"Uncle Drew" Is A Family Friendly Trip

“Uncle Drew” is by all accounts, a throw away movie. Nobody is going to this movie to have a deep experience or follow a complicated story. When I left the theater, it was still a throw away movie, but it was something unexpected, which was a sweet and good-hearted story. It was odd to think that a movie based on a Pepsi commercial would be anything more than a throw away film, but “Uncle Drew” rises slightly above that. They even had some jokes that stockily landed, including one of the best sight gags I’ve seen in awhile. The story is about a thirty something guy named Dax (Lil Rel Howery), a budding basketball coach, who is trying to keep his best player from jumping ship to an up and coming coach named Mookie (Nick Kroll), while trying to also trying to keep his girlfriend (Tiffany Haddish) from jumping ship to him as well. Lil Rey Howery, Nick Kroll and Tiffany Haddish are all comedians who have appeared all over the place, and even in scenes they are supposed to be enemies, you get the sense they are friends. However Tiffany Haddish isn’t really given a lot to do here overall.

Dex comes across the legend of Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving) who is a basketball star who    disappeared from the circuit but could of been legendary. Kyrie Irving is younger than me by the way, as depressing as that might be, but it’s him in make up that makes him look older. All in all, he does a pretty good job of conveying the character. Dex meets Uncle Drew through his barbershop, and when Uncle Drew beats some younger players in front of Dex, he decides to try to take a chance and build a team around him. Next thing the movie becomes is a road picture with Uncle Drew and Dex going to Virginia to meet other members of his team. All youngish basketball players in make up to look old including Big Fella (Shaquille O’ Neal), an Karate instructor with a chip on his shoulder about a past love he had, Lights (Reggie Miller), an older guy who owns a oddball church with his wife (Lisa Leslie), and Boots (Nick Robinson), another old member of the team they help escape the retirement home. There’s also his doting granddaughter Maya (Erich Ash), who provides a love interest to Dex.

The fact it’s taking me so long to describe a plot to a movie based on a Pepsi commercial is a credit to the film. The film, however, doesn’t forget it’s a basketball film and it’s all leading up to a formalistic big game where the older players are going to take on the younger players led by Dex’s rival coach Mookie. This film is no means masterful, but it has some surprising depth to it. Uncle Drew and Big Fella even have a backstory they address. That was surprising. This film having any real thought beyond some product placement and dumb gags was not even needed. However the film was surprisedly light on the dumb gags. We don’t even get a fart joke I was waiting for. However, which I won’t give away, the film has a car chase scene with one of the best slight gags I’ve seen in awhile. Try to figure out what it is.

     “Uncle Drew” has plenty of product placement, but oddly not too in your face. The basketball court is covered in ads for Enterprise and Pepsi. There’s even a moment where Mookie on ESPN gives a shout out to Pepsi. Who gives a shout to Pepsi? He literally in the film gives a shout out to Pepsi without a ton of explanation. However this film is hard to hate, and actually is a surprisedly family friendly film. The overall film is friendly to take your kid to, as it’s really not heavy on sex or violence or even gross out humor.

      “Uncle Drew” is a fun film, and it’s hard to really criticize. Sure some people may put up their nose at a film based on a Pepsi commercial, which has young basketball players playing old men and a dance off with younger guys in a club in the middle of the film, but actually “Uncle Drew” is a family friendly good time with some nice characters and a fun plot. It’s cliched, but a really nice little film. Every character in this film is really likable. Everyone in this film seems to be having a lot of fun being in it. None of it is Oscar worthy but it’s nice to see them put some effort in a overall very sweet movie.

"Mission Impossible: Falllout" is the Rare Late Entry That's Great

“Mission Impossible: Fallout” is the best of the already senior series of movies, which is rare. The “Mission Impossible” series starring Tom Cruise is already been on movie screens for twenty years, which makes me feel old, but still can’t deny this is a great action film. Tom Cruise still does it all, but credit also must go to Christopher McQuarrie, who written and directed this and the last film in the series, “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation”. McQuarrie is still best known for his 1995 screenplay to the movie “The Usual Suspects”, which won an Oscar. He both tells a movie which action is packed but has a good story as well, not sacrificing one for the other. You know the film is going to be good when it doesn’t open with an opening credit, but a long set up. A capture of a terrorist after a shootout, followed by him in the hospital bed, and then when he confesses, the whole hospital room turns out to be a set, with even the newscaster (Wolf Bitzer in a cameo) as a guy in a mask, in this case, a part of Ethan Hunt’s team, Benni Dunn (Simon Pegg). It’s a great scene which leads to a over the top credits sequence showing action scenes from previous films in the credits. It promises a great action film with the iconic theme song over it.

