REVIEWS - 'Only God Forgives' and 'Bad Grandpa'

'Only God Forgives' ***1/4
Got this one from Redbox on Tuesday.  The movie follows Julian (Ryan Gosling), an American in Bangkok who runs a boxing club as a cover for drug smuggling.  Things get complicated when his mother (Kristen Scott Thomas) shows up and compels Julian to find and kill whoever is responsible for the murder of Julian's brother.  I was blown away by the cinematography and the score for this movie.  It's a beautiful movie to listen to and look at.  And while I did like the movie, I will admit those are the only things that the movie has going for it.  For the most part nobody really acts, they just stand around with blank expressions on their faces regardless of the situation.  There's not a lot of dialogue in this movie, and some of it is just awkward sounding and clunky.  In some scenes it's hard to tell if something is actually happening or if it's just a dream sequence.  The plot is a little thin, and some scenes just pop up out of nowhere, such as when it keeps cutting to a Thai police lieutenant singing karaoke in front of other officers.  It's also incredibly brutal and violent.  I only watched 'Only God Forgives' because the director of this also made 'Drive' (which also stars Ryan Gosling).  If you haven't seen 'Drive', it is on Netflix if you want to watch it.  It's a great movie.  It's also violent, also has a great soundtrack, but is quite suspenseful, has actual acting in it (great acting as well from Gosling and Albert Brooks) and it has a much more straight forward plot than this movie. 

'Jackass Presents:  Bad Grandpa' (R) ***
Put 'Jackass', 'Borat' and 'Little Miss Sunshine' into a blender, mix them up and you have 'Jackass Presents:  Bad Grandpa'.  86-year old Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville) is forced to take his grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) to his dad's house across the country so that he can take care of him due to his mother having to go to jail.  Along the way Irving and Billy get into mishaps at a wedding, a funeral home, a biker bar, vending machines, a child's beauty pageant, various restaurants and other unknowing people.  I thought this movie was hilarious.  Not only was it funny watching the antics and banter between Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll, but it's funnier watching the real reactions of the people witnessing it all.  There are some actors planted in some scenarios so that they don't get too out of hand, but you're too busy laughing or being shocked to notice.  If you happen to like Johnny Knoxville's Grandpa character from the 'Jackass' TV show and movies, you'll probably like this movie.