into this notion, it also shows that if you are smart and you work hard enough, you can rise above your situation, even if it takes Bitcoin to do so. This film is incredibly funny, yet it's also powerful and poignant without getting muddled down by this humor. Yes, it does involve race, but we thinking ignoring the issues that surround such a heated topic have done no good up until now. This film opens a dialogue and showcases a different take to the coming-of-age genre, and does so in a completely interesting, original and unique way. By mixing issues involving race with a strong message against stereotyping, it's actually sort of a genius movie. There might be a lot going on within the span of 103 minutes, but it's sure as hell entertaining. Apart from this, Shameik Moore is simply outstanding. He, Tony Revolori and Kiersey Clemons are all going to be stars, mark our words. They are tremendous in this film and play off of one another so well, it feels like they really are friends. Pharrell Williams had a hand in the soundtrack and the soundtrack is something that stood out in my mind as being a key element to me enjoying the film as much as I did. "Dope" is definitely a movie that people should see and one that will stick with us personally for a very long time. The way it melds the old 1990's style, music and habits with modern technology, a new sound and a fresh perspective, makes this a must see!

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Netflix Mail Day Movie Review: "Magic Mike" (2012)

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Movie: "Magic Mike"
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Year: 2012
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Mike (Channing Tatum) is a roofer by day and also makes custom furniture on the side. He hopes to open his own business one day. He meets Adam, aka The Kid (Alex Pettyfer), a barely even 19 years old CraigsList applicant, on his job site one afternoon, and sees him again that same night while going into a club. Following him, Adam quickly discovers Mike also goes by another name, Magic Mike, at his nighttime job: he is the main attraction of the Kings of Tampa, an all-male stripper troupe. Owing Mike a favor, Adam proceeds to get put up on stage for the first time on a whim, but quickly becomes a key member of the Kings. Unfortunately, Adam isn't just involved in the stripper lifestyle, but also, all that comes with it: money, women, drugs and power. This begins to impact his sister Brooke (Cody Horn) and her budding relationship with Mike.

You know, there comes a point every now and then as a movie reviewer where I get a little angry about the lack of male nudity in cinema. Now, this sounds really bad coming from someone who is married, but the amount of female to male nudity is probably 100 PAIRS of breasts per 1 dong shot. Crass? Yes, but true? You have to admit, I'm right. I say this in jest, of course...it's probably more like every 1,000 pairs of breasts.

That being said, as a feminist, I should be opposed to the notion of "men being discriminated against and objectified" because of movies such as this. Awwww, do you want a tissue, meninists? I never thought I would have to write this, but sure, maybe it does give men an unrealistic expectation of how they are supposed to look based on stereotypes of an ideal man. This ain't my type of guy, but hey, that's how the cookie crumbles. However, I WILL NOT apologize for taking the necessary time to carefully inspect "Magic Mike" not only as a piece of cinema, but as a movie with the "female gaze" in mind. #fightme

"Magic Mike" is directed by Steven Soderberg, so you know you're in for some artsy shit beyond just a bunch of hunks stripping. This movie is more than just a stripper film, though it does begin this way, and slowly. Beyond the dry-humping and thongs, it actually takes a deeper look into the life of these beefcakes, which includes aspirations away from the nightclub scene, drug usage, discrimination (yes, you read that right), how having relationships is hard for someone of "that" profession, as well as the corruption and money troubles that often go on when the curtain falls. Sure, there are some butts every now and then, but the mix of stripping and actual life is decently distributed. The fact that's it's semi-based on actor Channing Tatum's time as a male stripper before he came a resident Hollywood A-lister makes it all the more compelling. Now, all of this praise does not mean it's a perfect film. While some of the script is good, it is counterbalanced by completely dopey dialogue and delivery. "Big Dick Richie"? "Tarzan"? COME ON.

Since this film is semi based on Tatum's past participation in the field, it only makes sense he'd be the star of this romp. Tatum does a fine job as the titular Magic Mike, and we believe him as both a stripper and otherwise. He still has that weird marble-in-his-mouth way of speaking, and this is very distracting, but when it comes to busting a move and gyration, well, he's got it down pat. Alex Pettyfer is an annoying prick of a kid and he is also not a great actor. He's stiff, he mumbles, and had to only be cast because of how he looked. Cody Horn is one of the worst actresses we have ever seen. She has permanent resting bitchface and a Kristen Stewart tone of voice to go along with it. Her father was formerly the head of Warner Brothers, this film's production company, so, is there really any doubt why she was cast here?? Apart from these 3 main stars, recent Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey stars as Dallas, the leader of the Kings of Tampa, and someone who looks shady from the minute you hear him spewing and believing his own bullshit. He's fine in this, but let's be real for a second, he's not in the sequel because he won an Oscar a couple of years ago and is now above it. Never forget your upbringing, McConaughey. Resident hunka-hunka-burnin'-love Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, and dredged up from the bottom of obscurity Kevin Nash fill out the rest of The Kings of Tampa. Gabriel Iglesias also fills in a role as the house DJ and part time drug dealer Tobias, randomly so, and it'll make you wonder why he's even there in the first place.

