Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

 

Taking up where "Man of Steel" left off, the events of which hang heavy in the hearts of those affected by the final battle between Superman and General Zod. Including Gotham's Bruce Wayne AKA Batman. He is among the growing number of people that think that one man with that much power, could be dangerous. Their paths start to speed toward each other with an inevitable cataclysmic conclusion, spurred on by the maniacal plans of Lex Luthor. Lex is obsessed with finding out all about Kryptonians and what he calls "metahumans" in his quest for power. This is a foreshadowing of a possible league.....of justice!

 

 

Cast

• Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
• Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
• Amy Adams as Lois Lane
• Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
• Diane Lane as Martha Kent
• Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
• Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
• Holly Hunter as June Finch
• Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman

Who will like this

Naturally following the chain of events of "Man of Steel", this movie picks up where it left off. It also is loosely based of the graphic novels "The Dark Knight Returns" and "The Death of Superman". It has very dark undertones and heavy subject matter for your average Superhero movie, kinda in the same way that "Watchmen" did back in 2009. (not surprising as both films were directed by Zack Snyder)  It's not for the casual fan of these characters, and needs to be viewed by those who are fully invested.


Phantom Thoughts





There has been a lot of talk and fuss about this movie. A LOT of opinions. So here's mine:

This movie was.....ok. Not fantastic, not great. Just ok. And here's some of the reasons for making that statement.

Ben Affleck received TONS of flak when it was announced he would be playing Batman. I was on the fence and wanted to see what he could do. And you know what? He did GREAT. I think his Bruce Wayne was a perfect example of a billionaire, ex-playboy businessman. Not that I know any personally to refer to, but it's what I imagine one would be like. ("Daily Planet...is that one that I own?") And on the other end of the spectrum, his Batman was the older crime-fighter who has seen his share of shit and has no time to put up with any more. I especially like the voice changer built into the suit. (BTW- Fun Fact: This was an idea that had been suggested by Affleck's friend 'Kevin Smith', as he felt Affleck's natural speaking voice was too high-pitched for Batman.)


I don't know whose idea it was to have Lex Luthor played the way he is portrayed in this movie, but I didn't like it. Not one bit. Jesse Eisenberg came across more Joker-ish than powerful, smart, super-businessman and super villain Luthor. His mannerisms were chaotic and his ideas were half-assed. Hell, the man couldn't even get through a speech at the party he was throwing. It made no sense and was distracting at the very least.

SPOILERS:

Here's a point on Superman....OK...you're telling me that he was unable to save his Mother from being captured by Luthor's men, but saves Lois Lane at least 3 times in this movie alone? C'mon. And while we are on the subject, the whole point of this movie was SUPPOSED to be about the fight between Batman and Superman. But I just didn't see enough evidence to push these two into an altercation of that magnitude. Yes, Batman saw him as a possible threat to humanity, but he never showed signs of being evil in any way.  I saw where the filmmakers wanted to go,  but don't feel like they GOT there. And Superman was blackmailed into fighting Batman. Really? You mean to tell me that Lex Luthor, with no access to Kryptonite himself, could threaten Superman to do this? As soon as he found out his Mother was being held hostage, he would have saved her. What could they do to stop him? He's faster than they can react and more powerful than anything they could come up with to stop him. That didn't wash at all for me.

Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman was pretty good for the little time she was on screen. Even though her Diana Prince character came off as a little more Catwoman than Wonder Woman.

Doomsday was just ridiculous. He looked like a generic CGI monster more than anything else. This blend of Orc/Cave Troll/Abomination/Ninja Turtle was a huge let down as the main baddie the Superheroes teamed up to fight.

This movie was 2 and a half hours long. If they cut out all the dream sequences, it would probably be about 6 minutes long. Ok.....I'm exaggerating, but there were more dreams in this than a Nightmare on Elm Street movie. Maybe Bruce Wayne should lay off the Ambien for a while, it's not doing him any good.

