"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Streaming Services: Netflix Movie Name/Year: Gunpowder Milkshake (2021) Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller Length: 114 minutes Rating: R Production/Distribution: StudioCanal, The Picture
Company, Studio Babelsberg, ACME, Belga Films, Big Bang Media, Bontonfilm, Chantier
Films, Diamond Films, Elevation Pictures, Hoyts Distribution, Impuls Pictures, Independent
Films, Italia Films, Kino Films, Lark Films Distribution, M2 Films, Mongkol
Major, Movie Cloud, New Guys / Red Cape Distribution, PVR Pictures, Playlist, Ro
Image 2000, STX Entertainment, Shaw Organisation, Spentzos Films, StudioCanal
Germany, StudioCanal UK, Svensk Filmindustri (SF), Times Media Films, Volga
Film Ukraine, Volga, Vértice 360, NOS Audiovisuais, Netflix, Sky Cinema, The
Filmbridge Director: Navot Papushado Writer: Navot Papushado, Ehud Lavski Actors: Karen Gillan, Joanna Bobin, Freya Allan, Lena Headey, Ed
Birch, Paul Giamatti, Ralph Ineson, Adam Nagaitis, David Zimmerschied, Carla
Gugino, Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh, Samuel Anderson, Mai Duong Kieu, Michael
Smiley Blurb from IMDb: Three generations of women
fight back against those who could take everything from them.
Selina’s Point of View: The first time I saw
the Gunpowder Milkshake trailer, it occurred to me that it felt like John
Wick (2014). During the Trust the Dice monthly livestream, I mentioned that.
I’d have to say this lived completely up to expectations. It was John
Wick. There were other motivations,
the hotel was swapped for a diner, the currency was different, and the
protagonists were female. That was the difference. If the setting had still
relied on use of a hotel instead of a diner – it could have taken place in the
same universe. I think it would
have been better if that was the case.
That’s not to say
Gunpowder Milkshake was bad. It wasn’t. It held my interest, had decent
fight choreography, and was pretty brutal. That said, because it’s so much like
the aforementioned film, it was hard to keep from comparing the two. When looked
at from that angle, it doesn’t measure up. John
Wick has better
fighter choreography and a better script. Granted, the motivation was better in
this one – but that’s the only thing that came out on top. I don’t have
anything against Gunpowder Milkshake. It’s an acceptable choice if you’re
looking for a violent-ride film. It’s also what you might look for if you
wanted this kind of brutality with a campy tone. If you have
access to the John Wick series, however, that’s just the better option.
Movie Name/Year: Spiral (2021) Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery Length: 93 minutes Rating: R Production/Distribution: Twisted Pictures, Serendipity Productions, Dahlstar, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC), 01 Distribution, ACME, BF Distribution, Belga Films, Bir Film, CatchPlay, Central Partnership, Corazón Films, DeAPlaneta, Eagle Films, Forum Film Slovakia, Independent Films, Leone Film Group, Lionsgate India, Lionsgate UK, Lionsgate, Meloman, Metropolitan Filmexport, Mongrel Media, Monolith Films, Paris Filmes, Shaw Organisation, StudioCanal Germany, StudioCanal, Ukrainian Film Distribution, Vertical Entertainment, Pris Audiovisuais Director: Darren Lynn Bousman Writer: Josh Stolberg, Pete Goldfinger Actors: Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisol Nichols, Dan Petronijevic, Richard Zeppieri, Patrick McManus, Ali Johnson, Zoie Palmer, Dylan Robert, K.C. Collins, Edie Inksetter, Nazneen Contractor, Thomas Mitchell, Carvin Winans, Leila Leigh, Chad Camilleri Blurb from IMDb: A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw.
Selina’s Point of View: I remember seeing the first Saw (2004) in theaters. I went with a good friend of mine from college, and I was absolutely transfixed. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The traps, the story… and especially the twist at the end when Jigsaw just picks his ass up from the middle of the room like he was just taking a little nap the whole time. It was glorious, and it shaped my expectations of horror films for YEARS after. The series has had its ups and downs. It lost the interesting story and leaned hard into the ‘torture porn’ aspect. Most of the sequels just couldn’t stand up to the original. Still, there are certain expectations one has when watching a Saw film. We all know it’s going to be hardcore horror, with extremely graphic – often gratuitous – traps, a social commentary-based motive, and Jigsaw.
