Back To Black

Singer Amy Winehouse's tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil inspires her to write and record the groundbreaking album "Back to Black."

This was surprisingly a pretty good musical biopic movie.  For these kinds of movies with me its always the balance of was there that big of a need/demand for this movie plus does it go deep enough into the subject material or does it gloss over.  Finally, the performances of the musical figures has to be great.   On this one I didn't really see the need for a movie about Amy Winehouse but it did a really good job of showing her spiral and not just glossing over stuff.  And the actress playing her did a great job.  I liked her from a previous show I had seen her on and hopefully this movie can put her more on the map.

I would actually recommend people checking this movie out.  It was a surprisingly good watch.

Civil War

In a dystopian future America, a team of military-embedded journalists races against time to reach Washington, D.C., before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

This was a really well done movie but calling it a "dystopian" future doesn't distract from the fact that it seems like this is much closer to a reality than we want it to be.   There was great character development movie with rising tension from start to finish.  I get the whole portraying the reporters in the way that they did in this movie but I actually felt like that took away from it a little bit and held the movie back from being fully WTF level.

I would recommend people checking this out.  It was a edgy and enjoyable watch even though it was definitely a little too close for comfort at times.

Challengers

Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event -- close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.

This movie was banking on the sexual tension between the three leads but quite honestly I just wasn't feeling it.  Like it seemed very forced for all of them.  Plus there was a very weird use of loud music at very strange times throughout the movie to try and raise the tension and that backfired too.  

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering with this.  It could have been so much better and is pretty much just a waste of time.

Abigail

A group of would-be criminals kidnaps the 12-year-old daughter of a powerful underworld figure. Holding her for ransom in an isolated mansion, their plan starts to unravel when they discover their young captive is actually a bloodthirsty vampire.

So there are two ways to look at this movie.   If you are entertained but a violent gorefest of a movie this is actually a decent watch.  Like there was plenty of those things throughout building to a ridiculous over the top ending that went next level with a ton of blood.  However, from a story standpoint when your main swerve that takes like 45 minutes to get to has been blatantly revealed for months in advance by the trailer - that massively takes away from the movie.   Like you are watching the first half knowing what is going to happen even though the characters don't and it makes it pretty silly because of that.  

I would not really recommend anyone bothering with this unless you like seeing tons of blood.  That story spoiler was really ridiculous in hindsight and really ruined the movie.

Tarot

Friends unwittingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within a cursed deck of tarot cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate, racing against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.

This movie was basically a version of Final Destination that included Tarot cards.  Like that's it.  Really nothing more to say.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this.  There were a couple of decent jump scares but outside of that it was beyond forgettable.

Boy Kills World

Boy is a mayhem machine who's been training to assassinate the bloodthirsty Hilda Van Der Koy and avenge his family's murder. Guided by his sister's mischievous spirit, Boy uncovers one stunning revelation after another as he barrels toward Hilda.

Very confused as to how this was a wide theatrical release.  It's one of those pure adrenaline action movies with some pretty good fight scenes but like barely a story to hold it together.  Plus if you want to do a movie like this where the guy is kind of John Wick-ish but doesn't speak so his inner voice in narrating it - maybe don't have the voice of Bob from Bob's Burgers or Archer be that voice.   It was very strange trying to take anything seriously when such a noticably comedic voice was narrating everything.

I would not really recommend anyone bothering with this.  It's not the worst movie out there but it's really not that good either.  It ends up just kind of being there and making you be like huh when watching it.

Sting

Charlotte is a rebellious 12-year-old girl who finds a tiny spider in her rundown apartment building. She keeps it in a jar, but it soon starts to grow at a monstrous rate and develop an insatiable appetite for blood. As her neighbors begin to disappear, Charlotte and her family find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives against a ravenous arachnid with a taste for human flesh.

Um . . . . . how in the hell was this a movie released in theaters?  This felt like a made at home movie.  Was a little excited and hoping for a Cocaine Bear type movie but was massively disappointed.   This movie was awful.

