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The Rip Movie Review

2026-02-28T02:00:00.169-05:00

The Rip (2026)

Watch The Rip on Netflix
Written by: Joe Carnahan (screenplay by), Joe Carnahan & Michael McGrale (story by)
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Kyle Chandler, Nestor Carbonell
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the huge seizure, making them question who to rely on.

Verdict
It's a solid drama as cops bust a stash house, but it's the amount of money that leads to paranoia, distrust, and greed. They wonder if someone will miss so much more or whether they would mind if a little bit went missing. It rarely feels grounded in police work, but I like the subterfuge and reveals. This doesn't develop the characters much. This movie is focused on doubt and distrust. It creates a great mood but doesn't do much to create a gripping story.
It depends.

Review
Carnahan also wrote Pride and Glory (2008) and Copshop (2021), directing the latter.

This doesn't need an introduction with a police captain asking Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) if they believed his alibi, but the movie wants to be certain we understand the plot. A police captain leading a tactical team, TNT, has been killed. The captain's team is interviewed to determine if anyone knows anything or was involved. All of these interviews occur in a dim room. While it creates a mood, it doesn't seem like a police station. With their captain dead, the team wants to start their own investigation. They're hanging out joking about how corrupt other officers are. If someone overheard that, it probably wouldn't look good. Maybe they're right, and there are a lot of corrupt cops. Dane comes up with a tip on a stash house and readies the team of JD Byrne (Ben Affleck), Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno).

Matt Damon, Ben Affleck play Dane Dumars, JD Byrnes

Dane manages to obtain a consent to search of the house in question under the guise of looking for drugs. Once inside, he brings in a currency dog. I didn't know there were dogs that sniffed for money, but that's a real thing. While the resident of the house doesn't like the bait and switch, Dane has cause and isn't leaving. The resident knew the house had money, not fearing a drug search.

The team expected a couple hundred thousand, but they get much, much more. The amount of money puts everyone on edge. Dane breaks protocol, and all of this is built on his Crime Stoppers tip. If you recall, he got a text message. Is the tip valid? Dane separates the team, causing some of them to doubt him as it seems he's breaking protocol.

Steven Yeun, Ben Affleck, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kyle Chandler play
Mike Ro, JD Byrne, Numa Baptiste, Lolo Salazar, Matty Nix

What follows are cryptic phone calls to the house to leave the money alone, open attacks, and lots of deceit. Mike texts the captain about the money after Dane told everyone to keep the information off air. JD doesn't like the situation and calls in DEA Agent Matty Nix (Kyle Chandler) for backup.

Everyone starts to doubt each other. JD disappears, and we don't know if Dane took him out or the cartel has shown up. It seems like Dane is going to steal the money. Then someone opens fire on the house. How did no one hear them pull up? While they're told it's cartel money, the cartel is emphatic that they didn't attack. The loss of money is the cost of doing business.

I like the reveal of who was doing what and who was really corrupt. It leads to a violent conclusion. While I question the realism of the movie, the intensity is off the charts. It's a fun ride, but it shirks realism to achieve that.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Movie Review

2026-01-25T02:00:00.197-05:00

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Watch Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix
Written by: Rian Johnson
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Thomas Haden Church, Jeffrey Wright, Daryl McCormack
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Benoit Blanc returns for his most dangerous case yet when a priest is mysteriously killed during a service.

Verdict
Benoit is always fun, and I wouldn't have minded more of him. I wish there were more characters chewing the scenery, or at least that they interacted more. I didn't expect this to touch upon religion, and that gives this a surprising amount of depth. We see two examples of church leaders amongst this mystery that turns, twists, and spins. With any mystery, nothing is ever quite what it seems, and this mystery creates a complex scenario full of incriminating evidence, motivated characters, and of course a dead man.
Watch It.

Review
This is the second sequel to Knives Out (2019) following Glass Onion (2022).

A priest, Jud (Josh O'Connor), is sent to a small town church to assist Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin) after an altercation. Wicks is atypical and antagonistic. He and Jud clash over Wicks's aggressive preaching which drives people away. That seems to be the intention.

Josh O'Connor plays Jud Duplenticy

Jud meets the most loyal church members; Cy (Daryl McCormack) a failed conservative politician that's surprisingly self aware of his message and performance, Nat (Jeremy Renner) a divorced doctor, Lee (Andrew Scott) a former best-selling author, Simone (Cailee Spaeny) a cellist with a degenerative disease, and Vera (Kerry Washington) a stressed lawyer.

The Monsignor has a strange hold on all of them, that or they all just see Jud as an outsider. When Jud talks to them about being more inclusive, the group only clings tighter to Wicks. Soon after, Wicks dies during a service. Jud is a likely culprit due to their differing viewpoints and circumstantial evidence, though he was preaching when the crime occurred which seems like a plausible alibi. Then again, Wicks's manner is to offend people which means everyone we've met has motive. Then there're rumors of a fortune which may have driven the crime.

Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Josh O'Connor, Andrew Scott, Jeremy Renner, Cailee Spaeny play
Vera, Martha, Jud, Lee, Nat, Simone

Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is called in to put the pieces together. He thinks Jud is innocent, and together they question the congregation. The two eventually search for the fortune, but they're unable to find anything conclusive. They're searching for Eve's Apple as some kind of clue. I wondered if the nine-digit bank account and the fact that "Eve's Apple" has nine letters was significant, but it's just misdirection.

This certainly takes a twist, and at that point this keeps spinning such a tale that you question everything. The mystery at hand looks impossible, and as more layers develop the crime only becomes more complicated as we question everything. Benoit gathers the cast, ready to explain what happened before stopping short and realizing he's missing a key part of the story. That's when we get a new clue.

Daniel Craig plays Benoit Blanc

While we've seen several clues that could help reach a conclusion, I don't know how you would ever put them together correctly. It's an impossible mystery, and there's no way to solve it. I wish I felt it was even possible to solve it, even if improbable or an illusion. With this movie, there's no aspiration that the viewer could solve this. It's too nebulous.

This also has a lot of characters. With fewer, this could have developed the remaining ones better. Part of what made the first Knives Out so much fun was the banter and bickering between characters. With this one, the characters are isolated. Despite all of that, it's an entertaining mystery. We see two sides of religion in Jud and Wicks. Wicks tries to offend, going out of his way. He never has the compassion we see in Jud. Jud is an example of redemption and grace, having become a priest after a tragic event. Due to that he has sympathy for the church members. He truly cares.

Train Dreams Movie Review

2026-01-16T02:00:00.156-05:00

Train Dreams (2025)

Watch Train Dreams on Netflix // Buy book (paid link)
Written by: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar (screenplay by), Denis Johnson (based on the novella by)
Directed by: Clint Bentley
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Clifton Collins Jr., Felicity Jones, Paul Schneider, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Logger and railroad worker Robert Grainier leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century

Verdict
The things Robert saw in his lifetime and the experiences he's had. It's a movie that's so simple, looking at moments from a lifetime, but Robert saw the burgeoning world and a rise in industrialization. He lived as a hermit in the woods for much of his life but managed to see a flight into space. He experienced joy and sadness, straddling what the world was and would become. It's a contemplative movie. No one will every straddle a time period quite like that where technology advanced so rapidly. It captures a feeling so few movies can.
Watch It.

Review
So much of the movie is Robert observing the world and trying to make sense of the violence and tragedy that's mixed with the wonder and splendor in nature. His life spans the dawn of flight to the first space mission.

Having read the book, this is a great adaptation. The movie makes several changes that strengthen the story, and the film's conclusion is stronger than the book's.

Felicity Jones, Joel Edgerton play Gladys, Robert Grainier

An orphan shipped to Idaho at six years old, Robert (Joel Edgerton) had never ventured very far. He finds purpose when he meets his future wife, Gladys (Felicity Jones). A constant narration notes the milestones of his life as we see important memories. He's a logger that takes a job with the railroad, regretting it when he sees a Chinese man thrown from the bridge just for being Chinese. It's a memory that haunts Robert for the rest of his life, creeping into his dreams.

He goes back to logging, working all day without talking to some of the men. Other workers talk too much. He feels the pull of having to work but wanting to be with his wife and newborn daughter. The narration gives this a fair amount of hindsight, stating that despite the lack of money those moments with his family where some of his happiest times. He and his wife plan for the future, hoping to start a small farm so that he won't have to travel for work.

This is a contemplative movie. All of Robert's memories are intertwined. He can't divorce the good from the bad. He goes back to logging after a significant break. It's amazing just in his lifetime that he witnesses a time when trees were felled just by hand saws and now powered chainsaws are the tool of choice. He doesn't know if he changed or the people, but he has no interest in logging. He becomes a carriage driver, not wanting to leave the town in which he's spent most of his life.

Joel Edgerton plays Robert Grainier

Imagine seeing what Robert has seen, the burgeoning new world. He's seen society change, modernize. During that he's stayed in the woods in his log cabin. Most of the movie is Robert in the woods, on the outskirts of civilization. Later in life Robert travels to Spokane in the sixties. It's a culture shock for us and certainly for him. He sees John Glenn's space flight, unsure of what exactly he's watching. It's strange to see him near a television. This is a man that was born before the airplane was invented and is now watching a space mission. Technology has changed rapidly. This is a guy that built his own cabin.

One of the last scenes is Robert's ride in a biplane. It's an amazing sequence, a culmination of the entire film as Robert experiences the exhilaration of the ride and several events and memories from the movie. It's a wonderful scene. This is one of those movies that gets better with each passing moment, and the biplane scene ends on a great note.

