"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" Review by Tim Hellman

'KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE': Three Stars (Out of Five)

A sequel to the 2017 surprise spy action-comedy hit 'KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE'; which was based on the 'Kingsman' comic book series, created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. The film was once again directed by Matthew Vaughn, and written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman (the duo have co-written six screenplays together now). Original cast members Taron Egerton, Colin Firth (who's character presumably died in the original film), Mark Strong, Edward Holcroft and Sophie Cookson all reprise their roles in this sequel; while newcomers Julianne Moore, Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry, Hanna Alstrom, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Bruce Greewood, Emily Watson, and Elton John all join the cast. The story, this time, revolves around the Kingsmen having to team up with a similar team of American spies, in order to take on a new enemy in London. The movie has received mixed (to negative) reviews from critics (unlike the highly praised original), but it is expected to be another hit at the Box Office still though. Being a fan of the original, as well as Vaughn's other films, I was severely disappointed with this movie.

The film takes place one year after the events of the original movie, when Eggsy Unwin (Egerton) is now the Kingsman's top operative, and he's also living with Princess Tilde (Alstrom) of Sweden. When all of the other Kingsmen are taken out in a missile attack, from a new enemy in London (called The Golden Circle), Unwin and Merlin (Strong) travel to Kentucky to meet their American counterparts (called The Statesman). They learn that The Golden Circle, lead by Poppy Adams (Moore), has laced every recreational drug with a deadly toxin. Adams demands that the President of the United States (Greenwood) ends his war on drugs, in order for her to release the antidote that can cure everyone. The British and American agents must team together in order to save millions.

The movie is bigger than the original, in almost every way, including a much bigger cast of celebrities and even more over-the-top action scenes. Still, despite all of this, the movie feels so much smaller in comparison, for what it's able to accomplish. Some of it is fun, but it's mostly just a big mess, and I was bored for most of it's extremely excessive 2 hours and 21 minutes running length. Seeing as how Vaughn and Goldman have produced much better films together, in the past, this movie was a big disappointment for me. The action scenes are boring, a lot of the humor is humorless, and the celebrities are often more of a distraction than an actual addition of talent. I sure hope the next 'KINGSMAN' movie is a lot better.

New Trailer for the Upcoming Action Sequel "Kingsmen: The Golden Circle"

20th Century Fox recently released the first trailer for the upcoming anticipated sequel "Kingsman: The Golden Circle". The film stars Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Sir Elton John, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges.

"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" hits theaters on September 22nd.

Plot Synopsis:

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" introduced the world to Kingsman - an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents' strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that's becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy...

"Kingsman: The Golden Circle": Official Trailer

First Trailer for the Upcoming Sequel "Kingsman: The Golden Circle"

20th Century Fox recently released the first trailer for the upcoming anticipated sequel "Kingsman: The Golden Circle". The film stars Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Sir Elton John, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges.

"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" hits theaters on September 22nd.

Plot Synopsis:

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" introduced the world to Kingsman - an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents' strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that's becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy...

"Kingsman: The Golden Circle": Official Trailer

"The Hateful Eight" Review by Tim Hellman

'THE HATEFUL EIGHT': Five Stars (Out of Five)

Writer/director Quentin Tarantino's gruesome western epic; about nine vile strangers, that hold up together in a stagecoach stopover, during a deadly blizzard (in Wyoming), sometime after the American Civil War. The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Michael Madsen, James Parks and Channing Tatum. The film was released in two versions; a standard 167 minute theatrical cut, and a special 70mm Roadshow version (that's 20 minutes longer). I saw the Roadshow presentation, and it was well worth it. The film is a classic; Tarantino at his best!

The story takes place in the Wyoming winter, sometime after the Civil War. It revolves around a bounty hunter, named John Ruth (Russell), and his prisoner, Daisy Domergue (Leigh). They're headed to the town of Red Rock; where Daisy will hang, for her notorious crimes. Along the way they meet up with another bounty hunter, named Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), and a man who claims to be the new sheriff of Red Rock, named Chris Mannix (Goggins). When the group becomes stuck, in the middle of a horrendous blizzard, they head to a well known haberdashery; to wait it out in. Once there, they meet four more strangers; and none of them appears to be very trustworthy.

The film is classic Tarantino; if you like his stuff, you should love it. It's filled with grotesque violence, foul language and other disgusting debauchery; but it's also a fascinating character study, with a strong message about race relations. The movie plays out in two distinct acts; the first being filled with lots of character development, excessive dialogue, and plot buildup. The second act is almost all violent, bloody, payoff (it's like two different movies almost). I love the way it was structured, and I was intrigued by nearly all of the film's despicable characters. I also really enjoyed seeing the movie in it's glorious 70mm presentation (it's well worth the extra ticket price, in my opinion). The pacing, in the first act, will test some viewer's patience (as all Tarantino films do); and so will the violence, and offensive imagery. I think it's all worth it, in my opinion, though. The film is a masterpiece; and seeing the Roadshow presentation of it, was one of the greatest filmgoing experiences I've ever had!

"Jupiter Ascending" Review - Written by Tim Hellman

'JUPITER ASCENDING': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

The new big budget sci-fi epic from the Wachowski siblings. It stars Mila Kunis as a poor caretaker and Channing Tatum as a genetically engineered ex-military warrior, who team up to stop alien royalty from taking over the planet. Andy and Lana Wachowski wrote, co-produced and directed the movie; which also stars Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Douglas Booth and Tuppence Middleton. If you grew up on 80s space opera, like I did, you're almost sure to love this movie (despite what the critics say).

