‘Good Boys’ Film Review: Define Good…

What happens when you combine adult humor with middle school boys? You get 95 hilarious minutes of unadulterated fun. I had my doubts but this film surprised me with its level of quality.

Overview

Lucas (Keith L. Williams), Max (Jacob Tremblay), and Thor (Brady Noon) get invited to a “kissing party” by the most popular kid in their grade. All seems to be going well until Max loses his father’s drone, and the three friends do everything they can to get it back.

Legitimately Funny

Having children do what they’re not supposed to do has always been seen as funny to many people. Therefore, going into this film I expected some kids to drop a couple f-bombs and then I expected the audience to keel over in laughter.

While that still happens the comedic scenes are much better than that. From one of the children giving a girl a sex toy believing it was a necklace to thinking that tampons are used to stop babies from falling out.

There was no long stretch of time where I didn’t at least smirk or crack a smile. That wasn’t just me either the entire theater was filled with laughter from beginning to end.

Actual Lessons

I didn’t expect to learn anything in this film. Generally, these kinds of movies exist to make their audiences laugh not contemplate their own life decisions.

Not only did this film surpass my expectations for the content of the motion picture. It also surprised me with the themes. There are parts of the film that don’t try to be funny. Which isn’t a bad thing other filmmakers could learn from this.

However, the themes present make me enjoy the movie even more. Learning that nothing lasts forever or that as you grow up people who you were once close with might not be your friends anymore. It’s all apart of growing up but seeing it on the big screen doesn’t make it any easier.

Conclusion

The idea of combing adult humor with children was an interesting idea that paid off at the end of the day. The casting was great and the humor was consistently good.

The jokes weren’t just potty humor I think there something for most ages which I can’t say about most comedies.

It’s a good watch and is deeper than one would think after watching the trailer.

Verdict 8.5 out of 10 Stars

The Most Underrated Film of 2019

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I finally went to see the live action Aladdin and all I can think of is how horrible the film was going to be simply by word of mouth. From what I’ve heard from reviewers and fans of the original Disney picture I walked into the theater believing I was going to watch a two-hour long soulless cash grab. However, I’m proud to say that this film was not that in the slightest.

Aladdin is a likable thief who’s day to day consists of stealing to survive. One fateful day he meets Princess Jasmine, the daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. This catches the attention of an evil sorcerer named Jafar soon targets the boy and Aladdin’s adventure begins.

The Disney Magic

Only Disney can make an adult feel like a child again from just an opening song. When “Arabian Nights” played I couldn’t help but smile. From the very beginning, you could tell this project wasn’t completely about the money there’s a certain level of quality and passion you can’t get anywhere else.

When the opening set piece is so excellent it’s hard not to be excited for the rest of the film. Other notable songs were “A Friend Like Me” And “A Whole New World”. I have to tip my hat for the Will Smith (Genie), Noami Scott (Jasmine), and Mena Massoud (Alladin) because they knocked it out of the park for the most part.

Good but Different

No one expected Will Smith’s Genie to even compare to Robin Williams. He just set the bar too high, however, I think Will Smith executed a close second. My favorite parts of the film are when the genie is in it. Just with his presence, the movie is elevated to a different level.

He’s funny, wacky, zany and just a joy to have on screen. Many times throughout the film I cracked a smile or a grin just because of something the Genie was doing.

The Relationships

In the original Aladdin, they made me buy that the Genie was Al’s best friend. In this live-action remake, they do the same and it does not feel forced. We’ve all seen a movie where two or more characters have a relationship that doesn’t feel earned. They may act like they’ve known each other their entire lives but they’ve done nothing in the movie to convey that.

I find that in this film Jasmine and Aladdin’s relationship seems more natural. In typical Disney fashion, the princess lead falls In love with a man soon after meeting them. While that still happens somewhat there seem to be more layers in their relationship.

Conclusion

The bad reputation that this film has received does not do justice to this motion picture. The score is great in true Disney fashion. Will Smith’s performance of the Genie is one of the best parts of the movie and his relationship with Aladdin feels genuine. While I believe Jafar could’ve done better I think they should’ve cast someone more menacing. Ultimately I enjoyed the film. It did not surpass the original but I would gladly go see it again.

Verdict 8 out of 10 Stars

The Worst Film of 2019

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Have you ever seen a comedy that fails at the genre itself? Whether the answer is yes or no The Hustle will undoubtedly be one of the least funny attempts at comedy you’ve seen in 2019.

Josephine Chesterfield (Anne Hathaway) is a British con-woman who makes a living off of gullible men. After years of perfecting her craft soon comes another woman named Penny Rust (Rebel Wilson), an energetic Australian woman who is also a con-woman. Despite their different methods, the two come together to try and pull off an extravagant score on a young billionaire in the South of France.

From Bad to Worse

The beginning of a film is generally where you can tell if a movie will be good or bad. The opening scene is pivotal to nail and in The Hustle, they failed completely. However, seeing how the movie began it made me not surprised in the end result. The end result being an unfunny comedy.

Sorry to break it to you Hollywood but being fat just isn’t funny. Penny Rust is the one and only character who even utters something that could be considered comical. With that being said I still don’t find her too amusing.

