Hotel Transylvania 2 preaches tolerance

Movie:   Hotel Transylvania 2

Rating:  PG, 1 hour 29 minutes

Grade:  B

In a Nutshell:   Colorful and silly, this family animation written by Adam Sandler takes a social stand on mixed marriages and tolerance.  Voice talents include a star-studded cast:  Adam Sandler, Mel Brooks, Steve Buscemi, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, David Spade, Megan Mullally, Keegan Michael Key, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, Chris Kattan, Dana Carvey, Rob Riggle, Nick Offerman, Jon Lovitz, and Andy Samberg.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Be yourself.  Let others be themselves too.

·         Mavis, the vampire who married a human, is on a mission for tolerance.  She says to her dad, Dracula, “Maybe you’ve let humans into your hotel, Dad, but you haven’t let them into your heart.”

Things I liked:

·         Considering it’s an Adam Sandler film, there is a surprisingly low number of body function jokes.

·         You’ll get it, even if you didn’t see the first one.

·         Dennis, the little boy, has the most adorable curly, red hair.   It served as a great gag throughout the movie as well.

·         The animation is clear, sharp, colorful and creative.
-     I admire how Adam Sandler keeps all of his old Saturday Night Live friends in work.
-     The movie reveals that Jonathan is from Santa Cruz, California, which  is the beach town near where I grew up.  Woo, beach boardwalk!

Things I didn’t like:

·         I only chuckled a few times.  Most of the laughs in the movie come from reactions to gags, pranks, and physical comedy.  The writing isn't that clever.

·         It ends with a clichéd dance party….not that it’s bad...it’s just predictable.

·         Mavis whines “Can we stop using the word ‘normal’?”  Apparently, we now live in a world where “normal” is bad and everything else is considered good.   

·         It demonstrates pretty well the entitled , younger generation that demands tolerance from everyone, yet doesn’t offer it very easily to others.

Funny lines:  

·         “From Prince of Darkness to King of Room Service…” – Vlad Dracula

·         “None of the parents better review this on Yelp.” – party performer

·         The young campers sing “Vampires will be friends forever…literally.”

·         “Michael, row your corpse ashore.” – Dracula

·         “I’m not a hippie; I’m a slacker.” – Jonathan

Things to look for:

·         Did you notice that all of the women in the movie have big hips and thighs?

·         Check out all of the things inside Blobbie in each scene he is in.

Tips for Parents:

·         Some of the monsters might be too scary for really young children.

·         Some fight scenes.

·         Some talk about “boobies”.

Missed the first one?  Check it out here:

Pixels helps you relive your 80's glory days

Movie:    Pixels

PG-13, 1 hour 46 minutes

Grade:  B-

In a Nutshell:  This is a world where Kevin James is President of the United States.   Need I say more?   I have real mixed feelings about this new Adam Sandler action comedy.  While it has many flaws, it DID make me laugh out loud a few times, mostly thanks to Josh Gad and his hilarious comical timing.  

Younger viewers will be mildly entertained, while their parents will get a kick out of 80's nostalgia.  As they say in the movie: “Start your gaming!”

Uplifting Theme:

·     The 80's rocked.
-   Everyone gots da skills in something.
-   We're better when we work together.

Things I liked:

·         The funny-man cast includes Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Jane Krakowski, and Peter Dinklage.  The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring fans will be happy to see Sean Bean.

·     Adam Sandler’s character is a tech nerd, which reminded me of the cute TV show Chuck: Season 1 where the main character works for the “Nerd Herd”.  People are now embracing their inner nerd and it’s considered cool now.  Adam Sandler’s character says “For the record, I’m an amazing kisser.  All of us nerds are.  We appreciate it more.”

·         I grew up in the 80’s, so it was fun revisiting those good old days. There are a LOT of 80’s references that parents might have to explain to their kids, such as:  “Where’s the Beef?”, Sheena Easton, Polaroid cameras, and some of the people who show up as cameos (see my list below).
*  I remember playing most of the games that the movie featured: Donkey Kong, PacMan, Space Invaders, 

 Things I didn’t like:

*   It felt like everyone was acting.

