If you’ve seen any of the movies in the John Wick universe, you have probably already watched 4 in theaters. If you haven’t, now is the perfect time to buy those tickets. John Wick: Chapter 4 delivers on its promise to be a more epic action-packed sequel, but one that brings its charm to the franchise. This time Mr. Wick wages his war against the secret organization behind it all, but will this war finally bring the peace he’s been after?
The story of this movie doesn’t matter, but the film attempts to develop its lore a bit more. Don’t expect deep character development or storytelling. Most of you are watching this movie for the death and destruction Mr. Wick leaves behind. This movie doubles down on its violence, but I will be the first to admit that it could have been shorter. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic action scenes, but some go on for too long. It isn’t enough to ruin the movie, but three hours is a long time to sit in theaters. Don’t be afraid to take breaks between the main characters; you won’t miss anything critical.
John Wick 4 has amazing choreography. This combined with its creative camera works makes for some epic action sequences. You need to watch this movie in theaters at least once to appreciate the work that went into making this movie as epic as it is. I love the colors, the scores, and the costumes that make this a beautifully vibrant and violent fantasy.
What I enjoyed most about this movie are the unique characters it introduces. While it isn’t without its faceless hordes, some villains will stand out and give this movie its charm. My favorite character in the series is Cain, played by the talented Donnie Yen. Cain is a refreshing take on the genre’s villains while also introducing an interesting dilemma for Mr. Wick. I won’t spoil what it is, but it added some of the depth the movie needed. In an interview, Donnie Yen told reporters that he worked hard to make Cain into something that wasn’t a traditional Asian stereotype. This work has paid off, and you need to watch this movie to appreciate it.
I can’t stress this enough, if you haven’t watched this movie, go out and buy the tickets. It may not be perfect, but it is home to some of the most epic action sequences put to film.
Movie Review: Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)
I just watched Luther: The Fallen Sun and thought it was fine. I haven’t watched the series that comes before this movie, so I won’t be able to compare the quality. As a standalone movie, it works well enough. I might have missed a few references here and there, but I never felt lost by the plot. I’d be curious to know what fans of the series think of the movie.
John Luther is a disgraced detective who has been locked away for his use of unethical practices for catching criminals. While in prison, a serial killer terrorizes London. But no prison can hold Luther. Luther escapes, and now the race is on to catch the killer before he causes too much damage. Can Luther decipher the few clues left behind before it is too late?
As far as detective thrillers go, Luther: The Fallen Sun is fine. My biggest issue with this movie is the pacing. This movie gets slow in parts. It will sit on pretty scenery for longer than it needs to. While I appreciate how well-shot some of these scenes are, this movie didn’t need to be two hours long. As a result, it is missing some much-needed tension. There are moments in this movie that don’t have stakes. It doesn’t matter how quickly Luther solves the clues because he’s got more than enough time to do so.
The acting is fine, but the writing is a little awkward. Some of the dialogue feels sloppy, and some plot points don’t make sense. While there are fun parts of this movie, there are enough parts that aren’t that make this movie difficult to recommend. I am sure people who are fans of the series will have stronger opinions about this movie, but as someone who hasn’t watched it, I thought the movie was okay.
If you have nothing else to watch, it’s not the worst way to spend two hours. At the very least, Luther: The Fallen Sun has made me curious about the series. While I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch this film, you can stream it on Netflix.
Movie Review: The Strays (2023)
While The Strays gives off some solid Get Out vibes, it remains an odd movie to recommend. If you are out of content to watch, give this movie a chance, at least for the experience. While it isn’t the perfect psychological thriller it pretends to be, it does enough right that you won’t hate having sat through it.
Neve lives her ideal life in the suburbs with her successful and loving husband, two lovely children, and a great job. All seems perfect until the day the ghosts from her past begin to haunt her, slowly dismantling everything she has. Will these ghosts be what sends her over the edge, or is there something more sinister in the works?
It is difficult to review this movie without spoiling it. I will try my best to be as specific as possible without ruining the mystery.
The movie has a strong start but builds up to its disappointing twist. The actors are great and give some terrifying performances, but the story isn’t good enough to take advantage of their abilities. What killed this movie for me was the sudden tonal shifts.
