DVD Review For April 28, 2015: PADDINGTON, THE WEDDING RINGER, INHERENT VICE, THE BOY NEXT DOOR, THE GAMBLER

PADDINGTON
Rated: PG
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman
Plot: A young, lonely bear is discovered at Paddington Station and given a place to stay by the Brown family.
Trailer

Clint Says: Buy this DVD for your elementary school kids

Technically speaking, PADDINGTON is astounding. The level of effects used to bring the bear to life and the mastery of those effects are evident in this film. That being said, the overall movie is okay at best.

The film has some beautiful set design and costumes, but it doesn't make up for the fact that the story is fairly bland and slow-moving. This is a kid's movie through and through so I know they couldn't ramp up the drama and action too much, but a little bit more would have been fine.

I fear that this movie is a bit too complicated for the under 5 audience to grasp and anyone over 10 is going to spend a good portion of the movie bored. But the elementary school crowd will really enjoy PADDINGTON.




THE WEDDING RINGER
Rated: R
Stars: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting
Plot: A groom in need of a best man turns to a service that offers fake friendships...for a price.
Trailer

Clint Says: Rent this movie this weekend

I was completely shocked as to how much I enjoyed this film. Kevin Hart is really funny, but he has a tendency to wear me out with his humor. However, in this film, Josh Gad balances out Hart perfectly making for a stellar comedy duo.

The story is unique and the hi-jinks will keep you laughing all the way through. And while the guffaws are aplenty, it's also a heartwarming story with enough of a deeper message to make it more than a simple bromance flick, but not so deep that it loses it's comedic edge.

This is a great flick for a night out with the guys, or a fun date. And fans of LOST, be ready to run to the bathroom as soon as the credits roll, because the very last line of the movie is going to make you laugh so hard you'll almost pee your pants.




INHERENT VICE
Rated: R
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Katherine Waterston, Josh Brolin
Plot: A Los Angeles P.I. investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend and her lover.
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for a free stream on Netflix

This is one of those movies where the trailer is way better than the film, and the trailer makes it look like you will be seeing an entirely different movie than you actually end up seeing.

Clocking in at just shy of 2 1/2 hours, INHERENT VICE is a slow-moving, odd, quirky and nearly useless film. While Joaquin Phoenix does an incredible job in his role, I found myself several times trying to figure out why this movie was even made. It's not terribly entertaining, it isn't a ground-breaking piece of cinematic history, and as a mystery movie it is mediocre at best.

If you are interested in seeing this film you'd be much better off just watching the very well done trailer and then spending your money on something else.




THE BOY NEXT DOOR
Rated: R
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, Kristin Chenoweth
Plot: A high school teacher is stalked by one of her new students after a night that shouldn't have happened
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for a free stream on Netflix

This is one of those movies that is about an inch deep, but it's still a fun date movie. There is zero thinking required, the ending is absurdly cliche, and what little mystery there is is elementary at best. That said, there is enough suspense and chills to make it fun.

Jennifer Lopez is exactly what you have seen before in all of her other movies, not bad, not great. Ryan Guzman plays the lovable psycho well, and Kristin Chenoweth is her usual nails-on-the-chalkboard self. Why anyone casts her in anything I will never understand.

I will say that the trailer is somewhat misleading. Yes, she does sleep with one of her students, but he's also almost 20 years old. (I'm not saying what she did is right, I'm simply pointing out that the trailer makes it look like statutory rape, but it isn't.)

It's the kind of movie you'll forget you saw a couple of months from now, but you won't feel like you wasted 90 minutes of your life while watching it.




THE GAMBLER
Rated: R
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, John Goodman, Brie Larson
Plot: A university professor with a gambling addiction has one week to pay back a quarter of a million dollars to loan sharks.
Trailer

Clint Says: Don't even bother

THE GAMBLER is full of spectacular acting in a spectacularly bad flick. This is one of those films where I feel like I saw a completely different movie than most of the critics. I've seen many of them raving about this film, but I just don't get it.

