Roman Thrillers and Killers, with Christmas Fillers

 

GLADIATOR II

ACTION 

PLOT:  Lucius becomes a slave/fighter after his home was taken over by Rome and wants vengeance!

WHAT IS GOOD:  Paul Mescal as Lucius is good as a warrior who wants revenge.  He was in After Sun, a good movie but VERY slow.  Pedro Pascal (series Mandalorian) is good as warrior Marcus Acacius who enslaved Lucius. Denzel Washington is EXCELLENT as Macrinus, a calculating, charming slave owner who uses Lucius to carry out is sinister plan.  Washington is a joy to watch as an evil man.  The violence is vicious!

WHAT IS BAD:  Not as good as the first one.  Also there is a scene that is hard to believe in those times.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  It is bloody and the main actors are great but if you compare it to the first one you won’t like it.

 

CONCLAVE

MYSTERY THRILLER

PLOT:  The last pope died and now they have to vote in a new pope but not without scandal or secrets.  The meaning of conclave is electing a new pope.

WHAT IS RIGHT:  The cast that include Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow.  They show the Vatican is lush and vast!  It also shows the candidate for the job as people-they are not perfect.  They are shown as ruthless, ambitious and racists.

WHAT IS WRONG:  It is a slow burn.  The film is only 2 hours but it feels longer.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  The group of actors are worthy of this film.  Oscar nomination is in Ralph Fiennes’ future.

 

ABSOLUTION

CRIME DRAMA 

PLOT:    Once a boxer now an aging gangster with CTE wants to connect with his family .

WHAT IS RIGHT:  Liam Neeson as an older thug who begins to have a conscience.  He is tough but he wants to do the right thing which is hard in organized crime world.  The title of the movie means forgiveness.

WHAT IS WRONG:  It is not action packed like the trailer.  It is a character story about a man who wishes he did things differently.  You have seen Neeson do these kinds of movies before but does it so well.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  You should watch if you are a Liam Neeson fan, if not wait for On Demand.

 

RED ONE

COMEDY/ACTION/ADVENTURE 

PLOT:   Santa Claus is kidnapped and his top security guard and a bounty hunter must find him before Christmas!

WHAT IS RIGHT:   Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam) as Callum plays it straight as Santa Claus bodyguard and Chris Evans (Captain America) is fun as a different kind of bounty hunter/hacker.  The special effects were good.  He has an amazing, hi-tech sleigh!

WHAT IS WRONG:  It is a different story of Santa Claus but at least he is NOT a serial killer!  It is an expensive movie but should have paid more on the script!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like an unusual telling of Santa Claus movie this is it!  If you like Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans you should see it too. 

 

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!

 

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!

Was the 2024 Oscar Season Filled with Poor Things?

 

OSCAR NOMINATION 2024

BEST ACTOR

COLMAN DOMINGO

RUSTIN 

PLOT:   Bayard Rustin, a charismatic, determined black gay man in the 60s who against all odds organized the March on Washington.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Colman Domingo is AMAZING as Bayard Rustin!  He was smart, savvy and nothing stopped him.  Chris Rock (yeah the comedian) as Roy Wilkins another activist that didn’t care for Rustin is very and good and Jeffery Wright is terrific as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. is great!  My only hope is Jeffery Wright will do Adam Clayton Powell Jr. biography.

WHAT IS WRONG:  When Hollywood does a biography they pick and choose what is in the film and YOU want to learn more you must read to find out the real story.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  ABSOULETY!  Rustin is an unsung person on the March on Washington that is finally getting his due.

 

BEST ACTOR

BRADLEY COOPER

MASTRO

BIOGRAPHY /DRAMA

PLOT:    The biography of Leonard Bernstein the brilliant conductor and his wife Felicia Montealegro.

WHAT IS GOOD:   Bradley Cooper as Bernstein.  He is passionate about his music and friends.  Carey Mulligan as his wife Felicia is a great for loving him no matter what.  Cooper is also the director and it is very good. 

WHAT IS WRONG:  Felicia may have an interesting back story but it is not talked about much.

SHOULD YOU WATCH: YES because of the performances of Cooper and Mulligan are very well done.

OSCAR NOMINATION 2024

BEST ACTOR

PAUL GIAMATTI

HOLDOVERS

COMEDY/DRAMA 

PLOT:   Paul Giamatti is Paul Hunham a crusty teacher who is punished has to take care of students at Christmas in 1970.  Most leave except one young man that changes his life.

