Chips (2017)
Dax Shepard
Writers:
Rick Rosner
Cast:
Michael Pena (Ponch), Dax Shepard (Jon), Vincent D'Onofrio (Ray Kurtz), Rosa Salazar (Ava Perez), Jessica McNamee (Lindsey Taylor), Adam Brody (Clay Allen), Isiah Whitlock (Peterson), Richard T. Jones (Parish), Ryan Hansen (Brian Grieves), Jane Kacmarek (Captain Jane Lindel), Phil Tyler (Cooper), Jess Rowland (Rathbun), Carly Hatter (Agent Angela Roth), Justin Chatwin (Raymond Reed Kurtz Jr.), Vida Guerra (Ann), and David Koechner (Pat).
Opening Credits:
The main reason why this review site is holding off a bit, is simply because the Hollywood engine isn't really producing as much. Reviewing bad films are fun for me, but to much negative isn't good. I love great movies as well. The Hollywood mainstream is turning away audiences and the trend is very noticeable. The box office in comparison to last year took a billion dollar hit, and it continues to get worse. The superhero movies are just keeping everything above water, barely. That to me sounds like the good old movie business is taking a direct hit by streaming media. I don't have an issue with paying a price to watch a film at home, especially when it's a new film. Streaming needs revenu as well, which i understand.
I just don't like the disruption during a movie. Phones, talking, playing around, bring newborns to the movies. Disruption takes you out of the film and into what's going on around you. Not super rich by far, but when you pay a buck to see a film, i would want silence, hmm like phones turned off, or maybe being silent while the movie is playing. I'm not a negative nelly, but money is money; Especially when it costs a lot to take a family to the movies. That's a 100 dollar adventure to something that should be enjoyable, exciting, an experience of a lifetime.
Remember when Star Wars: A New Hope first was released to the public in 1977. The overall sense of imagination was amazing. The sound, special effects, down to the hiss of the lightsaber on a huge screen. The ambiance was something to remember. A moment in time, a special place. Flash forward to 2017, those stories are told to children of that very first time at the theater, that amazing moment the film opened with the 20th century Fox drum beat, to the opening crawl giving you a hint of what's to come.
Do i want the theaters to go south, nope, i love the experience, but today is very different then in 1977. The people can't see passed the smartphones, which gives them a reason for disruption. A text, someone calling in the middle of the film. Part of the problem, i guess. And why my age group loves streaming and hates going to the theater.
Streaming does have it's worth, like original content, movies, series, all that and if you like superhero stuff, Defenders, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones. Streaming is so good that Disney by the first of the year will pull all it's animated content from Netflix. Disney will start streaming it' own stuff, and it will be a huge success. The point here is simple, streaming is killing the theaters, period. No real puzzle because it is, there's no fighting it, it will all come to an end. The theaters must come up with something, or call it quits.
Review:
Agent Castillo (Michael Pena) is working undercover to take-down the gang leader. The leader of the gang and three other guys run out of a bank, Castillo drives to the front door of the joint, giving the guys a path to the car. The guys get in, car takes off with the Police in chase, he leads them to a remote location where the robbers think everything is Ok. The robbers burn the getaway car, they all hop into a yellow cab, thinking about the next move.
The leader of the crew jumps in the front seat of the car, Castillo explains that getting in the front will attract attention. The leader doesn't care, they both continue to argue, as things get heated. Castillo grabs his shirt, pulls it towards his mouth and a code name is heard through the hidden mic. The police rush in, surrounding the car. Castillo has a bad past with this gang leader, he killed his partner. Castillo shows the dealer a picture of his naked wife, something to ease the tension from the death of his friend, partner. The leader is grabbed by his new partner, Clay Allen (Adam Brody) pulled out of the cab, a quick turn around, and Allen is grabbed instead. The leader pulls his gun towards Allen's head, Castillo doesn't hesitate, and shoots the leader, but the bullet had gone through his new partner as well. Both were down for the count.
Meanwhile Jon Baker (Dax Shepard) former X-Games competitor signs up for the CHP (California Highway Patrol). His training goes horribly wrong. Afterwards he meets with Sgt. Gail Hernandez (Maya Rudolph) who explains all his test scores were under the average trainee, which is alarming. But Jon had told her about his wife, a sob story that connected well. She tells him her department, everything he does must be more than exceptional or he will be terminated on the spot. The Sgt. and Baker have a connection, both have bad marriages.
