In
this hilarious new action-comedy from genre master Shane Black, Ryan Gosling
plays a Private Investigator who teams up with a low level Muscle-For-Hire,
Russle Crowe, to uncover a complicated conspiracy in late 1970’s Los Angeles.
We Said: “The sheer chaos of
it all is exactly what makes The
Nice Guys such a fun
ride, one with obvious sequel potential if Black, Gosling, and Crowe are
willing. Let's hope they are.” Rating: 4
out of 5
The Good: This movie has
accomplished the seemingly impossible; it may now be my favorite film of
Writer/Director Shane Black. The unlikely buddy comedy duo of Russle Crowe and
Ryan Gosling is absolutely brilliant. The two men turn in their best
performances in years. Additionally Angourie Rice, who plays Gosling’s daughter,
is incredible, rising well above typical child acting and holding her own
against these two well established movie stars. Both the dialogue and the plot
are absolutely hilarious. I think I laughed harder during The Nice Guys than I did
at any other movie this year. The action is exciting and well-paced; and that’s
all just the tip of the iceberg. The Nice Guys is way up on my list
of the best films of the year so far.
The Bad: While the plot is
mostly hilarious and genuinely thrilling, it is very complex. Often the mystery
the two detectives are trying to solve becomes so intricate and detailed it gets
a little hard to follow. As one would expect from Shane Black, it is also a
rather violent film, which is sometimes a bit much, and doesn’t always blend
into the rest of the film’s tone.
Overall: Even though it
doesn’t always land, its hits way outnumber its misses, with the laughs coming hard
and fast and the action staying exciting and clever. The Nice Guys is not to be missed.
Special Features: “Always Bet on Black”,
“Worst. Detectives. Ever. Making The Nice Guys”
A
prequel/spin-off of 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman, the
film tells the rambling story of the sister of Charlize Theron’s Evil Queen, an
equally evil snow queen played by Emily Blunt, who recruits The Huntsman (Chris
Hemsworth) to fight in her evil ice army. The Huntsman, however, rebels against
her, breaking her rule to never fall in love, adding yet another opposing side
to the battle.
We Said: “Maybe it was Kristen
Stewart or previous director Rupert Sanders holding things back, because The Huntsman: Winter's War is
vastly more enjoyable [than its predecessor.]” Rating: 3 out of 5
The Good: Well… I guess Chris
Hemsworth and Charlize Theron were the best parts of the first one (by default)
so it’s at least better than it could be that The Huntsman focuses on them instead of Kristen
Stewart’s Snow White. Much like the first one, the visuals are pretty
interesting, and some of the action scenes are well staged. While bland, it is
ultimately inoffensive and forgettable. Not especially good or bad.
The Bad: An unnecessary
sequel to an unnecessary reboot, The Huntsman: Winter’s War is very
hard to follow, and ultimately unexciting. As a sequel/prequel it’s incredibly
confusing, and does very little to further any kind overall franchise story. The
film makes several attempts at covering for Kristen Stewart’s absence, all of
which are actually incredibly distracting and add to the confusion. Additionally,
I have no idea what Emily Blunt was going for. It’s all kind of a mess.
Overall: Though definitely not
for me, The Huntsman does improve on the original gritty Snow White movie, but that really doesn’t
mean very much.
Special Features: Deleted Scenes, Gag
Reel, “The Making Of The Huntsman: Winter's War”, Feature Commentary with
Director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Picking
up where Army of Darkness left
off (kind of), Bruce Campbell finally returns to his iconic role of bumbling demon
killer Ash Williams, back again to hunt the undead army he accidentally resurrected
in this horror comedy from original Evil Dead mastermind Sam Raimi.
