Movie Review: "The Boss Baby" (2017)

Movie: "The Boss Baby"

Director: Tom McGrath
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

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Seven year old Tim has gotten used to being the center of his parents' attention...that is, until his new baby brother arrives and starts stealing all their affection. Tim instantly knows something isn't right with this baby and discovers his new brother is actually a manager at Baby Corp, only masquerading as a child to stop the release of Puppy Co.'s new puppy that will steal the love and attention away from babies forever. 

"The Boss Baby" is directed by Tom McGrath, who has directed other animated features like "Madagascar" and its sequels, as well as "Megamind." It is written by Michael McCullers, based on a book by Marla Frazee. It stars Alec Baldwin as the titular Boss Baby, a businessman-like baby from Baby Corp, where all the world's infant are manufactured for either families or for management. This Boss Baby was created with middle management in its veins, all grown up, but still in the body of a newborn. He has been assigned a mission to investigate the release of Puppy Co.'s new puppy, a creature so adorable and so cute, it will steal all of the love away from babies. Boss Baby is assigned to a family employed at Puppy Co. that consists of Mom and Dad, voiced by Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow, and their seven-year-old son Tim, voiced by Miles Bakshi. It is actually the adult Tim, voiced by Tobey Maguire, who narrates the whole story.

This feature seems to have a few good ideas early on. It looks as if it is going to explore what it's like for an older child to have a new sibling introduced into the family through an allegorical tale about a "Boss Baby." It would appear the film is has been set up this way as a seven-year-old with an overactive imagination may view his new baby brother as an over-demanding boss. Unfortunately and unexpectedly, it loses its way soon after it begins as it doesn't really have anything smart or insightful to say. Instead, McGrath and McCullers tend to rely on the typical poop, doody, and fart jokes we've come to expect from most animated film features not made by Disney or Pixar. There are also running gags about a baby acting like a businessman, which is cute for about five minutes, but gets boring shortly after the notion is introduced. The script is also loaded with a ton of pop culture references to films and music which are clearly targeted more towards the parents of the kids who may be in attendance. We seriously doubt kids are going to get references to The Beatles or "Glengarry Glen Ross." Never fear, there are plenty of references the kiddos may get as well, though these instances offer little more than saying "Hey! Remember this thing you probably like better than what you are watching right now? Well, now that we referenced it,  you'll like us too, right?!" Finally, there are also a few questionable jokes that seem a bit mature for a kids movie. While their intentions seems comedic, they feels wholly and inappropriately out of place. Also, there seems to be a weird fixation on butts in animated movies lately, but "The Boss Baby" takes it to the nth degree. These jokes may make some overly cautious parents raise an eyebrow. We know they made us go "uhhhhhhhhhmmmm....." a few times and we're not even parents.

"The Boss Baby" is not all bad. Alec Baldwin and Miles Bakshi do excellent jobs in their respective voice over roles and have really great chemistry with one another. This movie as a whole does have some cool animation choices from time to time, especially early on when they show the adventures of Tim's imagination on full display. There is also a fun, upbeat score made by Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro that we enjoyed a lot. Beyond these factors, this animated feature is a rather mediocre affair. Of course, we are not the target of this movie, especially since we don't have children...if we are being honest, we were sort of rooting more for the puppies.

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My Rating: 5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5/10
IMDB's Rating: ~5.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 48%
Do we recommend this movie: Meh.

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Movie Review: "Personal Shopper" (2017)

Movie: "Personal Shopper"

Director: Olivier Assayas
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

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Maureen (Kristen Stewart) is a personal shopper for a unpleasant supermodel. She hates her job, but keeps it because she is also waiting in Paris for a very specific reason. Maureen is also a medium waiting to be contacted by her deceased twin brother to show proof of life beyond death. 

"Personal Shopper" is written and directed by Oliver Assayas. It stars Kristen Stewart as Maureen Cartwright, a reluctant personal shopper to a high maintenance, demanding supermodel. Maureen is also a spiritual medium waiting for contact from her deceased twin brother, who died young from a congenital condition in Paris. This movie is part character sketch about a young woman dealing with her grief, part ghost story about her aforementioned abilities as a spiritual medium, and part suspense thriller mystery. It is mostly original in this sense, but it is all over the place and doesn't seem to know which direction it wants to go in or what genre it truly wants to be. Assayas and Stewart have worked together before on the film called "Clouds of Sils Maria," which we didn't realize he directed. As soon as "Personal Shopper" started, we were called back to the time when we watched "Maria" in the theater because this film could be its spiritual sequel, no pun intended. They both have the same feel, similar plots, pacing, type of acting, style of writing, and overall vibe.

The entire thing hinges a lot on Stewart and her performance, but the role she is playing isn't much different from anything she's done in the past. This will either be a really good thing if you've loved her previous work, or a terrible thing if you hate her style. She plays similar characters in everything, people who are a bit dower and self-serious. They often feel like they have an edgy attitude, that she's always too cool for whatever it is they are doing, but almost always has an underlying sense of self-doubt. This is neither a bad thing nor a good thing for us as we've loved her elsewhere playing this role, but here, though her performance is good, it's noticeable that there's a lack of focus and she's trying her best to make it work. There are a few other people in this film like Lars Eidinger, Sigrid Bouaziz, and Nora van Waldstätten, but they only have fleeting moments of screen time and really this entire film hinges on Stewart, who has found her niche doing indie movies.

There are glimmers of what could be a really intricate, interesting, solid movie here and there, especially in terms of the supernatural aspects. There are some ghostly occurrences that build tension briefly, but then kind of trail off and become a footnote until they are convenient. In the mystery thriller story line, there is brief intrigue as Maureen gets some mysterious text messages from an unknown person or entity. While we are interested to find out who or what is messaging her (even though we called it), it feels like it's building towards something super compelling, but is dropped by the wayside in lieu of something that feels very basic that isn't drastic or enticing. As for the rest of the story, it's a rather mundane account of a woman who drives around running errands buying clothes for her boss, who she seems to hate, packing up and down the stairs of her brother's old spooky house looking for any sign that he might be trying to contact her from the great beyond. This lack of focus really hurts the narrative and its pacing. For as many interesting moments as there are in the film, there are just as many if not more moments that are just downright dull. Though we managed to stay awake, we can't say the same for at least three other audience members who fell asleep and were audibly snoring for large portions of the film.

Despite the early critical acclaim this received while on the festival circuit, "Personal Shopper" winds up being a disappointment despite a fine performance from Kristen Stewart. Ultimately, we found this rather forgettable despite what it tries to say about grief and mystery.

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My Rating: 5.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 79%
Do we recommend this movie: Meh.

