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Name/Year: Honest
Thief (2020) Genre: Action, Crime, Drama Length: 99 minutes Rating: PG-13 Production/Distribution: Argonaut Entertainment
Partners, Blitz, Briarcliff Entertainment, Cutting Edge Group, Dreadnought
Films, Dutch FilmWorks (DFW), E Stars Films, Eagle Films, Film & TV House, Forum
Film, GEM Entertainment, Honest Thief Productions, Ingenious Media, J Cubed
Film Finance, Key2media, Kinepolis Film Distribution (KFD), Kinomania, Leonine
Distribution, Media Film, Metropolitan Filmexport, Monolith Films, Noori, Open
Road Films, Pioneer Films, Pris Audiovisuais, PT Amero Mitra Film, Rialto
Distribution, Samuel Marshall Productions, Shaw Organisation, Signature
Entertainment, Solution Entertainment Group, Sony Danmark, Sprockefeller
Pictures, Tanweer Alliances, Tanweer Group, Times Media Films, Top Film, Vie
Vision Pictures, VVS Films, Zero Gravity Management Director: Mark Williams Writer: Steve Allrich, Mark
Williams Actors: Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh,
Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos, Robert Patrick, Jasmine Cephas
Jones, Tazzie Blurb
from IMDb: Wanting
to lead an honest life, a notorious bank robber turns himself in, only to be
double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents.
Selina’s
Point of View: I got the chance
to hit theaters again and decided to go with Honest Thief. There’s not a
huge selection these days (for the obvious good reason), and I wasn’t feeling horror
after an entire month of it. So, action. You know what you’re
going to get when you hit a Liam Neeson (The Commuter, Cold Pursuit, Silence)
flick. You’re going to get a story about a man who has a very particular set of
skills. Skills that make him a nightmare for the antagonist. I could go on, but
let’s face it, you know what I’m doing here. He’s got a bit of
a typecast. Nothing wrong with specializing in something one does well, though. That’s the thing.
He’s played pretty much the same character in many of his films since Taken (2009).
The only thing that tends to be in question is how high the body count is. That’s
where we get a slight deviation from the norm here. Neeson plays the
good guy and he stays a good guy. There’s no real arguing if the sacrifices he
made were worth it. When he does have to do something lethal, there’s no
question.
That makes this
slightly different than typical Neeson fare. His action sequences are so infrequent,
that when they do occur it means more for the film. I also really
liked a lot of the other characters. Kate Walsh’s (The Umbrella Academy,
3022, Almost Love) character is kind of bad ass, in her own way. Instead of
playing the meek woman stuck in a bad situation, she rises to the occasion and makes
a difference. Anthony Ramos (A Star is Born, She’s Gotta Have It, Hamilton)
played a phenomenal conflicted cop, while Jai Courtney (Stateless, Semper
Fi, Suicide Squad) used his punchable face to be a thrillingly despicable
antagonist. I really can’t fault any of the actors. I think the big
thing that caught me off guard was that it’s not the rushed-pacing, constant
action, kind of film that I would have expected from the trailer. It’s got more
heart. In fact, there’s a decent thread of romance going throughout it – and there’s
enough chemistry between Neeson and Walsh to support it. All-in-all, I’d
call it a successful film. It had a bit of a recipe quality to it, but the
premise was on the original side and I feel like I saw something new.
Actors: Jamie Foxx, Joseph
Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, Rodrigo Santoro, Courtney B. Vance, Amy
Landecker, Machine Gun Kelly, Tait Fletcher, Allen Maldonado, Andrene
Ward-Hammond, Kyanna Simone Simpson, C.J. LeBlanc, CG Lewis, Joseph Poliquin,
Jazzy De Lisser, Cory DeMeyers, Casey Neistat, Azhar Khan, Rose Bianco, Askia Bennett
Blurb
from IMDb: When
a pill that gives its users unpredictable superpowers for five minutes hits the
streets of New Orleans, a teenage dealer and a local cop must team with an
ex-soldier to take down the group responsible for its creation.
Selina’s
Point of View:
This
is a little strange, but I have to start my review by talking about the
trailer.
The
trailer laid out this incredibly unique plot and showed a bit of the cinematic
quality paired to an adrenaline provoking song. It took bits from every part of
the film without resorting to spoilers. That’s a difficult thing to do. I mean,
there’s a scene from the very top of the climax in the trailer and, even in
hindsight, it’s not a spoiler. Production companies need to take note. This is
how you make a trailer. I got everything I signed up for and then some.
