Matthew Liedke

REVIEW: Despite some quality, ‘Didi’ isn’t endearing enough

Where’s a neighbor with a Gran Torino when you need one?

This coming-of-age film tells the story of Chris Wang, a 13-year-old who spends time making Youtube videos with his friends. When not out with a camera, Chris is at home with his mother (Joan Chen), grandmother (Chang Li Hua) and sister (Shirley Chen) in the Bay Area while his father works in Taiwan.

As his summer off from school progresses, Chris (Izaac Wang)has his ups and downs with his family, friends and even with his hobby. With the latter, Chris starts to film some skateboarders, but even then, fitting in can be tough. Continue reading “REVIEW: Despite some quality, ‘Didi’ isn’t endearing enough”

2024 just finished a throwback summer

For well over a decade, the summer movie season has been mostly held up by several film series.

It had a start in the 2000s with the rise of comic book movies, but really took off in the 2010s as the MCU became fully established. It hit overdrive in the last 10 years. Since 2014, there have been 41 movies released in the following movie series:

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REVIEW: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ entertains and exhausts

The Marvel Cinematic Universe sure could use a shot in the arm lately. What better shot of adrenaline than the Merc with a Mouth?

Better known as Deadpool, that wise-cracking, fourth wall-breaking character returns to the silver screen for third time. In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the red-clad anti-hero gets roped into some multi-universe shenanigans, and in the process, learns his own world is under threat.

To prevent a cataclysm, he needs the help of the iconic mutant Wolverine. The only problem is the Wolverine in his universe is the same one that died in 2017’s “Logan.” So, he goes to another universe to find a different one. The only problem is the one he finds is in a bad and not so helpful mood.

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REVIEW: ‘Twisters’ has sufficient entertainment as stand-alone sequel

Most Americans enjoy a calm, cool summer breeze, but those winds are far too tranquil for the characters in this film.

“Twisters” is, unsurprisingly, about tornadoes. It serves as a follow-up to the 1996 film “Twister” which starred Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. The new release stands on its own, though, outside of a few slight references.

Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Kate, a meteorologist who gave up storm chasing because of a tragic incident, but returns to help her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) with a project. As they’re going about their work, they have run-ins with Tyler (Glen Powell), an internet influencer who streams his storm chases.

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REVIEW: ‘Despicable Me 4’ doesn’t offer full cinematic experience

“Despicable Me 3” went unseen and unreviewed at this site in 2017 because of a busy schedule. Considering there’s not an ongoing arc in the series, it doesn’t look like it’s a necessary watch.

That’s certainly apparent in “Despicable Me 4,” as the animated sequel gives the family an entirely new scenario to deal with, and there’s little mention of any unresolved matters from 3. So, in part four, Gru (Steve Carell), an Anti-Villain League agent, manages to put a former rival of his behind bars.

That rival, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), escapes prison and vows revenge. The villain’s action forces Gru, his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) their daughters and new-born baby to go into a sort of witness protection program. However, plenty of shenanigans still ensue.

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REVIEW: As a thriller, ‘Longlegs’ is laudable, but not quite legendary

Sometimes Nicolas Cage plays a character who’s just a little off. That’s not the case here, because the character he portrays in “Longlegs” is completely off.

In this film, Cage plays a serial killer known as Longlegs who’s been on the loose for decades. To help catch him after a recent family massacre, the head of Oregon’s FBI office brings in Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe).

Awkward in social situations but completely dedicated to her profession, Harker begins the case with vigor, going over every clue, including letters left by Longlegs. Eventually, she’s able to decode them, but they only lead to more mysteries and memories from her own past.

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REVIEW: After strong start, ‘Maxxxine’ loses moxie in third act

After a trip to the past in “Pearl,” the “X” series has gone back to the present, which for the franchise’s characters, is the 1980s.

“MaXXXine” is set in 1985, with its titular character trying to make it in Hollywood after the events of the film “X,” which took place in 1979. With the stage name Maxine Minx, the protagonist (Mia Goth) is an adult film star who gets a chance at the studio system via a role in a horror flick.

It’s a dangerous time for women in Los Angeles, though, as the Night Stalker murders have recently been taking place. It only gets more dangerous for Maxine, when a mysterious person with knowledge of 79 begins stalking her, leaving dead bodies in their wake.

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REVIEW: Mildly amusing ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ never fully takes off

Scarlett Johansson makes it two in a row with space-themed films, following up her appearance in 2023’s “Asteroid City” with this summer’s “Fly Me to the Moon.”

This time around, Johansson plays an advertising ace named Kelly. Because of her record of success in marketing, Kelly is recruited by a mysterious government agent named Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) to bolster the public’s perception of NASA.

It comes at a time when NASA is looking to forge ahead on its Moon mission, despite losing the loss of public interest. Kelly starts turning that around, much to the chagrin of by-the-books launch director Cole (Channing Tatum). However, Kelly starts winning him over, too.

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REVIEW: ‘Day One’ shows diminishing returns for ‘Quiet Place’ series

“A Quiet Place: Day One” turns out to be quite the bargain, since the movie shows day two and day three as well.

What the title really implies, though, is that this is a spin-off prequel showing how the conflict at play in the previous “Quiet Place” films from 2018 and 2020 started. Set in New York, the film centers on Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), a terminal cancer patient and poet who, emotionally, is barely getting by.

On a day where she decides to go out in the city with others from a hospice center, the sight-by-sound aliens from previous installments begin dropping from the sky. The sudden alien attack pushes her into an effort for survival, and she’s joined along the way by another individual trying to stay alive.

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REVIEW: ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is a constantly fascinating anthology

The guy who made the new film “kinds of Kindness” is kind of a good director.

Obviously that’s not true, as Yorgos Lanthimos is a great director and once again shows off his abilities to make a bizarre, amusing and insightful picture. His latest film is an anthology with three stories full of dark comedy and absurd moments.

Each story features the same set of actors, but they’re all standalone tales and the cast play different characters. That cast includes Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, and more.

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