The Internship - Movie Review

It could be Wedding Crashers all over again as Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson team up once again as salesman who must change careers. They end up in the digital age at Google, working as interns with a bunch of young twenty-somethings.

Cast

Shawn Levy directs this film and it will be the second collaboration with Vaughn and Jared Stern, who produced the movie with Vaughn. The three worked together on 2012's The Watch. Vaughn and Wilson play Billy and Nick, the main characters, but the supporting cast is solid. Rose Byrne, who was great in Bridesmaids, is just as good as a love interest to Nick. John Goodman has a small role as Billy and Nick's former boss and you'll recognize B.J. Novak, of The Office fame, and Max Minghella of the Social Network.

Summary

Billy and Nick are fired after Goodman tells them that he is closing his business. The two fast-talking salesmen search for new jobs when Billy finds the answer - a coveted internship at one of the world's biggest companies, Google. Billy and Nick compete with the much younger crowd for the opportunity to get hired by the company. Along the way there is a tremendous amount of sarcasm, typical of Vaughn, and humor as Vaughn and Wilson rib their younger cohorts. As in Wedding Crashers, they will become mentors for their new young socially awkward friends. Vaughn and Wilson, and the many others, will also get to wear funny, colorful hats. Yes, the ones with the propeller on top.

Review

While it might look like a two-hour commercial for Google, the film is entertaining. Vaughn and Wilson and their brand of slapstick comedy never fails. Sure, they seem childish at times, but the bottom line is they will make you laugh. And Google gets in on the action as co-founder Sergey Brin actually makes a few cameo appearances in the movie.

There are numerous one-liners that will generate laughter as well as the sarcasm-filled rants that Vaughn is known for. There is the token inspirational speech from Vaughn, who will use Flashdance to motivate his young teammates. As Billy and Nick track down the elusive Charles Xavier, one of the movie's memorable scenes shows Vaughn being punched in the face and Wilson getting punched, well, below the belt, by a guy in a wheelchair. The Internship is not for young ones as there are several scenes containing adult humor, but the movie has enough laughs to make the two hours worth it.

Despicable Me 2 - Movie Review

If you loved it the first time around, the Despicable Me crew is back for a second go-around, and it will entertain like the first. The animated adventure-comedy will not disappoint as actors Steve Carell, Russell Brand, and Miranda Cosgrove reprise their roles. Kristen Wiig is also back albeit in a different role.

Summary

The ex-villain Gru (Carell) saved his three adopted daughters - Agnes, Edith, and Margo - from the evil organization, Vector, in the original film. Living the unexciting life of an everyday dad, Gru is paid a visit by agent Lucy Wilde, played by Wiig, who voiced Miss Hattie in the first version. Wilde recruits Gru to the Anti-Villain League headed up by one Silas Ramsbottom. The league is dedicated to fighting world-wide crime and informs Gru that a new villain, Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt), is on the loose wreaking havoc upon the world. The Anti-Villain League believes that Gru, once being a criminal, understands how Eduardo thinks and can help to defeat him. Once again, Gru, his girls, his minions, and his assistant Dr. Nefario will have to save the world.

Cast

Producer Chris Meledandri assembled a great cast with Carell, Wiig, Cosgrove, and Brand returning to the movie. Originally, Al Pacino was set to play the villain, Eduardo, but left the film due to creative differences. Bratt, of Law & Order and Miss Congeniality fame, was then cast in the role. British comedian Steve Coogan lends his voice to Silas Ramsbottom and Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher are back as Edith and Agnes.

Review


Carell is great once again as Gru as he tries to become a good father to his three lovable young girls. Being recruited into the Anti-Villain League is an honor for Gru, but he must balance his role of crime-fighter with that of being a dad. The amount of humor in the film will have you laughing non-stop. Wiig is perfect for the role of Wilde playing the serious agent type with just a bit of a wild side. The soundtrack features songs by Eminem that will have you, and the rest of the audience, bouncing in your seat. And if that's not enough, Despicable Me 2 is worth seeing just for the minions. Yes, those lovable, yellow little creatures with their own language are at it again as Gru's helpers. If you have seen the original, this is one sequel that you will not want to pass up.

