Tag: Oscar Isaac

Dune

Dune

In this first of two installments of “Dune” we learn of a young man who is born into a destiny not of his choosing but is forced to do whatever is necessary to save the future of his family and his planet. In order to do this, he must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe and fight while overcoming his own fears to survive. The story unfolds from there…

 Wow! What a visual. The movie is a bit cumbersome in some areas, but that does not take away from the story. The execution of the saga is on point and the casting is AWESOME! Some of the desert scenes reminded me of the 2015 Blockbuster “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Desert Dirt Flying…”. This is the first of 2 Dune movies and I am excited for the conclusion.

“Dune” is in Theaters and Streaming on HBO MAX until Nov 21st.

It’s best seen on the big screen!

This is a 4 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!! 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Dolby 3D

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” sans the slow start and the dead spots is an entertaining extravaganza with tons of special effects, great cinematography and plenty of outer space action. I found this installment to be much better than the previous a couple of years ago.
The plot is a bit confusing, but that does not stop the entertainment factor of the movie.
This installment is a nice conclusion to the Star Wars Series. Many old familiar faces reappear.

If you are a fan of the Star Wars Series, you will not want to miss “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi in 3D

“Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi” continues the saga from The Force Awakens as those heroes join the galactic legends in what turns out to be an EPIC adventure. Age-old mysteries of the Force and un-told/unfinished stories from the past are unlocked. The story unfolds from there…

If you are a “Die-Hard” Star Wars fan, you will love “Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi”.

The movie is EPIC in its delivery and covers a lot of ground. There is plenty of thrilling action, super-cool special effects and breath-taking cinematography.

There are a lot of twists and turns which helps to keep a long-running (2:32) movie interesting.

A bit more of the “Dark-side” surfaces in this installment. This is the middle installment of a Trilogy. The door is open and set for the third installment. Mark Hamill does an excellent job paving the way for the new younger “Skywalkers” to come.

This is a 4 1/2 Star Movie!

Suburbicon

“Suburbicon” is a new Black (Dark) Comedy directed by George Clooney.

The ideal quiet, peaceful suburban community with manicured lawns, children playing together and nosy neighbors is at the center of attention in “Suburbicon”.

It’s 1959 and Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) and his family must deal with the town’s deceit, violence and betrayal. This is a movie that exploits people making very bad assumptions and very bad decisions.

I can honestly say that “Suburbicon” is the worst Dark Comedy that George Clooney has ever directed. He is usually a master behind the camera, but not this time. There are too many agendas, plots and stories all mixed up and going no-where in the movie. There is a tale of Racial Injustice, a tale of Violence, a tale of what appears to be Extortion, a tale of Deceit. There is also a tale of Adolescent Confusion. None of these tales really provide a backbone to the movie.

Movies are supposed to be enjoyable, not confusing or twisted. The subject matter should be somewhat straight forward. You get nothing from “Suburbicon”. I will admit that the ending is extremely surprising. The best part of “Suburbicon” is the trailers or previews that aired over the last 10 months. You could probably watch the trailers a few times and get enough out of them about “Suburbicon” without investing your time and money. The trailers do in fact showcase the best parts of the movie.

I don’t fault Matt Damon. He did what he could do with what was given to him. I usually love his movies, but there is nothing to love or even like about “Suburbicon”.

View at your own risk!

This is a 1 Star Movie!

X-Men: Apocalypse The IMAX 3D Experience

Welcome to a special installment of Thursday Night at the Movies with The Movie Warrior!

“X-Men: Apocalypse” is a very ambitious undertaking that doesn’t quite meet the mark. I found the plot to be bloated with no deflation and no explanation. There were really strong performances, but they were over shadowed by a plot that never quite comes together as it’s all over the place.

In this installment, everything gets torn up, destroyed literally and then put back together.

The best parts of the movie are the special effects, cinematography and the 3D aspects. There is non-stop action, but sometimes it does not make sense. That’s not enough to justify spending $17 dollars to see the movie.
To me personally after 16 years the “X-Men” franchise has run its course and is now an overdone franchise, also it was disappointing to not see Halle Barry reprise her role as “Storm”.

This is a 2 1/2 Star Movie!

A Most Violent Year

“A Most Violent Year” opened in limited release on New Year’s Eve. After a month it finally opens nationwide this weekend.

Set in 1981 New York, a year that has been historically categorized as the most violent year of the city, Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) an immigrant and his family try to capitalize on the “American Dream”. Abel owns a thriving business, but the violence and corruption threaten him, his family and all that they have tried to build. Abel and his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) find themselves defending their business and their version of the “American Dream” to a New York Police Detective (David Oyelowo) who is charged with investigating Abel’s business. The story unfolds from there…

“A Most Violent Year” is an understated, straight forward, no nonsense, mildly intense dramatic film.

There are several good movies out right now. “A Most Violent Year” should be considered amongst them.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!