7th Secret is a Steamy Drama that doesn’t commit heavily enough to the double life.
Director: Bridget Smith
Writer: Mike Walsh (Screenplay)
Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Stacey Dash, Kristin Minter, Joan Jett, Amanda Figueroa, Lukas Hassel, Adam Ratcliffe, Michael Patrick Lane, Cilda Shaur
Plot: A young wife harboring a secret finds herself wrapped up in a double life.
Runtime: 1 Hour 23 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: 7th Secret starts as Marissa (Figueroa) starts to find her marriage with Kris (Lane) become stale. As he looks to run for office, wanting to have his own family. While Marissa isn’t ready for that.
Marissa starts getting drawn into the world run by Michael Slade (Hassel), one that will offer her a difference experience in bedroom. One her husband doesn’t offer who and one she starts to become obsessed with, but at a price.
Thoughts on 7th Secret
7th Secret is an erotic drama that follows a political figures wife who gets drawn into a world of kinky underworld within the city. Keeping secrets from her husband that could end up bringing down his career if they ever got out.
This is a story that doesn’t seem to want to commit to everything it could have. With the consequences needing to like it could have had plenty more about them. As the position Marissa finds herself in could lead to plenty of damage around everyone in her life.
By the end of the film, it will feel like the start of a series. As we could get plenty more out of the material in play here. The performances are strong with Amanda Figueroa doing well in the lead role opposite bigger names you would have expected to see in more scenes in the movie.
This is under Q because of the character Quintana.
Director: Chris Fisher
Writer: Eddie Gonzalez, Jeremy Haft (Screenplay)
Starring: Ray Liotta, Shawn Hatosy, Scott Norman, Clifton Powell, Kevin Chapman, Inbar Lavi, Charlotte Ross
Plot: Motor City moves the action to Michigan and explores the world of dirty cops on the violent streets of Detroit.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Street Kings 2: Motor City starts 3-years after a drug bust goes wrong, where Marty Kingston (Liotta) is left injured and the rest of the team, Sal (Norman), Fowler (Powell) and Rogan (Chapman) have gone in different career directions within the force.
When one of the cops is murdered, young detective Daniel Sullivan (Hatosy) is put on to lead the investigation, with Marty wanting to watch over the investigation, pulling rank to be he partner in the case. As Sullivan goes deeper into the case, he starts to learn of the bigger story going on, one that will put his own family’s life in danger.
Thoughts on Street Kings 2: Motor City
Thoughts – Street Kings 2: Motor City will take us back into the world of dirty cops, with a new young detective finding himself thrown into a case, one that will see him facing of against the law enforcement officers, he believes he should be working with. This does seem to be a sequel in location, rather than having any connection to the original, which does seem like the cheap way to pull an audience into a standard level crime thriller. The way the story unfolds is interesting, by putting the villain in the centre stage, rather than creating a mystery about who is behind everything going on, so we can see how they are looking to stay one step ahead of the game. The performances in the film are solid enough, without ever managing to reach the heights which could be seen as great, but never bad. This will end up being the standard story, one we have seen done better and seen done worse, but largely not leaving much in the memory by the end.
Final Thoughts – Street Kings 2: Motor City is the standard crime thriller, offer little new to the world we know.
Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gustav Lindh, Willem Dafoe, Elliott Rose
Plot: From visionary director Robert Eggers comes The Northman, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder.
Tagline – Conquer Your Fate
Runtime: 2 Hours 16 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Northman starts when a young Viking prince Amleth starts learning the way of Vikings from his father King Aurvandil War-Raven (Hawke) before he is betrayed by his brother Fjolnir the Brotherless (Bang), escaping, swearing revenge and to save his mother Queen Gudrun (Kidman).
Years later Amleth (Skarsgard) has become a fierce warrior, joining destruction of villages, before he finally learns about Fjolnir, setting him on his fight to revenge to complete his fate.
