Last Vegas

COMEDY

It's Going to Be Legend... Where are we?

7.5 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Sexual content and language
Release Date: November 1, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Director: Jon Turteltaub
Writers: Dan Fogelman
Cast: Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrara, Romany Malco, Michael Ealy, Roger Bart

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SYNOPSIS: Three sixty-something friends take a break from their day-to-day lives to throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for their last remaining single pal.

REVIEW: National Treasure franchise director Jon Turteltaub ditches his favorite actor Nicolas Cage for some more mature A-listers. Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love.) takes a stab at writing a story centered in Las Vegas that doesn't involve losing time and memory.

Billy (Michael Douglas, Haywire), Paddy (Robert De Niro, The Family), Sam (Kevin Kline, The Conspirator) and Archie (Morgan Freeman, Now You See Me) are lifelong friends who grew up on the streets of Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, USA, inseparable and thick as thieves. 58 years later, Billy unexpectedly proposes to his 32-year-old girlfriend at his mentors funeral. Deciding on a Las Vegas wedding, Billy calls his best friends to join him. Archie must lie to his son as to his whereabouts. Sam is given a hall pass from his wife in an effort to bring some life back into their marriage. Paddy goes with his friends, reluctant to leave his empty widowers house and reluctant to let go of the beef he has with Billy. Gambling, dancing, drinking, hot girls, and a lounge singer named Diane (Mary Steenburgen, The Help) make the trip fun... and complicated.

This is not the old man version of The Hangover, even though the location is the same. They do call Las Vegas 'Sin City', and it is appropriate for older men to reflect on the regrets in the sense of their past. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas… But can these older gentlemen learn new lessons from their life experiences to make it worthwhile? Morgan's Archie wants to be the man he once was before the stroke made everyone in his life think he was incapable of doing anything at all. Kline's Sam has lived in a marriage with a wife he loves and is comfortable with, but has lost his passion for life. De Niro's Patty sits in his bathrobe and accepts soup from the neighbor girl like a charity case. And Douglas' Billy lives in extravagant life with a young girlfriend, all in an effort to stave away old age.

Filled with geriatric jokes and based on a formulaic plotline, this Vegas tale does manage to amuse throughout. Billy's relationship with his soon-to-be wife is instantly called into question when he swoons over the lounge singer Diane when the quartet arrive at Binion's Casino. From that point forward you know that the wedding probably will be called off at some point. Will Sam find his mojo with some young hottie that will strengthen his marriage? That I will not reveal. And will De Niro's Paddy bury the hatchet with Billy or will he bury the hatchet in him for what he's done to him and his late wife Sophie.?

Do these men still have it? Every one of these actors is a superstar A-Lister. From The Godfather to Basic Instinct to Glory to Dave, these guys still got it. They may be slowing down a few steps but they can still spin a good yarn that entertains both young and old. They poke fun at themselves and each other when it comes to their age, making the film funny for us. Nobody want to see old dudes getting it on with young women but these guys clean up nice and keep everything is PG as possible.

Coupled with Jerry Ferrara and Romany Malco to give Las Vegas a little younger edge, its still Douglas, De Niro, Freeman and Kline who make sure to have the times of their lives. Getting old is not a laughing matter, but they make us want to see what it may be all about.

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Think Like A Man

Let the Mind Games Begin

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Rated: PG-13 Sexual content, some crude humor and brief drug use
Release Date: April 20, 2012
Runtime: 2 hrs 0 mins

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Director: Tim Story
Writers:  Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, from the novel "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" by Steve Harvey
Cast: Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Jenkins, Jenifer Lewis, Romany Malco, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union, La La Anthony, Chris Brown, Wendy Williams, Sherri Shepherd

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SYNOPSIS: Four friends conspire to turn the tables on their women when they discover the ladies have been using Steve Harvey's relationship advice against them.

