Category: Mystery

Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile

Set in the 19th Century…Image you and the love of your life are on your idyllic honeymoon. You are on a glamorous steamer floating on the Nile River. The scenic views and epic landscape are breath-taking but then tragedy strikes and suddenly your wonderful honeymoon is cut short…

This is the premise of “Death on the Nile”.

The movie is well acted. There are tons of suspense and intrigue. There are a lot of impeccably dressed travelers. The usual jealousy and envy take center stage. The Cinematography is on point.

“Death on the Nile” is a complex “Who done it”. It’s definitely worth a look.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Cry Macho

Cry Macho

Clint Eastwood plays Mike Milo a former Rodeo Star / washed-up Horse Breeder in this Warner Bros Vehicle.

In 1979 Mike Milo takes on a job from a former Boss to see that his son gets safely across the Mexican Border to Texas. During the trip Mike and his young passenger are forced to take the back roads and they still face a number of challenges along the way. During the journey Mike reflects on his life and finds his own brand of redemption. The story unfolds from there…

While the story is interesting, the movie is slow and go. Clint Eastwood’s character seemed odd in this movie. There are a few bright spots in “Cry Macho”, but the story seems unfinished as if there should have been a better back story to really give the movie more meaning.

At 91 years of age, Clint Eastwood still gets around really good.

“Cry Macho” is at the Box office and also streaming on HBO MAX until Oct 17th.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!!

The Card Counter

The Card Counter

“The Card Counter” was not originally on my “Watch List”, but after seeing several trailers I decided to give it a look. 

“The Card Counter” is about revenge, redemption and moral responsibility. The movie is intense and at times difficult to look at because some of the scenes are very grotesque. 

Oscar Isaac plays William Tell, a former Military Interrogator who becomes a gambler. He is haunted by events and tasks he participated in during his time in the Military. William meets a woman in a Casino that he becomes attracted to. The story unfolds from there…

 The story and the movie are super intense and riveting. While the performances of Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Willem Dafoe and Tye Sheridan are outstanding, the movie was not very entertaining.

Some of the viewers in the cinema I was in got up and left an hour into the movie. Had I not been writing a review; I probably would have left also.

Hopefully in the near future we will see Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish and Willem Dafoe in something more entertaining and light-hearted.

This is a 2 1/2 Star Movie!! 

The Protege

The Protege

The Protégé follows in the footsteps of movies like “Atomic Blonde”, “Peppermint” and “The Rhythm Section”.  


Anna (Maggie Q) is rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson). As Anna grows up, she is trained in the family business to one day take over. 

But suddenly when Moody is violently killed, Anna’s world is once again upended. Anna comes to her senses and vows revenge against whoever murdered Moody. As Anna searches for Moody’s killers, she becomes entangled with a suave killer (Michael Keaton) and their attraction to each other goes way beyond the usual cat and mouse. The story unfolds from there…


The story is decent. There is no plot to speak of. The movie is part violent, bloody and sexy, with a comedic twist. The movie really finds its self in the third act. Everything comes together nicely. I felt the end could have been handled a bit better.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Stillwater

Stillwater

Academy Award Winner Matt Damon plays Bill Baker, an out of work roughneck who travels from Oklahoma to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin) who is in prison for a crime she swears she did not commit. Allison happens upon a new tip that could possibly exonerate her. During a visit with her Dad, Allison instructs him to reach out to her legal team, but Bill wants to take things in his own hands first and with a language barrier and cultural differences, Bill soon finds himself in over his head.

While staying in a hotel Bill meets a French actress Virginie (Camille Cottin) who is a mother to an eight-year-old little girl named Maya. Bill and Maya become best friends. She teaches Bill how to speak French and her mother Virginie becomes attracted to Bill and offers her assistance. The story unfolds from there…

The story has holes and drags a bit, but the strong performances by Matt Damon, Camille Cottin and Abigail Breslin makes the movie interesting and intriguing. There are some very nice views of Marseille throughout the movie.

“Stillwater” is only playing in the theaters, so check it out!

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

The Courier

The Courier

 A really good movie worth wearing a mask to see!!

Based on a true story, “The Courier” is a Cold War Thriller about an unassuming British Businessman, Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch) who is recruited into one of the greatest International Conflicts in History. At the request of the UK’s MI-6 and a CIA operative (Rachel Brosnahan) Greville Wynne forms a covert and super dangerous partnership with Soviet Officer Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) in an effort to provide critical intel needed to prevent a Nuclear attack and defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.

