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Reviews
Sandy Wexler (2017)
Mixed feelings but I kinda liked it!
I'll just say going in that this isn't close to any of his classics (even with nostalgia removed), he just didn't have as much energy in this role. I mean that was kind of the point of the character, but it just downplays the main thing Sandler has going for him.
That being said this move definitely was watchable and I'd say enjoyable if you're open-minded. There's a bit of a charm/method to it's madness. It's pretty low-brow comedy but it has it's moments, it got more than a few laughs out of me.
However it also has a lot of duds and I will say you really have to be a fan of Sandler movies to enjoy this one. They have a lot of running jokes between movies, the same cast (/Sandlers friends goofing off with him and getting paid to do it lol). So if you only like one or two or straight up hate them you probably will get tired of this movie pretty fast.
In the end I'd say this was definitely way better than some of his worst movies, it was fun enough to be worth the watch for me.
Adam, if you're reading this, you gotta do another movie in the style of Click. Something a bit less slapstick, tug the heartstrings without being too corny, a few good one-liners. Show the world you still got it in ya, eh?
Dog Eat Dog (2016)
Surprisingly fresh! Really enthusiastic performances by all of the co-stars
I'll start by saying this movie isn't perfect, but I really, really enjoyed it. In short, the pacing was fantastic (not a dull moment, but at the same time you really got to know the characters), the actors all clearly were really enjoying making the movie and gave their characters their all (Willem Defoe in particular, and Nicholas Cage was completely revitalized for this role). I also really enjoyed the cinematography, some various effects were used tastefully to great effect. Finally one of the best qualities of this film is the subtle details, often humorous, of the sets/extras. This film made great use of the background for both humorous and dark mood setting purposes.
The one complaint I had with this film was the abrupt transition to some sort of symbolic "meta-scene" right around the last 10 minutes of the film. It just felt jarring and didn't really resolve or leave me thinking anything. I would not be surprised if I just missed some symbolism, but it just didn't resonate with me. But luckily I did not feel it ruined the film for me.
So in summary, this film is a fantastic surface level action flick. I would describe it as the inverse of the TV show "Cops". Similar camera-work during the action. It also had some real depth to it's characters, and man was there chemistry. It'll leave you wishing you could see more of the characters yet the point kind of is that you just see a glimpse of their lives. More would take away from the poignancy.