WHAT IS RIGHT:  The cast that consist of Giamatti, newcomer Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully, a smart but troubled young man and Da Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb, a black cook who’s son died in the Vietnam War.  They are a sad but funny group of people trying to cope with life that didn’t give them a good hand.

WHAT IS WRONG:   Predictable but still interesting.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you enjoy watching people deal with tragedy and regrets then YES!

 

 PAST REVIEWS--

BEST ACTOR

CILLIAN MURPHY

OPPENHEIMER

SEE REVIEW

 

BEST ACTOR

JEFFREY WRIGHT

AMERICAN FICTION

SEE REVIEW

  

BEST ACTRESS

ANNETTE BENING

NYAD

BIOGRAPHY/DRAMA 

PLOT:  Diana Nyad is a gifted swimmer and at 60 she decides to swim from Cuba to Florida.

WHAT IS RIGHT:  Bening as Nyad!  The female is driven!  Five times she tried because she believed she could do it.  Also outstanding is her good friend and coach Bonnie Stall played by Jodie Foster.  She trusted in her friend despite how crazy it was!  The rest of the cast was great as well.

WHAT IS WRONG:   When Hollywood does a bio they sometimes alter the facts.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  The film is about the human spirit that can’t be stopped!

 

BEST ACTRESS

LILY GLADSTONE

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

CRIME DRAMA 

PLOT:  Osage Indians stuck oil and white men married the women to kill them and get the insurance money.

WHAT IS RIGHT:    When you think of native Indians you think of them on horse with bow and arrows killing the hero.  Not this film.  They are shown as intelligent, wealthy people who want the same thing any other people want equality and acceptance.  The cast!  Leonardo Di Caprio is fantastic as Ernest Burkhart who was lead astray by his uncle William “King” Hale played by the great actor Robert DeNiro.  He should have been nominated. Molly Burkhart played by Lily Gladstone is just amazing as Ernest’s wife.  She is not melodramatic as a woman trying to find out who is killing her people, her husband is trying to poison her and the death of her child.  She has a silent strength you can see all the pain in her eyes.

WHAT IS WRONG:  It is too long!  Martin Scorsese makes great epic stories but it is too long!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  If you like great story telling, great acting.

 

EMMA STONE

POOR THINGS

HORROR/COMDEY/DRAMA 

PLOT:   Bella (Emma Stone) jumps off a cliff killing herself and her baby inside her but Dr. Godwin Baxter (William Dafoe) finds her in the water reanimates her and places her baby’s brain in her head.  She starts off as a toddler then matures into a woman.

WHAT IS GOOD:  It is a different telling of Frankenstein. Very funny but mostly bizarre at times.  Emma Stone is fine from child-like to grown woman.  Mark Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderham a lustful cad who has sex with her a lot on a cruise.

WHAT IS BAD:  It is not for kids!  Lots of nudity and sex! Bella is a corpse!   Is it Poor Things or Porno Things?

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  This is a strange movie so if you want something different-this is iT!

BEST ACTRESS

SANDRA HUELLER

ANATOMY OF A FALL

DRAMA/MYSTERY 

PLOT:    Sandra Voyter is a writer with her husband and young, blind son and they live in the isolated mountains.  One day his husband falls off the top floor of the big house and dies.  Sandra is indicted but did she do it?

WHAT IS GOOD:  Sandra Huller as Sandra whose past is far from perfect but still loves her husband and child.

WHAT IS BAD:  Slow paced.  It’s a French movie

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  Yes for the performances.

BEST ACTRESS

CAREY MULLIGAN

MASTRO

SEE REVIEW

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Stering K. Brown -American Fiction

Robert DeNiro-Killers- of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey Jr. Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling –Barbie

Mark Ruffalo-Poor Things

SEE REVIEWS

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS-

Emily Blunt-Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks-The Color Purple

Jodie-Foster Nyad

Da Vine Joy Randolph-The Holdovers

  

BEST DIRECTOR

Jonathan Glazer

THE ZONE OF INTEREST

PLOT:   Commandant Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel) has wonderful home, a loving family and great backyard the bad part is it is next to a concentration camp in the 40s.

