Film Reviews - what have you seen lately, what did you think?

[ThreatMatrix]

Dune Part 1 did well enough over the weekend that Dune part 2 has been greenlit for release 2023.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

Last Night In Soho (2021) - Theaters: Hmmm. I don't know what genre to call this: Mystery, thriller, horror?
Cast of note: Thomasin McKenzie - Eloise is our POV and lead and a fine young actress. Anya Taylor-Joy (Sandie). Diana Riggs (Eloise's land lady). Terrance Stamp (creepy old guy).
Plot: Eloise, our heroine, is a 60's obsessed fashion student in London who has a "gift". She ends up renting a room from Diana Riggs and each night when she falls asleep she is transported to 60's SOHO where she follows Sandie, an aspiring singer. At first things are cool but soon Sandie falls into peril. Not much else I can say without giving away the plot.
Thoughts: It wasn't what I was expecting.I was intrigued by the 60's nostalgia and of course, Anya Taylor-Joy. I was disappointed by the soundtrack expecting recognizable tunes however I suppose they used songs that were popular in the UK but not so much here. The first act is entirely Thomasin McKenzie in present day. Nothing wrong with her but the real attraction is ATJ. Anya Taylor-Joy has been called this generation's Audrey Hepburn and there is an interesting if slim parallel between the character she plays in this movie and Holly Golightly. ATJ certainly fits the part, having the look of 60's "It" girl. And there is nothing wrong with her performance. There is mystery as Eloise tries to reach across time to help Sandie and determine what has happened to her and by who. The third act falls into the horror genre of which I'm not a fan. But if you are this may be your cup of tea. All in all it was interesting enough and kept me around until the end. Joe Bob says check it out.

Bonus:

 

[Detroitgator]

Last Night In Soho (2021) - Theaters: Hmmm. I don't know what genre to call this: Mystery, thriller, horror?
Cast of note: Thomasin McKenzie - Eloise is our POV and lead and a fine young actress. Anya Taylor-Joy (Sandie). Diana Riggs (Eloise's land lady). Terrance Stamp (creepy old guy).
Plot: Eloise, our heroine, is a 60's obsessed fashion student in London who has a "gift". She ends up renting a room from Diana Riggs and each night when she falls asleep she is transported to 60's SOHO where she follows Sandie, an aspiring singer. At first things are cool but soon Sandie falls into peril. Not much else I can say without giving away the plot.
Thoughts: It wasn't what I was expecting.I was intrigued by the 60's nostalgia and of course, Anya Taylor-Joy. I was disappointed by the soundtrack expecting recognizable tunes however I suppose they used songs that were popular in the UK but not so much here. The first act is entirely Thomasin McKenzie in present day. Nothing wrong with her but the real attraction is ATJ. Anya Taylor-Joy has been called this generation's Audrey Hepburn and there is an interesting if slim parallel between the character she plays in this movie and Holly Golightly. ATJ certainly fits the part, having the look of 60's "It" girl. And there is nothing wrong with her performance. There is mystery as Eloise tries to reach across time to help Sandie and determine what has happened to her and by who. The third act falls into the horror genre of which I'm not a fan. But if you are this may be your cup of tea. All in all it was interesting enough and kept me around until the end. Joe Bob says check it out.

Bonus:

Petula Clark had a bunch of songs make it here in the US

 

[gingerlover]

The Harder They Fall (Netflix) - Idris Elba stars in a western about revenge. A kid years ago watches as his parents are killed by an outlaw. He spends his life tracking them down until one is left (Elba). He then joins up with some friends to try and take him down.

This is an ok movie. The problem is that you care more about a few side characters than the stars. Elba is barely in it and I guess fulfilling a contract with Netflix. Has a few funny moments, one that sucked and tried to do a twist at the end but at that point nobody cared. 5/10

Army of Thieves (Netflix) - a prequel to army of the dead about the safe cracker. He’s recruited to break into 3 safes that are uncrackable. It’s a descent movie hampered by a B cast, side stories nobody cares about and the fact you know his fate. Somewhat entertaining 5/10

 

[ThreatMatrix]

Petula Clark had a bunch of songs make it here in the US

I challenge you to name a Petula Clark song other than Downtown w/o looking it up.

