80/100
Eve Macarro, groomed as an assassin by the Ruska Roma, uses here skills to hunt the killers of her father ...making herself an enemy to everyone. The 5th installment in the John Wick franchise was a very cool, exciting high action thriller. Director Len Wiseman takes the helm and, although the style of the film is noticeably different from other Wick movies, it is no less thrilling. Ana de Armas was the perfect Eve, Gabriel Byrne was an effective villain and John Wick making an appearance to stir things up, made this a joy to watch. Waiting for the sequel. -- DrNostromo.com…
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**_Tim Burton’s spoof of ’50s sci-fi flicks with an outstanding cast_**
Shot in 1996 and released at the end of that year, Burton used the Mars Attacks trading cards from the ’60s as the template for his extraterrestrials. The film plays like the Mad magazine version of “Independence Day,” which beat this to the theaters by 5.5 months the same year. Yet Burton said he didn’t know anything about that movie and it was purely coincidental. Aside from the trading cards, “Mars Attacks!” spoofs ’50s flicks like “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “War of the Worlds.”
It bombed domestic…
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A widely held theory known as “the butterfly effect” maintains that seemingly small actions, like a butterfly flapping its wings on one side of the planet, can actually have tremendous impact at a distance, such as the ability to affect weather patterns on the other side of the globe. And, as this informative and entertaining documentary from writer-director Arthur Franck shows, it’s possible to see how this principle might apply in areas other than the fallout that stems from insect behavior. In 1975, 35 world leaders from Europe and North America gathered in Finland to sign a detailed but no…
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**_When you can’t trust anyone_**
Shot in September-October, 1996, this is a Hitchcockian corporate espionage drama/suspense thriller, written/directed by David Mamet. It’s reminiscent of “The Firm,” just meshed with elements of the future “Matchstick Men.” While it’s not great like the former, it’s almost on par with the latter.
I find it the least of ’em because, although Rebecca Pidgeon is effective in the part of Susan, the role called for someone more alluring from the late ’90s, such as Marisa Tomei, Monica Bellucci, Salma Hayek, Yasmine Bleeth, Kate Winslet or Rachel Weisz…
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**_You get what you give and (hopefully)... redemption_**
I've heard good things about Ridley Scott's "Matchstick Men", released in 2003, but was reluctant to give it a try since it was about two con-men. It's hard, after all, to care about the outcome of a story if its main characters are swindling scumbags who make their living by ripping others off. Let 'em be wiped off the face of the planet for all I care. But everyone universally praised the film and said it had a good ending that catches the viewer off guard, so I finally decided to check it out.
Nicolas Cage's character, …
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# A Hundred Memories of Love, Friendship, Pain, Happiness, and Life
What makes «A Hundred Memories» («백번의 추억») stand out is how unbothered it is by trends. It does not chase drama for the sake of it, nor rush to prove a point. It simply unfolds like life itself: unhurried, genuine, and quietly profound.
Most series burn too bright too soon, rising fast by episode three, and scramble for closure in the last two. In this series, each episode adds a soft brushstroke—of love, pain, laughter, loss. It builds quietly, steadily, like memory itself—layer after layer until it feels too re…
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Parallel Mothers: Ghosts That Won't Be Buried
Pedro Almodóvar has always had something to say, but "Parallel Mothers" may be his most ambitious statement to date. This is a film that operates on multiple registers simultaneously: a motherhood story wrapped inside a love triangle wrapped inside a political warning so urgent it reverberates far beyond Spain's borders.
The story of mothers and babies here is no mere melodrama. It's a direct metaphor for the mothers whose children were "disappeared" under Franco's fascist regime, stolen and never returned, their fates buried in unmar…
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As far as improbable sequels go, "Black Phone 2" isn't too bad.
Revive a deceased bad guy you would have thought was done with and craft a tale that feels somewhat like the first film, blended with an almost "Nightmare on Elm Street" premise.
I have to say these elements combined with a dash of nostalgia from the 80's works, quite well. Sure its not A grade horror but its still creative, creepy and above all, entertaining.
In summary, a not unfamiliar but still well crafted tale of revenge from beyond the grave. Worth a look.…
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**_Mishmash pseudo-documentary about a red-eyed killer in the Midwest_**
Released in the summer of 2021, this is an indie written/directed by comedian Don Tjernagel that only cost $5000, yet is proficiently done and worth watching for its entertaining bits, along with its (surprising) spiritual insights, at least for those interested. It doesn’t convey the narrative in a conventional manner, but opts for combining several different storytelling formats, like interviews, TV news reports, YouTube influencers, paranormal investigators and so forth. This isn’t anything new as Bram Stoker di…
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In his matching scarf and trousers, “Rupert” bids goodbye to his mum and dad and heads off up the hill for a walk. It’s here that he discovers the kingdom of the frogs. Only they are allowed in without leashes, indeed there are even guard frogs on duty to preserve their sanctuary. He’s brave, though, so ventures in just in time to hear a rendition of their assembled voices performing their own fantasia “We All Stand Together”. The guard frogs don’t prove to be so very effective though, as two cats and a peckish owl have also gatecrashed their concert, but luckily our friendly bear is on hand t…
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