The Brothers Grimsby (2016)

Directed by Louis Leterrier
Written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston and Peter Baynham
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Isla Fisher and Penélope Cruz

A hit man working for MI6 finds himself with a target on his back after his long lost brother ruins an attempt to save a politician causing the job to look like an agent gone rouge.

You know it's a slow week in movies when I decide to see this over any of the new releases. With the showing of a scene on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" as the main form of advertisement in which the only thing that could be televised was the reactions of the audience, I knew that this would be vulgar for the sake of vulgarity. And I was right.

What I did not anticipate was for me to be laughing that the absolute absurdity of the disgusting series of events that happened. It was portrayed in such a way that I couldn't help but laugh, even if brought shame to myself and my family.

With the impossible to watch (in my mind) "Borat" and "Bruno", I was glad to finally see Sacha Baron Cohen in  a movie in which playing tricks on people wasn't the whole premise. Knowing that everyone involved is in on the joke makes it so much easier to watch and finally laugh with Cohen instead of hiding in my jacket from anxiety caused by awkwardness.

With actors as serious as Mark Strong, Ian McShane and… well, that's about it. Anyway, seeing these actors not taking anything too seriously was refreshing to say the least. It was wildly inappropriate, a terribly executed movie, yet overall, I'd have to say I enjoyed it.

Especially with Donald Trump contracting HIV.

My Rating: 6/10

Life of Crime (2013)

Written and Directed by Daniel Schechter
Based on the book "The Switch" by Elmore Leonard
Starring John Hawkes, Jennifer Aniston, Yasiin Bey and Tim Robbins

Two common criminals get more than they bargained for after kidnapping the wife of a corrupt real-estate developer who shows no interest in paying the $1 million dollar ransom for her safe return.

This quirky heist comedy, complete with a star studded cast doesn't particularly stand out in the sea of other films like it. In fact, the entire time I was watching it, I felt as though I had already seen it, despite knowing for a fact that I hadn't. However, regardless of any cliché or overplayed thematic elements, it achieves the ultimate goal of every movie. It entertained me.

All of the performances were believable and the chemistry between the actors was strong. Every plot point, line of dialogue and detail put in to the story flowed naturally onto the screen. And as a bonus, it was pretty funny. It played much like a low-key version of the "Ocean's Eleven" movies.

All in all, Daniel Schechter delivers a solid, enjoyable movie. It may fail to make itself memorable to the average movie goer and I'm not even sure if I will remember it in detail further down the road. But for the hour and forty minutes I was watching this movie, I was engaged. And there are more movies than I care to mention that couldn't do that.

My Rating: 6/10