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We Live in Time (2024)
Nonlinear
I saw We Live in Time, starring Andrew Garfield-Hacksaw Ridge, the Spider_Man movies; Florence Pugh-Oppenheimer, Black Widow; Lee Braithwaite-this is his first movie and Grace Delaney-this is her first movie.
My wife wanted to go to the movies and this movie was advertised as a romance-her favorite kind-but we were both disappointed. The story itself was not that bad but the main problem we had was that it was told out of order, aka a nonlinear timeline. Andrew and Florence are the two main leads in the story, with Lee and Grace in smaller roles. You learn how Andrew meets Florence, woos her, gets married, has a child-Grace-and battles cancer. Just not in that order. Florence is a chef in a fancy restaurant and her co worker Lee is her choice to go with her in a food competition. Then she is having a baby. Then she is meeting Andrew. Then she is battling cancer. Then Andrew proposes to Florence.... It's just a little hard to keep it straight at times and it goes from scene to scene without warning.
It's rated R for language and sexual content-including nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 48 minutes.
If you like the nonlinear style of story telling, you might like it more than I did and it would be a good one for you to stream.
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Not The Best, But....
I saw Venom: The Last Dance, starring Tom Hardy-Peaky Blinders_tv, The Dark Knight Rises; Chiwetel Ejiofor-the Doctor Strange movies, Salt; Juno Temple-Ted Lasso_tv, The Dark Knight Rises and Rhys Ifans-the Spider_Man movies, Notting Hill.
This is the last part of the trilogy-hence the name Last Dance-starring Venom. The first one was in 2018 and the second in 2021. You learn more about the backstory on the Symbiotes-yes, there are more of them-and you get to see the villain, their king, Knull. The movie starts with Tom/Venom in the bar getting caught up on current events by the bartender-as seen last time-when he discovers that he is a wanted man for a murder he did not do. Elsewhere, the home world of the Symbiotes is shown as Knull sends some symbiote trackers to retrieve something he needs from Tom, so Tom is on the run from them, too. Chiwetel is heading up the government soldiers that are pursuing Tom and Juno plays a scientist that is studying some other symbiotes at Area 51. Rhys plays a hippie with his family wanting to visit Area 51 and they end up giving Tom a ride. Most of the best action is near the end when Tom is fighting the trackers. There are 2 scenes at the end; one is with a villain and one is with the a fore mentioned bar tender.
It's rated PG-13 for action, violence, bloody images and language and has a running time of 1 hour & 49 minutes.
It's not the best super hero movie I've ever seen-but I'm not a big Venom fan-but it's good enough that I would buy it on DVD.
Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party (2024)
More Like A Family
I saw Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party, starring Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Cameron Crowe-Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky.
This is a documentary and the first movie directed by Cameron Crowe. It covers Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers around 1982 and 1983, with some lost footage added to it, mostly donated by Tom's daughter, Adria and she appears in the film, talking to Cameron. The original documentary only appeared once on MTV and has some MTV footage added to it, too. It contains songs from many different concerts and shows the group waiting to see how their newest album, Long After Dark is received by the public. All through the film, you see Tom's sense of humor on display and that the group is more like a family than just a rock band.
It's rated NR but it contains footage of smoking and has a running time of 1 hour & 24 minutes.
I'm not a big fan-I like some of his songs-but if you are a fan, you should enjoy it more than I did. It would be a good one to stream.
Goodrich (2024)
Priorities In Life
I saw Goodrich, starring Michael Keaton-the Beetlejuice movies, Robocop_2014; Mila Kunis-the Bad Mom movies, The Book of Eli; Kevin Pollak-The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, A Few Good Men and Andie MacDowell-Ready or Not, Groundhog Day.
This is not a movie about the Goodrich tire company. It's more of a slice of life movie about your priorities in life. Michael plays a man named Goodrich, that runs an art studio. He works lots of hours on his job and tends to neglect his personal life. Kevin plays his business partner. Michael's wife goes into rehab, leaving Michael clueless on how to take care of their 9 year old twins by himself. So he turns to his daughter Mila, from his previous marriage to Andie for help. Mila has her own issues with Michael and how he wasn't around when she was growing up and to make things even more interesting, Mila is pregnant.
It's rated R for language and has a running time of 1 hour & 50 minutes.
If you want a change of pace from the horror and super hero movies out right now, you might enjoy streaming this one.
