Once Upon a Time in Mexico / Desperado 2 (2003)

Once Upon a Time in Mexico / Desperado 2 (2003)

3/10

Starring

Antonio Banderas

Salma Hayek

Johnny Depp

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (or Desperado 2) is a total bullcrap of a movie. Released eight years after Desperado (1995), it’s the final installment in the Mexico Trilogy. This movie wastes too much time focusing on everything except what matters. It feels like El Mariachi is just a supporting character in his own story.

The tale follows El Mariachi’s journey from the first movie through the second, but this one is overly stuffed with too many characters and subplots.
The running theme of him being lonely and seeking revenge for his lost love is the same here, but this time it feels old and overdone.

You have to stay on your toes in this movie because the plot is all over the place. It starts with a man obsessed with killing El Mariachi, which led to the death of his woman (Salma Hayek) from the second film. I think they just did not have the money for her character any more and wrote her off.
This backstory is told to another man (Johnny Depp), who wants to capture El Mariachi for his own shady plans. He succeeds early in the movie, but El Mariachi, though heartbroken over his lover’s death, is revitalized when he’s pointed toward revenge, like every action movie hero.

Johnny Depp’s character is just as dubious—he wants to control everything and uses everyone to achieve his ultimate goal. On top of that, there’s a gangster boss who’s into facial reconstructive surgery to stay alive and maintain his power.
You’d think that’s enough, but more subplots keep popping up, making the movie feel cumbersome and overly complicated.

I have one question for Robert Rodriguez: what happened to plain and simple?
That was the magic of the first two movies—they were straightforward and easy to follow. I didn’t have to worry about coups, facial reconstructive surgery, or Johnny Depp’s convoluted schemes. This movie tries so hard to be more than it should be.

Then there’s Eva Mendes, whose sole purpose in this movie is to introduce the facial reconstruction guy and then die later on.
Our hero has gone political, and if you think he’s all about madness with no love for his country, think again, my friend.

Don’t bother watching this final movie in the trilogy.

While the movie did make money for the studio, the ratio of box office returns to the production budget is much lower compared to Desperado (1995).

Desperado (1995)

Desperado (1995)

6/10

Starring

Antonio Banderas

Salma Hayek

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

There’s something independent movies have over mainstream ones: the freedom for producers to deliver their vision without compromise. Desperado is aimed at a mainstream audience, and unlike the first film, El Mariachi, the charm of a small production is gone, filled with A-list actors and too many gunshots.

The only film in the Mexico Trilogy I’d seen before now was Desperado. It wasn’t spectacular for me back then, and even now, it’s just good to watch—nothing groundbreaking. Robert Rodriguez didn’t hold back on the violence in this movie; gunfire is everywhere. Thanks to a handsome budget of 7 million (a huge leap from the 8,000 he used for El Mariachi in 1992), we get a more robust story.
The shootouts are better choreographed, and the effects are polished for the TV screen. With Antonio Banderas taking over the lead role, the last scene from the first film—where Mariachi’s girl was killed—was redone. This time, we see Antonio Banderas looking genuinely heartbroken and devastated by her death. Unlike the first film, this one is in English.

The movie’s plot is set up like this: El Mariachi is hunting for a man named Bucho. Bucho wasn’t in the first film, but he’s the head of the criminal gang responsible for the death of Mariachi’s girlfriend.
El Mariachi is all over town, killing Bucho’s men and anyone who tries to hide Bucho’s whereabouts.
In a new town, after a bar massacre, he’s saved by a woman (Salma Hayek), who sees someone escaping the bar trying to shoot him in the back.
She not only saves him but also tends to his wounds. They fall for each other, and as luck would have it, she’s Bucho’s girlfriend—mirroring the tragedy of the first film.

Bucho discovers she’s protecting El Mariachi and attacks her store, burning it down. It’s here that El Mariachi sees Bucho for the first time.
From this point, the movie includes a cameo from the actor who played El Mariachi in the first film, and that’s it for this summary.

The acting here is far better than in the first film, and you can tell from the production quality that this movie had more money behind it.
In the end, after watching this, I still have more appreciation for Robert Rodriguez and what he was able to achieve with the first film. That said, this movie is a classic of the 90s.