While the movie can be engaging and funny at times, there are massive periods of slowness and boringness. But, let's face it, ladies do not see this movie for its enthralling plot, they see it for washboard abs and a hint of peen. Remember what I was talking about up above? There are more boobs in this movie than there are penises. In a movie about male strippers! Be prepared for lots of butts, but little else. At the end of the day, as far an entertainment factor goes, "Magic Mike" does have some, but it's underneath the artsy fartsy direction, camerawork, some truly horrible acting by 2 out of 3 of the principle actors, and its style. If there was any doubt as to why Hollywood is producing a second Magic Mike film, it's because the first one made 23.8 times its budget, which was only $7 million and self-financed by Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh. #ComeAgain

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching:

Movie Review: "Commando" (1985)

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Movie: "Commando"
Director: Mark L. Lester
Year: 1985
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

A retired Black Ops team starts to get picked off one by one. Their retired leader, John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger), is informed by his former boss General Kirby (James Olsen) of what is going on. It isn't long before these killers come for him. The man behind it all is a former South American dictator named Arius (Dan Hedaya). He and his hired team kidnap Martrix's daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano) to use as a hostage to blackmail Matrix into doing a job. They want him to murder the current president of Arius' former country so he can create a coupe and return to power, but Matrix has other ideas on how to get his daughter back. 

"Commando" is a guilty pleasure of ours and one we don't really feel bad about because it's so short. We say guilty pleasure because by most standards, it wouldn't be a good movie. The plot is thin, contrived and cliché. The dialogue is very cheesy, too, and a lot of the action is over the top to the point of being ludicrous. But, despite all this, we still have a pretty good time when we watch this film. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays John Matrix, a bad ass special forces black ops soldier who is a one-man army. Realistically, you could put this character description in just about every Arnold Schwarzenegger role ever created and it probably wouldn't be too far off from one another. After his daughter Jenny, played by a young Alyssa Milano, is kidnapped, John is put on a plane to South America for an assassination mission, but he jumps off the flight in spectacular fashion, giving him 11 hours, the amount of time before the plane lands, to find his daughter and rescue her. From there he kidnaps a stewardess, played by Rae Dawn Chong, and then steals her car and proceeds to wreck the crap out of it. John tells her about his kidnapped daughter, so by proxy, she is okay with being kidnapped and having her car destroyed. In fact, she is so okay with it that she agrees to help him try and get Jenny back from the bad guys. LAUGHABLE. Matrix cuts down his targets one by one, more or less stumbling on clues as to where his daughter is being held. He busts into an army surplus store which luckily has a massive stash of illegal military grade weapons he can use! Yassss!! Now loaded with the arsenal of a small country on his back, he can try and save his daughter. He gears up with some army boots and army pants, and also throws on a combat vest that offers no real protection other than properly showing off another type of gun show: his glistening muscles (in true Arnold Schwarzenegger form). He smears on some black grease paint camouflage, and since he's attacking in the middle of the day, it doesn't hide him one damn bit, but it does make him look properly cool. He's outnumbered about 100-1, but it doesn't matter, because he's John Matrix, and no matter how surrounded he is, no matter how many people are shooting at him in every which direction, no matter how out in the open he is, John Matrix is untouchable because, let's face it, this is the 80's and it's an action movie. #MURICA!!! This also means a slew of witty one-liners are to be had at any given time, and this movie has a lot of them. Come on, now, nobody delivers them like Arnold does! Like we said earlier, despite all of its obvious flaws, on the surface, it is still a relatively good watch. It never fails to make us laugh.

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 69%
Do we recommend this movie:  Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "Edge of Tomorrow"

Movie Review #273: "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl " (2015)

Movie: "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Ticket Price: $12.50
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

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Greg (Thomas Mann) is a self-deprecating, rather cynical teenager. His main purpose in high school is to fly under the radar and be nothing more than an acquaintance to anyone, only exchanging casual pleasantries and never settling into one group. The only person he spends a great deal of time with is Earl (RJ Cyler), whom Greg calls his "co-worker" since they make movies together. This all changes when Greg's mom (Connie Britton) forces him to hang out with Rachel (Olivia Cooke), who has just been diagnosed with leukemia. Greg is reluctant at first, but eventually gives in, and much to his dismay, starts to make friends with Rachel. 

With a title like "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" you know you are in for a lighthearted romp where absolutely nothing sad will happen...right?? Unfortunately, this is not true.

It's really hard to put into words our feelings regarding a movie like this. Having lost BigJ's mother to cancer almost 3 years ago, the sting of this loss is still very much felt on a weekly, if not daily basis. To watch a movie like this brings up all sorts of feelings: sadness, mostly, but also anger, resentment, happiness and gratitude, all in the best way as they are expertly shown and grown through its shortish run time. In the film, all of these emotions and more are filtered through the life of Greg Gaines, played brilliantly by Thomas Mann, a senior in high school who is forced by his mother to visit Rachel, played by Olivia Cooke in what could be her breakout role, a school acquaintance who has just been diagnosed with stage 4 leukemia. Greg has a huge sense of self-deprecating humor, but is also socially awkward and sort of a brutally honest. When he visits Rachel for the first time, he makes it abundantly clear he is not there on his own accord, but rather comes out and says his mom was the driving force for his initial visit. He keeps coming back, though, in what he calls a "doomed friendship," but not in a sappy romance sort of way. Apart from being friends but not "friends" with Rachel, Greg spends his school lunchtime in the classroom of Mr. McCarthy, played by Jon Bernthal, a teacher covered in tattoos who frequently chants, "RESPECT THE RESEARCH!" for his students to abide, with his "co-worker" Earl, played by RJ Cyler, who is absolutely excellent here. Earl and Greg have been friends since they were 5 years old, but Greg still doesn't call him his friend, though Earl would disagree. Outside of school, Greg and Earl watch foreign and independent films, as well as make horrible, low budget movie mock knockoffs of them with titles such as "Eyes Wide Butt" and "2:48 pm Cowboy." These movies are not to be shown to anyone under any circumstances because they dislike them so much. Their friendship is strange, but we also understand it in a bizarre way.

