Movie Reviews 101Big Film fan and general entertainment fan
A Separation – ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – S – A Separation – Movie Recommendation
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Writer: Asghar Farhadi (Screenplay)
Cast
Plot: A married couple are faced with a difficult decision – to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer’s disease.
Runtime: 2 Hours 3 Minutes
The Welder – Movie Review
Director: David Liz
Writer: Manuel Delgadillo, David Liz (Screenplay)
Cast
Plot: Roe and Eliza, a young couple on a weekend getaway, come face-to-face with the harrowing experiments of a former doctor bent on curing the social blight of racism.
Runtime: 1 Hour 26 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Welder starts when Eliza (Rodriguez) and Roe (Dunkley) go on a weekend getaway. The plan is to help Eliza with her own traumas that haunt her at night. They stay with William Godwin (De Paul) along with his one worker Don (Moward).
When Eliza believes she has seen a masked welder in the shadows it becomes hard to convince Roe something is wrong. However, after more investigating, Eliza learns the terrifying truth about what William has been doing on the ranch.
The Welder is a horror movie that follows a couple looking for a chance to relax. Only their weekend away turns into a nightmare, when they learn the truth about the ranch owner.
This movie gets to build up a great mystery about the isolated location. However, things seem to get caught between wanting to play into Eliza’s unstable mind and wanting to be edgy. When it comes to the shock value, it works well and the effects involved must be praised. Sadly, it is the story which holds most of the movie back. It also feels like something else might be ready to happen if we returned to this universe.
Final Thoughts – The Welder is a horror wanting to grab the shock value.
RRR – ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominations – R – RRR – Movie Review
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Writer: S.S. Rajamouli (Screenplay)
Writer: Vijayendra Prasad (Story)
Cast
Plot: A fictitious story about two legendary revolutionaries and their journey away from home before they started fighting for their country in the 1920s.
Runtime: 3 Hours 5 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: RRR starts when British Governor Scott Buxton (Stevenson) takes a young girl from a small village. A revolutionary in the village Komaram Bheem (NTR) promises to return her. Elsewhere, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Teja) has been working for the British Army seeing it as his duty to defend them. He has built a reputation for stopping crime no matter the numbers.
When the two team up to save a child in danger they become friends. However, they don’t know they are on opposite sides, despite Alluri taking a role to capture a leader of a revolutionary threat to the British.
RRR is an epic action movie following two revolutionaries who risk everything to stop a tyrant British Governor. It shows the two men from different backgrounds in different fights that clash to keep their covers.
This is a movie that shows the two stories coming together as the two different warriors lead the battle back against the ruthless British soldiers. It shows how arrogant the British soldiers were and how they treated the Indians like dirt.
The battle sequences are the standout here, with breath-taking moments in each sequence. Using the local wildlife in the battles helps increase the stakes, showing that the whole of India was standing up for itself. While the story is about two real revolutionaries, a lot of the story has been put together for more entertaining purposes. This is an all-out over-the-top action movie that never holds back on the crazy ideas brought to the table.
Where to Watch: RRR is available on Netflix now.
Final Thoughts – RRR is an all-out wildly over-the-top action movie.
The Field Guide to Evil – Movie Review
Plot: A feature-length anthology film. They are known as myths, lore, and folktales. Created to give logic to mankind’s darkest fears, these stories laid the foundation for what we now know as the horror genre.
Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
The Sinful Women of Hollfall follows two young lovers Kathi (Marlene Hauser) and Valerie (Luzia Oppermann) who keep their romance a secret. Kathi from a strict religious family starts believing her life is a sin after her Mother (Birgit Minichmayr) catches them. as the lover’s encounters get more intense, the presence that visits Kathi leaves her wondering about her future. This doesn’t seem to get full started sadly, despite offering up an interesting idea of forbidden romance and religion. 2/5
Palace of Horror follows explorer Henry James (Henry Throop) going deep into the jungle. This takes him to an Indian palace that has unusual events going on within it. This feels like it only scratched the surface of the nightmare journey. 2/5
Al Karisi follows Songul (Naz Sayiner) caring for her Mother-in-Law (Sureyya Kucuk). The pair are often alone, with Songul expecting a child. After giving birth, Songul has two people to care for now. The uncomfortable presence has made themselves known in the home. Force Songul in action. This is a much more horrific horror story, one that tests the darker side of the Djinn belief. 4/5
A Nocturnal Breath follows Xaver (Thomas Schubert) as his sister Anni (Lili Epply) is suffering from an unexpected problem in their remote mountain top cabin. There is an infection spreading on their land, that only Xaver hasn’t been infected with. This is one that is left with too much mystery going on, never given enough away about the story. 2/5
The Melon Heads follows a family Chris (Jilon VanOver), Macie (Saraha Navratil) and Arnold (Kannon Hicks) who are travelling on the woodland roads. Young Arnold makes a friend in the woods, while a passing Hiker warns them about the woods. As Arnold continues to make friends with William, he sees the size of his head and joins him overnight in the woods. Letting the twisted Melon Heads show what they want. Despite not having a tight conclusion of the motivation behind what happened. The final shots are disturbing. 3/5
The Kindler and The Virgin follows a Kindler (Andrzej Konopka) who gets a spiritual visit, telling him to consume three hearts. As he dives deeper into this world, he must answer for his sins. This is a slower one again. Not really doing as much as it promises. 2/5
The Cobblers Lot follows two brothers who are madly in love with a princess and find themselves going on journeys to win her hearts. As the two learn the meaning of love, they learn the price they must pay to have it. This is a silent movie, that feels most like it is right out of a book. 2/5
What Ever Happened to Panagas the Pagan? Follows Kalikantzaros The Goblin that sneaks into Panagas’ (Vangelis Mourikis) village over the Christmas celebration. This will see the Goblin captured and thrown into the hole, a place nothing has ever returned from. Getting the Goblin in the hole will bring a different problem for the villagers, one they aren’t prepared for. This does feel like one that offers up the most and could have been even darker than we experienced. 4/5
Final Thoughts –The Field Guide to Horror is a nice set of folklore horrors, but the misses are hard to get through.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Movie Review
Director: Peyton Reed
Writer: Jack Kirby, Jeff Loveness (Screenplay)
Cast
Plot: Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, explore the Quantum Realm, where they interact with strange creatures and embark on an adventure that goes beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.
Runtime: 2 Hours 5 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania starts as Scott Lang (Rudd) has moved on with his life, hanging up his Ant-Man suit. However, his daughter Cassie (Newton) starts finding herself getting in trouble with the law. She has also been working with Hank (Douglas) and Hope (Lilly) on a secret device to map out the Quantum Universe.
When Janet (Pfeiffer) demands they stop, the five get sucked into the quantum realm. The Van Dynes explore using Janet’s previous connections. Elsewhere Scott and Casey learn of the battles that have taken place there against an evil ruler Kang (Major). They need to figure out how to escape before Kang can continue his work of destruction.
Scott Lang is living in the moment after helping save the world. he doesn’t fight crime anymore and has written a book about his experiences. However, he is still trying to help Cassie stay on the right path after her latest clash with the law. He is challenged as to why he doesn’t put the suit on anymore, believing he has done his part now. When they get sucked into the Quantum Realm he must step up to protect his daughter and fight back against the threats they face.
Hope has been encouraging Cassie to use her creative gifts. She still wants to learn more about her own mother’s time in the Quantum Realm. Once inside, she must keep her guard as she looks to learn more about her mother’s missing years. Sadly, despite being one of the most important characters, she really doesn’t seem to do much in the movie.
Cassie has started to follow in her father’s footsteps. She has found herself in trouble with the law and shown off her intelligence. Cassie built the device that is designed to map the Quantum Realm, not knowing the dangers in the world. Once inside, she encourages her father to step up and help fight back against the dangers. She easily becomes the most memorable character in the film, with her plucky determination no matter what the threat.
Janet has a past in the Quantum Realm, having previously encounter Kang. However, she keeps her memories of the Quantum Realm secret, only leading to her causing a bigger threat. She knows how to navigate this world and could be the only solution to escape.
Kang the Conqueror is a feared man in the Quantum Realm. He was rescued by Janet, however, his true colours came out. Kang has spent every moment searching for a solution to escape to continue his path of destruction. Kang is a calm villain, knowing he can overpower anyone and get what he wants.
Elsewhere, we have Hank, who does get some fun lines. We also get the residents of the realm, which includes different warriors that are used in the large battle against Kang.
Paul Rudd does return with his charm, which we see for most of the movie, not until later when he gets some grit to his character. Kathryn Newton might well be the third actress to play Cassie, she does step into the character well, being the most interesting of the gang.
Jonathan Majors makes for a compelling villain, he gets the menacing lines and imposing figure needed for the larger threat. Michelle Pfieffer seems to have become the best performer from the Van Dyne family. Michael Douglas is good for laughs, he does look like he is having a great time though. Evangeline Lilly seems almost neglected in the movie, really not having much to do compared to what you would expect from her character.