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Movie Review: "Life" (2017)

Movie: "Life"

Director: Daniel Espinosa
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes

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A group of astronauts and scientists on the International Space Station receive and study specimens from Mars. One such specimen is a microscopic organism that doesn't stay microscopic for long and wreaks havoc on the Space Station and its crew once it grows. 

"Life" is directed by Daniel Espinosa, who is know for films such as "Safe House" and "Child 44." It is written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who wrote the fabulous "Deadpool"...oh, and they also wrote the awful "G.I. Joe: Retaliation." It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, and Olga Dihovichnaya, who make up a multi-national group of scientists and astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Their job is to study the most recent soil samples from the planet Mars. In these samples, they find a dormant single cell organism they then coax out of hibernation. The cell multiplies and quickly grows into a considerably larger squid-like creature that is essentially "all muscle, all brain, and all eye." Once it feels threatened, this creature starts to unleash its wrath on the crew. 

"Life" is an original sci-fi story in that it is not a remake, sequel, or something based on any previously published material, at least not on the surface. Deep down, however, it is very derivative of movies that came before it like "Alien" and even "Gravity." Here, a crew stuck in space tries to survive against a newly discovered, extremely adaptive species. There are a couple of unsettling scenes early on that can genuinely make the audience cringe in a good way. There is a mild amount of tension, but unfortunately, never goes beyond the bare minimum. From there, as the martian known as Calvin continues its rampage, the film starts to fall into typical sci-fi horror tropes, contrived plot points, and convenient situations that are only there as devices to further these contrivances. The acting is completely competent from all of the actors involved, though a few play to type. Of course, Ryan Reynolds has found success being the sarcastic and snarky go-to, so that's the role he plays once again. Other parts include Rebecca Ferguson as the super efficient scientist who wants everything by the book, Jake Gyllenhaal as the jaded former soldier trying to get away from the hatred of earth, Hiroyuki Sanada as the new father/tech expert of the crew, Ariyon Bakare as the super attached scientist who nurtured the creature in its infancy, and Olga Dihovichnaya as the token Russian. This is really where the character development ends and what we are left with is fairly thin. We never truly get to know them or care about them beyond a general outline of these archetypes. Despite their high education, this group also winds up doing plenty of stupid things at the most inopportune times, leaving the audience with a typical horror reaction akin to "DON'T GO UPSTAIRS!!"

By far, the best part of "Life" is its special effects. In fact, they are enough to blow you away at times. Though the set pieces do seem familiar to other movies that take place in space, just because they are derivative doesn't mean they aren't cool as hell. In addition, the creature design is awesome. Calvin looks like a cross between an octopus and a sea angel, dangly and gangly and floating and majestic in its viciousness. Speaking of Calvin, it is the type of creature that is essentially the ultimate killing machine with no weaknesses the crew can find. It can squeeze through small openings, it is far stronger than the humans on the station, it is far smarter than anyone (or so it appears), and though it needs oxygen to live, it can survive for an indeterminate amount of time without it. These trite instances will automatically put off some viewers. Something else that may be off-putting to some is the dialogue, which is not the best and often consists of people explaining their plans to kill Calvin in great detail, or espousing whether or not they think Calvin will survive in this or that type of situation. These are the moments where the movie came to a screeching halt. The writers basically made this creature have invincibility at times. For example, at one point, the crew says out loud in their deliberations that Calvin needs oxygen to survive, but a caveat was written in so that it can continue existing even without air. Things are often explained, then happen in contradiction to what was said, like how Calvin can crawl unprotected on the exterior of the station without oxygen for an extended period of time and doesn't die.

"Life" has a few tense and exciting moments, but overall is too derivative and too convenient. Without compelling characters to elevate the story, it remains far too predictable, especially given its very typical horror film finale (which we both love and hate).

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My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 5.5/10
IMDB's Rating: ~7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~66%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

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Movie Review: "Wilson" (2017)

Movie: "Wilson"

Director: Craig Johnson
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

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A lonely man with no social filter tries to rekindle his relationship with his estranged wife and discovers he has a teenage daughter, one she put up for adoption 17 years ago.

"Wilson" is directed by Craig Johnson, who directed the 2014 film "The Skeleton Twins," which we found enjoyable despite its depressing, dark premise. It is written by Daniel Clowes, who also wrote the graphic novel on which the film is based. It stars Woody Harrelson as the titular character Wilson, a lonely man with absolutely no social filter or any manners in general. He always has something to say, and whatever that may be is positively, absolutely more important than whatever anybody else is doing. After his best and only friends move to St. Louis and his father passes away, Wilson, feeling lost, decides to seek out his estranged wife Pippi, played by Laura Dern, through her estranged sister Polly, played by Cheryl Hines. Since they have been apart, Pippi has had battles with narcotics among other things. Once reconnected, Wilson learns he and Pippi have a daughter, one she lied about aborting and actually put up for adoption 17 years ago without telling him. After meeting with a private investigator, who is really just some dude with Google, Wilson and Pippi track down their long lost daughter named Claire, played by Isabelle Amara, and want to be in her life regardless of what she wants.

We were somewhat looking forward to this movie after seeing its trailer a few times. It seemed like it might be right up our alley, a smart, satirical comedy about an oddball, disconnected character with no social filter wandering through a connected age, grumbling at things like Yelp and Ancestry.com in between his bitch-fests about how life did him wrong. Though it attempts to be those things, it sadly doesn't succeed. Wilson as a character most certainly does say whatever comes to his mind whenever he wants, that much we got correct. He is also a condescending prick and almost wholly unlikable on top of it. Usually, Woody Harrelson does a good job in making somewhat abrasive, jerk-off characters seem charming because of his incredible talent as an actor. He did this with great success in "The Edge of Seventeen." Though he gives a good, extremely convincing performance as this neurotic, perpetual man-child, the tone comes off as more mean-spirited than wise.

There is something about the way the humor is delivered that just doesn't work for us. For example, there's a scene where, after espousing the belief that we as a society are more broken and detached now than we have ever been, Wilson strolls along the street and walks past a coffee shop with his faithful pooch Pepper. Sitting down at the only table where someone is already clearly working on their computer, Wilson has obviously stumbled upon an unwilling participant in their pleasantries. As Wilson attempts multiple times to start a full-on conversation with this man, he says he is busy and proceeds to work. Instead of saying "have a nice day" and leaving, Wilson then berates him and calls him an asshole, among other things. This is the entire crux of "Wilson" as the whole movie consists of him bitching about life and whining about not having friends. He is desperately lonely, but his motivations for finding a friend even feel somewhat selfish because it would seem he just wants someone to take care of him when he's old and to cement what little legacy he will leave behind once he's dead. Apart from Harrelson, Laura Dern also gives a good performance as Pippi, who has fallen on troubled times and is barely holding herself together as it is. When Wilson, a tornado of sour and dower comes traipsing back into her life, she understandably gets both angry and concerned, but simultaneously comforted by her past. Finally, most of the technical aspects of the film are fine and it is shot well, so no complaints there. It's the narrative and pacing that pose the biggest problems for us.