Though there are moments of humor in this film, it is still very much about a teenage girl with leukemia. Cancer by itself is already horrible, but when it happens to a teenage girl, well, it's an absolute tragedy. And it's also devastatingly realistic and painfully truthful. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" takes a different approach than other movies with the same type of story as it doesn't fully focus on Rachel and her terminal disease, but on Greg instead, and how becoming friends with Rachel affects his life. It's a coming-of-age story for Greg and he narrates this tale since everything is told from his perspective. Greg prides himself on being casual acquaintances with every group in school never lingering long enough to be considered part of that group; this also means he doesn't create enemies, either. Telling the story in this way shows just how self-centered Greg is as we come to see him as someone who only cares about how things impact him. This will certainly rub some audience members the wrong way, but we think it's actually sort of brilliant. So many teenagers are like this, only caring about the world around them when it involves and impacts them personally, and this is wonderfully captured by Mann's monotonous, teenager-esque performance. Many of his inner thoughts and feeling especially concerning a girl named Madison, played by Katherine C. Hughes, are shown through stop-motion vignettes, which are quite creative and very kitschy, reminiscent of something Wes Anderson might do. The movie also uses a lot of awesome, unique camera angles typical of other indie films, but they are not distracting and only add to its quirk factor.

The bottom line is, while this movie is sad, it is also tremendously acted and beautifully scripted. It offers a unique, more realistic perspective on the high school experience uncommon of many films of today.You will feel it in your gut the entire run time, which doesn't feel slow or long at all. It will be a tearjerker, but has a good, strong message, even for even the most cynical, and even if you haven't lost anyone in your life personally.

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Weekend Box Office Results: June 26th, 2015 - June 28th, 2015

"Jurassic World" is box office rex for the 3rd weekend in a row; "Inside Out" not far behind; "Ted 2" flops.

*all numerical information provided by boxofficemojo.com

"Jurassic World" is a force that cannot be stopped, coming in at #1 for the third week in a row this weekend, adding another $54,200,000 to its $500,100,000 domestic total gross. The fouth film in the "Jurassic Park" franchise has also passed the domestic total for "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in just 3 short weeks. Craziness! Coming in at #2 for the second weekend in a row, "Inside Out," the heartwarming Pixar powerhouse about feelings and emotions, made another $52,128,000 in a back and forth weekend battle with "Jurassic World." "Ted 2" had a disappointing opening weekend compared to its predecessor from 2012, making $33,000,000 this weekend, compared to $54.4 million for the first movie. The budget was also higher for "Ted 2," but the movie is pretty much trash, so what can you expect? Rounding out the top 5 are "Max," a movie about a military dog coming back from service, which debuted with an estimated $12,210,000, and "Spy," the Melissa McCarthy-led comedy, which made $7,800,000.

		This Week	Domestic Gross
1	Jurassic World	$54,200,000	$500,100,000
2	Inside Out	$52,128,000	$184,945,000
3	Ted 2	$33,000,000	$33,000,000
4	Max (2015)	$12,210,000	$12,210,000
5	Spy	$7,800,000	$88,351,000
6	San Andreas	$5,275,000	$141,871,000
7	Dope	$2,862,000	$11,767,000
8	Insidious: Chapter 3	$2,025,000	$49,816,000
9	Mad Max: Fury Road	$1,735,000	$147,078,000
10	Avengers: Age of Ultron	$1,643,000	$452,428,000

**See you at the movies!!**

Movie Review: "Conan the Barbarian" (1982)

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Movie: "Conan the Barbarian"
Director: John Milius
Year: 1982
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes

As a young child, Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) watched his family and all his people slaughtered by the army of a dark sorcerer named Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), who many of his followers believed was a god. Conan became a slave, where he was forced to do havy labor, making him extremely strong. Once an adult, Conan was forced to engage in gladiatorial combat, teaching him to fight. He relished the fighting and after much success, was granted his freedom. Once free, he began his own quest of revenge against Thulsa Doom.

The 80's were big on fantasy adventure sword and sorcery types of films. Movies like "Clash of the Titans," "Dragon Slayer," "Beast Master," and many others thrived, and no matter how low the budget, they covered the decade with their magic and wizardry. "Conan the Barbarian" is one of BigJ's favorites and one of the most memorable of the genre. This movie also features Arnold Schwarzenegger's first real breakthrough role. He had been in other movies before, but this was the one that really got him noticed as an action star. Arnold as the titular character doesn't speak much, and in fact, it's about 20 minutes into the movie before Conan speaks a single word. But, maybe that's a good thing considering how much of an acting rookie Arnold was at the time. This film is not really about strong dialogue, though there are some great lines spoken by James Earl Jones as the villainous Thulsa Doom. Seriously, can you think of a better baddie than James Earl Jones? We're talkin' Darth Vader, here. This film is about the visuals and the action, and it has these in spades. Conan and his companion Subotai, played by Gerry Lopez, and his love interest Valeria, played by Sandahl Bergman, hack their way through Thulsa Doom's army to an epic score written by Basil Poledouris. The film is quite bloody, but be aware, there are a lot of times where people are getting stabbed and it looks less than realistic. Mako narrates the story and plays the wizard that joins Conan's troupe. He acts as a bit of comic relief for the time he is on screen towards the climax of the film. As we mentioned, James Earl Jones plays the main antagonist, the evil sorcerer Thulsa Doom, and apart from Arnie and his glistening pecs and arm muscles, Jones is the next best thing in the movie. His followers treat him as though he is a living god, and we have to say, James Earl Jones fits the part quite well.

