The Nutty Professor (1996) Review:

Hollywood is bound to the cycle of remakes and reboots no matter how much they try to avoid it. There are too many examples to get into, but when new actors rise to stardom, some studios feel as time goes on it is best to introduce their classic properties to fresh audiences. More than thirty years ago, Jerry Lewis starred in The Nutty Professor (1963) and it's no surprise the thought was brought up again to re-imagine it. This time, the star to take over the main lead was none other than Eddie Murphy, a solidified stand-up comic who would break the boundary. And as a remake to the original, it proves to be an entertaining one. Even though it stars Eddie Murphy, it still has its problems.

Professor Sherman Klump

The screenplay written by David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein and Steve Oedekerk help work in new material regarding the dynamic behind the main character. Professor Sherman Klump (Eddie Murphy) is a lonely overweight fellow who's on a breakthrough in biotechnology. But after going on a date with a promising young woman by the name of Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett Smith) where he's made fun of for his appearance by comedian (Dave Chappelle), he becomes rash and tries his new formula on himself. Thus, resulting in his new persona Buddy Love (also Murphy) and sets to woo Carla without realizing the consequences of his actions. The film was directed by Tom Shadyac also known for his work on Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994).

While the script has several writers attached, the comedy works. Just like the original, the story has a similar resemblance to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One character is good hearted and mild mannered, while the alternate personality is the total opposite. This of course puts the protagonist in a difficult situation. Klump wants look like Love, but Love no longer has the same personality. Meanwhile, the more he tries to win Carla's affection, the dean (Larry Miller) notices Klump's beginning to miss class. On top of that, the dean needs Klump to maintain the funding of the college by convincing a special donor named Harlan Hartley (James Coburn) his research is credible. The characters is what splits down the middle here.

While Eddie Murphy is funny no doubt, the characters that make the laughs are the protagonists only. Murphy as Sherman and the rest of his family have the best interactions with each other. Jada Pinkett Smith as Carla Purty is very attractive and also has her moments to shine. Even Sherman's assistant Jason (John Ales) has some good lines. However all the other characters that stand in Sherman's way are not that funny at all. This would be the dean, Hartley and especially Eddie Murphy as Buddy Love. They are surprisingly mean spirited; more than some may be comfortable with. When someone directly threatens to kill you,....that's not something to take lightly. Also Buddy Love is very over the top and obnoxious.

"Does this tuxedo make me look bloated?"

Even more shocking is that some racial slurs are used for comical purposes. That's not exactly a great thing to have. The CGI effects that were used also look out of date which is unfortunate, but the exact opposite goes for the practical ones provided by Rick Baker. The cinematography handled by Julio Macat looked good. Macat also worked on Home Alone (1990) and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). As for musical score, David Newman worked on the composition. While an official release has never been seen, the score itself is very effective. There are big orchestral cues and also very soft motifs used for Klumps more emotional scenes. Newman also revisits a theme for Klump which makes the experience more enjoyable.

The digital effects and antagonist are probably the things viewers will find the least entertaining. But that doesn't stop the protagonists from looking bad thanks to the story, the practical effects, the camerawork and musical score.

Points Earned --> 7:10

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009) Review:

Cult films are some of the most phenomenal things about movies. When a film reaches a cult status, that means it has transcended the odds of becoming something more than just a movie from a certain year. It has managed to leave an impact on a set group of viewers who hold it in high regard. No matter what its initial reviews were when it first came out. This could very well be said about The Boondock Saints (1999), which was dismissed by several, only to arise with significantly large approval. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 91% audience rating. That's extremely high. Unfortunately its sequel would not fare as well, although that was kind of expected. However, some may not be aware of just how bland this sequel is to the original.

