Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu (1922)

 

6/10

Starring

Max Schreck

Gustav von Wangenheim

Greta Schröder

Alexander Granach

 

Directed by F. W. Murnau

 

 

I’m not one to watch horror movies, and I did intend to see the new Nosferatu movie. But when I came across this old one, I had a funny suspicion that the new version might take a romantic turn between Ellen and Nosferatu. I don’t know for sure, because the movie isn't out yet, but I’m holding on to my suspicions and won’t be seeing it. Call me boring, but not a fan of the numerous artistic liberties movie makers usually take.

This movie, for one, is actually not bad, especially for a film made in 1922. It’s an unauthorized and unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, a wonderful book set in the 1890s in Britain. The moment the movie starts and I see what Thomas does for a living, I knew it was an adaptation, though an unofficial one.

It’s hard to comment on the effects or cinematography because I haven’t seen many silent films of this nature to compare it with. But as a whole, from what I got out of it, it’s a nice movie to watch.

Set in 1838, in Germany, Thomas works as an estate agent. He’s tasked with visiting the castle of a new client, Count Orlok, who plans on buying the house opposite his.

Thomas sets off to the castle so the count can sign the papers for the purchase, but on his journey, he meets many locals who warn him not to go. He continues on anyway and reaches the castle. From there, things start to get odd. There are no servants around, but food is always available for him to eat. The count is strange-looking, with pointed ears and a nose that protrudes, making him resemble a rat.

Thomas soon realizes he’s essentially a prisoner in the castle, and the count is on his way to his new house. Thomas breaks out of the castle and tries to find his way back home.

Back home, his wife Ellen is haunted by the image of Count Orlok (Nosferatu).

The movie has a very different ending compared to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It also merges some characters and does away with others to make the story more succinct.

To be honest, I kind of enjoyed the movie for what it is, and for an old German film, it does the job of entertaining me. I think you can catch this movie free online, it is on the public domain, so if you are interested, then you will not have a hard time finding it.

Kraven The Hunter (2024)

Kraven the Hunter (2024)

 

2/10

Starring

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Ariana DeBose

Russell Crowe

 

Directed by J. C. Chandor

 

I don’t know if the bad box office figures will finally bring an end to all these Sony Spider-Verse spin-offs, but if it does, I’d be so happy. There’s no better outcome than stopping all the nonsense movies Sony keeps dropping.

The best thing to come out of these Spider-Man spin-offs is Venom. Even then, it’s only the first Venom (not the sequels) that really made an impact. Every other one has just been a waste of time.

This is the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). It shows the brotherly relationship between Kraven (Sergei Kravinoff) and Chameleon (Dmitri Smerdyakov) and how they parted ways, with Dmitri heading to the U.S. That part sticks to the source material. But the movie focuses more on the relationship between Kraven and his family. We also see how he got his powers.

The movie has a slow start that could have been summarized instead of dragging out for over 30 minutes. After an initial prison break in the first five minutes, there’s a long wait before Kraven is back on the escape plane.

As you know, Kraven isn’t a hero—he’s a villain. But this movie tries to make him an anti-hero.

The story begins with Kraven going to a prison to kill someone and breaking out. Then, it drags on for about 30 minutes, showing Kraven as a young man growing up, who his father is, and why he doesn’t like him.

From there, the movie keeps dragging. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the writers filled this movie with so much unintelligent dialogue. There’s a long stretch—up to an hour—of talking, and none of it is meaningful. The conversations don’t add up to much beyond setting up the next person Kraven has to take down.

As Kraven goes about killing people as revenge for what they’ve done to the land—like killing animals for their horns—Rhino kidnaps his brother. So, Kraven now has to figure out how to save him.

It feels like the writers were trying to build up to the final fight but didn’t know what to add in between Kraven’s introduction and that fight. You have no idea the level of boredom this movie delivers. I’m not surprised it’s a box office flop. Honestly, the best thing you can do for yourself is not to bother watching this movie.

I do hope Sony stop making these movies.

