Wonka

Armed with nothing but a hatful of dreams, young chocolatier Willy Wonka manages to change the world, one delectable bite at a time.

Not going to lie - I had very low expectations for this movie.   Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory is one of my favorite movies ever.   Pretty much a staple of my childhood.   So when I heard that they were doing a prequel I thought for sure this was another here we go with ruining something remake or prequel style.  I was happily very wrong.  I absolutely loved this movie.   It could have been paced a little better but overall I loved the characters, I loved the songs and I loved the story with callouts to the original.  I thought Timothy Chalemet was great as Wonka and Hugh Grant as the Oompa Loompa didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  This was a movie that is perfect for seeing in theaters and just escaping the world for a couple of hours.

Migration

A family of ducks decides to leave the safety of a New England pond for an adventurous trip to Jamaica. However, their well-laid plans quickly go awry when they get lost and wind up in New York City. The experience soon inspires them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends, and accomplish more than they ever thought possible.

This was a great movie for what it is supposed to be - a quick and enjoyable family movie for the holiday season at theaters.  Does it have franchise material?   Not really.  But is it an enjoyable enough watch with some good laughs and characters for both adults and the kids they bring?   Yes.

I would definitely recommend families checking this movie out.  It's an enjoyable and quick watch that will put smiles on everyone's faces.  

Anyone But You

Despite an amazing first date, Bea and Ben's initial attraction quickly turns sour. However, when they unexpectedly find themselves at a destination wedding in Australia, they pretend to be the perfect couple to keep up appearances.

This is your textbook run of the mill rom-com but it works.  The chemistry was there.  The side characters checked all the boxes and you care about how it's going to play out even though it is completely formula in every way.

Even though it is is formula and very over the top at times I would still recommend fans of rom-coms checking this out just because of the chemistry between the two leads.

Next Goal Wins

With the 2014 World Cup qualifiers approaching, down-on-his-luck coach Thomas Rongen tries to turn the American Samoa soccer team into winners.

This is pretty much every single underdog sports movie cliche to a tee.  But the trick with these is that it has to hook you enough.  This movie kind of did.  The quirky characters keep you interested enough.  It might help if you care about soccer which I don't.  But it also has Waititi's directorial touch that makes it kind of enjoyable.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out because it is a decent watch.  It's not a must see by any means whatsoever but it is watchable.

The Marvels

Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels.

This one was pretty disappointing.  Like kind of on a level with Thor: Love And Thunder.  I was able to enjoy it at times - mostly because of Ms Marvel and the cast from that show.  But that was the biggest problem.  The most irrelevant character in this movie was Captain Marvel.  This served as much more of a continuation of the Monica character from Wandavision, Ms Marvel and another show from the end of the movie that served as a great setup.  This movie started off good and then it was as if they just gave up while really only caring about getting to the final two scenes - both having nothing to do with Captain Marvel - that set great things up moving forward.   So like . . . . . what was the point?

I don't think my recommendation or not really matters here but this movie will definitely be on the shortlist of Marvel ones that I will likely never bother watching again.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place in the dystopian world of Panem, during the tenth annual Hunger Games. It follows the story of Coriolanus Snow, who later becomes the tyrannical President Snow depicted in the original series.

I don't know how I never knew this but this is a prequel that is pretty much the origin story of the main bad guy in the rest of The Hunger Games movie.   So I was a little confused at times like am I supposed to like this guy because he kind of seems like a jerk?  LOL!   And then I was like ooooooooooooooooh that makes sense.  This was pretty good movie.  I would not say awesome or must see but it was a decent watch.  However, I feel like I have been saying this ALOT lately but it's simply waaaaaaaaay too long and again you feel it.  There are legit three acts to this movie and I was thinking that the ending would be around where act II ended.  

I would still recommend people checking this out because it is an enjoyable watch and a well done movie.   Just a heads up again that it is pretty damn long.

Silent Night

On Christmas Eve, a man witnesses the death of his young son when the boy gets caught in crossfire between warring gangs. Recovering from a wound that cost him his voice, he soon embarks on a bloody and grueling quest to punish those responsible.

Imagine if The Punisher and Rocky got mushed together and former blockbuster director John Woo decided to make a movie about it with no dialogue and you have this.  That is honestly so spot on as ridiculous as it sounds.   This movie was a silent training for a calendar year and then the act of getting revenge in one night with zero words.   And you felt like you were there for the whole damn year and don't honestly care by the time the revenge starts playing out.

I wouldn't remotely recommend anyone bothering with this.   I really have no idea how I made it through this movie without leaving because it was epically pointless.

Thanksgiving

An axe-wielding maniac terrorizes residents of Plymouth, Mass., after a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy. Picking off victims one by one, the seemingly random revenge killings soon become part of a larger, sinister plan.

How in the blue hell was this a movie?   Better question - how was this a wide release in theaters movie?  LOL!!!  Just reread that synopsis and/or watch the trailer and I dare you not to tilt your head like a confused dog and mutter what the hell?   

Would I recommend anyone watching this?   Not in a million years for all the money in the world.  It was so beyond dumb.