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Reviews
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
I was surprised
Honestly I was skeptical per usual with sequels and remakes. Usually I scoff when I see this as Hollywood has no more ideas even though they're literally in the business of creativity. But I was pleasantly surprised. It actually felt like a Beverly Hills Cop movie made in the new age. The action sequences had the same feel. The score was the same but updated. It didn't insert unnecessary things into the plot and Eddie and the gang did justice even though it's been years. I had a smile on my face the whole time. I'm glad they did this although I think it deserved a theatrical release to be honest. Either way while it's not a masterpiece (not that it was trying to be), it's still a good movie. People think it's gotta be this intellectually brilliant plot line with cinematography and acting to be great. It doesn't. Though I knew Kevin Bacon would be the main villain as soon as I saw him in the trailers lol.
The Brothers Sun (2024)
An absolute blast
Yeah it can be corny at times but it's actually a fantastic show. The lore behind the Asian organized crime families in the show is really cool. The fight scenes are greatly executed. The character of Bruce can be a little annoying at times but Michelle is great no matter what she's in. It felt like I was watching "Rumble in the Bronx" or "Supercop". Great ode to the old Hong Kong action films. It had more heart than I thought it would too. The violence isn't gratuitous either. Enough to get the MA rating but not over done. I may have jumped the gun by writing this a little more than halfway through the season but I hope the ending turns out great too.
FUBAR (2023)
Eh
I understand Arnold was hired by Netflix to be their new action ambassador or whatever, even though it sounds fake. However Netflix need to hire someone to be their comedy ambassador. I understand this is supposed to be an action show but there is a lot of "comedy" in it as well. It's not funny. It's annoying. Especially Fortune Feimster. Idk how she has a career in stand up. I've never liked her so her role in anything takes me out of whatever it is that I'm watching. I just can't. It is good to see Jay Baruchel and Tom Arnold. However has Jay been relegated to doing small like cameo roles now? He used to be a leading actor. Whatever. Arnold is always good.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Wow
I have to say I'm surprised. As of late the MCU has been dull to say the least. A bunch of films trying to push ideology and put inclusiveness over quality. Audiences want to be entertained. Not told what their views should be. This and No Way Home are the only MCU films that have been good since Endgame. I was really worried about James Gunn taking over DC. But I have to say after watching this film I'm actually really excited. Rockets backstory was brutal. I don't think it needs a PSA at the beginning warning the audience about triggers. Ppl can handle it. We have for decades. That's part of what makes this movie so good. It pulls the heart strings for sure. Go and see it. You won't be disappointed. I promise. It was a lot funnier than I expected as well.
Sweet Tooth (2021)
Decent
I'm not sure if it's a Netflix thing or the writers themselves but it seems like with a lot of Netflix shows they start off with a very strong first season then when it comes to their sophomore attempt it falls short. That's what I felt watching the second season of this show. The first season was absolutely great. It was grounded and the performances were solid. But going into the second season it almost diverted into the more fantasy element of storytelling. I'm not sure how to put it in words the best way. The first season aside from being grounded was darker in tone and more adult. The second season to me at least became more childish. Almost falling into the teen drama category. It sucks bc this was one of the only shows from Netflix I still like. Stranger Things, Umbrella Academy, and Mike Flanagans work are the only things I still like about Netflix. Even Umbrella Academy started slipping the last season. I just hope next season of "Sweet Tooth" is a little better.
Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
Not as bad as people lead you to think
Lots of people pan this movie for some reason. I'm not saying it's better than the first one or second but it absolutely does not deserve the hate it's gotten. I actually really enjoyed it. In my opinion I think this is on par with the second one. I love Tony Scott and his style I just didn't think that it would fit for a Beverly Hills Cop movie. Wasn't bad by any means but definitely wasn't this amazing film. The script for this one could've used some work but I liked the action scenes. Especially when Axel saves the kids from
The malfunctioning ride. However the bad guys plan wasn't the best. Granted with these movies they aren't nor should be complicated and mind bending. It's a action comedy. Ppl look at it as a comedy before action. However having a counterfeit ring inside an amusement park?? Yeah that's not the best lol. However if you want to check it out I actually recommend that you do so if you haven't seen it already.