This movie only had one of the four: a scathing examination of how a cop who ‘rats’ on bad cops is treated among their peers – and corruption among police officers. Granted, there were still traps in Spiral. None of them felt like they went far enough, though. The first of the film was the only one that really felt like a Saw-based trap. The rest of them felt uninspired. The creativity just didn’t hold a candle to the rest of the films – any of them.
In fact, it felt like Spiral didn’t really deserve a horror genre classification at all. If anything, I think it was closer to Se7en (1995) in both genre and feel. Going into it with this Saw connection, and the idea that it would be horror, hurt my enjoyment.
I know it sounds like I didn’t like Spiral at all, but that's not really the case. It was bad Saw film, but I would have thought it was good without that connection.
Even if they had just kept Spiral part of the same universe, but made the antagonist a completely different breed of serial killer, the flick would have benefited. They could have kept all their little mentions and Easter Eggs, but it would have still felt like some new and it would have been better all around. I did like the ending. I’ll admit that it was far-fetched and had a ton of plot holes, but I enjoyed it. That last trap was absolutely brutal, and brought together the entire social commentary point of the film. It wasn’t enough to save the whole thing, though. I’m disappointed.
Streaming Services: Shudder Movie Name/Year: Train to Busan Presents:
Peninsula (2020) Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller Length: 116 minutes Rating: NR Production/Distribution: Next Entertainment World, RedPeter
Film, Golden Village Pictures, Clover Films, Well Go USA Entertainment, BfParis,
ARP Sélection, StudioCanal UK, GAGA, A Contracorriente Films, BestFilm.eu, Gravel
Road Distribution Group, Kross Pictures, Shudder, Splendid Film, The Filmbridge Director: Sang-ho Yeon Writer: Sang-ho Yeon, Ryu Yong-jae Actors: Dong-won Gang, Lee Jung-hyun, Re Lee, Hae-hyo Kwon, Min-jae
Kim, Kyo-hwan Koo, Do-yoon Kim, Ye-Won Lee, Jang So-Yeon, Moon Woo-Jin Blurb from IMDb: A zombie virus has in the
last 4 years spread to all South Korea. 4 Koreans in HK sail thru the blockade
to Incheon for USD20,000,000 on a truck.
Selina’s Point of View: If you’ve been
following for a while, then you know how I feel about zombie flicks. They’re my
go-to guilty pleasure. I will watch any of them regardless of how original they
are, the quality, or the country they’re produced in. That’s just the way it
is. That means that I’ve
seen more zombie films than the average movie goer – maybe even more than the
average reviewer… since I also seek them out in my free time. Train to Busan
(2016) is still one of the best, if not the absolute best, zombie movie I’ve
ever seen. Hell, it’s part of what introduced me to Korean cinema and inspired
me to start learning the language. Rest assured, if
there is a flick that comes out that is even minorly tied to Train to Busan,
I’m going to watch it. Train
to Busan Presents: Peninsula caught my attention immediately when we came
across the trailer. Not just because of its ties to the original, either. The trailer was
outstanding. The way it was presented made it feel like the movie would be a
non-stop, pulse-pounding, action film. It took the lore and brought it into the
future, showing us what came next.
I was surprised when I saw the reviews were mixed when they started coming out, but now I get it.
I won’t say that
the trailer lied. However, it was cut in a way that made me expect something different.
I think that was the case with most people who saw it. The coming
attractions made it seem like Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula was
going to be a zombie horror version of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). That
was not what it was. Most of the
driving shots in the trailer came from the same scene. They were cool, and I
enjoyed watching them, but Mad Max it wasn’t. This is the
problem with misrepresenting a film in the trailer. Train to Busan Presents:
Peninsula was good… but it attracted an audience looking for a different
flick. It’s that simple. Instead of
leaning hard into the action aspects, it followed down the emotional path that
the original Train to Busan took. As much as it was about the setting
and the zombies, it was equally about the human factor and how the characters
related to each other. There was plenty of action, but it wasn’t non-stop the
way it was advertised. It was broken up by plot that involved basic humanity.
