Cast:

Tom Holland                             Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Samuel L. Jackson                     Nick Fury

Jake Gyllenhaal                         Quentin Beck/Mysterio

Marisa Tomei                            May Parker

Jon Favreau                              Happy Hogan

Zendaya                                   MJ

Jacob Batalon                           Ned Leeds

Even though we are living through another COVID lockdown, and every day seems to be another Groundhog Day, Friday came along, so it is another movie night in our household. For this week, we decided to revisit the Marvel Comics Universe again with the viewing of the latest Spider-Man film. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is a light romp that takes place after Avengers: Endgame in the MCU timeline. With the movie selected, the bottle of Chardonnay opened and pop-corn popped we inserted the film to start the latest Spider-Man adventure.

Spider-Man has always been one of my favourite characters in the MCU. I remember as a child watching the cheesy cartoons on Saturday mornings. Even as an adolescent, I could see how the same frames were always being used to demonstrate Spidey swinging through the streets, but it did not matter. I enjoyed the story-lines and re-watched the episodes’ time and time again on weekend mornings. Not only did the cartoon’s stick in my mind, but also the theme song “Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can”. Don’t tell me you didn’t sing along with lyrics; and you can thank me for the ear worm that you now have with the song resounding in your head for the rest of the day.  Don’t forget, I am old enough that I remember when these cartoons were “new” in the late 60’s as was our colour television! Not to mention, this was pre-cable era and we only had a few channels, so whatever was on tv was what we had to choose from, and there were only a half dozen channels! But, I have digressed, we are here to read about the “Far From Home” not my memories of a cheesy cartoon from the 60’s.

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” stars Tom Holland in the title role. He is the 3^rdSpider-Man in the MCU film adaptions, and for me, Holland actually embodies the Spider-Man of my young memories. The previous actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were valiant attempts to capture the essence and youthful exuberance of Spider-Man, but I personally found them lacking. Especially Maguire, Garfield was a bit better, and with Holland, they have truly found “Spider-Man”. To round out the cast, we have Zendaya (MJ), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Favreau (Happy), Tomei (Aunt May), Jackson (Fury) and for the villain Jake Gyllenhaal (Mysterio). Each character adds to the film and balances it like only a proper MCU film can. 

While this film storyline continues shortly after “Avengers: Endgame”, it is robust enough that it can almost be watched as a stand-alone movie. However, having said that, if you are not familiar with the whole MCU film history, you may lose some of the nuances, inside jokes and continuity issues, but not enough so that you will not enjoy it. “Far From Home” is essentially about Peter Parker taking a high-school trip to Europe with his greatest hope of finally hooking up with his teenage crush, MJ. Prior to departing, Happy (Favreau) presents Peter (Holland) with a final gift from Tony Stark. This gift is in the form of a unique pair of sunglasses that will allow the approved wearer (in this case Peter) all the power of Stark Industries (To include a myriad of space based weapons systems, communications monitoring and a fleet of armed drones). Concurrently, we find Nick Fury investigating an otherworldly occurrence in Mexico where a demon of some sort is battling a new caped warrior (Gyllenhaal). 

Fury (Jackson) is trying to contact Parker/Spider-Man (Holland) while on the trip as he needs his assistance to combat these new bad guys (who we later find out are called “Elementals”). Ghosting Fury (Jackson) Peter/Spidey continues to try and woo his crush, MJ (Zendaya) while in Venice. At this point, I have to stray for a minute, my wife and I really loved the Venice scenes as it brought us back to a pre-covid trip where we spent a few days wandering/rowing around that fair city. The cinematography was excellent in these scenes and the memories that surfaced brought us extra enjoyment while watching it! Now back to the movie…we find our high school trip touring all the major sites of Venice, when suddenly, a new Elemental arrives and starts to destroy some of the historic buildings and sites. Quentin Beck (Gyllenhaal) shows up and starts to battle this new foe, and Peter (Holland) must ditch his classmates, don his Spider-Man persona and help him out. Together, the two intrepid heroes manage to save the city and destroy the elemental. 

Now that Spidey (Holland) and Beck (Gyllenhaal) have met, Peter/Spider-Man believes that he was given too much power and responsibility from Tony Stark (Ironman) and passes on his sunglasses to Beck so that he can do good with them. (BTW it is at this time, the term Mysterio comes into play and Beck takes on this new moniker). Peter then goes to rejoin his classmates and their tour, and hopefully his romance. Shortly after receiving his new powers, Mysterio/Beck’s (Gyllenhaal) true identity comes forth and we find that he is a disgruntled employee from Stark Enterprises. Not only is he upset with the way that Stark treated him, but he has surrounded himself with other upset geniuses from his former employer. Now in control of all of Stark’s toys, specifically the armed drones and illusion generators, Beck’s real dream of trying to out Avenger the Avengers comes to light. Beck/Mysterio (Gyllenhaal) wants to have monster illusions that only he can fight and demonstrate that he is the new hero of the world as the Avengers are all broken up as a result of Endgame. Ok, I have now pretty much given half of the movies plot, needless to say, Spider-Man has some other great adventures around Europe, keeps on putting the moves onto MJ, and it all culminates in a final battle between Spider-Man and Mysterio…and also not to mention leaving it open for the next phase of movies in the MCU. 

