December Recommendation: Fatman

 

                                Just two days till Christmas and the time has come to reveal my Christmas present to the world. Now technically, this is a Christmas present for myself but the movie I'm recommending is the crème de le crème of Christmas movies that this needs to be seen, for the whole world. The film I'm giving as in early Christmas present is Fatman, starring Mel Gibson as Santa Clause aka Chris Cringle, now you may think to yourself isn't this the same Mel Gibson that made so many phone calls to his ex-wife and threw racial slurs as well. You're obviously not wrong if that's what you’re thinking in the top of your head, but in all honesty this was the movie we're he redeems himself moreover I would rank this as one of the top five best performances of his entire career. So, lets break out the fireball egg nog and let’s talk about Fatman.

                                The story is very simple. Santa (Mel Gibson) is being forced to work with the U.S. Government to secure his workshop because of the rising number of kids being extremely naughty. After a spoiled 12-year-old kid gets a lump of coal for Christmas, he hires an assassin (Walter Goggins) to kill Santa Clause. Moreover, I'll let your imagination do the math.

                                In the recalling of many Christmas films over the years it’s pretty much the same concept either it’s the retelling of baby Jesus or every story of a family trying to get by on Christmas but admits the frustrations they come together as a family furthermore let’s not forget the many Hallmark movies that come out every Christmas season. And sure, its fine and dandy but there comes a time when I just want something new and different, though sure Die Hard is a different kind of Christmas film but Fatman is a new kind of retelling, to the legend of St. Nick. What I like about the story is that Santa is your everyday citizen, when he's outside of his workshop and you never know who he really is, mainly he's just and everyday person but when he's back at his shop he's Santa Clause whose frustrated about the world, in short kind of reminds of my Dad, but a great summary he's the Santa Clause that we've never seen before and that's what makes his performance great. Then you also have Walter Goggin's a great character actor that is both funny and strangely scary at the same time. Chance Hurstfield who plays the spoiled kid also does a great job playing the most snobbish brat that you want to smack around but you can't and at the end it's what makes it even amazing. Now I don't want to carry on because I'm afraid to spoil the movie, but this is the Christmas movie I've been looking for my whole life and I'm so glad to recommend this movie moreover I strongly doubt I can top a Christmas movie like Fatman. And I'll make this apology towards the late Jimmy Stewart, but It's a Wonderful Life has just be dethroned as best Christmas movie in my book, though not to say that it's still one of the greatest movies of all time for which it’s still is but as of right now Fatman is officially my go to Christmas movie for every time December hits. So, if you're like me who’s tired of the Christmas movies of old than I highly recommend watching Fatman on Christmas Day. Now if you'll excuse me, I going to re-watch this movie again until I'm tired of it. For Which I will never be. And Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year.

          

Grand Theft Auto 5: Replay Review

 

                             By now I'm sure everyone has got their Christmas shopping done, unfortunately for those who want to get a Playstation 5 well, you’re still screwed sorry not sorry in being honest. Well at least we still have the Playstation 4, speaking of I just finished revisiting a great Rockstar game, Grand Theft Auto 5 the game to end all Grand Theft Auto games in all truthfulness, now in all seriousness a side I do have two copies of this for many reasons my PS3 takes up so much save data that I decided to play this on PS4. And I got to say that I don't think I can play any of the past Grand Theft Auto games because there so frustrating when it comes to gameplay controls that this is much better whenever you want to create havoc in a fictionalized Los Angeles.

                              The story is pretty much simple both a young hustler, a retired bank robber and a psychopath are caught in the cross hairs of fame, money and corruption in the city of Los Santos though both of them don't really like one another, they so come to terms they need to work together in order to make way for the new kings of Los Santos.

