Ant-Man

Ant-Man (2015)

Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Anthony Mackie, Judy Greer, Abby Ryder Fortson, and Michael Peña

Directed by Peyton Reed 

Click here for my Letterboxd review

Click here for my previous RyMickey Review

My current RyMickey Rating:  B

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip 'T.I.' Harris, Abby Ryder Forston, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas

Directed by Peyton Reed

Written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Back in the 1980s, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) becomes trapped in the microscopic quantum realm by shrinking herself too small as she successfully disabled a Russian nuclear missile.  Back in the present day, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is on house arrest being monitored by the FBI after assisting Captain America a few years prior with the events of "Captain America: Civil War."  One evening, Scott has a wild dream wherein he sees himself as Janet van Dyne.  Utterly confused, he calls Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) who have all but excommunicated him after the events of the prior Ant-Man film and Civil War.  Upon hearing Scott's dream, however, they determine that Scott's visit to the quantum realm in the first Ant-Man film has somehow connected him to Janet and they hope that Scott can help reunite them with their wife and mother.  

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Ant-Man

Ant-Man (2015)

Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Anthony Mackie, Judy Greer, Abby Ryder Fortson, and Michael Peña

Directed by Peyton Reed

Congratulations are in order to Marvel Studios who has managed to consistently deliver films that audiences clamor to see at the box office.  Having tackled their marquee superheroes, they've begun heading into the lesser known characters starting with 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy and continuing with 2015's Ant-Man, the tale of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a thief who is released from prison and finding it tough to make a living outside in the real world.  Desperate to reconnect with his daughter (Abby Ryder Fortson) but without any money to provide child support, Scott agrees to take part in another heist at the home of the rich Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas).  Unfortunately, upon breaking into the home's safe, Scott discovers simply a suit rather than any money.  He takes the suit and ends up trying it on, only to shrink to the size of an ant.  Pym finds Scott and asks him to go on a mission to infiltrate the workplace of Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) who is trying to use the shrinking technology that was created by Pym to create weapons of war.

Ant-Man is a perfectly acceptable film and all aspects of it -- from the acting to the direction to the script to the special effects -- are enjoyable, but I didn't find myself fawning over it which, admittedly, is the case with many of the Marvel films for me.  Rudd is engaging as the lead character and it's nice to see Michael Douglas take a central role in a popular movie.  Corey Stoll is amusingly evil as well and his final showdown with Ant-Man is actually one of the best final battles yet in a Marvel film simply due to the fact that director Peyton Reed doesn't take things too over-the-top and allows the flick to breathe a little bit rather than feel like a nonstop unending action sequence.

But still, considering the raves this one got by people over the summer, I was perhaps expecting a bit more.  Don't mistake me -- Ant-Man is one of Marvel's better efforts, but I longed for a little more.  Perhaps when its sequel rolls around and we're given less of an origin story (which always tend to be boring), we'll be in for more of a treat.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - And So It Goes

And So It Goes (2014)

Starring Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton, Sterling Jerins, Annie Parisse, and Austin Lysy

Directed by Rob Reiner

I fully went into And So It Goes expecting the two elderly leads to find some decades-old pot and smoke it for comedic effect.  That didn't happen so Rob Reiner's film doesn't immediately lose points for that old people hippie-druggie comedy bit that is one of my biggest movie pet peeves.  However, if there was such a scene at least it would've elicited a reaction from me of some kind -- something that And So It Goes failed at doing.  While the two leads are amiable -- I always find Diane Keaton immensely charming (even though she plays the same characters over and over again) and Michael Douglas is underrated when it comes to light-hearted fare -- the story feels old, tired, and worn-out.

Douglas is Oren Little, a pompous realtor who is selling his longtime home in preparation for doing the typical "old person" thing of moving to warmer weather.  During a showing, his estranged son (Austin Lysy) shows up with his ten year-old daughter Sarah (Sterling Jerins), asking Oren to watch over his heretofore unknown granddaughter while he has to spend a year in prison.  Oren reluctantly agrees, but has no idea how to deal with this, so he turns to Leah (Keaton) who lives in and runs a rental property of Oren's.  With Oren's curmudgeonly attitude, Leah's optimism, and Sarah's innocence, the trio make an unlikely triangle -- one that follows the same paths we've seen many times before.