I had
to start there, because really good trailers are hard to come across. Let’s
move on to the movie, though, because there’s a lot worth talking about.
Project
Power was
every bit as good as I expected it to be.
I
have to start with a look at the graphics and cinematography. This was, hands
down, one of the most gorgeous films I have ever seen.
It captured
the feel of New Orleans, as a setting, well. You had the grit of city life that
felt familiar to me. Now, I don’t live in Louisiana – but I did live in
Brooklyn for over 30 years. I know how to find that beauty in the graffiti, the
grime, and the strange personalities. It felt a little like home – and then
they threw in the powers.
Holy
shit. The power graphics were insane. They took so many favorite hero-based
powers and brought them into the real world. It was done so well that I
believed it. Someone with a fire power would look like they had burn scars all
over them – from those few moments after the power wore off but their clothes
were still on fire. Someone with a bulletproof ability who gets shot in the
head would pass out from the impact and awaken with burst blood vessels in
their eye. The attention to detail was impressive. At the same time, the actual
portrayal of the powers was beyond anything any superhero movie has ever given
us.
Which
brings me to my next point: Project Power is not a superhero movie.
I
read some of the bad reviews that this film got and they all go into it as if
it’s a superhero movie. It’s not. Yes, there are powers used in the story – but
it’s not the people using the powers that the plot focuses on. At most, each
ability is used more like a gun or a shield than a focus. The main point of the
film is the connection between very real, very normal, individuals. One of the
main characters never even pops a pill.
At
most, I’d say it’s an action/crime film with some noir undertones. No one’s out
there in spandex taking down an archvillain. It’s not even a motivation to protect
the populace (for the most part). It’s closer to Taken (2008) than it is
to anything from the MCU or DCU. You know what? That’s what I’m going with. It’s
like Taken if the people in that movie had access to the power pills used
in this one.
If
you judge it like a superhero flick, it’s not going to measure up, because that’s
not what it is.
I
want to see a lot more of the world that was created here. We could absolutely
get some kind of superhero flick from it, but it’s not necessary. What’s been
done with Project Power is something new. If the creators wanted to make
other movies from this world, they wouldn’t have to stick to a certain genre or
sub-genre. They could make anything to further examine this premise and still
come out with something incredible. I could absolutely see a horror or a comedy
in this world.
Regardless
of what they do in the future, though, Project Power was good. It was
new and refreshing, while still offering just a touch of familiarity that
really helps in our current uncertain world. It’s something I think we all
really needed.
Judge
for yourself. The next time you’re having an awful day, sit down and turn on
this film. It’ll help you get out of your own head for a while.
Cat’s
Point of View:
I’ve
been really excited to watch Project Power since I first saw its
trailer. My desire to watch this film actually fought a battle with a few
others to sort the top spots in my personal Top 20 list for August 2020. I
ended up rolling a die to determine how to order the films.
The
trailer gave promising flashes of action, super-powered mayhem, cop procedural,
and general awesome badassery. Here’s the good news – the movie lived up to the
hype, as far as I was concerned.
Co-directors
Henry Joost (Catfish, Nerve, Viral) and Ariel Schulman (3x3,
Paranormal Activity 3, Nerve) are certainly no stranger to the supernatural.
They’ve taken on the ghostly series that swept theaters and streaming rentals
by storm with two of the Paranormal Activity (2007) flicks. They’re also
no stranger to action. Their talents were well put to use here.
Of
course, they had a magic trifecta within their cast comprised of Jamie Foxx (White
House Down, Annie, Baby Driver), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50, The Night
Before, Knives Out), and Dominique Fishback (Night Comes On, The Hate U
Give, The Deuce). I had a little giggle when I realized Fishback’s
character’s name is Robin. I’ll let you connect those dots.
The
core premise of this film is just really interesting. I’m an admitted comic
book geek. I know a little about a lot of titles, and a lot about a small range
of them – but I love them all the same. This movie isn’t really based on any
particular comic title; but with its plot, it could be.
There’s something
inherently appealing about popping a pill and getting super-powers even if it
is only short-term. Society as a whole is always looking for that instant
remedy or that quick fix. So many just want to throw a pill at things and find
instant results. Here that concept goes to a whole new level.
I
found it easy to just let myself sink into the story and get carried away. I
was giddy after the first moment that I realized that this story was set in New
Orleans, and I chanted right along with the occasional “who dat think they
gonna beat dem Saints,” as it appeared in the background. I could see something
like this playing out on the streets of The Big Easy.