REVIEW: Tim Story, probably best known for the Ioan Gruffudd Fantastic Four films and Barbershop, takes a story from Friends with Benefits screenwriters Keith Merryman and David A. Newman from the Steve Harvey's book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man". Navigating the choppy waters of romance is difficult enough without slipping all of a man's secrets to the 'enemy'.

A group of six men stand at different crossroads on the same path of romance and relationships. Dominic (Michael Ealy, Underworld: Awakenings) is the 'dreamer', working as a chef and valet in the pursuit of owning his own restaurant. Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara, Entourage) is the guy in a committed long-standing relationship with Kristen (Gabrielle Union, Good Deeds) who does not want to grow up or actually commit to Kristen in marriage. Zeke (Romany Malco, Blades of Glory) ventures out and trolls the bars as the 'player', worrying more about getting the nookie without the relationship than getting the relationship without the nookie. Michael (Terrance Jenkins, Burlesque) is the 'mama's boy', unable to find a girl that lives up to her mother Loretta's (Jenifer Lewis, The Princess and the Frog) standards. Bennett (Gary Owen, House of Payne) is the 'happily married man' and Cedric (Kevin Hart, Little Fockers) is the soon-to-be-divorced man desperate to get away from his wife and start a new life of freedom. During a valet shift Michael meets successful executive Lauren (Taraji P. Henson, Date Night), unintentionally meeting her under the guise of being wealthy himself. Michael stumbles across single mom Candace (Regina Hall, Law Abiding Citizen) at a bookstore and has an instant attraction to the girl he knew from high school. Mya (Meagan Good, Jumping the Broom), fresh off of a series of bad relationships and one-night stands encounters Zeke at the bar, giving him a chance on a date with the caveat that she wants to be treated with chivalry and respect before venturing into intimacy with him. All of the women in these men's lives have recently come across a best-selling book by Steve Harvey entitled 'Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man', giving them an unfair advantage on the battlefield of romance with understanding the mindset of a man.

Because of Steve Harvey's book, a real book by the real comedian who plays himself in the film, all of the men in Think Life a Man are unprepared to deal with women who start to understand how the male mind works. Along the way, each man struggles with the woman he is trying to get close to - with hilarious effect. Kristen starts to subtly push Jeremy to grow up and truly commit to her. Candace looks to get Michael to make her and her son a higher priority than Michael's mother. Mya institutes a secret 90-day rule to vet out Zeke's intentions for a relationship. And Lauren tries to overlook Dominic's financial shortcomings and dreamy aspirations, even though she is looking for her equal.

Steve Harvey's book turned film is a funny, real look at the differences between men and women. For as many couples navigating the roads of romance, there are as many different perspectives coming into the relationship. Marriage versus a stable non-institution relationship, one-night stands versus a deeper intellectual relationship, high aspirations versus blind romance. Every person has an expectation for themselves and their significant other, and more often than not those expectations are not in concert between the couple.

The romantic angst is real, and comedy is funny. Kevin Hart as Cedric is the stand out and the scene stealer as the outsider looking in on all of his pals' relationships. As the only one anxious to get his post-divorce groove on, he offers each of them hilarious commentary about what they should do for their own dilemmas. And when he gets them down to the Y for their weekly basketball game, he is a comedic force to be reckoned with. What he lacks in stature he makes up in laughable tenacity. The rest of the cast may witty comedic chops, but Hart is the superstar in this outing.

Besides the stand out Kevin Hart, the rest of the cast is also stellar. Each plays their part to a tee, learning along the way that compromise and enlightenment may be the key to ultimate happiness. With so many plot threads, you would think the film would feel heavy or rushed. Director Tim Story makes maximum use of the 123 minutes to keep each relationship humming along, anchored by the guys' scheduled bar nights, basketball games, and Hart's Cedric's narrative.

Think Like a Man s a funny, crazy look at the funny, crazy world that embodies dating and relationships. With Steve Harvey dispensing relationship advice from big screen televisions and Kevin Hart keeping us all on the right track, the movie will make you laugh out loud and be thankful of the stable relationships you are in at the moment.

