No Time to Die

Almost 18 months past the original release date Daniel Craig returns to the big screen in his fifth and final outing as the storied Bond, James Bond in No Time to Die.  Side note, if you haven’t watched the first four films or need a refresher I highly recommend doing so prior to viewing.  At the very least, check out/rewatch Spectre. 

Over the course of his run as the titular character Craig has seemingly had a love/hate relationship with the films, but has nonetheless gone all in each time.  Being the last go round, “Go big or go home” is the battle cry.  And go big they did. 

WOW. Just wow!

No Time to Die wraps up the through line of the Craig lead Bond era in a truly satisfactory manner.  Thrilling action, twists, turns, and surprises.  Solid story, beautiful/stylish cinematography, exotic locales, all the 007 trappings you expect and want.

Speaking of trappings, favorite actors make their return and continue to do justice to their characters.  Thank you Naomie Harris/Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes/M, Ben Whishaw/Q, Rory Kinnear/Tanner, and Jeffrey Wright/Felix.  Your service has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.  As for the newbies Lashana Lynch/Nomi and Ana de Armas/Paloma, welcome aboard ladies and thank you for being more than eye candy.  Hoping these two badasses have an extended stay in the franchise.

With a two hour 43 minute runtime No Time to Die is the longest Bond film ever made.  Pacing with the drinking is a must, however, I never “felt” the movie was long.  The films’ pacing is spot on and the length doesn’t feel overinflated given the story. The film works and is damn near perfect.

If I have one complaint it’s Rami Malek’s Lyutsifer Safin, the film’s villain.  As far as villains go he’s rather underdefined and meh.  In terms of a Bond villain, he’s creepy, but not much else sadly.  Even with that, the film’s still entertaining.

No Time to Die is well worth a trip to the theater and is quite the ride.  Give it a look and let me know what you think.  It’s a 9.5 for me.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

In this sequel, Tom Hardy returns as Eddie Brock, loser and host to Venom.  The first film

was enjoyable, but drags in places, making me nervous for round two since VLTBC has a

surprising run time of only 90 minutes.  Fortunately, director Andy Serkis and writers Tom

Hardy and Kelly Marcel take full advantage of the time constraint and waste no time

getting things popping and keeping the pacing on target.

Picking up where the original film left off (if you haven’t seen it or need a refresher, I

recommend you give that one a look prior to seeing this, no time is spent catching you up

on anything) we’re thrown into the world of insane serial killer Cletus Kasady/Carnage

(Woody Harrelson) and the stage is set for the ultimate symbiote showdown.

Once again, Tom Hardy shines as he acts against himself, the ebb and flow and resulting chaos delights.  Venom brings the funny as well as a surprising amount of vulnerability, insight, and heart.  The budding bromance between the two is fun.  Woody Harrelson is just plain creepy fun.  Bonus, they improved his wig so I didn’t waste time thinking about how jacked up and ridiculous his hair was (I’m still not over Pedro Pascal’s don’t in “Wonder Woman 1984”). The rest of the cast is solid, but largely underutilized.  

In terms of plot, it’s pretty basic.  Just enough to get from point A to point B and the resulting battle.  There’s enough to tie everything together and keep things progressing, but it’s far from deep or expansive. Yet, it works as far as it goes, so…

There are fewer action sequences this go around, but what there is solid and pretty exciting. With a PG-13 rating there’s only so far they could push things, so it’s not terribly graphic or overly violent for what it is.  

When all is said and done, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is an entertaining hour and a half that’s worth a look on the big screen.  Fair warning as always, be sure to stay for the mid credit sequence. It's intriguing to say the least.  

I’m giving this one a solid 8.

Free Guy

Not being a gamer, video game films are extremely hit and miss with me. So gamers you may want to take this with the proverbial grain of salt. 

But Free Guy, starring the affable Ryan Reynolds has been touted to be the feel good film of the summer.  A tall order for sure, but one I decided was worth the risk, so I again masked up and headed to my local theater.  Hoping against hope I wasn't left bored and regretting my decision.

