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Space Cadet (2024)
Turn off your brain and just enjoy !
Of course if you start to scrutinize this movie, you are gonna find more hole than in a swiss cheese if you compare it to reality. There is no way ever that someone could make it to the NASA the way she does in this movie.
But it is a comedy, its not supose to be realistic and personally i have no problem when movies are just escapism and require me to suspend my disbelieves.
I enjoyed Rex, the character portrayed by Emma Roberts. She is joyfull, funny, engaging. Even tough it is indeed "bad" to lie, you can easily sympatize with her and why she kept going with the lie even tough it was not her initial intention.
Just one of these fun little movies made to enjoy and move on.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
Lots of fun !
I do recall having seen the previous entries as a kid, at least 2 of them for sure, but its been a very long time. For whatever reasons i never saw them again and not because i didn't liked them. That said i did recall a few characters from them making a comeback and i did remember Axel general persona.
Personally i really enjoyed the movie. Its a blend of action with comedy and it had me laughing many times troughout. Altough the plot is nothing really original and has been done many times before, you get entertained well enough by Axel and his personality.
Eddie Murphy still look in great shape. I googled his age later and saw that he is 63, yet you wouldn't tell.
Overall if you want some pop corn action and comedy with nostalgia, this is a movie just for that.
The Dark Tower (2017)
Felt a bit too much like Game of Thrones Season 8
I watched this yesterday with no expectations at all. I knew the reviews in general were not that great and i am not much of a reader, let alone longer books like King. When it comes to King's movie adaptation, can't say i am a huge fan either. Maybe because a lot were done in the 80s, or maybe his writing don't translate well on screen, i dunno really. This movie was in my backlog for a while with other blurays i paid like 2.50$ during a video store clearance.
So i was going with low to no expectations just wanting to be entertained and ... it was alright? My biggest issue with this movie is that its only 90 minutes and you feel like you just got dropped into the last season of a TV show.
The story of the kid himself is alright, he dream and discover this other world, but everything around it is thrown in your face without explanations. For exemple the vilains wear human faces because they are some creatures under, yet its never explained who they are.
The main vilain seem human, they say he is a sorcerer but his powers are never explained. He seem to have godlike abilities, as a mix of Killgraves (Jessica Jones) and pretty much everything else related to sorcery from telekinesis to pyro. But beside that he is evil and want to let some demons into the word, you never get to know why he does what he does and why these creatures help him.
Movie as short as it is do not spend a lot of time world building either, with a vast portion in good old New York City. You can never truly get to know this other world.
Then you got some portal technology that look like a mix between 90s tech and Stargate.
Overall when i say it felt like Game of Thrones season 8, its both as in you feel like you got dropped at the end of a story and skipped all the "built" and on top of that, everything is super rushed. Even a 2h30 movie would had likely not cut it.
I think this would had worked a lot better as a multiple seasons show, spending more time on the characters and getting to know the world of it and how it work.
That said it was not terrible either. If you take it as some pop corn adventure movie (with a few darker twist tough) and focuss on the relation between the 2 main characters, its totally fine. The villain despite badly explained is at least played in a good way by Matthew Mcconaughey with a mix of smug and intimidation.
Some action scenes entertaining, but some had a bit of "video game look" CGI as in characters moving in a way that really look like you just catched a cutscene in a video game. But i heard the budget wasn't that high on this movie so that is forgivable.
Overall not a terrible movie, but nothing great either. In my case a one time watch that filled its purpose and its going into the pile of "trade to a used movie store".
A Family Affair (2024)
I just don't understand the reviews. It was a fun movie
I watched this yesterday and yes i know i am overall someone who is easy to please with movies. I am a movies fan, but a pop corn movies fan first. I don't mind a long intellectual movie once in a while but im the kinda guy who will have fun with a toilet humor Adam Sandler comedy.
But over my "leniance" toward movies, i don't get what the peoples complain here. I didn't notice such a "lack of chemistry" between Chris and Brooke. Maybe its because i watched in French but it was perfectly fine for me.
As for the plastic surgery that i read in so many other reviews... Well Nicole Kidman was doing movies i was a kid and i am almost 40. She is 57 ... For a woman her age, i think she looks great. I will admit Zac Efron does look a bit older than in my memories but then again the guy is 36 now, he ain't 20 something anymore. Sure i could pick up that he had some work done but it didn't distract me like some of these reviewers.
Overall the star was Joey King as Zara. Its her movie. I think she was great. Charismatic, cute, and i enjoyed the interactions with Chris.
As for the rest yeah its a bit as your usual romcom exept the focus this time ain't on the main character love story but her mom, but again is that an issue? You either like these movies or you don't. Personally i did.
I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 but due to the system i must settle on a 7 out of 10.
Hit Man (2023)
Good. Not what i expected at all tough
When i watched the trailer i was expecting a mix of comedy and romance. Maybe not in the typical Romcom style but something close to that. The movie is actually more of a crime meet a bit of "film noir" and focuss more on characters. Its not a style i will usually go for often but ocasionally i can enjoy it.
Glen Powell show his acting and charisma when he take on several different persona for all the "killers" he pretend to be. Some of these scenes were pretty entertaining but they serve mostly to establish him as a character. Its like the first 45 minutes are mostly an introduction to the movie in some sort.