We went into this movie hoping to laugh and left feeling depressed more than anything. We even felt a little angry at the direction the story went and how it all panned out in the end. "Wilson" isn't a long film, but there were still times where we were irritated and wanted to check our watches to see if it was almost over. It wants to have its cake and eat it too by trying to say something about the disconnection of our world, but does so with a disingenuous main character and little to no redemption. It doesn't do anything, it doesn't say anything, and it really isn't much of anything at all. The film overall is not an enjoyable experience to watch and that's disappointing because of the caliber of talent it has and because we were looking forward to it. Maybe the graphic novel is better.

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My Rating: 4/10
BigJ's Rating: 4/10
IMDB's Rating: ~6.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~39%
Do we recommend this movie: No.

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Movie Review: "Power Rangers" (2017)

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Movie: "Power Rangers"

Director: Dean Isrealite
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours, 4 minutes

A group of teenagers discovers five magical power coins in a quarry outside their town of Angel Grove. These coins were left by an alien race to give those who found them special powers and the duty to protect the power crystal, which has the capability of destroying the planet, from falling into the wrong hands.

"Power Rangers" is directed by Dean Israelite and is a re-imagining of the 1990's kid's show "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers." It stars a cast of young, relatively unknown actors who make up the titular Power Rangers: the Red Ranger Jason, played by Dacre Montgomery; the Pink Ranger Kimberly, played by Naomi Scott; the Blue Ranger Billy, played by RJ Cyler; the Black Ranger Zack, played by Ludi Lin; and the Yellow Ranger Trini, played by Becky G. Also in the cast are veteran actors Bryan Cranston, who plays Zordon, Bill Hader, who voices robot Alpha 5, and Elizabeth Banks, who plays the villainous Rita Repulsa. The five aforementioned teens are made up of outsiders, part juvenile delinquents, part misfits, who discover five strange coins in a quarry outside of their small town of Angel Grove. These coins give the teens superpowers, as well as a duty to protect a powerful source of energy known as the Zeo power crystal. Along with the crystals, the long-dormant baddie Rita Repulsa is retrieved from her watery slumber. She wants the power crystal for herself so she can destroy the planet because she is just plain evil. Now, with training help from Zordon, the Rangers must learn to work together in order to stop her.

This incarnation of the "Power Rangers" is quite a large step away from the campy 90's television show, which was spliced together from an existing Japanese TV series and combined with American re-shoots. This version takes a slightly darker tone and is as different from the original show as any "Batman" film (that's not directed by Joel Schumacher) is from the 60's TV series with Adam West. The characters, mainly the Rangers themselves, are not deeply layered ones. Though they do each get a little bit of characterization with their own personal stories, they are primarily archetypes in this tale. Jason is the former star athlete with leadership qualities who keeps getting in trouble. Billy is the nerdy tech guy who has gone through a personal tragedy and is "on the spectrum." Kimberly was once a "mean girl" cheerleader turned rebellious outcast. Trini is the perpetual new kid with a chip on her shoulder, and Zack is the loner type who regularly skips school, but for a good reason. These up and coming actors fit their roles well and do a decent job as "teenagers with attitude," which was always said in the original show, but not really always present or apparent. We understand if others are rubbed the wrong way by their coincidental meetings and demeanors, and we can also see people being annoyed by how quickly the kids come together to form a special bond for the greater good. Unlike the TV show, which had episode after episode for years to build these characters, here, we only get a short 2 hours to tell their story. Sure, this movie doesn't have the cleanest narrative, but we digress. For what it is, we didn't see a problem with most of it. The veteran cast members do an awesome job in their respective roles. Elizabeth Banks' take on the evil Rita Repulsa is very effective and is a much more frightening embodiment of the character. We also like the fact that Bill Hader has lent his voice to the character of Alpha 5. If you don't know, Hader is incredible when it comes to voice over and sound effects work, so we are glad the filmmakers have taken the Alpha character away from being an overly anxious, obnoxious android and turned him into a wittier and even tougher, sassy character thanks to Hader's brilliant work. The CGI on this character is a little nightmare inducing, but it's not the worst thing we've ever seen digitized.

This is an origin story, so it takes its time building the universe and all of its participants. Unlike 1995's "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie," those behind the camera don't assume the audience already knows everything about this world, these people, their abilities, or their jargon, though they do give a lot of fan service for viewers who grew up with the TV series like myself. Much of the movie involves the construction of this world, our heroes, how they must learn their powers and prepare for their newly discovered duties. It isn't until the third act where we actually get to full-on Ranger action and get to check out their Zords in full operation. This is the one major complaint we do have about the film. We would have loved to see the Rangers in their suits a bit more, but we have a feeling we haven't seen the last of them. It certainly put a smile on our faces as these Zords and suits were unleashed.

In the end, this new incarnation of the "Power Rangers" manages to take something that was originally extremely cheesy and create something a bit more serious, but still maintains a fun, fan-serviced affair. Though it is pretty messy and overuses CGI in several instances, we surprisingly enjoyed this movie and are glad it wasn't the dumpster fire we assumed it would be based on the trailers.

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My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: ~7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~46%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

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Movie Review: "They Came Together" (2014)

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Movie: "They Came Together"
Director: David Wain
Year: 2014
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 23 minutes

While out to dinner with their friends Karen (Ellie Kemper) and Kyle (Bill Hader), Joel (Paul Rudd) and Molly (Amy Poehler) recant their bizarre and out-of-the-ordinary relationship, starting with how they met and initially hated each other. Kyle works for a major candy corporation and Molly owns a small mom and pop candy shop, which was her dream, and the one Kyle's company wants to destroy.

The first thing you need to know about "They Came Together" is that it is a parody/spoof. We did not know this going in, but it is very apparent about 7 minutes into its run time that its entire purpose is to make fun of the romantic comedies and dramas which came before it. When we say parody, we mean it as it's almost entirely overacted, cliche, and contrived, but in a good way, not a bad one. This movie somehow manages to be wholly hilarious in its own unique way. Amy Poehler plays Molly, who owns a small mom-and-pop candy store in New York City and has one son. Paul Rudd plays Joel, who works for a major candy corporation that wants to destroy Molly's business. Joel is hung up on his ex-girlfriend Tiffany, played by Cobie Smulders, who cheated on him with his boss. Eventually, Molly and Joel form an unlikely relationship initially built on hatred. They wind up at the same events and with the same circle of friends, despising one another outwardly to the world, but their hatred eventually leads to love as they begin a relationship with one another. Not as solid as they think they are, they break up about halfway through the movie in an unexpected twist, but not really. Molly then moves on to another man in her accountant, played by Ed Helms, and promptly gets engaged to him even though she is still secretly in love with Joel. Ohhhhhh boy.