Keeping it short and sweet I'll get straight to the point, I didn't.  

Free Guy while not a laugh riot is a solid, entertaining comedy that runs unexpectedly deep.  It's a fresh take on the typical gamer film that allows us non-gamers to go for a thrill ride without gamers feeling disappointed.  There are plenty of references, inside jokes, and Easter eggs for all to enjoy.  

In addition, the film kicks things up a level by being sweet, emotional, thought provoking, and heartwarming.  I loved every minute of it and couldn't help being invested in the characters, their relationships and the story.  I laughed, got weepy, stressed out, and left the theater with a big smile on my face.

The film's direction is terrific, the acting/chemistry spot on, the soundtrack kills, and the special effects are perfect.  Free Guy Some of the best use of cameos that are a pure delight.  

Free Guy is one of those rare films that is authentic, satisfying and leaves you wanting more.  Definitely worth a trip to the theater to see this one on the big screen.  

I'm gonna give it a 10. 

 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 

Once again, I've ventured forth to check out the latest Marvel Studios movie offering. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" a 2 hour 12 minute origin film. Knowing basically nothing about the subject (beyond the brief references in "Ironman" and "Ironman III") I went in with no expectations beyond the hope of seeing an entertaining film.

A low bar to be sure, but one that was not only met but exceeded exponentially.

"Shang-Chi" is an entertaining, visually stunning (eye candy galore), thrilling cinematic ride from start to finish wrapped in an amazing soundtrack. Wonderfully directed, with an amazing cast (sadly, most of whom I'm unfamiliar with) solid plot filled with heart, humor and angst.

Marvel has delivered amazing action sequences in the past and takes it to the next level with "Shang-Chi". Mind blowing, fast paced hand-to-hand combat has you ducking and dodging in your seat and leaves you breathless.

In a few places the pacing is a bit choppy, but never causes tedium or restlessness.

Awkwafina once again delights and is the film's secret weapon. Her relationship/chemistry with Simu Liu's Shaun holds, molds, moves the film together perfectly. Friend goals! A necessity as you have to work a bit with this one to see the "big picture" .

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" ushers in Phase 4 of the MCU with a bang and creates excitement for what's next for these characters as well as the MCU as a whole. Speaking of which, the film includes 2 must see credit sequences (one mid credit, one post) so stay until the very end.

And yes, I'm saying this is a film that begs to be seen in a movie theater and is well worth the trip. I'm giving this one an 8.5

Disney's Jungle Cruise

Even as a kid I always thought that the jungle cruise ride at Disneyland was silly, corny, and otherwise ridiculous.  But, I love(d) it anyway.  It's the perfect ride to kick back on, catch your breath and plot your next move for the day.  Disney's Jungle Cruise looks like it holds the same promise as summer movies continue to roll out.

Like the actual ride itself one of the first delights in Jungle Cruise comes in the form of the tourist cruise with all the bad puns and less than spectacular "danger" very chessily and charmingly delivered by Dwayne Johnson's Frank.  It's all terrible in the best way possible.  Yes, the horrible puns run throughout the film and I snickered and enjoyed each and every one.  Johnson commits to the ride aesthetic and it works. Adding to the fun are Emily Blunt's Dr. Lily Houghton bringing the sass and spurring the action along. While her high maintenance brother MacGregor, Jack Whitehall, reluctantly gets dragged along for the adventure of a lifetime.  In a nice touch, MacGregor's plucky comedy relief comes with a more dramatic/deeper edge.

Jungle Cruise plays out like The African Queen meets Romancing the Stone with a dash of The Mummy (the good one not that POS with Tom Cruise) for kids. When it works, it works well with plenty of action, suspension, and thrills that entertain.  Johnson and Blunt's sparring and their chemistry hold the attention and the film together are an enjoyable pairing.  Like Pirates of the Caribbean before it, Jungle Cruise gets fleshed out to make a serviceable story line that contains some surprises along the way.

The biggest issues with this film, and so many others, comes in the form of the villain.  The two villains actually.  Neither comes off as particularly villainous and by having two separate ones they become even more watered down.  I will say that the CGI, especially that of Aguirre is a bit intense and may be a bit much for younger kids.  

All in all, like it's namesake Jungle Cruise is an entertaining, cheesy, charming slice of summer fun.  It's a 7 for me.

 

Hot damn!  After being pushed back from the original release date of May 2020 (twice) Black Widow finally hit the big screen.  Squee. Yep, I was excited to head back to the theater to see this one on the big screen in what I hoped would be all its glory.  So, with a little prayer to the movie gods, I ventured forth with great anticipation for a banging start to the summer movie season.

It pains me to say, but the movie gods were not particularly kind this time around and in addition to being the first major film of the summer, Black Widow is also the first disappointment.  

Flat, jumbled storytelling, pacing issues, predictability, and far too much glossing over key elements (Taskmaster, the Red Room, Budapest etc.)  made for a “meh” movie going experience.  Basically, all the things I wanted to see the film address and give Black Widow a proper sendoff were lacking. Very little character development occurs for Natasha or her “family.” I realize the characters are Russian and stoic, but the performances range from lifeless to uncomfortably sad. Even the action sequences fell short, especially for a Marvel film.  They were simultaneously over the top and underwhelming.  Not sure how they managed to achieve that, but they did.  

Individual moments and aspects of the film are intriguing, humorous, and thrilling but overall Black Widow falls short of expectations to the point of being rather boring.  There is so much meat for this film, but upon biting in it’s mostly bone.  By and large Black Widow comes across as a 2 hour 13 minute setup for the next thing (the post credit scene really drives this home) instead of a film to honor the character of Natasha Romanoff and bring her story to a satisfying close. I’m giving this one a disappointing 5 and saying don’t kick down $30 to see it at home.  If you want to get out of the house and brave the theater, make it a matinee.  Otherwise, stick with the Disney+ shows, they’re more satisfying.

FYI: If you haven’t watched The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode Truth you may want to check it out first.  Just saying.

Movie Review: F9: The Fast Saga

After more than a year and a half (October 16, 2019 to be exact), I once again stepped into

one of my local movie theaters.  No lying, to say I was filled with trepidation (and relief, the

elderly black lady I chat with at the theater made it through the pandemic) being in public

venue after so long, and wanted to make sure I could handle the stress/nerves/fear by

seeing something that if need be I could walk out on.  Happily, after I settled in and had a

few minutes of deep breathing to calm myself, I not only powered through, but had a terrific

time.  The biggest shock to my system was the quality of the film.

After going to the well eight times, I really didn’t expect F9 to be as engaging, charming,

emotional, and dare I say deep as it is. With a 2 hour 25 minute run time, F9 takes fans

on an unexpected journey of family that’s thrilling, funny, heart warming and heart breaking. 

The over the top action sequences and scenarios max out the BS meter once again and I

couldn’t have been happier for it or enjoyed it more.  As for the big, “how are they gonna

top…?” it delivers and then some.  

Speaking of delivering, F9 brings it over and again as various players from previous

outings pop up through the film.  The ladies FINALLY get their due and really get a chance

to shine. Best of all, F9: The Fast Saga accomplishes something I never thought possible. 

Yes, it actually manages to fold the crapfest that is Tokyo Drift into the franchise in a

satisfying manner.  Say whaaaat?!  Yep.  Moving forward, Tokyo Drift no longer sticks out

like a badly infected sore thumb that needs to be excised post haste.  Yes, it’s still crap, but

it’s crap that now belongs!  

All told, F9: The Fast Saga is not only a solid, entertaining film within the franchise, it’s a

solid, entertaining film overall.  Definitely a great way to get back into the

theaters and enjoy some “big screen” action.  It’s a 10 in the Fast and Furious franchise

and an 8 in general.  If you want to head back to the theater and get your feet wet, this is as good an excuse as any.  If you do, be warned, stay into the credits, there’s more to be seen.