Tag: Dwayne Johnson

  • ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ needs a tune up

    ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ needs a tune up

    Vanessa Kirby, Jason Statham, and Dwayne Johnson in Hobbs & Shaw

    “It is a mistake to think that moving fast is the same as actually going somewhere.” – Steve Goodier

    I must be the only person on the planet who is getting less on board with the Fast and Furious movies as they go on. The more they steer away from their street crime roots, the more they lose me. The latest is Hobbs & Shaw, which teams together two of the supporting characters from the past couple films for an outing that’s bombastic and fleeting. 

    Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Shaw (Jason Statham) get drafted into action for a new mission where they’ll have to work together despite not getting on particularly well. Said mission involves the latter’s younger sister (Vanessa Kirby), an MI6 operative who’s intercepted a lethal virus but has been framed for the deaths of her teammates and is on the run. They are tasked with finding her, but she is pursed by the terrorist group responible for the situation who want the pathogen. They are led by Brixton (Idris Elba), a cybernetically-enhanced super soldier who has history with Shaw.

    Considering the (once) grounded series the movie is playing out in, this is all just so utterly ridiculous and stupid. Granted this kind of shift can happen when things go on for so long – just look at Death Wish compared to its sequels – but the absurdities just pile. Partway through, we find out that the bad guys are somehow able to spread fake news about our heroes that the public believes at face value. Then we have the reveal that these villains are actually one part of some larger organization, complete with a supreme leader shrouded in mystery. One’s mileage may vary on whether this is the “good” kind of stupid, but I didn’t take to it.

    Also, the film draws itself out too much and goes on for too long. I don’t know when exactly it was that this franchise decided it was so self-important to warrant such a length, but this has no business having such a high runtime. As for what all that time is filled with, it’s a whole lot of short-lived. This really is the kind of disposable movie that leaves very little, if any, lasting impression. I remember more about the Statham film I saw 6 years ago than I do this one.

    What I can recall is that Kirby quite good and the standout of the film, although flashbacks show her and Statham’s characters as close in age while as adults they very much are not. Johnson, Statham, and Elba are their reliable selves, as are a few supporting players that pop up here and there. And the fight direction, now under the eye of David Leitch, is noticeably sharp. 

    The “Fast and the Furious” is becoming “The Slow and the Tedious.” Going back to the series roots is most likely not the game plan for the next installment, but if they somehow can manage to un-jump the shark, things could rev back up.

  • ‘Skyscraper’ reaches for new heights and falls short

    ‘Skyscraper’ reaches for new heights and falls short

    Dwayne Johnson in Skyscraper

    “I think there will be a 200-story skyscraper someday. However, it will require a developer who will not think in conventional terms and for whom economic restraints won’t apply” – Helmut Kahn, noted architect

    “A dead man begs you to remember; a warrior’s ultimate act is to lay down his sword” – Jet Li as “Nameless” in the 2002 film Hero

    Few warriors are more deserving of making the choice to lay down their sword than “Will Sawyer” (Dwayne Johnson – San Andreas) in Skyscraper, from writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Central Intelligence, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story).  He served in the Marines, spent years as an FBI Agent and then a decade on the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT).  FYI, he HRT is an elite unit that trains and occasionally operates with the Army’s Delta Force.  Then came an operation where Sawyer was badly injured, requiring the amputation of his leg below the knee.

    Fast forward to the present and Will has a cutting edge prosthetic leg, a wife “Sarah Sawyer” (Neve Campbell – “Closing the Ring).  She’s a Navy trauma surgeon who did three tours in Afghanistan.  They have two kids, “Georgia” (McKenna Roberts) and “Henry” (Noah Cottrell) and it should be noted that Henry suffers from asthma.  They are in Hong Kong with their parents because Will is there working.  He’s been hired to assess the security and protection systems of a newly constructed skyscraper.  It is 3,500 feet tall and a true wonder in many ways.  It’s builder and penthouse occupant, “Zhao Long Ji” (Chin Han – Independence Day:  Resurgence) hired Will to provide the final analysis/appraisal of the building that will convince the insurance company to underwrite occupancy of the building’s upper half.  There is an insurance company representative present when Will gives his report.  Will is given a tablet that is biometrically coded to his face, in order to do the last portion of the appraisal; visit the off-site control center where the building’s security and protection systems are managed from.

