Russell Brand: Re-Birth (2018)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Chris Howe

Cast: Russell Brand

Time: 63 minutes

In his latest comedy special, recorded live on stage in London, England, Russell Brand looks back at his antics from the past, often poking fun at himself and at others. Brand also discusses the state of the world and how his life changed with fatherhood.

This is a fast-paced comedy show. Some of the stuff was quite funny, but some other things missed the mark. I prefer Russell Brand is very small doses.

Rating: «««

Home Alone (1990)

Genre: Comedy / Christmas

Directed by: Chris Columbus

Cast: Macaulay Caulkin, Joe Pesci, Catherine O’Hara

Time: 103 minutes

The McCallister’s are traveling to Paris for Christmas to spend some quality family time. Unfortunately for them, they wake up late and have to rush to the airport, forgetting their youngest son Kevin at home in the process. Now, the 8-year-old, who is home alone, has to devise all kinds of schemes to stop two burglars from entering the family home.

This has become a Christmas classic over the years. It is cheesy, but quite entertaining. Caulkin was very good for a boy his age and the supporting cast was not bad. Overall, this is a fun film that I have enjoyed watching from time to time.

Rating: ««««

Baywatch (2017)

Genre: Action / Comedy

Directed by: Seth Gordon

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario

Time: 116 minutes

Lt. Mitch Buchannon and his group of lifeguards go on a dangerous mission to protect the Baywatch beach from a drug lord trying to take over that area of Emerald Bay and its real estate.

Considering the reviews this film got, I went in with very small expectations. In the end, I was entertained. Sure, it is over-the-top and cheesy to no end. Sure, the acting is nothing spectacular. This is not great cinema. But, it is a great excuse to turn off your brain for a few hours and laugh at a movie that has the charm of not taking itself seriously. That helps greatly. The David Hasselhof cameo was a nice touch too.

Rating: «««

George Carlin: Complaints and Grievances (2001)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Rocco Urbisci

Cast: George Carlin

Time: 55 minutes

The great George Carlin was back to the Beacon Theatre, in New York, in late 2001, for his 12th HBO special. It was originally supposed to be called I Kinda Like It When A Lot of People Die, but the title was changed to Complaints and Grievances after the events of 9/11. In this show, Carlin briefly deals with these tragic events and he does so in masterful fashion, considering how sensitive of a subject matter it still was at that point. Here, the comic also discusses traffic accidents, things we all can find on our bodies, people who ought to be killed and the ten commandments. This last bit has become somewhat of a classic which has made tons of people laugh and others frown. The tone is hard and acerbic here, but it is so very funny. The material is strong. It will make you laugh, it will make you think; it will thoroughly entertain you, if you are not overly sensitive. Otherwise, steer clear.

Rating: «««««

I Feel Pretty (2018)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Abby Kohn

Cast: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski

Time: 110 minutes

Renee Bennett lives a low-profile life working from a basement office managing the website for cosmetics firm Lily LeClaire. Her lack of self-esteem greatly impedes her daily life. After hitting her head during spinning class, she starts seeing herself with more favorable eyes, which will greatly improve her social standing.

Maybe I simply was not the target audience, but I was completely bored watching this one with my wife last weekend. I even fell asleep at one point, and I don’t even feel like watching it again to see what I missed. The acting felt fake and uninspired, the story did not appeal to me and I never managed to get remotely emotionally invested in these characters. Yawn.

Rating: «

Creed II (2018)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Steven Caple Jr.

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson

Time: 130 minutes

After his defeat to Ricky Conlan and a series of victories, Adonis Creed faces heavyweight champion Danny Wheeler and wins. Now, Ivan Drago, the man who killed Adonis’ father in the ring, comes knocking, with his son Viktor, who is also a boxer. The challenge is laid, and Creed wants to take it, in spite of Rocky Balboa’s reservations.

