Trailer Talk: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

The original Jumanji is one of those movies that my generation grew up with. We knew the book, were excited to see the movie, and delighted in seeing the dangerous jungle world come to life. Add in the nostalgic and slightly sad addition of Robin Williams, and you've got a movie that's oddly beloved for a specific group of people. So how do you use the same premise to win people over? Well this trailer is a good start.

The Skinny: Breakfast Club Jungle Tron

As everyone has pointed out this film has a lot in common with a couple of beloved eighties movies. Four teens are stuck together in some form of detention and stumble across a video game called Jumanji and are sucked into a dangerous jungle world as their video game avatars. Chaos and laughs to ensue, as the four try to work together to finish the game and get out.

What Stands Out

Aiming For A Younger Crowd..Kinda

This movie seems designed for two audiences. The first is the young people who will be taken to see any PG movie. I didn't hear anything close to a curse word in the trailer and the sense of humor looks like it will have a lot to do with getting used to the avatar bodies, meaning lots of physical comedy.

The avatars, however, look like they've been chosen for the adult crowd including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan. The resulting sense of humor will be...interesting.

Big Difference: Location and Big Time Special Effects

Rather than attempt recreate the original film's chaos with wild animals in a small town, the game appears to be a completely isolated environment with hordes of people hunting them, tons of fauna running all over the place, and helicopters? It's going for big action and it'll be interesting to see what kind of set pieces the movie delivers.

Video Game Logic

There's a couple of small references to this in the trailer, but it seems that the movie is operating under video game logic, aka the Karen Gillan avatar can knock people off motorcycles with spin kicks, and each member of the team has a special skill. Like Team Fortress or Overwatch but in a safari setting. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out both in action and thematically.

Verdict: Cautiously Optimistic

Big budget kids movies are an easy thing to get wrong and I just got burned by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Baywatch so I'm hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst.

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Top 5: Will Ferrell Team-Ups

At this point your opinion of Will Ferrell is likely set in stone. You either don't get why people find him funny or if you're like me you enjoy his absurdist man-boy comedic sensibilities. If you're camp #2 you also know that Ferrell's comedies work best when he has a partner or two to play with. Whether they're the straight man simply reacting to Ferrell's antics or someone with complimentary quirks, his funniest moments come with someone else. Bearing this, and his upcoming team-up with Amy Poehler and Jason Mantzoukas The House in mind, here are five of Ferrell's best movie team-ups.

#5 Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in The Candidate

This movie doesn't have the same following as Ferrell more famous comedies but the pairing of Ferrell's John Edwards inspired jerkward and Zach Galifianakis' soft-spoken Southerner works really well for me. Perhaps its the giant contrast in their personalities, Ferrell going for big air and Galifianakis' going against type as the quiet one, or the disastrous debates and public appearences involving the two, but the energy here is beautiful symbiotic.

#4 Will Ferrell and John C. Reiley in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

I think it's hard to convey who John C. Reiley was up until this point. For years, Reiley had been a character actor mainstay making a name for himself in awkward guy supporting roles in Paul Thomas Anderson movies. As it turns out he's also a natural comedian and his turn as Cal Naughton is amazing. While this movie is undoubtedly Ferrell's show, he's in his typical wildman mode, Reiley nearly walks away with a number of scenes thanks to some hilarious asides including how he imagines Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt and persistently calling Ricky about their relationship. Shake-N-Bake!

#3 Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in The Other Guys

In a rare reversal, Ferrell plays the quiet one in this buddy cop comedy. There's so many reasons this works so well. Mark Wahlberg actively making fun of his bad-boy persona. Will Ferrell calmly delivering insults and incompetence. Granted Ferrell has to lose his cool by the end, adopting a pimp persona known as Gator, but it's a lot of fun to see comparatively subdued work from him.

