As we all know, when a movie has tremendous success in theaters, 9 times out of 10 there is more than likely going to be a sequel. That is just a common fact nowadays but rarely does the sequel live up to or at least match the excitement and thrill of the first movie. There are rare exceptions where the sequel might even exceed the original film, such as “The Godfather 2.” Well, that certainly is not the case with the latest summertime entry of “The Incredibles 2.” Needless to say, and I might be one of the few to feel this way, but they should have called this one “The Incredibles P.U.” I am sorry, but I cannot believe we had to wait for 14 years to get a sequel to the excellent first film and this is the result. To begin with, it took what seemed like forever for things to pick up and by the time they did it was almost the end of the movie. Second, the minute certain characters are introduced and you hear a story that comes into play, you guess right away (at least I did) where things were going. Finally, it was just too long of a film -- period. The number of characters introduced really was overkill and the only few minutes of enjoyment were 2 scenes involving a raccoon and the famous Edna Mode character, and she was not in the film long enough. The newest character, Jack Jack, is great but there is not enough of him either. I know people were excited to see the return of these characters but this was not the right storyline or plot to bring them back. Quite disappointing I have to say.
Jason Bourne sucked. Atomic Blonde sucked. Spectre was genuine ass-bleach. But Denzel Washington is back to cure your spy movie withdrawal in the long, long, long-awaited follow-up to The Equalizer. And Mission Impossible: Fallout looks like it'll be a big step up from Rogue Nation. Plus Ant-Man is back to complete the MCU 2018 trifecta that began with Black Panther.
July 4
The First Purge
July 6
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Whitney
July 13
Skyscraper
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot
Eighth Grade
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
July 20
The Equalizer 2
The Equalizer 2 will be the first sequel of Denzel Washington's career. It's release will officially make Robert McCall a franchise movie spy. If the filmmakers can manage to sustain the dopeness achieved in the original film, then Ethan Hunt and James Bond will be facing some quite daunting competition in the years to come (judging by this year's Jason Bourne and the difficulty in getting Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass to commit to the franchise, it seems as though the titular assassin's movie theater run may have come to an end).
Ah, nothing like going to see what you expect to be an intense, edge-of-your-seat thriller only to find out it is really a love story that takes place on the ocean, with a bad situation. Thus my intro begins to “Adrift.” Yes, Ran, yes you told me but what can I say, the trailer had me hooked. However, with that being said, I have to say it was not a completely horrible movie. It actually did have some great scenes and a few intense moments. And, Shailene Woodley does a great job in her role as the young woman on an adventure who falls in love with the more experienced and handsome sailor, played by Sam Claflin. Yes, some cheesy moments occur and you wonder how they manage to do some things but still the fact that it was based on a true story is amazing. The storyline going back and forth the entire film normally drives me crazy but in this case I was ok with it. Definitely a good rental flick or one to stream if you have nothing else to do.
Today I had the chance to spend time with my mother - for which I was extremely excited but for which I was also nervous as we (me, my mother, wife, sister, brother-in-law, aunt and friend) were going to see “Book Club” - and I was not that crazy about the movie pick. But, it was what she wanted to see so of course mom ruled out. Well, needless to say the movie turned out to be as predictable as I expected although it did have a few funny moments. The premise itself was pretty original - a group of long time friends who have a book club decide to read “Fifty Shades of Grey” in hopes that it will have an impact on each of their lives in some way. In fact it does for each character but in different ways. The cast was strong - Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenbergen, and Diane Keaton - although not the finest performances of these actresses by any means. The one who really stood out as far as jokes and one liners - surprisingly - was Candice Bergen. Supporting cast members included Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, Richard Dreyfuss and Alicia Silverstone. There were a few high points and a good “life lesson” taught in the movie, but it was a flick that definitely did not have as many laughs as I had hoped.