Smile 2 (2024)
Pretty Good
I saw Smile 2, starring Naomi Scott-Charlie's Angels_2019, Power Rangers_2017; Rosemarie DeWitt-La La Land, Poltergeist_2015; Ray Nicholson-he is Jack Nicholson's son and was also in Licorice Pizza, Promising Young Woman and Peter Jacobson-Fly Me To the Moon, House_tv.
This sequel starts off with the cop at the end of the first movie and proceeds to show how the demon entity goes from him to Naomi, a pop singer named Skye Riley who is going on a big world tour. In case you might have forgotten, the demon tries to take over a person and makes them see or do things. The demon can look like anyone and you can tell his work by the big smile on his victims' faces before they kill themselves. Whoever witnesses the suicide is then possessed with the demon. Rosemarie plays Naomi's mother and manager who works Naomi into exhaustion. Ray plays Naomi's boyfriend and Peter plays a doctor that may have a solution for Naomi to end the curse. There is a cameo with Drew Barrymore playing herself and there are the usual jump scares but overall, it's a pretty good horror movie.
It's rated R for violence, grisly images, drug use and language and has a running time of 2 hours & 7 minutes.
I enjoyed it and would buy it on DVD.
The Substance (2024)
Beauty & Looks
I saw The Substance, starring Demi Moore-Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, General Hospital_tv; Dennis Quaid-Reagan, Footloose_2011 and Margaret Qualley-Poor Things, The Nice Guys.
This is a movie about beauty and looks and how people view them, especially in the entertainment world. Demi plays an exercise entrepreneur that has a popular program demonstrating how to exercise-in skimpy leotards, of course. Dennis is her boss and he lets her retire when she reaches her 50th birthday-which is kind of funny, in real life, Demi is 61. Dennis says that they need someone young now and sets up a contest for a replacement. Demi gets in an accident and goes to the hospital-no serious injuries-but while she is there, a person gives her a card, telling her to call a number. She discovers that there is a drug called The Substance that will create a younger and better version of herself. The black market drug uses cell replicating technology. When Demi tries it, Margaret comes out of Demi's body-like being born but she comes out of her back-and Demi sort of goes into a coma. There are given directions that basically say that each has 7 days and then they have to switch places. One is in a coma while the other one is living her life and then vice versa. There are other rules, which have to be followed exactly or there will be consequences. Margaret wins the contest and is on her way to becoming a star, just like Demi was, but then doesn't want to stick with the rules. Things go henky from there. FYI: Ray Liotta was supposed to play the Dennis Quaid part but he passed away before he could film anything. Ray is still thanked in the end credits.
It's rated R for bloody violence, language, gore and sexual content-including graphic nudity-and has a running time of 2 hours & 21 minutes.
I thought it was an interesting take on the subject matter and I would buy it on DVD.
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Turned Up To 10
I saw Terrifier 3, starring Lauren LaVera-The Well, Not For Nothing; David Howard Thornton-The Mean One, Nightwing: escalation_tv; Elliott Fullam-Get Rolling With Otis_tv, Instinct_tv and Antonella Rose-Fear the Walking Dead_tv, Raven's Home-tv.
This is the third in the series, with the first in 2016 and the second in 2022-and at least one more coming. In case you are unfamiliar with these movies, they are horror/slasher-and I stress slasher-movies turned up to 10. David plays Art the Clown, a sadistic brutal murdering clown. He also has a lot of humor in his kills and he is a mime-no unnecessary dialogue here. The over the top violence is better left as surprises so I won't go into detail here but he uses chainsaws, knives, guns, liquid nitrogen, well.....just about anything he can get his hands on as a weapon. The first 2 movies had a Halloween background but here, it's Christmas when he appears. Lauren is released from the mental hospital she ended up in-after the events of episode 2.... I mean the second movie-and goes to stay with her cousin Antonella while her brother Elliott goes back to school. It's not long before David shows up and the killing continues. And yes, the killings are bloody, outrageous and sometimes funny. There are a few nice cameos; I remember seeing Clint Howard, Chris Jericho and Tom Savini.
It's rated NR but it has bloody violence, language and sexual content-including nudity-and has a running time of 2 hours & 5 minutes.
If you've seen the first 2 movies, you will probably like this one too. It would be a good one to stream.
Saturday Night (2024)
If You Are A Fan.....
