“Uncharted” Movie Review
“Dog” Movie Review
“Venom 2” Review
“Free Guy” Review
“Jungle Cruise” Review
“Charlie’s Angels” Review
“Last Christmas” Review
‘Action Point’ Review
D.C.: What this place needs is an excitement enema. We’re going to make this place fast and loose. Every ride, every attraction, no rules, no speed limits, just pure fun!
Action Point Employee: That sounds kind of dangerous.
It was an entirely different game back in the 70’s and Action Point Amusement park was the place to be. That was until D.C’s daughter came to visit around the same time that another mega amusement park challenges out of control park in Calico Park. Now it’s up to D.C to come up with something ‘great’.
The Paramount film stars Jackass’ Johnny Knoxville in the same basic role as a man who has little care other than just to have a good time without any consequences and for the most part the film follows the same structure as its predecessors. There’s one exception though, that of Knoxville realizing that he must ‘grow up’ as he rekindles the memories of his teenage daughter to his grand daughter. There is a slight sophistication around this film that I found admiring. Honestly, I have not been drawn to the other films of the same statute but this one, I feel has a slightly better storyline as the audiences saw a different type of movie, not typical for the Knoxville type.
Still hilarious, I did find myself laughing after every single joke, while also going “ouch” when he made a fool out of other’s injuries.
Additionally the film stars Eleanor Worthington-Cox, who made her debut as the eight year old Aurora in the Disney film Maleficient. This time, we see her as a teen awkwardly coming to spend the summer with her father who is so busy with his amusement park, he doesn’t realize his daughter is fading out of his life. In this film, it’s refreshing to see Cox as more of a prevalent character who can handle some dumb comedy while trying to adapt to her adolescent companions. The chemistry between Knoxville and Cox meshed well as we now are looking at Knoxville in an all new light, that of the role of father.
Subsequently Action Point is loosely based on a real life amusement park found in Vernon, New Jersey, The director, Tim Kirkby, in collaboration with Knoxville, paid great attention to detail though they changed the location of their amusement park to being placed Calico City, California. The rides that were shown could have been the actual park that is still in existence to this day, but under a different name. Similarly, the park is still the danger type as it was known for when it originally opened back in 1976 when it was accused of injuring park guests. That was more than likely the appeal to Knoxville to base his next movie on the nature of the park. It fits in with his other movies in that way.
Of course in true Jackass tradition, the language and fowl behavior was still prevalent to the film which would not be suitable for children. The message of fatherhood was there which for that reason would make a great movie for the upcoming father’s day weekend.
Action Point is much more enjoyable then the previous films. The storyline is stronger and doesn’t rely on rude humor to have a good time. Those that go to this movie expecting that solely might walk away somewhat disappointed, but I for one was relieved and encouraged to keep an eye on other movies that Knoxville will be making from now on. The film came out in theaters June 1st and is currently playing in a theater near you.
Show Dogs Review
“So what you’re a cop?” –Daisy
“I am undercover as a show dog.” –Max
Max, the Rottweiler must learn what it means to truly be a show dog if he is to discover what happened to the baby panda, Ling Ling, even if it means learning to trust the bozo FBI agent who is helping him.
In a somewhat twist of Mission Impossible meets Hotel for Dogs, Show Dogs has something for everyone. Kids will enjoy the talking dogs who essentially poke fun at the humans that they are with, while there is a deeper message for the adults. The message centers around what it truly takes to be a show dog as well as the trust that comes with it. It’s something that everyone has to deal with and at an hour and a half, the movie does somewhat succeed.
Show Dogs stars a long list of celebrities as the voices of the dogs as well as the companions and the interesting thing, though the dogs are talking, is not whether the characters can understand them word for word. Let’s get to our main character Max, voiced by Ludacris along with his FBI partner, Frank (Will Arnett). This relationship is interesting because when we first see Max, he is all alone, tracking down the culprits who kidnapped the baby panda. At the same time, he encounters Frank, in a somewhat hilarious manner, chasing him down when he thinks he is in on the whole case. Right away, there is an uneasy feeling between the two of them that gets even more interesting in the NYPD police station when the chief pairs them together to go undercover at a dog show.