As with all indie movies, the quirkiness factor doesn't stop there as every single cliche from every movie ever is explored here as a tactic to drive the plot. It does this on purpose in an attempt to be different, and this is where the film will lose some of its viewers. Us being the weirdos that we are, we liked it! The film is basically a romantic version of the cult classic "Wet Hot American Summer," minus the summer camp, plus candy, so how much you like "They Came Together" will be directly contingent upon how little or how much you like movies of that nature. All the same people who are in "Wet Hot American Summer" even pop up in this movie in some capacity or another as well. It feels like, as a whole, it's trying to be really smart by taking everything we know about modern day rom-coms and flipping it on its head in a satirized way, though we don't know if most of the movie-going public will see it this way. In a way, the rom-com parodies are getting parodied themselves. We're really trying to stress how much of a spoof this is and we think more screenplay writers should watch this flick  to see what they should not do next time they find themselves wanting to make the next "When Harry Met Sally."

In the end, we think the premise of "They Came Together" is a borderline brilliant by using well-respected and very much beloved actors and actresses against the corporate machine of sappy, dribbling romantic comedies to create a surprisingly new, subtly embracing sarcastic, hilarious take on the genre that has made so many mistakes in the past few decades. Greatly acted, smartly written, sharp, quirky, and yet still somewhat endearing in its own right.

My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 69%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

Movie Review: "CHIPS" (2017)

Movie: "CHIPS"

Director: Dax Shepard
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

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An FBI agent is placed undercover and is partnered with a rookie CHP officer in order to expose and arrest some dirty cops working on the force. 

"CHIPS" is a feature film comedy adaptation of the 1970's & 80's television crime drama "CHiPs." It is written and directed by Dax Shepard, who also stars in the film as Jon Baker, a former X-Games dirt-bike rider-turned-CHP rookie. Joining him is Michael Peña, an FBI agent who has been assigned to work undercover under the pseudonym Frank "Ponch" Poncherello, in order to investigate an armored car robbery and to discover the identities of several dirty, corrupt cops inside the CHP. Also in the film are Vincent D'Onofrio, Kristen Bell, Ryan Hansen, Adam Brody, Jessica McNamee, Isiah Whitlock Jr, and Rosa Salazar.

Did anyone really want to see a theatrical adaptation of the television show "CHiPs?" Was Dax Shepard just sitting at home one evening, clearly stoned while watching TV Land, thinking to himself, "it would be a great idea to adapt this 30+ year old cop drama into a feature length comedy in the year 2017!" Maybe he was trying to capture the success others have recently found with the likes of the "21 Jump Street" movies, which found a new audience several decades later in two hilarious feature length films filled with outrageous comedy and fantastic chemistry between characters. Unfortunately, Shepard's version of "CHIPS" doesn't have either of those things to go along with the already established name, and this movie doesn't even reach the level of the "Starsky & Hutch" adaptation.

One thing we get from this movie is an understanding of what type of humor Dax Shepard finds funny, and apparently, we don't completely share the same sense of humor. Most of the jokes here consist of Michael Peña's Ponch being uncomfortable with anything appearing even slightly gay, gags about his very active sex life including his implied chronic masturbation, and a running joke about the new age joys of eating out buttholes in the Tinder era. Shepard's Baker spends most his time doing prat falls due to his character's excessive surgery history and lingering injuries as an X-Games competitor, his being completely oblivious to his wife's infidelity and her all around asshole attitude, and his constant need to play amateur psychologist about everything and anything since he's had a year's worth of therapy. To top it all off, Shepard and Peña only have mediocre chemistry and the rest of the characters are either extremely basic, like McNamee's officer Lindsey Taylor, or are over-the-top cartoon-like characters, like D'Onofrio's Vic Brown.

The narrative isn't natural at all as everything is completely contrived, not that we always watch comedies for well thought out plots, but this one barely holds it together on a surface level. Plot points are started and never come to fruition, and others end without so much as a semblance of closure. But look! An explosion! Oh look! A poop joke! That makes it fine! This film also has moments where the tonal shifts are completely jarring as it seems to want to be a comedy, but plays it a little too serious at times as well. The pseudo-psychology mumbo-jumbo Baker spews ad nauseum attempts to take the film in directions it has no business going since this is essentially one, giant, elongated phallic joke.

Luckily, "CHIPS"' isn't entirely devoid of humor. We did laugh a few times, mostly at the over-the-top violence where characters get decapitated or have other body parts blown off and the subsequent shenanigans that follow. Overall though, the laughs are few and far between, which we hate to say because generally, we like this cast, and it sucks to see them get stuck with such a sub-par comedic offering. However, the lady sitting in front of us started laughing uncontrollably about midway through the movie every time Dax Shepard fell down, and this continued for the rest of its run time. It probably helped that she was downing an entire bottle of wine and an extra glass of beer to go along with it, which is what we assume it'll take for the average viewer to enjoy this movie even slightly.

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My Rating: 2.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 2.5/10
IMDB's Rating: ~5.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~24%
Do we recommend this movie: No.

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Top 20 BEST Movies of 2016!

Welcome to our list of the BEST MOVIES of 2016!!!

It might be three months late, but we have finally decided our list of the top 20 best movies of 2016! These are the cream of the crop from the year, and it took us a long time to finalize this list! As always, these are our picks, and we welcome discussion, debate and disagreement! Each film is linked with our original review. Please enjoy! :)

20) "Moonlight" (8.75/10): The winner of the Best Picture Academy Award at the Oscars this year, "Moonlight" is an extremely well put together piece of cinema that is very interesting and compelling. Emotionally moving and tremendously acted, this is a story that doesn't get told often, if ever, and it subtly combines several topics to make one masterful piece of filmmaking. Barry Jenkins, please make more movies!

19) "Eye in the Sky" (9/10): A powerful, intense film that stuck with us all year, "Eye in the Sky" boasts an incredible performance by leading lady Helen Mirren, and a fantastic send-off for the late Alan Rickman. "It looks at the morality of war dead in the eye, something that can get lost in gunshots, battlefields and bad versus good." Each scene gets more suffocating as the seconds click by with lives at stake, and it remains engaging 'til the end.

18) "Moana" (9/10): You're welcome! Disney had a banner year in 2016, and their final animated entry for the year was one of the best. "Moana" gives many of the other Disney princesses a run for their money in a film filled with genuine heart, a fantastic message for kids and adults alike, a ton of glorious humor, a pivotal story, tremendous music, brilliant voice-over work, and an exciting, fun, emotional adventure. A must see!

