Animated Watery Wishes At Year's End

AVATAR: WAY OF WATER

SCI-FI/ACTION 

PLOT:   A decade later Jack Scully is now one of the Na’vi of Pandora and he has a family who find peace –for awhile in a beautiful place where they swim like fish.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The special effects!!!  It took director James Cameron 13 years so technology could catch up with him and his vision.  The beauty of the sea and sea creatures are dazzling.  Stephan Lang as Miles Quaritch the villain in the first movie is back and is Na’vi as well.  He is still a bad guy yet he has some comparison but not much.  He is amazing as a man obsessed to kill Jack no matter what the cost! When the action does start-WOW!

WHAT IS WRONG:  The movie is over 3 hours and it is a slow burn but it tells how Jack has to protect and provide for his family.  He has kids and a few are teens and teens no matter what they are give parents problems.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like the first film-YES!  Action fans will enjoy the end I promise you.

PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH

ANIMATED/ADVENTURE/ FANTASY 

PLOT:     Puss has used 8 of his 9 lives so he searches for a magical star to give him more lives.  On his quest he meets new and old friends and enemies.

WHAT IS GOOD:   Antonio Banderas who voices Puss is perfect!  Salma Hayek is great as Kitty Softpaws and the villain Wagner Maura is scary as the Wolf. 

WHAT IS BAD:  Should have been released sooner!

SHOULD YOU GO:   YES!!!  The film is fun and it tells a message without banging it over your head.  It’s funny, action packed and romantic.  MUST SEE!

 

How to Tar and Feather Xmas

VIOLENT NIGHT

HORROR, ACTION COMEDY 

PLOT:    Santa Claus kills bank robbers to save a rich little girl at Christmas.

WHAT IS RIGHT:  David Harbour as Santa Claus!  The actor was great in Black Widow as her father and he is better in this!  It is Die Hard and Santa Claus is John McLane and the bad guy’s name is Scrooge played by the funny and menacing John Legizamo!  Bad Santas are popular but this one is nuts!  The kills are creative and crazy.  Director Tommy Wirkola also directed Hansel and Greta: Witch Hunters.  The soundtrack is well done.

WHAT IS WRONG:  It is kinda long for a B-movie

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES if you like your Santa Claus funny and bloody.  Kids are in the film but it is not for children. It pays tribute to Die Hard, Home Alone and Rambo! So if you are into that you will definitely enjoy this movie.

 

TAR

DRAMA 

PLOT:   A character study of Lydia Tar, a talented but flawed female classical music conductor. 

WHAT IS RIGHT:  Cate Blanchett is a VERY gifted actress.  She wields the maestro’s stick with authority!  Classical music and scandal doesn’t usually go together but in this film it does.  She is a mom, married, has a career has bad days and abuses her power.

WHAT IS WRONG:  The beginning is slooow!  It has classical jargon only people who love classical music would know and like.  It is an art film also and it takes long time to get started.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  The film is over two hours and half but watching Blanchett is worth it if you enjoy excellent acting.

Long and Woke Forever

BLACK PANTHER WAKANDA FOREVER

ACTION/ADVENTURE/ FANTASY

PLOT:  T’ Challa is dead and the people of Wakanda don’t have much time to grieve for Namor wants their help to take over the surface world.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The cast Letitia Wright as Shuri, T’Challa’s sister is smart and sad of her brother’s death (the film does not tell what he died of) and Namor.  She has a lot of emotions she has to deal with.  Angela Basset as Queen Ramonda is excellent.  Tenoch Huerto as Namor, sea king of Talokan who think people who live above ground  are a threat.  Dominique Thorne as RiRi, a brilliant scientist  who helps Shuri.

WHAT IS BAD:  The length of the movie could have been shorter.  The women are the heroes so many people may not like that but they are very good.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  OH YEAH!!   The fight scenes, there is humor but not much.  It is sad in the beginning because the film dedicates to the wonderful but deceased actor Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa.

