CREED II

CREED II is a rousing sequel to Ryan Coogler's masterpiece, CREED, and while it fails to live up to heights of its predecessor, the tried and true formula the franchise helped mold proves as solid as ever, cementing the fact that I'll never not cry during one of these movies. Even ROCKY V. (HEY FUCK YOU, PAL) 

I'd like to let the record show at this time that ROCKY IV is my least favorite ROCKY picture. 

Calm down. Shhh. It's OK. It's OK. I never said I didn't like it. I mean, I love to drink beer and watch Stallone stroll through the 90 minute montage as much as the next person, OK? But ROCKY IV is Stallone at his most vain and over the top (LOL), and what's worse, ROCKY IV feels like the cliff notes version of a ROCKY movie. Apollo Creed's death simply doesn't hit in the same way Mickey's death does in ROCKY III, which is kind of crazy when that event is what truly drove Apollo and Rocky to finally become best friends as opposed to just respected peers. The film drowns in 80's excess, showing off household robots and diving headfirst into Rocky ending the cold war. Full stop, ROCKY IV is fucking ridiculous. ROCKY V has probably aged the worst, but I respect it's efforts in trying to get back to the roots of the characters and remember that they are the reason we love these movies so much, and not just watching them train in montages. 

However, a funny thing happened. CREED gave ROCKY IV meaning. I go into more detail here, but let's face it, if you've watched CREED then you know what I mean. All of a sudden it felt like the movie had a righteous place in the ROCKY franchise. 

And then CREED II just goes ahead and makes ROCKY IV a better movie. 

The film opens with Adonis, again played by an electrifying Michael B. Jordan, becoming World Champion, just like his father and Rocky before him. He's about to propose to Bianca, who might I add is expecting their first baby. All is well. Until it isn't, of course. 

Honestly, the actual plot of CREED II is fairly obvious and not in the least bit surprising. How can it be, 8 films in? CREED found a way to make the franchise feel fresh and revitalized again, but CREED II never quite matches that energy and leans just a little too far into the formula to become another classic like the first and seventh entries. 

BUT. 

And there is a but. 

But, as I mentioned before, the formula still works. And it works really well. 

Dolph Lundgren is of course back as Ivan Drago. Lundgren has never been the greatest actor, and to be fair, he never really tried to be. But he does have a certain look about him. He stands out, to say the least, and age has served him well it seems, as Ivan in CREED II looks as if life has chewed him up and spit him out. Lundgren has pain and regret all over his face throughout the entire film. In fact, the movie does a great job of getting you to understand the damage that Rocky inflicted in their last fight, and how that has pushed the man towards revenge, even at the expense of his relationship with his own son. 

Speaking of the Drago boy, Florian Munteanu plays Creed's opponent, and he proves to be the most intimidating villain the franchise has had since at least Clubber Lang in ROCKY III. Not only does he have the look of a dude who could beat all life out of me, but the weight of thirty years of training and hatred towards the Creeds and Balboas hangs over his head and gives a clear and concise motivation for the character. 

Stallone once again brings tears to my eyes almost every damn minute he's on screen, which actually isn't as much as you'd think, but still, it's clear he has deep love and understanding of Rocky, even as he continues to fight the battles life throws at him, like the diminishing relationship with his son. I really don't know what else to say about Rocky other than he's my favorite film character of all time and as long as Stallone is willing to play him I'll keep watching. 

Michael B. Jordan, though. God damn. The dude is ferocious here, giving everything as if everything is on the line. And of course, for Adonis, everything is. Not just his legacy, but his family. He risks everything by accepting this fight knowing that he could die just like his father, and Jordan shows every ounce of fear, anger and determination with perfection. 

Like any good ROCKY picture, we see the hero fall. And it hurts. It hurts because we care about them. It hurts because we want them to better themselves, to overcome the toughest obstacle. To win. 

And like any good ROCKY picture, it feels oh so good when that iconic theme comes on at the most crucial moment during the fight, the moment where it all counts. I'll never get tired of that feeling. 

CREED II isn't a masterpiece like CREED. CREED II relies on nostalgia for it's success whereas CREED seemingly created nostalgia and formed its own legacy. But that's not a diss. CREED II makes ROCKY IV matter, it gives ROCKY IV weight and meaning 30 years after the fact by examining the toll a legacy can take. 

CREED II fucking rules. 

Transformers: The Last Knight (Or, How I Stopped Worrying and Remembered That I Love Michael Bay)

I used to call myself a "Bay enthusiast". Bad Boys and The Rock, coming out just a year apart from each other, were quite the one-two punch debut for the former music video and commercial director. Both of those became action staples in the Hunt household almost immediately, with The Rock in particular catching my interest as it introduced me to the one, the only, Nic Cage (ALL HAIL CAGE).

