Special: Catwoman: Hunted, Scream, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania Mini-Reviews

Catwoman: Hunted

Synopsis: Follows Catwoman in an attempt to steal a priceless jewel. This puts her squarely in the crosshairs of both a powerful consortium of villains, Interpol and Batwoman.

My thoughts: A strong voice cast leads this excellent addition to the DC Animated Movie Universe as Catwoman finally gets a full length feature. Teaming up with Batwoman to take on an array of enemies such as Black Mask, Tobias Whale, Cheetah among others. There is never a moment to rest in this globetrotting romp that sees Catwoman and friends traverse the globe to take down a group of cartels and hopefully complete the mission alive so her record can be expunged. The animation is great which was a problem I've had with the last few DCAU movies. The fight scenes are well choregraphed and although there was one scene that was forced in to appease horny teenage boys by the time the end credits hit I had mostly forgotten about it.

Final verdict: 4 cat eye emeralds out of 5.

Scream

Synopsis: Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past.

My thoughts: The Ghostface killer is back baby and tormenting little Woodsboro again. Returning from the original trilogy are stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette as well as the OG Ghostface himself Skeet Ulrich and Deputy Judy from the previous installment. And like that previous instalment we get a new group of kids he terrorizes. Melissa Barrera and Jack Quaid headline the newcomers who must stop Ghostface before more blood is shed in extremely meta ways and they succeed. Scream, the fifth film in the franchise continues to do what it does best and is yet still evolving as this is by far the goriest of Scream films yet. Let's just hope we don't need to wait over 10 years for the next installment of this franchise.

Final verdict: 5 Ghostface killers out of 5.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania

Synopsis: Drac and the pack are back, like you've never seen them before in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Reunite with your favorite monsters for an all-new adventure that presents Drac with his most terrifying task yet. When Van Helsing's mysterious invention, the 'Monsterfication Ray," goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster! In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy. With help from Mavis and the hilariously human Drac Pack, the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent.

My thoughts: I didn't notice until the end credits that Adam Sandler and Kevin James roles were recast so kudos to the new voice actors for that. Neither have a long resume of good roles but reading this script they knew enough to stay away. The Hotel Transylvania films have gotten progressively worse since their inception and they do nothing to correct the course in Transformania. This franchise is beyond clutching at full length straws as they'll need to do something epic to get back into the good graces of movie watching public or else fade into the TV Animated Sitcom realm in which it's already dabbled in.

Final verdict: 3 recast monsters out of 5.

Special: A Quiet Place Part II, Tom & Jerry, I Care A Lot Mini-Reviews

A Quiet Place Part II:

Synopsis: Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

My thoughts: Krasinski did a master class in world building during the first film as we nervously inched towards seeing the monsters. Part II continues his knack for storytelling in this world as without the monsters to dangle in front of us like a carrot, he finds other meaningful ways to keep us on the edge of our seats. We also get a new level of grief our characters (both old and new) have to deal with as in the first it had been a while since their child was killed, this flick picks up shortly after the fathers (played by Krasinski) death in the first film so we get to navigate how each remaining family member deal with it and it shows how individuals deal with grief in their own way.

Final verdict: 4 worthwhile sequels out of 5.

Tom & Jerry:

Synopsis: A legendary rivalry reemerges when Jerry moves into New York City's finest hotel on the eve of the wedding of the century, forcing the desperate event planner to hire Tom to get rid of him. As mayhem ensues, the escalating cat-and-mouse battle soon threatens to destroy her career, the wedding, and possibly the hotel itself.

My thoughts: It's pretty harmless fare. I grew up loving the Tom & Jerry Kids Cartoon as a child in the 90's however call me crazy but a movie called "Tom & Jerry" should probably take the lead. Instead, they act as auxiliary characters to Chloe Grace Moretz who lied her way into a lead promotion at a hotel setting up a big celeb wedding with no experience. What could PAWssibly go wrong? 

Final verdict: 3 fake hotel staff out of 5.