Nouvelle Vague Movie Review

2025-12-30T02:00:00.440-05:00

Nouvelle Vague [New Wave] (2025)

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Written by: Holly Gent & Vincent Palmo Jr.,Michèle Pétin & Laetitia Masson (adaptation and dialogue)
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, Aubry Dullin
Rated: R

Plot
After writing for Cahiers du cinéma, young Jean-Luc Godard decides making films is the best film criticism. He gets Beauregard to fund a low-budget feature, creating a treatment with Truffaut about a gangster couple.

Verdict
I love any movie about an artist's journey. Godard rejects all the rules and standards for film making. Even we as the audience question his methods. He wants to find the art and spontaneity in filming, but that irritates everyone around him due to inconsistent schedules and expectations. At every step Godard defies conventions, and no one thinks his film will succeed. Despite all of this Godard not only persevered, he is at the forefront of a movement and this was the start of a decades long career.
Watch It.

Review
Richard Linklater directed the French-language film without being fluent in French. He relied on an English and French script, rehearsed in English, and trusted his French producers, editor, and actors to bridge the gap. Linklater believed that his directorial style and visual nature of cinema would help.

Jean-Luc Godard frequently wore sunglasses, which became a signature part of his public image. The movie's title "New Wave" is a reference to the French New Wave cinema movement, which Godard helped start with François Truffant, a movement that defied conventions and filmed on location with low budget productions and an emphasis on improvisation.

Guillaume Marbeck plays Jean-Luc Godard

Jean-Luc Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) is a movie reviewer that wants to make movies, stating the best criticism is to make your own movie. He wonders if he's missed his chance, having waited too long. The style Godard pioneered seems more out of necessity than choice as he faces difficulty with financing.

Godard gets his actors, a friend he promised would be in his first film, Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) and established star Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch). His shots are quick and he doesn't want more than one or two takes as rehearsing robs the scenes of the authenticity he desires. On the first day he pauses filming at mid day. That riles his actors and producer. How will he finish the film on time without putting in full days?

Zoey Deutch plays Jean Seberg

Godard seeks authenticity. He doesn't want actors to rehearse or have expectations. He wants to capture real reactions and emotions. The filming schedule relies on his feelings and mood. He has to capture it and that means an ever changing expectation as he searches for maximum creativity. Godard directs from a feeling, not a plan. When he's done for the day, he's done.

This is certainly a film buff movie. I've seen Breathless, and it's likely the people watching this movie have as well. That movie is a character study of a car thief. It's importance is best seen by comparison to contemporary movies. What that movie does seems less impressive now as it's concepts have been adopted.

Everyone at some point doubts Godard, from producers to actors to editors. Even his friends dismiss the completed film. We never see him doubt. He defies every convention, and yet in the end he creates a revolution in French cinema. Many people in history have defied convention and been too early or existed at the wrong time. Godard managed to create something at the right time that captured the moment and arrested audiences.

A House of Dynamite Movie Review

2025-12-09T02:00:00.154-05:00

A House of Dynamite (2025)

Watch A House of Dynamite on Netflix
Written by: Noah Oppenheim
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Anthony Ramos, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kaitlyn Dever
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.

Verdict
I love how believable this seems about different agencies, how they'd interact, and the potential scenarios that would play out. With a missile in the air, it's chaos. There are no good options. The most surprising aspect of this movie is that it ends before showing us what happens. While that is the point, indicating that there are no correct responses, it's disappointing because the movie builds to that moment three separate times. It begs the question what happens next. There's an expectation from the beginning that we'll see the event, and that's not met. While I enjoyed the film, I had to make an adjustment based on what this doesn't do. The second surprising aspect to this movie is that the U.S. only has one counter measure and it succeeds only 60% of the time.
It depends.

Review
A missile defense base in Alaska detects an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) that initially they anticipate will splash down in the ocean as part of a test. That is until it changes trajectory. The missile seems to be aimed at the continental U.S., and everyone is on edge. Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) in the White House Situation room is the information center between various agencies and the President, but no one knows who launched the missile. All the countries are calling each other for information. It's a madhouse.

Rebecca Ferguson plays Olivia Walker

From the beginning, impact will occur in eighteen minutes. I wasn't sure how the movie would address that with so much runtime left. What happens is that we see the chaos from three different perspectives.

The stakes can't be higher. A missile is headed to the U.S. so the Alaskan base launches ground defense to intercept the missile. Counter measures fail. While characters continue to assure each other the situation will resolve, it's clear they doubt.

I don't know how all of these groups and agencies would interact and react, but this seems plausible. The surprising thing is the U.S. only has one counter measure. I'd assume there would be a new plan when ground defense failed, but the characters can only hope as the timer counts down. I kept thinking surely someone would come up with an idea, but desperation just increases. Protocol doesn't matter when you're staring down the barrel.

The big tease is that right as the counter approaches zero, the perspective shifts to Stratcom (U.S. Strategic Command), an underground bunker at an undisclosed location just as the missile launched. We watch the events unfold again. The events aren't much different, but we focus more on Jake (Gabriel Basso) as he reveals that ground defense only has a 60% success rate. That changes the experience of the first sequence as I was confident it would work. Where this sequence shifts is when the President (Idris Elba) is briefed on a response. If the U.S. doesn't strike preemptively they may lose the chance. Are America's adversaries reacting to America's posturing or getting ready to continue the attack? These agencies don't even know if the attack is orchestrated. Russia is adamant it wasn't them, but they request the U.S. doesn't retaliate at all. The President doesn't like not reacting to an attack on a U.S. city, but who do you attack? This sequence ends just before the President gives his order.

Idris Elba plays the President

The third sequence focuses on the President. He's alerted of a problem and then briefed. We see the other side of several conversations. The President must select a response plan from various levels of violence.

We get three segments, each ending just before the President gives an order. I suppose the point is to make us speculate, what could happen depending on his order, but without resolution this leaves the movie feeling hollow. The entire movie drives to the U.S.'s reaction. That's not presented. I don't believe the government would consider bombing countries just to make a statement without knowing who was behind the attack. Certain individuals may want that, but I don't think it would be a printed action plan.

While the final scene could provide an indication of what may have happened, people entering a nuclear hardened bunker, it just as well could be people sticking to plans without additional guidance. The movie's focus is the chaos and what unfolds at such a prospect. With such a short timer and the remaining length of the movie I was certain the movie would show the impact and what happens next. When this shifts earlier to when the missile first launched, it's a surprise. When we see two more sequences without an answer, it's disappointing. The harrowing part is that the U.S. only has one counter measure if this movie can be believed. We think we're ready for any attack, but this movie posits that we're not.

Night Always Comes Movie Review

2025-09-23T02:00:00.008-04:00

Night Always Comes (2025)

Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Willy Vlautin (based on the book 'The Night Always Comes' by), Sarah Conradt (screenplay by)
Directed by: Benjamin Caron
Starring: Vanessa Kirby, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen, Stephan James, Randall Park, Michael Kelly, Eli Roth
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Risking everything to secure a future for herself and her brother, Lynette sets out on a dangerous odyssey, confronting her own dark past over the course of one propulsive night.

Verdict
It's a frenetic action movie where the countdown clock is the coming morning. While the conclusion tries to make the struggle mean more, and it does look different the next morning, it's not enough. The movie is more concerned with action than building the character as the plot often opts for convenient contrivances. What development we get seems forced in the attempt to give this some depth.
Skip it.

Review
The beginning is none too subtle, Lynette (Vanessa Kirby) seems to be listening to every news and radio station talking about increasing prices, inflation, and the difficulty of buying a home. Lyntte has bills past due, and she's talking about buying a house. That plan falls apart when her mom spends the house down payment on a car instead. It derails the house, but that's a bit too simple. If mom was that impulsive, she would have spent the money much earlier. It's an easy kick start to the plot. If Lynette doesn't come up with the twenty five thousand by tomorrow morning the house is gone.

Lynette works multiple jobs, goes to school, and is also an escort. She's really burning the candle. The movie counts down the time as it runs out. She's contacting old friends, trying to scrape up anything. One friend just happens to owe her a lot of money and has a safe. Lynette's coworker at the bar, Cody (Stephan James), is a convict and knows a guy that can open a safe. Convenient. To the surprise of no one, that doesn't go well.

Vanessa Kirby plays Lynette

While they get the safe open, there's more than money in the safe, and an altercation follows, several altercations. Lynette's night continues to spiral as she finally must contact her ex. There's a lot of emotional trauma to revisit, going back to him. She's walking right into all of her old haunts, full of bad memories and pain. She has to confront the past to ensure her future.

The conclusion attempts to twist what we've seen and give it a deeper meaning. While the events of the night certainly look different the next morning, it's not enough to save this movie. Lynette fought through the night to save the house deal, but part of the reveal is that her mom doesn't want the house. Again, that's something Lynette would have known earlier. The movie drops this bomb as a shock to make it seem like the struggle was for nothing. The upside is that Lynette has confronted her past and can take the cash and separate from her toxic mother in the next step of recovery.

Fixed Movie Review

2025-09-22T02:00:00.006-04:00

Fixed (2025)

Watch Fixed on Netflix
Written by: Genndy Tartakovsky and Jon Vitti (screenplay), Steve Greenberg and Rich Lufrano and Genndy Tartakovsky and
Jon Vitti (story)
Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky
Starring: Adam Devine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
All-around good dog Bull discovers he's going to be neutered in the morning. He realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of buddies. What could go wrong?

