American Ultra (2015)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) is a convenience store clerk living in a small town in Virginia with his girlfriend, Phoebe Larson (Kristen Stewart). Mike’s peaceful and ordinary life is upended, when he’s attacked by two unknown assailants. 

Mike is targeted and hunted by dangerous operatives, while he’s caught in the middle of a deadly feud between CIA agent Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton) and her coworker and adversary Adrian Yates (Topher Grace). Phoebe and his drug dealer buddy Rose (John Leguizamo) are Mike’s only allies, but Mike soon learns shocking secrets about himself and the reasons behind the government’s relentless pursuit to eliminate him.

My Thoughts- Jesse Eisenberg plays to his strengths with his familiar quirky and socially awkward persona, and it’s something he always excels at. Mike is a peaceful and carefree pothead. But he’s also a klutz and he’s not too bright at times, so the irony of Mike quickly switching gears to be this lethal and efficient sleeper agent is just hilarious. 

The boyfriend/girlfriend chemistry between Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart is fantastic. Mike is a stoner. He’s clumsy, he continuously makes stupid mistakes, but Phoebe never gives up on him. She knows he’s a good person with a big heart, and she’s willing to risk her life to protect him. Stewart and Eisenberg were believable as an unusual couple. Phoebe plays the role of his protector, and it’s easy to buy into the fact that these two are willing to do anything to keep each other safe.

Topher Grace did a good job as a pompous and condescending weasel. Connie Britton’s Victoria is a perfect foil for Grace’s Yates. Victoria is a kind, hard working, and compassionate person. She wants to protect Mike, because she knows he’s innocent. On the opposite side, Yates is a selfish and cold jerk, who climbed the corporate ladder with brown nosing and butt kissing. He sees Mike as a disposable asset. It’s his chance to further advance his career, and the dynamic between Britton and Grace is one of the true highlights here.

The approach on how to use Bill Pullman’s Raymond Krueger throughout the movie really works. Krueger’s appearances are limited, so when he shows up it’s more of a big deal, and you’re not exactly sure what his precise title is. It’s clear he outranks Yates and Victoria, and Pullman brings a commanding presence to Krueger. You firmly know he’s the boss, and Krueger means business, whenever he shows up.

Walton Goggins delivers one of the top performances as Laugher. You can immediately see Laugher is someone who has a few screws loose. Laugher is a top pick for a lot of the good comedic moments, because he’s a pesky and persistent stinker, who keeps coming back to terrorize Mike and Phoebe. Goggins perfectly sells Laugher’s nutty and violent personality, with that crazed look on his face and the constant cackling. He’s Mike’s main adversary in hand to hand combat and Yates’ got to guy throughout the movie, and Goggins truly nailed this character.

As far as John Leguizamo goes, I could’ve done without the N word stuff with Rose. It’s not malicious at all, but Rose definitely leans more towards the cringey side at times. Leguizamo is solid enough as the paranoid and low level drug kingpin, so the N word stuff just felt unnecessary. 

Tony Hale deserves credit for a noteworthy performance as Pete Douglas. He’s a nice and genuinely good guy, who turns into a nervous mess, because he’s torn between helping his friend (Victoria) and Yates, who bullies him and threatens his life, if he doesn’t fall in line.

When Mike finds out who he truly is, and Yates is still holding Phoebe hostage, it’s easy to guess how things will play out. Phoebe was actually Mike’s handler, and she wasn’t completely honest with him, so you know he’ll go through the dilemma of wanting to trust her again, because he believes she betrayed him. It all leads to the big showdown at the end, where Mike has to take on the rest of Yates’ Toughguy team and rescue Phoebe. It’s a predictable series of events, but the wild finale still delivers some good action and fight sequences. 

They did a good job with the contrast between Yates’ Toughguy sleeper agents and Victoria’s Wiseman sleeper agents. Yates’ agents are cold and more ruthless. On the flip side of that, Mike came from the Wisemam program. He’s someone who’s compassionate. There’s humanity in him, and he’s noticeably different from Laugher, who’s a mindless killing machine following orders. The differences between the Wiseman and Toughguy programs is a reflection of Yates and Victoria’s personalities. It’s a hilarious and ironic twist, with Mike being a stoner and a slacker as the success story over Yates’ supposedly more efficient team with tighter screws. 

