Tag: JoeyKing

Despicable Me 4

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Gru (Steve Carell), Lucy (Kristen Wiig), Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), Agnes (Madison Polan) and the Minions (Pierre Coffin) are back in an all new adventure! With a new addition to their family, Gru Jr., Gru is finding it difficult to bond with his son, especially because his son is intent on tormenting his dad. When old arch nemesis Maxime (Will Ferrell) and his girlfriend Valentina (Sofía Vergara) break out of prison, the family are forced to go on the run.

I have always been a fan of the Despicable Me and Minion movies. They are just so much fun! The storylines are usually full of twists and turns and while you more or less know how they will turn out, you still have a good time anyway.

This time around we were joined by some new faces. Joey King donned the role of Poppy Prescott, a new neighbor who dreams of becoming a villain. Her dad Perry voiced by Stephen Colbert and her mom Patsy voiced by Chloe Fineman were great additions that added some new dynamics. I also thought that Maxime and Valentina were worthy villains and learning about Maxime’s past with Gru was interesting too.

I’m always so impressed with the animation in these films. It’s so vivid and I enjoyed seeing different locations from the first three instalments. Mayflower, for example, was a cute little town that the family had to flee to for protection. It was fun getting an inside look at the top secret headquarters where the Minions were hiding out as well as Gru’s school where he learned to become bad.

My favorite part, however, was the Minions. The obsession that I have with these creatures is unmatched. They are just so freaking cute and they say the funniest things. I think I laughed the most when they were on screen.

Despicable Me 4 is just as much fun as its predecessors. Audiences of all ages can find something to enjoy here. With its brilliant animation and talented voice cast, there is a lot to appreciate. I am already very much looking forward to the next Minions movie and whatever else may come from this franchise. I don’t think it’s one I will ever get tired of.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

A Family Affair

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In Netflix’s newest romantic comedy offering, Zara Ford (Joey King) works for movie superstar Chris Cole (Zac Efron) who is the worst boss ever. By a twist of fate, Chris strikes up a relationship with Zara’s mother Brooke (Nicole Kidman).

This is not the first time we’ve seen a relationship blossom between an older woman and a younger man. I liked how this time around the age factor wasn’t the focal point of the story. Instead the audience is invited into the worlds of these characters as they embark on a journey of self discovery. Of course some hijinks ensue. There are some laugh out loud moments and one in particular that had my husband reaching for the remote to rewind it and watch it again.

At the core is a heartfelt story about finding yourself and growing up. Sure Chris and Brooke form the central romance, but I really liked the depiction of the mother daughter relationship between Zara and Brooke and that of Brooke and her mother in law Leila (Kathy Bates). It really helped tie it all together for me.

The cast was what definitely made the film. King, although a bit whiny at times, was relatable as the lead. Efron proves he’s still a heartthrob and Kidman is as lovely and beautiful as ever. At first I didn’t buy their chemistry, but I have to say that it did eventually win me over. The fact that they got Bates for the grandmother was genius and we can’t leave out the supporting cast of Liza Koshy and Sherry Cola as Zara friends Eugenie and Stella.

Overall, A Family Affair may not add anything new to the genre, but it is a perfectly fine flick with something everyone can enjoy. Thanks to the star studded cast and the emotional material it left me feeling satisfied.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Bullet Train

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Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is an assassin who has been unlucky in his latest missions. Now he finds himself on a train going from Tokyo to Kyoto where all he wants to do is his job. What he doesn’t bargain for is the many other assassins that are traveling along with him, all for their own purposes. What started off as something seemingly easy turns out to be the complete opposite.

One of the summer’s hottest blockbusters, Bullet Train is an action adventure romp that doesn’t let up for one moment. It starts off with a bang and keeps going until the credits roll. The fight sequences, in particular, were entertaining and exciting. Sometimes it was as if they came from a comic book and while the gore was pretty graphic, it was executed in a way that made it funny.

Brad Pitt is one of the best actors of our generation and he knocked it out of the park as Ladybug. He carried the movie on his back and had great interactions with his fellow costars. Other standouts for me include Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). They captured every scene they were in and made me laugh constantly. I wish we’d had more of them because they were just that good. And while we didn’t see much of her, I loved Sandra Bullock’s role as Maria, Ladybug’s handler.

The movie may have boasted even more well known names such as Joey King, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, Logan Lerman and Zazie Beetz but they weren’t featured nearly as much as I would have liked. I guess that is one of the downsides of having such a large cast of characters. There were a couple here that we didn’t learn anything about which was a pity.

With bright neon lights and a killer soundtrack complete with Japanese covers of Stayin’ Alive and Holding Out For A Hero, Bullet Train sucked me into a thrilling adventure. There were a couple of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat and while it was totally bonkers at times, I was able to let go and get lost in it.

Rating: ♥♥♥

The Princess

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When a princess (Joey King) refuses to marry evil sociopath Julius (Dominic Cooper), she is kidnapped by his henchmen and locked in one of the towers of her father’s castle. As Julius plans on taking over the kingdom, the Princess must escape and save her people before it’s too late.

Hulu’s The Princess is an over the top action movie, so if that isn’t your thing, then I would stay clear. There isn’t much to the plot; instead the story moves forward with one fight sequence after another. Some of these are rather gory and can seem repetitive, but I have to commend Joey King for giving it her all here. As someone who has always wanted to star in an action flick, not only does she perform the majority of her stunts, she does them well too.

As for the rest of the cast, it was fun to see Dominic Cooper in the role of a bad guy. It seemed as if he was having a fun time with it. Other honorable mentions go to Olga Kurylenko as Julius’s accomplice Moira. She was completely ruthless. I also enjoyed the additions of Kristofer Kamiyasu as Khai and Veronica Ngo as Linh, both of who were important in The Princess’s combat training.

Overall, The Princess is an entertaining enough romp perfect to indulge in on a Sunday afternoon. The girl power atmosphere heightens the overall experience, but aside from that, it falls short.

Rating: ♥♥.5

The Kissing Booth 3

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It’s the last summer before college and Elle Evans (Joey King) is determined to make it the best one yet. Together with her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney), his girlfriend Rachel (Meganne Young) and Elle’s boyfriend Noah (Jacob Elordi), they make a plan to stay at the Flynn family beach house before it’s sold. But Elle has some decisions to make and she soon finds herself torn between Lee and Noah. Lee wants her to go to Berkeley with him like they always planned, but Noah is banking on her choosing Harvard where he studies. It will surely be a summer neither of them will forget.

I was curious to see how the final instalment of The Kissing Booth trilogy would come to a close. And while I was mostly satisfied with the ending, I have to say that everything leading up to it left much to be desired.

Elle and Noah are supposed to be this cute couple that you want to root for, but fuck were they annoying. I couldn’t take their constant back and forth and just wanted them to either sit down to talk or break up for good. Instead though, Elle was whiny and would turn to anyone but Noah to talk about their issues and Noah was just a straight up douche who would flee whenever a problem arose. To say it was exhausting watching them is an understatement.

I also didn’t think the way Lee treated Elle was right. They are supposed to be best friends who have each others’ back through it all and it didn’t seem that way. I understand her choosing between the two brothers is integral to the plot, however it got old fast. No wonder Elle could barely figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She was being pulled in every direction.

All in all, I kind of expected more from The Kissing Booth 3. While the story ended on a high, it was way too messy to get there in the first place and I’m happy it’s over.

Rating: ♥♥.5