The Infiltrator - Box Office Review

Drugs, sex, violence and beaches are all pretty common key words when you're discussing the cocaine fueled era of Florida in the 1980's. The volume of cocaine being shipped into America during this decade was unprecedented and it started an entire "war on drugs" led by our (at the time) president Ronald Reagan. So, were Bryan Cranston and John Leguizamo able to make us believe their U.S. custom's agency status? Let's dive in and take a look at "The Infiltrator" in this box office review...

Considering this film was based on real events I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw on screen. It's more procedural than action packed but that's not to suggest this film lacks action scenes. The entire movie is one man's journey to stop a drug kingpin from continuing to build his empire on the Florida coast and in America. That one man is Bryan Cranston. Most people are familiar with his role as a drug king pin in the tv show "Breaking Bad" so to see him on the other side of the coin wasn't much of a stretch. He's a talented actor and that talent is present on screen. He brings a wide range of emotions to this film and it's his performance that rises above the fray. 

The remaining cast was adequate with their performances. It felt like most of them were doing their best to portray terrible people or US Customs agents pretending to be terrible. Leguizamo had one really good scene where he's confronted with a man being shot in the head at point blank range. His face gave me all the believable emotion I could want in that scene.  Also, it's unfortunate Olympia Dukakis didn't have more screen time because her character was enjoyable. She plays Cranston's aunt and her very brief screen time was fantastic. She's an incredible talent though so it wasn't a surprise. Also, who is Benjamin Bratt's agent that he keeps getting cast as a drug dealer or a character within that world? It's almost like studios discover they need a drug lord and call Bratt's agent. He played the same role in "Ride Along 2" which also came out this year! 

Overall, the story is pretty compelling despite how weird the film ends. One could almost believe that Hollywood chose the ending to be dramatic but it was more confusing. I have a difficult time believing people would react in that way to that situation considering how they reacted to previous, and similar, situations. It was an odd choice but if it is revealed that in reality that is what took place I will be just as ok with the film. 

"The Infiltrator" is theaters now! If you enjoy movies based on real events this is a good film to see on the big screen. If true life crime stories aren't your preferred films, you can catch this on Redbox of VOD. It's definitely worth watching but it doesn't necessarily have to be in the theater. There's one weird voodoo scene that didn't make much sense but other than that it's entertaining and it keeps your attention. 

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Ride Along 2 - Box Office Review

I wasn't expecting much from this film and I didn't get much either. The little I did receive from this film was worth it. I walked out of the theater smiling and thinking, "I wasn't expecting to laugh as much as I just did" and that's ok in my book. So let's take a look at "Ride Along 2" and some areas of opportunity and accomplishments I saw while watching this movie.

First, Rotten Tomatoes has this film at ratings low enough to make anyone question why I'd bother to see the thing. The critic score is abysmal sitting at 13% rotten. I wasn't surprised by that and to be honest I don't care. Certain films are made for a single purpose and this film falls in that category. This film was made to entertain and provide chuckles. So we'll excuse the critic score from the conversation because it's the user score that should more accurately reflect how enjoyable this film was. After all, the user score indicates what we the viewers think and hopefully we're seeing films that interest us. Critics have to see everything. Users pay to see what they prefer. That being said, the user score is 56% rotten. Ouch. Even the people who enjoyed the first one, like the characters, the actors, everything did not enjoy this film by a slight majority.

Overall, this film had potential to be so much better than it was. Unfortunately, I blame the writing and directing for all the short comings present in this film. This movie was stuffed with cliche's and predictable moments. So much so I groaned out loud once or twice in the theater. Additionally, tell one story if that's what your movie is supposed to do. Don't tell tell one story with half the cast, then tell the same story differently but at the same time with Kevin Hart's character and finally add Ken Jeong as comedic relief when one of your stars is Kevin Hart! The whole movie is happening at one speed, then Kevin takes over and changes the tempo of the film. Interestingly enough, it was Kevin Harts character that made the film enjoyable. The manner in which the story developed with his character was the entertaining and enjoyable part. The whole movie is happening and it feels like a process. Then Kevin takes over and the movie becomes entertaining. Then it goes back to process. On, off, on off. It was ridiculous.