Armageddon only solidified Bay's standing in my eyes by having Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck save the world by finding and drilling oil on an asteroid racing toward Earth and saving the world's economy in the process (or wait...). Anyway, I cry every time I watch it AND GUESS WHAT I'M SMART.

But let's be real here, Bad Boys II is the greatest trash masterpiece of all time. Gleefully inappropriate, insanely over the top and filled with some of the best action that Bay has ever put on screen, Bad Boys II is what puts Bay in the Hall of Fame for me. (What Hall of Fame is that, you ask? SHUT UP).

Now, it's safe to say that in the time since, Bay has never been able to reach the heights of that buddy cop action sequel (though he tried damn hard and came close with Pain & Gain) but my love for him remained the same.

And then he made Transformers. 


Honestly, I really like the first one. Actually, I love it. It's big, it's dumb and it's fun. I think at the time Bay was the perfect, and perhaps, only choice to bring such a stupid cartoon (get over it, nerds) to the big screen. Pure popcorn entertainment.

The second is a chore to sit through admittedly, but I remember liking it (though it's possible I was clouded by my Bay enthusiasm), and I think the third one gets a lot of undeserved hate, as it features a ton of great and ridiculous action.


*Sigh* But Age of Extinction is borderline unwatchable. Clocking in at almost 3 hours, I somehow managed to watch this garbage more than once, though on my third go round (look, I'M SICK OK?) I had forgotten most of the movie and was positive I was almost finished only to discover I had over an hour left and promptly turned it off.

To me, Bay had lost it, or perhaps even worse, he no longer cared.

You see, I like movies. I know we live in a time where we are offered more than ever before, and if you're paying attention, there are actually a shit ton of great films of all shapes and sizes and budgets and blood types, easily and readily available for your viewing pleasure.

But sometimes, well, sometimes I want Michael Bay movies.

And over the course of a decade it just felt like the Transformers franchise had taken it out of Bay. Sure, he was able to sneak in the previously mentioned Pain & Gain, but the overall response to that film was mostly underwhelming, leading the director to his absolute worst effort with the fourth morphing robot movie. The Bay I knew and loved was dead. And so, it felt, was I.

So when a fifth car robot motion picture was announced with Bay directing, I really didn't care. I watched 13 Hours, and while watchable, it was still but a flicker of what the director used to be.

Transformers 5 came and went. Critics had never been kind to the franchise, but this time even audiences didn't care, as the film delivered the lowest box office grosses of all five movies. "So what?", I thought, as I watched Batman & Robin for the 47th time.


Then something funny happened. I saw that Transformers: The Last Knight was streaming on Hulu, and wouldn't you know it, I felt a hint of curiosity. I had heard nothing good of the Mark Wahlberger blockbuster, and his presence certainly didn't help the previous installment. But still, I had to know.


So I did it. I fucking watched it. I fucking watched the entire goddamn 2 hour and 20 minute thing.

And I kind of liked it.


Be careful. I'm not saying it's good. It's just, well, it's crazy. It begins with Merlin (you know, the wizard) drunk on a horse on his way to meet with King Arthur and all of them other knights to fight side by side with Transformers to save the world. I don't really know why and I don't really care, but I can say I thought it was very silly and very insane in a way that reminded me of the Bay I once loved.

Cut forward to present day where transformers are being hunted by the TRF (whatever) and are seeking sanctuary either in Cuba (!) or Wahlbergies junk yard. The Merlin stuff eventually comes back into play over an hour later, though I couldn't tell you how, but honestly I was just glad to see that Bay was back to not giving a shit, but in a good way.

The action scenes here have more life in them than the entirety of the previous entry, and I think I actually laughed like twice at some of the jokes, both times coming from a butler transformer who is actually the only funny thing to ever come out of the franchise. (Seriously, the transformers themselves have always been the worst part of these movies, with blood boiling dialogue and even worse racial stereotypes).

More than anything, it seemed like Bay was trying again. He even got Anthony Hopkins, who is not a stranger to simply collecting a paycheck, to give his all even while arguing with John Turturro over the phone about....well honestly it doesn't fucking matter. Point is even Hopkins was having a good time.

Shit. I realize this turned into a short essay about loving and missing Michael Bay, and I'm basically just giving Transformers 5 a back handed compliment by saying that I wanted to watch trash and trash is what I got, but I have to admit that it gave me a little hope. I could see Bay having some fun again and I really hope he gets his groove back.


Here's hoping that he is forever done with robots that change, and that he gets back to making good, old fashion action Bayhem like he did in the 90s. Give Nic a call, Michael. I think y'all could be good for each other again.