Category: Adventure

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I finally had an open weekend so I could see this 2nd installment of the Fantastic Beasts series. Here is my take…

At the end of the first installment Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is captured by the Magic Congress of the USA. Grindelwald escapes during a transfer. Once this is discovered many people put together plans to try and recapture the evil Wizard. The story unfolds from there…

The first half of the movie was hollow and confusing. The continuation from the first installment was almost non-existent. There should have been more back story tied in. There is a lot more star power in this installment and that alone makes the movie worth seeing. The last half or should I say the last 35 minutes of the movie is where everything happens and everything comes together. What you see in that 35 minutes makes it almost worth what you went through to get to that point.

The best aspects of the movie are the cool special effects, the cinematography and the costumes, especially what the women are wearing. The movie is long, but it does move quite quickly once things pick up. The door is left open for a 3rd installment. If you are following this J.K. Rowling series, then don’t miss this 2nd installment.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Robin Hood (2018)

I have lost count as to how many times “Robin Hood” has been retooled. This installment is funny and at times hilarious, but I am not sure if that’s what they were going for.

In this installment, Robin of Loxley (Taron Egerton) mounts a revolt against the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham and the English crown. The Sheriff of Nottingham intends to take every single thing of value from the township and its citizens. The citizens are helpless to fight and see their land, possessions and valuables vanishing before their eyes.
Taron enlists the aid of a war-captured Moorish Commander (Jamie Foxx) to help him on his quest. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is entertaining, funny and has some action, but lacks a back story befitting this installment. The characters are not fully developed thus leaving some open holes in the story. The dialog at times is a bit off.

I now understand why the paid critics did not like “Robin Hood (2018)”, but it does deserve at least 2 stars.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Creed II

After seeing the 2015 first installment of “Creed”, I knew there was going to be a sequel. How could there not be one. Sylvester Stallone is on the outside of the boxing ring instead of being the fighter in the ring. There is a story that has not been milked yet. Here we go…

Three years later finds Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) juggling life with personal obligations and training for his next fight. Adonis sits at a cross road when he is faced with a challenge to fight a boxer who has ties to his family’s past. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) thinks that Adonis should pass on this fight. The story unfolds from there…

Surprisingly “Creed II” is an excellent sequel. It builds nicely on what was started in the first installment. The story has two tracks that are played simultaneously. Michael B. Jordan is a bright light shining in the movie. The boxing violence is on point and the Dolby sound intensifies the blows. The camera angles and cinematography are great!!

If you were a fan of the Rocky Franchise, you will love Creed and Creed II. This franchise has meat and I see it coming back again and again.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Venom

You know the old phrase “Better Late than Never”; I finally saw “Venom”. When it opened I was seriously under the weather and could not venture out to see it, so a month later here is my review…

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is an investigative reporter. He is tasked with getting a story from a seemingly untouchable Scientist. When Eddie pisses off the Scientist and the story is killed, Eddie loses his job. Eddie knows that the Scientist is involved in something very shady. After some time passes an opportunity presents it’s self for Eddie to get back inside the institution where the Scientist is involved with testing Alien Hosting. The story unfolds from there…

I disagree with the majority of the paid critics who thrashed “Venom”. I thought it was pretty good. It would have been great if not for the outrageously sloppy script. There are a few pieces missing from the back story. Over all it was pretty good. The special effects are decent. The cinematography is nice.

The movie should have been rated “R” because there are several really gross moments involving decapitations.
I absolutely love the voice of “Venom”. I do not know who it is, but the voice is awesome!!

Although I saw this a month after it opened, the theater was packed. People are still going out to see “Venom”.

If you are a Marvel Universe Fan, “Venom” is worth a look.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Mile 22

“Mile 22” is an intense thriller, but the story does not gel. There are many moving parts that don’t make sense. Nothing comes together, not even at the end.

A CIA Operative, James Silva and his unit go on a top-secret mission with a highly-skilled tactical team. They are tasked with retrieving an asset who holds life-threatening information. The asset needs to be transported to Mile 22 for extraction before the enemy closes in. The story unfold from there…

The story starts off strange and gets stranger as the movie moves along. There is no real back story to lend perspective as to what the CIA unit is about. There are several side-stories that don’t get enough air time to make any sense.

There is plenty of intense violence, action and some military special ops type of action. Those are the best parts in the movie.