 

SHE SAID

DRAMA 

PLOT:  Two New York Times female reporters break the story about producer and predator Harvey Weinstein.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The two lead actresses Carey Mulligan as Megan Twohey and Zoe Karzan as Jodi Kanter.   The rest of the cast is equally amazing that include Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher.

WHAT IS BAD:   Slow burn.  There is  much talking - like a play.  

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  This is a SERIOUS movie about a serious subject so if you enjoy good drama this film is for you.

Ticket to Fall Blockbusters

HALLOWEEN ENDS

HORROR 

PLOT:    The 13^th installment and the final (yeah, right) of Michael Meyers taking out the residents of Haddonfield in the popular franchise

WHAT IS RIGHT:    The kills!  Michael Meyers never runs ways to eliminate people.  Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode from the screaming teen in the first film to a tough, older woman trying to move on not thinking of trying to kill Michael.

WHAT IS WRONG:  It didn’t make a lot of sense.

SHOULD YOU GO:  Hard to say.  It is a strange how the story went.   You don’t have to go to the movies to see this; you can see it on streaming service Peacock.

 

TICKET TO PARADISE

ROMANTIC COMEDY 

PLOT:    Bickering and separated couple join forces to stop their daughter from getting married.

WHAT IS RIGHT:   George Clooney and Julia Roberts as the divorced parents.  Great chemistry and they are so funny.  The rest of the cast are good too.

WHAT IS WRONG:  If you don’t like romantic comedies---rare these days.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  OH YES!!!  To see the two stars go at each other and George Clooney dancing is priceless!

SMILE

HORROR

PLOT:      An evil entity makes their hosts smile before killing themselves and gives the spirit to the one watching.

WHAT IS RIGHT:   Sosie Bacon, daughter of actor Kevin Bacon (Footloose and Sinister) she is not a glamorous actress playing Dr. Rose Cotter but a down to earth emergency physiatrist who helps trauma patients.  She does have a perfect life; a great boyfriend, friends but her life is not really  perfect.  She is trying to find out what is going on.  It is scary for it could happen to anyone.

WHAT IS WRONG:    It is a slow-burn.   Slasher hounds won’t like this- it is psychological horror.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:   YES!  If you are into mystery thriller. 

 

BLACK ADAM

ACTION/SUPERHERO 

PLOT:    The origin of the anti-hero.

WHAT IS RIGHT:     The action scenes are nothing short of AMAZING!  Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam is intense, fierce and violent.  He is perfect.  Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate is very good and Aldis Hodge is great as Hawkman.  The other superheroes Noah Centineo is good as Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone.

WHAT IS WRONG: The villain, Marwan Kenzan as Ishmael.  He is not memorable but he played another bad guy in Aladdin Jafar. 

SHOULD YOU GO:  YES!!!  If you like Dwayne Johnson and the character he plays the special effects and the action.

The Woman King & the Horror Thing

THE WOMAN KING

HISTORICAL DRAMA

PLOT:     Agojie, an all female all black warriors who protected the kingdom of Dahomey in 1823.

WHAT IS GOOD:    Viola Davis who is the leader of the Dahomey.  She has to be strong but she has demons she has to deal with.  Director Gina Prince Bythewood who made it epic and emotional as well.

WHAT IS BAD:   When Hollywood does an historical drama not all is accurate.

SHOULD YOU WATCH: YES!!!  Two good reasons for the fantastic Viola Davis and the subject matter.

THE INVITATION

HORROR/ROMANCE 

PLOT:    A biracial beauty finds out about her vampire past.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The attractive cast and Nathalie Emmanuel as Evi who is in wonder of her surroundings then scared then goes Van Hesling on her ancestors.  It is romance-gothic romance but it is interesting and it was written and directed by women. Evi’s friend Grace Courtney Taylor is great as her funny friend.  Stephanie Corneliussen who plays Viktoria, a vampire is quite striking.  The story should have been about her.

WHAT IS BAD:  It is predictable.

 

 

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  Maybe if you like gothic horror.  It is better on cable.