Movies, Film, and Chili

  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...

  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...

  Shazam! Fury of the Gods  is the sequel, and probably the last Shazam! movie for a while. With the reboot coming later this year, any setup this has for an end to a trilogy is up in the air. Directed by David F. Sandberg,  who I loved for Lights Out . It's interesting that James Wan, known for horror took David F Sandberg under his wing and now they both direct major DC super hero movies. They should really stick to horror. Maybe I'm just biased because I love horror. Henry Gayden  is back in the writing room, even though it wasn't the writing that brought people to see the first Shazam! This time I think the writing is actually worse. There are subplots that land and some that feel overly forced and politicized. Some actors didn't get enough dialogue or scenes to do much in. Some characters felt throwaway and to check a box. Grace Caroline Currey was top-billed or at least is at the top of the list for IMDB. She really carries the film for Shazam, she makes all th...

  Missing is a thriller involving a young daughter's search for her mother after she mysteriously disappears in Columbia. Written and directed by the duo of Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick , Missing is a pseudo-sequel to the movie Searching released in 2018. These types of films can be edited to keep the attention of the audience. Some pacing can be a bit too unrealistic but it's fine. This was certainly better than Searching.  Storm Reid  plays June the main character searching for her mom. She does a lot better here than in A Wrinkle in Time  where her character there was insufferable and don't get me started on Euphoria . Here she has a well-written arch from being an annoying selfish teenager to being someone who actually empathizes with others. Nia Long plays the missing mom, and she does a pretty convincing job pretending to be an overprotective mother with a secret. You might remember her from The Best Man or Big Momma's House . She certainly is better in...

  65  is a science fiction action adventure film involving a race to get to an escape pod because dinosaurs will kill you or perhaps something else will. I left a theater a few days ago after seeing Scream VI and I overheard two young ladies hating on this film while walking to their car. I assumed they had just seen it. I really enjoy Adam Driver  so I checked out the rotten tomatoes score before going to see 65. Something I normally don't do. This lowered my expectations for the film. Perhaps that was why I enjoyed it. Adam Driver  brings something to every performance I've seen of his. Even in this where he has to carry the film. I bought into him wanting to go home, wanting to save this other child. If it was any other actor working today I don't know if I'd go see Jimmy Kimmel or someone else try this sort of film. Written and Directed by the duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods , who are both known for A Quiet Place , the film isn't going to make anyone's top...

  Luther: The Fallen Sun  is about a smart but disgraced detective who breaks out of jail to catch a serial killer. I never watched the TV show as I'm mostly a movie person. I get a different perspective on things because of that. Many people will probably watch this because of the show and have bias. Let's see if it stands on it's own merits. The writing stood out to me as the movie flows from scene to scene without too much down time or boring parts. Kudos to Neil Cross  who I haven't seen since Mama. The film feels like it was written as a double-o-seven film but what if the main character was Sherlock instead.  In terms of acting, Idris Elba shines in almost everything he's been in with a few exceptions. There might be something wrong with being typecast but being typecast and suave and stoic might actually be an advantage. Even in a comedy like The Office  he still plays suave. Andy Serkis plays another villain. Here's another typecast but like Elba, he...

  Scream VI takes the franchise to a new location with mostly familiar and some legacy friends. Directed by Matt Bettinellli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Scream VI has the daunting task of making the formula still relevant. These two have started the reboot in the prior entry in the Scream franchise. I don't notice any glaring errors in direction. They make a pretty good team, there were some really tense moments as that was the horror they were going for. The writing is more important now with horror films than ever. Modern horror movies need to have either really good scares to make up for poor writing or the opposite. The film is written by the Amazing Spider-Man writer, James Vanderbilt. the writer Olpin and Gillett had from Ready or Not, Guy Busick , and the original Scream writer Kevin Williamson . With this many people in the writers room it could have been a recipe for disaster. Williamson took his formula for how Scream one and two connected and applied it to how five a...

  Your Place or Mine  is a romance between a helpless forever bachelor and an overprotective single mother who just so happen to be best friends. Written and directed by Aline Brosh McKenna , known for Cruella and The Devil Wears Prada . The film has typical beats of a romantic comedy but without the comedy. These people have one trait and it's taken to extremes. The problem is that people aren't like that, and so they don't feel relatable. The man is closed off and very business savvy but not smart enough to hold down a woman. The woman is uptight and very intelligent but not smart enough to realize she's smothering her child. It felt like a cheap shot on character arcs. Reese Withersoon plays the unlikable and over protective mother. She tries really hard to be cute and quirky, but in reality where this film doesn't take place, she would remain a single mother. Witherspoon hasn't been good since Wild .  Ashton Kutcher plays the business savvy playboy who make...

  Creed III is the third installment in the ever growing Rocky/Creed franchise. This time Creed is having to come to terms with his past. Directed and staring Michael B. Jordan , the film delivers on the direction as there are great and purposeful shots that perhaps only certain viewers would notice the connective tissue Jordan was trying to go for. I imagine typically a lot of older critics haven't seen many anime movies or TV shows that have influenced Jordan in his directorial style and influence. In terms of acting this time around he's good. There wasn't many scenes developed for a stellar main character performance though. That wasn't the purpose of the film though. I wasn't expecting another Fruitvale Station . Johnathan Majors  plays the villain in this and because of how close this film comes out to Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania,  where he also plays a villain, the comparisons will be made regardless. He plays a better villain in Ant-man but Creed III i...