The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard - 2009

Paramount Vantage, Gary Sanchez Productions, Kevin Messick Productions

Directed by Neal Brennan

Cast:

Don Ready – Jeremy Piven

Jibby Newsome – Ving Rhames

Ben Selleck – James Brolin

Brent Gage – David Koechner

Babs Merrick – Kathryn Hahn

Paxton Harding – Ed Helms

Ivy Selleck – Jordana Spiro

Stu Harding – Alan Thicke

Dick Lewiston – Charles Napier

Blake – Jonathan Sadowski

Story: A used car dealership in Temecula, California is facing hard times. If they don't sell cars, Ben Selleck will have to sell his dealership and fire all the employees. So he makes a last minute decision that will forever affect the way he does business, he hires a traveling crew of professional car sharks, headed by Don “The Goods” Ready. Don's crew of four show up ready to blast the dealership, and end up taking a bet to sell every car on the lot in three days, or sell the dealership to a local BMW dealer. Don is a rover, never thinking about settling down, and he has just lost his best friend in Albuquerque, but he takes the challenge and discovers his real destiny in Temecula, California.

Review: Plot? Who says a comedy needs a plot? Apparently no one ever told Andy Stock or Rick Stemson, but that doesn't seem to matter much. The Goods is an absolutely hilarious look at the irreverent business of selling used cars that hasn't been addressed this well since “Cadillac Man” or “Used Cars”.

They picked the perfect cast for this side splitter. Jeremy Piven is one of those guys who can pull off the two-dimensional character with finesse. His portrayal of Don Ready is the perfect lead for this cast of unlikely car salesmen trying to save the failing dealership. Ving Rhames plays his role with audacity, as do both Kathryn Hahn and David Koechner, all three exceptional comedians in their own right.

Seeing Alan Thicke and James Brolin in the film, along with Wendie Mallck, reminds us that older actors may not take the stage often, but when they do, they know their stuff. While their roles are brief, they are exceptional and add the right amount of balance to the film.

All in all, while I don't see this film walking away with any Oscars, it is an entertaining adult comedy with some great lines and a few scenes so ridiculous they are priceless. The kiddies need to be in bed or out playing in the yard though. Rated a serious R of language and nudity. Oh, don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for a cameo by the ever hot Gina Gershon.

Con Air -1997

Touchstone Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Kouf/Bigelow Productions

Directed by Simon West

Cast:

• Cameron Poe – Nicholas Cage
• Duncan Malloy – Colm Meaney
• U.S. Marshall Vince Larkin – John Cusack
• Baby O – Mykelti Williamson
• Billy Bedlam – Nick Chinlund
• Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom – John Malkovich
• Garland Greene – Steve Buscemi
• Diamond Dog – Ving Rhames
• Pinball – Dave Chappelle
• Guard Bishop – Rachel Ticotin
• Johnny “23” Baca – Danny Trejo
• Swamp Thing – M. C. Gainey
• ”Sally Can't Dance” Martinez – Renoly Santiago
• Tricia Poe – Monica Potter

Story: A U. S. Army Ranger is released from his tour of duty, but on the night of his return, three men at a local bar attack him and he is forced to defend himself, killing one of the men in the process. He is sentenced to 7-9 years in a federal prison, and is being transported by a U. S. Marshall flight to his point of release. The flight he is on is packed with some of the most notorious prisoners in the system on their way to a supermax prison, and as soon as the plane is in the air, the prisoners take over the flight. Cameron Poe, the released prisoner, must find a way to protect a female guard from being raped and keep his diabetic cellmate alive while trying to foil the plans of the prisoners, led by Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom, a sociopathic murderer who claims he has killed more men that cancer.

Review: The plot is thin, and I mean almost anorexic. No way would any court convict a decorated veteran in a three to one fight of anything other than self defense, especially with witnesses in the bar testifying the three men started it. The “well oiled machine” of the U. S. Marshall's service would never employ a guard that taunts prisoners or uses ethnic slurs to address them. Every character is overblown, every scene charged with organizational and procedural errors, and the lack of intervention by higher authorities is outrageous. All that being said, Con Air is a true action-adventure thrill ride, one of those Jerry Bruckheimer films you can't stop watching. Casting alone is worth the watch, with Cage, Malkovich, Cusack and the rest providing for intense moments, dialog, and entertaining quips sure to delight. Emphasis on the Action part of the genre, this film is rated R for violence and language, and deserves it. All the right elements for a great fun film, and collectible for all the Bruckheimer fans.

Undisputed - 2002

Amen Ra Films, Millennium Films, Hollywood Partners

Directed by Walter Hill

Cast:

• Monroe Hutchen – Wesley Snipes
• George “Iceman” Chambers – Ving Rhames
• Mendy Ripstein – Peter Falk
• A. J. Mercker – Michael Rooker
• Jesus “Chuy” Campos – John Seda
• Mingo Pace – Wes Studi
• James “Ratbag” Kroycek – Fisher Stevens
• Warden Lipscomb – Denis Arndt
• Darlene Early – Amy Aquino

Story: Heavyweight Champion of the World George “Iceman” Chambers has a few problems. He's been convicted of rape, he's a high profile prisoner that no one wants, and he is one egotistical, arrogant ass. He's sent to Sweetwater, an isolated prison in the Mojave desert in California. Sweetwater is also where the current heavyweight champion of the prison system, Monroe Hutchens, is housed, along with a former underboss to Meyer Lansky, Mendy Ripstein. Ripstein is an aficionado of boxing, old enough to remember the days of bare knuckle fights. He is under the protection of La Emme, the Mexican prison gang. Through his connections, he sets in motion a plan to stage a fight between Chambers and Hutchens. Chamber's lawyers only want to get him out so he can start fighting again and make some money to pay his bills. After some negotiations, the date is set, and the fight is on.

Review: As boxing movies go, this is somewhere in the middle of the pack. The action is compressed into three or four incidents, with the story focusing on the characters. A considerable amount of the footage is about the “Iceman” the rape charge. Walter Hill uses a combination of flashbacks to relate to what is going on in the character's mind at the time. Peter Falk has that “mob” arrogance of the original gangsters, defiant even in prison. Rhames and Snipes are polar opposites, one brash and arrogant, one steely and cold. Michael Rooker plays a dispassionate head guard who realizes the limits of his authority. The characters are fleshed out just enough to become real. Shot at the High Desert State Prison in Nevada, a modern facility to house prisoners serving long terms and confinement problems, there is no question about authenticity of the surroundings. The cast performs well as an ensemble, and the film resolves well with the final bout. Definitely not for the kiddies, the language alone would do that, and a collectible if you love boxing, Wesley Snipes, or Ving Rhames.