I've heard from more than a few people that this was just a set-up movie for the upcoming Justice League movie(s). Even if that was the case, the movie needed to stand on it's own. And while we did get introduced to other members of that group in brief glimpses, I don't think the focus was merely to set up the following films. (BTW- Ezra Miller who plays a young Barry Allen/The Flash looks a bit Asian, even though that character is not. Ezra is not either.....but he DOES have that look)

Alrighty then....I've cut into this quite a bit. Here are some more Fun Facts that I noticed/found out about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice:

1) Star Wars in-joke: note the number on Lex's prison uniform, part of it reads TK-421, the same as the Stormtrooper with the 'faulty transmitter' in the original movie.

2) There is a boat yard in the scene where Batman first meets Superman and is named Nicholsons Boat Yard. A reference to Jack Nicholson playing the Joker in the 1989 Batman Movie.

3) Ben Affleck asked Christian Bale for any advice he could give about playing Batman. Bale told him to "make sure you can piss in that suit." The two men met quite by accident in a costume shop. They were each buying a Batman costume for their kids.

4) Perry White says, "It's not 1938 anymore," while talking to Clark Kent about people not reading newspapers anymore. Superman was created in 1938.

5) Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan play Bruce Wayne's parents in the film. They also both appear in the television series The Walking Dead as Maggie Greene and Negan, respectively. They were both in Supernatural as well. (While watching in the theater, I did make a "Where's your Bat?" joke referring to Morgan's TWD character and his barbed wire baseball bat "Lucille" and his son in this film becoming Batman)

Let's hope the NEXT film about Superheroes fighting each other that comes out next month is better than this one.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

10 Cloverfield Lane

 

A young woman (Michelle) has a car accident after having a fight with her fiancé. She wakes up in a survival bunker built by a conspiracy theorist named Howard Stambler. He and a young man who helped him build the shelter ( Emmett) believe that the end of the World has happened and everyone on the surface is dead. Michelle is unclear if she has been kidnapped or saved by her host, and every clue she comes across only leads to more questions. Her journey to find the truth is filled with incredible suspense and unusual turns that pushes her emotional sanity to the breaking point.

 

 

Cast:

 

 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle

John Goodman as Howard Stambler

John Gallagher, Jr. as Emmett DeWitt

Bradley Cooper as Ben (voice)

Who will like this Movie

If you are looking for this to be a sequel to the 2008 movie "Cloverfield", you will be disappointed. If you go in looking for an intense, suspenseful thriller, then you will be incredibly satisfied. It has some elements of  "After.Life" with Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci. And most of the movie takes place with minimal characters in an enclosed space, which is reminiscent of the very first "Saw".  It also had an element of "Signs" to it as well. It's definitely a thinking movie for more mature audiences.

Phantom Thoughts


So here's the thing....J.J. Abrams went to a lot of trouble keeping this movie a secret. So much so, that no one even knew it was being made until about 2 months before it's release. There is a reason for that. And I am not about to ruin that, even after it's been out in the theaters. I WILL being giving my opinion on the spoilers, but not until the very end of this review....and with many warnings before I do. So feel free to read on.....for now.

The one question everyone was asking was "Is this a sequel to the 2008 movie 'Cloverfield' ?". The answer is not a spoiler. The answer is no. Even though they have similar titles, the two films are not connected (at least, not on the surface). But there is a tie-in that I will get into later. And the other reason would be that the two are about a different way of viewing these types of movies.

Now to the essentials of the matter: John Goodman was BRILLIANT as the role of the conspiracy theorist: Howard Stambler. When you work on a big movie, it's easy to hide sub-par acting (Hello, Kristen Stewart in 'Twilight'). But in a small movie, taking place in a small, confined area, the acting better be fucking brilliant. Both Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead nailed it to the wall. No knock on John Gallager Jr., but his role was not as important. See, John Goodman keeps you guessing throughout his whole performance as to whether he an over protective pessimist whose worse fears have come true, or a broken kidnapper who has cracked. Same goes with Winstead. She is not the "damsel in distress" of your normal horror movie. You don't question her actions, in fact, you hope that you would be smart enough to make the same ones. And you are as confused as she is on what is the truth.

These things are what made the original "Saw" so good. Both were not dependent on big special effects or major gore. But the suspense and great story were what made them riveting. Same as the before mentioned (and much smaller in popularity) "After.Life". Liam Neeson plays a mortician and Christina Ricci plays a car crash victim. Liam's character says he can "speak" to the dead which is why he can communicate with Ricci, who refuses to believe she's dead. And the whole movie is the journey to find out which is correct.