17) "The Jungle Book" (9/10): We've come a long way in the world of computer generated effects! Aided by Jon Favreau's tremendous direction, "The Jungle Book" remake worried us going into it since we didn't know how it'd translate into live action. By movie's end, we left the theater feeling happy to say that not only does this version have excellent voice-over work, but it "retains the same spirit and joviality as the animated version while doing justice to the written words of Rudyard Kipling." It is frightening in some instances, but it also balances humor and adventure with these scary moments. And the animation? It is dazzling, photo-realistic, and sumptuous.

16) "Train to Busan" (9/10): One of the very few entries on our best of the best list that we saw on video on demand (as opposed to ones we saw in the theater), "Train to Busan" is worthy of such an honor. We are suckers for Korean cinema, but this fast-paced, amazingly exciting zombie outbreak film is more than meets the eye. It's deceptively deep, crazy intense, and never stops for a moment's rest. It's simple and effective.

15) "Green Room" (9/10): Another simple, low budget film that is increasingly more effective as time slowly rolls by. It's tense and intense. It is executed so well with many unexpected moments that we wound up getting completely enthralled and unnerved by everything going on on screen. This is "a freaky, twisted, brutal, macabre, claustrophobic movie," and though we do highly recommend it, it's not for those faint of heart or those who are weak in the stomach. It is also expertly cast, and little did we know when seeing it that it'd be one of Anton Yelchin's last performances.

14) "The Handmaiden" (9/10): A sexy, graphic, seductive, alluring, dark, visually striking South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook, take a chance on "The Handmaiden" and you won't be disappointed. It's twisty, turny, and oh so engaging. We had no idea what this movie was about going into it an wound up absolutely loving it.

13) "Kubo and the Two Strings" (9/10): Laika Entertainment has done it again with the fabulous "Kubo and the Two Strings," a brilliant, creative, and vibrant animated film with a lot of heart and soul. We were gripped by this story of acceptance, family, sadness, loneliness, and bravery in the face of adversity throughout its run time, and the animation is a tremendous visual delight. 

12) "Loving" (9/10): Richard and Mildred Loving only wanted to be together and be married in Virginia in the 1950's, which had anti-miscegenation laws in place. "Loving," expertly directed by Jeff Nichols, is their story as Nichols "stays glued to this couple who never wanted to be in the spotlight, but were thrust into it in order to protect their rights to love one another and to raise their family they way they wanted where they wanted." Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton give career-best performances in this nuanced, deeply moving, very poignant, very timely, and important film.

11) "Manchester by the Sea" (9/10): This drama deals with loss in such a profoundly nuanced and intricate way. It says so little and yet says so much in the small glances, "the tiny things here and there that add to the immense minutiae of death and loss and tragedy that should only be understood through personal experience, but somehow, even if you've never felt the painful sting of grief, you will know what it feels like if you watch this movie," that's how visceral the pain is. "Manchester by the Sea" will be hard to watch for anyone who has ever experienced a loss like this, and with such astounding directing, writing, and acting, it's not hard to see why this film made our list of the top 20 best movies of the year.

Click the link below to continue our list and to see our TOP 10 BEST MOVIES OF 2016!!!

Movie Review: "The Belko Experiment" (2017)

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Movie: "The Belko Experiment"

Director: Greg McLean
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 28 minutes

A group of office workers at the Belko corporation in Bogotá, Colombia are locked in their building and are forced to murder each other or face their own execution by a faceless voice controlling the situation. 

"The Belko Experiment" is directed by Greg McLean, who is known for directing "Wolf Creek" and its sequel, as well as the horrendous horror flick from last year called "The Darkness." It is written by James Gunn, who is no stranger to movies like this as he has written such horror genre flicks as "Dawn of the Dead" (2004) and "Slither." It has an ensemble cast that makes up the employees at Belko, played by the likes of John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, Sean Gunn, Josh Brener, Dave Del Rio, Owain Yeoman, James Earl, and Michael Rooker, just to name a few. All of the company's workers show up for a normal day on the job at Belko to find what seems like a heightened security alert. Most of the employees don't think much of it, until an announcement comes over the PA system stating what is essentially a "kill or be killed" message as metal shutters slam over every window throughout the building, leaving no chance for escape.

This is a film where average people are taken and put in an extreme situation. These workers are forced to see if they can revert to their more violent and animalistic instincts. We have seen similar concepts like in other movies, most notably "Battle Royale," and to a lesser and far less bloody extent, "The Hunger Games." You can even compare the situation these office workers are put in to that of a drafted soldier who is placed on the front lines of battle, except in war, the enemy is far more clear. In this situation, many scenarios are set up to test people to see how they will react. The voice on the PA system demands that two people be killed, or there will be consequences. When the workers attempt to call the voice's bluff and don't comply, four people are killed. Next comes the order to kill 30 people or 60 will die. It's at this point we how far certain individuals are willing to go for self-preservation and how strong the moral convictions of others are in a scenario like this. It is in the early part of the film where tension and paranoia build as we wonder who will be the first to crack under the pressure, the horror, and the insanity, and will be the first to murder a coworker and friend.

This is not a complex story with deeply developed characters. Throughout the film, we do get a general sense of who some of the people working for Belko are, as well as their attitudes towards survival and their potential murder habits. There's not a whole lot beyond this, but there doesn't really need to be, especially when considering the movie's short runtime. As the film rolls quickly on, all hell starts to break loose into a symphony of mayhem and carnage. The weapons come out in full force and blood starts to fly as humanity goes right out the window in a frenzy of gratuitous violence. Because of this, it's not going to be a film for everyone due to the fact that at times, one may hear the literal mushing of skulls and brains as Belko employees are murdered in various ways. In fact, the very idea of a film like this is enough to disgust many people, especially considering the climate we live in today related to incidents like this. The one big critique we have is that much of the killing is done with guns, and given the office type of setting, though there were some crafty kills, we would have preferred to see more creative uses of office supplies when it came to some of these killings.

For fans of splatter-house style horror films or the aforementioned "Battle Royale," "The Belko Experiment" may be right up your alley. For us, we found this to be overall effective and sometimes unnerving flick, which is what a horror film is meant to do. Like we said, this movie is not for everyone as the body count is not only kept at a high and ever-rising number, but it's kept at a bloody disgusting one at that. Gore fans will delight in the sea of butchery left in this movie's wake.

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My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 46%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

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Movie Review: "Three Men and a Baby" (1987)

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Movie: "Three Men and a Baby"
Director: Leonard Nimoy
Year: 1987
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Three bachelors have their world turned upside down when a baby is left on their doorstep. Matters get worse when they are also sent a package narcotics getting them stuck between a pair of drug dealers and the police.

