22 Jump Street - the Hilarity of the First One but Better!

Before watching this movie, I watched 21 Jump Street so many times. It was a genuinely funny movie. I love the chemistry between Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. It's hilarious. I couldn't get enough of it.

And I can't believe I waited so long before seeing this one.

22 Jump Street tells the story of Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, played by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum respectively, tackling on the new assignment given to them by Captain Dickson, played by Ice Cube, of going to college and cracking down on the new synthetic drug called WHY PHY that students are getting exposed to.

The one thing that this movie does a very good job of is the recurring jokes. The first of many of these jokes is the whole idea that the same plot from the first movie will be the same plot of this movie, which is what I imagine many people anticipated off of a Jump Street sequel. I mean, they pushed this joke so far up until the very end of this one (I'll stop talking about this now because of potential spoilers).

Anyway, as I said before, there is some really good chemistry between the two stars of the film, especially considering their positions in 21 Jump Street. Not saying that it is a must to see 21 Jump Street to watch this film, but I'm pretty sure a vast majority of viewers did see the first then see this one, of course.

Yes. Familiar faces, new faces, same situations. This all plays a role in the comedic element of this movie. This was definitely a bit more explosive than the previous film in terms of location and action elements, but I believe that that explosive nature further escalated the respect that I have for this film in particular.

I would love to relive this experience over and over and think back to the first movie a bit as well. Even the minor details that I started to doubt about this movie were addressed.

I give this movie a 4/5.

The Other Woman - I Only Liked The Other Woman...No, The Other Other Woman....

Before watching this movie, all I knew was that Nicki Minaj was going to be in this movie. Pretty much.

To be honest, Nicki Minaj did better than some of the other actresses in this movie.

The Other Woman tells the story of Carly Whitten, played by Cameron Diaz, a lawyer who falls in love with Mark King, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. However, Carly finds out that Mark is married to Kate King, played by Leslie Mann. Then, the two women go on an adventure to get back at Mark.

The comedy in this movie was a huge plus. I guess that's the only real plus in this movie. From the drunken scenes to the comments about age affecting women, a lot of the comedy in this movie got me laughing at loud. The team of Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann really did work together.

Now: for the criticism.

Kate Upton is only there in the movie for the boobs pretty much. A lot of us guys loved seeing Kate Upton when she came out, primarily because she is Kate Upton. Not for any real acting role that she may or may not have had in this movie.

Similarly, Nicki Minaj was kind of annoying at times, but I felt like she played her role, probably better than Kate Upton did as an actress.

The whole plot was both interesting and hollow. I could see why the mistress and the wife would team up. It seemed interesting to me how that would work out. However, I do notice the hollowness in these characters. For example, Kate's brother having a thing for Carly is definitely not appealing, given that she slept with Mark. Also, it seems too simple how this whole team of people gather up with their main agenda to target Mark.

The Other Woman is definitely a good laugh but nothing past that.

I give this movie a 3/5.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Best Phase 2 Movie

Before watching this movie, I was so pumped about watching this movie. I knew that it would hit theaters with a bang, and I wanted to make sure that I was there to witness it all.

And thanks goodness that I did.

The Guardians of the Galaxy tells the story of Star-Lord/Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt, a young fellow who ventures off the face of Earth into the far galaxy beyond as a thief, trading in artifacts for money. Through an array of other subplots, the other members battle each other until all of them are transported to a maximum security prison and decide to work together.

The one thing that was great about this movie, right off the bat, was the humor. From the metaphors that we all know and love taken literally by other-worldly creatures and the references to pop culture that Star-Lord drops on the team, every comedic element worked in the movie. Rocket Raccoon definitely steals the show with his humor that seems to reciprocate Star-Lord's.

I seriously loved the entire soundtrack to the movie (AKA. Awesome Mix Vol. 1). It was interesting to see music from the 70s adding to a very spacial setting that Guardians of the Galaxy is.

The action is really fast-paced as well. There was not one moment that bored me when it came to the intense action scenes that Guardians of the Galaxy showed.

Now for the criticism part...

Drax the Destroyer was okay, but I feel like I didn't really feel sorry for his back-story, per say. His humor is spot on through how nonchalant and vicious he is, but I feel that there lacks this certain amount of emotion there. Similarly, the villain plays second potato to Thanos. I did feel that he was evil in the beginning, but he turned out to be more of a cookie cutter villain than anything else.

Other than this, I can safely say that this movie is something that I would treasure and love for a very long time.

I give this movie a 5/5.

American Psycho - The Psycho Within Us All

Before watching this movie, I had no idea what this movie was about. It was just another suggestion for me to watch on Netflix.

Terrifying and intriguing. American Psycho really does something special with its themes.

American Psycho tells the story of Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, a businessman with a tendency to want things in certain ways with no one in his way, basically the American Psycho. I couldn't really see a lot of clear-cut antagonists in the film. I guess Patrick himself was Patrick's enemy, not to mention the craziness of the people that he's had to endure.

The opening scene features the handling of some food on a platter as the opening credits roll out onto the gorgeous scene of a fancy eatery. In this eatery are Patrick Bateman and his closest associates.

I guess the opening showed the audience the stylish life that comes along with Patrick and people in his field. We don't really get a sense of Patrick being a psycho; instead, we get the sense that Patrick is just an ordinary guy like everyone else. It isn't until later on that we discover Patrick's mannerisms and actions that we start to become skeptical of this character that Patrick Bateman is becoming.

