JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (2019) – My rating: 7/10

Jumanji: The Next Level is a fantasy adventure comedy directed by Jake Kasdan, and co-written by Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. It is the sequel to 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and the second follow-up to 1995’s Jumanji, and is the fourth installment in the Jumanji franchise. The film’s plot takes place three years after Welcome to the Jungle, in which the same group of teenagers, along with an old friend and two unwitting additions, become trapped in Jumanji, where they all find themselves facing new problems and challenges with both old and new avatars, while also having to save the land from a new villain in order to escape. I waited to see this sequel because I didn’t think it would be very good. The film leaned more toward being good than bad.

It’s now 2019, two years after their adventure in Jumanji. Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff), Anthony “Fridge” Johnson (Ser’Darius Blain), Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner), and Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman) are leading different lives but plan a reunion brunch in Brantford, New Hampshire.  Due to depression, Spencer is apprehensive about the meeting and contemplates returning to Jumanji where he felt he had a reason for being. He ends up blowing off the brunch and spends his first night trying to fix the broken video-game system he held on to. The following day Spencer’s friends visited his home and met his grandfather Eddie (Danny De Vito), who is recovering from hip surgery. They also met Eddie’s former friend and business partner, Milo Walker (Danny Glover), who was visiting Eddie for some unknown reason. Learning they had no idea where Spencer was, the group searched the house and found the Jumanji game partially repaired in the basement. Realizing Spencer returned to the game, his friends decide to follow.  So the fun began, starting with a faulty device, which complicated things right from the start.

Jumanji: The Next Level is as entertaining as it’s predecessor with a slightly more complex plot.  Personally, I favor Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle a little more but I was still entertained and enjoyed the movie.  Overall, I thought everyone did a fantastic job of portraying their characters, which got a little tricky. However,  in the end, “all’s well that ends well”.  As of February 23, 2020, Jumanji: The Next Level has grossed $784 million worldwide against a $125 million budget, becoming the tenth highest-grossing film of 2019. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 71% based on 221 reviews with an average rating of 6/10. The website’s critics consensus reads: “Like many classic games, Jumanji: The Next Level retains core components of what came before while adding enough fresh bits to keep things playable.” Dwayne Johnson revealed in a December 2019 interview that another character in the world of Jumanji is an actual avatar, the villainous Jurgen the Brutal and that it would be explored in a potential sequel, which is currently in development. I recommend Jumanji: The Next Level to all — Check It Out!

 

FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW (2019) – My rating: 7.5/10

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (also known as Hobbs & Shaw) is an action film and a spin-off of The Fast and the Furious franchise. The plot follows the unlikely marriage of the Hobbs & Shaw characters introduced in the main series, as they are forced to team up with Shaw’s sister when a genetically-enhanced terrorist and his organization threaten the world with a deadly virus. The film is directed by David Leitch and written by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce, from a story by Morgan.  For me, this was a must-see but soon became more of the same despite one of my favorite actors at the helm.

A crew of MI6 agents from the terrorist organization, Eteon, attempts to retrieve a virus labeled Snowflake, which can be programmed to decimate millions of people. Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), an Eteon operative with advanced cybernetic implants that allow him to perform superhuman feats, arrives and kills all agents except for their leader, Hattie Shaw, (Vanessa Kirby) who injects Snowflake into herself as a dormant carrier and escapes. Brixton frames Hattie as a traitor who killed her team and stole Snowflake, forcing her to go on the run.
Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), Hattie’s brother, are both informed of the missing virus by the CIA and are assigned to work together, against their better judgment, to track it down. Shaw leaves and goes to Hattie’s house, while Hobbs manages to find Hattie; after a brief scuffle, he brings her to the CIA office. Just as Shaw then returns, the office is attacked and Hattie is taken by Brixton, who Shaw recognizes as an old colleague he previously shot and killed before he was resurrected by Eteon. Hobbs and Shaw pursue and rescue Hattie during an ensuing car chase. They manage to escape from Brixton, who falls off his motorcycle and crashes through the second level of a double-decker bus, creating an opportunity for Brixton to frame the three agents. Hobbs, Shaw and Hattie manage to locate Professor Andreiko (Eddie Marsan) Snowflake’s creator, who informs them that to prevent Snowflake from eradicating humanity, Hattie has to either be killed or use an extraction device, which is located within the Eteon factory in Ukraine, an almost impossible mission.

