Bad Ass
Plot: After standing up for a fellow senior citizen, Vietnam veteran Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) becomes an internet sensation. His manhandling of two thugs dubs him “Bad Ass” and he garners the town’s admiration. When his best friend, Klondike (Harrison Page), is murdered, he exacts revenge against those who killed him.
Review: “Bad Ass” isn’t quite bad ass, but it’s a fun action romp! Danny Trejo is in good form as usual as Frank Vega, the ass kicking senior citizen who may surprise you. It turns out he doesn’t like violence unless it’s necessary. Though he loves the attention he’s receiving, he does try to shy away from his violent side. When he discovers the police aren’t doing anything to take down the scumbags who killed his friend, he must let the dark side shine.
“Bad Ass” is a bit more lightweight than one would expect. Sure, there are numerous scenes of Trejo taking names and kicking ass. Craig Moss’ sole purpose isn’t to do just that. He ties everything together with a low rent investigation story. Frank spends a good chunk of the film searching for Panther (Charles S. Dutton), who is the leader of the gang that killed Klondike. He does his best to lay low and stay out of trouble, but we all know he won’t.
He also finds time to protect Amber Lamps (Joyful Drake) and her son, Martin (John Duffy), from an abusive husband and father. This enhances his already likable demeanor and, to the surprise of no one, hooks him up with a lovely lady. Though I would have preferred had their relationship remained platonic, there’s nothing wrong with it and never gets in the way.
Those looking for explosions and car chases will get one of each, but they oddly feel out of place. Moss spent so much time in building a dingy, street fight atmosphere that both of these common action staples seem unnecessary to be involved in. It doesn’t help that both look a little cheap, as does some of the bloodshed.
I was able to forgive these shortcomings as “Bad Ass” is an entertaining ninety minutes. We get one of Trejo’s most likable performances in Frank Vega, who’s hard not to root for. A Vietnam vet finally getting his time in the sun and standing up for what’s right is hard not to root for. He may not deliver on the expectations I, and most people, had, but he still delivers an expedient trip!
Final Rating: B
Ninja Kids!!!
Plot: Rantaro (Seishiro Kato) is destined to be the next great ninja warrior. His parents ship him off to a ninja academy to hone his skills. Here, me meets a wide array of children who are all training to be ninja warriors, as well. Their skills are put to the test when an army of bad guys infiltrate the school.
Review: One could relate Robert Rodriguez to the director of “Ninja Kids!!!”, Takashi Miike. Both are notorious for their violent fare (Rodriguez with “Desperado” and “Machete”, Miike with “Audition” and “Ichi the Killer”), yet also offer up a slew of family films. Rodriguez has films such as “Spy Kids” and “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava-Girl” and Miike has films such as “Yatterman” and now “Ninja Kids!!!”.
This film gives Rodriguez’s “Spy Kids” a run for it’s money, though I’d argue it’s a lesser film due to it’s lackluster second half. The film is more enjoyable in it’s first half when dealing with the children’s training than it is when they face off with the bad guys. It doesn’t help that the villains in this film are tacked on and feel forced. They need to be present to keep the film afloat, but better development would have helped.
The film is a live-action adaptation of the anime series “Nintama Rantaro”. I’ve never seen that show, so I can’t comment on if this is a faithful adaptation. I can say for certain that Miike nailed the zany hijinks to a tee! From the outset, the film is a cavalcade of ridiculous gags and tremendous JuJitzu feats! This joyous energy is a joy to watch and bounces off the humor well!
Miike’s brand of gross out gags compliments the childish antics in this film. There’s a running gag of their kooky principal stepping in dog crap that got a chuckle out of me. Considering I’m not much of a fan of scatological humor, this is high praise. Fear not, as the film covers a wide variety of jokes. You get the kid who always has a runny nose (there’s a scene where his teacher smashes his head into the desk, spreading snot everywhere), numerous physical gags of grown men comically getting hit and falling down (my favorite being the cook breaking a wooden spoon, I believe, over an older students head for wasting food) and a clever bit where a girl is preparing dinner and more guests continue to arrive. She stops adding a pinch of water to the pot and dumps the whole gallon in a fit of frustration.
