Tag: 2022

The Year the Film Was Released

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Movie Review

White Elephant (2022) Movie Review

White Elephant – ABC Film Challenge – Action – W – White Elephant – Movie Review

White Elephant – ABC Film Challenge – Action – W – White Elephant - Movie Review

Director: Jesse V Johnson

Writer: Jesse V Johnson, Erik Martinez, Katharine Lee McEwan (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: An ex-marine enforcer must battle his conscience and code of honor when he is forced to do things for the mob.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: White Elephant starts when Glen Follett (Malkovich) pulls the trigger on targeting a rival mob. He assigns Gabriel Tancredi (Rooker) to eliminate them, however, the hitman gets noticed by two cops including Vanessa Flynn (Kurylenko).

However, after the job goes wrong the crime boss Arnold Solomon (Willis) sends out everyone to kill Vanessa. She must figure out who she can trust and stop the people who killed her partner.

Verdict on White Elephant

White Elephant is an action thriller following a criminal mob trying to clean up their latest job. However, they find themselves against a resourceful skilful cop who isn’t going down without a fight.  Meanwhile, one of the group starts to grow a conscious about their methods.

This is a movie following the idea that a crime syndicate looks to eliminate the competition. However, the competition fights back and now a lone cop could be the one person to bring everything down. This feels like a typical late-night action movie, it uses a style of action that isn’t as intense as it looks. We get the big named actors to peak interest and a few cheeky one-liners along the way.

Final Thoughts –White Elephant is a typical late-night action movie.

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Movie Review

Spoiler Alert (2022) Movie Review

Spoiler Alert – Movie Review

Discover the heart-wrenching story of 'Spoiler Alert' - a movie that explores love, tragedy, and the power of human connection.

Director: Michael Showalter (The Big Sick)

Writer: David Marshall Grant, Dan Savage (Screenplay)

Writer: Michael Ausiello (Book)

Cast

Plot: The story of Michael Ausiello and Kit Cowan’s relationship, which takes a tragic turn when Cowan is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Spoiler Alert starts when quiet entertainment journalist Michael Ausiello (Parsons) gets dragged to a gay bar. It is outside his normal scene, and he finds himself drawn to Kit Cowan (Aldridge).

When the two overcome the bigger problems with Kit’s parents, they settle down for a normal couple life. however, despite facing challenges, they face the biggest one ever when Kit gets diagnosed with cancer.

Verdict on Spoiler Alert

Spoiler Alert is a comedy-drama following a couple who believe they are having a perfect life, until one gets diagnosed with cancer. It follows them as they look to deal with the news and face the reality of what is to come.

This movie shows that people can have their happiness taken away, but it also shows that people should make the most of their time together. It uses the normal feeling relationship to show the happiness the couple had. While highlighting the difficult reality of things falling apart. With solid performances, we get a moving story from the words of one of the men involved.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Spoiler Alert is a moving movie following a tragic romance.

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Movie Review

Paradise City (2022) Movie Review

Paradise City – ABC Film Challenge – Action – P – Paradise City – Movie Review

Paradise City

Director: Chuck Russell

Writer: Edward Drake, Corey Large, Chuck Russell (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Ryan Swan must carve his way through the Hawaiian crime world to wreak vengeance on the kingpin who murdered his father.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Paradise City starts when bounty hunter Ian Swan (Willis) finds himself cornered and makes a last phone call to his son Ryan (Jenner). Meanwhile, Hawaiian local bounty hunter and former partner of Ian’s Robbie Cole (Dorff) is still operating on the island.

When the two meet, Robbie and Ryan look to complete the work Ian started and track down the biggest bounty on the island. However, things don’t go as planned as they clash with kingpin Buckley (Travolta).

Verdict on Paradise City

Paradise City is an action thriller following a bounty hunter tracking down the people who killed his father. It sees him heading to Hawaii in search of answers and vengeance. However, not everything is what it seems for Ryan and he must help the island with a bigger problem.

This is a typical late-night action movie that keeps the action simple without doing anything original. It has plenty of cat-n-mouse style in the movie. All while trying to send a bigger message about the way people look to break the traditions of native people. We get the big names of Bruce Willis and John Travolta here, however, this isn’t going to go down as any of their best.

Final Thoughts – Paradise City is the typical late-night action movie.