                              I remember a certain GMA interview of Steven Spielberg while promoting Ready Player One they asked the question of when the technology of Ready Player One will catch up with today's technology, he states that it’s going to be three years from now, now looking back in remembering that I thought that was hilarious, but in all honesty I truly believe that Rockstar Games are without  a doubt the pioneers of the real Westworld like environments, for many reasons I do began to realize that once coming back to this world you’re really just doing whatever you want with known consequences just like the first two Red Dead Redemption games, but with GTA 5 you’re a hundred percent a monster while playing the game which is fun but also scary at the same time, when parents talk about violent video games like GTA yes they are right about not having kids play it because in all honesty kids today aren't ready for it just because of its immaturity, but when you’re an adult you can defiantly play this because you can wreak havoc any time you want and escape reality, for which I would defiantly be afraid of the future because we all know that Disney is going to be that company that's going to create that Westworld like future park and shamefully the robots will defiantly take over the world. So, thanks to Rockstar Games for at least creating a safe Westworld like video game were you don't have to pay a thousand dollars and spend a vacation, but instead once you get off work you can pop this game in and play it all day and all night. The story itself is pretty good moreover its really three criminals who are the most dysfunctional group ever, trying to work on both sides of the law, in all fairness it does have its references or inspirations behind any Tarantino films or Scorsese gangster movies as well. But of all the actors that are voicing these characters, is defiantly Steven Ogg who plays the psycho Trevor, because he's fully committed to the role and is just hilarious in the most psychotic's way possible, and I love transitioning to him because he's just doing something that's either dark or funny at the same time. If you’re in adult like me I would highly recommend playing this on the Playstation 4, but to those who have a girlfriend or married I would highly recommend it but maybe playing it at midnight so they won't know what you’re doing in Los Santos.

         

Walk Hard: A Dewey Cox Story

 

                       

                                 In all my years of watching movies, I've never seen a comedy that's so strange and so bewildering despite the film itself having some good moments but in all honesty that's really five percent of what the film has. But this is the first time ever, I watch a movie and feel so confused in terms of decision making, and poor choices when it comes to making this film happen and unfortunately what makes this film so confusing is that it’s a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, for which I still don't understand why that's possible because I see this film as a pure rotten film.

                                 Anyway The film is called Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story, and usually I would give a brief description of the plot, but in all honesty I don't know if I can, because in all honesty its really a comedy that spoofing on the rise and fall of famous musicians aka music biopic, from Walk the Line to Ray, but through the course of the fictionalized singer that's played by John C. Reilly but it goes from one crazy mess to another crazy mess for which make the Scary Movie films look like Freddy Got Fingered 2.

                                Now sharing my thoughts of this bizarre/strange film I still can't really put it into words because throughout the movie I had a bewildered through the entire film I mean sure there were some funny moments SNL alums Chris Parnell and Tim Meadows were kind of the best parts of the movie because they gave me some good giggle moments too as the same with Jenna Fisher because the Lets Duet scene was shamefully funny as well and let’s not forget the actor the plays Reilly's dad but all those moments in the film, that's basically it. And the rest of the film is just flat out so confusing that I don't know how to feel about it. Furthermore, sure you can see movies like Walk the Line or Ray and right then you can understand and laugh but this was just beyond the point of I don't think this was funny at all. So, to sum this movie up in the best way possible this movie is like the sacking of Ancient Troy you don’t want to witness all the horrors the Greeks have done on the Trojans but your eyes can’t close for some reason, and to be truthfully honest it needs to be seen so that everyone can be confused as well. I would say don't buy this, absolutely not if its free and or you can rent it on your phone I would watch it that way but after your done watching it I would suggest deleting your entire history of searching this movie as well as clips you've probably watched on YouTube because I still haven't watched any clips from Walk Hard to this day.    

House of Gucci

 

                            I'm confident in saying that the producers out in Hollywood have Bat phone of some kind to contact Sir Ridley Scott, whenever their having trouble getting some good movies and stories out or getting tired of remakes and Superheroes. It was two months ago that The Last Duel came out and now Ridley Scott is back with another film about a family empire, destroyed by their own ego. Lady Gaga gives a performance of a lifetime playing the Black Widow who loved power but pushed to the madness of the glamour and fame. Adam Driver after his great performance in The Last Duel, returns as a lawyer turned face of Italian fashion empire. Along with Jered Leto who I have to give praise because he was unrecognizable in his role, Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino who for the first time in God knows, like forever that he's actually acting and not losing his s**t. So, with one of the greatest directors of all time at the help and a lineup of great actors and actress, let’s talk about House of Gucci.

                             When Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge -- and ultimately murder.