#2 Will Ferrell and John C. Reiley in Step-Brothers

The only reason this movie works is the matching man-child energy of Ferrell and Reiley as the two adult children still living with their respective parents. With the added benefit of the R-rating the duo gets to dip into crude insults, cruder pranks, to amplify their highjinks. Be it their terrible interviews, their worse business proposals, or the exchange where they become best friends, Ferrell and Reiley are in perfect sync.

#1 Will Ferrell and the Channel 4 News Team in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

The only non-duo on the list wins out for a lot of reasons. Quotability, chemistry, and the performances are all big reasons, but the fact that each member of the team is perfectly cast doesn't hurt. Paul Rudd gets to bring his offbeat comedic energy to a supposed ladies man, Steve Carrell gets to play an idiot, David Koechner brings all of the cowboy sportscaster stereotypes to life, and of course Ferrell turns in what is probably his signature role as Ron Burgundy. This is a movie where this group breaks into "Afternoon Delight" at the drop of a hat...and somehow it works.

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Baby Driver

After finishing up his Corenetto trilogy (the affectionate name for the trio of films directed by Wright starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost consisting of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End), and having a very public breakup with Marvel over his vision for Ant-Man, a lot of movie fans wondered what Wright's next step would be. Would he go back to his old collaborators? Perhaps he'd pull a Joss Whedon and end up directing in another cinematic universe. As it turns out, he quietly made a critically acclaimed action flick set to music called Baby Driver with a killer cast, an equally killer soundtrack, and enough hype to get a June release. So how does it compare to Wright's previous work?

The movie centers around the titular Baby, a young but incredibly talented wheelman for a local criminal with one noteworthy habit. He drowns out tinnitus from a childhood accident with a never-ending soundtrack. Despite his skill set, Baby is eager to leave the life and settle down with his newfound lady love Deborah after one last job. But as Baby will soon learn, leaving the underworld behind is a lot easier than getting in. Can he escape with Deborah before it's too late?

Wow. I'm coming in hot off seeing this movie and I've still got adrenaline pumping through my veins. Why? Because Baby Driver is an excellent popcorn flick that's right up my alley. On the surface, this is all stuff you've seen before. Fast-talking criminals that pull off daring heists thanks to  a young, and still somewhat innocent driver, who's looking to leave after "one last job" who happens to find love at the same time. Insert car chases, tense standoffs, shootouts, and crackling dialogue and you've got half of the criminal dramas of the nineties.

But the film's hook, the protagonist's never-ending soundtrack, makes all of this feel fresh, alive, and more fun than any movie of its ilk in years. Admittedly this element works really well for me since I am someone who constantly wears headphones, even to the grocery store, and moves in time to the music. Thus the idea of a driver who will literally pause momentarily to restart his chosen driving song is note-perfect in my book. Edgar Wright has said that the movie was mapped out, almost to second, based on music cues and that absurd attention to detail shows and pulls the audience into Baby's world. I won't spoil the song list either, but as a fellow with an affection for the iPod shuffle function, I love hearing a soundtrack with different genres, tones, and tempos that suit the scene.

The other reason it all works is because this movie is superbly produced and acted from top to bottom. The film's action is refreshingly practical with a big emphasis on semi-realistic action scenes and stunt work, especially during the extensive car chases. It's hard to do a ton of new stuff with practical car chases but this movie does an excellent job of avoiding repetition, creating new challenges, and delivering a new wrinkle to familiar tropes of the car chase movie genre.

Likewise, the script does a great job at hitting all of the familiar notes in the genre with Wright's signature crackling dialogue delivered by the talented cast. Ansel Elgort, known to most from The Fault in Our Stars, shines as Baby with minimal dialogue with the rest of cast clearly having a ball with their one note characters. Notable standouts include Kevin Spacey, doing his best fifties era gangster impression, Jaime Foxx going full-out insanity, and Jon Hamm delivering a hard intensity he's almost never tapped into on the big screen before. The performances are all deliciously melodramatic and fun.

