House Party 3 (1994)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Eric Meza

Cast: Christopher “Kid” Reid, Christopher “Play” Martin, Bernie Mac, TLC

Running Time: 100 minutes

Kid is planning to marry his girlfriend Veda, all the while trying to make some headway in the music business with his partner Play. As the bachelor party comes along, nothing goes as planned.

They really should have quit while they were ahead with the first sequel, because this third installment in the House Party franchise was a waste of time. The story is uninspired and the new elements to the supporting cast are horrid. Bernie Mac’s Uncle Vester is so over-the-top, it is grating. The band Sex as a Weapon, played by TLC, was annoying beyond words. A few moments made me chuckle lightly, but it was not enough to make this enjoyable.

Rating: ««

Richard Jewell (2019)

Genre: Biographical / Drama

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Paul Walker Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde

Running Time: 129 minutes

This film is inspired by the true events of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, and their aftermaths. It showed how security guard Richard Jewell, who found and reported the suspicious package responsible and then helped evacuate people to reduce the damage, was later suspected by the FBI to be the main suspect.

The performances of Paul Walker Hauser, Sam Rockwell and Kathy Bates are clear highlights here. They carried that film. They made you care for their characters. Olivia Wilde did the best she could with what she was given. Her performance as Kathy Scruggs, the real-life reporter who first exposed Jewell as the prime suspect of the bombing, was a little big, but it is clear the filmmakers were not going for subtlety here. Scruggs was to be seen as the “bad guy”, whether it was justified or not.

In that sense, this film had a clear agenda: Defending Richard Jewell’s honour once and for all. The performances on screen did a great job at making us feel sympathy for a man whose life was ruined by a witch hunt that left its mark.

Rating: ««««

House Party 2 (1991)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Doug McHenry and George Jackson

Cast: Christopher “Kid” Reid, Christopher “Play” Martin, Martin Lawrence

Running Time: 94 minutes

Kid is going to college to fulfill his dead father’s dream for his son, but his education money gets taken by people posing as rap music producers. With his friend Play, he organizes a big pajama party on campus to raise the funds so he can continue his studies.

This is a sequel for the movie House Party, that came out just one year before. It is dedicated to the memory of Robin Harris, who played Pops in the original and died by the time it was released. It is still an entertaining look at a certain era that was not so long ago but that was still much different than today. The clothes, the hair, the music, the dance moves; it is all there. There is more depth in this one, with the part about becoming an adult, but a little bit of the magic has been lost from the original to the sequel.

Rating: «««

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Genre: Christmas

Directed by: Clay Kaytis

Cast: Kurt Russell, Judah Lewis, Darby Camp

Running Time: 122 minutes

Christmas was always a fun and magical time for the Pierce family. But, after the husband and father died on the job as a firefighter, the widowed wife and mother started working extra hard to support her family. Siblings Teddy and Kate used to be close, but they are slowly growing apart in Teddy’s teenage years. A chance encounter with Santa Claus, on Christmas Eve, might be the glue that brings them back together again.

This is a very charming film. Sure, it is cheesy, as any Christmas movie would be, but the good acting and the humorous script make it all quite enjoyable. Nice surprise appearances by Steven Van Zant and Goldie Hawn.

Rating: ««««

El Camino (2019)

Genre: Thriller

Directed by: Vince Gilligan

Cast: Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Charles Baker, Matt Jones

Running Time: 122 minutes

This film serves as an epilogue to the Breaking Bad series. The movie picks up where the last episode ends. Jesse Pinkman escapes the Neo-Nazi compound where he was held captive in an El Camino. As the authorities are trying to locate him, Jesse drives around trying to find the cash to finally buy that new life for himself.

Aaron Paul does an awesome job here carrying much of the load action-wise. He managed to really show on screen all of the layers of his character. Vince Gilligan also did great work as the director.

Overall, this was a very thrilling last farewell. I will miss these characters.