                              I often don't do this, but in a strange way if I had to compare this with another but from in alternate reality it would probably be Crazy Rich Asians, despite Crazy Rich Asians being more of a fantasy film and House of Gucci being more realistic when it comes to a main woman being married into a very rich family and then secretly manipulating everyone that crosses her, not saying that Rachel Chu would of done that but, you never know it could happen in a certain movie life. In my life I believe I've heard of Gucci, I may have heard references of Gucci such as a fashion trend but in all honesty I've never, ever heard of the Family tragedy that happened. And what makes this film great is that this was about a family that is Italian Royalty but is destroyed by their own sense of ego and power, and that's what makes it so interesting is that one woman whose seduced by this legacy but crosses a threshold into complete madness, for which as we all should know by now it’s like gravity, all it takes is a little push. I will say this that, this is one of these films that you do need to see at the movie theaters because after seeing this great movie I felt like I just went through a family drama of some kind. Lady Gaga gives a performance of a lifetime, playing Patrizia Reggiani who at first is a kind moreover a gorgeous woman only a lucky man would see at a night club, but then is a viscous woman though turns crazy when she crosses a line, and Lady Gaga did a tremendous job in leaving her real life self, and just transforming herself into the real Black Widow, or if your confused in my last statement I'll give a better example, she basically Daniel Day Lewis herself in embodying her character. Adam Driver is really have a year in terms of find a great director that believes in him moreover getting the freedom and wisdom in acting in some great roles, and with this movie he does a fantastic job playing a so called awkward lawyer whose heir to the Gucci name, but becomes his own worst enemy when it came to money and power. Jared Leto I believe gets in award for Daniel Day Lewis transformation because he was just unrecognizable in this film, while Al Pacino finally does a great job acting for once in a movie like this, although he has Ridley Scott directing him and I would think keeps telling him "okay Al, if you want to chew up the scenery like in your past films, just chew on this piece of cardboard". Even the supporting cast gets some praise as well like Salma Hayek does great work molding Patrizia through the course of the movie, while Jeremy Irons does a great job playing Drivers father who even warns him about the love in his life but yet doesn't listen to him. Ridley Scott is one of my favorite movie directors of all time and this movie is a great example of Scott finding any story he can get his hands on and turn it into magic, and I can even argue and say that his future work is not as great as his past work but is still entertaining and amazing to watch when you go see them, I mean hell I don't think Prometheus and Alien: Covenant were great films but I still love them for what they are. In a year that's so crummy and barely recovering from a year that should not be named, Sir Ridley Scott in my book wins Man of the Year, because with his work of The Last Duel and House of Gucci, I have to say he's the real reason why the movie theaters are still great places to see a film. With a one of the greatest casts ever assembled and a great director at the helm, hands down another film I declare best film of 2021 although The Last Duel is at number one and House of Gucci is number close tie. So, with the year nearing the end I would stop what you’re doing and see House of Gucci because this is one of the only films ever to be seen at the theaters. 

      

   

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

 

                        This was one of the many times that I really didn't want to see a movie that brought back great childhood memories, unfortunately I was told from a source that I needed to watch Ghostbusters Afterlife and as much as I didn't want to I went to the film anyway. But I will officially say that this one in amazing fun ride of nostalgia and brought back a great time of being a kid. Moreover, I will go ahead and state that this is the far better and superior sequel than the one movie that will not be named. Starring a few actors I don't know too much of besides Paul Rudd and some surprising, aw you know what screw it I can't keep this a secret Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson return as the original Ghostbusters who help the up and coming Ghostbusters along with Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver, along with a special appearance of the late great Harold Ramis. Oh, and sorry not sorry because I can't contain the excitement of watching a movie that helped me relive my childhood.

                        When a single mother and her two children move to a new town, they soon discover they have a connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

                         Now I had my doubts of this movie I wasn't going to lie, believe me I was literally throwing a small temper tantrum in not wanting to see this all because of a one film that again should not be named (all female Ghostbusters, which included a female version of Chris Farley). Although I now say that this was hands down one of the most entertaining movies I ever had the privileges' to watch at a movie theater, it was one of those films that introduced you to a new  brand of characters and guided you all the way through, to one of the greatest reveals in cinema history. I love the fact that Paul Rudd wasn't a ghostbuster the way people came to believe in terms of the promotion was or how the trailer and previews that we're give you a sort of convincing nod to, because deep down it would of just been silly in some ways. But what makes the movie great was that you have a group of kids with different background but come together in helping stop the forces of evil. Jason Reitman who is the son of Ivan Reitman, did such a fantastic job in making this film not just a sequel to the past Ghostbuster films but more of a love letter to all of the fans the grew up and watched the original films day in and day out, and I'm grateful he played a great tribute to the late Harold Ramis furthermore I don't think there could of been anyone in the world that would bring this film to life. In all honesty there's really not a whole lot to say because let’s face anyone whose watched this film like I have would know that the ending was amazing to witness and some of the newcomers also did their part in making this film great. So, if you’re a Ghostbusters fan like I am I would highly recommend finding a movie theater and watching Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bring my PS3 out and play Ghostbusters: The Video Game.