Tag: Comedy

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“Comedian” Review

Robert De Niro is The Comedian in the latest Sony Classic film about a former star who tries hard to make a new name for himself as a stand up comic. The film follows the life of Jack Burke (De Niro), an insult comic who tries to make a name for himself. Through the process, he ends up doing jail time, which in turn puts him volunteering at a soup kitchen where he meets, Harmony (Leslie Mann), a young woman, who also has a knack for slight insult comedy as well though her father, Mac (Harvey Keitel) keeps her down by relocating her from New York to Florida.

Not wanting romance, DeNiro and Mann end up on a one night stand that ends up having consequences that he has to decide if he wants to pursue that or stick to his solo bachelor life.

At 2 hr run time, The Comedian is a movie that will have you laughing from the first joke on.  With select cameos, from iconic comedians including Danny Devito as Jack’s Brother, Patty Lupone as his brother’s wife, Cloris Leachman, as May Conner and Billy Crystal, Jim Norton, Jimmie Walker, Brett Butler and Gilbert Gottfried to name a few of the iconic comic greats, The comedian is a great movie for anyone who wants to have a great laugh in the mix of the troubles of the world.

The comedy came out in limited theaters last December and despite its low audience turn out, it’s a movie that should be seen on the big screen.   To date, it has grossed nearly 2 million and is currently out in more theaters as a February 3rd.  See it, it’s a movie that will have you coming back for more and more laughs and proves that laughter is the best medicine for anything.

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“Seventeen” REVIEW

Hailee Steinfield is showing her dramatic side in the latest high school film that ultimately received her first Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a comedy or musical.

Steinfield shines throughout The Edge of Seventeen as the movie opens with her confronting her favorite teacher Mr. Bruner, (played by Woody Harrelson) with confessions of wanting to kill herself.  Ultimately the audience is drawn into this witty humor adolescent teenage coming of age story as we travel with her back to when all her troubles began.  Nadine (Steinfield) is a 7-year old twin, living in the shadows of her outgoing brother, Darian (Blake Jenner) who barely shows any concern over his sister’s moodiness, her mother (Kyra Sedgwick) cares more for her brother than for her and her only two friends are her father (Eric Keenleyside) who gives her the attention that she lacks from her mother until she witnesses his death as she enters teenage years at thirteen, and a little girl named Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) who she also meets when she’s seven and instantly forms a bond, but will that bond be broken when loves gets in the way?

At a hundred and four minutes run time, The Edge of Seventeen will have you caught up in all the drama of what goes on in the heads of teenagers, everything from school, to dating and adolescence in its purest forms.  Though slightly graphic at times, it is a movie to thoroughly enjoy and watch as Steinfield’s performance, both acting as well as narrating her life, is exceptional.  Though not a Golden Globe winner, she has already been nominated for 38 awards over the course of her short acting career and received 24 wins for both this film as well as her breakthrough performance in True Grit.

The Edge of Seventeen is rated R and may not be suitable for all ages but it is a performance by a young actress that is worth seeing.  It’s still playing in select theaters and is scheduled for Blu-Ray and DVD release on February 14.  It’s a great Valentine’s date night movie to remember adolescent years.

 

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Family Comedy Takes Two

Warner Brothers is on top with its two movies taking the first two spots for its opening weekend.  Magnificent 7 of course brought in over 35 million while Storks claimed second with just over 21 million.

WB Animations, Storks stars Andy Samburg as Junior the top stork who dreams of being the BOSS of Cornerstone Delivery Service especially when Hunter (Kelsey Grammer) promises to turn that dream into a reality.  But that dream is put on hold as Orphan Tulip (Katie Crown), a young girl who never got delivered to her family, on the verge of her 18th birthday, encounters the vacant Baby factory where she creates a baby for a little boy, who wants a baby brother.

Now it’s up to Junior, with the help of Tulip, to get that baby to her family before Monday morning when he is supposed to be made.

Storks is a fun adventure for the whole family with laughs for the children and heartfelt moments for the adults as Tulip and Junior both discover that their true family is closer than one thought.

At just 87 minutes, Storks will have you laughing, crying and rooting for the baby to get to her family.

See Storks in a theater near you.  It’s worth it.

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“Ghostbusters” All Female Reboot

After nearly two decades, the ghost hunting is in the hands of 4 witty wise cracking ladies, whose ultimate goal is to be taken seriously in a new age of haunting ghosts.

