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Reviews
Civil War (2024)
Not much of a war
Civil War is an A2 Production movie written and directed by Alex Garland about a not so distant dystopian future where Texas and California have seceded from the Union. A group of photographers led by Kristen Dunst along with Wagner Moura take along a veteran journalist played by Stephen McKinley Henderson and amateur photographer Cailee Spaeny on an 800 mile trek to get to Washington DC to interview the president. The storyline follows these photographers and their adventures across a stretch of area where an authoritarian federal government and several group of factions are trying to gain control of the country. Jefferson White, Nelson Lee and not credited Jesse Plemons costarred in various roles. If it wasn't for Dunst I would have given this movie a lower score. The film was more political oriented, unhealthful with close ties with the assumption of the current elections and what the liberals would think our country is headed towards. I wouldn't watch this movie again, it isn't worth your time.
Killing Gunther (2017)
Corny but Watchable
Killing Gunther is a Taran Killam film where he directed, wrote and is the main character who plays an assassin. He hires a group of other assassins to try to capture or kill the top assassin who goes by the name Gunther. Along the way, a group of documentaries capture their effort to figure out who he is and all their missions that go wrong. Besides Taran, Bobby Moynihan and Hannah Simone are the known assassins amongst others who act out their plans. Codie Smulders who is Tarzan's real life wife acts as Tarzan's ex girlfriend. Arnold Schwarzenegger ends up playing Gunther without him this flick would have been senseless. The movie was corny but yet watchable, I would recommend to watch at least once.
Inside the Mind of a Dog (2024)
Interesting and Informative
Inside the Mind of a Dog is a Netflix documentary about the minds of how dogs react and their relations with humans. The documentary is narrated by Rob Lowe and the interesting part is how dogs communicate and sense our emotions. Scientist have done experiments with support from various safe methods to learn the actions of dogs as our pets. I got to say as I was growing up I never wanted to have a pet and as a matter of fact I was afraid of them not till we adopted Spencer. Spencer has changed my mind and the way I think about pets and now he is my best friend. This show taught me several ways to help Spencer overcome any anxiety he may have. Most dogs can understand over 100 words and sleep most of the day but they are always there waiting for us when we get home. This was a great show to give a synapse of a dog's mind. Loved it.
Monsters: Hang Men (2024)
Constant Repetition
Monsters: Season Two: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix tells the story when thet killed their parents back in 1989. The storyline reiterates how the two boys Eric (Cooper Koch) and Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) killed their parents Jose (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloe Sevigny). I get that the boys are sociopaths, lunatics and pathological liars but I did not see the motive why they would kill their own parents. Supposedly they were molested by the father from a very young age and their mother did not do anything to protect her own children. I could not stand the constant repetition of the story of how they killed the parents. The series could have ended in five or less episodes. Nathan Lane plays Dominick Dunne who was a well known true crime writer and follows the trials of the infamous criminals. It was funny that the boys were caught because of a the psychologist's mistress. But overall the trial was another circus much like the OJ case that overshadowed the boys second trial after the first one ended in a mistrial because of a hung jury. Paul Adelstein plays the prosecution attorney and Ari Graynor as the defense attorney for Erik Menendez. In our household we had argued that the kids had served their time but I wouldn't think so. No monster can be set free for what they did, I mean they killed their parents with a shotgun at close range. I rather watch Dahmer than this season.
Ferrari (2023)
Slow by good
Ferrari is Michael Mann's movie about the unique brand and the man behind the name. It took Mann 30 years to bring this biopic of Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) to the big picture. The storyline takes place during the summer of 1957 when Enzo and his business is struggling unless his drivers win the Mille Miglia, a 1,000 mile treacherous road throughout Italy. This race would be the final one after so many drivers and spectators along the route. Penelope Cruz plays Enzo's wife who is mourning the loss of their son and her hatred towards her husband since his death. Shailene Woodley acts as Lina Lardi, Enzo's mistress in which he has a child with. Derek Hill, Gabriel Leone, Jack O'Connell and Patrick Dempsey play the drivers of the race. Overall the flick felt slow and it was hard to get into especially with no Italian actors playing the roles of those that should be from that region. The movie felt less satisfying and it was not as fun to watch as I would have expected, I probably would not watch it again.
