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.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) Review

 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (aka Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas) is a 2000 Christmas fantasy comedy-drama film, based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name. The movie was produced by Imagine Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. How the Grinch Stole Christmas was written by Jeffery Price and Peter S. Seaman and directed by Ron Howard.

The story is it's once again time to celebrate Christmas down in Whoville. However, not everyone is pleased, that one unhappy person being the Grinch. After a couple of attempts to try to get along with the Whos, the Grinch sets out to ruin Christmas for everyone. But maybe, just maybe a little girl named Cindy Lou Who might just change his mind.

• Negatives

The only complaint I have for the film is we don't get a reason as to why the Grinch hates Christmas. Yes there's those flashbacks to his school years, but prior to that we're shown he hated the holiday then. So did he always hate, or was when everyone made fun of him? Don't know.

• Mix

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

• Positives

One thing I loved about the movie is the humor. There were two times I didn't laugh, but for like 99% of the time I was having a great time with the comedy in this. Mostly with some of the Grinch's dialogue. Hell, there's even some amazing adult jokes thrown in there, and it actually works.

Since I brought up the Grinch, let's talk about him....he's awesome. He was still doing what he did in the book and then some. But what also makes me love this version, is the fact that he's so proud of all of his childish antics. Makes for an entertaining comedic villain.

What also makes the movie work is the performances from Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen. Jim was perfectly cast as the Grinch, and his acting ability really shined through even with all of that makeup on him. And I don't know why Stinkers Bad Movie Awards nominated her for "Worst Supporting Actress" during the movie's initial run, because she was actually really good. She made Cindy Lou Who a likable and sweet character.

The last thing I'll give the movie credit for is it actually does keep with the source material. Yes there was stuff added, but the most important part is that they kept the message from the book. In matter of fact, when the Grinch actually starts stealing Christmas and the Whos learn the important part of Christmas, it's just basically the book brought to life.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is actually and I'm not scared to admit it, one of my favorite Christmas movies, and I always look forward to it whenever it's shown on TV. It has great humor, the Grinch is hilarious, the performances from Carrey and Momsen were one of the greatest things about the entire film, and it still does keep the message in tact. The only downside is despite what was shown, or what the movie wants us to believe, we still don't know why the Grinch hates Christmas.

My final rating is Great.

Well everyone, that's it. This is my final post for 2021. And what a year. I got to see Nicolas Cage tear apart evil animatronics, witness the Snyder cut, see Godzilla and Kong duke it out, see what happens when Zack Snyder tackles an army of the undead, enjoy some crazy action from the Fast & Furious series, watch Chris Pratt save the future, believe in the power of the Blue Shirt Guy, have my mind blown from the absolute craziness from a brand new James Wan horror flick, see Michael Myers be a complete murder machine, be completely awestruck from Dune, have some laughs with the Ghostbusters, and last but not least, relive some nostalgia with Spider-Man.

I'm looking forward to the films of next year. So I hope you all have a great New Year's party, and wish you nothing but good luck for 2022. See ya then.

Don't Look Up Review

 

Don't Look Up is a satirical science fiction film. The movie is produced by Hyperobject Industries and distributed by Netflix. Don't Look Up is written by Adam McKay and David Sirota and directed by Adam McKay.

The story is two low-leveled astronomers named Randall and Kate have discovered that an asteroid is heading towards Earth. Just to make matters worse, the asteroid will be arriving in only six months. Now Randall and Kate set off a to warn everyone about the oncoming threat.

Initial Reaction

What drew me into the movie was yes, the cast, but also Adam McKay. He's made a lot movies that I really enjoyed. Such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, and so many other flicks. So when I heard his name was attached to this project, I was hooked.

Cons

One of the biggest problems with Don't Look Up is it's not engaging. Somehow the filmmakers made an asteroid hurtling towards Earth and trying to warn everyone, seem boring. I understand the movie wasn't trying to be this crazy heart pounding adventure flick, but still make it seem interesting. You can make a slow story work with the proper build up, but that wasn't here. What also made this feel like a chore was the pacing. It's honestly a mess. One point it wants a slow build up, then it wants to be fast moving, then we're back to slow again. Someone really should've told the filmmakers about this problem, then maybe the film could've been some what better. Then there's the editing. I don't know what Adam McKay was thinking when he saw this, but wow. One moment we could be focused on the characters, then we'll get a shot of their arms being crossed, then back to them talking. If that wasn't distracting enough they also used stock footage. I wish I was making that up, but no. They actually did that.

Middle Ground

One gray area with the movie is the humor. There are times when it actually works. Other times you just roll your eyes. Like okay I did laugh quite a lot when they showcased the politicians being greedy idiots, but that did run it's course pretty fast. The other mix feelings I had was Adam McKay's directing. He did truly direct a beautiful looking movie, however I had a hard time to really enjoy it because of the editing.

Pros

The only aspect I'll really enjoyed was the performances. Even though the movie really isn't all that good, the people in front of the camera did a really good job. Which does somewhat help the overall product.

Honestly I can't get behind this movie. It's premise somehow isn't interesting, the pacing is awful, and I have no idea what's going on with the editing. The humor does work to some extent and while McKay's directing is very good, you can only enjoy a little bit. The only positive is the acting.

My final rating is Bad.

Much like The Matrix Resurrections this was a letdown. But I do wish for you to come back on Thursday, Dec 30th for my review of How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey. Yes, the holiday season is over, but I really want to review that one. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The Matrix Resurrections Review

 

The Matrix Resurrections is a sci-fi action film and the fourth movie in The Matrix film series. The movie is produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and Venus Castina Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The Matrix Resurrections is written by Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, and Aleksandar Hemon and directed by Lana Wachowski.

The story is it's been many years after the events of The Matrix Revolutions, and things are rather....odd. Neo is back to living a normal life and is going by Thomas Anderson again and his now a video game developer, to make things even more strange Trinity seems to be alive, but they both don't recognize each other. Later someone claiming to be Morpheus offers him the red pill, and Neo not only rediscovers the Matrix, but also learns of a new enemy.

Initial Reaction

Now I've been a fan of The Matrix series ever seen my sister showed me the first movie a couple of years ago. Since then, whenever I feel like it or whenever it's on TV, I sit down and watch the movie. I even kind of liked the sequels. So when I heard a fourth one was coming out and Keanu was returning I was hyped. And I got even more so when the marketing finally kicked in.

Cons

One of the many big issues with the film is the meta commentary. It's really doesn't need to be eye. It got so meta, that I was just waiting for one or all of the characters to just turn and wink at the camera. Which really damages the film. Because whenever I think of the Matrix, I don't think of this self aware franchise. And it's really not that clever either. There's an entire montage scene where Neo and his fellow employees are developing a fourth video game for the Matrix (Yes. That's an actual thing in the movie), and you guessed it, they completely missed the point of the series. Yep. Definitely didn't see that one coming. Then we have the nostalgia. This bit of the movie quite literally could've been written out. It served no purpose at all. It's not like with Spider-Man: No Way Home, where they took all of the old characters and put them on a new adventure. Okay, there is a new adventure but, a lot of the times it's just recreating scenes. Like when Neo fights Smith, there are a lot of times when a move they've used in a previous fight, will be used in this current fight. Then we have the post-credit scene. Yeah we have those now. What was the point of that?! That scene had no reason to be here. What made it when worse was, it could've been put into the montage. So why was there a need to be here? I don't know.

Middle Ground

One mix bag was the action. It was fine, although it didn't have the same impact as the previous movies. There was also the special effects. A lot of the times there pretty good, other times it painfully obvious when CGI was used.

Pros

What really worked for The Matrix Resurrections was Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss. Their performances/chemistry really does somewhat prevent from giving this a lower rating. Lana also did a pretty good job directing this. There were a lot of shots that I really enjoyed.

The Matrix Resurrections is a huge let down. Because of the film's poor quality I'm not gonna be surprised, when people have a new found love for Reloaded and Revolutions. Cause with those movies you didn't have out of place meta stuff, easy to write out nostalgia, and a post-credit scene that'll make ya face palm. There was some decent action and special effects. While Lana's directing is good, it's really Keanu and Carrie-Ann that help the movie quite a bit.

My final rating is Bad.

Okay, that's going to do it for me. I hope you'll come back on Monday, Dec 27th for my review of Don't Look Up. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.