Directed By: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi
Release Date: August 13, 2021
My Rating:
Video game-themed movies are hit-or-miss, more often the latter. I can probably count on one hand the video game movies that were worth watching. Skepticism kept me from watching this movie but I kept hearing good things about it. I can honestly say, it’s much better than I expected and, definitely, worth watching.
The Menu
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult
Director: Mark Mylod
Release Date: November 18, 2022
My Rating:
As some of you may know, I am not into horror/slasher-type movies so it may seem strange that I picked this movie to watch. The thing is, Ralph Fiennes is an extraordinary actor and Nicholas Hoult isn’t too bad either (check out the series The Great on Hulu). Also, personally, I would instead categorize this movie as more of a thriller than a horror movie. With that said, let’s get on with the movie review for The Menu.
The synopsis is Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) has purchased a once-in-a-lifetime dinner prepared by renowned Chef Slowik (Fiennes). He, and 11 other guests, soon discover that this is no ordinary meal. In fact, it may be their last meal.
A Christmas Story Christmas
Starring: Peter Billingsley, Erinn Hayes
Director: Clay Kaytis
My Rating:
Christmas movie month is December but the Christmas season starts the day after Thanksgiving. This is when we decided to watch the sequel to “A Christmas Story”. The usual comments ensued when this movie was announced. “Hollywood is out of ideas!” “Why ruin a classic?”. Yadda yadda yadda. I’ll admit that I was skeptical. I’m not one of those people that can continuously watch this movie during its 24-hour marathon on Christmas Day. However, I’m also not one of those people that despise it either. Once is good enough for me.
The question then is, how well does this movie live up to the original?
I quite enjoyed it! As far as Christmas movies go, this is definitely in the top 20 must-watch Christmas movies! I would still recommend watching this one even if you are not a fan of the original movie. In fact, I might even go so far as to say this is better than the original! I may even watch it a second time this year!
Spoilers Ahead!!!
Thor: Love and Thunder
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale
Directed By: Taika Waititi
My Rating:
I finally saw the newest Thor movie (Thor Love and Thunder), but not in the theater, which I regret. Personally, I think Marvel movies are best when seen in the theater. Be that as it may, instead, we waited until it’s release on Disney+. I assume, by now, most people have seen this movie (if you’re an avid MCU fan). First a quick synopsis before I give my feedback.
Gorr (Bale) is besmirched by the gods. When he becomes in possession of the Necrosword he vows to seek revenge against all gods for their vanity and hubris. Thor comes out of retirement to battle Gorr with the help of King Valkyrie and Jane (who can now wield Mjolnir); in other words Thor teams up with Queen Padme Amidala to defeat Batman.
Starring: Ruby Rose, Paris Berelc
Director: Kyle Newman
My Rating: [rating=4]
I am a big fan of Rebel Force Radio (if you are a Star Wars fan, I highly recommend listening to them each week). During the July 15th broadcast Jason and Jimmy interviewed Kyle Newman and they talk about this movie. If you have seen the movie Fanboys then you are familiar with Kyle Newman’s work. First a quick synopsis then my 1Up review.
Vivian (Paris Berelc) is a “support” member of an elite eSports college team. After an egregious display of ego and male chauvinism, she quits the team. She forms her own, female only, eSports team with the help of Parker (Ruby Rose) to coach them against a male dominated industry.
This is another one of those movies where it’s more like 3 1/2 stars but since the plugin doesn’t allow 1/2 stars, I generously gave it a 4. It is getting destroyed though on IMDB. So much so that I almost didn’t add the link to the website. I, honestly, don’t think this movie deserves so much harsh criticism.
I admit that it’s a little campy but I feel like it’s campy along the same lines as Fanboys. It’s not a unique plot. In fact this is basically the same movie as Pitch Perfect except using video games. The writers and director do embellish the actual game play a little bit, but I don’t think it ruins the movie. It’s a decent “David Denise? vs Goliath” flick.
During the first act it does, kind of, abuses the very stigma it’s trying to abolish. Paris Berelc is a “well endowed” woman and we see her frequently in a white tank top where her … “goods” are right in our face. Ruby Rose’s character even addresses the fact that, over the years, “boobs” sell video games. I feel like from that point on, however, Berelc’s wardrobe is a bit more modest. Perhaps that is on purpose.
The movie comes at a time where women are being challenged and/or ridiculed for wanting to feel welcome in a male-dominated industry. Especially on the heels of the Blizzard fiasco. It goes without saying that gaming and eSports has largely been tailored toward males for the better part of a generation. This movie challenges that and I’m on board with it. Women should feel welcome and safe in the video game industry. A penis is not a requirement for playing (or developing) MOBAs, MMOs and eSport games.
If you are a gamer and/or in the video game industry, then check it out. Keep an open mind but your expectations low. It’s not a masterpiece and certainly not as good as Pitch Perfect but I still enjoyed it (boobs aside). It does have a few subtle Star Wars references (not just the Jedi/Padawan reference, let me know if you catch it).
“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Jeffery Wright
Director: Matt Reeves
My Rating: [rating=4]
Yes, we have another Batman movie. There are so many movies that tell the story of this capped crusader that it feels exhaustive. It also becomes difficult to invest in another Batman movie when they keep changing the actor that portrays him.
I’ve made myself pretty clear as to how I feel about the various Batman actors. I am NOT on the Batfleck train; I rank him just barely above George Clooney’s Batman (who is probably the worst portrayal). Will Robert Pattinson fair better?
The Riddler is terrorizing Gotham. He’s murdering people of affluence and power and leaving only cryptic clues for the Batman. The Gotham Police, with Lt. Gordon (Wright) and Batman must hunt down and capture him before more die.
I highly recommend this film, especially if you are fan of the franchise. I believe it’s still in theaters and on HBO Max (at the time of this writing). It’s a long movie (almost 3 hours) but it’s worth your time.
I have more to share but it involves spoilers …
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