Movies, Film, and Chili

  Pain Hustlers  is a fictional story based on how similarly true events transpire in the pharma business.  From the director of various Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts  films, David Yates, the film is very different than a typical Yates film. He had a major stinker with The Legend of Tarzan and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. This is by far his best film. Who knows why but perhaps it's the first time writers Wells Tower and Evan Hughes , both who've basically done nothing. That being said it's a great way to start. Emily Blunt has a hard time with her American accent throughout most of the film, but she does a great job playing the rags-to-riches woman who just wants what's best for her kid. It's relatable and builds on her legacy as an actress.  Chris Evans plays the man who brings Blunt into all of this. He plays a much more interesting character than he has in his previous few Netflix films. I believe he's trying to branch out and show his r...

  Killers of the Flower Moon  is the latest from the legendary director Martin   Scorsese. Scorsese  has made some of the best movies of all time, from Goodfellas and The Departed  to The Irishman. I'm sure it'll come as some surprise that I haven't seen Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, but did you know that Scorsese  directed Michael Jackon's music video 'Bad'?  This film might take some time for me to enjoy as much as his previous work but I could tell he put a lot of effort into the last act. The screenplay for the film goes to Scoresese and  Eric Roth. Roth was great at writing Dune recently, and Forest Gump earlier in his career. I haven't seen a dud from him and this is no exception. The first act could have been cut down for this chrono-heavy film.  Leonardo DiCaprio is a superstar but he puts on this stupid expression the entire film. Don't get me wrong I understand why the Scorsese got him to do this, but it still is an eyesore. The trai...

  Five Nights at Freddy's is an adaptation of a children's horror video game.  With a relatively unknown director, Emma Tammi , the film relies on its source material,  Scott Cawthon, and creative liberties, Seth Cuddeback . There was some poor dialogue in some of the character-building and exposition scenes but the film allows you to suspend your disbelief.  Josh Hutcherson plays Mike the main character who's just trying to take care of his sister played by Piper Rubio . You might remember Josh from The Hunger Games  as Peeta. He tries to carry the movie and does a mediocre job in doing so. He's still a one-note-Andy. He does have a sort of unspoken romance with Elizabeth Lail's character. Elizabeth has this sort of look that Mackenzie Davis really pioneered and a first I thought she was mimicking her. She does tend to over-act a tad but that might be due to her TV background and inexperienced director.  The CG was good, didn't see anything outstanding th...

V/H/S/85 is a collection of short horror films like the few before this. Segment one had a methodical buildup but really lacked scary moments. There were some tense moments with a bit of gore; if that's your cup of tea, then you'll enjoy this one. Also, the character development was better than the second.  Segment two went from lackluster to crazy really quick. It had a worthwhile ending, although its pacing could have been better. The buildup is more of a rug being pulled under your feet, leaving an overall sour taste in my mouth.  Segment three starts off preachy, boring, and uninspired. The VR headset looks too modern to be from 1985 because remember Nintendo's Virtual Boy headset from 1995? This one appears more modern than that. The audience in segment three looks as bored as I was watching this. The monster, I won't say what its name is, looks incredibly dumb. Segment three was the worst.  Segment four had an interesting connection to segment one, but this segme...

  Mad Heidi is a grindhouse movie taken as seriously as a pineapple under the sea. The film is set in an alternate Earth where instead of Germany having a crazed dictator it's Switzerland. There are cheese and chocolate jokes as well as plenty of over-the-top kills. People's heads explode, a man is killed with a particular triangularly shaped chocolate bar. Instead of waterboarding, they use cheese fondu. It's all very silly. The film stars Alice Lucy  in a sort of Inglorious Bastards style revenge but this time with a lot of nonsense. She's a girl boss at heart and any sense of this movie having a romantic counterpart is blown out of the picture very early. She meets a girl named Klara played by Almar G. Sato. While Lucy hasn't been in much, Sato has a bit more under her belt, nothing anyone has seen though. Also there  Rebecca Dyson-Smith,  who plays a prominent prison guard Lutz. You might recognize her from  Six Wives with Lucy Worsley  as she played A...