For fans of Wright's earlier work, you will notice a departure tonally. Though Wright's previous films would be described as comedic versions of their respective genres (zombie, action, etc.), this film is meant to be pulpy melodrama. It's still funny, because Wright knows not to take things too seriously in a movie called Baby Driver and he's still a comedian at heart, but the driving force of this film is the danger, the music, and the action, not the laughs. It may disappoint some Cornetto trilogy fans, but as far as I was concerned it was new flavor from one of my favorite chefs.

The only critique I have is a notable lull in the action in the second act. I understand its purpose, but after so much action and music in the first forty to fifty minutes the drop off is very noticeable. I'm also certain people will point out that the characters aren't very well developed and there's not a lot of exposition aside from some words from Kevin Spacey and handful of flashbacks, but this movie isn't here to deliver deep characters. It's here to shamelessly entertain.

All in all, my gauge for this movie is my reaction after I left the theater. As soon as I got behind the wheel of my car I scrambled for my iPod put on some pump up music and I haven't turned it off since. Simple, quick, and undeniably shallow fun, Baby Driver is a heck of a ride. Go see it.

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Top 5: Edgar Wright Action Scenes

Edgar Wright's movies are perfectly designed for the nerdy crowd. Here's a British director known for nerd genres including zombie movies, action flicks, killer robots, and a graphic novel where life is a video game, whose films are easy talking points for geeks, but have never truly pushed into the mainstream. And yet despite all of the quickfire humor, rapid-cut montages, and foundation in British culture, Wright has also crafted some phenomenal action scenes. So with his latest movie, an action extravaganza called Baby Driver hitting theaters this Wednesday, I'm picking five of his best action packed scenes.

#5 "Don't Stop My Now" from Shaun of the Dead

This fight isn't exactly thrilling but I had to choose it because it feels like a perfect precursor to Baby Driver, a film set entirely to a soundtrack. After matching their way to their beloved pub The Winchester, Shaun and company are beset upon by the owner and attempt to kill him as Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" blares in time with pool cue strikes. It's hilarious stuff.

#4 Battle of the Bands from Scott Pilgrim vs the World

This is easily one of my favorite movie scenes, not only because it's absurd video game logic come to life, but because thrashy grunge music is Scott's weapon against two DJs. In a literal battle between two acts, Sex Ba-Bomb is initially blown away, literally, by the Katayanagi Twins who summon twin dragons. Not easily deterred Scott summons a beast of his own, a greenish sasquatch-type, and spaces the two dragons and the Twins into oblivion as the song "Threshold" slams power chord after power chord into the audience's ears.

#3 Bar Brawl from The World's End

You'd think after discovering that their former town has been run over by alien robots Gary King and company would run away. Not to be deterred the group continues until working their way through the Golden Mile pub crawl and fighting along the way including this phenomenal mixture of fighting styles. In it the fully assembled group finally lets loose spilling blue blood all over the place. Nick Frost operates as one man wrecking machine two bar stools, the rest get into regular scraps, and in an excellent homage to Jackie Chan, Simon Pegg's Gary King uses Chan's drunken boxing moves as he attempts to down his next pint.

#2 Final Fight (Round 1 and 2) from Scott Pilgrim vs the World

There's a lot of excellent fights in this movie and the finale doesn't disappoint. A two parter, one a slice and dice battle against Gideon's henchmen and then the boss battle, Scott loses the first time around via distraction but ultimately triumphs by pairing with Ramona and Knives. Flaming swords, light sabers, point counters, insane martial arts, and some nice commentary about self-respect in relationships.

#1 The Final Twenty Minutes from Hot Fuzz

While there are a couple of noteworthy flashes, Hot Fuzz doesn't truly become an action movie until the finale when Nicholas Angel and Danny finally team-up in a massive shoot-out against the town. Not only is the end-result Bad-Boys level excessive, featuring gun fights, fist-fights, and car-chases, but it also goes down the checklist of things Danny wanted to do (aka fire two guns while diving through the air, be in a high chase pursuit etc.)

