Tag: SamRockwell

The Bad Guys 2

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

The Bad Guys are back and they are set on turning over a new leaf. Life on the other side of crime isn’t easy as Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) struggle to find new jobs. When they are forced out of retirement, they need to decide if being good is what they really want.

I enjoyed the first Bad Guys film. The story was interesting and the animation had a modernized twist to it. I had no idea Dreamworks were making a sequel until recently. It would be fun to be reunited with this colorful cast of characters. It did end up being a bit of a mixed bag for me.

One of the ways in which the film excels is in its voice talents. Everyone is back for this adventure and this time they are joined by some new faces. Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), Doom (Natasha Lyonne) and Pigtail (Maria Bakalova) are The Bad Girls. They were welcome additions to the cast and I liked their various interactions with the gang.

Once again, the animation is vibrant and stylish with some new locations featured throughout. It also has a fabulous soundtrack that had me dancing in my seat. The theme of acceptance was heavily featured and I appreciated how it focused on who these characters really were as opposed to the choices they might have made.

Aside from that, the plot was a bit too convoluted. There was a lot going on and at times I struggled to keep track of it all. The actual job that The Bad Guys were roped into doing was too random for me to believe and it seemed like it had all this build up to just end in an anti-climatic way. I’m sure a younger audience wouldn’t have minded, but I couldn’t help but wish for more.

I do believe that The Bad Guys is one of Dreamworks better projects, but this sequel wasn’t necessary. From what I can remember the original was wrapped up nicely though in today’s day and age, I guess another instalment was inevitable. I guess after I was so pleasantly surprised by the first one, I had higher expectations this time around.

Rating: ♥️♥️.5

Argylle

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

The highly anticipated new espionage flick from director Matthew Vaughn is about Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), a reclusive novelist who doesn’t get out much. When the plot of one of her books gets a little too close to real life events, she finds herself swept up into a life that she only ever wrote about in her books. With the help of real agent Aidan (Sam Rockwell), the two must think ahead of the game to save themselves.

Argylle had all the right ingredients for a great film. Unfortunately it fell completely and utterly short in so many ways. While it did start off promisingly enough, it wasn’t long before I started to lose track of what exactly was going on as the plot grew more and more convoluted. At some point, I couldn’t help but wonder if we were supposed to be taking it seriously or if it was some sort of parody.

One of the issues here was that there was simply too much happening at once. It was as though one detail from every spy movie to ever exist was added in to make the ultimate spy film. I’m not sure why they thought this was the right move because instead of it having a positive effect, I’d say the opposite happened instead. And once the twists were introduced, they just didn’t stop.

Another aspect that really bugged me was Howard’s performance. I understand that Elly was supposed to be scared – anybody would be in her position! However, I got annoyed with her very quickly and eventually kept rolling my eyes every time she was on screen which was obviously a lot considering she’s the main character. At least the rest of the cast was filled to the brim with big stars from the likes of Henry Cavill, to Dua Lipa and Ariana DeBose, Bryan Cranston, John Cena and of course Catherine O’Hara that it almost didn’t matter.

To say that Argylle was a disappointment is an understatement. I had been so looking forward to it especially since it was helmed as being the new Kingsman. It seemed as though there were some good foundations set that just weren’t executed well at all. I’ll probably still check out any future instalments to see if this one was just a fluke, but it wasn’t off to a great start.

Rating: ♥️♥️

See How They Run

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Three blind mice, three blind mice, see how they run, see how they run…

This is the story of a whodunit. Usually, when you’ve seen a whodunit, you think you’ve seen them all. The surprises are gone and you can pretty much guarantee you know how they’re going to end. At least, that’s what narrator and American movie director Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody) claims in the opening of See How They Run. But on the night of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap celebrating one hundred shows, he is murdered. With threats towards the rest of the cast and crew in London’s West End production, Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) and Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) are brought in to solve the case.

Unlike the types of movies that come out these days boasting plenty of CGI, over the top storylines and crazy stunts, See How They Run pulls in the reigns and gives us an intimate and charming murder mystery. Only taking place in a few particular locations, it gives off the feeling that the audience is watching a play within a play.

Each player is given their chance to shine, though some could have had a little more fleshing out. Not only are the theatre company ensemble consisting of Richard Attenboroug (Harris Dickinson), Sheila Sim (Pearl Chanda), Mrs. Boyle (Maggie McCarthy), Dennis Corrigan (Charlie Cooper), Petula Spencer (Ruth Wilson), John Woolf (Reece Shearsmith) and Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo) perfectly casted, it is the two leads that really make the film shine.

While an interesting choice to have Rockwell as an English inspector, he took on the role with everything he had and delivered. Ronan, on the other hand, stole the entire show. Not only was her onscreen chemistry with Rockwell so entertaining to watch, she has proven herself to be such a dynamic actor over the years. This more comedic turn was a stroke of genius and it is a performance that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

The best part about See How They Run is in its simplicity. Some might find this boring, but I thought it was such a breath of fresh air and I truly enjoyed every moment.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

The Bad Guys

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Have you ever felt misunderstood because of the perceptions people have of you? That is the case for Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Snake (Marc Maron), Tarantula (Awkwafina), Shark (Craig Robinson) and Piranha (Anthony Ramos). Infamous criminals, when they are finally caught after a heist gone wrong, they are given a lifeline: become model citizens to avoid a prison sentence. With the help of a guinea pig named Mr. Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), our villains will do whatever they can to fool the world that they have changed.

My expectations going into The Bad Guys were low. Nothing about the trailer stood out to me except for the voice talents. But with Dreamworks being behind the likes of Shrek and Shark Tales, I figured I would give it a chance.

Though the story was nothing groundbreaking, it is still worth a watch. The colorful cast of characters were fun to get to know. You want them to succeed, whether in their crimes or for them to redeem themselves. I do wish some of the backstories were expanded more, though overall they had a solid friendship base which I liked.

A lot of the jokes were smart and witty. One that stands out to me the most was when Mr. Wolf was dressed in a sheep onesie. It gave the saying ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ a whole new meaning. I also thought it was smart to have another stereotyped animal in Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) playing a protagonist opposite the others.

With every good story, there is a moral. And what I liked most about The Bad Guys was that it sheds importance on not judging a book by it’s cover. Just because we don’t know what is going on with somebody doesn’t mean we should jump to conclusions about them. Not everything is what you see is what you get and that was refreshing.

Rating: ♥♥♥