The final showdown between Mike and Laugher delivered a satisfying brawl. Mike and Laugher were the two star recruits from their respective programs, so it made perfect sense for both guys to be the last men standing. There’s a heartfelt moment, when Laugher admits defeat and admires Mike’s performance and progress. Laugher talks about being broken (Yates used mental patients for his program), and Mike refuses to kill him, because he finally sees Laugher as a human being, who fell into an unfortunate situation.

There’s more irony when Yates is killed by Krueger for his massive blunder. Early on in the movie, Yates threatened Pete with death by execution outside, and that’s exactly how Yates was killed. The only difference is Yates wasn’t shot in “the f****** head,” but he still got what he deserved.

American Ultra has a happy ending. Victoria clearly receives a promotion with Pete by her side. Phoebe and Mike are working together as agents, and they can finally embrace their relationship. Also, it’s cool and unique how they ended the final moments of the movie with Mike’s The Adventures Of Apollo Ape & Chip The Brick cartoon. The success of Mike and Phoebe working together is shown through the cartoon, and it’s truly a fitting ending for this one.

American Ultra is a sharp and fun action comedy with a solid cast. The laughs and humor are consistent, and Mike trying to propose to Phoebe is a big running gag here. Mike is always trying to find the right moment to pop the question throughout the movie, but something always goes wrong. Mike finally gets his chance and Phoebe accepts after the big fight at the end, but the happy moment gets cut short, when Mike and Phoebe are tased by the agents. American Ultra has a strong pulse. There’s never truly a dull moment here, and after so many years, it’s still one of Jesse Eisenberg’s best films.

Rating- 8/10

Machete Kills (2013)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no big reveals, character deaths, or plot twists**

Following the events of Machete, Machete Cortez (Danny Trejo) works with Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba) to stop Mexican drug cartels. Machete and Sartana are caught in the middle of a cross fire during an illegal arms deal between a group of rogue US militarily soldiers and a dangerous Mexican cartel. While Machete dives head first into the chaos, slicing the enemy into pieces with his trusted machete one by one, Sartana accidentally catches a forbidden view of a doomsday weapon……

With his back against the wall, Machete accepts a mission from US President Rathcock (Carlos Estevez), and with help from his trusted friend, Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) and her underground network, Machete prepares himself for the worst. And Machete will have to put aside bitter feelings for Luz’s new recruit, Osiris Amanapur (Tom Savini), the same man, who assisted Michael Booth in murdering his brother, Padre.

Machete’s mission?  With an escort from his personal bodyguard, Zaror (Marko Zaror) Machete must infiltrate Marco Mendez’s (Demian Bichir) island to thwart Mendez’s planned missile launch against the US. But fighting one delusional visionary takes a backseat to a bigger problem, when Machete stumbles into the lair of a wealthy mad man, who’s also an obsessive Star Wars fan. Luther Voz (Mel Gibson) tempts Machete with a once in a lifetime offer, forcing Machete to showcase his “skills” for Voz during a demonstration with clones.

During his missions, Machete evades relentless attacks from a precise and crafty assassin named El Camaleon (Walton Goggins, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lady Gaga, and Antonio Banderas), Sheriff Doakes (William Sadler), a vindictive madam named Madame Desdemona (Sofia Vergara), and a select group of Desdemona’s finest, including, KillJoy (Alexa Vega). Machete works with Blanca (Amber Heard), an undercover agent working in San Antiono, using the cover of a beauty pageant queen, to stop Voz and Mendez’s plans for destruction, and Machete receives an important tip from Cereza (Vanessa Hudgens). But the situation becomes more complex, when Voz reveals his big master plan…….

Danny Trejo delivers another entertaining performance in the leading role, as the grizzled tough guy, who dances to the beat of his own drum (“Machete don’t tweet!”). Carlos Estevez (or Charlie Sheen) is decent enough, but his character is limited to sporadic appearances here. Sofia Vergara’s is good for some laughs, as this sadistic and psychotic madam, who hates men. Heard fits the sultry vixen character like a glove, and Rodriguez is consistent as always, portraying the tough and unflinching hellcat. Vanessa Hudgens and Jessica Alba? I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but don’t get your hopes up too high for seeing a significant amount of screen time from both of them.

