Category: Crime

Caught Stealing

Caught Stealing

Austin Butler plays Hank Thompson, a high school Baseball phenom who due to an accident can’t play Baseball anymore. Everything is ok with Hank’s life, he has a nice girlfriend (Zoe Kravitz) he tends Bar at a neighborhood pub and his favorite Baseball team is making a run at the pennant. Hank’s Punk Rock next-door neighbor Russ asks Hank to watch his cat while he makes an emergency trip to see about his Dad. All Hell breaks loose when a Motley Crew of gangsters comes looking for Russ. As the next-door neighbor, Hank soon finds himself having to dodge the gangsters and fears for his life but he does not know why. The story unfolds from there…

I will be perfectly honest; I was not feeling this movie during the first 30 minutes… It was coming across as a “B” movie. But… The dots started to connect and the movie became really interesting and edge of your seat entertaining. It’s like a really slow-moving train that soon moves past some obstacles and is able to find a rhythm on the tracks and speeds up for a smooth fast ride.

The movie is “In Your Face Bloody” at times. There is a decent amount of action and intrigue. As I stated the story starts off really slow, but does pick up and become interesting. The cast is pretty good.

I was excited to see actor Vincent D’Onofrio in this movie. I loved him on NBC’s Law and Order Criminal Intent (2001 to 2011)

“Caught Stealing” is worth a look!

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Highest 2 Lowest

Highest 2 Lowest

“Highest 2 Lowest” is about a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington) who is known for having the “best ears” in the business is targeted with a ransom plot. He is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. The Story unfolds from there… 

“Highest 2 Lowest” is a Spike Lee “JOINT”. This is the 5th Spike Lee / Denzel Washington collaboration. This film particularly showcases the mean streets of modern-day New York City. Additionally, this installment is actually a reinterpretation of filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 Crime Thriller “High and Low”.

The movie has great execution, plenty of drama and suspense. The storyline is meaningful and will hold your attention. This movie is not playing in the usual mainstream theaters. I saw it at a Dine-In Theater. The movie opened August 15th. Try to catch it if you can.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

The Naked Gun

The Naked Gun

Liam Neeson brings his “Particular Set of Skills” to lead the Police Squad and ultimately save the world.

Following in the footsteps of his Father Frank Drebin Sr. (Leslie Nielsen), Liam Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr, Leader of the Police Squad. Each Squad member is following in their Father’s footsteps.

Frank Drebin Jr, foils a Bank Heist that is masked for a bigger plot that can destroy mankind as we know it. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is full of “Deadpan Humor” with Laugh Out Loud moments and also includes some very silly and crazy moments.

If you were a fan of the Leslie Nielsen Naked Gun series, then you should check out this re-boot starring Liam Neeson.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!!

Thunderbolts in AMC Dolby

Thunderbolts in AMC Dolby

The Marvel Universe goes back to its roots of true Adventure. “Thunderbolts” is an assembly of underdogs who constantly insist they are not Super-Heros.

The team find themselves in a death trap that was set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Dreyfus).

To free themselves they must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to each confront the darkest corners of their pasts. The team struggles with either tearing themselves apart or finding redemption and uniting for the better good. The story unfolds from there…

The story is very heavy. There is a lot of action, but not as much as I would have liked. There is some intrigue, but not a lot. The story at times is confusing because there are so many alternate paths that get dipped into briefly. You really have to pay attention or you will be more confused. 

There is a lot of uncertainty around whether you can consider this a comic book superhero story. You are somehow led to believe that “The Thunderbolts” are the team that came before The Avengers.

I am disappointed that there wasn’t more action, but that does not diminish the fact that the movie was executed very well. The Dolby / IMAX aspects are very good. The cinematography is excellent.

If you are a Marvel Universe Fan, You should check out “Thunderbolts”. 

This is a 4 Star Move!!

1992

1992

It’s April 29, 1992 in Los Angeles, CA. During this time in history, Los Angeles faced a lot of racial and political issues. Those issues are the backdrop for “1992”.

Mercer (Tyrese Gibson) is desperately trying to rebuild his life and his relationship with his son amidst the turbulent 1992 LA uprising following the Rodney King verdict. Across town, another father and son (Ray Liotta and Scott Eastwood) put their own strained relationship to the test as they plot a dangerous heist to steal catalytic converters, which contain valuable platinum, from the factory where Mercer works. As tensions rise in Los Angeles and chaos erupts, both families reach their boiling points when they collide in this tension filled crime-drama. The story unfolds from there…

The execution of this movie starts off well enough, but soon falls off the rails as there are several small stories that are not completed or explained. There is Political Tension / Uprising that is continuous while a major robbery is plotted and attempted. Too much goes unexplained and you are left to wonder the “What, “How” and “Why”.

The Political Uprising that occurred in Los Angeles in 1992 was a very terrible time for that city. To see it depicted in a movie is really eye opening, disturbing and sad.

On a positive note, Snoop Dogg was the Executive Producer, so in some ways what was depicted was to make a point. There was nothing “Sugar-Coated”. 

“1992” is one of Ray Liotta’s final movies. If you are a Ray Liotta fan, check out “1992”.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

The Batman in AMC Dolby

The Batman in AMC Dolby

Did we need another Batman movie? I don’t know about you, but I thought that after the awesome Dark Knight Trilogy with Christian Bale and Director Christopher Nolan that there would not be any more “Cape Crusader” stories, but boy was I wrong…

So here we are in 2022 embarking on another round of potential installments of Batman tales. 

Batman finds himself dealing with the dark underworld of Gotham City. There is a sadistic killer running free and he has been able to stay two or more steps in front of Batman and the Gotham City police. The evidence starts to mount and points closer to home. As the killer’s ultimate plot comes to light, Batman must forge new relationships and work frantically to unmask the evil killer before Gotham City is totally destroyed. The story unfolds from there…

The story is dark, gritty and gripping. I went into seeing “The Batman” planning to compare it to The Dark Knight Trilogy. While there are some parts of the movie that does not cover new ground, there are some parts that do. There is some really cool action and a super nasty car chase that reminds me of the one in “The Bourne Supremacy”. I will say that I did not find the “Riddler” as entertaining as the “Joker”. The Cat Woman helps make things interesting. The running time is 2 hours and 56 minutes. That is 24 minutes longer than “The Dark Knight”. A new story is told and the door is open from another.

If you are a DC Comic fan, “The Batman” should not be missed.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

The Many Saints of Newark

The Many Saints of Newark

“The Many Saints of Newark” sort of takes you back to when Anthony Soprano was growing up. Anthony grew up during the most tumultuous eras in Newark’s history. He became a man just as rival gangsters began to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family’s hold over the increasingly race-torn city. Caught up in this whirlwind time is Anthony’s uncle Dickie Moltisanti whom he idolized. Dickie Moltisanti struggled greatly to manage both his personal and professional responsibilities. The influence he has over his nephew will help make Anthony into the powerful mob boss that we all came to know as Tony Soprano. Basically, this is the prequel to “The Sopranos” that appeared on HBO for many years. 

The movie is dark, unnerving and a bit pathetic. I found myself gasping at times at some of the scenes.

The movie is executed very well, but not that engaging or entertaining. The cast of characters is spot on!!

If you are a fan of the HBO Series “The Sopranos”, “The Many Saints of Newark” should not be missed.

“The Many Saints of Newark” is in theaters and also streaming on HBO MAX.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!!