Verdict
A dog is getting fixed. Nearly all of the humor revolves around that concept as the dog and his friends go on one last crazy night out. I always find crude animated comedies odd. The medium is generally associated with children, but this is anything but. Even then this is crass more than comical; lots of balls, ball jokes, and animated butt holes. The only twist to this age old story of one last hurrah and a big night out is that it's animated and crude.
Skip it.

Review
After Primal (2019), I'm going to check out any show from Genndy Tartakovsky. Unfortunately this isn't on the same level.

A lovable puppy becomes a mischievous dog, Bull. In his neighborhood, Bull is one of the few dogs in his group who isn't neutered. It's a source of pride for him as he builds his identity around that. If you didn't know where the plot was going, it would be easy to guess Bull would get neutered. There's plenty of foreshadowing. One of the other dogs even tells Bull and friends what happens before the surgery. That's why Bull grew suspicious when his family encourages him to drink out of the toilet and spoils him.

He must escape, running away from his family. He insults and drives his friends away, forced to escape his fate alone. That is, before his friends come back to rescue him. From there it's a wild night out with lots of talk about balls.

It's a well used story; one last night out, a big party. The unique part of this is that it's R rated animation, but it's not particularly funny. It's just crude with lots of animated dog butt holes.

It all works out in the end despite the misadventures, but this just isn't very engaging. I don't mind crude if it's funny. This is vulgar, thinking that alone is enough to be funny.

Happy Gilmore 2 Movie Review

2025-08-16T02:00:00.168-04:00

Happy Gilmore 2 (2025)

Watch Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix
Written by: Tim Herlihy & Adam Sandler
Directed by: Kyle Newacheck
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, Ben Stiller, Haley Joel Osment
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Happy Gilmore returns to the sport of golf after more than a decade away to finance his daughter's ballet classes and stop a new high energy golf league.

Verdict
With nearly all of the main and supporting cast returning from the original, it doesn't feel like a cheap sequel. It has a couple of genuine funny moments, and it's much better than I expected. While it can't best the original, it does feel like a worthy sequel. It's mostly the same plot as the first movie with Happy not only needing to raise money but having to save the very sport of golf. All of the cameos, as well as the runtime, do make this feel indulgent, and there are even more cutaway reaction shots that get to the point of excessive. Then there are the frequent flashbacks to the original movie. This uses the original as a crutch instead of a springboard.
It depends.

Review
A quick introduction shows us how Happy (Adam Sandler) did well for himself after Happy Gilmore (1996). He won golf tournaments, had children, but then tragedy stuck and he lost his wife, sending him in a spiral of self medication through alcohol. I didn't expect the movie to broach such a serious topic. This quickly shows us how Happy achieved it all before losing it. Now he's working at grocery and hasn't golfed in ten years. He's the guy that used to be famous. When his daughter's talent lands her a spot at a prestigious dance school, he needs money fast for tuition and has to return to golf.

Adam Sandler plays Happy Gilmore

Happy's first outing is a series of comical misfortunes, but he's dedicated to making sure his daughter goes to dance school. Along the way Happy has to best other professional golfers, and this features cameos from several pros as fictionalized versions of themselves: Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, and Scottie Scheffler.

This is better than I thought it would be. It has a few good laughs with misdirections that surprise and generate humor. I appreciate this got nearly all of the actors from the original movie back, even actors with small parts return. It prevents this from feeling like a cheap attempt to cash in on the first movie, but this does frequently reference and call back to the original. That in addition to many famous cameos does seem like pandering. With Netflix, you can't help but wonder if it's just to generate additional viewing time as people search for or revisit guest stars.

Adam Sandler, Philip Fine Schneider, Conor Sherry, Sunny Sandler play
Happy Gilmore, Bobby, Terry, Vienna

Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie) wants to reinvent golf with a new league something that's amusement park mini-golf meets American Ninja Warrior. He pits pro golfers against athletes in his league to prove which sport is best. Happy was the antithesis of a golfer, but he must now defend the traditions of the sport. He's fighting not just for tuition money but the future of golf against this upstart league by their rules.

There's more to Manatee's schemes but the final act is Happy and the other pros facing off against Manatee's stable of golfers to prove which version of golf is best. It comes down to Happy as the last pro in the match having to sink a put that's winner take all.

This is one of the better recent Sandler movies, though that's not saying much. This is the sequel that wasn't needed. I wouldn't be surprised if the push behind this is Netflix's calculations on the audience for the original; the math between Sandler fans and which of his movies has the biggest audience. So much of this movie seems geared solely to garner watch time and attract viewers through specific cameos. It's not a bad sequel but it does feel shallow.

The Old Guard 2 Movie Review

2025-07-26T02:00:00.077-04:00

The Old Guard 2 (2025)

Watch The Old Guard 2 on Netflix
Written by: Greg Rucka and Sarah L. Walker (screenplay by), Greg Rucka (screen story by), Greg Rucka (based on the graphic novel series written by), Leandro Fernandez (based on the graphic novel series illustrated by)
Directed by: Victoria Mahoney
Starring: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Uma Thurman, Veronica Ngô
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Andy leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.

Verdict
The premise is flimsy. The entire movie is so mindless that I can't overcome my boredom. What's the point? I don't know if this even gives us a reason why the immortals are fighting. This was never good, but the ending just makes it worse. This movie doesn't get a conclusion. It stops mid-scene, hoping it will get a sequel. It doesn't matter, I won't be tricked again.
Skip it.

Review
A sequel to The Old Guard (2020), I'm surprised this got an addition. It was an interesting idea that became a rather typical action movie. In the first, a group of mercenaries take on rescue missions, discover another of their kind, and are targeted for their abilities. Though jaded, at the end of the movie they're shown how their missions have changed the world.

In the opening sequence Quỳnh (Veronica Ngô) is rescued from imprisonment. If you don't recall, she was in the first movie briefly. The next sequence is the immortal team on some job, just to show us they can't die.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlize Theron play , Andy

Andy (Charlize Theron) tracks down a curator that keeps information on immortals. The premise is flimsy. Why does Andy need to meet this reclusive immortal that none of her immortal friends have ever even met? I get why Quỳnh is after Andy. They have a past that was mentioned in the first movie. For whatever reason Nile (KiKi Layne) is the "last" immortal. I'm not sure how anyone even knows that. Discord (Uma Thurman) appears as she's the first immortal. We don't know where she's been, but the last immortal needs a bookend.

Uma Thurman plays Discord

I was so bored during this movie. Discord is bad because the movie needs a villain. Discord has lost her immortality like Andy did in the first movie. While we thought that was due to Andy's age, this movie fabricates a new reason, but that somehow doesn't apply to Discord. Yet it's also the reason Discord is after Andy's team. She wants immortality back. After all of this Andy and Quỳnh reconcile and vow to take down Discord. They run out the door and the movie ends. I sat through this movie, and I don't even get a satisfactory conclusion. I was irritated the first movie hinted at a sequel. This movie doesn't hint, it decides to hold us hostage and not even complete the movie.

While I had low expectations for this movie, I was still disappointed. The first movie had an interesting premise, and this squanders it. Why didn't this explore all the people the team had helped over the years? Instead it doubles down on mindless action with an uninspiring story.

Kodachrome Movie Review

2025-07-15T02:00:00.123-04:00

Kodachrome (2017)

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Written by: Jonathan Tropper, A.G. Sulzberger (based on "For Kodachrome Fans, Road Ends at Photo Lab in Kansas" by)
Directed by: Mark Raso
Starring: Ed Harris, Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Olsen, Bruce Greenwood, Dennis Haysbert
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
Set during the final days of the revered photo development system known as Kodachrome, a father and son hit the road in order to reach the Kansas photo lab before it closes its doors for good.

Verdict
The premise feels like something I've seen a few times. An estranged father and son are brought together for a road trip. This ends up being nothing but irritatingly predictable. A character in the movie talks about taking risks, but this movie doesn't heed it's own advice. This ends, and there's nothing. All of these underlying emotions I attributed to the characters during the trip feel like a waste of time. It was false depth. I'm so mad the movie might as well owe me money.
Skip it.

Review
Music agent Matt (Jason Sudeikis) loses a big client and in turn his job. If that's not all, a visit from his estranged father's assistant reveals that Matt's dad Ben (Ed Harris) is dying and wants a road trip with his son. Matt agrees to meet for no other reason than to further the plot and illustrate their fractured relationship. Ben wasn't much of a father and Matt is still resentful. Maybe he agreed to see him to get in one more jab. Ben wants a trip to the last lab that develops Kodachrome film. Ben's a photographer after all. Matt agrees because Ben can get him a sought after interview with a big time band.

Jason Sudeikis, Ed Harris, Elizabeth Olsen play Matt, Ben, Zooey

Will Matt reconcile with his dad? Will they both learn from the other and grow closer? What about Ben's nurse Zooey (Elizabeth Olsen)? Will she and Matt have a thing? How predictable will this be?

Ben relishes being antagonistic for no real reason. It seems he's just a sad old man that wants everyone to be as miserable as he is. Ben has to trample on any moment that might be nice. Meanwhile Matt and Zooey connect over music and failed relationships.

Elizabeth Olsen, Ed Harris, Bruce Greenwood, Jason Sudeikis, Wendy Crewson play
Zooey, Ben, Dean, Matt, Sarah

Matt gets in the room with the band he needs to sign, but he draws a line defending his father which negates the deal. Why would that happen other than to help the movie's plot? While we have seen Matt defend everyone around him, even his deadbeat dad, this scene doesn't feel earned. Ben apologizes for years of neglect and insults. That feels like a cop out. It could be Ben assuaging his own conscience while Matt is desperate for anything that even resembles his father's love, but it's not presented as that. It's a tidy conclusion that feels like a cheat.