 

[Detroitgator]

I challenge you to name a Petula Clark song other than Downtown w/o looking it up.

I actually have her greatest hits CD

On top of that, my Grandfather used to sing to her songs, but here were his lyrics: "Don't sleep on the subway darling, you might get mugged or raped or something..."

 

[TLB]

Paper Tigers (2020) <Netflix>

Three Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties, and old grudges to avenge his death.

That's pretty accurate, solid cast of B actors you almost recognize, but don't. We start with some glimpses of their teen years as they were the only students of some Sifu master, a few VHS clips of recurring fights with 'Carter' (Mathew Page) as the white guy trying to hard to prove his Kung Fu skills and constantly getting his arse handed to him by the best of the three teens, Danny Eight Hands (Alain Uy). Danny is perhaps the best among the B actors, but Hing (Ron Yuan) provides the heart and soul of the group; not sure what Jim brings to the trio other than being the token black guy. First act sets our characters, where we focus a lot on Danny being divorced and not the best dad but someone we can relate to, it provides glimpses back to their teen years and establishes that Danny was good enough to get an invite to Japan where he promptly disappeared leaving his friends. Now their Sifu has died (we get a scene of someone Kung Fu'ing him in an alley, so was he that good?) and the trio reunite to solve the death. Carter is played perfectly as that obnoxious white guy, and provides our nemesis through the second act. Ok, too much detail, sorry. Cut to the chase, the acting is decent if you are ready to watch B acting. The plot is pretty thin, such that there is a new character introduced in the last act that had nothing to do with the earlier acts really, kinda cheap cop out, IMO. Decent fight sequences, better than expected from a B movie. But the true value of this film is in the writing and dialogue. In searching for the killer we have our trio square off against a young street gang, and there is frequent back and forth with Carter doling out clues and wanting to fight Danny again to hopefully win one finally. I seriously laughed out loud several times like I haven't in years. That alone was worth the price of admission. The story wraps up, mystery solved, everyone re-evaluates who they are, who they want to be going forward, yay...a Disney ending without the princess. Not a great film, but decent, and just right for a cheap 90min of low brow humor if you're up for it = for example, Carter offers to fight each of the three and if any one of them beats him he'll divulge what he knows. Second round is deemed an unfair match so he offers his opponent a weapon and says the fight is to first blood. Conversation flows to something like (going from memory, no quotes on imdb)

Hing: First blood? Even a drop?
Carter: Even a pin prick.
Hing: I'll pin you, ya prick.
Carter: I'll pin you with my prick....uh...
Hing: Dumb looks at his buddies

Like I said, low brow, but it flows very well. Worth it. 6.5/10

 

[gator1946]

Shoulda watched the Hallmark channel last night. I would have seen some tougher players.

 

[Gatorbait25]

Wind river

Written by the same guy that wrote the Sicario flicks and Yellowstone . He directs this one too and is an impressive story teller. Jeremy Renner is great in this one . As a wildlife ranger that spends most of his days shooting wolves . Overall it’s well done and I highly recommend. Solid A . Check it out on Netflix.

 

[Gatordiddy]

Wind river

Written by the same guy that wrote the Sicario flicks and Yellowstone . He directs this one too and is an impressive story teller. Jeremy Renner is great in this one . As a wildlife ranger that spends most of his days shooting wolves . Overall it’s well done and I highly recommend. Solid A . Check it out on Netflix.

I thought Elizabeth Olsen was surprisingly good in this one - she did a great job as the FBI agent.