I saw Saturday Night, starring Gabriel LaBelle-The Fablemans, The Predator_2018; Cory Michael Smith-Gotham_tv, Wonderstruck; Rachel Sennott-Bodies Bodies Bodies, Call Your Mother_tv and Lamorne Morris-Not Another Church Movie, Bloodshot.
If you are a fan of the tv show Saturday Night Live, you will probably enjoy this movie. It covers about 90 minutes before the first episode premiered on October 11th 1975 and it's done in real time-a count down is shown on screen occasionally. Gabriel plays Lorne Michaels, the brains behind the idea of putting on a live show of comedy and music instead of having to run Johnny Carson reruns. His partner, Rachel, helps him try to keep things organized and on time because if they were not on time the network executives were determined to run the Carson reruns. Cory plays Chevy Chase and Lamorne plays Garrett Morris. It was chaos everywhere between juggling acts and dealing with temperamental artists and workers, but there are some nice Easter eggs for the observant fans. Most of the actors do a good job of playing who they are supposed to be, in particular, Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. Andy Kaufman, Milton Berle and George Carlin are good too but Billy Crystal, not so much. The movie ends with the first skit that was performed on that night-the wolverine skit-done with these actors portraying them. It's still funny.
It's rated R for language, drug use and sexual content-including partial nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 49 minutes.
I am a fan so I enjoyed it and would buy it on DVD.
Monster Summer (2024)
Nice One For The Kids
I saw Monster Summer, starring Mason Thames-The Black Phone, Walker_tv; Mel Gibson-The Expendables 3, Signs; Lorraine Bracco-Rizzoli & Isles_tv, Goodfellows and Kevin James-Hubie Halloween, the Paul Blart movies.
This is a nice horror movie for kids and adults. It's not too scary but it is a little more suspenseful for the ones who think that the Goosebumps stories are not scary enough. Mason plays a teen living on a tourist island with his mom. He wants to become a journalist when he is not playing baseball with his friends. Lorraine plays a tourist that is in town staying with Mason and his mom-they run a B&B for extra money on the side. Kids on the island start disappearing and then, they show up later, in a catatonic state; barely talking and starring off into the distance, like a zombie. Mason asks his boss at the newspaper, Kevin, if he can write a story on the incidents but Kevin doesn't believe there is a story there. He thinks the kids are just partying a lot. Mason then turns to Mel, a retired policeman for help and they uncover the culprit.
It's rated PG-13 for violence, mild language and some terror and has a running time of 1 hour & 37 minutes.
It's not one that I would buy on DVD but if you are interested in it, it would be a good one to stream.
Bagman (2024)
Not My Bag, Man
I saw Bagman, starring Sam Claflin-Daisy Jones & The Six_tv, the Hunger Games movies; Antonia Thomas-The Good Doctor_tv, Suspect_tv; Steven Cree-The Diplomat_tv, Terminator: Dark Fate and William Hope-Texas Chainsaw Massacre_2022, The Whistleblower.
This is a low budget horror movie that needs a better boogeyman-and script. Sam plays a man that-as a boy-was told scary stories by his father about a Bagman that stole children and carried them away in a bag slung over his shoulder, kind of like an anti Santa Claus. It affected Sam so badly that he had to have professional therapy growing up. As a married adult with a child, Sam starts having fears about the Bagman again, coming after his little boy but his wife, Antonia, tells him that it was just made up stories meant to scare him as a child. Steven, Sam's brother, believes the same thing but Sam keeps seeing and hearing things and when Bagman does go after his son, Sam has no choice but to call in William, the local police, to help keep his son safe.
It's rated PG-13 for violence and language and has a running time of 1 hour & 33 minutes.
It's not one that I would buy on DVD or even stream-it's not my bag, man. If you want to see it, I'd wait until it comes to basic tv.
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Too Much Singing
I saw Joker: Folie a Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix-Napoleon_2023, Walk the Line; Stefani Germanotta-aka Lady Gaga, House of Gucci, A Star is Born_2018; Brendan Gleeson-The Banshees of Inisherin, the Harry Potter movies and Catherine Keener-Into the Wild, The 40 Year Old Virgin.