Look at that face. Look at that stare. Hell, look at that haircape! This is the face I make when people say they don't like movies. Jones is such a commanding presence, even when he's only on screen for a few seconds at a time, along with a presence that just works for this role. It's a combination of the above hairstyle, his long, ominous looks, and deep, powerful but calm voice. UGH. Could a human being be any more fierce?! This movie definitely feels a little long at times, and can read as much more than a little cheesy, but overall, it is a fun enough ride with some great action and exciting moments.

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 72%
Do we recommend this movie:  Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "A Million Ways to Die in the West"

Movie Review #272: "Ted 2" (2015)

Movie: "Ted 2"
Ticket Price: $12.50
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

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Ted (Seth MacFarlane) and girlfriend Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) finally get married. Unfortunately, after a year of marriage, things aren't going too well for the couple. They fight all the time and even throw things at each other, but Ted has a solution: why not have a child to bring them back together? Ted obviously can't biologically father a child, so they try many paths to get a sperm donor, and after all those paths fail, they try adoption. But, upon filling out adoption papers, Ted finds out he is not considered a person in the eyes of the law. This causes him to lose his job, have all his bank accounts and credit cards closed, and his marriage to Tami-Lynn annulled. As a result, Ted secures the services of attorney Samantha L. Jackson (Amanda Seyfried) and sues the state for his civil rights and personhood. 

At some point, we should just know better. That time was probably 2 Seth MacFarlane movies ago. Anything with his name attached to it is going to be an absolute, complete drudgery of a film. As fair critics, we go into these comedies with open hearts and minds, hoping to prove ourselves wrong, just once. Folks, "Ted 2" is not the answer to our woes.

It's been a couple of years since the first "Ted," and Seth MacFarlane, starved of original ideas, has decided to disgrace us with a sequel no one asked for in an effort to to cash in on the franchise that has since become an anthem and ode to pot smokers and bros alike. Of course, both Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg reprise their roles from the original as Ted and John, but gone is John's wife Lori, played by Mila Kunis in the original. She has been written out with a divorce that supposedly happened between the two films, when in actuality, Kunis didn't want to be in the second film once she got pregnant. This plot line is so, so lazy and basically negates and scraps the entire first movie. John spends the entire time fighting for their 6-year relationship in "Ted," only to have it end in divorce after 6 months. Come on, MacFarlane, you know this is careless. You expect us, the audience, to get invested in your characters and their plight, but do them the disservice of simply writing in a divorce? We would have believed this story line much more if Lori had been killed in a tragic accident. Hell, you could have even made up some zany excuse about how Mark Wahlberg was forced at gun point to land a plane and we would have believed this more than your pithy divorce plot. Lori is basically replaced by Amanda Seyfried, who plays Ted's pothead and pop culturally inept fresh out of law school lawyer Samantha L. Jackson, and it's funny because you can make a "black jokes" about her name.

Much like the original movie, "Ted 2" is loaded with dick and fart jokes, including a running gag about how Googling anything, not even a word or string of words similar in phraseology, could result in having the phrase "black cocks" come up as a suggestion. This happens at least 4 times. Once again, MacFarlane is hoping to capitalize on a crass teddy bear being offensively crude and praying to god that it's still funny. On top of all the dick jokes, there is a pretty steady stream of pop culture references, which we expected to happen since, well, it is from the creator of "Family Guy." To be fair, "Ted 2" isn't completely void of humor, but just about. The only times we genuinely laughed in this movie had nothing to do with Ted, or his horrible, gum-chewing wife Tami-Lynn, or perpetual man-child John Bennett, or newcomer Sam L. Jackson, who upon first meeting John and Ted smokes weed in from of them before her office door is even closed, their constant weed smoking fantasies, etc. The only times we laughed were at a couple of these pop culture references relevant to our lives outside of the "Ted" franchise: when Patrick Warburton dresses as The Tick at New York Comic Con, we were the only people laughing when this happened; when Liam Neeson and Ted have a hilarious exchange about a box of cereal; when Amanda Seyfried gets compared to Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings." Seth? Are you listening?? Referencing funny movies doesn't make you funny. We don't need to see Ted re-enacting the driving scene from "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," or doing an 80's style studying montage with the dance from "The Breakfast Club" to the song from "Revenge of the Nerds," or hear the "Jurassic Park" theme song while panning out on a field of pot plants. 3 whole minutes can't go by without a throwback to some 80's cliche, or a nod to Star Trek or Star Wars or Transformers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Really, when push comes to shove, all the pop references add up to little more than exploiting nostalgia for his own financial profit and to cover up his hackneyed, lackadaisical writing. "Ted 2" also features a slew of cameos including the likes of Tom Brady, Michael Dorn and Jay Leno. These all involve not funny, bottom of the barrel jokes about gayness, masturbation, punching nerds in the face, and of course, deflategate. Under all the crude humor and nostalgic references is a courtroom case examining what it means to be a person. This is and has been a solid baseline for some stories, but in the end, we really don't care about any of this when it comes to Ted and whether or not he's a person or property. Anything that could have been significant gets lost under barrage of f-bombs and diaper humor, as well as a rehashed plot with the return of Giovanni Ribisi as Donny, still creepily trying to get his hands on his very own Ted doll.

It's hard to say we didn't see anything in "Ted 2" coming. Not only does it contain the same jokes from the first film, but it repeats the same new jokes multiple times in the span of a lonnnng 2 hour run time, as if to say them 3, 4, or even 5 times would finally make them funny. To have Mark Wahlberg fall into multiple vats of semen in a fertility clinic is not funny, it's plain old disgusting. In the end, "Ted 2" is just an R-rated, extended episode of "Family Guy" with Ted as Brian and Mark Wahlberg as Peter Griffin, if Peter Griffin was mentally unstable and a constant broseph man-child. If you're 13 or a stoner, chances are, this movie will sing to you as the song of your people, but if you're not, you'll probably walk away just as annoyed as we did.