The reboot stars, Melissa McCartney as Abby Yates and Kristin Wiig as Erin Gilbert the team who is ultimately the first and most enthusiastic in the world of the paranormal.  They begin with a book, and eventually branch out into the world of chasing down and catching ghosts in order to prove that ghosts do exist.  Together with a nuclear engineer (Kate Mckinnon) and a subway worker (Leslie Jones), the four woman must band together to stop the paranormal from reeking havoc on the living.

Overall, the all new Ghostbusters will have audiences laughing and ultimately cheering on these unlikely woman who are now chasing down ghosts to ultimately prove their existence.  With cameos from nearly all the orginal cast including Bill Murray as the serious political doubter, Dan Aykroyd as the taxi cab driver, and Ernie Hudson as Jones’ uncle, who lends out one of his cars which ultimately gets wreaked by the paranormal, as well as short cameos from Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver, these moments add to the enjoyment and nastalgia of the original 1984 film.

At 1 hour and 56 minutes, Ghostbusters presents a modern day audience with a truly unique story line while adding a few slight references to the original.  The film came out on Friday July 15 in theaters worldwide and according to its Friday estimate, brought in just over 17 million, nearly passing the Comedy Animated Film, Secret Life of Pets, which topped the box office last week.  It’ll be close to see which one makes it for number one this week.

Both the orignal as well as this reboot was the creative vision of Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who passed away nearly two years before the reboot was released.  The 2016 film was a tribute to him.

See it now in a theater near you.  A unique story with an iconic twist for a modern day audience.

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“Central Intelligence” Review

20 years after high school graduation, big man on campus Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) can’t believe that his life has turned into some what of a predictable one as an accountant, though he is married to his high school sweetheart, Maggie (Danielle Nicolet), Joyner refuses to go back to his high school reunion.  In a random Facebook friend request, now Joyner is pulled into the world of espionage in order to help high school buddy, Bob (Robbie) Stone, (Dwayne Johnson) crack the code with his computer accounting skills.

Overall, Central Intelligence will have audiences laughing all the way through.  The chemistry of Hart and Johnson is impeccable and a treat to see Hart in a semi serious role as he is basically forced into going on this adventure with his friend.  Also making an unplanned cameo is Melissa McCartney, who plays Robbie’s crush at the reunion.

All in All, Central Intelligence is a fun, date night movie for anyone who just wants to forget and have a good laugh.  Opening weekend, it brought in roughly 35.5 million domestically and is currently playing at a theater near you.

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“Hart” and “Cube” Back for another “Ride”

The latest buddy cop comedy starring Rapper  Ice Cube and Comedian  Kevin Hart is back on the big screen this Friday as the two go on an all new adventure that leads them to Miami in order to bring down a drug dealer that has been supply dealers in their city of Atlanta.

It’s a comedy about proving oneself as Hart’s character, Ben Barber “Black Hammer” on the eve of his wedding night, wants to follow his future brother in law and partner, James (Ice Cube) Payton to Miami.  Against James’ better instinct and as a wedding gift to his sister, (Tika Sumpter), James agrees and the two “Brothers-In-Laws” venture to assist the Miami PD and detective Maya ( Olivia Munn) in tracking down drug leader Antonio Pope (Benjamin Bratt) with the help of A.J (Ken Jeong).

At an hour and 42 minute runtime, Ride Along 2 is packed with punch and laughter that will keep you entertained with the gut wrenching fight scenes and jokes from the first minute on.

Ride Along 2 opens in theaters with 7 o’clock showings on Thursday January 14 and according to box  office mojo, the movie is expected to finally dethrone Star Wars after its number one run since its opening weekend.

 

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“Sisters” Review

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are back at it again this time as “Sisters” in the latest film by Universal Pictures.

The Ellis sister’s, Kate and Maura are out to throw one more killer party before their parents sell their childhood home, but with one difference, mild mannered, Maura (Poehler) is the one to have a wild night while Kate (Fey) is the party mom.  It is full on, Ellis Island reunited as they invite all of their class of 89 friends and foes in what is sure to be the party of the year and reek havoc on the dreams of the new owners, but things change when Maura and Kate’s parent show up with a bigger surprise for Kate.

At just under a two hour run time, Sisters is a hilarious comedy that will have everyone laughing from the first scene on.  The film also stars  James Brolin and  Dianne Wiest as the ‘Sisters’ aging parents as well as  John Cena,  John Leguizamo, Madison Davenport and Heather Matarazzo.

