Day: August 24, 2022

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Movie Review

Notorious Nick (2021) Movie Review

Director: Aaron Leong

Writer: Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken, Darrin Reed (Screenplay)

Starring: Cody Christian, Elisabeth Rohm, Kevin Pollak, Barry Livingston, Cameron James Matthews, Samuel Evan Horowitz

Plot: Nick Newell, a one-armed MMA fighter gets a rare chance to fight for the lightweight championship. He strives to win for himself and all the other people in the world with physical challenges.


Tagline – Based on the true story of the rise of a champion.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Notorious Nick starts when two life long friends Nick Newll (Christian) and Abi (Matthews) have spent their whole lives loving wrestling, before taking on the sport, despite Nick having a disability of only having one arm. The pair have always supported each other before trying their luck at MMA in a competition that Abi wins.

After a tragedy around Abi, Nick is given the chance to enter the cage fighting world, where he turns to his former wrestling coach Jeremy Libiszewski (Livingston) for training, looking to make a major impact in a sport most don’t see him having a chance in.

Thoughts on Notorious Nick

Thoughts – Notorious Nick is a sports drama focusing on the career rising from his high school wrestling to becoming MMA star. This is based on the real fighter who overcame the odds of his disability to compete against the toughest fighters in the sport. This is everything a sport drama would have needed to do, being one that will make you root for the underdog to achieve. The fighting training is everything you expect, with the matches doing the same, it would be fair to call this a safe by the book sports drama, that never seems to risk that much on its way to the ending people who know the fighter, already knew about. The performances in the film work well, with Cody Christian in the leading role handling the fight side of things well and Barry Livingston doing all that was needed in the coaching role.

Final Thoughts – Notorious Nick is a safe sports drama never going further than it needs to.

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Movie Review

A Song for Us (2022) Movie Review

A Song for Us – Movie Review

A Song for Us

Director: Peter Hitchcock

Writer: Peter Hitchcock (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Lisa Kovack
  • Haley Midgette
  • Keith McKie
  • Tyson Coady
  • Karen Scobie

Plot: A musician revisits a long-lost love from the Sixties and begins an emotional journey.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: A Song for Us starts as Corrina (Scobie) asks her mother Alice (Kovack) about a musician she filmed for a documentary. This takes us back to the sixties when Alice (Midgette) moved to Canada and met an artist colony Tom (Coady), Andrew (Evans) and Sally (Allen).

As Alice looks back on her life, for her first real love, she remembers how welcomed she became by the group.

As Tom continues to run from his past, he finds himself discussing why he is against the war. This sees the relationship between Tom and Alice pushed to the limits, as the swinging sixties start to take over their lives.

Verdict on A Song for Us

Characters

Alice is looking back on her life, from when she moved to Canada, fell in love and found a passion for music. We see two different ages in the character. First, is the older character who is looking back on her life, trying to help. Secondly, the younger one that first met Tom and adapted to her new home in Canada.

Tom is currently homeless drifting with his music and struggling to remember much about his life. In the younger version of himself, he was avoiding the draft in America, where his music kept him happy. In this time, we get to see the changes he went through, that made him feel more distant from Alice.

Along the journey, we see the characters from both times in their lives. Some helped keep them together and some bring them back together again.

Performances

Lisa Kovack and Haley Midgette as the two different Alice’s are both great, they show the enjoyment going forward and the memories looking back. Keith McKie and Tyson Coady do great as the pair of Toms, they also show the different lives the characters have been going through. The supporting cast is good here too, bringing the more serious moments when needed.

Story

The story follows two old friends that look back on the life they once had, recounting the memories they had and the love they felt. This story explores two different times in Alice and Tom’s lives, showing the instant connection they have despite being years apart.

The story shows that love will last, even if people walk down different paths. Showing how life can be strange and people will always be there to help people on the road to recovery.

Themes

A Song for Us is a music-based drama set in Canada. It is set over two eras, that highlight the changes in life and the city. The songs used are moving and reflect the feelings the characters are experiencing.

Where to Watch:  A Song for Us is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Final Thoughts – A Song for Us is a moving drama proving love can last forever.

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Movie Review

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) Movie Review

Bodies Bodies Bodies – Movie Review

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Director: Halina Reijn

Writer: Sarah DeLappe (Screenplay)

Writer: Kristen Roupenian (Story)

Cast

Plot: When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game turns deadly in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong.

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Bodies Bodies Bodies starts when Sophie (Stenberg) takes her new girlfriend Bee (Bakalova) to meet her rich 20-something friends in a remote mansion to see through a hurricane. Sophie’s friends include Alice (Sennott), Emma (Wonders), David (Davidson), Jordan (Herrold) and Greg (Pace).

As the drug & alcohol-fuelled night starts off, the friends start playing games. This includes a weird slapping each other game before the suggestion of Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. The game sees the friends have to pretend to be a killer to see if they can get through the night, only for things to take a dark turn when a friend turns up dead.

Verdict on Bodies Bodies Bodies

Characters

Bee is the biggest outsider among the female characters, she is Sophie’s new girlfriend. She doesn’t come from wealth like the rest of the girls here. Bee tries to fit in, but it is clear the others don’t want to welcome her into their close-knit circle. It is also clear she isn’t as invested in these wild parties.

Sophie has returned to her friends for the first time in a while, after her stint in rehab. She is wildly in love with Bee and being around her friends is a test she is putting herself through. Having this many drinks and drugs around will test how well she can resist temptation. Despite being an uncomfortable reaction to her being there.

David is the host of the party, and one of Sophie’s best friends. He has a short temper and isn’t impressed with Greg being at his home. Elsewhere, in the supporting characters, we have three other women who shout and scream a lot and the mysterious Greg who is older than the rest.

Performances

Maria Bakalova is the best of the performers in the movie. She does make us believe she is a fish out of the water around the rest of the cast. As for the rest of the cast, they are loud and annoying throughout the film. Mostly just screaming and showing the entitled side of their characters.

Story

The story follows a group of 20-somethings who meet up for a hurricane party. Only things start getting out of hand, as they believe there is a killer amongst them.

If you want to watch an ‘Among Us’ movie, well this is the closest you are going to get. In what is a very frustrating story to watch, we must deal with entitled rich kids, playing stupid games and doing too many substances. There is a weak subplot about who is the most likely to be a killer out of them. which explores previous things they have done to each other.

This story is one you will be glad it is over, because it is more about who can shout and scream the most, than anything actually happening. Giving us a mix of some of the most insufferable characters you will ever see in a movie.

Themes

Bodies Bodies Bodies is a horror comedy that tries to use slasher elements for the horror and missing a lot. The comedy comes from how the entitled characters act toward each other. The location is the best part of the film, being remote, like you would expect a rich family to have. A hurricane helps keep the characters contained. The music is also terrible, not fitting a horror tone, being loud annoying party music.

Final Thoughts – Bodies Bodies Bodies is an insufferable experience of unlikable characters.