*   The special effects weren't amazing.   Meh.

*   The script could have been stronger with better writing.

Funny lines:

Ludlow has most of the funny lines that made me laugh out loud.  Here are some of them:

·         “It looks like someone sent us the cast of Magic Mike.  Are you going to fight or dance naked?”

·         “I’m on an all protein diet, but I also do carbs.”

·         “You smell so nice, like the book of Genesis.”
          

Tips for Parents:

·         I have four sons who all love to play video games.  As any good mother does, I scold them when I think they’ve played for too many hours in the day, informing them that they’re wasting their time and that they should be developing more meaningful talents and skills which will help them in their future to get a good job and career.  Little did I know that my second son would actually grow up to be a character artist at Blizzard, one of the biggest video game companies on earth!  He has a great job and absolutely loves what he does.  Check out some of his recent artwork for Blizzard. 

Cameos:

·         Serena Williams

·         Martha Stewart

·         Dan Akroyd

·         Tammy Faye Baker

·         Fantasy Island host and “Tatoo”

·         Hall & Oates

·         Lainie Kazan

·         Matt Frewer as Max Headroom

The Cobbler features a shy Adam Sandler

Movie:    The Cobbler

PG-13, 1 hour 38 minutes

Grade:    D

In a Nutshell:    The Cobbler is a curious little film that hit the big screen in March 2015 and then landed on DVD 2 months later.  If you blinked, you missed it.  Guess how much money it made....$4 million?  $2 million?  Try $24,000.  Yikes.

While considered a complete dud, it's still a refreshing departure from Adam Sandler’s usual mix of crass and stupid; however, what could have been a charming fairy-tale gets muddled along the way.  

The premise is interesting: what would you do if you could transform yourself into other people’s lives?  Unfortunately, co-writers Thomas McCarthy and Paul Sado fail to dig deeper and we never get to really know the people whose shoes Adam Sandler’s character wears.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Sometimes walking in another man’s shoes is the only way to discover who you really are.

·         “It is a privilege to walk in another man’s shoes.” – Abraham

Things I liked:

·         The delightful Dustin Hoffman makes a welcome appearance.

·         “Method Man” gets a lot of screen time, and you’ll recognize Melonie Diaz from that sweet and quirky film Be Kind Rewind .

·         It’s always a pleasure to see Steve Buscemi.

·         Ellen Barkin is always at her best when she plays hardball.

·         Orange Is the New Black: Season 1 fans will get to see Dascha Polanco for about 3 minutes.

·         The ending is fun, but completely nonsensical.  Don't even try to figure it out.

Things I didn’t like:

·         It’s odd that a successful director like McCarthy could create such an uneven mess.

·         So many of the scenes are shot from boring, non-creative angles.

·         Droopy Jewish chords play in the background throughout the entire first half of the movie.

·         Max continues to make such dumb mistakes.  That’s super frustrating for me to watch.

Interesting lines:

·         “Who do we have to worry about? – Max

“Dry cleaners.  They’re not nice fellows and they’re very powerful.” - Abraham

Tips for Parents:

·         Kids will be curious about this film because it has Adam Sandler Sandler in it.  They might be entertained by it, but it’s definitely not what they’re expecting.

·         Some mild profanity and someone flips the bird.

Adam Sandler grows up just a bit in Blended

Movie Title:  Blended

PG-13, 1 hour 57 minutes

Grade:  B-

In a Nutshell:   

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are paired together in their third romantic comedy.  She seems to make him better. Despite Adam’s expected crass humor and offensive stereotypes, the film has some genuine laughs and several sweet moments and a family message.  I can’t believe Sandler was able to get me to shed a tear during this film.  In one scene, Drew Barrymore sings a sweet lullaby in a touching moment that surprised me. 

Uplifting theme: 

• "Love is a many blended thing."
• “Being a man ain’t about pissing and moaning about everything, but dealing with what’s in front of you.”  While that’s not exactly poetic, Adam Sandler offers a lesson to boys about how to be a man.
• “You gotta show up for your kids.  It’s gotta be boring how reliable parents are.”  Jim 
• Family is everything.

