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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REVIEW: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Letitia Wright’s Shuri in BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER — PHOTO: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Marvel Studios.

Directed by Ryan Coogler — Screenplay by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole.

How do you follow up on one of the most popular superhero films of the last decade, when the incredibly magnetic actor portraying the titular iconic character is no longer with us? Such was the seemingly impossible task for Ryan Coogler when he sat in the director’s chair for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As I sat down to watch the film, this was the big question that was on my mind. Chadwick Boseman, the charismatic actor who passed away in 2020 due to a private battle with colon cancer, was such an amazing screen presence, and he was the focus of that first film, and you definitely miss him in the sequel. However, it must be said that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever actually does work quite well in spite of the big missing link. One of the reasons why it works is because the presence of a gaping hole at the center of it is an intrinsic part of the plot in more ways than one.

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REVIEW: Spenser Confidential (2020)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Spenser Confidential — Directed by Peter Berg.

Though I have yet to see Mile 22, I have liked every other Peter Berg-Mark Wahlberg collaboration — Lone Survivor; Deepwater Horizon; and Patriots Day — that came out prior to Spenser Confidential. So when I found out that Berg and Wahlberg were reteaming for a new Netflix film, I was very interested and, frankly, a little bit excited. I was hoping that Netflix had finally made a good, solid, and rewatchable action flick. However, Spenser Confidential is a terrible disappointment. Berg and Wahlberg’s partnership has not provided us with anything good this time around. It’s almost at the point where the only thing I liked about this movie were the dogs in it. Continue reading “REVIEW: Spenser Confidential (2020)”

REVIEW: Us (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Universal Pictures

The following is a review of Us — Directed by Jordan Peele.

No directorial debut this decade has made as much noise as Jordan Peele’s Get Out did. The social-horror film was made by a comedian from a popular two-man sketch comedy group who, as it turned out, had his finger on the pulse of America. Get Out is not just one of the most discussed films of the decade, it’s also one of the most interesting, one of the most rewatchable, and, arguably, one of the best. Though Us may not be as sharp, potent, or intelligent as Get Out, Peele here proves that he is no one-hit wonder. Get Out wasn’t a fluke, Jordan Peele knows exactly what he’s doing.
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