Once the villains appear and the kids start fighting back, the film loses steam and starts to tumble. There are still funny segments, but they’re more scattershot. By the time the last twenty minutes roll around, you’re exhausted and aren’t as thrilled as you were earlier. It’s a case of having too much of a good thing.
Even with this downfall, I’d recommend checking out “Ninja Kids!!!” It’s an energetic and wacky film that’s a hoot to watch and delivers many laughs. There are a few jaw-dropping moments and all of the training and fighting sequences are well choreographed. You may get exhausted by the time the second half kicks in, but the ride there is fun!
Final Rating: B-
Hick
Plot: Fed up with her horrible parents, Luli McMullen (Chloe Grace Moretz) flees her small town Nebraska home and heads for Las Vegas to become famous. She hitches a ride with Glenda (Blake Lively) and the two of them constantly bump into the charming Eddie Kreezer (Eddie Redmayne). Luli shortly discovers his dark secret and her life spins out of control.
Review: The goal of “Hick” is to prove that Chloe Grace Moretz can carry a film. She’s already proven that she can act, thanks to her roles in “Kick Ass” and “Let Me In”. However, she needed to prove that she can carry a film. A tough task for such a young actress, but she proves her worth and pulls it off. Too bad she’s not in a better film.
That’s not to say “Hick” is bad. I quite liked it in spots. If it wasn’t for Chloe, though, I wouldn’t be giving it a slight recommendation. The story of the small town girl heading to a big city is nothing new and Derick Martini doesn’t add nothing new in the first half (he’s working of a script written by Andrea Portes, who wrote the novel the film is based off of). There’s nothing wrong with playing by the book, but “Hick” stumbles with the comedy and drama aspects. Some scenes work well (such as Luli and Glenda robbing a gas station), while others flounder (such as when Eddie gets into a heated confrontation with his boss that comes across as unintentionally hilarious).
The best part of the first half of the film is watching Chloe play around with Luli’s innocence and fascination with the world. She gets a gun (sorry, a .45 Smith and Wesson) and dangles it in the mirror, spouting out movie quotes (the most obvious being from “Dirty Harry”). She then sticks up her mother’s (Juliette Lewis) new beau and asks him if she’s pretty (which, for the record, she is very pretty). Seeing him scramble in his seat due to being uncomfortable is a hoot.
It’s when the film introduces Eddie that the film changes tone. It’s longer a dramedy and shifts gears to a thriller. Eddie is charming at first, but then becomes creepily obsessive with Luli. Redmayne can pull both of these off well, but it’s when he’s supposed to act tough that he falters. These scenes provide unintentional hilarity (well, except for the final predicament he sticks her in).
“Hick” works in spots, but Martini can’t keep the story from derailing into camp. He should be thankful he had Chloe Grace Moretz as the lead, as she captivates the screen and proves she’s one of Hollywood’s next big actresses. She not only delivers her lines convincingly and portrays the characters as smart, yet gullible, but she uses body language to emote. That’s the mark of a great actress! Her performance alone is worth seeing this!
Final Rating: B-
Madison County
Plot: James (Colley Bailey) is writing a thesis paper on the murders that took place in Madison County. Along with his friends, Will (Matt Mercer), Brooke (Joanna Sotomura), Jenna (Natalie Scheetz) and Kyle (Ace Marrero), he takes a trip to the town to interview David Randall, the author of a popular book detailing the murders. When they arrive, the townsfolk state that neither David nor the killer ever existed. When the friends dig into the town’s history, they uncover more than they bargained for.
Review: Here’s a shocker. “Madison County” is a slasher film that isn’t a run of the mill hack and slash adventure. All of the characters are likable and are given time to develop. The back story is interesting and the mystery is paced well with the tension. The director, Eric England, is more concerned with telling a story and creating atmosphere than he is in providing “boo” scares (though they are prevalent). All in all, “Madison County” isn’t your average slasher!
