Looking Back at the Films of 2021 Part 1 - Run Hide Fight

 

Aright, we may be ending the first month of the brand new year, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop my tradition of reviewing films I missed out on because of either there wasn't a showing, I forgot about, didn't know it existed until now or so, or just generally laziness. But enough of about that, let's review Run Hide Fight.

Why Didn't I See Run Hide Fight?

The reason I didn't see this is because I didn't hear about until like I want to say mid-2020. And at that rate what was the point of doing a review? It wasn't gonna be a current movie anymore, so I might as well just say it for segments like this.

What is Run Hide Fight?

Run Hide Fight was a action thriller movie. The film was produced by Cinestate and distributed by The Daily Wire. Run Hide Fight was written and directed by Kyle Rankin. The story is is high schooler Zoe Hull is having a lot problems in her life right now. Her mother died not too long ago, and because of that her and her father have become strained. However, those problems are currently not the worse things happening right now. Right now her school is being taken over by four school shooters, and she must find a way put a stop to all of this, or a lot of people are going to die.

My Thoughts

The Good: One good thing about the film is the way it looks. Even though it only made with a budget of $1.5 million, it's very well done. Sure it has a low budget, but for the most part I didn't get that feeling. Another bit of credit I want to give is with the performances. Especially from Isabel May and Eli Brown. Isabel made us really care for our main hero Zoe. With her performance she made Zoe not act and be tough, but when it came to the more emotional moments, she really made us feel for Zoe. And Eli played the villain perfectly. What made it work was how calm and collective he made Tristan look. It was a little bit scary. Then we have the tone. Now it would make sense the tone is dark given the subject matter, but what also makes the tone good was how intense it was. I actually found myself being very nervous and scared for our characters. There was times I was hoping certain people wouldn't die. The last thing I'll give credit where it's due is with Zoe. She can actually put up a fight without out us going into that's not possible territory. But what also makes her a good protagonist is how her mother's death effected her. She's very torn up and is trying to move on. But the pain of that lost still effects her no matter how much she wants to move on. That made for a heroine you want to win in the end.

The Bad: I've got nothing to say here. Just move on.

The Okay: Now I've seen and read a lot of reviews saying the movie's a Die Hard clone. I don't know if that's entirely true, but for arguments sale let's say it is. With that being said, then much like another Die Hard clone I reviewed that being Sudden Death. What I'm trying to say is if this is being viewed as a Die Hard clone, then it's certainly one of the better ones. Unlike the more terrible ones I really dug this. What's also a grey area is our villains. Now the main bad guy/the mastermind that being Tristan. I really dug his motivation. He's an attention whore, but he's like this because he firmly believes that the media likes to talk about school shooters, terrorist, murders, and etc. Which makes sense. Everytime something like what he just listed happens, media gives out a full story, which arguably makes more monsters. Then you have his henchmen who I found to be generic. One is simply crazy, the other couldn't let go of a childish prank that happened to him years ago, and I guess the other does this because of a thrill and/or because the other's are involved. I don't know. That fourth member I don't believe was given a reason.

Final Verdict: Good.

So yeah overall it's a pretty good movie. But that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Feb 3rd. Cause for that one I've got something special for the upcoming The Batman. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to The Batman - The Dark Knight Rises Review

 

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 comic book movie, not only being based on the DC Comics' character Batman, but it's also the final chapter to The Dark Knight Trilogy. The movie was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Entertainment, Legendary Pictures, and Syncopy and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The Dark Knight Rises was written by Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, and David S. Goyer and directed by Christopher Nolan.

The story is it's been eight years since the events of The Dark Knight, and not only is Batman not around anymore but Bruce Wayne has become a recluse. He later he hears that the League of Shadows has returned and have a new plan to destroy Gotham. Bruce dons the cape and cowl once again, but will he be any match for the man named Bane.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

The only thing I wasn't 100% loving about the movie was the action. Sure there was still some great stuff in there. For instance chase scenes, those were awesome. Batman's newest vehicle "The Bat" flying around, that was fun to watch, and Catwoman's fight scenes were also pretty good. Where it gets iffy is with Batman's fights. Other than the instances with Bane, I didn't like some of those other fights. They were very stiff and almost lifeless.