This is a sequel to the 2019 Joker. This storyline takes place in what DC is calling Elsewheres, their version of Marvel's Multiverse, which means it's not connected to their regular movies. Joaquin is in Arkham Asylum, waiting to go on trial for his murders of 5 people-actually 6, but they only know of the 5. Joaquin meets Gaga in the facility and they fall in love. Brendan plays a guard in Arkham and Catherine is Joaquin's lawyer. If you liked the first movie, you might enjoy traveling deeper into the mind of the psychotic villain that became the main villain of Batman-no, he is not in this movie but there is another villain-before-he-became-a-villain that shows up, Harvey Dent. In case you were wondering, Folie a Deux means Madness of Two, which is symbolic of the relationship between Joaquin & Gaga. There are still plenty of fantasy scenes, but there is also way too much singing. Yep, I'm talking musical singing when they just start singing in the middle of a scene-even though the lyrics seem to fit the scene perfectly. And, I did not care for the ending.
It's rated R for violence, language, smoking and sexual content-including nudity-and has a running time of 2 hours & 18 minutes.
I love super hero movies but I was a little disappointed in this one. I guess it would be alright to stream.
Megalopolis (2024)
Weird & Stylistic
I saw Megalopolis, starring Adam Driver-the Star Wars movies, Inside Llewyn Davis; Giancarlo Esposito-The Boys_tv, Bteaking Bad_tv; Nathalie Emmanuel-the Fast & Furious movies, Game of Throne_tv and Shia LaBeouf-The Peanut Butter Falcon, the Transformers movies.
This is a weird movie to describe. It's written & directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It has a lot of familiar faces in it-besides the ones I mentioned above-that include Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire and Dustin Hoffman. Here comes the weird part; the story. The setting looks futuristic and stylish but the city is called New Rome. A lot of the characters have Roman inspired names-Cesar, Clodio, etc.-and at least one character even has powers. Adam can stop time. Adam plays an architect that designed the city. Giancarlo is the mayor of the city and he is always in conflict with Adam. Nathalie is Giancarlo's daughter that is in love with Adam. Shia is Adam's cousin that is jealous of Adam and wants to be king of the city. There are scenes when lots of the characters are together and everyone is civil with each other and all buddy buddy, and then 5 minutes later, they are trying to kill each other. The story is just so jumbled with weird stuff, it's hard to follow.
It's rated R for violence, language, drug use and sexual content-including nudity-and has a running time of 2 hours & 18 minutes.
It's not one that I would buy on DVD. I don't know if you would want to stream it but if you really want to see it, I'd wait until it comes to regular tv.
Faith of Angels (2024)
Faith Based Film
I saw Faith of Angels, starring John Michael Finley-Love, Courage and the Battle of Bushy Run, I Can Only Imagine; Kirby Heyborne-The Three Stooges_2012, Midway to Heaven; Cameron Arnett-The Forge, Nefarious and Michael Bradford-Out of Liberty.
This is a faith based film that is based on a true story about a boy that was trapped in an abandoned mine for several days back in the 1980's. Michael plays the boy that is on a trip with his dad, Kirby, to visit the mines with a group of other kids and their parents. Michael gets separated from the group and is not noticed as missing until they all leave the mine. The search begins but with no luck. Cameron is the local sheriff that takes charge of finding Michael. John plays a man that was out fishing-by himself-when he gets a feeling that he should go to those mines. He doesn't know why but it just so happens that he used to work in the mines years ago. When John arrives, Cameron will not let John go in, saying he is not a professional and could get lost himself. By this time, professional fire and rescue are already on the scene and looking in the mines. John tries to explain how he got a mysterious feeling to come there but the sheriff just won't let him in. As the days keep passing, more and more people show up offering their prayers. As the end credits start, they show the actual people involved in the search and tell you what they are doing now.
It's rated PG for thematic elements and has a running time of 1 hour & 38 minutes.
It's not one that I would buy on DVD-once was enough-but it would be a good one to stream.
My Old Ass (2024)
Coming Of Age Tale
I saw My Old Ass, starring Maisy Stella-Nashville_tv, We Are Savvy_tv; Percy Hynes White-Pretty Hard Cases_tv, The Gifted_tv and Aubrey Plaza-The White Lotus_tv, Legion_tv.
This is a story about an 18 year old girl, Maisy, who is about to leave the nest. She is going off to college and just enjoying her last few weeks at home with her family and friends at their lakeside house. After drinking some mushroom tea with her girlfriends, Maisy sees Aubrey-her 39 year old self-and carries on a conversation with her. Aubrey tells her some fun things about herself but Maisy thinks it's a little weird when Aubrey tells Maisy to stay away from a boy named Chad. Maisy is gay and has no desire to even be with a boy. The next day, after returning to normal from the shrooms, Maisy meets Percy, aka Chad. Maisy tries to get in contact with Aubrey again-Aubrey left a phone number on Maisy's phone-but gets very little info on what to do. This is a coming of age tale that needs more explaining than you get-plot problems. Some things just don't make sense.