There was also a
part in the beginning that went into the Asian racism that’s been a huge
problem as of late.
You see the way
refugees from Korea are treated, as though they were responsible for the zombie
virus. Many people might have decided that was more political than it actually
is – which could have affected the score. I’m going to
digress and say something real quick. It’s not
political. It’s humanity. It’s the lack of compassion we see now, with people
calling Covid a “Chinese virus”. If you are one of those people, you’re not making
a political statement. You are showing your true, highly racist, opinion of an
entire group of people. Covid affected the whole world. Even if it originated
in China, it still killed just as many people there as it did everywhere else. The
lack of compassion, the lack of reasonable thought, that goes into blaming the
entirety of Asian countries for something that affected the whole world… is
insane. This movie shows
a little bit of that insanity – and I’m glad it did, because it’s something
people should see. Maybe seeing the way it translates to screen will show
people how absolutely idiotic these racist views are.
Moving on. I’ll admit that Train
to Busan Presents: Peninsula was a lot more predictable than its
predecessor. I predicted the ending, almost to the second. There was a bit more
of a recipe feel to many of the other scenes, as well. I still think this was a
decent zombie film. Do I think it met
the standards of Train to Busan? No. However, I think very few flicks
ever could. I enjoyed
watching it, and that’s how I’m going to judge it. Not against what came first,
but in general. I will probably
watch it again.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 54% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 76% Metascore – 51/100 Metacritic User Score – 5.1/10 IMDB Score – 5.5/10 Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5 Trust-the-Dice’s
Parental Advisory Rating:
R Movie Trailer:
Movie Name/Year: Chaos Walking (2021) Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi Length: 109 minutes Rating: PG-13 Production/Distribution: 3 Arts Entertainment, BRON
Studios, Creative Wealth Media Finance, Quadrant Pictures, Ascot Elite
Entertainment Group, Belga Films, BfParis, Eagle Films, Encore Films, HKC
Entertainment, Independent Films, Lionsgate, Metropolitan Filmexport, Mongkol
Major, StudioCanal Germany, GEM Entertainment Director: Doug Liman Writer: Patrick Ness, Christopher Ford Actors: Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Demián Bichir, David Oyelowo,
Kurt Sutter, Cynthia Erivo, Bethany Anne Lind, Mads Mikkelsen, Nick Jonas, Ray
McKinnon, Vincent Leclerc, Blane Crockarell, François Gauthier, Tyrone Benskin,
Frank Fontaine, Don Jordan, Patrick Garrow, Julian Richings Blurb from IMDb: A dystopian world where
there are no women and all living creatures can hear each other's thoughts in a
stream of images, words, and sounds called Noise.
Selina’s Point of View: I’ve got a lot to
say about Chaos Walking, and I need to start with how critics are taking
it. The majority of critics
dislike this film. I have to say that I’m not surprised, but I also don’t agree
with how harsh they’re being. Where Chaos Walking was not a perfect
film, I don’t believe it was bad. Dystopian films
are tricky. They tend not to be taken seriously unless they are non-stop action
or intensely cerebral. On top of that, critics perpetually trash YA dystopian
films for being ‘too familiar.’ Never mind
that the majority of them are based off award winning books with, at the very
least, the same plot. Right there, I
have to call bullshit.
Either book
critics are too soft, (as a writer, I do not believe this is so), or the majority
of critics have a pole shoved so far up their ass that they’re more wood than
human.
Even for movies
like The Hunger Games (2012), you can see that critics loved it back
when it came out, but now will bash it in reviews of other YA movies. The hypocrisy
is real. Long story short,
critics are trashing Chaos Walking. I think they were always going to,
no matter what happened. I also believe that when we start to see audience
reviews, they’re going to be higher. I don’t expect anything in the 80% range,
but probably in the 60s.