El Mariachi (1992)

El Mariachi (1992)

6/10

Starring

Carlos Gallardo

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

The Mexico Trilogy, Robert Rodriguez’s brainchild, begins with El Mariachi, a movie that tells a tale of mistaken identity. Made in 1992 with a production budget of less than $8,000, Rodriguez used amateur actors and low-budget effects to bring this story to life.
Rodriguez wrote, directed, produced, and even handled the cinematography and editing for this film. Shot in Mexico and entirely in Spanish, this movie laid the groundwork for 1995’s Desperado, which starred Antonio Banderas and had a much larger budget.

The movie’s plot is straightforward, and no amount of gunfire is spared. Two men work together on a job, and one screws the other over. The one who got screwed, Azul, ends up in jail, while the betrayer, Moco, remains free.
Moco calls Azul in jail, claiming he’s sending help to break him out. Instead, he sends three hitmen to kill Azul. The plan backfires when Azul kills the hitmen, breaks out of jail, and goes after Moco, dressed in black and carrying a guitar case full of guns.

On the other side of the story, we have a young mariachi looking for work. He’s also wandering around town in black, carrying a guitar case. Moco spreads the word among his men to find and kill Azul, describing him as a man in black with a guitar case.

You can guess how the mistaken identity starts and how the mariachi is forced to pick up a gun to defend himself.

For me, Columbia Pictures, which took over the movie and invested more in post-production to make it marketable in the U.S., are the real winners. This movie spawned two financially successful sequels for them.
El Mariachi is significant for setting a Guinness World Record as the lowest-budget film to earn over a million dollars at the box office. It also paved the way for the rise of independent films in the ’90s.

Out of the three movies in the trilogy, El Mariachi has the highest critic approval rating. From my perspective, knowing the movie’s background makes me appreciate the work done on it even more. The lead actor, who plays the mariachi looking for work, delivers a performance that makes it hard to believe the cast were amateurs. Everyone involved seemed determined to stand out, and in my view, they succeeded.

This is one of the best things about independent films, the makers have absolute control of how things will be.

The Legend of the Naga Pearls (2017)

The Legend of the Naga Pearls (2017)

5/10

Starring

Wang Talu

Zhang Tianai

Directed by Yang Lei

Well, this movie was surprisingly captivating. I was really interested in figuring out what it was all about. Why did a man have a blue glow on his hand? And what’s all this talk about winged people?
The questions were answered, and knowing the movie was set in a fictional world called Novoland made it easier to accept the many impossibilities that unfolded.

This Chinese fantasy adventure film was produced in a way that makes it easy for everyone to enjoy and follow. That said, it was very predictable. No matter how hard the movie tried, it couldn’t shake off that shadow of predictability. Still, I’ll give it credit for making the effort.

The plot starts with a tale of how winged people and humans once lived side by side. The winged people decided they wanted dominion over the humans, and a war broke out. The humans won, killing many winged people, while the peaceful ones were allowed to live among humans.
We’re introduced to a young boy with a blue glow emanating from his hand. He was bullied as a child, with other kids cutting him to see where the glow came from. He grows up to become a thief, calling himself the Saint of Thieves.

Many of the winged people lost their ability to fly after the war due to the lack of a particular substance their wings need. One winged person, Vlad, whose wings are still intact, is plotting to regain dominance over the humans. He and his crew decide to acquire a weapon that will help them achieve this. To activate the weapon—a doorway to another realm that will release creatures to kill all humans—they need two items. Vlad already has one, obtained by killing a prince and raiding his collection of rare artifacts. The second item is a blue pearl called the Naga Pearl.

Opposing Vlad’s plans is a winged woman named Raven, who works as a security authority in the human world. Her brother, however, works with Vlad. Another key figure is a human prince seeking revenge for the death of his kin at Vlad’s hands. The third member of the trio is Ni, the thief with the glowing hand. He’s the one who found the Naga Pearl, as his hand seems to have a connection to it. Ni and his team know the pearl spells doom if Vlad gets it, so they’re on a mission to destroy it, while Vlad and his crew are hot on their trail to retrieve it.

The set design is beautiful, and you’ll get plenty of eye candy throughout the film.
As you can see from the plot above, it’s pretty predictable, and the movie feels like it was made to set up sequels. What I don’t get is why they didn’t do more to make it less predictable. I’m not sure if the movie was a hit in China, but I don’t see it becoming a word-of-mouth must-watch.

