Movie Reviews: Fist Fight and The Wall

I got to attend two screenings this week.  They weren't horrible but they weren't incredible.  They're both out in theaters this weekend and here's what I think. First up is Fist Fight. Starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day this movie will do well with those who love raunchy, repetitive, sophomoric humor.  I am definitely not the target audience for this movie.  Two high school teachers on the last day of school through impossible circumstances find themselves meeting in the parking lot for a fight.  Strickland (Ice Cube) is a teacher who is tired of the budget cuts and sub-standard environment that his students have to learn in has been pushed beyond his breaking point.  Campbell (Day) is stressed out over a possible layoff and the impending delivery of an already late new baby. I'll just stop there with the story as even though this is "fiction" in no stretch of the imagination would an axe wielding teacher be allowed to stay on campus BUT hey is just a movie.  There's porn, public masturbation, penis jokes, as well as too many obscene words to count, AND that's just in the first 5-10 minutes of the movie.  Again I'm not the target audience but I know I there is one that will completely enjoy all of that.  The high school is run by the students, more like the inmates are running the asylum feel once you meet the rest of the faculty.  Tracy Morgan plays the clueless Coach who is happy he hasn't impregnated any one's mom this year.  Jillian Bell plays the school counselor who is in need of more interventions than one who works with children should be.  Dean Norris plays the Principal who's main focus is keeping his job and the  administration happy at any cost.  This is not my movie but I can't deny laughing, especially when Campbell helps his daughter Alexa Nisenson at the year end Talent Contest.   While there is an audience for this let me say this: your preschool and kindergarten children are not it!! There were close to a dozen young children at this screening. The little girl in front of us was dancing to Big Sean's I Don't F*** With You ~ that was a proud parenting moment I'm sure.  Remember the movie Little Miss Sunshine and the beauty pageant dance ~ that's nothing compared to this.  Get a babysitter!! While it's not my movie those who enjoy this style of humor will not be disappointed.
My score : 1.5 Crowns 🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥
The Great Wall, stars Matt Damon and basically the Great Wall of China.  Interesting tidbit this is the largest

movie ever shot completely in China.  When trailers for this movie first appeared back in August, my first thought was YES Matt Damon, action, historical should be interesting.  Strangely the more trailers that were released the more my interest waned.  If I had to sum this movie up in one sentence I'd say:  The Great Wall is a monster movie set in China (approx 1000 AD) that somehow needed a westerner to help save the day.   That being said let's talk a bit more.  William (Damon) and his buddy Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are  among the last surviving mercenaries searching for the mysterious black power.  Running from one group of dessert pirates to another they wind up as prisoners of the Nameless Order, whose mission it is to protect The Wall from attack by monster called Tao Tei which occurs every 60 years, and when they show up.  Damon and Pascal are a great match-up, they reminded me of Tulio and Miguel in Dreamwork's The Road to El Dorado.  Perhaps not a true a comedic pairing but their scenes often had our audience laughing.  The real stars of this movie are the colors, the visuals, the mechanisms, all things that director Yimou Zhang  is known for.  The Tao Tei are unique creatures, definitely going to be a hit in the video game world.  If you're going to see The Great Wall I truly recommend 3D, just to appreciate the grandeur of this movie.   While the story isn't anything special it was entertaining and worth seeing on the big screen to appreciate the artistry of the pic. My Score: 2.5 Crowns
Next up: Hoping to see United Kingdom, though not sure it is in the 904 yet Screening: Get Out  on Moday 2/20