• Positives

Now to move on to more positive aspects, one of those being Christian Bale & Tom Hardy's performances. Tom played a great Bane (I'll get into that character later), and Bale was wonderful as this broken and saddened Batman. This time around he's character [Christian's] was really questioning if he still has it, or if he can even stop this new threat. It made for a great story for his version of Batman. And throughout the movie Christian made everything work. Then we have Tom Hardy. Now when this movie first came out, I never heard of him. So I did have some doubt with him being Bane. But when I finally watched the movie, I became a fan. Tom was just awesome. Not only did he make Bane sound villainous, but physically he looked like someone I really shouldn't mess with.

Now I mentioned Bane so let's get into that his character. What a perfect final villain. This guy not only wanted to break Batman physical, but mentally as well. This was what I wanted with Bane. He had a master plan, he could outsmart his enemies, and everything. This is the Bane people wanted, as supposed to whatever that...thing was in Batman & Robin.

What also made The Dark Knight Rises a really good movie was the tone. This quite possibly the bleakest movie in The Dark Knight Trilogy. Characters are broken or are bearing some sort of weight because of what happened in The Dark Knight. And if that's not enough there's a huge amount of time where it felt like the heroes aren't going to win. But then the film very smoothly transitions into a more hopeful tone. Which I love when a movie, show, or comic can do that. When you believe all hope is lost only for something to come around and say otherwise.

The last thing to praise about The Dark Knight Rises is it truly is a perfect end. Everything that happened with the previous movies was wrapped up, our characters are where we felt like they should be, and I can't really think of a loose end that was hanging around. It's an ending that really showed there's no reason to continue with this franchise, or anything relating to this story. A fourth film would be pointless to have.

The Dark Knight Rises is a satisfying end to the trilogy. It's got great performances, a great villain in Bane, a bleak to hopeful tone, and it's an overall perfect ending. The action can be good, but there are those times when it's just not working.

My final rating is Great.

That's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Jan 31st for part one of the first edition of Looking Back at the Films of 2021. For that one I'll be reviewing Run Hide Fight. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Differences Between First Blood (Movie) & First Blood (Book)

 

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Differences Between. Where I take two properties and tell the differences between them. Today it's all about Rambo, more specifically First Blood. Let's begin.

Now both the movie and the book start off pretty much the same way. But some that was added in was Rambo going to meet an old war buddy of his, until he got some bad news. But what also made this such a big differences between the two was the movie's opening was getting us to side with Rambo, while the book was balancing where you'd feel sympathetic the most.

Another key differences between the two was Sheriff Teasle arresting Rambo. In the movie Teasle instantly doesn't like Rambo because of his whole drifter look and takes him a ride out of town, and when Rambo starts walking back, Teasle arrest him. In the book, Teasle give Rambo a ride out of town two times, and when he came back a third time he arrested him. Also, something that happened in the book that didn't happen in this whole sequence was Rambo going to a diner, when he came back into the small town a second time.

What also separated the two was Rambo's escape from the police. The movie verison has him going crazy when one of the officers brings a razor to shave him, which in return triggers his PTSD. This would cause Rambo to beat up anyone that got in his way, and then steal a motorcycle and ride into the forest. The escape the book provided was Rambo's hair was about to be cut, which makes him panic, but then when the razor is introduced his PTSD goes off in full force. Rambo would later take the razor and cut the deputy with it. Then he escapes on a motorcycle and hides. Also, during that sequence Rambo was naked, while in the movie he still had his clothes on.

What also separates the two is Rambo's knife. Ever since the movie First Blood, this has become Rambo's iconic weapon and other than the headband is the most frequent things people think about whenever they hear the character's name. In the book he simply doesn't have a knife.

Another difference is Rambo's travels. For the movie verison we kind of get a feeling that Rambo probably travels around a lot, but we're never given any more info. For the book we're told that Rambo went to fifteen other towns, where even then we was treated poorly. Rambo even goes on to say that the Sheriff wasn't even as bad as the previous people he's encountered. But after dealing with everything for so long, he got sick of it.

Another differences is Rambo's hideout. For the movie he hides in a cave. Wouldn't be such a bad idea, if there wasn't rats trying to take a bite out of him. Luckily Rambo didn't get too hurt during this very creepy moment. In the novel, he's taking shelter in a cave filled with bats. And unlike the rats those creatures didn't even bother with him.