Julie Benz

Written and directed again by Troy Duffy, the Boondock Saint brothers Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy MacManus (Norman Reedus) are summoned back to Boston after they learn of one of their priests being killed by someone trying to frame them. The assassin (Daniel DeSanto) framing them is hired by Concezio Yakavetta (Judd Nelson), the son of "Papa Joe" Yakavetta from the original film. All the while FBI Agent Bloom (Julie Benz) now replacing Smecker leads the investigation with characters Greenly (Bob Marley), Duffy (Brian Mahoney) and Dolly (David Ferry) returning. Aside from a few extra new faces, the plot is practically the same to that of the first. This sequel is an exercise in regurgitation and not much more than that.

Sure, other characters return like II Duce "Poppa" (Billy Connolly) and Rocco (David Della Rocco - for a flashback) but this doesn't mean a whole lot. There's even an appearance from Peter Fonda, who quite honestly does a great job not sounding like his usual self. Unfortunately this is not enough to propel this sequel to a decent entertainment value. The Irish brothers even pickup a new side kick to help them in their "righteous" mission by the name of Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.). While Collins' character is supposed to add comical elements to the picture, a lot of those moments fall flat. And while Julie Benz displays a convincing southern accent, her purpose is no different from that of Smecker. This isn't the end to the issues though.

From an entertainment perspective, the scenes and dialog put to film are just boring. The conversations held between crime bosses, their cronies or the protagonists themselves is just disengaging. Everyone's screaming and hollering at each other like it's some kind of competition. Much of the dialog itself isn't that diverse either. There's nothing wrong with having cusses thrown in, but to have them take up more than 75% of every sentence said by every character is little much. On top of that, the characters in general are just unappealing to look at. There are multiple faces on screen that just wouldn't make a viewer want to continue to keep their eyes on the screen. Making it worse is the number of slow motion shots used for all the action sequences.

"I knew I never was good at the limbo!"

The action sequences themselves aren't bad, but the fact that they are majority slow motion really pads out the timing on this already long film. For action, the shoot outs and ritual prayers are fun, but they are very small tidbits to the rest of the film. The cinematography was also competently shot thanks to Miroslaw Baszak, who makes the movie look very much like Adam Kane's work from the first film. Baszak also worked on Land of the Dead (2005). As for music, Jeff Danna returns to compose for the score, who incorporates the same kind of musical elements from the original. Whether it be opera, electronic synthesizers or regular orchestra, the music is wildly all over the place. Just like the film, so good luck enjoying it.

The original film may have captivated its audience by somehow capturing lightning in a bottle, but that is not this film. The film may be professionally made, but all the components that make it up from the dialog, cardboard cutout characters, overly drawn out action and messy music make it a very tiresome viewing experience.

Points Earned --> 3:10

The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998) Review:

The Brave Little Toaster (1987) may have not been a realistic family film with living appliances, but it did have something special about it. The characters and scenes that were created using them were all memorable. While it's typically not associated with the Disney renaissance period, it is has a strong following behind it. But like many tent pole starters, the studio took advantage of it years later by creating direct-to-video sequels. While The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997) was by no means a match to the original, it did manage to remain fairly faithful to the universe that it was built upon. However, it was surprising to learn that much of the original voice cast did not return for the follow up. When it came to this entry, it's no longer surprising.

Rob & Chris' Baby

Once again written by Willard Carroll, the title to this sequel is by no means lying about its premise. The brave little toaster and friends indeed go to mars. All because of one tired hearing aid (Fyvush Finkel) who was planning to leave everyone else behind and it just so happens, Rob & Chris' child somehow gets entangled into the tractor beam that was supposed to take hearing aid. The story has gone full out wacky. Direction hasn't changed either with Robert C. Ramirez in charge. The plot here is just so outlandish that it mostly rejects any kind of sense the first two stories had. The characters actually make it to mars by riding a fan driven laundry basket powered by a microwave. Sorry what? There are just too many questions to ask related to this.

How does the microwave create enough power for the whole crew to break earth's gravity? What's the microwave even powered by? The first film had the sense to know that a battery was at least needed. Not to mention, Chris & Rob's baby is kept alive in space via a bubble. It's this kind of writing that really says the to the viewer that this is really a young kids film. Sure, the first film had some very adult themes, but this a complete departure from that entirely. That's not to say everything's bad,...but the story itself is. It's remarkably unrealistic to that of the what the original set up. Not to mention the execution of this story takes place in less than a day. In order to accomplish this, going from earth to mars round trip means the team must have been traveling super fast.