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this.  Ever.  Like at all.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The Spengler family returns to the iconic New York City firehouse where the original Ghostbusters have taken ghost-busting to the next level. When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must unite to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.

This was a weird movie to watch/review.  Like you kind of enjoyed it while watching it but it's pretty forgettable like right after you move the theater.  These movies have done like a weird transition where its really for a completely younger generation and those of us who the movie was iconic for back in the 80s are there for the nostalgia and stuff but like it doesn't hit with us as much as it used to.

I would still recommend people checking this out because it is an enjoyable watch but it's no where near the event movie feeling that it used to be.

The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a true story inspired action movie with Henry Cavill leading a covert group in WWII missions. Guy Ritchie's film highlights the Special Operations Executive's lesser-known events during WWII under Winston Churchill's command.

This was just a fun movie.  A simple and fun action movie with good chemistry and laughs from the cast and enjoyable action.   The story was honestly irrelevant because this was just a nice and simple ride of a movie that you can enjoy.

I would recommend people checking this out.   It's not a must see by any means but its a fun watch.

Monkey Man

A young man ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he's beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, he discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city's sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

This movie is pretty much exactly what you thought it would be from the trailer.  It was an Indian version of John Wick sort of.  Crazy over the top action.  Crazy fight scenes.   The thing that really separated this for me though was the fact that Dev Patel wrote, directed and starred in this.  That really made this whole thing impressive as hell.  So the dude was in this crazy scenes with the quick editing and very intense filming style but he was also doing said filming style?  Very impressive.

I would definitely recommend this movie to action movie fans.  It's a hard R for violence but as long as you are okay with that it is a very enjoyable watch.

The Boys In The Boat

During the height of the Great Depression, members of the rowing team at the University of Washington get thrust into the spotlight as they compete for gold at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

This movie was the textbook underdog sports movie but was done sooooooooo well.  You are hooked to pretty much every character and on edge for every race.  You are so hooked that you are cheering and clapping during the movie.  Never in a million years thought that one of my favorite underdog movies ever would be about rowing.  LOL!

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a very very enjoyable movie and leaves you feeling really really good.

American Fiction

Monk is a frustrated novelist who's fed up with the establishment that profits from Black entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, he uses a pen name to write an outlandish Black book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

The social commentary of this movie was priceless.  Constantly made you go back and forth between laughing and being like that is so messed up.  The evolution of how it played out was also a great hook and made this movie a great watch.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a very enjoyable well written movie.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

Godzilla and the almighty Kong face a colossal threat hidden deep within the planet, challenging their very existence and the survival of the human race.

This was very much a money grab sequel.  Like once the humans in the story are only there to basically narrate certain parts these movies have jumped the shark.   Like it honestly felt like a Transformers movie.  Very disappointing and very forgettable.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this.  It was mailed in, pretty silly and overall pointless and forgettable.

Immaculate

An American nun embarks on a new journey when she joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. However, her warm welcome quickly turns into a living nightmare when she discovers her new home harbours a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.

This movie was just another run of the mill religious scary movie that ends up being not really scary at all and just there.  There might have been one scene in the movie that made me jump and would make me think twice about going into a confessional if it ever seemed like that was likely to happen but that was it.  

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this movie - regardless of how buzz worthy Sydney Sweeney is.  Her usual marketing is not remotely on display here so pass.

Love Lies Bleeding

Lou is a reclusive gym manager who falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder who's heading to Las Vegas to pursue her dream. Their love soon leads to violence as they get pulled deep into the web of Lou's criminal family.

What in the blue hell was this?   This was like a made for blu ray wannabe Tarantino movie.  And it was ultimately yet another example of Kristen Stewart being in a movie guaranteeing that it is hot garbage.   This movie was only finished because of how many times I kept looking at it like WTF.

I would absolutely not recommend anyone wasting their time with this.  It was hot garbage.