The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  I would suggest doing a spin-off called The Woman from U.N.C.L.E. but, after seeing the backlash from the Ghostbusters reboot, we know how well men on the internet take women doing literally anything.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ? 3 out of 5

My familiarity with the old 1960?s television series that The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was based on is insanely limited.  I pretty much knew of its existence, that James Bond?s father Ian Fleming had a hand in its conception, that it starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum and what its title was.  I never saw a single episode or even knew what it was about beyond that it involved spies.  However, when I saw the Comic-Con trailer for the film adaptation and saw that it starred Superman and was directed by Guy Ritchie I was all-in and pretty excited for the film.  I had planned on seeing it in the theater but never found the time to see it?because I was busy with my own spy work.  However, it recently hit the home media department and I was able to finally catch it?and it was okay.

Don't do a Grey Poupon joke, Ron.  Don't do a Grey Poupon joke.  Don't do a Grey Poupon joke.

"Excuse me...do you have any Grey Poupon?"

DAMN MY EYES!!!

In 1963, a super spy extraordinaire; Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) is forced to team with a very talented KGB agent named Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer).  What could possibly happen that would force the CIA and the KGB to work together, you might be asking yourself?  Well, it seems that a young girl named Gaby (Alicia Vikander)?who was recently rescued from East Berlin by Solo?has an uncle that mysteriously vanished and may be in the hands of a shady criminal organization that is looking to get their nasty hands on nuclear weapons.  In order to protect both countries, Solo and Kuryakin team together and work with Gaby in order to save the day and protect the world.

I'll be honest...a small part of me was hoping that explosion in the background
was Batman coming for Cavill.  I'm really excited for Batman v Superman.

Just the presence of Jared Harris in the cast made
this film worthy of its score of 3 out of 5.

For the most part, U.N.C.L.E. isn?t a bad film but it?s definitely not one of Guy Ritchie?s best films?but it?s clearly not the worst one he?s done either because this film isn?t Swept Away.  The film offers up some fun and very clever action pieces and there are the usual Ritchie standards of some killer music choices that always compliment the scenes and some slick editing.  Additionally, Cavill is very charming and fun to watch as Solo and Vikander is giving off a great performance, too.  However, the film does have some issues that kept it from being something better and just ended up making the film just alright.

Cavill has a jawline that can bring a population of a small town to its knees.

The story to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. isn?t the most engaging thing and does come off like a way too standard and clich? spy affair.  Matters aren?t assisted at all when it felt like the story was dragging too much.  The story never gets boring but it didn?t have that exciting or engaging feel that so many of Ritchie?s films have.  The man really knows how to tell a story and has always had creative ways of revealing exposition that never felt like you were about to sit through the obligatory boring part of the story.  Sadly, with U.N.C.L.E., Ritchie?s usual slick presentation just isn?t as prevalent so there were times when the story dragged and just got too boring for me.

The plot twist of her being a robot that uses men in order to free herself felt
a bit familiar, as well.

Finally, I wasn?t too thrilled with the performance of Armie Hammer.  He wasn?t terrible in his role and he definitely had some fun moments with Cavill?s character of Solo but his performance wasn?t commanding attention the way Cavill?s did or other actors in the feature like Vikander or even Hugh Grant and Jared Harris.  Too often, Hammer?s performance and accent came off a tad cheesy and his wooden portrayal, at times, hurt the chemistry between himself and Henry Cavill.  The two work well together but, at the same time, never truly felt like they were working the best together and it often felt like Cavill was carrying the two.  Adding in a bland and very stiff performance only went against the already shaky chemistry the two had.

Their chemistry was so unreliable that Vikander's eyes went wide!

Actually, I'm being told she's wearing sunglasses.  But still, they weren't the best together.

My expectations for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. weren?t insanely high but I was pretty excited to see it because I am a big fan of Ritchie?s work and the trailer did make the film feel like a sweet spy film.  In the end, the film wasn?t as good as I had hoped for but wasn?t as bad as it could have been.  Overall, with its occasionally boring story and weak performance from one of its leads but having that counteracted by some fun action and great performances from the rest of the cast, the film proved to be a decent watch that was ultimately a work of serviceable entertainment.

Spy

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  Next movie needs a crossover with Jason Bourne and James Bond.

