Minions And Monsters

The creators of Despicable Me expand their universe with this tale of the Minions, who, while attempting to make a 1920s Hollywood movie, accidentally summon real monsters using a stolen spell book. The yellow crew must now stop the resulting chaos and save the world.

I'm not really looking for something fresh or new with the Minions movies.  You either love the or you don't.   I happen to massively love and enjoy them so I figured I would like this movie regardless.  What I wasn't expecting was a very interesting storyline about making movies that made this movie better than the other Minion prequel movies.   That was an incredibly pleasant surprise.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.   It's easily the best of the Minions prequels and might be only second in the whole Despicable Me universe after the original Despicable Me.   I was shocked and how the making a movie in the 1920s bit provided such an extra spark for the movie.

Supergirl

When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.

This is a bit of weird movie to review.   I liked the movie overall.  It was definitely entertaining throughout.   I think Millie Alcock is great as Supergirl.   I loved Jason Momoa as Lobo.   The action was good and the pacing was perfect and not dragged out.   But like there was a part of my brain that just kept saying how this movie had pretty much no point except to kind of show you Supergirl working through some stuff.   Like it was a random three day period of her coming to terms with stuff.   

I would still recommend people checking it out.  It was a very fun watch and I liked it but I guess it was just a very weird intro vehicle for this new/main character even though it was entertaining.

Passenger

After a young couple, Tyler and Maddie, leave New York City behind to embrace a nomadic "van life" adventure, their romantic road trip quickly derails. A few weeks into their travels, they witness a gruesome and horrific accident on a desolate highway. They stop to check on the victims and help at the scene, but they soon realize they did not leave the crash alone.

This movie was good for what it was meant to be.  It has some really good jump scares.   There was enough creepy tension building scenes.  And most importantly it didn't run too long.   Still could have been shorter but it stayed in that necessary run time window for it to not drag.

I would definitely recommend this for jump scare movie fans.   It was simple and not oversaturated like a lot of this movies can get.

The Mandalorian And Gorge

The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice, Grogu. Spinning out of the events of the hit streaming series, the duo takes on a daring assignment to rescue Rotta, the only surviving heir to Crime Lord Jabba the Hutt, who has been kidnapped by a rival syndicate on the Outer Rim. This dangerous quest plunges them into the galaxy's seediest corners, forcing Din and Grogu to face off against dangerous criminals while uncovering the lingering shadows of a mysterious Imperial plot.

This movie is 1000000000% about expectations.  If you were looking for a Star Wars cinematic masterpiece comeback then you will undoubtedly be disappointed.   If you are cool with watching what was basically the new season of The Mandalorian on the big screen then you will be very happy with the outcome.   They didn't try to reinvent anything or make it bigger.  This straight up felt like a 6 episode season all put together into a movie and I was completely fine with it.

Any fans of The Mandalorian series should love this as should any not too over analytical Star Wars fans as a whole.  It was very entertaining throughout.

Disclosure Day

Disclosure Day follows a cybersecurity defector and a clairvoyant meteorologist on the run from a shadow government corporation.  Racing to reveal undeniable proof of extraterrestrial life to the globe, they champion radical empathy over the fear-based secrecy pushed by ruthless corporate and federal powers.

I was trying to temper my excitement for this movie but it kept creeping in.  Even with the high expectations I was still able to love this movie.   This was vintage Spielberg.   The characters were great and hooked you, the action scenes were amazing and perfectly placed pacing wise.   The best part was that this movie just hit the ground running.   There was something about that where it made it even more of a hook instead of the usual slow and plodding set up.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  I very much enjoyed this movie.   Its a throwback glad you went to the theaters to see it kind of movie.

The Sheep Detectives

After their shepherd is found mysteriously murdered, an extraordinarily clever flock of sheep takes matters into their own hooves. Raised on a nightly diet of classic whodunit novels, these sleuthing sheep team up with an incompetent local police officer to uncover clues, interview human suspects, and solve the crime.

This movie was exactly what it was supposed to do.  Great voice casting for the sheep with all different personalities and them trying to figure out what happened to their owner and adjust to life without him.   It was maybe a little longer than it had to be in an effort to pull some extra heartstrings/emotions but it was definitely a cute watch.

I would sort of recommend this to people - especially families/kids.  It's not a must see by any means but it was a decent watch.

Power Ballad

The film follows wedding singer Rick who bonds with boy-band member Danny; when Danny uses Rick's song to reignite his own solo career, Rick sets out for the recognition he believes he deserves.

This is one of those movies that ends up kind of disappointing because of the trailer misadvertising.  Like this was hyped as a feel good movie and I was pretty excited to see it.  There was nothing feel good about this until literally like the last ten minutes.  Up until then it was honestly kind of a downer.   They could have done this is a much lighter way and I feel missed the boat on what was promoted in the trailer.

I would still somewhat recommend the movie.  It's not a bad movie.  It's just not fully what was advertised and that was very disappointing.

