MIKE & NICK & NICK & ALICE (2026)

Written & Directed By: BenDavid Grabinski 

Cinematography: Larry Fong 

Editor: Tim Squyres 

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Eliza Gonzalez, James Marsden, Keith David, Jimmy Tatro, Stephen Root, Dolph Lungdren, Arturo Castro, Ben Schwartz, Emily Hampshire

Two friends navigate the dangerous world of organized crime, testing their loyalty and survival skills as they get deeper into the criminal underworld.


I really wanted to enjoy the film. As what it does have going for it there’s a lot of colorful characters that analyze the underworld that you wish they all had their own movie to star in

Instead of this time, travel mildly science fiction film that decides to pepper those ideas in with your typical b-movie crime film.

That has a good percentage of comedy, but then chooses to sprinkle in some harder or more. I wouldn’t say emotional but serious moments even though half the time it reminds one of one of those 90s post Tarantino pulp fiction type films.

It also has a good soundtrack that helps save the film with a lot of music from the 90s in 2000s era so that there are plenty of needle drops that work certain magic of nostalgia on the audience of a certain age who this film is made for, especially with many of the pop culture references. 

As this film has it stride and when it does, it’s actually entertaining and funny, but there seem to be so many distractions and disturbances that it can’t play a straight tune harmoniously. You have to wait for those moments and hope it will play through and see how long it can last that way.

As the film has all the ingredients, great cast, surprising cameos, a dynamite, gorgeous leading lady who still deserves more screen time better roles played by Eliza Gonzalez 

In Vince Vaughn, in a double roll has the smoothness and comfort to play these types of roles, though his character from the future is far more in his wheelhouse than his more uptight version in the modern, though he does manage to make them to distinctly different characters. Though he can do this type of role in his sleep. It’s not very challenging. 

James Marsden is good in his role as kind of the straight man playing up his looks but gives him a chance to prove himself as he definitely manages to keep up with Vince Vaughn. Though nice to see him in this type of film. 

The rest of the cast in their small and supporting roles are really what help make this film, more pleasurable and one really wishes they could give this film more or a higher rating but while it’ll probably be entertaining for most specially Vince Vaughn fans it just never quite worked. It’s magic for me and couldn’t wait for it to reach its conclusion and and I guess you could call it a perfectly fine time waster but it’s not a film. I would rush back to ever see you again.

As throughout watching the film, I just kept wondering what’s this all about? Why why is this happening and it never quite answer that question so that by the end I was just happy it ended.

It’s not terrible, but maybe it’s just too average a project that one would expect from streaming at least it has its moments of good

Grade: C

THE EXPENDABLES (2010)

Directed By: Sylvester Stallone
Written By: Dave Gallaham & Sylvester Stallone
Cinematography By: Jeffrey L. Kimball
Editor: Ken Blackwell & Paula Harb

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Charisma Carpenter, Terry Crews, Eric Roberts, Jet Li, Dolph Lungdren, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwartzenegger, David Zayas, Gary Daniels 

Barney Ross leads the “Expendables”, a band of highly skilled mercenaries including knife enthusiast Lee Christmas, martial arts expert Yin Yang, heavy weapons specialist Hale Caesar, demolitionist Toll Road and loose-cannon sniper Gunner Jensen. When the group is commissioned by the mysterious Mr. Church to assassinate the merciless dictator of a small South American island, Barney and Lee head to the remote locale to scout out their opposition. Once there, they meet with local rebel Sandra and discover the true nature of the conflict engulfing the city. When they escape the island and Sandra stays behind, Ross must choose to either walk away and save his own life – or attempt a suicidal rescue mission that might just save his soul.


It is hard to believe that Sylvester Stallone has been not only a star but a box office draw and #1 film superstar over 5 decades. Which makes me respect him for his longevity alone. It is hard to believe and remember that when he first became a star with ROCKY which he also wrote, he was considered a serious dramatic actor compared on the same level as Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. Now he didn’t really become an action superstar until FIRST BLOOD and has pretty much ran with it ever since.

The 90’s weren’t great for him as he followed that path into the ground with horrible studio action films and comedies that tarnished his record. After many diminishing returns, he decided to branch out again by appearing in indie films and taking a dramatic lead which did show he still could act but it wasn’t the career resurgence he expected like John Travolta at the time so it was only awhile until he returned to the genre he knew best but this time he was more informed and began to return to his iconic roles only this time with him writing and producing the films and as other laughed at him for these decisions it actually proved to be a smart move as the audiences were intrigued and both ROCKY BALBOA and RAMBO were box office hits and surprisingly decent films.

So of course for his first original film since making those films he puts together a all-star cast of action heroes and ex-costars for this film about a group of mercenaries who take on secret covert missions. They decide to take on an unwinnable one to help a land that has been taken over by an ex-cia agent in cahoots with the dictator of the land who is growing drugs to sell but in effect robbing the land and its people of there freedom. So of course Sylvert Stallone and crew take on the mission.

The film is a perfect throwback to 80’s action film with generic Villians and plot, But in it’s own way it is action campy as each of the cast gets a scene to shine. Jason Statham one of the real major co-stars gets a simple side story that is really only there to show off his romantic side and his ass-kicking skills. Nothing in the film makes anyone stretch as an actor. Jet-Li is mostly here to fight Dolph Lundgren in fight scenes.

The rest of the expendables are mostly there in small roles or extended cameos rather than being vital characters. Even early in the film Stallone and Statham go on a mission to check out the land alone and pretty much kick a lot of ass on their own. Only later do they come back with reinforcements.

The only actor who really makes a mark with their role is surprisingly Dolph Lundgren in a role that was rumored to be for Jean-Claude van Damme who turned it down. The action scenes are glorious but nothing special except for the grand scale of them.

There is nothing in the film you wouldn’t expect in this type of film. It falls short in many ways when it comes to my expectations. I was hoping for more surprises. For a top action spectacle. But as an action film that is a homage to the films that made Stallone an 80’s star, it is ok and enjoyable.

The perfect kind of Popcorn movie. It also is missing a lot of Action legends it supposedly is supposed to have Chuck Norris, Steven Segal, The Rock, Jean Claude Van-Damme, Chow Yun Fat, he could have even thrown a bone to some straight to home video action stars for bit roles, Michael Dudikoff, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Thomas Ian Giffith, and Danny Trejo.

Even as more of a guilty pleasure, The film is a satisfying rental

GRADE: C+

CREED 2 (2018)

creed_ii_still_2

Directed By: Steven Caple Jr.
Written By: Juel Taylor & Sylvester Stallone
Story By: Cheo Hodari Coker & Sacha Penn
Based On Characters Created By: Ryan Coogler
Cinematography By: Kramer Morganthau
Editor: Dana E. Glauberman, Saira Haider & Paul Harb 


Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Russell Hornsby, Wood Harris, Dolph Lungdren, Florian Munteanu, Brigitte Nielsen 


Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, heavyweight contender Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago.


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AQUAMAN (2018)

aquaman

Directed By: James Wan
Written By: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick & Will Beall
Story By: Geoff Johns, Will Beall & James Wan
Based On The Character “Aquaman: Created By: Paul Norris & Mort Wesinger
Cinematography By: Don Burgess
Editor: Kirk Morri 

Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lungdren, Yahya Abdul-Manteen II, Temeura Morrison, Leigh Whannell, Michael Beach, Randall Park 


Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world.

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