At almost 2h of runtime, it still give a kinda weird feeling that when the movie really "pick up", it still end too soon. Not spoiling anything but it was one of these moments of the movie end and im like "oh ...like that?".
Adria Arjona was also good as the sexy love interest and everyone from the supporting cast did well too.
Ultimately its a kinda hodge podge of different things that mix themselves and it is a rather interesting story you want to follow to the end. But you also need to suspend your disbelief in some parts.
From my understanding its base on a real life person who did the job in the 70s, yet the movie happen in our current years. But there is many instances the movie want you to believe its still 1970 and police do not have acces to today's tool. That said i don't think it impact that much the entertainement to have with it.
I had a good time with it and im eager to see more of Glen Powell wich i enjoyed in various movies the last couple years. But for me its a movie i saw once, glad i saw, but will likely not rewatch.
Trigger Warning (2024)
Streaming service filler at best
The trailer looked interesting, showcasing an action movie with Jessica Alba wich still look gorgeous and in tremendous shape. Having done some action before i saw no problem for her to star in this. Turn out its a pretty low budget movie without that many action.
The movie kinda follow a "made for TV" investigation formula for the majority of it, and even tough you get a couple action scenes troughout, its mostly a lot of talking and investigation.
Obviously there is a more action oriented climax, but it ain't nothing special and showcase a small budget.
That said the movie is not trash or anything. It has a decent if generic story, and most of the hand to hand combat is fine, but just don't expect an action showcase.
I have no idea how these movies are made factually, but i always picture them as some "factory writers" sending a bunch of scripts wich stockpile, then some execs propose them to some "recognizable name actors" and when one sign on, they consider it worth making as that actor will bring viewers and they don't have to spend a lot on it.
If you have Netflix and don't know what to watch, its an alright choice, but its really just a filler to throw on the streaming service.
Life After Fighting (2024)
Could Scott Adkins finally have competition?
Not that long ago i saw the trailer for this movie and remembered the lead actor from a movie i saw with Steven Seagal call Force of Execution about 10 years ago or so. He was very solid in it in term of fighting but for whatever reason, its like he never really did anything more when it comes to Martial Arts? After watching his IMDB resume it seem he spent lots of years in recurring roles in TV shows so that could explain.
Fast forward many years later and this one finally get release, so i give it a rent on Xbox (i couldn't buy it even if i wanted to for whatever reason, rental only) and this really surprised the heck out of me.
I mean the trailer did showed some good fight sequences but with DTV martial arts flick you never know. But i was actually blown away.
The movie has a rather surprisingly long run time for the genre at 2h, but it want to establish the characters well so you feel for them. It still manage to insert enough fight scenes and training scenes in that first and second act that i never felt bored or that it moved too slow.
Once you get in the third act tough is where the show start. BRUTAL fight scenes, fast pace, great choreographies. I read in some other reviews that there was too much "shaky cams" but i think the guy may have had a few beers too much because i didn't notice much shaky cams at all. Yes sometimes the camera follow the action and its not completely steady but its not "shaky" at all.
Story touch on some hard subject and without reinventing anything, it is solid enough to be a base for the action show.
Bren Foster not only star in it, but also directed and written it, so it was really a passion project for him and he succeeded at making a very good modern day Martial Art movie mixing both old school kicks and flips with a more grounded BJJ style of modern MMA.
Other than Scott Adkins its been pretty dry outside of Asia when it comes to this genre. You got Michael Jai White putting one out here and here, but for some reasons he appears often as a guest star in non-martial art movies (i assume he don't want to be type casted) and when he do put one, they not always exactly great. Some are very low budget and it show.
I don't know how big was the budget for Life After Fighting, but even tough there is nothing extremely expensive in it (explosions, car chases or big action set piece), everything they done especially the climax really look great and its very well directed when it comes to the fights.
If i must mention a negative, i would say Bren Foster altough an amazing on screen fighter, lack a bit in term of acting when it comes to emotions, but then again you don't watch a movie like this for academy award type of actings. It was fine enough.
Overall this is one i will like to add to my physical collection so hopefully i can get at least a DVD at some point. And i do hope Mr Foster make more martial arts movie in the futur.
Darkness of Man (2024)
A rather boring movie with a predictable plot and minimal action
I know JCVD isn't exactly young anymore and i am not expecting a full blown action movie, but somehow he manage to often book himself in roles where he is meant to appear discouraged with life, depressed and bored. His best roles in his second half of his career in my opinion are the likes of Welcome to the Jungle and Enemies Closer. Movies where he plays a full of energy over the top excentric character. The depress schtick has really gotten old for me.
Now if this was the movie only low point, but its actually one of the lesser problem. This script is dull... and barely has any action. A few sluggish boring hand to hand fights, altough one ill admit use an original perspective but it looks like its made to cover up for Van Damme lack of mobibility. Then a few very uninspired and boring gun fights.
Most of the movie's tough is Van Damme monologing, drinking, and i was just so bored. I litterally watched the movie in 3 shots. I watched 40 minutes and took a break to play some online games as i was too bored, then i came back and watched another 30-40 minutes, and when i realize it would basically be more of the same til the end i just turn it off and watch the remaining part a day later.
