There are times where I thank myself for starting this challenge because it gives me opportunities to see some amazing films and sometimes not so amazing of films. Ever since Marvel and Disney had announced that the third film for Captain America was going to be Captain America: Civil War, I couldn’t wait to see it. When The Avengers have to go in to a city and save the day, who has to answer to the people and the victims of the aftermath? Who is held responsible and who is to be held accountable? That is one of the many questions that Secretary Of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) have presented to the team after a mission in Nigeria has some terrible consequences. With Bucky Barnes still on the loose and now wanted for the murder of King T’Chaka (John Kani), Captain America (Chris Evans) looks to prove that Bucky (Sebastian Stan) is innocent even if it means he has to go rogue. The film also stars Paul Bettany (Priest) as Vision, Scarlet Johansson (Lucy) as Black Widow, Anthony Mackie (Pain & Gain) as Sam Wilson, Don Cheadle (Crash) as War Machine, Jeremy Renner (The Town) as Hawkeye, Chadwick Boseman (42) as Black Panther, Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla) as Scarlet Witch, Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) as Ant-Man, Tom Holland (Locke) as Spider-Man, Daniel Brühl (Rush) as Zemo, Frank Grillo (Warrior) as Crossbones, and the film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
I am seriously trying my best not to spoil anything for anyone who has not yet seen this film. I am seriously going to try my best, but just in case spoiler alert: do not continue to read in case of any details slipping through. I am going to start this off right away by saying that I truly loved the film and was totally not disappointed by it at all. All I can really say is that there are some small questions that are answered in this film that play a big role overall in the film. Not to mention, there is some bad ass action sequences in the film and some really cool appearances by certain characters like one Spider-Man and Ant-Man. I really loved Spider-Man’s interactions with Tony Stark and the Avengers team in general. The film really does a terrific job with character development and if you are looking for a character driven film, then this is it. All of the action sequences are amazing and all of the fight scenes are worth the price of admission. Chadwick Boseman making his debut as Black Panther was absolutely awesome and the drama was well written. The conflicts hit you really close especially if you are a fan of a certain character. This is definitely one of my favorite films of the year besides Deadpool so I am going to have a hard time with ranking these films. Check out the film, choose a side, and see if you made the right choice for yourself. I am going to give the film an A+ for a final grade because it had the right amount of drama and it sneaked the comedy in at the right times plus everything I mentioned above.
In the mid to late 1990’s, the thing to do in Hollywood was to bring back the lost art of Disaster Movies that people loved from the 70’s (Airport, The Towering Inferno, Poseidon Adventure, etc.). In 1997, 20TH Century Fox released the film Volcano which starred Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men) as Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management (LAC OEM) boss Mike Roark. Everything seems normal in Los Angeles except for the fact that people are outraged at a new subway line going in. That is until a couple of workers end up dying from severe burns. While Mike starts to investigate what happened, a volcano begins to erupt underneath Los Angeles and now Mike has to figure out how to save the city before it’s too late. The film also stars Anne Heche (Donnie Brasco) as Dr. Amy Barnes, Gaby Hoffmann (Uncle Buck) as Kelly Roark, Don Cheadle (Iron Man 2) as Emmit Reese, Jacqueline Kim (Brokedown Palace) as Dr. Jaye Calder, Keith David (Men At Work) as Police LT. Ed Fox, John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2) as Norman Calder, Michael Rispoli (Pain & Gain) as Gator Harris, John Carroll Lynch (Ted 2) as Stan Olber, and the film was directed by Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard).
First of all, I want to start off by saying that Tommy Lee Jones is an amazing actor who commands the screen no matter what role he is playing. Second of all, this is a disaster film after all which means that the special effects are going to be off the chains for these kinds of films and it was. The explosions were cool and the lava running through the city was cool. How far fetched or possible is a volcano under Los Angeles, I am not 100% sure as to how accurate that would be. With the fault lines and all the subway systems they have, it would be a scary notion if it could happen. To spice things up for the film, they trow in some racial tension because we know that was running rampant in LA at the time. You have a guy looking out for his section of town, gets the handcuffs put on him until the cop decides not to be racist anymore. Then you have a little kid who is being carried by a black police officer who looks out and says, “look at their faces, they all look the same.” A nice gesture saying that we are all human and that we should all help each other, but a sentimental part I seriously could have done without. The movie is about Volcano’s, not Rodney King or Rampart. Nevertheless, you know exactly what you are getting with these films and it’s enjoyable enough to watch. That is why I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.
For today’s film, I traveled to my local theater to check out two men that make a hilarious unlikely combo come together for the first time in five years. Of course, I am talking about Will Farrell (Old School) and Mark Wahlberg (Fear) who star together once again for the first time since The Other Guys in the comedy Daddy’s Home. Farrell plays a radio disc jokey named Brad, who is desperately seeking the affection from his stand offish step children. Despite adhering to his wife’s warnings, Brad invited the children’s real dad over the house in the macho Dusty Mayron (Wahlberg) a man who just oozes machismo. Brad’s plans begin to fall apart once Dusty comes to town and the two compete for the children’s affection in this battle of wits. The film also stars Linda Cardellini (Grandma’s Boy) as Sara, Thomas Haden Church (Killer Joe) as Leo Holt, Scarlett Estevez (Lucifer) as Meagan, Owen Vaccaro (A Product Of Me) as Dylan, Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire) as Dr. Francisco, Hannibal Buress (Neighbors) as Griff, Jamie Denbo (Yes Man) as Doris, and Mark L. Young (We’re The Millers) as Dental Hygienist.
You can definitely not go wrong when trying to decide what movie to see and Wahlberg and Farrell’s names are attached to it. I have to agree with a friend of mine who made the statement that he enjoys seeing Wahlberg more when it comes to comedies. He was awesome in films like Date Night, Ted, The Other Guys, Pain & Gain, etc. So, it was a natural move for me to see this film because Walhberg and Farrell kept me entertained and laughing throughout the whole film. You add in the combo of the kids and Hannibal Buress as a handy man that moves in unexpectedly and you have a great combo that didn’t disappoint. You also cannot forget the addition of physical comedy which was plenty and awesome in the movie. Of course, it was great to see Linda Cardellini in the film, but there were a couple of cameos in the film that made me lose my mind. I am going to give you the spoiler alert because if you do not want to know any info then do not continue. It lost my mind when I saw Bill Burr in the film and then to top that, they thrown in WWE wrestler John Cena who has a habit of appearing in comedies lately (Sisters, Trainwreck). John Cena appearing could leave it up for a sequel, but I doubt they’ll do one. Wahlberg and Farrell make a great combo and we have evidence to back it up, it’s just a matter of when we’ll see them on screen again. I am going to give the movie an B+ for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 