I didn't get this film at first. I didn't get this film until Patrick himself brought me to clarity in the end. And once I saw what the theme was, I couldn't unsee it. It's not so much of a big secret, but the idea is that everyone has this sort of facade that they have to cover the reality behind that mask. Though this is clearly shown with Patrick Bateman, many other of these business tycoons and Patrick's victims have a clear facade within them.

I actually might end up watching this movie again just to get a sense of the thought-provoking ideas that Patrick brings up. It's something to think about, that's for sure.

I give this movie a 5/5.

Maleficent - Villain's Logic Makes Sense

Before watching this movie, there was so much hype about it in commercials on TV, so I had to see it with the little ones.

Exceeded my expectations. No lie.

Maleficent tells the story of Maleficent, played by Angelina Jolie, a fairy caught up in a conflict between two kingdoms in the land. She falls in love with a human named Stefan, played by Sharito Copley, only to find that later on Stefan betrays her. Maleficent takes it upon herself to put a curse on King Stefan's daughter Aurora, played by Elle Fanning, in vengeance.

The opening scene features Maleficent's voice over explanation to the conflict between the two kingdoms and her place in her kingdom. I have to say that Disney is doing a great job with the CGI backgrounds. All of the art that is the awesome live action beauty of Maleficent must be appreciated first off.

Disney did something that I saw them and Pixar do with Up. I saw them take the audience through a range of emotions in the first ten minutes of the film, tearing on our heart strings to make this movie memorable. After that, however, there are fewer and fewer moments that are as valuable as those first couple of minutes.

I liked Maleficent as a character. The mystery and majestic nature that she evokes in her younger years. The way that she rose to become a vengeful villain in the eyes of the other kingdom. Maleficent is a force to be reckoned with.

I have to say that the only thing that I didn't like so much about this movie was the spontaneity. But once again, Disney is famous for having the most spontaneous moments to introduce a plot twist. I like when Disney is trying to get emotions across. Disney does a good job of that. However, Disney should not make moments so spontaneous. I mean, look what Disney did with Frozen.

Overall, the movie is really fun to follow and is a must-see until the very end.

I give this movie a 4/5.

About Last Night - Golden Comedy, Sucky Plot

Before watching this movie, all I knew was that Kevin Hart was in this movie. Of course, I'd want to see this movie because of how funny I think Kevin Hart is.

Well the comedy was on point, but I think that everything else was just so transparent.

About Last Night tells the story of Danny, played by Michael Ealy, a friend of the woman-loving Bernie, played by Kevin Hart, who comes across a woman by the name of Joan, played by Regina Hall. Simultaneously, Danny starts to develop a little something for Joan's friend Debbie, played by Joy Bryant.

The opening scene introduces us to the two guys, Danny and Bernie, each on completely different spectrums of life. While Danny is going through a break-up from a girl so dear to him, Bernie is at the top of his game in terms of women.

I think that the good thing about Bernie being played by Kevin Hart is the exaggeration in the way that he acts. The more that we see Bernie in the movie, the more that we like where the movie is headed. Even though that Bernie is not the main protagonist, we wish he would be.

The entire plot between Danny and Debbie seems so pathetic. I am certain that not a lot of the things about the relationship would stick in the audience's mind. I feel like the back and forth between Bernie and Joan was more entertaining than the placid love interest between Danny and Debbie.

The one thing I liked about the movie was the portrayal of how life converges in many different ways, sometimes not in your favor. However, the movie doesn't really teach anything. It's just a good laugh when Kevin Hart shows up, then everything else is just nothing.

I give this movie a 3/5.

Bedtime Stories - Cheesy Humor Is OK Humor

Before watching this movie, all I knew was that Adam Sandler's character worked in a hotel and the bad guy from Iron Man 3 was the bad guy in this movie.

It was pretty cheesy.

Bedtime Stories tells the story of Skeeter Bronson, played by Adam Sandler, a worker at a hotel once promised a bigger role in the functioning of that hotel, taken away by Barry Nottingham, played by Richard Griffiths, and given to Skeeter's rival Kendall Duncan, played by Guy Pearce. Things for Skeeter seem hopeless until he discovers that his nephew Patrick, played by Jonathan Morgan Heit, and Bobbi, played by Laura Ann Kesling, have magical story telling powers that cause anything that happens in the story to happen in real life.

The opening scene features the turning of pages in a story book presented by Skeeter's father Marty Bronson, played by Jonathan Pryce, each page representing the turning of a new story in a new place. This scene shows that although the story about to be told is told in real life, imagination can run wild in the mind.

I guess Disney tried to do the thing here where imagination outweighs the hardships of real life, just like in a lot of other movies that Disney makes.

However, this is the story of real life versus imagination and many of the things that occur for Skeeter should not actually occur. I get the spontaneous nature of children's films, but in my perspective, this movie should not be considered to be one that I would watch again.

Adam Sandler tries to deliver his humor in the way that he would in any other movie, but I feel that Adam Sandler sucks in terms of his humor if he doesn't curse. Really. Adam Sandler doesn't really function in children's flicks.

Once again, I can see where Disney was trying to go, but a lot of the good Disney movies occur because of the character doing things for themselves whereas others do things for the main character. That's why Frozen is better than this movie. That's why Cars is better than this movie. That's why Pirates of the Caribbean, possibly Enchanted is better than this movie.

I was expecting a bit more from Adam Sandler in this movie.

I give this movie a 3/5.