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Movie Review

Agent Game (2022) Movie Review

Agent Game – Movie Review

Agent Game

Director: Grant S Johnson

Writer: Mike Langer, Tyler W Konney (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A CIA officer finds himself the target of a rendition operation after being scapegoated for the death of an interrogation subject.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Agent Game starts when Harris (Mulroney), Visser (Ilonzeh) and Bill (Isaacs) have been interrogating a potential terrorist subject. However, when that goes wrong, Olsen (Gibson), Kavinsky (Canto) and Miller (Cassidy) look for answers.

When the two groups clash, they find themselves trapped in a web of conspiracies. They must solve the problems to learn who is really behind the operations.

Verdict on Agent Game

Agent Game is an action thriller following two groups of CIA agents caught up in the middle of an operation. They don’t know what has been happening and as they get closer, the truth starts to spiral out of control. However, not everything is what it seems.

This is an over-complicated thriller that spends a lot of time between the different groups leaving us to wonder where things will go next. However, this doesn’t seem to create enough interesting characters. It isn’t that easy to follow as it looks to go out of its way to give us extra twists. This doesn’t do much to help create a new feeling for the movie’s subject and ends up becoming largely forgettable.

Final Thoughts –Agent Game is a mostly forgettable action thriller.

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Movie Review

Enola Holmes 2 (2022) Movie Review

Explore the Exciting World of Enola Holmes 2 – Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Action – E

Explore the Exciting World of Enola Holmes 2 - Movie Review

Director: Harry Bradbeer (Enola Holmes)

Writer: Jack Thorne (Screenplay)

Writer: Nancy Springer (Books)

Cast

Plot: Now a detective-for-hire, Enola Holmes takes on her first official case to find a missing girl as the sparks of a dangerous conspiracy ignite a mystery that requires the help of friends – and Sherlock himself – to unravel.

Runtime: 2 Hours 9 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Enola Holmes 2 starts as Enola (Brown) is now officially a detective-for-hire. However, her name Holmes overshadows her, as everyone wants her more famous brother Sherlock (Cavill). When Enola gets her first case, she must locate a missing young woman.

Enola starts her first proper case, which sees her getting into a lot more trouble than she imagined. Sherlock tries to protect her, but Enola doesn’t want to give up on her first case, as most of the other detectives don’t care about the missing woman.

Verdict on Enola Holmes 2

Enola Holmes 2 is an action-adventure following Enola on her first proper case. One where she is acknowledged as a detective. It sees her needing to travel around London and needing to learn who to trust in cracking the case.

This feels like a comfortable addition to the series, giving Enola a more serious case. All while, letting her navigate the dangers she comes across. Like any good mystery, there are plenty of twists and turns along the way, to keep us guessing. It is enjoyable and does entertain throughout the runtime.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Enola Holmes 2 is an entertaining sequel with a great mystery.

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Movie Review

Dig (2022) Movie Review

Dig – Movie Review

Dig

Director: K Asher Levin

Writer: Banipal Ablakhad, Benhur Ablakhad (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A widowed father and his daughter whose house is up for demolition, are taken hostage by a dangerous couple, who won’t stop until they retrieve what lies beneath the property.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Dig starts when Scott (Jane) and his daughter Jane (Harlow Jane) see their wife and mother killed in an altercation. This changes the relationship between the two, as Jane finds herself dealing with hearing issues.

The two must work together as handy people with their latest job being a remote cabin in the desert. However, when they arrive there, they find two loose cannon criminals Victor (Hirsch) and Lola (Liberato) who are searching for something on the property. Scott must follow the instructions to keep his daughter alive, while searching for what the couple want.

Verdict on Dig

Dig is a thriller that follows a grieving father and daughter who take a job, only to find themselves held hostage by two criminals. They must continue the job as they are forced to help search for an item on the property, knowing they will most likely be killed once it is complete.

This is a thriller that keeps things tight together and gets to tackle a couple of more serious subjects. First, we see how the father and daughter are dealing with the consequences of what happened to their wife and mother. This shows a new bond as they must work together to move on in life. On the other side of things, we get the loose cannons that can flare up at any moment. However, when it comes to everything going on, we find ourselves going through the almost escaping thing too often and never seem to dive deep enough into the bigger picture.

Final Thoughts – Dig is an overly repetitive process between the pairs.