OK.....here's where I talk about the big reveal and plot twist of the movie. So if you haven't seen it, stop reading now.





SPOILERS AHEAD!!!







I MEAN IT......STOP SCOLLING UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE





You've been warned!














I'm not kidding.......














Fine. I think I have been more than fair. If you are still reading, then I will take it that you have already seen the movie. I take no responsibility for revealing any secrets from this point forward.

So this is a space alien movie that has different creatures than the one in the original "Cloverfield". Which right away lends you to believe that it's not connected in any way. Ehhhhh......not so fast. One thing that Howard says is that he worked for a satellite company. Bold Futura is seen on letterhead in the bunker, and we already know that a satellite from Bold Futura is seen crashing into the ocean at the end (or actually beginning) of "Cloverfield". So this COULD be a tie-in.

So why do I mention "Signs" in the Who will like this  section? Because there is a connection. Yeah, yeah, I know....there was a HUGE gapping hole in the plot of "Signs". But aside from that, they both had a very unique way of looking at an alien attack. See, most movies follow a character or chain of events that explains EVERYTHING to the viewer. They set a story and guide the viewer through it. But in both "Signs" and "10 Cloverfield Lane" it's more like you really were in the middle of an alien attack. I mean, especially out in the rural parts of the country....how would you know what was going on? You wouldn't. That's the point. These movies put you in the middle of it....with very little information and even less knowledge of what to do. It also helps to put your doubt on whether it's actually really happening or not. I love that aspect of these movies.



Until next time, see you in the center seat!


Deadpool

Wade Wilson is an ex-special forces operative who spends his time now as a for-hire mercenary. But after being diagnosed with an incurable disease, he agrees to be the subject of experimental tests that leave him with super human healing abilities, but also horribly disfigured all over his body. The one man who intentionally tortured Wilson during these experiments is also the man who can cure him, and so Wade Wilson assumes the alas of Deadpool, to hunt him down. Through it all, Deadpool maintains his sick and twisted sense of humor and continually breaks down the 4th wall with the audience.

Cast

Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool
Morena Baccarin as Vanessa
Ed Skrein as Ajax
T.J. Miller as Weasel
Gina Carano as Angel Dust
Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Stefan Kapičić as Colossus
Leslie Uggams as Blind Al


Who will like this movie

Deadpool stays true to it's comic book inspiration with very little changes. And it is a Superhero movie even though Deadpool is not your typical superhero. But even anyone who has never read a comic book can find pleasure in it. It has a LOT of pop culture references and is very funny in many ways similar to Hangover or Ferris Bueller's Day Off (with a great nod to the latter in a spoiler moment)

Phantom Thoughts

I will go on record first by saying I'm not a Deadpool the Comic Book fan. That's not to say I don't like it, just that I've never read it. So that being said, I had to get the advice of those who have for the comparison. Those sources have told me that this movie draws most of it's inspiration more from when Deadpool got it's own title and not so much from when he was introduced in The New Mutants storyline. And as I mentioned before, there are just a few changes that were made.

First off, Wade Wilson had a few failed relationships before meeting his missing jigsaw piece of Vanessa. And in the comics, Vanessa was a shape shifting mutant similar to Mystique. But just because this was not explored in this movie, doesn't leave out the possibility of introducing this aspect of her in a sequel.

Then there is the character of Negasonic Teenage Warhead. This X-Men character was chosen for the movie simply based on the fact that they thought the name was cool. But they changed her abilities from telepath and precognitive mutant to one that has explosive powers to more accurately go with the name and to fit in better with the movie itself.

But other than that....damn! What a fun movie! I mean, from the opening title sequence to the inevitable Marvel end credit scene. (SPOILER: the end credit scene is a recreation of the Ferris Bueller after credit scene almost exactly)  It was filled, and I mean FILLED with pop culture, comic book and movie references. I will have to see it more than once for sure in order to get all the ones I missed from laughing so hard. (ANOTHER SPOILER: one I DIDN'T miss was the fact that the final fight scene was done on an abandoned S.H.E.I.LD Heli-Carrier.)

