Film: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for action violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 11 minutes

STARRING: Tom Cruise (Jack Reacher, Edge of Tomorrow)

Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead); Rebecca Ferguson (Hercules)

DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher)

WRITER: Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects, Valkyrie)

PLOT: Ethan and his team try to take out the Syndicate, an anti-IMF. Action packed sequences ensue

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 I like that Cruise performs his own stunts. Don’t care that the media is overplaying it. I like that he is dedicated to quality.

2 This is an awesome action flick. Beyond the plane sequence, there is a thrilling underwater and motorcycle sequence. (Not at the same time though.)

3 What I appreciate about this franchise, is the humour involved. Of course, Pegg provides plenty of comic relief but even Cruise gets some great stuff to work with.

4 The plot is just okay. The Syndicate storyline didn’t grab me like some of the previous films.

5 The music from Puccini’s Turandot opera got stuck in my head. But that may be because Joe Kraemer’s score also included homages to the opera.

RECOMMENDATION: See in the theatres for great fun
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Ant Man

Film: Trainwreck

GENRE: Comedy

RATING: R for strong sexual content, nudity & language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 5 minutes

STARRING: Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer)

Bill Hader (SNL, Inside Out); Brie Larson (21 Jump Street, Don Jon)

DIRECTOR: Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up)

WRITER: Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer)

PLOT: A commitment-phobic writer falls for the subject of her magazine piece and realizes she may have to make some changes.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Schumer wrote a very funny film. One of the things I love most about it is taking the cliché rom-com and flipping it around. This time it’s the horny girl who needs to grow up and win back the guy. And there are plenty of laugh out loud scene throughout.

2 Be prepared for Schumer’s brand of comedy, it is pretty raunchy and sex-driven at times. Watch an episode of Inside Amy Schumer to a glimpse into her style. The whole film is not like that but there are definitely some uncomfortable scenarios.

3 Schumer is fantastic, she is definitely one of the funniest women out there right now. I also loved seeing Hader get to be funny but more importantly a leading man instead of a sidekick. He is equally fun to watch.

4 Not a basketball fan, but LeBron James is hilarious. He steals almost every scene he is in. His friendship with Hader’s character is a treat. LeBron is so sincere and caring and will definitely make you laugh.

5 My biggest criticism is the same one that affects all of Judd Apatow’s films: it’s too long. This film should be 30 minutes shorter. Scenes involving the father and the bizarre intervention are not necessary for the plot, a good director should know when to edit things out. I can tell that Apatow always wants to give lots of time to family dynamics and emotional growth in the last 45 minutes of the film before returning to a funny conclusion. He needs to learn to streamline these things. Thankfully, the ending of this film is downright awesome.  

RECOMMENDATION: Probably wait for DVD
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Film: Minions

GENRE: Animated Comedy

RATING: PG for rude humour
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 31 minutes

STARRING: Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me 1 & 2)

Sandra Bullock (The Heat); Jon Hamm (Mad Men)

DIRECTORS: Kyle Balda (The Lorax); Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me)

WRITERS: Brian Lynch (Hop; Puss in Boots)

PLOT: Before serving Gru, the minions Kevin, Stuart and Bob search for a super-villain they can follow and find one in Scarlet Overkill.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Like usual, the minions are adorable and hilarious. Their curiosity and reactions are wonderfully comic and perfectly timed. It was interesting to see three of them getting more distinct personalities to lead this movie. It’s great fun to watch them play. It should be noted that the overall story is pretty weak though.

2 Their gibberish language is fun to decipher and enjoy. I also enjoyed some of the understandable words thrown in as well, like “Gracias” and “Kumbaya”.

3 I did not like the character of Scarlet Overkill. I don’t think it was the fact that it was a female villain, I just didn’t think the character was fun to watch. She just yelled most of the time and wasn’t given anything interesting to do. She’s no Gru; the minions are better off.

4 Jon Hamm, on the other hand, was entertaining as Scarlet’s inventor husband. And I could hardly recognize his voice. Well done.

5 Some of my enjoyment of the film was marred by the over-enthusiastic twenty-somethings sitting in our row and laughing a little too loud at the screen. I don’t know if it was the alcohol or that they’ve never seen these minions before but it was too much. Talk about overkill.

RECOMMENDATION: Fun on big screen for minion fans
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Ant Man; Mission Impossible 5

2015 Emmy Dream Nominations

The votes for the Emmy Award nominations are in and the announcement happens next week. Looking over the very long ballot, these would be my dream nominations for the upcoming Emmys. Many of these are long shots but its fun to dream.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

·         Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson [Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.]