I Care A Lot:

Synopsis: Poised with sharklike self-assurance, Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) is a professional, court-appointed guardian for dozens of elderly wards whose assets she seizes and cunningly bilks through dubious but legal means. It's a well-oiled racket that Marla and her business-partner and lover Fran (Eiza González) use with brutal efficiency on their latest "cherry," Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest) -- a wealthy retiree with no living heirs or family. But when their mark turns out to have an equally shady secret of her own and connections to a volatile gangster (Peter Dinklage), Marla is forced to level up in a game only predators can play -- one that's neither fair, nor square.

My thoughts: I was shocked when I went to RT to get the above synopsis and seen such a low audience score. I was shocked watching this wondering if guardians could really do these things. Pike is a tour de force in this one as she actively makes you hate her to the point you root for the power hungry, drug kingpin to win and although things do go sideways multiple times the movie is able to keep pulling you in for more.

Final verdict: 4 sleezy retirement homes out of 5.

Special: Justice Society: World War II, The Woman In The Window, Coming 2 America Mini-Reviews

Justice Society: World War II:

Synopsis: The Justice Society of America, a group of heroes aiding the allies in World War 2, makes an ally from the future who sends them on a history-changing adventure.

My thoughts: As was my issue with Man Of Tomorrow I find this art style very distracting but since this is 2 movies in a row in this universe (and more to come seemingly teased) I'll just have to get used to it. Other than that this was a fun romp through World War II which they surprisingly haven't tackled yet in an animated movie. DC has kept most upcoming titles under wraps which leads me to believe they'll have a big roll out at the upcoming Fandome of this new universe and what we can expect to come out of it since we thus far only have confirmation of Superman and now The Flash in Earth One anyways. The Earth 2 heroes were fun as I really liked their take on Black Canary but it was disappointing to see so many heroes die in the end so we can't have more adventures with them. And hey, Hourman got a hot second in the spotlight. Good for him.

Final verdict: 3.5 Nazi's out of 5.

The Woman In The Window:

Synopsis: Anna Fox (Amy Adams) is an agoraphobic child psychologist who finds herself keeping tabs on the picture perfect family across the street through the windows of her New York City brownstone. Her life is turned upside down when she inadvertently witnesses a brutal crime. Based on the gripping, best-selling novel and adapted by Tracy Letts, shocking secrets are revealed and nothing and no one are what they seem in this suspenseful psychological thriller.

My thoughts: For how they could of mailed in this simple premise I must commend them for trying at the very least. That being said they could've done way better with the cast they assembled. Some twists were predictable, some not so much and some characters they give very little reason for them to exist in this world. You won't feel like you wasted time watching this flick, but you also shouldn't feel the need to go out of your way to give it a watch either.

Final verdict: 3 twists out of 5.

Coming 2 America:

Synopsis: Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi(Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began.

My thoughts: I'm not sure if we necessarily needed a sequel to Coming To America but I was excited to give it a chance. Unfortunately I felt it to be a little redundant. I liked that they gave us a glimpse at characters from the original we knew and loved but they just kinda retreaded certain elements from the first and gave us a family sitcome type set up we're seeing more and more now a days with old family sitcoms being rebooted and updated and honestly Coming 2 America shouldn't feel like this even though it does.  

Final verdict: 3.5 Foreign Royalty out of 5.

Special: Moxie, The Little Things, One Night In Miami... Mini-Reviews

Moxie:

Synopsis: Vivian (Hadley Robinson), a seemingly shy 16-year-old, has always preferred to keep her head down and fly under the radar. But when the arrival of a new student (Alycia Pascual-Peña) forces her to examine the unchecked behavior of her fellow students running rampant at her high school, Vivian realizes she's fed up. Inspired by her mother's (Amy Poehler) rebellious past, Vivian anonymously publishes an underground zine called Moxie to expose bias and wrongdoing in her high school, and unexpectedly sparks a movement. Now at the center of a revolution, Vivian begins to forge new friendships with other young women and allies, reaching across the divide of cliques and clubs as they learn to navigate the highs and lows of high school together.