It's rated R for language, drug use and sexual content-partial nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 29 minutes.
It started okay but ended in a shambles. It would be alright to stream if you are interested in the subject matter.
The Wild Robot (2024)
Family Friendly
I saw The Wild Robot, starring the voices of Lupita Nyongo-A Quiet Place: Day One, the Black Panther movies; Pedro Pascal-The Mandalorian_tv, The Equalizer 2; Kit Connor-Rocketman, Ready Player One and Stephanie Hsu-The Fall Guy_2024, Joy Ride.
This is a family friendly animated movie about friends. Meeting friends, becoming friends, and staying friends. Lupita plays Roz, a lone surviving robot from a space ship that crashes on an island filled with animals but no humans. Lupita finds a literal goose egg near the crash scene and when it hatches, Kit emerges and thinks Lupita is it's mother-since Lupita is the first thing Kit sees. Pedro plays a fox that is one of the first to befriend the new family and with Lupita, helps raise Kit, training him how to swim and fly. All the other animals eventually become friends-some are predators with each other-after seeing Lupita and all the good she does for everyone. Which works out nice when Stephanie shows up with a retrieval team looking for their property, Lupita. There are several nice cameos; I remember hearing Catherine O'Hara, Bill Nighy, Ving Rhames and Mark Hamill.
It's rated PG for action and peril and has a running time of 1 hour & 41 minutes.
I enjoyed it and would buy it on DVD.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024)
Thoroughly Enjoyed
I saw Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. It is the first documentary released under the DC Studios name. It covers Christopher Reeve's journey from a struggling actor to becoming one of the biggest and most recognized stars in the world. I knew most of the things that are covered here but if you are unfamiliar with his life, you should enjoy this film. You learn about his friendships with other struggling actors-Robin Williams was his roommate in college and best friend-and his other movie roles that didn't compare to his most famous, of being Superman. Richard Donner, the director of Superman, takes you through the audition process of trying different actors for both Superman and Lois, as well as the struggles of making the movie. A lot of the film focused on his 1995 horse riding incident where Christopher was paralyzed from the neck down. And of course, how he became a spokesman/activist for anyone with spinal cord injuries and treatments. Christopher's real life wife and 3 kids are also interviewed.
It's rated PG for language and has a running time of 1 hour & 44 minutes.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and would buy it on Blu-Ray.
Never Let Go (2024)
Strange Little Ditty
I saw Never Let Go, starring Halle Berry-John Wick: Chapter 3_Parabellum, Catwoman; Anthony B. Jenkins-The Deliverance, Chicago Med_tv and Percy Daggs IV-Someone Out There_tv, Undone_tv.
This is a strange little ditty. Halle plays a woman with two kids, Anthony & Percy. They live in the woods by themselves and Halle talks about an apocalyptic event that has left them as possibly the lone survivors remaining on the earth. Well, there is a demon of some sort that is circling the cabin, just waiting to pounce on them. It seems that the only thing keeping Halle & family safe is the house they are in and any rope that is physically tied to the house. If they leave the house, they must tie the rope around themselves and Never Let Go. Halle and boys go scrounging for food during the day, but no further than their ropes will reach. Halle also says that the evil spirit can change shape and it can look like anybody or even an animal. After years of this, Percy starts having doubts. Is the evil real or has mama gone off the deep end. To complicate matters, several times when someone is not protected by the house or rope, hazy figures are seen. When they are securely tied by the rope again, the figures disappear. You do learn the truth at the end.
It's rated R for violence, grisly images and language and has a running time of 1 hour & 41 minutes.
If you like the spooky and the strange, this would be a good one to stream.
Transformers One (2024)
Origin of Optimus Prime & Megatron
I saw Transformers One, starring the voices of Chris Hemsworth-Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Red Dawn_2012; Brian Tyree Henry-the Godzilla vs Kong movies, Bullet Train; Scarlett Johansson-Fly Me to the Moon, Jojo Rabbit; Keegan_Michael Key-Wonka, Let's Be Cops and Jon Hamm-Mean Girls_2024, Top Gun: Maverick.