The fact of the
matter is that Chaos Walking had a notoriously difficult premise to work
with. For years, production companies saw it as impossible to bring to life on
screen. The rights to the film have been floating around since 2011. Several
directors have been attached to the film throughout the 10 years it’s been
stuck in development hell. That’s one of the
reasons I was so interested in seeing it. I wanted to know how they managed to
convince the money men that they could create a profitable visualization. Personally, I
think it was well done.
The way the
creative team went about making the noise visible worked. Everyone thought at
different speeds, some people had an easier time hiding their thoughts than
others… it felt right. I do understand the take some people have on the main
character’s thoughts. They’ve described them as intrusive and kind of like they
were bouncing off the walls. As someone with ADHD, though, even that felt
right. It felt like a representation of my own brain.
There were times
that the movie slowed to a crawl, especially in the beginning. However, I
attribute that to the fact that they used minimal exposition to explain the universe.
In sci-fi/fantasy universes, especially those that seriously differ from ours,
getting the audience to understand the setting is incredibly important. Chaos
Walking sought to explain it without talking down to people or inserting
awkward script moments. I appreciated it, and it made me feel like the slow
moments were worth it. I do have to
acknowledge the plot holes, but that may have been an issue of editing. It’s
very possible that the books fill those in well. I enjoyed Chaos
Walking. It’s not perfect, but it is fun and entertaining. Furthermore, it
got me to buy the books. I see that as a success.
Streaming
Services: In
Theaters Movie
Name/Year: Unhinged
(2020) Genre: Action, Thriller Length: 90 minutes Rating: R Production/Distribution: Altitude Films, Ascot
Elite Entertainment Group, Blitz, Burek Films, Cathay-Keris Films, DeAPlaneta, Diamond
Films, Eagle Films, Ingenious, Kadokawa, Leone Film Group, Leonine Distribution,
MM2 Entertainment, Movie Cloud, Noori, Noori Pictures, Phars Film, Pris
Audiovisuais, Remain In Light, SND Films, Solstice International Studios, Solstice
Studios, StudioCanal, Tanweer Alliances, The Searchers, Universal Sony Pictures
Home Entertainment, Vertical Entertainment, Volga, Volga Film Ukraine, VR Films
And Studios, VVS Films Director: Derrick Borte Writer: Carl Ellsworth Actors: Russell Crowe, Caren
Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Jimmi Simpson, Austin P. McKenzie, Juliene Joyner,
Stephen Louis Grush, Anne Leighton, Devyn A. Tyler Blurb
from IMDb: After
a confrontation with an unstable man at an intersection, a woman becomes the
target of his rage.
Selina’s
Point of View: Russell Crowe (The
Loudest Voice, Boy Erased, War Machine) is damn terrifying when he’s
allowed to let out his crazy side. This film allowed him to do just that. It
really lived up to its name. I’m aware that
critics didn’t really enjoy Unhinged, but I’m on the side of the audience.
I paid a very reduced price for my ticket to see it, but I would have been fine
if I’d spent the full $20. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Granted, I would
call a lot of it gratuitous. The flick probably could have gotten the same
reaction from me with a lower body count, but it still works. The heightened
violence really showed the psychopathy of the antagonist, and it reinforced
just how in danger the protagonists were. There was never a moment during the
movie where I felt safe. That’s exactly
what I expect from an action thriller. What makes it
even more harrowing is that it could absolutely happen.
The opening credits
take clips from road rage incidents around the world. I believe these are
actual clips, because I recognize a few of them from various sites. It sets the
stage for something unlikely – but still possible. I lived in Brooklyn
for the majority of my life. I never needed to drive. Besides, I didn’t have
the money for a car. So, I didn’t learn to drive until a couple of years ago
when my husband taught me. My husband is an incredibly
calm driver. If he honks, I expect to see an accident taking place right in
front of us. I’ve seen him ignore more horrible drivers than I knew existed. And,
that’s how he taught me. If I get angry, I may yell a bit, but my horn is only
for dangerous situation. Still, after Unhinged,
I’m going to triple-guess myself whenever I feel my hand drifting. Unhinged is a heart-pounding, deeply disturbing,
thriller. I would definitely recommend it.
