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!

 

Summer Gone Mad, Max Girls, Fall Guys, Saints, Sinners, Apes and Monkey Men

BOY KILLS WORLD

ACTION/COMEDY 

PLOT:   In the future The Van Der Koy rule the country and a young boy sees his family slaughtered and vows vengeance.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The fights scenes are bloody, messy, and very good!  It is like a graphic novel come to life!  Many plot twists!

WHAT IS BAD:   It does have strange moments and the audience wonders are you in a video game or graphic novel.  It does become confusing at times.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like mindless but amazing fights and wild situations by all means YES!

 

FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA

ACTION/SCI-FI 

PLOT:  How Furiosa became buzz cut one armed female warrior in the wasteland.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Anya Taylor Joy (Furiosa).  She doesn’t talk much but she is tough, clever and resilient!  Chris Hemsworth is fantastic as Dementus who wants to take over what is left of civilization.  He is funny, evil and arrogant! His ride is fantastic too!  A chariot driven by three motorcycles!  The action sequences are great!

WHAT IS BAD:  It is not bad but it helps if you watch all of the Mad Max films .

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you enjoy the Mad Max franchise you will enjoy this!

FALL GUY

ACTION/ROMANTIC/COMEDY 

PLOT:    Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling, Barbie) is a stuntman but after an accident he is a bounty hunter who is on a case but can still be a stuntman and be with a female director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) who he has always loved.  Based on the TV series The Fall Guy.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The stunts are AMAZING!  Gosling and Blunt are cute as a couple for he is awkward and she is ambitious.  The supporting cast is also very good.

WHAT IS BAD:   Much CGI that is excessive.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like great stunts and romance then YES!

 

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

SCI-FI/ACTION 

PLOT:   The future of the apes are in peril generations later.

WHAT IS GOOD: Special effects are fantastic!  Promxius Caesar voiced by Kevin Durand as the villain is fantastic and has a great catch phrase “What a wonderful day!”  Freya Allan as Mae, a human who is more than meets the eye.

WHAT IS BAD:  The film is long because when there is action, it is very good.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  If you enjoyed the franchise so far you WILL enjoy this new addition.  The franchise has been around but it is improving with each movie.

CIVIL WAR

SCI-FI/DRAMA 

PLOT:    In the not too distant future cities and states are divided and a few people of the press want to talk to the President of the United States.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Kristen Dunst as Lee Smith, a weary photojournalist who has to show the world how horrible the United States is becoming.  Jessie,  Cailee Spaney, a young woman who wants to be like  Lee.  Action is very good when it happens.  Some images don’t get out of your head!

WHAT IS BAD:  California and Texas team up to go against US and the President. Seems strange for they are both very opposite.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  It is rough viewing!  NOT A POPCORN movie even with the action.

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES

SATIRE/ROMANTIC COMEDY 

PLOT:   Aren (Justice Smith) is a struggling artist who finds a job with the help of Roger (David Allen Grier) to make white people feel comfortable but love gets in the way. 

WHAT IS GOOD:  Actor David Allen Grier is a good actor who mentors Aren.  There is a lot of truth to the meaning of the film.  When it does talk about race it is very good but romance part not so much.

WHAT IS WRONG:  I am sure the title turned many black people off and the plot.  The film was pulled after three weeks and now on demand and with good reason.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  Mixed.  It is great and funny when talking about the “magical negro” that many black people really don’t want to be.  The romance part okay and it would be better if you see it ON DEMAND.

  

IN THE LAND OF SAINT AND SINNERS

THRILLER 

PLOT:    Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) is an aging hitman who wants to retire and grow plants but a young girl forces him to take out one more person but the scumbag has a sister, Doireann (Kerry Condon) who is also a terrorist!

WHAT IS RIGHT:  The two leads Neeson and Condon are fantastic!  Condon  loves her horrible brother and her country but she is smart, sassy and violent! Neeson is great as kind man with a bad past. Jack Gleeson as Kevin a funny up and coming assassin is good.  The scenery of Ireland is beautiful.

WHAT IS WRONG:  Neeson is great in action movies and he plays the same type.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES ONLY if you’re a Liam Neeson fan?

MONKEY MAN

ACTION 

PLOT:  Del Patel,(Slumdog Millionaire) a young fighter in India wants revenge on the people who killed his mother.  Patel also wrote and directed the film.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The action scenes are amazing!  Ashwini Kalsekar as Queenie is evil as madam and drug dealer.  She is wicked and got a foul mouth!  Priceless!  Sikandar Kher as Rana, the main villain and you can’t wait for the two to fight!

WHAT IS WRONG:   Strange, dreamlike  spots!

SHOULD  YOU WATCH:  YES!  He is the Indian John Wick!

  

 

 

New Movies, New Empires, and Frozen Empires

 

BOB MARLEY ONE LOVE

BIOGRAPHICAL DRAMA

PLOT:    The story about Bob Marley who wrote and sung music to change the world and he did.  It only deals with two years of his short life.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Kinsley Ben-Adir as Marley and his wife Rita Marley (Lashana Lynch, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange in the Multi-Verse and No Time to Die.)

WHAT IS BAD:  The accents are very thick!  The typical things that happen to a superstar, backstage arguing; agents stealing from him and the stressed out wife singing with him and taking care children that are his and other women.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  If you like Bob Marley’s music and find out more about him.

KUNG-FU PANDA 4

3D ANIMATION 

PLOT:   Po, the panda (Jack Black) is now a Spiritual Leader and must pick a new Dragon Warrior while the evil The Chameleon (Viola Davis) wants to be the best martial arts in the world and will use anyone and anything to possess it.

WHAT IS RIGHT:  Jack Black as Po funny as ever and believe or not a great hero.  Awkwaffina is amazing as Zhen, a fox who lived on the streets to survive and of course Viola Davis as the wicked shape-shifter.  The rest of the cast is amazing.

WHAT IS WRONG:  You know Po will make it but it’s still a lot of fun! 

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!!!  It has fighting, fantasy, action and humor!

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

SUPERNATURAL COMEDY 

PLOT:   The Spengler family moves to New York to help the original team to stop a creature that freezes everything.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The team of 1984!  Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson.  The new team is good especially Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace), a spunky, smart 15 year old girl who can’t help the Ghost Busters for she is too young.  The new threat is scary.

WHAT IS WRONG:   Too many characters and slows down in the middle.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  If you are a fan of the new series of Ghostbusters as well as the old.

GODZILLA X KONG: NEW EMPIRE

ACTION/FANTASY 

PLOT:   King Kong finds out he is not the last of his kind and needs Godzilla’s help!

WHAT IS GOOD:  MONSTER MAYHEM!  There are monsters and monsters that are fighting especially Godzilla and King Kong.  The human supporting cast are not that important but Dan Stevens as Trapper, a Titan veterinarian (!) is fun to watch.

WHAT IS BAD:  If you are a fan of Godzilla he is not in the film that much until the end.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  OH YESSS!  If you love giant monsters this film is for you.  The ending is worth the price of admission!