    Neve Campbell, Noah Cottrell and McKenna Roberts in Skyscraper

    What he doesn’t know is that when his friend “Ben” (Pablo Schreiber – 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi) had an ulterior motive in referring Will for this job.  Ben, also injured on that HRT operation gone wrong, is working for “Kores Botha” (Roland Møller – Atomic Blonde).  Botha desperately needs to get something somewhere in Zhao’s penthouse.  Botha has put together a plan to destroy Zhao’s creation while getting what he wants and needs.  Part of that plan is for Ben to get Will into place so that the tablet can be stolen from him by thugs led by “Xia” (Hannah Quinlivan) who is one bad-ass woman.  When that plan goes awry, a mortally wounded Ben confesses.  The other part of the plan also went wrong and rather than being elsewhere, Sarah and the kids are in their apartment in the skyscraper; and at risk.  This sends Will into rampage mode, doing anything and everything to get back into the building to save his family.

    Skyscraper doesn’t raise the bar set before it by Die Hard.  On one level this is little more than a mashup of that film, Towering Inferno and Men of Honor.  The excellent acting from Dwayne Johnson and Neve Campbell makes this movie better than it should have been.  The action is done well and the two have excellent chemistry.  The final result is solid action, worthy of a big buttered bucket of popcorn on your way into the auditorium.

    Check out our article where we take a deep dive into Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s box office power.

  • The best and worst of video game-based movies

    The best and worst of video game-based movies

    Raul Julia in 1994’s ‘Street Fighter’

    With the debut of Assassin’s Creed on the big screen (you can read our review here), the number of movies based on video games has climbed to…we’ve lost count.  The first was Super Mario Brothers back in 1993.  It bombed commercially and critically.  In fact, its Rotten Tomatoes rating of 15% is probably too generous.  The last film in this genre prior to Assassin’s Creed was Warcraft which came out this past June.  While it was also a critical failure, at least it was a hit at the box office with over $400 million in box office.

    Milla Jovovich in ‘Resident Evil: Extinction’

    The video game Resident Evil became a successful film franchise.  There have been five of these films starring Milla Jovovich as “Alice” and they’ve tallied over $900 million in box office.  The sixth and supposedly final Resident Evil film is due out next fall.  2018 will see the reboot of Tomb Raider with Alicia Vikander replacing Angelina Jolie as “Lara Croft.”

    As promised; and in no particular order in either list, here are TailSlate’s picks for best and worst movies based on video games.

    Worst

    Jurgen Prochnow in ‘House of the Dead’

    House of the Dead – 2003

    Noted German actor Jurgen Prochnow is the only easily-recognized name among the cast of this movie, considered not only one of the worst of the video game/turned movie genre; but one of the worst of all time period.  Killing Dr. Curien’s zombies with the light gun in the actual video game wasn’t all that much fun either.

    Kristin Kreuk and Josie Ho fighting in ‘Street Fighter 2: The Legend of Chun-Li

    Street Fighter 2 – The Legend of Chun-Li – 2009

    Starring Kristen Kreuk who currently plays Catherine Chandler on television’s “Beauty and the Beast” as the title character, this was the second and hopefully final film born from the Street Fighter video game.  Part of the problem with this movie is that the action sequences are as poorly done as the weak storyline.

    Mark Dacascos, Alyssa Milano and Scott Wolf in ‘Double Dragon’

    Double Dragon – 1994

    Based on an arcade video game that later transitioned to the Nintendo Entertainment System, Alyssa Milano and Robert Patrick were among the cast of this dog of a film that currently holds a rating of 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.  The arcade video game was fun.   The movie was not.

    Doom – 2005

    Dwayne Johnson in ‘Doom’

    Starring Dwayne Johnson (I guess he’s only referred to as The Rock on the WWE Network), Karl Urban and Bond Girl Rosamund Pike, the film’s backers promised a sequel if this one did well at the box office.  Mercifully, it didn’t.

    Best (a term we’re using loosely here)

    Raul Julia and Jean-Claude Van-Damme in ‘Street Fighter’

    Street Fighter – 1994

    With action star Jean-Claude Van-Damme and Academy Award winning actor Raul Julia as the hero and villain, TailSlate does not put this among the best of this genre because of the quality of the film.  Instead we are recognizing the fact that it does not take itself too seriously and as a result its entertainment value was lifted.  Sadly, this was Raul Julia’s final film and the “Vaya Con Dios Raul” salute to him in the credits would have been more appropriately placed in a much higher-quality film.

    Bridgette Wilson battles Trevor Goddard in ‘Mortal Kombat’

    Mortal Kombat – 1995

    It is not the acting that landed this movie a coveted spot on the very short list of what TailSlate considers the best of the video game/turned movie genre.  It was a combination of the very well-done fight scenes along with its excellent visual presentation.  Cameron Diaz was originally slated to play “Sonya Blade” but she got hurt during martial-arts training before production began.  Director Paul W. S. Anderson gave her replacement Bridgette Wilson the nickname “RoboBabe” as she insisted on doing all of her own fight and stunt scenes.

