Emily The Criminal - 4.5/10:

Pros:
-Cast (picked an excellent cast, just right for their roles)
-The gritty look of it all (the way it's shot just works to add atmosphere)
-That Emily wasn't some pushover who became a badass, she was one from the get-go
-Runtime was just about right
-Aubrey Plaza's performance was fantastic, she carried the entire movie like it was effortless

Cons:
-In a way, the film glorified what she and Youssef were doing
-Delivered the wrong messages in a lot of ways
-A tad too short, I think an extra 5-10 minutes could've helped fill out the ending a bit more
-Depressing, overall

Final thoughts:
This movie defied expectations. Critics and audiences both seemed to like it, it seemed well-regarded, and the performances were solid, but it changes lanes and gets really dark in a nasty way and gives you whiplash. It jumps a level or two in the seconds between scenes and you're like "Wait. WTF are they doing that?!" There's a box cutter involved, the whole 9... The earlier parts of the movie had some brief tension, but it also had some laughs and some grounded drama and kept you watching, the latter half leaves you gobsmacked, and not in a good way. And what happens to Emily just basically sells the audience on "Life sucks, this is so much easier, be a thief." and neither my wife nor I were down with that. We both left the living room just in a haze of disappointment. It really kind of sucked by the end.

If you watch it, come for Aubrey Plaza's performance, don't stay for the rest of it expecting something great. It's a shame, there was a real film in here that had almost lived up to the promise given by the audience and critics, but the writer/director botched the landing. Didn't even come close to sticking it.

 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie:
Much to love about this movie to the Mario fans, though I will agree with the majority that it was too fast-paced with little to no breaks in the story. Also deducting a point for the songs used.

8/10

 

Saw two movies yesterday, one for the kid, one for the Mrs and me.

Secret Headquarters - 8/10:

Pros:
-Solid cast
-Some very funny dialogue
-Surprising special effects for what amounts to a TV movie (it easily could've gone to theaters...)
-Short enough to keep you from losing your mind, long enough to tell the story

Cons:
-Surprisingly dark and violent at times
-Owen Wilson isn't in it enough and it sometimes needs him to elevate it
-Surprising amount of adult language in what's supposed to be a kid's movie (...I think?)

Final thoughts:
I'll work my way backward.
The kids, here and there, hurl a bit of colorful metaphors which I could see some parents getting a bit twitchy about, some of the adults do too, it's mild and PG-level and nothing they haven't heard at school but still... Owen Wilson bookends the film, it's mainly about the kids and they have to carry it, but with him on the poster and no one else...it comes across a little bait-n-switchy. When he is on screen, though, the film is on another level and it works even better. (The kids *do* carry the film, though. They're fantastic. Their comedic timing is top-notch.)

The darkness and the violence are rather amped up for a kid's flick, honestly...it's a bit too dark at times. They straight-up murder people in this film and even try and kill the kids, multiple times. (This is also where the main violence is. A lot of slapstick violence throughout, sure, but this violence is on a whole 'nother level when it occurs.) You can't really tell if this is aimed at kids, aimed at teenagers, or no one and they're just hoping it sticks. Large portions of the beginning of the film are aimed at little kids, very slap-sticky and silly. But when this gets going, it's all over the map and you're not entirely sure who the target audience is. And then the film ends with a very light-hearted, very silly set of scenes. (Good ones, though.) Stick around after the credits, there is one more scene.

The special effects are definitely theatrical-level and it shows you that even studios are worried about what they churn out and they know, they *KNOW* they put out bull that is destined to die with the wrong audience. Why even make a film like this if you're going to end up selling it as a "made-for-tv-movie"-level thing on Paramount+? And don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it for the charming silliness that it was, but this thing just wasn't meant to be. (I think, in better hands, it would've been solid.)

The cast, including Michael Penã (who dominates every scene that he's in), is great. They absolutely stuck the landing here. (And the film doesn't misuse them, either.)

Honestly? As "kids" entertainment goes, it's barely offensive (language), a little darker, and more violent than I'd have liked for a kid's movie (although TFTM is leaps and bounds worse than this, except kids weren't threatened to be killed in live action, so...), but we laughed...a lot, it was thrilling at times, the kids were able to have their moments to shine and Penã and Wilson stole the show when they were on screen. For what amounts to a "free" movie (with your subscription, of course), you could do a heck of a lot worse (and probably have) and have paid for it. If you have slightly older kids, you're willing to laugh at inane stuff, and watch a couple of neo-legends ham it up, I think you'll enjoy this one.

At Midnight (another Paramount+ exclusive, how shocking?!) - 8/10:

Pros:
-Surprisingly charming and sweet
-Solid chemistry between the two leads
-Beautiful filming locations (beaches/resorts of Mexico and Mexico City)

Cons:
-Runs a bit long/slow at times, but overall pretty good in this department
-Whitney Cummings and Anders Holm are the biggest names here and they're relegated to side characters
-Feels like a Hallmark movie at times, but one that couldn't commit to being that level of sap/crapola

Final thoughts:
This one actually put a smile on my face. It was written well, acted well, had legit funny moments at times and it was just an overall pleasant film. That said, when Whitney Cummings and Anders Holm are your biggest names on set, you might be a bit concerned about the film overall, and whether or not you're wasting them. It does feel a bit like a Hallmark movie, at times, but then it drops an F-bomb here and there to quickly remind you that "Nope, this ain't that film". Honestly, this was so good as-is that with the right A-listers, this could've gone to theaters and would've been a success. Critics didn't like it because it's incredibly predictable and you've seen it a million times, and they're right, but the chemistry of the two leads (amazing) and comedic timing was just about pitch perfect and that was all that was really needed to save the film from itself. I think the problem is critics have become too cynical. I think 10 years ago, this film would've been a smashing success and could've been another Notting Hill (there's a reference to that in this, btw) and I think they've become bitter and testy about things as of late. (All the Marvel and Transformers movies have broken them down, I don't blame them to some degree.) Honestly, this was a nice throwback to solid romantic comedies and everyone was really good in this one. Don't expect an Oscar, here, just a good time.