This movie looks basically like one of those scripts in the 2010s that Nicolas Cage would say yes just because he needed the money. The kind of script that was stockpile in the "bottom DTV" pile and that just needed a recognized lead to somehow draw a few fans to it. But no... JCVD actually co-wrote it, so he really wanted to make it.
In term of esthetic the movie does not look bad or "fake" but for the minimal action there is in, i think most of the budget got into the actors and cameos.
For some reasons you have Shannen Doherty and Cynthia Rothrock showing up in some of the most pointless cameos ever, and apparently Eric Roberts was in it, but i didn't even noticed him. Kristanna Loken wich still look fantastic plays his love interest and she's actually in the movie for a decent lengh, but the character's highlight remain an underwear scene...
Its true that we will always associate Van Damme with action and spinkicks, but there is ways to make movies in an older age and remain interesting without a need for big crazy action scenes. Sylvester Stallone did it brilliantly in Tulsa King and to an axtent Arnold also made something fun and with decent action in Fubar. They are older than Van Damme as well.
Honestly for me this movie was like some of the last Steven Seagal movies he made before retiring (or being forced to maybe). A recycled predictable script, rather boring, and not even really entertaining as a disposable movie.
I will be generous and give it a 4 out of 10 because the movie was "competent" in some aspects, but its definately below average. Even for 1$ i wouldn't buy it on DVD to put it beside my other Van Damme movies. And yes its not the same in that category (We Die Young, Lukas and a few more...)
Die Hart: Die Harter (2024)
Are movie watchers getting too Hart to satisfy? (See what i did...lol)
Everytime before a review i go and check a few of the previous reviews just to see the general feeling of peoples and often, just in this case, i see a ton of super negative reviews like 1 or 2 out of 10 and i just ask myself why?
Is this the greatest comedy of all time? No. Is this the greatest action movie of all time? No. Its a Kevin Hart movie on a streaming platform in the vain of a self parody (Kevin Hart plays an exagerated version of himself).
I wasn't expecting this to be a memorable movie. All i wanted was to have some fun for a one time watch with a few beers and move on. Thats exactly what i got.
I am a movie fan, i watch 150 movies a year, wich 90%+ are movies i never saw. Yet i know my "style" of movies and i try to go to watch what i enjoy. There is plenty of movies peoples give great reviews wich i know they ain't my type of movies, so if i do decide to watch them i keep that in mind and i stay fair.
Otherwise i do enjoy direct to video action and comedy, or action-comedies like this movie. I do enjoy Kevin Hart as an actor so i got what i expected. I judge these movies on what they are. They not supose to be the next John Wick.
So to get back in the movie beside Kevin himself, i enjoyed the majority of the other characters too. John Cena once again go for a crazy different type of character that is hillarious to watch despite his small screen time. Nathalie Emanuelle is once again entertaining as the "No BS" sidekick.
And one thing i really enjoy is that lately i notice more movies who are translated in Quebec start using our own profanity instead of a more "international" type and thats really cool to hear. Its not like those hockey movies like Slapshot who use the super thick accent, they keep it "regular" but put a few "tabarnak" and such in and it really crack me up.
So to sum it up, its a fun disposable movie for movie fans, the ones who eat movies a ton. If you are a selective person and only watch one every week or so, sure you can skip it and wait for a "bigger blockbuster". Thats not it.
Civil War (2024)
Just boring sadly ... but the few action there is is very well done.
I watched this movie thinking this would be an action war movie, between 2 different factions of the USA, but ultimately it is mostly a character driven movie and somehow i found it simply ... boring.
I am not really well in the known when it comes to war journalism but i found it kinda weird civilians would be allowed so close to the battleground, sometimes litterally following the soldier. Looks like a diaster waiting to happen in my opinion.
Even tough they use the pictures in a stylish way in the movie, i kinda fail to understand why so much pictures would be important or worth the risk instead of using actual video cameras. The movie in my opinion has 2 major issues.
The first one is i didn't really care much for the characters or what could happen to them. Kirsten Dunst character feel so wooden and inexpressive. Its part of the character trait i guess (she saw it all so it does not affect her anymore) but it just made for an uninteresting character. Neither of the other ones really catched my eyes either.
Then there is the fact that you never been given much background on why this war is going on. Who are the "good guys" or bad guys? Sometimes the "press crew" tag along soldiers and you not really sure who they are and why follow "them" per say. I guess it may be a stylistic choice for the movie just to show that war is ugly and sometimes there is no right or wrong, But for me it just meant less investment in the movie.
Ultimately when there is action scenes, they are well done. Good effects, well filmed, and movie don't hold on the blood to fill a lower rating wich is good.
But as its really more a character drama than an action movie, ultimately for me it felt short. I took a few beers just expecting to have a good time with my action war movie, and i didn't got this. Eventually i turned it off after 1 hour to play some online war video games. I finished it the next day so i could judge the entirety of it.
Atlas (2024)
Titanfall the movie !
When i saw the trailer, i was litterally thinking this is Titanfall as a movie. They even use the name of one of the chassis of the titans (Atlas) even tough here its the first name of the main character played by Jennifer Lopez.