WHAT IS RIGHT:  The acting is really great especially by the two leads Friedel and Oscar nominee Sandra Huller.  The music is scary as hell.  You don’t see the horror but you definitely hear it. The sickening part is the family has drama like most families but they seem to ignore the hideous things around them.

WHAT IS BAD:  Slow but frightening.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT:  YES but fair warning:  It is not a popcorn movie!  It is powerful and shocking!

 

BEST DIRECTOR

JUSTINE TRIET- Anatomy of a Fall

YORGOS LANTHIMOS-Poor things

JONATHAN GLAZER-The Zone of Interest

SEE REVIEW

MARTIN SCORESE-Killer of the Flower Moon

Christopher Nolan-Oppenheimer

 

BEST PICTURE

American Fiction

Anatomy of a Fall

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Mastro

Past Lives

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

 

PAST LIVES

BEST PICTURE

ROMANTIC/DRAMA 

PLOT:   Nora and Hae adore each other when they were young but Nora moved to the US while Hae stayed in Korea.  He comes to see her.  They care about each other but things and time have changed.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Greta Lee as Nora.  She hated leaving her country but is content with living in America yet she still thinks of her young lover Hae.  Teo You as Hae Sing stayed in Korea but to him his life is ordinary.  Both care deeply for each other but life happens.  Past lives is a saying in Korea and it is throughout the movie.  John Magaro is good as Arthur who is a writer and understanding husband of Nora.

WHAT IS BAD:   Not much humor.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  It is a romantic movie without the melodrama.

THE BEEKEEPER

ACTION 

PLOT:   An elderly woman Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad) lets Adam Clay (Jason Statham) stay at her barn to take care of his bees.  She is scammed out of her life savings and kills herself and Clay wants revenge.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Jason Statham as Adam Clay!  He is more than a beekeeper; he is a retired special agent.  Phylicia Rashad as Eloise a kind senior who helps Adam.  She isn’t in the film long but she is great.

WHAT IS WRONG:   It is like a low-rent John Wick.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like Jason Statham YES.  You have seen it all before but he is a very good action actor!

 

ARGYLLE

ACTION/COMEDY 

PLOT:    Elle Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard, Jurassic World) has a dull life but she is a successful spy novelist whose real spies want her information.  It’s an update on The Long Kiss Goodnight.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Sam Rockwell (Aidan) is great as a real agent trying to protect Elle.  He is very funny but he can fight!  The action sequences are amazing.

WHAT IS BAD:   There is a lot of unbelievable twist and turns.  Elle’s cat Alfie gets into bad situations dropped in her backpack, left to die and shot at for comedy!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  Not really.  If you can see it on cable or streaming it would be better.  Exciting but senseless!

MADAME WEB

ACTION/SUPERHERO 

   PLOT:    Cassandra Web (Dakota Johnson) is a paramedic and she gains clairvoyant powers and must save three teens from an evil Spiderman (Tahar Rahim) because these three female teens will kill him in future.

WHAT IS RIGHT:   The ending is exciting.  She does become blind and in a wheelchair like in the comic book by the end of the movie.

WHAT IS WRONG:   Madame Web is a villain in the Spiderman comic books but to the public she is not well known.  It is really a mess!  The three ladies are stereotypical types the nerdy girl; the smart girl and the tough girl.  The bad Spiderman ONLY goal is to kill the women. He has a little backstory.  Cassandra supposed to protect them but leaves them alone a lot.  Four writers including the director S.J. Clarkson who did the great Netflix series Jessica Jones !

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  NO!!!  This movie should be seen on a streaming service or ON DEMAND

DUNE PART TWO

SCI-FI/ACTION 

PLOT:    Paul Atreies is now part of the leader Fremen warriors along with Chani (Zendaya) who is his love interest.

WHAT IS RIGHT:   Timothy Charlamet is good as Paul and Zendaya as a female warrior Chani but Austin Butler as Feyd Ratha Hankonnenn is great an evil assassin.

WHAT IS WRONG:  As always in Hollywood there are changes from the classic novel to the screen.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  If enjoyed the last one it and it is better.

IRON CLAW

BIOGRAPHY/DRAMA 

PLOT:  The tragic tale of the Von Erich dynasty in wrestling.  Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) is determined to make one of his four boys a wrestling champion and will do whatever it takes.  He  pushes them to the limit! 