"Three Men and A Baby" is directed by Leonard Nimoy, yes, that Leonard Nimoy, and is an American adaptation of the Oscar nominated French film "Trois Hommes et un Couffin." It stars three 80's favorites in Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Guttenberg who play Peter, an architect, Jack, an actor, and Michael, a cartoonist. These three bachelors share a high-rise Manhattan penthouse and live a pretty wild and loose lifestyle. While Jack is off in Turkey shooting a film, he tells his roommates a friend of his is sending a package to their home and asks if they can hold it until his friends send someone to pick it up. When a baby shows up on the doorstep for Jack, they assume this is the package. It is not until later they realize their building manager signed for the actual package which, unbeknownst to them, is full of drugs. This creates a zany mess where these three unattached, partying men not only have to learn to care for a baby, but must deal with a pair of drug dealers and some narcotics officers looking to make a bust.

The vast majority of the laughs in "Three Men and a Baby" come from watching three grown men fumbling and bumbling their way through a couple of days/weeks worth of time as they try and learn how to take care of a baby girl. They have to endure the typical troubles that come with a baby, including diaper changes, feedings, finding someone to watch her so they can go on with their lives and their parties, as well as the eventual love they come to have for this child over time as she wins them over with her pooping and crying. The interactions between these three men and the baby are by far the best parts of the film. The whole drug problem seems a little unnecessary and is just there to give them something else to do and to give them more chaos added on top of their already tumultuous experiences with a very small baby. Nimoy and company probably could have focused entirely on the learning curve of parenthood and made a solid movie anyway regardless of the narcotics situation. Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg, and Tom Selleck have great chemistry with one another, and when you bring the kid into it, well, all of them turn to mush as they fall in love with her as any doting "parent" would. Each actor brings their own brand of humor into this film, which combines to make a fun, charming story full of solid performances, some great, wacky situations, and an endearing tale of men become grown-ups.