For some unknown reasons this movie seem to get a lot of hate from certain peoples while others like me loved it. JLO does a solid job when it comes to acting in my opinion, showing the feelings and struggle of her character, and the action is super cool.
Did i wished there was a bit more of it? Yes sure. But what we got is very well done and there is a decent ammount of it. Also like i said when the focuss in on the relation between Atlas and Smith, the AI inside the Titan, i really connected to the characters as well.
Movie looks very good in general from vfx to set designs. Being on a remote planet allow some originally and environemental stuff wich would not be on Earth while also keeping it "in budget" without having to destroy cities or such. I don't know what was the budget but for a Netflix movie, it looks very good and seem expensive.
Now i don't know how they managed to bypass the copyrights of Titanfall, basically making a Titanfall movie and just not naming it Titanfall, but i am NOT gonna complain ;)
Just for comparison there is more Titanfall in this movie than there is Resident Evil game elements into the first Resident Evil movie.
Boy Kills World (2023)
A stylish and brutal action packed movie with comedy as well
Boy Kills World is pretty much what i expected in term of action when i watched the very disapointing Monkey Man. This movie is VERY brutal. Gore, Blood, it don't hold anything and the choreographies are very well done.
The movie has a deaf and mute protagonist but he talk to himself all movie and he shows more personality than many characters in other movies trough a mix of this voice and facial expression. There is a fine balance between comedy and action.
I am not gonna elaborate too much on the story because there is susprises to be kept but overall it took me a few minutes to get into it, feeling a bit confuse at first, but then eventually everything get in place and you tag alone not missinng a beat.
Movie use some kind of dystopian world as its base reminiscent of the likes of Hunger Games and of course you have to suspend a lot of disbelief and just enjoy the goofy side of it.
Overall a very solid action movie with replay value.
The Fall Guy (2024)
Overall pretty fun, blend of action, comedy and romance.
I wanted to watch this in theatre but long story short, i wasn't able and to my big surprise the movie was already out this week at home so i was very eager to see it.
Overall i had good fun with it. Yes the story is really "don't think too hard about it" in many parts and you really have to suspend your disbelief the same you do if you watch a Fast and Furious movie, but if you can do that, its a good ride.
There's a lot of big action set pieces, some pretty cool hand to hand combat, and the 2 main actors are as charming as ever in their respective roles.
Also the movie has a solid sound track with classic sounds as well as more modern ones too.
Bar Fight! (2022)
This is basically a sitcom episode turned into a movie. Its fine for what it is.
Found this 2022 movie kinda randomly yesterday and saw Melissa Fumero was in it, wich i enjoyed in Brooklyn 99. I also like beer games and drinking in general so i was like "why not", just a little fun afternoon comedy.
Overall i taught the movie was fine. I did laugh in a few places, and the same charm Melissa has in Brooklyn 99 is also present here. Her Ex Husband is a little more "muffled" but he is fine.
Most of the support cast are really straight out of these sitcom comedy shows. Over the top at every turn and its barely if you don't hear the laughing track during certain scenes (there is none, but this has all the vibes of it). Most of the movie happen in the same location (the bar) and around, and its obvious this was done on a very small budget.
That said for me it did the job. Not a movie ill rewatch or can say it was amazing, but as a movie consumer who watch a lot every year, this was perfectly fine and enjoyable for what it was.
The Last Kumite (2024)
A Throwback to the late 80s/early 90s Martial Art flicks wich assume the cheese
Let me start this review by saying this is a flawed movie in multiple aspect. If you tune in for great acting or exeptional production quality, you obviously picked the wrong movie. This is a throwback to those Martial Arts movie from the late 80s and early 90s that obviously look very cheesy now because of how combat sports evolved (UFC and such). So you have to like that style and want that specifically. Because thats what the production was going for and they were always clear with it.
I do think the movie should had been set in the era they were going for in term of presentation tough, either the late 80s or early 90s. Movie is set in 2021 and this give you the first "gotta suspend my disbelief" when it comes to the fighter selection. Ron Hall (Matthias Hues) go on a hunt to recruit what he consider the best for his underground tournament yet half the selection is not very credible for today's standard.
The movie does have a few fighters wich look the part like David Kurzhal aka Viking Samurai, Bolo Yeung son and the vilain Dracko wich look massive and menacing. But some of them really look too old or out of place. I get that they were going for the same vibe as Bloodsport, but again, it worked because it was 1988.
So switching the time era would had been very beneficial especially that outside a few rare uses of cellphones, it wouldn't had change much at all in the movie.
The main character Michael Rivers despite being in good shape physically is on the older side, and has a rather blank presentation. Kurt Mckinney is cool to see back for the old fans of No Retreat No Surrender but he kinda look completely out of place as a fighter in this.
The movie has a lot of classic names and its kinda cool they all have something to do ultimately, they not just 10 seconds cameos, but the way they incorporated also scream a lot of "suspend your disbelieves".
For instance you got some sparring partners and trainers showing up one after the other to help our main character and they all seem like good guys, but yet the vilain don't do anything about it or seem to mind. That was the hardest thing for me to just "roll with it".