 

[gingerlover]

Clifford: The Big Red Dog - Took my son to see this the other day. Your typical cheesy, but cute kids movie. If you have seen the preview then you can pretty much figure out almost everything that happens. Overblown evil corporation villain and predictable story. Has enough to keep everyone entertained and doesn't run to long. Kids 7/10 Adults 5/10

Jungle Cruise (Disney +) - Really wanted to like this movie as both the Rock & Blunt are solid actors. Man did they blow this one. Not horrible, but could have been so much more. I can't really even put my finger on what is wrong with it aside from most everything. They didn't even need villains. Could have just been them navigating the jungle. My kid was done about an hour in and my wife not far behind. I was the only one to finish it after they went to bed. 5/10

Shang Chi: The Ten Rings (Disney +) - This movie was pretty entertaining. The cast was good and always good to see Wong show up outside of Doctor Strange. Also love the continued hinting at Abomination being part of Val's group of heroes she is putting togethor. The only issue I have with this movie is how the world created in it fits in the MCU, which is weird considering we have alien races, but now are getting into mythical creatures as well. Obviously they are setting up for the object in this film to have some type of significance with the next big bad the Avengers fight ala the infinity stones. I went into this expecting to be a little underwhelmed. I don't think its a top 10 Marvel, but not near the bottom either. 7/10

Red Notice (Netflix) - The Rock, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds star. Reynolds is a thief that is captured by FBI agent the Rock and Interpol. They are then setup by the Bishop (Gadot) to take the fall in a scheme to steal 3 eggs that belonged to Cleopatra for a big score. Reynolds and the Rock have to team up to clear their names, while Gadot's character is working against them as well. In the end there are some twists and a sequel is setup. Like most Reynolds movies there is lots of fast talking witty banter and it plays off the Rock very well. Not the greatest production, but a really good Netflix movie by their standards for originals. 6.5/10. Bonus being you get to look at Gadot for half the movie.

 

[TheDouglas78]

Jungle Cruise (Disney +) - Really wanted to like this movie as both the Rock & Blunt are solid actors. Man did they blow this one. Not horrible, but could have been so much more. I can't really even put my finger on what is wrong with it aside from most everything. They didn't even need villains. Could have just been them navigating the jungle. My kid was done about an hour in and my wife not far behind. I was the only one to finish it after they went to bed. 5/10

Didn't this feel like they were just trying a redux of the Mummy franchise from the early 00s.

Shang Chi: The Ten Rings (Disney +)

- This movie was pretty entertaining. The cast was good and always good to see Wong show up outside of Doctor Strange. Also love the continued hinting at Abomination being part of Val's group of heroes she is putting togethor. The only issue I have with this movie is how the world created in it fits in the MCU, which is weird considering we have alien races, but now are getting into mythical creatures as well. Obviously they are setting up for the object in this film to have some type of significance with the next big bad the Avengers fight ala the infinity stones. I went into this expecting to be a little underwhelmed. I don't think its a top 10 Marvel, but not near the bottom either. 7/10

.

Saw this in theaters and couldn't bring myself to write reviews the last couple of months... But I think you said it perfectly, not the best MCU offering, but not the worse... Just kind of blah other than the effects it has on the rest of the universe.

 

[gingerlover]

Didn't this feel like they were just trying a redux of the Mummy franchise from the early 00s.



Saw this in theaters and couldn't bring myself to write reviews the last couple of months... But I think you said it perfectly, not the best MCU offering, but not the worse... Just kind of blah other than the effects it has on the rest of the universe.

I think the Mummy is a good comparison. My wife thought they were hoping to recreate the Pirates franchise but mummy is much better comparison

 

[TheDouglas78]

I think the Mummy is a good comparison. My wife thought they were hoping to recreate the Pirates franchise but mummy is much better comparison

The Rock is Brendan Frasier, Emily Blunt is Rachel Weiz, and the afeminate dude is the afeminate dude.