To top it off, we finally see the photos that required a cross-country trip to get developed, and it undermines everything we've seen. It's a saccharine ending that's unfounded and unsubstantiated by anything witnessed up to that point. This conclusion presents this new side of Ben that Matt doesn't even remember, and we get no explanation as to what happened from then to now to make Ben a miserable old man that neglected his son. It's just a cheap trick ending.

Havoc Movie Review

2025-05-09T02:00:00.073-04:00

Havoc (2025)

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Written by: Gareth Evans
Directed by: Gareth Evans
Starring: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Luis Guzmán, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
After a drug deal gone wrong, a crooked detective must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician's estranged son, unraveling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.

Verdict
It's underwhelming. What made Evans's earlier films engrossing was the hand to hand combat. This movie is a lot of automatic gunfire with limitless magazines, and it's difficult to make that interesting. The only time a named character is hit is when it's an execution shot. I like the premise. This isn't a hero cop out to save the world, this is a dirty cop trying to save himself. The movie doesn't do enough to capitalize on that.
Skip it.

Review
Evans previous films include on the rail action movies The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2. They were hand to hand combat, and that's the difference. Gun fight are less interesting due to the point and spray technique.

This hits you with a heavy voice over where Walker (Tom Hardy) admits he's a corrupt cop that's gone too far with the visuals to prove it. This world looks like some kind of dystopia. It's an incredibly dark and corrupt world. It doesn't seem like reality. I'd completely believe it's a Judge Dredd world. Walker is tied up in all kinds of illicit activities.

Tom Hardy plays Walker

Walker is tasked with protecting the mayoral candidate. In this movie, that means finding the candidate's son to prevent his activities from upending the political race. While Walker is a dirty cop, he's now opposing the corrupt cops he's worked with as they have orders to eliminate any loose ends.

The is action heavy. It's not bad, but it substitutes blood for skill. Hand to hand combat like The Raid will always be more interesting than gunfire. There's no skill to the gunfire, and some of these near misses are ridiculous. Walker hears a gun fire, ducks, and misses getting hit. How is that even possible? I'd wager a bullet is faster than Walker. With so many people and all these automatic weapons that seem to have endless magazines, how does no one manage to hit any of the protagonists?

Tom Hardy plays Walker

It's an interesting premise. This isn't a hero cop trying to save the day. He's in deep, and he has to fix this situation to protect himself from the potential mayor. It's mutually beneficial as both have something to lose. Being so action focused, the gun play just isn't that engaging. The one stand out scene is the club. The rest of the movie is both propping up that scene and riding on its coat tails.

Carry-On Movie Review

2024-12-24T02:00:00.127-05:00

Carry-On (2024)

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Written by: T.J. Fixman
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Logan Marshall-Green, Dean Norris, Benito Martinez
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
A mysterious traveler blackmails a young TSA agent into letting a dangerous package slip through security and onto a Christmas Eve flight.

Verdict
It's a generic action movie that spends a lot of time treading water. It takes the concept of annoying airport lines and spins it into a movie. With all of the contrivances and tropes while also setting it at Christmas, this seem like Netflix is just checking off the boxes. It's a great setup, but this is painfully predictable and it needs to be thirty minutes shorter. The last third is energetic and it needs to get there quicker. When this slows down, it gives me too much time to think about the convenient plot points. It's not bad, but it could have been better and it feels like an idea that's been honed to reach the broadest possible audience.
It depends.

Review
Director Collet-Serra's recent films include middling actions movies like The Commuter, Jungle Cruise, and Black Adam.

The first scene is very pointed. It's a late night greenhouse meeting with a shadowy figure we can't see. If we didn't suspect this guy was a criminal, the fact he never leaves the shadows is a big clue. This is after a cheery Christmas music introduction. Then we cut to a young TSA agent Ethan (Taron Egerton) and his pregnant wife. He didn't get into the police academy and it's easy to see where this is going.

Ethan's been coasting on the job, but on this day he solicits his boss to give him a shot and put him on the scanning machine. Who can't see what's going to happen? This secretive group planned to blackmail the guy scheduled on the machine, but now Ethan's there. Instead the shadowy group will blackmail Ethan.

Taron Egerton plays Ethan Kopek

Ethan has to play a dangerous game where he's on the razor's edge. He wants to find his blackmailer, but he can't be too conspicuous because his blackmailer can see everything. It's a great setup with the blackmailer (Jason Bateman) in his ear holds all the cards. Any attempt Ethan makes to alert the anyone is shut down immediately. How can Ethan extract himself from this impossible situation? It's definitely intense.

This concept suffers from contrivance. When Ethan refuses to keep helping, they put a sniper on his girlfriend. Somehow where the sniper parks a van outside lines up perfectly with where Ethan and his girlfriend stop walking as he's trying to get her to safety. Despite all of his attempts to thwart the operation, he encounters the man with the case and it was easy to see where that would go. No action movie at the airport is complete without a bomb countdown and Ethan manages to stop it with two seconds to go. It's just a bit much. There's also detective Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) who is the only person that thinks something fishy is going on. When she suspects the guy driving her car may be an imposter, she pulls a gun. Other than to start an action scene, why would you pull a gun on someone driving a car? It makes more sense to keep your cover and wait until you stop since the driver is unaware. While logical, it prevents a fight in a moving car. While this fight is over the top, it's the most notable sequence in the movie.

Jason Bateman plays the blackmailer

I began to wonder what Ethan would do if he survives. He burns way too many bridges while trying to appease his blackmailer, alienating everyone. This whole plan is one heck of a play. The blackmailer is hoping he can convince someone to help you and that just leaves a ton of variables that would never play in reality. It makes for high intensity even if it is unlikely. Speaking of improbable, how are people able to outrun a car on foot?

At two hours long, this is thirty minutes too long. This should shorten the first two thirds. Once we get to the action and Ethan leaves the scanning line, this movie gets the push it needs. We get a nice showdown at the end, though I doubt a cop would trust Ethan to bring this home with everything that's transpired. The conclusion wraps up rather neatly, sidestepping all the chaos and havoc that to which Ethan had a huge part in contributing.

Rebel Ridge Movie Review

2024-09-09T02:00:00.144-04:00

Rebel Ridge (2024)

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Written by: Jeremy Saulnier
Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David DEnman
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
An ex-Marine grapples his way through a web of small-town corruption when an attempt to post bail for his cousin escalates into a violent standoff with the local police chief.

Verdict
I loved this. I'm a fan of Saulnier, and this movie only cements why. This is exhausting because it's so intense. Every scene is filled with anticipation and dread of what comes next, and this is relentless in that regard. From the very first scene there's trouble and this seems like a modern First Blood when a veteran runs afoul of a couple of cops that don't want him in town. From there things escalate and this movie never plays out quite like you'd think. The writing is sharp, though there is a lot of dialog for an action movie. That's not bad, it serves to build the suspense. This could be shorter as it takes a bit of time to explain the conspiracy. Still, every scene is so loaded, and it's one of the few movies I wanted to immediately watch again.
Watch It.

Review
Saulnier is one of those directors where I'll watch whatever he makes. I've seen all of his movies, even his first one Murder Party. My favorites would be Blue Ruin and Green Room, but Rebel Ridge might now hold the top spot.

This wastes no time as the cops pull over Terry (Aaron Pierre) while he's bicycling. They're aggressive from the start and annoyed that he knows his rights. This is a similar set up to First Blood where a veteran passing through town is harassed by cops. Terry is posting bail for his cousins, but the police would rather confiscate the bail money by civil forfeiture. Police can confiscate any money they suspect is related to drugs; all they need is suspicion not proof.

Aaron Pierre plays Terry Richmond

You can see Terry becoming frustrated, and with this being a Saulnier movie I was waiting for this to break. I assumed Terry would end up going on a warpath to free his cousin. Instead he complies, but then exacerbates the situation the next day. He reports a theft, and he had to know what he was doing. He's messing with the cops and in turn they mess with him, delaying him from bailing out his cousin. Terry must post bail for his cousin's protection. With no other option, Terry confronts Chief Burnne (Don Johnson). The scene between the two is great. You know Burnne underestimates Terry and we know Terry is desperate. The tension keeps building, and that makes this scene powerful. The cops slowly realize what they're up against, but it's too late as Terry turns the situation. What now?

Don Johnson plays Chief Sandy Burnne

This movie is so good, so masterfully directed, that I wondered how it could possibly maintain the pace and intensity. Terry's on a mad dash to bail out his cousin, but his plan wasn't just to bail out his cousin. Terry is detained and gets a speech from Burnne about why this is one of the last police stations in the area and other excuses for how it operates. Every scene is loaded, one match away from exploding. This takes so many unexpected turns, playing with our expectations. Even when I realize the movie is closing in on something, when it happens I'm shocked.

Focusing on corrupt cops certainly seems like social commentary on police, but by the end the message is how it just takes one corrupt cop to turn others. People follow the leader.

This has a lot of dialog for what you think is an action movie. It's not bad as it builds an incredible amount of suspense. I don't think there should be more action, and I appreciate how this twists the genre. More action would just dilute what we get, but this movie does get long after Terry is run out of town. It's not bad, it just drags after such an intense first half. It's too much explanation for the conspiracy that's not really needed.