  • ‘Pain & Gain’ doesn’t hurt… much… but is Michael Bay’s best since ‘The Rock’

    ‘Pain & Gain’ doesn’t hurt… much… but is Michael Bay’s best since ‘The Rock’

    Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Mark Wahlberg in 'Pain & Gain'
    Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Mark Wahlberg in ‘Pain & Gain’

    The new film from director Michael Bay, Pain & Gain, is based on a true story involving kidnapping, torture and murder.  The criminals were bodybuilders who worked out at the same gym in Miami.  “Daniel Lugo” (Wahlberg) was a personal trainer at the gym, which was owned by “John Mese” (Corddry).  Lugo got himself hired by promising to triple the membership, which he did.  But he wanted more from life, especially after attending a success seminar put on by “Johnny Wu” (Jeong); who divided people into two groups.  Doers and Donters.  Lugo wanted to be a doer.

    He enlisted his good friend “Adrian Doorbal” (Mackie) in his scheme and “Paul Doyle” (Johnson) also became part of the plan.  That was to kidnap one of Lugo’s clients, “Victor Kershaw” (Shalhoub) who was wealthy and a major pain in the ass.  Once they had him in their clutches, they would force him to sign over all of his assets to them and then they’d dump him somewhere after drugging him.  But the plan goes awry after he recognizes Lugo.  So they decide once they have his money, they have to kill him.

    But he survives all of their efforts to kill him and after the police won’t take his story seriously, he calls a private detective.  “Ed Du Bois” (Harris) is a retired cop who doesn’t believe him either, at least not at first.  Soon however, he is investigating the trio, who are now living large on Kershaw’s money.  As his investigation proceeds, they find out that Kershaw is still alive and want very much to find and kill him.

    Meanwhile, Paul has run through his share of the crime proceeds, and wants to do it again, to someone with more money.  “Frank Gringa” (Rispoli) is a porn king and the trio is going to try to scam him.  Things go awry and suddenly there are bodies to dispose of, while Du Bois continues to search for evidence to bring the trio down.

    This is one of the better films to come from Bay since The Rock, although that’s not saying much.  While not groundbreaking or particularly brilliant, Pain & Gain has wit and interesting characters, although some of both are lost in Bay’s incessant need to have chase scenes and violence.  Worse yet, the level of violence doesn’t begin to come close to the real story in terms of how the victims were tortured and put through a living hell.  Wahlberg is good and Shalhoub is terrific as the douchebag who manages to evoke sympathy in spite of what an awful person he is.  Rebel Wilson has a few nice moments as the nurse who gives treatment first, and then love to Doorbal for an embarrassing medical predicament.  However, the talented Rob Corddry goes to waste in this film.

    I don’t want to provide film spoilers, but after you’ve seen the film, check out the real story, which is much more interesting.  The film is based on three articles published in the Miami New Times.

  • ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ fires for effect and is on-target

    ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ fires for effect and is on-target

    Dwayne Johnson is 'Roadblock' in 'G.I. Joe Retaliation'
    Dwayne Johnson is ‘Roadblock’ in ‘G.I. Joe Retaliation’

    You don’t need to have seen the first G.I. Joe film to see G.I. Joe:  Retaliation, but it might help to understand what’s going on.

    The “Cobra-Commander” (Bracey) is being held in a “special” prison in East Germany.  The G.I. Joes, led by their commander “Duke” (Tatum), are sent on a mission to seize nuclear weapons in Pakistan.  The mission is a success and the team is awaiting extraction when they come under a sudden and violent attack.

    Adrianne Palicki is sexy and deadly in 'G.I. Joe Retaliation'
    Adrianne Palicki is sexy and deadly in ‘G.I. Joe Retaliation’

    Everyone on the team dies, except “Roadblock” (Johnson), “Flint” (Cotrona) and “Lady Jaye” (Palicki).  They were betrayed by the “President” (Pryce)… except that it isn’t really the president.  He is in the hands of “Zartan” (Vosloo), who is using technology to impersonate him.

    The three survivors, mourning the loss of their teammates, especially Duke, return to the U.S. and set up shop in an abandoned rec center in the inner city.  While this is going on, “Storm Shadow” (Byung-hun) impersonates “Snake Eyes” (Park) to be imprisoned with the Cobra-Commander.  Once inside he manages to break them both out, aided by “Firefly” (Stevenson).  Storm Shadow is hurt and goes into the mountains to recuperate, where  Snake Eyes and “Jinx” (Yung) aim to capture him.

