Ryan Hansen – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: So, are we looking for what the Rock is cooking?

Vampire Bat: No, we are not. We will just watch the movie and come back to the castle.

Vampire Owl: But I am hungry. As hungry as a werewolf on an indefinite hunger strike during a full moon night.

Vampire Bat: When he say so, it doesn’t really mean that.

Vampire Owl: So, he doesn’t cook?

Vampire Bat: Whether he cooks or not, we are not going to have that.

Vampire Owl: So, it is not available with the movie. You mean to say that there is no offer.

Vampire Bat: No, it is not. We have to buy our own food with money from our pockets.

Vampire Owl: And unfortunately, we have a cashless vampire economy.

Vampire Bat: But we have the food here.

[Gets three cups of masala tea with tapioca chips].

What is the movie about? :: At a big event, the school’s most popular student and star athlete Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) is being honored by the students and teachers. At the same time, a bully, Trevor Olson (Jason Bateman) and his arrogant friends grab the overweight student Robbie Wierdicht (Dwayne Johnson) from the gym shower and throw him into the centre of the event to humiliate him. With only Calvin and his girlfriend, Maggie Johnson (Danielle Nicolet) showing some sympathy to him, Robbie disappears from the school never to be heard about again for a long time. Many years later, Calvin is married to Robbie and is working as a forensic accountant. With both of them working, and spending almost no good time together, they feel that their marriage is in trouble, and Calvin is also disappointed with his work itself, finding it dull and boring.

So, what happens next? :: While spending his boring time at work and being highly displeased that people who are not that good as him are getting promotions and raise, Calvin receives a friend request on Facebook from a man named Bob Stone – even if he can’t figure out who this man is, he just accepts the request. The man on the other side reveals that he is the old schoolmate Robbie who had disappeared long ago, and asks for a meeting. As they meet, the two are surprised to see that the situation has gone upside down with the man who was supposed to be a big success is caught in a job he doesn’t like, and the one who was humiliated and considered to be good for nothing is now a muscular man with a lot of confidence and happiness – plus he is more than that. Calvin will know more about it when a group of CIA agents led by Pamela Harris (Amy Ryan) arrive at his house – it is the time to save the world, can it be done?

The defence of Central Intelligence :: There is fun guaranteed with Central Intelligence as the two of the leading actors and situations continue to bring the laughter to us, and the action is also stylish from The Rock. There is one thing that we can be thankful about more than anything else, and it is that this one doesn’t go on to be like that terrible, third-rate movie called Kingsman: Secret Service which was the worst comedy movie which we had the chance to watch in such a long time – so many people have pretended to like it just because critics have felt something in the vulgar and violent presence in the movie, but nobody here is falling for that. Here in this movie, we have the fun that we can relate to, and with The Rock punching not just through the walls, but also through our need for comedy, there is the strength of Central Intelligence that gets magnified with its cast. It is the same reason why the movie holds things together even when it is going through a lazy path in between.

The claws of flaw :: One has to feel that with more situations added, Central Intelligence could have been a lot more fun, and might have even become the funniest movie in a long time. The plot also doesn’t hold on strong enough, with a climax that doesn’t go on to create that much of big effect with its twists or the comedy – the big twist could have been done better, but this one refuses to do the same. We do feel this idea is done too many times before, and this one needed the special ingredient within. There are jokes that are rather repetitive, and some of them are not really funny for the common man or the thoughtful ones – the presence of such jokes could have been avoided to fill up with those more quality ones. We remember the movie The Rundown which was also called Welcome to the Jungle – with The Rock himself teaming up with Seann William Scott, that was actually more fun.

Performers of the soul :: The Rock stays at the centre of this one too, bringing all fun right to us – Dwayne Johnson plays this role bringing so much entertainment to us. Always the entertainer, whether it is the WWE where he is one of my all-time favourite wrestlers with the Undertaker and Triple H, or even in the movies like Hercules or the Fast and Furious series, there is no exception on his part here. He scores not just with the comedy, but also with those action sequences. Kevin Hart becomes the right partner for him with all the fun around. Their combination is so much fun that, they provide almost everything that this movie needs – it is only until the two meet that you have to wait, and everything begins right there, as you would expect. Aaron Paul who is a lot remembered for Need For Speed, once again has a nice role to do which seemed to be so simple for him. Amy Ryan nicely fits in as the agent too.

How it finishes :: Along with the entertainment, there is a strong message against bullying in Central Intelligence. It shows how someone who was bullied and considered to be among the worst students in all ways, having the least chance to succeed, get to be the person that nobody expected him to be. The same works the other way too, with the big success story of schools and colleges being not meeting the expectations. Well, you gain nothing by underestimating or overestimating people, as none of them are the same. One day or the other, each of us have to face the world in our own ways, and with what we want being different in each case, the judgment that people pass on us won’t be the right one. Everyone is different, and all of us have our own success stories. It is up-to the so called society to accept us as what we are.

Release date: 17th June 2016
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul, Danielle Nicolet, Jason Bateman, Dilan Boyack, Timothy John Smith, Megan Park, Ryan Hansen, Thomas Kretschmann, Phil Reeves, Kumail Nanjiani, Slaine, Melissa McCarthy (cameo)

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl :: So there is someone called Veronica from Mars? Who is she?

Vampire Bat :: Veronica is not from Mars, but Neptune.

Vampire Owl :: This is really confusing. Is she an alien among the humans? We are not familiar with alien tactics.

Vampire Bat :: The movie is about the lady called Veronica Mars from the fictional American town of Neptune.

Vampire Owl :: That solves a lot of problems. I felt that she was so pretty that she should be from Venus.

Vampire Bat :: I believe that you are too sleepy right now to get into a talk about this movie which is a continuation of a television series with the same name.

Vampire Owl :: Nobody knows about this television series around here. How come you know about it?

Vampire Bat :: I don’t know about it either. But it was positively received by the critics and the audience in its world from what we know about the series.

Vampire Owl :: That feels good because this way, we just have similar kind of information.

Vampire Bat :: We missed an interesting television series, but that is not the case of the movie!

[Gets a cup of tea].

About Veronica Mars and Neptune :: Veronica Mars was a television series which had its run during the years 2004 and 2007, having three seasons of existence. Veronica Mars played by Kristen Bell is a teenage student who helps her private detective father in solving a number of cases. Working as a private investigator along with her usual studies, Veronica solves a number of cases, and goes on to bring more and more mysteries to light. With the story first focusing on the murder of the protagonist’s best friend Lilly Kane, she deals with more cases which follows. Created by Rob Thomas, the whole thing takes place in the fictional town of Neptune in California. The movie’s story begins nine years after the incidents of the television series’ third season.

What is it about? :: Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) is no longer at Neptune, as she has moved to New York City, and while having a relationship with Stosh Piznarski (Chris Lowell) is looking forward to be a part of the famous law firm Truman-Mann and Associates. One day, she is contacted by her former boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). He is accused of murdering his girlfriend Carrie Bishop (Andrea Estella), who had studied in the same school and was known by the name Bonnie DeVille as a popular musician. He wants her to choose the right lawyer for him. Veronica returns to Neptune to find it more corrupt than ever. She decides to help Logan a little more than just finding him the right lawyer, as she meets her old friends and acquaintances there.

The defence of Veronica Mars :: There is something simple and yet twisted about Veronica Mars. Its run is very smooth compared to the usual investigative thrillers which got its big moments; instead this movie maintains a run with no variations. There is a certain amount of variety in the way in which the movie delivers, and it is something unexpected for those who haven’t watched the television series, I believe. This variety in its simplicity is something which Veronica Mars can be proud about. There is also the presence of some nice humour which runs through this movie. There is entertainment guaranteed with this one, even without much knowledge about the background story of Veronica. You will feel that there is something so interesting about this character that you might ask for a sequel to better this one!

The Claws of Flaw :: Veronica Mars is not the regular story of investigation, and it might not suit everyone. The big thrilling moments and the great twist go missing here. The story that goes through had scope for more than what we have managed to see here. A highly thrilling investigation is replaced by something light-hearted and achieved with ease – may be it is the mode which is expected of this movie by the fans of the television series. The other characters also pale in comparison to the main character Veronica. The people who haven’t watched the television series might wants adjustments here and there, and they contribute to most of the viewership around here. The movie is also somewhat slow in the beginning. There are also some immature moments at parts some being too light, but I would guess that this is was never supposed to be a dark, horrifying, twisted hunt for a murderer!

Performers of the soul :: I am sure that most of the audience might know Kristen Bell more as Anna, the elder sister in the Academy Award winning highest grossing animated movie of all time, Frozen – a role which she retained in the short film sequel, Frozen Fever. Otherwise, she remains mostly unknown in this part of the world, but if one watches this movie, she will be remembered well and for long for her fine, energetic performance as Veronica. So many years after the series, she has played this character to something close to perfection, and has made the non-fans fall in love. The rest of the cast also nicely plays their role, and most of the performance department works within the movie. But everyone surely pales in front of Kristen Bell and her main character, as she remains the one show stealer from the beginning to the end.

How it finishes :: Veronica Mars should appeal to those who have watched the television series as well as those who didn’t, depending on the tastes. But don’t expect a full investigative thriller here as it is more of mystery drama with some comedy. The problem is that people get that idea with the synopsis. But Veronica Mars needs to be watched as what it is and it will be an enjoyable flick. There are also some nice and interesting dialogues which will surprise you. May be, things will get better if we can watch the television series and then go through this movie. From what I have seen, I would say that Veronica Mars deserves more attention than what it has managed in this part of the world. The television series seems to be something we shouldn’t have missed! Well, you don’t get many movies with an actress in the lead as a responsible, determined and intelligent private detective, do you?

Release date: 14th March 2014
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Rob Thomas
Starring: Kristen Bell, Krysten Ritter, Jason Dohring, Ryan Hansen, Francis Capra, Percy Daggs, Chris Lowell, Tina Majorino, Enrico Colantoni, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christine Lakin, Lisa Thornhill, Andrea Estella, Amanda Noret, Kevin Sheridan, Jonathan Chesner, Duane Daniels, Sam Huntington, Daran Norris, Max Greenfield, Ken Marino, Martin Starr