Will Venom 3 Make You Smile 2?

SMILE 2

HORROR 

PLOT:    Pop singer Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is going on her world tour but strange things are happening to her and she has to face her past.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The opening you think you are in the wrong movie because it starts like a crime drama, not a scary movie!   Ms. Scott is very good as a successful but troubled performer.   It is psychological but there is a gory and blood! The jump scare is good and the special effects amazing.  Plus Ray Nicholson, son of Jack Nicholson is in the film.  His son has a wicked smile and character as his popular father.

WHAT IS WRONG:  Could have been shortened.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  If you liked the first movie this is a good sequel.

 

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE

ACTION/SUPERHERO 

PLOT:   Eddie(Tom Hardy) and Venom are hiding in Mexico but they decide to come back to clear Eddie’s name from a crime he didn’t commit and Knull, the creator of the symbiotes needs them both to escape his strange prison.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Eddie and Venom when the argue and when they work together!   Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu) is great comic relief and Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is an officer who protects Area 51 who soon finds out he is over his head.  Knull who is voiced by Andy Serkis is fantastic as an evil being who is scattered throughout the movie but he is villain that is truly scary.  The other symbiotes are creepy!

WHAT IS WRONG:   They had characters that were not necessary.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  If you like the last two movies  you will enjoy this one!

Jokers, Robots, Transformers---Any Substance?

SUBSTANCE

HORROR 

PLOT:   Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a popular TV aerobics show host who is pushing 50.  She want to look young and beautiful so she finds a black market drug that fulfils her dreams but at what cost.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Demi Moore is amazing as Elisabeth trying to cling to beauty.  She is nude a lot and so is her younger self Margaret Qualley.  Dennis Quaid as Harvey is hilarious as a sleazy producer who wants a younger female. 

WHAT IS WRONG:   It went too long and it got more bizarre and bloodier as near the climax!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  Well, it is like a soft porno movie, a body horror movie and a satire so you have been warned.

 

TRANSFORMER ONE

3D ANIMATED 

PLOT:   How Optimus Prime and Megatron were in the beginning miners and best friends into rivals!

WHAT IS GOOD:  The action is AMAZING especially near the end.  Lots of humor too.  Hard to believe that Megatron was the sensible robot while Optimus Prime was the reckless and the adventurous one!

WHAT IS BAD:  Not bad but strange- teen robots!  That’s what the two were in the beginning and could not transform.  The voices, Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry

 (Godzilla V Kong) as Megatron!  That was stunt casting to me.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:   If you are a Transformer fan:  OH YES!  You will let a few things go to see how good the film is.

WILD ROBOT

3D ANIMATION

PLOT:   A shipwrecked android in the forest becomes friends with the animals and an adoptive mother to a goose.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The voice cast was nothing short of excellent.  Lupita Nyong’o  (Black Panther) as Roz the robot is great.  Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) is Fink the fox.

WHAT IS WRONG:  Typical story about differences but done well.

SHOULD YOU GO:  ABSOULTELY YES!!!  The film is beautiful to look at; it has action, drama comedy and heart.

JOKER 2:  FOLIE A DEUX

DRAMA 

PLOT:  The sequel to the Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix.  Joker is now in Arkham, a mental institution and soon to go on trial for killing six people.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Joaquin Phoenix/ Arthur Fleck  as Joker.  If you thought he was nuts in the last movie just wait to use see this one! He finds a girlfriend as crazy and destructive as she is named Harleen “Lee” Quinzel played by singer Lady Gaga. Both are good actors but the movie is well weird!

WHAT IS WRONG:  The two leads are mental and they sing a lot.  It is not the Joker people want to see like in the comics but they do have characters from the comics like Harry Dent.  No mention of Batman. If you like the first movie you may like this one.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  Hollywood now like weird movies with talented casts such as:  Everything, Everywhere All At Once and Poor Things.  If you like those kinds of movies you will like this one but if you don’t, please don’t watch!!!

Alien Crows, Blinking Beasts and More Adventure Films

 

THE CROW

SUPERNATURAL/THRILLER 

PLOT:  Remake of  The Crow in 1994.  Eric and Shelly are lovers and are killed but he makes a deal with the devil to avenge his enemies.

WHAT IS GOOD:  In the 1994 version starring the late Brandon Lee, the girlfriend Shelly has more back story and more screen time. She is played by British singer FKA Twigs, a British singer.  Eric is played by Bill Skarsgard who played the lead role in the updated version of IT.  Danny Huston, who usually plays the bad guy and does it very well as a demonic crime lord.  He is not there much of time but when he is, he is great!