Instant Family (2018)

Instant Family (2018)

7/10

Starring

Mark Wahlberg

Rose Byrne

Direced by Sean Anders

Instant Family promises to be a cool movie, with enough heartwarming drama to keep you entertained—and maybe even make you cry.
The movie delivers on those promises, and I enjoyed practically every moment of it. It’s a feel-good film about how adopting a child (or children) can turn into a nightmare. But this nightmare isn’t just played for laughs—it’s a raw, emotional journey. The couple who take on the role of parents regret their decision at first and try everything to change things. Soon, they start arguing with each other, and before long, they’re making things worse when they’re trying to make them better. But in the end, it all works out.

The plot follows Pete and Ellie Wagner, a married couple who are happy together without kids. They haven’t decided whether they want children yet, but they’ve agreed to think about it much later in life.
Their family teases them about it, and they can handle it—until Ellie goes online and reads about adoption. She gets hooked on the heartwarming stories and pictures, and she and Pete attend an adoption seminar. There, they’re won over by a touching story from a family who adopted a daughter.

They decide to go for it—and they go big, adopting three siblings. It turns into hell for them. They have to learn how to care for children who’ve been raised in unconventional ways. One of the kids is a teenager who just wants to be left alone. She’s been the one taking care of her younger brother and sister since their mom is a drug addict and hasn’t been any help.

The Wagners learn, in the most heart-wrenching way, how hard it is to raise a family—and how difficult it is for kids in the foster care system to adjust to new homes.

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne play Pete and Ellie Wagner, the parents who thought adoption would be easy. Their story is the heart of the movie, and their acting is out of this world. With a plot that could easily fall flat with subpar performances, this movie is perfectly cast from top to bottom.

For me, Sean Anders—the director, producer, and co-writer of the movie—has done something I appreciate as much as his 2013 film We’re the Millers.
Here, he takes the plot away from the conventional, overly positive portrayal of adoption (like in Despicable Me) and delivers a dose of reality.
The movies he made between We’re the Millers and this one—like Horrible Bosses 2 and Dumb and Dumber To—weren’t great. Even the Daddy’s Home series didn’t do much for me after We’re the Millers. But Instant Family is much better, and I tip my hat to him for it.

This is a good movie to watch anytime. You’re guaranteed to feel good afterward.

Gran Torino (2008)

Gran Torino (2008)

7/10

Starring

Clint Eastwood

Directed by Clint Eastwood

When a movie like Gran Torino graces the screen, it just blows you away. I was curious about how the movie handled the Hmong people, so I went online to read about the production. The cool thing is that Clint Eastwood cast Hmong actors, including amateurs, which is very obvious in some scenes.
The movie is a keeper, and the comedy hits you in ways you won’t expect. While it’s primarily a drama, it has some thrilling moments, and the way the story unfolds makes you not want to miss a single thing.

Here’s the story: Walt, an old man, is struggling to make the best of his life. His wife just died, and as a war veteran, she was the only thing that gave his life stability. Her death pushes him over the edge, leaving him bitter and hating life—and everyone in it. That is, until one day, his neighbor, a young Hmong boy named Thao, tries to steal his car. Walt stops him, and without realizing it, he thwarts Thao’s chance of joining a gang.
The gang comes back, pressuring Thao to try again. When Thao’s family objects, the gang turns violent, and Walt steps in with a gun to save the day.

The next day, the Hmong community tries to show their appreciation, and Walt meets Thao’s sister, Sue. Later, he sees her being harassed by thugs and steps in to save her again. Slowly but surely, Walt gets pulled into their lives. The Hmong people start to feel like his own family, and the movie shifts from cool to great.

Clint Eastwood was ahead of the game in this one, delivering an acting masterpiece. The movie started with a limited release but went on to make over ten times its $25 million production budget.

The film also shows how Walt decides to tackle the problems in his community. As an old veteran with strained relationships with his own children and no connection to his grandchildren, the only people who know anything about him are his neighbors—the same people he mutters racist remarks at.
Thao becomes like a mentee to him, and soon, both Thao and Sue manage to break through Walt’s tough exterior. He becomes willing to put himself on the line to protect not just them, but the entire Hmong community from the gangs.

This is a movie that, if you missed it back in December 2008, you should definitely watch now. It’s still amazing and hits all the right notes. If you’re familiar with Clint Eastwood’s work, you’ll know to expect some deep, dark, and truly sad moments in this film.

