Tag: MovieBlog

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: ♥♥♥♥

The Fallout

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What starts out as an ordinary day for Vada (Jenna Ortega), Mia (Maddie Ziegler) and Quinton (Niles Fitch) suddenly turns into a tragedy that will change their lives forever. The way in which they deal with the aftermath may be different, but the bond they form will only grow stronger.

I don’t think I can put into words just how much this movie struck a chord with me. The subject matter, while extremely heavy, was dealt in such a poignant way that I have to give props to director Megan Park. Her approach was exactly the way it should have been.

Something I really appreciated was the fact that instead of focusing on the event itself, we got to see the aftermath of it. How these characters tried to not only move on from what happened, but make peace with it at the same time. Although they couldn’t be more opposite, the ways in which they lean on each other was not only realistic, but moving to watch.

Jenna Ortega knocked her performance out of the park. I’ve seen her in a few times before, but never anything on this level. She’s got a bright future ahead. The same can be said for Maddie Ziegler. To me she was always Sia’s protege, yet she really proved herself here. The rest of the cast in Will Ropp, Lumi Pollack, John Ortiz, Julie Bowen and Shailene Woodley were outstanding too.

In spite of its heavy subject matter, The Fallout should be recommended viewing for everybody. I know it’s a movie I won’t soon forget.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

The Royal Treatment

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Outspoken Izzy (Laura Marano) runs her own salon in New York City and dreams of one day leaving her life behind to travel the world. Prince Thomas (Mena Massoud) is about to marry the woman (Phoenix Connolly) his father (Paul Norell) and stepmother (Teuila Blakely) have chosen for him. When Izzy has the chance to do the hair for the royal wedding, sparks between her and the prince while learning that it is okay to follow your heart every once in awhile.

Giving off major A Christmas Prince meets The Princess Switch vibes, The Royal Treatment was a cute story about being true to yourself regardless of what your family and society thinks. I like how headstrong Izzy was and how she helped bring Thomas out of his shell. I was rooting for them from their very first meeting at the LaMott Hotel. The chemistry could have been stronger, but I was all for that scene in the wheelbarrow.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else to enjoy here. The plot lacked substance and I felt like the story dragged at times. Had it been fleshed out some more, I think it would have been much better. Laura Marano’s accent was overdone and grated on my nerves. I also couldn’t believe that I was watching Mena Massoud as the prince. I guess he really has been struggling to find work since Aladdin.

Overall, the movie was fine, but that’s about it. If I’m being honest, I expected to enjoy it the same way I do the above mentioned titles and couldn’t help but feel rather disappointed with the outcome.

Rating: ♥♥

Brazen

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Popular mystery novelist Grace (Alyssa Milano) is busy on tour for her latest hit when she receives a phone call from her sister Kathleen (Emilie Ullerup) asking for her help. What Grace doesn’t know is that in addition to teaching at a fancy private school, Kathleen moonlights as a webcam performer, hoping the extra funds will aid her in the nasty custody battle she is facing with her ex (David Lewis). But when Kathleen is brutally murdered one night, Grace finds herself sucked into the case, as if one of the storylines of her books is playing out in front of her. Teaming up with investigator Ed (Sam Page) and his partner Ben (Malachi Weir), they race against time to find the killer before he strikes again.

Based on the book by Nora Roberts, Brazen didn’t exactly scream amazing to me, but I was still curious about it. I’m a fan of thrillers and the plot for this actually sounded interesting enough. It also wasn’t completely predictable and I didn’t see the twist coming from the very beginning.

That being said, there wasn’t anything special about it. The cast were decent enough with some familiar faces, but the acting seemed dull and without very much passion. Grace and Ed were cute, despite the blurred lines of her getting involved in the case. I did like Ben’s character and I appreciated how the police captain (Alison Araya) was female.

While Brazen is not a film I would rush to watch again anytime soon, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. It more or less kept me engrossed the whole way through and the build up had a proper pay off. I do think it could have been so much better though.

Rating: ♥♥

Licorice Pizza

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Wannabe actress Alana Caine (Alana Haim) and successful childhood star Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) live in the San Fernando Valley and meet by chance at school picture day. She’s 25 and he’s 15. As they grow up during the ’70s, their friendship grows into a partnership and later love, in spite of all they go through.

Licorice Pizza has been getting so much praise that I had to see what all the fuss was about. It didn’t seem like something I would like at first and I was very close to giving it a miss. Suffice to say, I am so glad that I didn’t. It wasn’t at all like I was expecting it to be – it was better.

If you are looking for a plot driven film, this is not it. What you will get instead is an exploration of various characters, what makes them tick and why they are the way they are. It was a different approach than what I was used to and sometimes the pacing seemed a bit clunky as a result. Sometime it was as if nothing was really happening which took some time for me to adjust to.

That being said, the acting was superb. Newcomers Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman gave top notch performances; their award nominations are rightly deserved and I look forward to seeing them in future projects. Mixed in with bigger talent such as Sean Penn, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Maya Rudolph and Bradley Cooper, it was a joy to witness.

Licorice Pizza is really as good as everybody says it is. It took me some time to wrap my head around what I had just seen but I mean that in the best way possible. It made me think and had me feeling nostalgic for a time that I have never even lived through.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

2021 Wrap Up

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It’s hard to believe that another year has come to an end. In some ways, it was like I blinked and 2021 was over. Starting out in another lockdown (which definitely impacted my maintaining this blog) was rough, but then halfway through, movie theatres opened up again. Nothing will ever beat walking into that large auditorium, settling into those chairs and buckling in for a life changing journey.

2021 brought many great films that certainly made making this list a difficult task. Some I forgot along the way. Some made themselves known to me more recently. And others I wish I could erase from my memory all together. There are also a few that I think I generously rated, but what can you do?

So without further ado, here are my top 5 best and worst of the year.

Best

  1. Promising Young Woman
  2. West Side Story
  3. In The Heights
  4. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  5. Encanto

Worst

  1. Space Jam: A New Legacy
  2. The Green Knight
  3. Thunder Force
  4. Locked Down
  5. Tom and Jerry