Production/Distribution: BRON Studios, Creative
Wealth Media Finance, Imagine Entertainment, Lionsgate, Studio Babelsberg
Motion Pictures, Lionsgate UK, Aurum Films, BF Distribution, Belga Films, Constantin-Film,
Golden Village Pictures, Independent Films, Metropolitan Filmexport, Mongkol
Major, Noori Pictures, Noori, Nordisk Film Distribusjon, Phars Film, Pioneer
Films, Roadshow Film Distributors (NZ) Ltd., Roadshow Films, Spentzos Films, StudioCanal,
TME Films, Eagle Films, Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Neon, Pris Audiovisuais, TV3
Director: Susanna Fogel
Writer: Susanna Fogel, David
Iserson
Actors: Justin Theroux, Mila Kunis,
Kate McKinnon, Lolly Adefope, Dustin Demri-Burns, David Iserson, Sam Heughan,
Hasan Minhaj, Mirjam Novak, Kev Adams, Gillian Anderson, Ivanna Sakhno, Jane
Curtin, Paul Reiser, Fred Melamed, James Fleet, Carolyn Pickles, Tom Stourton, Ólafur
Darri Ólafsson
Blurb
from IMDb: Audrey
and Morgan are best friends who unwittingly become entangled in an
international conspiracy when one of the women discovers the boyfriend who
dumped her was actually a spy.
Selina’s
Point of View:
This
movie started on a bad note for me. There was cringe and continuity errors galore,
neither of which ever endears me to a film. But the problems barely even lasted
to the title screen – then things got much better.
Mila
Kunis (Oz the Great and Powerful, Hell and Back, Wonder Park) and Kate
McKinnon (Office Christmas Party, Ferdinand, Bombshell) have such
amazing on-screen chemistry that I immediately bought the idea that they were
best friends. I’ve had some of the same back-and-forth bantering moments with
my best friend, and it felt natural to me when I saw it on-screen. I don’t
think anyone could fault either of their performances.
A lot
of critics had an issue with the humor in this film, but I don’t think they
gave it the credit it deserves. Yes, the movie does seem to try to give a few too
many poop jokes. When it’s not going to toilet humor, though, it had me
giggling out loud.
The
humor wasn’t the best part, though.
I expected
a fish-out-of-water comedy. I got a LOT of that, but I wouldn’t lean too
heavily toward ‘comedy’ when describing this film. It’s not a funny film with
some action. It’s an action film with some comedy. I don’t think the production
company did itself any favors by marketing it as the former.
The
action sequences in The Spy Who Dumped Me were on point. There was so
much more action, blood, and intensity than I expected. The first big shootout went
by and I was like, ‘yeah, ok. I expected that.’ But the movie never really slowed
down after that, and it caught me off-guard. You get a decent high-quality
action scene – then some comedy – then right back to the action.
Critics
didn’t seem to watch this film from the right perspective. I blame marketing
for that. Personally, I loved it. It’s one of those films where I could see it
becoming a guilty pleasure.
Cat’s
Point of View:
There’s
a feeling that you get when a movie opens with one of your favorite songs. It
amps you up and automatically puts you in the mood to expect, hope, and pray
the movie it’s attached to will be good. Quite a few times, I’ve been disappointed.
This was not one of those times. The Spy Who Dumped Me delivered a case
full of awesome.
I
remember that I’d been rather excited to see this movie from the get-go. I’ll
admit that this is actually my second viewing; albeit, my first watch-through
was when the film first reached On-Demand through my cable provider over a year
ago. I felt like I was watching again for the first time. I was taken back
along for the ride, swept into the story and the laughter. Aside from that,
Selina and I both scored this movie in our Top 10 movies to look out for in
August 2018. I had this one as my #4.
I
love the premise of this movie. You see so many buddy-cop and buddy P.I. movies
– the list really goes on – with a pair of guys involved. If it’s not two
dudes, then there’s a male/female pairing. This is one of those Thelma and
Louise (1991) sort of movies that tosses that old recipe out the window and
runs with the strengths of two capable women banding together.
