Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Greg Mottola Stars: Zach Galiafanakis, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot, Patton Oswalt, Matt Walsh, Maribeth Monroe, Kevin Dunn, Michael Liu. Not to be confused with the 2009 comedy The Joneses, which featured David Duchovny and Demi Moore as a couple fixated on the lavish lifestyle of their neighbours, Keeping Up With The Joneses is a high concept but formulaic action comedy about spies living in a quiet suburban neighbourhood. The action comedy follows in the footsteps of such films as 2010's The Spy Next Door, which starred …
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Danielle Nicolet, Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul, Jason Bateman, Ryan Hansen, Tim Griffin, John Smith, Thomas Kretschmann, Kumail Nanjiani, Melissa McCarthy. Yet another formulaic odd couple buddy action comedy, Central Intelligence teams action hero Dwayne Johnson (San Andreas, the Fast & Furious franchise, etc) with motor mouthed comic Kevin Hart (Ride Along, the dire Get Hard, etc), the most annoying and unfunny comic working in mainstream movies at the moment). It is an odd …
SPY
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Paul Feig Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Allison Janney, Miranda Hart,Peter Serafinowicz, Bobby Cannavale. The normally overbearing and rough around the edges comedian Melissa McCarthy is bearable in smaller support roles, such as Bridesmaids and the recent St Vincent, which is arguably her best work. When front and centre as the star of comedies though her vehicles are often crude and unfunny, like Tammy or Identity Thief, and her moutor-mouthed shtick eventually becomes tiresome and grating. So it is …
LET’S BE COPS
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Luke Greenfield Stars: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans jr, Nina Dobrev, Andy Garcia, Rob Riggle, James D'Arcy, Keegan Michael Key, Tom Mardirosian, Joshua Ormond, Jonathan Lajoie, Natasha Legerro. Let's Be Cops combines elements of the slacker comedy with the familiar formula of the odd couple cop buddy comedies, popularised through the likes of 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, Midnight Run, Stakeout, Bad Boys, etc. It aims for a similar vibe that the recent 21 Jump Street and its sequel had, although it falls short of the achievements of …
SHOWTIME
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Tom Dey Stars: Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo, Drena De Niro, William Shatner Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy make for an unlikely pairing in this latest odd couple/buddy cop film, but there is very little chemistry between the two. There is also very little originality here as the film bears numerous similarities to superior films like The Hard Way, etc. De Niro plays Mitch Preston, an embittered 28-year veteran of the police force whose latest undercover operation is ruined by the enthusiastic efforts of …
DOUBLE TEAM
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Tsui Hark Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, Mickey Rourke, Paul Freeman, Natacha Lindinger, Jay Benedict, Rob Diem Running Time: 93 minutes. One of the oddest couples ever teamed for a big budget Hollywood action movie would have to be Jean-Claude Van Damme, the "muscles from Brussels", and Dennis Rodman, the flamboyant and controversial basketball player whose life style has become tabloid fodder. Van Damme plays Jack Quinn, a top counter-terrorist whose usefulness comes to an abrupt end when he fails to stop …