Almost everyone knows the story of how this movie almost didn't get made. In May 2000, Artisan Entertainment announced a deal with Marvel Entertainment to coproduce, finance and distribute a film based on Deadpool. In February 2004, development for the film began with New Line Cinema. However, in March 2005, New Line Cinema put the film in turnaround and 20th Century Fox became interested. In May 2009, 20th Century Fox lent the film to writers and a 3 minute reel was shot in 2012 to convince producers to go ahead with making it. In 2014, that footage was leaked to the internet and there was such a wave of positive response from it that the studio was all but forced to begin production.

Part of what makes Deadpool so good is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. And it makes fun of Ryan Reynolds, his Green Lantern movie role and his previous Deadpool role in X-Men Origins just to name a few. All the while he breaks down the fourth wall by talking to the audience. Yes, he mentions the fact that he's doing this too, which makes it even funnier.

There was lots of swearing, blood, violence and nudity (other than Ryan Reynolds ass, there were plenty of boobies!) to give it the R-rating. But in this Phantom's opinion, you couldn't do this movie any other way.

Until next time, see you in the center seat!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

30 Years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, a new threat in The First Order has risen from it's ashes. The Republic is failing, so a Resistance has formed with General Leia Organa as one of it's  leaders. The First Order has new Clone-Free Stormtroopers who are raised to be fighters. But one has second thoughts about which side he's on. FN-2187 and Resistance Pilot Poe Dameron escape from the Command Ship of Kylo Ren, a new villain determined on finding the last Jedi....Luke Skywalker.  
    FN-2187, who is dubbed "Finn" by Dameron, stumbles across a scavenger named Rey and a droid named BB-8 who is carrying important information on Luke's whereabouts. They team up with Han Solo and Chewbacca and go on an adventure to get the information in the little BB-8 unit back to the Resistance before Kylo Ren and the First Order can get their hands on it.

Cast:

• Harrison Ford as Han Solo
• Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
• Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa
• Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
• Daisy Ridley as Rey
• John Boyega as Finn
• Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
• Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata
• Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke
• Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux
• Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
• Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca
• Max von Sydow as Lor San Tekka

Who will like this:

If you are one of the very few who have never seen a Star Wars movie, picking this one to see is not recommended. However, it does hold it's own as a stand alone movie, but just barely, as you won't get the whole story or be as invested in the characters if you haven't seen the others. Star Wars fans who prefer the Original Trilogy better than the entire filmography will be greater fans of Episode VII.

Phantom Thoughts

I think it goes without saying, but I will give you the warning just in case....*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD* Please do not read on unless you have seen the movie.

....OK, still here? Good. Then either you've already seen it or don't care. Either way, here we go:

To put some perspective on this, I will tell you that I saw the first Star Wars in the theater in 1977. And I have been a major Star Wars fan ever since. You may already have figured that out by my other blog entry: 4 Reasons Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was a good movie .  That being said, JJ Abrams did a great job in bringing this new chapter to life. To be honest, I was a little nervous when I heard that he came on to direct. I watched the Star Trek movies and was not impressed. His annoying use of lens flare and the direction it was taken was disappointing to me, and I'm not even a Star Trek fan! But he redeemed himself in my eyes with "The Force Awakens".

Now I'm going to nit pick at some things that bothered me. First of all, this movie marks the third time a massive planet like weapon was used by the bad guys and destroyed using a weak spot by the good guys. Think they've learned their lesson by now? Perhaps the Sith would be better off figuring out a way to be the ultimate power in the universe without such a massive target for the Resistance to concentrate upon? I hope they have for the sake of the upcoming sequels.

Kylo Ren. Here is the new mysterious masked villain who wants to pick up where Darth Vader left off. But does he really? His use of the Force is very powerful as we see in one of the first scenes by him stopping a blaster shot in mid-air. Impressive. What's not impressive is him taking the mask off to interrogate Rey. Once he does that, the mystique is gone. He seems more human and less threatening even after he puts it back on. However, if they had let him keep it on until the SECOND time he takes it off (when Han Solo, his Father, asks him to do so) it would have made for a much more powerful scene. If he had to take the mask off, THAT should have been the first time to do it.