I feel that “Mile 22” is a waste of some very talented actors. I had high expectations, but I am truly disappointed.

“Mile 22” is best watched on Cable. I would not purchase the movie on DVD or Blue Ray.

This movie gets no Stars!!

Mission: Impossible Fallout in 3D

Once again Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Alec Baldwin) along with several of their allies (Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan) find themselves trying to correct a mission that has gone terribly wrong.

The team races against time to stop several nuclear blast. The story unfolds from there…

Wow! They went back to the drawing board and figured out how to best the first installment!

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is loaded with action, violence, intrigue, drama and crazy stunts. The story is deep and the plot is wide. It’s “Edge-of-Your-Seat” entertainment. The cinematography is brilliant. The 3D aspects are very good.

Even if you don’t love Tom Cruise, you have to respect him. He does all his own stunts and the stunts he does in this installment are worth seeing.

It’s very rare that deep into installments one comes along that’s better than the first. This is one of those times.

If you are a fan of the “Mission:Impossible” Franchise, “Mission:Impossible – Fallout” is a MUST SEE!

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

The Equalizer 2

I am not sure why there are so many negative reviews on “Equalizer 2” because I thought it was excellent!

Denzel Washington reprises his role as Robert McCall. Robert McCall is a Lyft Driver by day and works to help the oppressed and taken advantage of by night. Robert gets a call about his close friend and just as quickly Robert’s world takes on a tale-spin. The story unfolds from there…

“Equalizer 2” is full of suspense, intrigue and action. There are several stories going on at once, but everything comes together and is tied up nicely at the end. The movie doesn’t have as many thrills as one would expect, but it’s still very good and is definitely worth seeing. Watching Denzel in action is awesome! I am hoping for a 3rd installment.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Skyscraper in 3D

Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) is a decorated soldier and former FBI Agent. He and his family live on the 96th floor of the newly built “Skyscraper” in Tokyo, Japan. Will’s security services are requested by the corporation that owns the “Skyscraper”. Little does Will know that he is being setup. There are people who are jealous of the success that has come from the building of the “Skyscraper” and there is an elaborate scheme to try and burn it down. The story unfolds from there…

“Skyscraper” would be fun if it had a solid agenda. The story is sketchy at best. Dwayne Johnson did what he could with what he was given. The best elements of the movie are the cinematography, Dwayne Johnson and “The Skyscraper”, a beautifully built 200+ floor building.

“Skyscraper” is best viewed on cable, DVD or Blue Ray.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Ant-Man and The Wasp in 3D

“Ant-Man” is funny and silly, nothing like “Infinity War and Black Panther” where there is an emotional investment in the characters.

This second installment of the “Ant-Man” franchise sort of picks up where he left off in the first installment, but also including “Ant-Man’s” appearance in “Captain America: Civil War”.

Currently Scott Lang (Ant-Man) (Paul Rudd) is under house arrest. He has two days left and he will be free, but Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) need the Ant-Man’s help.
“Ant-Man” has a dream about Hank’s wife Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) who went missing after a mission some twenty years ago. Hope somehow removes the ankle bracelet from Scott and gets him out of his house without the local authorities being alerted.
On another front there is someone from Hank’s past who could use his help but doesn’t ask the usual nice way. The story unfolds from there…

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” has several small back stories that come together nicely to provide context and intrigue for this installment. The movie is funny, silly and interesting simultaneously. The cinematography and special effects are great. “Ant-Man” shows more range in this installment which makes his character a bit richer.

There is a small dead spot in the movie and that’s what keeps it from being 5 stars. It’s definitely worth viewing if you are a Marvel fan.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Sicario: Day of Soldado

“Sicario: Day of Soldado” starts a new chapter in the continuation of the first installment “Sicario”. The team is faced with a new battle in the ongoing drug wars where there are no rules and regulations. Everything and everyone is fair game. The team has been tracking the Mexican Cartel who has been trafficking terrorist across the border into the US.

In an attempt to get to the Cartel, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) calls on his old buddy Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) whose family was murdered by a Drug Cartel Kingpin to help the team escalate the war between the Mexican Cartels. The story unfolds from there…

There is never a dull moment in “Sicaro: Day of Soldado”. The movie is bloody and “In-your-face” violent. As long as the story stays true to its self, everything is fine, but there are a few detours that throw the movie a bit off track and that is why it’s not quite as thrilling as the first installment, but none the less it’s worth seeing as there are a few surprises at the end.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!