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XXX: The Return of Xander Cage

At this point, Vin Diesel has narrowed down his career to series. He most famously heads the Fast & Furious series  (a billion dollar international sensation), the Riddick series (a famously underperforming sci-fi series with a character Diesel loves), and now he's return to XXX, an unconventional spy series he last starred in fifteen years ago. While this sounds like a disaster in the making, Diesel and company got my attention with the film's supporting cast. Apparently learning from the success of Fast & Furious, Diesel has filled this film with international stars, ramped up the ridiculous in what How Did This Get Made?! affectionately called Vin Diesel's "$100 million handjob" to himself. How could this go wrong?

As the title indicates, the movie begins with the legendary Xander Cage (Diesel) being brought back into the government fold after an unknown team of agents (led by Donnie Yen). Motivated by the death of his former mentor and the lives that will be saved should he succeed, Cage assembles a team to take down the dangerous agents before they unleash hell on the world.

The Return of Xander Cage is easily one of the most bananas movies I've watched this year. And I mean that in the best possible way. Much like the Fast & Furious franchise, this movie plays like an unintentional parody of action movie nonsense turned up to eleven. Physics be damned. Logic be damned. Just turn off your damn brain and enjoy the ride. Also start creating a drinking game immediately. It's that kind of movie.

The best comparison I have is a Roger Moore James Bond movie where the lead is a little bit too old to be portrayed as this stunt master sex machine but still makes tons of bad jokes and innuendo. Likewise, the set pieces here are not going for logic, i.e. there are motorbikes that turn into wave runners in the middle of a chase scene, but rather a "I always though this would be cool...we should put it in a movie!" approach.

The other holdover from the Fast and Furious movies is a diverse cast including two solid female roles, and a number of Asian film stars including Tony Jaa and Donnie Yen. Donnie Yen is easily my favorite part of the movie, not only because his action scenes are excellent, but because he knows what kind of movie he's in. He's larger than life, always has a big grin on his face, even in the middle of fight scenes, and looks like he's having a ball. Likewise, it's fun to see Tony Jaa as a wild-card-esque member of his team.

Special notice also has to be given to Toni Collette for delivering garbage dialogue like a champion as Diesel's new government contact. Much like Yen she knows what kind of movie she's in a consequently goes for broke in the best possible way.

The faults of this movie, aside from the obvious ridiculous action movie tropes of the plot being nonsense and everything being absurd, center around the film's leading man Vin Diesel. I think Diesel likes to view himself as a Bond-esque charmer, but that's not really in his skill set. He does soft and brooding far better than he does quip machine. The also grinds to a halt when it's delivering exposition or giving Diesel a chance to "turn on the charm" instead of putting him in an action scene. Granted the movie is barely long enough for you to care.

Brainless but also oddly progressive and fun, The Return of Xander Cage isn't an action classic, but it's a perfect drinking movie with friends.

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Documentary Highlights: I Am Not Your Negro, Finders Keepers, Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower

You'd think with all of the incredible, depressing, and darkly funny things happening in the news that I'd stick away from nonfiction films. And yet I can't look away. Whether it's timely commentary on racism in America, a hilarious human interest story, or a glimpse at oppressive action by the Chinese government.

I Am Not Your Negro

Based on the unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin, this film examines Baldwin's life, his work in the civil rights movement, and his first-hand observations about race in America. While the film gut punch those unfamiliar with Baldwin's work, Raoul Peck's film does an excellent job at tying Baldwin's words to modern events. Excellent voice-over narration by Samuel L. Jackson doesn't hurt either.

Get The Hankies Ready When: Baldwin's description of his feelings after the killings of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are some of the most eloquently heartbreaking words you'll ever hear.

Finders Keepers

In a human interest story so insane it has to be true, the audience learns a conflict between Tom Wood and Shannon Whisnant after Whisnant discovers Wood's severed leg....in a grill from a storage unit he bought. The movie could get plenty of mileage explaining how the severed leg came, and don't worry it does, but the pleasant surprise is a more extensive than expected backstory that never sacrifices the players' humanity for laughs.

Keep Your Eyes Peel For: How a daytime TV host intervenes in a truly meaningful way.

Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower

While Americans generally know that the Chinese government is oppressive, the government's strict control of media makes evidence of this overreach and use of force hard to find. Which makes Scholarism protest leader Joshua Wong's story all the more impressive. Detailing his protest work against Chinese regulated curriculum's in Hong Kong the audience is treat to intimate looks into Joshua's tactics and outlook.

Feel Like You've Done Nothing With Your Life When: This teenager inspires a nation-sized city into the streets.

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Cutting Down Classics: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick is easily one of the most revered director's of all time. Known for his grueling shoots and endless takes, Kubrick's films are defined by impressive visuals, technical mastery, an intense attention to detail, and plenty of memorable moments ranging from the warrior cry of "I'm Spartacus!" to Jack Nicholson's face busting through a bathroom door saying "Here's Johnny!" But to my mind Kubrick has a couple of movies that fall flat. No not the ones you're thinking of (i.e. Eyes Wide Shut or the second half of Full Metal Jacket), but a movie so beloved it ends up on nearly every movie list: 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Considered by many to be a magnum opus of science fiction film-making, I find myself agreeing with critics of the day who famously didn't like the movie before its re-evaluation by film scholars in the years to come. Why? I'll dig into why in today's edition of Cutting Down Classics.

The film takes place in three time periods, the first at the dawn of humanity, the second during humanity's push towards space exploration, and finally during a small manned mission to the reaches of the galaxy. Along the way humanity is hounded by mysterious monoliths and forced to consider the implications, good and bad, of emerging technologies.

Why It's A Classic: A Feat in Film-Making (Literally)

2001 is considered a classic for two big reasons: it's full of iconic moments and it, like all of Kubrick's movies, is an insanely well-crafted film. Be it the apes discovery of tools in time with the music, almost every scene involving Hal 9000 (especially the lip-reading), or the gravity defying job, 2001 is a marvel of movie-making that will stick with you long after you've seen. So why doesn't this resonate with everyone? Probably because there's not enough connective tissue.

Why You Might Hate It

Problem #1: The Structure

While I'm sure most of the reasoning behind the film's three act structure can be chalked up to the source material, I admittedly haven't read it, splitting a science fiction film into disparate parts doesn't work for me. I understand that it's supposed to be about discovery and technology and perhaps the monolith is supposed to be some kind of beacon or guiding force towards human progress. My counter-argument is that the shifts between the three stories are so jarring that they hardly feel related. We literally stand with apes learning how to use bone tools to bludgeon each other to death and that transfers to....space travel and a dig on the moon? And that moon dig somehow leads to two astronauts set upon by a sentient computer before ending in a giant mind f***? The film segment almost works as a film unto itself until the head-turning end which brings up another problem.

Problem #2: No Narrative Cohesion

Not every film needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. I'm well aware of this. I know some movies are about exploring themes and not telling a story. They are not my favorite films, but I can understand their value. What makes 2001 so irritating is that the themes and story seem to shift with every story or sometimes within the stories themselves. If the movie is all about the dual nature of technology and discovery then why does the second segment feel more like the final 20 minutes of Close Encounters rather than pure terror? 

What significance do the monoliths have towards human progress? What does this alien interaction in the human world say about us or them? Oh god this is headed towards Prometheus levels of over-explaining lets bail.

Problem #3: Emotionless

The main reason I can't watch this film is because I have no investment in the outcome. I don't care which apes reign supreme and I barely care about what humanity is discovering on the moon. I haven't been given reasons to care. The only segment that pulls me in the aforementioned third segment because of the inherent terror of being almost alone in space with a malevolent and all-too intelligent AI. That's terrifying, so of course I want our heroes to survive...but to what end? What is their ultimate goal? I'm sure this will be defended as a cerebral move but truly it feels emotionless. I need to care about the outcome to experience wonder.

Conclusion: Watch it a series of ideas not a narrative

While full of memorable imagery and moments, 2001 does not have the human touch to make it truly involving. I'm not opposed to films that ask the audience to make up their mind, but when the audience has to fill in all of the blanks on their own, you've lost me. 