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
~~~~~~~~~~
One year ago, we were watching: "Hell's Ground"

Movie Review: "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie" (1995)

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Movie: "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie"

Director: Bryan Spicer
Year: 2016
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes

The Power Rangers face off against a new villain named Ivan Ooze, who has a plan to destroy the Rangers and the world. 

"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" is directed by Bryan Spicer and is written by Arne Olsen and John Kamps. It is a spinoff of the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" television show that was airing at the time, I show I personally watched quite frequently as a kid. It stars Jason David Frank as Tommy the white ranger, Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly the pink ranger, David Yost as Billy the blue ranger, Karan Ashley as Aisha the yellow ranger, Johnny Yonh Bosch as Adam the black ranger, and Steve Cardenas as Rocky the red ranger. All of these actors are reprising their roles from the Power Rangers television show circa season two (1994-1995). This time around, the Rangers face a new villain known as Ivan Ooze, played by Paul Freeman, who you may remember as Dr. René Belloq in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Ooze has managed to be awoken from the giant egg where he was hibernating to destroy the command center and injure Zordon, played by Nicholas Bell, the Rangers' sage elder who gave them their abilities as well as all of the information on saving the world, to the point where his injuries may be fatal. The Rangers have now also lost their powers and must travel to a distant planet named Phaedos to gain new powers in order to save Zordon, defeat Ooze, and save the planet from destruction.

"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" is certainly a film for fans of the television show. In fact, it's little more than an extended episode with a higher budget and some upgraded but still really bad 90's CGI. Much like 1966's "Batman: The Movie," the film is made under the assumption that you have already seen the show, are a regular viewer, and are versed in all things Power Rangers. It doesn't bother to develop the characters because it just assumes you already know each one of the people involved in this group, as well as their individual personalities and abilities as Rangers inside and out. If you are not already a fan, you will be completely lost. Of course, if you are not a fan of the show, you probably won't be watching this movie in the first place.

In this feature length film, we get the same over-the-top martial arts action fights as the Rangers battle various new creatures, get some spiffy and flashy new ninja costumes (which they apparently only use once?), get to use a few new droids, and eventually get new "spirit animals." Unfortunately, these new droids and spirit animals come to life in a horrible, tacky way, created with CGI that was already outdated when it was released in 1995. Every computer generated element is dreadful at best, and they get progressively worse as time rolls on. The technology simply wasn't there in the mid-90's to pull this kind of stuff off, especially with a meager $15 million budget. In addition, several of the old standby characters are back, like Bulk and Skull, played by Paul Schrier and Jason Narvy, though they get very little to do here and disappear as quickly as they show up on screen. Finally, all of the dialogue spoken in this movie consists of cheesy teenager-uttered one-liners, horrible puns, and a lot of talk about mystic powers, strange planets, and new creatures like ecto-morphs

Much like the show, there is some campy fun to be had in "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie," but mostly, it's a poorly acted goofy affair with a lack of frame of reference for the unseasoned audience. I loved the Power Rangers television show when I was growing up, so this movie holds a place in my heart as the dopey movie that spoke to me as a kid. Still, just because we liked something as kids doesn't make it good.

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My Rating: 4.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 4.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 50%
Do we recommend this movie: No.

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Movie Review: "Zero Days" (2016)

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Movie: "Zero Days"

Director: Alex Gibney
Year: 2016
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes

An exposé on the hacking of an Iranian uranium enrichment facility by the US and Israeli governments.

"Zero Days" is a documentary written and directed by Alex Gibney, who is known for his numerous other hard-hitting documentaries including the fabulous "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief." This film explores a piece of malware known as the Stuxnet virus. This was a piece of software designed to replicate and attack autonomously. It is said to have been developed by the United States goverment along with Israel. Its intended purpose was to infiltrate the computer system at uranium enrichment facilities in Iran and cause the centrifuges to malfunction, essentially self-destructing them remotely.

Much of the film consists of interviews with independent cyber security engineers who investigated the Stuxnet virus and connected the dots to try and piece together just what the hell they stumbled upon without even really looking for it. These interviews explain what the virus is, what it does, and where they believe it came from. There are also interviews conducted by Gibney with an NSA operative, though their identity is kept secret. This person gives first hand knowledge of the goings on of the agency in full details, explaining just how crazy and how deep the scope of their research, investigation, and surveillance actually goes. The film goes into how Stuxnet got out of hand and spread beyond its intended purpose, and how the discovery of such a virus gave US and Israeli enemies unintended access to it once it their operation was compromised.

In many ways, "Zero Days" is a terrifying film when you hear about all the stuff countries can do to each other via the relm of cyberspace, how the development of programs such as "Nitro Zeus," which could potentially have the ability the shut off general civilian-used utilites with the stroke of a few keys could happen within the span of our lifetime. It's enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and question our reliance on computers, technology, and the internet, all while we write this up on our computers for publishing online. Without the Internet, where would we be? Everyone's lives are now so ingrained into and onto the world wide web, we wonder what would happen to us as individuals and us as a society if it all went away tomorrow? How many of us would lose the ability to even function at a normal capacity without telling the world what kind of muffin you had for breakfast?

"Zero Days" is a gripping documentary, though it does have many slow points as it gets bogged down in hardcore computer jargon frequently. It is still a very eye-opening movie, especially in the wake of the thousands of documents published via Wikileaks about such events.

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My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

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Movie Review: "Beauty and the Beast" (2017)

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Movie: "Beauty and the Beast"

Director: Bill Condon
Rating: PG
Running Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes

When her father Maurice (Kevin Kline) is taken prisoner after wandering into a strange castle and picking a rose from the garden of its monstrous resident, the Beast (Dan Stevens), Belle (Emma Watson) trades herself for his freedom. Now a permanent guest in the Beast's castle, she begins to discover not everything at this place is as it seems on the surface. 

"Beauty and the Beast" is directed by Bill Condon and is a live action adaption of Disney's 1991 best picture nominated animated film of the same name. It stars Emma Watson as Belle, the intelligent, well-read outcast of her small French village...every day like the one before. Joining her are Kevin Kline, who plays her father Maurice, who is deemed crazy by their little town full of little people; Luke Evans, who plays her unwanted admirer and all around self-centered jerk Gaston...who uses antlers in all of his decorating; Josh Gad, who plays Gaston's flunky sidekick LeFou; and Dan Stevens as the titular Beast..and there may be something there that wasn't there before between he and Belle. Also in the film primarily in voice form are Ewan McGregor as Lumiere the candlestick; Ian McKellen as Cogsworth the clock; Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts the teapot; Nathan Mack as Chip the teacup; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette the feather duster; Stanley Tucci as the Maestro Cadenza; and Audra MacDonald as the operatically-inclined Madame Garderobe. Unfortunately, all of the secondary characters are far more interesting than Belle and the Beast both together and apart, but this movie is not called "Lumiere and Cogsworth," now is it?

Since this version is almost a straight adaptation of the animated film, audience members should know what to expect going into this live action version. It's the same story with the same major plot points. There are some changes, a few new songs, a few alterations to previous songs, and a few new scenes. Disney also attempts to close some of the plot holes from the original animated "Beauty and the Beast." ***POTENTIAL SPOILER*** It gives the audience a little more back story on Belle's mother through an extremely contrived plot device. This is one of the changes we did not like and it brought the film to a screeching halt. This version also gives some explanation as to why the Beast is the way he his, along with some culpability for the servants of the castle who faced punishment for the Beast's actions at the beginning of the story. We are glad this particular change was included because many were left wondering why all of the Beast's servants suffered the same fate he did in the animated tale. The world these characters exist in feels a little artificial at times and harkens back to classic live-action Disney musicals, though this can be seen as a positive and a negative depending on how you look at it. BigJ felt this was a purposeful change, and I saw this as lazy conceptual work and bad digital implementation, especially coming off of a successful remake like "The Jungle Book" from last year. Some of the CGI is very good, however the biggest point of contention for both of us is the character of the Beast himself, especially in his face. It lacks a bit of depth, looks somewhat cartoonish at times, and isn't as hard and jagged as the Beast from the animated version.