Nobody Wants This (2024)
Cute with great chemistry
Nobody Wants This is a Netflix series that stars Adam Brody as a rabbi who ends up meeting and falling in love with a Shiksa played by Kristen Bell. The storyline surrounds the chemistry with these lovebirds with religion being the center point for his love interest to be acceptable with his synagogue and his family. Bell and her agnostic sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) share relationship and sexual stories on their infamous podcast. Brody's family includes Timothy Simons as his brother, Jackie Tohn as his sister-in-law, Tovah Feldshuh the mother and Paul Ben-Victor as the father. Bell's parents are divorced where the dad (Michael Hitchcock) comes out of the closet and her mom (Stephanie Faracy) is devastated but doesn't show it. Stephen Tobolowsky acts as the head rabbi who is about to retire and he wants Brody to take over. I got to say I enjoyed this show, Erin Foster did a fine job casting and writing a good series a second one is in the works.
Patriot (2015)
Dark Hilarious Comedy Drama
Patriot is an Amazon Prime two season series about intelligence officer John Tavner (Michael Dorman) who receives his next assignment from his father Tom Tavner (Terry O'Quinn). John is hired by a Milwaukee based piping construction company that is bidding to build oil pipelines in Iran. He ends up using his position to try to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons. His goal is to try to eliminate Iran's officials so that US government would be able to put their own puppet to be in charge of the country. The team from the pipe company travels to Luxembourg to make the deal happen and everything goes not as planned. John loses the money, ends up killing a Brazilian wrestler and has the police detective (Aliette Opheim) following his every step. He ends up putting together a team that includes his brother Edward (Michael Chernus) who is a U. S. Senator and a colleague from work Dennis McClaren (Chris Conrad). Kurtwood Smith plays the former owner and drug addict who gives John such a hard time. Gil Bellows plays the owner and former CIA agent and Kathleen Munroe plays John's wife Alice Tavner. We learn that John loves to write and sing folk music where he had a hit album that took off in Central parts of Europe. John meets up with Mark Boone Junior to write and play his music. Overall I loved the dark comedy storyline, the wonderful actors and the quirkiness of everything that goes array. Wish Amazon would continue the story but the series ended up getting canceled, but I still highly recommend it.
Sneaky Pete: The Brooklyn Potash (2019)
Not the best season
Sneaky Pete: Third and Final Season on Amazon Prime moved the production from the east coast to areas of. California traveling from Pismo to Bakersfield to Venice Beach. Those of us who live in Los Angeles know how long it takes to travel between cities but in this final season the scenes move from one city to another in no time. The storyline was all over the place, the main premise surrounds Carly's thought that her mom is still alive in California. The whole family chase around town just based on that idea in the meantime Marius and his ex girlfriend Lizzie (Efrat Dor) try to pull off another con. Jeffrey Ross helps with the con in return for 1923 DRC wine worth more than $150k. Darren Pettie holds Julia hostage to try to reclaim the funds that Lidia had stolen from him. Patrick J. Adams acts as a multimillionaire with a vengeance to take down a fictional character named Sy who Marius had created for a different con. The storyline was a mess and the series could have been ended after two seasons. At least the series did not end with a cliffhanger but I loved how the family embraced Marius as being one of their own. I would say just watch the first two seasons and don't bother with this final season.