I
would absolutely recommend anyone that’s a fan of any genre within this blend
to give this movie a whirl. I am going to be crossing my fingers that it gets
enough response that they might consider expanding on the tale with a sequel.
As it stands, the film is fine as a stand-alone. I just want more.
Production/Distribution: Pacific Electric Picture
Company, Netflix
Director: Michael Dowse
Writer: Shane Mack
Actors: Ed Helms, Taraji P. Henson,
Terrence Little Gardenhigh, Betty Gilpin, RonReaco Lee, David Alan Grier,
Andrew Bachelor, William ‘Big Sleeps’ Stewart, Serge Houde, Eduard Witzke,
Chance Hurstfield, Diana Bang, Erik McNamee, Samantha Cole, Terry Chen, Garfield
Wilson, Arielle Tuliao
Blurb
from IMDb: Twelve-year-old
Kareem Manning hires a criminal to scare his mom's new boyfriend -police
officer James Coffee - but it backfires, forcing Coffee and Kareem to team up
in order to save themselves from Detroit's most ruthless drug kingpin.
Selina’s
Point of View:
Although
the title is a cute play on words, the movie really doesn’t live up to it.
The whole
thing comes off as an attempt to update Cop & 1/2 (1993). Only, they
took out anything that was cute or funny from the original and replaced it with
full-on cringe and ‘too edgy for you’ script elements.
Now, Cop
& 1/2 doesn’t have a great rating itself, but I’ll admit that I
remember liking it. I haven’t seen it since I was about 13 so I can’t speak to
how I’d feel about it at this point in my life, but it feels nostalgic to me. In
the case of Coffee & Kareem I’m having trouble finding anything nice
to say about it at all.
Taraji
P. Henson (Empire, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Proud Mary) is the only
thing that comes to mind. She’s a great actress and her character was the only
one that I enjoyed watching. She plays a bad-ass single mom that would do
anything to protect her family. First you see how that works in her dating
life, later on it’s apparent in the more violent situations. If I have anything
positive to say about the film it would have to do with Henson or her
character.
Everything
else was just awful. It was edge for the sake of edge. It was dressed up to try
to masquerade as comedy, but it just didn’t work.
There
are people who would enjoy this, but I wouldn’t even recommend it for a ‘turn
your brain off’ movie night.
Production Companies: Beyond The Mothership, Infinite
Frameworks Pte. Ltd., m45 Productions, Head Gear Films, Hongmaisui
International Culture (Beijing) Co., Infinite Frameworks Studios, Media Rights
Entertainment, Metrol Technology, North Hollywood Films
Producers: Matthew E. Chausse, Lucy Chen, Jennifer Coccimiglio, Maguy R. Cohen, Allen Dam, John 'Duke' Duquesnay, Cody Hackman, Tom Harberd, Matthew Helderman, Phil Hunt, Roman Kopelevich, Joe Listhaus, Allen Liu, Lindsey Martin, Emilio Mauro, John Radel, Li Kitty Rong, Compton Ross, Colin Strause, Greg Strause, Luke Taylor, Robert Van Norden, Mike Wiluan
Director: Liam O'Donnell
Writer: Liam O'Donnell
Actors: Frank Grillo, Bojana Novakovic, Jonny
Weston, Callan Mulvey, Antonio Fargas, Jacob Vargas, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian
Stunts: Casey Adams, Austen Brewer, Bobby Brown, Anis Cheurfa, Clay Cullen, Zack Duhame, Anthony Ferri, Jeremy Fitzgerald, Sara Holden, Billy Huang, Muhammad Irvan, Eko Kurnianto, Kurt D. Lott, Craig Morgan, Udeh Nans, Eka 'Piranha' Rahmadia, Paul Rapovskil, Carly Rees, Tim Rigby, Yayan Ruhian, Monty L. Simons, Yasca Sinigaglia, Yandi 'Piranha' Sutsina, Iko Uwais, Cord Walker, Judd Wild, Eva Wulan, Muhammad Yazid, Very Tri Yulisman
Blurb from Netflix: In the wake of extraterrestrial invasion, a suspended L.A. cop teams up with other survivors to stop the onslaught and rescue human captives.
This sequel to Skyline (2010)
had landed at #12 on my Top 20 list for movies coming out in December 2017. I
remember my excitement for this film after watching the trailer. It was a
feeling that carried forward to when I saw the title available on Netflix.
There are a couple things I touched on in my list entry that I feel
need addressing now that I’ve seen the movie.