Carry-On (2024)

Carry-On (2024)

 

6/10

Starring          

Taron Egerton

Sofia Carson

Danielle Deadwyler

Jason Bateman

 

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

 

This movie is not bad. I get the feeling that Netflix is trying to create for their subscribers their own Die Hard movie. Acting-wise, this movie delivers. Taron Egerton as Ethan is amazing in creating the sense of urgency the movie needed, keeping you attentive all the way. Jason Bateman as the antagonist had the scare tactic needed when the bad guy is calm and collected and does not seem to care about anything or anyone.

Now, that said, both Ethan (Egerton) and the Traveler (Bateman) are no Bruce Willis (playing John McClane) or Alan Rickman (who played Hans Gruber), in Die Hard (1988). Although the movie is ok, I do not have the urge to rewatch this movie every Christmas like I do Die Hard, but it is a ok film altogether.

Here is the plot: The Traveler has purchased a chemical called Novichok and intends to deploy it on a plane. The problem is, how is he going to get it onto the plane? Somehow, although not explicitly stated (and I’m guessing here), the bad guys got hold of the TSA agents' list of those who will be there to inspect carry-ons and their contents. They plan to blackmail the agent to let the carry-on pass-through security and onto the plane.

They had someone give the TSA agent a misplaced earpiece, which he puts in his ear, and he is then instructed to let the carry-on pass or someone he loves will be killed.

Ethan tried everything he could to reach out for help, but the bad guys had cameras on him, so all his movements were tracked.

The police arrived at a burnt building, where they suspect that someone took the Novichok from there, and they want to trace it. How they linked the burnt building to Ethan’s attempted phone call to 911 is another example of movie magic, which only the writers understand.

The movie is about how Ethan wants to stop these guys, protect the ones he loves, and save the people on the plane the carry-on is on. The things that play against this movie will require you to suspend your reasoning. Good movies tend to draw you in, making you forget you are watching a movie, and immerse you in the lies shown on screen. This movie does not have that immersive quality to make you suspend your senses. While watching, you can notice plot holes that highlight how the bad guys’ plan would fail under normal circumstances. For example, giving a TSA agent a device, like in this movie a lost earpiece, won’t play out as the movie shows. Why Ethan thought it was a good idea to put it in his ear while at work is hard to believe. Airport security is high stakes, no TSA agent will think of doing that, he will hand it off to someone nearby, and not leave their post to attend to a call, even though there is someone else on the other end. The chances of someone successfully blackmailing you over the phone these days are slim, most people hang up rather than engage.

With all that said, I will say go see this movie. It is on Netflix, and it will suit a nice weekend.

The Crow (2024)

The Crow (2024)

 

5/10

Starring          

Bill Skarsgård

FKA Twigs

Danny Huston

 

Directed by Rupert Sanders

 

I stayed away from reviews to avoid bias in my view of this movie. The Crow (1994) is, to me, one of the best movies I have ever seen. I love it so much that it’s a 10/10 on my blog because of how good it is. It digresses (more than half) from the comic on which it is based because the movie portrays Eric as a hero, whereas the comic presents him as someone who is not mentally stable. Notwithstanding, the 1994 adaptation is amazing.

When this movie started, and I saw that this reboot plot is straying from both the original and the comic, I began to worry.

The plot of The Crow, as I know it from the comic and the original movie, shows Eric and Shelly without much connection to drugs or rehab. But, as I continued watching, I realized this movie is its own adaptation, delving into its own material, much like the various sequels of The Crow after the 1994 version.

For that reason, I am judging this movie on its own merits as a film, like I’ve done with all the sequels that followed the 1994 version.

The plot is about Eric and Shelly, two drug addicts who met at a rehabilitation center. Shelly’s friend recorded an incident involving Shelly and Roeg on her phone, and sent the video to Shelly, but she was killed for having it. Shelly is hiding in the rehab center while on the run. When she discovers she has been found, she and Eric escape the rehab and start a life together. However, Roeg sends people after them, and they soon catch up with the couple, killing them both. Eric is brought back to life by the Crow, tied to the land of the living by his pure love for Shelly. Now, he must exact revenge on the people who killed her and also kill Roeg.