Sneaky Pete: The Longest Day (2017)
A little too much going on
Sneaky Pete: Season 2 continues where Pete Murphy's character's past has caught up to him. The bad guys who question Marius don't realize Pete is Marius. Giovani must try to find Pete's real mom Maggie (Jane Adams) and the $11 million she stole from a Croatian gangster named Luka (John Ales) who likes to drown his victims in acid. During the family dinner Maggie does not reveal Pete's true identity but to use him to try to steal the money. In the meantime, Audrey had trouble of her own when an NYPD detective Joyce Rudy (Jennifer Ferrin) is brought in to uncover who and how crooked cop Winslow (Michael O'Keefe) was killed in the first season. You got to watch to see the con to steal the money out of a stuffed Buffalo from a casino floor and what happens by the end of the season. This season ended on a cliffhanger with Julia (Marin Ireland) is set to meet with Marius's parole officer to find out the true identity of Pete. This season there were too many side stories and so much going on that you can get lost in the series. Let's see what happens to Pete and to the Murphy family and hopefully a return of Cranston's character to the series.
Sneaky Pete (2015)
Loved it!
Sneaky Pete is an Amazon Prime series created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston. The story evolves around a con man named Marius Josipovic (Giovanni Ribisi) who assumes the identity of his cell mate Pete Murphy (Ethan Embry). After surfing his time, Marius meets up with his estranged Pete's family to rob them of their savings to help his brother Eddie (Michael Drayer) free him from his captivity by the mobster played by Cranston. The first season the story is based on the con game the same as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it was cleverly drawn out, scripted and played. The Bowman family runs a bail bonds business in Bridgeport, Connecticut and they are struggling to keep it from running it to the ground. Each member of the Bowman family were named after Cranston's real family members Otto (Peter Gerety) the grandfather, Audrey (Margo Martindale) the grandmother, Julia (Marin Ireland) and Taylor (Shane McRae) and Carly (Libe Barer) play the cousins. Each member has a secret and their own demons to solve. Victor Williams, Karolina Wydra, Jay O. Sanders, Malcom-Jamal Warner all play a critical role in this series. There is so many layers of characterization in the show that it grips you from the start. It is fun, thrilling, captivating series with a few more seasons to watch. Definitely add this to your list.
Wolfs (2024)
Wolfs? Or Buddies?
Wolfs is an AppleTV+ movie about two rival fixers George Clooney and Brad Pitt who are called upon to help on the same job. Amy Ryan plays New York's District Attorney and she calls the guys to take care of a situation involving a young man who is played by Austin Abrams. The boys chase Austin across the city during a cold winter night to try to return drugs back to the original owners. The storyline was good, funny and watchable with the two characters. The title is misleading hence the characters buddy attributes with one another. We never learn the names of the guys but who cares, their comedic banter made the movie fun to watch. I would definitely watch it again.
Challengers (2024)
Threesome whhhaaattt?
Challengers is an MGM studio movie production about two up and coming boys from a tennis academy working together to make it to the big leagues. Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Conner) shared everything including prodigy tennis player Tashi (Zendaya). Tashi ended up damaging her knee during a match and her future was in jeopardy. She ends up falling in love with both boys but marries Art, becomes his coach and makes him the best player. In the storyline Art goes through a dry spell and works in smaller tournaments to get his groove back and that's when his latest match comes up against his former friend. The film had an 80's vibe but the most annoying part was the soundtrack with electric dance background. As it turns out the boys tension and love for each other came out in their final match against one another. Overall I didn't care much about the characters nor for the love of tennis, Match Point was a better film. Small trivia, all ladies that played Mary Jane in Spider-Man acted as a tennis player in a tennis movie.
The Widow (2019)
Good Enough
The Widow is an Amazon Prime eight episode series about Georgia Wells (Kate Beckinsale) who loses her husband Will Mason (Matthew Le Nevez) in a plane crash across Africa. That's basically the gist of the movie but there is more to the story. Will takes a job that has him traveling back and forth between Africa and England. We learn he works for a good friend of theirs who is played by Alex Kingston. The storyline takes some twists and turns and we find out the reason why the plane crashed and the corrupt government of Congo. Charles Dance helped Kate during her trip in Africa to find the truth about her husband. There is way too many flashbacks and story jumps around from one time frame to another. It could have been told without time lapses. The beginning starts out slow till it builds up but the final episode was not necessary. This could have been a two hour movie instead of a series. It was good to watch once, I would not watch it again.