Ken Jeong and Kevin Hart sharing screen time and dialogue was great. The timing these two comedic actors have actually made me forget how poorly made this film was. It was like being in a desert of boredom only to find comedic water bottles sporadically along the way.

Kevin's character had a story line that stayed consistent, was humorous and at times very original. Then it switches off him and becomes step-by-step movie making that we've all seen hundreds of times before. I couldn't get over how poorly directed this film was. I went back and looked at Tim Story's IMDB page and found out he's made other terrible films like the early 2000's "Fantastic Four" and the even bigger stink pile that was "Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer".  So, it made sense why the directing was so bad here when there's a pattern of garbage films in his resume. 

"Ride Along 2" is in theaters now! Overall, I don't recommend anyone see this film in theaters. If it comes on TV, OnDemand, VOD or you "win" it at a white elephant gift exchange then take a viewing just for the Kevin Hart storyline. Theres more bad than good here but the good is quite entertaining to be fair. Also, Tika Sumpter is gorgeous in this film so that helps bump up the positives.

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Box Office Review: Black Mass

Murder, drugs, Jai Alai, the Irish, the Italians, Senators, the FBI, DEA, IRA, police, prostitutes, 1970's Boston, Miami and an incredible ensemble of talented actors all participating in the telling of real life crime lord James "Whitey" Bulger. If you're looking for a film that has everything from corruption to redemption this might be it.

It starts with Kevin Weeks (Jessie Plemons) stating, on the record, that he isn't an informant or rat and he is strictly doing business. This is important because it references to something later revealed in the film. From there the audience is thrown into the movie with story telling split between the "present day" and previous events. A story telling device that works to keep the plot moving and it allows the story to jump forward in time without missing a beat. The audience is introduced to topics and events and then we jump back to see them brilliantly acted out.

Johnny Depp's portrayal of "Whitey" Bulger, nefarious and ruthless crime lord, was chilling. The steady ease in which he delivers his lines only to then murder people leaves you believing everything on screen. His methods of murder change so keep your eyes open. Cold and determined, loyal to his family and childhood friends until the end, this character is developed and intriguing to watch.

In fact, every character was so believable that the audience should enjoy the film without being pulled out by poor acting or distractions. The only thing that seemed a bit off was the wispy soft voice and accent of Senator Billy Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch), Whitey's brother. The accent was believable however it was gentle in comparison to the other male counterparts in the film. A rough and tumble group of male actors who were either criminals or law enforcement, the audience was treated to men of determined spirits, be they just or unjust. This allowed for Billy Bulger to stand out as his speech was more subdued.

FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) was probably the performance of the film. The changes he shows from being a confident and smooth talking agent to the despair and panic as he sees the case unravelling was award worthy. Connolly had the largest arc in terms of character development. You could see the change not just in his mannerisms but in his expressions and ability to silver tongue his colleagues. If you had any trouble picking up on it there's a brief mention during a conversation with his wife to firmly establish his is the performance to watch.

Scott Cooper directed this film and he has an impressive list of films under his belt. His talents as a director are obvious as this film leaves little to question. The art, the clothes, the design of the houses, the cars, the attitudes are all reminiscent of a time now gone. He had a power house cast to work with and he delivered on getting the best performance from each actor.

This film is rated R for good reason. There's violence a plenty that leaves little to the imagination. The language is also stereotypical of what you'd expect Boston street thugs to sound like. If you enjoy gangster films you will not be disappointed.

"Black Mass" isn't a special effects driven movie but the actors are all so wonderful it warrants a theater screening. This might be the film that ushers in "Oscar Season" or it might be the warm up, it's that good. The tension that builds between Whitey and the FBI all the way into the finale is intense and once the film resolves you sit back, exhale and smile because you know what you just watched was a quality film.

I give it two thumbs up and encourage everyone to play "8 Degrees of Separation with Kevin Bacon" because he's also in this film.

If you've already seen it, please comment below and share your thoughts!

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