Mafia Killers with Colin McLaren (2018)
Decent
It kinda is like all the generic mafia documentaries out there. But it was better in that regard. Granted I'm a huge mafia fan so everything they talked about I already knew but it was still entertaining. The only thing that I was annoyed with was the guy Colin McLaren. He kept saying how he saw these types of guys when he was in mafia. He was never in the mafia. He went undercover as an associate but that was in Australia. That was a lot different than how it is done in the United States. Again, that's just me because I'm specific about those kinds of things but a lot of us mob fans are. I didn't love how they had Linda Scarpa and Larry Mazza on here though. I watched the Carmine Persico episode.
Beef (2023)
Beefs cooking
I was very much surprised by this show. Tbh I thought it was a movie for some reason when I first saw the trailer. It starts off as a road rage tale and gets more bonkers as the show goes on. Everybody does a fantastic job as far as performances. Especially Steven Yuen. He's always been a g. Allie Wong surprised me as well. But I wasn't expecting it to take the turn that it did. Wasn't expecting Jordan to go out like that. The soundtrack is actually great too. Has a lot of songs from the 2000's that I love which I haven't heard in any show or movie in awhile. However the one thing in shows like this that annoys me is when there is supposed to be a shootout and you can tell the guns are absolutely fake. It's a pet peeve of mine. No brass coming out and you can see the smoke from the dummy charge. That's just me though. Everything else was phenomenal. It's no Stranger Things or Haunting of Hill House but still worth the watch.
The Night Agent (2023)
Eh not bad
It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The actor who plays Pete seemed a little bland. Like one of those actors who doesn't really have range and just seems like a mongaloid. The girl was decent. She showed some range. You believed her performance. DB Woodside is always a win. I love these political thrillers. It opens your eyes to the things that could be possible in real life. But I won't make this review political. I thought it would have more intense and explosive action sequences. The dialogue was smart and I thought the plot twisted in ways I wasn't expecting. Tbh I thought I had it pegged out from the beginning. However it's nothing like shows like "The Old Man" or "Bourne Identity". I love Shawn Ryan and was a huge fan of "The Shield". However this wasn't even close to being as good as that show.
The Exorcist (2016)
Wow
To be honest I was a little bit weary going in. I love the original film and we've seen how sequels or tv shows become laughable. Like the "Rush Hour" tv show or "Lethal Weapon" show. However with this one I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty good actually. I'm proud that my city (Chicago) got the spotlight. There aren't that many movies that actually film here and are set here as well. Others say it's set here but you can easily tell it's somewhere in Atlanta or what not. Not in this city. 😂😂. Idk why they make you put down a certain number of characters to make it a full review. But it's all good. I'd watch this show if you like paranormal horror. Just finished the first season. Haven't started with the second one ye.
Peacemaker: Better Goff Dead (2022)
Decent
See I really enjoyed this show. The one gripe I have with this show is the banter that goes on gets so drawn out that he becomes not funny anymore. You know how in film or tv where an argument goes on and on which is supposed to be WHY it's funny? They try so hard to do that here to the point where you get annoyed real quick. Aside from that the action and fight scenes are actually good. The violence isn't over done either. It also had more heart than I thought it would. Regardless I'm still very worried about James Gunns take on the whole DCU. I hate Peacemakers suit. He looks like he's about to entertain children at a birthday party. Or standing on a corner in Hollywood.
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Wow
Dude I just saw this film last night and it was absolutely phenomenal. The fight scenes were so cool especially the shotgun dragons breath scene where the camera is looking down into the building and follows Wick from above as he lays waste lol. It was a little bit dragged out though. I liked it don't get me
Wrong but I think it would've worked completely fine had it be 2hrs30mins in runtime. Some of the fight scenes give you a beat to relax then start back up. The whole Osaka Continental fight scene was so cool with the arrows. Donnie Yen is a beast too. Especially in the Osaka scene. My only gripe with the film, which I understand at Keanus age and stunts can be taxing, is him phoning in his performance. Even with the first Wick film he was more animated. Especially in his movies before then. Like look at the first matrix even and then put his performance here aside it. You'll see he had more emotion back then. Yeah you can say it's "the character" but even with the latest Bill and Ted as well as Matrix 4, he seemed to be phoning them in as well. So idk but regardless I would see this movie in theaters. IMAX would be best.
We Have a Ghost (2023)
Had hope
See I was so excited about this movie. Mainly because I love Anthony Mackie and David Harbour. Plus I'm a huge fan of the paranormal in general, more specifically ghosts and the afterlife so I really wanted to watch this film. Overall I liked it but I'm not sure if it's a Netflix thing they do or what, but they have to always try to insert some kind of dialogue subtlety about how hard it is for every person of color. Like the Asian girl. Nobody does that in real life at least as blatant as that or just bc she's Asian. They always have to do insert those things when it's not needed. Just to do it. If it effected the plot then alright. But this is just a bunch of off hand comments that wouldn't happen yet if it was the other way around there would be an uproar.