On its own basis, the main problem with this movie is the bad pacing and the lack of depth in the antagonist, Roeg. It takes almost forty-five minutes to show the effects of Eric being brought back to life by the Crow. Additionally, there is a lack of fluidity in the reasoning behind some of the actions. For instance, while it’s clear the antagonist sends innocents to hell for eternal life, the film does not sufficiently explain how he obtained this deal, who else is involved in it, and how he is able to grant this delay of death to others or if he can.

I wouldn’t say the movie is unwatchable, but it lacks the impact of a film I’d want to watch again. Additionally, there are so many loose ends that it feels like the creators were hoping to turn it into a franchise. Sadly for them but fortunately for audiences, the poor box-office returns will likely prevent that from happening anytime soon.

Elevation (2024)

Elevation (2024)

 

3/10

Starring          

Anthony Mackie

Morena Baccarin

Maddie Hasson

 

Directed by George Nolfi

 

Movies like to make us feel we can survive alien attacks, even when those aliens are far more advanced in technology. This movie attempts to explore that concept, with no originality. The movie is derivative and boring, making it hard for me to recommend.

While the acting is good, the pacing of the movie is off. A lot of times, I felt the movie was just dragging things because the writers had nothing to add.

I spent the first 30 minutes at the beginning begging for something to happen. But sadly, it was just lacking any form of momentum. In addition to this, the film seems to neglect important plot details, leaving me confused. I, for one, cannot wrap my head around the way Nina came up with the idea of using magnesium to fight the aliens is never properly explained. It’s a plot point that could have been developed more clearly.

The plot centres on an Earth that’s been ravaged by sinkholes. These holes have unleashed creatures known as Reapers that wiped out most of the human race. The survivors live in high altitude colonies. As they discovered that the aliens are unable to go beyond any point that is 8,000 feet and above. The reason for this is not shared. Will (Anthony Mackie), lives in one of these colonies with his son, Hunter, who is suffering from a life-threatening lung disease.

The main plot begins when Hunter, seeking distraction from his loneliness, ventures out of the safety of the colony and is pursued by a Reaper. He makes it by crossing the line, which designates where the 8000 feet and above starts.

We then see that Hunter’s illness is getting worse and Will, desperate to find more medicine for his son, seeks help from Nina. Nina was with Will’s wife when she died. Nina agrees to join Will on his journey due to her lingering guilt over his wife’s death. Together with one of Will’s friends, they set out on a mission to find a research lab so they can get medicine and go by Nina lab, where Will hopes Nina can still find a way to kill these aliens. To reach the lab, they plan to use old mining tunnels that Will is familiar with from his past as a miner.

The idea of using old mining tunnels as a means of survival could have made for an intriguing journey, but it played into the realm of, “I have seen this before.” As you can guess, they get cornered, and from here the film dulls the overall experience.

In the end, I doubt this movie will get the sequel, as it doesn’t seem to have made enough of an impact at the global box office.

Not worth wasting your time to see it.

 

Nutcracker (2024)

Nutcracker (2024)

 

3/10

Starring

Ben Stiller

Linda Cardellini

 

Directed by David Gordon Green

 

There must be something I'm missing, why was this movie made so poorly?

There is nothing new in the story, it's highly predictable. In fact, it's so predictable that after just fifteen minutes, you can guess with 99% accuracy every major plot string that will happen. Even if you guess wrong, it won't matter much, and it certainly won't make you go, "Oh, that’s nice."

The writing and directing are what you would expect from a Hallmark Christmas movie, not something starring Ben Stiller.

The plot is simple, Ben Stiller plays a top guy in Chicago who has just lost his sister and brother-in-law. They had four children, and the responsibility of caring for them fell into his lap. He also happens to have a project presentation deadline, which coincides with him needing to go to Ohio to sign documents about the children. The issue is, the family the children were supposed to be sent to didn't work out, so he has to care for them until they can find another family.

With a plot like that, you’d expect touching moments or even some cringe worthy scenes, but there were none. Nothing happening on screen had any emotional impact. It felt more like a fantasy movie, and why? Because the plot is highly unrealistic.

