Tag: Movie Review

REVIEW: ‘Hamnet’ boasts great performances but pacing is off

The life of William Shakespeare is once again explored in this film, but in this movie, the focus is on the playwright’s wife.

Agnes Shakespeare, portrayed by Jessie Buckley, is introduced as a young woman in “Hamnet” when she first meets William (Paul Mescal). Following a short courtship, the two conceive a child and choose to get married.

The movie then picks up with the couple having a family, including two daughters and their son, Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe). As the film goes on, William and Agnes lose Hamnet to the plague and are left in a state of grief. The situation is made even more stressful as William is away from the family in London to write.

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REVIEW: ‘Marty Supreme’ is another frenetic flick from Josh Safdie

I love me some sports, but my knowledge of ping pong is limited, so this film was a bit of a crash course.

Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), is a shoe salesman in New York City, and also one of the top ranked table tennis players in the world. Set in the 1950s, the film takes place largely between two ping pong world tournaments held in France and then Japan.

Throughout the film, the audience sees Marty train to compete against other top players from around the world, while also scrounging for money to pay his way into the sport and having relationships with a pair of women.

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REVIEW: ‘Knives Out’ saga returns to form with ‘Wake Up Dead Man’

After a decline in quality with the second installment, Rian Johnson gets his murder mystery series back on track with part three.

“Wake Up Dead Man” is the latest stand-alone investigatory flick featuring private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). This time around, the mystery is set in upstate New York and revolves around a church where a death has taken place.

The victim is Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, a rather loud pastor with an aggressive style in his sermons. The small congregation of the church point the blame at the young, idealistic priest Jud (Josh O’Connor), who was at odds with Wicks, but claims innocence.

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REVIEW: ‘Jay Kelly’ is a forced, over-sentimental melodrama

Just a short while after reviewing “Sentimental Value” and here comes another film where a cinema artist tries to reconnect with his kids.

In “Jay Kelly,” George Clooney stars as the titular character who’s built a career as a celebrated actor. Like Clooney himself, Kelly has managed to star in both major blockbuster releases and arthouse flicks, allowing him to develop a strong reputation.

In the twilight of his career, one can see he’s had a successful run. However, the same can’t be said outside of the studio lot. He has a strained relationship with his daughters, and his assistants, namely Ron (Adam Sandler), are getting tired of his shenanigans. He makes an attempt to turn things around, though, with a trip to Europe where one of his daughters is visiting.

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REVIEW: ‘Rosemead’ is a well-made, distressing picture

A frightening spiral of events, inspired by a true situation, unfold in this drama with a noteworthy performance from Lucy Liu.

In “Rosemead,” Liu stars as Irene, a woman with a terminal cancer diagnosis whose son, Joe (Lawrence Shou), is also facing major issues. A high school student, Joe has struggled with his mental health since the death of his father.

Because of those struggles, Joe has visited a mental health professional and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. As the film goes on, Joe’s mental health deteriorates, resulting in disturbing behavior, putting Irene in a difficult position with her limited resources and worsening cancer.

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REVIEW: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ advances story in repetitive fashion

There’s a spot in the filing cabinet at the Department of Redundancy Department for this film’s script.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” once again brings audiences to the moon world of Pandora. Set not long after the events of the second film, the latest “Avatar” picks up with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family still living along the ocean with the water tribe.

While they managed to repel an offensive in the last film, there’s stress for Jake, who knows the humans are still working to not only exploit the world’s resources, but wipe out more Na’vi. Plus, Jake is being hunted by Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who has partnered with an antagonistic Na’vi tribe to go after the Sully family.

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Movie misses of 2025 that I missed

Every year has its share of hits and misses at the theater, and while I try to see everything Hollywood sends to audiences, sometimes there’s a few that slip through the cracks.

Wanting to make sure I give 2025 a fair shake, I’ve decided to go back and look at some of the less-than-well received flicks of the year. I figure I’ll give everything their shot before the end of the year. So here are Hollywood misses in 2025 that I missed.

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REVIEW: ‘Z2’ has more adventure, but lacks sharpness of first

If all else fails with this movie, at least Nick and Judy shippers will be mostly happy. That includes me by the way.

Fortunately, not much does fail in the “Zootopia” sequel, though it’s not quite as strong as its wonderful predecessor from 2016. This film actually takes place quite soon after the events of the original movie, with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) just beginning to work together.

In an attempt to break their next big case, the two have ended up causing some havoc which has upset the brass. As a result, the two are on thin ice. To make matters worse, they get involved in the heist of a book, with the main culprit, a snake named Gary (Ke Huy Quan), claiming it’s for a righteous cause.

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REVIEW: ‘KP Demon Hunters’ has infectious energy despite pedestrian story

K-Pop is entertaining enough by itself, but throw in some glowing weapons and action, and things really get dialed to 11.

That’s the case with this new animated flick from Sony. Released on Netflix, “K-Pop Demon Hunters” follows a trio of singers who moonlight as fierce warriors. Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) make up a wildly popular group who regularly sell-out concerts.

At the same time, they spend time ridding the world of demons who threaten to steal souls from the unsuspecting public. The three have gotten exceptionally good at both of their jobs. However, a new threat arises in the form of a group of demons who take the form of a boy K-Pop group, which begins siphoning their fans for a nefarious plot.

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REVIEW: ‘Rental Family’ succeeds thanks to Fraser and sincere writing

Who would have guessed we’d have two films this year with a guy pretending to be a member of a family? It’s like “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” again.

OK, in reality, unlike “Roofman” with Channing Tatum, the lead character in this movie isn’t a criminal on the run. Instead, Brendan Fraser stars as actor Phillip Vandarploeug. Once able to get steady work in Japan, acting in commercials and TV, Phillip’s job prospects have dried up.

Looking to keep his career rolling, he decides to take a gig with a different type of agency. Rather than acting in media productions, the company he starts working for has him portray relatives of family members. Skeptical at first, Phillip begins to build connections in the role.

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