Like Father (2018)

Genre: Drama / Comedy
Directed by: Lauren Miller
Cast: Kristen Bell, Kelsey Grammer, Seth Rogen
Time: 98 minutes

 

Rachel is a workaholic executive living in New York who is left at the altar by her fiancé on her wedding day. That night, she ends up getting drunk with her estranged father, who picked that particular day to come back into her life, and they end up on her honeymoon — a Caribbean cruise — together.

This is a cute albeit very predictable dramedy made much better than I expected it to be by a solid performance by Kelsey Grammer. He has never been an actor I noticed much, but here, he lifted the material. Sure, Like Father is filled with clichés, but it was still entertaining while it lasted.

Rating: «««

Midnight Express (1979)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Cast: Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins
Time: 121 minutes

 

Based on Billy Hayes’ 1977 memoirs of the same name, Midnight Express tells the story of how Hayes was sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of the Asian country on his way back to the US from a trip with his girlfriend.

This film has been criticized by many for straying too far away from the source material to sensationalize the story. Considering Oliver Stone is the director, that is not much of a surprise. That is pretty much is MO.

 When considered as a strandalone movie, this is a great piece of entertainment. Compelling story, though it is hard not to find Hayes to be very stupid for even attempting such a thing. The acting is very solid. The whole thing feels quite realistic and makes you feel claustrophobic.

Rating: ««««

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Genre: Film noir / Drama
Directed by: Norman Jewison
Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates
Time: 110 minutes

 

Virgil Tibbs, a black police detective from Philadelphia, becomes involved in a murder investigation while in Mississippi visiting his mother. First a suspect of the murder, because of the color of his skin, he starts working with the local authorities on the case, in spite of many people around unwilling to trust a black man.

This is a powerful film with a compelling story and some great actors at work. It is well worth revisiting at different times in history as its significance never diminishes.

Rating: «««««

Cyanure (2013)

Genre: Franco / Drama
Réalisateur: Séverine Cornamusaz
Distribution: Alexandre Eltzlinger, Roy Dupuis, Sabine Timotéo
Running time: 103 minutes

 

Achille est le fruit d’une histoire d’amour intense entre Joe et Pénélope. Maintenant âgé de 13 ans, il n’a jamais connu son père, qui est en prison depuis avant sa naissance. Il idolâtre ce père qu’il voit comme un héros de film. Vu que ce dernier sort bientôt de prison, Achille espère voir ses parents former de nouveau un couple, mais les choses ne se produisent pas tout à fait comme dans ses rêves.

Ce film n’est pas sans mérite du point de vue artistique. Il est très éclaté dans son style. L’utilisation d’animation du type Manga pour certaines scènes apporte une touche bien spéciale. Mais, il y a des distractions que j’ai peiné à ignorer. D’abord, l’histoire part dans tous les sens. Ensuite, le jeu des acteurs n’est pas très bon, surtout lorsqu’on considère le mauvais accent de Roy Dupuis, qui sonne terriblement faux.

Rating: ««

Life (1999)

Genre: Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Ted Demme
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence
Time: 109 minutes

 

Ray Gibson and Claude Banks are two strangers who cross path in a New York City nightclub. Both being in trouble with club owner, Spanky, they travel to Mississippi on a hooch run, where they get arrested and charged with a murder they did not commit. Found guilty of the charges, they are sentenced to life in prison.

This is a very entertaining buddy comedy with some touches of sweetness to it. Murphy and Lawrence have a solid chemistry with each other. They carry their respective roles with panache. The story itself is compelling, though it gets a little silly at times. The makeup job to age the characters was a little over-the-top and distracting, but all things considered, this was a fun movie.

Rating: «««

Cruising Bar (1989)

Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisateur: Robert Ménard
Distribution: Michel Côté, Louise Marleau, Geneviève Rioux, Véronique Le Flaguais
Running time: 96 minutes

 

Quatre hommes fort différents — Serge, le maladroit ; Patrice, le drogué ; Jean-Jacques, le snob, et Gérard, l’homme marié à la recherche de conquêtes — vont à la chasse aux filles un samedi soir, mais les choses ne se passent pas comme prévu pour chacun d’entre eux.

