Day 307: Central Intelligence (2016)

It has been a little over a month since the last time we did an Ass Whoopin Wednesdays post so we didn’t want to waste anymore time. For this week’s Ass Whoopin Wednesdays film, we decided to do a tag team thing with the film Central Intelligence which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Pain & Gain) and Kevin Hart (Ride Along). For Calvin “The Golden Jet” Joyner (Hart), it looked like the sky was the limit when it came to his life in high school and that he could do anything. 20 years later, he is an accountant at a small company and he’s very unhappy with where he is at. One day, he gets a friend request from someone known as Bob Stone (Johnson) who ends up being a kid that was bullied when they were in high school together. Stone comes and he uses Joyner for his accounting skills to catch someone known as The Black Badger, but who does Joyner trust? Bob Stone or the CIA? The film also stars Amy Ryan (Escape Plan) as Agent Harris, Danielle Nicolet (The Flash) as Maggie, Jason Bateman (Juno) as Trevor, Aaron Paul (Triple 9) as Phil, Tim Griffin (American Sniper) as Agent Mitchell, Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong) as The Buyer, and the film was directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (We’re The Millers). To see the rest of the review and the stats, please click here to go to Moshpits and Movies.

Day 197: Ghostbusters (2016)

For today’s film, I probably chose the most controversial film of the year so far and I say controversial for all the hate it received on Youtube. The film I am talking about is the remake/reboot of the most legendary 80’s series Ghostbusters. Things in Manhattan seem pretty normal until a paranormal invasion happens at a local historical building that calls on paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) and Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) along with nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). After the occurrences that strangely keep happening around the city, they decide to form a team to battle the ghosts which could be connected to someone who is trying to bring them back to cleanse the world. The film also stars Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live) as Patty Tolan, Zach Woods (The Other Guys) as Tour Guide, Ed Begley Jr. (This Is Spinal Tap) as Ed Mulgrave, Charles Dance (Last Action Hero) as Harold Filmore, Steve Higgins (The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon) as Dean, Neil Casey (Inside Amy Schumer) as Rowan North, Chris Hemsworth (Thor: The Dark World) as Kevin, Cecily Strong (The Boss) as Jennifer Lynch, Andy Garcia (The Untouchables) as Mayor Bradley, Michael Kenneth Williams (Boardwalk Empire) as Agent Hawkins, Karan Soni (Deadpool) as Benny, and the film was directed by Paul Feig (The Heat).

I am going to warn you that from here on going forward that there may or may not be spoilers contained in this part of the article. So I am setting up a spoiler alert warning and do not continue if you do not want to know. There are going to be a lot of differences of opinions when it comes to this film with some that claim they hated it and some that claim they liked or loved it. You ultimately have to make that decision for yourself, but I am on the side of I loved it. It’s not better than the original Ghostbusters movie, but it was so much fun to watch.I had so many laughs through out the whole film especially with Chris Hemsworth who plays Kevin, a hunky guy who is a complete and utter idiot. Chris does a great job playing one of the comedic reliefs of the film. I thought that Melissa McCarthy would be my favorite Ghostbuster in the film, but that award goes to Kate McKinnon who plays the outrageous and weird Jillian Holtsmann. She was one of the best parts of this film and provided me with a lot of laughs as well. The ghosts were really cool, but the CGI in the film reminded me a lot of the first Scooby Doo film that came out. It’s like they used the same technology as that film to create their ghosts. One of my favorite things about this film is the various cameos in the film from all the original cast members of Ghostbusters except for Rick Moranis (who says that he is not retired) and Harold Ramis (who passed away in 2014).

There are times in the film where it seems more like a horror film because some off the scenes with the ghosts can be spooky as hell. One of my favorite sequences in the film has to be the fight scene between the Ghostbusters and all the ghosts in the city. It’s your typical action like sequence, but it’s very cool and bad ass. I also thought that I would be opposed to seeing the ghost from the logo as an actual ghost in the film, but I actually enjoyed it. Besides the original cast members of the original films, there are also references to the original film that made me happy that they at least recognized it. I am going to leave you guys with one statement regarding the film and take it for what it is and form your own opinion. I really enjoyed the film, had a lot of fun watching it, and I would be open to a sequel if it came up. Like I said, is it better than the originals, obviously no, but it is it’s own film.

Day 101: The Boss (2016)

Melissa McCarthy (The Heat) is really becoming one of my favorite actresses in the comedy world. I have enjoyed for the most part a lot of her films so it was only natural to want to watch and review her latest offering in The Boss where she served as a writer, producer, and star. For Michelle Darnell (McCarthy), life hasn’t always been that easy for her after a life of being tossed around in the foster child care system. She vowed to change her life for the better and she did just that as Darnell became a millionaire. Now, I didn’t say that she became a millionaire from just hard work, but those things she did will come back to haunt her as a former colleague Renault (Peter Dinklage) screws her and she lands in jail and loses everything. Now with the help of a former employee named Claire (Kristen Bell), she will try to rise to prominence once again in a different kind of business. The film also stars Ella Anderson (Unfinished Business) as Rachel, Tyler Labine (Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil) as Mike, Kathy Bates (Misery) as Ida, Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live) as Dana, Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers) as Scout Leader Sandy, Timothy Simons (The Interview) as Stephan, Eva Peterson as Crystal, Annie Mumolo (This Is 40) as Helen, and the film was directed by Ben Falcone (Tammy).

As I said above, Melissa McCarthy is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses in comedy. I heard a lot of mixed reviews from people before I went to the theater to check it out for myself and for the people bad mouthing it, what are you talking about? There are so many scenes in the film that McCarthy has me laughing hysterically. I honestly felt bad for the people in the theater that had to put up with me. I don’t know what people are expecting from her in this film, but I was thoroughly entertained which is what a comedy is supposed to do. Melissa’s interactions with the rival girl scout troupe mother is hilarious and Peter Dinklage was amazing too. The film having Peter Dinklage was the icing on the cake that was already a good film. There is a fight scene in the film between the two troupes that you have to check out because it was one of my favorite moments in the film. Another great scene in the film was the interaction between Tyler Labine’s character with the security guard in Renaults building. That was an unexpected, but amazing laugh. In my opinion, every single person in this film served their purpose and played their roles the way they were supposed to. While I agree that this may not be the best Melissa McCarthy film (cause The Heat is still the best in my opinion), this ranks up there with the best of them. I think you all should go and check it out because the film is exactly what it is, a comedy. That is why I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.