Casino (1995)
I love this film
Being a Chicagoan it's almost a rite of passage to watch this movie. Even though Chicago isn't specifically named (since at the time they still had power and Cullotta still had to watch his back) but if you know the story you know how good of a film it is. Of course they are going to take dramatic liberties as all films do but it's still close to what really happened. Even Frank Cullotta (Who's story it's based on) played a hitman in the film and did versions of the hits he participated with in real life. Pesci is fantastic as always. Sharon Stone as well. Only thing for me that was a source of annoyance was the accents. We from Chicago don't sound like NYC people. It's a harder accent to mimic than NYC but it is doable. Regardless Scorsese knocks it out of the park as usual.
Poker Face (2023)
Pretty good
See at first I wasn't sure what to think about this show. I know Rian Johnson has been doing his best to do specifically "Who done it" stories as of late but I didn't find "Knives Out" and "Glass Onion" to be particularly amazing. They were alright. I know Rian has the talent to create good stories, but I was hoping it wouldn't be a new mystery for every episode. I was hoping it would be one singular story with Charlie's talent for telling if somebody is lying or not coming In handy throughout the series. But it is a different murder every episode. I'm not sure if it falls under the procedural type of story but it seems that way to me. Natasha Lyonne is fantastic as she always is. I'd recommend it if mystery series are your thing.
Hunters (2020)
Phenomenal
You know as soon as I saw the trailers for this series it was on my list of most anticipated for me. I was happy it was. Many shows especially nowadays can travel into that awful category of putting "the message" above entertainment. This didn't do that. While of course it has a message but it was done right. The performances were great, the story was great and the sets for a period piece were great too. Of course Pacino delivers with whatever he's in. Being that this was his first and only tv role in a long long time I knew it had to be good if he'd sign on. Idk why they make a minimum amount of characters for these reviews but they should change it. Sometimes users of this site don't have to create an entire novel to get their point across.
Yellowstone: Grass on the Streets and Weeds on the Rooftops (2022)
Good Finale
See the one thing that has annoyed me about this show is the whole Beth/Jaimie thing. It's tiring at this point. I understand why she's pissed. I do. But even with other people she's almost become villainous at this point. Where it's more annoying and ugly to the point where I almost don't even like her anymore. Telling Jaimie that she would tell Rip he had his baby cut out and her sterilized. Again I get understand the sterilization but she was the one who went to Jaimie in the first place to get exactly what she said. An abortion. How can she be like that when it was her idea and she came to him?? Idk but it just annoys me. I didn't think I would feel sorry for a women like Summer either. Seeing as they are awful ppl in real life too. But I am happy for Jimmy though. He finally is at a place where he wanted to be. Mia just wanted him for what he could be. Not for what he is.
Yellowstone (2018)
Wow
You know I saw a lot of trailers for this show when it first came out and just thought it was one of those mediocre shows that you always see. I was dead wrong. It's phenomenal. As people say, it's like the Sopranos for Cowboys. The first season to me was a little bit slow. However the next few seasons are absolutely great. The one thing that bothers me is how Beth is with Jaimie. I get why she'd be mad but it got tiring really quick. Not only that she's so pompous a lot of times it comes off more annoying than cool. Almost villainous at this point. Yes she's been through a lot but my god. Walker is another character that annoys me. Idk if it's his face or attitude or what but not every singer can act. I know he's a real cowboy but so is Forrie who plays Lloyd. He's actually a good actor. Obviously the standouts on the show for me are Rip and John. Kacey is great too.
Sneaky Pete (2015)
Wow
I had been tinkering with watching this show for some time now. You know how a lot of trailers are. It can be a good or bad thing. But in this case for me at least it was a bad thing. Bc they didn't market it the best. Didn't show how great this show really is. Can be a good thing bc it doesn't spoil anything. I'm a little annoyed I didn't listen to my gut and watch this before. It's phenomenal. Bryan Cranston and Giovanni Ribbisi are great. Everybody is great. Just can't stop watching. Had to binge the entire first season. I'm just starting the second season now. Hopefully it keeps the same momentum.