What also separates the two Rambo is the way they go about doing things. In the movie Rambo actually doesn't kill anyone. Sure, an officer did die, but that wasn't his fault. The book however....damn. The book Rambo is way more brutal. He has a huge bodycount that would probably put him in the same league as a horror movie villain.

Still going to talk about the whole Rambo's a killer thing, so let's continue on that. Now like I said in the movie Rambo isn't killing anyone. Yes, all of the men hunting him down are hurt, but they'll still live. In the book, not only is Rambo killing things left and right, but in said book in his mind he's trying to justify his killings.

And there are some of the differences between First Blood the movie, and First Blood the book. There were a lot more but, I feel like you should watch the movie and read the book because Rambo is such a classic.

But, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Jan 27th for my Road to The Batman, with my review of The Dark Knight Rises. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Munich - The Edge of War Review

 

Munich - The Edge of War is a drama film, and based on the Robert Harris novel Munich. The movie is produced by Turbine Studios and distributed by Netflix. Munich - The Edge of War is written by Ben Power and directed by Christian Schwochow.

The story is it's 1938 and two former friends, one for Britain and the another working for the German government, are forced to become spies. Now they must do whatever they have to expose the secrets of the Nazis party before war breaks out.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I was interested in this is because I'm always looking forward to war dramas. That type of genre, if done right can give you a really good emotional story. So the fact we have two friends and different sides of the most historic war pitted against each other, it's a real interesting story.

Cons

One problem with the movie is I didn't really get a sense we were on the brink of war. They talk about how they're all getting close to this war, but you never have that feeling. There wasn't a scene, or scenes that made me go "Okay, this is the one that's made me feel war is coming".

Middle Ground

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Pros

One positive I'll give the movie is the performances. So many people were spectacular. One example of a great performance is Ulrich Matthes as Adolf Hitler. With this performance he didn't have to shout or kill someone to make this performance work. What made it work was how he talked and how he could just stare at someone with an intent to scare you. What also worked was the pacing. Now I have heard some people have an issue, and they were reasonable. But for me I found the pacing to be very good. It kept going and it never felt like it slowed down way too much to the point where it felt like the film just stopped. Another pro with Munich was it keeps you on the edge of your seat. There's this one intense moment involving a gun. Throughout that whole sequence I had a feeling of being very nervous. Even if you know what's going to happen you still get this intense feeling. The last thing I'll give the film credit for is the different perspectives. Our main characters [Hugh and Paul] give us pretty vaild reasons of why they're doing the things they do. One wants to solve the conflict through a more peaceful means, while the other wants to do what he believes is the right thing, and can go on with life, hopefully with no regrets.

In all honesty, I enjoyed Munich - The Edge of War. It has great performances, pretty good pacing, keeps you on edge, and you're very interested on the different perspectives. My only complaint is we don't have that sense of war is going to break out.

My final rating is Good.

That's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Jan 24th for a brand new edition of Differences Between. For that one I'll be looking at the movie First Blood and the book it was based on.

The Tragedy of Macbeth Review

 

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a drama film based on the play by William Shakespeare. The movie is produced by A24 and IAC Films and distributed by A24 and Apple TV+. The Tragedy of Macbeth is written and directed by Joel Coen.

The story is after being told by three witches that he would become the next King of Scotland, a Scottish lord sets out to complete this quest. He'll do anything and everything he can to make sure he keeps this power, no matter what.

Why The Delay?

So if any of you read my review for Scream (2022), then you would've saw that I said I would have this uploaded yesterday. Well...mother nature had other plans. I don't know what it was like for any of you, but here in Salem, Ohio we got hit HARD with a huge snow storm. I think it was said that we got somewhere between nine to twelve inches. Because of that I was just shoveling snow all day. To the point where I was tired. So tired that I didn't want to anything else. I didn't want to upload my review, I didn't want to talk about movies, I didn't even feel like watching anything that was on tv. I just wanted to go back inside, sleep and warm up.

Initial Reaction

Why did I want to see this? Simply, Joel Coen and Denzel Washington. I mean how could you not looking forward to Joel Coen? Him and his brother Ethan, have brought us many great movies, whether they directed them or not. Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, the 2010 verison of True Grit, and Bridge of Spies. So I was curious what Joel had up his sleeve. And then you have Denzel Washington. Who's just a phenomenal actor.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Middle Ground

One grey area with the movie was the pacing. Don't get me wrong, for a majority of the movie is the pacing can be flawless. But there were a couple of scenes where I felt like the scene was going on just a little bit too long. Maybe those scenes could've been cut down just a bit, or maybe the story both for this verison and the original couldn't have them cut down?

Pros

One pro to The Tragedy of Macbeth is how everything with this movie is the most likely the same from the original Shakespeare play. Sure something's were change, but the movie still kept a lot of the stuff in that play the same. From the way people talked in that era to the overall look and everything. What I also loved about the movie was Macbeth's decent into madness. Yes, this story has been told a thousand times before but, this movie still found a way to keep your interest about how Macbeth went mad with power, and wasn't planning on losing it. That really deserves credit. When you take a story as old as this, and still make it engaging, you're doing something right. Another aspect that made the movie amazing was the performances. Denzel Washington absolute kills here. But it's not just him. It's Frances McDormand, it's Corey Hawkins, it's Kathryn Hunter, and so many others. This was such a great cast and their acting deserves every bit of praise they're getting. Then we have the cinematography....oh my goodness. This cinematography is just amazing. I'm actually having a hard time putting into words about how gorgeous it truly is. The best thing I can say is every shot truly looks like a work of art. The last thing I'll praise is Joel Coen's directing. I knew both him and his brother [Ethan] were great directors, but if one of them is capable of doing something like this on their own, I'm very curious if Ethan's gonna try to one up is brother (I say that in a joking manner by the way. I don't want these two to have a sibling rivalry (😄)).

2022 has only just started, but as of right now I can say with confidence that The Tragedy of Macbeth will be making a lot of "Best Movies of 2022". It respects Shakespeare's work, Macbeth's decent into madness was handled with great care, everyone's performances were top notch, the cinematography is spectacular, and overall Joel Coen directed it beautifully. Sure the pacing felt off to me in some places, but that didn't bother me too much.

My final rating is Great.

Okay, I'm done. Come back on Saturday, Jan 22nd for my review of the newest Netflix movie, Munich - The Edge of War. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Scream (2022) Review

 

Scream (aka Scream 5) is a slasher film and the fifth installment of the Scream film series. The movie is produced by Spyglass Media Group, Radio Silence Productions, Project X Entertainment, and Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Scream is written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

The story is someone has donned the Ghostface mask that has frightened many times before in Woodsboro. The new killer is not only just planning a murdering a new batch of victims, but also wants to reveal many to the town's secrets from a deadly past.

Initial Reaction

My reason for wanting to see this is like everybody else's reason. I'm a fan of the franchise. I've loved all of the movies...okay, Scream 3 was just okay but still. So I was pumped when they were making a new one. Pumped and I bit sad too, cause this is gonna be the first Scream movie without Wes Craven involved (still miss the guy). Although I do wish there was a more creative title, or at least just call it Scream 5.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's just move on.

Middle Ground

One mix bag was the meta commentary. For a majority of the movie it's actually good. They even go as far as to how Hollywood is basically cashing in on the nostalgia, with what the movie referred to as a "requel". Which is a sequel that while it continues the story, it also brings up tropes that made the previous movie so good, which in return can kinda make the new movie come off as a remake. Where I think it doesn't work is how they address "toxic fandom". I've seen people discuss this kind of thing, and Hollywood try desperately to poke fun and sometimes be serious, but I've become jaded to the whole thing. So seeing it brought up doesn't do anything for me. If anything it might make the audience both fans and maybe just casual moviegoers roll their eyes. Then we have the killer's identity. I did figure one piece of that puzzle. But like I said that's just one tiny piece, so it wasn't all that bad.