The fights definately give that Bloodsport vibe too. Some of them are a bit too short and involve knock-outs straights out of the 80s. I do think they overdo a bit the "get a kick and spit a ton of blood Triple H style on impact" but the "main fights" were overall pretty well done. I was really impressed by Viking Samurai all around. He looks great, his fights were well done and even his acting was perfectly fine.
Matthias Hues as the vilain was also a great choice. Brough some charisma and it was nice to see him longer in a role and rely more on acting that just fights.
Ultimately i did had to point the flaws but what matter the most is the fun a movie bring you and in that regard, it totally succeeded. I cracked a smile everytime someone i knew popped for the first time and the action was plenty and entertaining.
This movie was made on a very low budget, i think trough a kickstarter or something like that, so obviously they had to cut corners in term of the production, so im not gonna be too judgy on the sets and such.
So im gonna give this movie a 7 out of 10. Its not a 10 out of 10 at all, but its not a 2 out of 10 either. Its a low budget effort made with passion for the fans by the fans and it succeed in giving me a cool 2 hours. Grab a few beers, and just enjoy.
Father Christmas Is Back (2021)
The comedy didn't work a lot for me but the familly stuff was fine
It was late and i was already a bit tipsy, and i decided to pick into my old Netflix watchlist to find something to watch. I was feeling more light hearted comedy and this one wasn't too far down the list and looked the part. Sure we are in May but whatever. Won't be my first Christmas Spring film this year.
So basically you have 4 sisters, and one of them is hosting for Christmas in her familly home that happen to be more of a mansion than a house that was inherited by her husband. They are pretty much a disfunctioning family to begin with, but it happen their father who have left decades ago show up to add to the mix.
On paper that sound great, but in execution, can't say the same. The main issue is the movie never really find funny situations to put the characters in, and when it does, its not that funny. Every sisters have their personality and at least 3 out of 4 are developped well enough, and they do have their "rivalries" but it comes out more as bickering than anything else.
There is a few situation that attempt to go for comedy but it didn't really worked for me. Its like the movie couldn't decide if it wanted to be more of a family drama or a comedy, and kinda failed to deliver on both.
Ironically it seem some parts were inspired by Christmas Vacation, but obviously it can't touch it.
I know this review sound more negative than positive, but the movie is really not terrible. Especially not as bad as some other reviewers want to make it to be. Its definatelly not a 1 or 2 out of 10. For me it was just plain average... just "ok". The story did interest me, but it lacked many typical aspects of a comedy or even a romcom to truly sink me in the movie.
There is better options on Netflix for sure when it comes to either romcoms, comedies in general or even Christmas movies, but its if you watched a lot of them and are bored, maybe it will do it for you.
Abigail (2024)
Very well done horror movie with some originality and a cool location
So let me start by saying this movie is very good but the marketing team sadly spoiled too much of it. This is the kind of movie that could had done very well on its own with the cast it has and a "mystery plot" type of trailer. If you saw the trailer, sadly you lost the surprise and a fair chunk of the first half kinda feel useless as you already know whats gonna innevitably happen. If you DIDN'T watch the trailer, then keep it that way and just watch the movie !
As i mentioned, the cast has a lot of "familiar faces" you seen elsewhere. Giancarlo Esposito who seem to be in a lot of stuff i watch lately, the always charming and excellent Kathryn Newton. Kevin Durand wich fill perfectly for the "big guy" roles, and last Melissa Barrera from Scream 5 and 6.
Now im gonna be honest, i was both shocked, disapointed and angry at her comments about Israel war on the terrorists Hamas. I think her firing from Scream was justify and she should had been forced to apologies to keep a job in this industry. I am one that usually can seperate the actors real lives from the characters they play and still enjoy the movies, Bree Larson being a perfect exemple. She appear insufferable to me as a person but i brush that aside when watching her in a role.
When it comes to Melissa tough, that is huge. Its a very horrendous event where she took position against the peoples who were attacked in one of the worst terror attack in the last 30 years. That said it hurt me even more because i really like her acting ... I loved her in Scream as Sam Carpenter and i knew watching this movie it would be hard to seperate the actor from the character this time. But i have to give credit where credit is due, Melissa is REALLY good in these horror movies as playing a fierce final girl. She was great in the movie ... So i apreciate the character, but i can't forgive the actor.
Alisha Weir as the titular character was very good also in her role. Its not an easy task for a kid to play a character of that sort and yet she nailed it.
As for the rest of the movie, as i mentioned before its overall pretty fun. Some of the first half "build up" felt a bit weird knowing where the movie would go thanks to the trailer, but i still apreciated the set up of the characters and discovering that creepy house wich on his own is almost a character.
The gore and blood was overall well done, there is some creepy scenes and yeah its a movie that is just a fun time. Due to the nature of the character of Abigail i don't know if they can actually do more of these movies, but i would certainly watch more.
Echo (2023)
These "pseudo-series" that are pretty much a DTV 90 minute movie streched need to stop.
Alright where to start with this... beside saying "oh how the mighty have fallen". Its no secret that Marvel ain't the same since Endgame. Some new projects were overall good to very solid (Spider-Man, Shang Chi) but some were terrible (Thor L&T to name one).
