Ant-Man crawls into Marvel fans' hearts

Movie:    Ant-Man

PG-13, 1 hour 55 minutes

Grade:   B+

In a Nutshell:    Marvel gets that we want action AND comedy.  Paul Rudd is a very charming Ant-Man , as well as a co-writer for this summer's newest Avenger flick. 

While some audiences have been getting superhero fatigue from the sheer number of them constantly hitting the big screen, the fact that this "Honey, I shrunk the Superhero" movie surprises us in a clever, refreshing way is a huge triumph.  It’s no “Guardians of the Galaxy”, but it has the same playful spirit that audiences crave.

Keep watching during the rolling credits for a fun treat.  But wait, keep watching until after ALL the credits for a sneak peek at the next Ant-Man movie.    As it says “The Ant-Man WILL return.”

Uplifting Theme:

·         “Don’t let your past determine your future.” – Howard Stark  (played by Mad Men: Season 1 John Slattery)

·         “It’s not about saving our world.  It’s about saving theirs.” - Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas)

·         “You’re her hero.  Just be the person that she already thinks you are.” – Maggie (Judy Greer whose second hit movie in theaters right now is Jurassic World.)

Things I liked:

·         Fans of Lost: The Complete Seasons 1-5 will enjoy seeing Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne. 

·         Michael Douglas' transformation from young-ish to older is impressive. 

·         I love the life/death battle scene fits inside a briefcase.  All of the action sequences are extremely creative.

·         The Thomas the Tank train battle scene was hilarious as the camera zoomed in and out to show the comical scale.

·         I’m always excited to see how each Marvel movie chooses to use legendary creator Stan Lee.  His big line in this film?  “Yeah, yeah, super fine.”  Ha ha

·         The fast-talking lip-sync scenes were hilarious and clever.

·         I got a kick out of seeing Ant-Man go to the Avengers building.  Falcon’s wings are awesome.

Things I didn’t like:

·         If you don’t like creepy crawlies, there will be moments when you feel very uncomfortable.  They try to make the ants more adorable than scary, but it doesn’t always work.  There were some definite “ick” moments for me.

·    When I lived in Georgia for 15 years, I battled fire ants on a daily basis in our yard.  Those little guys are viscous.  There was a radio commercial that advertised ant killer which claimed to torture the critters, rather than just kill them, because that’s how homeowners felt about the mean insects.  When we moved back to California, my 2 year old son screamed when he saw a harmless San Diego ant and our neighbor thought he was crazy.  Clearly, my neighbor had never experienced the traumatic horrors of fire ants in the South.

·         With a name like Hope, it's ironic how snotty her attitude was towards her dad.

·         It makes all Mexicans look like a bunch of thugs.

·       The plot is pretty simple without any fun twists.
-    Not nearly enough action.

Did you notice?

·         Luis (Michael Pena) hums “It’s a small world after all.” Appropriate choice because of the size of the superhero, and since Disney produced the film.

·         Why is it that most bad guys are bald?

·         Cross Technologies…as in double cross?

·         Luis makes waffles a lot

·         The reference to the old lady in the movie Titanic
-     Evangeline Lilly has a small bump on her lip.  Don't get me wrong, I think she's gorgeous.  The
      bump was just a little distracting on the close-ups.

·         Funny lines:

·         “One question…is it too late to change the name?” – Scott Lang

·         “My days of breaking in places and stealing shXX  are over.  What do you want me to do?” – Scott

“I want you to break into a place and steal some shXX.” – Dr. Hank Pym

·         “I think our first move should be calling the Avengers.” – Scott

·         “Are we the good guys?  Feels kind of weird, right?” – Luis 

·         “That’s a messed up looking dog.” – Gale

·         “It isn’t often that you rob a place and get invited back.” – Luis

·         “Hank went from despising you to almost like you.” –  Hope

“You really should write poetry.” – Scott

·         “It’s really important that Captain (America) not find out about this.” – Falcon

·         “It wasn’t a violent crime.  It was a cool one.” – Baskin Robbins manager who fired Scott

·         “Mommy’s so happy you’re here she choked on her drink.” – Scott’s daughter played by the
       adorable Abby Ryder Fortson.