The first half is this creepy psychological thriller that keeps raising the stakes as Neve doesn’t seem to have as strong of a hold of her life as she pretends to. I loved the increasingly disorienting narrative as Neve’s once-sterile day-to-day becomes increasingly unhinged. Through small details like how she increases the dose of her medication, her nervous ticks, and her increasing paranoia, the movie does a fantastic job of showing Neve’s disorienting mental state. Are the ghosts real? Is Neve’s life real? It is genuinely hard to tell because of how frighteningly disorienting the narrative is presented. But whatever momentum the first half builds is lost.
After the big reveal, the movie turns into a generic thriller. Any interesting characters developed in the buildup are lost in the worst storyline of this movie. I almost turned the movie off because of how jarring and boring the shift became. The final minutes of the movie sort of makeup for the disappointment because of how well the actors do, but it wasn’t enough to save the movie from mediocrity. This movie had potential and even proved itself with a few scenes, but it doesn’t push the story enough.
The Strays is an okay thriller, and something you should check out if you have nothing else to watch. It isn’t a movie I would rush to see, but you won’t hate it if you sit through it. Check it out on Netflix when you are ready.
Series Review: Red Rose (2022)
I wanted to like Red Rose. It had a strong start with its terrific soundtrack, decent actors, and interesting concept. Unfortunately, the novelty wears off, and the series overstays its welcome. If you were interested in watching this series, I would hold off. It’s not as good and deep as it pretends to be.
After finishing High School, Roche, and her friends are excited for what should be the best summer of their lives. It was supposed to be a summer of partying, sex, and fun before they all split up for university. But fate has other plans for these teens. Roch’s life gets turned upside down when she downloads the mysterious app, Red Rose. At first, it seems like a benevolent force that promises Roch a better life. But the app has ulterior motives, and Roch finds that her life is out of her hands. Red Rose isolates her from her friends, stalks her, and terrorizes her relentlessly. There is no escape from Red Rose, and the virus is spreading. Will the teens be able to put an end to this sinister app?
The acting is fine for the most part, but I felt like some of the leads didn’t have the charisma to make the series work. The story was fine, but it gets more and more convoluted the deeper you get into the series. This series wastes too much time on filler, pointless plot hooks, and painfully obvious red herrings instead of getting to the point. This series wastes so much time on filler that I honestly forgot what it was supposed to be about. This could have been a better series if they didn’t drag it out so long.
The first few episodes had so much promise. The soundtrack was fantastic, the lead was great, and the story was solid. They still had issues with the pacing, but I was willing to forgive it because the rest was good enough. It was a decent thriller until the tonal shifts. Unfortunately, this series turns into a generic action thriller with no real direction.
I can’t recommend this series because it just becomes a generic jumbled mess of a series. It becomes so bland that I struggle to find more to say about this series. I would say hold off, but if you can’t, you can stream it on Netflix.
Image By Eleven Film & British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – Screenshot of a frame in an episode, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72846422
Series Review: Hunters Season 2
I want to give a shoutout to Cathrine for her kind words and the coffee! I appreciate your support. You don’t know how much your kind words meant to me. Thank you so much! I’m here wishing you the best.
I enjoyed the first season of Hunters but was disappointed by how it ended. I was so disappointed by its conclusion that I was considering not returning for the second season. This season was fine, but I didn’t think it was worth the effort. It feels too drawn out and without any real direction. It may not be a terrible show, but it does leave a lot to be desired. If you are curious about this series or need a proper conclusion, I suggest you throw it in the background so you can skip all the boring bits.
Hunters is a series about a group of people who come together to hunt down Nazis who went into hiding. The justice is too slow so the Hunters are taking justice into their own hands.
I found this season more convoluted than the last with less action. The action it did have isn’t exciting. This season felt like it lacked direction as it struggled to pad its run time with a boring backstory and intrapersonal conflict. There are a lot of stories added to this season that felt out of place even within the narrative. Some characters were devastatingly underutilized, while others overstayed their welcome. Nothing stood out this time, and I found myself struggling not to fast forward.
My issue with this season is that it doesn’t have a proper villain. The first season with its faults had a proper force fighting against the hunters. Here, the heroes only seem to fight themselves, and it gets tiresome. I get that the point was to have an incompetent villain, but when they are this incompetent, what is the point? This season turns an interesting concept into another generic action thriller, but one that isn’t very fun.