That said the main issue for me is these shows that basically are 90 minutes movies on a budget stretched to be longer into some mini-series only to justify the Disney + service existance.
I actually enjoyed Hawkeye, even if it was more of a Kate Bishop show, the actress made it work. With Echo it feel like an overlong epilogue of that show in a way.
For a start the character. Being deaf and muted mean its gonna be harder to express feelings and draw the audience. I think the actress was great with what she was given, but i just didn't find the character interesting. She worked fine as a bad guy in Hawkeye but here... i just didn't cared much for her pseudo redemption story.
Also from what i read, Echo has a character does not miss a foot. Its because the actress is amputee in real life. I felt in the show that started to add a bit too much of a disability for someone supose to be badass.
The (few) action scenes the show had were overall good but the pacing in general was just not it. They were too stretched out and unlike Daredevil or Punisher where ill root for this badass character, here i just didn't cared much for her...
Not gonna lie, im not really into Native culture. Its not something that interest me like ancient Asian culture does. So ultimately this show didn't had much to offer for me.
Kingpin portrayal by Vincent D'Onofrio was once again super solid, but even he was somehow "chained" by the show weak plot. Also im still not certain if this is the same Kingpin as Daredevil from Netflix or not. I can't say for Daredevil himself either. I decided to erase the abomination that was She-Hulk from my memory.
Overall i gone trough the motion with this "show". I had the impression of watching a movie on a direct to VOD budget that they decided to stretch longer for no apparent reasons.
Its sad to say but Marvel currently feel like Season 8 of Game of Throne. Weird pacing and plot decisions. Lacking direction. I feel their goal is just to introduce as many "diversity characters" as they can for the sake of it and "continue" this universe that way.
Its like they forgot that what made this universe cool in the first place was great characters, great writings, good stories.
The Knight Before Christmas (2019)
Just a cute movie without pretention
This is pretty much one of those movies that you see on TV during Christmas time from Hallmark or such. Exept its Netflix who did it this time. Not a huge budget, pretty standard locations beside a few scenes involving a castle (exterior only) that actually look alright.
The script is all about a 14th century knight ending up in our time period and for the rest it basically go with every clichés of a romcom, yet it was nice to watch.
This Knight is one from the fairy tales type, and he is super galant, nice, not at all in the vain of Game of Thrones lol. The lady protagonist (Brooke) has been down on her luck a bit when it comes to love, so you know where it want to go.
The movie is not "funny" despite the fish out of water set-up. There is a lot of missed opportunity in that sense but i feel they wanted to go for strickly a romantic movie and not really much about humor or slapstick. Our Knight will of course behave weird for modern technologies at times but it never cracked more than a little smile for me.
That said, yet i enjoyed the movie because i felt the story was cute, the characters were charming, and if Sir Cole can be easy on the eyes for the ladies, we the men are not at rest with Vanessa Hudgens and Emanuelle Chriqui.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)
Didn't really connect with me... on multiple aspect.
I love Adam Sandler comedies in general. Yes often its toilet humor and similar stuff for years, but i often get a laugh out of them and they just work for me, well most of them.
I knew going in this movie he has a small role and the focuss is on his daughters, well especially the youngest one. So different kind of humor and not much Adam. Sadly not a lot in the movie connected with me.
First of all the Jewish aspect. As an Atheist (raise in Christianity) all of these Jewish religious concepts really flow over my head. Don't get me wrong, i got plenty of love for Jews especially right now with whats going on as i write this, but still religion never really connect with me exept Pagans because ...well Vikings are cool. This movie is so centered around it that it was my first disconnect.
After that, yes its very young teens. Im not really the demographic for it. But i watched familly movies before where kids had a central roles and even as an adult i can apreciate them. But again i didn't connect much with the characters. Their conflicts seem so ridiculous and for instance our main character pursue that boy crush that is simply such a jerk from the start that you never "root" for her or anyone to actually get what they want.
One thing that i don't get in Adam Sandler's movies, he always give his wife a part, yet she never play his actual wife in any movie. This would had been THE movie for it because Sandler's younger daughter look SO MUCH like her mom that it was almost distracting that her real life mom play the mother of her best friend.
Overall what can i say... i didn't hated the movie at all, can't say i really liked it. Finished it by principle but honestly didn't really cared that much halfway trough. Im gonna give it a 5 out of 10 because i think im just not the demographic and there is nothing really that i can pinpoint as being awfull. Its just the movie ain't really much funny to me. I would say despite her smaller role, Adam Sandler's oldest daughter was probably the best part of it. She had the "funniest" parts.
The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)
I did wanted to love it but i got to admit... mediocre.. very mediore.
Ok its 2024 ...wow time fly be. I just happened to recently (and finally) watch the first Crow movie. Surprisingly it holded up rather well if you willing to accept the 90s "tropes" when it comes to vilains and over the top "street punk violence". Its still a very good movie with a good cinematography and sound track.
I was planning to watch them in order but this one, wich happen to be the 4th one, catched my eyes first because ...look at the cast !! Im gonna go one by one because most of these peoples i enjoy so much elswhere.
