Thank you!

The Lost City (2022)

I’ve mentioned before I’m not a big “chick flick” rom com kinda gal by nature.  In terms of romance novels, pfft even less so (the few I’ve read I’ve done so as comedies through and through). However, I am a big Sandra Bullock fan, have been for ages, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see my girl back up on the big screen where she belongs.  Yes, I’ve enjoyed seeing her tear it up the last few years in various streaming endeavors (personally I don’t buy into her whole Netflix is the only reason she still has a career thing) but.. anywho, Bullock + Big Screen = 4evr for me!

Moving on.

In The Lost City (2022) Bullock plays a reclusive, broken-hearted romance novelist that gets kidnaped during a book tour and swept up in a jungle adventure with her cover model Channing Tatum.  TLC is part Raiders of the Lost Ark, Romancing the Stone, and Baywatch to name a few all mixed together with an over-the-top sense of self-awareness and a banging soundtrack.  Yep, there will be seat dancing.

In short, The Lost City is good stupid fun. 

While not as hilarious as The Proposal or endearing as While You Were Sleeping, The Lost City is funny, sweet, and charming in its own right.  I snickered, giggled, and laughed-out-loud start to finish. Thoroughly enjoyed the characters, Tatum’s plays the clueless but loveable idiot brilliantly. Daniel Radcliffe’s unhinged, billionaire baddie is pure over-the-top fun.  Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s put upon, stressed out, BFF delights.  And then there’s Brad Pitt’s Jack Trainer. OMG, I can’t even with this one.  The proverbial cherry on top is of course Bullock’s doing what she does best.  That special blend of sweetness, awkwardness, sarcasm, charm, and je ne sais quoi, *chef’s kiss*.

The Lost City is a solid, throwback rom-com, action adventure that’s comforting and nostalgic in its familiarity, has enough twists and surprises to keep it fresh and engaging, and offers up an entertaining movie experience.  Be it at the theater now or watching at home later, The Lost City is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.  

As always, your heads up not to bolt at the start of the credits, there’s a bonus scene that’s sure to bring a smile to your face and tops off the film wonderfully.

The Lost City is a 7.5

The Adam Project (Netflix)

Streaming Edition

The new dynamic duo of Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds have struck gold for the second time in a row with their new film, The Adam Project.  A heartwarming/heartbreaking character driven film about love, loss, and family wrapped neatly in a sci-fi time travel adventure bun.

Reynolds once again brings his sardonic, quick-witted comedic chops to the fore to great effect. Adding to the fun is Walker Scobell who plays the obnoxious 12-year-old version of Big Adam (Reynolds) to perfection.  Swinging between moments where you want to punch this kid in the face, HARD, and repeatedly, and wrap him in a warm embrace effortlessly, Scobell shines.  Bravo on the balance. Rounding out the cast and pulling on the old heartstrings are the incomparable Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, and Zoe Saldana as Adam’s family with a delightfully wicked Catherine Keener as our “big bad”.  

My one complaint is with a running time of an hour forty-six minutes we don’t get to spend enough time with this wonderful cast of characters and the overall catalyst of the things in 2050 are vague to say the least.   But focusing on the Big Adam/Young Adam dynamic isn’t a bad trade off.  I’m just being greedy and wanted more.  Not a bad thing in a movie.

The Adam Project is humorous and gut wrenching with a fair amount of action to round things out. The music bumps, the CGI solid, direction and cinematography clear and on point.  For those not really into sci-fi (gasp, swoon) no worries, The Adam Project is more sci-fi lite with more focus on character than a deep dive into understanding time travel theories. You’ll definitely laugh and just as likely to cry so have some tissues at the ready.  

Entertaining, emotional, and relatable The Adam Project is definitely worth giving a watch.  Or two...

The Adam Project gets a 9 from me. 

Turning Red

 Streaming Edition

I initially wasn’t planning on writing a review for this one (feeling lazy) but hours after watching it’s still on my mind, so I figured I need to jot a few things down.

Turning Red is the latest animated coming of age Disney/Pixar film about 13-year-old Meilin who turns into a giant red panda when she gets too excited.  An unexpected trait that proves more than a little inconvenient during puberty.  The trailers looked cute and being an animation fan, I was really excited to see this one on the big screen.  So, I was more than disappointed when Disney pulled it from theaters and decided on a streaming only release.  Nonetheless, I had to check it out.

I admit going the streaming route may have been the right choice for this one, at least for me.  Home viewing meant I was free to spend the hour forty minutes screaming at the television at each “oh $#@!” moment (of which there are quite a few), groaning in horror, and absolutely roaring with laughter without disturbing anyone else. Seriously, this film pulled me in and had me fully invested.

I’m well on the other side of 13, but Turning Red captures all the anguish, mess, and general mayhem of that time in life, especially a girl’s, perfectly.  Emotionally it took me back in the most delightful way imaginable, tears and all.  And that’s really saying something.  

Turning Red is a tad clunky at the beginning, but quickly finds it’s groove and fires on all cylinders after the ten to 15 minutes and never stops.  Depending on your views Turning Red may not be as universal as other Disney/Pixar films as far as appeal.  Younger kids may get bored quickly and depending on their sensitivity level even scared.  There are some rather intense scenes in the film particularly during the finale.  Boys may not really care for this one as much either given the female focus of the film but who’s to say.  The mother/daughter dynamic may also trigger some as well. Ahh, mothers and daughters!

Heartwarming, funny, poignant, beautiful, meaningful and entertaining. Turning Red strikes all the right chords figuratively as well as literally.  Wonderful voice acting, beautiful animation, and strong messaging make this another winner in my book. 

I'll definitely be watching this one again and again.

Turning Red is a 9.5 for me.

The Batman (2022)

I’ve made no secret to the fact that DC films have been extremely hit and miss with me over the last decade plus.  2016's Batman vs Superman: The Dawn of Justice to this day remains the superhero/comic book film nadir.  As for Robert Pattinson, until his turns in 2020's The Devil All the Time and Tenet, ambivalence is the most accurate feeling I’ve had about him as an actor. The mixture of these elements in my mind didn’t bode well for The Batman yet hope springs eternal so I still found myself excited enough to jump at the chance to see the movie early at a fan event. Swag in hand, properly bundled up, and with a solid plan for pacing my drink consumption, I settled in for the 2-hour 56-minute Matt Reeves (writer/director) reimagined/rebooted Batman saga.

Bottom line.  Yes.  

The Batman is far superior to the most recent Batman films and does a fantastic job taking the Affleck stank off the character.  Sorry Ben, you’re awesome, but your take on Batman did nothing but hurt me in ways I have yet to recover from.

Pattinson, however, nails this version of Batman wonderfully.  You get the dark, brooding, anger as well as the serious butt kicking, but you also get the gullibility, naivety, desperation and even dare I say?  Touch of stupidity of the Caped Crusader a mere two years into his journey.  This stripped down, back to basics, DIY Batman/Bruce Wayne goes deeper, brings more to the character, and happily brings back the “oomph” missing since Christian Bale vacated the role.  Batman is once again a flawed, tortured human being that engages, entertains, and even amuses instead of some chronically constipated animatronic suit. Thank you, Robert Pattinson, for making me give a damn about Batman once again.

Not for nothing, but the casting throughout the film is great.  Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle is smart, brash, sexy, and complete badass without the cheese factor that’s commonly attached to the character.  A modern-day Cat Woman please and thank you.  Jeffrey Wright (a bit underused perhaps) makes an honorable James Gordon. Andy Serkis establishes himself as a proper heir to the Alfred throne.  Colin Farrell is as unrecognizable as he is delightful as Oz.  Paul Dano?  Crazy, creepy, excellence. John Turturro thank you for reminding me how much I like you as an actor.

Another relief this go around is not only NOT having to watch poor Thomas and Martha Wayne bite the dust again (hmmm, a little Marvel influence perhaps?), but an interesting twist to their overall story serves as the catalyst for the film’s plot.  Also having Wayne Manor actually in Gotham proper adds a nice touch and works well.  

The Batman score/soundtrack is terrific. Nirvana’s Something in the Way, absolute perfection every time.  The cinematography is stunning.  There are several scenes that are beyond gorgeous and not only brought a smile to my face just witnessing them but a tear to my eye.  And yes, the film is dark (shocking, not) tonally as well as literally, but for once I never felt I was suddenly listening to a radio program instead of watching a movie!  Huzzah!  Also having some light to even amusing moments keeps The Batman from being an epic depressive episode.  A blessing for sure.

A near three hour run time is a bit too long.  The pacing, especially the first half lags on and off. As for the last half of the film, there are a couple of moments you think you’re done, but you’re not. Fortunately, neither of these are a complete detriment to the film.  I never got bored or pulled out of the film completely, but felt the drags, nonetheless.

Bottom line?  The Batman has come through and delivered a widely engaging and entertaining film that has me once again excited about DC and the prospects of their upcoming films.  Well worth the trip to your local theater and the price of admission from my standpoint.  Glad I went, look forward to seeing it again, and seeing where the franchise goes next. Also yes, there’s one tiny little post credit scene at the very end of the film.  It’s nothing crucial and pretty predictable so stay or don’t.  The choice is really up to you and your bladder.

The Batman 9.5

Uncharted

 

UNCHARTED

Other than Uncharted being based on a video game which I never heard of before let alone played, I’m reviewing this purely as a film. Starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, and Antonio Banderas, I went into this one blind and with few preconceptions or expectations.  Trailers made me think Indiana Jones/ National Treasure action/adventure type popcorn flick (sans the popcorn for yours truly, thanks). Having enjoyed the likes of those and many others of their ilk, I figured, what do I have to lose?

Not much as it turns out.  Yea! Great news.

It also turns out there isn’t much to gain either.  Boo! Not so great news.

Uncharted does indeed fit the bill in terms of action/adventure popcorn flick, all be it a rather predictable one.  Easily within the first twenty to thirty minutes I had the entire film complete with all it crosses, double crosses, twists and turns figured out to a T.  Honestly, nothing unusual for me so not totally unexpected.  My film viewing gift and curse.  Still, for any causal viewer let alone someone with knowledge of the source material, highly predictable.  Making the adventure more Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride than Indiana Jones.

The same can be said with pretty much all aspects of Uncharted.  It’s familiar and enjoyable, but not exactly thrilling.  The stunts are flashy to over-the-top, but nothing mind blowing.  Think Fast and Furious-esque,  lite.  Fun, but somehow “meh” at the same time in this kind of film.  

The pacing, even within the action sequences feels the same way. Both okay yet lacking and a bit off.  Something that’s even more apparent between action scenes. Clocking in just under 2 hours, Uncharted feels like you’re moving through various temporal anomalies, time speeds up and slows down randomly so you’re never really in a “groove” watching this one.

The biggest issue, however, is the cast. Specifically, the lack of chemistry between them. 

Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg are wonderful actors, have enjoyed their films for years.  The chemistry between the two of them doesn’t fully click.  Again, I classify it as there, but lacking.  It’s not awful, but it’s not great either.  It’s just okay.  Truthfully, that sums up the entire casts' interaction.  It’s okay, but nothing special and few sparks.  Even Antonio Banderas can’t liven things up much.  Tati Gabrielle is a surprising bit of fun to watch, and I hope to see more of her in the future, but again there’s something missing. Everything just lays there,

I haven’t quite put my finger on what’s missing to jazz things up, but as we used to say when I was growing up, “It needs more oregano”!

As I left the theater, one of the crew asked me how I liked the film.  I tell you what I told him.  It’s okay.  Not great, but Lord knows I’ve seen worse.  There’s enough there to interest me in seeing where they go with the franchise, but I won’t be making it a priority.  

Uncharted is okay.  

A serviceable film, but it won’t be smashing any box office records or garnering many repeat trips to the theater.  If you opt to check it out on the big screen, I say catch a matinee or go on a discount day and save some money. Also, wait for the end credit scene before you bolt. 

Otherwise, just wait and stream this bad boy from the comfort of your own home. 

Uncharted gets a 5 from me.

Death on the Nile (2022)

I’ve been an Agatha Christie fan since 6th or 7th grade so I’m always excited (and nervous) when there’s a new version of one of her stories.  Death on the Nile (2022) is actor/director Kenneth Branagh’s sophomore outing into Christie’s world as he once again brings Hercule Poirot to the big screen. I admit to being apprehensive after 2017's Murder on the Orient Express fell woefully short of my expectations (too silly and poor utilization of the cast), but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see this. Plus, I needed to get out of the house for a couple of hours for my own piece of mind.

DotN starts off with a nicely done deep dive into Poirot through a beautifully shot black and white prologue of him as a young man in 1914. A surprise that not only humanizes the Belgian super-sleuth, but sets the overall tone, themes, and mind set for the film. We also get a back story for the infamous moustache. Nice.

Flashing forward to “current” day, 1937, we catch up with the now wildly lauded Poirot at a London speakeasy and set the wheels in motion for the case ahead.  The setup, meeting of the players, etc. culminating in the whodunnit titular death. 

As for the film, DotN is certainly a step up on its predecessor.  While there’s definitely an element of humor things don’t fall into pure silliness.  The utilization of the cast plays out better too.  You’re given all the players and their score cards early on instead of the last minute. It still falls a bit short for some, however, the characters are better fleshed out and get to shine more this go around (Murder on the Orient Express you had half the cast or more you knew zip about until halfway through the film). Not too surprising given the likes of Annette Bening, Jennifer Saunders, and Sophie Okonedo to name a few. The costuming and cinematography are simply put, gorgeous and create a richness that make the story leap off the screen. 

While a solid film in more ways than not, what makes it good and not great is the pacing.  Death on the Nile (2022) clocks in with a two hour and 7-minute runtime that unfortunately feels much longer. 

After the opening prologue things lag and drag until I was feeling like this must be a Dune (2021) thing.  I became antsy and restless wondering if we actually going to get TO the Nile let alone actually have a death or two, or... Kind of hard to maintain a level of interest or excitement for a murder mystery (I don’t think it’s a I already know thing) if there’s no murder to be solved.  Fortunately, once the bodies started dropping the pace picks up, interest rebounds, and the real fun begins.  

I won’t be a bit surprised if Branagh opts to do a third installment of this franchise.  Fingers crossed if that’s the case, the third one proves to be the charm and knocks my socks off.  As for Death on the Nile (2022), if you want to get out of the house for a bit, you can do worse than seeing this one.  Otherwise, you may want to wait and watch it at home.

Death on the Nile (2022) it gets a 6 from me.