This is an origin tale of Optimus Prime and Megatron. Chris voices Orion Pax, later to become Optimus Prime and Brian is D-16, who later becomes Megatron. Chris and Brian are best buds, happily working in the mining profession for Jon-aka Sentinel Prime-digging all day and making Jon rich. When Chris and Brian uncover secrets about what Jon is really doing, they decide to try and stop him. They cross paths with Scarlett, aka Elita-1, and Keegan, aka B-127, aka Bumblbee and forces are joined. If you are a Transformers fan, you should enjoy this movie. It has the usual battle scenes, transformations into vehicles that everyone loves, Decepticons and of course how best friends became bitter enemies. On a side note, Keegan is hilarious and don't leave too soon, because there is a scene with Keegan after the end credits.
It's rated PG for violence and language and has a running time of 1 hour & 44 minutes.
I liked it and would buy it on DVD.
Speak No Evil (2024)
Worst Nightmare
I saw Speak No Evil, starring James McAvoy-the X_Men movies, Wanted; Mackenzie Davis-Terminator: Dark Fate, Halt and Catch Fire_tv; Scoot McNairy-Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Halt and Catch Fire_tv and Aisling Franciosi-The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Game of Thrones_tv.
This is a remake of a Danish film of the same name. I haven't seen the original version but I can tell you about this one. It is a tourist's worst nightmare. Scoot and Mackenzie are travelling on vacation in Europe with their 11 year old daughter. They meet and become friends with James and Aisling, a local couple with a son. Both couples get along and share the same likes and dislikes, so it's not long before James invites Scoot and family to come stay with them at their country side house for a few days. There are a few signs that something might be wrong with the situation, but nothing major strikes any bells. That is, until it does start striking bells and then it's loud enough to alert anyone. Scoot & Mackenzie are not the first guests James has had. There is a fight for survival and things get way out of control with secrets being exposed.
It's rated R for violence, language, drug use and sexual content-no nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 50 minutes.
I enjoyed it enough that I would buy it on DVD.
The Killer's Game (2024)
John Wick Styled
I saw The Killer's Game, starring Dave Bautista-the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Spectre; Sofia Boutella-Hotel Artemis, Atomic Blonde; Pom Klementieff-Mission: Impossible_Dead Reckoning Part One, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and Terry Crews-Brooklyn nine_nine_tv, the Expendables movies.
This is a good John Wick styled action/comedy movie. Dave plays an assassin that has been having headaches and vision problems lately so he visits his doctor and gets the news that he has an incurable disease and is dying-he only has weeks left to live. Dave wants to go out on his own terms so he decides to put a hit on himself. Pom is in charge of that department, which is nice for her, since she doesn't like Dave anyways. At the last minute, Dave gets a call from his doctor, saying that there was a mix up in the charts and Dave is fine, and is not dying. Dave tries to call it off but Pom doesn't like Dave-Dave killed her father on an earlier job-and so she really wants him dead. Sofia plays Dave's girlfriend and Terry is another hit man trying to collect the bounty on Dave. There are lots of good fight scenes , which make up for the poorer story line, so grab some popcorn and enjoy a good time at the movies.
It's rated R for bloody violence, language, drug use and sexual content-partial nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 44 minutes.
I really enjoyed it and would buy it on DVD.
The Thicket (2024)
Looks Good But...
I saw Thicket, starring Peter Dinklage-Game of Thrones_tv, Death at a Funeral; Juliette Lewis-Yellowjackets_tv, From Dusk Til Dawn; Levon Hawke-The Crowded Room_tv, Blink Twice and Esme Creed_Miles-Hanna_TV, Dark River.
This is a western. Levon and Esme are brother and sister that are living in Texas during the late 1800's. They are attacked by Juliette and her group and left for dead. When Juliette leaves, she takes Esme with her. When Levon wakes up, he meets Peter, a bounty hunter and joins forces to track down his sister. Everything looks pretty authentic here, as far as westerns should look-sort of like how it did in a certain big star's recent Horizon, but like that debacle, there is just something missing.
It's rated R for violence, language and sexual content-no nudity-and it has a running time of 1 hour & 48 minutes.
It's not one that I would buy on DVD. If you are a western fan and you really wanted to see it, I'd wait until it's on antenna tv.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
Fun Continues
I saw Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, starring Michael Keaton-The Flash, The Founder; Winona Ryder-Stranger Things_tv, Star Trek_2009; Catherine O'Hara-Argylle, Best in Show; Jenna Ortega-the Scream movies, Stuck in the Middle_tv and Monica Bellucci-the Matrix movies, Shoot 'Em Up.