I took my time trying to figure out when this movie was set, maybe in the '80s or '90s (and they forgot to remove the gadgets) because by the way it was done, it looked like it was set in the present day 2020s. And I was right. Based on the MAC laptop, phone, and Microsoft Excel 365 he was using for his project (I had to pause and zoom in to check), this was set in the 2020s. If that’s the case, can someone tell me why he had to drive to a town to sign documents?

What happened to sending them by email?

Why all this talk of no connection, when broadband and cell phone availability in Ohio is not as scarce as the movie makes it seem?

Also, he has a presentation, and he's in another state because of a family emergency, so you're telling me his office couldn't allow him to do it online?

Which office would penalize you because you lost your sister? This is the 2020s, workers have rights!

Finally, nobody can force you to care for children. It’s not done, even in third-world countries like where I’m from. If you don’t want the kids, it's not a problem, the government will handle it.

This movie was a disappointing waste of time.

Spellbound (2024)

Spellbound (2024)

2/10

 

Starring the voices of

Rachel Zegler

John Lithgow

Jenifer Lewis

Tituss Burgess

 

Directed by Vicky Jenson

 

This is a horrible animation. I do not even understand how they made it this way with such bad writing. The only purpose I can get from this production is that it will entertain no one except children who will not understand what is going on but will like the colourfulness.

That is poor work on their part, when the whole idea seems to be, “let us make it bright and sparkling, kids will be engulfed by that.” This animation is not meant for adults. After watching it, I felt like punching the TV.

The way the animation starts gets me at first. I told myself to overlook the bad songs and the odd made for 90s CGI. The idea of starting the movie with parents being monsters, and everyone having to keep this a secret, seemed intriguing at first.

Then came the execution of this good idea. The distance between the people who know and the people who don’t, and the incidents meant to be funny, just fell flat on its face. I do not see children watching this and laughing or having a memory that they have seen anything at all.

Then came the little girl who had to deal with this. She got help from an oracle who told her that only the parents could break the spell that turned them into monsters.

How did the parents become monsters?

They went on a journey to the dark forest of eternal darkness (I’m not sure if the reason for this journey was justified, but the idea is they went), and it was there they were turned into monsters.

It’s worth mentioning here that they are not monsters who know they are parents or aware they are the king and queen of Lumbria. They are more like monsters acting like pets.

So, the little girl Ellian (the princess of Lumbria) no longer has time to be a little girl. She, and the people who know, spend most of their time taking care of these large monsters.

The time is coming, and people are getting impatient, so Ellian knows she must find a way to turn her parents back. That’s when she summons the oracle and is hit with the news that her parents must embark on a journey to the Lake of Light. It’s during this journey that the monsters get their voices back and some level of reasoning is restored.

What can I say, I’ve wasted time watching this horrible animation.

IF (2024)

IF (2024)

 

3/10

 

Starring           

Cailey Fleming

Ryan Reynolds

John Krasinski

Fiona Shaw

 

Directed by John Krasinski

 

When a movie stars Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, and features a wonderful voice cast with Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and others, you would expect it to be good. Then, when it’s about imaginary friends, which people had when they were younger and have now grown out of, you’d think it might be an interesting ride. But sadly, this movie is boring. IF is a fantasy comedy that offers nothing in the fantasy realm to hold your attention, nor any comedy to make it memorable.

The movie is written and directed by John Krasinski, but the story never takes off. It starts very dull and never tries to change pace. The ability to stay awake while watching this movie is a talent, which I am sorry I was not blessed with. I was only able to finish it thanks to the power of pausing. Streaming it on Paramount+ was the best decision I made when I decided not to watch it in the cinema. It drove me to sleep, and I had a nice nap. I woke up, resumed from where I stopped (when Cal (Reynolds) took Bea to the Memory Lane Retirement Home, 40 minutes in), and watched it through to the end, only to regret it.