First, I said that this sequel didn’t appear to follow the recipe where
events pick up with the same characters following the end of the first film. I
was incorrect there. This movie is a ‘true sequel,’ explaining the fate of some
of the characters from the first film – they’re just not played by the same
actors. Unfortunately, I can’t share who it is for those that haven’t figured
it out already because it’s a key plot point. The primary focus of the film,
however, is a different set of people.
I also offered a bit of conjecture that as Liam O'Donnell (Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, Iron Man 2, The
Bay) was going to be at the helm of the sequel in both writing and
direction, we would get a more cohesive picture of the story he envisioned.
From a sci-fi perspective, it’s definitely a story that puts a slight
twist on the alien invasion trope, but I can’t say that it was more successful
than the original movie. Even so, I have to give credit where credit is due. Beyond Skyline is definitely a headlong
rush full of action. There were some seriously kickass fight sequences.
The visuals for this film were generally spectacular. The creature
feature was a fairly good blend of CG and practical effects, again, generally.
There’s one sequence with the aliens that I feel suffered in the effects
department; but honestly, if there’s only one that’s not too shabby.
Beyond Skyline had some solid
entertainment value in its quest to showcase the strength of the human spirit.
While it might not be the best sci-fi thriller I’ve seen, I wouldn’t mind
giving it a recommendation.
Languages
Speech Available: English, European Spanish, French, Italian
Subtitles Available: English [CC], European Spanish, French,
Italian, Portugese
Rotten
Tomatoes Critic Score –
69%
Rotten
Tomatoes Audience Score –
43%
Metascore – 46%
Metacritic
User Score – 5.5/10
IMDB
Score – 5.4/10
Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5
P.S. There’s a blooper
reel at the beginning of the credits.
Production Companies:
Capital Arts Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment, Universal 1440
Entertainment, Universal Family Entertainment, Where’s Arnold Productions
Producer: Simon
Abbott, Mike Elliott, Greg Holstein, Dolph Lundgren
Director: Don
Michael Paul
Writer: David H.
Steinberg, (based on the film written by:) Timothy Harris, Murray Salem,
Herschel Weingrod
Actors: Dolph
Lundgren, Darla Taylor, Bill Bellamy, Aleks Paunovic, Sarah Strange, Danny
Wattley, Michael P. Nothey, Abbie Magnuson, Blake Stadel, Dean Petriw, Tyreah
Herbert, Valencia Budijanto, Michael Adamthwaite, Andre Tricoteux, William
Budijanto, Raphael Alejandro, Enid-Raye Adams, Rebecca Olson, Shannon Spears,
Josiah Black, Matilda Shoichet-Stoll, Fiona Vroom, Philip Cabrita, Jenn
Griffin, Oscar Hartley
Blurb from Netflix:
A hard-edged FBI agent goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to recover
stolen Witness Protection Program data in this action-comedy special.
Selina’s Point of View:
Hollywood, please… if you’re going to make a movie like this
call it what it is: a remake. This film was not a sequel and it’s almost false
advertising to say it was.
I hate ‘sequels’ like this. By the very definition of the
word ‘sequel’ – this movie is disqualified.
Kindergarten Cop 2
did not continue the story of the first one, it did not develop the theme of
the first one, and the story did not take place as a result of the first one.
See? Not a sequel.
Once upon a time, my mom and I used to watch the original Kindergarten Cop (1990) over and over
again. So much so that we could BOTH quote it – and my mom’s not a real movie
lover like I am. It’s been a while now since I’ve seen that adorable-ness, but
I still remember it quite clearly. There was a lot of cheesy acting and jokes,
but it all came together to make something memorable.
In this REMAKE the acting was bad, not just cheesy. In fact,
the first five minutes was so horrible – acting-wise – that I seriously thought
it was a scene of actors pretending to act badly because their characters were
filming something. When I realized the main character was actually a cop, I
just sunk into my couch and groaned. I knew what I was in for from there on
out.
The best parts of the film were Bill Bellamy (Noobz, Mr. Box Office, Fastlane) and the
kids. The script was crap, the remade story was sub-par, and the other actors
just had nothing to add to it all.
I am disappointed in this film and have no intention of ever
watching it again.
Cat’s Point of View:
I didn’t expect a lot from this sequel. That was a good
thing, really, considering I didn’t get a lot from it. This movie is likely
just a bid to get in on the nostalgia sequel bandwagon. At least it wasn’t a
remake, right? No one else would have been able to adequately reassure us with
a heavy accent that they weren’t afflicted with a tumor and find the same
comedic gold.
