Movie Review - Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Director: Mark Molloy
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Paul Reiser, Kevin Bacon, Judge Reinhold, Taylour Paige, John Aston, Bronson Pinchot
 
Description: Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened, and works with old pals John Taggert (John Aston) and Billy Rosewood) (Judge Reinhold) to uncover a conspiracy.

Review: It has been thirty years since Eddie Murphy last took on the role of Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop 3”(1994) (secretly my favorite 😉). Netfix is reviving the cop with “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F”.

The film opens the way you’d want it: Axel gets behind the wheel of a snow plow and immediately turns the streets of Detroit upside down, hoping to catch a bunch of thugs. It gets completely out of hand, obviously, and before you know it Axel is back in Beverly Hills to help his daughter Jane, who is being threatened. She is a lawyer and is assisting a client falsely accused of killing a cop.

Martin Brest, Tony Scott and John Landis directed the three previous installment of the franchise and debut director Mark Molloy is taking over. He has looked closely at his predecessors and manages to deliver a more than entertaining film. He takes into account the many fans of the previous films (me), but manages to attract a whole new audience as well. Axel Foley is still the foul-mouthed and rule-breaking Detroit cop turning Beverly Hills upside down. It’s not different this time. And other characters we know from these film are returning as well. All though, I was a bit disappointed there. The screentime Axel has with his buddies Billy and Taggert is very limited. And I missed Eddie Murphy’s signature laugh.

The only new element in this film is the father-daughter relationship. For the most part, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is not an innovative film. But a fun addition to the series and an entertaining action comedy. Great that “Akwel” is back, we’ve waited long enough.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

TV Show Review - The Boys (Season 3)

Season: 3
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2022
Starring: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Anthony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Jensen Ackles, Paul Reiser, Colbie Minifie, Claudia Doumit, Giancarlo Esposito, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell     

Description: A group of vigilantes sets out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.

Review: “The Boys” are back, and it takes another stab at all the insanity of the previous two seasons. The series still manages to strike the right (and sometimes painful) chord in a hilarious, satirical way. This third season is gory and never before, but also has the strongest emotional core. Layered, sharp and at times moving.

It begins with a Butcher we haven’t seen before: sober. Hughie working for the FBSA in order o do something against the supes from the inside in a more normal way. In short, the Boys are no more. Still, the superheroes manage to fuck it up well again in the eyes of the member of the Boys and yet soon find each other again.

Still it is abundantly clear that Homelander is the greatest danger. Seeking validation, but never more broken and dangerous, he enters the field of supervillain with confident strides with threats to wipe out entire states. Actor Anthony Starr has never been as scary as he is in this season. I haven’t hated a character as much as Homelander, since Joffrey in “Game of Thrones”.

The two main storylines are that of an increasingly unstable Homelander and that of Butcher who thinks he has found a weapon that can work agains his threat. In addition, there are about sic subplots that “The Boys” also juggle. Extraordinary, it manages to keep them all interesting. Extremely clever and above all unprecedentedly efficient.

Of course there is also the necessary satirical moments based on real life. For example, cancel culture is riduled, Black Lives matter and the LGBTQ+ community are discussed and even a Pepsi commercial is imitated almost exactly. There is also the obvious reference to Trump supporters among the fans of Homelander. So every episode is crammed with references, social commentary and satire.

The biggest newcomer in season three is Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, who is truly a highlight. Seeing him as a hero for many season in the TV-show “Supernatural”, he now plays a supervillain. Just as sleezy and fake as Homelander, only more old-fashioned. The characters of Butcher, Black Noir and A-Train get more depth.

“The Boys” does it again, it seems like the show is getting better by the season.

Movie Review - Fatherhood

Director: Paul Weitz
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Ken Hart, Melody Hurd, DeWanda Wise, Lil Rel Howery, Rachel Murombo, Alfre Woodard, Paul Reiser

I WATCHED THIS FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 40: A MOVIE WITH AN ACTOR/ ACTRESS YOU DISLIKE
 
Description: A father (Kevin hart)  brings up his baby girl as a single dad after the unexpected death of his wife, who died a day after their daughter’s birth.