Gibson has his moments as this nutty and maniacal tyrant, who’s an obsessive Star Wars fan, and Bichir’s schizophrenic performance isn’t bad. Mendez suffers from a split personality disorder, bouncing back and forth between a man, who wants to do the right thing, and an evil mad man, who’s hell bent on destroying the US. The El Camaleon character changes his face and persona after each murder (or set of murders). First, you’ll see Walton Goggins, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is next, then Lady Gaga, and Antonio Banderas is the last face of El Camaleon. El Camaleon shedding his last persona for a new one, while constantly changing faces was a cool trick, but I have a message for Gaga fans, don’t expect too much out of her here. Gaga’s screen time as a face of El Camaleon is short, and  if you blink, there’s a chance you’ll miss her. Although, Gaga has a short one-liner that brought a little chuckle out of me during a chase scene with Machete: “Hola mother f*****!”

Machete Kills is a more polished film than Machete with a more refined story, and a few unexpected twists and turns. Bottom line, if you enjoyed Machete, you should enjoy Machete Kills, because there’s enough blood and violent carnage to fulfill expectations of chaotic and brutal mayhem for grindhouse fans. Machete Kills is another enjoyable comedy exploitation action film in the Machete series, and with all the cliffhangers and teasing at the end, Machete has more than enough fuel to fight another day, and more importantly, the story has more room to grow.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

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Machete Kills (2013)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Following the events of Machete, Machete Cortez (Danny Trejo) works with Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba) to stop Mexican drug cartels. Machete and Sartana are caught in the middle of a cross fire during an illegal arms deal between a group of rogue US militarily soldiers and a dangerous Mexican cartel. While Machete dives head first into the chaos, slicing the enemy into pieces with his trusted machete one by one, Sartana accidentally catches a forbidden view of a doomsday weapon. Suddenly, a masked man appears to shoot Sartana in the forehead with a high tech weapon, leaving a helpless Machete alone with Sartana’s corpse.

With a limited number of options in front of him, Machete is forced to accept a mission from President Rathcock (Carlos Estevez): Machete must hunt and kill Marcos Mendez (Demian Bichir), a delusional visionary, who threatens to attack the United States with a nuclear missile. Machete reaches out to a one-eyed Luz/She (Michelle Rodriguez) and her underground network for help, and Machete will have to put aside bitter feelings for Luz’s new recruit, Osiris Amanpour (Tom Savini), the same man, who assisted Michael Booth in murdering his brother, Padre. Machete is able to gather more intel from Cereza (Vanessa Hudgens), a young woman confined to a brothel, and Cereza is one of Mendez’s favorites. And Machete works with Blanca (Amber Heard), an undercover agent, who uses the persona of a beauty pageant queen in San Antonio as her cover, but Blanca is hiding a dangerous secret underneath her good looks.

On Mendez’s personal island in Mexico, Machete fights through hordes of security, including Mendez’s seemingly invincible bodyguard, Zaror (Marko Zaror). Here, Machete learns another devastating secret about the missile: the timer for the missile is linked to Mendez’s heart rate, and while Machete roughly escorts Mendez off the island, Mendez activates the timer.

With Mendez as his hostage, Machete becomes a marked man with a large bounty. A precise and crafty assassin named El Camaleon (Walton Goggins, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lady Gaga, and Antonio Banderas) purses Machete for the bounty, Sheriff Doakes (William Sadler) sees an opportunity to cash in, and for revenge, Madame Desdemona (Sofia Vergara), the mother of Cereza and the leader of the brothel, vows to avenge Cereza’s death with the help of  KillJoy (Alexa Vega) and other women in her brothel.

But Machete’s mission takes an awkward turn, when he discovers the real mastermind behind Mendez: Luther Voz (Mel Gibson) is the wealthy tycoon, who supplied Mendez with his weapons, and using his vast fortune and resources, Voz created a set of boogeyman for the US to fear in various countries throughout the world. Machete has one chance to stop Voz before he completes a mission into space, and time is running out, as Mendez’s preserved heart thumps to the countdown of a deadly missile launch.

Danny Trejo delivers another entertaining performance in the leading role, as the grizzled tough guy, who dances to the beat of his own drum (“Machete don’t tweet!”). Carlos Estevez (or Charlie Sheen) is decent enough, but his character is limited to sporadic appearances here. Sofia Vergara’s is good for some laughs, as this sadistic and psychotic madam, who hates men. Heard fits the sultry vixen character like a glove, and Rodriguez is consistent as always, portraying the tough and unflinching hellcat. Vanessa Hudgens and Jessica Alba? Don’t get your hopes up too high for seeing a significant amount of screen time from both of them. Alba’s character is killed off in the first five minutes of the movie, and a handful of minutes after her first appearance, Hudgens is killed off before Machete’s trip to Mendez’s island, so it’s not fair to judge either performance (or lack there of).