Your Honor: Part Twenty (2023)
Did not need a second season
Your Honor: Season Two continues where the first season had ended with a disgraced Judge Desiato sent to prison for his dishonorable actions. Fast forward a few years and Cranston's character is let out of prison early in order to aid a federal investigation into the Baxter family. Rosie Perez joins the cast as the US District Attorney who also helps to clear Eugene's name from accidentally murdering Adam while the Baxters try to find a way to dispose him. Season Two concentrated on the stories of drug traffickers lead by Big Mo and her relationship with her sister that she doesn't communicate with. We also learn Fia gets pregnant by Adam and both families now share blood with the birth of their grandchild. Fia does not want to have her child baptized nor does she want Michael's family to raise the child. Margo Martndale also joins the cast as Cranston's mother-in-law and they work together to learn how his spouse was murdered. This was Mark Margolis' final production before his passing as he prized his role as Hope Davis's father who despises Jimmy Baxter. This season had way too many subplots that lengthened the series to ten episodes. At the end Desiato returns back to prison to complete his sentence. We know this was supposed to be the final season but now Netflix is interested to create a third season. Like I said before, there was no need to continue this series when the title has no more meaning to the story.
Your Honor (2020)
A show about Morales and Consequences
Your Honor is a Showtime series set in New Orleans about a well respected judge named Michael Desiato whose son Adam (Hunter Doohan) accidentally gets involved in a hit and run accident that kills the son of a local mafia head. Bryan Cranston played Judge Desiato who did everything in his power to protect his son no matter the consequences of his actions. Michael serves a ruling in the Baxter family court case that always Jimmy Baxter's son to be set free. Jimmy Baxter is played by Michael Stuhlbarg and his wife is played by Hope Davis. Jimmy thinks his son was killed by Big Momma aka Desire (Andrene Ward-Hammond) hitman Eugene Jones (Benjamin Flores Jr.) who would be the sole survivor after the Baxter's killed his whole family. Isaiah Whitlock Jr. Plays the local politician running to be the next mayor and Blair Underwood plays Roland Carter the prosecuting attorney. Adam's actions and his dumb luck make him the most hated person but without him the events that transpired would not have taken place. Adam ends up falling in love with Baxter's daughter Fia (Lilli Kay) and Adam is accidentally shot and killed by the end of the series. This show was meant to be just one season but the producers have another one in the books. I highly recommend this show, Cranston's performance as a father and judge is a good reason to check out this show. The show has become a hit on Netflix.
Argylle (2024)
I can't say it was garbage
Argylle is an AppleTV+ film about an author who who writes spy thrillers about a secret agent by the same name as the title who is played by Henry Cavill. The author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) realizes her current work starts to mirror real life events. Sam Rockwell who plays a real spy who shows up at the right time to save Elly's life. Bryan Cranston and Cathrine O'Hara pretend to play Elly's parents. There are plenty of twists in this movie that is directed by Matthew Vaughn. Elly's cat is narrated and voiced by Samuel Jackson, he is the protagonist in this movie compared to Matthew's other movies where he has always played the antagonist. The other characters in the book were played by Dua Lipa and Jon Cena. I got to say it started out swell but it took a turn for the worse. Although there is a trilogy in the works, this one was a bust. I am only giving it a six out of ten only because of the great cast.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Fun and weird
Beetlejuice is a family oriented movie directed by Tim Burton. I introduced this movie to my son and of course he found it fun but weird. The storyline follows the accidental death of Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis during their vacation home town in Connecticut. Their house is sold to an unbearable family headed by Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, and their adopted daughter Winona Ryder. Baldwin and Davis have to seek help of bad boy devilish character Beetlejuice who is played by Michael Keaton to help get rid of them. This film is an iconic movie that we all loved including the dancing scene during dinner. The funny thing is that Beetlejuice character has only fifteen minutes air time of the movie. Burton's wacky B rated special effects were cheesy but he was only given a million dollars to put it together. Overall this movie never gets old, you can never go wrong with this one.