Okay, I’ll admit Edis Elba’s character was a little different but the rest of the film was pretty much the same old stuff.  The special effects and acting were brilliant as was the flow of the story.  But how long can Hollywood keep making these types of movies and keep them fresh and interesting?  While they continue to be entertaining, the clock is ticking, something new has got to give.  Series star and producer Vin Diesel first said in 2015 that possible spin-offs were in early development. Hobbs & Shaw was officially announced in October 2017. Hobbs & Shaw has grossed $437 million worldwide and received praise for “the charisma of Johnson, Statham, and Kirby”, as well as its “visual style and action choreography finesse”, though some critics “had trouble getting past just how much the film was attempting to fit into its two-hour-and-15-minute runtime”. Personally,  if you are still thrilled by the Fast and Furious franchise, you will not be disappointed by Hobbs & Shaw.  The very least I can say is that it’s similar to other movies of this type.  I still recommend it — Check It Out!

THE UPSIDE (2017) – My rating: 7.5/10

The Upside is a comedy-drama directed by Neil Burger and written by Jon Hartmere. It is a remake of the French 2011 film, The Intouchables, which was itself inspired by the life of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo.  The film follows a paralyzed billionaire who hires a recently paroled convict as a caregiver.  I was quite anxious to see The Upside but became waylaid by all the bad reviews.  I decided to see it anyway, before it left the theaters and I’m glad I did.  I felt the movie was well done and quite entertaining.

The Upside opens with Dell Scott (Kevin Hart) and Philip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston) speeding through New York City in a Ferrari. After they are pulled over by the police, Dell makes up a story that convinces the officers he is rushing Philip to the emergency room. Philip grudgingly plays along, and instead of being issued a ticket, the two are escorted to the hospital by the police.

Rewind six months earlier to where the recently paroled Dell is ordered to obtain three signatures to prove he is seeking a job. He appears to answer several ads pretending he wants employment but is only seeking the signatures he needs to keep from violating his parole.  When Dell visited the penthouse home of Philip, a wealthy quadriplegic, his search for a befitting job was finally over. Philip, along with his assistant Yvonne Pendleton (Nicole Kidman), is interviewing candidates for the position of his “life auxiliary” caregiver. After waiting behind a couple of other highly qualified applicants, Dell barges in and demands a signature for his parole officer. For unexplainable reasons, intrigued by Dell, Philip offers him the job, but he declines. After leaving such a lush residence, Dell visits his ex, Latrice (Aja Naomi King) and son Anthony (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) at their dilapidated apartment, but neither is interested in him rejoining their lives, so he gives his son a book he stole from Philip’s library and leaves. Desperate to turn his life around, Dell accepts the well-paying position of Philip’s live-in caregiver, for which Yvonne establishes a “three strikes and you’re out” rule. Dell is daunted by his new responsibilities, despite guidance from Philip’s physical therapist Maggie (Golshifteh Farahani) but forges on anyway.

The Upside shows life between the haves and the have nots.  Even though Philip is a quadriplegic, he had more money than JZ, which makes him a very, very rich individual.  Dell, having no caregiver experience, was dirt poor with an estranged baby mama and their son.  Because The Upside is based on a true story, I can’t say the likelihood of this scenario happening is one in a million or who knows, maybe I can, we’ve just not heard of any similar cases.  The movie was moving, funny and semi-quasi emotional.  The relationship between Philip and Dell was complicated, at best.  There were a lot of Kevin Hart dynamics displayed throughout the film and I think this was certainly one of Kevin’s better performances.  Speaking of being qualified for a job, I felt Nicol Kidman was over qualified for her role, which in my opinion, didn’t require such an experience actress.  It is interesting to see how the story develops and how relationships were mended and how a win, lose situation became a win, win for everyone.  I think The Upside is definitely worth seeing, Check It Out!

NOTE:  Although The Upside was filmed in 2017, it wasn’t released in the United States until January 11, 2019 because it was originally suppose to be distributed by The Weinstein Company in March 2018, however the film was shelved and sold off following the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations.

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE (2016) – My rating: 7.2/10

You know it’s summer when the movie fill ins start. Central Intelligence is one of them. While it’s not a bad movie, it’s not a great one either. It is funny but so unbelievable that it’s stupid. Grant you, it’s not predictable but that’s because it not believable. You wouldn’t be able to figure out the plot because there’s nothing realistic about it. The good news is the chemistry between Hart and Johnson is better than most comedy teams I’ve seen. They seem to have a genuine like for each other, which makes for a great comedy team. I found Central Intelligence to be entertaining even though it bordered on slap stick, which I’m not a fan of.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays Bob Stone a CIA agent accused of murder and espionage. He also plays the younger version of himself, Robbie Weirdicht, an overweight high school student who is bullied with no friends. The makeup job that was done on The Rock was one of the most fantastic transformations I’ve ever seen. It’s so good, I’ve posted a picture of the Robbie Weirdicht character to show the result of the skill that went into the making of this character.  Kevin Hart plays Bob’s only best friend from HS, Calvin Joyner who turned out to be an accountant and married his high school sweetheart, Maggie Joyner (Danielle Nicolet).  Their journey is filled with lots of twist and turns including the FBI hunting them down.  Bob’s boss, FBI Agent Pamela Harris, (Amy Ryan) believes Bob has gone rogue and will stop at nothing to arrest him.  While Bob is in the fight of his life, he has recruited an unwilling Calvin to help him.  As usual, Kevin Hart is loud and over the top but teaming up with the Rock makes for a more tolerable and interesting partnership and comedy.  Again, Central Intelligence is by no means a great movie but if you have nothing else to do, it’s entertaining at best.