The Breadwinner

A supermom lands a Shark Tank deal, switching roles with her breadwinner husband. He struggles to adapt as a stay-at-home dad to their three daughters.

This was good for what it was meant to be.  A throwback family comedy about a dad struggling to do mom's job.   The kids were cute.  The chaos was entertaining.   Good first movie for Nate Bargatze following the age old first movie of most comedians from back in the day.

I would recommend people checking this out.  Its a short and enjoyable family comedy.

Project Hail Mary

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. Waking up on a tiny ship light-years from home, with two dead crewmates for company, he must puzzle out his mission—and a solution to a cosmic threat—through fragmented memories and an unexpected alliance with an alien visitor. 

Right off the bat the movie was a little too science overall.   Like I felt like I was back in physics or whatever at times.  The movie was also WAAAAAAAAAAAAY too long.   Like when you are watching scenes in a movie knowing that this could have been on the editing room floor then the movie is way too long.  Those two complaints aside - this was a really enjoyable and fun movie.   Visually at times it was incredible.  The use of the score and sound was like a powerful character in the movie.   And the bond between Grace and Rocky was very ET-like and a huge hook for the movie.

I would recommend people checking this out but I could very much see those first two complaints about it turning a lot of people off.   If you are able to get past them though this is a very enjoyable movie built on the charisma of Ryan Gosling.

Hokum

When reclusive novelist Ohm Bauman (Scott) retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, the staff’s tales of an ancient witch haunting the honeymoon suite take hold of his mind. Soon, disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance draw him into a nightmarish confrontation with the darkest corners of his past.

This movie was such a snooze fest.  It took forever to get to any sort of spooky stuff that you were already massively disconnected from the movie.   It also very much had a weird aesthetic that made it seem more like a made for tv movie instead of a wide release.

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering with this.   It's honestly just there and pretty pointless.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Twenty years after the original film, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) faces the decline of traditional magazine publishing and shrinking influence at Runway. When a labor scandal threatens to destroy the magazine, an unlikely alliance is formed. Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), now an established journalist returning to Runway as features editor, must navigate the modern digital landscape alongside a ruthless new executive team.

With all the recent nostalgia reboots or very late sequels it really has come down to hitting or missing on the nostalgia.    This movie stuck the landing perfectly when it came to that.   It reconnected all of those great character connections from the first and you could tell that they had a lot of fun making this movie.  All four of the main characters had great storylines and call backs and the theater was very happy with the movie.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out for a fun character comedy just like the first one was.

Mortal Kombat II

Following the events of the 2021 film, the champions of Earthrealm are coerced into battling in the official Mortal Kombat tournament. The villainous Outworld emperor, Shao Kahn, threatens the existence of Earthrealm and its defenders.

This movie was exactly what you thought it would be.   It's more of the same from the reboot a few years back and just adding in Johnny Cage pretty much.   Same kind of fighting and visuals.   I felt it was definitely longer than it needed to be but outside of that it was good for what it was meant to be.

I would recommend this to anyone that was a fan of the original.  It really is just more of the same.  If you have not watched them before why would you start now?

Pressure

In early June 1944, the largest seaborne assault in history is fully assembled on the southern coast of England. With the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, General Dwight D. Eisenhower is operating under a painfully narrow window of opportunity. The invasion requires perfect alignment of a specific low tide, lunar cycle, and clear weather. If they miss this 72-hour window, they face catastrophic failure on the beaches of Normandy or the risk of German intelligence discovering the plot.

What a snooze fest!!!   I couldn't even make it through this movie.   Like I'm sure it was well done and yada yada yada but a war movie based on the dependence of weather?   Seriously?   This was a story dying to be told?    Beyond boring.

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering with this movie.   Ever.   Unless you are having trouble sleeping.

In The Grey

In the Grey follows a covert team of elite operatives who live in the shadows of global power. When a ruthless despot and criminal gang steal a billion-dollar fortune, the crew is dispatched to steal it back in what is effectively a suicide mission.

This was a decently fun watch.   It had a simple story, a nice short run time and felt like working your way through a mission based video game.  They planned it all out and then executed it with some dialogue scenes in-between.   I wish more movies chose this simpler route instead of overcomplicating stuff just because.

I would recommend people checking this out.  There is good chemistry and its a simple/short enough movie to just sit back and enjoy.

Is God Is

After surviving a traumatic childhood fire that left them with disfiguring burn scars, twin sisters Racine and Anaia discover their long-lost mother is still alive. Summonsed to her deathbed, they are given one chilling, final directive: hunt down and kill their estranged father, the man responsible for destroying their family. The sisters embark on a violent, mythic journey across the American South, confronting a brutal family history and stopping at nothing to enact their revenge.

I am feeling like this movie was falsely advertised.   I completely expected a horror/scary movie with some kind of witch like activity maybe.   This was a road trip movie with most of the violence happening off screen until the very end.   Like it was watchable but honestly incredibly pointless.   The trailer gave weird vibes and there was like zero weirdness in this movie.   Very straight forward and just kind of there.

I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this out.  It's watchable but not a must see by any means.