Space Cowboys (2000)

Space Cowboys (2000)

6/10

Starring

Clint Eastwood

Tommy Lee Jones

Donald Sutherland

James Garner

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Space Cowboys was one of those movies I looked forward to seeing back in 2000. I couldn’t resist the trailer, which promised a ride where four men who missed their chance to go to space finally get their shot.
I had seen Armageddon (1998) and loved it, and this felt like a new version of that—except with older guys destined to make it to space no matter what. When I finally watched it, I was impressed by the movie’s intensity. Unlike Armageddon, where most of the drama happens on the asteroid, here the drama unfolds long before they even get launched into space. The lies of the crew, and all the needed attention moving from one character to another, to make the movie stick out in your mind was masterfully done. To the point that, if the characters never made the flight, the movie was still worth watching.

The movie’s plot doesn’t pretend to have the same urgency as Armageddon, where the world was at stake if the team failed. Here, the American government is simply trying to help the Russians fix their communication satellite.
The plot is straightforward and, at times, predictable. The satellite in question is old, and the new engineers can’t figure it out. So, they decide to bring in the man who designed the original guidance system to help solve the problem.
That man and his crew are what make this movie enjoyable. Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones lead the charge with fantastic performances, and Donald Sutherland throws in some occasional laughs.

The story begins in 1958, with two U.S. Air Force pilots and aspiring astronauts, William "Hawk" Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones) and Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood), testing a modified X-plane. Hawk decides to break a height record, causing the plane to crash. Their commanding officer reassigns them, and with the Air Force no longer in charge of space flight—now handled by NASA—Frank’s team of four misses their chance to go to space.

Fast forward to the present, and there’s a problem with a Russian communication satellite that’s decaying fast. The only solution is to go up and fix it. With time running out, Frank suggests sending his old four-man crew, who never got their shot at space.

The movie did well financially at the box office and was well-received by critics. Watching it now, it’s still one hell of a good drama.

Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse (2018)

7/10

Starring the voices of

Shameik Moore

Jake Johnson

Hailee Steinfeld

Mahershala Ali

Brian Tyree Henry

Lily Tomlin

Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is an amazing computer-animated film and a welcome addition to the list of cool Spider-Man movies. The animation feels like reading a comic book—the way characters are introduced and the action sequences unfold makes it seem like you’re flipping through the pages of a graphic novel.
The voice acting is golden, but not as golden as the movie’s final action sequence, where our hero and his fellow Spider-People save the day.

It seemed impossible for Miles to take down Kingpin, but he did. The way he pulls it off sets his Spider-Man apart from the others when facing this universe’s Kingpin.

The movie is set in a shared multiverse called the Spider-Verse, filled with alternate versions of Spider-Man. Not all of them are Peter Parker, and not all are white or male.
The beauty of animation over live-action is that there are no limits to what the writers and directors can imagine. This freedom shines through in the storytelling.

Here’s the plot: Miles, while spray-painting with his uncle, gets bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes a version of Spider-Man.
Kingpin in Miles’ universe blames Spider-Man (Peter Parker of Miles’ universe) for the death of his family. This Spider-Man is publicly known as Peter Parker. Kingpin, along with Olivia "Liv" Octavius (this universe’s Dr. Octopus), creates a particle accelerator to access parallel universes, hoping to reconnect with alternate versions of his family.

During a fight between Spider-Man and Green Goblin, Miles stumbles into the lab where the battle is happening. He and Spider-Man meet and immediately recognize each other as versions of Spider-Man. The Goblin, working for Kingpin, pushes Spider-Man into the particle accelerator beam, mortally wounding him. However, Spider-Man’s thrust into the beam unleashes other versions of Spider-Man into Miles’ universe.
Before succumbing to his injuries, Spider-Man gives Miles a USB drive, telling him it will destroy the accelerator. He tasks Miles with stopping Kingpin, and Miles runs off just as Kingpin kills Spider-Man.

Soon, Miles meets another Spider-Man, Peter B. Parker, from another universe. Together, they try to stop Kingpin but are confronted by Octavius. They’re saved by another version of Spider-Man—Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy). The trio heads to Aunt May’s house to remake the damaged USB drive, where they meet even more versions of Spider-Man staying with Aunt May.

The Spider-People team up to take on Kingpin and his plans.