This movie is why I'm a huge fan of Saulnier. I also really enjoyed Aaron Pierre, now anticipating his next movie. I didn't realize he played Mid-size Sedan in Old. The writing really makes this as it toys with expectations. So few movies are so intense for this long; this movie tires you out. That's a credit to the directing.

Reptile Movie Review

2024-07-23T02:00:00.151-04:00

Reptile (2019)

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Written by: Grant Singer & Benjamin Brewer & Benicio Del Toro (screenplay), Grant Singer & Benjamin Brewer (story)
Directed by: Grant Singer
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Ato Essandoh, Alicia Silverstone, Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi, Frances Fisher, Michael Pitt, Matilda Lutz
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
New England detective Tom Nichols unflinching pursues a case where nothing is as it seems as he dismantles the illusions in his own life.

Verdict
This is a twisting mystery that just keeps spinning. There are numerous suspects and every scene adds to the intrigue. Every scene is so tense as we don't know what will happen or who will look more guilty as we glean more information. The characters all have some depth and the complexity of the plot is engrossing. It weaves such a complicated tale I began to worry about the ending, but I liked how this concluded. The movie never holds your hand nor does it explain everything, but it provides more than enough information to piece together what happened. It's more than a solid movie, and I'm surprised I didn't hear more about this when it released. It's really good.
Watch It.

Review
Will (Justin Timberlake) and Summer (Matilda Lutz) both work as real estate agents. I wondered how this fit into the plot at large. There's very little context as the first several scenes are them preparing houses and Will giving a recruitment speech. When Will meets Summer at a property, he finds her body. That's where the plot kicks in.

Lead detective Nichols (Benicio del Toro) tries to piece together what happened. While Summer and Will had been together a year, he discovers she was still married. That could be a motive. When we see Summer's husband, he acts guilty. We're also introduced to Eli (Michael Pitt), a character that nearly screams guilty just to keep us guessing. Motive and clues are all over the place. Questions arise about a property Summer sold months ago and a specific paint on her body that's specific to a nearby church. We see a lot of people that could be involved.

Ato Essandoh, Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake play Dan Cleary, Tom Nichols, Will Grady

This feels like a book with the depth of plot and characters. Nichols and fellow cops hang out together. They seem to have lives outside of what we see on screen. When we think that maybe Will is in the clear, he admits that he knew his girlfriend was still seeing her ex. Everyone has a secret. While Nichols seemingly solves the case, he can't forget a couple of clues that can't be reconciled. His boss tells him he won't stop him but questions if he really wants to go down this path when the case is closed.

Every scene feels ominous, combined with directing and framing that's done with a lot of care. When Will has a showing, we begin to worry if he'll be attacked as the scene is off and uncomfortable. It's not what you think, nothing in this movie is. We soon discover there's a larger conspiracy at play.

Benicio Del Toro, Ato Essandoh play Tom Nichols, Dan Cleary

This movie is incredibly tense from nearly the beginning. Multiple times it will cut between three locations so that when someone knocks on a door or makes a call, we don't know where the scene will go. It really drives the tension. It doesn't hold our hands either. It's a good story that expects us to pay attention as it builds more twists and turns. As it does that, more hinges on the conclusion. I began to wonder if it could land it. This is a fun and brooding mystery, but a misstep at the end could ruin everything else, wasted potential.

I really liked this, and I'm surprised I didn't hear more about it. The conclusion manages to be effective. It gives us most of the answers. While we may not know the exact details, we know the gist of the scam that was happening. The only thing I don't like is a fake out dream sequence. This isn't the movie for that. While Nichols had talked about his dreams, the only time we see it is when the movie tries to trick us.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Movie Review

2024-07-09T02:00:00.144-04:00

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Watch Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix
Written by: Will Beall and Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten (screenplay by), Will Beall (story by), Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. (based on characters created by)
Directed by: Mark Molloy
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Bronson Pinchot, Mark Pellegrino, Paul Reiser
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter's life is threatened, teaming up with old pals John Taggart and Billy Rosewood to uncover a conspiracy.

Verdict
The basis is a tried and true formula for cop movies, but Eddie Murphy injects this with just enough energy to prevent it from feeling completely stale. Thankfully this isn't a shoddy sequel trading only on name recognition There's plenty of comedy and action alike as this bridges the gap from the original movies to feel like a modern action movie. That's also why this doesn't feel fresh. The plot for this movie has been done many times before.
It depends.

Review
This debuts forty years after the original Beverly Hills Cop, and thirty years after the most recent sequel. A fourth movie had been discussed since the mid-nineties with a number of scripts and even talks of a television series. Upon the announcement, this movie seemed like it was trading solely on name recognition, especially after Murphy's sequel Coming 2 America a few years ago, but I was surprised at the quality of the cast.

Taylour Paige, Eddie Muprhy play Jane Saunders, Axel Foley

This has a fun start with Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) wreaking havoc in Detroit while pursuing a group of thieves. It's big action and a lot of Murphy cracking wise. It's a primer for the movie and for the character Axel. From there Axel heads to Los Angeles when his lawyer daughter Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige) is attacked and intimidated due to a new case. They don't have a great relationship, and she didn't ask him to come.

The fun parts of this movie are when Axel tries to extract information or get into a restricted area. His ad libs and deceptions never fail to entertain. When he's apprehended by Detective Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), he's told his old tricks won't work in the modern day. Axel can't insult Abbott's manhood in an attempt to get him angry. The movie tells us it's self aware without doing much to prove it.

Kevin Bacon, Eddie Murphy play Captain Grant, Axel Foley

The friction between Axel and Jane is apparent, but they agree to team up for the sake of her case which certainly has ties to a larger conspiracy. Captain Grant (Kevin Bacon) seems suspicious, and the movie isn't subtle about it. It's too easy to guess he's the villain. The only thing missing is a mustache to twirl. His motives are pure greed. It's so dull and tired without trying to make the character interesting. Then again this movie isn't much more than a vehicle for Eddie Murphy.

It feels like a modern '80s movie with a lot of gunfire and very little contact. The bad guys can't hit a thing. Most of this movie is Murphy chewing the scenery. That is the best parts of the movie. His energy makes a standard cop movie something a little more entertaining.

Trigger Warning Movie Review

2024-06-25T02:00:00.121-04:00

Trigger Warning (2024)

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Written by: John Brancato & Josh Olson and Halley Wegryn Gross
Directed by: Mouly Surya
Starring: Jessica Alba, Mark Webber, Anthony Michael Hall, Jake Weary
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
A skilled Special Forces commando takes ownership of her father's bar after he suddenly dies, and she soon finds herself at odds with a violent gang running rampant in her hometown.

Verdict
This starts out rough around the edges and it doesn't get any better. It's a banal revenge concept that doesn't attempt to be creative, interesting, fun, or humorous. I have to imagine the only reason this exists is to fill space in a digital catalog, and the movie hopes that the stars in it will be enough to trick you into watching.
Skip it.

Review
The description made this seem like Netflix's counter to Amazon's Road House, but it's a lot like Rambo: Last Blood, and that's not a compliment.

This starts with Parker (Jessica Alba) on a military mission in some unknown sandy location. The close ups of her in the truck look low budget - and this is the first scene. We see that Parker is trained and has killing skills after her truck is attacked. She's a one person killing machine, though sharpening her knife on the drive back is just too much. No one would have a whetstone during an operation nor would they sharpen it in a vehicle on the way back.

Jessica Alba plays Parker

This never escapes the feeling of being a made-for-tv movie. There's no tension, and everything happens so easily. Parker's father dies, and I would thinking being in the military it would take her longer than an afternoon to return home. When in doubt Parker beats people up, which is good as the dialog is terrible. No one talks or acts like normal people. Upon her return home she attacks someone in the dark who happens to be a friend. Then they chat in the dark which just seems odd. Her father's bar doesn't seem to be operational initially, but further into the movie it seem to be operational as the plot requires.

The core of the story is Parker's father's mine which happens to be behind the bar. At first I wondered if he was actually mining things, but it seems to be his man cave, but he also stepped up security which raises a lot of questions. Who has a hobby mine? Why does it need security?

The first fight scene is the best. It's fairly creative as Parker uses the environment of a hardware store to defeat a group of thieves. It's convenient that they show up her first night back and she clocks them with so little effort. She also knows a hacker from the military that she contacts as needed. This is a movie I feel like I've seen before as it just pulls from other revenge movies. It lacks creativity.

Jake Weary, Anthony Michael Hall, Jessica Alba, Mark Webber play Elvis, Senator, Parker, Jesse

Parker discovers that Elvis Swann (Jake Weary) is selling weapons, and he's gotten away with it because his Senator dad (Anthony Michael Hall) is running for office. Since dad is an ultra-conservative it's easy to assume he's involved in the gun running. Jesse (Mark Webber), the town cop, is his brother. The bad guys do bad things because the plot needs it. Parker kills them because what else would the protagonist do? The last act is boring. There's no suspense or intrigue. There's no reason to care about these characters.

It's just silly and uninspired. This movie took the bare bones of an idea and failed to develop it past that. These characters have the depth of a cartoon. Watching this movie, you realize what goes into an amazing movie as well as the talent a great director, cinematographer, writers, and actors bring. Everything works in concert to deliver an engaging experience. This movie is the opposite of that. It keeps getting more ridiculous as the movie quickly writes itself out of anything that could be remotely challenging by bending logic so far it nearly breaks.

Hit Man Movie Review

2024-06-12T02:00:00.169-04:00

Hit Man (2023)

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Written by: Richard Linklater & Glen Powell (screenplay), Skip Hollandsworth (article)
Directed by: Alex Kurtzman
Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta, Austin Amelio
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A professor moonlighting as a hit man of sorts for his city police department descends into dangerous, dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to a woman who enlists his services.

Verdict
The premise sounds ridiculous, but it is based on a true story which makes this all the more fun. Linklater movies always excel at dialog and this is no exception. Some of the best scenes are two characters in conversation. There's always a lot between the lines since half the conversation is a charade. The movie infuses enough drama to raise the stakes, though the ending does feel rushed. It's not the typical rom com, despite plenty of similarities this features more than enough to make it unique.
Watch It.

Review
The real Gary Johnson was an investigator for the district attorney's office that taught a couple of night classes. He did pose as a hit man to obtain evidence, regarded as one of the greatest actors by the police by changing his voice, appearance, and accent for any situation. Despite the local press and accolades, he still got calls for his services, aiding in the arrest of over sixty individuals. The article serving as the basis of the movie ends with Gary persuading a woman to seek social services and a therapist. This movie takes the idea and runs with it.

Gary (Glen Powell) works as a college professor, lives alone with his cats, and drives a Civic. It's a simple life and in voice over he states he's happy. He also works part time with the police department as he's good with electronics and helps them with surveillance devices.

Glen Powell plays Gary Johnson

I don't know if a civilian would get delegated to go undercover, but in a small town and extreme circumstances I suppose it's possible. Gary gets the task, and he's a natural. The cops listening in can't believe how good he is. Gary goes into detail on how he would commit the act and then cover it up to convince his potential client. You wonder how he knows this and how much he's thought about it. It's such a fun conversation as the mark completely buys it. For that matter, so do we.

Gary enjoys the job, researching each mark and dressing up as the hit man his fake clients want him to be. He's good at getting them to talk and implicate themselves in a crime. Powell had to have a lot of fun with this, playing all these diverse characters with costumes to match. He does a great job.

As "Ron," Gary meets a new 'client' Madison (Adria Arjona), and they hit it off. He likes this woman, but the relationship has a shelf life. He's living a lie. When will the truth come out? Ron is much cooler than Gary, the other cops overseeing the case like Ron a lot. I wondered if this was going to become a situation where the more time Gary spends as Ron, the more he wants to be Ron and leave his old persona behind for Madison. How do you balance two lives? The other option is that Madison eventually finds out and is upset he lied to her, leaves him, and wonders what was real.

Glen Powell, Adria Arjona play "Ron", Madison

Gary gets into a real pickle when Madison's ex-husband wants to hire him to kill her. When the ex-husband is discovered dead, that creates a situation for Gary with Madison and the police. He's suspicious of her, and the police are suspicious of both of them. Gary eventually confronts Madison, and that conversation is a trip. It's a ton of fun as Gary has to thread the needle, making sure it doesn't make the police more suspicious. It's such a great sequence.

While this set up a morally questionable cop early on, Jasper (Austin Amelio) is a contrived plot point just to add a layer of drama. He does serve a point to move the plot along, but the ending feels like an afterthought. The mood for most of this movie has been a silly premise with sharp dialog. The conclusion doesn't have any of that; it's a swift conclusion. I wish this went deeper with Gary having to wrestle with being two people and how Madison finds a way to reconcile his lies. The movie wraps that up too easily and quickly. We're basically told everything works out okay.

Atlas Movie Review

2024-06-07T02:00:00.124-04:00

Atlas (2024)

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Written by: Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite
Directed by: Brad Peyton
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, Mark Strong
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
In a bleak future, an A.I. soldier has determined that the only way to end war is to end humanity.

Verdict
Past mentioning AI often and a few mindless action sequences this doesn't offer much. The characters are boring and the story is predictable. The world is superficial. This had the chance to look at how AI and the threat of AI would affect the world, but it's content to use it as a gimmick and not consider how technology and an imminent threat would impact the future. With the sheer amount of entertainment in various forms that consider the vast possibilities and repercussions of the future, this doesn't even make an effort.
Skip it.

Review
A humanoid AI robot, Harlan (Simu Liu) starts a robot revolution before fleeing the planet and vowing to come back. It feels like pointless fear mongering by bank on AI. The action is mindless.

Twenty-eight years later we follow Atlas Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez) in an automated future. It's a tepid version of the future. Atlas hates technology. Her apartment could have conveyed that, yet despite being against technology, she freely uses it and works in the field. She's called in to interrogate a robot. This part is the best scene in the movie as the robot's damaged head is connected to a suitcase for questioning. Atlas tricks the robot to extract information.

Jennifer Lopez plays Atlas

Earth wants to attack Harlan before he attacked them. Now they have his location, Atlas wants to join the mission despite all the reasons she shouldn't. We get that through a bunch of exposition. I'd imagine the best reasons that prevent her from joining the mission is that she's not a ranger, has no training, and hasn't prepared for this mission. The movie doesn't care and they agree to let her go. I forget how they were going to attack Harlan since they didn't know his location until Atlas revealed it.

This movie is style over substance. This isn't far from images flashing on the screen. The movie's goal is to entertain you just enough so you don't choose another option. This movie is devoid of ideas, instead focusing on action. I'm left with nothing better to do than start picking apart the science and logic or lack thereof.

Atlas is forced to team up with an AI mech suit. Who didn't see that coming? The movie uses a nebulous orb to represent the AI, Smith. In a tactical mech suit, I don't think it's necessary, but the movie wants to have Jennifer Lopez interacting with something. This mech suit does it all. It's a regular Inspector Gadget, though it does provide some nice comic relief as the AI imitates Atlas and learns from her. The underlying mission is undercut in that she has no training or knowledge about this mission. I get why she was added, she's the main character. The movie has created this tension between a human and AI just to set up a payoff later. They're forced to rely on each other, though I don't think the AI needs her. Somehow the AI can access her memories. We discover she hates AI robots with good reason. She even has a past with Harlan. I'd think her hate for Harlan alone would disqualify her from this mission.

Jennifer Lopez plays Atlas

I wonder if part of this is Jennifer Lopez. I'm not sure if it's the way she plays the character or the fact that she's acting by herself. The script certainly doesn't provide any favors. There's an idea in this movie, but this world isn't fully realized. It's treated like a prop when it should be a character. The movie could have explored how a society afraid of an AI attack yet reliant on technology would progress. It doesn't even try.

The movie is just so typical. The narrative forces blame on Atlas for the AI revolution. It's flimsy, but it's a way to manipulate us into caring for the final fight between Atlas and Harlan. It's also why it presents Atlas as against technology just so it can push a developing friendship. It's easy to see where this is going as the narrative is so typical.

Unfrosted Movie Review

2024-05-09T02:00:00.152-04:00

Unfrosted (2024)

Watch Unfrosted on Netflix
Written by: Jerry Seinfeld & Spike Feresten and Andy Robin & Barry Marder
Directed by: Jerry Seinfeld
Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Max Greenfield, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Peter Dinklage, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, Dan Levy, Jack McBrayer, Bobby Moynihan, Tony Hale, Dean Norris, Sebastian Maniscalco, Cedric the Entertainer, John Slattery, Jon Hamm, Andy Daly, Ronny Chieng, Darrell Hammond
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
A fictional story where business rivals Kellogg's and Post compete to create a pastry that could change breakfast forever in 1963 Michigan.

Verdict
This is a wild and over the top world, heavy on jokes and references. At times it feels like a parody with how cutthroat this industry is over such low stakes. A third of the way in it felt more like a Youtube video with how silly it is, but this is the type of movie that would be even better after a second watch due to the density of jokes. It has some great scenes that alone make this worth watching, but this ends well making me appreciate the entire movie more. It's a silly and fun tale of how the shelf stable pastry was created (sort of).
Watch It.

Review
This is Jerry Seinfeld's directorial debut, and he also stars in and co-wrote the script, inspired by a joke he told during a stand-up routine about the invention of Pop-Tarts.

This re-imagines the world of cereal with Kellogg's and Post as bitter rivals in the same town, fighting to gain control of the cereal market. Both companies are ridiculous as the CEO's stare out their office windows at each other. While it's fun, at first this felt like a silly idea stretched to full length. Jerry plays Bob, the mastermind behind Kellogg's offerings. He's in charge of keeping the mascots happy, developing new products, and making the CEO money. A chance meeting with a pair of philosophical kids in a dumpster prompts Bob to revive his research on the grail of breakfast; a shelf stable pastry.

Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy play Bob Cabana, Donna Stankowski

The pursuit of this product leads to cereal families gathering together like mobsters, sinister milk men angered at a breakfast item that doesn't require milk, a South American sugar cartel, Russians, a killer computer, and disgruntled mascots. This always feels a bit too silly because it's so over the top, frequently comparing the research and launch of this product to the space race. The movie claims this pastry is more likely than ever landing on the moon. Of course for most of the movie the product is just called the dingus.

Jon Hamm plays Ad Man #2

My favorite part of this movie might be Jon Hamm playing a character, that for all intents and purposes, is Don Draper. This is a movie that would be even better with a second watch. I never quite new how to take this. It's so silly with so many jokes and references. It's dense, and I know I missed a number of references. With the ability for hindsight, this makes a lot of foreshadowing jokes. For instance Bob states, frosting the Pop-tart would never catch on. At first I didn't realize that Tony the Tiger's attire in his revolt was a reference to the January 6 riots.