Rating: ««««

House Party (1990)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Reginald Hudlin

Cast: Christopher “Kid” Reid, Robin Harris, Christopher “Play” Martin, Martin Lawrence

Running Time: 100 minutes

A group of three high school friends take advantage of the fact that one of them has an empty house to themselves available to have a party and, hopefully, score with girls. Many events make sure that this party is not going to run smoothly.

This is a very entertaining flick. Watching it with today’s eyes, it brings you back to those times and it is a lot of fun.

Rating: ««««

Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Genre: TV / Drama / Author’s Favorites

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul

Number of seasons: 5

Walter White is a genius of chemistry who, for various reasons, has settled into a job as a high school teacher of that science. When the series starts, he also works part-time in a car wash to earn extra money to support his family. After finding out that he has lung cancer, Walt decides to cook meth with a former student of his, Jesse Pinkman, to insure his wife’s and kids’ financial well-being long after he is gone. As he hides his business under the nose of his DEA cop brother-in-law, Hank, Walt starts to find more power in the drug business than he has ever had before.

This remains one of my favorite TV shows of all-time. All of the character, whether they are main or supporting, are all well developed and interesting. And the cast chosen to deliver them on screen were all solid in their roles. The script is absolutely badass. So many scenes come to mind as must-see. I have seen this again and again, and I will revisit it again someday.

Rating: «««««

Leatherface (2017)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo

Cast: Stephen Dorff, Lily Taylor

Running Time: 90 minutes

After the Sawyer family kills Sherriff Hartman’s daughter, the police officer puts the Sawyers’ youngest, Jedidah, in a mental institution. Twenty years later, Jedidah, now named Jackson, escapes with a couple of other patients and nurse Elizabeth White as an hostage.

This film serves as a prequel to the original and offers a view of how Leatherface became who he is. Here, the authorities are the bad guys and the murderous family is just a victim of the system. Weird logic, but those are the times I guess. At this point, this whole franchise is tired and should just be put to rest.

Rating: «

The Irishman (2019)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci

Running Time: 209 minutes

Based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses, by Charles Brandt, The Irishman is the story of Frank Sheeran, who went from meat truck driver to working as a hit man for the Bufalino mafia family and for Jimmy Hoffa. Sitting in a senior home, Sheeran, portrayed brilliantly by De Niro, reflects upon his life.

This epic crime drama is what you get when a great movie director such as Martin Scorsese takes on a project he really cares about and he hires the right cast to get the job done. Over the course of 3.5 hours, the director weaves a compelling tale while going back and forth in time through his story. And he never loses us along the way.

Robert De Niro is magnificent in the lead role. Many have lamented that he was done and way past his prime because of his recent output, but De Niro just proved he still has it when the project is right. Beyond the makeup to make him look younger and older, De Niro’s whole physiognomy changed for this role. He walked differently, even, and he made you believe this character.

Al Pacino is also brilliant as Jimmy Hoffa. Again, you forget the actor at work and you believe the character. It was a nice treat to see Joe Pesci again.

All things considered, this is a wonderful film that I plan on seeing again and again to fully measure its brilliance through time.

Rating: «««««

Overboard (2018)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Rob Greenberg

Cast: Eugenio Derbez, Anna Faris, Eva Longoria

Running Time: 112 minutes

Kate Sullivan is a single mother of 3 working 2 jobs while studying to be a nurse. Working as a cleaning lady, she meets Leonardo Montenegro, a pretentious rich playboy living a live of luxury on his boat. Leonardo is mean to her. After finding out that the man is now laying in the hospital suffering from amnesia after an accident, she picks him up, pretending to be his wife, to seek revenge on him.

This remake of the 1987 original, starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, but the roles are reversed. That is Hollywood at its worst. Instead of being original, let’s just remake something while inverting the positions of power and adding a different culture for good measure, just to look more inclusive.

This new version of this tale lacks the charm of the original. A few cute moments, but, really, it is just reheating a meal that was just passable when freshé

Rating: ««