Seeing the other Spider-Men and Women step into their roles makes me wish this was a TV series with countless episodes to dive into.
That said, this universally acclaimed animation is raking in money, and I hope it makes enough to give us more of this incredible world.

The First Wives Club (1996)

The First Wives Club (1996)

7/10

Starring

Diane Keaton

Bette Midler

Goldie Hawn

Directed by Hugh Wilson

The First Wives Club is one of those movies that just hits home at every turn. It features some of the top leading ladies you can think of, and it feels like the female empowerment movement of the ’90s before #MeToo.
The movie was a surprising financial success, especially considering it received mixed reviews upon release. I give credit to the writing because, while the story could have been sad and depressing, it wiggled away from that. It became an uplifting ride about three women tired of being pushed around by the men in their lives. This movie is fun, comedic, and empowering. As the movie puts it, these women decide it’s time to push back, and their pushback is a joy to watch.

Bette Midler (as Brenda), Diane Keaton (as Annie), and Goldie Hawn (as Elise) are the three leading ladies, and they make sure we know it. The movie is based on Olivia Goldsmith’s 1992 bestseller of the same name, and the plot focuses on Annie, who also serves as the narrator.

Annie starts the story at their college graduation, where four friends part ways with big dreams for the future. Fast forward to the present, and what brings them back together is a letter from Cynthia, who has committed suicide.
Cynthia’s life was in turmoil and she had just gone through a divorce, and to make matters worse, her ex-husband remarried a younger, more attractive woman.

The remaining three friends reconnect over a long lunch and soon realize they’re all struggling in their own ways. Annie is separated from her husband and battling low self-esteem. Brenda is divorced, her husband having left her for a younger woman, and she’s also dealing with financial troubles. Elise, a movie star, is financially stable but addicted to plastic surgery and alcohol, and her husband has also left her for a younger woman.

They decide to support each other, bonding over their shared pain and forming a club to help other women going through similar struggles. Of course, a movie like this wouldn’t be complete without a touch of revenge, as the three women go after the men who hurt them.

The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Music Score, something you’ll understand when you watch it. There’s been talk of sequels and remakes over the years, and I hope that if one is made, it delivers the same kind of fun and empowerment as this first movie.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

7/10

Starring

Nia Vardalos

John Corbett

Lainie Kazan

Michael Constantine

Directed by Joel Zwick

Nia Vardalos wrote a masterpiece of a screenplay, and when the movie was made with her starring in it, neither she nor the studio could have predicted it would become a sleeper box office hit. I mean, the budget was just 5 million, and it ended up making over 360 million.
It set box office records during its release and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 75th Academy Awards. Not only that, it was a great production and was well-received by audiences and critics alike.

This romantic dramedy starts by diving into the life of our lead, Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos (Nia Vardalos). She comes from a traditional, fanatically Greek family that follows strict rules. Everyone works for the family business, the women are expected to marry Greek men, and they’re supposed to have lots of kids.

Toula is different. She wants more out of life, which makes it hard for her to fit into the family’s expectations. She’s a source of worry for her family—and for herself. One day, a man walks into the family-owned restaurant for a meal, and Toula is instantly head over heels for him.

She hopes this could be the man for her, but things don’t kick off right away. With the help of her mom and aunt, Toula gets a new job away from the restaurant, working at her aunt’s travel agency. There, she runs into the man again. Long story short, they fall in love and decide to get married. The problem? This goes against her family’s traditions, and her father insists she should marry a Greek man or stick to her choice and face the consequences.

Don’t get lost thinking this is just a romantic chick-flick. The comedy and fun come from how things turn out, leading to a wedding that’s as chaotic as it is heartwarming.

In the end, the movie is an amazing romantic comedy that deserves all the praise it received. I’m not sure why this happened, but a sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, was released fourteen years after the first film. It was neither a critical nor commercial success like the first, even though it was written by Vardalos and starred practically the same cast. The magic of the original was missing in the sequel.

This is a movie that’s fun to watch, especially if you give it sometime between viewings. It’s interesting, engaging, and full of heart. But please, oh please, skip the second part—it just wasn’t worth it in the end.

