Tag: Review

REVIEW: Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Bugonia’ is a hard-hitting riot

This sequel to “The Beekeeper” is wild.

Kidding, this is not a sequel to the 2024 action vehicle for Jason Statham. Instead, the beekeeper in this film is Teddy (Jesse Plemmons), a paranoid conspiracy theorist who believes aliens have infiltrated Earth for nefarious reasons. The dastardly plot of the aliens, he thinks, is the purposeful destruction of bee colonies.

To put a stop to this effort, Teddy and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) decide to kidnap who they believe to be a high-ranking extra-terrestrial. That individual is Michelle (Emma Stone), the CEO of a large pharmaceutical company. The duo is successful, and they hold Michelle with a demand that she help negotiate an end to the aliens’ occupation of Earth.

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REVIEW: ‘The Black Phone 2’ misses unique shine of first film

Four years after the line was disconnected, the ring has returned.

That’s true both in and outside of this movie. “The Black Phone 2” is a sequel to the 2021 picture, and inside the film, four years have also passed. Finney (Mason Thames) is now a teenager and isn’t in the best place since his experience surviving the Grabber. He gets into fights and is dabbling in drugs, worrying his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw).

That’s not her only concern, though, as she begins having vivid dreams of murder victims at a secluded camp. Feeling an urge to learn what the dreams are trying to tell her, she enlists Finney to join her in going to the camp, telling the staff there that they’re interested in being counselors. When they get there, in the middle of a blizzard, they soon encounter a terror from their past.

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REVIEW: ‘Blue Moon’ is an enchanting look at a tortured artist

Raise a glass of Blue Moon to this one, because its charm earns a toast.

A film mostly in a single location, “Blue Moon” centers on lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke), a musician known for hits on Broadway and the song that shares the film’s name. Hart begins the film at the opening night for the production of “Oklahoma” before going to a nearby lounge where an after-show party will be taking place.

While there, he begins speaking with others at the establishment, from the bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) to American author E.B. White. As the night progresses, he shares his vision of where music should go, his creative clashes with former partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and his infatuation with a young woman he made a connection with, Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley).

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REVIEW: ‘Smashing Machine’ has some success, but is not a knockout

After several battles in supernatural and bombastic spaces over the last decade Dwayne Johnson now plays a character fighting on a much smaller scale.

In this biopic, Johnson stars as Mark Kerr, an athlete who leveraged his success in college and amateur wrestling into a fighting career. After some initial smaller wins, his abilities attracted promotions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championships.

The film follows a portion of his career, mostly from about 1998-2001, and in the process, shows the ups and downs in his life. While he had success in combat sports, Kerr also struggled with an opioid addiction and a turbulent relationship with girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt).

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REVIEW: ‘Roofman’ reaches some heights, but doesn’t top genre

As is the case with many films ripped from the headlines, truth is often stranger than fiction.

The latest example is “Roofman,” which dramatizes events in 2004 when a prison inmate escaped the penitentiary and hid for several months in a Charlotte Toys “R” Us.” We’re introduced to that inmate, Jeffrey (Channing Tatum), during his original crime spree.

Desperate for money, Jeffery’s scheme was breaking in to fast-food restaurants from the roof before grabbing the cash and making his getaway. After his prison escape, the film follows how he befriended those around him when not in the toy store, and started a relationship with an employee, Leigh (Kirsten Dunst).

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REVIEW: ‘One Battle’ holds little entertainment, political value

If Leonardo DiCaprio’s characters in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “The Revenant” and maybe “Don’t Look Up” fused together, they might look something like the guy he is in this movie.

Unfortunately, that’s not a good thing.

In this film, DiCaprio portrays Pat Calhoun, who’s also known as Bob Ferguson. Pat is the member of a left wing revolutionary group known as the French 75, whose efforts range from immigration camp liberations to acts of terrorism. In his company is his girlfriend, Perfidia (Teyana Taylor).

The two eventually have a daughter together, and not willing to be a mother, Perfidia leaves her child and boyfriend. The movie then picks up with the characters again in the present, with the daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), now a teenager. Life has mostly settled for Pat and Willa, the former’s revolutionary days behind him. Unfortunately, a past enemy eventually comes knocking.

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REVIEW: While not a contender, “Him” still scores some points

San Antonio may not have a real professional football team playing at the Alamodome, but it has a fictional one now thanks to this movie.

In “Him,” Marlon Wayans portrays Isaiah White, who’s become the professional football league’s greatest of all time, leading the San Antonio Saviors to eight titles. His success on the field has not only brought several rings, but it also inspired the next generation, particularly promising quarterback Cam Cade (Tyriq Withers).

A college star, Cade had planned to participate in the pre-draft combine where he gets to flex in front of scouts, but he’s sidelined by an injury. He gets a second chance to attract league attention, though, in the way of a private invite by White, who wants to give the player a chance to prove he has what it takes. Cade agrees, but soon learns he’s in for more than he bargained for.

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REVIEW: ‘Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ doesn’t live up to its title

Colin Farrell is back in another romantic fantasy film more than a decade after starring in 2014’s “Winter’s Tale.” Thankfully, this movie is better, but… that’s a really low bar.

Farrell’s latest film features him in a role opposite fellow Academy Award nominee Margot Robbie. In “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” both Farrell’s David and Robbie’s Sarah are single and end up mingling at the wedding of a mutual friend.

After the ceremony, Sarah’s rental car breaks down, and she ends up getting a ride from David, who picked up his own vehicle from the same mysterious agency. The car’s GPS then guides the two on a mystical adventure.

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REVIEW: ‘Caught Stealing’ has more cinematic crimes than just theft

“Caught Stealing” involved the filmmaking contributions of several great talents, making it ultimately unfortunate that the movie ends up a disappointment.

Set in the late 1990s, the movie centers on Hank Thompson (Austin Butler). Once a promising Major League Baseball prospect, Hank’s life took a bad turn and he now works at a neighborhood bar to get by. Work follows him home, too, as he drinks regularly.

Hank’s home is also adjacent to a British punk rock neighbor named Russ (Matt Smith), who has left the apartment for a trip back to the U.K. Unfortunately, Russ was involved in illegal activity and criminal elements looking for the Brit come across Hank, which spirals into a dangerous situation for the bartender.

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REVIEW: Modern western ‘East of Wall’ is ambitious, yet flawed

The Dakotas are a place of ruggedness and natural beauty. In this film, we get a first-hand glimpse into life there from the people who call it home.

The movie centers on a real family who own a horse ranch in South Dakota. The matriarch is Tabatha Zimiga, who plays herself in the picture. She lives on the ranch with several of her own children, and because there are many kids in need, has a few other teenagers staying there as well.

The film picks up with Tabatha stressed, as she’s recently become a widow and faces financial difficulties. Her business, which involves selling horses, is still going steady, but getting by on her own with mouths to feed is a struggle. Since the death of her late spouse, her relationship with her daughter Porshia is also strained.

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