Review: Seeing Kevin Hart is a serious rol takes some getting used to. Normally, the comedian always squeals in films, he’s is overall very loud. And that’s a reason I hardly ever watch a movie that stars Kevin Hart. That such an unexpected career move foes not have to be a bad thing was proven by many actors. In “Fatherhood”, Hart gets to be a little less funny, but a lot more bearable and heartwarming.
Hart plays Matt, an employee of a large tech company, who becomes a father and a widower on the same day. Matt decides to raise his daughter Maddy on his own, much to the dismay of his meddlesome mother-in-law, who despite everything has his best interests at heart.
Watching “Fatherhood”, it becomes clear pretty quickly that Kevin Hart has a lot more to offer than the loud and wise-cracking guy he usually portrays. And for someone who’s not a fan of Hart, I really liked him in this role and I prefer the more calm version of Hart. And it also shows that he can actually act.
“Fatherhood” is sentiment with a capital S, but nevertheless is quite enjoyable to watch. And I liked Kevin Hart. Who would’ve thought I’d ever say that? Please Kevin, make more movies like this and stop being so loud.

Rating: 3/ 5

80s Movie Review - Aliens

Director: James Cameron
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 1986
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash, Cynthia Dale Scott, Tip Tipping

Description: The planet from "Alien" (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough?

Review: “Aliens” is the sequel to “Alien” from 1979. This time it’s not Ridley Scott but James Cameron that directs.
The movie starts slow, just like the first, but then it’s a series of explosions and action sequences. The difference between “Aliens” and other movies in the genre, is that this it’s exciting from start to finish. Again there is this claustrophobic feel to it, where the aliens are hiding in catacombs and ruins.
Although the title suggest there will be a lot of monsters, the actual aliens aren’t shown that often. This helps to make the atmosphere more threatening. The camera stays close to the characters, which makes it more intense and scary. There are many shock effects, even after rewatching it. Those so-called ‘facehuggers’ freak me out every time!
 “Aliens” manages to grab you and never let you go.  Off all the movies in the series, this one might do that the best. James Cameron obviously understood the material he was working with. A genuinely scary and bad ass science fiction movie.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Concussion

Director: Peter Landesman
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Morse, Eddie Marsan, Hill Harper, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Stephen Moyer, Richard T. Jones, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson

Description: In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. bennet Omalu (Will Smith) uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 30: A MOVIE RECOMMENDED BY A FRIEND
 
Review: Mike Webster was one of the best center players in the National Football League (NFL) in America. He played professional American Football for sixteen years, mostly for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After his career, he soon declined. He lives in a pickup truck and suffers from dizziness, forgetfulness and insomnia. Not surprisingly, he dies. A heart attack is soon the official reading. Nigerian forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu is assigned to investigate Webster. He discovers that something is wrong with the brain, but can’t quite pinpoint what it is. When another former football player dies, Omalu notices the same brain abnormalities. Could there be something more going on with football players after all? Omalu tries to bring this to the attention of the NFL board, but his research is dismissed as nonsense. In fact, since then Omalu has only been thwarted in his investigation and even received death threats.
Jeanne Marie Laskas wrote the article Game Brain for the men’s magazine GC in 2009. In it, she describes the story of how Nigerian Dr. Bennet Omalu discover what effect the hard hits and collisions of American Football players have on their brains. And how Omalu is opposed by the entire NFL after this discovery. Peter Landesman is a director and writer, but also a journalist. He has written a number of articles on human and gun trafficking for New York Time Magazine, The New Yorker and other leading magazines. His first feature film, “Parkland”, dealt with the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He made the follow-up “Concussion” in response to Jeanne Marie Laskas’ article. His background as a journalist came in handy for the structured telling of the story surrounding Dr. Bennet Omalu and his investigations. A story that is structured according to fairly standard principles, but contains poignant moments. Its distressing that a large organization like the NFL considers entertainment interests more important than the health of its players. Somehow it’s understandable, because the stakes are high. The NFL desperately needs the players to keep the entertainment going. The chances that young people will stop playing American football when they hear that it can cause brain damage are high, so the sport will eventually cease to exist. Yet it is strange that people do not want to look for a solution, but continue to deny the danger Omalu points out.
As a sub-line in the story, there’s Omalu’s personal struggle to adapt to the American system as an immigrant. He wants to succeed at all costs in the promised land. But as a Nigerian, he has his own ideas and principles and they do not always correspond to what is expected in America. This leads to misunderstanding on both sides. Omalu is portrayed by Will Smith, who is very convincing, inspiring and strong in his role. Another actor I need to point out is David Morse. He only has a minor role at the start of the film, but he really leaves an impression.
“Concussion” doesn’t really color outside the lines. The film is made according to standard movie laws. But a film like “Spotlight” had already shown that you can still make an interesting film this way, because the content is so well done. “Concussion” can’t match that film, but is intriguing enough to keep you interested the entire runtime.

