Displaying items by tag: Jamie Foxx

BACK IN ACTION

US, 2025, 114 minutes, Colour.

Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Mckenna Roberts, Rylan Jackson, Kyle Chandler, Glenn Close, Jamie Demetriou, Andrew Scott.

Directed by Seth Gordon.

After more than 10 years away from the screen, Cameron Diaz, so popular in the 1990s and 2000s, returns to the screen, with some enthusiasm.

This is an enjoyable action show even if, some critical of this kind of show tell su we have seen most of it before. But, is that necessarily a bad thing!

Cameron Diaz works here with Jamie Foxx, secret agents, plenty of action to establish their characters, but betrayals, suspicion of the MI6, their being abducted, a fight in the air, crash landing and the decision to disappear and lead an ordinary life.

Then 15 years later, we see the now-ordinary American couple, their two teenage children, the complaining suspicious daughter, the precocious young son, devoted parents in Middle America, at home, sports and teachers meetings, Mother too demanding. Then exhibiting rather martial arts skills when least expected.

Blame social media for breaking the secrecy but, in an encounter in a club to rescue her daughter, mother goes into action and is photographed, displayed on social media, their American handler immediately coming to catch up with them, his being shot at, and their going on the run with their children, no explanations, the children continually amazed.

They go to the grandmother in England, an elitist British spy in her day, owning a mansion – and, a great bonus, one of those very eccentric performances from Glenn Close. And, into the bargain, the MI6agent is played by Andrew Scott, increasingly popular and versatile on stage and screen, especially with his interpretation of Ripley.

Plenty of action, quite some comedy with the grandmother’s toyboy in training for the Secret Service and not too good at it, Jamie Demetrio, betrayals, climaxes, and final action in the Thames.

Yes, maybe we have seen a lot of it before, but no harm now in seeing it in the hands of Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close.

1. Straightforward title? The initial action, 15 years of domestic life, back in action?
2. References to James Bond and Jason Bourne, espionage action, old-style films, dangers, undercover, expertise in fighting, weapons? The espionage situation, MI6, the CIA? Belarusian terrorists? The lull in the 15 years, then back in action, no holds barred? The musical score?
3. The opening, the disguise, the social, Chuck and his control, meeting the host, getting his fingerprint, opening the safe, getting the key, the dangers, the escape? The encounter with Baron, the past relationship? On the plane, abducted, the fights, the death of the pilot, the crash, the parachute and the landing, the decision to disappear?
4. The 15 years, domestic comedy, the almost-Boomers, their style, compared with the children, 14 and 12, life at school, studies and friends, boyfriends, the club and dances, the young boy intelligent, studious, and the parents spying on them, using all the technology, the reaction of the children?
5. The episode at the club, the fight, going online, their being identified, Chuck arriving at the door, his being shot, the gunmen, getting the children, the car, the pursuit? The puzzle of the children? Emily and Matt have become very domesticated, but going into action again, Emily exhilarated by the fight the club?
6. The issue of the key, Matt hiding it with Emily’s mother, going to England, the flight, the continued bewilderment of the children, at passport control, the fake passports, observed, getting the rental car, the drive, the pursuit, at the diner, the petrol in the flamethrower, the fighting techniques, the children in the English breakfast, using the pewter, enabling the pinpointing of their presence?
7. The continued chase, barren in pursuit, shooting the truck with the pipes and blocking the road? Barren discovery going to Emily’s mother is? His knowing that Emily thought he was a traitor?
8. Emily and the story about her mother, the dispute between them, boarding school in America, her mother is a spy? Glenn close enjoying this rule? Nigel, the toyboy, training for the Secret Service, his ineptness, his dumb remarks, yet the romance? Boys showing him up with throwing the darts and weapons?
9. The siege of the house, finding the Chuck was the traitor, his explanation of his being sacked because of their disappearance? His contact with the various groups?
10. Emily’s mother, her manner, career, tough, British, not embracing? It is in Nigel? Matt recovering the key? The abduction of the children? The discovery of the event at the Tate Modern?
11. Dressed up for the occasion, getting in, Chuck with the key, Daphne and her controls, the option, the bidders, turning the lights of the city on and off, opening the floodgates for the Thames?
12. Confrontations, the pursuit, taking the children, on the boat, Chuck in his communication with Daphne, grandmother to the rescue with the shooting, Emily and Matt, on the bikes, the tactics, into the boat, risking the children, the fights?
13. Nigel, the encounter with Daphne on the crash, with the computer, his dithering, ultimately succeeding despite himself? Send himself as a hero?
14. The final rescue, everybody in the US, the soccer match, the daughter and her success, reconciliation between Emily and her mother, Nigel present? Get into the car, and Barry with a proposal for future action?

STRAYS

US, 2023, 93 minutes, Colour.

Voices of: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Randall Park, Brett Gelman, Rob Riggle, Josh Gad, Sofia Vergara. With Will Forte, Denis Quaid.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum.

With a comedy like Strays, words that come to the reviewer’s mind include: raunchy, crude, crass, gross, offensive. And it can be said, they are all applicable. But, response very much depends on sensibilities, whether this kind of crude comedy appeals, on sensitivities which find the jokes and the treatment objectionable, too much. But, this is not the case for everyone, and the reviewer or also has to keep this in mind.

While often it seems very much like a cartoon in characters and situations, this is a live-action film about dogs. In fact, dog lovers, despite the jokes, might very well be intrigued by the extraordinary performances of the dogs themselves, and wonder how much is the training of actual dogs and how much is the use of animatronics, especially with the dogs and their moving mouths for the dialogue. Yes, the dogs really come alive, and are very convincing characters.

And a review had better note that the humour, pervasive, relies on constant (incessant) four (and beyond)-letter words and exclamations, probably tiresome even for tolerant viewers, magic mushroom hallucinations, a lot of sex jokes, explicit and innuendo, and bodily parts and bodily functions. Definitely crude, often crass.

But, strangely enough, the story is actually full of sentiment, even sentimental at times, and moving towards a very nice ending, domestic bliss. In a way, the audience can’t help liking the dogs. And, who are they? First of all, there is Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell), who was at the beck and call of Doug (Will Forte creating a character who is an extreme slob), who resents Reggie because he was the pet of a girlfriend who walks out on him. He persecutes Reggie, verbally abuses him, tosses the ball as far away as possible – but the good-natured Reggie thinks this is all a game and thinks Doug is a wonderful owner. When Doug takes Reggie on a three hour drive and strands him, he is befriended by a smart-talking Bug (voiced by Jamie Foxx). Gradually, with the help of Bug’s other friends, Maggie (Isla Fisher as an Australian collie) and Randall Park as a former police dog trainee, now with a cone and working at an old folks home, Hunter, Reggie learns the truth. And the film becomes a quest, a revenge film, Reggie wreaking havoc on Doug (and we know where).

There are lots of adventures along the way, meeting police dogs looking for a young girl, the real Dennis Quaid with binoculars seeing a giant eagle swoop on Bug, getting lost, finding landmarks, and an eventual confrontation between Reggie and Doug (and what we might have imagined does happen).

Lots of jokes, many crass, others very funny, and, as has been said, quite a deal of sentiment, the talent of the voice cast blending with the expert photography and training of the dogs, their looking to camera, the tilt of their heads, the cheeky looks, which means that the dogs really become credible characters! But, as the government classification advice says: MA: Strong crude humour, sex, coarse language and drug use.