I wasn’t a fan of this series and have already forgotten what happens in it. It may not be the worst, but with so much better content out there, it is better to hold off until you have absolutely nothing to watch. If you do end up watching this series, I suggest you keep the remote handy to skip over all the boring bits. For those interested, check it out on Amazon.
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Movie Review: Sick (2022)
Sick is as good as you’d expect from a thriller horror movie about covid made for a streaming service you probably don’t have. The film certainly has its moments of competence, but it derails and is only worth the trouble if you have nothing else to watch.
The movie takes us back to the time of Covid lockdowns. Toilet paper is out of stock, people sanitize everything, masks are mandatory, and everyone stands six feet apart. A killer is hunting down seemingly random teens, but we won’t know why till the end. The movie will focus on a pair of college girls who quarantine at a secluded cabin. But the killer has followed them to their haven. The two must now run for their lives as they try to survive the night. Can they make it out of quarantine alive?
The acting is fine, but the leads aren’t good enough scream queens to carry the movie. The weakness in their abilities is particularly noticeable towards the end after the climax. I think they did the best they could with what they were given, but I don’t think they would do better in a different movie. The story is dumb, but I appreciate that there was an attempt at creating deeper characters. It was an attempt that ultimately fails, but it was nice to see characters that aren’t the usual archetypes. The movie isn’t terrible. Some very well-done tense and suspenseful moments were pretty scary, but the movie loses its momentum towards the end, making it a flop in my book.
They ran out of ideas after the big reveal. The ending is disappointing. There are a lot of issues with the realism of the movie that I could have forgiven if this movie was more fun. People in this movie tend to teleport and gain almost superhuman survival abilities when the plot asks for it. It isn’t so I suggest you skip it unless you are starving for content.
There isn’t much more to say about this movie. It is a dumb thriller based on a simple concept that doesn’t pan out all the way. You can stream it on Peacock, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it unless you’re starving for content.
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The Last of Us – Initial Thoughts
I never got to play The Last of Us because I never had a PlayStation. I might play it when it comes out for Steam, but we will see how stable I am on March 3rd. I have heard great things about the game, and everyone I know who played it loved it, but I have also been lucky enough to not encounter any spoilers. I went into this series as blindly as possible and loved every minute. The Last of Us has gotten its strong start. It effectively introduces its world and problems and shows off how effective it can be with its storytelling. If you have been cautious about getting into the series, don’t be. At the very least, you will love the first episode.
The world has been thrown into chaos as a mysterious disease runs rampant across the world. People are turning into zombies, and the remaining survivors struggle to create a new life from the burning remains of the old one. Warring factions fight over resources, and every day seems to be more hopeless. The series focuses on Joel and his story of survival as he escorts a young girl into the unknown. Can they survive with the limited resources left behind after the fall, or will their end be tragic like so many before them?
There is only one episode of this series out at the moment, with a new one released every Sunday. Usually, I complain about a show going on a weekly schedule, but The Last of Us takes full advantage of it. By the end of the episode, I was left wanting more and saddened that I will have to wait another week to learn what happens next. Yes, I could easily look up what happens next, but I don’t want to. I want to enjoy the ride as it happens and remain hopeful that they don’t mess it up.
The acting is fantastic, the pacing is great, and the action is intense. I haven’t felt this much anxiety in a while, especially from a zombie series. If you haven’t played the game or know anything about it, this series does a fantastic job of existing on its own. You will be caught up by the end of the episode, but frustrated that there isn’t more. I hope the series can keep this momentum because I have been burned by shows before.
I will admit that I was afraid that they were going to mess this up because recent video game adaptations haven’t been great. I am relieved that The Last of Us got its strong start. It has a great cast and competent storytellers. I will continue tuning in, and I recommend you do the same. Check out the first episode on HBO max if you have a subscription.
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Movie Review: M3gan (2022)
I became interested in M3gan when I first watched the trailer a while ago, but haven’t looked at it since. I was drawn in by the creepy doll and expected at least a cheesy thriller with a neat little gimmick. What I got was a pleasant little slasher that I can recommend to those interested.
