Copshop (streaming on Peacock)
Surprisingly, I hadn’t heard of this one until I just happened to be scrolling through Peacock to see what’s new. Everyone knows I love a good action movie, and this one seemed right up my alley.
Screaming through the Nevada desert in a stolen and bullet-riddled Crown Vic, con-man Teddy Murretto, played by Frank Grillo (The Grey, Warrior) hatches a plan to hide out from a lethal hitman played by Gerard Butler (Law Abiding Citizen, Olympus Has Fallen). Murretto sucker punches a cop just to get himself locked up, but then the hitman also gets himself locked up. Then another assassin gets himself into the jail to also get at Murretto.
Lots of action. Lots and lots and lots of bullets. I really liked this one. I feel like the writing was great. The acting was great. The effects were done well. Butler and Grillo did a great job with their roles as did Alexis Louder (Watchmen, The Tomorrow War) who played the cop stuck in the middle of this whole mess. The hitman that shows up is played by Toby Huss (King of the Hill, Rescue Dawn) and he does an incredible job playing a real psychopath.
“Copshop” was written and directed by Joe Carnahan who has brought us action films like “The A-Team,” “The Grey,” and “Smokin’ Aces.”
There are several slow moments in the movie, but when it gets going, it really gets going. To me, this kinda felt like a throwback to some of the really great action movies of the 70s and 80s. If you like action, I recommend it, but I’ll let you decide for yourself.
“Copshop” is rated R for strong/bloody violence and pervasive language. Definitely not one to watch with the kiddos!
Marry Me (in theaters or streaming on Peacock)
This is a major shift in gears. We go from violent and bloody to a J-Lo rom-com. The ageless Jennifer Lopez (Maid in Manhattan, The Cell) plays pop music superstar Kat Valdez, who is half of a celebrity power couple about to get married live in front of a global audience. Mere minutes before taking their vows, Kat finds out that her fiancée has been unfaithful. When the moment comes, and she is expected to say, “I do,” she sees a random guy in the audience holding a sign that says, “Marry Me” (which is the name of her hit song.) She points out this man and agrees to marry him on the spot instead. This man, of course, is J-Lo’s co-star in the movie, Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, Cars.)
Now I’m not just gonna sit and watch rom coms all day, every day, but I’m also not so macho that I’ll act like I hate every one of them. There have been some great rom coms over the years, and I think this one fits in the mix fairly well. I’m not going to sit here and claim it’s as good as “Father of the Bride” or “Sweet Home Alabama” or “The Proposal” or “When Harry Met Sally,” but I did really enjoy it. I’ve been a fan of J-Lo’s…work for quite some time. What a talented lady. Oh yeah…and Owen Wilson is great too! I’ve always thought he was really funny.
Wilson’s character, Charlie, has a daughter who is played by Chloe Coleman (My Spy, Big Little Lies), and she does a really great job. Comedian, Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph, School of Rock) also stars as Charlie’s best friend in the movie.
The movie really works. I read a LOT of great reviews on this one too. “A Real Surprise” and “Hits the right buttons” and “I say I do to this fun comedy” are just a few of the positive reviews that I stumbled across. Guys, treat your wife/girlfriend to a nice evening. Make her dinner (or at least bring in good take-out), pour a glass of wine, and watch this one with her. It’s not on Netflix though, so you’ll have to Peacock and Chill.
Or ladies, be that empowered woman and kick back and watch it by yourself. Or guys, be a man! Be secure in your masculinity. Kick back with a cold one and watch it by yourself. I’ll never admit aloud that I watched it by myself. Oh wait…what did I just do? Crap!
Oh well. I loved it! “Marry Me” is rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive material.
Did I mention I think J-Lo is a talented lady?
Jackass Forever (in theaters)
Oh me, oh my. Where do I start with this one?! Let me just say right up front, if you’ve watched “Jackass” before, this is absolutely just more of the same. To be honest, I’ve never watched a whole lot of “Jackass” before. I’ve seen bits back in the day. I saw the guy get tipped over in a port-o-potty. I’ve seen some crazy stunts, but I really, honestly didn’t know that I’d be seeing quite so much penis on the screen. Can I say penis on MySaline? Idk, but this movie was absolutely non-stop genitalia on the big screen.
I laughed, but I don’t know if I laughed more or cringed/winced more. So, the whole gang is back, and they’re still being led by their fearless leader, Johnny Knoxville (Jackass, The Last Stand.) You’ve got Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee-Man, Preston Lacy, Sean McInerney (Poopies), and then there is new blood in the mix as well.
There’s really not a lot to write about here. I guess I could describe a couple of the stunts?! Watch the movie if you want to see whether or not the gang finally achieves lighting a fart underwater. Admittedly, the marching band stunt is pretty dang funny. In the trailer, you see a stunt involving “Danger” Ehren and a grizzly bear.
Make your own decisions here, folks. For the love of God, don’t take the kids. I was seriously going to take Jax because I figured he’d get a kick out of the sheer idiocy, but holy schnikes! I think the sheer volume of genitalia on the screen might have been a little much.
“Jackass Forever” is DEFINITELY rated R for strong crude material, dangerous stunts, adult language, and more penis than many adult films.
Death on the Nile (in theaters)
Meh…that kinda sums it up for me. I didn’t know how interesting this one sounded/looked, but I thought surely Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman, Red Notice) would be enough to keep it interesting. Meh…not so much.
Now there is a great cast in this movie. The great Kenneth Branagh stars as “Detective” Hercule Poirot. Annette Bening (American Beauty, 20th Century Women) stars as Euphemia Bouc, and Russell Brand (Rock of Ages, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) portrays Windlesham.
“Death on the Nile” is based on a story by Agatha Christie and is a classic whodunnit. Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot’s vacation aboard a glamorous steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short.
The movie is set against a beautiful landscape of Egyptian deserts and the Giza pyramids. It’s a fairly fun movie if you like a classic whodunnit, but the whole thing just honestly fell a little short for me. I was bored and never really invested in the characters.
This movie was already made once back in ’78 and that adaptation received more positive reviews. This one was a little flashier I’m sure, but some things are just better left alone.
“Death on the Nile” is rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images, and sexual material.
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