My thoughts: As a white male who fully realizes his priviledge, this tale set against the backdrop of sexism and (to a lesser degree) racism really spoke to me more than most movies about this subject. Maybe it's because it was in a high school setting where I recognize some of the happenings mirroring things I saw happen in high school. Anyone can pick something out of this, whether it's the mistreatment of certain groups or to learn how to become an ally to a cause. Equal parts heartwarming and rage inducing, Moxie should not be missed.

Final verdict: 4.5 zines out of 5.

The Little Things:

Synopsis: Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

My thoughts: It's been a while since I saw a slow burn thriller like this and The Little Things makes me miss the style even more as it's far from perfect. The cast are solid throughout (which you can see based on the poster it would be). But the pacing and director John Lee Hancock is uneven (a normal complaint about his work). The ending was solid, though I can see a bunch of people being mad about it. Jumping into these characters psyche's was my favourite part and I was left satisfied come the end credits but I wonder what could've been if wound up a little tighter overall.

Final verdict: 3.5 hair clips out of 5.

One Night In Miami...

Synopsis: On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali, (Eli Goree), defeats heavy weight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall, Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).

My thoughts: Generally in period drama's accuracy comes into play... But director Regina King says fuck that in her directorial debut. The cast is strong and the story is poignant however I can't help but feel they pulled us in multiple different directions without much purpose and the film was longer than it needed to be.

Final verdict: 3.5 what ifs out of 5.

Special: 2020 In Review: Best Movies of 2020

70. Tesla

69. The Grudge

68. Artemis Fowl

67. The Last Days Of American Crime

66. Capone

65. The Turning

64. Miss Americana

63. Escape From Pretoria

62. Body Cam

61. Impractical Jokers: The Movie

60. Hubie Halloween

59. Dolittle

58. Fantasy Island

57. Bloodshot

56. The Midnight Sky

55. Batman: Death In The Family

54. Vampires Vs. The Bronx

53. The Willoughbys

52. Get Duked!

51. Trolls: World Tour

50. Coffee & Kareem

49. Greyhound

48. Project Power

47. Stargirl

46. Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons: The Movie

45. The Christmas Chronicles 2

44. Scoob!

43. The Speed Cubers

42. Spenser Confidential

41. The One And Only Ivan

40. Superman: Red Son

39. The New Mutants

38. Godmothered

37. The Call Of The Wild

36. Underwater

35. The Gentlemen

34. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

33. The Invisible Man

32. Bill & Ted Face The Music

31. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

30. My Spy

29. Soul

28. The Hunt

27. Mulan

26. Superman: Man Of Tomorrow

25. The Banker

24. Secret Society Of Second Born Royals

23. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run

22. Beastie Boys Story

21. Phineas And Ferb The Movie: Candace Against The Universe

20. The Lovebirds

19. 7500

18. The King Of Staten Island

17. Palm Springs

16. Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm

15. The Way Back

14. Extraction

13. Wonder Woman 1984

12. Bad Boys For Life

11. Safety

10. Netflix Vs. The World

9. Da 5 Bloods

8. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War

7. Freaky

6. Magic Camp

5. Becky

4. The Trial Of The Chicago 7

3. Sonic The Hedgehog

2. Onward

1. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Special: Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, Secret Society Of Second Born Royals, Vampires Vs. The Bronx Mini-Reviews

Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm:

Synopsis: Released from prison for bringing shame to his country, Kazakh funnyman Borat risks life and limb when he returns to America with his 15-year-old daughter.

My thoughts: I remember seeing the original Borat movie and thinking it was hilarious at the time but as time went on and I didn't revisit it I wondered how it held up... Was it really that good or did I outgrow the comedy with age? I probably should've revisited that film first but I figured I remembered it well enough to dive into the sequel and I can now say it: Borat is still funny. There are lots of uncomfortable laughs that you'd expect from Sacha Baron Cohen. The underlining themes and the heart he and newcomer Maria Bakalova brings to them is undeniable as is their chemistry together throughout the film.

Final verdict: 4 shirt tucks out of 5.

Secret Society Of Second Born Royals:

Synopsis: A rebellious princess is stunned to learn that she has superpowers and belongs to a secret society with a longstanding tradition of covertly keeping the peace throughout the kingdom.