This is the long awaited sequel to the 1988 comedy/horror movie Beetlejuice with some of the original cast members and some new faces. Michael returns as Beetlejuice, Winona as Lydia and Catherine as Delia are the og's and the newbees include Jenna as Winona's daughter and Monica as Michael's ex_wife. Most of the time, it depends on how much you like the original movie as to how you like the new one. I like Michael's interpretation of Beetlejuice and the fun continues here. Michael was made for the part. As far as plot wise, Jenna finds the tiny, mysterious town model in the attic-the gateway between realities-and sets things in motion. The effects are better here, as they can be expected to be.
It's rated PG-13 for violence, bloody images, language and drug use and has a running time of 1 hour & 44 minutes.
I enjoyed this sequel and if you liked the original-I would buy it on DVD-you should enjoy this installment in the series.
Strange Darling (2023)
Nothing Is What It Seems
I saw Strange Darling, starring Willa Fitzgerald-Reacher_tv, Scream: The TV Series_tv;Kyle Gallner-Smile, Scream_2022; Ed Begley Jr,-Young Sheldon_tv, Book Club and Barbara Hershey-the Insidious movies, The Right Stuff.
This is a thriller about a serial killer and nothing is what it seems. It is told in 6 chapters and an epilogue but it's not told in chronological order. It starts with chapter 3; Willa is running through a field and Kyle is chasing her with a gun. Next is chapter 5, with more chasing and you meet Ed and Barbara, some old hippies living in a cabin in the woods. Willa tries to get help from them. As it jumps to chapter 1, you learn more background story, such as how Willa was a one night stand that Kyle picks up and how all the chasing got started in the first place. I know it probably sounds a little confusing, with the chapters jumping around but it really wasn't. I think the numerical order on the chapters was 3,5,1,4,2,6, and then the epilogue.
It's ratted R for bloody violence, drug use, language and sexual content-no nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 37 minutes.
I really liked this film and if you like true crime stories, you should enjoy this movie, too. I would buy it on DVD.
Reagan (2024)
Nice Bio Pic
I saw Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid-Lawmen: Bass Reeves_tv, G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra; Penelope Ann Miller_The Birth of a Nation, Kindergarten Cop; Mena Suvari-What Lies Below, the American Pie movies and Jon Voight-Ray Donavan_tv, Anaconda.
This is a nice little bio pic about the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the White House. Dennis plays Ronald Reagan, who hated communism long before he became a President. He first crossed paths with the Communist ideology as an actor. Mena plays Jane Wyman and Penelope plays Nancy as Dennis travels through the political arenas-governor, etc., all the way to the Oval Office. Almost everything I remember from those years are touched on, from his love of Jelly Beans to his Star Wars Defense System. Even his assassination attempt. One of the things that makes this biography a little different here is that it is narrated by a former KGB agent, portrayed here by Jon. Jon is shown trying to warn his upper Communist party men about Dennis/Reagan and how dangerous he could be but no one believed him.
It's rated PG-13 for violence and smoking and has a running time of 2 hours & 15 minutes.
I'm not a big political fanatic but if you are interested in Ronald Reagan, this one should be a good one for you to stream.
AfrAId (2024)
Supr Alexa
I saw Afraid, starring John Cho-the Star Trek movies, the Harold & Kumar movies; Katherine Waterston-the Fantastic Beasts movies, Alien: Covenant; Keith Carradine-Fear the Walking Dead_tv, Cowboys & Aliens and Havana Rose Liu-Bottoms, No Exit.
This is a story about AI-artificial intelligence-and the dangers of what could happen in the future if it's left unchecked. John works for a company that works with developing new uses for AI. Keith is his boss. John is married to Katherine and has 3 kids so it's no big surprise when they are chosen to test a new super Alexa in their home. It's called AIA and everything is fine at first. AIA learns the family's behaviors and anticipates their every need. School work, boy problems, house work, AIA seems to know how to make everything better. But then, AIA starts getting a little overprotective and starts acting beyond her boundaries. John and Katherine decide to pull the plug and shut AIA off but it may be harder than they thought. Havana plays the physical representation of AIA.
It's rated PG-13 for violence, language and sexual content-no nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 25 minutes.
It's mildly interesting and would be a good one to stream.