M3gan is a lifelike doll powered by AI designed to be the last toy kids will ever need. Gemma, the inventor, dreams of a world where M3gan will be the perfect aid for parents. Gemma gets her chance to test the first M3gan on her grieving niece. At first, M3gan works as intended. She quickly becomes Katies greatest friend, but there is something off about the doll. Something in the code seems to be boiling up something sinister. Can they figure out what before it is too late?
I enjoyed this movie. The acting was great, the story was fine, and the pacing was perfect. For the first time in a while, I found myself invested in the plot of a slasher movie. I loved how the film dealt with grief, and the actors did a fantastic job of emoting it. I loved M3gan’s descent into evil. It was organic and well-executed. I even liked the criticism it makes about parents letting technology parent their kids. If you are a fan of the thriller and slasher genre, M3gan is a great place to start.
The only complaint is that the ending is predictable. This might be a symptom of watching too many movies, but I figured out the twist as soon as it floated into the scene. The ending is very cheesy, but one that I didn’t mind because it was fun. If you are thinking of watching this movie and don’t mind the creepy doll aesthetics, go check it out. As of writing this review, you can still watch M3gan in theaters.
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Series Review: The Rig (2023)
It has been a while since I have been this bored with a series. The Rig is another example of a series that should have been a movie. While it has some good moments, there aren’t enough to earn a recommendation. Do yourself a favor, don’t watch this series.
Out somewhere in the ocean, a greedy corporation drills for oil at any cost. Tensions run high on the rig as burnout falls over the workers. With another season coming to a close, strange things start to occur. The rig loses communication with the outside world as a mysterious fog rolls over them. There is something in the fog making people sick and damaging the rig. Can the crew find a way off before it is too late?
The series has a solid cast, but the narrative and pacing aren’t. The plot unravels so slowly that I lost interest almost immediately. I didn’t care about any of the generic characters or their storylines, I just wanted this series to be over. There may have been some neat visuals and interesting ideas buried within all the nothing, but they aren’t cool or interesting enough to save this series from mediocrity.
What I liked least about this series is how preachy it gets about its messaging. This series wastes too much time on its explicit green and anti-corporate messaging that it loses its effectiveness. The writing is so bad that there are lines of dialogue where characters will explicitly complain about bad oil is for the environment and how evil corporations are. I tuned out a lot of this series because it is repetitive and lazy. Had this series been condensed, it would have been a forgettable B movie.
It’s hard to write too much about this series because it is mediocre. This series is boring, and I can’t recommend it. You can stream it on Amazon if you have a Prime membership, but don’t waste the data.
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Movie Review: The Menu (2022)
I just watched The Menu, and while I am glad I didn’t watch it in theaters, I enjoyed it enough to recommend it. If you like the artsy and mysterious thrillers that are becoming a staple in A24’s catalog, The Menu is worth checking out.
The Menu takes place at the Hawthorne, an exclusive restaurant built on a secluded island where only a select few can dine. At $1200 a plate, the restaurant becomes an exclusive dining experience for the rich and famous. Unfortunately for the latest round of guests, tonight’s menu is something they won’t easily forget.
The film is breathtakingly beautiful. I am always in awe at the attention to detail put into cinematography. I am obsessed with the sterile perfection of the restaurant and kitchen and was even more in awe at the imaginative plating of the food. The colors, the lines, and the props have been meticulously organized to give this film its beautifully creepy atmosphere. I recommend The Menu if you are a nerd like me who is obsessed with visuals.
The plot is fine for what it is, but it is predictable. If you have seen any other A24 thrillers, you can guess what is going to happen. This follows a similar formula but with a more absurd tone. The film is still fun, and I appreciate the risks it takes, but do not expect an awe-inspiring twist or many surprises.
The acting is fantastic, and you should enjoy this movie for the performances. Without spoiling too much of the movie, the characters are creative, and the actors do a great job of doing them justice. My only complaint with this movie is that the ending is a bit disappointing. I didn’t hate this movie, but it was what I expected. While I appreciate the social criticism it makes, I believe this movie tries a little too hard to be deep. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the point of this movie is to be over the top in its pretentiousness, but there are a few areas where I felt it missed the mark.
That said, I enjoyed The Menu. The performances are great, the cinematography is breathtaking, and it has a solid narrative. This wasn’t worth the theater ticket, but it’s great for something you throw on at home. If you have been interested in this movie, you can now stream it on HBO Max. If you have seen this movie, I am curious to know your thoughts on the ending.
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