TL;DR – Absurdist and silly, and while the mockumentary is fun at the start it does feel like it never quite came together.
Score – 3 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit scene
Review –
Well let me tell you a story, we have a famous actor creating a mockumentary of
a fictional ancestor that he also plays, and we are going to jump back and
forth between him finding out things today and a pretend performance of a
televised play in the 60s. This is a truly bonkers scenario, but that is the
one we have with us today as we explore Frankenstein’s
Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein.
TL;DR – A solid, if not very imaginative action flick
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
It has been a while since I have sat down and watched a solid action flick, the
kind where you can get out some popcorn, sit back and not think that hard about
what is going on. Well, today we have an example of just that with Point Blank which is a reimaging of À Bout Portant, a French film from a
couple of years ago.
So to set the scene, we open with Abe (Frank Grillo) smashing his way out of a
window leaving a dead District Attorney in his wake. On the run, with a gunshot
wound, he texts his brother Mateo (Christian Cooke) for a pickup, but just when
he arrives Abe is hit by a car. Later that night Paul (Anthony Mackie) is doing
his rounds as a nurse at the local hospital leaving his very pregnant wife
Taryn (Teyonah Parris) at home resting when he comes to examine the John Doe.
Only to be ambushed by a masked figure, dramatically changing his life.
TL;DR – As the swan song for the Phase 3 it delivers of nearly every front but mostly in heaping amounts of charm
Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene (you 100% need to stay for the mid-credit at least)
Review –
To be a bit honest I had some concerns about this film before I walked into the
cinemas. I quite liked the first Spider-Man
and the films since has showed that Tom Holland was one of Marvel’s best
casting choices. However, this film was coming off the double whammy of being
the follow up to both Endgame
and also the first film since the revolutionary Into
the Spider-Verse, and they are tough acts to follow. However, literally
five minutes into the movie I knew I was in for a good time, but I didn’t know
was how much of an impact this film would have on the greater landscape.
So to set the scene, we open with a quick recap of everyone who dies in Endgame, so if you have not seen it yet
get ready for that band aid to get ripped off real quick. It also gives a
little perspective as to how the world adapted to what they now call the blip
with half of the people disappearing then reappearing 5 years later. It looks
like most of Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) friends got snapped and have to
suffer through doing the school year all over again. Well after all the stress
of Endgame, Peter is happy that he is able to take a break because he and his friends
MJ (Zendaya), Jacob (Jacob Batalon), Betty (Angourie Rice) and unfortunately Flash
(Tony Revolori) are going to Europe on a school trip. However, before he leaves
Happy (Jon Favreau) arrives at his aunt May’s (Marisa Tomei) charity dinner to let
Peter know that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is looking for him and Peter does
the only normal thing and ghosts Nick Fury. Well you can guess how well that
went.
TL;DR – While there is a kernel of a really good idea here, all the moving parts never quite connect
Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
When reviewing films, I really like when I come across a scenario that
intrigues me. Well today we have just such a scenario where people’s lives
become unravelled through no fault of their own, okay maybe a little fault of
their own. However, while an interesting idea is a good start, it is not the
end of the equation and unfortunately that is the case here.
So to set the scene, three friends Eagle (Sean Nateghi), Bobby (Joseph Martinez),
and Dominic (Jay Habre), are out one weekend camping in the hills. They are
catching up and talking about their past and future as Eagle is just out of
jail after being set up in a break and enter. The weekend was great but when
they get back to their car they discover that while they were gone someone had
dumped a body in the back of their car. Immediately the question of what to do
splits the group and things spiral out from there.
TL;DR – A film that is funny in places, has some good effects and cast, but can’t escape its boilerplate plot
Score – 3 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
Back in the day, oh goodness, 1997 was over two decades ago, I had no idea that
a moth floating through the air was going to lead to something just magical.
That first Men in Black film was like
lighting in a bottle, hell I still have that theme song playing in my head from time
to time. However, since then the follow-up films have never been able to
capture, or even come close to that first film (though the cartoon series
almost did). Flash forward to last year when I heard that they were taking
another shot at the series, honestly, I felt a bit mostly meh. But then they announced
that it was going to be headed by Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth. Well if
there is a way to get me instantly interested in something it is to cast Tessa
Thompson and Chris Hemsworth and let’s see how they did.
So to set the scene, back in 2016 Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and High T (Liam
Neeson) arrive in Paris to stop a catastrophe, for the Hive, a destructive
species, was about to use The Eiffel Tower to gate onto Earth and take it over.
We then find ourselves with a young girl called Molly (Mandeiya Flory) who got
to see the Men in Black in action and hid so she never had her memories wiped
by the Neuralyzer. Now in 2018, all grown up Molly (Tessa Thompson) tries to
find the MIB and after a lifetime hunt, she is given status as a probationary officer
and sent to the London Branch where something does not seem right.
TL;DR – An interesting juxtaposition of the past and present, through music, Bob Dylan, and a very particular look at the 1970s.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene
Review –
Recently I’ve been listing in to a weekly Twitch podcast about music, exploring
all the different genres that had no experience with. This has gotten me more interested
in exploring the world behind music and Hollywood’s recent biopic
spree has helped a bit in this regard. But when you find that a film about
Bob Dylan has dropped on Netflix, by Martin Scorsese no less, you stop what you
are doing and jump back to the 1970s.