ZeroZeroZero (2019)
Incredible Narco Mini Series
ZeroZeroZero is a Sky Production, Amazon Prime miniseries about a shipment of cocaine from the Mexican cartel to the Italian mafia. This isn't your typical mafia story, it follows the flow of drugs from those who brokered by a New Orleans Lynwood family headed by Gabriel Byrne. Gabriel gets killed in a shootout and his children who are played by Dane DeHaan and Andrea Riseborough make sure the drugs get to it's final destination. The series is the most expensive miniseries ever developed with a budget over 160 million dollars. The production took place from Mexico across the Atlantic to Africa and the Sahara to Morocco and finally to Italy. The storyline is filled with backstabbing with the Italian mafia where the grandchild is trying to ruin the deal set by the buyers and sellers. The title relates to the Italian flour grading system as triple zero refers to pure cocaine. Greed, selfishness, and corruption is at the center of the storytelling including the rise of the Vampires in Mexico that end up destroying the cartel. I got to say if there was one mafia series to watch, you got to check this one. Great cast, wonderful script, cinematography, and beautiful composition by Mogwai. I could rewatch this show over and over again, you must this to your list.
Mayor of Kingstown: Comeuppance (2024)
Ended on the right note
Mayor of Kingston: Season Three on Paramount+ continues with more violence but the feud plays out between the Russians and the Blacks. Konstantin (Yorick van Wageningen moves back into town to take the businesses left behind by Milos (Aidan Guillen). Mike (Jeremy Renner) back from his devastating real life injury, plans to set up the two groups against one another. By the end the bloody battle looked like something from Heat. Milo returns to take back his regime but Mike gets the best of him. Mike's brother Kyle, Taylor Handley, transfers to be part of the SWAT team and to work with Robert. Mathew Del Negro joined the cast as a security guard at the women's ward where Kyle's wife worked as a nurse. He ends up hitting on her and physically hurts her but she fights back. This season the writing turned crappy but the action was on par. Not sure if there would be a follow up season, the series did end on a right note.
Wicked Little Letters (2023)
Charming Filthy Story
Wicked Little Letters is a British dark comedy film based on true events. The citizens of Littlehampton begin received raunchy filthy letters and they all point to Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) who is a single mom and she gets arrested for sending the letters.. The story is set during the 1920s countryside and the crime becomes known throughout Europe. Experts from Psychics to Psychologists are brought in to examine the letters to find the culprit. Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) comes from a deeply religious family and they blame the letters on Rose, During the trial, the women of the town led by police officer Gladys (Anjana Vasan) suspect Rose is not the suspect but rather the victim. This movie was charmingly raunchy and fun to watch. I found myself enjoying Thea Shamrock's small film, definitely add this to your list.
The Fall Guy (2024)
Not memorable! Nothing Great!
The Fall Guy is a David Leitch movie based on Glen A. Larson's television series by the same that starred Lee Majors and Heather Thomas who had cameos at the end of this film. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt take on their roles in this movie as a stuntman and producer respectively. Ryan suffers an almost career ending stunt accident and he is assigned to find the missing movie star who is played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Hannah Waddington plays the producer of the film she gave a wonderful performance but it was not enough to make this a great movie. The storyline was full of amazing stunts including a roll that broke a world record. The plot pushes the actors to the brink and it's full of conspiracies that made the movie hard to watch. Jason Mamoa also had a cameo but overall it was okay, I don't think it;s a movie I would watch again.