Sister Act (1992)

Sister Act (1992)

6/10

Starring

Whoopi Goldberg

Maggie Smith

Harvey Keitel

Directed by Emile Ardolino

In 1992, Whoopi Goldberg gave us a comedy performance that remains one of her most memorable roles. Sister Act is a comedic gem—the songs, the acting, and the plot all come together to create a movie you’ll never forget.
It won two Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for Whoopi Goldberg. The movie was a huge financial and critical success, leading to a sequel.

This musical comedy follows Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg), who starts out as a mischievous little girl and grows up to sing in a nightclub where no one pays much attention. She’s dating a married mobster named Vince LaRocca, and we see them argue as she pressures him to leave his wife.
He tries to smooth things over by sending her a fur coat, but Deloris later discovers the coat wasn’t originally meant for her. Furious, she storms into his office to return it and ends up witnessing a murder.

She runs to the cops and meets Lieutenant Souther, who’s been trying to take down LaRocca. He convinces her to enter a witness protection program, hiding her in a convent in a run-down neighborhood.

Her name is changed to Sister Mary Clarence, and she struggles to adapt to life as a nun, even temporarily. At the convent, she’s put in charge of the choir and turns things around, helping the choir excel and bringing new life to the church.

But LaRocca isn’t giving up. He uses his connections to track down Deloris, leading to a chase between LaRocca trying to silence her and Souther trying to protect her so she can testify.

The movie is hilarious every time you watch it, and I guarantee you’ll want your own copy after seeing it. You might be tempted to check out the sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, released in 1993. Unfortunately, it was a critical and financial disaster—and for good reason. The sequel packed in real-life young musicians but didn’t bother to deliver a good story.

There are some movies that should not be remade, or given a sequel and this movie is one of those. It was a perfect fit for the 90s and anyone who sees it now may have issues with the plot, and the way things were put in place. Remember, back then we did not have the internet in full blown with all the information about how the police actually worked. knew little about the way things worked and loved innocence.

Trading Places (1983)

Trading Places (1983)

6/10

Starring

Dan Aykroyd

Eddie Murphy

Jamie Lee Curtis

Directed by John Landis

Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy teamed up in 1983 to give us a movie about a social experiment carried out by two stingy, greedy, and downright evil men. Trading Places was a hit when it was released, achieving both critical and commercial success. Watching it now, the movie still holds up—it’s just as fun and entertaining as ever.

Directed by John Landis, the film explores the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture. The two evil men, the Duke brothers, decide to test their theory by swapping the lives of two men: one from a privileged background and the other from the streets. Their goal? To see if a nurturing environment and sheer luck can turn a criminal into a success—and vice versa.

The movie introduces us to Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), who works for a commodity brokerage firm owned by the wealthy Duke brothers. The Dukes aren’t just rich—they’re dubious, stingy, and greedy.
We also meet Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), a street-smart con artist. Louis and Billy cross paths when Louis accuses Billy of trying to rob him, leading to Billy’s arrest—even though he did nothing wrong.

The Duke brothers witness this encounter and decide to conduct their social experiment. They ruin Louis, stripping him of his wealth, job, and reputation, leaving him with nothing. Louis ends up at the mercy of Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis), a prostitute who was reluctantly involved in his downfall. She takes pity on him and takes him in.

Meanwhile, Billy is bailed out of jail and given everything Louis once had: a luxurious apartment, a high-paying job, and a life of privilege. The movie follows both men as they struggle to adapt to their new lives, with Louis hitting rock bottom and Billy navigating the world of the elite.

How things turn around for Louis and Billy—and how they get revenge on the Duke brothers—is something you’ll have to see for yourself.

The movie is a blast to watch, and Jamie Lee Curtis is a standout, adding her own charm to the mix. It’s fascinating to see how the experiment plays out, even though we know it’s just a movie and not real life. Trading Places delivers excitement, thrills, and suspense, keeping you hooked as you wonder how things will turn out—and how much you want to see the Duke brothers get what was coming to them.

Bumblebee (2018)

Bumblebee (2018)

7/10

Starring

Hailee Steinfeld

John Cena

Directed by Travis Knight

When you watch Bumblebee, you start to wonder what the hell the other Transformers movies thought they were doing. The Bumblebee formula for a Transformers movie worked, as the film is way more interesting than all the others.

This movie wasn’t just packaged as a prequel to the 2007 Transformers movie but as a chance to enjoy what the director (Travis Knight) could have done with the franchise. That’s exactly what I felt when the credits started to roll on this sixth installment of the live-action Transformers series.

