What Men Want

Movie Review: What Men Want 

Back in 2000 Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt brought us What Women Want.  I remember that being pretty decent but would be hard press to say more than that.  So, nineteen years later, under the everything that’s old is new again (i.e. no new ideas) Paramount flipped the switch, cast Taraji P. Henson and Aldis Hodge and released What Men Want.  The trailers looked a bit iffy to me, but in the mood for a good laugh I threw caution (and $6) to the wind and checked this one out.

My initial thoughts during the opening fifteen minutes or so were lukewarm at best.  There are some humorous moments, but the film is slow and didn’t exactly grab my complete attention (as in I was thinking about getting Chinese for dinner). Fortunately, things take an upswing after the slow start and get better and better as the film moves on.  So much so, even though there were only a handful of us in the theater, I had trouble hearing the last twenty minutes plus of the movie the guy behind me was laughing so hard.

Not every joke is a winner.  In fact, there are some cringeworthy doozies, but let me tell you, there are far more seriously funny lines/bits/scenes in this film.   I’m talking laugh out loud, hope you aren’t eating anything, or you’ll choke moments.  The wedding scene alone had me on the floor.  No spoilers, but $#@! got real!  I couldn’t help but enjoy myself and that was the whole point of seeing the film. Erykah Badu’s psychic Sister cracked me up every time.  Be sure to watch the credits for some additional “psychic” readings she gives.  Truthfully, the casting is solid all the way around.  Wendi McLendon-Covey (of The Goldberg’s and Bridesmaids fame), Josh Brener, Richard Roundtree, and Max Greenfield in particular add an extra punch of depth and emotion to the film along with the funny.  Even the cameos pay off.

What Men Want also features an infectious, bumping soundtrack, moral/self-reflecting lessons (without being preachy), and heartfelt moments.  All told, the film has an unexpected amount of warmth. A quick word of caution. The R rating is definitely well deserved as the film is profanity laced from beginning to end and can easily be categorized as vulgar by some. 

I went into What Men Want wanting to be entertained and to have a good laugh or two.  I got that and more.  It’s mindless entertainment that also makes you think and delivers some surprises along the way. Goodness knows I’ve sat through worse (I’m looking at you JLo, Second Act had me wanting my money back and I didn’t even pay for that one).  I’m going to give this one a 7.  Again, if you do see it, stay for the first part of the credits.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 

Back in 2010 I was introduced to the Northern Viking island of Berk and the skinny, scrawny, anemic, and misbegotten less than favorite chieftains’ son, Hiccup and the Night Fury Toothless and I couldn’t have been more surprised, enthralled, or pleased by DreamWorks offering of How To Train Your Dragon.  Been hooked on the story and characters ever since.  As such, I was beyond stoked to see for the concluding film in the franchise, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.  Bundled up like Nanook of the North, I braved freezing cold (literally), wind, and rain to be among the first to see the film.  High expectations?  You bet!

Were my expectations met or even exceeded? Honestly, no.

Don’t get me wrong.  The Hidden World is a solid film that delights more than disappoints, but it’s a tad underwhelming too.  Yes!  All the gang is back (save for T.J. Miller, the part of Tuffnut is now voiced by Justin Rupple), sweet!  However, they aren’t as integrated or integral to the storyline this time around.  As a final film in the trilogy, that’s disappointing.  I wanted more time to enjoy Gobber, Fishlegs, Snoutlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut, etc. before the last goodbye.  These crucial secondary characters have been pushed too far into the background this time around. 

There’s also, once again a villain problem.  The lauded F. Murray Abraham plays Grimmel, our big bad this time around.  He’s billed as the greatest most fearsome dragon killer around.  There’s talk and more talk about how he’s something no one can best, yet, for the most part that’s all it is.  A lot of talk.  There’s plenty of action, but the character himself is generic and bland at best.  If you hand Abraham a role, give him on that he can sink his teeth into and do justice.  I’m not even going to get into the Kit Harington mess.  Seems more like a look, we got Jon Snow from Game of Thrones in our film than an actual character.

The storyline is a bit problematic given the previous films and tv shows as well.  The reasoning behind upping and moving from Berk now, doesn’t ring quite true.  And while I love the fact that the writers have allowed the characters to grow-up they haven’t really grown.  If anything, they’ve been devolved. Hiccup’s character has been reduced to a rehash of doubt, insecurity, and neediness seen in the first film, no longer the new kind of Viking leader he’d become.  Again, I wanted more from him.  As for Astrid, well she’s also been reduced to a basic sidekick/love interest not the bad@$$ warrior she’s been. And while the love stories, especially Toothless’, are adorable there is just too much time devoted to them, particularly in a life and death crisis.  And forgive my crassness, but at this juncture I feel a bros before hoes code of conduct between Hiccup and Toothless is more apt. 

While the pacing is a bit slow at the beginning (I didn’t get bored per se, but the film just washed over me for a good fifteen minutes or so) of the film following the opening raid, once things pick up the story does keep your interest and is cute, entertaining, and offers some good action/thrills.  The visuals are absolutely stunning, especially in 3D.  The Hidden World sequence harkens back to Coco and is mesmerizing.  Powerful music score by John Powell.

N  Kids will definitely love it, even the mushy parts, and adults can get into it as well.  While not as stand alone or emotionally satisfying as say a Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a largely satisfying end to the movie franchise.  The final scenes definitely left me with warm fuzzies and a happy smile on my face.  Definitely worth a trip to the theater.  It’s a 7 from me.

ot the slam dunk conclusion to the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy I wanted/expected, The Hidden World is still a solid, enjoyable film.

The Lego Movie: The Second Part

Movie Review: The Lego Movie: The Second Part

Back in 2014 WAG released The Lego Movie, the tale of a less than extraordinary Lego construction worker thought to be the prophesied "special". And everything was awesome. Now, five years later Emmet and company return to the big screen and we find that having been attacked by Lego Duplo invaders outer space, everything in Bricksburg is NOT awesome. Sad for the citizens of former Brickburg, but how does this new dystopian landscape play out for the movie going audience?

The Lego Movie: The Second Part literally picks up where the first movie ended, setting the backdrop for the storyline of the second film. As happy as I was to see Emmet and company return to the big screen for another adventure, the first part of the film fell a bit flat and less special/engaging than the first. Nowhere near Lego Ninjago flat, thankfully, but not as noteworthy as The Lego Movie or Lego Batman. No doubt due to some small part of the audience now being "aware" of the films origins. As a result things felt a bit forced initially. However, once Emmet is forced to spring into action to save Lucy (and other others that get taken), the film takes flight in spectacular fashion and the fun/magic begins and doesn't let up.

Chock-full of pop culture, meta references (maybe too many and not all as ingenuously integrated) and a bumping sound track (yes, Second Part is a musical), Lego 2 works well (a tad heavy on the "human" action) and delivers the laughs, thrills, action, emotion, and morals along with the entertainment. Speaking of the soundtrack, if you thought Everything is Awesome is an insidious little ditty, you'll be delighted to know the Catchy Song is the purest evil earworm that makes Everything is Awesome a pedestrian attempt. 🎵 This song is gonna get stuck inside your head 🎵

The voice casting once again delivers and delights with big name stars Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks et al. reprising their roles as well as the addition of Tiffany Haddish and Stephanie Beatriz. Bruce Willis and Jason Momoa kill in their cameos, definitely leaving you wanting more.
Great animation. A bit cliche, but solid writing. Some clever plot twists. Overall, a fun time at the movie. I'm giving this one a 7.5. Oh, and be sure to stick around for the end credits. Nothing happens, but it's a great dance party.