My thoughts: Disney owns Marvel yet they still went ahead and created their own superhero team. I'm not sure the general public will care about this film enough for it to become a franchise but it was a fun enough romp complete with powers, jumpsuits and high stakes action... Well high stakes for kids I guess. In a past life this would've been a Disney channel original that is quickly dismissed but in the age of streaming Disney could up the budget to make a better movie watching experience. The actors do well and will likely be the next wave of Disney kids (if they aren't already).

Final verdict: 3.5 crowns out of 5.

Vampires Vs. The Bronx:

Synopsis: A group of young friends from the Bronx fight to save their neighborhood from gentrification...and vampires.

My thoughts: Vampires Vs. The Bronx wasn't a bad movie. It certainly had big plans with the script tackling societal issues in a comedy-horror about Vampires. Unfortunately a lot of the jokes didn't work and since it's based on children the horror elements are pretty tame which throws this into B-Movie territory which looking at it through that lens, if intended, isn't that bad of a watch. The actors and directing throttles the line between over the top and playing it straight in an awkward fashion but the script itself is still a fun enough journey that you don't feel cheated or a waste of time even though you may not come back to this one on Netflix again.

Final verdict: 3 B-Movies out of 5.

Special: The Speed Cubers, Escape From Pretoria, Phineas And Ferb The Movie: Candace Against The Universe Mini-Reviews

The Speed Cubers:

Synopsis: Discover the special bond -- and uncommon competitive spirit -- shared by the world's Rubik's Cube-solving record breakers in this documentary.

My thoughts: Definitely not the strongest documentary I've seen this year but certainly still a strong entry. Clocking in at about 45 minutes I appreciate them not lengthening it out as I find often times docs stretch out the running time to get it considered a "full length doc" and you end up with a bunch of filler. The 45 minutes runtime was the perfect amount of time to learn about how Max Park, an autistic teenager beating his idol, Feliks Zemdegs, records one at a time and the growing friendship between the two as they navigate their different paths in life but that has one commonality, the cubing community. It's an inspiring story that's worth the shortened amount of minutes you'll need to watch it.

Final verdict: 3.5 world records out of 5.

Escape From Pretoria:

Synopsis: Sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years, anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin and his fellow inmates devise a daring plan to escape.

My thoughts: Escape From Pretoria is a throwback to old slow paced thrillers that doesn't involve a killer lurking behind a bush or a threatening individual holding another hostage. No, this was a tense escape movie with great acting and a true to form historical environment at play. That being said this movie wasn't all great. The pacing is slow... Like snaillike in places where the escape isn't happening. Which is 80% of the movie. This is the perfect example of a movie having a lot of ingredients for success but it doesn't get mixed together properly which hold back the dish from it's full potential. Radcliffe should definitely sign up for more of these roles.

Final verdict: 3 wooden keys out of 5.

Phineas And Ferb The Movie: Candace Against The Universe:

Synopsis: After Candace is abducted by aliens, Phineas and Ferb embark on a journey to rescue her from her captors.

My thoughts: This was my introduction to the world of Phineas and Ferb. I know it's odd to jump in after 4 seasons, 1 movie, 1 special and 1 crossover to jump in with the 2nd movie, but I'm honestly glad I did. It's such a smart series with ample piles of heart, comedy and adventure. In saying that it shows how good of a job the writers do setting up the characters for those of us that have no background of the show. The way they did that was an opening song which covered all the needs to know and it was catchy as hell as well as were most of the other songs they used. Count me as one of the people on board the Phineas and Ferb train. Choo Choo.

Final verdict: 4 aliens out of 5.

Special: The One And Only Ivan, Get Duked!, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Mini-Reviews

The One And Only Ivan:

Synopsis: While trapped in a cage at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, a gorilla named Ivan teams up with a caring elephant named Stella to piece together his mysterious past and hatch a cunning escape from their shared captivity.