                Of course, Ethan Hunt is played by Tom Cruise, who all these years later, is still a guy the camera loves. He also does all his own stunts, which is amazing. Along with his team, Benni and Luther (Ving Rhimes), Hunt is, for anyone who know the series, a constant hero. There are no lengths he won’t go to catch his man. IMG secretary Alan (Alec Baldwin) considers him the best agent he’s got, and constantly defends Hunt and his team to Erica Stone (Angela Bassett), director of the CIA. As the team leaps into action, they find there’s a conspiracy to blow up a ton of explosives around the world. It’s all a scheme to bring down governments around the world, as these people believe they are the real villains. This all serves as a backdrop to a series of stunts, and even some backstory of Hunt, as he’s falling for Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who is a rogue agent who used to be a part of Hunt’s team. Luther explains to her that besides his ex-wife, she was the only other women he ever cared for, and his ex-wife and him only broke up because he couldn’t keep her safe.

                There’s a lot of great imaginary in this film. One of the fun parts of the “Mission Impossible” series is the travelogue like quality of the films. The chase scenes and places Hunt and his team show up are all over the world. There’s even a great motorcycle chase scene through the subways and streets of Paris. That leads to a great scene where there’s a gun to the head of a female police officer and a moment for Hunt to stand there and figure out what to do. It’s a quiet scene, but it’s also a good one. The film is a long one and takes its time with scenes. It’s not rushing through a ton of action sequences and just trying to wrap up the film in a two-hour mark. A lot of action films these days don’t take their time. That was the general complaint with the superhero flick last year “Justice League”, where Warner Brothers required the film not to go over the two-hour mark by even a minute, and a lot of critics and audiences felt the film was rushed. At 147 minutes, this is not the case with “Mission Impossible: Fallout”.

                Tom Cruise seems to have great chemistry with his cast, which isn’t unusual. Even at this later date, he’s so damn likable on camera, it’s hard not to like him. The film has a ton of great action sequences, and story to tell. They don’t feel mashed together. I really enjoyed “Mission Impossible: Fallout” and would even go to say it’s one of the year’s best films. Some critics have even considered if this would get a nod for best picture at the Oscars, and I think there’s some merit to that. I think the movie is terrific, and I had a good time watching it. I didn’t feel like it overstayed it’s welcome, either, but it took its time as an action movie and a story about Ethan Hunt and his team.

                It’s beautifully shot and has plenty of twists and turns. I feel that more action movies should take lessons from this installment of “Mission Impossible”. It’s very unusual a film series is this good this late in the series. By the end of these series, it’s usually a throw away film that runs through the motions. Say what you want about Tom Cruise, the guy still seems to have great joy in making movies that take the audience on a ride. I’ll give him that.

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" Isn't Perfect, But A Nice New Spin

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is a well-timed thriller, with some good twists, but also feels a bit thrown together. First, the new director J.A. Bayona, a Spanish director known for the critical acclaimed films “The Orphanage” from 2007, “The Impossible” from 2012, and “A Monster Calls” from 2016, has obviously gone to the Spielberg school of timing. A lot of scenes in this film were very well timed. There was a ton of set up and payoffs that worked as individual scenes. I thought he was a big improvement over Colin Trevorrow, who made the first “Jurassic World” movie, and also known for the critical acclaimed 2012 indie film “Safety Not Guaranteed.” I thought J.A. Bayona was an improvement over him, which will probably be an unpopular opinion, in handling this material. Some of the scenes felt like they were out of a good gothic film, which is unsurprising, because that’s what “The Orphanage” was. Colin Trevorrow is returning to direct to third one, however.

                This reminds me of my reaction to Rian Johnson becoming the director of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, who I thought was a huge improvement over J.J. Abrams, who directed the first of the new “Star Wars” films “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Now, I’m not bashing J.J. Abrams or Colin Trevorrow by any means. It’s not easy to pick up a beloved franchise from titans like Steven Spielberg or George Lucas. I get it’s not easy to make it both your own and something new. It’s quite a task. J.J. Abrams I am a fan of, because of his wonderful handling of the first two “Star Trek” reboot movies. However, all these directors I give credit for doing decent jobs making these franchises continue. Now that I filled your ear with talk of directors, lets talk about the actual film. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” picks up where the last one left off with our heroes no longer working together. Owen (Chris Pratt) is no longer working on the island of Jurassic World. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) however is working on behalf of the dinosaurs, lobbying Congress to save them from the destruction they would surly befall.

                Congress, to nobody’s surprise, announces they don’t really feel they need to save these dinosaurs, as it’s private industry. Claire is devastated but is asked by the estate of the founder of Jurassic World, which used to be Jurassic Park, but that’s never really explained but it’s not super important, Eli (Rafe Spall) to go back to the island and save the dinosaurs. Of course, there’s a little girl who is supposedly the granddaughter of Lockwood (James Cromwell), who was the partner in developing the DNA to make the dinosaurs. Because I’m somewhat an expert in explaining fictional worlds better than the real one, lets talk a moment to see if we can figure out the twist which I figured out in about five minutes into the film. I won’t say it, but the series was always going to move in the direction with it’s cloning component.

                So, basically, after going back to the island, where we keep waiting for the Jurassic Park theme but oddly never hear it, we get to see the dinosaurs try to escape. However, they are all kidnapped and taken back to Lockwood’s estate. Our heroes, including Owen, Claire and two college kids (Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda) sneak on board the ship taking the dinosaurs away from Jurassic Park as the villain (Ted Levine from ‘Monk’) tries to escape with them. Then they get to the big estate, and I must admit, despite some choppy transitions, I dig how they handled having a “Jurassic Park” scenario happen somewhere different. There’s a lot of scenes that feel less science fiction and more gothic like a horror movie, and that was a cool new feel for the franchise.

