A Complete Review of F. Gary Gray's work

Cast : Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson

What was it about?
The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.

My two cents:
After this movie had turned out to a commercial and critical flop, I had pretty much lost all interest in the damned thing but Nick, my step-son was still quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, I thought it was actually not so bad at all after all. I mean, sure, it was still a rather pointless sequel/reboot and the fact that I had such low expectations probably helped me appreciate more this flick than it actually deserved but, still, in my opinion, it was actually fairly entertaining. Indeed, while I was watching the damned thing, I remembered how much I had a weak spot for this franchise and they did a decent job to keep the same vibe. However, even if Chris Hemsworth was quite fun and made a solid duo with Tessa Thompson, they never reached the awesome chemistry displayed by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Furthermore, the makers are apparently stuck repeating over an over the same formula which is basically that our planet is facing some Alien threat and the Men In Black have to stop it somehow and, after 4 movies, it has become rather tiresome and repetitive.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Luke Evans, Elsa Pataky, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren

What was it about?
When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of terrorism and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.

My two cents:
Well, eventually, I still don't understand why this franchise is so popular and, except for the fifth installment which was pretty solid, all these movies just seriously bored me and this movie was not an exception, I'm afraid. I mean, sure, I have to admit it, there were some really neat action scenes (my favorite one being when Hobbs and Shaw were getting out of jail) but some of them were rather ridiculous, especially the one involving a whole bunch of remotely controlled cars. Obviously, the whole gimmick this time around was to have Dom joining the bad guys (a gimmick actually already used with Letty in the 6th installment) but it was obvious from the start that he was coerced so it didn't have any impact whatsoever. But, as usual with this franchise, the worst part were the dialogues which were just so tedious and sometimes even rather laughable. Concerning the cast, at least half of the characters could and probably should be removed and, for Charlize Theron, at least, she was playing the bad guy for once but she didn't really try to make her character really interesting.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Paul Giamatti, Lakeith Stanfield

What was it about?
The group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.

My two cents:
First of all, I thought that the opening scenes were really strong. Indeed, it is when you get to see where those guys started that the whole thing worked out the most and, at that point, I thought that, if they could keep up this level of intensity, it could turn out to be a really strong movie, much stronger than I expected. Unfortunately, as soon as they managed to release their first hit song, the whole thing turned into a rather generic music biopic. I mean, sure, it was interesting enough but it wasn't really spellbinding anymore. Still, I really liked how they managed to show what those guys have managed to achieve without glamorising their lifestyle. Basically, that's what they did, no more no less. Furthermore, this band pretty much launched their own music genre, the gangsta rap, a genre which was quite subversive when they started and it is still going strong 30 years later but, nowadays, there is nothing subversive anymore about the damned thing, but that's what happens with all the music genres when they go mainstream.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney, Leslie Bibb, Regina Hall, Viola Davis, Josh Stewart

What was it about?
A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

My two cents:
The first thing I really enjoyed was the fact that the two main characters were not really necessary the good guy and the bad guy. Indeed, they created this interesting grey area where the actions of Clyde (the psychopath played by Gerard Butler) were rather understandable while the actions by Nick (the lawyer played by Jamie Foxx) were rather reprehensible. It gave an interesting dynamic but, unfortunately, the makers just dropped the ball at some point and the rest was just your typical Hollywood thriller with some big action scenes and explosions. I mean, it was entertaining, that's for sure, but the story barely made sense with some massive plot holes. Basically, it is a rather typical thriller with an omnipotent serial killer who is so smart, he can predict all your moves and he also seemed to have an unlimited budget. Even with 'Seven', a far superior movie which is considered as a classic by many people, I didn't care much for this gimmick and it didn't work here either. Eventually, at the end, you discover how Clyde pulled the whole thing and either you will find it ridiculous or either you don't care if a thriller doesn't makes any sense at all. Still, it remains a decent thriller with some interesting stuff.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Cedric the Entertainer, André Benjamin, Christina Milian, Debi Mazar, Harvey Keitel, Dwayne Johnson, Danny DeVito, James Woods

What was it about?
Disenchanted with the movie industry, Chili Palmer tries the music industry, meeting and romancing a widow of a music executive on the way.

My two cents:
Honestly, I never understood why 'Get Shorty' is considered such a cult-classic. I mean, I thought it was ok but nothing mind-blowing but maybe I should check it again at some point. Anyway, In the mean time, I have watched this sequel even though it was poorly received. Unfortunately, the whole thing was not really good, it was in fact even seriously weak. First of all, I think it was really a cheap shot to put Travolta and Thurman together and to make it sounds as if it was an awesome combination like in the good old days of ‘Pulp Fiction’ which was probably the only great movie they made. Basically, both their characters were not interesting on their own, they were still not interesting when they were together either and I didn't care much about the story. To make things worse, some of the supporting characters were truly annoying. Eventually, even though I have seen worse movies, the whole thing was really misguided and it is a really average flick.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Jason Statham Seth Green, Mos Def, Edward Norton

What was it about?
After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.

