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House Party – Review
House Party – Budget Unknown – 1 hour and 50 minutes
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Kevin is a single father living with his parents. They plan to retire soon and sell the house. So they remind Kevin that he needs to find a new place to live. He works for a cleaning service, but it doesn’t pay enough for Kevin to find a new home. Kevin likes to produce beats. But after one bad review, he’s uncomfortable playing them in public. Kevin loads his daughter, Destiny, in the car when three men, YTD, pull up and threaten him. They are upset because Kevin’s friend, Damon, stole their cousin’s chain during a party. They fire Damon and Kevin as party promoters for their next soiree.
Damon lives with his aunt, but she’s threatening to throw him out if he doesn’t pay his rent on time. She accosts him for partying all night, but he tells her it’s business. He promotes parties on his social media to attract more attendees. She asks how much he gets paid, and he doesn’t. She reminds Damon that partying without pay is partying. Damon leaves to join Kevin at work.
Damon arrives at the cleaning job at a huge mansion, but no one will say who owns the home. The boss tells Damon where not to go inside the house and leaves Kevin in charge. Kevin tells Damon he needs $10,000 to pay for Destiny’s school and get a place. Destiny’s mother will demand full custody if he doesn’t get the money. Then Kevin tells Damon that YTD fired them and questions Damon about the chain. Damon denies taking the chain but wants to throw a party. They joke about throwing the party at the mansion, but Kevin shoots down that idea. Then, Kevin’s high school crush, manager Venus, calls. The last client has a video of Damon and Kevin manhandling statues and doing drugs on the property. Venus tells Kevin that the boss will fire them on Monday.
After Damon looks around the home, he discovers it belongs to LeBron James. After listening to Kevin’s woes, Damon thinks they can make the money they need in one night. He found LeBron’s iPad with his celebrity contacts (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). Also, LeBron will be in India for two weeks at a meditation retreat. They can give the boss fake keys after cleaning, charge a premium for the party, party, clean up, and return the real keys without anyone noticing. This party will put their promotion business on the map. Easy enough, right?
This reboot references the original material and has some of the main cast for fans of the cult classic (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). Like the source material, there is a wild party with a purpose and scary men looking for the hosts. The script starts funny and gets crazy. However, the plot gets extremely weird. It becomes unnecessarily violent and bloody with a mix of The Lovebirds and Gladiator. Finally, the movie jumps to its original plot and provides comical and caring moments. This disturbing sequence was unneeded with the slew of cameos, a koala, and plenty of damage. Don’t be surprised if you find the outtakes funnier than the film. This film is for fans looking for something new, not a blast from the past.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars
I ain’t hear that – Kevin
Dang, I’d be pissed, too – Damon
It’s my DJ jet fuel – DJ Vic
Why does everybody keep telling me to relax – Venus
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Plane – Review
Plane – Budget of $20 – 25 million – 1 hour and 47 minutes
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Captain Brodie Torrance prepares his crew to fly from Singapore to Hawaii on Trailblazer 119. He plans to spend New Year’s Eve with his daughter, Daniela, during her winter break. He calls and promises to be there on time. Brodie talks to the flight crew before loading the passengers. There will be 14 passengers, three flight attendants, and the co-pilot, Samuel Dele, on the flight.
Samuel looks at the Doppler report and sees the flight plan has them going through a storm. Brodie asks the Trailblazer rep if they can fly around it. The representative tells them it will add an hour of flight time and $18,000 in fuel. He believes the storm will be over once they get there and says no. Fight attendant Bonnie walks into the cockpit as the rep leaves. She informs Brodie that RCMP Officer Knight wants to talk to him about a passenger. Officer Knight will use the flight to transport a prisoner, Louis Gaspere, back for a murder charge. Louis was on the run in Bali before his capture. Brodie is apprehensive but tells Knight to take Louis to the back of the plane and doesn’t let the passengers know.
The plane takes off without issue, and the attendants make their rounds. They hit the storm and tell the passengers to return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts. Lightning strikes the plane and takes out the electrical system. Brodie and Samuel fly blind and without communication with air traffic control. Brodie fears he needs to make a water landing but sees land on the way down. He dumps some of the fuel while Samuel manually releases the landing gear. Knight and a flight attendant die when they stand up during turbulence. Brodie takes Knight’s handcuff keys and refuses to let Louis out of his restraints.
Brodie breathes a sigh of relief when they land on the remote island but knows it will be a while before help can find them. Samuel thinks it will be longer because he discovered they are in Jolo. Jolo has no police, and criminals and separatists run the island and population. The Philippines government won’t send an army or rescue team to help. Brodie remembers seeing a structure on the way down. He hopes it will have a phone. He tells the passengers that he will go through the jungle to find it. When two passengers volunteer, Brodie lies and says Louis asked to go. Brodie takes Louis into the woods and removes Louis’s handcuffs to find shelter. Brodie hopes to signal for help. However, a villager spotted the plane going down and told Datu. Datu runs the local gang and orders his men to find the aircraft to collect supplies and hostages. Landing the plane was only half the battle.
If you watch the trailers, you will anticipate the crazy moments. But don’t let that distract you from the setup. Every ounce of the beginning is necessary for the plot. Viewers get information on Louis, Brodie, Samuel, and the weather in 20 minutes. And the passengers come from all walks of life, from social media queens to germaphobes. Also, you get an insight into crisis management. When Trailblazer discovers their plane is missing, they get a room full of executives to create a plan to extract the people and create press releases for every scenario. This movie will make you wait with bated breath until you know everyone is safe. You won’t have the urge to buy this movie, but you won’t regret seeing it in the theaters.
I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars
Could you not do that – Louis
You thought? What are you? A f**king meteorologist – Scarsdale
Wake up the island – Datu
That’s my job, sweetheart. I wouldn’t have it any other way – Brodie
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A Man Called Otto – Review
A Man Called Otto – Budget of $50 million – 2 hours and 6 minutes
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Otto wakes up, goes to the hardware store, checks on the neighborhood, and goes to work. His co-workers surprise Otto with a retirement party. Otto won’t fake his enthusiasm because his boss pushed him out by giving him fewer hours and promoting Otto’s trainee to Otto’s supervisor. Otto took his severance package and retired. Otto scoffs at the Dyn & Merika signs for the new condos. The realtors are trying to entice Otto and his neighbors to sell, but they remain firm.
After Otto’s neighborhood checks, he helps his new neighbor, Marisol, and her husband, Tommy, and their two daughters parallel park their moving trailer. Before Marisol can thank Otto, he walks away and goes home. Otto cancels his utilities, anchors a rope to the ceiling, and hangs himself. Otto sees visions of his late wife, Sonya, as he slips away, but the metal ring breaks before he dies. Otto isn’t happy to be alive. Instead, he is upset that you can’t find decent material these days. Otto doesn’t see the point of living without Sonya, and Otto will try again to end it. However, the neighborhood he pushed away will unknowingly come to his rescue, and he theirs.
Based on A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and a remake of A Man Called Ove, this movie weaves humor and sadness expertly (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). Otto is a grumpy, older man screaming at the changing of the times in the beginning. However, you get to know his story during each attempt. You witness Otto and Sonya meet, fall in love, and marry. Within the flashback, you learn how the neighborhood developed and fell apart. Otto’s cantankerous behavior is valid, although misdirected. Each person in his life keeps Otto engaged and unwillingly fighting. If you cried at the beginning of Up, be prepared to have your tissues ready. This film will stay with you.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars
Parallel to what? – Otto
No more grown-ups – Tommy
I’m something – Marisol
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