Thoughts on The Northman
Characters & Performances – Amleth is a Viking prince that saw his father murdered and his future crown taken, escaping before they get their hands on him. Amleth becomes one of the warriors fighting for the Vikings destroying village, being one of the most savage in the army. He decides to leave the army after learning about the man who killed his father, sending him to the new kingdom where he can come face to face with the man, waiting for his chance. He is patient in his ways, waiting for the right chance to make this happen, being driven for this moment. Fjolnir the Brotherless is the man that turned on King Aurvandil, taking his crown and his wife, to make his own Queen. Fjolnir might not have got the reign he was expecting, but still ruling over people, not in the same light Amleth remember him as. Queen Gudrun is the mother of Amleth, taken to be Fjolnir queen after the murder of his husband, she is the motivation for Amleth’s journey, to save her from her captor. Olga of the Birch Forest is one of the women sent to be a slave that Amleth joins, she helps him see a better life, a life he never saw before.
The Northman has a fantastic cast, with Alexander Skarsgard bringing this Viking to life in a ferocious manner in combat, but a calming figure when he is planning. Claes Bang gives an amazing performance as a character that can be seen in many different lights. Anya Taylor-Joy continues to be a star you will watch in anything, reteaming with Robert Eggers for another great performance. The whole cast give us great performances, right down to the smallest roles within the film.
Story – The story in The Northman will follow a fallen Viking Prince that will wait for his chance to get revenge on the man who killed his father and took his mother, leaving him to learn the savage ways of the Vikings, as he searches for his opening against the man. In the core of this story, we do get a revenge thriller, with a son wanting to avenge his father’s death. When we look deeper with certain revelations within the story, we get a story that will make you think a lot more about who could be in the right. The story will show just how barbaric the Vikings were, never holding back on the brutal, savage attacks they did on villages.
Themes – The Northman is a violent action adventure that will dive into the mythology in the Nordic Viking behaviour. The action is brutal, using a single pan shot to follow the action when it comes to attacks on villages. The locations used are beautiful and breath taking, with different weather figures into different moments in the film. When the film will dive into the fantasy special effects, we are thrown into nightmare like situations, which will make you want to watch, even if they are filled with the biggest horror moments.
Final Thoughts – The Northman is one of the most brutal movies you will see this year.
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Monica Bellucci, Itay Tiran, Itzik Cohen, Filip Peeters, Hilde Van Mieghem
Plot: A young operative is sent on a mission to follow an older agent, whose behaviour has come into question.
Tagline – Two Mossad agents on an existential journey across Belgium and Holland. Success means everything. Failure means death.
Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Spider in the Web starts when Adereth (Kinglsey) a Mossad agent who sees his partner Samuel (Cohen) abducted by people from their past. Adereth must team up with Smauel’s son Daniel (Tiran) as search for answers, which will see him needing to confront his past and learn to embrace the modern ways of searching for people.
As the two continue their investigation, they will see the people they don’t know which side they are playing along, leaving each interaction a mystery.
Thoughts on Spider in the Web
Thoughts – Spider in the Web is a thriller that looks to dive into the different spy organisations operating, where one of the members starts getting involved in activities, they organisation questions his actions. This is a spy movie that will look to show the shadier side of the operations, while leading every scene into a mystery, as we are never sure which side Adereth is on. Ben Kingsley carries this film with his excellent leading performance, one that will make us become engaged in what he will do next, always in control of each scene he is in. in the end Spider in the Web doesn’t get to be an intense as many other spy movies, but will give us a mystery to see unravelled.
Final Thoughts – Spider in the Web is a twist filled spy mystery that keeps you guessing throughout the film.
Writer: Andre Fabrizio, Jeremy Passmore (Screenplay)
Starring: Jason Patric, Bruce Willis, John Cusack, Jessica Lowndes, Gia Mantegna, Rain, 50 Cent, Don Harvey
Plot: When his daughter is kidnapped, a retired assassin is drawn back into the life he gave up. To rescue her, he must confront his former rival.