The plot revolves around a rich alien family, called the 'House of Abrasax', who harvest people from other planets to create a youth serum; which allows them to live forever. When their mother dies, the Abrasax siblings fight over her inheritance; with Earth being the most prized possession. A poor housekeeper on Earth, named Jupiter Jones (Kunis), is destined to replace the Abrasax siblings, as Queen of Earth, due to her genetic structure. So she's targeted to be killed, by the powerful alien family, and it's up to a genetically engineered hunter, named Caine Wise (Tatum), to save her (and the planet).

The film is full of spectacular visuals, cleverly crafted space battles and intense chase sequences. I was most impressed with the very detailed, and elaborate, sci-fi universe; that the Wachowskis created for this movie. For me it's very nostalgic and highly reminiscent of the classic sci-fi action movies I grew up on (like 'STAR WARS' and 'THE LAST STARFIGHTER'); it's not quite up to par with George Lucas's original beloved trilogy, but it's at least in the same league as it's prequels. I know the movie is a bomb, financially speaking, but I really think it could become a popular cult classic and possibly spawn sequels, in the distant future, if enough fans demand it. I'd hate to see the Wachowskis stop getting financing for movies like this, because I think they're some of the best in the business at it!

"Foxcatcher" Review - Written by Jim Herling

The role of John du Pont that Steve Carrell plays in the new movie Foxcatcher is one of those "departure" roles comedians play from time to time that are really special to watch. It's the kind of thing that gets someone some Oscar buzz. I mention that up front in the interest of not burying the lead, because with the exception of some truly fantastic acting, Foxcatcher (directed by Bennett Miller, screenplay written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman based on the book written by Mark Schultz) is a pretty boring movie.

Carrell is buried under makeup for the role, a pronounced nose and other things applied to make him closely resemble the wealthy, wrestling aficionado-turned-murderer he plays here. With the exception of one scene where he's under the influence of cocaine, all traces of the lovable comedian we know are gone, replaced by something truly creepy. From the minute he spoke his first line, I was freaked out by him. Part of that is because of how good Carrell's performance is. Part of it is how good the makeup is. The last part of it is how good of a cast he has to play against : Channing Tatum (who also sports some makeup work to make him look like an Olympic wrestler done by a makeup team that deserves their own awards attention) carries the lion's share of that burden as Mark Schultz, the gold medal winner who is taken in by du Pont. Despite the tough guy he's playing, there's a vulnerability to Tatum's performance that is impressive, and it creates a wonderful dynamic with Carrell. Also on board is Mark Ruffalo as Schultz's older brother Dave, himself a gold medal-winning Olympian wrestler; unfortunately there's no makeup work on him, just a beard. The cast is rounded out by Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Michael Hall, and Sienna Miller in small but strong roles.

Despite the great performances, Foxcatcher (which claims to be based on a true story but, with the exception of the ending, almost none of the events are supported by facts) is really just a unsatisfying film. Part of that is due to the movie's nebulous relationship with time; except for the dates involving the wrestling competitions, time goes completely unmarked. The final scenes, which occurred a good seven years apart in reality seem like they were separated by the span of a week. Only the falling snow marks any kind of difference. The other problem with the screenplay is that it leaves a lot of the emotional beats either up for interpretation or skips them completely in favor of just showing fallout. I realize that's a style and some folks might appreciate it but for me it seriously detracted and, despite the really great acting, earned Foxcatcher just 2.5 stars out of 5.

"22 Jump Street" Review - Written by Tim Hellman

'22 JUMP STREET': Four Stars (Out of Five)

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum once again team up for this buddy cop sequel, to the 2012 hit '21 JUMP STREET' (loosely based on the 80s TV show of the same name). It was once again written by Hill and Michael Bacall, this time along with Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller returned to direct the movie; they've gained a lot more celebrity status since directing the first one, for directing and co-writing 'THE LEGO MOVIE' (released earlier this year). I don't think this installment is as consistently funny (or as well made) as the original but it still has a ton of great laughs.

The sequel has Officers Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) now going undercover as college students (as opposed to high school ones, like in the first movie) to catch the drug supplier of a new deadly drug called 'WHYPHY'. Also unlike the first movie Jenko is now the popular student, once again (and becomes really good at football), and Schmidt is a picked on nerd, once again. Jenko also makes friends with a jock named Zook (Wyatt Russell) while Schmidt starts to develop a romantic relationship with an art student named Mercedes (Jillian Bell). The two grow further and further apart while also blowing their case. Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Rob Riggle and Dave Franco also reprise their roles from the first movie.

The film is of course, once again, all about Schmidt and Jenko's relationship and how it's jeopardized by their new fake identities (returning to school life). Hill (like his buddy Seth Rogen) is a master at these exaggerated male (friend) relationship movies. The story is pretty predictable, and it is kind of just a rehash of the original movie, but there's still a lot of great jokes and Hill and Tatum have beautiful chemistry together (once again). People, that are looking forward to seeing a movie like this, should know to expect a male bonding (spoof) commentary with lots of silly jokes (mostly gay or 'not gay' ones). It's not as funny as the original movie but it still delivers the laughs; they're just a little more hit-and-miss this time. More hit than miss though (once again).

First Trailer for the Upcoming Guillermo del Toro Produced Film "The Book of Life"

20th Century Fox recently released the first trailer for the upcoming film "The Book of Life", which is being produced by Guillermo del Toro. The upcoming animated family film features the voice talents of Diego Luna, Channing Tatum, Zoë Saldana, Ice Cube, Ron Perlman and Christina Applegate. "The Book of Life" hits theaters on October 17th.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official Facebook page at: facebook.com/bookoflifemovie

Plot Synopsis:

From producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez comes an animated comedy with a unique visual style. THE BOOK OF LIFE is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favorites, THE BOOK OF LIFE encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.

"The Book of Life": Teaser Trailer