 

Scream 6, 7.5/10 Just an average Scream movie. Nothing bad but nothing mind blowing. Worth the watch.

 

Bodies Bodies Bodies 5/10

So with the good reviews I decided to check it out. I enjoy a good horror comedy. I wouldn’t say this is a Comedy or even a Horror film. It’s a suspenseful movie keeping you thinking about who is the killer but it’s not hard to figure out what really happens

Spoiler

It hit me mid way that no one was the murderer. One accidental killed themselves and they just tear each other apart

. But every character is unlikeable. It’s just a bunch of dumb rich kids getting drunk and high while making dumb decisions. Yeah horror films specifically slasher are that way but the slasher has a badass mythical killer. But this keeps you guessing and once you find out you go oh that’s dumb.

 

Kronos (1957) 7/10. Hollywood made a lot of science fiction movies back in the 50's. I wish they would do a remake on this movie.

 

Les Misérables (2012) - 8/10

A great adaptation of the musical, absolutely love the philosophy and message of the story. The only weak link in this movie is Russell Crow. Despite being a good actor and carrying himself well as Javert, but his singing leaves a lot to be desired.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Marathon
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - Rocket Raccoon/10
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - 8/10
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) - 7/10
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) - 9/10

 

That's funny, my first thought when I read Le Miserables was how much I loved Crow's Stars. It's the first song I think of.

Infernal Affairs
Just such a great movie! There's a reason it's a classic and it absolutely has the edge over The Departed. Seeing it for the ~4th time, I picked up on so much more than before. Killer leads with both Any Lau and Tony Leung make this a must watch.
9.5/10

Black Widow
More people need to be talking about this one, it was really good! Everything worked very well. It was like a James Bond marvel film. I physically got out of the Marvel game before it was cool to do so but it's nice/surprise going back once and a while and actually see quality movies coming from them. Rachel Weisz was awesome, Taskmaster was really cool and the villain was great! Not to the level as Wakanda Forever but I'd say A tier.
8/10

 

Renfield 7/10

 

Always liked it better than Departed.

 

Gotg vol. 3

 

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 - 9/10

I absolutely loved this. Best Marvel film in what seems like forever, and just a strong showing overall for a really good cast of characters. You will laugh, you will cry, you will see some spectacle. All that good shit.

Finally, a truly despicable baddie in a Marvel movie who you are actually desperate to see get his ass kicked by about a third of the way through, and by the end you will be absolutely clamouring for it.

My only (very slight) criticism is that there are just a few too many “here is some 90s music with a fairly static visual for 20-30 seconds or so because that’s the Gunn trademark” moment, which actually ends up damaging them a bit by the end, even the REALLY good one. One of those “less is more” applications needed here.

But other than that? Possibly the best third movie in a trilogy since Return of the King. It's THAT satisfying

 

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3:
I thought volume 2 was an emotional journey. This one nearly drove me to tears in several scenes. I repeat: A Guardians of the Galaxy movie almost me shed real tears. That's how it tickled my emoting nodes in my brain.

Also as animal lover, the animal torture scenes even if I'm fully aware they're mostly CGI, it still gave me a bitter taste in my mouth. Several other people were also disgusted by it even if it was to point out that our villain is evil.

Spoiler

Adam Warlock was almost what I expected him to be; won't be a villain for too long, but also a bit hard to take him seriously. What I didn't expect was to have little to no involvement with the Guardians he was almost wasted here.

8.5/10

 

Neeson Season Marathon
Taken (2008) - 8/10
Taken 2 (2012) - 6/10
Taken 3 - (2014) - 4/10
Unknown (2011) - 7/10
Non-Stop (2014) - 7/10
Memory (2022) - 5/10

 

"I had a Liam Neeson nightmare. I dreamt I kidnapped his daughter and he just wasn’t having it. They made 3 of those movies. At some point, you’d have to wonder if he’s just a bad parent."

 

In all fairness, the first one wasn't his fault. He did warn his ex about their daughter travelling to Europe without him accompanying her. Otherwise, every other Liam Neeson film is just him being the same grumpy old man with a gun, whether he has amnesia or advanced Alzheimer's disease.

 

Uncharted 8/10
The one based on the videogame. It was a lot of fun. My suspension of disbelief went right out the window, when they airlifted the two pirate ships, but I have to admit that’s something I’ve never seen in any other movie.
But yeah, pretty good. It was fun watching them puzzle out everything, trying to solve all these riddles. Classic adventuring stuff.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 8.5/10
Best MCU movie since Spider Man NWH.

As of the Gog trilogy the first is the best and Vol 3 would be in 2nd place.