What did I find entertaining about this film? Well, for starters the story line was pretty tight. In our opinion this was one of the better Spider-Man movies to date. (We really liked the first one, and this was a close 2nd). The characters are continuing to develop, not only Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Holland) but also the supporting characters as well. The CGI was very well done and the cinematography was excellent. For us, as avid travellers, it really brought it home with some scenes as it brought back memories of us travelling all over Europe. The villain, Beck/Mysterio was enjoyable to watch, not to over the top as some villains are portrayed, but done well enough to add to the film. To us, this was important, as we are not really fans of Gyllenhaal, but at times he does some pretty good work. As I previously mentioned, even though it takes place after Endgame, it has enough meat to it and fill-ins so that you could almost watch this as a stand-alone if you are unfamiliar with the whole storyboard presented over the last 10 years or so. Also, we found the chemistry between all of the cast to be excellent which really added to the film writ large. 

Now, let us take a look at the main cast of this popcorn film;

Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man: I have already mentioned that I like Holland the best in the title role. To me, he really embodies Peter Parker and his innocence as well his desire to be the hero, help enhance the character immensely. What we really liked in this film was the way he portrayed his inner anxiety as he was torn between being a hero and also a teenage boy with his first love. He pulled off the emotions extremely well, and balanced the enought to bring out a truly strong character in this film. I really look forward to his next outing as Spider-Man in the third film and how he takes this character further.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury: What can I say about Jackson? He is the consummate actor and even when he is in smaller roles, he leaves an impact. Samuel Jackson is Nick Fury! I can’t picture any other actor in this role who embodies the strength of character and leadership as Jackson has created in this franchise. While his role in this film is minimal, his contribution to the storyline is integral to it, and as usual, he delivers in all facets. What I always find amazing when he plays Fury (or Windu in Star Wars), is that he can actually speak a sentence without his trademark “MotherF*&ker”.  I know he is in 70’s and that his timeline for this role is limited, but I would be hard pressed to suggest a replacement. As always, his contribution to a film or project is a key ingredient to it’s success!

Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck/Mysterio: As mentioned previously, I am not a fan of Gyllenhaal, but I can recognize when he contributes to a film or performs well in a role on film or television. In the character of Quentin Beck, he did a fair job. Even in his first scene in the film, you could see that he had some ulterior motives but we were hard pressed to figure out what it was initially. When his true motives came out, it was done in a believable fashion which added to the character and the film. His villain of “Mysterio” was not really a villain like the Green Goblin, but more so a misguided individual who really wanted to be better than he really was and to prove his worth, not only to a deceased former employer, but to himself. In that respect, he did deliver those emotions to the audience. Gyllenhaal also displayed chemistry with his co-stars to not only enhance their performance, but also his own. Overall, not a bad performance, but not his best either. 

Marisa Tomei as May Parker: What can I say about Tomei, I have been a fan of her work since I first saw her in “My Cousin Vinny”. She is talented in comedic as well as dramatic roles. While her repertoire of films may not all be blockbusters or award winners, I always seem to enjoy her performance. Her portrayal of a younger “Aunt May” is refreshing compared to the older actresses who played that role in previous Spider-Man forays. She handles the role well, to include her knowledge of who Peter really is. Not a huge role for Tomei, but an enjoyable one nonetheless. I especially liked the chemistry between her and Happy (Favreau) and their own sub-plot that seems to be continuing throughout the series. 

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan: Favreau is another actor that I always enjoy watching. He can switch from a bumbling idiot, comedic tough guy to a dramatic role easily enough. Though I prefer when he is in one of his more comedic roles. He has excellent chemistry with all of his co-stars (especially Tomei) and his character is integral to the “passing of the torch” if you will between Iron Man and Spider Man. A constant character in the MCU, he is always a joy to watch.

Zendaya as MJ: Zendaya is the 3^rditeration of MJ (much like Spider-Man himself) and she brings her own style to the role. Even though her resume is quite impressive for such a young actress, I have only watched her in the Spider-Man franchise. Her portrayal of MJ is a bit more impish and sneaky compared to Stone or Dunst and more specifically less whiny than Dunst’s portrayal of the same character. Additionally, as they are supposed to be teenagers going to high school, (yes she is in her 20’s) but she does look a bit more like a teenager. I would be hard pressed to say which portrayal I enjoyed more, Stone or Zendaya, as each of them have displayed unique interpretations of the same person. Overall a very good performance and I look forward to seeing her in Dune in the upcoming year.

Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds: Batalon is an excellent sidekick to Parker/Spider-Man. I enjoyed his incredulity in the first film and how he has matured and grown (character wise) in this film. One thing I did especially like in this movie was the fact that he was not the typical “fat nerdy kid” and they let his character develop and have a girlfriend. He adds a touch of comic relief in every scene and does it well. I have only seen him in the Spider-Man franchise so have no other roles to compare it to, but I hope to see him in future films or television shows as I believe he has a comedic talent that has yet to be discovered. 

So overall, were we entertained? Yes, we definitely were. This was a light enjoyable film with a solid cast that kept you watching. The special effects, story-line and chemistry displayed throughout the film ensured that the audience was entertained throughout. Sure, there may have been a few errors or goofs in the film, but nothing that would detract from the viewer’s enjoyment. Would I recommend it? Of course, especially if you are a fan of the super-hero genre of films, or even if you want to watch a light action/comedy for entertainment. If you are not a fan of either, then you might want to give it a pass. 