My Rating: 3/10
BigJ's Rating: 4/10
IMDB's Rating: ~7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~44%
Do we recommend this movie: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

Movie Review: "True Lies" (1994)

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Movie: "True Lies"
Director: James Cameron
Year: 1994
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 21 minutes

Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a spy for the United States government currently working to find four stolen nuclear weapons. Harry's wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) and his rebellious daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku) do not know that he is a spy and think Harry is a boring computer salesman. When Harry starts to suspect his wife is having an affair, he uses all of his spy resources to find out the truth and accidentally gets her involved in his current mission, putting her in danger. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron team up once more, this time outside of the Terminator franchise, for the action comedy "True Lies," one of Lolo's favorite Schwarzenegger performances. Arnold always seems at his best with Cameron at the helm and this film is no exception. This is an all around fun movie from start to finish, and we really like the mix of comedy and action it brings to the table. Schwarzenegger plays Harry Tasker, who is basically a super spy working for a super secret government agency called Omega Sector. His partner is Albert Gibson, played by the always at least a little annoying Tom Arnold, who is typically one of the most obnoxious actors, but manages to be a skosh more tolerable here than in some of his other parts. Harry's family thinks he is a boring computer salesman...sidebar, how many guys who look like Arnold have you seen working in computers?? His wife Helen, played by wonderfully sexy Jamie Lee Curtis, is a legal secretary and is feeling rather unappreciated as Harry. He often has to go on long business trips, is frequently late getting home from work, and even misses parties or special occasions from time to time. Of course, Harry is not just an inconsiderately late human being, he is actually running missions and hunting down international terrorists but, she doesn't know that, and this creates a whole lot of funny misunderstandings throughout the film. Harry grows suspicious Helen may be having an affair when he overhears her talking to a man named Simon, played by one of our favorite actors, Bill Paxton. Ironically enough, Simon claims to be a spy working for the CIA in an attempt to pick up women, and has rather successfully convinced a gullible, wanting Helen that she is helping him with his mission. In reality, Simon is just a skeezy used car salesman and frequent womanizer. Like we mentioned, this hugely coincidental act leads to some extremely hilarious moments where Harry abuses his access to spy equipment to track his wife, and eventually uses any means necessary to torment Simon into leaving her alone.

In typical Schwarzenegger fashion, he is wonderful and cheesy all at the same time. He sure has the guns, both literally and physically, to be believed as a super secret agent and spy. Jamie Lee Curtis is great as Helen and has a very memorable, almost iconic moment when she is forced to perform a striptease as part of a mock mission that Harry thought up to go along with Simon's spy story. Talk about sexy! This one scene is more alluring and eye-popping than all of "Fifty Shades of Grey" combined. Like we mentioned earlier, Schwarzenegger is at his best here and is also at the top of his career. He gets to combine some kick ass action with some genuinely laugh out loud situations that manage to still be funny even after multiple viewings. Of course, he still delivers many of his signature witty one-liners in expert fashion. Even though the movie involves Harry hunting down four missing nuclear weapons and the people that stole them, the best parts of the film focus on Harry and his relationship with Helen, and the dynamic between Schwarzenegger and Curtis, which is also both authentic and very silly. Of course, having the terrorist plot line front and center gives Schwarzenegger's character people to kill, as well as a ridiculous barrage of booming fireballs in betwixt the action. It also adds a personal element when members of his family are taken hostage. Overall, this is one of Schwarzenegger's best movies and one we genuinely love, not even ironically. The combination of rumblings and laughs make for one memorable, absurd, yet funny ride.

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 72%
Do we recommend this movie:  Yes!
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One year ago, we were watching: "A Million Ways to Die in the West"

Movie Review: "Total Recall" (1990)

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Movie: "Total Recall"
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Year: 1990
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is living on Earth and working as a construction worker, but has always dreamed of going to Mars. He heads to a company called Rekall, which specializes in implanting fake memories of vacations and adventures, and Quaid wants one of mars. Unfortunately, during the implant procedure, something goes wrong and the technicians discover Quaid has had his memory erased. It turns out Quaid is undercover secret agent named Hauser, working for the Martian Rebels against Cohaagen (Ronnie Cox) and the agency that currently runs Mars. Quaid must get to Mars and unravel the secret of his true identity. 

"Total Recall" is a sci-fi action film that BigJ really enjoys and has for a long time. When we say "Total Recall," we don't mean the crappy new PG-13 CGI-bomb made a couple years ago that completely changes the premise of the film. We mean the 1990 version that used mostly practical effects, limited CGI and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in all his hulkish glory...you know, the one that kicks so much ass, it just narrowly missed an X rating at the time it came out.

