Friday, April 12, 2019

Kevin Hart: Irresponsible (2019)



Movie Name/Year: Kevin Hart: Irresponsible (2019)
Tagline: None
Genre: Comedy
Length: 60 minutes
Rating: TV-MA
Production Companies: Hartbeat Productions
Producer: None Listed
Director: Leslie Small
Writer: Kevin Hart
Actors: Kevin Hart

Blurb from Netflix: As a father of three on his second marriage, Kevin Hart proves that being him is indeed a tall order in a fresh special inspired by his own mistakes.


Selina’s Point of View:
I am a fan of Kevin Hart. I particularly like his stand-up. For the most part, I tend to like it better than his movies.

This special, however, somewhat disappointed me.

It seemed a lot more unfocused than the majority of his stuff – and the majority of his stuff is already a bit scattered. He didn’t really show off that impressive personality as much as he normally does, either.


I get it, he’s had a lot held against him in the media lately (we will not be going into it, this is not a tabloid). I wonder if he maybe muffled his natural personality to try to keep from being eaten alive. I absolutely understand why he would do it, and I don’t fault him for it. It’s not like this special was bad… it just wasn’t his best. He needed to do what he felt he needed to do. That’s it.

That’s my final thought on Irresponsible. It’s a fine stand-up set, but not up to Kevin Hart’s usual quality.


Cat’s Point of View:
In contrast with the last comedy special that we reviewed, this production fit standard expectations for this type of show; albeit, it wasn’t as elaborate as some of the prior Kevin Hart specials we’ve reviewed in the past.

While I found the show funny, it wasn’t nearly as amusing to me as some of his past work. Even with that said, he did have a cohesive program and it all tied in nicely together. I’m not sure if the subject matter just didn’t hit me the right way or if my mood impacted how receptive I was.


Actually, I take that back. There was a bit that hit a sour note with me. I wasn’t a fan of making light of that sort of situation. Alas, as we try to avoid spoilers, I am unable to share much in the way of details. I believe it’s safe to reveal that it was a depiction of his parental dynamic in a particular instance that was not ok. It didn’t feel right for it to be made light of. I fear that colored my perception of the program as a whole.

Hart’s show was entertaining, though it definitely wasn’t for young kids. (Just keep in mind that language and some descriptions of moderately graphic material are both present when you’re making your viewing selection.)

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 100%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 41%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6.5/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating3/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating2.5/5

Movie Trailer:

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Triple Frontier (2019)



Movie Name/Year: Triple Frontier (2019)
Tag Line: From the Director of A Most Violent Year and Producer of Wonder Woman and The Dark Knight Trilogy
Production Company: Netflix, Atlas Entertainment
Producers:  Madison Ainley, Robert Amidon, Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Andrés Calderón, Neal Dodson, Alex Gartner, Anna Gerb, Thomas Hayslip, Andy Horwitz, Helen Medrano, Daniel Messier, Juliano Moreno, Charles Roven, John Wildermuth
Director: J.C. Chandor
Writers: Mark Boal, J.C. Chandor
Actors: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal, Adria Arjona, Sheila Vand, Rey Gallegos
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
Rated: R
Length: 125 minutes

IMDb Blurb: Five former Special Forces operatives reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. For the first time in their prestigious careers these unsung heroes undertake this dangerous mission for self instead of country. But when events take an unexpected turn and threaten to spiral out of control, their skills, their loyalties and their morals are pushed to a breaking point in an epic battle for survival.


Cat’s Point of View:
After wrapping up my second watch-through of this movie, I can tell you my opinion hasn’t changed since my first. It was a solid offering for the military-ish drama genre. There were actually some feels. I’d have to say that it went a bit darker into morality territory than I expected it to – but I think that ultimately helps it stand out in the crowd of its cinematic peers.

I placed this film as my #9 on my Top 20 list for this March. In my blurb I will admit that I gushed a bit about my desire to view the movie having less to do with the action genre itself and more about the dream-team of the cast. I’ll spare you a rehash here, I promise. Because of this, though, I knew I’d be at least a little biased on the outset while watching this. The second watch-through let me take a step back from my giddy self and get a more objective assessment of the overall production.


There’s a little bit that, perhaps, requires slightly more suspension of disbelief – but overall I didn’t feel like it was taking place in some fantasy-land. I don’t feel entirely like a swooning fangirl with my overall take-away. (Maybe a little.) I did have some confusion as to how the name of the movie fit with what was going on. For a hot second, I chalked it up to some nebulous metaphor or something. Fortunately, with a little light investigating, I discovered that the ‘Triple Frontier’ that is the film’s namesake is the geographical area in South America where the story primarily takes place.

Can we talk about the soundtrack for a moment? The music department on this production was seriously on the ball and I have to give them some serious credit here. The music was well paired with events in the story. Honestly, the moment the film began to Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” it really set the tone spectacularly for what was to come. I found it also fitting that the movie was end-capped by “Orion,” which is also a Metallica number. It’s not all metal through the whole feature. There’s some Fleetwood Mac and Bob Dylan in there as well.

I’d have no trouble recommending this Netflix original. I’m certainly glad it made its way out of its almost decade-long development hell and onto our screens. 


Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 71%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 59%
Metascore – 61/100
Metacritic User Score – 6.8/10
IMDB Score – 6.5/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

Movie Trailer: