Finch (2021)
Medium: Movie (Apple)
Rating: 2 / 5 Tried too hard to bring a tear to the eye
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
Post-apocalypse, robots, and Tom Hanks, sounds like a great recipe! Unfortunately they tried too hard to make it sweet. The feel-good movie they wanted is technically there, but I think they missed the mark. By removing all logic, leaving countless plot holes, and giving us a contradictory post-apocalyptic world, it didn’t bring on a single sniffle let alone a tear or two. And considering a procedural like NCIS can make me tear up a bit, that says a lot. This movie is probably best for pre-teens.
The King (2019)
Medium: Movie (Netflix)
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Hal was better than Henry
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer || Netflix
This is the story of King Henry V taking the throne, transforming from “Hal” the drunk to Henry the king. Some elements of this movie are good, like the portrayal of combat which is clumsy, messy, and brutal. Other parts of the movie aren’t as good, possibly due to material on the cutting room floor. We see Hal go from drunk to king in minutes, a rough and too-short segue. For the finale, I think the movie should have ended a few minutes earlier, on a nice dark note rather than the bland and neutral point that it did.
The Courier (2020)
Medium: Movie (Multiple)
Rating: 4 / 5 send it
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
Based on a true story, the tale of Greville Wynne, an Englishman recruited by the government to act as a courier for the Russian Oleg Penkovsky, a traitor looking to stop a nuclear war. Wynne, the unlikely hero, finds himself dipping his toe into the world of spies in order to use the cover of his business dealings as a way to go in and out of Moscow while avoiding attention. Penkovsky, a GRU colonel who has access to the most sensitive information about Russia’s ambitions in placing nuclear arms in Cuba. The story is compelling and the history the movie is based on more-so. The movie is a little dry, a side effect of the spycraft primarily being that of transporting information in a manner that was quite easy compared to similar stories of that era. Still worth the watch for a good cold-war thriller.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021)
Medium: Movie (Netflix)
Rating: 4.5 / 5 Peace, by any means necessary
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer || Netflix
Note that this is a prequel to a series of five live-action movies based on an anime of the same name, so the best five in this series to start on probably. Set in the 1800’s, in feudal Japan, this is a beautiful movie that has all the elements of a great story including heroes, anti-heroes, epic struggles, love, and loss. The movie is centered around Battosai, an assassin of an incredible skill, one that only kills in hopes of achieving peace for his country. Played by Takeru Satoh, the character is brooding and quiet until it is time to fight, and then he becomes a dealer of death. I look forward to seeing the rest of the films and hope they are as good as this one.
For reference, here are the movies in order and note that only 2 of 5 on Netflix. Unfortunately, the next three movies in the order of the story are not available on Netflix, then the fifth and final (?) is. That means going to Vudu or another streaming service to see the full story arc. Further, note that depending on the site, some titles may be a bit confusing like calling this movie “Final Chapter Part II – The Beginning” despite it being a prequel and not the final chapter of the story.
- The Beginning (2021)
- Part 1: Origins (2012)
- Part 2: Kyoto Inferno (2014)
- Part 3: The Legend Ends (2014)
- The Finale (2021)
No Time To Die (2021)
Medium: Movie (Multiple)
Rating: 2.5 / 5 it’s definitely time to die
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
The latest 007 movie is a grueling 2h45m slog that could have easily been boiled down to 2h at least. This wandering mess is full of plot holes, continuity gaps, and scenes that just didn’t make a lot of sense. We are given a villain, of sorts, that we have no real investment in either way despite the franchise making the bad guys compelling. If nothing else you wanted to see them lose but with this one, eh? The writers phoned it in and Rami Malek wasn’t given enough room to make us care. With all the hype of a new 007 that will replace Craig, a young black female no less, this didn’t feel like a hand-off at all. Lashana Lynch is forced into the shadows the entire movie and it ends up being a funeral for Craig without being the birth of Lynch as the new 007. This franchise needs a reboot, and this movie failed at being a good transition for that.
The Virtuoso (2021)
Medium: Movie (Multiple)
Rating: 4 / 5 this one plays pretty well
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
This is a movie about an assassin, working for someone played by a well-known actor (Anthony Hopkins in this case), you pretty much know the general plot. As I frequently say, even if you know the destination, the path to get there can still be enjoyable. This movie does that through narration by the main character who explains what makes a good assassin. What he looks for and how he operates, spelled out in fun detail. Avoiding spoilers, I will say they had fun with the characters and their roles, leaving you guessing who will kill who. The only nitpick I have is literally the last two minutes of the movie that I just didn’t get. Perhaps I missed something or perhaps it was some attempt at a weird artistic bit? Either way, worth a watch.
Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)
Medium: Movie (Multiple)
Rating: 0 / 5 I felt like the prisoner watching this
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
This was horrible by Nicholas Cage movie standards. A complete miss in an attempt to be artistic, it seems like the writer had ideas of some visually interesting scenes and then strung them together. It’s hard to even say a plot united them because the entire plot literally made up 10 minutes of the movie. Go into badlands, ask a dozen people if they are the woman you are looking for, take her back. Then fill that 10 minutes with bizarre scenes that just seemed pointless and unrelated. I didn’t watch this with subtitles and I think I was better off, cutting half the dialogue out. Avoid this dumpster fire.
The Chair S1 (2021)
Medium: TV (Netflix)
Rating: 3 / 5 Better to watch in bed
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer || Netflix
Sandra Oh stars in this comedy set in the English department at an Ivy League university, recently installed as the department head (the chair!). From the start, her tenure in the position is a steady string of mishaps and situations that make life hell. Like a majority of comedies, to me at least, the lead star (Oh) is outshined by most around her. Holland Taylor, who plays a professor in the department, is the stand-out star and brings the best comedy. Overall this show is good for unwinding and has some laughs, but isn’t non-stop laughs.
A Quiet Place 2 (2020)
Medium: Movie (Multiple)
Rating: 4.5 / 5 prequel and sequel!
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
Similar to the first movie, this one is a good tense thriller where making no sound means safety. Moments of tension around the smallest noise is a simple concept, but well executed. It also answers a lingering question from the first, how did the creatures get here and what was it like. We get just enough to scratch that itch then back to the sequel bit, following the family as they head out from the homestead. The daughter, played by Millicent Simmonds, steals the show and is the real star.
2149: The Aftermath (2016)
Medium: Movie (Amazon)
Rating: 4 / 5 A breath of fresh air
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
Fun little dystopian movie about a boy growing up in a life pod, confined in a 10×10 room his entire life. Pre-packaged food from the pod, computer access with games and remote controlled work. Then lightning hits his pod killing all functionality, forcing him to venture out into the world of what he thought was toxic air. He finds it safe to breathe, a family that takes him in. Ultimately it is a feel-good movie with allusion to modern society.
Red Notice (2021)
Medium: Movie (Netflix)
Rating: 4 / 5 comedy meets absurdity
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer || Netflix
This movie brings the entertainment, heavily on the back of Ryan Reynolds playing his usual fast-talking witty and comedic character. Gal Gadot is a great nemesis but seems to be given the backseat compared to the other two head-liners. Dwayne Johnson however, just didn’t seem to bring much I thought. He was more a vehicle for Reynolds to have repartee and advance the plot at points, but he just wasn’t funny. The story was fun and light but got absurd after they got to Argentina and the ending was a weak setup teaser to a sequel. Worth watching as it is amusing though.
The Harder They Fall (2021)
Medium: Movie (Netflix)
Rating: 4 / 5 a fun take on historic characters
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer || Netflix
This is an artistic interpretation of a Western based on real characters, but embellished and given more flair in some cases. The biggest draw here is the amazing cast. Even more impressive is them having so many big actors and each being able to develop a character and make them compelling despite sharing the screen time. Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Delroy Lindo and a lot more names, you’ll likely recognize almost every character. But the real standout is Danielle Deadwyler’s performance as Cuffee. A fun movie that is a wild ride.
Lapsis (2020)
Medium: Movie (Multiple)
Rating: 4 / 5 Follow the thread deeper into the story
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
The age of quantum computing is here, and the biggest implementation requires people to string cables through the woods between nodes. Sounds weird, but somehow the story is compelling. The technology takes a distant back-seat to the handful of characters that are well-developed and drive the story. The main character seeks a job as a cabler to reap the high pay that is a lure in order to pay for treatments for his brother. Cheating a bit to get a medallion that will allow him to run cable, he quickly finds himself in the middle of drama as his medallion comes with baggage from the prior owner. We’re given a simple but interesting story with great characters and enough mystery to keep interest. The ending was a tad confusing to me, and I am not the only one. For an explanation by the director, check out what he says.
Hell Hath No Fury (2021)
Medium: Movie (Multiple)
Rating: 2 / 5 movie hath no spark
Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Trailer
This World War II story centers around a French woman playing different sides to keep a small batch of Nazi gold. This isn’t a ‘war’ movie really, as there are a handful of American soldiers and one battle scene with the Germans. Most of the movie plays out as the small group of Americans seek to exploit the woman to gain access to the gold. The dialogue is bad, the soldier’s accents are off, and I suspect a military history buff may throw things at the screen at times. It’s a good concept and Nina Bergman plays her role well. The rest of the movie just doesn’t work well.