Michel Côté fait un travail exceptionnel dans ce film, interprétant les quatre personnages principal. Il livre quatre performances différentes et il le fait de façon très convaincante. Il porte le film sur ses épaules. C’est un classique du cinéma québécois contenant tellement de répliques savoureuses que je répète encore à l’occasion des décennies plus tard.

Rating: «««««

Tom Segura: Sledgehammer (2023)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Ryan Polito
Cast: Tom Segura
Time: 61 minutes

 

This show from comic Tom Segura’s latest tour was shot in Phoenix, Arizona. Here, Segura regales us with stories about his kids, his appreciation for Brad Pitt, and taking drugs with his mom, amongst other topics. I love his style. From the setup to the punch line, the story often takes a sharp turn, and he lets the mystery linger about what is true and what is comedic fabrication. A few jokes missed the mark, but, overall, this is some solid standup.

Rating: ««««

 

The Sting (1973)

Genre: Action / Comedy
Directed by: George Roy Hill
Cast: Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw
Time: 129 minutes

 

A group of grifters gang up together to play an elaborate con on a Illinois mob boss that caused the death of one of their friends.

Stylistically, this is a magnificent film. The costumes, the sets and everything else just bring you back to that Great Depression era. The talented cast and director are nothing to sneeze at either. The plot gets a little convoluted at times, but with such talent on hand, it’s a winner in the end. And, I love that song by Scott Joplin, The Entertainer.

Rating: ««««

Death Wish 5: The Face of Death (1994)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Allan A. Goldstein
Cast: Charles Bronson, Lesley-Anne Down, Michael Parks
Time: 91 minutes

 

Paul Kersey is back in New York City with a new identity (Paul Stewart), as part of the Witness Protection Program. He is dating fashion designer Olivia Regent, who has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship with mobster Tommy O’Shea. When O’Shea starts roaming around with his thugs, causing problems in Regent’s life and business, the old vigilante is pushed to revert back to his former ways.

This is the last installment in the original Death Wish franchise, and, really, it should have ended before this mess. Bronson seemed greatly uninspired by the material. A few lines made me laugh, and they at least found innovative ways for Kersey to eliminate his enemies, but, overall, this is a very subpart offering in a fun movie franchise.

Rating: ««

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)

Genre: Science-fiction / Comedy
Directed by: Pete Hewitt
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, George Carlin
Running time: 93 minutes

 

Best friends Bill Preston and Ted Logan must defeat death and fight their way back to life, through hell and heaven, to stop two evil robots impersonating them to damage their legacy for good.

This is a fun film. Many moments throughout made me laugh out loud. I would have taken more of George Carlin, as Rufus, but it was still a treat to see him in there. Quite entertaining overall.

Rating: ««««

Superbad (2007)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Greg Mottola
Cast: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Time: 113 minutes

 

Seth and Evan are two long-time best friends and high school seniors. They are dead set on losing their virginities before graduation, but that does not seem to be an easy task for the two awkward teenagers. With the help of another friend, Fogell, they go on a mission, with a fake ID, to buy alcohol for a party, in a last-ditch effort to impress the girls with whom they want to score. This mission brings them on an adventurous night of various shenanigans.

Superbad contains a great deal of vulgarity and insanity, but, behind all that, there is a very relate tale about the awkwardness of the teenage years. And most of us can relate to that. The cast is solid here, and many moments have made it into pop culture. There is lot of McLovin to go around for me as far as that movie goes, let’s just say.

Rating: «««««

Cocaine Bear (2023)

Genre: Horror / Comedy
Directed by: Elizabeth Banks
Cast: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery
Time: 95 minutes

 

A drug smuggler drops a shipment of cocaine from his plane before attempting to skydive with a coke-filled duffel bag, but he falls to his death in Knoxville, Tennessee. Some of the drugs are recovered with the body, but a good portion of it gets ingested by black bears in the area, who start behaving erratically and attacking people, causing havoc in the area.

This comedy-horror film is loosely inspired by some crazy true events. It is so over-the-top that it is hard to believe that it came from a piece of reality. All things considered; I was greatly entertained by this movie. The special effects were cool, the attack scenes were chilling and some of the dialogue made me laugh. 

Rating: ««««