Gibson has his moments as this nutty and maniacal tyrant, who’s an obsessive Star Wars fan, and Bichir’s schizophrenic performance isn’t bad. Mendez suffers from a split personality disorder, bouncing back and forth between a man, who wants to do the right thing, and an evil mad man, who’s hell bent on destroying the US. The El Camaleon character changes his face and persona after each murder (or set of murders). First, you’ll see Walton Goggins, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is next, then Lady Gaga, and Antonio Banderas is the last face of El Camaleon. El Camaleon shedding his last persona for a new one, while constantly changing faces was a cool trick, but I have a message for Gaga fans, don’t expect too much out of her here. Gaga’s screen time as a face of El Camaleon is short, and  if you blink, there’s a chance you’ll miss her. Although, Gaga has a short one-liner that brought a little chuckle out of me during a chase scene with Machete: “Hola mother f*****!”

Machete Kills starts off with a mock trailer for Machete Kills Again….In Space! Machete (in a space suit) is wielding this hybrid machete/lightsaber, and he’s fighting a Darth Vader-esque villain in an iron mask on a space station. Michelle Rodriguez looks like a Terminator, and the trailer jokingly mentions Leonardo DiCaprio as the man, who’s a possible candidate to portray the villain in the iron mask. Well, guess what, the ending for Machete Kills leads into the trailer at the beginning.

How did we get here you ask? Well, after a lengthy battle with Voz, Machete severely burns Voz’s face with a corrosive liquid, forcing Voz to wear a metallic mask. Blanca reveals herself as a spy for Voz, and during a fight with Luz/She, Blanca permanently blinds Luz. Voz takes a select group of volunteers for a ride on his space station to start a new life in space, and Luz is trapped on the space station. Motivated by revenge, Machete accepts President Rathcock’s mission to go into space, kill Voz, and rescue Luz.

I LOVED this cliffhanger, because it’s the type of cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more for the next film. Machete goes into space to avenge Sartana’s death, and I’m assuming, Machete’s going to rescue the new love (Luz) in his life. A good move for a number of reasons. For starters, they’re going to unleash Machete in a new playground. It’s a good move, because Machete bouncing back and forth between bad guys in Mexico and Texas for a third or fourth film would feel too stale, tiresome, and redundant. Second, the cliffhanger establishes Voz as a real threat, because Machete wasn’t able to finish him off so easily. And this ties in with my first point, but the story progresses into a new environment, so we’re not going in circles with the Mexico/Texas stuff over and over again.

Machete Kills is a more polished film than Machete with a more refined story, and a few unexpected twists and turns. Bottom line, if you enjoyed Machete, you should enjoy Machete Kills, because there’s enough blood and violent carnage to fulfill expectations of chaotic and brutal mayhem for grindhouse fans. Machete Kills is another enjoyable comedy exploitation action film in the Machete series, and with all the cliffhangers and teasing at the end, Machete has more than enough fuel to fight another day, and more importantly, the story has more room to grow.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready

Predators (2010)

**This review contains spoilers**

Abducted and dropped onto the Predator’s alien planet, soldiers, a mercenary, enforcers, a death row inmate, and a doctor are forced to fight for their lives. Taking on the role of a leader, Royce (Adrien Brody) commands the group of Isabelle (Alice Braga), Stans (Walton Goggins), Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien), Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov), Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), Cuchillo (Danny Trejo), and Edwin (Topher Grace).

After an attack from alien dogs, Royce figures out the puzzle of the kidnapping: everyone brought to the alien planet is live bait for the Predators to hunt and kill in a deadly game. The survivors eventually learn more about the blood feud between the bigger Predators and smaller Predators from a survivor of “ten seasons” named Noland (Laurence Fishburne). Royce tries to figure out a way to escape after Noland mentions a ship, but Royce is forced to use his grenade launcher to signal the Predators for help, when Noland reveals himself as a scavenger.

Adrien Brody is a competent leading man, while Topher Grace and Walton Goggins provide some great comic relief. Rest of the cast ranges from so-so to decent, but nobody is noticeably bad here. Laurence Fishburne’s appearance is limited to cameo status, but Fishburne is hilarious, as the paranoid and insane recluse, who talks to an imaginary friend.

Some people might think of Predators as a stand-alone film in the franchise, but it’s actually a sequel. Remember when Royce pushes Isabelle to tell the truth about the Predator tied up at the campsite? Isabelle recalls Dutch’s (Arnold) report of what he saw during his first and only encounter with a Predator.