Sisters came out in theaters December 18, and thus far has earned over nearly 70 million worldwide.  See it now in a theater near you.

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Two Movies Attract Audiences Christmas Day

Paramount’s Comedy, Daddy’s Home and 21st Century Fox’s Joy are giving Star Wars Fans relief from the epic blockbuster and bringing in enough to claim the number 2 and 3 spots at the box office for its opening weekend.

The drama “Joy“, starring  Jennifer Lawrence as the young girl with an ambition to create nearly anything she could imagine.  Though as she grows up, her life doesn’t exactly become what she had envisioned, with having to take care of a divorced mother, who all she does is sit in her room watching her soap opera, to her ex-husband musician, who ends up becoming more of a friend as Joy strives to create an immersing family business enterprise, known as the home shopping network, despite the challenge that her father (Robert De Niro) and sister tries to hold her down by saying she will never make it.

At 2 hours and 4 minutes, Joy is an inspirational tale for anyone who has dreams that they hope to one day accomplish, and all of the acting including Lawrence’s performance as Joy are exceptionally and definitely worthy of Oscar recognition.  If you want a inspirational film based on the inspiration of several brave women, see Joy in a theater near you.

The other comedy film, teams Will Ferrell as Brad Whitaker and Mark Wahlberg as Dusty Mayron in 21st Century Fox’s Daddy’s Home.  It’s the tale of step dad meets dad as Wahlberg comes back to try to be a part of his children’s life, just as Farrell, is finally starting to become accepted by his step kids. So what will happen next?

At 96 minutes, Daddy’s Home will have you laughing from the first scene on as the comedy style of Farrell and Wahlberg resonates throughout the script and on the big screen in traditional slap stick comedy.  It’s a good clean film about the role of fatherhood and in moderation is good for mostly the whole family.  It shows the importance of compromise when dealing with someone else’s children and the performances make it entertaining overall.  If you want a wise cracking movie see Daddy’s Home in a theater near you.

Both movies opened Christmas day and brought in a combined 50 million between the two films at the box office: 38 million for Daddy’s Home and 17 million for Joy.  Of course they were no match for Star Wars which has now reached 1 billion world wide in just its second week.

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Drac is Back and Claiming Number 1

Sony’s Hotel Transylvania 2 has taken the number one spot at the box office its opening weekend bringing in over 43 million in revenues, making the film the top grossing film in September for its opening week and thus, dropping Fox’s Scorch Trials down to number three.

The animated sequel picks up where the original left off with Dracula, (voiced by Adam Sandler) saying goodbye to his daughter Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez) as she marries her zing, Jonathan, (voiced by Andy Sandberg) but its not the end of the story for the couple has a son, which creates all knew adventures as Dracula, embraces the role of Vampa to Dennis (voiced by Asher Blinkoff).  The animated film also features the voice talents of Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Fran Drescher and Mel Gibson, as the monsters who live in Hotel Transylvania and ultimately work together to ensure Mavis doesn’t leave when she realizes that the Hotel may not be the safest place for her “human” son.  It is their mission to help Dennis become a monster.

At an hour and a half runtime, the film is filled with adventure and laughs for the whole family including one of the kind parody songs written by Adam Sandler. Hotel Transylvania 2 is a must see for all who love a good ol’ fashion monster comedy story.

Hotel Translyvania 2 opened in theaters Sept. 18, 2015 and is currently playing at one near you.

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Disney Goes “Inside Out”

In the latest animated film by Disney Pixar, creators have brought a truly original story to the big screen in the film called Inside Out.  The adventures stars, voice actors, Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Bill Hader (Fear), Lewis Black (Anger) and Mindy Kaling (Disgust) as we see for the first time what happens to a young girl named Riley who is uprooted from her home town of Minnesota to the Big San Francisco City.  The emotions run wild as they attempt to help Riley navigate and figure out just how to feel in this new place.

Overall, the story is amazing, truly one of a kind and the voice actors were spot on.  The 3D effects really make you feel like you are inside Riley’s head, even without the glasses.  It is definitely worth seeing as it holds an important message for kids and adults both.  See it to find out what that message is!

Inside out has brought in over 284 million in box office revenue and was in third place for its second week in theaters.  It’s currently in any theater near you.