Roofman

“Roofman” is a 2025 biopic crime/comedy starring Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street), LaKeith Stanfield (The Harder They Fall), Kristen Dunst (Spider-Man), and Peter Dinklage (Elf).

“Roofman” is based off the true story of Jeffery Manchester who robs over 40 Mcdonalds by going in through the roofs at night before eventually getting caught. He later breaks out of prison and hides out by living in a Toys “R” Us for nearly 6 months. While in hiding he ventures out into the community during the day and gets romantically involved with one of the Toys “R” Us employees.

This one looked like it would be pretty good, it has a star-studded cast. I love Channing Tatum, I find him hilarious, and this movie looked like it would be nothing short of that. Really cool thing too, is that it’s based on a true story, that someone really did this. I found it to be one those films where all the best parts you already see in the previews. Where it looked like it would be really funny, it just wasn’t. It’s not a bad watch, it has some pretty good parts, and it’s interesting. It’s just slower and a little bit of a let down from what I was expecting. One of the best parts is the credit scenes where they show actual footage and interviews regarding the real roofman. I give it a 6.5/10.

The Thicket

“The Thicket” is a 2024 Tubi original Western/Thriller starring Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Juliette Lewis (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation), Levon Hawke (Blink Twice), Esme Creed-Miles (Hanna), Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Taking of Pelham 123), and Leslie Grace (In the Heights).

A young man (Hawke) has his sister taken by an outlaw called cut throat Bill (Lewis). He ends up getting help from an unlikely trio (Dinklage, Akinnagbe, and Grace) in order to track her down and rescue her from cut throat Bill before it’s too late.

Tubi originals can be hit or miss, but I enjoy a good Western and it has a good cast so I gave it a go. Peter Dinklage of course plays a great roll, he’s a fantastic actor. He play a no nonsense gunslinger. Akinnagbe also plays a fantastic part as Dinklage’s friend who rides out with him. The Juliette Lewis casting was a little odd to me, she doesn’t play a bad part, but I just kept seeing as Audrey from Christmas Vacation and not a blood thirsty outlaw. Also, I found Hawke to be a little whiny. It has good action, and the pacing is well. Overall, it’s a solid western. I give it a 7.5/10.

Find Me Guilty

“Find Me Guilty” is a 2006 Comedy/Drama/Biopic starring Vin Diesel (The Fast and Furious), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and Ron Silver (The West Wing).

“Find Me Guilty” is about the longest trial in American history that took place in the late 1980’s and about Jackie DiNorscio (Vin Diesel), a mobster who acted as his own lawyer and defended himself during the trial.

I hadn’t heard of this one before, but I saw a clip of it on Facebook. It looked like it would be good, and it’s on Tubi so, I figured I would give it a shot. I hadn’t heard of the RICO trial before where a large number of mobsters were facing prison time in the 1980s, but it is an interesting story, and I’m always down for a good mob flick. The cool thing about this movie is not only is it based on a true story, but a large chunk of the dialogue used in the film was actually from the trial itself. Vin Diesel isn’t known for his great acting skills, but he knocks it out of the park playing Jackie DiNorscio, a smart mouthed yet loveable gangster. You end up finding yourself pulling for him. Overall, it’s a great watch. I give it an 8/10.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is 2023 action/superhero movie and newest installment of the “Transformer” movie series. It stars Anthony Ramos (Hamilton), Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah), Peter Cullen (The Transformers), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island).

It’s the mid 90’s and Noah Diaz (Ramos) a young US soldier, who is looking for his lucky break, gets caught in the middle of a battle to save earth against the Unicron. Now, Diaz, the Maximals, and the Autobots all team up to save earth before it’s too late.

I haven’t seen many of the newer Transformer movies, and I don’t think I’ve seen many or even any since Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox were the main stars. However, I didn’t feel like sitting through 2.5 hours of “The Flash” so, I went and saw this instead. I figured it would be good because the others are, but I didn’t have the bar set too high. To my surprise the theater was packed, so Transformers still has a huge following. It’s a little over 2 hrs which starts to get on the long side for any movie, but this one does a great job of being good throughout the entire movie without the feeling of any lags. It is filled with plenty of action, comedy, and enough drama to pull on your heart strings and get you emotionally invested. Also, you have Pete Davidson as the main Transformer, who wouldn’t want to see that? It also teases an epic crossover at the end of the movie. Not only is this a must-see movie, but it’s probably the best one in the series (out of the ones I’ve seen anyway). I give it a solid 10/10.

I Care A Lot

‘I Care A Lot’ is a 2021 thriller on Netflix starring Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day), Peter Dinklage (GOT), Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver), Dianne Wiest (The Birdcage), and Macon Blair (Murder Party). A sleazy business woman makes her profession by claiming elderly are incapable of taking care of themselves and makes herself their legal guardian. She then goes on to stick them in a nursing home and sell all their possessions including, their house, car etc. while pocketing all the profits. She thinks she has finally found the ultimate target but soon finds out she made a horrible mistake when the elderly lady has ties to the Russian mafia.

I don’t know if I have ever been angrier while watching a movie. The main character (Pike) scams elderly people and sticks them away to never see daylight again, and essentially gets away with it at every turn. In fact, they push the fact it’s okay to be yourself and be a wolf and not a sheep, like WTF. It has so much build up and then nothing, she gets off scot free. They push her as the hero of the movie, I was ready to write boycott this movie, but without giving away any spoilers, the ending does reel everything back in, and all is right with the world again. I was seeing red, Pike’s character is probably one of the most evil characters I have ever watched. If you do watch it, watch it all, don’t get mad and give up like I almost did. Even with them pushing it’s okay to scam elderlies and be a wolf not a sheep. I give it a 7.5/10.

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.