WHAT IS GOOD:  The cast.  Holt Mcallany is amazing as the father who will break his sons to become a wrestling champion.  Zac Elfron as Kevin Von Erich is intense trying to get his approval but always failing.  Maura Tierney as Doris Van Erich the silent but strong mother of the family who tries to keep it together despite all the sadness.

WHAT IS WRONG:  Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Ric Flair!  They should have got the real guy because He would be better than the actor who played him.  REMEMBER:  When you are watching a bio not everything is true and you have to separate fact from fiction.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!  It is a sad story of brothers who loved each other but their father’s dreams got in the way of  them living. 

THE COLOR PURPLE

MUSICAL 

PLOT:    Celie goes on a journey to find faith, hope and her sister.  Based on the novel by Alice Walker, was a movie in 1985.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The songs are very good especially “Hell No.”  Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery,  a sassy, brassy blues singer daughter of a preacher.  When she is singing or talking she is sensational!

Fantasia Barrino as Celie who went through hell in life is fantastic.  The rest of the cast is equally good.

WHAT IS BAD:  It still makes black men look bad.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YESSSS!   It is better as a musical than the drama in 1985.  It has tragedy and triumph.  Worth watching.

 

AMERICAN FICTION

COMEDY/DRAMA 

PLOT:   Monk Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) writes intelligent novels that don’t sell but he needs money to pay bills so he writes a book about stereotypical blacks in the ghetto which becomes a best seller.

WHAT IS RIGHT:  The cast is amazing that includes Sterling Brown, Tracie Ellis Ross, Issa Rae and John Oritz, Monk’s happy agent he has a successful client.  The subject matter is great as well!  Not all black writers want to write about the usual slavery; crime and being poor.

WHAT IS WRONG:  The predicable story of family with problems and secrets.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES.  It shows that black writers have the same problems as black actors; the usual, tired stereotypes.

 

MAYHEM

ACTION 

PLOT:   Sam (Nassim Lyes) is a model prisoner.  He finally gets out finds a job, marries and has a little girl.  He wants to buy land but can’t but Narong (Olivier Gourmet) will help him if he does illegal activities and when he doesn’t bad things happen to his family.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The fight scenes!  Brilliantly brutal and men and women get Sam’s wrath!  Also you can about the characters because Sam wants to do the right but his pass catches up with him.

WHAT IS WRONG:  It is not wrong but half  the movie is subtitled; the other half English.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YESSS!  People who love action will love this MOVIE!!!

2023 Year End Wrap-up, Part 2

WONKA

ADVENTURE/FANTASY/MUSICAL

 PLOT:   How Willy Wonka, inventor, magician and chocolate maker became rich and started his own chocolate factory.

 WHAT IS GOOD:   Timothee Charamet who was good in Dune is great as Wonka!  Cheerful, optimistic and outrageous!  Calah Lane as Noodle, who helps him, is great.  Paterson Joseph as Slugworth leader of the chocolate cartel (!) is evil to the core!  Last but not least Hugh Grant as Oompa Loompa, a short, orange skinned, green-hair guy.  Director Paul King is the English Steven Spielberg.

WHAT IS WRONG:  Most of the songs were okay but not great.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  OH YES!  It has everything you want in a movie!

 

GODZILLA MINUS ONE

SCI-FI

PLOT:    Japan in the late 1940’s living through the war now a new menace rises in the form of Godzilla.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Godzilla!  He is not a B-movie monster anymore! He is a giant killing machine!  He spares no human!  The cast of humans are very good!  You care about the people will they survive Godzilla’s wrath!  In most of Godzilla movies you can’t wait for the King of the Monsters to show up and cause damage but this film is not the case.  They keep the roar and his music –very good!  The film was made with less than 15 million dollars-unlike the millions of dollars Hollywood needs but isn’t very good.

WHAT IS WRONG:   The people are important in the movie but it does drags when Godzilla is not on screen.  He is in the film only 4 times and the movie is 2 hours and 5 minutes so he is on screen every 30 minutes or so.  You have to read the subtitles which turns many people off.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  There are 2 kinds of Godzilla fans:  One, the fans who love the film in 1954 where Godzilla was created by the atomic bomb. Second, the fans who love Godzilla coming out of the ocean of Japan destroying everything and if there is another monster attacking and destroying the creature.  To enjoy this film you have to a little bit of both!