Jon Baker (Shepard) will be partnered up with Ponch (Michael Pena) after being resigned to the CHP undercover as Francis Llewelyn Poncherello. Ponch is to takedown the corrupt cops in the CHP, and the recent armored truck robberies.....
The comedy part in the film was great, it didn't feel forced, or humdrum, it was a little comedy that played on the senses. Imagine a film that does just that, it makes you laugh at the right time. Timing was perfect, but the senses played out well. The action sequences were close up, it helps that the actor Dax Shepard did most of his own stunts. The close ups of the motorcycle sequences were all amazing. The shots, were perfect. They didn't stray from the picture.
Ever watch a film with bad shots. The scene is jumpy, all over the place. Chips didn't do that, all the action was on screen. The jumpy camera, Blair Witch Project kinda deal was gone. It didn't exist here in this comedy. The Taken 2 style of action i don't like, it only worked in one film which was shot in the first person. Hardcore Henry, which had that style of filming. The sped up camera action sequences makes me sick, unless there is a point to it. In Hardcore Henry the director knew from the start that it would be in first person, and shot with a Gopro. The film style is not just important, but what makes it visually sound. You need to see what's going on in order to understand what's going on.
The comedy was right on, i loved the scene with Ponch trying to get the armored truck robbers, but the Police Bikes are too slow. Jon tries to out maneuver them, but the bikes suck. Ponch calls in a huge 40,000 favor under the agencies credit line. Two brand new bikes, with new Police gear. I thought that was funny, especially when Peterson (Isiah Whitlock) gets really pissed about the situation that escalates later in the film. Michael Pena does a really good job playing Ponch, he brings out the Ponch from the old series, from back in the day. The connections are there, it makes sense. Granted it is a comedy, but one i liked. Comedies are either bad or good, in the case for Chips it falls under good category.
Jon is played by Dax Shepard who does a great job, he is funny in his own way, i love the part where he's trying to convince Ponch that a locker room hug is no big deal. But Ponch is not liking it at all. He only sees guys touching each other naked, which is uncomfortable for him. The scene goes to the extreme when Jon continues to press the issue. Jon introduces himself to Brian Grieves (Ryan Hansen). They both are wearing underwear, whitey tighties, they shake hands, and hug each other, which makes Ponch so uncomfortable, both genitals smack each other as they hug. The scene was funny, and it played well by all three actors making a scene unique and what got me was the way it just flowed from one scene to the next. Comedies are usually all over the place, but Chips plays out well from the first Act to the last.
Bad Guys:
The villain is played by Vincent D'Onofrio (Ray Kurtz). He does a really good job, not that he would be the Kingpin of crime in the Daredevil series. Yup, he plays a wonderful bad cop here, from start to the finish, this dude is bad to the core. Getting his son mixed in with the armored car robberies, it's sick, his son has a drug addiction issue, and it makes the scenes with D'Onofrio much better.
The rated Pg-13 to a rated R was a good idea. Sometimes big budget films are not the case. The film was meant to be a huge budget, but why? The film was funny, it's action sequences were good, it has qualities of a great comedy, which it already excelled in. If it works, don't fix it. Because sometimes it may just hit you right in the face.
Josh Duhamel (Rick), and Kristen Bell (Karen). Rick is the boyfriend of Karen who is married to Dax Shepard (Jon). Since not gaining any momentum in X-sports, his wife is bored with life, and Jon not making any money. So she ventures off with Rick. and making a horrible couple, Karen and Rick make some scenes funny by the way they act towards Jon, and his whole experience with the CHP. Feeling bad for Jon especially when hot woman are making advances, which he blows off because of his broken marriage. Duhamel and Bell are a worthy addition, even with the short scenes, the point gets across to the audience.
The movie as a whole is done well, a good balance of action to a fun, driven simple story that makes for a great comedy. What can i say more about this film. It has all the elements of a great comedy. The balance down to the wordy exchanges between the heroes of the story, which is Ponch and Jon.
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