BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) ABOUT LAST NIGHT
So this a remake of the 86 David Mamet film? Coolness. This might be a nice hidden gem come Valentine’s Day season. It’s a comedy-drama so it won’t be too shticky. We get Kevin Hart starring in the movie with Regina Hall, the awesome Joy Bryant, Michael Ealy, and others. It looks like it’ll be pretty good movie. I’m excited to see Kevin Hart really act and this might be that outlet. My problem is that they take it out of Chicago and put it in LA. The book and original are products of Chicago and really painted a great picture of the city. Now it’s in LA, just like every other non-descript location movie. Plus Bryan Callen is in this. He’s awesome. There’s a lot of little interesting aspects of this movie that makes it at least intriguing.
(THREE) GRUDGE MATCH
This movie is going to be awesomely bad. I’m not even excited about it for the right reasons. I feel like this movie is going to so cheesy and bad that it’ll be good. This whole thing reminds me of the recent movie “Stand Up Guys”. They take a few older awesome actors and put them in a movie so they can reference being old, complain about kids these days, and have over the top scenes to prove how much of a bad ass or “good guy” they are. I’m sure this movie has the same formula. The twist is that it’s a boxing movie! Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro play old boxers who decide to get together and settle their grudge after 30 years. So they have one big fight to promote and the movie centers around that and their past. The rest of the cast is made up on Jon Bernthal, Kim Basinger, Kevin Hart, and of course Alan Arkin. I’m sure there will be a scene where they reference someone being youthful and crazy only to reveal them as old and sleeping. There will be a scene where someone is rude or mean to a young woman and the old boxer will step in and defend her. Someone won’t recognize them. Their age will be in question and the words “remember when…” will be used too much. At the end, they’ll have their battle and somehow all will be well. Lessons will be learned, laughs will be had, and this will be forgettable basic cable fodder for years to come. I think we need to make this a drinking game movie. Take one drink every time you’re thirsty.
(TWO) WALK OF SHAME
This movie is going to be fun. I’ve been a big fan of Elizabeth Banks for a while now. I think she’s one of the most endearing actresses out there. When she pops up in a movie or a television show it’s almost an instant smile. She just seems like such a pleasant person. I’m happy to see her get a starring role here. She plays a reporter who is on the verge of getting her dream job. She has a big job interview, but the catch is that she’s stranded in downtown LA with no phone, car, ID, or money. She has eight hours to get to the job interview. Yeah, the plot sounds a lot like the movie The Warriors, but I doubt we’ll get any baseball Furies in this one. The ensemble cast they put around Banks is top notch. The cast is made up of James Mardsen, Gillian Jacobs, Ethan Suplee, Sarah Wright, Kevin Nealon, Bill Burr, Willie Garson, Oliver Hudson, Tig Notaro, and a hand full of other awesome people. I’m not expecting the best comedy of the year or anything, but I’m sure this will be a good and entertaining ride. I hope so at least.
(ONE) RIDE ALONG
I can’t believe I’m this interested in an Ice Cube movie, but I am. Kevin Hart is just due his big break out movie role. He’s pretty much a household name, but he needs a big movie or two like this to cement his status in the entertainment world. I’m confident in the dude not being a flash in the pan. He’s hilarious and by all accounts a hard worker. He’s going to make it no matter what. I’d just like to see this movie be a spark for that. He’s a loud mouth who joins up with his soon-to-be brother in law for a 24 hour patrol in Atlanta. Hilarity and hijinks then ensues. It’s Kevin Hart teaming up with an angry Ice Cube with a solid supporting cast of like John Lequizamo, Bruce McGill, Bryan Callen, Gary Owen, Jay Pharoah, David Banner, and a whole bunch of familiar talented faced. This movie is going to be either really good or really forgettable. For some reason I can’t wait to find out which one.
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