Heart of Stone (2023)

Heart of Stone is a fantasy spy thriller for Netflix starring Gal Gadot.

Directed by Tom Harper who isn't really known in the States. He was nominated for a BAFTA and there isn't much wrong with the direction as much of the flaws of the film lie with the acting and writing. I was excited to see Greg Rucka was on the writer's table as he wrote The Old Guard which makes me think he wrote the action scenes which were okay if not worse. The progressive writing probably comes from Allison Schroeder which only hindered the movie. I know she's a capable writer as she wrote Hidden Figures. It feels like they're trying to make Salt or Atomic Blonde but with Gal Gadot as the lead and make it more modern and for a female audience. Action films typically have a male audience and so perhaps that was why it felt off.

Gal Gadot does not sell the idea that she's just a tech girl who's into chess. She also just walks through all the lines and doesn't emote much throughout the movie. She still has that look she can give like she knows exactly what you're thinking and it's not her worst performance with what she was given. I doubt she gave notes to Harper but if she did, Harper ignored her.

Jamie Dorman played the punching bag, metaphorically, in the film. He was my least favorite part of the film. His whole character was poorly written and his performance was eye-rolling. You might remember him from the Fifty Shades franchise. His acting hasn't gotten any better, if anything because of the writing I would say I'd rather watch Fifty Shades of Grey.

The film was a chore to finish. I couldn't wait for it to be over. This film will be forgotten by most. It's still better than some this year though because of Harper and Gadot. Result: D+

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Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Joker: Folie à Deux is a comic book musical and sequel to the stand-out hit Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix . I truly believe that Todd Phillips is trolling the comic book community with this film. It's weird, unwatchable at times, and nowhere near the first film. Even standing on its own without having the film be even considered a sequel it fails. It almost feels like WB was just paying him to make a sequel. Joaquin Phoneix doesn't phone it in. He just does what he's supposed to do and delivers a performance. He and Lady Gaga are really the only saving grace. While her rendition of Harly Quinn is nowhere near what was expected for a Joker film she still had a memorable but trying performance. Characters you forgot about come back and a few new ones that don't leave any impact other than to just be there and in the film. You see Harvey Dent but there's nothing to his character, partly at fault for hiring a no-name actor in Harry Lawtey who should stay on TV an

The Wild Robot (2024)

The Wild Robot is a DreamWorks science function adventure film based on the book series by the same name. Written and directed by Chris Sanders, the film feels like what Disney used to put out. The writing hits on similar beats like his other work Lilo & Stitch , The Croods, and How to Train Your Dragon. There is a definite switch from climax one to climax two and I felt more invested in the later third of the film but not so much at the beginning. There was a tad bit of FurnGully's environmental message in the film but the main message of how to be a mother was front and center. Lipita Nyong'o had to carry the film with help from Pedro Pascal and the best cameo of Bill Nighy . She voiced the robot while Pascal was the main supporting character of the fox Fink. I've grown tired of Pedro Pascal but his deliveries were enough for me to ignore my bias'. The worst voice actor was Brightbill's Kit Conner who must have some connection in Hollywood to land the

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Avatar: The Way of Water is the followup to James Cameron's original box office winner Avatar. Continuing Jake Sully's story, now protecting his family from Colonel Miles Quaritch again. Written and directed by James Cameron . The worst parts of the writing probably came from the writers of Mulan, both Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. In terms of direction, there was the expectation that Cameron would recreate some sort of magic of Avatar, Terminator 2, or even Aliens. I think Cameron gave the skeleton of the story and Jaffa and Silver added their own dialogue and beats. Cameron doesn't really write boring movies and I was bored through parts of the film. 3 hours and 12 minutes is a long time to have amazing dialogue and writing. Sam Worthington is back but you don't recognize him since he was barely in the first film except in his avatar form. Most people don't know Worthington. Maybe if you played the Call of Duty Black Ops games as he played Alex Mason. I most

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