My two cents:
To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and maybe I should rewatch it at some point. Anyway, to be honest, I always had some mixed feelings about the damned thing. Indeed, on one hand, I have to admit it, it is a fairly entertaining feature with a really solid cast. On the other hand, it seemed to be just another uninspired remake of a good classic starring Michael Caine, just like 'Get Carter', 'Alfie' or 'Sleuth'. I mean, at the end of the day, it was a well made heist feature but it wasn't really original enough to become truly remarkable. It doesn't help either when you know that Edward Norton, probably the best actor involved, didn't want to do this movie at all but was eventually contractually obligated to play this part. Eventually, since it was a decent box-office success, they immediately made some plan to make a sequel which was supposed to be called 'The Brazilian Job' but it was endlessly delayed and eventually dropped altogether.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Vin Diesel, Timothy Olyphant

What was it about?
A man known as Diablo emerges to head a drug cartel after the previous leader is imprisoned.

My two cents:
Basically, at the beginning of the 2000's, following 'Pitch Black', 'The Fast and the Furious' and 'xXx', Vin Diesel was heralded as the next big action movie star. Well, fast-forward a decade later and we can say that Vin Diesel never really managed to reach this status after all. I mean, after a string of decent box-office successes, this movie was in fact his first flop. Basically, the whole thing tried to be some kind of throwback to those macho action movies from the 80's and I have to admit that the directing was not bad, with a rather gritty and stylish look. The action scenes were also decent but nothing really impressive though and, eventually, I can't say I really enjoyed the damned thing. I mean, Vin Diesel was quite charismatic and he had the potential to be badass but the story was just really weak and even rather boring. Furthermore, they tried to add a stupid twist at the end but it made the whole thing even more non-sensical. Basically, the plot-holes were just so huge that a train could pass through them.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Paul Giamatti

What was it about?
In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.

My two cents:
Many people seems to think that it is one hell of a movie but, to be honest, I wasn't really blown away by the whole thing. I think I understand why it is so much loved though. Basically, you have here two of the best actors at that time, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey, with some interesting characters and they both gave some really solid performances. So, I get it, the whole thing is a huge showdown with those two powerhouses but, still, I thought it was fairly entertaining but not much more than that, I’m afraid. I mean, come on, the plot was just really preposterous and therefore, I really had a hard time to care about what was going on. Eventually, this movie is a very good example why I’m not a huge fan of the action genre. Basically, half of the story is rather unbelievable but they spend their time covering up the plot-holes with some action stuff. Even if you bring two great actors in the game, if the story doesn’t really work, the end-result will be always lukewarm. Still, even though I don’t think it is that great, it remains a decent action-thriller.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox

What was it about?
Desperation drives four inner-city women to bank robbery in Los Angeles, then they start mistrusting one another.

My two cents:
Fortunately, this movie went beyond the whole gimmick of having some women robbing banks and it is actually a really solid heist feature. The first thing they did right was to clearly explain the motivations of the characters, the whole thing felt surprisingly realistic and after a while you could understand why those women were so pissed off at the world. There was also a nice cast and they did a pretty good job. I also enjoyed the sense of community displayed in the sense that even though they lived in a tough neighbourdhood, they still could interact with some gangsters because they knew each other from childhood. It was also a nice touch that the cop could act as a prick but wasn't completely one dimensional and definitely showed some compassion. Of course, the whole thing was not really original and some stuff didn't really work (the scene during which they parodied 'The Godfather' was especially ridiculous) but I still enjoyed most of it.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Regina King

What was it about?
Two homies, Smokey and Craig, smoke a dope dealer's weed and try to figure a way to get the $200 they owe to the dealer by 10 p.m. that same night.

My two cents:
First of all, I have to confess, I used to be a major pothead for maybe 8 years. At some point, I kind of lost interest and stopped all together (I mean, it was fun for what is was but it wasn't really a healthy hobby). Anyway, I kept hearing that it was a pretty good stoner flick and I wanted to watch it for many years. Eventually, I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, it wasn't a pretty good stoner flick, it was pure and simply the very best movie in this genre. At the end of the day, it is literally about two guys who spend the whole day sitting on a porch, doing really nothing, except occasionally smoking some dope and watching what is going on in the neighborhood. I know, for most of you, it must sound really pointless (I guess it is after all) but for anyone familiar with weed, it is highly recognizable. I also believe there is a high social value in this ritual, getting together with your buddy, smoking, talking about everything and nothing. Furthermore, finally, they perfectly portrayed the behavior of your average smoker. Basically, Ice Cube portrays the occasional smoker and Chris Tucker the daily user and when Ice Cube finally hit the joints, his behavior was highly recognizable and quite funny. And that was also why this movie was so successful, it was really funny. I mean, I have never cared about the 'Rush Hour' franchise but Chris Tucker was genuinely hilarious in this.

My rating: 08/10

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