Sadly for the film, there is one giant absentee, Michael Pena who has been the heart and soul of the previous to Ant-Man movies.
The story sees Ant-Man, The Wasp, Cassie Lang and the Van Dyne’s sucked into the Quantum Realm. They are separated and learn of a secret world operating in it, one that has been through a war for power. It sees a new ruler Kang taking over the Realm in his quest to escape and continue his own path of destruction. The five must work together to overcome the evil ruler and end the war forever.
This story could easily be compared to a Star Wars movie. It has an evil ruler looking to control everything and small alliances fighting back. Then, you throw in Ant-Man and friends, we see them becoming the ones needing to stand up and fight back. There is a theme running for the story of children wanting to know more about their parents. You will see this with Cassie wanting Scott to do more and Hope trying to connect with Janet more. This could have been dealt with a lot quicker is Janet had just come clean earlier, instead of delaying for plot points.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the latest Marvel big-time action movie. This time we are inside the Quantum Realm, where a secret world has been built. Each location does look incredible despite having similarities to other established franchises. This leads to different styles of fights and battles, using an array of different weapons. It all works well for the movie.
Where the movie can stumble is on the similarities though. This sees large parts of the movie feeling like a Star Wars rip-off. The idea of different creatures fighting a bigger evil leader is very similar. However, this does make me want to return to see these characters more and learn more about how they operate in this world.
Final Thoughts –Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a big fun Marvel movie, that gives Ant-Man his most interesting battle yet.
ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – Q – Qui-Gon Jinn – Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace – Movie Review
Director: George Lucas
Writer: George Lucas (Screenplay)
Cast
Plot: Two Jedi escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their original glory.
Runtime: 2 Hour 16 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace starts as two Jedi ambassadors Qui-Gon Jinn (Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) try to bring peace to the rising Federation. They escape and save Queen Amidala (Portman) looking to regroup.
This leads them to discover a young boy Anakin Skywalker (Lloyd) on a remote planet. Qui-Gon is convinced Anakin would become one of the strongest Jedis in the universe. He takes him under his wing as the battle to stop the rising Federation begins.
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace is the first of the Star Wars prequel saga. It sends us back to the origin of both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. We are also given the first evil empire trying to rise up within the universe, The Federation.
Considering this franchise could only bring the younger versions of the popular figures. It needed to do a lot of work to give us a new set of characters to watch in a space saga. For the most part, this works very well, because Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul became fan favourites. On the other side, we had Jar Jar Binks who became one of the most hated. There is the pod racing which was a lot of fun to watch.
When it comes to starting the next major chapter in a franchise, it is going to need a slow beginning. The early start to an evil growing in the universe is needed and we get to see who the people are willing to fight back to save the universe. It is fun and enjoyable
Final Thoughts – Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace is an entertaining return to the legendary franchise.
American Royalty – Movie Review
Director: Daniel Fisher, Stephen Fisher
Plot: The American Royalty docuseries showcases an in-depth perspective of the Miss America Pageant. Experience the hundred-year history, influence, controversy, and evolution of this iconic institution.
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
American Royalty is a documentary that explores the history of the Miss America Pageant. This gets to show how it first started right through how it has evolved throughout the years. We go through controversial events and attempts to maintain the popularity behind it all.
The movie gets to cover the different motivations behind the changes. This includes improving the financial reward and television ratings. Throughout the movie, we get to meet a host of different winners, from different generations. This gives us a chance to see what it meant to them to win, how it changed their lives and what makes it so important for them to win.
If you are looking for the history of Miss America, this gives you everything you need to see. The added responsibilities of winning are shown too, taking us down a path not always seen in the public eye.
Final Thoughts – American Royalty is an interesting journey into Miss America’s history.
Tell It Like A Woman – Movie Review
Director: Lucia Bulgheroni, Silvia Carobbio, Catherine Hardwicke, Taraji P. Henson, Mipo O, Lucia Puenzo, Maria Sole Tognazzi, Leena Yadav
Writer: Lucia Bulgheroni, Silva Carobbio, Krupa Ge, Catherine Hardwicke, Mipo O, Lucia Puenzo, Shantanu Sagara, Giulia Louise Steigerwalt, Chiara Tilesi, Leena Yadav (Screenplay)
Cast
Plot: Tell It Like a Woman is a feature film comprised of 7 short stories whose common denominator is the representation of female protagonists. Each of these very different women face a particular challenge in their life with extreme determination and courage that makes them stronger and more self-aware.