And So It Goes isn't offensive in any way, but it's mind-numbingly dull and that's often a bigger kiss of death than simply being bad.  But, hey...at least the leads don't smoke pot!

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Haywire

Haywire (2012)

Starring Gina Carano, Michael Angarano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, and Michael Douglas

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Haywire is mindless fluff.  That's not meant as a criticism, but it's the truth.  No one's going to mistake this female-led action flick as great cinema, but it's certainly an enjoyable ride.  A day after I watched it, I may not remember much in the way of plot or character development, but I will remember that I had an enjoyable 85 minutes seeing it unfold in front of me and sometimes that's all one needs when watching a movie.

MMA-star Gina Carano is Mallory Kane, a "black ops super soldier" (according to imdb's description) who is used by the government to head out on certain missions for them.  She's good at her job and can kick some serious ass, but she often finds herself a bit at odds with Kenneth (Ewan McGregor), her ex-boyfriend and also the man that sets up her jobs for the government.  When set on a job to Ireland, she quickly discovers that she has been set up by her bosses and must go rogue in order to save her life.

There's nothing special that the story brings to the table, and while director Steven Soderbergh does an admirable job of filming the action scenes and keeping the story rolling at a good pace, things are by the book for the most part.  The acting is all above par, even that of Gina Carino who was criticized in reviews that I read for her lack of acting chops.  I found her perfectly acceptable for what this role asks of her.  Do I wanna see her tackle something a bit more weighty?  I'm not sure, but as an action chick, she handles herself well.

Admittedly, there's not a ton to say about this because Haywire is just a standard action flick, but it's a good one and worth a watch.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - The Game

The Game (1997)

Starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, and Deborah Kara Unger

Directed by David Fincher

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Ludicrous is the word to best describe David Fincher's The Game in which rather cutthroat businessman Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) gets more than he bargained for after he signs up for a unique leisure "experience" given to him by his wayward troubled brother (Sean Penn).  The gift is a game crafted to test Nicholas, pushing him to extremes he never thought possible in his well-ordered and rigid life.  As the game begins to unfold, Nicholas's life slowly unravels as he loses control of everything he held dear to him.

I mention "ludicrous" above for the sheer fact that The Game's script relies on so many things to happen at precisely the right time in order for the plot of the movie to work.  The slightest alterations would seemingly ruin Nicholas's "game" set up by the entity known as Consumer Recreation Services and it really just reeks of unbelievability.

Yet -- and I felt this way when I watched it years ago -- The Game is a movie that I enjoy despite the ridiculousness of the whole affair.  Yes, it runs on too long and has one too many twists and turns at the end.  Yes, the plot is absolutely preposterous.  But I still like it.  Michael Douglas is solid, but admittedly, I'm not sure this role was a real difficult one for him to undertake as Nicholas is like many of his other characters.  David Fincher directs with a nice touch, but on this viewing of the film, I couldn't help but think he and his editor could have used the scissors a bit more.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Wall Street

Wall Street (1987)

Starring Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Daryl Hannah, and Martin Sheen

Directed by Oliver Stone
***Currently streaming on Netflix***

If I'm being completely honest, the only reason I watched Wall Street is because the trailer for its sequel looks moderately interesting.  I've never seen another Oliver Stone movie other than World Trade Center.  I know next to nothing about stocks (beyond what I'm told to invest in by my father).  There's no reason this movie should appeal to me.

Big surprise...I was bored out of my mind watching this.  I didn't give a damn about anything going on.  Talking about losses and dividends and insider trading and a bull and bear market...Why don't you throw something at me that I'd care about?

Throwing aside the yawn-inducing plot (which focuses on a young up-and-coming stock broker [Charlie Sheen] helping out multi-millionaire investor Gordon Gecko [Michael Douglas]), the film is simply poorly directed and structured.  Co-writer and director Oliver Stone crafts a shockingly bland-looking film.  There's not a shot here that looks rich or pretty...everything looks "film school"...not the work of an Academy Award-winning director.

