Tag: Review

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) | REVIEW

Sam (played by Lupita Nyong’o) with her trusted service cat Frodo in Michael Sarnoski’s A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE — PHOTO: Paramount Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Michael Sarnoski — Screenplay by Michael Sarnoski.

It has now been more than six years since John Krasinski, then (and perhaps still) best known as ‘Jim’ from the American sitcom adaptation of The Office, proved himself as a competent entertainment triple threat (actor, co-writer, and director) with his third film as a director, A Quiet Place. The film, which was once suggested as a part of the Cloverfield franchise, has since gone on to become its own franchise, as Krasinski also directed a sequel — A Quiet Place Part II — but also because the film series has spun off into an upcoming video game. Now, John Krasinski has, at least for a moment, handed off the reins to the franchise to director Michael Sarnoski — best known for the Nicolas Cage-led film known as Pig — who has now made the franchise’s third film, titled A Quiet Place: Day One, which, as you may be able to guess, is a prequel to the original film that kickstarted it all.

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The Creator (2023) | REVIEW

John David Washington in THE CREATOR — PHOTO: 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS.

Directed by Gareth Edwards — Screenplay by Gareth Edwards and Chris Weitz.

Gareth Edwards’ The Creator was originally released back in late September of 2023, but, in spite of it once being one of my most anticipated films of 2023, I didn’t end up seeing it until January of 2024. In fact, it was the very first film that I saw in 2024. Why did I wait for the VOD release? Well, frankly, the marketing controversy rubbed me the wrong way (one of the trailers used footage from a real-life tragedy as a visual effects plate shot). The film’s director later revealed that the shot wasn’t actually in the film, and, when I eventually sat down to watch the film, I will admit that I actually really liked what I saw. Ultimately, I am firmly in the ‘The Creator is good actually’ club. Frankly, it might be my favorite film that director Gareth Edwards has made thus far, despite the fact that his oeuvre also includes two fairly well-received sci-fi franchise films from universes that I generally enjoy.

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Hit Man (2024) | REVIEW

Glen Powell as Gary Johnson in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man — Photo: Brian Roedel / AGC Studios.

Directed by Richard Linklater — Screenplay by Richard Linklater and Glen Powell.

Loosely based on a Skip Hollandsworth magazine article from Texas Monthly, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man follows Gary Johnson (played by Glen Powell), a professor of psychology and philosophy who moonlights for the New Orleans police department during sting operations. While out on his second job, Gary is asked to step into a suspended colleague’s role as a fake hitman. It turns out that Gary, a slightly dorky professor with little-to-no social life, is a natural at pretending to be someone he is not, to improvise, and to get the criminals who had sought out the services of a hitman to confess to him that they want to order a murder from him. Not only is Gary a natural at it, but he also appears to love the thrill of it, as well as the ways he can come up with outfits and hitman-looks tailored to the ‘clients.’ As he becomes more and more comfortable being someone else, he, too, becomes a different person, and soon he becomes both sympathetic and attracted to one of his clients.

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‘The Eras Tour,’ ‘STEVE! (martin),’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise L-R) STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces (APPLE TV+), Der Amerikanische Freund (Filmverlag der Autoren), Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Disney+), Role Play (Prime Video), and Wish (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I give you my thoughts on 1) a recent two-part documentary that I enjoyed quite a bit, 2) my first Wim Wenders film, 3) one of the biggest event films of last year, 4) a streaming film that didn’t fully work for me, and, finally, 5) a Disney film that is chock-full of references.

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‘Sexy Beast,’ ‘TMNT: Mutant Mayhem,’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise L-R) THIS IS ME… NOW (Prime Video), SOPHIE’S CHOICE (Universal Pictures), SEXY BEAST (Searchlight / FilmFour Distributors), TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (Paramount Pictures), and ELEVATOR GAME (AMP International, Front Row Filmed Entertainment, M2 Films, Movie Cloud).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I give you my thoughts on 1) an iconic film that I struggled with, 2) a strange passion project from a genuine pop star, 3) the debut film of one of Britain’s finest auteurs, 4) one of last year’s best animated films, and, finally, 5) a horror film that didn’t work for me.

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) | REVIEW

Anya Taylor-Joy as the title character in George Miller’s FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Directed by George Miller — Screenplay by George Miller and Nico Lathouris.

