Special: No Time To Die, Vacation Friends, Kate Mini-Reviews

No Time To Die:

Synopsis: In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

My thoughts: Going in I wasn't sure if this would be Craig's last bond but I can now say with absolute certainty it will be. Daniel Craig looked bored most of the time, although his character didn't have much to be happy about he didn't have to look this out of tune the whole time. That being said this is at the very least a middling Craig Bond film as the other cast stepped it up as did the writing and the direction even though the Bond theme remained stagnant as it has been a while.

Final verdict: 3.5 Bond girls out of 5.

Vacation Friends:

Synopsis: In this raw and raunchy comedy, straight-laced Marcus and Emily (Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji) are befriended by wild, thrill-seeking partiers Ron and Kyla (John Cena, Meredith Hagner) at a resort in Mexico. Living in the moment, the usually level-headed couple lets loose to enjoy a week of uninhibited fun and debauchery with their new "vacation friends." Months after their walk on the wild side, Marcus and Emily are horrified when Ron and Kyla show up uninvited at their wedding, creating chaos and proving that what happens on vacation, doesn't necessarily stay on vacation.

My thoughts: I'm pretty comfortable in naming this the best straight up comedy I've seen this year, though that list is short compared to past years and this film is not without flaws but the cast provides you enough chemistry and heart that you can pretty safely ignore the films other shortcomings.

Final verdict: 4 illegal drugs out of 5.

Kate:

Synopsis: Meticulous and preternaturally skilled, Kate is the perfect specimen of a finely tuned assassin at the height of her game. But when she uncharacteristically blows an assignment targeting a member of the yakuza in Tokyo, she quickly discovers she's been poisoned, a brutally slow execution that gives her less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her killers. As her body swiftly deteriorates, Kate forms an unlikely bond with the teenage daughter of one of her past victims. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Woody Harrelson, and directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Kate follows a burned assassin's furious pursuit of one last self-appointed job.

My thoughts:

Final verdict: 3.5 shots out of 5.

Special: Raya And The Last Dragon, Godzilla Vs. Kong, Bad Trip Mini-Reviews

Raya And The Last Dragon:

Synopsis: Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she'll learn that it'll take more than dragon magic to save the world--it's going to take trust as well.

My thoughts: Sometimes Raya takes the message it's pushing too far and it disrupts the storytelling that we're getting but that's about where the negatives end. This might be Disney's best output since 2016 but we'll see if Raya can stand the test of time over the next few years but the animation is certainly the best the studio has managed since that time if not longer.

Final verdict: 4 ancient dragon spirits out of 5.

Godzilla Vs. Kong:

Synopsis: Legends collide in "Godzilla vs. Kong" as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans--instigated by unseen forces--is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.

My thoughts: Godzilla Vs. Kong gives us what is promised, two big monsters fighting each other. They give us this at the expense of human character development, which honestly I wouldn't hate if executed properly but it still makes us spend a large amount of time with these human characters we don't know enough about to care, with the exception of Millie Bobby Brown who was fleshed out in the previous film.

Final verdict: 3.5 fighting titans out of 5.

Bad Trip:

Synopsis: Hidden cameras capture two best friends pulling hilarious and inventive pranks on an unsuspecting public.

My thoughts: I'm notoriously hard on hidden camera movies as it's only half acting. That being said Bad Trip is one of the better ones, though as noted, that's not saying much. Eric Andre, Tiffany Haddish and Lil Rel Howery run through the states causing chaos along the way. Unfortunately there's equally as much cringe as there was laughs.

Final verdict: 3 prank shows turned into movies out of 5.