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Pepcy & Kim follows a woman Kim (Hudson) in prison trying to keep the focus on her child. She has her own problems with her drug addiction, and her cellmate suggests joining her in a rehab program. Kim gets selected for the program as the warden looks to help her understand her problems and split personality.
This is an impressive start to the stories. It dives into the reason why people have turned to drugs, through a spiral of abuse. Jennifer Hudson is amazing in the leading role giving us an excellent dual role. This shows that stories need to be heard if anyone is ever going to be healed. 5/5
Elbows Deep follows Doctor P (Harden) who is one of the volunteer doctors helping homeless people during Project Roomkey. This was a project to help the homeless during Covid, giving them shelter in hotels while they were close. One of the more difficult clients is Validation (Delevingne) who has her own mental health problems. The Doctors work to help Validation, checking on a wound, as Validation reveals what led her to this condition.
This story gets to explore the amazing effort a real doctor put into her community. It might only dive into one interaction she had but it shows how much she puts into giving back. This is a nice peep into the work of an incredible woman, but we could have seen much more of her work. 4/5
Lagonegro follows Ana (Longoria) as she heads to Corsica. She is a busy businesswoman needing to put her life on hold after her sister’s death. Ana gets a surprise that her sister had a daughter and she has been left guardianship. She is left in a difficult situation one that will change her life forever.
This is a much more personal story about accepting unexpected responsibility. It shows a family that has been split coming together after death and learning to adapt to the changes coming their way. 3/5
A Week in My Life follows a mother (Watanabe) as she prepares her two children for school, going through her morning routines. She heads to work at a busy café and returns to collect her youngster child. Then, she prepares dinner and prepares for the rest of the day. The routine is brutal and demanding and we follow the week in her life.
This is an amazing example to show how difficult being a single parent is. It shows how much work is put into it and how much of their own life they must give up. This gets to show how mundane life can become but it is important to make sure the children come first. 5/5
Unspoken follows a veteran nurse Diana (Buy) who finds herself accidentally working over her daughter’s dinner and watching her skating video. She tries to get a replacement so she can leave early but her patients need her. However, the last patient proves to be a difficult case and she is torn between the two worlds.
This is an incredibly difficult story to see unfold, showing the hidden message and signs women can look out for. It shows that a small message can give out the biggest message and support is everything that is needed. 5/5
Sharing a Ride follows Divya (Fernandez) as she looks to get a ride home at night. She gets a Rickshaw that she must share until she hears the message being instructed to the female passenger. Divya is a cosmetic surgeon by day and helps people get what they need. She has a strict manner about her and finds herself getting distracted easily by the memories of the ride home.
This dives deeper into Divya’s obsession with an appearance from her own routine right up to her job. It isn’t just what she wants to look like but what she imagines others will see in her. This takes us on a strange journey through the story. 3/5
Aria followsa robotic figure that must follow the instructions it sees in a camera. This changes when it gets a small glimpse into a world outside its window and learns of the bigger world outside. The robot continues to evolve in the new world, helping others escape their trapped worlds, as they continue to see what is really outside.
This is a beautiful animated journey about escaping a trapped work. It might well be the shortest one of all the stories, it has so much more we could have seen from the adventure. 3/5
Final Thoughts –Tell It Like a Woman is a brilliant selection of short stories.
Pinocchio – ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominations – P – Pinocchio – Movie Review
Director: Matteo Garrone
Writer: Matteo Garrone, Massimo Ceccherini (Screenplay)
Writer: Carlo Collodi (Novel)
Cast
Plot: Old woodcarver Geppetto’s puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. Easily led astray, Pinocchio tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits.
Runtime: 2 Hours 5 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Pinocchio starts when Geppetto (Benigni) decides to make himself a puppet to keep him company. He searches around the town for more work, with most of the town knowing about his struggles. When Geppetto makes Pinocchio (Ielapi), he is shocked to discover he has come to life. He makes him his own son, trying to help him fit in with the rest of the village.
After Pinocchio finds himself drawn to a travelling circus, he is given five gold coins. He must return home to give them to his father, however, not everyone is as helpful on his journey home.
Pinocchio is a live-action version of the classic tale. In this version we see the wooden puppet travelling around touching people’s lives as he learns about the world. This takes us along to meet a range of different characters along the way.
When it comes to the different visions behind the Pinocchio tale, this one easily becomes one of the more original takes. This becomes one that ends up being real world creation. However, it is filled with moments that are pure fantasy. It is genius how this movie is put together and one you must experience.
Final Thoughts – Pinocchio is an amazing creation of the classic tale.