David Boreanaz. The vilain of the movie. Angel/Angelus from Buffy the Vampire slayer and later his own spinoff. Some would say he was better as a vilain than as a good guy. I loved both. In this movie he plays the vilain and i think he does the best he could with what he was given... Over the top a bit but it work for who he plays. He was the best part of the movie...
Tara Reid. You saw her in American Pie and 2 of the 3 sequels. This was maybe just a bit before she got relayed to Direct to DVD stuff? Not sure. But she still that natural great looking blondie in this movie. She does fine. But her role could had been played by anyone and she didn't stand out at all.
Edward Furlong. The main character in the movie. Obviously no he does not has the same presence as Brandon Lee. But i didn't taught he was bad... I actually liked his portrayal to an extant. Some scenes were well decent. He has a bit of that teenage look still from Detroit Rock City. But of course everybody knows him from Terminator 2 and as succesfull that movie was, it may sadly has hurt his career more than helped it, putting too much pressure or name recognition on the guy. With a 2024 eye (knowing how he obviously faded fast after the mid 2000s and American History X) i guess i can apreciate him more?
Emanuelle Chriqui. She has a small role in this as the love interest. She ain't a huge name actress but recently she had a main role in Superman and Lois and i really enjoyed her in Adam and Eve, a raunchy teen comedy. I think overall she's an underrated actress. And yes she is very beautifull (then and now equally) so maybe im bious...
Add to these Chozen from Karate Kid 2 (and more recently Cobra Kai), Tito Ortiz from UFC, that Dude from The Matrix wich i forgot his name but still recognized him, and finally Danny Trejo, you pretty much got a cast that everyone who was born 90s+ will recognize.
Yet the movie was ... well... as i said very mediocre. Why? The cinematography is bad. Some weird slowmo shots but not in a Matrix or Paul WS Anderson kind of way, really just awkward slowmos pre-Matrix where they just lower the frame per seconds and it look awfull.
A story weirdly told in multiple ways. You got that "freeze frame intro" with the characters and their names you would see in many low budget movies for henchmen introducing them but that as far as you get background speaking. You have flashbacks like the OG movies, but if the ones between the love couple are perfectly servicable, the ones with the vilain bring nothing at all beside establishing they know each others.
Then you have a bunch of side characters and lore that seem to bring nothing in it. Im not gonna go into spoilers but as much as i love Danny Trejo even tough i seen him a hundred movies plus in different type of roles, in this he has a part where i litterally laugh at how bad it turned out. Not his fault really, he just did what the scripted ask, but that was so dumb.
Overall this movie feel like one of these 2000s direct to DVD cheap movies. Small budget all over every aspects, from cinematography to special effects and locations. Im genuinly surprised they could get all these actors tough, because sure they were not A-lister, but they were all recognizable names. David Boreanaz had just finish shooting Angel by then. If you look at his resume, after Angel he jumped straight into Bones (another TV show) and thats almost exclusively what he did for years. He was only in a few movies in between, then Bones and barely anything else, and after Bones he had another TV show til today and littally didn't do any movies.
I don't know if he just prefer TV but the guy has talent, he played that over the top vilain rather well. Its just the script and the direction was poor.
And overall thats what im gonna remember from that movie. If you told me you got that cast willing to do a Crow movie, OMG i could had made a better script in a week. Litterally, and im not saying this to brag. Even for the time. I mean exept the guy who plays Chozen in Cobra Kai, all these actors had already peaked by then. Their names alone were bound to at least get decent rentals out of the straight to dvd market.
But in the end, its a very forgettable and mediocre movie that you not gonna remember in T-minus one day, yup already forgot (JJ reference here).
A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)
Not as funny as the first one but still fun enough
I very recently watch the first one (you can check my review) and since i had this one laying on Bluray for a while in my backlog, and being in the mood for it, i decided to watch it right away.
I was pretty much watch it the same way as the first, along with my mother, fairly tipsy, ready for a good laugh. Overall i would say the story was fine enough, and there was some fun part, but i didn't laugh as hard as with the first one. Much less bursting in laugh and more "chuckles" in general.
I think one of the worst part tough was "accepting" Susan Sarrendon in the movie. Ever since she came out as a pro-terrorists who denies what happened on Oct 7, i find her so disgusting that i can't seperate the characters from the person as i do for actors or actresses that i find insufferable as a person, but find their characters usually fine at least. Brie Larson comes to mind. But i digress.
Overall still a pretty decent comedy, and the Christmas theme add a little layout. Like most of these semi-raunchy comedies, the characters are often very exagerated but thats part of the concept and you gotta role with it if you want to enjoy.
They made the 2 movies very close to each other and stopped there. Being now in 2024 i doubt they will make another since the second date back to 2017. And maybe the concept ran its course already. Still it gave us 2 good movies.
Monkey Man (2024)
Try to be Indian John Wick but fail in too many parts
I absolutely love these movies that could be call "John Wick clones". I really don't care if the originality is not really there, or that the story is simple, as long as the action is fun and well shot, and the characters engaging enough to carry the movie. Nobody and Extraction are great exemples of this.