Rating: 4/ 5

80s Movie Review - Beverly Hills Cop II

Director: Tony Scott

Genre: Action/ Comedy

Runtime: 100 minutes

Year: 1987

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Jürgen Prochnow, Brigitte Nielsen, Allen Garfield, Dean Stockwell, Paul Reiser, Paul Guilfoyle, Chris Rock

Description: Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills to help Taggart (John Ashton) and Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) investigate Chief Bogomil’s near-fatal shooting and the series of “alphabet crimes” associated with it.

Review: Eddie Murphy was added to the cast of “Beverly Hills Cop” at the very last moment. And it gave us a successful and fun comedy action film. In the second part, “Beverly Hills Cop II”, the script is written around his ability to act and improvise. As a viewer you would expect a better elaborated story, but in practice it turns out differently. The story is pretty much the same, but the film isn’t very surprising at all.

Eddie Murphy is still funny and seemingly enjoying his role. The same goes for Judge Reinhold and John Ashton, as Rosewood and Taggart. They get more screentime and their characters have undergone development.

“Beverly Hills Cop II” is again fun, but offers just more of the same ad the previous film.

Rating: 3 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 6: Whiplash

Director: Damien Chazelle

Genre: Drama/ Music

Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2014

Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, Chris Mulkey, Damon Gupton, Max Kasch, Suanne Spoke, Charlie Ian, Jayson Blair, Kofi Siriboe, Kavita Patil, C.J. Vana

Description: Promising young drummer Andrew (Mile Teller) enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor (J.K. Simmons) who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.

Review: Musicians will always fascinate us. There a many biopics about famous musicians, but the rough way to the top is seldom showed. Director Damien Chazelle wrote a script about this. It was well received as a short film, so he got the permission to make it into a full length movie.

The prestigious Shaffer Conservatory in New York is the start for many great musicians. Young Andrew Neyman practices every day and night on his drums to be a part of it. During one of his session, the infamous teacher Terence Fletcher spots him. He invites Andrew to play in his exclusive band, as an alternate drummer. Quickly Andrew learns that Fletcher has a unorthodox teaching method and he will stop at nothing to realize a student’s potential.

The intense atmosphere makes “Whiplash” a wonderful movie experience. A well written script gives the lead actors the chance to show their qualities, and both take it home. J.K. Simmons is truly brilliant as Fletcher. It’s hard to see an actor. I seldom saw such an awfull person in a movie, that was so mean and harsh. He terrified me. Miles Teller confirms why he is a rising star.

“Whiplash” is one of the best movies about music. The discipline that is needed to make it in this business. even if you’re not a music fan, it’s a great joy to watch this psychological game that is played. Damien Chazelle delivered a new classic.

Rating: 5/ 5