·         Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates [Bates Motel]

·         Gabriel Macht as Harvey Spectre [Suits]

·         Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill [Better Call Saul]

·         Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood [House of Cards]

·         David Tennant as Alec Hardy [Broadchurch]

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

·         Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter [Agent Carter]

·         Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson [Masters of Sex]

·         Vera Farmiga as Norma Louise Bates [Bates Motel]

·         Tatiana Maslany as Sarah & her 5 clones [Orphan Black]

·         Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson [Mad Men]

·         Robin Wright as Claire Underwood [House of Cards]

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

·         Louis CK as Louie [Louie]

·         Nathan Fielder as Nathan Fielder [Nathan for You]

·         Thomas Lennon as Felix Unger [The Odd Couple]

·         Chris Messina as Dr. Danny Castellano [The Mindy Project]

·         Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper [The Big Bang Theory]

·         Andy Samberg as Det. Jake Peralta [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

·         Zooey Deschanel as Jessica Day [New Girl]

·         Mindy Kaling as Dr. Mindy Lahiri [The Mindy Project]

·         Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt [Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt]

·         Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope [Parks and Recreation]

·         Amu Schumer as Amy [Inside Amy Schumer]

·         Casey Wilson as Annie [Marry Me]

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

·         Max Burkholder as Max Braverman [Parenthood]

·         Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne [The Flash]

·         Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister [Game of Thrones]

·         Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt [Suits]

·         Ben Mendelsohn as Danny Rayburn [Bloodline]

·         Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot [Gotham]

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

·         Uzo Aduba as Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren [Orange is the New Black]

·         Mackenzie Davis as Cameron Howe [Halt and Catch Fire]

·         Lauren Graham as Sarah Braverman [Parenthood]

·         Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister [Game of Thrones]

·         Olivia Munn as Sloan Sabbith [The Newsroom]

·         Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen [Suits]

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

·         Andre Braugher as Cpt. Ray Holt [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy [Modern Family]

·         Kumail Nanjiani as Dinesh [Silicon Valley]

·         Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson [Parks and Recreation]

·         Matt Walsh as Mike McLintock [Veep]

·         Steve Zissis as Alex Pappas [Togetherness]

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

·         Stephanie Beatriz as Det. Rosa Diaz [Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

·         Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler [The Big Bang Theory]

·         Aidy Bryant as Various characters [SNL]

·         Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting as Penny [The Big Bang Theory]

·         Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy [Modern Family]

·         Cecily Strong as Various Characters [SNL]

Writing for a Drama Series

·         Uno [Better Call Saul]

·         Mother’s Mercy [Game of Thrones]

·         There’s Something Else Going On [Homeland]

·         Method and Madness [The Knick]

·         Cut Man [Daredevil]

·         Run [The Newsroom]

Writing for a Comedy Series

·         Alive in Tucson (Pilot) [The Last Man on Earth]

·         Bobby’s House [Louie]

·         Landline [New Girl]

·         Leslie and Ron [Parks and Recreation]

·         Two Days of the Condor [Silicon Valley]

·         Kimmy Goes Outside! [Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt]

Drama Series

·         Better Call Saul

·         Game of Thrones

·         Homeland

·         Marvel’s Agent Carter

·         Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

·         The Newsroom

Comedy Series

·         The Big Bang Theory

·         Brooklyn Nine-Nine

·         New Girl

·         Parks and Recreation

·         Silicon Valley

·         Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Main Title Design

·         The Affair

·         American Horror Story: Freak Show

·         Halt and Catch Fire

·         Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

·         Manhattan

·         Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The nominations are announced on July 16^th.

Film: Inside Out

GENRE: Animated Comedy/Drama

RATING: PG for thematic elements
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 34 minutes

STARRING: Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, SNL)

Phyllis Smith (The Office); Richard Kind (Bug’s Life, Spin City)

DIRECTORS: Pete Docter (Up); Ronnie Del Carmen (newcomer)

WRITERS: Pete Docter (Monster’s Inc)

Josh Cooley & Meg LeFauve (newcomers)

PLOT: Sadness causes problems for 11 year old Riley as Joy is lost in her subconscious. It makes more sense when you watch it.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 What an unbelievably clever film. Pixar does such a great job creating stories. All their stories are chock full of emotions and this one puts those feelings in the forefront. Along with the emotions, the writers geniusly  create a whole new world inside someone’s head. It’s pretty amazing.

2 Speaking of amazing, the voice cast is top notch. Poehler is the embodiment of Joy and Smith is so effective as Sadness. I also love Lewis Black (Daily Show) as Anger and Mindy Kaling (Mindy Project) as Disgust. Bill Hader does a good Fear but his voice is strangely not that recognizable.

3 Since Sadness play’s a big part in this story, you may cry. I admit to shedding a tear. While many jokes will go over young children’s heads, they may enjoy the visuals and story but are still faced with a lot of sad things. Be ready to talk about sadness and memories.

4 Don’t know why this was in 3-D. Didn’t even notice any 3-D elements which makes me wonder why they bothered.

5 The glimpse inside the eleven year old’s brain was priceless. I could watch that scene over and over again.

RECOMMENDATION: Fun to watch on big screen
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Minions

Film: Jurassic World

GENRE: Action, Adventure

RATING: PG-13 for violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 4 minutes

STARRING: Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Moneyball)

Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help, The Village, Spiderman 3)

DIRECTOR: Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed)

WRITERS: Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed) & Colin Trevorrow (newcomer)

PLOT: With Jurassic World open to the public, scientists stupidly design a new super dinosaur that predictably escapes and eats people.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Even with all the dino-on-dino action, it’s Pratt that holds the film together. He is always a treat to watch. He’s come a long way from Everwood.

