CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE [2016]

Director Rawson Marshall Thurber's action/comedy Central Intelligence should win points for it's "Little Hart/Big Johnson" tagline alone.
Kevin Hart & Dwayne Johnson are reunited before their 20 year high school reunion only to find they couldn't anymore different than what they were during their glory days.  And like all good high school reunions there's guns, exploding cars and plenty of hilarious espionage.
The two leads have a wonderful chemistry that gives the film a big ol' warm heart that the script so badly needs.  Without Hart & Johnson it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining as it is.  There's plenty of laughs to be had but it's mostly the goofy performances and ad-libs rather than the ridiculously unbelievable script.  

3 black Will Smiths out of 5

TRIPLE 9 [2016]

Director John Hillcoat gathers together a pretty stellar cast for his violent heist thriller Triple 9.
The Atlanta Russian mob hires a group of dirty cops to pull off a near impossible job and then hatches a ploy to trick them into killing each other to avoid any loose ends.
Hillcoat's obsession with struggling to find order amidst a world of violence is at it's most apparent here with it's intricate plot that's filled with multiple twists 'n turns.  However, it's missing it's beating heart and the lack of character development is where it hurts the film most.  Thanks to it's clever plotting, powerful cast and intense action sequences Triple 9 is pretty god-damned entertaining but one can't help but feel there's a heavily extended director's cut that could easily fix it's glaring flaws.

3 nines out of 5

NEED FOR SPEED [2014]

Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul gets fast and furious in director Scott Waugh's film adaptation of Electronic Arts' long-running video game series Need For Speed.
In this car porn road flick, a car-mechanic gets out of prison to race across the country to avenge his friend of whom he was framed for the death of.
If it's quality plot and well-fleshed characters, then you're obviously not smart enough to know this ain't the film to turn to and perhaps it is right for you after all.  If it's ridiculously entertaining inane fun you're seeking out then you've come to the right place.  Unlike it's rival Fast Car film series, the large majority of stunts and FX are all practical making for less cartoony action sequences but still keeping up with the outrageousness of it all.
It's runs a bit long but you'll hardly even notice if you've come prepared right and proper the type of film it is.

3 bus bus buses out of 5

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS [2014]

Director Ridley Scott takes it upon himself to retell the biblical story of The Amazing Adventures of Moses & The Jews in Exodus: Gods and Kings.
Uber-broody Christian Bale is cast as a sword-wielding Moses who leads 600,000 Jewish slaves out of Egypt to freedom and along the way they meet all sorts of zany characters and exciting hijinks ensue  Visually, the film is pretty damned spectacular, in both scenery and special effects, never denying itself the chance of a sweeping CGI overhead shot of the ancient lands and cities.  Elsewhere like in the heart and brains department, Exodus lacks a great deal.  Scott tries to scientifically explain all the biblical events like the parting of the Red Sea or the different plagues and in turn, he sucks all the magic out of what is actually a pretty amazing story and turns it into dazzling dullness.

2½ Godly kids out of 5

A LONG WAY DOWN [2014]

If I had to pick one thing that makes director Pascal Chaumeil's adaptation of Nick Hornby's so-so novel A Long Way Down worth seeing,  I would not hesitate with the answer: Imogen Poots.
Poots is the shining star in this offbeat drama about a group of suicidal folks who form a pact to help each other through the hard times.  The film has a helluva time finding what sort of tone it's going for, which results in a somewhat frustrating experience.  At times it's quite funny, charming, likeable and driven by interesting character moments but the tone is so off-shooting one can't help but be completely distracted by it.
It's a miss but still manage to be an enjoyable miss I have no desire to see again.

3 bad trips out of 5

SMASHED [2012]

Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Aaron Paul play a couple who's marriage is put to the test when she decides to sober up, while he continues his reckless drunken lifestyle in director James Ponsoldt's drama Smashed.
What could have been a heavy-handed drama about the nightmares of alcoholism turns out to be actually mild-mannered, thoughtful and at times oddly humorous, while still taking it's subject matter fairly serious.  It handles it's bruised emotions and complexities with great care and that's where it shines.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead delivers one of the finest performances I've seen in a long, long time that never gets too dramatic nor does it slip up when the well-placed humor is inserted.

3½ places not to urinate out of 5