 

THANKSGIVING

HORROR/SLASHER 

PLOT:     Black Friday sales at Right Mart ends in tragedy and a killer in a John Craver mask rises.

WHAT IS GOOD:  The killer is not slashing teens at random; there is a purpose why he is taking out young people.  Some of the kills are SICK!!!

WHAT IS WRONG:   Fans who watch these kind of films will easily know who the killer is!  Stereotyped teenagers.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like revenge /slasher movies YES.

 

WISH

3D ANIMATION

MUSICAL/FANTASY

PLOT:    Asha finds out King Magnifo really doesn’t grant wishes like he promised.

WHAT IS GOOD:   Ariana DeBoise as Asha who is an intelligent girl who figures out many things about King Magnifo.  Chris Pine as Magnifo who is charming and controlling.  Some songs are very good. 

WHAT IS WRONG:  Too many songs!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like the usually Disney heroine, pretty and smart, the cute characters and  the  villain then YES!  It is a joy to watch even if there is too many musical numbers.

 

HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLARD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES

ADVENTURE/ FANTASY

PLOT:    The prequel to Hunger Games and the transformation of Coriolanus Snow.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Tom Blyth as the young Snow and the slow turn that he became a tyrant.  Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Braid, a spunky young girl who Snow gets romantic with. Viola Davis as the Dr. Volumina Gaul who is very devious and charge of the 10^th Hunger Games who has a big barrel of snakes she trained!  Peter Dinlage as Casca Highbottom who is Dean of the Academy but has a drug problem.

WHAT IS BAD:  It takes a while to grow on you.  It gets very interesting near the end.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  If you like the Hunger Games starring Jennifer Lawrence and the book by Suzanne Collins’ novel which they didn’t change too much then YES!

 

 TROLLS BAND TOGETHER

3D ANIMATION/MUSICAL/ADVENTURE

 PLOT:     Branch (Justin Timberlake) was in a boy (Troll?) band and one of his brothers are in the clutches of a singer Velvet(Amy Shumer) who drains his talent so she can sing.  The third film in the series.

WHAT IS GOOD:  Justin Timberlake as Branch, Poppy(Anna Kendrick) his very happy girlfriend, Tiny (Kenan Thompson) a small but loud friend and Amy Shumer as the evil Velvet.

WHAT IS WRONG:  They break out in song at any time!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES!!! It tells the importance of family, has many of songs and Amy Shumer is great as the villainess!

 

 SILENT NIGHT

ACTION/THRILLER

PLOT:    Brian and his wife lose their only son to gang war at Christmas Eve. She wants to move on: he wants revenge!

WHAT IS GOOD:  Joel Kinnaman!  There is no dialogue, like a silent movie and yet he shows all the anguish and suffering of losing a child.  The action is near the end but when it happens it is non-stop!

WHAT IS WRONG:  Revenge is a popular theme in action films but director John Woo has to add something unusual to the genre!  No dialogue meaning no catch phases!

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  YES-if you want a different take on revenge action movies!

 

THE GRINGO WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS

HOLIDAY/COMEDY

PLOT:   Mexican dad (George Lopez) is happy that her daughter is coming home for the holidays until he finds out she is bringing her white boyfriend.

WHAT IS GOOD:  George Lopez!  He wants to keep tradition but times are changing.  The three young neighbors are like Three Latin Stooges.  A few stereotypes but still amusing.  Where is their movie?

WHAT IS WRONG:  It is Guess Who‘s Coming To Dinner vibe which has been done too much.

 SHOULD YOU WATCH:   If you like romantic holiday comedies-Yes!

 

 AQUAMAN:   THE LOST KINGDOM

ADVENTURE/SUPERHERO

PLOT:    Black Manta still wants revenge against Aquaman and goes to great lengths to get it.

WHAT IS GOOD:   Jason Momoa as Aquaman.  He is funny, protective and serious!  Patrick Wilson as Aquaman’s brother King Orm is amazing hating his brother  who placed him in prison but ready to help him to save Atlantis.  Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta is just FANTASTIC!!!  He will stop at NOTHING to get destroy Aquaman. Amber Heard as Mera whose scenes were cut down by her famous divorce from Johnny Depp was not in the film much.

WHAT IS WRONG:  Comical in spots, a little gross in spots too.

SHOULD YOU WATCH:  The movie is like a 2 hour superhero cartoon so if you like that-GO