This movie had a pretty well made trailer but the movie itself ultimately fall flat. First of all the action. There is a clear lack of it especially during the second act, and exept in the third act where it seem they made better effort, the movie is plague by shaky cams and out of frame shots that make it hard to follow and enjoy.
While not being a constant action banger is not really a problem in itself, the story has to step up to fill the rest and this is where in my opinion the movie just completely fail. Its a typical simple revenge story but maybe its because i am really not into Indian politics or religious culture, i just couldn't connect with the most of it.
Dev Patel characters is rather flat and inexpressive most of the time. Even tough we know why he does what he does ultimately, i think it would had been beneficial to be shown earlier. There is one or two other characters that are given some personality but most of the rest of the characters in general kinda feel like uninteresting NPCs.
I may be going a bit harsh on that movie but maybe its because it had the potential to be something pretty awesome, and its a genre i normally love. So my lack of huge enjoyement of this one unlike a movie where i know ain't my style from the get go but im curious to see due to reviews etc (Get Out for exemple), feel more "genuine" for a lack of a better word. Basically i gone into this movie expecting to love it, not just out of curiosity.
Ultimately its not a terrible movie. Exept some of the action shaky cams (please movies, just use this sporadically when it really mean something), the rest is all "fine" but neither great or terrible.
Not one that will join my physical collection or that i ever intend to rewatch. 6 out of 10 and im generous.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Its indeed a lot better than part 2
I recently watched part 2 for the first time and just as that one, this was my first time watching A Nightmare on Elm Street 3. Having only seen the first one many years ago and the later ones in the franchise (Freddy vs Jason and the Remake).
Part 2 was disapointing. It had a few rare bright spots but it took way too long to get the movie going and certainly didn't had enough of Freddy. This one correct this in a major way.
It seem to not really aknowledge Part 2 and be a follow up of the first but it seem to retcon some elements of it as well. Well this was something you would often see in the 80s horror franchises and im just gonna review the movie in itself ignoring that.
So as i said above, this one has a lot more Freddy. He appear quite often and the kills are creative with cool set pieces. The pacing is also very good as he show up always at the right time before it could turn "boring" like Part 2. Movie also try to expend on the lore of the character and i think it does a decent job there as well.
Obviously watching the movie 37 years later after its release, there is some dated elements, but overall i think it holds rather well for the majority. Special effects are overall cool and well done, and they do use well the concept of a dream and being able to be creative with it but there are a few who aged rather poorly, but thats really not the fault of this movie, just the effects are a product of their time. Im sure peoples who watched it in the 80s hold great nostalgia for these.
So yeah i enjoyed my time with this one. Its harder to properly rate a movie that you watch in the 2020s while it was made in the 1980s without any nostalgia googles. I hesitated between a 7 and an 8 out of 10, but i think i would rate it more like 7.4 than 7.6 so im gonna go with a 7. Its one i would rewatch in the futur unlike the previous one.
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
Apparently its the worst one... well out of 4 i seen so far, it is.
Alright, this is gonna sound weird but even if i saw TONS of horror movies in my teen years and since, i had not watched the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise for the most part.
In my early 20s, around 2005, a friend let me borrow the first one wich i watched and enjoyed fair enough despite feeling a bit dated even then (it was pretty much 20 years old already). And the only other ones i saw were Freddy vs Jason wich i loved and the remake from 2010. The remake is not anything great but i would say i enjoyed it more than this. But not so long ago i bough the compilation with the 4 first movies and got part 5 and 6 on their own. Having saw the first movie back in the day, i started my viewing with Part 2.
Where do i start this review? The movie only goes for 87 minutes and in the first whole hour, you don't see much in term of horror. You got a few scenes that are semi trying to be creepy sure, and maybe its because its almost 40 years later nowadays, but i didn't find them remotely scary.
There is a few cleaver pratical special effects that sure look pretty dated now, but must had been very solid 40 years ago. But the issue is the kills and said special effects are way too far in between.
The story is different from the first movie, and apparently its the only one that tried this idea of Freddy possessing someone instead of simply killing peoples in their sleep. I think the idea is not bad, but the execution was a bit confusing at time and as i mentioned, the movie despite its short running time felt like it dragged and dragged. Just for the record, i saw nothing of that suposed "gay tone" that the writer suposely admited doing (and main actor was gay in the closet from my readings). I saw this mentioned in reviews but never noticed anything in the movie itself while watching.
This one from my understanding is considered one of the worst if not the worst of the franchise, and based on what i saw, it could very well end up being my least favorite as well. Would i say i hated it? Nah. But i can't say i really liked it much. Its certainly one i have no wish to revisit. Not enough Freddy in that Freddy movie.
Im happy i got to see it blindly tough. I didn't look reviews or such prior to watching, or that it was the worst (had no idea) so i could forge my own opinion and approach it like a classic horror movie of a beloved franchise. I did hear the third one is the best tough so i will admit im looking forward to see that one next and i may have to be carefull to not get my hopes too high.
When it comes to "Freddy's Revenge" tough, i hesitated between a 5 and a 6 and i will push it to a 6 out of 10 because the movie is 40 years old, and still midly entertained me and got me eager to see where it was going. The special effects despite looking dated obviously are still interesting to see. A lot more than cheap CGI to say the least.