For voices, the cast from the second film return with some additions. Deanna Oliver, Thurl Ravenscroft and Timothy Stack all return for a third time as their respective characters. Eric Lloyd, Roger Kable, Andy Milder, Jessica Tuck, Chris Young and Brian Doyle-Murray all return from the second film for their roles. Lastly, extras to the story are Calculator (Stephen Tobolowsky), Microwave (Wayne Knight), Faucet (Farrah Fawcett), Fanny (Carol Channing) and Tinselina (Kath Soucie). All whom voice their characters well, some of which viewers may not recognize initially until the credits roll. It's just unfortunate that these talented actors are participating in such an average sequel. Thankfully, they at least know how to act.

"I'll have you know I was once Emperor Zurg"....

The visuals to this entry are decent. Paul Lin who was animation director for this and the second film made the film look okay. For what the film had budget wise, this is passable animation. It's not expected to be anything blockbuster worthy. Music on the other hand was mixed this time. The songs created by William Finn are rather bland and don't contribute to any character development. This includes the lyrics written by Ellen Fitzhugh, which is just very boring. The only saving grace is that Jim Cummings sings one of those songs. As for the score, Alexander Janko returns to compose and while it isn't outstanding, he does have a reoccurring theme, which is appreciated. The music does fit the scene it is used for.

This third sequel is not a terrible film, but it certainly ignores practically all the setting up the original film made. The voice actors do well and the animation is still fair for the film that it is. However, the music is middling at best and the plot is just very silly.

Points Earned --> 5:10

The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) Review:

Animation has been proven time again that cartoons can be just as engaging as regular live action films. It's also known that animation gives filmmakers the power to create anything they want that the real world may be too hard to try and materialize. One person who knew this well was animator Richard Williams, a man who really knew the profession inside out. Whether it be creating fun title sequences to the Pink Panther films, or helping to create Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) one of the most memorable live-action cartoon films to date, Williams had the hand for eye catching animation. Sadly, he never achieved his lifelong dream, of finishing this film. As well respected as he was, this has remained never fully completed the way he wanted it to be done.

"Ohhh,...how did we ever knock-off Aladdin?!"

Co-written by Williams, Margaret French and a slew of other ghost writers from over the years, the story is about a cobbler by the name of Tack (Matthew Broderick) who happens to be wound into a crazy adventure because of a bumbling thief (Jonathan Winters). The thief wants to steal three golden spheres from the kingdom of Nod (Clive Revill) that provide protection from the evil one eye army. Scheming behind the king's back is ZigZag (Vincent Price), hoping to not only rule the kingdom but also marry King Nod's daughter Princess YumYum (Jennifer Beals). Overall the story is okay, but because the final cut of the film suffered from so much meddling, there's a lot to be desired.

The Miramax re-edit has enough dialog throughout the film, but much of it feels to be in the wrong places. Both Tack and the thief say very little of anything outside of their heads. This leads to very little interactions between the essential characters and ultimately a lack of development within the story. Princess YumYum & Tack have scenes where they are together, yet there's only a couple where they share an actual conversation. Much of the time, audiences will hear more of Jonathan Winters' dialog for the thief's inner monologue. By no means can the characters be criticized for not having distinct personalities, but as a whole they're level of investment is low.

The voice acting is enjoyable though. Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Beals from Flashdance (1983) and Vampire's Kiss (1988) have acceptable chemistry. And as much of Jonathan Winters' dialog adds nothing to the plot, his moments are comical too. Of course, the best though goes to Vincent Price for his performance as ZigZag, the every other line rhyming antagonist. All the words recorded from Price are so entertaining to listen to. There's also other characters like Mighty One-Eye (Kevin Dorsey), Chief Roofless (Windsor Davies) and Phido the Vulture (Eric Bogosian). All who have interesting dialog as well.

