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Chappaquiddick (2017)
Chappaquiddick (2017)
Prior to seeing this movie, I had no knowledge of Ted Kennedy’s infamous scandal. This is not something that is talked about in school. I remember having class discussions about the assassination of JFK. However, I never heard a word about how JFK’s brother, Ted tarnished the family name. It makes you wonder about all of the things that get left out of the history books.
Chappaquiddick is based on the true story of when in 1969 Senator Ted Kennedy fled the scene of a car accident in which his woman passenger was left to drown in his submerged vehicle on Chappaquiddick Island.
The movie was directed by John Curran and the noteworthy cast includes Jason Clarke, Ed Helms, Jim Gaffigan, Kate Mara, Bruce Dern, and Clancy Brown.
The movie let the story speak for itself. It was slow and methodical and seems factual. This is certainly not a feel-good film, nor is it a movie that you are going to want to rush out and see a second time.
Ted really disgraced the Kennedy name. I always hear about the bad luck that surrounded the Kennedys, but there was also a lot of scandal that surrounded them. I believe that you make your own luck in life. Obviously, a lot of the things that happened to the Kennedys were awful, but it does make me wonder how much of the scandalous stuff they brought on themselves. Just think about how many conspiracy theories revolve around the Kennedys.
The almost full theater that I was in was eerily quiet after the film ended. I think that was because the story was a sick display of what people with a position of power, especially in government, are capable of.
This was a disturbingly vile true story of how America was duped and Ted Kennedy successfully swept manslaughter under the rug. He seemed to show no remorse for being responsible for a woman’s death. All he cared about was protecting his political career.
It is a travesty that Ted was able to go on to be one of the longest running senators in history. It goes to show just how corrupt the government can be.
I have not been a big fan of Jason Clarke. He just has not been very likable in anything that I have seen him in. He played his part of Ted Kennedy well in this movie, however. To the point where I do not like him because of how bad his character is. That is how you know an actor is decent; when he is a believable bad guy.
The thought of two comedians (Gaffigan and Helms) in serious roles in this film made me nervous, but they were both likable for the parts that they played.
The filmmaking of Chappaquiddick was not overdone. They told the story and did not sugarcoat it. With how far left Hollywood leans, I am a little surprised that this film even got made, and furthermore, made wide release. The movie felt impartial politically, which I felt was tasteful. Too often movies will attack one political party with slanted views and opinions to further their agenda. Chappaquiddick seemed to just stick to the facts and try to tell both sides of the story without choosing a side.
I rate this movie a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.
If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:
JFK (1991)
Bobby (2006)
Jackie (2016)
All the President’s Men (1976)
Wag the Dog (1997)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
The Ides of March (2011)
Munich (2005)
Beirut (2018)
The American President (1995)
State of Play (2009)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Trailer for Tag (2018)
Tag (2018)
Tag is a comedy movie about a group of friends who have been playing an elaborate game of tag for 30 years. They take the game to the extreme.
Definitely in the dumb comedy genre. This movie looks like it will be good for a few laughs. The great cast look like they had a lot of fun during the making of the movie and my guess is that will show on screen. Sometimes you just need stupid humor.
The film was directed by Jeff Tomsic and the noteworthy cast includes Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher, Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Leslie Bibb, Annabelle Wallis, Rashida Jones, Hannibal Buress, and Brian Dennehy.
The film is set to release on June 15th, 2018.
We’re the Millers (2013)
We’re the Millers (2013)
Longtime drug dealer David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) gets into trouble with his supplier (Ed Helms) and in order to make things right, he is forced to smuggle drugs into the U.S. from Mexico. In order to be less conspicuous and hopefully not get arrested crossing the border, David hires a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), a nerdy neighbor boy (Will Poulter), and a homeless girl (Emma Roberts) to all act as his family. Together, they are the Millers.
The movie was directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Matthew Willig, Luis Guzman, Thomas Lennon, and Mark Young.
Because Sudeikis is in the film, you know that you will be in for a comedy that is maxed out with gross, stupid, and raunchy humor. There is some pot humor, but it’s mostly all potty humor.
We’re the Millers is a sick, perverted version of Vacation (1983). Instead of a family going on vacation and everything going wrong, it’s a fake family going on a major drug-run and everything going way wrong.
The story is very formulaic and predictable with nasty surprises along the way. If you enjoy crass, this movie is crass. It is crude, but you can’t help but laugh at it.
It seems like Aniston has really brought herself down as an actress for making films like this one. She is way less classy than she used to be.
This is the type of movie that basically guarantees that you will never be taken seriously as an actor in the future. I understand that it is a comedy, however I think that it will be hard for anybody in the cast to not be typecast in the same kind of role and in the same kind of movie from here on out.
There is not much else to say about this film. If you like this type of comedy, then you will probably enjoy this movie. Because of how predictable We’re the Millers was, it was not quite as funny as it otherwise could have been.
It was worth the matinee price that I paid for the ticket because I knew what to expect. I most likely would not have paid full price at a night show.
I rate this movie a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
The Hangover Part III (2013)
The Hangover Part III (2013)
The boys are at it again. They’re back for another go-round. Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha all return for more hilarious antics.
Nobody is getting married this time, but with this group, things always have a way of spiraling out of control.
Todd Phillips returns again to write and direct. Ken Jeong, Jeffrey Tambor, Heather Graham, Mike Epps, Sasha Barrese, and Gillian Vigman are all back along with the addition of John Goodman and Melissa McCarthy.
Most sequels to any movie usually can never be as good as the original. There are a few exceptions, and it is always a very welcome surprise when it happens. But, this rarely ever occurs. With that said, I went into this movie hoping that it would be as good as Part II, if not better.
This movie was not quite as formulaic as I expected it to be. Although it was a bit predictable at times, they had a few surprises thrown in and it was not exactly like the first two films.
The type of comedy was different throughout the majority of the movie. This film seemed to tone down the raunchy humor and substitute it for more obvious, subtle, or dark humor. Instead of being so outrageous and over-the-top all of the time like the first two films, this movie concentrated a little bit more on the events in the story taking place.
Cooper, Galifianakis, and Helms were all just as comical as they were in the first two films. The rest of the returning cast is also just as good as they were in the first movies.
Goodman and McCarthy are both great additions to the movie.
If you are a fan of the first two Hangover films, than you will surely enjoy this third movie. I liked this movie just as much as Part II. It did not top the original, but The Hangover Part III is a worthy final chapter of the Wolf Pack saga.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Trailer for The Hangover Part III (2013)
The Hangover Part III (2013) (click on the title for my full review)
Here is the first look at the teaser trailer for The Hangover Part III. It supposedly all ends with this third piece of the trilogy.
Hollywood loves sequels. They want to see how much money they can squeeze out of basically one story. Honestly I am pretty fed up with sequels, but a movie like this is guaranteed to have moments of uncontrollable laughter. The Hangover (2009) was hilarious. The Hangover Part II (2011) was really funny, but not as good as the original. I have a feeling that The Hangover Part III will probably be about as good as Part II. Maybe we will be pleasantly surprised and it will be better than the original, but for the most part with few exceptions, the original is always the best and the sequels never add up.
Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha are all back again for another go round. Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson, and many more from the first two parts are back again along with the addition of John Goodman.
Hollywood is sure to rake in a lot of cash once again, and I’m sure there will be some laughs along the way.
The movie is set to release on Memorial Day, 5/27/13.
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