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WORTH: Matinee and DVD

Underworld: Awakening IMAX 3D

Bullets, Bites and Beauty

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Rated: R  Strong violence and gore, and for some language
Release Date: January 20, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 29 min

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Director: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein
Writers: Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, J. Michael Straczynski, Allison Burnett, Kevin Grevioux, Danny McBride
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley, Kris Holden-Ried, Charles Dance

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SYNOPSIS: When the humans discover the Vampires and Lycans living among them, they hunt them down to the point of extinction. In the meanwhile, Death Dealer Selene has been captured and experimented on, resulting in a hybrid Vampire/Lycan child.

REVIEW:  Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, directors of Shelter, take the lead on the fourth entry in the Underworld franchise series. With the writing duties carried out by a large group of storytellers, including franchise devotee Len Wiseman and Babylon 5's J. Michael Straczynski, Death Dealer Selene continues her corseted ass-kickery.

In the fourth entry of the Underworld film franchise, the human population has discovered the existence of Vampires. With their discovery comes the swift discovery of their weaknesses and a 'cleansing' to kill off the Vampires wherever they hide. During the operations against the Vampires with silver nitrate and ultra violet weapons, they discover that another nonhuman infection exists, that of the Lycans. Marshall law is enforced and both of the infected species are hunted down. While Death Dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale, Contraband) tries to fight against the humans, she and Michael decide to go underground. During their escape, the military captures them. Twelve years later, Selene wakes up from a cryogenic sleep in a scientific facility. Gaining her senses and power, she escapes the facility and follows a strange vision to a little girl Eve (India Eisley, The Secret Life of the American Teenager) who is a hybrid like Michael. Teaming up with a Vampire named David (Theo James) and a police detective sympathetic to Vampires (Michael Ealy, Takers), Selene takes on the government scientific research facility that is producing more than just the vaccine to the Vampire and Lycan infections, led by Dr Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea, Stella Days) and a powerful Lycan experiment Quint (Kris Holden-Ried, Lost Girl).

Underworld: Awakening starts off with a Selene narrated montage of the first three films in chronological order, leading up to the current entry. Then, in documentary and newscast style, we bear witness to the humans reaction to the discovery of Vampires, then Lycans, and watch the humans' methodical extermination of the infestation of the nonhuman threats. From the point when Selene is mysteriously released from her cryogenic slumber, the action begins in earnest - and seldom slows or stops.

Wrapped in her signature corset, covered neck to toe with her long-sleeved body suit, and sporting her speed automatic pistols, Selene is the perfect mix of the supernatural and the Matrix. No teenage angst between diamond skinned bloodsuckers and six-pack abs furry wolves. The Vampires and Lycans still have an utter hatred for each other, but the addition of the human military exterminating both species throws a different dynamic into the mix. With both nonhuman species barely sustaining their existence, they hide out and cower to survive instead of rising up against their oppressors. When Selene shows up with no memory of the harsh reality of the last twelve years, she reverts to what knows best, dealing death.

The movie is 90 minutes long, and Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein and the writers deliver a tight simple story that is packed with brawls, bullets and bites. As Selene evades her first human aggressors, she spins, kicks, shoots and neck-snaps her way through the soldiers like they were make from paper. The slow motion choreography of the fight sequence is viscous and beautiful, Beckinsale's lithe shiny black physique a silhouette of power and battling perfection.

In addition to Beckinsale's Selene, others join in the fight - on both sides of the fight. Vampire Dave rebels against his clan leader father Thomas (Charles Dance, Your Highness) on the hunt to reclaim a life better than hiding out in the base of a hydro dam, anxious to follow Selene into war. Hybrid daughter of Selene and Michael, Eve, shows the strength and stamina of both Vampire and Lycan, still young and unsure of the limits of both. On the other side of the fight are Dr. Jacob Lane and a Lycan double the size and strength of any wolf Selene has ever seen in her centuries old career.