So to set the scene, Rolling Thunder Revue tells the story of Bob Dylan and
friends tour across New England and beyond during 1975. This was a year where
America was at crossroads, Nixon had just resigned, the Vietnam War debacle was
still in everyone’s mind, and economic recession had started in places of the
Rust Belt. All in all, it is a time very similar to the one we find ourselves
in right now. It is at this moment of flux that Bob decided to get a group of
folk/rock pals and do a tour, something he had not done in a while, and we get
to see it all.
TL;DR – A competent film from first-time filmmakers that shows that struggles of trying to start your life again
Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
All filmmakers have to start somewhere, a place where they can get their feet
wet, practice their crafts, and work on telling stories. Today we are looking
at a film from John Mathis & Jared Sprouse, which is the first feature film
from them as both directors and writers, and it is clear this was a bit of a
passion project. However, like all first-time filmmakers, while there is a promise,
there is also room from improvement.
So to set the scene, Ian (Ben Weinswig) arrives at his Aunt Renee’s (Dawn
O’Donoghue) house to come live. While we don’t know what happened in his past
life, it is clear from the way people act that something significant happened
with him and his parents. Ian is trying to stay out of trouble and restart his
life, however, life is not fair and he gets drawn back into a world of violence
where you can’t go to the cops because they are in on it.
TL;DR – In what might be the last major release of a Fox X-Men film, instead of going out with a bang, it goes out with a meh.
Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
With Fox being bought by Disney we know that the current X-Men film franchise is going to be reaching its end sooner rather than later, and with the New Mutants film having a difficult production, there is a chance that this is the last time we will see these characters on the big screen. With that in mind, there are many words I have used to describe the X-Men films in the past. There have been the highs of X-2, Deadpool, and Logan. There have been the lows of X-Men Origins:Wolverine, The Last Stand, and Apocalypse. However, today I have a new descriptor for an X-men film, and unfortunately, that word is dull.
So to set the scene, we open with a young Jean Grey (Summer Fontana) back in the 1970s driving with her parents when tragedy strikes and she becomes an orphan. Back in the present day of 1992, the Space Shuttle Endeavour has been hit by a solar flare and the president (Brian d’Arcy James) has only one team he can call. Since the time of Apocalypse, mutants have come out of hiding and the X-Men have become almost celebrities, using their powers, to help save the day. While in space, they discover that it was not a solar flare, but some kind of entity. While Jean (Sophie Turner) is trying to keep the shuttle together, the entity attacks and is absorbed by her. Back on Earth, she seems fine, but slowly they find out that this is not the case because Charles (James McAvoy) did something to her back in the day and that secret just burst forth.
TL;DR – Charming, awkward, delightful, weird, and a hell of a good time.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – Stay for the mid-credit song
Review –
Well, Netflix is currently creating a niche for itself with the romantic comedy
genre and today we get to look at another entry into this lineup. However,
while some might feel that this is the service limiting itself, I don’t, especially
when we get gems like this. Today we look at a film that completely knows what
it wants to be, and how best to use their main leads to achieve that as we dive
into the world of garage bands and upmarket transcendent Asian restaurants.
So to set the scene, we open in on Sasha (Miya Cech) who lives with her parents
in San Francisco but often spends time alone because her parents work for long
hours at their shop. However, Sasha is not really alone because her best friend
Marcus (Emerson Min) lives next door and his parents Harry (James Saito) and
Judy (Susan Park) teach Sasha about cooking and the joy of using scissors for
everything (seriously scissors are an amazing tool in the kitchen). For years
they were best friends until one fateful day when Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall
Park) became a bit more than friends and then it all fell apart. Fifteen years
later, they are both in completely different places in their lives and in different
relationships when their old friend and Sasha’s business partner, Veronica (Michelle
Buteau) puts them on a collision course with each other.
TL;DR – An example of a great concept and acting, not quite working due to the format.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene
Review –
As a fan of Science Fiction, I really enjoy seeing new ideas brought to the
screen, even if they don’t always work out as well as they hoped. Today we get
to look and just such a film that is filled with heart and some really
interesting ideas, but maybe a film was not the right format to properly
express it. With that in mind let’s delve into a story about a boy and his gun.
So to set the scene, we open in on Elijah “Eli” Solinski (Myles
Truitt) who lives in Detroit with his adopted father Hal (Dennis Quaid). Eli
has been struggling at school, he is a good kid but he has anger management
issues (well if kids were making fun of your dead mother, I would not be shocked
if you threw a punch or two). One day as Eli was stripping out some wiring from
an abandoned factory we stumble across the site of a battle between two alien
forces. On the ground are a number of corpses and on box shape gun that Eli
drops when one of the bodies move. Back home Hal lets him know to set another
plate for dinner because Eli’s older brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor) just got out
of prison, but Eli needs to be careful around Jimmy. Which is not an
unreasonable statement because what they don’t know is that Jimmy is in debt to
Balik (James Franco) a local gangster to the tune of $60,000 for protection
while he was in jail and soon Jimmy brings that damage into the house.
TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis 