The Little Things

I’m excited to be doing my first review of a 2021 movie, and what better one than ‘The Little Things’. This is the biggest movie so far of 2021, which really isn’t saying much considering there isn’t a whole lot being released right now. They bring a heavy hitting cast staring Denzel Washington (Training Day), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Jared Leto (Suicide Squad),and Natalie Morales (Santa Clarita Diet). A burnt out, one time hot shot cop (Washington), returns to his old stomping grounds in L.A. and teams up with new hot shot detective (Malek) to track down a serial killer (Leto).

I’m fortunate enough to be in an area still showing movies in theaters, but if you’re not HBO Max is showing it as well. Washington, Malek, and Leto all play great roles, but the problem doesn’t lie in their acting, but in the story itself. The story really drags for what it is, it feels its full two hour and seven minute run time. Again the acting is great just not the story, I’m a huge fan of Malek, and if you need a weird role, Leto will nail it. My wife described this movie as seriously boring, and two others I talked to about it, one liked and it and one described it as “ok”. I would still recommend seeing it, but don’t be surprised if you find it as just okay. Unfortunately, it’s not the slam dunk we were all hoping for, and falls into mediocracy. I give it a 6.5/10.

Eddie the Eagle

‘Eddie the Eagle’ is a 2015 sport/biography movie with an excellent cast starring Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Hugh Jackman (X-Men: Origins Wolverine), Edvin Endre (Vikings), and Jo Hartley (This is England). ‘Eddie the Eagle’ is a semi-fictional account of the rise to fame of Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards, Britain’s first Olympic Ski jumper since 1929 who competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Eddie overcame several obstacles to get there, with the odds stacked up against him at every turn.

I remember seeing this previewed in theaters and thinking how great of a movie it looked like, but then never saw it released in a theater near me. Luckily, Disney + is currently streaming it, so I was finally able to check it out. Chalk this movie up with the other great feel good, underdog sports movies such as Rudy, Rocky, Invincible, and Cool Runnings. With everything stacked against them they all beat the odds, and we love them because of it, and ‘Eddie the Eagle’ isn’t any different. I’m not sure how much of the story is fiction and what is true, but it’s a great movie that is heartfelt and full of triumph. I found myself cheering out loud for Eddie in the end, I give ‘Eddie the Eagle’ a 7.5/10.

Death of Me

‘Death of Me’ is a 2020 horror movie currently streaming on Netflix, starring Maggie Q (Fantasy Island), Luke Hemsworth (Hickok), Alex Essoe (Doctor Sleep), and Kat Ingkarat (Locked Up). Two Tourists (Q, and Hemsworth) vacation at an island paradise. They stop at a local bar and have a local drink only to blackout and not remember the night, they ended up videotapping the night and find out one of them killed the other when they go back and look at the footage.

I read an article on Creepy Catalog saying this is the best current horror film to stream on Netflix, so I had to check it out. I didn’t even know there was a third Hemsworth brother until this film, he’s like the Wish version of Chris Hemsworth, sorry Luke but it’s true. Whoever on Creepy Catalog considers this the best Netflix has to stream either didn’t watch it or they don’t know good horror. It has an interesting concept, but that’s about it. It fills the rest with blood and gore, and random flashes of what they consider scary images. Random blood and gore, doesn’t make a good horror movie, it needs to have a good story and this is where this one falls flat. I would skip this one all together, I give it a 4.5/10.

A Promising Young Woman

‘A Promising Young Woman’ is a 2020 crime/thriller starring Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby), Bo Burnham (The Big Sick), Alison Brie (GLOW), Chris Lowell (GLOW), and Max Greenfield (New Girl). A promising young woman (Mulligan) drops out of med school to take care of her childhood best friend when she is gang raped at a party and is forced to drop out of school when the school turns a blind eye to the event. She now swears vengeance on anyone and everyone involved in her friends rape, and also all bad men in general.

This is a pretty dark film, but an interesting, an original concept. Mulligan pretends to be drunk every night at a different club or bar, and leaves with a guy who volunteer’s to take her home. When the said guy doesn’t take her home but instead to his home and tries to take advantage of her, that’s when she strikes. It’s a real and scary topic that isn’t addressed enough, and kudos to ‘A Promising Young Woman’ on addressing it. It’s a topic that people do tend to turn a blind eye to and even shoot it down in a lot of situations when a woman does cry rape. The biggest problem I had with this film is Mulligan playing a 30 year old, she looks to be about 45 in this movie. I don’t know if they made her look older because everything that’s happened to her character or she really looks 45, but it was difficult to imagine her as a 30 year old. Also the movie is a little anticlimactic until the end of the movie, it does have a great ending, but other than that it just kind of floats a long. I give it a 6/10.

The Vanished

‘The Vanished’ is a 2020 mystery/thriller starring Anne Heche (John Q), Thomas Jane (The Punisher), Alex Haydon (All the Bright Places), and John D. Hickman (The Vampire Diaries). A husband, wife, and their ten year old daughter take their rv on a camping trip to a rv park. Their ten year old daughter ends up being abducted, and the parents will go any length to get their daughter back safely.

Let me start off by saying this movie is insane, just check out the trailer. The actors aren’t big and it starts out a little cheesy but stick with it. After about 20 min in or so, then the movie gets crazy and doesn’t let up. I’m pretty good at guessing endings, and figuring out who did what. This movie I couldn’t guess it. It will have you guessing all the way up till the end, and let me tell you, it has a crazy ending in store. This is a great thriller you can find on Netflix, I give it a solid 9/10.

Alone

‘Alone’ is a 2020 horror/thriller starring Jules Wilcox (Bloodline), Marc Menchaca (The Outsider), and Anthony Heald (The Silence of the Lambs). Jessica (Wilcox) is recently windowed, she packs up and leaves the city to start anew. While traveling she is followed by a man (Menchaca) who ultimately abducts her and keeps her captive in a remote cabin. She must find a way to escape, her very survival depends on it.

This is a cat and mouse movie at it’s best. Think of ‘Unhinged’ and ‘What Keeps You Alive’, both are great cat and mouse movies with a demented villain, mix them together and you get ‘Alone’. A psychopath is following her on the road (‘Unhinged’), once abducted she manages to escape and is fighting for survival in the woods (‘What Keeps You Alive’). Wilcox and Menchaca both play great roles, if you look up creeper in the dictionary I’m pretty sure you would see Menchaca’s character. Thick rimmed square glasses, a mustache, and the creepy gaze. It gives you the willies just looking at him. I don’t believe in spoilers so I’ll leave it at this, the ending is great. You can currently check this one out in Redbox, I give it a 7/10.

Love and Monsters

‘Love and Monsters’ is a 2020 adventure monster film starring Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf), Jessica Henwick (The Defenders), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Ariana Greenblatt (Avengers: Infinity War).

The world has been hit with an asteroid causing bugs and other creatures to mutate several times their size to monstrous size. 90 percent of the human population has been wiped out within a year and, the survivors have been forced to live underground in colonies. Joel (O’Brien) decides to go to the surface and travel 85 miles (7 days) to his girlfriends colony, who he hasn’t seen in seven years. The hard part isn’t the 85 mile trek but surviving the monster infested surface.

Think of ‘Daybreak’, ‘Zombieland’, and ‘Warm Bodies’ all mixed together. It’s the end of the world (essentially), and a kid is doing whatever it takes to find his girlfriend (take ‘Daybreak’). He has a list of rules to survival (‘Zombieland’), and it has the same sense of humor as ‘Warm Bodies.’ Honestly I was surprised at how good this movie is. The monsters look a little cheesy, but that’s the only downfall. It’s fresh, funny, and a light hearted post apocalyptic movie. Plus the main character teams up with a furry four legged friend, and who wouldn’t like that? You can currently find it in Redbox, I give it a 7.5

The Croods: A New Age

First post of 2021, hopefully things will slowly get back to normal, and a big thank you to my readers. So lets kick it off with a review of ‘The Croods: A New Age’, a 2020 sequel to the 2013 film ‘The Croods’. Just like the first, this one brings an all-star cast starring Nicholas Cage (National Treasure), Emma Stone (Zombieland), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Catherine Keener (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein), Clark Duke (Kick-Ass), Leslie Mann (Knocked Up), and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones).

‘The Croods: A New Age’ does a great job of picking up where the last one left off. Guy and the Croods are still in search for the land of tomorrow, which they believe they found at last, but is inhabited with a family named the Betterman’s. The Betterman’s are a family that is superior and more sophisticated than cavemen. The Croods and the Betterman’s may have more in common than what they realize though.

It’s rare a sequel is as good or better than the first film. This one is better, it’s funnier, and has jokes both kids and the parents will both enjoy. I found myself laughing out loud more than once. There’s also more action in this one. Overall it’s a great movie, I give it a 8/10.

Soul

‘Soul’ is Disney and Pixar’s new movie that came to Disney + Christmas day. Now we all know Pixar movies are great, but just how great ‘Soul’ is, is the question. ‘Souls’ has a hard hitting cast starring Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Graham Norton (So Graham Norton), Rachel House (Moana), Richard Ayoade (The Boxtrolls), and Angela Bassett (Friday).

‘Soul’ is about Joe (Foxx) a struggling musician and part time music teacher. He’s been trying to get his big break his entire life, when he finally does, he falls into a man hole and dies. He desperately tries to escape the afterlife and ends up mentoring an unborn soul named 22(Fey). When they escape to earth, 22 gets trapped in Joe’s body, and Joe gets trapped in a cat’s body.

I don’t know where Pixar gets their ideas from, every movie they do always has the most original concept, and they won’t put it out unless it’s going to be a hit. Now we all know going in that a Pixar movie is going to hit hard in the feels, it’s what they do. I have to say ‘Soul’ isn’t as sad as the majority of their films. However, It still delivers a heartfelt message, and puts a smile on your face. It makes you want to go out and smell the roses, it’s a cute original movie that the whole family will enjoy. I give it a 8/10.

Fatale

‘Fatale’ is a 2020 thriller/mystery that is currently in theaters. I’m fortunate to still be in an area where movies are still being shown in theaters. There isn’t a whole of them left open but there is a few, and I’ll continue to support them as long as I can. ‘Fatale’ has a strong cast starring Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), Michael Ealy (The Intruder), Mike Colter ( Luke Cage), Damaris Lewis (BlacKkKlansman), and Tyrin Turner (Meet the Blacks). ‘Fatale’ is about a married man (Ealy) who has a one night stand/affair with a police officer (Swank) while in Vegas. When he returns back home, to his already rocky marriage, his and his wife’s house gets broken into. The detective assigned to his case happens to be the same woman he had an affair with, and she is about to make his life a whole lot worse for him.

The trailer is a little misleading, it makes it appear as if Swank is responsible for all his problems. While she is insane, and the cause for a lot of it, she’s not the cause of all of it. The movie is a little predictable, and easy to guess the twist right off the bat, but it’s a good movie. Everyone plays a good part, Hilary Swank is a great actress who nails the psycho role. It’s non stop action and makes for an entertaining movie overall. I give it a 7/10.