My thoughts: Disney dips it's toes into the darker themes at play but fails to take advantage of it and instead simply brushes it off as a small component in the overall story arch where as if they focused on that as the main component it would have made the story a lot more compelling. The live action actors do a fantastic job of interacting with the CGI animals and the voice actors do well also. The emotional climax of the story pays off in a big way and have tissues nearby as you may require them. Not Disney's best offering but if Disney+ can shoot out quality like this even once a month the subscription is definitely worth it. 

Final verdict: 3.5 mall circuses out of 5.

Get Duked!:

Synopsis: Dean, Duncan and DJ Beatroot are teenage pals from Glasgow who embark on the character-building camping trip -- based on a real-life program -- known as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, where foraging, teamwork and orienteering are the order of the day. Eager to cut loose and smoke weed in the Scottish Highlands, the trio finds themselves paired with straight-laced Ian, a fellow camper determined to play by the rules. After veering off-path into remote farmland that's worlds away from their urban comfort zone, the boys find themselves hunted down by a shadowy force hell-bent on extinguishing their futures. From writer-director Ninian Doff comes an anarchic satire of generational politics, hip-hop loving farmers and hallucinogenic rabbit droppings that pits the youth of tomorrow against the status quo of yesterday.

My thoughts: The script is sound and the laughs and thrills are real. Get Duked! mostly suffers through acting problems due to it's inexperienced cast and a certain level of predictability involved in a supposedly off-the-wall bonkers movie.

Final verdict: 3 farmer parties out of 5.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War:

Synopsis: The world's greatest Super Heroes square off once-and-for-all against the despotic Darkseid – with the fate of all humanity hanging in the balance – in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe Movies.

My thoughts: DC decided to make their own version of Infinity War and Endgame rolled up into one and it works. It's brutal, dark with lots of twists and turns. The negative was the obvious elephant in the room: DC just wanted an excuse to reboot the DC Animated Universe (or end it all together) so they fabricated this movie in order to do it, which is pretty bittersweet as I've enjoyed this incarnation that has spanned 15 main line titles since 2013 Flashpoint.

Final verdict:4 magic incantations out of 5.

Special: Superman: Man Of Tomorrow, The Turning, Netflix Vs. The World Mini-Reviews

Superman: Man Of Tomorrow:

Synopsis: The Daily Planet hires an intern named Clark Kent. As Clark begins his training, he must go above and beyond the call of his regular duties to defend the city of Metropolis from the likes of Lobo and Parasite.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed the story Man Of Tomorrow had to tell. It was paced well opening up with a showdown between Lobo and Superman before realizing as the movie went on that the big threat was still yet to come and the two men must put their differences aside if they're to be victorious. My main issue with this movie is the art style they used which was very Archer-esque. Now I've never really seen Archer probably because I'm not drawn to the art but since it's a comedy I kept expecting comedic bits to happen in this film which of course never happened. 

Final verdict: 3.5 parasites out of 5.

The Turning:

Synopsis: For more than 100 years, a deeply haunting tale has been passed down to terrify audiences. Next February, DreamWorks Pictures' THE TURNING takes us to a mysterious estate in the Maine countryside, where newly appointed nanny Kate is charged with the care of two disturbed orphans, Flora and Miles. Quickly though, she discovers that both the children and the house are harboring dark secrets and things may not be as they appear.

My thoughts: I knew nothing of "The Turn Of The Screw" before seeing this film, I understand there are several adaptations of this, many of which are acclaimed... This one was not, and I can see why. The cast was strong enough but the script and plot were a mess. They also announce random characters just to move the plot along and they're never seen again. That being said the highlight was the cinematography as director Floria Sigismondi certainly has an eye for a beautiful shot.

Final verdict: 3 adaptations out of 5.

Netflix Vs. The World:

Synopsis: The story of how a tiny, broke Silicon Valley startup slew giants of the movie rental world, warded off Amazon and forced movie making and distribution into the digital age.

My thoughts: Easily the best documentary I've watched this year, ironically it's now streaming on Amazon Prime if you're interested. This doc tells the story of upstart Netflix that was trying to rent DVD's by mail that no one was interested in before becoming the leading streaming service in the world and defeating the mighty Blockbuster that at one point was a billion dollar company.  

Final verdict: 4 DVD rentals out of 5.