 

[TLB]

Shang Chi: The Ten Rings (Disney +) - This movie was pretty entertaining. The cast was good and always good to see Wong show up outside of Doctor Strange. Also love the continued hinting at Abomination being part of Val's group of heroes she is putting togethor. The only issue I have with this movie is how the world created in it fits in the MCU, which is weird considering we have alien races, but now are getting into mythical creatures as well. Obviously they are setting up for the object in this film to have some type of significance with the next big bad the Avengers fight ala the infinity stones. I went into this expecting to be a little underwhelmed. I don't think its a top 10 Marvel, but not near the bottom either. 7/10

Watched at home on Disney+ as well. Can't add much as your review is spot on. I will say, the soundtrack isn't a bunch of catchy tunes but more of mood setting non-vocal patterns that blended well with the scenes. The actors were decent and can carry us into sequels. I must admit enjoying the role of the Mandarin as it was teased from IM3, as well as seeing Abomination and Wong. The mythical creatures, while likely essential for this film, does run against the MCU to date. I'd agree, it may be leveraged for a big villian in future. Not top notch MCU, but still worth a watch, and to get up on new characters for future MCU work. 7/10.

Red Notice (Netflix)

- The Rock, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds star. Reynolds is a thief that is captured by FBI agent the Rock and Interpol. They are then setup by the Bishop (Gadot) to take the fall in a scheme to steal 3 eggs that belonged to Cleopatra for a big score. Reynolds and the Rock have to team up to clear their names, while Gadot's character is working against them as well. In the end there are some twists and a sequel is setup. Like most Reynolds movies there is lots of fast talking witty banter and it plays off the Rock very well. Not the greatest production, but a really good Netflix movie by their standards for originals. 6.5/10. Bonus being you get to look at Gadot for half the movie.

Also watched recently. I noted it was PG13 from the outset, and it stuck to that. Other than several "Sht" and a pair of "Fk" at the end, the only other factor driving the rating was all the gunfire, pretty mild fare. The whole film drove home, repeatedly, the notion of 'you must suspend logic, just go with the flow'. Meh, ok. The back half really, really felt like a Disney film, especially the big car chase at the end. I will give credit to type casting = Rock as a big law enforcement guy seems to be his schtick; Reynolds with the quick quips and smart ass remarks, although given a bit deeper mind than most of his characters; and Gadot who remains attractive as ever, and sneaky-manipulative throughout; and lastly an Interpol agent tracking them all is decent casting, albeit a minor supporting role of sorts. It never drags, has plenty of action and comedic dialogue, but remains a B+/A- type film. Star power helps it significantly. While it does have several end twists, and sets for sequel, I won't mind watching a follow up if they can keep it to this level. 6.5/10 as well.

 

[gingerlover]

Watched at home on Disney+ as well. Can't add much as your review is spot on. I will say, the soundtrack isn't a bunch of catchy tunes but more of mood setting non-vocal patterns that blended well with the scenes. The actors were decent and can carry us into sequels. I must admit enjoying th erole of the Mandarin as it was teased from IM3, as well as seeing Abomination and Wong. The mythical creatures, while likely essential for this film, does run against the MCU to date. I'd agree, it may be leveraged for a big villian in future. Not top notch MCU, but still worth a watch, and to get up on new characters for future MCU work. 7/10.



Also watched recently. I noted it was PG13 from the outset, and it stuck to that. Other than several "Sht" and a pair of "Fk" at the end, the only other factor driving the rating was all the gunfire, pretty mild fare. The whole film drove home, repeatedly, the notion of 'you must suspend logic, just go with the flow'. Meh, ok. The back half really, really felt like a Disney film, expecially the big car chase at the end. I will give credit to type casting = Rock as a big law enforcement guy seems to be his schtick; Reynolds with the quick quips and smart ass remarks, although given a bit deeper mind than most of his characters; and the Gadot who remains attractive as ever, and sneaky-manipulative throughout; and lastly an Interpol agent tracking them all is decent casting, albeit a minor supporting role of sorts. It never drags, has plenty of action and comedic dialogue, but remains a B+/A- type film. Star power helps it significantly. While it does have several end twists, and sets for sequel, I won't mind watching a follow up if they can keep it to this level. 6.5/10 as well.

