g-unit1111 Reviews

Violent Night (2022)

Who says there's no originality in Hollywood anymore?

[9/10 · 28 December 2022]

Well you're wrong. Because in 2022 we get Violent Night - an amazing, very original, and thoroughly weird spin on action comedies, and it's set at Christmas time. What more could you ask for? The casting in this movie is great - there's no better actor to portray a drunken, ass kicking Santa Claus than David Harbor. Then you have John Leguizamo as the movie's main trash talking antagonist. Think of this movie as a mix between Home Alone, Die Hard, and The Santa Claus, with John Wick style action and Deadpool's style of self depricating and fourth wall breaking sense of humor.

It's not a perfect action movie but it's some of the most fun you'll have at the movies this year. It's one of the best Christmas movies since Bad Santa, and it's one of the best action comedies since Deadpool. Don't let it fool you that it's a Christmas movie - it's also a movie that you can watch year around and it's great no matter what time of year it is. Ignore the excessive violence and just have a good time watching, and the less you know going in the better. That being said, Violent Night is one of the most fun movies of the year, Christmas time or not!

Clerks III (2022)

It's an ending.

[6/10 · 18 October 2022]

Before I go any further, I want to say - I'm a huge Kevin Smith fan. I often credit the original Clerks for the reason why I have such a warped sense of humor. I have seen and own just about every Jay & Silent Bob film there is to see multiple times. I've even been to many Kevin Smith events (including multiple live Hollywood Babble Ons and other shows). I have even had my picture taken with him and have a signed Clerks DVD.

So that being said, watching the inevitable conclusion of Clerks III last night, I couldn't help but think of the Simpsons dialogue from the episode "Rosebud" when Homer is confused about whether or not it's a happy ending or a sad ending, and Marge says "It's an ending, Homer". And that's kind of how Clerks III is - it's an ending. It's definitely not a happy ending. As Avengers: Endgame showed us, you can't have a multi-film franchise that spans decades and expect to end it and have everybody satisfied. Clerks is kind of that way after 20+ years and over a dozen connected films. But it's just that - it's an ending.

I know that this is the movie that Kevin Smith wanted to make following his heart attack and if you've seen his stand-up special you know that he's telling the truth about what really happened. For that, the film is great. And there's some other fun stuff in the movie that I will not spoil But the ending just kind of drags it down a bit, and that is kind of the takeaway of this film is that not everything ends the way you want it to. So enjoy while you can before it's too late.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Note to Hollywood: This is how a sequel is supposed to be done!

[9/10 · 31 May 2022]

This movie is why you go to the theaters. And in 2022, after two years of not having this kind of excitement, it rejuvenates the movie-going experience and shows why we love movies in the first place. As someone who was obsessed with the original movie when I was a kid, I have to say they remained truthful to the original while bringing new elements and technological advancements into the mix.

Top Gun: Maverick does an amazing job of being a continuation and celebration of everything we enjoyed about the first movie and then some. Yes, there is quite a bit of fan service at the beginning of the movie, but that goes away pretty quickly and we're introduced to the new characters and the plot of the new movie as soon as that stops.

The only reason why I'm not ranking this a perfect 10 / 10 is because if you're familiar with the Youtube channel Cinemasins, there's a lot of "He survives this" and "this works" types of moments. You will notice these things pretty quickly. But they don't really detract from the main plot too much or don't seem that overly out of place for what the characters are going through in relation to the story.

Overall, this is one of the best movie sequels and will definitely go to show how future sequels should be made.

Baby Driver (2017)

Edgar Wright's Best Movie Yet

[10/10 · 6 July 2017]

Edgar Wright can really do no wrong. Hot Fuzz was a hit. The World's End was a hit. Shaun Of The Dead was a hit. But Baby Driver is a grand slam home run. Really, this movie is amazing and there's so much good about it that there's not much to say about anything bad in this movie.

First, Edgar Wright has managed to create an awesome original movie that is not a sequel, remake, or reboot. And he has also managed to create a movie that is 100x cooler than anything Quentin Tarantino has made in the last 10 years. Really, this movie is cool on multiple levels. Baby is an intriguing character in his own right. As is his love interest, Debora the waitress. But when you add such veteran actors as Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm to the mix along with an eccentric cast of newcomers and veterans to the mix (like Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea), the film becomes something much more than a simple action flick.

Second, the soundtrack. This is a movie set in modern times so it needs a modern soundtrack. Edgar Wright could have gone the 70's nostalgia route like so many before him. But this one is way different. It's like visiting your vintage record store. There's 30 songs on the soundtrack, all from various decades of music from the 1950s to the present modern era of music. Each track was meticulously chosen, and is more than just mere background noise. The songs often take on a life of their own and during the scenes, you can actually see the songs become a part of the scene. While most movies put the soundtrack in the background and try to burn as much music as they can, Baby Driver actually weaves the music into each scene and it becomes almost organic. Like the soundtrack is a secondary character in the movie.