The CGI, as usual, was masterful, and Hailee Steinfeld pulled off an amazing performance as Charlie, the girl who finds, fixes, and becomes friends with Bumblebee.
As usual, what I was looking forward to was a Cybertron showdown—a fight between Autobots and Decepticons. What I got was two awesome fights. The first was between Bumblebee and Blitzwing, which happened earlier in the movie. The second was even better; it happened later on, near the end, and it was between Bumblebee and Dropkick.

The movie’s plot starts on Cybertron, with the Autobots getting their asses kicked. Optimus Prime knows that losing is not an option, even though, at the moment, it’s happening. He makes the best decision and calls a fallback, planning to regroup. Earth is picked as the meeting point.
Optimus Prime then sends B-127 (Bumblebee) to Earth to secure and protect it until he can call the Autobots to regroup.

Bumblebee’s arrival wasn’t well-timed, as he landed in a military training zone—and not just any military zone, but one in charge of policing extraterrestrial activities.
His arrival led to a standoff between him and the military, led by Agent Jack Burns, played by John Cena. While Bumblebee was trying to get the humans to understand that he wasn’t there to harm them, the Decepticon Blitzwing showed up.
Blitzwing shoots up the place, killing many humans, but Burns survives. He and Bumblebee go at it, and during the fight, Bumblebee’s voice box is destroyed, and his memory chip is damaged. Bumblebee transforms into a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle to stay hidden as he shuts down.

All this happens in 1987. Bumblebee is hurt and out of commission for years, until a girl named Charlie asks for the Beetle as a birthday present.
She fixes him up, and he transforms back. Their introduction is something best seen rather than written.
They form a bond, with Charlie helping him remember who he is since his memory chip is damaged. She helps him get a radio, which he uses as his voice, and together they stop the two Decepticons sent to kill him.

This is the best Transformers movie and is worth seeing this holiday.

Aquaman (2018)

Aquaman (2018)

6/10

Starring

Jason Momoa

Amber Heard

Patrick Wilson

Directed by James Wan

Well, well… it seems Warner Bros has woken up. Aquaman is a fun movie to see, and it’s sort of a comedic adventure superhero film that just takes you on a fun ride. The director, James Wan, did a good job in the way he merged this CGI-filled movie with live-action elements.

You may criticize the messy plot, the overdrawn storyline, and the needless references to Arthur’s time as a young man, but you can’t over-criticize Jason Momoa’s performance. His performance is well done, but all of the other actors who played Arthur at various ages were dreadful. The movie also had some pretty bad dialogue that jumps at you from the moment it starts, but I still enjoyed it.

Aquaman is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. This movie is the sixth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Its plot has our character born to Thomas Curry and Atlanna, the princess of Atlantis (you know, Atlantis—the underwater nation).

Their son, by the status of Atlanna, is of royal blood and, being the firstborn of Atlanna, the rightful ruler. They named him Arthur (Jason Momoa), and he grew up being able to talk to any animal born of the sea. He was trained by Vulko, an Atlantis' counselor. Vulko served his mother, and it was his duty to teach and train Arthur in the ways of an Atlantean.

A year after the events of the movie Justice League (2017), we find Arthur continuing to be a hero, saving a submarine from pirates. It is there that he was partly responsible for the death of David Kane’s father, which led Kane to become Black Manta with a single desire: to kill Aquaman/Arthur Curry.

Arthur’s brother, Ocean Master (Orm), on the other hand, was working on a plan to wipe out the human race. He was uniting the rulers of the various parts of the oceans to build an army that would rise up to the human world and seize it.
Mera was sent by Vulko to tell Arthur that he has to come back to become the rightful heir to the throne or lose the human world that he loves.
The threat level here is high, and Aquaman has to step up. Under the direction of Vulko, he must find the Trident, wield it to control the oceans, and be seen as the rightful ruler.
Those points above are what the movie is about.

Again, Jason Momoa is good in this role—you can really see the fun he’s having with it. Add to that, we have Amber Heard alongside him, who plays Mera. Did she deliver a fantastic performance in a supporting role? Yes, she did, and she did it in style.

I hope Warner Bros stays woke because Wonder Woman (2017) was a good film, and then the crap called Justice League (2017) followed it. Justice League made it hard to take Warner Bros seriously in the way they’re driving their Extended Universe, but Aquaman has resurrected our attention.