IF (Imaginary Friends) is about a little girl named Bea. Bea has lost her mother to cancer and is now facing her father’s heart condition. At twelve years old, she’s staying with her grandmother. On her way home from the hospital, she sees a creature that doesn’t look real. She follows it, and it leads her to an apartment upstairs from hers. This happens again, and this time Bea sees the creature with a man named Cal, who is on his way to retrieve a large creature named Blue. It is there Bea meets the creature she saw earlier, a butterfly-like thing, and she faints. She wakes up in Cal’s apartment and learns that Blue and the butterfly creature, Blossom, are imaginary friends who no longer have kids, as the children have grown up. Cal is trying to see if he can find new kids for them. The catch is that the kids must form a connection with the creatures, and only then can they see them. Bea decides she will help Cal, and while managing her father’s hospital visits, she’s out trying to connect imaginary creatures to new kids.

As I said, the story looks like it would be an amazing time on screen, but it is anything but that.

Red One (2024)

Red One (2024)

6/10

Starring

Dwayne Johnson

Chris Evans

Lucy Liu

J. K. Simmons

 

Directed by Jake Kasdan

 

The movie has a lot of one-liners about how to be a better person, but not enough actual plot to make it a good movie worth recommending. Funny enough, even though many critics dislike it, I found it okay. It was not as bad as many say, and I did not feel like I had wasted my time seeing this movie.

The film does a decent job of creating an action-packed world where Santa is guarded by a top-tier secret service of mythical creatures, which are a step above the gadget filled world of James Bond.

I can tell that the macho madness the movie portrays can be annoying. There are so many muscle flexing scenes that are completely irrelevant to the plot. If you pay attention to the CGI and the A-list actors involved, it's easy to see why many believe Amazon spent too much money on this.

The plot revolves around a world where Santa is real, delivering gifts on Christmas Day. It turns out there’s an agency called MORA, led by Zoe (Lucy Liu), that deals with mythical creatures and ensures peace between humans and these creatures.

Santa’s secret service, ELF (Enforcement, Logistics, and Fortification), headed by Cal (The Rock), runs Santa’s operations and protects him. As expected, Santa has enemies, and one of them hires Jack (Chris Evans), the world’s top tracker, to locate him. Jack doesn’t know that the people who hired him want to track Santa.

Santa gets kidnapped, and MORA traces the trail back to Jack. He teams up with Cal to rescue Santa and save Christmas.

The Jack character is a weird development, someone this good in computers and tracking made himself so easy to track. You would expect he would know best how to make sure he is not traced back to the causes of the things he has caused. But the movie does not think this is important.

For a film with a budget of $250 million, the plot isn't even close to being box office breaking. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has never been the reason I’d rush to the theater, and clearly, many production companies think otherwise. Plus, many of his lady fans, but even them are not enough to take this movie from being a box office dud to a box office hit.

Though the plot is a familiar one in Christmas movies, it is fun to watch Jack, the unbeliever, realize that his actions have consequences. It’s an okay movie, but it’s hard to say it’s worth going out of your way to see.

Gladiator 2 (2024)

Gladiator II (2024)

 

6/10

Starring

Paul Mescal

Pedro Pascal

Denzel Washington

 

Directed by Ridley Scott

 

This is an okay movie, fun to watch, but I cannot say it is worth your time and not seeing this movie will not make you feel like you missed a masterpiece.

Spoiler Warning: The movie takes place sixteen years after the events of the first movie Gladiator (2000), where Maximus (Russell Crowe) is dead. Now, the story shows us the events after his death. If you recall, in the first movie we are given an idea that Maximus was the father of Lucius (whose mother is Lucilla). So here in this movie, that was ascertained, and we learn that Lucius was sent away by his mother to protect him from assassins after the death of Maximus.

This movie fails to rise above its predecessor. The first Gladiator movie was a 10/10 in my book. This sequel had more action scenes than the original, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of a deep story. While there’s more action and blood, the film’s overall feel suffers due to the absence of the plot depth that made the original great.

For me, it felt as though they took the first film’s storyline and tried to redo it with some changes. The main eye-catching addition in this movie is Denzel Washington. Also, it was a sad realization when you hear the intro music and think, “Hans Zimmer is back,” only to discover later that he didn’t return to score the movie. He chose not to be involved, which affected the film’s atmosphere.

