Movies, Film, and Chili

  The Little Mermaid  is the live-action remake and reimagining of the Disney classic. There is a massive elephant in the room in this film as it race-swaps the mermaid Ariel. Race swapping doesn't automatically make it bad. It's Halle Bailey's performance that she has to bring to make it good. Halle Bailey's performance reminds me a lot of Bella from Twilight. She's wooden and boring to watch. She knows how to smile but that's her range, blank stares and occasional smiles.  One of the worst examples of agenda narrative was the inclusion of Noma Dumezweni who oozes contempt for Jonah Hauer-King's Eric in each scene she's in. There is even a directorial choice about where people are sitting that sends a message to the adult audience that the children won't notice. Also,  Art Malik,  remember the villain from True Lies , yeah now he's the good guy's mentor. Weird casting choice but his acting wasn't horrible. I wish they had gotten someo...

  The Machine is a fictitious continuation of the story in  Bert Kreischer's comedy. The story originated on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Directed by Peter Atencio , the film doesn't take many chances and doesn't have many things that are special. This shouldn't be surprising as Peter hadn't done a movie since Keanu  back in 2016 and for good reason.  The writing is probably the worst part of the film if it's not Bert acting. The film was written by Kevin Biegel, who wrote Cougar Town and New Warriors . This explains why the film isn't funny. I suppose I judge comedies for the amount of comedy they have in them. I'm the same about horror. If a comedy doesn't make me laugh just like if a horror movie doesn't scare me then there is something fundamentally wrong with the film. If Bert  has the worst acting then Iva Babic  has the best. I had not seen her in anything before this and she played the role written for her better than anyone else in...

  The Covenant is a military drama, set in Afghanistan, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Guy Richie . Written and directed by Guy Richie , the Covenant tells a story many men will relate to. The feeling of owing someone a debt and paying that debt back. The writing is tight and contains a lot of meaningful dialogue that I feel many military individuals and enthusiasts would appreciate. The direction has many throwbacks to other military adventures but also some of his earlier movies like Wrath of Man and The Gentlemen . It's certainly better than both as well. Gyllenhaal is a perfect choice for this and the role itself adds to his reputation and challenges him to perform in a different way than typical. He really has done a lot of different roles now at this point since the performance is vastly different than some of his earlier work. Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain, and Ambulance are such diverse roles that make him under-appreciated. I had never seen Dar Salim in anothe...

  Fast X is the 10th installment in the Fast and Furious franchise. This time it's about family. Director Louis Leterrier  has worked with one of the fast members in Jason Stathom's The Transporter . This film doesn't feel like that at all, if anything it feels like his The Incredible Hulk  and Now You See Me . I'd say this was an arduous task for Leterrier as there are so many characters to use and keep relevant. It's a popcorn movie and you shouldn't expect great direction. Justin Lin  returns as this movie's main writer. The writing feels very similar to F9 as that was the other Fast movie he wrote. Whereas Gary Scott Thompson,  who wrote all of the Fast movies, feels like just someone who is there to remind people of certain events or character traits. There is a lot of cheese. Vin Diesel's  weight both in the movie and in physicality fluctuates throughout the movie. He doesn't really change much about how his character is portrayed in the film ...

  Hypnotic is a thriller by Robert Rodriguez. This is his first feature film since Alita: Battle Angel . There have been a lot of rumors about a sequel to that movie, which I would be excited to see. RR has been one of my favorite directors working today. Not only is he a native Texan but he also hires a lot of Texans/Mexicans to be in his films. You might remember Planet Terror, or Sin City. The marketing department really failed on this movie. I didn't even know it was coming out. I checked my AMC app and then noticed Ben Affleck , then saw the director and was blown away that this slipped under the radar. The writer, excluding Rodriguez, is Max Borenstein . Technically the screenwriter. Max has done some good things in the past with Godzilla: King of the Monsters  and Godzilla vs. Kong . The story is intriguing and out there but kinda boring at times.  Alice Braga  plays the love interest. She's been in a bunch of movies and is totally underrated. She was in I Am ...

  A Thousand and One is about a woman who kidnaps her own son from the foster care system in New York City. Written and directed by A. V. Rockwell , the direction has come a long way since Feathers in 2018. It really makes me wonder who Rockwell's inspirations and mentors were because certain things need to be taught. As far as writing goes, it feels quite personal and a lot of the dialogue could only come from a New Yorker like Rockwell. While I'm curious what Rockwell does next I worry that if she doesn't branch out she'll put herself in an impossible situation and be known for these types of movies. Look at what James Wan did, he became known for horror then went off and did Aquaman . Teyana Taylor is gorgeous and engaging in this film. You might recognize her from Coming 2 America . She plays the main character and has to carry the film even though the second part becomes more about her son than her, the film still focuses on her. She'll be in the remake of W...

  Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3  is James Gunn's ending to his trilogy of films. Without spoilers, he seals the story of Star-Lord and the bunch in a way only James Gunn can. Written and directed by James Gunn, the best part of the film is how tight it feels. There were only a few scenes that really felt overdone or too short. Only one character felt rushed and underdeveloped. That was Chukwudi Iwuji 's The High Evolutionary. Iwuji has worked with Gunn in Peacemaker as Clemson Murn. It seems Gunn is trying his best to be a Tarantino of Comic book movies. The problem is, he doesn't put out solid gold. Chris Pratt  reprises his role as Peter Quill. The movie doesn't really focus on his story too much even though his scenes with Zoe Saldana were some of the best. The film tries heavy-handed for you to care about Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon. I can imagine some people falling for the scenes and trying to make Rocket into a victim and wanting to see him overcome h...

  Renfield is about Dracula's familiar who has grown over the centuries he has been under servitude and finally wants something more. Directed by Chris McKay , who is better known for The Lego Movie , and The Tomorrow War . There were certainly some technical difficulties when filming superhuman abilities but there was a plentitude of fun and suspension of disbelief that he worked around mostly for the good part. I was surprised to see Robert Kirkman 's name under the writers as I expected better writing but perhaps it was due to his Rick and Morty  screenplay-writer Ryan Ridley . The film suffers in the writing department as this feels like a pilot to a tv show that just went a little long. Nicholas Hoult  seemed typecast for this movie. I say that but also he does the role justice. He plays Renfield who has to appear weak and subservient which his appearance always just oozes. His best scenes are with Awkwafina  who plays the love interest slash incorruptible cop....