One of the most important parts of any movie is casting. We were thrilled when the final cast list was announced for this movie. Dan Stevens has been a favorite of ours since his "Downton Abbey" days, we love Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Ian McKellen, and thought Josh Gad would be the perfect LeFou. So, how did they all hold up in reality? Mostly, everyone is "fine," and that's the biggest compliment we can give them. Emma Watson is alright as Belle, though I thought she was a little stiff at times. BigJ doesn't think anyone in the movie is auto-tuned while they are singing, and I think he is absolutely, positively crazy. Dan Stevens is a good, bitter Beast apart from his sub-par digital makeover. Their portrayals might be decent, but the chemistry between the two of them is unfortunately quite lackluster. Luke Evans kills it as Gaston, and though not as physically imposing as the Gaston from the original, what he lacks in girth he makes up for with a massive amount of cocky, self-loving attitude. Josh Gad does one thing really, really well and always does that one thing. He's the lovable, sing-songy goofball sidekick with a lot of breathy sarcastic wit. We think he does a great job as LeFou, and people need to get the hell over any other changes to this version of his character. Kevin Kline is surprisingly excellent as Belle's tinkerer father Maurice and Ian McKellen is flawless in everything and everything about his portrayal of Cogsworth is perfection.

The classic songs we know and love from our childhoods are still as great as always. While most remain the same, some of the lyrics are changed here and there. BigJ feels these changes were necessary to organically fit into this version of the story, and while I can buy that for the most part, some of the alterations worked and some were distracting and unnecessary. Then, we have the issue of the entirely new-to-the-movie tunes. These ones aren't quite as memorable as the others and were apparently made by Alan Menken for the original movie, but were left on the cutting room floor. They seem to be injected for Academy consideration only.

It is hard for us, two movie lovers who grew up memorizing and idolizing the animated feature, to look at this piece of film independently from its source, which is something we have always tried to do in the past. Where we may see differences as flaws, some new film goers who have never seen the original may feel completely differently than we do. In a perfect world, we would like to think most parents show their children the original Disney classic because it is such a timeless piece of cinema regardless of the fact that it is animated. In the long run, the true test will be how the current generation, the ones who grow up with this version of "Beauty and the Beast" as their primary version, will feel about it throughout their lifetime, and if it will have the same impact as the animated version did for us throughout our decades of being on this planet. For us, this is mostly entertaining film that can be fun and may make you smile if you don't think about it too hard. It's not as bad as we were fearing, but it is nowhere near as fantastic as we had ultimately hoped it would be.

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My Rating: 5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: ~7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~70%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

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Movie Review: "The Ridiculous 6" (2015)

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Movie: "The Ridiculous 6"
Director: Frank Coraci

Year: 2015
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 1 hour, 59 minutes

An orphan raised by Native Americans named White Knife (Adam Sandler) teams up with his five long lost half brothers to get $50,000 dollars in order to rescue their estranged father from a gang of outlaws.

"The Ridiculous 6" is directed by Frank Coraci, who is a regular cohort of Adam Sandler. Of the nine feature films Coraci has directed, seven have either starred or were produced by Sandler. As we have said in the past, Sandler must be an extremely loyal person since many of the careers of his friends almost totally rely on his generosity as he has kept them gainfully employed for the better part of two decades.

This comedy western contains the typical Adam Sandler fare we have come to expect from him in recent years. Adam Sandler plays an orphaned man who was raised by the Apache after his mom was killed when he was young. He goes by the name 'White Knife,' and if you didn't already guess it, it's because he is white and is good with knives. His soon-to-be wife, played by the miles out of his league Julia Jones, is named 'Smoking Fox' because of course that's her name in an Adam Sandler film. His female co-stars are rarely anything more than eye candy and he needs his audience to know it. Just ask Sandler's real life wife Jackie, who gets the honor of playing a character named 'Never Wears Bra.' We hoped the racist and sexist names used here were a form of satire much like the ones seen in "Blazing Saddles," which were used to point out the racist nature of the genre, but unfortunately, "The Ridiculous 6" just isn't that intelligent to accomplish such a feat. We get the feeling Sandler is just using these names in the hope they will garner some cheap chuckles which, if you're a sane person, don't produce anything remotely close to laughter. Joining Sandler as his half brothers are Rob Schneider, playing the obligatory racial stereotype Ramon, Taylor Lautner as the three-nippled mentally challenged Lil Pete, Jorge Garcia as the mute and somewhat mindless wildman Herm, Terry Jones playing right to type as the happy-go-lucky piano player Chico, and Luke Wilson as a failed presidential guard named Danny. These six brothers team up to rescue their estranged father, played by sexiest man alive 1992 Nick Nolte, who has been captured by his former gang and is taken hostage for the $50,000 dollar treasure he hid.

You can't be too mad at this movie for being downright absurd, silly, and as stupid as hell...it is called "The Ridiculous 6" after all, so it is meant to be ridiculous. Unfortunately, it's all craziness with very little wit or purpose, much like the last decade and a half of Sandler's career. We found ourselves rarely chuckling, which is more than we can say for "Jack and Jill" or "Grown Ups 2." Hey, one laugh per movie is alright, right? There are a couple of scenes that had fleeting moments of observational humor. The baseball scene is probably one of the funniest in the film because it's so honest in the way it pokes fun at the sport and that kid we all knew who would change the rules in his favor as he played a game. Why can't we can't get more of that from this crew? This is where they are at their best, not settling for toilet trash. Unfortunately, what we get stuck with are donkeys with explosive diarrhea and Vanilla Ice dressed up like Mark Twain for a lark. This is laziness at its finest, ladies and gentlemen, crass, aggravating, and juvenile. 

My Rating: 1/10
BigJ's Rating: 2/10
IMDB's Rating: 4.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 0%
Do we recommend this movie: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

10 MOVIES to Watch for ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Happy March! In honor of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday, we thought we would compile a list of ten great films that are about Ireland, that focus on Irish characters, or are by Irish filmmakers. These films are in alphabetical order. Enjoy! Please let us know if you have any other suggestions in the comments!

1. “Angela's Ashes” (1999): This is the tragic yet somewhat inspirational true life story of author/teacher Frank McCourt and his struggles growing up in Ireland, as well as his effort to save enough money to eventually find a better life in America. This is a moving film with the occasional dose of humor, but is overall more dramatic and sad. It is a sobering display of living an impoverished life in Limerick dealing with alcoholism, cold, and consumption. 7/10 (WATCH HERE)

2. “Brooklyn” (2015): A charming romance about a young Irish woman who emigrates to America in the 1950's and finds romance with a young Italian man. When tragedy unexpectedly strikes, she must return home and is forced to chose between her country and the man she loves. This romance never feels fake or forced. It truly feels like an honest portrayal of love unfolding. It's vibrant and colorful, and it is loaded with gorgeous cinematography. Saoirse Ronan puts on a fabulous Oscar nominated performance in the leading role. 10/10 (BUY IT HERE)

3. “The Crying Game” (1992): An IRA terrorist befriends the British soldier his group kidnapped and eventually gets sucked into his life. He even falls for the soldier's girl, but is in for a shock when he uncovers the truth. This engaging dramatic romance is full of twists and turns that were quite shocking when the film was first released. It's an enthralling story that earned a best screenplay Oscar with brilliant acting from Stephen Rea, Jay Davidson, and Forest Whitaker. This best picture nominated film is certainly worth checking out for those with an open mind. 8.5/10 (BUY IT HERE)

4. “Darby O'Gill and the Little People” (1959): An old caretaker known for spinning yarns catches the King of the Leprechauns and uses him to grant wishes and play matchmaker for his daughter. Overall, this film is very lighthearted and a joy to watch any time, but is even more fun on St. Patrick's Day. There is enjoyable music and an interesting mythology behind it, as well as a great story and some funny moments, too. An excellent family film! 7/10 (BUY IT HERE)

5. “In the Name of the Father” (1993): A man and his father are imprisoned after he is forced to confess to an IRA bombing he did not commit. It's a compelling film about the fight to free a wrongfully imprisoned man. Daniel Day-Lewis is phenomenal, as are Pete Postlethwaite and Emma Thompson, who all earned Oscar nominations for their roles here. This gripping drama and best picture nominee will keep you captivated from start to finish. 9/10 (BUY IT HERE)

6. “My Left Foot” (1989): The life story of disabled painter, poet, and writer Christy Brown. Again, Daniel Day-Lewis puts on a brilliant performance, one that earned him an Oscar for best actor. We see Lewis as Christy growing up in Ireland, impoverished and struggling to communicate, really showing the struggles a person with Cerebral Palsy goes through on a daily basis. A real tearjerker at times. 7.5/10 (BUY IT HERE)

7. “Once” (2007): “Once” couldn't be more simple. It's about two people forming a bond over their mutual love of music. There is a real level of honesty to what happens in this film between the two main characters, even though much of what goes on is unspoken. We really love this sweet, emotionally compelling story with its fantastic music and its smile-inducing, tear-producing existence. 9.5/10 (BUY IT HERE)

8. “Sing Street” (2016): An Irish teen decides to form a band in order to impress a girl he has a crush on and surprisingly finds he has a talent for making music. “Sing Street” is an outstanding movie about finding yourself, pursuing your dreams, and understanding your place through the power of music. This is the kind of film that has everything going for it and very little going against it. We absolutely loved this film and was one of our favorites of 2016. 10/10 (BUY IT HERE)

9. “Song of the Sea” (2015): An animated film with an original story inspired by Irish and Scottish folklore. There are a lot of cute, quirky, funny moments in this film, but where “Song of the Sea” really shines is its heart. The movie manages to blossom from a simplistic story into both a visually beautiful and emotionally deep film. It also has a really great song throughout that is sure to get stuck in your head for days. 7.5/10 (BUY IT HERE)

10. “Waking Ned Devine” (1998): When a man in a small Irish town wins the lottery, but dies before he can collect, so some members of his 52 person community devise a plan to claim the winnings. This is a funny, offbeat, and slightly dark comedy that has a lot of heart as well. It manages to somehow make death and fraud, two very negative topics, surprisingly silly. The humor won't be for everyone, but if you keep an open mind, we think you will be surprised. It's a quaint, charming flick that shouldn't be missed. 7.5/10 (BUY IT HERE)

 SLÁINTE!!