·         “It’s my helmet, Scott.  Do not throw up.”  - Dr. Pym

Interesting lines:

·         What did you see in me?”  - bad guy

“I saw myself.” – Michael

“Then why did you push me away?” – Darren Cross (Corey Stoll)

“Because I saw too much of myself.” – Dr. Pym

·         “Gratitude can be forgiveness.” – Darren Cross

  

Tips for Parents:

·         Some profanity, including a made-up one that the audience laughs at.
-    Yep, the kids will be interested in all the merchandising:

   

Last Vegas plays as Grampas Gone Wild

Last Vegas just came out on DVD this week, so I thought it might be helpful to review the flick and let you know what you're in for with a purchase or rental.

Movie Title: Last Vegas

Grade: C

In a Nutshell: This is one big Las Vegas party with an Oscar-winning ensemble cast that you can’t help but think is charming and adorable. The movie has its guffaw moments and comes off as The Hangover Part 63. As expected, there are a lot of age jokes as we watch some of our favorite leading men get old. Think Grampas Gone Wild.

Uplifting theme: My husband’s best friend recently died, so the life-long friendship between these four men really struck a chord with me. Friendships that endure the test of time and trials of life are truly priceless. The themes of love, forgiveness, and even good ole fun that creates memories comes through loud and clear.

Things I liked:
• I was impressed with how much the child actors looked like their counterpart adult actors. Nice casting!
• I loved the image when the men are coming down the escalator so that you only see their legs. The sexy torsos from the strippers in Las Vegas’ male dancer show “Thunder from Down Under” appear to be the actors’ upper body. It was a fun visual that only lasted a moment.
• The Morgan Freeman dance
• I thought it was hilarious when Kevin Kline had to put on his glasses to see the nude lady
• I’ve always enjoyed Mary Steenburgen and some critics say that she stole the entire movie.
• My kids laugh that Morgan Freeman is in every movie they’ve ever seen. No harm there. He’s a national treasure.

Things I didn’t like:
• I don’t like hearing kids swear. You experience that within the first minute of the movie. I understand that it sets the tone for the adult character’s personality, but I still don’t like it.
• Within the first 5 minutes, the kids steal wine and grind it in a pool. Parents, this is not a kid’s movie.
• Was Michael Douglas trying to look young and tan or was his character? Either way, I couldn’t decide if the fake color was funny or pathetic. Come to think of it, I couldn’t decide whether or not the entire movie was funny or pathetic.
• It’s too bad that so much acting talent couldn’t come together to create something better. Then again, as you get older, sometimes you just want to have whatever fun you’re capable of and don’t care anymore what other people think (another theme that is celebrated in the movie.)
• Sam’s story line reminded me a bit of The Big Chill . I have a really hard time thinking I would ever encourage my husband to sleep with other women. Uh, nope.

Funny lines:
• Dinner party at 4:15
• “This will be the first bachelor party that could be covered by Medicare.”
• “These Red Bull Vodkas are strange. I feel like I’m getting drunk and electrocuted at the same time.” - Archie Inspiring lines:
• “I was 17 five minutes ago. It’s winding up a little too fast.”     So true.
• “There ain’t nothing more important than loyalty and love between thugs.” = 50 cent

Things to look for:
• The disgustingly funny guy in the bikini contest
• Famous Last Vegas landmarks on Fremont Street and the Strip

Tips for parents: Much of the material is so inappropriate that the film should be rated R. You kind of feel like you just had a dirty romp in Las Vegas. I repeat…parents, this is not a kid’s movie. It is filled with profanity, scantily clad women and lots of sexual jokes, infidelity, transvestites, and inappropriate scenes.