Having one of your main characters entire comedic routine be about how they’re fat is a film that is destined to fail from the start. I’ll admit that I did chuckle a couple times throughout the picture simply because of the adlib Rebel Wilson had to offer but a few chuckles throughout a full feature-length film are not enough to call a movie a comedy.

Running Terrible Jokes into the Ground

One of my biggest pet peeves while watching comedy is hearing the same unfunny joke multiple times. It wasn’t funny the first time so how do you think that it will be received when it is heard again. This is one of the reasons I believe this film is so unfunny because they don’t stop beating the dead horse.

Overdone Plot

You have seen this movie before just in a different circumstance with other characters. We’re introduced to a character who knows how to do everything perfectly. Then, later on, we are greeted by a second character who isn’t necessarily as well polished in their craft as the protagonist. However, they still get the job done at the end of the day.

The film feels as though it’s on autopilot. Mainly because The Hustle seems like it wants to be like every other film that has a similar story. One example I have is that even though the two main characters are butting heads throughout the film and possess to signs that they enjoy each other’s company. They still become friends and it doesn’t feel right.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this film is a failure at comedy from beginning to end. Ninety percent of the jokes don’t fall and the other 10% that do aren’t too funny. You’ve all heard this story done before in many other films. Plenty of motion pictures have executed this plot with much greater quality than this.

Verdict 3 out of 10 Stars

The Most Anticipated Horror Movie of 2019

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The Horror genre has been incredibly popular for decades. There’s just something so compelling about the plot of these films. You want to find out what will happen to our main characters in the end. The question we ask ourselves is will they survive or meet their brutal end? In more recent years these films have evolved into something beyond the antagonist murdering everyone in sight. In 2017, moviegoers were blessed with the release of Get Out directed by Jordan Peele. This upcoming film that many are raving about is another film directed by Peele named Us.

Plot

Adelaide Willson (Lupita Nyong’o) accompanied by her husband, son, and daughter return to her vacation home where she lived when she was younger. Because of a traumatic experience from her childhood, she grows concerned for the safety of her family. Her fears are realized when four masked strangers show up at her home. When the masks come off each of the strangers have the appearances of all four family members.

The Astonishing Trailer

Around a week ago I saw the trailer for Us, and I was blown away. It was expertly shot and the music added so much to the overall product. Normally, I hate seeing trailers because they spoil many movies. Way too often they just reveal too much in them, however, this time I was left with more questions. A horror film that goes beyond a gore fest and makes you have to use your brain to figure out the twist adds much-needed depth to the ever-growing genre.

Conclusion

My hope is that this film becomes the new standard. I hope that it’s good enough that the entire genre stops being lazy. Horror movies these days are pretty much all the same with their abundance of jump scares and simplistic plots. From what I’ve seen and heard Us seems to bring it’s “A” game to the party and I couldn’t be more excited for it.

My Most Anticipated Films of 2019

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Last year, was a great year for the cinema. With movies such as Avengers: Infinity War, A Quiet Place, and Incredibles 2 just to name a few. To say I have high expectations for this year would be an understatement. Disney is coming out with live action remakes of their animated classics from years and years ago. Movies series that we thought were finished are getting sequels. There will definitely be a wide variety of fans in the theater.

Toy Story 4

This movie series has been around for quite a while. The first film dates back to 1995 and now 24 years later its fourth installment is going to be in theaters. I think what’s so surprising about this entry is that most people thought the series had been concluded. The third movie seemed like a great place to end this series off, but hopefully, if they really have a reason to bring this franchise back then I believe this sequel will be great.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

A couple weeks ago a trailer dropped for Spider-Man: Far From Home and it was everything I could’ve hoped for. Tom Holland is my favorite representation of Spider-Man on screen. He captures the character as I remember from my childhood watching the cartoons. Just the fact that he has to deal with high school drama along with being a superhero is a huge plus for me.

In the trailer, Peter Parker and his class take a trip to Europe when they are interrupted by Mysterio, a famous Spider-Man villain. Not much else is known about the story details, but this is the first time that Mysterio has been on the big screen. I’m interested in finding out if his first appearance will be a good one. I loved the previous film so it’s hard not to have high expectations. If they can capture the magic of the first film then this will be a good flick to see.

Star Wars: Episode IX

I think that it’s pretty well known that Star Wars has the worst fanbase in movies and on the internet. The new trilogy has been met with tons of hostility and it’s a shame. I really liked the past two movies. I hope that this final installment in the main line of Star Wars will be better accepted than the past couple of films.

Avengers: Endgame

This is easily my most anticipated film of 2019. Avengers: Infinity War blew me out of the water last year. I didn’t watch it expecting to like it so much. The entire film I was glued to the screen watching these superheroes just work together to save the earth was a spectacle. That along with Thanos being the greatest villain in the MCU makes for a film worth watching.

The trailer posted shows Tony Stark drifting in space with his oxygen depleting the end seems near. The Avengers are broken and defeated which is just an interesting premise in the first place. The rest of the Avengers plan to find a way to bring back their past allies to defeat Thanos. My expectations for this film are average simply because I don’t want to be disappointed when it doesn’t live up to previous Avengers film. If it does manage to surpass Infinity War that would be a welcoming surprise.