I was looking around for a film to watch today and I wanted to look for a comedy because I was in that kind of a mood. So, when I logged on to my Netflix account I saw that I had an interesting film to watch on my Queue called The Late Bloomer. Peter Newmans (Johnny Simmons) is a successful sex therapist who is preaching that life is about abstinence to better yourself. What Peter doesn’t realize is that he has never in his life gone through puberty. Peter never knew that he had a tumor that has pressed against his pituitary gland and when he is operated on, his life changes completely including the fact that he has feelings for his neighbor and friend Michelle (Brittany Snow). Now what is he going to do about all of this? The film also stars J.K. Simmons (Zootopia) as James Newmans, Maria Bello (Lights Out) as Brenda Newmans, Kumail Nanjiani (Central Intelligence) as Rich, Beck Bennett (Zoolander 2) as Luke, Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries) as Charlie, Jane Lynch (Mascots) as Caroline Chambers, Charlotte McKinney (Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser) as Attractive Woman, Blake Cooper (The Maze Runner) as Josh, Diana Lyubenova (Conan The Barbarian) as Marilyn, and the film was directed by Kevin Pollak (Vamped Out).
I honestly went into this film with an open mind because I wasn’t expecting much out of it, but when I realized the people that starred in this film I was a little more intrigued. The film has some great actors like J.K. Simmons and Maria Bello and it was directed by the awesome Kevin Pollak who is a great actor himself who was directing his first feature length film with this one. So one argument for the film that I saw online was that it was kind of like The 40 Year Old Virgin, but with a guy who isn’t really socially awkward like Steve Carell was and I beg to differ a little bit. While I loved The 40 Year Old Virgin, I definitely really enjoyed this one because it took the idea and it ran with it in a totally different direction. The funny connection between the two really is the fact that Jane Lynch starred in both films. This one has it’s raunchy moments and friends like the other one, but in a different way. Kumail Nanjiani was given the green light to be as nasty as he wanted to be and he succeeded because he and Beck Bennett made a great combo in this film like Rudd and Rogen. Alright, so I can’t really come up with too many differences because there is a crap ton of similarities in the structure of the story. You can’t knock the formula cause it worked and there were some real funny moments in this one. You also get treated to some T&A in the film which is definitely a plus. I am going to give the film a B+ only because it’s not completely original and not as completely funny as The 40 Year Old Virgin.
For today’s film, I chose to watch a western because of the love my father has for the original American folklore that is Westerns. Not to mention that the film stars Scott Eastwood (Fury) who is the son of legendary Western actor Clint Eastwood. Eastwood plays Civil War vet Jackson, a man with a lot of skeletons in his closet. Nevertheless, he is sent on a crazy journey as his wife was kidnapped by Mexicans so it is up to him to try and save her before it’s too late. Although, the journey to save his wife is going to prove to be more dangerous than he expected. The film also stars Walton Goggins (House Of 1000 Corpses) as Ezra, Camilla Belle (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) as Alexsandra, Adam Beach (Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser) as Nakoma, Samuel Marty (Fargo) as Ishani, 
I wanted to go into the film thinking that it was going to be one heck of a western only because of who Scott Eastwood’s father was. The sad fact is that no one will ever be Clint Eastwood again in the world of Westerns. Now by me saying that doesn’t necessarily mean that I hated the movie, it’s quite the contrary. I call it the tale of two different films and what I mean by that is that the first half of the film is actually quite boring and a little confusing. They go through scenes without really explaining much and characters all of sudden disappear and such. The second half of the film is when it gets really good because your perception of Scott Eastwood’s character drastically changes and he becomes more bad ass than before. Walter Goggins plays a very vital role in this film especially when it has to do with Eastwood’s character and all will be revealed when you watch the film for yourself. Goggins does a terrific job in the film playing what you believe to be the antagonist of the film until the film goes all Fight Club on us. And I don’t mean soap bars, fights, and Brad Pitt when I say that, but you’ll see what I mean. Like I said, if you’re expecting cool lines and action like a Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western then turn around now, but you’ll have to want to watch the whole film to get to the good parts. I thought it was an OK film which is why I am going to give the film an B-/C+ for a final grade. It’s borderline between the two grades.
There is a sudden trend in Hollywood where they take comedies that were hits and they try to make sequels 15 to 20 years after the fact. Well, that is the case when Crackle took over and made the sequel to the 2001 hit Joe Dirt with Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser. David Spade (Tommy Boy) assumes the role of Joe Dirt once again and everything seems Ok as Joe is married to the beautiful Brandy (Brittany Daniel) and they have triplets together. I said everything seems Ok until a tornado hits Silver Town and sends Joe Dirt back all the way to 1965. Now Joe has to try and make it to that moment when he first met Brandy before it’s too late. Otherwise, everything he worked for will disappear as we know it. The film also stars Christopher Walken (Seven Psychopaths) as Clem, Patrick Warburton (Ted) as Foggle, Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) as Jimmy, Dennis Miller (The Net) as Zander Kelly, Tracy Weisert, (My Name Is Khan) as Woman, Charlotte McKinney (Dancing With The Stars) as Missy, Matthew Curry (Fred And Rose) as Ronnie Van Zandt, Adam Beach (Cowboys & Aliens) as Kicking Wing, Kevin Farley (2gether) as Cal, and the film was directed by Fred Wolf (The House Bunny).
I am feeling so torn with this film because I was such a fan of the original film and I am disappointed in this film. I am so disappointed with the writing department because the story just didn’t stand up to the original. At times, the film just felt like it was a spoof film as we got references to Forrest Gump, The Wizard Of Oz, and so much more. It was just all over the place and the ending of the film just pissed me off completely. They waited 14 years to make a sequel to the film and they could’ve gone another 14 without one. Apparently, it also didn’t matter that at the end of the first film Joe received a new hairstyle, but it’s Hollywood they can do what they want. One of the other things that bothered me about the film was at one point the camera was so shaky that it was nauseating to watch. I wanted to really love this film, but it relies too much on stupid jokes like their overuse of farting to get laughs. The only great thing about the film is the fact that Brittany Daniels looked absolutely amazing. Time has been very kind to her and I loved every second of her onscreen time. Mark McGrath was actually the other breath of fresh air the film needed and had. I was looking forward to seeing Kid Rock, but McGrath did a great job as the new enemy. The soundtrack was actually pretty amazing as well, but that couldn’t save the film. I am going to give this film an C-/D+ for a final grade because it borders between the two.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 