Jim Gaffigan is not only one of the best comics around today, but he is also one of the best independent movie actors. Being Frank is an entertaining movie to watch. However, for Gaffigan it is a challenge to see him play the charming, yet dishonest father. Being Frank fits him because his character still talks how he does in real-life. With Gaffigan’s dialogue he uses connections and quirky observations.  Being Frank features those elements throughout the movie, and that is why it is fun to watch.

The plot gears on a boy named Philip (played by Logan Miller) who is a kid who feels he cannot live up to his father’s educational expectations.  His father is Frank (Gaffigan). Frank sets tons of rules for Philip and at times Philip is slightly rebellious, but not anywhere close to a terrible troublemaker. He is just someone who wants to feel supported in his educational choices and be trusted to go to school in another state which his father is against. While Philip is annoyed, he finds some comfort when his father supposedly goes to Japan for a week a month or so. However, Philip’s world is turned upside down when he comes to realize that his father is not in Japan at all but is instead visiting his other family. Frank says he goes to Japan to be able to cover his tracks. Once he learns the truth, Philip invites himself into the life of his father’s second family where he notices some disconnects and multiple exceptions in terms of money and privileges. That is because his father does not want Philip to rat him out to his mother. The film then turns into a cat and mouse game between father and son.

The portions of Being Frank that are most enthralling are when Philip realizes what his dad does with his whole other family. He takes his other set of kids fishing, has certain traditions, and has spent more money on them than him. This leaves Philip feeling left out because he feels that his dad has made his second family a much bigger priority. Throughout Being Frank many emotions emerge around what is fair and unfair in Philip’s life and the life of his dad’s second family. These conflicts create a rollercoaster ride of mixed feelings, but some have positive outcomes.

I did enjoy Being Frank. The plot is structured, and the film is not offensive. It has some moments of uncomfortable scenarios, but the conflicts support the storyline. Gaffigan is top-notch in this movie. Also, hearing Gaffigan talk throughout the movie was what made it quite captivating as his voice is what makes the movie entertaining. Three stars.

I thought that the Toy Story franchise had wrapped up with Toy Story 3 back in 2010, and I was a bit iffy but also excited when I found out about Toy Story 4 being released. I asked myself many times what more is there to Toy Story?  The story felt like it was over for fans after Andy went off to college in Toy Story 3. However, Toy Story 4 is not a waste of time.  In fact, it is charming, funny, positive, and will leave viewers laughing one moment and in tears the next. The gang we love including Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz (voiced by Tim Allen), and Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) are all back for another amusing adventure that fans and family will enjoy for years to come. The song, You’ve Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman (which was released in 1995 the year the first Toy Story released), brings back the nostalgic feelings of the previous adventures and memories from the other Toy Story movies when viewers are reunited with the characters they love. These same warm feelings came to me starting with Toy Story 2 back in 1999 and then again eleven years later with Toy Story 3 in 2010, and now with Toy Story 4.

The plot of this Toy Story movie involves Woody, Buzz, and all the other toy characters we know ending up on a road trip to visit the child Bonnie (voiced by Madeleine McGraw). A stick figure toy comes into the story named Forky (voiced by Tony Hale). They expect the trip to be a positive experience, however, for Woody the trip becomes a nightmare. Woody comes face to face with his friend that he has been out of touch with for a while and that character is Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts). She was the one in the previous films who was part of Andy’s world that they all lived in, and she would always try to convince Woody to have a positive attitude in his moments of agitation or frustration. She was in the first and second film, but absent from the third one. The trip has some crazy disasters, and other toy problems that make this movie a rollercoaster ride of laughs. However, for Woody and Bo they come to realize they are from two completely different worlds in terms of being toys. Through their experiences, they find out that the world is bigger and more stressful than believed it to be.

What I love about the Toy Story movies is how the toy characters learn that there are situations in life they need to live with even though it might not always be fair. In the first Toy Story, Woody was jealous that Buzz came into the picture, because he felt that Andy would lose interest in him. After that, Woody saved Buzz from the bully Sid and they have been good buds since. In Toy Story 2, Woody ended up meeting Jessie and she was someone who was alone, so he let her into his environment with the toy characters he had lived with for ages. When Toy Story 3 came around, Andy went off to college and the main toys in his life felt they were not going to be in a safe environment, but they ended up finding a new home in a different child’s life. Now with Toy Story 4 there are new positive elements that fans will love. However, they need watch this for themselves to see.

The Toy Story movies are special because there are so many moments in the films where there are silver linings waiting to be discovered. Even in the saddest of times, positive messages come through.  I admire how the goal of the Toy Story movies is to make people feel encouraged and happy by the end.  I absolutely love every Toy Story movie, and this is one of the best films of the summer. Four stars.

I went in with mediocre expectations for Shaft and that is because Samuel L. Jackson already starred in another Shaft film directed by John Singleton back in 2000. This Shaft movie is directed by Tim Story and is not all that good. Now, I am not someone that completely bashes a movie if I really dislike it.  I am, however, someone who will elaborate on what to expect and explain why I believe a movie is poorly done. This Shaft movie does have the music, the raunchy language, and the right filming location, but honestly the film is just silly. Jackson does stay in character playing the son of Shaft Sr. (played by Richard Roundtree who is the true Shaft actor), but no one can play him as well as Roundtree could. Still, I am glad that Roundtree is still in the game with the movies (even though they are not all that great). Then there is JJ Shaft (played by Jessie T. Usher) and he plays the son and grandson of both Shaft Jr. and Shaft Sr. He does well in this film, but it doesn’t make up for the movie’s overall low quality.

The plot involves JJ Shaft playing a data analyst for a FBI branch in New York. He has a good buddy that dies due to gang activity and wants to figure out what happened to his friend. JJ comes to realize that since his father is Shaft Jr., he may be able to use him for support. While they have been estranged from each other for a long time, they decide to get back in the game. However, JJ is not like his father at all. He tries to avoid violence and offensive language, but his father is all for that and so is his grandpa. This film basically becomes a search party with the Shaft guys involving plenty of drugs and criminal behavior.

Now, I did find myself laughing throughout most of the movie.  Upon reflection, I determined that my laughter was more for the offensive language than the violence. I find that this Shaft movie was trying to be too much like other cop comedies ranging from The Other Guys (2010), 21 Jump Street (2012), 22 Jump Street (2014), and a variety of other quirky authority comedies. This one, however, is just at the bottom of the list for me. Mainly because it does not feel original. The 1971 Shaft was unique and watch-worthy, but this one drags with very few memorable moments.

In conclusion, I am giving Shaft the star rating I believe it deserves on my scale of stars ranging from one to four.  I rate this Shaft film at two stars. That is because I found some clever moments in it, but it still lacked in the overall plot and relied too heavily on using the old 70s Shaft language and music. This film was trying too hard to make it feel like we were watching Shaft way back from 1971which I look forward to watching again soon.