Vacation Friends 2 (2023) | REVIEW

Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner, and John Cena in VACATION FRIENDS 2 — PHOTO: Katrina Marcinowski / 20th Century Studios.

Directed by Clay Tarver — Screenplay by Clay Tarver.

Two years ago, Vacation Friends was released on Hulu, Disney+, or one of the other international Disney-owned streaming services. It boasted a relatively strong main cast, and it was a solid and charming enough comedy flick that I enjoyed much more than I expected to. Back then, I found that John Cena’s excitable comedic energy elevated what was essentially a passable but definitely enjoyable streaming comedy. Parts of that first film felt disposable, but there was enough good there for me to remember the so-so original comedy fondly. Now, two years later, Clay Tarver and 20th Century Studios have gotten the original cast back together for a direct sequel hoping to recapture that same magic. Tarver doesn’t fully succeed, even though there are moments here that do work (and some that work better on paper than as it has been carried out on screen).

Continue reading “Vacation Friends 2 (2023) | REVIEW”

9th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards, Pt. II – 2021 – Film Awards

The 94th Oscars ceremony has concluded, and my Top Ten Films of 2021-list has been released. That means it’s now time for me to reveal the second and final half of my 9th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards. If you missed part one, then click here to read about my TV, Music, and Games winners. As always, the second half is all about films. In this article, you’ll find out who I think are the best actors of 2021, what film legend I have decided to celebrate, and much, much more. Oh, and also, there is a new-ish award that will be introduced for the first time in this very article. So, let’s get to it.

Continue reading “9th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards, Pt. II – 2021 – Film Awards”

Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, Summer ’21, Pt. 3: ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Malcolm & Marie,’ and More

Alexandra Daddario and Jake Lacy in THE WHITE LOTUS — Photo: HBO.

In this edition of my monthly movie and television catch-up article series titled ‘Additional Bite-Sized Reviews,’ I once again talk about my experience of trying to catch-up on some of the 2021 films released earlier this year, but this time I also want to talk about a show that I was surprised I liked as much as I did. What did I like about The White Lotus? Is Malcolm & Marie better than its reputation? Are Antoine Fuqua and Stefano Sollima’s latest action films any good? Well, scroll down to find out what I think about all of that (and more) in yet another jam-packed edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews!

Continue reading “Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, Summer ’21, Pt. 3: ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Malcolm & Marie,’ and More”