Princess Yum Yum & the Cobbler

As mentioned before the character designs themselves are very unique and captivating to look at because of the way they were animated. John Leatherbarrow was credited as cinematographer to this picture, although it's unclear as to what he contributed since this is an animated feature. Either way, the animation is still a dazzling array of sequences and colors that only Williams could conjure up. The film score and songs were composed by Robert Folk. Having experience working with scores focused more on comedies and or militaristic settings, hearing his music to this feature was a nice surprise. Not only did it fit the film well, but was very pretty, as were the songs sung by Bobby Page.

It's unfortunate that Richard Williams did not receive the proper treatment for his dream goal film, but his memory will live on in the separate cuts of each film. While the Miramax cut is certainly not the best, it isn't the worst either. Sadly, the dialog used doesn't really develop its characters well, which is a big problem. But the characters do have charm, there are funny moments, the music is wonderful and the animation is mesmerizing.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Jaws 2 (1978) Review:

It's been agreed upon many times that people should not mess with the classics. No matter what the genre, some original films do not require a story to continue further. While the occasional sequel lands on its feet and strikes a memorable chord, very few do and don't live up to the hype. Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) revolutionized the way people went out to see movies. But what also made the film successful was just how close to home the film hit viewers. The reason for this was that the villain (the shark) was depicted like any other shark in natural wild life, mostly. As the story neared its end, it did become increasingly strange how the ferocious meat eater was able to have such a complex memory bank. Aside from this though, the story felt grounded and quiet realistic in its intent making people all the more scared to venture into the sea.

Roy Scheider returns

For the sequel, the story continues with Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) patrolling the beaches of Amity Island several years later. After a bunch strange occurrences where people end up missing, Brody begins to suspect a new shark has arrived in town. Meanwhile, his wife Ellen (Lorraine Gary), Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) and Len Peterson (Joseph Mascolo) try to keep things under control to the public. Also Brody's son Mike (Mark Gruner), who frequently uses his own sail boat is tempted to keep going out to sea thanks to peer pressure from his friends. Written by Carl Gottlieb (from the first film) and Howard Sackler (The Great White Hope (1970)), the script does a fairly decent job continuing the story. There are still parts though that make it not as effective as the original. Direction was headed by Jeannot Szwarc who would later direct the average spin-off Supergirl (1984).

The execution of the story is fine, because there are several scenes that viewers will genuinely care for with the characters on screen. Seeing Roy Scheider (even though he regretted) and other cast members return was an appreciated welcome. It helps give the fans of the original, characters they can get behind. It also seems that Ellen Brody and Jeff Hendricks (Jeffrey Kramer) are stepping up in the public spotlight. There's even a reference to Matt Hooper from the original film. Instead, this time Collin Wilcox Paxton comes in as Dr. Elkins, to help Brody identify the shark. The parts the screenplay suffers from the most though are moments involving the shark's motivations. The actions are more out of character than the last beast. However, that does not mean it doesn't entertain. The other flaw is that some subplots are just left unfinished, just like the original in some ways.

As for horror elements though, the scares are still there to some degree. Because this story is set in what is very much the real world, the peril certain individuals endure can be quite the experience and the acting from them is good too. Most of this goes to Mark Gruner and his other cast mates like Gary Springer, Donna Wilkes, Gary Dubin and Ann Dusenberry. Coming across a shark as big as the one from this or the original film would be very scary indeed. While there isn't as much dismemberment as the first film depicted, there's still blood and mangled corpses lying around. The effects were also just as great as the original. The shark no longer has that weird cheek flap over the bottom half of its mouth. There's also an easter egg to that of the Orca of the first film and a couple of pyrotechnic sequences for other visual flares.

"HAIIII GUYS"

As for camerawork, Michael C. Butler worked to provide the look of this film. While he was in no relation to Bill Butler from the first film, the cinematography is practically equal to that of original. The underwater scenes are shot competently, showing the viewer all kinds of angles. And so is any scene above water with or without the shark, Music was also another great component to the entry. Composed once more by John Williams, the score revisits it's very familiar thumping tune as well as adding in new motifs for the sailing scenes and underwater ones. It's its own score in a way and again equally matches the original composition created years before. Even luckier for collectors was the fact that the score was re-released completely with all other tracks. A very nice set to have.