Short and sweet, Selene dispenses death to all who oppose her, her kin, and her kind. In IMAX 3D, the blows are thunderous and the combatants in your face. The climax in the parking garage booms with flying vehicles, a shower of speed pistol discharges, and Vampire on over-sized Lycan action. Fans of the series will appreciate the straightforward story and non-stop action, everyone else should enjoy 90 minutes of popcorn movie bliss.

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WORTH: Matinee or DVD

Takers

Not "Heat", But Hot Enough

[Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Matt Dillon, Idris Elba, T.I., Paul Walker]

image from theblackboxoffice.com

RANT: Whispers and baby's cries filled the auditorium as I watched "Takers". I still will never understand the allure of parents bringing their 1 or 2 year old to a movie. For one, the child doesn't need that kind of disruption in their tiny ears. And two, the movie theater is not a baby sitter. After several minutes of the baby crying, the parents finally took the child out of the auditorium, never to return. I know baby sitters are scarce and pricey, but there must be a better way. Maybe they should build sound proof enclosures for families with small children (like in some churches) so everyone can enjoy the experience.

SYNOPSIS: An expert crew of thieves plan and rob banks for a living, leaving a couple years between scores. When a former member is released from prison with a multi-million dollar heist plan thats too good to pass up, the crew change their methods in order to carry out the score in five days.

An ensemble cast is put together for this heist-revenge flick. It boasts Chris Brown (Jesse), Hayden Christensen (A.J.), Michael Ealy (Jesse's brother Jake), Idris Elba (The mastermind Gordon), Tip 'T.I.' Harris (Ghost), Paul Walker (John) and Zoe Saldana (Rachel, Jake's girlfriend). And that is just the bad guys. They are put against the skills of Matt Dillon (Jack) and Jay Hernandez (Eddie) from the police department.

Some reviews peg "Takers" as '"Heat" for a new generation'. I have to disagree. While both "Takers" and "Heat" share some plot points and seem to have some of the same dialogue, Michael Mann's "Heat" is epic is storytelling while John Luessenhop's "Takers" is perfect for the attention deficient disabled. That's not to say I wasn't pleasantly surprised with "Takers". It's just that some critics should watch the two movies on the same day for a more direct comparison (as I did).

Let's list some points that are the same... "Heat" has 4 super technical and proficient thieves while "Takers" has 5 (before Ghost comes back). Both Pacino and Dillon tell the forensics teams to run stuff through the database (fingerprints, aliases) even though they probably will not get any hits, exclaiming "Check it anyway". Members in both crews vowed that they "were never going back" to prison.

Now let's talk about the differences. Pacino has a huge team (with SWAT) to take a run at the criminals. Dillon has only his partner and is working against the department, Internal Affairs, and a seemingly preposterous notion of who the criminals are. "Heat" was almost 3 hours of angst, both for Pacino's marriage, Deniro's solitude and Kilmer's addictions. "Takers" has Dillon's marriage on the rocks as well, but we never see a wife. "Takers" mastermind Gordon has a addict sister, but it serves to propel the story, not add to the depth.

Taken on its own, "Takers" is a good end of Summer film. 'T.I.' serves as a recent parolee who wants back in the crew for a armored car heist that will net all partners a couple million. He does not seem concerned that there was no contact with his crew while in prison, or that his former girlfriend Rachel is now with Jake. Even the Russians do not seem to be a problem. There is a good story and great fire fights and chases. Jesse does amazing stuff as he is pursued by Jack and Eddie. And the climax at the end is almost worthy of a Tarantino film. There is even a hint of Butch and Sundance in there for good measure. Paul Walker and Idris Elba are cool and collected, Hayden Christensen is strong and slick, 'T.I.' is driven and devious. Dillon is in his element with a character similar to what he brought to bear in "Crash" and "Armored".

If you like action, a little revenge, a couple of heists (although the second score is a rip-off of "The Italian Job" as Ghost mentions) and some popcorn, give this film a go.

Worth: Matinee and DVD

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!