Spy ? 5 out of 5

Spy comedies are nothing new.  There?s been a few of them and they often vary in the quality department.  However, when I heard that a writer/director I really enjoy; Paul Feig (the man who is, according to people of the internet, super evil because he?s being the Ghostbusters reboot?the remake that, also according to people on the internet, will erase all memories and copies of the original film due to the lack of dicks in the story), was creating a spy comedy with a comedic actress I really enjoy; Melissa McCarthy, I was very excited but never got the opportunity to see it until it came out on Home Media (but that?s because of my own spy stuff I had to do?but don?t look too much into that because I might have to kill you if you learn too much?or give you a stern talking to and have you pinky swear you know nothing about my job).  

But if you tell anyone, I will threaten you by vigorously shaking my fists.

Jude is here to lay down some law...I'm truly sorry for
that one.

Spy tells the story of CIA analyst Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) hitting the field after the agent she works with; Bradley Fine (Jude Law), is murdered while on operative must try to find a suitcase nuke that?s in a location known only by the daughter of an international terrorist (Rose Byrne)?who, just so happens to be, the same person who killed Fine.  However, along the way, Cooper must compete with an irritate and rambunctious agent who keeps mucking things up (played by Jason Statham).  Now Cooper must find the location of the nuke before it?s sold to the highest bidder and is unleashed on the world and avenge her friend?s death.

It's hard to make killing a man funny but Feig and McCarthy did so and made
it look so easy.

Bobby Cannavale is in the film...and seems to be
rocking some guyliner.

I figured that Spy would be funny because I?m a fan of Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy but I don?t think I was prepared for exactly how funny it was going to be.  The story is incredible solid and build on a foundation that creates a decent spy thriller with surprisingly good action but, at the same time, does a great job of poking fun at the genre.  The cast is incredible and a fantastic mix of proven funny-makers like McCarthy and other actors not necessarily known for comedies but all doing an amazing job of bringing the laughs?for example, Jason Statham was absolutely hysterical as he played a slapstick-y and goofy character that I?ve never ever seen him play before.  Finally, the comedy is unrelenting and gags and jokes are coming at you fast and nonstop.  Everything from simple jokes that rib spy and action film clich?s to slapstick humor to gross out jokes to more vulgar insult based lines litter almost every second of the film and it had me laughing so hard and so often that I was brought to tears every few minutes and found myself actually exhausted from how much I laughed.  I slept like a baby that night.

Every time I see Rose Byrne is in a comedy, I always try to convince myself she won't
be funny but I'm always wrong.  I really need to end this ridiculous preconceived notion.

I have a lot of friends who aren?t fans of McCarthy because they see her as a one trick pony who only does films that involve her falling down and making cracks about her being fat (yet, when Chris Farley made this his career, it was considered brilliant?but I won?t get into the systemic sexism of comedy and the entertainment business here) but while those gags can be seen in the film on an occasion (and they are funny), this film also makes fun of those tropes with jokes about McCarthy not wanting to be seen that way and gags about her actually being a true badass.  Some characters want to light her up as the funny fat person but her character is actually a dedicated agent who wants to do a good job and is actually really handy with a gun and in a fight.  In fact, this film even does one better by making her be the tough one and having the man who usually is doing the fighting (Jason Statham) be the one who messes up and falls down.  It?s honestly some immensely brilliant comedy writing and just another reason that I am such a fan of Paul Feig and his work?and, just to incite the rage of the internet, I?m excited as hell for his Ghostbusters reboot.  Yes, hate me for not hating a film that hasn?t even been released in trailer form yet.  I know it?s weird that I?m excited for something rather than hating it based entirely on casting decisions alone.  I?m a rarity on the ?net.

Yes, that man is Jason Statham...and the look actually works for him.

Any complaints I have about the film are minor and involve a couple of missteps in the story.  Occasionally, a plot point felt superfluous and unneeded but it never took away from the immensely entertaining experience.  And sure, there was a joke or two where I laughed very slightly less hard than other times but, seriously, from beginning to end I was laughing my ass off to this film and was intensely entertained.

The longer you stare at the look on McCarthy's face the funnier this screenshot
gets.

Paul Feig wrote and crafted a spy comedy that takes itself seriously enough to look like a legit spy film (seriously, the action in this film is really, really good) but, at the same time, balanced itself out with some of the best humor I?ve seen in a film this year.  Spy is definitely one of those comedies that I will turn to repeatedly in the future because it is just that well put-together and just that hysterical.  And, if it?s not asking too much, I would very much love to see this turn into a regular franchise and see more wild and funny adventures of Susan Cooper.  I'll consider it a personal favor, Mr. Feig.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion, that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching! Is it possible to have this released on Blu-Ray the same day it arrives in theaters?  Because I want to watch the shit out of this movie over and over again.