Our rating: 7/10

If you are interested in watching other films/shows with the principal cast, please consider the following recommendations:

Tom Holland                 Avengers Endgame and Infinity War, Spiderman: Homecoming, Captain America: Civil War

Samuel L. Jackson         (Pretty much anything!) MCU Franchise (Capt America, Avengers etc), The Negotiator, Shaft, Glass, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Unbreakable,The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, Black Snake Moan (and the list goes on!)

Jake Gyllenhaal             Life, Southpaw, Source code, Jar Head, 

Marisa Tomei                My Cousin Vinny, The Wrestler, Wild Hogs, Rescue Me,  

Jon Favreau                  MCU (Avengers, Iron-Man etc) Entourage, The Break Up, Four Christmas’

Till next time!

Cast:

Aml Ameen                               Remy Darbonne

Rhea Seehorn                           Dr. Brynn Stewart

Roxanne Mckee                        Ariella Barash

Well it has been a few weeks since my last review, this delay is not caused by not wanting to write about a film or show that we have watched, but primarily because every weekend’s movie has been pretty dismal. First a few weeks ago we started with “Breaking In” starring Gabrielle Union, I usually enjoy all of her films but this movie was so bland and predictable that I could not even get the urge to use sarcasm in a review. Then we tried “Palm Springs” which is currently on Amazon. While not a fan of Andy Samberg’s humour, we gave it a try. Man, were we disappointed, a blatant rip-off of Ground hog day with not enough originality or comedy to make it remotely watchable. (Though we did watch to the end, good thing we had lots of wine) and to round up this trifecta of fecal matter we suffered through “Angel has Fallen” starring Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler. You would think with these two powerhouses the film would have been great…but Nay Nay my friends, this film goes straight to the garage sale pile without stopping at go and collecting 200 dollars. It was just horrible, even with stars of this calibre. So what do we have left to watch this weekend you ask? Well since we were on a run of horrible films, we tried the sequel Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019). Again, we were disappointed. Not only was this an unwanted sequel to a fantastic film (Inside Man (2006) starring Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen) but there was nothing and I mean nothing original about this follow-up film. 

First, let me state that if you watched the original Inside Man or even Money Heist, you have the plot. It is identical with no surprises, and I mean no surprises. There were no twists, no turns, just a straight boring line of a plot. (well the original was good, but I watched that a long time ago.) Where can I start with this poor excuse of a film. It opens up in a scene during WW2, where an intrepid bunch of American soldiers find a cache of Nazi Gold and return it to the states. So, Ok, besides historical inaccuracies of an integrated unit fighting in WW2, I will continue watching the film. It can’t be any more farfetched can it? I am only 5 minutes into the film. But let me continue…fast forward 60 years, the story continues in NYC and we are introduced to a fast talking, identity confused hostage negotiator. When I say identity confused, I am talking about the character being portrayed. Remy Darbonne (Ameen), he is a hostage negotiator for the NYPD, however, his character is a cross between Martin Lawrence/Will Smith in “Bad Boys” and Dennis Quaid in “the Big Easy”. He is glib operator, who can’t retain an accent, or mannerisms. He flips back and forth between the various personalities faster than a corvette on a winding road. While he may be amusing at times, it tends to come across as more annoying as the movie progresses.

After this introduction we spy a bunch of ne’er do wells, who don’t look “suspicious” at all casing the US Federal Reserve in NYC, while concurrently we see a professor, Dr. Brynn Stewart (Seehorn) teaching hostage negotiations to a classroom of FBI wannabe’s. What can be more predictable…well, she is actually talking about the instances that were covered in the first Inside Man movie…please lord, let us have some originality in a movie!! Well she gets called into help because the aforementioned crooks have taken over the federal reserve, taken hostages are now looking for some Nazi gold that is in the vault. After following the same steps as the first Man Inside movie, (making the hostages wear the same masks and coveralls as the crooks etc) our FBI negotiator now has to commence negotiations with the crooks for the hostages’ release. Let us not forget that the FBI negotiator is actually an instructor for the FBI, but it seems that she will need help, so re-enter Darbonne (Ameen) who not only helps the FBI, but actually seems to take over and offer advice all the time. Really? The FBI is supposed to be the big league, but our wannabe Marwill Lawsmith (get it…combining Lawrence and smith!) comes off as the real annoying expert. 

So negotiations commence, some people get killed, the plot continues to follow the first Inside Man and Money Heist storyline. Like I said earlier, there is nothing really new here, but if you are going to watch the film I won’t continue with spoilers. Let us just say that the good guys win, not all the bad guys are really bad, there are reasons behind their decisions, and the negotiators save the day. Oh, that’s not all, they will leave enough openings for a potential sequel of this travesty of a film.  