Pros

Now let's give credit where it's due, and what the newest Scream does pretty while with is the humor. The Scream movies have always had a dark sense of humor, and this film is no different. There was plenty of times where a joke truly worked, where not only was I laughing, but so was the audience I saw this with. What also worked were the scares. I was worried this was the part of the movie where it would sink, however that's not the case here. There was one scene in particular where I was just begging for the killer to show up. Not because I'm impatient, but because it's one of those scenes that was making you nervous to the point where you just want to get it over with. What was also done to an effective degree was the mystery. I know I said I had a slight issue with the killer's identity, but what ultimately saves the rest of the mystery was how everything connects together. Such as why was this person killed, what is the killer's motive, and what secret is one of the newer characters hiding. Speaking of which, let's talk about the characters. Yes, it was great to see Sidney, Gale, and Dewey back again. And how they're brought back wasn't just for nostalgia, but also help the new characters. Which by the way our new characters are actually pretty good. I can actually see them coming back (that's if there will be a new movie), and just leave the old characters behind. Who were actually written in a way where that would be possible.

Scream definitely was an enjoyable movie-going experience for me. It has good jokes, nicely done scares, an interesting mystery, and characters both new and old were great. What could've gone better was the meta commentary and that tiny bit with the identity of the newest Ghostface.

My final rating is Good.

So yes, if you're a fan of this franchise, give this one a watch. Just not right now, you can give yourself some time before seeing it. Anyways, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Jan 17th for my review of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Underrated Films - Thank You for Smoking

 

Thank You for Smoking is a 2005 satirical black comedy film, based on Christopher Buckley's 1994 novel of the same name. The film was produced by Room 9 Entertainment and ContentFilm and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Thank You for Smoking was written and directed by Jason Reitman.

The story is big tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor is trying to do he's job of making sure his company isn't as evil as people say it is, while at the same time wants to be a good role model for his son. Things get even more complicated with both a senator who's heavily pushing his anti-cigarette campaign and Nick accidently revealing this about his industry. Now he has to find a way out this jam, before his life is completely ruined.

Why It's Underrated

The main reason why it's underrated is because it's not getting enough love. Unlike channels like say Starz, I haven't seen this movie appear any where else. I can't even remember the last time I saw it in a video store, and I'm pretty sure the film hasn't even come out on Blu-Ray.

My Thoughts

One thing to absolutely love about this movie is the humor. For this film was all about the wit. There's not slapstick, unnecessary gross stuff, or just saying curse words nonstop. It was about how funny the dialogue (and I'll get to that later) could be, and this is one of the few films were the dialogue is the funniest part.

Now since I brought up the dialogue, let's praise it. It's really good. There are so many quotable/funny bits here. Such as "Brad, I'm his *father*. You're the guy f*cking his mom. then there's Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk. Everyone has a talent. And so many other great lines, you really can watch the movie just for the dialogue alone.

Then we have our performances. This cast which filled to the brim with names you've heard does a fantastic job playing these characters. Especially Aaron Eckhart. He did such an amazing job playing this smooth talking businessman, and I just couldn't get enough. Such a shame, he's kind of an underrated talent.

There's a reason behind this next point but I'll bring it up later. What also made this movie worth checking out is it actually pulls off making you root for big tobacco. Yes, the people who sell you cigarettes, you're gonna be rooting for them. That's actually quite a hard feat to pull off. But Jason Reitman made it work.

So going off from the previous aspect I just mentioned, why did that work? Why do we feel sympathy for them? It's simply really, the movie provides you some really touching/emotional moments with our characters. Because Nick is giving a pretty tough problem to deal. He still wants to do his job for the company he works with, but at the same time he has to worry about being a good role model for his son. So because of this aspect to Nick's character you just can't help but love him.

Thank You for Smoking is one of my many favorite comedy films. It has good wit, the dialogue is awesome, the performances (mainly Eckhart) are great, you actually feel sympathy for the tobacco tycoons, and there's a lot of great emotional moments played out throughout the entire movie.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

So yeah, if you haven't already give this movie a watch. For now, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Jan 15th for my review of Scream. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day. 

The Tender Bar Review

 

The Tender Bar is a coming-of-age drama movie based of the 2005 memoir of the same name by J.R. Moehringer. The film is produced by Amazon Studios and Smokehouse Pictures and distributed by Amazon Studios. The Tender Bar is written by William Monahan and directed by George Clooney.