Mostly, this sequel very much continues the intensity to that of its predecessor. The actors and the situations they get involved in are believable. The music is another classic addition and the camerawork is spot on to the original. The only problem this entry suffers from is more preposterous scenarios and maintaining the trend of not completing subplots.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) Review:

The original Jumanji (1995) back in the mid 1990s was a phenomenon in itself. It may have not smashed records like that of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) or Jurassic Park (1993), but it was also no underground film that went totally under the radar. Many fans remember it fondly for not only having likable characters and an interesting story, but also because of the lasting impression it left. While Jumanji was marketed as a family film, it definitely had some rather intense moments. When a sequel was announced to this film, somehow the reaction wasn't as largely lambasted. Probably majority of people were curious as to how such a feat could be pulled off. To everyone's surprise, things went better than expected, especially with respect to other game to movie adaptations.

Wolff, Blain, Turner & Iseman

Directed by Jake Kasdan (Bad Teacher (2011) and Sex Tape (2014)) and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (The Lego Batman Movie (2017)), Scott Rosenberg (Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)) and Jeff Pinkner (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)) all penning the script put together a sequel that remarkably matches up the original. Spencer (Alex Wolff), Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain), Bethany (Madison Iseman) and Martha (Morgan Turner) are all everyday high school students. Spencer's a nerd, Fridge is an athlete, Bethany is the popular girl and Martha is not. After they all receive detention for disobeying their teachers, they discover the Jumanji game in the form of a video game in the room they sit. It is there they discover there's more to the game than just something to use their time. Once inside the game, is when things get uniquely comical.

Spencer becomes the macho Dr. "Smolder" Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), Fridge turns into Franklin "Mouse" Finbar (Kevin Hart), Martha becomes Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) and Bethany, to her shock is now Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon (Jack Black). And what makes the plot to this sequel a worthy follow-up is because of how it changes the scenario for everyone involved. Unlike the original where the game turned its surrounding environment into the jungle, here the people playing the game get transported into the game (which is a jungle). On top of that, the four main stars are also not turning in performances they usually fit the mold too. Johnson, Black, Gillan and Hart all have to play the younger actors' personalities and not their own. While some mannerisms are kept the same, seeing the veteran actors act like teenagers is very different.

This leads to some very comedic scenes revolving around their situation. It's all opposites as to how they looked in real life. However aside from the physical aspect, the characters also have other moments to develop and learn to work as a team. There's also appearances from Nick Jonas and Bobby Cannavale who plays Van Pelt (the villain from the original movie). Most of the time replacing an already existing character would constitute as bad continuity, but here there's a justifiable reason as to why Van Pelt is being played by another actor, so it's okay. However one thing that does need to be addressed, is more use of the lesser known stars. Yes, having Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart star does help, but it would be nice to see more attention given to the younger actors. There's also the whole thing about how the story continues after this....it is rather definitive.

"So I ditched, the mustache and went with this weird eye thing"

As for visuals, the cinematography was handled by Gyula Pados. For what's shown, it looks great. The backgrounds are lush green and the inside scope of Jumanji looks vast and wide. Pados seems to know how to handle this based on the fact that he also shot for other big landscape films like Predators (2010) and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015). Lastly, the film score composed by Henry Jackman was well done too. Jackman has lent his talents to all genres like Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009), Kick-Ass (2010) and Winnie the Pooh (2011), so it shows that he can handle not only more tender moments but also lively action sequences too. While he doesn't reprise the creepy theme of James Horner's score, he does create a new one that fits the tone and it is repeated throughout.

While the younger actors don't get as much time to shine, nor does this sequel really leave it open to more stories, this sequel is definitely on point with its predecessor. The action/comedy mix well, the scenario has the main leads challenge their performance skills, the cinematography is lit fantastically and the music is a welcome addition to franchise.

Points Earned --> 7:10