This was a truly solid follow-up to the first Creed film. Stallone is so damn good in the role of Rocky, it is unbelievable. He created it and he knows how to inhabit it fully. He makes that man come to life in front of our eyes. Michael B. Jordan is also getting better to hold his own against the veteran actor.

Creed II is filled with many touching moments, full of wisdom, and of funny moments too. Sure, it is not as fresh as when the Rocky franchise began, in the 70’s, but it is still so very good.

Rating: ««««

Creed (2015)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson

Time: 133 minutes

Adonis “Donnie” Johnson is the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed. After bouncing around from one group home to another, he is adopted by Creed’s widow. Now an adult, his goal is to follow in his dad’s footsteps as a boxer. After failing to get trained at the gym owned by a friend of the family, he travels from LA to Philly to seek out the help of retired boxer and friend/opponent of his dad, Rocky Balboa.

This film serves as the start of a sort of spinoff to the original Rocky franchise. The focus is no longer mainly on Balboa. The problem is that Stallone is so good here that Michael B. Jordan has a hard time keeping up at times. Nonetheless, Creed is a very good movie. It may feel like a reheated Rocky at times, but it all feels so genuine and real that you cannot help getting on board. The story is riveting and the acting is solid.

Rating: ««««

Rocky Balboa (2006)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia

Time: 104 minutes

Rocky Balboa is now retired from boxing and he operates an Italian restaurant named after his late wife Adrian. When a computer-generated fight on a sports show has Rocky defeating actual heavyweight champion Mason “The line” Dixon, Balboa finds himself challenged to get back in the ring for an exhibition fight against the champ.

This was the proper conclusion that the original Rocky franchise deserved. Rocky V was such a letdown to the actor/writer himself and to the fans. In that film, the Rocky character was turned into a pathetic shadow of himself in a setting that felt fake and manufactured. In Rocky Balboa, we get our great underdog back. Sure, he has hard times, but you can root for him again. It felt sincere and honest too. The Marie subplot was interesting too.

Overall, while not perfect, this installment was a grand improvement from the previous offering. And I love how they went for a reasonable ending. In Hollywood, that is quite a feat.

Rating: ««««

Rocky V (1990)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: John G. Avildsen

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Sage Stallone, Tommy Morrison

Time: 104 minutes

As he’s coming back from Moscow, after defeating Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa is still feeling the ill-effects of multiple punches to the head. His celebration is short-lived, as the Balboa family finds itself broke, due to mismanagement by their accountant. Rocky wants to fight again to pay his debts, but a doctor confirms that he has suffered brain damage. So, he retires, and the family moves back to the old Philly neighborhood. Soon, Rocky starts training Tommy Gunn, a young up-and-comer looking for coaching, but George Washington Duke, a boxing promoter, is there to cause issues.

This is where the Rocky franchise truly fell apart, until it rose from its ashes. All along, we could root for the ultimate underdog, Rocky Balboa. In this fifth installment, all you could do was pity the fool, in the immortal words of Mr. T, and feel bad for him. The script felt empty and went nowhere, and the acting was mostly uninspired. A few good scenes saved this from being totally awful, but it was still not enough to make it good.

It is also sad to think of Sage Stallone and Tommy Morrison both finding untimely deaths years later.

Rating: ««

Rocky IV (1985)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren

Time: 90 minutes

Ivan Drago, a Russian boxing champion and super athlete, arrives to America with his wife and a team of trainers and promoters. Drago is being sold to the public as the personification of Russian superiority. Incensed by that arrogance and wanting to prove something to himself, Apollo Creed challenges Drago to an exhibition bout. Sadly, Creed dies in the ring after a series of blows, under the eyes of his friend Rocky Balboa. Balboa challenges the Russian boxer to a match, which will take place in the USSR.

At this point, the Rocky franchise was really starting to lose steam. Stallone, who wrote and directed the film, all the while playing the title role, still manages to make you root for his underdog character. That being said, the level of cheesiness and clichés is increasing and we are going through the paces of a recipe at this point.