And just how evil IS Kylo Ren? He mentions a few times of the struggle within him between the Light and Dark sides of the Force. He is the offspring of Han and Leia. He trained under Luke when he was young. And here's the kicker....he blatantly ignores the orders of Supreme Leader Snoke in trying to get the map to Skywalker's location.  It will be interesting to see his role unfold.

Chewbacca, Han and Leia have had years of history together. They have a closeness that only decades of friendship can accomplish. So I'm a bit confused as to why there was no moment between Chewie and Leia when he gets back to her after Han's death. That emotional moment was given to Rey, who she hardly knew.

Here's something I never thought I would say....I was unimpressed with the new score by John Williams. It was no where near the epic music he added to the prequels. This one was of the most unmemorable and un inspiring pieces he's written for any Star Wars movies. So disappointing.

Getting back to that massive weapon...Starkiller Base. There were a TON of references, nods and Easter Eggs in this movie. Way too many to get into here, however,  Starkiller is one of them, being the original name of Luke before it was changed to Skywalker. Anyway, my question is this, it looks like they created the weapon out of an actual planet. it then used the Sun that was close to it as it's power source for the weapon. So then, how does it move to the next sun for another shot? And wouldn't the planet "die" in the meantime?

Again, these are just a little nit picking. But another complaint that I've been hearing is that it is pretty much a carbon copy of "A New Hope". And there is no denying the obvious plot similarities. In fact, you can use the same general description to narrate both films. "But Phantom" you say, "Isn't this the exact same gripe you had against Jurassic World ? " Yes it is. But let me tell you why it's different. See, in Jurassic World, they just re-hashed the same scenes and stories of the previous films. For no reason other than they had no new ideas to discover. In The Force Awakens, it's used as a reflection of the past to start a new story. If I am right, this will unveil itself in the following sequels. Am I just being biased because I am a fan? I don't believe so. But you draw your own conclusions after the next films.

But after all is said and done, it was a magnificent movie to watch. They got back to using real sets and a lot of practical effects that were lacking in the prequels. The BB-8 droid that was an ACTUAL remote controlled robot was a technical masterpiece! The inclusion of the original members of the Trilogy were a continuation of the story and not forced cameos. New characters were introduced and were relatable and people we cared about. There was a good flow to the movie with a lot of action and decent story development (although we do need some gaps filled in. Hopefully this will be addressed in future movies) .

Most importantly, I walked out feeling 7 years old again, seeing Star Wars for the first time and  completely hooked for life. And seeing young viewers exiting the theater with that same wonder in their eyes, I know I wasn't the only one.

Until next time, see you in the center seat!

....and May the Force be with you.

Krampus

Young Max (Emjay Anthony) is barely hanging on to the belief in Santa Claus and the magic of Christmas. However, the actions of his dysfunctional and insensitive family are the final straw this year, and he tears up his letter to Santa and gives up on hope for the traditional family holiday he used to know. Those actions unknowingly unleash the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. A bizarre blizzard knocks out any contact from the outside world and this family is targeted by Krampus and his evil minions to pay for their lack of festiveness. Only Max's Grandmother "Omi" seems to know what is really happening and tries to warn the family. But is it too late?

Cast


Adam Scott  as Tom
Toni Collette as Sarah
David Koechner  as Howard
Allison Tolman  as Linda
Conchata Ferrell as Aunt Dorothy
Emjay Anthony as Max
Stefania LaVie Owen as Beth
Krista Stadler as Omi

Who will like this:

As a  "not too scary/not gory/not too funny" kind of movie, it makes for a good date movie. Something that couples in a relationship who just want to get out of the house or young dating sweethearts can go see. It's in the same category as the movie "Drag me to Hell".

Phantom Thoughts

I will start off by saying this: the idea of making a movie about the German mythology of "Krampus" who is supposed to be the shadow of Santa Claus, is intriguing to say the least. It has all the makings of telling a good horror story that is set on such a joyful time of year.

This is not that movie. In fact, I have no idea what they were thinking when the studio put this thing together. As a horror movie, there were very little scares. There was some build up to set up for a good scare, but no pay off. There was no gore or even the implication of gore that makes a good horror movie successful. The funny moments to break the tension was not very humorous and extremely few and far between. Michael Dougherty, who directed and co-wrote this movie obviously just didn't know what he was doing. Apparently, Legendary Studios didn't take heed on his OTHER holiday "horror" movie "Trick 'r' Treat" that never even made it to theaters and was released on video.