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Movie Review

The Origin of Evil (2022) Movie Review

The Origin of Evil – Movie Review

Experience the suspense and drama of The Origin of Evil movie. Join Nathalie as she embarks on a risky plan to deceive her lover's wealthy family.

Director: Sebastien Marnier

Writer: Fanny Burdino, Sebastien Marnier (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A woman on the verge of financial collapse attempts to impersonate her imprisoned lover and con her wealthy, estranged father and his new family.

Runtime: 2 Hours 3 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Origin of Evil starts when Nathalie Cordier (Calamy) finds herself struggling for money. Her lover Stephane (Clement) is in prison, so she is supporting herself. She comes up with a plan to meet her lover’s estranged father Serge (Weber) and get close to his wealthy family.

Serge believes Nathalie, but the rest of the family becomes suspicious of the new arrival. However, Nathalie starts to learn a much darker side to Serge, which shows how dangerous the situation she has gotten herself into.

Verdict on The Origin of Evil

The Origin of Evil is a thriller following a woman who decides to fake being the daughter of a wealthy man. She is dating the real daughter who is in prison and decides to attempt to clear her financial problems. However, the world is much more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

This thriller feels a lot like a ‘Talented Mr Ripley’ where we see someone trying to get close to a family. It sees them having their own reasons for getting close and pushing things to the limits. This keeps the tension of how Nathalie will be received high and shows the divide in the family. It does keep you guessing as to where things will end up and shows how desperate people can become.

Where to Watch

Blue Finch Film Releasing presents The Origin of Evil in cinemas 29 March.

Final Thoughts – The Origin of Evil is a slick thriller which came about through desperation.

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Movie Review

Armageddon Time (2022) Movie Review

Armageddon Time – Movie Review 

Armageddon Time

Director: James Gray

Writer: James Gray (Screenplay)

Cast

 

Plot: A deeply personal coming-of-age story about the strength of family and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.

Runtime: 1 Hour 54 Minutes  

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review 

Story: Armageddon Time starts as we meet school student Paul (Repeta), he quickly makes himself known as a troublemaker in class. Paul meets black student Johnny (Webb) who is also known as a troublemaker, but he gets treated differently by the teacher.

The two unlikely friends come from different backgrounds and have their issues in life. Their friendship shows that people from different backgrounds could become friends. However, Paul’s parents Esther (Hathaway) and Irving (Strong) look to teach him lessons about growing up. Paul gets to see the divide between races and wants to break the discrimination in the world.  

Verdict on Armageddon Time

Armageddon Time is a coming-of-age tale following the youngest member of a family learning about life. He is raised in a world still filled with discrimination only he doesn’t get involved in it. However, his life tries to push him into that world where he must follow this way of thinking.

This is an important coming-of-age tale, proving that the youngest minds can be moulded to help create a change. It shows how one boy who doesn’t believe in treating people differently finds himself at a crossroads in life. One that could define him for years to come. It feels like it is important, as changes still need to happen, but doesn’t do enough to show the middle ground in the bigger battle. Banks Repeta and Jaylin Webb are both wonderful in the movie. They are surrounded by a big cast that helps bring out the most in the important scenes. 

Final Thoughts – Armageddon Time is a wonderful coming-of-age tale.

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Movie Review

A Love Song (2022) Movie Review

A Love Song – Movie Review

Love Song

Director: Max Walker-Silverman

Writer: Max Walker-Silverman (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: At a campground in the rural West, a woman waits alone for an old flame from her past to arrive, uncertain of his intentions while bashful about her own.

Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: A Love Song starts when Faye (Dickey) sets up camp on the waterfront. She is waiting for an old flame to return to see her. As she waits, she gets to meet other strangers visiting the area and the story starts to spread.

Faye’s story sees her meet her old flame Lito (Studi) as the two look back at the lives they have lived. With the one big question between the two, is why they didn’t get to live their lives together.

Verdict on A Love Song

A Love Song is a romantic story following two people that question whether they could have had a life together. They still feel in love with each other but find themselves wondering what happened to leave them living different lives. It shows that despite their age, love can remain important for the two.

This is a nice story about understanding love and seeing where it can put you. It shows that life can happen when you least expect it and leave you wondering what happened. We get a wonderful performance from Dale Dickey that reflects just how hard life can be when you look back and wonder.

Final Thoughts – A Love Song is a touching romance on how love can leave you questioning life.