Kingsman:  The Secret Service ? 5 out of 5

The Red Band trailer for this film sold me like it came with the promise of unlimited sex and showers of cash would rain down on me for life.  When I saw that, I knew I had to see this movie because it looked all kinds of fun.  Thanks to a buddy of mine, I was able to catch an advance screening of it and the film went way, wayyyyy beyond my expectations and became a ridiculously fun, action-packed, and ballsy action/comedy that has all the makings of a summer blockbuster but is released in the middle of winter.

                                                                                                                    20th Century Fox
Fuck...yeah.

                                                                                       20th Century Fox
That one henchman looks pretty prepared for his
imminent demise.

To become a Kingsman is a great honor.  You?re a gentleman of the highest order and one of the few who protect the world from threats local and abroad.  After one of their own is killed, Harry Hart, codenamed Galahad (Colin Firth), seeks out the son of an old friend of his and former potential Kingsman.  Gary ?Eggsy? Unwin (Taron Egerton) is an unruly kid who likes to get into trouble and lives a degenerate?s lifestyle?but he?s got skills.  Eggsy is entered into the program or, as Kingsman Merlin (Mark Strong) calls it, ?the most dangerous job interview ever.?  While Eggsy competes to belong and become a Kingsman, Galahad stumbles on a plot from a billionaire philanthropist with a lisp named Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) and it looks like he and his right hand man woman?the evil assassin with bladed artificial legs; Gazelle (Sofia Boutella)?started kidnapping celebrities, world leaders, and experts on global warming (one of whom is played by Mark Hamill) and plans to put an end to the world?s overpopulation.  Can Eggsy pass the test and become a Kingsman and stop Valentine?

                                                                                                                    20th Century Fox
Alright...first up, the evening wear contest.

Like I said, this movie went beyond my expectations and was a ridiculous amount of fun.  Director Matthew Vaughn (the man behind bringing me back to the X-Men franchise after X3 with X-Men:  First Class, Kick-Ass?the first one, not the second ?I?ll forgive you because I love the first film but still had fun with? one?Stardust, and Layer Cake) crafted a film that is the perfect summer action blockbuster (that should have been released in the summer but whatevs).  The film is action-packed, brutal, ballsy, vulgar, smooth, hip, cool, and hilarious all at the same time.  I have absolutely no complaints about this film so prepare yourself for a gushing review?the type of review that most movie critics hate (because they don?t like to admit to having fun with films?it takes away from their Pretentious Points).

                                                                                                                    20th Century Fox
"A true gentleman and superior Kingsman starts off every day with a self-
high five."

First off, I never read the comic book this film was based from Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons but this film definitely makes me want to check it out?even though I know some things were changed.  This film has all the action you would want from a comic adaptation but it refuses to be the gritty graphic novel adaptation that we see a lot of now.  Not that there is anything wrong with a dark and gritty comic film because I love those but it is refreshing to see a film that is capable of being a serious action film and can be hysterical at the same time.  This movie was like an R-rated version of Joss Whedon?s The Avengers.  It never took itself too seriously but it never took itself too light either.  When it needed balls-to-the-motherfucking-wall fight scenes, it gave it too you.  When it needed to be Meta as fuck, it did it.  When it needed to make you laugh, it did it all night long.

                                                                                                                    20th Century Fox
Is it possible to bring Strong back for the day we get to see Sinestro again in
DC's new movie universe they are making?

The action scenes in this film are some pure, uncut excitement served on a silver platter on the screen.  They're fast and Vaughn kept the camera in tight, throwing you, the viewer, right into the heat of all of it.  He was able to make Colin Firth, a very talented but more subdued actor, come off like a legitimate badass that could hold his own against all the greatest action heroes that have ever been in film.  Add in Firth?s natural acting ability, the end result was a seamless translation being unfolded in the film and the combination made it impossible to ever question that the man from The King?s Speech was utterly decimating any candy asses that got in his way.  Then the action takes it a step further and doesn?t shy away from making it gory and brutal.  It made for not only exciting and entertaining action sequences but fight scenes that were hella fun?and that?s the first time I?ve ever used the word ?hella.?

                                                                                                                   20th Century Fox
Eggsy decides to swim it out while the rest of the recruits breathe toilet air...
Take that fact in for a moment and think about what you would do.

