Sychronic

Mackie and Dornan will play two New Orleans paramedics whose lives are ripped apart after encountering a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with bizarre, otherworldly effects.

This movie was kind of watchable based on the options that are available during the joyous year of 2020.  I have always been a fan of Anthony Mackie and that is probably the main reason why I was able to kind of enjoy this movie.  If you take him out of this it's pretty much just a jumbled mess.  

I would not really recommend people rushing to watch this.  It's a somewhat decent watch but pretty forgettable I'm sure 10 minutes after I write this.

Spell

A man crash lands in rural Appalachia and awakens in the attic of a traditional Hoodoo practitioner. He desperately tries to break free from her dark magic and save his family from a sinister ritual before the rise of the blood moon.

I really didn't think I would like this movie as much as I did.  It was like Misery meets Ma.  Loretta Devine was creepy as hell as the main baddie.  And Ghost (he might as well legally change his name) did a great job of selling the pain and the confusion about what was going on.   Even if you saw some of the twists coming it was still a very enjoyable watch.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out if they get a chance.  It was a very surprisingly good watch.

Honest Thief

They call him the In-and-Out-Bandit because meticulous thief Tom Carter (Liam Neeson) has stolen $9 million from small-town banks while managing to keep his identity a secret. But after he falls in love with the bubbly Annie (Kate Walsh), Tom decides to make a fresh start by coming clean about his criminal past, only to be double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents.

Wow.  This was dull.  Like beyond the realm of dull.   Like how did I spend 90 minutes of my life on this kind of dull.  This would have been a lame made for tv movie.  Granted - Liam Nesson's Taken act has grown quite old but this movie was so non-suspenseful and lacking action that it actually made me miss that stuff.

I would not recommend anyone bother with this.  It's a complete an total waste of time.  It was trash even with a football game muted on the ipad.

The War With Grandpa

Peter is thrilled that Grandpa is coming to live with his family. That is, until Grandpa moves into Peter's room, forcing him upstairs into the creepy attic. And though he loves his grandpa he wants his room back - so he has no choice but to declare war. With the help of his friends, Peter devises outrageous plans to make Grandpa surrender the room. But Grandpa is tougher than he looks. Rather than give in, Grandpa plans to get even.

Was this movie 100% formula in every way?  Yes.  Was it a Dennis The Menace/Home Alone wannabe with Robert DeNiro?  Again - yes.  But was it a watchable family movie still?  Somehow . . . . . .  yes.   I'm not saying its a must watch by any means but I was okay watching it and not itching to turn it off and for this movie I would call that a success.

I would somewhat recommend families checking this out.  It is beyond predictable in every way but still was a somewhat decent watch.

Tenet

In a nutshell, Tenet is basically Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys if it was incorporated into a James Bond-style spy film. The Protagonist is recruited by a shadowy government agency to help bring a stop to World War 3, and thus the extinction of all life on the planet. The only way to stop this is using Time Inversion, which is basically a form of reverse time travel, where the entropy of objects is reversed to allow you to travel back in time.

Wow!   This was A LOT to take in.  Christopher Nolan managed to pull off a cinematic masterpiece again with his direction and storytelling but this movie was at times like cramming for a physics test.  It was A LOT to take in.  Like I even read a bunch of stuff after watching the movie to make sure that I understood all of the info that is thrown at you to bring you into this world.  Visually it's beyond stunning.  The characters are great and the hook is definitely there to keep you dialed in regardless of all the confusion and heavy stuff.   

I would absolutely recommend people checking this out. It is not a simple popcorn movie by any means.  This one will leave you exhausted and possibly give you a headache from processing all the info but it is an amazing movie.

Infidel

Infidel is a contemporary political thriller set in the Middle East and filled with suspense and intrigue, inspired by true events, and ripped from today's headlines. Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, Person of Interest, Deja Vu) plays an American journalist/blogger who is kidnapped while attending a conference in the Middle East. Taken hostage by the Iranian regime, he is put on trial for trumped-up charges of espionage. His wife, who works for the State Department, quickly realizes that the American government can do nothing. Feeling desperate and alone, she goes to Iran to try to free him herself. This exciting story sheds light on the plight of Americans currently held captive in Iran, about whom the world has forgotten.

This movie was a decent watch but had literally no emotional hook to it.  You pretty much forget about the movie five minutes after watching it.   That's no so good for the type of movie that this is.  Kind of defeats the purpose.  

I wouldn't really recommend people rushing to watch this.  It's not the worst way to spend two hours of your life but it's really not a memorable watch at all once its over.

Ava

 

Ava is a deadly assassin who works for a black ops organization, traveling the globe specializing in high profile hits. When a job goes dangerously wrong she is forced to fight for her own survival. 

This was a decent watch but not a must see by any means.   I feel like the general idea has been done to death.  This is the same role pretty much already played by Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and several others.   Very formula and not to edge of your seat for a movie that should be.

I would not really recommend anyone rushing to see this.  Unless they are just streaming it and then by all means go ahead.  But its definitely not worth the time or money of going to see it.

Unhinged

 

Unhinged is a psychological thriller starring Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) from Carl Ellsworth, the writer of Red Eye and Disturbia, and Lisa Ellzey, the producer of Warrior and Kingdom of Heaven. It takes an ordinary, everyday incident to its most terrifying conclusion in telling the story of a mother who leans on her horn at the wrong time, to the wrong guy. “Road rage” doesn’t begin to describe what he’s about to do to her and everyone she knows.