At this point, let us look at some of the main characters/actors in Inside Man: Most Wanted:

Aml Ameen as Remy Darbonne: As I had mentioned previously, Ameen plays Darbonne as a cross between Will Smith, Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys) and Dennis Quaid (Big Easy). While there is some talent shown, there is no consistency. It is almost like he is trying to hard to be glib, cool, suave, and smart at the same time and all attempts are unsuccessful. If he would have stayed with one “homage” if you will to one of the aforementioned stars instead of trying to switch them up all the time it would have probably been better. His chemistry with Dr Stewart (Seehorn) was almost forced and actually hard to believe, even when he was being nice to her. What I found kind of annoying with the plot is that he is the negotiator for the NYPD, and is supposedly an up and comer within the department with his craft, when encountering Dr. Stewart (Seehorn) who is the presumed “FBI Expert” he seems to know more in real life than the FBI negotiator. I think they could have still presented the differences between the styles without making him a know it all, but that is just my personal preference. His scenes negotiating with Barash (Mckee) were played well and in my opinion provided more impact than when Barash (Mckee) and Stewart (Seehorn) played off of each other. Having said all that, I did find his character somewhat enjoyable, especially when he would stick to one character for a length of time. It was when changed them back and forth that I would lose it a bit. Even though Ameen has been around for awhile, this was the first time I had seen him in a film or television show, so I have nothing really to compare this role with from his previous endeavours. 

Rhea Seehorn as Dr. Brynn Stewart: Seehorn portrayed Dr. Stewart as a stoic know it all, with a perpetual stick up her butt. I found it hard to get invested into the character and for someone who was supposed to be the “Expert” in hostage negotiation and even instructing classes on the previous films case, you would think she would have been more on the ball. When in the field she came across more of a novice than an expert, was this so that it would be more believable to have the local negotiator helping her out? If so, then why would she be the expert, it would have been better if she was a new graduate of the negotiating classes and this was her first one. That way when Remy (Ameen) would show up the assistance would have been warranted. I found her character development lacking, as well as her chemistry with her co-stars. Even though she has been in several shows that I have watched in the past (i.e. Whitney and Veep), I really don’t remember her character standing out. Overall, I found her performance lacking in this film.

Roxanne Mckeeas Ariella Barash: I actually liked McKee the most in the film. She was assertive and confident throughout. She also displayed the inner turmoil on why she was doing this heist in a somewhat believable fashion. However, I did find her French accent to be a bit cartoonish, but the German one passable. Having watched the first film, I knew where she was going to go with almost every scene, though this is not the fault of the actor, but the director/writer. It was still not a bad performance overall. This is another instance where even though she has been in several shows that I have watched, I cannot really remember her character. I may have to watch them again (specifically Game of Thrones) to be able to really compare this performance with that of her previous work. I think that she has the potential for some good roles and time will tell to see what she will do next. 

What did I like about the film? I think if I had not seen the first movie, I might have actually enjoyed this one a bit more. As I had previously mentioned, once Ameen settled into a “character” be it Lawrence or Smith type, he was not that bad. Though he could have gotten rid of the Dennis Quaid, “Big Easy” accent/style. It actually took away a bit from the character. The storyline, while not original was ok, and flowed relatively well. Mckee did an admirable job as the bank heist leader, and her chemistry with the co-stars was evident throughout.

What didn’t I like? Well there was clear editing and direction errors throughout the film. First, the accents that were thrown around like rice at a wedding. Please, stick with one and roll with it. Also, there were some actually very funny errors that were consistent throughout. I had mentioned previously about the integrated army unit in WW2, in WW2 there were no racially integrated units within the US military, I know that Hollywood is always trying to be inclusive, but sometimes for something that is supposed to represent part of history it actually takes away from the story. In the case of this film, there were many more opportunities for inclusion without trying to rewrite historical facts…even it is supposed to be a fictional film. Other examples of inaccuracies or goofs are; you will see one of these big burly henchmen grab a bar of gold and carry it like it was 200lbs. The actor is huge, and has biceps bigger than my leg, yet this bar makes him strain. Yet a few scenes later, you see the guy grab two or three and a close up of the ingot itself saying it is 12.4 kg (or 27.4lbs). Seriously if you have pipes like these guys, there should have been no strain carrying this bar of gold. Additionally, after the same gold bar is melted into long golden rods, these same individuals throw them around like they are straws. C’mon guys, pick a lane here, are they heavy or light? Speaking of melting the gold, there was so much gold on site, they would have been melting for weeks, not just 8 hours. That is not addressing the excess heat and fumes that would have been generated during the melting process. I do not believe that bank/reserve basements have ventilation that could handle that load. 

I also found that some of the ‘tie-ins’ to the original film actually took away from the story itself. They should have left them out, and make it a stand alone film, and it might have made it better. Also, where did these guys get all the equipment to make the hole in the vault. I don’t remember seeing a scene on where it was brought in. Speaking of equipment, the water jet used to drill through the wall. To make this work it would have taken copious amounts of water, yet where did they hook it up? Did they bring in tanks of water? I don’t think a bank vault will have a faucet located within the room…just another mistake that the director/writer did not think to offer an explanation. These were just some of the errors/goofs in the film that I found hard to take and actually detracted from the storyline…however, if you give it a watch, I am sure you will find even more!

So now for the big question, were we entertained? Not really, we watched to the end primarily to see if they would follow the original film...(which they did) and if there was actually going to be a twist or turn. The acting while not great (as I am sure you have surmised already) was ok enough that I did not turn off the blu-ray player, but not good enough that I did not pick up my I-pad and do some surfing while watching the show. Would I recommend this film? Only if you have nothing else to watch, or if you had not seen the original, or Money Heist, then you might get more out of it. 