When the film begins it dumps us in the middle of the story, which I am fine with and many time enjoy, but THE GAMBLER doesn't give us any flashbacks or back story to fill in the gaps. At no point are we shown why he has the addiction in the first place, nor do we ever see any motivation the main character has to do the things he does.

The romance feels weird and forced, John Goodman is a creeptastic, human version of Jabba The Hutt, and the editor must have been on vacation for most of the editing because there are many scenes that drag on endlessly for no reason.

This movie got so long, boring and annoying that near the end I was hoping the main character would get hit by a bus and the credits would roll. (You'll recognize the scene I'm referring to if you are unlucky enough to have to sit through this mess).

Wahlberg and Lange both give performances that are incredible to watch, unfortunately the story is total crap.

Movie Review For January 9, 2015

TAKEN 3
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Forest Whitaker
Plot: An ex-Government Operative must stay on the run until he can clear his name from crime he didn't commit.
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

One can only hope that this will be the final installment in the TAKEN franchise. The first film was great, the second was a carbon copy of the first, and while this one actually has a different plot, it has the same feel, action and dialogue as the first two.

It does have a couple of interesting twists and turns, but it also has several eye-rolling moments that take away from the excitement of the film. It's tough to be in suspense when you know that no matter how many adversaries the main character is facing, he's still going to be okay.

The ending to this trilogy could have been a lot worse than this offering, and for that I guess we should be somewhat thankful, but it is still an average flick at best.



SELMA
Rated: PG-13
Stars: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo
Plot: Martin Luther King, Jr. protests to get African Americans the right to vote by marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
Trailer

Clint Says: Drop everything and go see this movie now

It's hard to believe that the event portrayed in this film happened only 50 years ago. It's also incredible to watch David Oyelowo become Martin Luther King, Jr. He walks like him, he talks like him, and his resemblance is nearly spot on.

This may be one of the more uncomfortable films I've ever endured. The entire time I wanted to ear-tug the opposition into the corner and slap some sense into them. I wanted to scream at the screen and say, "how can you possibly think that it is okay to treat another human that way?" I sat there embarrassed like you do when your ignorant cousin twice-removed starts spouting off racist remarks at Thanksgiving dinner.

This is a powerful film that everyone should see. On the one hand, it's great to see just how far we've come in the last 50 years, but it's also important for the younger generations to see it so that they can understand the struggle that happened not so very long ago.

There are several times when the movie bogs down, and there are only a few times when it really gets dramatic, but there is a quite power throughout the film that keeps you engaged.

This film got in just under the wire for the 2015 awards season, expect it to make some noise at The Golden Globes, The Critics' Choice Awards and The Academy Awards.



INHERENT VICE
Rated: R
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Katherine Waterston, Josh Brolin
Plot: A Los Angeles P.I. investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend and her lover.
Trailer

Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

This is one of those movies where the trailer is way better than the film, and the trailer makes it look like you will be seeing an entirely different movie than you actually end up seeing.

Clocking in at just shy of 2 1/2 hours, INHERENT VICE is a slow-moving, odd, quirky and nearly useless film. While Joaquin Phoenix does an incredible job in his role, I found myself several times trying to figure out why this movie was even made. It's not terribly entertaining, it isn't a ground-breaking piece of cinematic history, and as a mystery movie it is mediocre at best.

If you are interested in seeing this film you'd be much better off just watching the very well done trailer and then spending your money on something else.

DVD Review for May 13, 2014

THAT AWKWARD MOMENT
Rated R
Stars: Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan
Plot: Three friends make a pact to stay out of deep relationships until one of them is ready to move forward.
Trailer

Clint Says: It's worth a rental

THAT AWKWARD MOMENT is basically one big awkward moment because it's a romantic comedy for guys. It follows the same tried and true formula for RomComs, but is full of raunchy jokes and typical 20-something guy behavior. The movie has a few good laughs and a couple of horrifically awkward moments, but there isn't an audience that is going to like this movie in it's entirety.

It's an ok movie that is worth seeing once, but don't waste your money buying it.