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Top 4: Funniest Kumail Nanjiani Movie Moments

Watching one of your favorite comedians work their way into the mainstream is a unique but undeniable pleasure. It's like hearing an indie band on a Top 40 station and cheekily thinking, "I knew them before they were big." I mention this because comedian Kumail Nanjiani seems primed for the big-time. He's a solid stand-up comic, delivered five seasons of solid work on Silicon Valley, and has a number of excellent cameo roles in Hollywood films. Finally, he's starring in his own movie The Big Sick, a film that we co-wrote with his wife Emily V. Gordon about the early part of their courtship. So in honor of Nanjiani's upcoming breakthrough I'm picking five of his funniest movie moments.

#4 "We'll Miss You" from Hello, My Name is Doris

In a small but all too real scene from this quirky comedy, Kumail's Nasir and a number of other coworkers gather around Sally Fields Doris to wish her well. Well kinda, as it turns out they're more interested in the items at Doris' desk than a sincere farewell and subsequently begin grabbing what they want as soon as Doris approves. It's a thought process plenty of people have had come to life.

#3 The Traitor from Brother Nature

For much of this movie, Nanjiani's Riggleman has been something of an eager lackey to Taran Killam's Roger. A typical worked up assistant. Which means combining Riggleman with Roger's over eager brother-in-law to be Todd sounds like a nightmare. Except, much to Roger's dismay, it isn't After one afternoon, Riggleman is not only best buds with Todd but actively making plans to hang out with Todd as his boss loses his mind over Todd's antics. It's laid back approach that is a perfect juxtaposition to Roger's freakout.

#2 The Lunchbox from Central Intelligence

As a seasoned stand-up Nanjiani has masterful withering wit as his disposal and uses every bit of it in this scene with Kevin Hart. Unlike many other comedies, Nanjiani's security guard isn't buying Hart's bull for a second and delivers biting remarks one after another. However, none hit as well as the reaction "Ok, I'm made of questions now."

#1 The Massage from Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Everything about this scene seems primed for the most offensive thing imaginable. Anna Kendrick tells Nanjiani's masseuse to give the bride "something extra" (a clear innuendo) and he removes his clothes as he enters the room. But what follows is physical almost gross out gag so absurd that all of the audience's worries are removed and we're free to laugh. I won't spoil it but whatever you're expecting it's probably not it.

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The Beguiled (1971)

If you want proof of big studios modern risk-aversion versus the almost wild west approach during its new Hollywood phase, the two film versions of Thomas P. Cullinan's novel The Beguiled are a perfect example. On the one hand, the upcoming Sofia Coppola version is an independent production that's been making the rounds at film-festivals, and has been branded using the story's female angle and its star Nicole Kidman. On the other hand, the previous version featured Clint Eastwood fresh off of Dirty Harry looking to branch out with a sultry drama produced and directed by Don Siegel. This sounds like a potential disaster and fascinating film to review...

Eastwood stars as John McBurney, a wounded Union soldier searching for shelter from the Confederates. Thankfully, John stumbles upon Miss Martha Farnsworth Seminary for Young Ladies, an all girls school with a kind headmistress. While John's primary concern is discovery by Confederate soldiers, it quickly becomes clear that the school's inhabitants may present a greater danger.

It's very easy to see why the original Beguiled didn't vibe with American audiences, even though critics liked it. In it's era, a story like this would be told one of two ways. The first is a straight up thriller with a lot of close-calls and near discoveries of John, ending with a big chase or set-piece. The second is to make this a lurid, almost trashy thriller. Lots of nudity, sex, all with an air of danger.

Instead the movie is all about competing tensions amongst the school's inhabitants for John's affections. Considering its era you could easily see this becoming a sitcom-like scenario with John pushing away each woman in an increasingly desperate advance. The twist is that John is portrayed less like a victim, but a willing participant in the mind games and consistent flirtations that follow. Combine this with John's physically hampered nature, he's gravely wounded and could easily be dispatched, and you've got a perfect storm of intrigue and danger to burst through the walls of repressed sexuality at the school.