Tagline – Mercy is for the weak.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Prince starts when a mild-mannered former assassin Paul (Patric) known as ‘The Prince’ goes in search of his daughter Beth (Mantegna) he finds her roommate Angela (Lowndes) who joins in in New Orleans after Beth gets caught up in a drug ring.
Paul reappearance has led to Omar (Willis) putting everything he has to get revenge on Paul for killing his wife and daughter, leading to us see if Paul can save his daughter and make it out alive.
Thoughts on The Prince
Thoughts – The Prince is a revenge thriller that shows a lethal assassin going in search for his daughter, only to find a target on his back because of what he did in a previous life. The way Paul goes on the hunt for his daughter, shows the ruthless nature he could show, while maintaining the everyday persona he has created in everyday life. The different sides to everything going on shows us just how easily someone can get dragged back into the criminal world, only we could have seen a lot more from what Omar was all about, as his main assassin Mark has plenty of quirks to how he operates, only we don’t dive into them when it comes to the kills. When it comes to performances Jason Patric is the strongest out of the big three named stars, with Bruce Willis and John Cusack lacking the impact they could have had, as Willis seems to be struggling in the villain roles. The action itself is by the book when we get it, a few shots here and there, nothing landmark in the action sequences, be it how they a choreographed or location based.
Final Thoughts – The Prince is a by the book action film that is an easy watch.
Starring: Henry Golding, David Tran, Parker Sawyers, Molly Harris
Plot: Kit, a British man of Vietnamese heritage, returns to Saigon for the first time in over 30 years after leaving the country with his parents, when he was six years old, at the end of the Vietnam War.
Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Monsoon starts as Kit (Golding) returns to Saigon after leaving as a child during the war, he has come to walk down memory lane, sorting out personal details, catching up with an old childhood friend Lee (Tran), while seeing the change the city has gone through during the 30-years away.
As Kit starts taking his walks through the different cities, he meets Lewis (Sawyers) who he strikes up a relationship, while learning more about the history away from the country from Linh (Harris) who explains the change the country has gone through.
Thoughts on Monsoon
Thoughts – Monsoon is a beautifully shot movie that will show how hard it can be to return to your home country after decades away which will see things change from the world they remember. The haunting reminders that a country was once almost destroyed being up and running like nothing ever happened in seen through Kit’s eyes. Henry Golding is brilliant in the leading role, showing us just how he has made such an impact in recent years. The film is pushed to the next level by the beautiful cinematography, which makes ever scene bigger than ever, showing the beauty in the natural and busy cities in Vietnam. Most of the film is the beauty of the scenery, which can take away from the limited dialogue in the film though.
Final Thoughts – Monsoon is a beauty film to watch, with a heartfelt story of memories of a previous life.
This is under O because of Clyde being an Orangutan.
Director: Buddy Van Horn
Writer: Buddy Van Horn (Screenplay)
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, Williamm Smith, Harry Guardino, Ruth Gordon, Michael Cavanaugh
Plot: A trucker turned prize fighter, his brother and their pet orangutan have a series of misadventures involving the mob, corrupt cops, motorcycle gangs and pretty dames.
Tagline – Faster, funnier and wilder. It’ll knock you out.
Runtime: 1 Hour 56 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Any Which Way You Can starts as we meet trucker Philo Beddoe (Eastwood) and is partner in crime Clyde the orangutan, as they take on different fights for money, ones he will always come up the winner in.
When Philo accepts a high value fight for a group of gangsters, he is talked out of it by his friends and family, only to learn the gangsters aren’t going to take no for an answer.