Ant-Man - Movie Review

Ant Man continues the Marvel Cinematic universe, set after the events of The Age of Ultron. It even ties back somewhat to Agent Carter Hailey Atwell and John Slattery appear as aged versions of Agent Carter and Howard Stark at the beginning of the movie as a set up to the rest of the plot. There are even tie ins to the next Captain America movie (with a post credits scene) and ultimately to the Avengers Infinity wars movies (which will include Ant Man).

Without giving too much away, Michael Douglas's character Hank Prym one of the original S.H.E. I. L.D. agents, and inventor of the ant man suit, a technology that allows humans to shrink to the size of an ant, and gain the equivalent of an ant's strength to its size hires burglar Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd to break into his former company and steal a second suit being developed by Prym's one time protege now rival Darren Cross (played by House of Cards' Cory Stoll). Evangeline Lilly plays Hope van Dyne, Prym's daughter who reluctantly helps Lang train to become ant man.

At its core the film is a heist movie wrapped up in a superhero movie. It is like Oceans 11 meets The Avengers. It does very well as the origin story for the various stand alone characters, yet blends into the existing Marvel Universe, with the biggest cross-over being the meeting between Ant Man and Falcon about halfway into the movie. Paul Rudd does a great job with being a hero that is on the fringe of being a true good guy, who is willing to break the rules or the law to do the right thing. He also brings an air of every man with a smart ass quality that he is know for from his other work. It has a lot of the humor that many of Marvel Films have had in doses.

For those who get the actual disc, the movie looks and sounds great on blu ray. I have the one disc version, which for extras has a few short behind the scenes and making of features, about 10 min worth of "news" footage that help flesh out some of the character's backgrounds, some deleted scenes and a gag reel. Good for what is there. I think those who are fans of the Marvel Universe movies and TV shows will enjoy this. It is also different enough that if you are having super hero movie fatigue, you can find it enjoyable because it is definitely not like any of the ones that have come before it. While some of it is a bit silly to be sure (but really all the superhero movies are to some extent) this movie plays on that a bit and almost does it tongue in cheek. The acting is very good, it it does well staying on the fringes of the larger story, while telling its own.

The Wolverine - Movie Review

Fans of the X-Men series and the comic book hero, as well as many of their wives, will salivate over The Wolverine, the sixth installment within the mega-successful series. The movie features Hugh Jackman again as the main character as he battles with his immortality. Jackman gets a producer credit for the film, which is set in Japan.

Cast

After Jackman in the lead role of Logan/Wolverine, the cast is a Who's Who of Japanese actors and actresses. Tao Okamoto plays Mariko Yashida, who is the daughter of an important Yakuza crime boss. Mariko is pulled between her love and feelings for Logan and also her required duty to her father. Mariko's father, Shingen Yashida, is the number one antagonist to Jackman's Wolverine. Moviegoers may recognize Will Yun Lee, an American-born actor of Korean descent. Lee has played a recurring role on the new Hawaii Five-O series and recently served as Captain Cho in the remake of the 1980s classic Red Dawn.

Summary

The film is set some time after X-Men: The Last Stand, where Logan has traveled to Japan to escape. He realizes that everyone he has loved and cared about dies and, being immortal, he does not. Faced with so much pain, he retreats into his world while living in Japan. He is happy to get away from everything and everyone until a mysterious someone from his past tracks him down. Someone he has saved in the past finds Logan to give him exactly what he is looking for - mortality. Logan is hired to protect Mariko Yashida when she is threatened in a war between the Yakuza and local law enforcement. Logan/Wolverine will be pushed to his emotional and physical limits as he goes to battle the Yakuza.

Review

If you are an action movie seeker, you will find enough action in The Wolverine to tie you over for weeks. The sheer site of the shirtless Jackman will be all it takes to get the wives and girlfriends in the seats. Set in Japan, there are plenty of samurai swords and ninjas for the action lover. Throw in a bullet train ride and some nice explosions and The Wolverine proves its worthiness as an action film extraordinaire. But, the real story is Wolverine's battle with his own personal demons. He doesn't know how to deal with his own immortality. He has a tough time watching his loved ones die. But all that will change and Wolverine will come out of his ordeal stronger and more powerful than ever.