The movie is about sexuality and the dangers of both denying its power and how fear, jealousy, and
repression can create a nasty cocktail for everyone involved, especially if someone tries to use it to their advantage. Apparently this movie played really well in France, if that tells you anything.

Clint Eastwood is admittedly playing against type, and is far more recognizable being a tough guy than an object of desire, but he does a pretty good job at portraying a Civil War Don Juan. He's flirty and seductive when he needs to be, but also says enough sweet nothings to make everything, including the story of how he got there, sound suspicious. This lack of consistency is a bit maddening after a spell. At first it seems like McBurney is simply trying to survive and using his wiles to ensure the women will hide and protect him. But as the film progresses this becomes less of a priority and he still dives headfirst into romantic endeavors. Is the film trying to say he, like the women, can't help himself? It's really hard to say.

Likewise, the lack of development for the female characters didn't work for me. I understand that they're attempting to use stock types, (i.e. the lonely repressed spinster, the vivacious and vengeful young one etc.) but because we don't know anything else about them it feels like a very negative and stereotypical view of how a group of women would operate.

While conceptually intriguing the 1971 version of The Beguiled is probably more interesting as a cultural artifact than entertainment nowadays, but for Clint Eastwood completionists and movie buffs it's certain intriguing. If nothing else I'm curious how a female-centric angle to the material will look.

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Top 5: Michael Bay Action Scenes

About five years ago, Michael Bay was film critics' go to example of trashy American movie-making. And it's easy to see why. He makes overlong CGI heavy action films that are thinly plotted, hard to comprehend action-wise, and has an unfortunate habit of objectifying his female characters. But there's a simple reason why Bay still gets work: his films make money. So in honor of the latest Transformers shenanigans Transformers: The Last Knight, I'm picking five of the best action scene from the controversial director.

#5 Optimus Wrecks Face from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

While the film was notoriously hampered script-wise, thanks in part to the Writer's Guild Strike and humor that is blatantly offensive, seeing Optimus Prime take on multiple Decepticons with ease is a whole lot of fun. Using his burning blades, Prime tries to keep Sam safe as he does battle in a nearby forrest and seems to be unstoppable...until gut punching sneak-attack seemingly kills him. It's great rise and fall within a single scene and more effective than any other moment in the movie.

#4 Annex Defense from 13 Hours

While many have argued that this film is a Call of Duty game brought to life, this sequence effectively demonstrates the efficiency of American fighting men. After a quiet entry into an American embassy the Global Response Staff, a group of private military contractors, are beset on all sides by hordes of enemies. What follows is a prolonged and furious firefight that shows all of their tactical and physical know how featuring well-placed explosives, heavy firepower, and stellar marksmanship. Though both films are flawed, this segment does a better job at showing how well soldiers can fight than Lone Survivor did.

#3 Sky-Dive from Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The Transformers series never knows what roles humans should play. Are they useful allies? People that need saving? Well none of that matters in this scene because this time around they're just being awesome. Trying to infiltrate a heavily guarded city, the U.S. military teams board helicarriers and then proceed to wingsuit sky dive into the city. It's a fun sequence that's made all the more impactful and impressive by actual stunt work.

#2 Rescuing Syd from Bad Boys II

If there's any reason that Edgar Wright loves this movie so much, how else do you explain Hot Fuzz's obsession with it, it has to be the film's final action sequence. While Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) have successfully pulled off their bust, Marcus' sister and Mike's flame Syd (Gabrielle Union) has been kidnapped by a drug lord with the local army at his disposal. Not content to give the dealer what he wants, Mike and Marcus and their team stage an assault on the kingpin's heavily guarded home in a flurry of explosions and gunfire that leads to an SUV chase, followed by a crash into Guantanamo Bay, and a stand off involving dive rolls landmines and one of the biggest baddies overkills in movie history.