  Now that the 100-acre woods is in the public domain we get a horror version of it titled: Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey . Going into a film with this sort of premise you don't expect greatness. It's cheesy, female-focused, and over the top with its kills. There's very little terror or horror in this gore-fest. The director doesn't shy away from showing you the gruesome parts either. Rhys Frake-Waterfield isn't really known for directing as a producer he's made a bunch of B-horror movies. I'm sure each of those has gratuitous scenes. The film stars a bunch of B-movie ladies with none of them having a major film on their record. Who knows? After this perhaps one of them might land a role. If I had to place bets it would be Natasha Tosini . In terms of horror, the film suffers from a lack of terror. We just watch kill after kill and none of which really scare you. It's like watching Friday the 13th but only the kills. The dialogue is like every other m...

  It Lives Inside is a low-budget horror film about a demonic Indian spirit.  Written and directed by Bishal Dutta  for a modern audience. I imagine he draws upon personal experiences for a film like this. I'm not talking about the demonic part but perhaps fitting into the US education system. There were some progressive talking points that seemed wedged into the film, the main character even talks about homogeneous cultures at one point with her teacher. There were some good empathetic scenes once the introductions were over, especially about going against your mother's wishes to go to a party with someone she wouldn't approve of.  Megan Suri plays the main character Sam. She's infatuated with Russ played by Gage Marsh . He's probably best known for being in Batwoman the TV show. You might remember Megan from a movie called Missing. She does a pretty good job here since she's given a lot to work with. Dutta has some good horror moments for her to work with whi...

  The Nun II is about the demon nun Valek whose back and more deadly and terrifying than ever. Michael Chaves takes over directorial duties and does a much better job than he did with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and The Curse of La Llorona. This leads me to believe that he's either getting better or perhaps the writer was better for this film. There is a chance for the latter as Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing  wrote a pretty scary movie in The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Taissa Farmiga, sister of Wan's favorite Vera Farmiga,  returns as Sister Irene. This time she's paired up with Storm Reid  who has a hard time emoting, even when she's screaming. Reid got lucky she was in 12 Years A Slave  and then Hollywood decided to put her in everything. She hinders the movie more than helps it. Anna Popplewell  makes a surprising splash in the film as she wasn't really featured in the trailer. She has a face that fits the time period. I know that might be a weird...

  The Exorcist: Believer is another attempt by David Gordon Green to bring back old classics and make them new again. I wonder if history will be favorable with director Green.  In the past, he has done a disservice to Michael Myers and before that, he was probably best known for Pineapple Express. Before you ask if I might have had some bias going into the film, I didn't know Green directed the film till a few minutes ago. That being said I'm cautious about the sequel that was greenlit for him. The main victim in the movie is played by Lidya Jewett  who has some great makeup put on her and she does her best to impersonate Linda Blair  but I couldn't but get distracted by her huge forehead. Look her up and you'll see that her forehead is half of her whole head. Leslie Odom Jr. has the biggest part in the film. While the original exorcist focused on the priest this time the focus is on the father. He delivered the lines that were written for him well but I would have ...

Saw X is the tenth installment in the Saw franchise with gore and a finale that long-time fans will see coming. Kevin Greutert is back in the   director's chair. The last time we saw him was in Saw 3D and Saw VI . This is by far his best Saw movie if not his best movie in general. He helped edit Jigsaw and more recently the movie Cobweb,  which I still need to see. Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg  helped write a lot of the more recent Saw movies. The twists are expected and most of the film is spoiled in the trailer. The third act still leaves you wondering how are they going to get out of this one but a part of you still knows that everything will resolve especially since this is a prequel. I wonder how many more Saw movies Tobin Bell has in him. He does such a good job playing the character that he truly has become iconic in the horror world. Shawnee Smith is a welcome return as Amanda from the first few Saw movies. I can't remember what happens in Saw III but seein...

  My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3  is the third installment in the Big Fat Greek franchise, this time they're in Greece.  Written, directed, and starring Nia Vardalos, just like the previous films. Now she is being asked to become the head of the family. I imagine if they do a fourth installment that like the other sequels they will never live up to the first one and will have throwbacks you've come to expect now with any sequel. Paris is back, played by Elena Kampouris , she's pretty but her beauty isn't going to draw a crowd, and her counterpart, Elias Kacavas, isn't going to bring in the crowd looking for young eye candy. Both of them haven't been in much and their future doesn't look great either. Stephanie Nur  is a newcomer to this franchise and you might recognize her from 1883  as Melodi. She does a pretty good job with the role that was designed for her. She's not heavily utilized but that was because the franchise has become an ensemble.  Melina Kot...