I’M BACK!!!
How have you made it all these months without me? Have you watched any movies or TV? I bet you all just sat at home WANTING to watch something new, but you said to yourself, “I just don’t know what’s good without Chris’ reviews.” Well, here you go!
Gran Turismo (in theaters)
In case you didn’t know, this one is based on the uber-popular PlayStation game of the same name, and unbeknownst to me initially, it’s also based on a true story. This is somewhat of a classic underdog story, but a really unbelievable one! “Gran Turismo” spotlights a trio of dreamers and underdogs who take the racing world by storm.
Archie Madekwe (Midsommar, Heart of Stone) stars as Jann Mardenborough, a dreamer who has wanted nothing more than to be a racer since he was 4 years old. He is one of the very best Gran Turismo players in the world and ends up with the opportunity to compete in a world championship, the prize being the chance to go to GT Academy and potentially end up driving a real car in a professional circuit. David Harbour (Stranger Things, Violent Night) plays Jack Salter, has been driver who has been unhappily working as a mechanic on a professional racing team. Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings Trilogy) stars as Nissan Marketing Exec and Dreamer, Danny Moore who initially pitches the idea of the GT Academy to Nissan execs and puts the entire program together. The program is obviously a long shot from the beginning as you are taking gamer kids and putting them inside an actual race car going close to 300 mph on a professional track.
All-in-all, it’s a really fun movie. The action and the drama were well done in my opinion. Was it “believable?” Not entirely, but it’s just because of the unbelievable nature of the story. It’s based on a true story though, so that makes it even more fun. I’ve been a fan of Harbour for years, and this was a great role for him. He has that snarky, smart-aleck attitude that works so well in this role. Orlando Bloom was great as he typically is, but Archie Madekwe was definitely the star here. I’m excited to see where he goes from here in the industry. He has two more films out this year including a new one on Netflix with Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman, Red Notice) called “Heart of Stone.”
If you want my opinion (and you do), go see this one. It’s a good one! I’d give it a 4.2/5.
Strays (in theaters)
If you like irreverent comedies like me, this one is for you! If you’ve had to suffer through all the talking dogs and talking cats and talking squirrels with your kids, and you just want to see something funny and inappropriate that you CANNOT take the kids to, this one is for you!
Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx voice the two main stars (dogs), Reggie and Bug. Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights, Elf) voices Reggie, a loveable and gullible mutt who gets dumped by his grumpy owner, Doug, played by SNL alum Will Forte (MacGruber, The Kids in the Hall). After being dumped in the city, he meets up with Bug, voiced by Jamie Foxx (Ray, Horrible Bosses), a street smart and foul-mouthed Boston Terrier. The two of them along with Maggie, voiced by Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, The Beach Bum) and Hunter, voiced by Randall Park (WandaVision, Fresh Off the Boat) set off on the Great Adventure to get Reggie back home to Doug so he can inflict vengeance on his neglectful and hateful owner for ditching him and for never telling him he’s a “Good Dog.”
There’s a good amount of heart in the film, but those warm feelings can’t compare to all the foul-mouthed hilarity. The dogs in this film, you just know, are saying all the things all the dogs in all those family films really wanted to say. The supporting cast is fantastic (both actual people in the film and the voices of other dogs including Sofia Vergara (Modern Family, Hot Pursuit), Rob Riggle (21 Jump Street, The Hangover), Josh Gad (Frozen, Pixels), and Dennis Quaid (Frequency, The Day After Tomorrow.)
I no longer read other reviews before writing my own because I don’t care what other people say. What do they know after all? If you like inappropriate, go see this one. It’s silly, dumb, and dirty, but it’s fun! I laughed from beginning to end. Leave the kiddies at home and go have some fun at the movies. I’m giving “Strays” 3.8/5.
See the archives of Watch This with Chris a www.mysaline.com/watch-this