#1 The Final 20 Minutes from The Rock

While there's not a signature set-piece to the speak of, the home stretch of The Rock is old-school action film-making at its finest. After a tense stand-off between the rogue military personnel, John Mason (Sean Connery) and Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) work in tandem to prevent the death of innocent civilians in the Bay Area and Alcatraz. With Mason using his MI6 training and ingenuity to take on younger foes and keep Goodspeed safe, Stanley rushes to disable the warheads, despite being in combat, plunging adrenaline into his heart, and then setting off smoke signals, while yelling, to give the all clear before an unintentional explosion fires him into the bay.

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Top 5: Funniest Performances from the Rough Night Cast

Rough Night, more than almost any other comedy in recent memory, feels specifically crafted to capture the comedic sensibilities of younger viewers. We've got a female-centric bawdy comedy about a bachelorette weekend gone wrong featuring the woman who plays Black Widow (ScarJo), two breakout performers from Comedy Central (Jillian Bell and Illana Glazer), a talented young actress with a famous last name (Zoe Kravitz), and SNL's most famous cast member (Kate McKinnon). While the end result may or may no be funny there's an undeniable amount of talent and comedic chops onscreen. As such we're picking five of our favorite funny performances from the Rough Night cast. *Spoilers ahead*

Editor's Note: One actress is getting two highlights here because while Zoe Kravitz has been in a comedy or two she doesn't have a signature comedic performance.

Ilana Glazer as Rebecca Grinch in The Night Before

Glazer doesn't have an extensive filmography outside of TV, but she makes the most of her screen time in this holiday comedy. Originally appearing as a fangirl to Anthony Mackie's Chris Roberts, Rebecca proceeds to take out her holiday frustrations on Roberts in a series of evolving chases and pranks. While she may not get any signature lines, her signature comedic sensibilities are all over this performance including the backwards swan dive off a roof.

Jillian Bell as Lorraine in Goosebumps

While this light-hearted kids film is a Jack Black vehicle, Bell steals every scene she's in with excellent comedic timing and energy. Fully embodying the kooky aunt with weird hobbies and an out of touch bag of cultural references, Bell is the only adult character who seems to handle the horror movie scenario in stride. Which not only helps our heroes saves the day but also earns her a date with on R.L. Stine.

Jillian Bell as Mercedes in 22 Jump Street

Prior to this film, most audiences knew Bell as the kind-hearted and upbeat coworker Jillian from Workaholics. Which is precisely why her venom spewing turn as the disapproving roommate Mercedes is a fantastic blind-side. In almost every one of her scenes, Bell delivers a barrage of cutting one-liners at Jonah Hill's Schmidt that are both hilarious and likely improvised. And that's before her fight scene with Schmidt towards the film's climax...

Kate McKinnon as Jillian Hotlzmann in Ghostbusters

The definition of a breakout performance, Kate McKinnon's Holtzmann is so delightfully odd and enthusiastic that she steals scenes without delivering a line. As the team's tech guru, Holtzmann's odd bravado and devilish grin owns every moment she's onscreen whether it's accidentally setting fires while blasting DeBarge, trying on wigs, or musing how "safety lights are for dudes!" No matter what is going on in the scene McKinnon gives a fully committed physical performance and the results are hilarious.

Scarlett Johansson as Barbara Sugarman in Don Jon

To those that date women, can you imagine wanting to breakup with Scarlett Johansson? And yet that's precisely the situation our titular hero finds himself in with Barbara Sugarman, a gorgeous but shallow woman who refuses to abandon her rom-com ideals of love. Johansson has had a lot of experience with dead-pan or straight woman roles, but here she gets to dig into a true charicature with a Jersey accent and the results are phenomenal. Sometimes she has ugly meltdowns, other times she casually hints that Jon needs to spend money to maintain the relationship, and other times she uses her feminine wiles as a weapon. The fact that the audience is ready to leave Barbara behind long before Jon speaks volumes about her performance.

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