WHAT IS WRONG:  The film was based on a graphic novel and the 1994 version had much more villains that were horrible and died horribly.  The two lovers meet in rehab!  Eric has a mystical mentor to help him beside the bird.  The fans always ask the question:  Why a remake?

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  ONLY out of curiosity.  If you liked the film in 1994 you may be disappointed but if you never saw the original you might enjoy it.

 

ASYLUM’S ALIEN RUBICON

SCI-FI/ACTION

PLOT:   In outer space a giant grey sphere is coming to New York and the president and a scientists must stop it.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Low-budget Asylum movies are getting better in the special effects department.  B-movie action star Paul Logan is great as a soldier and dependable Michael Pare is good as the president.

WHAT IS BAD:  Asylum Movie Company makes better trailers than movies.  Spoiler:  if you have seen the trailer for this film at the end a hoard of monster dinosaurs leave the sphere.  The creatures are there for about two minutes and gone.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you are a fan of Asylum movies you know what you will get!  This film is in theaters but should be seen  ON DEMAND.

 

THE BEAST WITHIN

HORROR 

PLOT:    A ten year old sickly girl living in an isolated area finds out something horrible about her dad.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The special effects are not bad, builds some suspense and Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) is very good.

WHAT IS WRONG:  Pacing!  The movie is not that long but it feels way too long. 

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  The movie is a slow burn until the conclusion.  Wait until On Demand!

 

BLINK TWICE

THRILLER 

PLOT:   Slater King, a very rich guy takes a waitress and her friend to his own island only to find out it’s not paradise.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Channing Tatem (Magic Mike and Deadpool and Wolverine) as Slater King, he handsome, charming and a psycho.  Naomi Ackie (Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance With Somebody) is good as Frida, the waitress who finds out what is really going on and does something about it.  Adria Arjona (Morbius) as Sarah is great who is a tough chick.  Actress Zoe Kravitz, her directorial debut  has much going for her.  I hope she directs more films.

WHAT IS WRONG:  It is stylish but a slow burn.  The film is not that long but feels like it.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you can see it ON DEMAND is better.

ALIEN ROMULUS

ACTION/SCI-FI

PLOT:  An interquel(!) of the Alien series.  This film takes place between Alien and Aliens!  Scavengers find a creature on the USCSS Nostromo of the first film.  They take it to Romulus, a lab which also has Greek mythology meaning.  I guess the film makers didn’t want to just call it Alien 8!

WHAT IS RIGHT:  It is creepier than most of the movies.  It has jump scares, a tough female Carilee Spaeny (Civil War) heroine and gruesome Aliens!

WHAT IS WRONG:  If you seen one Alien film you have seen them all.  Dull characters that are just victims.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like Alien franchise then go!

Adventure Flicks Get Stranger and More Violent

 

BORDERLANDS

SCI-FI/ACITON/ADVEVENTURE

PLOT:   Female bounty hunter must find young girl who has incredible powers and teams up with group of misfits for help. Based on a very popular video game.

WHAT IS GOOD: Cate Blanchett as Lilith who is a bounty hunter.  Never picture her as an action hero but she is an actress.  Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap, a funny robot who that looks like a takeout noodle box from Chinese restaurant with a wheel!  The crazy thing is Kevin Hart is NOT comic relief!!

WHAT IS WRONG:   The bad guy is NOT very threatening; the violence is very intense for a PG-13 film.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  For the fans of the game is fun to watch on DEMAND to see what they did wrong.  It might be good for others who don’t know the video game.  Not the best but it is B-movie good!

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

ACTION/COMEDY/ADVENTURE 

PLOT:   Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) has to save the people he loves by teaming up with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save his timeline.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Reynolds and Jackman are great as  super buddies!  Jackman, very serious while Reynolds is constantly joking around.  There are also superhero cameos. Many inside jokes  and Marvel fans will enjoy one scene which is a long time coming.

WHAT IS WRONG:   The villains are not the best!  The violence is very excessive and Deadpool has a very foul mouth!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you are a Marvel fan-YES!  Two of the most violent anti-superheroes of all time together are worth watching.

 

TRAP

THRILLER 

PLOT:    Cooper (Josh Hartnett) is a great dad and a serial killer called “The Butcher”. He takes his daughter to see Lady Raven, a pop singer and plans to kill her too. 

WHAT IS GOOD:  M. Night Shyamalan who directed the Sixth Sense.  He has the most creative ideas but most of the time it is not as good as the concept.  Josh Hartnett as Cooper is creepy, considerate plus a great liar.  He is very good.  Saleka Shyamalan is great as Lady Raven who thinks quickly in a dangerous situations. She is the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan.

WHAT IS WRONG:   The situations grow stranger than the last.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you are a fan of M. Night Shyamalan you may enjoy it for it does have many intense moments but over-the- top moments as too.