Thoughts on Any Which Way You Can
Thoughts – Any Which Way You Can is an action comedy that will see Philo and Clyde getting into a range of troubles, that they will always find a way out of along the way. This is until he finds himself in a fight he can’t just walk away from, needing to put his fighting together to fight the deadliest opponent this of his career. This is a sequel that will see the two get into more trouble, but will need to find a solution that isn’t on the same level as many people would expect, which might add into extra levels of the comedy. The running gags of the biker gang and cops always trying to catch Philo will get laughs, despite taking away from the main story going on. Clint Eastwood does a great job in the leading role, showing a lighter side to his performance, which we don’t see too often. This is an easy to watch action comedy that will get the laughs when needed and hold the serious side together too.
Final Thoughts – Any Which Way You Can is a fun easy to watch action comedy.
Writer: Mark Williams (Screenplay) Brandon Reavis, Nick May (Story)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Taylor John Smith, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Claire van der Boom, Yael Stone
Plot: Travis Block is a government operative coming to terms with his shadowy past. When he discovers a plot targeting U.S. citizens, Block finds himself in the crosshairs of the FBI director he once helped protect.
Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Blacklight starts as Travis Block (Neeson) shows how he can help undercover agents escape difficult situations, using his skills. He has been doing this for years, now reaching the age where he might want to step away and get connected with his daughter Amanda (Boom) and granddaughter.
Travis will find his protégé Dusty Crane (Smith) being tracked down by the FBI director Gabriel Robinson (Quinn) after he wants to expose the secrets that the government is targeting citizens, wanting to break the story through journalist Mira Jones (Raver-Lampman). Travis will be left to decide what he thinks is right, bring out the truth or escape this life.
Thoughts on Blacklight
Thoughts – Blacklight is the latest action movie starring an aging action star Liam Neeson, as he looks to uncover the truth about the job he has been doing for years, helping the FBI clean up loose ends. This will bring the action side of things that will end up showing the deeper side clean up difficult situations that could expose the truth. The other side of the film will look into a conspiracy theory about the government doing what they want to keep their own secrets from coming out. The balance between thriller and action works well, with Liam Neeson doing the typical entertaining leading man role, which works to give the film a more intense side. Having the journalist looking for a story through Emmy Raver-Lampman give us the hard working determined character that holds her own through the film. This might well end up unfold how you fully expect, entertaining along the way.
Final Thoughts – Blacklight is an entertaining action thriller.
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Kingsley, Marwan Kenzari, Aleksander Jovanovic
Plot: An American backpacker gets involved with a ring of drug smugglers as their driver, though he winds up on the run from his employers across Cologne high-speed Autobahn.
Tagline – How far would you go for the one you love?
Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Collide starts when backpacker Casey Stein (Hoult) meets Juliette Marne (Jones) while in Germany as he works for local drug dealer Geran (Kingsley), he looks to give up this life until he learns that Juliette is sick and the pair will need money to pay for her treatment.
In an attempt to make money Casey turns to Geran who recruits him to steal a truck from bigger drug dealer Hagan Kahl (Hopkins), only not everything goes to plan, leading to Casey needing to race to save Juliette and escape the two ruthless drug dealers.
Thoughts on Collide
Thoughts – Collide is an action film that brings us the one last job idea to the genre, that we know well. It is a tried and test formula that isn’t too hard to get wrong, only it doesn’t hit as hard as it wants too. We get an unlikeable character in Casey who never seems like he is doing much with his life, falling in love and getting himself into more trouble. Nicholas Hoult doesn’t seem to be the leading action star we would like him too be and Felicity Jones feels wasted as the girlfriend character. Anthony Hopkins does look like he is having a lot of fun in this role, getting the funny speeches a villainous figure needs to have, while Ben Kinglsey is enjoyable over the top. The action in the film does have too many cuts, which does take us away from the intensity of what we are watching. The German setting shows us a place where people could look to escape from their lives, showing us how people can get away with crimes away from more.
Final Thoughts – Collide is an action film that doesn’t give us any likeable characters and gives us a cutty mess for the action sequences.