I think there is a possibility that I?ve mentioned it a few times but this film is hilarious?like abso-fucking-lutely hilarious.  The comedy comes in all forms with this film.  Whether it be the off-the-wall silly performance of Samuel L. Jackson?and I don?t mean ?silly? as in bad but ?silly? as in the bad guy has a lisp and is wickedly fun to watch?or the brutal gags that get thrown in during the fight scenes, this film never lets up on the humor.  Additionally, the film isn?t afraid to pull out a terrible joke and deliver it in a ?nod and wink? way.  This aspect is one of the reasons this film worked so well, it?s not afraid to be self-deprecating and is extremely Meta.  Constantly the film is taking cheap shots at itself and the spy genre as a whole.  The film openly makes references to James Bond, Jason Bourne, and more and isn?t shying away from the characters themselves making references to being in something similar to a classic Bond film.  In fact, the character of Valentine openly refers to himself as the typical bad guy and even laughs at the spy tropes seen during his finale.  This level of being complete self-aware of itself made the film one of those fun experiences where it feels like you are not just a spectator but a part of it, like you are in on the larger joke.

                                                                                                                    20th Century Fox
"What's in your wallets, motherfuckers?"

Then there?s the cast?

                                                                                                                     20th Century Fox
Is Michael Caine accepting applications for grandchildren?  I want him to be
my grandpa.

There were the few that, going into the film, I had no concerns about.  Mark Strong and Michael Caine are two established actors who have proven to be quite versatile and, in Kingsman, they once again prove that there isn?t a genre they can?t enter and not fit right in.  Caine needs no elaboration because we know he can do serious, kick ass, and comedy?he?s shown us time and time again.  However, I was truly impressed with how well Strong could balance being funny and badass at the same time.  I pretty much knew he wasn?t going to be bad going into the film but he, like the entire film in general, went beyond my expectations and delivered in a very awesome and entertaining way.

                                                                                                                   20th Century Fox
"The World's Most Interesting Man never told you the story about how I kicked him
in the bullocks and fornicated with his mother."

One actor I had some reservations about was Colin Firth.  Now, I think Firth is a very talented actor but I didn?t know if this role would suit him (that wasn?t a pun, by the way).  However, Firth proved me wrong almost instantaneously in the film.  He knew the perfect balance of making Galahad a spy that was both the debonair gentlemen of the 60s and 70s but was also the no-nonsense face puncher of the spies of now. 

                                                                                                                    20th Century Fox
"Reverend...you silly fool.  How could you doubt me?"

The one really big reservation I had with the cast?and it wasn?t getting to see Mark Hamill before Star Wars:  Episode VII?was Taron Egerton as Eggsy.

                                                                                                                    20th Century Fox
Can't wait to see Hamill return as my hero Luke Skywalker!
I consider this role his teaser to his big screen return.

Egerton has very few acting credits to his name right now and none of them include a single thing I?ve seen?not that such a fact really means anything.  Anyway, what I?m trying to say is Egerton is a relatively new face and when I watched the trailer my initial thought was he could be the weak link in a very amazing cast.  Like my doubts with Firth being a badass, I ate my words fast because Egerton is fucking talented and made the character of Eggsy charming, likable, and fun.  Egerton, and the excellently written script, made me care about Eggsy and I wanted to see him become a Kingsman and save the day.  His evolution of being a ruffian on the streets to being a suit-wearing badass was fluid, natural, and easily engaging.  The chemistry he shared with everyone on screen?be it Firth, Strong, Caine, or even the people he?s competing against like the character of Roxy (Sophie Cookson)?felt natural and made, literally, every scene in the film something to watch?there was no filler with this one.

                                                                                                                    20th Century Fox
"Okay, time to pop a cap in the Penguin's ass."

                                                                                      20th Century Fox
Gazelle takes handicapable to a whole new
fucking level.

Kingsman: The Secret Service has all the camp of old James Bond and The Avengers adventures with all its fun and quirky gadgets alongside the bloody and gratuitous nature of the newer, grittier spy features.  However, with all this, the film isn?t afraid to realize its ridiculous nature and it lovingly will lampoon both itself and the genre as a whole.  While not technically a parody, the film has fun with itself and makes the experience the movie equivalent of a day at Six Flags.  With its stellar cast, epic performances, it?s complete mastery of music (the score sounds like it belongs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the film has some totally awesome fight scenes set to well known hits, including an epic fight scene set to the guitar solo in ?Free Bird?) and with its hysterical and varied humor, exciting action sequences, and a story that never falters or drags at any time, Kingsman proves to be a truly epic and absolutely perfect action film that never let up on the fun.  It will be a crime if this film isn?t franchised and doesn?t get sequels.