2 I loved Trevorrow’s indie jabs at corporations (studios) and how they are asking for trouble by only wanting more bells and whistles. Great to see Jurassic World has a Starbucks.

3 While Pratt is stellar, it’s Jake Johnson (New Girl) who steals the show as a technician who gets all the funny lines and looks. So fun.  

4 I like the many references to the original film from music to merchandise to Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong).

5 Howard does all that running in high heels? C’mon.

RECOMMENDATION: Blockbusters deserve a big screen
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Inside Out

Film: Spy

GENRE: Action, Comedy

RATING: R for language, violence and brief nudity
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 0 minutes

STARRING: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Tammy)

Rose Byrne (Damages, Neighbors), Jason Statham (Snatch, Crank)

DIRECTOR: Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat)

WRITER: Paul Feig (Freaks & Geeks)

PLOT: An analyst goes undercover for the first time to stop an arms dealer.    

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 I love that this was a spy movie first, a comedy second. It’s not Austin Powers. They aren’t going for silly here. The genre is taken seriously and it makes the film that much better.  

2 McCarthy is utterly fantastic. She is so good as the analyst and the newbie spy with skills but she really pours it on when she takes on the persona of a bodyguard. Laugh out loud moments throughout. Her friend/partner is a little too weird though.

3 Byrne brings it as the bad guy. Her condescending comments towards McCarthy are hilarious. Her hair is also a wonderful source of comedy.   

4 Statham has done comedy before, so I’m not as surprised as some people. His rants at perfectly done though his opinion of McCarthy’s spy starts to get old.

5 A little too many expected double crosses in this otherwise stellar plot.

RECOMMENDATION: Fun time at the theatre but also good at home
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Jurassic World

Film: Entourage

GENRE: Comedy

RATING: R for language and nudity
RUNTIME: 1 hours and 44 minutes

STARRING: Kevin Connolly (The Notebook, The Ugly Truth)

Adrian Grenier (Drive Me Crazy), Jeremy Piven (Old School)

DIRECTOR: Doug Ellin (newcomer; Entourage TV series)

WRITER: Doug Ellin (newcomer; Entourage TV series)

PLOT: Vincent Chase needs more money from Ari for his directorial debut but a financier’s kid is standing in their way.    

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Not surprisingly, this film is just like TV series. It just feels like an extended episode. Which is not bad if you enjoyed the series. There are no extra bells and whistles. It even has a TV style opening title sequence.

2 Unfortunately, to make this movie work, they had to negate most of the finale of the television series. The happily ever afters of the entourage didn’t last long. They are all back at square one at the start of the movie.

3 Eric’s storyline was pretty boring. Enough with him and all these hot women who want to sleep with him. Then again, the main plot was pretty predictable too. So not many points for the screenplay.     

4 I didn’t think movies about DJs was trending but there happened to be a Zac Efron DJ movie preview before this film.

5 Fun to see all the celebrities they jam packed in the movie, especially during the party scene. Must have been fun.

RECOMMENDATION: Wait for it on HBO
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Spy

2015 Summer Preview

Summer is basically here. Network shows are done so it is time to look at the summer crop. Here are some shows that are returning and a couple new ones I’ll give a chance to. I also thought I would add the films I’m looking forward to. Weird how there is nothing interesting in August. Anyway here are the lists and such.

Returning Shows

Halt & Catch Fire:Season 2 AMC (May 31) 80s computer wars.

Hannibal:Season 3 NBC (June 4) Beautifully shot disturbing content.

True Detective:Season 2 HBO (July 12) Intense character drama

Masters of Sex:Season 3 SHO (July 12) Compelling chemistry

Orange is the New Black:Season 3 NETFLIX (July 12) More prison.

Last Comic Standing:Season 9 NBC (July 22) Funny stand-up.

Nathan For You:Season 3 COMEDY (July TBA) A marketing genius.

New Shows

Sense8 NETFLIX (June 5) 8 people can feel everything about each other.

Scream MTV (June 30) TV version of the popular horror franchise.

Fear the Walking Dead AMC (Aug TBA) The companion series.

Shows To Catch Up On

This summer I’ll be watching the four seasons of Suits on Netflix and watch the first season of The Flash.

If you are looking for some shows to watch this summer on Netflix, I suggest Bloodline and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Summer Films

Entourage (June 3) I watched the show, gotta watch the movie.

Spy (June 5) Melissa McCarthy in a spy flick? Sure.

Jurassic World (June 12) Love Chris Pratt and now with dinosaurs.

Inside Out (June 19) It’s Pixar and Amy Poehler. Perfection.

Terminator Genisys (July 1) More like T2 and not the other sequels.

Minions (July 10) So cute. My wife and I can’t wait for this.

Ant Man (July 17) I like Paul Rudd and Marvel. So why not?

Trainwreck (July 17) Amy Schumer is quite funny. Should be good.

Pixels (July 24) Pac-Man is evil. Hope Adam Sandler doesn’t ruin it.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (July 31) Love this franchise.

What’s on your list?