 

RIDE ALONG 2 (2016) – My rating: 7.5/10

A semi-quasi slap stick comedy from Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, who play Detective James Payton and Officer Ben Barber, respectively .  I’m still not fond of slap stick however, Ride Along 2 was a little more tolerable than most.  I found it had a descent story line, although it was totally unbelievable on some level.  Today there are so many corrupt politicians, it’s hard to say what officials would or wouldn’t do.  I don’t have a lot to say about this movie that hasn’t been said already.  Most of it stayed the same as the first film, Ride Along.  Officer Barber is a new, rookie cop who is trying very hard to win Detective Payton’s favor and respect.  To make matters worse, Payton is also about to become Barber’s brother-in-law because Barber is marrying his sister, Angela Payton-Barber (Tika Sumpter).  James is not happy about this union since he’s considers Ben to be a total dork but goes along with most of his crap because of his sister.  Ride-Along-2 has James and Ben go to Miami to solve a crime that leads them to a corrupt war lord, Antonio Pope (Benjamin Bratt), his hacker A.J. (Ken Jeong) and his band of thugs and a love interest, Detective Maya Cruz, (Olivia Munn) for ice Cube.  The usual wreckage happens along with Miami Captain Hernandez (Carlos Gomez) asking that the two of them leave his town.

Ben, James and Olivia end up collaborating for the better good to solve the case.  Their tactics were interesting and entertaining.  Ride-Along-2 will reward it’s audience with a laugh or two without being too silly and stupid.  Waiting for Ride-Along 2 to release on DVD would probably be in your best interest.

THE WEDDING RINGER (2015) – My rating: 7/10

I am pleasantly surprised because I’m not a Kevin Hart fan. I found The Wedding Ringer to be quite a descent story. Kevin wasn’t non-stop talking and he didn’t get on my nerves. The plot was somewhat ridiculous, but it was well acted and convincing. A smart, sort of geeky tax attorney named Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is getting married to a pretty, sort of hot chick named Gretchen Palmer (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting). It’s clear how anxious Doug is to please Gretchen because he can’t bring himself to tell her he has no friends. She continuously urges Doug to give her his list of the wedding party, as the wedding is growing near. Doug’s desperation doesn’t go unnoticed by the party planner, Edmundo (Ignacio Serricchio) who refers him to The Best Man Inc., located under an amusement park. Doug meets Jimmy Gallahan (Kevin Hart) who is the owner of the company.  After much discussion, Doug decides on the top package, “Golden Tux” (seven groomsmen) to coincide with Gretchen’s seven bridesmaids. This has never been done before so Jim says no because of the stress involved. After listening to Doug’s story and negotiating a fee of $50,000 plus all paid expenses, Jim becomes Doug’s best man and the journey begins. Jim has to recruit old friends from everywhere to pull this off. The lies are non-stop from all involved on the groom’s side. Jim’s name is now Bic Mitchum and he is a Military Priest. You might think you see the handwriting on the wall but there are many surprises and lots of laughs. Jennifer Lewis plays Doris Jenkins, his receptionist and adviser who keeps the company and Jim in perspective.   The ending is worth the wait and your time.  All in all, I found it entertaining and I thought the movie sent a pretty good message. I enjoyed it and Kevin Hart went up a notch. The Wedding Ringer is on DVD, so you really don’t have much to lose.

TOP FIVE (2014) – My rating: 8/10

Has anyone noticed when Chris Rock makes a movie, he always seems to narrate as though it’s a documentary.  While I don’t see a problem with this, I just wonder why he does it that way.  I guess he can make more jokes and probably give the film a more humorous aura.  Having said that, I thought Top Five was pretty funny.  The story has a nice ring to it as well as an enormous cast of  comedians.  Expect to see Tracey Morgan, Sherri Shepherd, Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart, Cedric the Entertainer, J.B. Smoove,  Jerry Sienfeld and Whoopi Goldberg, to name a few.    However, the story centers around Chris Rock, who plays Andre Allen and Rosario Dawson, who plays Chelsea Brown, a reporter for the NY Times.  Despite Andre and Chelsea’s endless conversations, they manage to withhold secrets from each other that make Top Five a little suspenseful and interesting.  Gabrielle Union plays the ultimate reality diva in the throws of an up and coming wedding to Andre, who is simply trying to become a serious actor, but failing miserably.   There’s lots of sex and profanity in Top Five but it’s still funny enough to take you to the end without putting too much emphasis on the “x” rated scenes.  There are a couple of twist and surprises that make this movie worth seeing.  You can’t go wrong if it causes you a laugh or two.

