Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves is a fantasy epic involving a band of misfit thieves who have to save the sword coast from a powerful red wizard.

Written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, D&D has a ton of tropes that fans of the tabletop game will recognize and -insert ackchyually meme- there are a lot of things that don't transfer over. I heard this movie was going to emasculate men in the writing, I didn't notice it so much. There were little bits but nothing glaring like in Incredibles 2. Daley is a well-known actor from Freaks and Geeks and later in Bones. Goldstein is better known for Spider-man: Homecoming, Game Night, and Horrible Bosses.

Chris Pine suffers the need for character growth as does Justice Smith, where the female characters are pretty much stagnant throughout the film. A small exception for Sophia Lillis's character who has a minor arch.

A real surprise in this film was Regé-Jean Page. I did not like him in The Gray Man, though I was supposed to not like him, and also I disliked him in Mortal Engines. Here though he plays paladin very well almost like he knew what he was doing. I'd love to find out and I'm happy Page gave me a performance I could look forward to when I notice him in another film.

I was lucky to get into a preview showing for this film, and my expectations were both high and low at the same time. High because I'm a dungeon master, and low because I didn't expect much out of the actors. I was pleasantly surprised. Result: B+

Comments

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) is written and directed by Scott Cooper , known for Crazy Heart and Hostiles . Cooper brings his usual grounded, character-focused direction to this film, capturing both the grit and quiet poetry of Bruce Springsteen’s life and music. Even for those who aren’t fans of “The Boss,” the film works as an emotional drama about artistry, loss, and self-reflection. Jeremy Allen White , best known for The Bear and The Iron Claw , disappears into his portrayal. At times, he’s nearly unrecognizable in both appearance and delivery. White manages to balance intensity with vulnerability, showing a man who’s haunted yet deeply passionate. It’s a masterclass in subtle expression, with his ability to communicate emotion without words being one of the film’s greatest strengths. Odessa Young , known for Shirley and Mothering Sunday , is radiant. She lights up every scene she’s in and brings warmth to a film that could have easily been too brooding. Her c...

Lost in the Stars (2023)

Lost in the Stars is a Mandarin thriller with twists you'll see coming and one you might not. Directed by newcomer Rui Cui, and cinematographer Xiang Liu . Liu knows his cinematography very well while cherry Cui lets the viewer know he's relatively new with mistakes that will leave the average audience going "somethings off with this" and not really knowing what's wrong. It's the camera angles and quick cuts. I believe the quick cuts are intentional and this isn't a deep movie, its feelings are very much surface-level. Yilong Zhu plays He Fei, a man who has lost his wife while on their anniversary trip to Southeast Asia. He is the most experienced actor and carries the film with his performance. By the end of the film, you'll understand the depths Zhu has in his acting. He hasn't done much, if anything, that would be considered American, but he's been working since 2010. Janice Man is the femme fatal in this film. She plays the beautiful ...

The Black Phone 2 (2025)

The Black Phone 2 (2025) is written and directed by Scott Derrickson , the mind behind Sinister and the original The Black Phone . While Derrickson’s return should have elevated the sequel, the film instead leans too heavily on exposition, losing much of the dread and mystery that made the first entry so chilling. The scares feel explained rather than experienced, and the pacing suffers because of it. Mason Thames , reprising his role from the original, delivers a respectable performance. Now older, he brings maturity to the character, though much of the fear and vulnerability that made him compelling in the first film is gone. His performance is serviceable but lacks the spark of discovery the story needs. Ethan Hawke , known for Training Day and Dead Poets Society , returns as The Grabber. His presence still commands the screen, but his reduced role feels like a missed opportunity. The movie never finds a figure as haunting or magnetic as his portrayal in the original. Madelein...

Movies, Film, and Chili

Search This Blog