This ends well, chronicling what all the characters went on to do. That made the whole movie more likable. I enjoyed this and it's fun, but I think it's so full of jokes and references that it's almost too much for one viewing. That combined with the silly tone, for much of this you're wondering what this movie is about. Once I got to the end, the more I thought about the movie the more I liked it.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver Movie Review

2024-04-26T02:00:00.144-04:00

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

Watch Rebel Moon - Part Two on Netflix
Written by: Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, Zack Snyder (screenplay), Zack Snyder (story)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Staz Nair, Fra Fee, Elise Duffy, Anthony Hopkins
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Kora and surviving warriors prepare to defend Veldt, their new home, alongside its people against the Realm. The warriors face their pasts, revealing their motivations before the Realm's forces arrive to crush the growing rebellion.

Verdict
This is a lot like the first movie with less foundation and less narrative. That's impressive as the first movie was a bunch of action sequences loosely tied together. It's more mindless action sequences with little substance. While this has some neat images and ideas it doesn't pull it together. The most surprising thing is that this story might take two to four more movies to conclude. I can't fathom how they will stretch this story any further. You could edit the first two movies down to just one movie and still have room to finish the plot.
Skip it.

Review
This is the sequel to last years Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire. It was a nice idea, but heavily derivative. It wanted to be a space opera, but instead was only concerned with action scenes. I didn't enjoy it, but I wanted to see how the story resolved. This initially was going to be a two part story.

I didn't like the first movie. It was shallow; a bunch of action scenes tied together with the thinnest of plots. This movie doesn't provide much introduction, picking up right where the first one ended. This is hoping that you've not only seen the first movie, but that you remember it as well. The voice over doesn't quite give us enough. This feels messy as I'm left trying to remember what happened in the first one. That one ended with Kora (Sofia Boutella) apparently killing Noble (Ed Skrein) with Noble taken back to his ship.

Kora arrives back to Veldt with her rebel team she recruited in the first movie. Kora tells the village that Noble is dead and won't come back, but that is quickly dispelled. The village must prepare for Noble's arrival. This village has the tech for floating wagons, but still use a handheld sickle to cut wheat.

I don't like how this edits the story. The mercenaries help the town with one wheat harvest and they're invested. This could have taken a bit more time and shown them fitting into the village slower which is more believable. The village becomes enamored too quickly. Also this movie, like the first and most of Snyder's movies, really likes slow motion. Do we need a slow motion shot of cutting wheat?

The mercenaries prepare the village for battle, but I'm not sure farmers with sickles will fare too well against guns. One afternoon is all it takes to get them ready. Are the villagers that adept or just too hopeless? The unfortunate thing is this movie has excellent source material, Seven Samurai, yet it can't capitalize or is trying to make distinct choices to appear different.

Robot Jimmy

The Empire, or whatever this movie calls them, attacks. It's no surprise it's a rough battle when the farmers are so over-matched. While the farmers fight surprisingly well, the bad guys appear in the distance with a tank. Where'd that come from? Robot Jimmy makes an appearance. He was a character that appeared in the first movie a couple of times but never seemed to have a reason. That purpose is fulfilled now. The movies should have built around him instead. Also how many times is the tide of this battle going to turn?

This is the same as the first movie, more interested in action than any kind of story. This series seems to believe the story is what gets in the way when you're crafting action scenes. You could edit these two movies into one. Unnecessary describes so much in these movies.

I was surprised that this movie has no conclusion. It doesn't even try. It just ends. Originally this was a two part movie, then a trilogy. Now Snyder states this will be comprised of four or six additional movies depending on whether they split the second and third 'chapters.' That seems so indeterminably long. This wants to be Star Wars, but at least Star Wars told complete stories in each movie. It also provides characters for which we can root. There's just not enough in Rebel Moon to make it interesting.

Damsel Movie Review

2024-03-12T02:00:00.116-04:00

Damsel (2024)

Watch Damsel on Netflix
Written by: Dan Mazeau
Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt.

Verdict
I like the idea, but it scripts everything so well that it removes the appearance of any challenge. Everything is so easy and happens quickly. A longer first act could have better established the character, but she has these visions that exist apparently just for exposition. There's no logic to it, and lapses like that hurt the movie. There's almost never any tension. This is so focused on action that the story crumbles under any scrutiny.
Skip it.

Review
This opens with a big fight against a dragon before we cut to centuries later. What happened to the dragon?

Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) is promised in marriage to a prince. Her father will get money to help their village survive. Elodie is excited, interested in meeting the prince and falling in love. We quickly get the sense that the queen is hiding something. The marriage ceremony is weird and then confirms this 'marriage' was ruse. Elodie is a sacrifice. A sacrifice for what?

Millie Bobby Brown, Nick Robinson play Elodie, Prince Henry

Elodie faces seemingly insurmountable odds. She's resourceful and tough, established in the few scenes when she's in her village. She's going to need that to survive. I like the implication that many women have come before her, but why was there a sacrifice just a day before? The movie tells us that every generation must provide a sacrifice. Is that true or not? Wouldn't news get around that every woman that marries a prince dies of disappears as soon as they're married? There's even a sacrifice they day after the royal family threw Elodie into a hole. How can this royal family disappear so many people?

Elodie uses previous captors failures to succeed. I do wonder how someone survived long enough to draw such a detailed map. The movie really wants us to know Elodie is kind to all creatures, which comes back later. At the onset this seems like an obstacle that will take days as shes trapped in this cave with a dragon. She manages to escape in a day where everyone else before her died. That just seems too easy. Her wounds are quite easily healed, which I can accept. The time table is just too short. I was ready to see how she was going to eat and sustain her energy to find an escape.

To build the story about the women before her and the dragon, Elodie has these exposition visions. There's no way she could know these things. They exist to help the story as there wasn't a good way to insert them. It's a shortcut.

Millie Bobby Brown plays Elodie

Elodie escapes in record time yet never passes anyone else on the road to this mountain despite the multiple trips everyone is making. I though her escape in a day seemed a bit too quick, but towards the end of the movie Elodie speed runs the cave using all the tricks she learned the first time around. This movie happens too quickly. I like the idea, but everything is too easy. Elodie finds everything she needs with ease. It never feels like a struggle or survival.

When Elodie needs to progress in the story, she's provided exactly what she needs. When the movie wants the viewer to have backstory, we just get a scene with no context or setup, making it look like Elodie can ascertain through force of will what's going on. Even the deal the dragon has with the family seems more convoluted than it needs to be and perfect for a ruse. This movie is action first and story much farther down the list.

Spaceman Movie Review

2024-03-07T02:00:00.132-05:00

Spaceman (2024)

Watch Spaceman on Netflix // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Jaroslav Kalfar (based on the book "Spaceman of Bohemia" by), Colby Day (screenplay by)
Directed by: Johan Renck
Starring: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Half a year into his solo mission on the edge of the solar system, an astronaut concerned with the state of his life back on Earth is helped by an ancient creature he discovers in the bowels of his ship.

Verdict
This movie is less about plot and more about mood. It's a rumination on relationships. Jakub is successful at his job but at the cost of his relationship. As his destination in space looms closer, everyone he knows gets farther away on Earth. We see Jakub's life through an outsider, but it ends up just being a redemption arc which feels cheap. This movie lets Jakub win with almost no sacrifice. The ending would have so much more impact if Jakub had to forfeit or face a loss.
Skip it.

Review
This isn't a genre I typically associate with Sandler. While I haven't enjoyed his recent comedies like The Week Of or Murder Mystery, his dramas Uncut Gems and Hustle are worth watching.

It seems unlikely a space program would send Jakub Procházka (Adam Sandler) that far into space alone. The movie highlights this during a broadcast when a child asks him about being the loneliest man in the world and so far away. You'd think he'd go stir crazy all alone in a small shuttle. That and there's no redundancy if something happened to him. Ground control is screening his messages as his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan) wants to split up. They're concerned it could unravel Jakub and in turn the mission.

Adam Sandler plays Jakub Procházka

Jakub is surprised to find a spider-like creature in the ship. Where is it from, and how did it get on the ship? Somehow the creature doesn't alert any of the sensors on the ship. Ground control never sees it. Afraid at first, Jakub eventually befriends the creature and names it Hanuš.

Hanuš wants to study and understands humans. A lot of the movie is the two of them exploring Jakub's memories. Somehow they both experience them, and I wondered if this was some sort of hallucination. We haven't gotten an explanation for how this creature is on board. Hanuš becomes disillusioned with Jakub and humans. They're selfish and short sighted.

There's not a lot of plot, just an intriguing dynamic between Jakub and Hanuš.I wonder what's real because this seems outlandish, all of it. Even at the end, a hallucination seems plausible.

There's the artifice of Jakub's actual relationship and what ground control broadcasts to create an idyllic bond that doesn't exist. The reality is he sacrificed his marriage for success in space. This isn't a movie in the traditional sense. It's a study on what constitutes failure and success. I'd like it more if this didn't conclude with a trim and neat ending that's too happy for what we're told are the faults with humans. Jakub manages to win everything which seems antithetical to what we've been presented.

Society of the Snow Movie Review

2024-01-23T02:00:00.106-05:00

Society of the Snow [La sociedad de la nieve] (2023)

Watch Society of Snow on Netflix // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: J.A. Bayona and Bernat Vilaplana & Jaime Marques & Nicolás Casariego (screenplay by), Pablo Vierci (based on the book "La Sociedad de la Nieve" by)
Directed by: J.A. Bayona
Starring: Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Pardella, Matías Recalt
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
The flight of a rugby team crashes on a glacier in the Andes. The few passengers who survive the crash find themselves in one of the world's toughest environments to survive.