                The dinosaurs are given a new spin with this new environment. They tend to find new ways to trick the bad guys into their traps, and that was cool. I didn’t dislike leaving the island for a bit, and letting the dinosaurs run a bit wilder in a gothic environment. Now this isn’t the first time this has happened in the “Jurassic Park” series, as it did happen in “The Lost World” from 1997, directed by Steven Spielberg, but this was taking place in a gothic mansion, which I thought was kind of cool. I just felt like some of  that setting let the director treat this a bit more like a horror film, and that was new for this series.

                Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are good as usual. Also, the new ‘Jurassic Park’ kid, Rafe Spall, who’s main function is running from dinosaurs, as is every other kid in the series, is pretty good too. It should be noted a lot of excitement in this film was the return of Ian (Jeff Goldbulm) from the original series, and the trailer plays him up being in this film, but it’s more of a cameo. He has a quick scene at the beginning and the end. Overall, though, this isn’t the worst or best of the “Jurassic Park” series. “Jurassic Park III” from 2001 is a lot of fun, but that is probably the weakest in the series. Hopefully this franchise doesn’t lose it’s bite.

"Teen Titans Go To The Movies" Is A Blast

“Teen Titans Go to The Movies” is a really good time and does meta humor better than many of its more adult counterparts without losing a kid like spirit. For a film based on a Cartoon Network show, it’s surprisingly clever. Some of the jokes are for the kids, and some go way above their heads. There’s even a point where the film makes a reference to an old comic book called “The Guardians of the Unknown”, and the Teen Titans look at each other baffled, literally commenting that the reference is obscure. 

The film about Robin (Scott Menville) and his friends, Beast Boy (Greg Cripes), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Raven (Tara Storng) and Starfire (Hynden Walch) who want to be taken seriously by the other superheroes. However, they aren’t. Why? Because they don’t have a superhero movie of their own. Robin is upset that everyone in the Batman universe is getting a movie, even his butler Alfred and Batman’s belt and car. Already that’s some great comic book movie jokes. The references in this thing are shockingly smart. Robin even has a dream done in the style of the Lion King, in animation that looks out of a Disney movie, and has Batman holding him up like Simba, but quickly turns into a nightmare when the other superheroes gathering around don’t care, and he decides to just throw him off the cliff.

                The movie is smart at taking on everything about comic book franchises and movies in general. Even the jokes that aren’t about comic book stuff are great. The musical numbers are really laugh out loud funny, with the highlight being “The Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life”, which deserves an Oscar nod for best original song. Even that song ends with a dark joke that is totally unexpected and very funny. One of my favorite jokes in the film was the “Back to The Future” reference where the Teen Titans go back in time to stop every superhero origin story, only to find with no superheroes, crime has run rampant. Then they must go back and recreate every tragedy that made these superheroes who they are today. However, it’s funny and the only time the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents was a joke. The movie doesn’t really add up too much of a story, but there are some emotional moments in this film. Robin even cries at one point.

                The film is a smart mix of nerd humor, adult humor and kids’ humor. There’s your typical kids’ humor, including a great poop joke but there’s also adult humor. How many kids really know “The Lion King” anymore? If you are a kid who loves the “Teen Titans Go!” cartoon you will have a lot of fun. However, if you are a nerd, and more even more so a DC Comics nerd, you will have a blast. Yes, the film takes shots at Marvel Comics, with the villain being asked if he’s Deadpool, and him proclaiming that he isn’t. He was around before Deadpool and Deadpool is a rip from him. The villain, Slade (Will Arnett), which has one of the film’s best running jokes which is that they really like saying his name and will say it in a few different ways every time he appears, is great. Robin wants to keep him around at first, because if he has an arch enemy, maybe he would get a movie.

                The plot of Robin wanting his own movie being the actual plot of the movie is creative. It allows the writers of the film, Michael Jalenic and Aaron Horvath, a lot of room just to have fun riffing on the whole world of comic books and movies. “Teen Titans Go to The Movies” is subversive and I was surprised by that. It could have been a straight forward kids’ film, but it actually has a ton of stuff that is thrown at people in the audience who may get the references. Even the villain’s plot that he was going to use the movie based around Robin to brainwash the world echoes the 90s Batman film “Batman Forever”.

                However, the riffs aren’t all old. The spoof on “Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” is amazing for anyone who knows the movie’s famous bonkers Martha scene.  This film wasn’t only one of the best films of the year, but it’s also one of my personal favorites. Go see it with your kids, but man if you get the references over their heads, you’ll have a blast as well. You get the sense this is a film that loves what’s it’s spoofing and presenting. I want it to be nominated and maybe even win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. That’s saying a lot. It's also, except for “Wonder Women”, the best movie in the DC universe. However, take your kids to see it because it’s the rare kids’ film which succeeds on both levels without feeling forced.