HER
Rated R
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson
Plot: A loner falls in love with his computer's artificial intelligence operating system.
Trailer

Clint Says: This is worth a rental if you can handle the weird

When I first heard about the premise of HER I thought, "that sounds creepy and weird." Then I went to see it and thought, "that was creepy and weird." Don't get me wrong, the movie is well done and very well acted, especially by Joaquin Phoenix, but it's still creepy and weird. It's played out in a not-too-distant future and is set up in a way that makes it seem like it is something that could actually happen. That's probably why it came across as creepy and weird.

There are people that will love every aspect of this film and others will be offended by the very premise. My recommendation, see this movie based on your level of comfort with the plot.



I, FRANKENSTEIN
Rated PG-13
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Yvonne Strahovski, Bill Nighy
Plot:  200 years after his creation, Frankenstein's monster finds himself in a battle between demons and gargoyles
Trailer

Clint Says: If you have to watch this movie, make someone else rent it.

After seeing the trailer, my first thought was, "this could either be really good or really bad." Unfortunately, it is really bad. And even more unfortunate, they set it up for possible sequels. Bill Nighy is one of my favorite actors and even he couldn't come close to saving this boring, uncompelling, go-through-the-motions, snoozer.

Movie Review for January 10, 2014

LONE SURVIVOR
Rated R
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch
Plot: A small group of Navy SEALs have their mission compromised and find themselves surrounded by hundreds of Taliban supporters.
Trailer
Clint Says: Drop everything and go see this now

LONE SURVIVOR, based on the true story of Operation Red Wings, is very difficult to watch, but it worth every minute of your time. Wahlberg and the rest of the cast do an exemplary job of portraying the impossibility of their situation without straying from their military training. The tribute to the real heroes of Operation Red Wings at the end of the movie is worth the price of admission itself. If you liked ZERO DARK THIRTY you will love LONE SURVIVOR.


THE LEGEND OF HERCULES
Rated PG-13
Stars: Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss
Plot: The story of the birth, rejection and rise to power of the demi-god Hercules.
Trailer
Clint Says: Wait for the DVD and let someone else rent it

Can somebody please make a great movie of the story Hercules? This movie misses the mark in every way possible. First off, he's a demi-god with super-human powers and he only uses them twice. What!? Second, there are plot holes you could drive a truck through. Third, the graphics (which most of this movie is done in CGI) look like they were done in 1998. Fourth, the 3D version uses gimmicky 3D tricks to make the movie look more intense, but audiences are over that now. Finally, I thought that dialogue was important to a movie, I guess the execs on this film disagree with me.

The only audience that will find this movie enjoyable are males between 17 and 22. Everyone else shouldn't bother.



HER
Rated R
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams
Plot: A loner falls in love with his computer's artificial intelligence operating system.
Trailer
Clint Says: Save some money and go see a matinee

When I first heard about the premise of HER I thought, "that sounds creepy and weird." Then I went to see it and thought, "that was creepy and weird." Don't get me wrong, the movie is well done and very well acted, especially by Joaquin Phoenix, but it's still creepy and weird. It's played out in a not-too-distant future and is set up in a way that makes it seem like it is something that could actually happen. That's probably why it came across as creepy and weird.

There are people that will love every aspect of this film and others will be offended by the very premise. My recommendation, go see this movie based on your level of comfort with the plot.



AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Rated R
Stars: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts
Plot: The Weston women return home with all of their dysfunctional baggage in tow.
Trailer
Clint Says: Wait for the DVD

This movie is best summed up this way: An incredible cast overacting a mediocre script allowing for a slightly above average film.



INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Rated R
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan
Plot: A folk singer tries to hit the big time, but his life keeps pulling him down.
Trailer
Clint Says: Don't even bother

This is easily one of the worst films I have ever seen. I know a lot of Hollywood types think this film is brilliant, but they are the same people that are convinced the Coen brothers fart unicorns on glitter rainbows. This movie starts about 5 chapters too late and ends 5 chapters too soon. Even so, I don't know if that would have saved this plodding, obnoxious borefest.