Twisted Summer, with Long Legs

 

TWISTERS

ACTION 

PLOT:   Sequel to the 1996 blockbuster Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton.  A group of new storm chasers have a device to stop a tornado.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The special effects!!  Glen Powell is cool as Tyler Owens, an arrogant guy who calls himself the Tornado Wrangler.  The heroine Daisy Edgar Jones as Kate who created the device is okay.

WHAT IS BAD:  When there is no twister there is time for romance with the two leads but that’s not why you want to see the movie.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like Twister the first one you will enjoy this one.

 

LONGLEGS

HORROR 

PLOT:   A FBI agent is searching for a serial killer of families named Longlegs.

WHAT IS GOOD:    Maika Monroe (It Follows) as Lee Harker a dedicated but strange FBI agent hunting down Longlegs (Nicholas Cage) who is brilliant as usual.  You won’t recognize him but he is VERY Good!!  He is frighting and funny at the same time!

WHAT IS BAD:  It is a slow burn and creepy. The director Osgood Perkins, son of Anthony Perkins (Psycho) has a future in horror movies.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  THIS IS NOT A POPCORN MOVIE!!   However, if you want something different this film is for you.

 

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE

SCI-FI/HORROR 

PLOT:   A prequel (beginning) of aliens with sensitive hearing attack New Yorkers.  The third in the movie franchise A Quiet Place.

WHAT IS GOOD: Lupit Nyong’o as Samira, a terminally ill black female who is a poet and loves pizza and her cat Frodo.  In the beginning she angry and unhappy with her brief life until the invasion comes.  She does her best to survive.  Soon she meets Eric (Joseph Quinn, Stranger Things) who is alone in New York and becomes her friend.  Together, they try to survive their surroundings.

WHAT IS BAD:  Is it a summer movie?  It is VERY intense film.  The creatures don’t like thunder and water-never explained.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like the other films YES.  It is an interesting movie and you want to know how it started.

 

DESPICABLE ME 4

3D ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY 

PLOT:   Gru (Steve Carell) is now working for AVL (Anti-Villain League) and captures top bad-guy Maxime LeMal (Will Farrell).  Maxime is bent on revenge from the past and for placing him in jail so Gru’s family must to go in a protection witness program in Mayflower, a small town.

WHAT IS GOOD:   The voice cast and the zaniness of the minions plus the amazing soundtrack.

WHAT IS BAD:    There are so many things happening  sometimes  hard to keep up.

SHOULD YOUWATCH:  If you liked the last 3 movies you will enjoy this one.

 

INSIDE OUT 2 

ANIMATED

PLOT:    Riley is now a teenager so she has more emotions than ever.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The cast of the voices!  Amy Poehler is great as Joy trying to stay happy even when she is not.  May Hawke is fantastic as Anxiety.  Lewis Black funny as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear and

Ayo Edebiri as Envy.

WHAT IS BAD:  NOTHING!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  It is very funny and very telling what you happens when your emotions get the best of you.  Great story telling.

  

THE GARFIELD MOVIE

ANIMATED/COMEDY 

PLOT:   The origin of the popular orange, overweight tabby from the comics strip.

WHAT IS GOOD: Chris Pratt as Garfield!  He was great. Samuel L. Jackson as his dad, Vic who loved him but abandon him for good reason.  Hannah Waddington as Jinx is amazing as the female who wants revenge on Vic and the Cecily Strong as Marge Malone as the Animal Control of Lactose Farm is simple fantastic!

WHAT IS BAD:  Garfield doesn’t look like he would get into the over-the –top adventure.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  It has funny, action-packed, romance and sentimental.

 

IF

COMEDY/FANTASY/ANIMATION 

PLOT:   A teenage girl has to deal with her father’s sickness and help IF-Imaginary Friends find new homes.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Calley Fleming as Bea, the young girl who lost her mom and her dad is sick and finds out she wants to search for new children for IFs to play with.  Ryan Reynolds is great who helps her.  Steve Carell is fantastic as Blue, a goofy monster who is really purple but very funny.

WHAT IS BAD:   The trailers make it look like a cute family comedy.  It is but it gets very dark sometimes.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  The adorable IFs are great but it has serious moments.  Go with caution.

BAD BOYS RIDE OR DIE

ACTION/COMEDY 

PLOT:   Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are back and this time they have to clear their former Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) of corruption.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Smith and Lawrence still got it after all these years!  The arguing duo can attack each other be very funny and defeat the bad guys.  The latest bad villain is McGrath (Eric Dane) and he is cruel to the core!  The action is amazing!

WHAT IS BAD:    Nothing new.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  OH YEAH! A great addition to the franchise!