Of
course, this movie spoofs the spy genre all over the place – that’s fun, too. I
just dig that ‘ride or die’ friendship that the two female lead characters
have. This is the sort of shenaniganry I would get into with my own best
friends. I’d like to think so, at least. Hopefully with fewer flying bullets.
Kate
McKinnon is one of my favorite comedians of today. I adore the quirkiness that
she brings to her roles. Casting did a wonderful job here pairing her with Mila
Kunis. I believed the dynamic of their friendship. It felt organic. Besides,
who doesn’t like a good ‘straight-laced’ foil to a kooky character?
The
icing on the action-laden cake for me was Sam Heughan’s (Young Alexander the
Great, Emulsion, Bloodshot) involvement with the project. Aside from
getting moony whenever I hear the Scottish actor speak, I like seeing the
different roles he takes outside of his lead role in Outlander (2014-).
Even though I’m an admitted fangirl, I feel that I can still be fairly objective
when I say that he excels in this sort of genre.
I
would definitely give this action-packed spy flick a hearty recommendation. In
fact, I’d have to say that the film is probably in my personal top 200 of all
time. I’d watch it again, and again.
Production/Distribution: Keep Your Head, MICA Entertainment, MadRiver Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, Amazon Studios, Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, Bleecker Street Media, Cathay-Keris Films, Cinecolor Films, Colossal Mega Films, Culture Publishers, Latam Pictures, Leone Film Group, NOS Audiovisuais, Sabay MVP, Spentzos Films, StudioCanal, The Searchers, Arthaus, Batrax Entertainment, Broad Green Pictures, Film & TV House, Film1, GEM Entertainment, IPA Asia Pacific, KVH Media Group, Mis. Label, Telia, Yleisradio
Director: James Gray
Writers: James Gray, David Grann
Actors: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna
Miller, Tom Holland, Edward Ashley, Angus Macfadyen, Ian McDiarmid, Clive
Francis, Pedro Coello, Matthew Sunderland, Johann Myers, Aleksandar Jovanovic,
Elena Solovey
Blurb from IMDb: A
true-life drama, centering on British explorer Major Percival Fawcett, who
disappeared whilst searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s.
Cat’s Point of View:
I was really excited when we came across the trailer for The Lost City of Z among those that were
in consideration for 2017s April Top 20 list. While this movie didn’t make the
cut for Selina’s list, it was my #8.
Aside from the noteworthy cast, I compared the film to some of the
great adventure film noir of yesteryear. This certainly wasn’t on the same level
as The African Queen (1951), but it
did deliver as an in-color period piece.
With the consideration that this movie is a biopic about an actual
British explorer, I’d have to say that it was certainly successful in
illustrating the drive, and near obsession, of Fawcett in his search for the
lost Amazonian civilizations. The challenges of such expeditions were well
depicted, and drew me in to investing in the goals and well-being of the
explorer and his companions.
Currently, it seems like everyone’s friendly neighborhood Tom Holland (In the Heart of the Sea, Avengers: Endgame,
Spies in Disguise) is everywhere. When not web-slinging, he’s been in a
number of voice parts of late. Here in The
Lost City of Z, we find a slightly younger Holland as the older iteration
of Fawcett’s first-born son. I believe he suited the part well.
Another surprisingly good supporting role belonged to Robert Pattinson
(Water for Elephants, Good Time, The King)
as Henry Costin. I’ll admit I’m not innocent of giving Pattinson grief over one
of his most notable former roles in a fictional saga. Sometimes it seems like
the poor guy can’t catch a break in that regard. His performance here, however,
is rather riveting.
If I had to pick the one thing that took away from the overall
experience for me, it would be the pacing and length of the movie. Even though
the story is interesting, it just seemed too drawn out and I felt the entire
two hours and twenty minutes passing. The consolation, of course, is that I don’t
feel that it was time poorly spent.
I’d certainly have no problem recommending this film for anyone that
enjoys a good historical drama. Though, The
Lost City of Z is likely not one I’d return to for multiple viewings – even
as a die-hard fan of Charlie Hunnam (Sons
of Anarchy, Triple Frontier, The Gentlemen).