Funny from the start, the pairing of Ludacris with Arnett is ideal as the two, though Arnett is dealing with a voice-overed dog, it meshes well in the finished package and credit thus also goes to the dog handler offset as they were able to perfectly match the dog’s movements with that of the voiceover. I’m always a fan of voiceovers done the right way with live action animals as I know animals’ mannerisms are not easy to control.
Subsequently, the film also stars voices including Alan Cumming as Dante, Stanley Tucci as Phillipi, Shaquille O’Neal as Karma and Jordan Sparks as Daisy. All of these voices ring out of the dogs they are portraying. The director, Raja Gosnell, did a great job working with the stars to match each breeds’ temperament. For example, O’Neal’s peace and love rings out of Karma as being a big dog with a soft heart, and Tucci’s spunky temperament as a Papillion did justice as well.
As a whole, the film flowed quite nicely as it opened with a kind of spyish quality, mirroring that of Mission Impossible or a 007 parody. The camera angles paid off as they perfectly captured both animal and humans, blurring reality and CGI. The wise cracking pigeons were one element that did leave me short, as the editors could’ve very easily used CGI on real pigeons for an extra level of authenticity.
Shot on location in Las Vegas, it was refreshing to see various elements of the Las Vegas strip superimposed with dog like qualities, such as the runway for the dog show smack dab in the middle of Caesar’s palace. Though Show Dogs may not be for everyone, especially if one doesn’t like dogs, it is a quite enjoyable ride. It’s refreshing to see the difference in dialogue between the dogs as opposed to their human counterparts and yet in the end, the dialogue mirror each other as the heart of the situation is to rescue the baby panda. The writers did an adequate job of developing the storyline and appealing to all ages as a whole.
At an hour and thirty minute run time, Show Dogs will take you on an adventure with Max and Frank, as the matter of trust is put to the ultimate test. Recommended for kids and dog lovers at heart, it is truly an enjoyable film for all who wish to let the dogs take control.
Show Dogs came out in theaters May 18 and is currently playing near you.
‘Life of The Party’ Review
“Deanna: What am I going to do? I’m a forty-something year-old woman that doesn’t even have her degree. Oh, my God. I know what I’m going to do.”
This is the main point of the movie as Deanna, on the eve of her daughters senior year in college, finds out that her husband wants a divorce. Heart broken, she doesn’t want to have any regrets as the biggest regret of her life faces her head on, that of the fact that she had to drop out of college being so close to graduating with her degree in Archeology. The problem is, she is now enrolled in the same school as her daughter.
The Warner Brother film stars Melissa McCartney as the middle age woman who seeks to do just that and surprisingly the crowd that she encounters in college is remarkably accepting of her as she navigates anew around the campus that she once receded at more than 20 years ago.
Overall at first mention of having another “party” film starring McCartney, might sound a little like “over the top”, with that of her stand up comedy and crude humor, but all in all, this film is the best that I’ve seen in a while by her. The film has a solid message of the power of the mother daughter bond that even though there are a few funny, yet embarrassing moments where McCartney and daughter Maddie (Molly Gordon) strive to succeed in getting back on top after her father runs off with another younger woman.
The plot thickens when McCartney meets Jack, an attractive younger man and the two of them form a intimate relationship, especial when she realizes whose mother is Jacks.
The film is packed with the same quirkiness that makes McCartney appealing with just a touch of maturity as it enters into a slightly elevated storyline. In addition the chemistry between McCartney and Gordon is exceptional and realistic as it shows just how close a mother- daughter relationship can be while at the same time, the same embarrassing thought of ‘mom in college’ haunts Gordon all throughout. Seeing as Gordon is a relative unknown, it’ll be interesting to watch her grow and mature as a rising actress. She definitely has a knack for comedy going up against McCartney who is known for it.
Overall LIfe of the Party came out in theaters, in perfect time for the Mother’s day weekend. It’s a film that is best to see for women with their moms as it perfectly captures the uniqueness and emotion that goes into someone facing divorce and having to start anew with a daughter as the only good thing in one’s life. It came in second at the box office with just over 17.8 million, though it wasn’t enough to catch the Avengers: Infinity War which is topping 1 billion domestically.
See Life of the Party in a theater near you.