First of all, there is some really great makeup work in this movie. Between the Mars mutants and the famous eyeball bulging scenes, the makeup can range from gross to disturbing to downright horrifying and creepy. This being a sci-fi film, there are obviously a lot of special effects, and we like and appreciate that most are practically executed with miniatures or hand-built sets. These effects, combined with a lot of gore and frenetic pace, make the feel of the movie so much more tremendous and believable. The CGI is pretty much limited to the x-ray body scan scene, which looks amazing even today, and would be something we'd like to see in real life. It's not just the great special effects and the over-the-top graphic violence that we love about this film. It's the story, too. We aren't sure if this movie is a full-on thinker, but it definitely has a cool narrative that deals with some interesting, deeper issues than what might appear on the surface. When Douglas Quaid, played by Schwarzenegger, goes to Rekall, he requests a secret agent fantasy for his implant, and as soon as he's hooked up to their machine, his fantasy turns out to be a reality...or does it? Of course, that decision will be left up to the audience to decide as filmmakers never explicitly state if what happens to Quaid is reality or a dream. There are many implications both ways throughout the film and it depends on how much and what you want to write off as purely a coincidence. It's an eternal debate that surrounds this movie and people on either side of the argument can point out moments in the film that they claim prove it one way or the other. How many movies can you think of in recent decades that don't explicitly state what the crux of the film is, one way or the other!? It's sort of genius! In the end, it's all up to each individual viewer and their own personal opinion, and maybe how cynical they are, too. Arnold Schwarzenegger is actually very good in this movie, and though he does manage to maintain his image as the #1 one-liner spitter of all time, the film certainly isn't riddled with them like in some of his other romps; the humor seems natural and well-placed throughout its run time. Sure, his role is not one of great depth, subtlety, or nuance, but as far as what is required of him, he plays it pretty well and we believe him in it. Overall, this is an excellent science fiction film that's still fun to dig out every now and then and watch today for its great effects, its (sometimes) gory action, its exciting tone and its frenzied rush of a pace.

My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 84%
Do we recommend this movie:  Yes!
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One year ago, we were watching: "Chef"

Movie Review: "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (2003)

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Movie: "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Year: 2003
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour,49 minutes

Another decade has gone by and judgment day hasn't come. John Connor (Nick Stahl) figured it was prevented by blowing up Cyberdine many years ago. However, when another Terminator known as the T-X (Kristanna Loken) comes back in time to kill him and his lieutenants, he knows judgment day is still coming. Another T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has been sent back to protect John and his future lead lieutenant Kate Brewster (Claire Danes). They hope to, once again, try and stop judgment day with the help of the T-800. 

Here we go again. Every decade has to have a Terminator movie, right? Wrong.

"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," once again, has a similar plot to "The Terminator" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the T-800, and much like in T2, is the protector of John Connor, only this time, he is much older and is played by Nick Stahl, who doesn't do the character any justice. The Terminator that was sent back to kill John and his lieutenants is called T-X, because in the year 2001, people like anything with an X because X is more extreme than simply putting a petty number like 800 or 1000 behind a T. The T-X is played Kristanna Loken, who plays the character like a robot, which might seem ideal because terminators are essentially robots anyways, but the point of a terminator is to be indistinguishable from humans, and this she is not. The T-X also has some added features like the ability to control other machines, as well as a built-in plasma cannon, as well as the shape-shifting abilities of the T-1000. While all of these bells and whistles seem like they might be good ideas, it really detracts from the overall aesthetic of the terminator because they are used so willy nilly.

Despite thinking he had prevented judgment day, John Connor has been living off the grid, making him difficult to track. This is why his lieutenants have been targeted. Hoping they could provide the location of John Connor, the T-X visits each of his lieutenants one by one until there are none left. Luckily, or rather unluckily, he stumbles upon his future lead lieutenant and future wife Kate Brewster, played by Claire Danes (who has one of the best/worst crying faces in Hollywood) because you know, fate and shit. But we thought in T2, they narrative said "no fate but what we make for ourselves?" Well apparently, fuck all that! The future is inevitable, and you may be able to delay the future, but you not change it......then why do you keep sending terminators back if the future is inevitable?!?! Because shut-up, that's why! WHAT THE HELL, MAN?! Besides, when has the Terminator series ever cared about plot holes or paradoxes?? In this third installment of the franchise, with James Cameron now gone from the project completely, the writing is very weak and the humor is laid on a little thick to the point where it comes off as ridiculously cheesy. All the classic one-liners we have known and loved from the previous films are dead and gone and now, we get rehashed cheese-bombs like, "you are terminated;" and "I'm back;" and "talk to the hand." *cringe* Thinking about it now makes us angry because the first two movies are so good and this sequel is so bad. In true early 2000's fashion, the special effects are a bit of a CGI-bomb, and where T2 was a groundbreaking film, this movie's CGI is barely passable and extremely video game-esque. In our opinion, even though on paper this movie is rated R, gone are the days of R-rated action as "Rise of the Machines" seems to be mulled over with a fine-toothed comb and stripped of most of its fun, action, and essence. Sure, there are some decent action sequences in that are fun and sometimes a bit over the top, but it just doesn't feel like it did when T1 and T2 first came on the scene. One thing we do like about this movie is its ending. We genuinely enjoy how this film ends, and though it stumbles to get to its conclusion, it ends where and how it should. Overall, though, this is a laughable sequel and the beginning of the end for the Terminator franchise. If only they had stopped here.

My Rating: 5/10

BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 70%
Do we recommend this movie: Meh.

Movie Review: "The Running Man" (1987)

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Movie: "The Running Man"
Director: Paul Michael Glaser
Year: 1987
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

In 2017 after a complete economic collapse, the government has seized total control of the U.S., including all media outlets. A former military officer named Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who disobeyed orders to kill unarmed civilians, is framed by the government-controlled media for the mass murder of the civilians he refused to fire on. He is dubbed the Butcher of Bakersfield for this heinous "act." After an escape and a brief stint on the lamb, Ben is selected to appear on the country's most popular television show, The Running Man. This show sends contestants that are convicted criminals through a 400 square block game zone where they are hunted by network stalkers who's job it is to kill the contestants before time runs out, all in front of a live audience. Ben Richards must survive The Running Man if he ever hopes to prove his innocence.