The Blacklist (2013)
Fantastic
I'm sure everyone reading this surely has heard the rumors about how cool and spectacular James Spader is as Raymond "Red" Reddington. Let me settle this. The rumors are absolutely true. He is one of the best characters and performances I've seen on mainstream tv in a long time. Yes it is a procedural show so it can fall into the tropes of that type of show both good and bad however the writers make it so that the former sticks out more. Every episode is a new entry/criminal on what they call "The Blacklist". A list containing a bunch of criminals that the government doesn't know about. But that's not why the show is great. The hunt about Reds background from Elizabeth Keen (Megan Goode) is what drives the show forward mostly. That and Spaders performance. However Boone can be annoying at times it's still worth the watch.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Different
I've always been a fan of Martins work. Same with his brother. Their dark comedies are usually great. However here I'm not sure what to think of it. I understand there are some films that are meant to be arty or dialogue heavy. But even most of those films hold your attention because of the dialogue. There didn't really seem to be a point to this story. I know it's part of a series of plays but honestly I think it should've stayed there. Idk why critics gave this such a good rating. It didn't entertain. At all. I thought there would be some type of pay off or a deeper reason why Colm didn't want to be friends with Colin's character anymore. But there wasn't. Like I said, I understand Film is an art. However it's meant to entertain and hold your attention as well. Took me three tries to finish this. I just got bored. Performances were great as usual but that wasn't enough to save it. Kind of disappointed to be honest. "Three Billboards" and "Seven Psychopaths" were phenomenal. Same with "In Bruges". Honestly if you're into the whole art of film more than you are to have a great story and excitement then watch it. If not you'll feel empty when it's over because it doesn't really give you anything.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
I loved it
Let's be honest here. Nobody enjoyed the first one for the story. They enjoyed it for the amazing visuals, world building, and epic battle scenes. This film delivers on all of that. The underwater scenes were so cool. The shots James Cameron was able to get were astounding. Taking you under water with the characters and animals. This is a film you have to see on the big screen though. If you're not in awe watching this then something is wrong with you. I don't want to hear how the plot wasn't intricate. It doesn't have to be. I know the pandemic delayed this coming out but I'm not sure if they would've been able to make this 4 or 5 years ago. Regardless it's something you should experience.
The Babadook (2014)
Nice
I was really excited for this film however it didn't totally meet my expectations. Don't get me wrong I really liked it. I just was hoping to have it be more focused on the paranormal rather than the moms own inner demons or her going crazy. The performances were great and the Babadook is scary. There were a could times it made me jump. Jennifer Kent's direction was fantastic too. Also there's never been a movie that I've ever seen where a character actually has the same last name as me. Like it's never happened once in my entire life. I'm 32 years old. No actors or movie or cartoon characters have ever had my last name until this. So I feel like I have to like this lol. But regardless I definitely would recommend.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities: The Viewing (2022)
Not on par
Yes I know how Panos has a certain style that may be deemed as weird but I liked "Mandy" a lot. All his stuff is really heavy metal. But this episodes was just goofy. A bunch of weird conversations (which I've known how they can be with his style) which didn't bother me but I felt like by the time I got to the end I felt almost duped. I though there was going to be something better that happened. Not the thing turning Peter Weller into a blob and everybody else running. Stupid. I should've known better. I'm not talking about style either. It's more of substance for me. The actors did a great job and I wasn't expecting to see Eric Andre or Sofia Boutella either.
The Midnight Club (2022)
Don't think it's like Hill House or Bly Manor
Man I was really looking forward to this show. Mike Flanagan has given us such amazing, scary and emotional shows over the past years. So I thought this was going to add to that. But it didn't for me. Hill House and Bly Manor I loved. Midnight Mass was good until the last episode. It felt anticlimactic. At least emotionally. Not like Hill House and Bly Manor. Those were an emotional gut punch. Midnight Club didn't do it either. It could've been so much better. Even if based on a certain property or story Flanagan usually delivers. Not here. The individual stories were great for the most part. Especially Kevin's and Natsukis stories. Anya's story was great too especially because I'm a former addict. The noir story sucked. Ameshs story was decent. However I wanted them to really expand on Brightcliffes history and the ghosts there. They didn't. Just introduced them and left them alone. If you're going into this thinking it's going to be like Hill House or Bly Manor think again. I know it should be different but I'm talking about general tones and emotions. For instance Hill House had the Bent neck lady and Red room reveal which was great. Bly Manor had the Hannah twist, backstory to lady in the Lake and Dani taking her in plus the wedding at the end. There have only been a few shows and films that I've almost teared up for. Bly Manor, 11.22.63, Hill House, and Six Feet Under. I was expecting so much more from this.