    Channing Tatum returns as 'Duke' to fight alongside Dwayne Johnson (as 'Roadblock') in 'G.I. Joe Retaliation'
    Channing Tatum returns as ‘Duke’ to fight alongside Dwayne Johnson (as ‘Roadblock’) in ‘G.I. Joe Retaliation’

    Needing help to foil the plans of the Cobra-Commander, Roadblock and crew visit retired “General Joseph Colton” (Willis) to try to find out if the President really is who he is supposed to be.  Zartan, still pretending to be President, organizes a meeting of the leaders of the eight nations that have nuclear weapons, to try to achieve a nuclear-free world.  But the Cobra-Commander has a different agenda and it is up to the Joes to save the world once again.

    The beautiful Elodie Yung is really bad luck in 'G.I. Joe Retaliation' as 'Jinx'
    The beautiful Elodie Yung is really bad luck in ‘G.I. Joe Retaliation’ as ‘Jinx’

    The plot is predictable.  That’s not a surprise or unexpected in and of itself.  What was surprising is that director Jon M. Chu manages to deliver a fine mix of great action with just the right touch of humor to give audiences a nicely done popcorn flick.

    There are the usual very minor missed details regarding things military, questionable science behind plot points and more; however, those things don’t detract from the fact this is a lot of fun to watch.  He may not be using the name “The Rock” in his films, but Dwayne Johnson portrays the kind of rock-hard enlisted man who rises to the rank of Sergeant-Major in the Special Forces; and who has the ability to take charge and assure victory.  Cotrona and Palicki are good as his team members and it’s nice to see Jonathan Pryce in a role where he can shine like this.  He gives both sides of the good/evil coin quite well.

  • Dwayne Johnson delivers his most vulnerable performance in ‘Snitch’

    Dwayne Johnson delivers his most vulnerable performance in ‘Snitch’

    Dwayne Johnson shows his growth as an actor in 'Snitch'
    Dwayne Johnson shows his growth as an actor in ‘Snitch’

    Certs is a breath mint that was heavily advertised on television in the 1960s and 70s with the catchphrase,  “It’s two, two, two mints in one,” because it was a candy mint and a breath mint.   Now we have Snitch, which turns out to be “two, two, two films in one”.

    Starring Dwayne Johnson (although on Twitter he’s still @TheRock) as “John Matthews”, Snitch is about a father trying to save his son from a long stretch in prison.  His son “Jason Collins” (Rafi Gavron) doesn’t think through the consequences of letting his best friend ship him a very large quantity of ecstasy and he winds up getting arrested.  Due to the fact it is a federal case, minimum sentence guidelines come into play and he will get at least ten years in prison.  Unless he rolls over on another distributor of drugs, like his friend has accused him of being.  John turns himself inside out trying to find a way to help his son until the idea hits him.  He will be the one to lead the feds to the dealers, help them make the arrest and then his son’s sentence will be reduced.

    The local U.S. Attorney “Joanne Keeghan” (Susan Sarandon) isn’t interested at first.  John is determined though, and he gets one of his employees, “Daniel James” (Jon Bernthal) to introduce him to a dealer.  James has a conviction for narcotics distribution and if convicted again, faces 25 years to life under the “three strikes” rule.  He doesn’t know what John intends and introduces him to “Malik” (Michael K. Williams).  Malik is intrigued by the idea of John’s construction firm’s trucks being used to move drugs.

    Dwayne Johnson pleads with Susan Sarandon to help his son in 'Snitch'
    Dwayne Johnson pleads with Susan Sarandon to help his son in ‘Snitch’

    “El Topo” (Benjamin Bratt) is one of the top men in the cartel that supplies Malik and is impressed with John’s coolness under fire.  He lets Malik know he wants to use John again.  This all sparks Keeghan’s interest, forcing John to find a way to hand her the busts and drug money seizure she wants while keeping everyone safe.

    Snitch is both an action thriller and a message film that points out how the mandatory minimum sentence laws are being abused to send small-time people to prison for extended periods, rather than the major dealers they were intended to deal with.  It manages to be both without one ruining the other.  Johnson gives his most vulnerable, humanistic performance to date.  Bernthal is perfect as the man wrestling with having made promises to his wife, but wanting to give her and their child a better life.  Bratt makes an excellent villain and Pepper is strong in his role as a former undercover DEA agent.

    With all of those compelling attributes in favor of this movie, it must be noted that it bears the appellation “inspired by true events”.  Truth be told, much of the story is fictional or makes changes to the actual story upon which it is based.  These changes make it a better movie and since it doesn’t say “this is a true story” they are entirely forgiveable.  This is a good film and deserving of a viewing.