For a movie with the most simple of premises - this was a pretty good suspense movie.  Also definitely makes me think about never using my car horn again.   There was nothing that you didn't see coming a mile away but it will still a better than average and surprising watch.

It's not a must see by any means but I would still somewhat recommend people checking it out.  There also is not a lot available to watch anyway.

The New Mutants

 

Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, "The New Mutants" first appeared in 1982 and focused on a group of teenage mutants as heroes in training. The film is set to feature a new roster of super-powered teens, including Magik, Wolfsbane, Dani Moonstar, Cannonball, Sunspot, and Rosario Dawson (Marvel’s Daredevil) will play a mentor figure to the group.

I don't think that my expectations of this movie could be any lower than they were.  There is clearly a reason why this movie has been getting delayed for over three years.   Or maybe I should say several reasons.  Yes - it kept getting rewritten and shot by 20th Century Fox.  Yes - there was the sale to Disney.  Yes - there was Covid 19.  But the movie is also pretty much garbage so there was no rush to put it out there regardless.  They wanted to kind of make it a horror movie but there was zero scares.  And the movie kept the special effects budget in an X-Men movie crazy low so that didn't help either.  The second the movie is over it doesn't stick with you at all.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this.  Glad that it finally came out at least.  And now Marvel can officially move on from this and start rebooting the X-Men under their umbrella.

The Broken Hearts Gallery

 

After a break up, a young woman decides to start a gallery where people can leave trinkets from past relationships.

This was essentially your textbook rom-com.  Enjoyable but you pretty much knew every step this movie was going to take.  The comedic friend characters hit their spots.  The chemistry between the leads felt real and you find yourself hoping that they will work out.  The cast as a whole was really good with a bunch of former side characters getting more screen time than usual.  

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see by any means but it was a decent enough rom-com and I guess a breath of fresh air since it has been so long since one came out.

Mulan

 

When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation…and a proud father.

If there was not an animated musical version of this movie with an awesome dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy - this would be a great movie about Chinese culture and family and honor.   It still was an enjoyable movie based on that.  But it was weird watching it without the songs and Mushu popping up.  I will never understand why they went the route of Dumbo with this one instead of Aladdin and Lion King.

I would still recommend people checking this out.  It was a decent watch.  Not worth the $30 that they are charging or whatever at all but if you can stream it online it is worth it.

Antebellum

 

Antebellum will follow the story of successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe), who finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late.

Jordan Peele killed it again.  Can't really say too much about this movie without giving things away but it was a great watch.  Very upsetting for the first 1/3 of the movie.  Kind of confusing for the 2/3 of it and then very pleasing in several ways for the last 1/3 of it.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's crazy to me that this movie was made and meant to be released prior to all of the current events we are going through because it really coincides with a lot of those things.

Bill & Ted Face The Music

 

 When we last met Bill and Ted they were time-traveling teenagers trying to pass history class and win the battle of the bands. Once prophesized to save the universe with their rock and roll, middle age and the responsibilities of family have caught up with these two best friends who have not yet fulfilled their destiny. They’ve written thousands of tunes, but they have yet to write a good one, much less the greatest song ever written. With the fabric of time and space tearing around them, a visitor from the future warns our heroes that only their song can save life as we know it. Out of luck and fresh out of inspiration, Bill and Ted set out on a time travel adventure to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe as we know it. Together with the aid of their daughters, a new crop of historical figures, and some sympathetic music legends, Bill and Ted find much, much more than just a song.

Talk about an incredibly long wait for a sequel.  When I was a kid - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was one of my favorite movie.  Great movie?  No - of course not.  It was just a movie that I thoroughly enjoyed.  The sequel was a decent watch but nowhere near as enjoyable as the first one.   This movie was incredibly stupid but it really didn't take itself seriously at all and that ended up making it enjoyable even though it really was a bad movie.

I would still recommend people checking this out who were fans of the first two and the characters.   Besides - let's be honest . . . . . what other movies are out there to watch?

The Tax Collector

 

David and Creeper work as “tax collectors” for a crime lord named Wizard, collecting his cut from the profits of local gangs. But when Wizard’s old rival returns to Los Angeles from Mexico, his entire business is upended, and David finds himself desperate to protect what matters most to him — his family.

This was another great and gritty David Ayer movie.  I've always been a fan of his movies and this one was no different.  It was also great to see Shia LaBeouf show those acting chops that I totally thought were going to bring him to next level years back before he fell off the rails.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's a well done, tight and pretty intense watch that is more than worth the 90 minute running time.

Irresistible

 

After the Democratic National Committee’s top strategist Gary (Steve Carell) sees a video of a retired Marine colonel (Chris Cooper) standing up for the rights of his town’s undocumented workers, Gary believes he has found the key to winning back the Heartland. However, the Republican National Committee counters him by sending in his brilliant nemesis Faith (Rose Byrne) and a local race quickly becomes a fight for the soul of America.

This movie was a pretty decent watch.  I enjoyed the pulling back of the curtain on how campaigns run and what not.  I will say though that I thought the laughs would be much bigger considering all the talent involved.  Still a decent watch but not nearly as funny as I had hoped.

I would sort of recommend people checking this out.  The actors definitely pull their weight and what not but it's not a must see by any means.