Set in the dystopic future of 2017, which may have seemed far away when the movie first came out back in the 80's, but is now just a mere 1.5 years away, "The Running Man" is quite an inventive film, and luckily, we are no where near the horrible future this movie saw for us. Did they really expect big feathered hair and spandex suits to still be fashionable in 2017? We digress. In this future, the masses are placated by the government through the power of television (sound familiar???). They keep people watching exploitative television shows that prevents them from focusing on real issues or thinking to much at all (sound familiar???). As long as the masses are on their butts and in front of the TV set, they aren't out picketing or trying to make a difference. So hey, maybe they got this tidbit right about the future because seriously, is The Running Man any worse than "Keeping Up with the Kardashians?"

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Ben Richards, a soldier who had the audacity not to follow orders that interfered with his personal moral code. His refusal to murder innocent people lands him in prison as he was used as a scapegoat. What the public sees are edited cuts of the incident as the government-controlled media manipulates the masses through selective reporting, painting Ben as the bad guy. Eventually, Ben winds up on this game show in front of millions of people. Participation is supposed to be voluntary, but the host of the show Damon Killion, played by Richard Dawson, blackmails Ben into participating. He threatens to put two of the men who helped Richards escape from prison in the show as participants in his place. These two men are political prisoners named Weiss, played by Marvin J. McIntyre, and Laughlin, played by Yaphet Kotto, who are members of a resistance attempting to overthrow the government. Of course, Killion breaks his word and puts Weiss and Laughlin on anyway, even after Ben agrees to participate. The live studio audience picks stalkers to chase down and kill the three men, which will win the audience member some prizes. You know how much people love free stuff! Each of these stalkers has their own gimmick, like a pro-wrestler would. Professor Toro Tanaka plays Sub Zero, a hockey-themed stalker that fantastically uses exploding pucks and a bladed hockey stick. Erland van Lidth plays Dynamo, a stalker that shoots electricity and sings opera in a hilarious twist of fate. Gus Wethwisch plays Buzzsaw, a chainsaw-wielding strongman who rides a dirt bike, because you know, dirt bikes and chainsaws go hand in hand. Former professional football player Jim Brown plays Fireball, who flies around on a jet pack and uses a flamethrower. Finally, Captain Freedom, played by former pro-wrestler and future governor (OMG THERE ARE TWO FUTURE GOVERNORS IN THIS MOVIE, LOL) Jesse Ventura, prides himself on killing with his bare hands and is the "final boss," so to speak.

Sure, all of the above descriptions sound little cheesy, especially considering this film takes place 1.5 years from right now as we are writing this review, but this is all part of its magic. In natural Arnold Schwarzenegger fashion, the "witty" one-liners he drops throughout this film (and really every film he is in, let's be honest) are fun and corny, but hey, that's why we all love him, right? There's a lot of good R-rated action in "The Running Man" and when mixed with an interesting story and an all too relevant message about freedom and government control, this film has the recipe to be an entertaining dystopic sci-fi film that is so, so very 80's.

My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 61%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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One year ago, we were watching: "The Railway Man"

Netflix Instant Queue Movie Review: "Twins" (1988)

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Movie: "Twins"
Director: Ivan Reitman
Year: 1988
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 47 minutes

A group scientists embark on an experiment to create the perfect human. They take the genetics of seven fathers, including athletes, writers, and great thinkers, and an artist mother to carry the child. But, an unexpected occurrence happened when the egg splits, creating twins, though not identical. The first born, Julius (Arnold Schwarzenegger), encompasses all that was good about his parents, and his little brother Vincent (Danny DeVito) was all the crap that was left over. Separated at birth after learning the truth about his brother on his 35th birthday, Julius, who was raised on a tropical island by scientists, sets out to find his long lost twin brother Vincent, who was placed in an orphanage and raised by nuns and has since become a criminal. 

Since his breakthrough roles in "Conan the Barbarian" and "The Terminator," Arnold Schwarzenegger had been relegated to being the leading man in action films like "Commando," "The Running Man," and "The Predator," but in 1988, Schwarzenegger finally got his chance to act in a comedy opposite Danny DeVito, who was already a veteran of that genre. We're not really sure comedy is his intended thing, but hey, whatever he can get, right? The main humor in this film is all about the juxtaposition between the 6'2" and muscle bound Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 5' tall and pudgy Danny DeVito, and the outrageous notion that they are, were, or could ever be twin brothers. Not only are they physically different, but their personalities are very different as well. Julius, who Arnold plays, is intelligent, honest, highly educated, well read, and very calm. Since he has been isolated to a tropical island in a laboratory environment, he doesn't have much common knowledge of the outside world. Vincent, played by Danny DeVito, is dishonest, never finished school, is a womanizer, and a thief, but he is more street smart as he has had to make it on his own for most his life. Despite all of their differences, once they meet, we discover they do have some similar mannerisms, as well as an odd sixth sense about how the other is doing.

Unfortunately, two long lost twin brothers meeting and getting to know each other isn't quite enough to fill a feature length film. To pull this plot off, filmmakers had to add a bit of a road trip adventure to the movie, as unbeknownst to Julius, Vincent has stolen a car that contains a cutting edge prototype engine which he plans to sell to a buyer in Texas for $5 million dollars. This leads them and their lady friends, who are just long for the ride (including a very young Kelly Preston, aka, presently John Travolta's wife), to be pursued by a trained killer named Webster, played by Marshall Bell, who was suppose to deliver the engine for the millions himself. They are also being chased because, oops, Vincent owes $20k to some small time gangster. These misdealings lead to an added element of action and thrills, which also gives Arnold a reason to bust some heads and punch a few people while protecting his little brother, something we definitely expected to happen. Like many comedies of the 80's, "Twins" is mostly a situational comedy with a smattering of sight gags and a serious underlying message. Though this is not an uproariously hilarious comedy or a fantastic film by any stretch of the imagination, it is enjoyable enough and good for a laugh every now and then. Does this film really necessitate a sequel penned by Josh Gad? No, it doesn't, but as we have become accustomed to saying all too well on this blog, Hollywood! You just had to open your yapper, didn't you, Arnie?

