Movies, Film, and Chili

  Evil Dead Rise is a fresh take on the Evil Dead formula. Ditching the cabin in the woods setting for a floor on a California apartment that is inescapable. Written and directed by Lee Cronin , the film lacks building interesting characters. The children, for the most part, are just cookie-cutter stereotypes. This allows the actors to bring what they can to the roles since they can't rely on the writing. In terms of direction, the film isn't scary. It's tense sure, but that isn't why horror fans go to see these films. Studios shouldn't give new franchises to directors who put forth mediocre work like Ghost Train . Alyssa Sutherland does the best in terms of acting. She totally loses herself in the role. Being able to be maliciously nurturing one second and totally off the wall horrific the next. The makeup department does a great job on her face too, allowing her to still be very expressive but also know that something is wrong with Mommy. Her acting makes me want ...

  The Pope's Exorcist is a horror movie about an exorcist helping out a family through faith and sacrifice. Directed by Julius Avery, the film has a hard time giving chills but it keeps your attention. Similar to how he did in his 2018 film Overlord.  He tries to set the film up for a sequel but only the box office will know if that will ever happen. Russel Crowe  plays the exorcist, who has a peculiar sense of humor. He even comments that the devil hates humor. It definitely added a twist to the typical exorcism movie. He's changed so much from The Gladiator or American Gangster . I'm not sure it was for the better either. He certainly has a sense of humor but it can break the ambiance. The main actress is Alex Essoe  who has been under the radar but in a lot of different horror movies in the past for instance: The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Midnight Club, and Doctor Sleep.  She played the part of a worried mother pretty well.  There were some moments...

  The Super Mario Bros. Movie  is an origin story for Nintendo's most iconic mascot. There are four directors, from Illumination there's Pierre Leduc and Fabien Polack , from Teen Titans Go! there's Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. That's a lot of cooks in the kitchen which could have led to a horrible movie. I think everyone that has seen the movie is thankful that wasn't the case. The problem though that I do have with the direction is how tight the movie feels. There's little room to breathe and something is always going on that demands your attention. It's hard to find time to look at the world that Illumination has animated. Jack Black plays a cartoonish characterization of Bowser  who up until now in the Mario games was just a villain with basic motivations. Now Matthew Fogel  has given him a more relatable motivation that some might consider a spoiler so I won't discuss that here.  Chris Pratt and Charlie Day  play Mario and Luigi so well that...

  Paint  is a comedy involving a painter who dresses very much like Bob Ross but acts like a rockstar. Written and directed by Brit McAdams,  better known for the first years of Comedy Central's tv show Tosh.0. As far as I know he hasn't really done much before this in terms of movies. It shows. There are some issues of pacing and he relies on Owen Wilson 's acting to come through but it doesn't hide his writing problems. Speaking of Owen Wilson , who is the main character Carl Nargle, he seemed to take the role because it was a paycheck and allowed him to be goofy. Also being idolized throughout the film is probably a plus to his ego. I like Wilson's humor that he brings to the film and keeps it from being trash. If it was anyone else in the role I think it would have been horrible. How do I know it would have been horrible? Well, the movie has a lot of Ciara Renee who has a certain charm that she brings to the role but her acting is still that of CW quality since...

  Air: Courting a Legend  is a behind-the-scenes movie about the biggest swing in basketball shoe signing ever.  Produced and Directed by Ben Affleck, who also plays the CEO of Nike in this movie, does his best to adapt the writing given to him. There is a lot of fluff and a few scenes that were great but everyone already knows the ending and can pretty much guess how the movie will go. It's not Affleck's fault either, it's the writer, Alex Convery,  and whoever greenlit the movie. The movie stars Matt Damon,  and you'll see enough of him throughout the movie. He doesn't do a stellar performance but he has some commanding scenes. Enough to make me never want to watch the movie again. He has some odd deliveries on some lines which seem to only exist for the trailer. I wanted to enjoy this movie, it has a solid lineup and a good moral to the story, but all of that doesn't make up for a boring delivery. B-

  Inside  is an artsy film about a person trapped inside a home he was burgling for art that he could sell. Written and directed by Vasilis Katsoupis, who isn't really known for much. There are shots and sequences that felt over-drawn out. There are some convenient plot devices in the film that break the reality of what is happening. Some things are breakable with enough time and effort but other times they are superhuman in durability. In the end, it's an artsy film about art.  Willem Dafoe  plays the main character Nemo. He's on display for any flaws he has in his acting and of course, he delivers what you'd expect from a single-character movie. He plays a failed artist and now steals art from those who were successful. You might remember Dafoe as Green Goblin  from Sam Rami's Spider-man.  I never want to watch this film again and most you'd expect to happen about a person trapped in a home for days on end you'll find. If you just watch the trailer you...

  John Wick Chapter 4 is the latest installment in the assassin, who no one can seem to kill, John Wick. Director of all the John Wick movies, Chad Stahelski, is currently Hollywood's hottest action director. He has so many movies and tv shows now in production or pre-production. I'm most excited about the remake or rebooting of Highlander  and the adaptation of Rainbow Six.  He has proven himself a box office draw and this film is no exception. The writer of the last John Wick, Parabellum , Shay Hatten  takes the franchise to satisfyingly new places that seem to fit within the universe. I enjoyed Day Shift  and Army of the Dead . Speaking of which, he has a sequel coming out soon for Netflix called Planet of the Dead . So look forward to that. Keanu Reeves reprises his role for Chapter 4. He seems just as fit as in the first. I look forward to BRZRKR for which Reeves is the main character in the comic. It just concluded and is going to be an interesting adapt...