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

Weapons (2025)

Weapons is written and directed by Zach Cregger , who previously made Barbarian . Here, he delivers his best work yet, creating a film that feels like Pulp Fiction with a horror twist. The nonlinear storytelling, sharp tension, and bold tone make it one of the most unique films in recent years and, for me, the best movie of the year so far. Julia Garner , fresh off her roles in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Wolf Man , gives her strongest performance of the year. She brings a layered intensity to her role, balancing fear, cunning, and vulnerability in a way that keeps you glued to her every move. Josh Brolin is at his most gripping since No Country for Old Men . His presence commands the screen, and he uses his experience to create a menacing yet magnetic performance that elevates every scene he’s in. Alden Ehrenreich delivers the best performance of his career. He completely disappears into his role, showing a range and charisma that surpasses anything he’s done befor...

Aquaman (2018)

Aquaman, another installment into the DC universe of films, and the first time his origin story has been told on the big screen. Written and directed by James Wan , Aquaman is brought to life with beautiful shots and stunning CGI. There were four other writers to make sure that this movie was a hit. DC needed a win and hadn't had one since Wonder Woman. Geoff Johns also helped write the movie and it shows. Jason Momoa hasn't been this great since he played Kal Drogo in Game of Thrones. The humor is sometimes trying a bit too hard but it's nothing that ruins the movie. He's not a typical Aquaman and that's okay. This movie really isn't for the comic book nerds, they're gonna go see it either way. Amber Heard is surprisingly decent as Mera. I thought, going in, that she was going to be the worse part of the movie. You might recognize her from Drive Angry with Nicolas Cage. I was worried about Patrick Wilson as King Orm. His hair was pulled back ...

Am I Racist? (2024)

Am I Racist? is a satire and mockumentary about the anti-racist movement in the USA. I had seen Justin Folk's earlier movie called What is a Woman? and I enjoyed it, this didn't land as well and came across really as just a political statement. There is a tad bit of Borat in the film where Matt Walsh goes "undercover" where he just puts on a wig and wears tight jeans. The tagline of "A comedy to "D.E.I" for" didn't really land as I didn't really laugh. Matt Walsh is a conservative content creator for the Daily Wire. He tries to show how hypocritical some people are but at some point, the film just felt repetitive and didn't really have much to say. All of the paid interviews are very short for how much they spent to get them to speak. It also has a political lean which I expected but I didn't expect them to lean this hard into it. The film could have been structured better and had a better message. Result: C

Movies, Film, and Chili

Search This Blog