Month: February 2022

Cyrano

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The story of Cyrano de Bergerac is one that is known by many. Though he has a way with words, Cyrano (Peter Dinklage) struggles with his appearance and worries that it will prevent him from winning over the woman of his dreams, Roxanne (Haley Bennett). Meanwhile, Roxanne has fallen in love with Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) at first sight, and Cyrano jumps at the chance to intervene. He’ll write letters to Roxanne on Christian’s behalf and she’ll never know that it’s him. As his feelings grow, however, so do the complications of this agreement.

Musicals are a big plus for me. Incorporating various numbers throughout was a fresh and interesting take. Having witnessed Haley Bennett’s singing chops in Music and Lyrics, I knew that she would knock this out of the park. Kelvin Harrison Jr. was a great accompaniment to her and even Peter Dinklage did what he could with his songs. In fact, Peter Dinklage’s overall performance was absolutely wonderful. I’ve been a fan of his since Game of Thrones, but his portrayal of Cyrano solidified that he can helm any project.

I love the way in which this was filmed. Like something from a dream, the colorful and old fashioned costumes as well as the lavish locations used throughout, I thought it was a great choice. It made me yearn for a time and place for which I have only ever seen or read about.

This new version of Cyrano was one that surprised me, delighted me and also made me feel kind of sad. It is quite the story and I appreciated the changes that director Joe Wright took to bring it into the 21st century.

Rating: ♥♥♥

Uncharted

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Based on the video game of the same name, Uncharted follows the story of Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) who is recruited by treasure hunter Victor Sullivan (Mark Walhberg) to search for Ferdinand Magellan’s fortune that was lost 500 years ago. Trekking across the globe performing various heists and attempting to outrun the bad guys, Nate and Sully find themselves in a race against time to uncover the gold.

First and foremost, let me disclose that I know nothing about the game. Going in somewhat blindly worked in my favor and made for a rather fun night out at the cinema.

Tom Holland once again shines as Nate Drake. He has really grown on me over the years and now I can’t help but look forward to everything he stars in. Another stand out for me was Sophia Ali as Chloe. Previously starring in Prime’s The Wilds, she was a strong female character who didn’t take no for an answer.

Unfortunately, I wish I could say the same for the others. Mark Walhberg seemed out of place here. I didn’t fully believe in his chemistry with Holland which was disappointing as it was integral to the story. The villains in Antonio Banderas and Tati Gabrille were one dimensional and underused. I wish we could have learned more about them both.

While there is nothing particularly special about Uncharted, it is a fun action adventure flick that delivers. It had great action sequences, fabulous locations, as well as major Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones and sometimes even Titanic vibes that I was all for.

Rating: ♥♥♥

I Want You Back

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Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) are both dumped on the same weekend. Struggling to move on from their respective exes Anne (Gina Rodriguez) and Noah (Scott Eastwood), the two stumble across one another in the office building where they work. After much commiseration, they come up with a seemingly perfect plan: break up their exes’ new relationships and win them back.

An offbeat romantic comedy, I Want You Back has been getting lots of praise since its initial Friday release. While the storyline may come across as predictable, there is still a lot to enjoy here. You’ll want to root for Peter and Emma from the get go, not only to make their exes regret their choices, but to also get together themselves. The chemistry between Charlie Day and Jenny Slate was really charming to watch, not to mention the two are really funny individually.

The supporting cast in Rodriguez and Eastwood, as well as their new love interests Logan (Manny Jacinto) and Ginny (Clark Backo), all added that something extra. Ben McKenzie of The OC fame also had a cameo in this as a dad. Oh how times have changed. He’s still hot though. The intricacies of these characters was fun to watch and never provided a dull moment.

Though there is nothing particularly special about the plot, I Want You Back reminded me of something from the 90s or early 2000s. It kept me engaged throughout and apart from that abrupt ending, I couldn’t help but be swept up in the ambiance of it all.

Rating: ♥♥♥.5

Death on the Nile

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When the wealthy Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) meets Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), there’s no denying the sparks between them. Ending his engagement with Jackie Bellefort (Emma Mackey) so he and Linnet can tie the knot, they think they will go on to live happily ever after. Together with their friends, Linnet and Simon embark on their honeymoon where Jackie seems to be following them every step of the way. Feeling unsafe, they enlist the help of detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) to keep an eye out on things. But when the event turns deadly, everyone is a suspect.

After being delayed multiple times due to the pandemic (and the allegations made to a certain actor), Death on the Nile finally debuted in cinema this weekend. Boasting a stacked cast with the likes of Tom Bateman, Letitia Wright, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Rose Leslie and Sophie Okonedo, this was a must see on the big screen.

While I haven’t read the Agatha Christie novel and therefore cannot compare between the two, I have to say that I enjoyed the movie. The Egyptian backdrop was absolutely stunning and gave me major wanderlust. The storyline was intricate and kept me guessing throughout. The only downfall was the great amount of characters, some of which didn’t get nearly enough screen time or backstory as I would have liked. Additionally, I felt like the mystery took too long to get going and the runtime could have been cut down a bit.

Overall, Death on the Nile was well worth the wait. For two hours I was able to forget the outside world and become enveloped in what was unfolding around me. I can only hope that there is another Poirot story to come in the near future.

Rating: ♥♥♥.5

Marry Me

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Global superstar Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is set to marry fellow musician Bastian (Maluma) on stage in front of twenty million people during their tour. But when she finds out moments before they tie the knot that Bastian cheated on her with her assistant, Kat, seemingly having a breakdown, agrees to marry a complete stranger from the crowd who was holding up a ‘Marry Me’ sign instead. Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), a divorced math teacher, is the complete opposite of Kat. The only reason he was at the concert was because he was dragged there by his friend and colleague Piper (Sarah Silverman) and his daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman). To the world, there is no way they can make their marriage work, but they are determined to give it their very best shot.

Sometimes we all need a little romance in our lives and what better a time to do so than on Valentine’s weekend? This movie sparked my interest from the very beginning which is surprising considering the fact that I am not the biggest fan of either leads. That being said, it had been a long time since I saw a romcom that ticked all the right boxes and so I dragged my husband to this on opening day.

Guys. I loved it. Every single second. I just had the biggest smile on my face, it was that cute. Is it entirely believable? No, not at all. I don’t think this would happen in real life, nor do I think Kat or Charlie would be able to make this work. But I didn’t care. What it did do was take me on a perfect escape where I was able to believe in fairy tales again. Not to mention, it totally had me laughing out loud and tapping my feet along to the catchy songs.

With it’s talented cast and surprising cameos sprinkled throughout, Marry Me is definitely one of the better romantic comedies I have seen in a long time. If you are looking for something to lift your spirits, as well as the perfect date night, make sure this one is on your radar.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