Our rating 2.5/10

If you want to see a good heist film check out the following recommendations;

The Italian Job (1969)

Heist (2001)

Logan Lucky (2017)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Till next time!

Cast:

Woody Harrelson                      Tallahassee

Jesse Eisenberg                         Columbus

Emma Stone                             Wichita

Abigail Breslin                           Little Rock

Zoey Deutch                             Madison

Avan Jogia                                Berkeley

Rosario Dawson                        Nevada

Luke Wilson                              Albuquerque

Thomas Middleditch                 Flagstaff

Christmas and New years are now in the past, and we were looking for something a little light to watch on a Friday night. Over the last few days we had tried several films to varying degrees of enjoyment for example, 3022 (2019) starring Kate Walsh and Omar Epps … well the movie felt it would last 3022 minutes, luckily we stopped it after 15 minutes…total garbage, don’t waste your time. We also tried the latest remake of “The Saint” (2017) starring Eliza Dushku and Adam Rayner, even though I was a fan of the original series starring Roger Moore, and even liked the first remake with Val Kilmer, this pile of fecal matter was 2 hours of my life that I will never get back. So when cruising by your selection on Netflix, keep going…! We then put on “Last Christmas” (2019) with Henry Golding, Emilia Clarke and Michelle Yeoh, while this movie was light, and actually entertaining, it is more of a seasonal film that will no doubt not last the time. It is now into 2021, and we have tried NETFLIX for the last few films, with no luck in choosing a film to review. I then decided to go back to our stack of unwatched films for the next review. 

So, with that in mind, I selected “Zombieland: Double Tap” for our viewing pleasure. The first Zombieland (2009) was light, fresh, and had some up and coming actors in it, centering around Woody Harrelson as the main draw. While not heavy on a plot, besides surviving a Zombie apocalypse, it did provide an amusing way to kill a few hours. In the sequel “Double Tap” we find our 4 intrepid heroes living in Washington DC, in the White House no less, and really, why not, you are surviving a Zombie Apocalypse, so why not live like you are the leader of what is left of the sane world? Anyways, 10 years has past since the first film, the characters have all grown (ok, well sort of, they are all still immature and kind of goofy) and have adapted completely to life in the new world. Also, we are informed in the intro, that it seems that the zombies have also mutated over the years, becoming even more agile, and smarter (some of them at least), and our heroes have to go to greater lengths to combat them. 

So now back to the plot, Columbus (Eisenberg) proposes to Wichita (Stone), and the new pressure that marriage brings becomes to much for Wichita (Stone) to bear. This leads to our two young ladies wanting to strike out on their own. Mind you for separate reasons, Wichita (Stone) to escape a potentially serious situation with Columbus (Eisenberg) and Little Rock (Breslin) to find herself a boy of her own age. 

Feeling lost and destitute, Tallahassee (Harrelson) and Columbus (Eisenberg) decide that retail therapy might be the key to feeling better, they go shopping. In the mall, after wiping out a few zombies, they come across another survivor, Madison (Deutch). Madison had been living in a cooler in the food court and is longing for attention, and maybe a few brain cells as the I.Q. fairy did not really give her any smarts at birth. She joins the two and return with them back to the White House, where she manages to get all the attention she needs, nudge nudge, wink wink!

Meanwhile, we find that Wichita (Stone) has returned “home” to the White House, looking for weapons, and finds not only them, but Columbus (Eisenberg) with his new paramour Madison (Deutch), and a lonely Tallahassee (Harrelson).  Finding out that Little Rock (Breslin) has hooked up with a hippie dippy type, Berkeley (Jogia), and has joined his search for the fabled Babylon, our heroes saddle up and start their journey to find their lost friend. So, at this point, I have given you the first 15 or so minutes of the film. Needless to say, for the rest of the film, they have some adventures, meet some other survivors, and make other comedic moments before they finally tee up again with Little Rock (Breslin) and Berkeley (Jogia) at Babylon. This reunion will culminate in a comedic battle with a zombie horde, where they will find themselves as well as each other all over again. 

Ok, so as you can see, not much of a plot, however, I did not watch this movie for the plot, but for some comedic escapism, and Double Tap did provide that. It was a silly romp, light on plot, anorexic in character development and dialogue, but it still gave enough humour that allowed us to frequently laugh out loud and escape from the doldrums of our COVID tainted lifestyle. Each actor gave something to the film that we could enjoy, while fully realizing that we are not watching any award winner or something that was deep and meaningful. While on the subject of the cast lets take a look at some of the main characters:

Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee: Harrelson is true to form in this film, he has mastered the good natured country bumpkin to a fine art, in the character of Tallahassee he has also included a bit of redneck to give it a bit of flair. I have been a fan of Harrelson since his early “Cheers” days and have enjoyed almost all of his performances in film and tv. He is an extremely gifted actor with a diverse set of talents that allows him to easily transition from action to comedy to drama. In this role, as the patriarch of their little group, Harrelson leads them across the nation in search of his “adopted daughter” if you will, with a joyful exuberance that is extremely contagious for the audience. His dialogue, while not really complicated or intricate, will make you laugh out loud, as will his physical comedy. For us, Harrelson proved he could be the centrepiece of a film that was light on plot/dialogue, but still could provide the entertainment required to pass the time and ensure it was an enjoyable experience. 

Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus: Eisenberg is one of those rare actors that will make you like the character, but if you meet him in real life you might find him extremely annoying. His nasal delivery and dry wit while funny in a film would probably get what little nerves you have if you are exposed to it for a long period of time. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy many of his films, however, in the case of “Double-Tap” he did not really extend his acting repertoire. He delivered his lines and character in the same way he has done for all of his films with little to no difference. As I mentioned before, there was no real character development in this film, the big item was that he proposed to Wichita to prove his love. Let’s be real, if it was a real life situation, Wichita (Stone) would have been so far out of his league, they would have been in different continents. But for the case of the film, they are the main love interest, and they manage to carry it for the film. Not totally believable, but well enough to make you laugh occasionally. This was not Eisenberg’s best roles, but not his worst either. He did not really have to work at it too much, so I imagine it was an easy paycheque for him. 

Emma Stone as Wichita: Stone is a very talented actress, especially in comedic roles. Her raspy delivery, and wry expressions are always an added bonus to any film that she is part of. She has even made films that are dud’s (i.e. Aloha) into something that I can at least watch till the end. As Wichita, and the main love interest to Columbus, Stone continued her performance as initiated in the first Zombieland. Her chemistry with the main characters were admirable, and I especially enjoyed the jabs that she delivered to both Columbus (Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Harrelson). As with the other actors in this film, not her worst, and not her best, but still a solid enough performance to watch to the end.

Abigail Breslin as Little Rock: I have never been a huge Breslin fan, sure she has been around for nearly two decades, starting as a child star who was supposed to always be a little precocious. Unfortunately, I always found those roles a tad to annoying for my taste. Even though she has been in a number of entertaining films, I didn’t find her performance to be the anchor to the film or project. In Double Tap, she is no different than what I have seen in the past. While she has lost the “annoyance” factor that I used to dread when she was on the screen, she did not really pick up any real acting skills along the way. At least what was presented in this film anyways. To her benefit, as she was replaying a role that she was used to, she transitioned the character well enough from an annoying adolescent to young adulthood. While her character was the impetus of the storyline, luckily enough, her screen time was actually the least of the 4 main characters. As she is still very young, I am sure her talent and roles will improve and we will see how she grows into them.

Zoey Deutch as Madison: Deutch was actually relatively new to me. When she came on screen as almost a stereo-typed “Valley Girl” of the 80’s, I thought she was familiar and had to look up her career. To my surprise, while she has been in numerous projects over the years, I had only seen her in a few films (Before I fall and Dirty Grandpa). Deutch’s character “Madison” was supposed to come across as an annoying valley girl clone and she did it extremely well! Her intellectually challenged responses and expressions delivered repeatedly and fit her character to a tee. I would actually like to see her skills in an action or extremely dramatic role to see her capabilities. Her character actually made me laugh out loud on several occasions, as her delivery was extremely well timed as well as the physical comedy that she presented throughout the film. I feel like this was a solid performance from an actress who is starting to come up in the field and I look forward to seeing her in other projects, especially in an action or dramatic role. 

Rosario Dawsonas Nevada: Dawson’s films are always a mixed bag, either I really like the role and the film/project or I am completely indifferent. Taking a quick look at her resume, I realized how many projects she has been in that I want to watch but never got around to over the last 20 years, most recently some of the tv shows or series that she has been a part of. As Nevada, she plays a rough and tough survivor running a cheap hotel with an Elvis theme. As we all know, Tallahassee (Harrelson) is an avid Elvis fan, so naturally we can already see where their two characters will go. Harrelson and Dawson have good chemistry together and I enjoyed her character and role. As with the other stars, this will not go down in her award winning performances list, but alas, neither will the film.  

Luke Wilson as Albuquerque and Thomas Middleditch as Flagstaff: I am putting these two actors together as they are only in the film for a few minutes as “clones” of Tallahassee and Columbus. I enjoyed the scenes there were in as they met/confronted their alter ego’s. Their dialogue and physical interactions with Tallahassee and Columbus actually reminded me of early Pink Panther films and how the physical comedy ruled. While not large roles within the film, they did give an added bonus, and helped us enjoy the film writ large. In the case of Wilson, he was never a “A lister” with awesome films, he just plays the same person in each and every role, (much like his brother Owen), and they usually make me laugh a bit. His limited repertoire actually helps this film and his performance was on par with his previous projects. Middleditch was very new to me, and I found his “imitation” of Columbus to be amusing. I have seen that he has been in a great deal of films/shows, just not necessarily things that I have watched. In such cases where he has been in a show that I have seen his character, like in this film was very minimal. However, having said that, I did find both of them amusing in the film and we enjoyed the scenes that they were part of.

So, now the big question, were we entertained? Yes, we were. Zombieland: Double Tap was a light enjoyable film that did not require anyone to actually think to much. Solid performances from Stone and Harrelson helped propel this project to something that almost anyone would enjoy. Do not pick this film if you expect it to be as good as the first one (it was not), but only if you want to kill a few hours, have a few laughs and actually turn off the brain. 

