MonicaBarbaro – Credits Rolling

Davis (Chris Hemsworth) has been pulling off high stakes heists along the 101 freeway for years now. When the opportunity to finally get out of the game arises with one final heist to end all heists, Davis hopes that insurance broker Sharon (Halle Berry) will work with him. Sharon has been at the same firm for over eleven years and she still isn’t getting her due diligence. Perhaps helping Davis will be the answer to her problems. Meanwhile there is Lou (Mark Ruffalo), a stubborn cop who refuses to give up on the case that has been plaguing him and LA for years. He knows he’s close to finding out who the thief is, he just has to wait a few more days.

I’ll admit it’s been a hot minute since I last settled in for an action movie. The cast was a huge selling point as I probably wouldn’t have been so interested otherwise. From the trailer I was expecting it to be your average run of the mill flick, but it ended up going in a different direction and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

As previously mentioned, the film boasts a cast with exceptional talent. Hemsworth was convincing enough as a thief who does what he does because he feels like he has no other choice. His performance was solid, however, for a main character, I thought he could have been a bit more prominent. There were some moments where I forgot that he was the lead. Berry and Ruffalo smashed it as the insurance broker and cop respectively. Their characters are both feeling underappreciated in their jobs and their lives that the decisions they make are believable. Barry Keoghan stars as Ormon, another robber who enters the mix and really stirs shit up. I was captivated every time he was on screen because he truly delivered an unhinged performance.

The cinematography is stylish and sleek which fits the overall tone. Right from the get go, the audience sees the upside down view of LA from the freeway while a female voice is leading us into mindfulness meditation. This is an interesting choice that instantly brought me into the story. Each frame felt expensive and the transition shots were well executed. It really made each arc feel connected to one another. The score tied it all together with pulse pounding beats that kept the tension locked in.

It did seem like it took a while for anything exciting to happen. The start was solid enough and then there was an unfortunate lull. Slow burns are sometimes necessary and I understand that this was done so that we could really get to know these individuals. I just wanted to know how they were all going to come together. This definitely made the film feel a tad too long. I also didn’t think it needed the romantic subplot with Monica Barbaro. Maya was a lovely character, but we didn’t get to know anything about her and she barely had any screen time. I had hoped she’d be more involved in the heist of it all, but alas…

Overall, Crime 101 isn’t trying to reinvent the genre by any means, but it does make for an entertaining enough ride. The cast do a great job, there are some great chase sequences that kept me on the edge of my seat and I do think it was executed well ad the end of the day. I do think if it had been just a little bit tighter then it would have been a slam dunk.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Since its release in 1986, Top Gun has become a classic that is beloved by many. Thirty six years later, the sequel fans have been waiting for finally hits theatres this weekend. Now a captain, Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is called back to Top Gun to train a new crop of the best aviators in the country for their most dangerous mission yet. But with his late friend Goose’s son Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw (Miles Teller) in the line up, Maverick has no choice but to confront the ghosts of his past.

I’m going to be completely transparent here. The only reason I went to see this movie was because my husband wanted to go. Neither one of us had watched the original until two days ago when we realized we probably should educate ourselves. He enjoyed it thoroughly whereas I found myself on my phone most of the time. Sure I was able to follow along with the story and knew more or less what happened, but it didn’t captivate me as much as I had been hoping. Going into my showing last night, I had no idea what to expect.

Slowly but surely, I found myself completely and totally engrossed in the story. I wanted to learn more about these new characters and I wanted them to succeed. A lot of that was due to the incredible cast that came together to make this happen. Tom Cruise proves once again that he is a king when it comes to action movies. He’s not one of my favorites, but even I have to admit that there is no one else like him.

Other stand outs for me include Miles Teller. As Rooster, his arc with Maverick tugged at the heartstrings and really made you feel for him. Glen Powell, who portrayed Hangman brought the good looks and cockiness whereas Monica Barbaro as Phoenix represented females everywhere. Additionally, I enjoyed watching Maverick’s love story with Penny (Jennifer Connelly) unfold. She was feisty and certainly no pushover which I appreciated.

Seeing this film in AVX was such a good choice. The sounds of the jets mixed with the score and special effects are really on a whole other level. Combined with a great soundtrack, it really adds to the overall experience. I’ve had Danger Zone in my head ever since.

I’m surprised as to how much I liked Top Gun Maverick. Seeing it on opening night certainly heightened my experience as the audience kept breaking out into applause. It was rather emotional now that I think about it to be able to experience something like this. It proves just how special film really is. This movie is going to be the talk of the summer. Don’t miss it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