The songs in the movie are as brilliant as the movie itself. This isn't just some collection of nostalgia tunes slapped together for background effect, this is the real deal. You have such diverse and eccentric music as Queen, Beck, The Damned, Sam & Dave, Blur, Simon & Garfunkel, Barry White, Dave Brubeck, Focus, and more. After watching the movie, go buy the soundtrack. Preferably on vinyl, really, any other format kind of defeats the purpose. Although Baby himself prefers an iPod. So you can buy it on iTunes.

Third, the action sequences. While it's best to go into the movie spoiler-free, the action sequences aren't just mere action sequences. They really make you want to go rent a Mustang or a Camaro and burn some serious rubber. This movie has some of the best action and driving sequences that have not been seen in a movie for a very long time. This is more in tune with some of the all time classic action films like Goldfinger or Bullit. Amazing action sequences combined with serious character development makes Baby Driver a really intriguing film.

So in short go see this movie. Then crank up the tunes and burn some rubber. Then go watch all of Edgar Wright's other movies. Support originality in Hollywood.

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)

Funniest Film This Decade (So Far)

[9/10 · 29 October 2013]

Every decade has a defining moment of comedy. The 70's had John Belushi and the rowdy Delta Tau Kai fraternity throw an epic toga party. The 80's had Ferris Bueller serenading all of downtown Chicago to the tune of the Beatles' Twist & Shout while convincing the rest of the city that he's suffering from a rare form of cancer and is at death's door. The 90's had Jim Carrey pouring half a bottle of ultra strength laxative medication into an unsuspecting Jeff Daniels' cup of coffee. The 00's had Borat and his morbidly obese sidekick Azamat naked wrestling through an executive convention at a Dallas hotel.

Enter this decade and what may be the defining comedy moment of this decade. Johnny Knoxville takes his hilarious old man alter ego Irving Zissman that he created for the Jackass movies and unleashes him on the unsuspecting public. When Irving's wife Gloria passes away, he's reunited with his crack-addicted daughter and her son Billy. His daughter got arrested yet again, and Billy is forced to take a road trip with his grandpa through the south, ending in Raleigh, North Carolina. The duo engage in plenty of bad behavior throughout the journey whether it's petty theft, destruction of inanimate objects, exploding diarrhea, crashing weddings, or just annoying the hell out of unsuspecting strangers.

The cultivating moment of this movie is Knoxville dressing up Billy as a pageant model. They dupe the whole beauty pageant into thinking that Billy is just another contestant. Then what starts out as an innocent rendition of "My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean" breaks out into a strip tease complete with Knoxville on the side of the show throwing a pile of $1s at the "dancer". Then just as Billy's wig falls off and the hoax is revealed, they cheese it like Bender from Futurama.

Johnny Knoxville has always admitted that he has been inspired by the classic stunt-based cartoons like Wiley Coyote, and Tom & Jerry. In fact the children's rocket crashing through the department store window is drawn straight from Wiley Coyote. And if you're asking for a script, don't bother - just like the Jackass films, Bad Grandpa's script is literally drawn out as to what they want to accomplish in each scene. And for this type of movie that's all you need.

What makes "Bad Grandpa" brilliant is that it takes the hidden camera comedy concept to a whole new level. Sure, the Jackass style pranks (Knoxville sitting on a children's rocket ride which then launches him through a plate glass window), are definitely staged, but the reactions are not. And Jackson Nicoll is completely fearless in the way he approaches complete strangers, a truly excellent child actor find. Sure, you have Knoxville attempting to mail Billy to his dad, and the UPS store's crew is surprised by the contents of his package, but the way that Bad Grandpa sells it is just genius. It's low brow taken to a whole new level.

Breaking Bad: Felina (2013) Season 5, Episode 16

Remember My Name

[1 October 2013]

"Chemistry is the study of transformation." - Walter H. White

How doyou best remember a series, that from its' very first moments in the pilot episode, fired on all four cylinders? And for 62 episodes later, refused to let go? 62 episodes and over 100 nominations and awards later, what is there left to be said that hasn't already? What Vince Gilligan created was something truly amazing and so completely ground breaking that won't be topped for decades to come.

The finale ended just as it began - firing on all fours. Rather than leave plot lines blatantly open like some finales, Breaking Bad tied up every loose end possible before we see the true fate of the Heisenberg empire.

If you have followed Breaking Bad from the beginning, you will see every loose end from the show tied up. If you haven't, Breaking Bad is a show where you must watch every single episode.