Our score: 6/10

If you are interested in watching anything from some of the main actors, please consider the following recommendations:

Woody Harrelson                      Cheers, War for the Planet of the Apes, Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Hunger Games (Franchise), True Detective, Now You See Me, Zombieland, Defendor, Kingpin, Money Train.

Jesse Eisenberg                         Zombieland, Justice League, Batman v Superman, The Social Network, 

Emma Stone                             Easy A, Zombieland, The Amazing Spiderman, Friends with Benefits, Superbad.

Abigail Breslin                           Zombieland, Enders Game, Definitely Maybe.

Zoey Deutch                             Before I fall, Dirty Grandpa

Rosario Dawson                        Jane the Virgin, Sin City: A Dame to Kill for, Seven Pounds, Sin City

Wishing everyone a great 2021 and till the next time!

Cast:

Michael B. Jordan                     Adonis Johnson

Sylvester Stallone                      Rocky Balboa

Tessa Thompson                       Bianca

Phylicia Rashad                         Mary Anne Creed

Dolph Lundgren                        Ivan Drago

Florian Munteanu                     Viktor Drago

Russell Hornsby                        Buddy Marcelle

Brigitte Nielsen                         Ludmilla

Well it was Friday night and we were unsure of what to watch for this week’s entertainment and review. So, after perusing my stack of films that were still unwatched, I selected Creed II. Creed II is the latest in the long string of Rocky (or Rocky centric) films in the franchise. While these films are often predictable, they usually offer a great series of fight sequences to ensure that the viewer is entertained, even when the plot or dialogue may be weak. Creed II was really no change to the already proven Rocky formula, or even to be more specific “Rocky IV” script. The story lines were extremely similar, the set up as well as the finish, hell, even some of the concepts and sequences were (almost) replicas from the aforementioned film. So even with all that in mind, we did sit down to give it a watch. 

For a quick synopsis of Creed II, (start with story from Rocky IV…. just kidding), Adonis Creed has become the Heavyweight Champion of the world in a title match in Vegas, life is going well for him and his girlfriend/wife Bianca, and the world is pretty much his oyster. Now, cut to the former Soviet Union where we find Ivan Drago living off of the success of his son Viktor, an up and comer in the Russian boxing circuit. This success brings Viktor (Munteau) to the attention of fight promoter, Buddy Marcelle (Hornsby). Marcelle sees huge dollar signs, now that Creed is the champ, and Drago is a boxing machine. Wanting to relive the previous glory fight between Drago (Lundgren) and Creed (Withers) Marcelle (Hornsby) the slimy promoter that he is, plays on the fall of Drago (Lundgren) and his emotions. Not just pulling on his heart strings and pride, he also goes after Adonis Creed’s (Jordan) insecurity in not being as great as his father. So with all this going on, Creed (Jordan) takes the challenge from Marcelle (Hornsby) and the Drago’s (Lundgren and Munteau) to recreate the past. Rocky (Stallone) not wanting to relive his previous agony and trauma, refuses to help him for this bout. Now, as we know the standard Rocky film formula, Creed (Jordan) gets his ass kicked so hard and quick, that he ends up in the hospital. However, due to a call from a referee, Drago Jr, does not end up getting the heavyweight belt and his win is disqualified. After some soul searching by Rocky (Stallone) and Creed (Jordan), and with the assistance of Adonis’ mother (Mary-Anne Creed – Rashad), Rocky comes back to train Creed (Jordan) for a rematch. Meanwhile, the Drago’s are finding new found respect in Russia, and even the attentions of the estranged wife and mother, Ludmilla (Nielson). Living large and still wanting more, they quickly accept the re-match, except this time, it must be in Russia….hmmm just like Rocky IV you say…but that’s not all! Not only is the match (or re-match) an exact replica of Rocky IV, but also the training montages that follow are rip-offs from the earlier film. Except in the case of the Rocky/Creed, they are in the desert, vice the snow. Please! I am praying for some originality at this point with respect to the film, but alas, the Rocky IV clone continues on. 

We are now at the point of the big fight…everything feels the same…just some of the faces are different in this film. To sum it up…as we all know what will happen, Creed (Jordan) almost loses, finds his inner “Tiger”, and lays a beat-down on Drago Jr, and to add insult to injury Drago Sr. (Lundgren) must throw in the towel to save his son from further damage. This all culminates in Rocky pretty much passing the torch to Creed to continue the film legacy …oh sorry I mean original story lines from that point forward as Rocky moves to retirement. So touching…it made me a bit verklempt! 

Now that I have laid out the story, (as I did not worry about spoilers, because come on, there was nothing different here than from any other Rocky film), let us look at the cast of this film.

Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson: Reprising this role for the 2^ndtime, Jordan proves again that he can act in a fight film. Now, don’t get me wrong, this film was predictable as all hell, but I have to give props to Jordan for the level of fitness that he is in, as well as the intensity it takes to do all the fight scenes. His acting, while rather stoic, and consisting of a mix between incredulity and clenched jaws, presented pretty much the full gambit of his emotions for this film. The character itself, is rather two dimensional, and if someone does not know the whole “Rocky story”, they might get a bit lost here as nothing really gets filled in. However, I really can’t blame Jordan here, as his main job is to either deliver or take a punch, and he does both of these actions admirably. To me however, I found his roles in Fahrenheit 451 and Black Panther to be better then his character in Creed II, but overall, I can’t complain about any of the fight sequences as I enjoyed watching them.