Verdict
This is a harrowing tale, and knowing that it actually happened provides an even bigger impact. Survival movies are so engrossing because it puts you in that situation as you wonder what you would do and how you'd struggle to survive. It's not an easy watch, but it strives to recreate what happened in the Andes mountains.
Watch It.

Review
Directed by J.A. Bayona, he also directed Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. I'm a fan of the plane crash and survive survival sub genre. This is based on the actual event, the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster.

This doesn't waste much time getting into the plot. College aged rugby players plan a trip to the Philippines. During the flight they discuss how the Andes mountains cause turbulence and then the plane ride becomes terrifying. All of their exuberance quickly evaporates as they strap in and the plane violently shakes.

Unsurprisingly, the plane goes down and they're stuck in the mountains with no supplies. After the first night of freezing temperatures, they're aren't many survivors left. They're elated when they see a plane, but it doesn't return. They face the rule of threes in survival: three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, and three days without water.

While they weather in the plane, it's a temporary stay. Their only hope is a radio in the tail section of the plane at the top of the mountain, but they soon give up. The terrain is treacherous and they realize they can't see the crash site even half way up the mountain. They're slowly dying. I wondered about the dark urine, but that's a symptom of severe dehydration. After six days their meager food stores are gone. There's only one thing left to eat.

We see a moment in the plane during a storm where the survivors are nearly content, given the conditions. Then we hear something, and I knew it was an avalanche. The moment we hear it and the moment it hits the plane seems so much longer. The plane is engulfed in snow, trapping them inside the plane.

There's such a contrast from when we first saw the rugby team to now. They're emaciated, near death. This movie is bleak but well done and authentic. With this type of movie, you put yourself in the situation. You consider the decisions they make, thinking about what you would do. Three of them decide to hike to Chile for help. Is it even possible to survive? They leave behind people at the plane, and even if the three guys can get help will the people they left behind still be alive.

Production is amazing. It really looks like the Andes. I'd guess the background is CGI, but it looks like they're trudging through the snow. It's a harrowing movie. My only issue is that the title doesn't do it any favors. While it's named after the book, it sounds like some kind of school club.

Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire Movie Review

2023-12-26T02:00:00.158-05:00

Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire [Part One] (2023)

Watch Rebel Moon on Netflix
Written by: Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad & Shay Hatten (screenplay by), Zack Snyder (story by)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Anthony Hopkins (voice), Cary Elwes, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
When a peaceful settlement on the edge of a distant moon finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, a mysterious stranger living among its villagers becomes their best hope for survival.

Verdict
I like the idea of this, even if it feels like we've seen it before, but this movie is too interested in getting to the next action scene instead of building the story. This is derivative of so many other movies, and the other movies do it better. I want to like it, but there's just not enough here. The movie continually tries to be cool without trying to create the foundation for it.
Skip it.

Review
This is the first of two movies. Part 2 is scheduled for April 19, 2024. Snyder has always been a very visual director. His best movies are the ones he's adapted from an existing work like Watchmen and 300. His last movie, Army of the Dead, was entertaining enough but the story was weak. Due to Snyder's past work and being a big sci-fi fan, I was going to watch this no matter what.

The setup is pretty standard. A big army from the generically named Motherworld is taking over all the other planets. There's not a real reason other than they can and it provides the basis for the plot. They seemingly meet no resistance until they encounter a peaceful farming community.

Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) rolls into the village with his big army and demands the village feed them. He calls it a partnership, but the audience knows better. It doesn't help that Skrein always seems to play the villain. Noble's space marines are needlessly cruel. It was already clear they're bad, but this movie wants to reinforce they are mean and unhinged. There's only one private in the detail that isn't terrible, but I have to wonder how he ended up there. With how bad the other soldiers are, I imagine they would have thrown him out of an air lock by now.

Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Sophia Boutella play Kai, Gunnar, Kora

This movie's plot is so telegraphed. The cruel marine set up a moment for simple farmer Kora (Sofia Boutella) to set them straight and reveal she's a fighter. She had mentioned she's a child of war, but we soon see she's a trained killer. The movie is clumsy with the plot, but this action sequence is neat even if there is a bit too much slow motion, a Zack Snyder favorite.

It turns out Kora was a soldier for the Motherworld. As the movie progresses we discover just how highly ranked she was in that army. She has a connection to all of the big players of the Motherworld. She might be the most well connected of anyone, yet she gave it all up. I wonder how she ended up on this planet. How she is now is a stark contrast to how the Motherworld soldiers seem.

Kora plans to fight the Motherworld and defend the village despite how ridiculously outnumbered they are. We get a sci-fi tavern scene reminiscent of Star Wars where she and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman) plan to recruit warriors. Kora kicks butt and takes names to get the attention of a mercenary.

Ed Skrein plays Admiral Atticus Noble

There's a lot of spectacle, which is to be expected in a Snyder movie. Every person they recruit requires a fight scene. I wasn't sure if I missed why people join their cause. I get Tarak (Staz Nair) because they freed him from enslavement, but what about Kai (Charlie Hunnam) or Nemesis (Doona Bae)? There's no reason for these warriors to help them. Promising them payment they don't have would be a great plot point to create tension and provide a reason, but then it would be exactly like Seven Samurai.

The main plot seems a lot like Seven Samurai or the later movie it inspired The Magnificent Seven where a village recruits warriors to defend them again bandits. Rebel Moon just makes it so much bigger and unbelievable. So much of this movie feels like it's pulling bits and pieces from other movies. It's a B movie story with a big budget. The plot unfolds because it has to. If you start questioning why, you get a lot of holes. It's clumsy. So much of this movie feels like it happens because the writer(s) thought this would be really cool.

While this is only half of the story, the plot thus far doesn't give me much hope. I will of course watch part two, but it has a lot of work to do.

Maestro Movie Review

2023-12-25T02:00:00.175-05:00

Maestro (2023)

Watch Maestro on Netflix
Written by: Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer (written by)
Directed by: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Matt Bomer, Sarah Silverman, Maya Hawke
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
This love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.

Verdict
Throughout this movie, I wondered what is it. Is this about an amazing artist or his complicated relationships? It focuses more on the latter, but it never does justice to just how great of a composer he was. This ignores his activism as well as his place in history. This does have some amazing sequences, but with the prosthetics and subject I can't help but wonder if this is awards bait. The movie fails to take a stance on the relationship or even push us to make our own decisions. I leave this movie knowing only a little of what the protagonist did and even less of who he was.
It depends.

Review
Leonard Bernstein is considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, and he was the first American-born, American-trained conductor to achieve international status. He was the first American-born conductor to lead a major American symphony orchestra. His honors and accolades include seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and sixteen Grammy Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The first scene's point seems to be showing off the old age makeup. It is really impressive. Then we cut to 1943 where Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) makes a last minute conducting debut in Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic which was broadcast nationwide. Due to that, Bernstein became famous overnight.

Bradley Cooper plays Leonard Bernstein

Soon Leonard meets Felicia Montealegre Cohn (Carey Mulligan) at a party. They have an instant connection and a few scenes later they already have a family.

Felicia talks about being in the orbit of someone with such a big personality. The movie implies she's aware of his predilections. It seems she's upset when he's blatant about wooing others in public. In another scene Leonard talks with his kid about rumors she heard which he assures her aren't true. We don't know the rumors, but even if this particular rumor isn't true it's likely others are. For someone that has seemed rather open, I was surprised he's not as open with his children. I'd guess it's due to the disrespect it shows to their mother.

Halfway I wondered about the plot. Is this about the drive it takes to be the best? How talent gives you a lot of opportunities both good and bad? We're shown key moments from Bernstein's life, but this hints at a double life without doing anything with it. We get a scene with Felicia at the bottom of a swimming pool screaming as Leonard finishes a piece of music. Is it the stress of being married to an elite artist or to a man that has many other relationships? We never get a conversation about what their arrangement is. From an earlier scene we don't know if she's upset he's flirting in public or because it's a man.

Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper play Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein

This has a few big pushing shots and cute edits. I don't know if it's me, but this movie feels like Cooper pushing for acclaim, acknowledgement, and awards. We get this long tracking shot of Bernstein conducting in a chapel. It feels like the scene is showing off. I get Bernstein is into the music, but I wonder if he really conducted like that. The performance feels like mimicry. I'd like these sweeping shots more if it didn't feel like the movie is reaching. This seems to push for a big moment through framing and movement rather than through creating a moment built by dialog and sequencing. This movie arguably is about Leonard and Felicia's relationship, but that seems to be secondary to big shots.

There's a lot this doesn't show about Bernstein. We just see his complicated life and oversized personality. It references his skill, but he truly was a great artist that also did a lot for social causes. Everyone is attracted to him because of his talent, but the movie doesn't establish that well.

Bradley Cooper plays Leonard Bernstein

You could look at this as a troubled relationship from Felicia's side, but there's too much Leonard in this to be her movie. I wouldn't mind if this leaned into the idea that he's such an adept talent that he gets a pass for his behavior, and it's up to the audience to criticize or accept it but this movie never takes that step.

By the end, this is a movie with amazing makeup, beautiful production design, and sweeping shots. Bio-pics often do well when it comes to awards, especially with prosthetics involved. I want more out of this story. With how this is presented, it feels like the story was secondary. Cooper feels like he's always performing as Bernstein. His presentation doesn't differ whether he's in public or private which just feels unnatural. It never feels like we see the real Bernstein. I wanted to see a private conversation with he and his wife to see how he acts when he's not in the spotlight.