On Breaking Bad, we saw an ordinary man transform into one of the most brutal, violent drug lords not seen since Al Pacino's Tony Montana. Nobody who crossed paths with Walter White would ever turn out to be the same - even his own family, friends, and enemies. Breaking Bad ended as it began - with a bang.

Thank you to AMC, Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, and the rest of the cast and crew for giving us one of the best TV shows of a generation. Breaking Bad isn't a mere show, it's an obsession, one that will last for decades to come. Remember the name: Heisenberg.

Tosh.0 (2009–2020)

It's Jackass for the Internet Crowd

[10/10 · 27 March 2011]

A lot of people compare Tosh.0 to the E! Network's Talk Soup. Sure, it's just some guy standing in front of a blue screen commenting on stupid people hurting themselves on Youtube for a half an hour. You could also say the same thing about America's Funniest Home Videos.

But what makes Daniel Tosh's show different is that his one-liners are often spot-on, his audience interaction is great (like when he asked his audience which celebrities he could beat up), and the web redemptions/remixes/reunions/retreats are hilarious. Now that the show went from having a budget of zero to actually having one, expect them to get even crazier.

And unlike the other shows, Daniel Tosh's is almost interactive, whether it's pasting together stories from random Twitter feeds, wrecking havoc on Wikipedia (they actually had to close the page to prevent Tosh fans from editing it due to "vulgar, rampant profanity"), or seeing how many funny comments he can make in 20 seconds.

I'd actually go so far as to compare this show to MTV's Jackass. Sure it lacks the camaraderie of Johnny Knoxville and his crazy crew - but the gags are there. The brand of toilet humor and random nonsense is exactly the same. And where's the puke? There's plenty of it!

Jackass 3D (2010)

More of the same random nonsense you know and love

[9/10 · 20 March 2011]

The main argument against Jackass is that it's stupid, juvenile and lowbrow. I love it because it's stupid, juvenile and lowbrow. Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Wee Man, Steve-O, Preston, and the rest of the gang are back, channeling their inner Wiley Coyote on more of the same random nonsense you know and love. But the question begs to differ: On the third installment, how are these guys still alive? Of course it's not for everybody. And that fact needs to be stated. Sure, Johnny Knoxville is a hilarious master of ceremonies for the crew, and Bam returns still playing elaborate pranks on his unsuspecting parents April and Phil - but this time around Phil actually gets in on the action, evidenced in the "Super Mighty Glue" bit. The rest of the crew goes for stunts ranging from the hilarious (Preston and Wee Man playing a visual gag on an unsuspecting dog watcher) to the insane (Bam barreling through a hallway of live stun guns) to the gross-out (the appearance of Knoxville's old man alter ego Irving Zissman) to the really gross-out (Dave England's infamous poo volcano). Sure, the guys are starting to show their age (and Preston and Wee Man, their waistlines) but that doesn't mean the insanity doesn't stop. Just don't take anything they do or say seriously in the movie and you'll enjoy it. Like the last two, there's no plot whatsoever. Like the last two, they constantly one-up the random insanity. It's a turn your brain off for 90 minutes and enjoy it flick. If you start asking questions like "how are these guys still alive?", you're watching the wrong movie.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Hard Walkin'

[8/10 · 13 April 2008]

As a fan of the parody movie genre, who has seen it dwindle down from the greats like Naked Gun and Spaceballs to total horse crap like Epic Movie, it's great to see movies like Walk Hard. But that's just it - you HAVE to realize that Walk Hard is a parody. You could even go so far as to say it's our generation's "This Is Spinal Tap" in that a lot of people who originally saw it didn't get the joke at first.

It's not just of the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk The Line", which it does parody heavily, but every biopic ever made. And not only does it follow the formula to a T, even right down to the part where the musician enters rehab and sobers up, but portraying the fictional Dewey Cox instead of a real-life musician is not an easy task. Especially when the Apatow gang really does convince you that Dewey Cox exists.

The Cox saga starts off when Dewey accidentally decapitates his brother with a machete. He then overcomes his tragedy by discovering the blues. Then we cut to ten years later when we see a fully-grown Cox as a 14 year old playing in a high school band. From there, Dewey gets married, goes out on tour, leaves his wife for his backup singer Darlene, then goes to India to hang out with a really convincing version of the Beatles and gets involved with every pill and drug known to man, thanks to his drummer (Tim Meadows). But Meadows practically steals the show in that his character introduces Dewey to all the drugs.

Overall, this is a great parody, and the Apatow gang pulled it off nearly flawlessly. John C. Reilly is an insanely funny actor, and the movie contains a killer soundtrack, which is more than worth seeking out, with all the tunes being performed by Reilly himself. It's too bad that other Apatow movies, like "Superbad" and the forthcoming "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" stole the thunder from Dewey Cox, but it's worth checking out now that it is on DVD.