For those who believe sequels are and integral part of the filmmaking process, I present the following recent exhibits: “The Hangover Part II,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Ted 2.” Yes, I realize there are also other examples where the sequel bested the original, such as “The Godfather Part II,” “Superman…
“The Bourne Legacy” wasn’t that bad (and it is getting a purported sequel), but it’s still a welcomed breathe of fresh air to see Matt Damon back in action in the upcoming action thriller, Jason Bourne. This time around, however, it seems Bourne has gathered his memories, but is now coming back ‘home,’ with the…
I can see the allure for some — those that have amassed countless hours playing and lost relationships because of — with the upcoming video game adaptation, Warcraft, but for me it is too reminiscent of “The Hobbit” trilogy. That is, it has readily defined races that are traditionally enemies (in this case humans and…
The problem with modern comedies is, well, most just aren’t funny. They take ridiculous, over-the-top situations (which is not entirely bad unto itself), but add a healthy dose of violence, profanity and toilet humor. In the case of a self-parody or genre-bending tale like “This Is the End,” these ingredients usually work; for something like…
Although some may want a second helping of baklava it is not certain that they would also mind another round of the Portokalos clan in the boisterous but slight familial ethnic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. When the original sleeper hit first emerged onto the big screen back in 2002 it was quite…
Have you ever hailed someone? You know, much more than just greeting, rather saluting in a profound, almost belittling veneration signaling an orderly obedience. Neither have I. I’ve been close, though. I’m too much of a fetishist to resist the temptation every now and then. My kind of people are artists and thinkers, preferably dead…
After the historic (and surprising) success of the original “Ride Along” in 2014, there were immediate rumors about a forthcoming sequel. The Ice Cube and Kevin Hart vehicle boasted the highest opening weekend gross ever in the month of January, bringing in over $154 million dollars. Kevin Hart’s rock star comedy presence sent the film…