Rocky IV is truly a product of its time. It is emblematic of the feeling Americans had about Russians then. The Russian characters are over-the-top and exaggerated. Still, Dolph Lundgren, without saying much, manages to make Drago a truly menacing presence on screen.

The training part is pretty cool, though it feels more like a long music video than a movie. In spite of its flaws, I will give a passing mark to this one, for the good scenes included, a good underdog and a convincing villain.

Rating: «««

Rocky III (1982)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Mr. T

Time: 99 minutes

After defeating Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa is the new Heavyweight champion. He goes from rags to riches. Big house. cars, motorcycles, money, commercials, fans; he has it all. He goes into a series of 10 successful title defenses, but, unbeknownst to him, his opponents were hand-picked by his management. When Clubber Lang, an absolute monster of a fighter, comes along, Balboa is highly unprepared and loses his belt. Rocky also loses his manager and friend, Mickey. As he is looking to gather the pieces of himself, the fallen boxer gets a bit of unlikely help from a former enemy, namely Apollo Creed.

Just like the character of Rocky, the Rocky franchise lost a bit of its edge with this particular installment. There is a lot of good here. In spite of his limited acting skill set, Mr. T offers a great on screen bad guy. He is convincing as Clubber Lang. Though his mom must have been upset to see him being so mean and all. Stallone is still pretty good as Rocky. The last scene between the title character and his dying manager is really solid. It was also nice that they gave Adrian even more of a voice and an importance here.

Unfortunately, the script felt a little weaker here. It felt as if they were going through the motions and forgot to add a little more substance. Some of the dialogue and action was a bit cheesy too. That bit where Apollo and Rocky run on the beach, then jump and hug in slow motion on the beach made me laugh and cringe at the same time.

Overall, while this is not a perfect offering, Rocky III remains a very entertaining film.

Rating: «««

Rocky II (1979)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith

Time: 119 minutes

After bringing Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed to the limit in their boxing match and losing by a split decision, Rocky Balboa retires to enjoy life alongside his wife Adrian, who does not want him to box anymore, because she is worried he will go blind from it. The problem is, the former boxer is not qualified for anything else and he has a hard time finding a new way to earn a living. When Creed comes knocking, looking for a rematch and a cleaner win for the sake of his pride, Rocky finds it hard to stay away, feeling like he has to do it to be a man.

For this first sequel, Stallone wrote the script, directed the film and played the lead role. And what a tour de force for him. Some would say Rocky II is even better than the first. I would not go that far, but it is close in my book. Stallone makes it so easy to root for the ultimate underdog, and the supporting cast also carry their weight.

Overall, this is an awesome sequel that is well worth watching.

Rating: «««««

Rocky (1976)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: John G. Avildsen

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith

Time: 119 minutes

Rocky Balboa is a small-time southpaw boxing in clubs and making a living as a collector for a local loan shark, in the Italian Neighborhood of Philadelphia. When Rocky is randomly chosen by Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed to be his opponent for a fight to be held during the US Bicentennial celebration, Balboa’s low-profile life gets turned upside down.

Sylvester Stallone wrote the script to this film. The producers did not want him to star in it at first, but he stood his ground, and that is a great thing. Stallone is perfect for this role. He brings Rocky Balboa to life and makes him truly believable. You cannot help rooting for this guy. He is the perfect underdog that never gives up. The supportive cast was also quite solid.

I have watched this particular film many times over the years, and I still get more and more out of it. It is a wonderful piece of cinema, that everyone needs to see at least once in their life.

Rating: «««««

Instant Family (2018)

Genre: Comedy 

Directed by: Sean Anders

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner

Time: 119 minutes

When Pete and Ellie Wagner, a couple who make a living renovating and flipping houses, decide that it may be time for them to start a family, the idea of adoption through foster care seems to be the avenue to choose for them. They end up fostering three siblings, Lizzy, Juan and Lita, the kids of a single mom who is a drug addict that was sent to jail.