My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 34%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

Movie Review: "A Deadly Adoption" (2015)

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Movie: "A Deadly Adoption"
Director: Rachel Goldenberg
Year: 2015
Rating: UR (TV-14)
Running Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes (with commercials)

Five years after a tragic accident that led to losing their unborn child, Robert (Will Ferrell) and Sarah Benson (Kristen Wiig) are looking to adopt. Through the adoption agency, they meet a pregnant woman named Bridgette (Jessica Lowndes) in the hopes of adopting her baby when its born. When they hear she is down on her luck, they invite her into their home for the last few months of her pregnancy to help her out. But not everything is as it seems as a sinister plot unfolds.

Shout-out to the one troll on Facebook with no idea what the definition of "satire" is, who said that the people who finished this movie the entire way through were "stupid, tasteless losers." A+ for effort, thanks for playing!

BigJ and I really like both Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. When we heard about this secret project, many questions were raised: will this be a comedy? Will it be a serious film? What will it be about? Why? Who was the idiot/genius who decided to green-light this project? The internet was abuzz a couple of months ago when information about this made-for-television Lifetime movie was announced via a leaked press release and was almost immediately "scrapped." We see how that turned out. Our best guess? It was all for publicity. And boy, did they get it. It was the #1 trending topic on Facebook news the night it aired for several hours and sure garnered a lot of criticism and questions: was this a comedy? Was it a serious film? What was it really about? Why? Who was the idiot/genius who decided to green-light this project?

There is an old saying that there are two types of people in this world: those who get Monty Python, and those who don't. This same statement can be applied to "A Deadly Adoption," believe it or not. There will be/have already been a lot of people who get it and there will be/have already been a lot of people who don't get it. For those that don't get it, please, please understand that this film is a comedy. It's not the type of comedy that does outrageous things like make an endless amount of dick and fart jokes, or continuously throw in prat falls for the hell of it, or use absurd prop comedy to get laughs. There is nobody out there, not one person, waving a giant flag saying, "hey, this is a comedy!!~!" This film is all about subtlety. Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig already know Lifetime movies are absurd without even trying and are already unintentionally funny, so why exaggerate it too much? The magic is in the nuanced.

Here's a current example for you. It's like Donald Trump's presidential campaign announcement: any comedian in the world could simply read his speech back with a straight face and it would be unintentionally hilarious because the source is already so ridiculous. This is basically what "A Deadly Adoption" is doing. Everyone involved in this movie has collected and expertly used every Lifetime movie cliché and wrapped it into one story, from ridiculous dialogue and epic, sinister music to ominous foreshadowing. Then, they play it completely straight and we can't help but laugh at its majesty. Like we said, its allure is in its subtlety. The slightly off sync looped audio, the dramatic fall into a lake which causes a massive tragedy, the alcoholism, the shattered family picture frame with shards of glass only on Sarah's face, the tearing of the magazine with Sarah's photo on it, the little girl with diabetes, the seductive house guest, hell, even the fact that Robert is a successful writer and Sarah owns a small organic farming business...these and so many more things are all Lifetime movie clichés! The acting is perfectly bad in that the characters lack depth and are played in a dry, almost wooden manner, but once again, this is intentional as it's another dramatic Lifetime movie cliché.

So, Wiig and Ferrell are very good at pretending to be bad actors. Don't underestimate what they have managed to pull off here. It is very difficult to intentionally make a drama so bad that it's hilarious. This been done by accident with films like "The Room," but to do it intentionally is quite hard. On top of this, to fool half of the viewing public into thinking it was a legit drama? That's a practical joke that would make Andy Kaufman proud.

My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ---%
Do we recommend this movie:  Yes!

Weekend Box Office Results: June 19th, 2015 - June 21st, 2015

The brawn of "Jurassic World" edges out the brain of "Inside Out" at the box office this weekend

*all numerical information provided by boxofficemojo.com

Well, another summer weekend has gone by, and the hulking behemoth sequel that is "Jurassic World" managed to finish at the #1 spot again. Coming off the biggest opening weekend in film history, the dinosaur adventure flick pulled in another estimated $102,018,525, bringing its domestic total to whopping $398,230,180 in just 2 weeks, and giving it a global gross that is quickly closing in on $1 billion dollars. The charmingly funny and emotionally moving Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" opened in 2nd place, earning a strong $91,060,000, way above its projected expectations. The R-rated Melissa McCarthy-led comedy "Spy" finished a distant 3rd, pulling in another $10,500,000. The California earthquake disaster flick "San Andreas" settled in the dust at 4th place by earning another $8,240,000. Finally, "Dope" closes out the top 5 in its opening weekend, bringing in an estimated $6,017,929.

		This Week	Domestic Gross
1	Jurassic World	$102,018,525	$398,230,180
2	Inside Out	$91,060,000	$91,060,000
3	Spy	$10,500,000	$74,374,449
4	San Andreas	$8,240,000	$132,228,894
5	Dope	$6,017,929	$6,017,929
6	Insidious Chapter 3	$4,110,000	$45,368,448
7	Pitch Perfect 2	$3,294,110	$177,458,490
8	Mad Max: Fury Road	$2,815,000	$143,601,829
9	Avengers: Age of Ultron	$2,723,000	$449,322,953
10	Tomorrowland	$2,009,000	$87,696,300

**See you at the movies!!**