Krampus' helpers were not to menacing either. Aside from the Jack-in-the-Box, which had good potential, the killer, badly CGI-ed Gingerbread Men, the Teddy Bear and the "I-wanna-be-as-scary-as-Annabelle-but-I'm-not" Angel were just laughable. There were mysterious, creepy snowmen that appeared on the front lawn of the family's house that were never explained, nor were they ever a threat. The Krampus elves were nothing more than left over Mardi Gras masks worn by cloaked characters who didn't add any depth either.

The main issue I had also was....I was ROOTING for Krampus. The family members had no redeeming qualities and at no point did I feel bad that they were being picked off one by one. In fact, whenever someone survived an attack, I was disappointed. Usually if you start off with assholes who are the main focus of a movie, they go through an awakening to see the error of their ways and make you want them to be saved to make things right. Unfortunately, the only ones I had any feeling of wanting to save was the little boy Max and his Grandmother "Oni". I even wanted the obligatory baby they threw in there to be an appetizer for the monsters coming to get them.

But the biggest disappointment was Krampus himself. There are plenty of reference materials to draw from to bring this character to life. The silhouette seen at first was promising, the horns sprouting out from a slumped over cloaked figure and draped in chains down to his hooves was impressive. But when the face of evil was finally revealed....well....it can only be described as a demented Santa who was suffering the effects of a stroke. The gaping mouth was a bit disturbing at first glance, but as it continues to stay open the rest of the movie, just makes it look like a guy in a mask.

The ending is purposely confusing as well. It's suppose to make you think and try to come up with what "really" happened. But at that point, I just didn't care anymore. But I'll save you the trouble: sometimes what you wish for becomes your own personal Hell. There. Now you don't have to see it.

Until next time, I'll see you in the center seat!

Vacation

Rusty Griswold is all grown up with a family of his own. But that family is in a rut and he wants to shake them out of it. In order to bring them closer together, he comes up with the idea of driving across country to Walley World, like his Father did when he was a boy. Things don't go exactly according to plan, of course. And the trip has as many detours as it does cameos. The movie has the curious distinction of simultaneously being a sequel (the prior films are acknowledged and referenced), a remake (the plot and some scenes are the same as or very similar to those of the earlier film) and a reboot (new film in a dormant franchise with a new cast). 

Cast

Ed Helms as Rusty Griswold
Christina Applegate as Debbie Griswold
Leslie Mann as Audrey Griswold-Crandall
Chris Hemsworth as Stone Crandall
Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold
Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen Griswold
Skyler Gisondo as James Griswold
Steele Stebbins as Kevin Griswold

Who will like this movie

Along the fans of the original "Vacation" movie, I believe that anyone who enjoys the recent wave of adult comedies such as "The Hangover" and "Bridesmaids"  will find this one good for a few laughs as well.

Phantom Thoughts

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not really a big fan of reboots or remakes....with very few exceptions. However, as I stated in the summary, "Vacation" is all these things, and yet none at the same time. But for me personally, I view this as more of a sequel than anything else. It was a very risky move. If it was too similar to the first movie, it would be seen as a poor knock off, too much of a deviation, and it would be discounted as not really part of the series. But in this Phantom's humble opinion, they got it right. And in many different levels as well.

Let's start with the cast. Ed Helms plays grown up Rusty perfectly. (He is the sixth actor to portray this character)  You can see the apple does not fall far from the tree as there is a bit of his Father, Clark, in the performance, but not so much so that he's not his own man as well.  Christina Applegate's time growing up on the TV comedy "Married with Children" proves she learned a lot about comedic timing. If she isn't delivering a punchline, she is setting one up in genius fashion. Skyler Gisondo and Steele Stebbins are not just throw away roles as Rusty and Debbie's boys, but rather real, fleshed out characters. And I will say this: if you think women swooned over Chris Hemsworth when he takes his shirt off as "Thor", they will be fainting in the aisles on what he shows off here.

The plot itself does a great job of balancing old and new too. There were throwbacks to some of the original story and gags used while giving it's own, newer spin on it. Some of you may have already seen the trailer that shows the now classic scene with Christie Brinkley in the Ferrari revamped for this version. There's a couple more enjoyable instances like that.