The story is it's 1972 and 9-year-old J.R. moves into his grandfather's old house in Long Island, New York searching for a father figure. He eventual meets his uncle Charlie, who introduces him to his very colorful regulars who come to his bar. As time passes J.R. is trying to achieve his dream of becoming a writer.

Initial Reaction

I'm gonna give a short and sweet reason of why I wanted to see this one. Much like The Midnight Sky George Clooney is directing it, and I wanted to see what else he can do. And Ben Affleck is it, and I'm curious what else he's doing besides Batman.

Cons

The only thing I disliked about the movie was the voice over. Yeah we kinda have a narrated with an older J.R., but sometimes it comes and goes. So it really felt pointless to have, when for the most part we're not gonna be hearing from it.

Middle Ground

One mix feeling I had had to do with George Clooney's directing. Sure everything's while shot and overall it looks nice. But looking back I can't really say there was anything that made me go "Right there! That's the best shot of the entire film!" Another gray area had to do with the pacing. The first and third half of the movie is really good. But once we get to that second half, you can almost feel the hour long runtime.

Pros

One positive I can rightfully give for The Tender Bar is the humor. There were actually some pretty funny moments in here, and I really enjoyed them, and they helped lighting the mood. What I think people will also enjoy from the movie is J.R.'s story. I think there's going to be a lot of people who connect with not really knowing your real dad, wanting a father figure in your life, and kind of struggling a bit with a dream you have in mind. The last thing I'll give the movie credit for is the performances. They do a fantastic job making the movie even better. Especially Ben Affleck as Uncle Charlie. The guy truly was the show stealer in this, and I really wanted to see more of the uncle throughout this.

In all honesty The Tender Bar is pretty decent. It's got good humor, I think there's some people who'll connect to J.R.'s story, and the performances (especially from Affleck) are really good. Could've used more work on directing and pacing, but it really wasn't enough to bring the quality down. The only thing I didn't care for was the voice over. That could've been easily edited out.

My final rating is Okay.

Overall I kinda liked this one. However that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Jan 13th for my Underrated Films review of Thank You for Smoking. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The 355 Review

 

The 355 is an action spy film. The movie is produced by Perfect World Pictures, Freckle Films, Genre Films, and FilmNation Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The 355 is written by Simon Kinberg and Theresa Rebeck and directed by Simon Kinberg.

The story is a top secret weapon has been stolen and the people responsible are planning to use it for sinister means. Now five agents from different parts of the world must team-up, and find out who stole the weapon. This is going to be more difficult than they thought, because someone is tracking their every move.

Initial Reaction

My main reason for wanting to see this was because of Simon Kinberg. He was many of the people who helped make the X-Men films, and with Dark Phoenix being the last one I was curious what he was going to do next. So when I heard about this film, I was very curious and wanted to check it out.

Cons

Now I didn't find the movie all that bad but, I've gotta admit it's forgettable. Sure I still remember what happened, but as the days go by I will most likely wind up forgetting this.

Middle Ground

One decent about The 355 that's alright is Simon Kinberg's directing. He does do a good job with the camera, and shows some okay action. But what there at times when he let the camera shake, and I think he was also trying to be experimental. Cause there was this one scene where Mace meets with her friend and boyfriend, and for whatever reason Kinberg had the camera try to do almost a stylized spinning. Really didn't feel like the scene for that camera trick. Then we have the action. Overall I thought it was fine. It was a little bit entertained. Nothing that really blew me away, but still alright.

Pros

If there's one redeeming quality about the film it's the cast. Despite the material only being decent at best, they still managed to give some good performances.

Overall The 355 is decent. I really think the more professional critics might being a little too harsh on this. Although I do agree it's forgettable. Kinberg's directing and the action are okay. The good thing about the movie is the cast.

My final rating is Okay.

So that's all for me. Come back on Monday, Dec 10th for my review of The Tender Bar. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

My Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

 

Congratulations everyone! We made to 2022. And much like I did the previous year, I'm going to tell you all of the movies I'm looking forward to this year. If any of read my last anticipated movies list, you'll most likely notice that some of those movies, make another appearance here.

What can I say. Studios either have to change plans or have no choice to change plans. Also, even if they're on my list, there's a big change I may not be able to review this either because my theater isn't showing it or I just wasn't feeling it and wanted to take a break.