Things I liked:

• Terry Crews is hilarious and borderline disgusting in every film he does.  His character, Nickens, suddenly appears at random moments, dancing and chest-bouncing his way through scenes to the delight of the audience.
• I loved “visiting” Africa.  I’d love to have dinner under the stars underneath that beautiful canopy in Africa at the resort.
• Drew Barrymore is aging gracefully and looked beautiful in this film.
• Alyvia Lind is absolutely adorable and should have a bright future in Hollywood.
• Maybe Adam Sandler really is growing up.  He shot a scene with the kids laughing on a vibrating bed, rather than making it a dirty scene with predictable sex jokes.
• Riding an ostrich is on my Bucket List.  Now, vacationing at the Sun City Resort in South Africa is on that list too. 
• Adam Sandler is unexpectedly endearing when his daughter puts stickers all over his face.  Maybe this was inspired by a real life moment with his two daughters, Sunny and Sadie.
• Check out the animal carvings in the chair backs at the African resort dining area.

Things I didn’t like:

• Knowing your ticket purchase paid for Adam Sandler’s luxurious trip to Africa is a bit annoying. (Actually, I saw the movie for free, but I was still annoyed.)
• There was a lot of merchandising in the movie.  I wonder how much Hooters had to pay for their heavy advertising and prominent role in the flick.  I did think the Hooters monkey band was pretty funny though.  I’m assuming Adam Sandler selected Dick’s Sporting Goods for his film because he thought the name was hilarious.  Grow up Adam.
• The film abounds with ridiculously contrived scenarios.
• Have you ever seen a gigantic giraffe tongue?  Now you will.  Ick.
• I suppose it’s not a proper Adam Sandler flick without at least one Transvestite.

Funny lines:

• “I own him.”  - Lou tells Lauren about her ability to manipulate her dad.
• “You just scared a zebra stripe in my pants.”  - Jim
• “Three second rule!”  - Who knew that counts when you drop a kid?
• “You should Rufie her and shave her head.” – Jen
• “We both need this.”  - Jim when he fist bumps his daughter

Tips for parents:   Classic Adam Sandler fills this flick with sex jokes and inappropriate humor.  This is not a family-friendly film, despite being about blended families.  There are just too many things I would not want my young children to see or hear in this movie. Adam Sandler movies with Drew Barrymore:


 

Grown Ups 2 is a waste of your money and time

Well, I hate to disappoint you, but Grown Ups 2 isn’t going to win any Oscar’s.  Big surprise, right?  While the first installment of Adam Sandler and his buddies pretending to be responsible parents was a fun, goofy flick, this return will bore and disgust you.  The script appears to have been written on a cocktail napkin while Sandler and his actor pals were all drunk out of their minds.

The all-star comedy cast shows that Saturday Night Live bonds last for many years.  I’m glad they’re all having fun and making millions together, but their humor really should be a little bit more grown up by now, don’t you think?  The film is full of crude jokes about barfs, farts, and every body part imaginable.  Fake boobs and coarse, exaggerated antics fill the screen, along with inane dialogue and gags that dwell too long.

Adam Sandler’s character, Lenny Feder, moves back to where he grew up with all of his buddies played by Chris Rock, Kevin James, and David Spade.  Other favorites in the cast include Salma Hayek Pinault, Maya Rudolph, Steve Buscemi, Colin Quinn, Jon Lovitz, Shaquille O’Neal and, of course, Rob Schneider.  Twilight lovers will cringe when they see Taylor Lautner playing a dumb, mean frat boy with lines that include such gems as “farthead.”

 

Adam Sandler attempts to recapture his youth by spewing out the most juvenile plot while insulting his audience.  It’s vulgar and definitely NOT funny.  Are all of the stars in the movie afraid to tell Sandler how bad this movie really is or do they simply not care?

PG-13 for being stupid and offensive, in addition to all of the other reasons.

Grade = F