The movie didn’t deliver the same emotional depth as Wonder Woman (2017), nor did it have the comedy of Disney’s MCU or the adventurous power the MCU commands. What it does have is something like three stories merged to make a film that you just appreciate for the idea and enjoy the time spent watching it.

Go see it—it’s worth the time.

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)

8/10

Starring

Julia Roberts

Dermot Mulroney

Cameron Diaz

Rupert Everett

Directed by P.J. Hogan

One of the most outstanding rom-coms of 1997 was this movie here.

For me, one of the most beautiful ladies to ever grace the screen with elegance, grace, and stamina—continuing to deliver fantastic performances even now—is Julia Roberts.
Many will cite Pretty Woman (1990) as their favorite Julia Roberts movie, but mine is this one: My Best Friend’s Wedding.

She plays a relatable character, a woman who wants to be with a man she believes is her soulmate. Well, the tale isn’t that simple. She once dated this man but dumped him to chase the independent woman lifestyle.
This is where the screenplay and the director pulled a rabbit out of the hat. We can all see that she wants this man because she can no longer have him. She, on the other hand, can’t see this problem—to her, he’s meant to be with her and not with Kimmy.

The movie’s cast gelled in such a way that you’ll believe Rupert Everett (who plays George) and Julia Roberts are actually best friends. The man of the hour is Michael, played by Dermot Mulroney. Kimmy, played by Cameron Diaz, is just that lady everyone loves. There’s nothing wrong with Kimmy—she’s not perfect, that’s for sure—but she’s madly in love with Michael and will do anything for him.
Jules (Julia Roberts) is also in love with Michael and is ready to sabotage his wedding to Kimmy to get him.

That’s what this movie is about. You don’t get to feel sorry for Jules because the script paints her as a villain. You don’t get to hate her either, because you see that she’s not that bad—she’s just afraid to be alone.

One thing I give this movie is the way it ends, it doesn’t try to matchmake everyone, it ends the way it should have.

The movie was a commercial hit and was so well-received critically that it earned many nominations from award bodies. The movie also has an amazing soundtrack, which you can hear throughout. Some songs are sung by the cast themselves (note: the movie isn’t a musical), and some are played in the background.

My Best Friend’s Wedding is my go-to movie anytime I need to see Julia at her best, and I believe it’s one of the best movies she’s done. If you’ve seen this movie before, it’s not a crime to go search for it online to watch it again.

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

6/10

Starring

Tom Hanks

Meg Ryan

Directed by Nora Ephron

The lady behind the magical Sleepless in Seattle was also the one behind this movie, You’ve Got Mail. Nora Ephron, who directed and worked on the screenplay for 1993’s Sleepless in Seattle (which was, to me, one of the best romantic movies of the ’90s), joined forces with her sister to pen this movie, with Nora directing.

How they were able to persuade Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan to come back and play another pair of love interests is a feat best understood if you see the movie. The pair works well together, and even though this movie didn’t have the flair or charm of Sleepless in Seattle, it still brought warmth to my heart.

The story follows two people brought together by their conflicting rival businesses. As they fight to keep their businesses on top, they are also pen pals—a fact unknown to both parties.
They met in a chatroom and decided to remain anonymous, simply sending each other emails daily.

In the real world, both run bookstores. Meg Ryan’s character, Kathleen Kelly, runs a bookstore she inherited from her mother. The store has been in business for more than four decades, and Kathleen hopes to one day pass it on to her own child in the future when she has one.
Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) also runs a bookstore, which is a family business. The difference is, their store has made the Fox family millionaires, and they are expanding, eating up smaller stores. Kathleen’s store is just a single shop that her mother kept running by being nice, friendly, and knowing what people need.

The Fox family opened a store right beside Kathleen’s and began sucking away her customers with their discounts and numerous offers.
Kathleen decided to seek help from her online friend—who happens to be Joe Fox himself—to figure out how she can take down Joe. When they agreed to meet, things got awkward as one party arrived earlier than the other and decided not to show up as the expected online pal.

The movie was a commercial success, but critically, it wasn’t rated anywhere near as highly as Sleepless in Seattle. Nonetheless, it was fun seeing this pair work together, and I just didn’t feel complete watching Sleepless in Seattle without seeing this one as well. The problem is, watching this movie now may not work for someone who is used to instant messaging.