Mentioning the 1987 original confirms Predators’ status as a sequel, and it’s a cool “remember that!” moment for fans of the franchise. They also reintroduce the gruesome “ripping the spine and skull from the back, and raising it in the air like a trophy” kill with Stans’ death. Plus, using themes and music from the original Predator is a great nostalgia touch.

Nimord Antal (the director) and the writers, Alex Livtak and Michael Finch do a good job of introducing their new vision for the Predator franchise, while paying homage to the 1987 original (I’d like to forget Predator 2 ever happened, and I’m glad they ignored it here). The final duel between Royce and the big Predator is reminiscent of  Dutch’s battle with the Predator, with Royce covering himself in mud to block the Predator’s heat sensors. And Hanzo’s one on one blade to blade duel with the Predator in the open field reminds me of Billy’s stand against the Predator in the ‘87 film. Billy was tired of running, and just said to hell with it, come and get me. Hanzo pretty much did the same thing after everyone else ran from Noland’s hideout. Hanzo stopped, took off his shirt, turned around, and drew his sword for the battle.

Predators is a breath of fresh air, that pays homage to the original, and gives Predator fans some hope for the future. A lot of bloody and gory action sequences with a hard hitting and nasty final battle between Royce and the large Predator. And I LOVE the twist with Topher Grace turning on Isabelle at the end, and revealing himself as a cold-blooded murderer. Truly a shock, and the twist made Grace’s character look like a real weasel after he played the innocent wimp, and Isabelle risked her life to save his.

Rating: 7/10

Django Unchained (2012)

So after three years of waiting for his next film, I FINALLY watched Django Unchained last night.

As expected, the acting was just phenomenal, and Tarantino is a master of assembling the perfect cast. Jamie Foxx really nailed Django, and yes, he was believable as a bad ass. The whipping scars and his scruffy hair-do helped pull everything together, but Foxx really put his heart and soul into this character. Christoph Waltz's performance as Dr. King Schultz resembled Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds. You know, the devious and sophisticated gentlemen with a nasty side. Of course, Schultz is one of the good guys here. And she doesn't speak too much, but Kerry Washington did a wonderful job of using her body language to express fear and anxiety through a series of facial expressions.

The Brittle Brothers and Big Daddy (Don Johnson) don't last long, but when their characters appear, Leo and Sam Jackson make up for the void of lost bad guys. Sam Jackson didn't just deliver his best performance in a Quentin Tarantino film, this is the best performance I've seen from him in any film. Stephen is the sniveling and loyal house for slave for Calvin Candie (Leo). He's they type of antagonist that you can hate and pity, and Stephen provides a few laughs every now and then.

And Leonardo DiCaprio was just fantastic as Calvin Candie. Candie is the merciless and powerful slave owner. Leo has a strong presence on screen, as this delightfully evil slave owner, and his intense and charismatic performance is so fun to watch. Plus, the woman, who plays Calvin's ditzy and snobbish sister (can't find her name) deserves some credit for the A+ cast of antagonists.

For me, Django was an upgrade over Inglorious Basterds. I won't put it up on the pedestal with Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. It's in the pack with Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Jackie Brown, and that's not bad at all. Tarantino didn't revolutionize the Western genre with this film, but Django is an enjoyable revenge flick.

And now it's time for my major gripe with this film. I don't know about everyone else, but I hard time getting into the mentorship/training storyline with Django and Schultz. I understand the reasons behind Tarantino wanting to show Django's road to being a bad ass, but the initial storyline between Schultz and Django just drags and drags, and truth be told, it's very uninteresting at times. It wasn't unbearably bad, but Django Unchained doesn't kick into high gear until Candie and Stephen come into the picture.

Django Unchained is brutal, bloody, violent, funny, and Tarantino spares no expense for the hard to watch moments in this film. The dialogue is sharp, and the "we can't see anything through these masks!" scene with Jonah Hill, and Don Johnson is hilarious. And Tarantino's cameo is just priceless. Although, I wish I could've seen more of Walton Goggins, because he doesn't appear until the end.

Also, as far as the music goes, with the exception of "Ain't No Grave," and the opening Django theme, everything else was sub par. I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure I heard a Tupac song during the final shootout/Django's last stand, but it wasn't something to remember.

Final Rating: 9/10

EXTRA TIDBIT: After thinking it over for a day, I've come to conclusion that Django Unchained deserves a higher score, so I'm bumping it up one point!