Back when the low-budget cult favorite first Mad Max film was released in 1979, no one would have expected it to eventually evolve into a franchise that director George Miller would still be working on when he, himself, was 79 years of age. But here we are, and even though it’s been nine whole years since Miller’s finest hour — the action masterwork that was Mad Max: Fury Road — it is now time to finally get the origin story to the character of Furiosa — who was originally played by Charlize Theron — in the long-awaited prequel film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Though it isn’t the instant genre classic that Fury Road was, it is nevertheless a very good film that builds upon the successes of the previous film through gripping world-building and an extremely entertaining supporting performance.

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The Greatest Hits (2024) | REVIEW

Lucy Boynton in Ned Benson’s THE GREATEST HITS — PHOTO: Disney+ / Hulu.

Directed by Ned Benson — Screenplay by Ned Benson.

Ned Benson’s The Greatest Hits is a romantic fantasy film that follows Harriet Gibbons (played by Lucy Boynton), a woman mourning her boyfriend Max (played by David Corenswet) who recently died in a car crash. To recover emotionally, she takes part in grief support group meetings, but she doesn’t know how to move on because whenever she hears a song that she listened to while she and Max dated, she is emotionally transported through time to the moment she heard it, while, for everyone else, it just looks like she is passing out or having a seizure. Harriet has become obsessed with the idea that she can use this condition and/or ability to travel in time and prevent Max’s death. However, she is also starting to become emotionally involved with another member of the support group named David (played by Justin H. Min).

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‘Next Goal Wins,’ ‘Wonka,’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise from top left): Next Goal Wins (Searchlight Pictures); Wonka (Warner Bros. Pictures); Fingernails (Apple TV+); Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount Pictures); Sleepers (Warner Bros. / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I give you my thoughts on 1) a film about football that underwhelmed me, 2) a prequel that surprised me positively, 3) a so-so Apple TV+ Film, 4) a film starring Robert De Niro and Kevin Bacon, and, finally, 5) a sequel to a film series that has pretty much lost me at this point.

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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) | REVIEW

Proximus Caesar (played by Kevin Durand) in Wes Ball’s KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES — PHOTO: 20th Century Studios / Disney.

Directed by Wes Ball — Screenplay by Josh Friedman.

The Planet of the Apes franchise is one of the most iconic and most beloved long-running science fiction film franchises. Despite it, admittedly, featuring a significant number of films and shows that the world has largely forgotten about (including Tim Burton’s 2001 remake), this franchise also happens to have a genuine science-fiction classic adaptation with one of the most famous and unforgettable movie endings of all-time (that is uniquely in the style of Rod Serling, i.e. the creator of The Twilight Zone who co-wrote the 1968 Apes-film), and every now and again these films represent massive leaps forward for the film industry either through prosthetics, visual effects, or motion performance capture. As if that wasn’t enough, despite failing to capture wide audiences’ interest for quite some time, the iconic franchise broke through once more with the reboot trilogy of the 2010s from directors Rupert Wyatt (of the strong and emotionally engaging Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Matt Reeves (of the jaw-dropping near-masterpieces Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes). 

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The Fall Guy (2024) | REVIEW

L to R: Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers and Emily Blunt is Judy Moreno in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch — PHOTO: UNIVERSAL PICTURES.

Directed by David Leitch — Screenplay by Drew Pearce.

Apparently relatively loosely based on an ‘80s action-adventure TV series of the same name starring Lee Majors, David Leitch’s The Fall Guy follows a Hollywood stunt performer named Colt Seavers (played by Ryan Gosling), who, after suffering an injury during a high-profile stunt, has left the industry, as well as his camerawoman girlfriend Jody Moreno (played by Emily Blunt), behind. However, when a film producer from his past, Gail (played by Hannah Waddingham), contacts him and tells him that Jody needs him on her feature directorial debut, he rushes back to a movie set in the hopes of rekindling his romance with Jody. When he arrives in Sydney, Australia for production, he finds out that Jody didn’t actually ask for him, but he also learns that Gail needs him to find actor Tom Ryder (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) — i.e. a movie star that Colt is a stunt double for — who has gone missing and whose absence may cause Jody’s first film as a director to be canceled, thus harming Jody’s chances of having a career as a director in the industry. To investigate things and ensure Jody’s film remains in production, Colt will have to put his skills as a stunt performer to good use.

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