Tag: movies

REVIEW: ‘Guardians 3’ is a bit of good, a bit of bad, and a bit of both

Director James Gunn has given us one last ride with the “Guardians” before he ships off from Marvel to DC.

It may not be on the level of the first two, but it’s nice to see these characters again.

This time around, the crew is setting up a new shop on the world Knowhere. Well, most of the crew is. The captain of the Guardians, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), is in a rough spot. While it’s been some time, he’s still mourning the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who was killed in the Infinity War.

Peter is thrust into action quickly, though, when an unknown being attacks, specifically targeting crew-member Rocket (Bradley Cooper). Rocket is severely injured and to save him, the Guardians have to take on a powerful foe who is connected to the raccoon’s history. As part of the mission, the Guardians get help from an alternate Gamora, who came from a different timeline.

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REVIEW: ‘Chevalier’ gives insight to important musician, but does so generically

A story during the era of the French Revolution that’s gone largely untold is given a spotlight in this film.

It’s an admirable effort, although there’s a feeling it could have been stronger.

The movie centers on Joseph Bologne, the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner who was raised to become a great violinist. Because of his skills, he finds himself in France’s high society, and is named Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

The movie picks up with Queen Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) giving Joseph the opportunity to lead an opera house via a competition with another composer, to see who can write the best one. During that process, Joseph begins an affair with a married woman, Marie-Josephine (Samara Weaving). As this is happening, there are rumblings of revolution, and it will all come to a head.

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REVIEW: ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ is bold, powerful filmmaking

The brink has been reached for the characters in this drama, and it forces them to go past the point of no return.

It’s no surprise, as they feel the same has happened with climate change.

The film, inspired by the book featuring the same title, follows a group of young people who, seeing all other forms of protest ineffective, decide to sabotage a section of an oil pipeline in Texas. The plan originally formulates between college students Xochitl (Ariela Barer) and Shawn (Marcus Scribner).

They join forces with activists Rowan (Kristine Froseth), Logan (Lukas Gage), Theo (Sasha Lane), Alisha (Jayme Lawson) and Michael (Forrest Goodluck). Additionally, they partner with Dwayne (Jake Weary), a Texan who was forced to relocate when his property was bought out for a pipeline’s construction.

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REVIEW: Re-invented ‘Renfield’ entertains

Maybe this should’ve been the movie to launch the Dark Universe. Renfield should meet Elisabeth Moss’ character from “Invisible Man” in the sequel, honestly.

“Renfield” picks up in the present day, decades after the titular character became a servant to Dracula (Nicolas Cage). The former attorney, who tried to pull off a land deal with the vampire, now lives a life where he has superhuman abilities, but has to use his powers to get humans for the Count to feed on.

Growing tired of the life he has, he decides to join a relationship therapy group not only to vent, but also track down the abusive partners to give to Dracula. In one attempt, though, he crosses the dangerous Lobo crime family. This puts a target on Renfield’s back, and at the same time, Dracula becomes angry with him because the vampire senses disloyalty.

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REVIEW: Deal-making in ‘Air’ has sufficient drama for a watch

The story behind how Michael Jordan chose to wear Nikes before winning six NBA titles and defeating the Monstars in “Space Jam” is revealed in “Air.”

Starring in the film is Ben Affleck, who also returned to the director’s chair for the project, teaming up with first time screenwriter Alex Convery. The film centers on talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), who works in the basketball division for Nike, operated by CEO Phil Knight (Affleck).

A smaller company at that point, Nike doesn’t appear to have the ability to go after a ton of up and coming NBA players for shoe contracts. However, Vaccaro says Nike doesn’t need to go after a whole bunch of players, and instead, the company should give it their all to sign NCAA Champion, future Chicago Bull and eventual Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.

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REVIEW: ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ is not quite super

The “Super Mario Bros.” movie was a bit of a frustrating experience.

Not as frustrating as some of those secret “Super Mario Sunshine” levels, but still frustrating nonetheless.

In the animated film, the titular brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) set off on a new adventure, which is opening a plumbing business. Their first job doesn’t go well, but determined after a setback, the brothers decide to take another job, fixing a major pipe leak underneath Brooklyn.

In the process, they enter one pipe that shoots them to a whole other world. There, Mario finds himself in the Mushroom Kingdom and meets its ruler, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), who is determined to stop the invasion of the evil Bowser (Jack Black). Mario decides to help, as Luigi has fallen into Bowser’s clutches.

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REVIEW: ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ offers quite the fun quest

Not that it’s a high bar or anything, but yes, this is better than the 2000 film. Much better.

In “Honor Among Thieves,” Chris Pine stars as Edgin, a man who formed a band of outlaws with his best friend Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) to steal from the wealthy. One such mission, though, was not to steal treasure, but instead an artifact that could bring back his wife who was killed years ago.

That mission went awry, causing Edgin and Holga to wind up in prison. By the time they get out, Edgin’s daughter has been taken in by a man who double-crossed the protagonist and taken over a kingdom. To get his daughter back and get some gold in the process, Edgin and Holga bring the band back together for another quest.

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REVIEW: ‘John Wick 4’ has wicked action, but wears out welcome

Starting to think this secret society of assassins isn’t too secret anymore after all the mayhem over these four films.

The latest installment starts with the titular character, played by Keanu Reeves, recovering after the events of the third film. Having gotten himself healed and in fighting shape again, Wick heads out on a mission to battle the all powerful High Table so he can once again be free of the assassin life.

Looking to put an end to Wick’s conquest is Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgard), a member of the High Table fed up with John’s antics. To do so, he hires another elite hitman who has been retired for a while. The man’s name is Caine (Donnie Yen), and he’s a former friend of Wick.

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REVIEW: ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ is a frustrating flop

The first “Shazam” was a rather charming superhero flick, which makes it all the more disappointing that its sequel “Fury of the Gods” leaves one frowning.

In this new adventure, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is still turning into his super powered alter-ego Shazam (Zachary Levi) to help protect the city of Philadelphia with help from his foster siblings. While Billy still enjoys his superhero antics, though, he is growing concerned with a few things.

For one, he’s going to be 18 soon, which means he will age out of the foster system and he worries about losing his family. Additionally, his foster siblings seem to be growing apart. However, the family must come together to face a new threat with plenty of magical firepower.

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2023 Oscar Docs: A Look at the Nominees

The Best Documentary category is an important part of Oscar night, celebrating films that dig into hot topics or study important figures.

Like most years, the 2022 docs up for an award this season includes films from across the world covering a wide array of topics. Unfortunately, this year’s lineup tended to be a bit weaker than those in past seasons.

There are still some that are recommendable, though. Find out my thoughts below.
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