Forgot about Trevor. Man that was a nice spot to have him back in this one.

As for Red Notice, I don't know what it is about Netflix, Prime and all these other streaming services, but all their movies just feel lower budget. I don't know if they use different cameras when shooting or the editing, but they just feel like those old made for TV movies and how they looked compared to a movie on the Big Screen.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

Red Notice (Netflix) - The Rock, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds star. Reynolds is a thief that is captured by FBI agent the Rock and Interpol. They are then setup by the Bishop (Gadot) to take the fall in a scheme to steal 3 eggs that belonged to Cleopatra for a big score. Reynolds and the Rock have to team up to clear their names, while Gadot's character is working against them as well. In the end there are some twists and a sequel is setup. Like most Reynolds movies there is lots of fast talking witty banter and it plays off the Rock very well. Not the greatest production, but a really good Netflix movie by their standards for originals. 6.5/10. Bonus being you get to look at Gadot for half the movie.

You had me at Gal Gadot.

 

[AugustaGator]

Watching Land now. Grand views. My type of movie, what I’d love to do. However I cringe at the decisions (and the absurdity).

 

[gingerlover]

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins - Watched this over the weekend. Not sure where to start. Basically all the things that make this character cool they ruined from the get go. The great thing about Snake Eyes was that he was this cool, all in black, ninja that never spoke. You had no idea where he came from or what his story was. The only thing they ever slightly explored was his relationship with Storm Shadow, but nope lets make him a wise cracking millennial. If this movie had just been a generic kung-fu movie it would be better, but it focused on jokes, unbelievable acrobatics and such. Nothing much redeemable here. 4/10.

Fat Man (Peacock) - Mel Gibson stars as Santa. In this world it is openly known and not questioned that Santa exists. He is on hard times due to so many kids now needing coal so the US subsidy checks he receives to operate are getting smaller. He then has the elves build weapons for the government to help earn more money. That's one side of the story. The other is that a rich kid got coal and hired a hit man to kill him. The hit man (Walter Googins) has a lot of quirks and has his own axe to grind with Santa as well. Based on the previews I expected a lot more humor than what we got, most of which comes from Googins. Some of it is unintentional. It's not a horrible movie, but you just don't know how some of these people ended up here. 5/10

 

[gingerlover]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Caught this on Thanksgiving Eve with my oldest. We are both big fans of the original and parts of the second. I know people are still seeing this so will be spoiler free. Basically if you have seen the trailers you know it's Egon's kids moving to his house after he passes away. They discover all of his stuff and the town starts to tie into the first movie. The characters are pretty descent, but the star of the film is the girl who plays his granddaughter with the same dry humor that Egon's character has.

The good of this story is how they tie this to the original. They did a good job connecting them. The second is the huge tribute they paid to the character and Ramis throughout the movie. When you see it things will make sense and at the end things tie up nicely. They also explain how everyone ended up there. Plenty of nice little Easter Eggs to see as well. Stay through the credits as it give one character particularly a great showing in my opinion. It is not campy and doesn't have scobby affects like the reboot.

The bad is that you still care more for old characters than the new ones. A few were only there to serve as a plot device later in the movie and unfortunately with it being tied to the original to basically try and copy and paste things togethor just like it. Once you wipe away some of the nostalgia this movie is no where near as good as the original or the second, but leaps and bounds better than the reboot. However your not sure where it goes from here. They just copy and pasted a lot of stuff. It also took a lot of time to get going and seemed like you didn't see the first ghost until more than halfway through the movie. There was also one character I was really hoping would be back, but wasn't.

At the end of the day it had enough moments in it to keep you invested, especially dripping with nostalgia. There were laughs by all characters, there was some drama and some heartwarming things as well. If you watch this with your kids you will not feel disappointing, but after it wears off you will understand its also not the greatest. Just like the first two no big scares for kids and mostly family friendly. Walking out of the theater rating after the ending 8/10. Sitting and thinking about it a little 6/10.