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa: Now what can we say about Stallone as aging Rocky Balboa…he made his image on Rocky (and Rambo) and career, he did this as he followed the formula about the underdog winning in the end. Now don’t get me wrong, I have watched every Rocky film (even the dismal Rocky V, that was just horrid) and pretty much enjoyed them all for one reason or another. I remember watching these films when I was young and it would drive you to work out and make yourself better. Ok, so the urges to go to the gym may have only lasted a week or so (at that time) but the films had impact, and even have lasted the test of time. I re-watched Rocky a few months back, and I still found the film to be great and enjoyed every minute of it. I did notice that if you look at Stallone in Rocky (original) and then saw him in the subsequent films, he got bigger and more cut in each one.  In Creed II, one factor that I enjoyed is that Rocky played his age, not like he did in his last foray as Rambo, he moved slower, tried to impart wisdom and sage advice, and knew his limitations. His character stayed the course that he had developed in the films Creed and Rocky Balboa. He was enjoyable (even if predictable) in the film and he added the gravitas that the film required. I liked him in this role and believe he should take on more like this at this time. Be the mentor, not the action star, your films will be better and more believable. 

Tessa Thompson as Bianca: As of late I have seen Thompson in many films and shows, from Thor/Avengers too Copper, Creed and Westworld and I have enjoyed her performance in each and everyone of them. In Creed II, the added bonus is that she actually sang in the film and it was not dubbed. While the music is not exactly my taste, I can appreciate talent when it is presented. I must admit, I enjoy her acting much more when she is in the “action” role (i.e. Thor, Avengers), but she can still portray a solid character in any genre. I look forward to seeing her in future productions and maybe as the lead character.

Dolph Lundgrenas Ivan Drago: Usually I don’t care for Lundgren in his films, I have seen him in many films that I have enjoyed, but I don’t usually like his character. In Creed II, I have to say that changed. He really played the tortured and beaten man well. In this film, the Drago’s were the underdogs, not Creed, and Lundgren played it to a tee! He was exceptional in this film and his character was integral to the plot, even far more than his son, Viktor (Munteanu) who did the fighting. In essence it was Ivan who was in the ring for this film, fighting not only for his retribution, but for his own dignity. I really enjoyed his performance here, and maybe this is another case on where actors can sometimes get better with age!

Florian Munteanu as Viktor Drago: As a fighter, and what he can display on screen, Munteanu is a monster. However, as an actor, he has a great deal to be desired. Luckily in this film, he does not talk much, just broods, stares and beats down his opponents, so pretty much in his wheel house. Would I go out of my way to watch a film with him in it again…hmm, if it was a fight movie, sure. But in anything might require some acting talent, then probably not. Even though he was supposed to be the one in the ring fighting, as I mentioned previously, it felt more that Ivan was there. He was just the person who was delivering the punches!

Russell Hornsbyas Buddy Marcelle: This film required a slimy promoter who would stop at nothing, and Hornsby did provide. I had only seen him in some of his guest roles in other programs so had nothing else to really compare him to. While his role was integral to the films progress, his on screen time was only used as the impetus to the fight, and while only there for a bit, his performance wasn’t too bad. 

Brigitte Nielsen as Ludmilla: I am actually only including Nielsen in as a “mention”. I always thought her acting was dismal and that her only talent was to look with disdain at everything. Well, in that aspect, she did excel. With little to no dialogue in this film, she would just walk into a scene/or depart and look down at everything with contempt….and with that in mind, she succeeded. If she would have had to act or show any emotion/chemistry of any kind…then I am sure it would have been comical and not in a good way, just like her parts in Red Sonja and Cobra. I actually had to look up in IMDB to see if she had been anything since those previously mentioned films and was very surprised to see that she had an active career. But like her acting, nothing of any merit or substance. 

Now for the big question, were we entertained? Yes, we were. Not because the film was awesome, it was not, or that it displayed any modicum of originality, no it didn’t, but because it was an ok fight film. It sorted of closed the chapter on Rocky, and passed the torch to Creed. The fight scenes, while predictable were enjoyable and they helped to carry the movie along, especially as there was only a minimal plot. One thing I did notice when watching the extra’s of the film, not once do they mention Rocky V, I guess even they realized what a piece of fecal matter it was! I would recommend Creed II to anyone who liked the Rocky films and especially Rocky IV, if you are not a fan of Rocky (franchise), then maybe you should give it a pass and spin up Raging Bull, Cinderella man, and Million Dollar Baby and give them a try. 

My Rating: 5/10

If you interested in any films starring the main cast, please consider the following recommendations:

Michael B. Jordan                     Fahrenheit 451, Black Panther, Creed

Sylvester Stallone                      First Blood, Rocky, The Expendables, The Escape, Rocky II, Rocky IV, Demolition Man, Cliffhanger

Tessa Thompson                       Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, Westworld

Dolph Lundgren                        Rocky IV, The Expendables, Universal Soldier

Till Next Time and Merry Christmas!