RIDE ALONG (2014) – My rating: 6/10

I’m not a fan of Kevin Hart however, my favorable feelings towards Ice Cube is the saving grace for Ride Along.  I deem most movies Kevin Hart plays in slap stick and I don’t like most slap stick comedy.  Take out all the ranting and high pitched whining Kevin does in Ride Along and you might have a descent movie.  Ice Cube’s character (James Payton) is a detective with a foxy sister name Angelia Payton, played by (Tika Sumpter.  James can’t figure what Angelia sees in Kevin Harts character (Ben Barber) who has recently joined the police academy.  James decides to take Ben on a ride along to show his sister what Ben is not made of.  Of course Ben starts botching up the investigation and street relationships immediately.  Thank goodness for  John Leguizamo’s character, Santiago who really gives this story some flavor.  Since Ride Along is a fantasy, anything goes.  The craziness being generated from Keven Hart dominates the film however, there are some heart felt lessons from Ride Along that can’t be ignored.  If you like this sort of thing or even if you’re a fan of Kevin Hart, see Ride Along which is now on DVD.  It’s not bad, just not my cup of tea.  I understand a sequel is in the works (Ride Along 2) which is scheduled to be released some time in 2016.

THINK LIKE A MAN TOO (2014) – My rating: 7/10

I was disappointed in Think Like A Man Too!  It was too slap stick for me.  Kevin Hart’s rantings really got on my nerves.  If he had toned his character down some, it would have been a different ballgame.  It seems like the director tried to steal a page from” Hang Over 3″ and “Last Vegas” with an over the top chain of funny events in “Sin City”.  Both movies were better than Think Like a Man Too.  There were some funny parts, but not funny enough to spend the price of a movie ticket to see it.  The plot was okay but the craziness that followed was just plain stupid.  What a waste of talent.  You would think with this star studded cast, you’d get a pretty good movie, NOT!  I even resented some of the insinuations because Think Like a Man Too crossed the line in ethic jokes.  I don’t like any race of people to be the brunt of  bad jokes or bad dialogue.

One of the couples from Think Like a Man Too is getting married.  Kevin Hart is (erroneously) the best man.  While he thinks he’s the best man for the job, he ends up being the worse.  5 couples make up the wedding party accompanied by an over bearing, control freak mom who doesn’t think the bride is good enough for her son.  The problems begin with each gender’s expectations of the bachelor and bachelorette parties, respectively.  Other problems include a reservation misunderstanding, the grooms mother and one couple’s dedication to their jobs.  If you can get through Kevin Hart’s rantings, you might enjoy the rest of the cast that includes: Michael Ealy (Dominic), Jerry Ferrara (Jeremy), Meagan Good (Mya), Regina Hall (Candace), Dennis Haysbert (Uncle Eddie), Taraji P. Henson (Lauren), Terrence Jenkins (Michael), Jenifer Lewis (Loretta), Romany Malco (Zeke), Gabrielle Union (Kristen), Kevin Hart (Cedric), Gary Owen (Bennett) and Caleel Harris (Duke).  My recommendation is wait for the DVD which releases on 9/16/14.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT (2014) – My rating: 7.5/10

My past experiences with Kevin Hart movies and comedy spots left me feeling that Kevin Hart wasn’t very funny, despite the “funniest Man Alive” title placed on his name.  I don’t like comedians who cannot do their routines without creating the dirtiest, foul material available.  Today I saw “About Last Night” and suddenly saw the humor.  Kevin along with Michael Ealy was totally funny in this cutesy, “I don’t want to commit to a relationship” movie.   Although there was plenty of foul language, it wasn’t over the top.  After all, this is an adult movie.  Paula Patton makes a cameo but profound appearance.  I believe the plot was pretty true to life.  There were a few bloopers that I cannot reveal because it would be a spoiler.  All the women in this film were eye candy.  Kevin and Regina Hall became a wild, eccentric couple while Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant, better known for her role as Jasmine Trussell on Parenthood, teamed up as a “normal” couple, looking for love.  Watching the two couples come together was hilarious and quite entertaining.  I recommend seeing About Last Night, especially if you need a pick me up.