The movie was largely predictable with a sizeable dose of
elements from the original 1990 movie- but with a modern spin. The kids were
swimming in this new-fangled coddled culture and the tech got a boost, but I
had seen it all before.
I had a really hard time paying attention to this one. It
took some serious effort.
I’m a big 80’s action movie fan, so I am always interested
in following iconic actors from the movies that I love. Dolph Lundgren (Legendary, Skin Trade, Shark Lake) is
one of those that tends to make a role interesting. Seeing him in this movie
wasn’t quite the same feeling as the famous Govern-ator brought to the
original, though.
The nature of the interaction between Darla Taylor’s (Lucky In Love, Down Here, Killer Photo)
character and Lundgren was also a bit on the unbelievable side. I mean, really
– he’s old enough to be her father, literally, and looks it. There’s a 30 year
age difference between them and she’s 29. She was a great pick as a
kindergarten teacher that was a real person outside of the uber-P.C.
environment of the school – but I think it should have stopped there.
All in all, the movie was cute and ultimately boring. There
are funnier and more interesting nostalgia sequels out there. I’d likely
recommend one of those over this one.
Writer: Robert
Hamner, Ron Mita, Jim McClain, David Ayer, David McKenna
Actors: Samuel L
Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Jeremy
Renner, Brian Van Holt, Olivier Martinez, Reg E. Cathey, Larry Poindexter, Page
Kennedy, Domenick Lombardozzi, James DuMont, Denis Arndt, Lindsey Ginter,
Lucinda Jenney, E. Roger Mitchell
Jim Street’s partner, Brian Gamble, is a little impulsive.
During a S.W.A.T. mission, he goes against orders and accidentally shoots a
hostage in the attempt to shoot her captive. The heat falls and both Jim and
his partner are taken out of S.W.A.T. altogether. Jim opts to take a much less
glamorous job in the gun cage, while Brian gets rid of his shield completely
and leaves the force. We follow Jim as he’s picked up by a returning Sergeant
and brought back onto the force. After being tested and going through a few
low-key missions, his unit is called to escort a highly dangerous international
criminal to a federal prison.
I found this movie very fun to watch. It’s everything you
expect out of an action/adventure; big explosions, lots of guns, etc. To be
honest, I enjoyed it at a higher level than I scored it. There was just a
single glaring issue I couldn’t ignore when the credits rolled.
To be frank, the storyline was stupid. I didn’t realize
until I did my research after the movie that it was based off an old TV show
(of the same name). That fact explained so much. For as entertaining as the
movie was, the story felt patch-worked. If it had been broken up into around
three episodes of a TV series, it would have made so much more sense. Instead,
they tried to fit too much into it and nothing really flowed as well as it
could have.
I have no problem,
however, with the actors. Even if I ignore the fact that I’m a huge fan of a
couple of them, everyone else was spectacular, too. With big names like Samuel
L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner and Colin Farrell, though, the only surprise would
have been if they’d dropped the ball. Personally, I think the sun shines out of
Michelle Rodriguez’s ass, so I’ll refrain from commenting on her at all.
In the end, it’s more enjoyable than it should be.
Writer: Michael
Berry, John Blumenthal, Stephen Carpenter
Actors: Martin
Lawrence, Luke Wilson, Peter Greene, Dave Chappelle, Nicole Ari Parker, Graham
Beckel, Robert Miranda, Olek Krupa
It’s a funny thing about expectations. There are times I
will sit down to watch a movie and think it’s going to be great only to find
that it sucks, other times I’ll sit down to think I’m about to waste two hours
and wind up completely absorbed by the story. I definitely sat down with a
groan to watch this movie.
I’m not a fan of Martin Lawrence. I don’t mind Luke Wilson,
but I feel like he’s type-cast a LOT. I find Dave Chappelle annoying most of
the time (though I loved him in Robin Hood Men in Tights). To top it off, the
cover they used on Netflix for the movie was ridiculous. I thought it was going
to be horrible. I was expecting it.
Honestly, it really wasn’t so bad. It had its annoying
Martin Lawrence-y parts that almost turned me off, but for the most part it was
pretty entertaining. You get this jewel thief who goes to jail after hiding his
last heist in an air duct only to find, when he gets out, that the air duct
belongs to a police precinct. In an “undercover” operation of his own, he
pretends to be a cop to get it back and a series of semi-predictable but funny
events take place.
In the long run, it’s not something I’m going to go out of
my way to recommend to people, but I won’t warn them about it either. The
majority of it is very stereotypical of this kind of movie, but the ending was
cute and it wasn’t terribly done.