The subject of adoption is one that hits close to home for the wife and myself, so we went to the movies last weekend to see it. It does a good job of showing how difficult it can be to care for foster children. Most of the acting was okay, though I found Rose Byrne’s performance a little over-the-top and exaggerated in the role of Ellie Wagner.

The biggest problem for me was in the writing. A lot of the characters, from the social workers, to the parents interested in foster care, to the nosy neighbor played by Joan Cusack, they were so big and clichéd. There was a definite lack of subtlety there. I get the idea of comedic effect, but it was not that funny. And most at the attempts at verbal comedy, through the script, felt awkward.

That being said, some moments still made me laugh, some made me smile and some others were quite touching. It was a decent film, not without its definite flaws.

Rating: «««

The Holiday (2006)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Directed by: Nancy Meyers

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black

Time: 136 minutes

Iris Simpkins and Amanda Woods are two very different women living on different sides of the Atlantic, but, as Christmas time is fast approaching, they both find themselves lovelorn and looking to escape. After talking to each other online, they decide to swap homes for two weeks.

The Holiday is not without charm. The story is compelling enough to hook you in. Unfortunately, in the delivery, it is far from perfect. Kate Winslet is pretty good and convincing in her role. So are the two male leads. Yes, even Jack Black, who was definitely a weird choice. He made it work. But, Cameron Diaz, as is often the case, overplays a little too much. Sometimes, her performance was so big that it took me out of the story.

That being said, this is a fine light romantic comedy that offers decent entertainment for a couple looking for something to watch.

Rating: «««

The Late Bloomer (2016)

Genre: Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Kevin Pollack

Cast: Johnny Simmons, Maria Bello, Brittany Snow

Time: 90 minutes

Inspired by journalist Ken Baker’s autobiographical memoirs, The Late Bloomer tells the story of Dr. Peter Newmans, a 27-year-old sex therapist who has remained a virgin all his life. As he ends up in the hospital after an accident on the basketball field, he finds out that a small tumor in his brain has been impeding on his normal growth from boy to man. Getting this fixed plunges him in the difficult hands of puberty, which complicates his relationship with his neighbor Michelle, a woman he has befriended and been secretly pursuing for years.

This film was bashed by critics and reviewers, but I found it amusing. Sure, most of it was silly, but the actors, many of which are talented folks, managed to squeeze some good out of the little they were given. I was entertained.

Rating: «««

George Carlin: You Are All Diseased (1999)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Rocco Urbisci

Cast: George Carlin

Time: 65 minutes

By the time he was recording his 11th HBO comedy special, live from the Beacon Theatre, in New York, George Carlin was in his 60’s. But, that did not mean that the man considered by many, including myself, to be the greatest stand-up comic of all-time had lost any of his energy. In the hour-long set, Carlin discusses such topics as airport security, fear of germs, cigars, angels, kids, men, religion, advertising, Clinton, minorities and God. Here, Carlin is as caustic and edgy as ever. He takes no prisoners and spares no one as he dives head first into his view of things. This show certainly is not for the dainty minds out there. This is a solid set of comedy, packed with tons of material that will make you laugh, think and laugh again...or frown if you are overly sensitive.

Rating: «««««

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Genre: Biographical

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Cast: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy

Time: 134 minutes

This 2018 biographical film tells the story of Freddie Mercury and his rise to international fame with the band Queen, leading to their groundbreaking performance at Live Aid, in Wembley Stadium.

I had a lot of apprehensions before seeing this, considering a lot of the discussions about it over the last few years. That being said, I am glad I saw it. Rami Malek manages to bring Mercury back to life on screen. Malek manages to compensate for the ridiculous teeth prosthetic he was saddled with by giving a great acting performance. The rest of the cast was mostly good too, though the focus was clearly not on them.

This film is not without its faults. The script and direction delivered a lot of clichés of the genre and the filmmakers sure took a lot of poetic license, but, in the end, this is a feel-good movie that made me want to listen to the music of Queen again. Kudos for that.

Rating: ««««