Incoming (2024)
Fun Teen Comedy for Adults
Incoming is a Netflix movie created, written and directed by Chernin brothers, the same guys behind the series The Mick. The storyline follows four high school freshmen boys Mason Thomas, Ramon Reed, Raphael Alejandro, and Bardia Seiri. The first week of school Koosh's brother is throwing a big bash at his place. Mason who plays Benj has the hots for Bailey (Isabella Ferreira) and the party is the perfect chance for him to get to know her better. This is a combination of several teen movies much like Superbad, American Pie and any other teen movie. Bobby Cannavale played Mr. Studebaker the chemistry teacher who ended up attending the teen party and getting wasted. The end of the credits there is a short reel with him. Coincidentally there were a few actors from The Mick who had cameos which include Kaitlin Olsen, Thomas Barbusca, and Scott MacArthur. The movie covers the current teen topics of catcalling, drugs, and validation. I got to say I enjoyed this movie, it's been a while and but it isn't something I would watch again.
Mayor of Kingstown: Little Green Ant (2023)
Gruesome and harsh
Mayor of Kingston: Season Two on Paramount+ continues where the first season ended when the prisoners tried to riot and take over the prison. Milo (Aidan Gillen) escaped prison and his 15 million dollars in bonds are discovered and eventually lands in the hands of Mike (Jeremy Renner). Due to the riots, all the prisoners are moved to tents and tensions mounting to the point of another brutal assault. Police brutally on the prisoners were at the forefront of this season, so Mike convinces the head of each race to take control of their factions in the tent prison and on the streets. The number of prisoner deaths climb to the boiling point and eventually they are moved back to their respective prisons. Bunny (Tobi Bamtefa) is the only leader that is released and with a Godfather style way he executes the other leaders while they are held captive. The same cast returns from the first season and the number of gruesome deaths becomes to much to watch. This series continues for a third year and hopefully with something less graphic but the series was delayed due to Jeremy's injury.
The Winter King (2023)
It was ok
The Winter King is a British series steaming on MGM+ based on the novel written by Bernard Cornwell and adopted for television by Kate Brooke. This Arthurian legendary tale portrays Arthur (Iain De Caestecker) as a warrior turned monk and how he became the ultimate hero of his kingdom. In this series Arthur's kingdom is in disarray with the Saxon armies surrounding Dumnonia region. Arthur is set to marry the King's daughter but he falls in love with Guinevere (Jordan Alexandra) who was one the princess's maids. The story does have Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White), Morgan (Valerie Kane) as Arthur's half-sister, and Nimue (Ellie James) as a priestess who was saved by Merlin and who eventually becomes the keeper of the sword. Overall the story has a Britannia feel to it, rough, dark, and not as seasoned fantasy fork tale. I would have rated it higher but the language used was not of the correct timeline, you can't have today's jargons in a past historical setting. Hopefully there will be a second season since the story ended on a cliffhanger.
The Union (2024)
Move along nothing to see here
The Union is a Netflix film that stars Mark Wahlberg as a construction worker in New Jersey and Halle Berry who is an intelligence officer and Mark's high school sweetheart. Halle comes back to her old stomping grounds to recruit Mark as part of her super secret spy group called The Union. The Union is headed by J. K. Simmons as they take on high stakes spy missions. Mark is drawn into the group because a list of agents have been made public and Mark is not part of that list but rather a blue collar worker who lives at home with his mom who is played by Lorraine Bracco. Dana Delaney plays Mark's former high school teacher, Jackie Earle Haley, Alice Lee, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje play Berry's counterparts as well as Mike Colter as Berry's husband. The first half of the movie was fun and watchable but by the second half the acting and script became dull. Great cast that is why I gave a six out of ten and great scenery but the action sequences and the script were predictable. I will never watch this one again, skip it don't waste your time.