The plot itself is the movie’s weakest point. Lucius lives in a land called Numidia, which was invaded by the Romans. He is enslaved along with other prisoners, and Macrinus (Denzel Washington) notices him, taking him under his wing. Lucius’s goal is to kill General Acacius, the leader of the army that invaded Numidia and killed his wife. He’s promised revenge if he can rise in the Gladiator ring, as you can see, the storyline offers nothing new. Just like the first movie, he needs to rise in the ring to be able to get his revenge.

So, as expected, we get a repetition of the first film’s structure – the struggle for power in Rome, the Gladiator battles, and the final bloody confrontation. The changes made in the plot don’t offer anything new, and the movie’s reliance on action and fighting to make up for the lack of depth becomes obvious.

Watching this movie is essentially deciding not to compare it to the first Gladiator, because it simply doesn’t measure up to the original’s plot, acting, or depth. It’s an entertaining but forgettable sequel that doesn’t reach the heights of the first film.

Moana 2 (2024)

Moana 2 (2024)

5/10

 

Starring the voices of

Auliʻi Cravalho

Dwayne Johnson        

 

Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller

 

Fifteen minutes into the movie and absolutely nothing was happening. I was bored and absolutely confused about what the point of all the cultural significance being bestowed on Moana was. It felt like the writers needed to elevate her more, considering everything she had already accomplished in the first Moana film. Moana 2 is essentially a cash grab in my opinion. I feel Disney is so desperate for a win before 2024 ends. Because that is why they decided to turn what was originally meant to be a series for Disney+ into a full-blown animated movie to get a box-office boost for their profits. Moana 2, like its predecessor, is a CGI animated film featuring the voices of Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson.

So, what do we get as unfortunate movie watchers? Too much bone and too little meat. A forgettable experience with songs that don’t stick to the tongue like those from the first Moana back in 2016.

The plot is simple: Moana has been searching for others like her people, to reconnect the people of the ocean. After her heroic adventure with Maui, she’s been seen as the one who will unite the people of the ocean, problem is the people on her island have not been able to find another island with people inhabiting it. However, despite her efforts, she hasn’t been able to find anyone. As the movie progresses, during a ceremony, Moana receives a cryptic revelation from her ancestors. She’s sent on a mission to find a light that will guide her to the people of Motufelu, an island sunken by the storm god Nalo. Why couldn’t they just be direct and hand her a map, or at least tell her what to do? I am tired of all these cryptic things that movies do to add some form of intensity, that is more annoying than interesting.

To make it “more intense”, she must accomplish this mission to save her own island’s people from extinction. The movie’s journey begins about 30 minutes into the animation, with a crew of people from her island. How does Maui fit in? Well, he’s also trying to find Motufelu and has some issues with Nalo. Nalo’s chief henchman captures Maui, hoping that he will reach out to Moana for help. Maui refuses to reach out to Moana, fearing for her life if she comes to help him.

One thing I know for sure is that this movie will rake in millions, and possibly over a billion at the box office. But we deserve better than Disney turning a series spin-off into a sequel without offering a truly captivating experience.

Not worth the watch.

Venom: The Last Dance (2024)

Venom: The Last Dance (2024)

3/10

 

Starring          

Tom Hardy

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Juno Temple

Rhys Ifans

 

Directed by Kelly Marcel

 

There is something about the CGI used in these Venom movies that just doesn’t sit well with me. It’s so chunky, especially when Eddie is in Venom mode, that it feels out of place. Maybe it’s just me, but it doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things when it comes to the fans of the franchise. This movie doesn’t stand out as an amazing addition to the whole Spider-verse. I wasn’t moved or intrigued by what was happening, and the attempt to make the ending emotional didn’t work. It felt like the same old superhero movie formula, where no character's story is ever truly over.