But enough of that, let's get started.

January

The first movie on the list is The 355. My main reason for wanting to see this is I'm very curious what Simon Kinberg is doing post-X-Men (although I'm still holding out hope for a Kinberg cut of Dark Phoenix). Also it seems like it could be a fun spy action film, and who doesn't want to see that?

The next movie on the list is Scream. I really enjoyed all of the Scream movies, and I'm really looking forward to what this installment has instore for the franchise. It's going to be especially interesting because this will be the first Scream film with Wes Craven (still sad that he's not with us anymore) not involved.

The last movie for the month of January and this is a movie that made an appearance of my 2021 list, and that's Morbius. I've been looking forward to this when the trailer dropped. It looks like it's going to be another really exciting dark comic book film, and what I think is the best thing surrounding this film is Jared Leto seems to be having a blast with this character.

February

Now we roll into the month of February and the first movie for this section is Moonfall. Why am I excited for this? Because if I get the chance to see this, I just want to get back relax, and enjoy a good old fashion disaster flick. That's why. And judging by the trailers and I'm most definitely going to get just that.

The last movie for this month, is Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What made me put this one of this list, is I loved the original, and better yet it's going to be a sequel to said original thus ignoring a lot of the other Texas Chainsaw movies. So fingers crossed we either get a really good or at the very least something decent.

March

Yeah this one probably wasn't a shock, but yes. I'm so looking forward to The Batman. Matt Reeves has given us some good films, such as Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes. Also whenever he talks about the movie, you can really tell he's passionate about both it and the character of Batman himself. Best yet, every trailer has been nothing short of amazing.

The next one on the list is Turning Red. The reason is I'm really liking how we're getting more new stuff from Pixar, as suppose to a sequel and/or prequel (yes I know there's Lightyear but still). Although judging from the trailer, I have a feeling I'm gonna be in a similar situation that I found myself with Luca. Where I liked the movie, did not like the art style.

The last one for March is Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre. Why this one? Simple, Guy Ritchie. Sure he's had he stinkers, but for the most part he's brought us some really good movies. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Sherlock Holmes and the sequel. And last year I got around to reviewing and liking The Gentlemen, and this year I'm gonna review his previous movie Wrath of Man. So yeah, If by any chance this shows up at my theater, I'm watching it.

April

Now we enter the month of April, and to kick off this section I'm looking forward to Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It's really simple, I really liked the first Sonic movie. It was probably the biggest surprise for a video game I ever saw. So with this one I'm expecting that some level of enjoyment. So fingers cross the filmmakers can deliver.

Then we have Ambulance. Yes, I'm looking forward to a Michael Bay movie, and I don't care what any "cinephilia" has to say about that. Anyhow, I just want Michael Bay to do for me, what he's done with Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, Bad Boys II, 6 Underground, and etc. And that's give me some good old turn off your brain popcorn entertainment. That's all I want from this movie, and judging from the trailers,  it seems I'm going to get exactly that.

Now we have The Bad Guys. This looks like it's just going to be simply wacky fun, and I'm all for that. I really did enjoy the trailer when I saw it both on Twitter and in theaters when I went to go see Sing 2. So I think I'm gonna get a good kick out of this one.

The next one of the April list is The Northman. After watching the trailer last year, and then again for this post, I'm really pumped about this movie. What really grab me interest wasn't just the revenge factor, but the overall look. I like the costume designs and the cinematography. Crossing my fingers that my theater will show this.

This is another movie that made it on my 2020 list, but got pushed back, and that movie is The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. It's a Nicolas Cage movie starring Nicolas Cage about Nicolas Cage being Nicolas Cage. Do I need to say more? I don't think so.

May

Now here we are in the month of May, and the first movie I'm looking forward to is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I loved the first Doctor Strange, and the character was definitely an MVP for Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and even though he wasn't in it for all that much I did like what we got from Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home. So I'm very curious what the character is gonna do for this movie. Also, we've got Sam Raimi directing so that's a major plus for this film.

Then we have League of Super-Pets. Now if any of you read my thoughts for last year's DC Fandome, then you'll know that I'm not digging the casting choices. Hopefully it won't bother me too much, cause the main reason I'm looking forward to this, is because it seems like it could be a fun time seeing Superman's dog Krypto and Batman's dog Ace team up.

