Knives Out

Knives Out PG-13

My Rating 4.5 Stars

Knives Out is a Murder Mystery / Who Done It type movie with a lot if heart and the right amount of funny bone added in. It is such a fun ride the entire time that the 2 hours you spend in the theater flies by and you don’t want it to stop.  

It definitely takes queues from a Sherlock Holmes or a Murder on the Orient Express but is not typecast by them either. And the cast, oh what a cast. I still do not understand how they can pay for this amount of talent and still afford to make the movie but what a movie they made.  Between the easy dialogue, nervous energy, and intriguing characters that are continually on display, this movie makes for one of my more enjoyable viewings this year so far.

There is one criticism I have with the movie, however it is not something I can get into without giving away parts of the movie.  I will just say, for me, it could have been a little different and I would have loved it more.

With that being said, this is still a great movie and should be seen ASAP and enjoy!!

Terminator: Dark Fate

Terminator: Dark Fate 

My Rating 3 Stars

In yet another time traveling killer robot movie, Terminator: Dark Fate tries to make us forget everything that happened after T2 and almost works. The Terminator is on point, Sarah Connor is great and a well aged but jaded hero and T-800 is the Arnold we remember. The problem is everything else is generic and had been previously done but now has new faces on it. Unfortunately while this movie was fun, I will not remember it as the best Terminator 3... or was it 6, no it is 3.1.5.

Just wait until Redbox.

Midway

Midway 2019 PG-13

My Rating: 4 Stars

Midway is a very unique movie in that it is not a documentary, at all, in any way, and yet it is almost as factually based and accurate that it could be easily mistaken for one if not for the high Hollywood production value a few small embellishments that are taken.  It is being praised by the U.S. Navy because of this and that should say a lot.  If for no other reason, this should be enough for you to go see this movie but luckily for you, there are many more reasons and let's get into some of them now.

The way the flight sequences are shot, give you a full view of what is going on over the battle field while also quite literally putting you in the pilots and gunners seats better than any movie I have seen before.  It really is a feat all unto it’s own how they pulled this off and made it feel both authentic and exciting.

The cast of Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Alexander Ludwig, Nick Jonas, and more all put in so much effort to pay tribute to the real people they were playing and all the care they took with their characters shined through.

The only problem I have with Midway is the run time, more specifically, it needed to be longer.  With everything they try to put into this movie, it is a little abrupt in its jumps of story lines because of editing and with 20 or 30 more minutes it could have been so much smoother.

However that does not take away from the fact this this is still one of the most factual and well done WWII movies I have seen and should really be seen on the big screen by anyone who has even a passing interest or respect for American history.

Phantom Thread

Should I Go or Just Say No?

Phantom Thread: Rated R

My Rating: 5 Stars

I will start off this review by stealing one my my favorite sayings from Grey’s Anatomy, this movie was “Dark and Twisty” and all the better for it.  If feels like a movie that was actually filmed in 1950’s London and then forgotten about until just now and released.  The camera shots, music, costumes, and dialog is so authentic that it almost makes your heart aches for how real it is.

Phantom Thread follows the ins and outs of of the House of Woodcock, a renowned dress maker Reynold Woodcock in London who is at the top of his professional game and at the bottom of his mental one.  Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a very believable performance of mental strain and artistic brilliance combined with an emotional wanting.

Vicky Krieps has a powerful and surprisingly loving yet difficult relationship with Woodcock as the unforgettable Alma.  The Strength and Quietness she brings to the role is both shockingly amazing as it is so out of the norm for what we are used to seeing for a women in the 50s and because of this, it is a wonderfully refreshing performance.

Lesley Manville plays Woodcocks sister Cyril and gives what seems like a more typical 50s ladies role until it doesn’t.  She also gives a perfect performance that deserves every bit of Oscar but she is getting.

Phantom Thread is a movie that cares deeply about the story and feel of the movie and uses every way it can to tell you it instead of just using dialog like most drama’s recently.  In that respect if reminds me a lot of Stanley Kubrick’s Space Odyssey 2001.

So with all that said it is time to answer “The Question”.  Go, you must Go to this movie if only to see something that is so unique and heartwarming in its twisted brilliance.  This While most people will not be able to guess every twist and turn in this movie, some of them may make people mad.  But for me, that is part of the fun.

Please enjoy and leave me a comment with what you think of the movie when you see it.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Should I Go or Just Say No

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

As a fan of the first Kingsman movie, I came into this newest installment of the Kingsman world expecting wonderful things.  My expectations were both meet and let down at the same time and I walked out of the movie theater a little confused at my emotional reaction to this one.

The action scenes in The Golden Circle are good, really there are some great sequences, just maybe not enough of them to make up for some of the other issues.  The opening that contains a wonderful car chase scene reminiscent of Ronan and Baby Driver more than holds it own.  However, where the first Kingsman movie did a good job of balancing the action, British Comedy, and story line; The Golden Circle tries to take it to another level and for me, it lost itself in the process.

There are way too many crude jokes in this movie that just did not seem to fit or really need to be there.  Also the movie took a very graphic sexually suggestive swing in the middle that also seemed to be out of place and even the characters of the movie seem uncomfortable with it.

Taron Egerton is back as Eggsy and kills it.  Mark Strong is also back as Merlin and for me, blew it out of the water.  Channing Tatum, Hallie Berry, and Jeff Bridges are all new characters in this movie and while they diid a good job of showing some depth in their characters, there was not enough of them.  Pedro Pascal, who is best know for Game of Thrones, has the biggest part as a new character named Whisky and he is part of what lost if for me.

Both Pedro and Channings character Tequila are cast as the “American Idiot” roles and are the butt of quite a few American jokes.  While their actual characters are far from idiots, this movie is at its heart a British Comedy so any American is going to be stereotypical.  That being said, they went a bit far with this joke line.

Unfortunately I am not really mentioning Julianne Moore because her character was not written well enough for her.  Also maybe because she was following a superb role by Samual Jackson, there was nothing she could have done better with what she was given in The Golden Circle.

Now we get to the question at hand, “Should I go or just say no”.

GO

If you were a fan of the first Kingsman movie, or action movies in general then go see this one and enjoy.  Just realize it may not be all that you are hoping for.

Also I strongly suggest parental guidance on this one.  I was planning on taking my daughter to this movie prior to my seeing it but now I am having serious second thoughts because of the sexual content and the bloody violence.

Thats all for now, hope to be back soon.