Venom: The Last Dance is supposed to be the final movie in the Venom trilogy by Sony, though I use "supposed" loosely because nothing really ends anymore. Like its predecessors, Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), this film follows Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his symbiote Venom on their adventures. This time, we begin in a bar in Mexico, where Eddie is on the run for the death of Patrick Mulligan. However, we know from the last movie that Mulligan’s death has nothing to do with Eddie/Venom.

We’re then introduced to a new character, Knull, a being who, according to the symbiotes, existed before the creation of the universe. He’s awakened because Venom, at one point, brought Eddie back to life, creating something called a codex. This codex alerts Knull because, with it, he can escape from the prison that the symbiotes have locked him in. To do so, he sends creatures called Xenophages to find this codex.

There are a lot of holes in this story, but honestly, I’m not interested enough to dive into them. Meanwhile, in Area 51, Strickland and his team have been collecting symbiotes and any traces of them. We meet Dr. Teddy Payne, who’s been studying these symbiotes to understand their origins and intentions. From this research, they discover that Knull has awakened, and the only way to stop him is to kill either Venom or Eddie.

Here’s where the movie loses me, in order to save Venom, the number of deaths is staggering. Also, the amount of symbiotes who sacrifice their lives in a situation that, in the end, accomplishes nothing it felt like a waste. To me, all these deaths were pointless. How the writers allowed the movie to end the way it did, with the amount of dead symbiotes and characters is marveling.

I know Sony will hold on to the Spider-verse for a long time, which means we’ll continue to see these half-baked sequels and spinoffs being released again and again.

The Wild Robot (2024)

The Wild Robot (2024)

 

9/10

Starring the voices of     

Lupita Nyong'o

Pedro Pascal

Kit Connor

 

Directed by Chris Sanders

 

It’s not hard to say that this is going down as one of the best animated movies of the decade, because the story is that good. Based on a book by Peter Brown, Chris Sanders wrote the screenplay and directed this masterpiece. Having worked on animations like How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods at Dreamworks, Sanders’s involvement raised my expectations, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The animation doesn’t try to compete with Disney’s CGI, instead, it uses hand-painting techniques on characters, which is why the budget is below $100 million.

The voice acting is masterful, and the flow of the movie immerses you in a new world. Sanders did well by not allowing Roz to become a lost puppy, aimlessly running around the screen. Instead, Roz is confident and determined to find her purpose, and once she does, there’s no stopping her.

Roz is a robot, full name Rozzum unit 7134. She washes up on an uninhabited island when an animal accidentally activates her. From that moment on, she follows her basic programming, searching for someone to claim her as their own and give her tasks.

The running around wasn’t without its costs, though. She wasn’t designed to be on this island, and didn’t understand how to interact with animals or navigate the surroundings. By the time Roz slows down to understand the environment, she’s sustained significant damage.

Despite this, her wandering leads her to crash into a tree, killing a goose mother and smashing all but one of her eggs. Roz takes the egg but loses it again and must chase down a fox to get it back. Her curiosity leads her to keep the egg until it hatches, but the gosling turns out to be a runt, smaller than a typical goose and unlikely to survive in the wild. Roz meets a possum mother, who tells her she must care for the gosling. Roz adopts it, modifying her programming, but since she doesn’t understand how to care for it, the fox, who originally tried to eat the egg, offers to help. The fox, driven by self-interest, feels sympathy for the gosling, believing that Roz’s attempts to raise it were more like torture than care.

The movie follows their efforts to raise the gosling and prepare it for migration during winter.

The journey for Roz and the fox to foster this gosling wasn’t easy, but the animation delivers enough comedic moments to make the experience enjoyable, with touching scenes of failure and robot fights in the climax.

This is a must see.

Brothers (2024)

Brothers (2024)

 

6/10

Starring          

Josh Brolin

Peter Dinklage

Brendan Fraser

Glenn Close

 

Directed by Max Barbakow

 

One thing this movie excels at is its ability to engage the audience. It’s written in such a way that it keeps you guessing and wondering how everything will unfold. Instead of simply focusing on how things end or how the brothers will reconcile, you are intrigued by the various unresolved questions. What happened to their mum? How did the situation with the emerald and her boyfriend play out? What was the deal with Marisa Tomei’s brief yet mysterious cameo? And how would the brothers manage the cop that is relentlessly pursuing them?

