John Wick Chapter 2 kicks you know what

Movie Title:    John Wick Chapter 2

Grade:  A-

Rating: R, 122 minutes of non-stop action and violence

In a Nutshell:  Revenge.  Huge body count.  Cool guns. Lots of violence.  Welcome back John Wick.

If you liked the first one, you'll love the sequel.  You can tell it's directed by a stuntman, Chad Stahelski. It's a master class in hand-to-hand combat. A movie critic from the Quad City Times described the stylish, slick film as a “ballet of violence.”  Well said.

Uplifting theme: 

• Persistence, tenacity
• Honor

Things I liked:

• Cool intro scene with motorcycle image on the façade of the building.
• Rome!  I absolutely love Italy.
• At times, there are subtitles, but I have to say they’re very stylish ones.
• Common does a great job as Cassian.
• The legend says John Wick killed 3 guys with a pencil.  You finally get to see that skill play out in this sequel.
• The film actually ties up loose ends from the first movie.
• Fans will be happy to see a cliff-hanger that assures another installment in this franchise.
• The trailer doesn’t reveal much of the story.  Thank you.
• Keanu Reeves does 95% of his own stuntman.  Check out some of the many impressive Keanu Reeves videos on YouTube that show how he trained for both John Wick movies.
• You get to learn more about the criminal “organization” and its underground world.  I thought the telephone operators with all the tattoos were hilarious. 

Things I didn’t like:

• Some of the scenes take place in dark catacombs, so this film will be hard to watch on a computer screen when it comes out on DVD.
• It’s ridiculous how many fight scenes there are in large crowds, yet the people around hardly bat an eye, let alone move out of the way or scream.
• John Wick has an excellent aim, yet so many of the other professionals keep missing their shots.

Interesting lines:

• “I’m not that guy anymore.” – John (Keanu Reeves)

“You’re always that guy, John.” – Santino D’Antonio

• “Rules.” – John

“Rules.  Without them, we’re like the animals.” – Winston (Ian McShane)

• “So, you have a choice.  You want a war or do you just want to give me a gun?” – John
• “Remember, you owe me.” – Bowery King

“You don’t want me owing you.” - John

 Funny lines:

• “Does he have a name, Sir?” – Charon (Lance Reddick) asking about John's dog.

“No.” – John

• “Never one to waste words.” – Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio)
• “I’d like a tasting.” – John (as he tests out various weapons)
• “And the lining?” – tailor

“Tactical.” – John

• “I’ll make it quick.” – Cassian

“I’d appreciate that.  I’ll try to do the same.” – John

• “7 million!  It’s Christmas!  We going to Applebee’s after this.” – Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne)  It was fun seeing Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne in some scenes together again after the Matrix 

Tips for parents: 

• This is very, very violent, as expected.
• Lots of blood and head shots.
• F-bombs and other profanity.

  

@trinaboice 

Better as a drive-thru than a Ride Along

Movie Title:  Ride Along

PG-13, 1 hour 40 minutes

Grade: C

In a Nutshell:  Ride Along should really just be a drive-thru, maybe later, after it’s out on DVD or in the dollar bin at Wal-Mart.  One F-bomb short of an R-rated movie, this buddy cop clichéd flick is filled with profanity, racial slurs and police brutality jokes.  It relies on the physical humor that Kevin Hart provides as he screams in a panic during the entire film.  The plot is canned, as are the jokes.  It’s 100 minutes of exaggerated silliness, so if that’s what you’re in the mood for don’t be disappointed with the thin plot and stereotyped characters.   

Uplifting theme:  Santiago (played by the talented John Leguizamo) says to James (played by straight-faced Ice Cube) “It must be tough being an island, huh?  Nobody to watch your back?” Some of the biggest themes of the movie are that we all need each other and to believe in your dreams.  Oh yeah, and playing video games gives you handy skills because, as Omar says "Everybody wants to be on the winning side."

Things I liked:  Kevin Hart is adorable and it’s inspiring to see his character never give up on his dream.

Things I didn’t like: I thought it was ridiculous that while Ben (Kevin Hart) was out trying to survive various antics, his girlfriend (Tika Sumpter) sat around the house scantily clad, anxiously waiting for him to return so they could…

Funny lines:

* “I’m not about to buy that girl with a goat.”   - Ben

* “How tall is Omar now?” – Ben

* The audience howled with laughter when Ben smacks James (several times)
* "Respect is best served cold."  - Ben  Omar corrects him: "No, it's revenge that's best served cold."

Things to look for:  Sophisticated humor…Nope, you won’t find it here, folks.

Tips for parents: This is not exactly a family-friendly movie and not appropriate for little ones…or older ones.  Lots and lots of profanity, including a scene where a young kid has a terrible potty-mouth.  There is a strip club scene and lots of sexual jokes, as well as disrespect for the popo…oh, I mean the police.