Add to that one of the worst performances I've seen on film from Charlie Sheen as the young and impressionable Bud Fox, the young broker who gets played and screwed over by the sleazy Gordon Gecko.  We're talking soap opera level acting here.  That kind where there's a raised or furrowed eyebrow followed by some insipid music cue.  Any moment where Sheen is required to raise his voice in anger, it comes across as laughably bad.  Standing next to Michael Douglas and his own father, Martin Sheen (who plays his father here), one has to wonder if there really wasn't a better actor around in 1987 to take on this role.

Unfortunately, Michael Douglas's performance -- playing a character who is so well known for his quote "Greed is good" -- isn't nearly spectacular enough to raise the level of this film beyond awful.  

So now the question is will I have any desire to see the upcoming sequel to a film I've considered one of the worst I've seen this year?  The appeal of Carey Mulligan may be enough, but I'm not looking forward to it in the slightest anymore.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Starring Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, and Michael Douglas
Directed by Peter Hyams

Oh, man...Michael Douglas...who was blackmailing you to be a part of this flick? Were this movie made-for-tv, I might've had a different take on it. But as a theatrical release (albeit a small one last year), this is a joke.

A remake of a 1950s movie, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt has a decent premise -- C.J., a young hotshot tv news reporter (Jesse Metcalfe), has a suspicion that a Louisiana district attorney (Michael Douglas) is planting DNA evidence in order to win cases. With the D.A. running for governor, C.J. decides to expose the guy. C.J., in a deluded attempt to earn a Pulitzer Prize (which is seriously mentioned a dozen times), decides to set himself up, stating that he committed a murder -- once he's in jail and the D.A. begins to prosecute him with planted DNA evidence, he'll expose the corrupt guy and wreck his career.

Yes, the plot is certainly ridiculous, but in better hands, the movie might have been a success. In its current incarnation, director Peter Hyams has crafted a horrible film. Full of heinously staged montages (some of which I'll title "falling in love" or "planting the evidence" or "getting arrested") set to the worst musical score I've heard in a 2009 movie, the film never gains its footing. It's never suspenseful and everything was utterly predictable -- everything except for the laughable and out-of-the-blue "twist" ending that made me roll my eyes.

Michael Douglas is really the only thing that saves this thing from complete failure. He's good, but his role is actually fairly minor. Jesse Metcalfe is completely bland and one-note as the hotshot reporter. Amber Tamblyn fares a little better as C.J.'s girlfriend, who also happens to be the innocent and oblivious assistant D.A.

Ugh.

The RyMickey Rating: D-

Movie Review - Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, and Michael Douglas

Written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore

Directed by Mark Walters

I am certainly not opposed to a good romantic comedy. Love, Actually and Sleepless in Seattle are two favorite films of mine. Both those films have characters that you can latch onto and root for in their quest for love.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past has no such character. McConaughey's sleazebag lothario, Connor Mead, has had his share (and many, many other men's shares) of women. He loves 'em for a night, then leaves 'em. He's only played the wooing game with Jenny (Garner), a childhood pal whom he's grown up with and always kind of "crushed on." Connor and Jenny meet again at Connor's brother's wedding and the sexual tension between the two resurfaces. Unfortunately for Jenny, it appears that Connor hasn't changed his ways.

At the wedding rehearsal dinner, Connor gets visited by his equally sleazy Uncle Wayne...the only problem is that Uncle Wayne (Douglas) is dead. Connor's uncle tells him that he will be visited by three ghosts who will show him how to be a better man (a la Dickens' A Christmas Carol).

Admittedly, I laughed out loud a few times. But there was very little reason shown at all for Jenny to have fallen for this scumbag...so her desire to get back together with Connor seemed implausible (granted, she didn't really desire to get back together with him, but she definitely still had feelings for him which boggled my mind). I can't get past the premise that any woman would fall head over heels for this guy. He's a dick. Do women really want to be treated like garbage -- tossed out after one use? (Maybe I'm missing the point of the dating game, if that's the case...)

The movie is helped by decent performances, although no one is better than average. Garner is fine as essentially the straight man of the piece (she really has very little to do comedically). Douglas is over-the-top as Connor's mentor-ish uncle, but he played the role for all it was worth. There are decent supporting turns from Breckin Meyer and Lacey Chabert as the wedding couple (although Chabert was forced to play the stereotypical Bridezilla). McConaughy was fine, but I really felt like he was playing himself. Nothing new brought to the table.

The RyMickey Rating: D+