Some of these questions, particularly the last one was not well tied up, we get to understand so much of how the brothers and the cop are linked, but how their issue was resolved finally could have been done better. But that doesn't detract from the overall experience. The film keeps you hooked, maintaining your interest right up until the end. It’s a fun ride, and even with its occasional loose threads, the enjoyment is in the journey.

The cast in this film was outstanding. Glenn Close, in particular, was almost unrecognizable, blending into her role so well that you forget who you’re watching. The story follows twin brothers Moke (Josh Brolin) and Jady (Peter Dinklage), whose differences in height give a comedic touch reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito’s iconic pairing in Twins (1988). However, unlike that comparison, this film isn’t a simple comedy – it’s more layered and complex. These brothers have been raised in a life of crime. Their mother, played by Glenn Close, was an armed robber, and the brothers, though initially petty criminals, went down separate paths after a heist gone wrong.

Jady gets caught during a heist, but unlike the typical movie trope, he doesn’t betray Moke. Moke, in turn, tries to turn his life around, seeking redemption. However, Jady’s life doesn’t end there. He gets an early release, thanks to the help of a corrupt cop named Farful (Brendan Fraser). Farful, aided by his father, a judge, helps Jady get out of prison on the condition that he completes one last task. Jady convinces Moke to help him, and this is where the film takes a turn. Moke discovers that Jady has been in contact with their mother all along, and they are entangled in a scheme of their own making.

As the movie unfolds, we see how the brothers navigate their fractured relationship, trying to sort out their differences in a bid to overcome the chaos they’ve found themselves in. While the film doesn't offer a mind-blowing conclusion, it’s an enjoyable ride with some lighthearted moments. It’s not a groundbreaking comedy, but it’s certainly an enjoyable watch, perfect when you’re looking for a fun movie to kill time without needing something heavy.

Alien Romulus (2024)

Alien Romulus (2024)

7/10

Starring          

Cailee Spaeny

David Jonsson

Archie Renaux

Isabela Merced

Directed by Fede Álvarez

 

Alien Romulus is a good film, I tell you. It has been a while since I have seen a good film like this, and it carries its own weight of twists and turns, while doing homage to the franchise. There are ribcage bursting out things. Stabbing with the Alien tail. People running from a monster so huge that you wonder why not just give up. The movie plot is so dark, it is amazing, and director and writer Fede Álvarez did a great job.

It is good to see what modern day graphics can do with these Alien creatures, and it is also amazing to see a familiar face. The moment I saw the late Ian Holm, I was like, “see what CGI can do.” It was nice work, since we cannot get Sigourney Weaver’s character Ripley back into the franchise, thanks to how the franchise has gone with her character.

This movie takes place in space in 2142, and follows the events of the first movie, Alien (1979). The movie plot takes place between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986).

After the events of the first movie, humans took the remains of the Alien to a secret base to work and see how they could merge the Alien DNA with that of humans and create a better evolved human race. How that played out is something you will have to see, but this was a subplot that did not take hold until halfway in. So, what led to the Alien mounting another assault on the human race?

While they were doing their experiment in space, the Alien got out and damaged the whole space station. The whole thing was abandoned there in space.

Then comes Rain, an orphan miner trying to do enough time mining to finally leave the mining planet and go to planet Yvaga, where only humans live with the hope of a better life. Rain lives with her adoptive brother, Andy, who is a cyborg with some broken motor functions, reprogrammed to protect Rain by her late father. When Rain was unable to leave the planet, her ex-boyfriend called her for a one-time job in space. The reason she was called is that they needed Andy to help them get into the abandoned space station and steal the cryostasis chambers that would allow them to escape to planet Yvaga. This was supposed to be a simple get in, get the chambers, and get out job. But as you know, things never go as planned.

They got in, got the oxygen working, and accidentally turned on the heating. The frozen cloned facehuggers got loose, and as you can expect, things did not go as planned from then on.

I enjoyed the movie more than I expected to.