Not that there’s anything wrong with the average slasher. I’m a huge supporter of the subgenre and enjoy a mindless one from time to time (just last week I gave a slightly positive review to “Wreckage”). However, it’s nice to see one that’s more concerned with engrossing the audience as opposed to simply grossing them out. “Madison County” has it’s fair share of gruesome kills (my favorite involving a baseball bat), but I actually cared about the characters enough that I was sad to see them go. I wasn’t simply gazing impressively at the effects included in the killings. I was feeling distressed to see likable people go through agony.
Even Kyle, who started out as a useless asshole, won me over. As the story progresses, we discover why he gives Will such trouble. He doesn’t trust him with his sister and clearly has anger issues. However, he copes with them throughout the ordeal and proves his worth with the gang. This never feels forced, but nicely ripened. I went from hating the character and wanting to see him quickly disposed to rooting for him.
The only downside to “Madison County” is it’s ending. Eric England backed himself into a corner by having a story that needed a conclusion. The less we know about a villain, the scarier they are. Here, it would have been a cop out to not inform the audience of the full back story. Though the explanation is serviceable, it gets dragged out a bit and the final shot isn’t as shocking as it should be.
Other than that, “Madison County” is a solid horror film that mostly avoids clichés! It runs into them occasionally, but it’s almost necessary. What it does best is creating smart and likable characters who only make mistakes when it makes sense (mainly thanks to fear). I was surprised as hell when James avoided the back road recommendation given to him by a creepy stranger due to it possibly leading to danger. It’s craft and finesse such as this that elevates “Madison County” from the standard fare.
Final Rating: A-
Stash House
Plot: David (Sean Faris) and Emma Nash (Briana Evigan) have bought their dream house on a great deal. They shortly discover why it was on the cheap, as heroin is stashed inside of the walls. When they attempt to call the police, Andy Spector (Dolph Lundgren) and Ray Jaffe (Jon Huertas) stop them dead in their tracks and hold them hostage.
Review: “Stash House” starts out seemingly as a haunted house movie. The cute couple buys a house on a good deal, only to discover the reasoning behind that. Instead of the place being haunted with ghosts, it’s terrorized by Dolph Lundgren. The paranormal activity would be easier to deal with.
Once Andy and Ray are introduced as the villains, the film plays out like a slasher film (a bad one, at that). David and Emma are stalked by the two killers and make an array of bad decisions. The first being trying to escape and allowing the men inside of the house. David makes a statement that the house is bulletproof, which means the two men can’t shoot them or break in (due to the house being in lockdown mode). Instead of waiting it out until morning, the two decide to run outside to escape and make every dumb move in the book. I’m fine with suspending my disbelief in order for the story to progress, but the director (in this case being Eduardo Rodriguez) needs to fill the gaping plot holes in order for me to do so.
The main problem with “Stash House” is that I didn’t care about David and Emma. They’re both bland, stereotypical characters whose only range is being attractive. They’re wooden and never amount to being relatable or worthwhile. They’re not annoying like most slasher victims (which they technically aren’t, since this is a thriller; it just doesn’t play out as such), so it’s not that I wanted to see them die. I just didn’t care what happened to them. Since the film is telegraphed and easy to predict, I didn’t feel the need to worry about them.
Dolph is the best aspect of the film and even he seems bored. Nobody will mistake Dolph for being a gifted actor, but he has incredible screen presence. He’s shown over the years he truly shines when he cracks jokes (such as in “The Expendables”) and is allowed to show charisma (which he surprisingly has a lot of). He doesn’t get the opportunity to do either, spouting out only threats and mean glares. His partner in crime, Jon Huertas, is completely forgettable.
Rodriguez tries to mask the shortcomings of his films with numerous camera tricks. He constantly pans around the house, zooms in and out, uses the security cameras as POV shots (which, I’d like to know, how exactly we can hear the villains’ conversation through the security feed), etc. It’s clear he feels he’s being stylish, but it comes across as obnoxious. Without substance to the slick angles, the style is rubbish. Trying to add that style to a banal script (written by Gary Spinelli) is fruitless. So is this film.
Final Rating: D