Now for some things you may or may not know: (FYI- this is the point where the SPOILERS start) The goal for Rusty is to take his family on the fictitious new rollercoaster "The Velociraptor" in the fictitious amusement park of Walley World. The cast filmed this scene on an actual rollercoaster, as they did in the original. But for this one, they used Six Flags Magic Mountain on what I believe to be Revolution. One of the directors, John Francis Daley plays the ride operator in the movie.

Christina Applegate has an unusual connection to the Vacation Series. During the opening credits of the show she made her debut on: "Married with Children" there was stock footage of Chicago used, which included a shot of the Griswold Truckster station wagon from the original movie.

The opening date for this "Vacation" was moved to July 29th because that is the 32nd anniversary of the release of the original "Vacation".  And like that one, this one also has photos during the credits at the end. But the added (very comedicly well done) real vacation photos at the beginning of the credits included one of the late John Hughes who wrote "Vacation", "European Vacation" and "Christmas Vacation".

There were so many things that was working against pulling this one off, but I think the risk was worth the reward. It worked. And it worked well.......and funny.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.

Minions

Where do the Minions from the "Despicable Me" movies come from? Here is the answer. We follow the yellow-gibberish speaking blobs from single cell organisms through evolution and then there decade long search for a villain to serve. After multiple failures in this goal, they go into hiding, where eventually they fall into a deep depression. One Minion named Kevin comes up with a plan to find a new villain to follow. He takes Stuart and Bob with him on his quest. The year now is 1968 and after going to Villain-Con in Orlando, they decide that the greatest villainess, Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock) will be their new master. She takes them to England to pull off the greatest caper of all time. But will it all go according to plan? Does it ever when the Minions are involved?

Cast

Pierre Coffin as Kevin, Stuart, Bob and the Minions
Sandra Bullock as Scarlet Overkill
Jon Hamm as Herb Overkill
Michael Keaton as Walter Nelson
Allison Janney as Madge Nelson
Geoffrey Rush as the Narrator



Who will like this:

A family film that young kids will especially like. Moms and women over 30 are drawn to the cute little buggers for some reason. So let Mom take the kids while Dad goes to see Terminator Genisys.


Phantom Thoughts

I happen to like the Minions. I thought they were a great form of amusement in the "Despicable Me" movies. But they are, in fact, just supporting players. When you go about making a movie with them in the staring roles, it proves to be difficult. It's like making a movie starring the Dozers from Fraggle Rock. Or the Jawas from Star Wars. Nice additions, but not the main focus.

So in order to move the story along, you add in some English speaking characters. Because really....there's only so much of a cute made-up language you can take. BTW- the "minion-ese" is taken from several different languages, including American, Spanish, French, Indonesian and Hebrew, to name a few. So enter in Scarlett Overkill and her inventor husband Herb, voiced by Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm. This is Bullock's first role as a bad guy and plays the part of the armed-rocket-powered-dress-wearing Super Villain pretty well. She's no Gru, of course, but being that she's in virgin territory, we'll cut her a break.

There were a few things I did find interesting though. Kevin in this picture was a bit different from the minion Kevin in the first movie. Bob's two different colored eyes were not present in the original or even the trailer for this one. And all three minions were designed to resemble Gru's daughters: Margo, Agnes and Edith.

The Villain-Con Expo was done in a very Comic-Con fashion, down to the main event being held in "Hall H" just like all the big panels of the San Diego Comic Con. In the audience we catch a glimpse of Gargamel from the "Smurfs". As a nice tie-in as well, in the background on the Con vendor scene, we see a young Gru and his Mother being shown a new invention...the Freeze Ray!

Possibly lost on most viewers were the references to Mozart's opera The Magic Flute scattered throughout the movie. Not so lost though, was Stuart playing Van Halen's "Eruption" on the guitar. (A good 10 years before Eddie played it).

But it was a fun movie. Not as good as the originals, but not bad. Probably worth waiting to watch it at home and not necessarily a movie you HAVE to see this Summer. But if Mom needs to get the kids out of the house during Summer Break, then by all means, go for it.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.