After making what he believed was a sufficient number of journeys to Russia, Greville informs MI-6 that he no longer wishes to participate. The story unfolds from there…

The story is tightly constructed, intense and edge of your seat suspenseful. Benedict Cumberbatch brings deep star power to the story. The cinematography is often dark and gloomy, that does not take away from the story or the movie. It’s just a reminder of that time period in the 60’s.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Knives Out

“Knives Out” is a fresh “Who Done it”, Think “Murder on the Orient Express” in a quiet modern upscale Estate with many twists and turns.

Everything gets chaotic when renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead after his 85th Birthday at his estate. Everyone is a suspect. Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is on the case. Detective Blanc and his team find themselves digging through a web of decent and red herring to get at the truth. No stone will be left unturned. The story unfolds from there…

“Knives Out” is very entertaining, has some comic relief and many twists and turns. The movie is fresh. The cast at times is hilarious. If you like Agatha Christie type mysteries, you should definitely check out “Knives Out”.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Gemini Man in 3D

I was so excited when I first learned of “Gemini Man”. The movie trailers made the movie seem interesting and intriguing. When I saw the Rotten Tomatoes score of 26, my heart fell. I told myself I was going to keep an open mind.

Henry Brogan (Will Smith) just completed what he felt was his last assassin job for the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency). He planned to retire and enjoy time on his boat. The DIA had other ideas. They did not want to lose their elite assassin, so they decided to take action. The story unfolds from there…

The visuals for “Gemini Man” are impressive. There is a ton of action, suspense and intrigue. Will Smith turns in a strong performance. The problem with “Gemini Man” is the lack of foundation and a back story to tie all of the elements and other people you see into the movie.

“Gemini Man” is not a 5 or 4 star movie. I think it’s definitely worth a higher score than 26.

If you like Will Smith and suspenseful movies, you should check out “Gemini Man”.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

The Intruder

My husband was so excited about this movie from its trailers that I promised him we would go when it opened. So on Friday night May 3rd there we are in the theater to see “The Intruder”.

Scott (Michael Ealy) and Annie Russell (Meagan Good) decide its time to move away from the hustle and bustle of city life and purchase a home in the country where they can start a family.
Scott gets a line on a beautiful country home with lots of acreage. Scott and Annie go out to check out the home. The owner, Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid) is there and after some discussion he hesitates to sell the property. The Russell’s decide to leave, but at the last minute Charlie has a change of heart.
Scott and Annie purchase the property, move in and make many changes. This seems to upset Charlie Peck. The story unfolds from there…

The problem with “The Intruder” is that the plot is short and there is really nowhere to go with it, but there is an attempt to stretch it out. You know what is eventually going to happen, you just wonder how long it’s going to take. This makes the movie painful to watch.

There is a more detailed back story behind the character Dennis Peck, but it’s not fully developed in this movie. This forces you to draw your own conclusions.

There are some small thrills and chills, but nothing to really make the movie suspenseful. There is also some light-weight drama, but it too is fluff. Last by not least the ending is strange and abrupt.

The best element in the movie is Meagan Good. She is beautiful and the wardrobe she wears in the movie is fantastic!! Unfortunately that’s not enough to make it worth paying to see “The Intruder”.

“The Intruder” is best viewed on Cable.

This is a 1 Star Movie!!

Glass

Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis reprise their “Unbreakable” roles Elijah Price also known as Mr. Glass and David Dunn. Joining them from “Split” is James McAvoy as Kevin Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within him. Also Anya Taylor-Joy joins “Glass” as Casey Cook who was the only person to survive an encounter with The Beast.

“Glass” picks up following the conclusion of “Split” where Crumb’s superhuman figure The Beast is being shadowed by David Dunn in a series of escalating encounters that lands them both in a mental hospital. Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) is already there. Once they all find out they are together again Elijah Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets that are critical to both Crumb and Dunn. The story unfolds from there…

I am not sure what I expected, but this movie was just plain crazy. It’s almost like a deconstruction of a series of events that have happened in the lives of the three men, Dunn, Price and Crumb.
There are times of clarity and then there are times of confusion. There are a few interesting scenes and some interesting action and intrigue, but unfortunately that’s not enough to make “Glass” a good solid movie.
“Glass” is not the worst movie I have ever seen, but it certainly is not the best.

I am not sure that I would watch “Glass” at home on a Saturday night with a tub of popcorn…

This is a 2 Star Movie!!