The last movie for May is Top Gun: Maverick. It's the sequel to an 80's classic, and I'm also curious what Joseph Kosinski is going do to with this. I think Joseph is a really good director. I really liked Tron: Legacy and a fun time with that one. So like I said previously, very curious of what him and his crew have planned for this.

June

Let's kick off my June list with Jurassic World: Dominion. So far the Jurassic World movies have yet to disappoint me. I've enjoyed both those movies, so I've got big hopes for the third movie. Fingers cross that it'll be a good time at the movies.

The next one up is Lightyear. Truth be told, I was actually gonna skip out on this one. I saw no point in making a Buzz Lightyear movie without Tim Allen. But, that all changed when I saw the teaser trailer. Wasn't expecting that at all. So my primary reason for wanting to see this is out of curiosity.

The last June movie is The Black Phone. I want to see this for two reasons. #1) I heard it got great reviews when it was released at Fantastic Fest. and #2) Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill. These two have done some great things. I loved Sinister and even liked what they've done Doctor Strange. So I've got a lot of high expectations with this one, and hopefully I'll get some good scares along the way.

July

Now let's talk July movies. First one up is Bullet Train. My main reason is David Leitch. Even though he was uncredited he did great with John Wick, I loved Deadpool 2, and I had an absolute blast with Hobbs & Shaw. So I'm looking forward to what else he'll bring to the action genre with Bullet Train. Let's just hope my theater has a screening.

Now let's talk about how the hierarchy of power in the DC universe is going to change with Black Adam. Like many people I was interested when I first heard the Rock was going to play the title character. Then my hype sky rocketed when we got a teaser. Not gonna lie folks, I could watch the teaser over and over again all day, and still not be bored.

August

Now there wasn't really anything for the month of August that truly caught my eye, that was until I discovered Samaritan. Now I know very little about this movie, all I do know is that it's been described as a dark, new take on superhero movies. Which is perfectly fine with me. Cause unlike some people, I don't want every single comic book movie to be just like the MCU. Variety is the spice of life after all.

September

Much like August there was only one movie that caught my attention, that being Salem's Lot. My main reason for this is Gary Dauberman. Yes, he's had his hits (It and It: Chapter Two) and his misses (Annabelle), but that's not going to stop my excitement for this movie. I have high hopes, and I think that maybe he can deliver with his verison of this classic Stephen King story.

October

Let's talk October movies, one of those being Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One). I fully enjoyed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and that first look that was shown was not only awesome, but let me curious. Like, why was Spider-Man 2099 fighting Miles? Don't know. We'll just have to wait until October to find out.

The last one for October is Halloween Ends. So far I've been enjoying this new addition to the Halloween franchise. But what's really making me curious is what's the end for Halloween Ends? Will Michael win or will Lauire win? Either way, someone isn't getting out of this without getting seriously f*cked up.

November

The first movie I'm looking forward to in November is The Flash. I'm really curious about how this verison of Flashpoint is different from previous media adaptions. I'm wondering why Barry is teaming up with Michael Keaton's Batman, and I'm also trying to figure out who's the main villain. Granted a recent rumor, does have me worried about not only this movie, but the DCEU in general, but I'm hoping those are just rumors, and we get a good movie.

The last November movie I'll talk about is The Fabelmans. Basically this movie has been described as Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiography about his childhood in Arizona. Little curious about what one of the greatest directors ever, was like when he was a little kid. Very curious about what exactly wanted Spielberg to tell this story. Cause it had to be something important for him to want to make a movie about it.

December

Alright we're at the end here folks. First movie is Avatar 2. Been waiting for what feels like an eternity for this one. I really dug the first film all the way from 2009, and I'm really excited for what James Cameron has for this one and the later sequels.

The last movie for not only December but this entire list is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Much like everyone else I was very surprised with the first movie. I wasn't expecting to love as much as I do now, so I'm expecting a lot from this film. Although from what I've been seeing it seems like this one is going to do what most sequels should do and that's go bigger than the first time.

So those are all of the movies I'm looking forward to. Hopefully they stay in their spots, and don't have to be pushed back or anything. Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Jan 8th for my review of The 355. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.