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Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)
cartoon movie
This is an animated movie based on the video game. It is the second in the series. This is a lot of the classic characters plus ones that I don't recognize. Maybe those come with later games. It is a lot of fights, blood, gore, and more fights. If that's all you want, there is plenty of that here. I got a little bored as the fights keep coming and coming and coming. The deaths don't hit that hard as the bodies pile up. I thought that it doesn't matter anyways. As for the story outside of the tournament, I am not paying attention to that and I lose the thread. That is never why one plays this game.
Hips, Hips, Hooray! (1934)
Wheeler and Woolsey and girls
Ditsy Daisy Maxwell (Dorothy Lee) is warned to sell more lipsticks. She spends her time in her nightie demonstrating lipstick inside the store's window display. It's a hit only for the men. It doesn't help that hustlers, Andy Williams (Bert Wheeler) and Dr. Robert Dudley (Robert Woolsey), are across the street pulling all the attention. Andy falls for Daisy and Daisy falls for the boys' lies. She tells beauty supply owner Miss Frisby (Thelma Todd) who then hires the boys to promote a new flavored lipstick.
This opens with a Ruth Etting song. It is pre-Code by a few months. The girls have some revealing costumes and there are some suggestive humor. Wheeler and Woolsey have faded from cinematic memory. They are a matter of personal taste. They have an old vaudevillian flair which can wear thin quickly. I do find it mildly humorous in a knowing way. This is comedy in an archaeological sense of the word.
Joan (2024)
needs condensing
It's 1985. Single mother Joan O'Connell (Sophie Turner) escapes after her petty criminal boyfriend gets in trouble with violent gangsters. She is forced to place her daughter with the authorities while she tries to start again in London. She steals gems from her workplace. She joins crooked antiques dealer Boise Hannington (Frank Dillane) on her way to becoming a real life Godmother.
I think this is a limited series. It could continue, but I don't know about any future plans. As it stands, it's six episodes of about forty five minutes each. That's four and a half hours in total. Some of it feels slow. The crimes are not actually that thrilling. Her desperation for her daughter is the most emotionally compelling. This needs some condensing in order to quicken certain parts.
Snoops (1989)
Venus Flytrap and wife
Chance Dennis (Tim Reid) is a criminalogy professor at Georgetown. His wife Micki Dennis (Daphne Reid) works for the State Department. Somehow, this DC couple keeps falling into mystery investigations week after week. Lieutenant Sam Akers (John Karlen) is their friend on the DC police.
For me, Tim Reid will always be Venus Flytrap. I would see him from time to time and he's still Venus Flytrap. This show seems to have been a family affair for him. Sadly, he could only manage 13 episodes out of it. It is best to leave reasonable out of this. It is the standard network TV procedural with some light touches although I really wish that there is a more natural way for him to get into all these investigations. Maybe they could be his class assignments.
Five Gold Rings (2024)
no urgency Hallmark
Audrey Miller (Holland Roden) is an aspiring artist in Manhattan. She and her mother inherit her grandmother's shop. Her mother would like to keep it, but that would require Audrey to come back to help run the shop. They find a letter from her beachcomber grandmother who liked to return the items she found on the beach. As a final request, she would like Audrey to return five separately uncovered gold rings to their rightful owners before Christmas which is nine days away. She gets help from childhood friend Finn O'Sullivan (Nolan Gerard Funk) who is now a private investigator.
I love the opening premise. I have never imagined this concept. I would still use a few minor changes to make this less clunky. It sets up a quest and a ticking clock. It should be an exciting mystery solving search, but these two are so slow. They even spend time to build a snowman. Their leisurely pace doesn't indicate a sense of urgency. That defeats the purpose of the clock. They need to up the tension and the chemistry will come as a result. The movie flatlines and everything falls flat. I guess Hallmark could never do any intensity.
I Yam Love Sick (1938)
Popeye faker
Olive Oyl is obsessively reading her romance novel and eating chocolate from Bluto. Popeye drops by, but she tells him that she has moved on. What is a Popeye to do? He fakes being sick. Olive Oyl is upset and immediately calls the hospital. The doctors are confused as Popeye keeps faking his symptoms. A distraught Olive Oyl brings him a can of spinach. She is not happy when he reveals his deceit.
Popeye is being such a cute little liar. This actually works with a bare minimum from Bluto and spinach being a placebo. Some of these Popeye faking scenes are classics. This one does lack the fighting energy.
High School (2022)
great show
This TV show is based on the autobiographical book High School by and about Tegan and Sara. It's 1995 Calgary. Tegan Quin (Railey Gilliland) and Sara Quin (Seazynn Gilliland) are twins moving to the suburbs and starting a new school. Their social worker mother Simone (Cobie Smulders) is struggling to do it all and working on her PHD thesis. Tegan becomes involved with Maya (Amanda Fix).
There is an easy realism 90's Canada to his show. The Gilliland twins do great work to portray the famous twins. It handles their relationship and their new connections with great sensitivity and skills. It gets some critical support, but doubtful to last more than one season.
Condor (2018)
good thriller series
Brilliant MIT student Joe Turner (Max Iron) was recruited into the CIA by his uncle and mentor Bob Partridge (William Hurt). He had developed a program to find under-the-radar threats with questionable methods. It leads to a conspiracy of epic proportions and he is forced to go on the run. Mae Barber (Kristen Hager) is the wife of Joe's best friend and colleague. Reuel Abbott (Bob Balaban) is a slimy CIA higher up.
The first season has a big conspiracy theory that feels a bit too cheesy. The writing is not 100% but there are good elements. The second season has a more traditional espionage mole hunt. The writing is a bit better. The smaller world is more fitting. Max Iron is a solid youngster in a complex world. Two seasons is good enough. It's a solid thriller series.
Chucky (2021)
full on Chucky fun
Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) is an artistic gay teen in Hackensack, New Jersey. He uses doll parts in his sculptures and buys a Chucky doll at a yard sale. The doll has the spirit of serial killer Charles Lee Ray. His abusive drunk father hates his budding homosexuality. He is bullied at school by his cousin Junior Wheeler and Junior's mean girlfriend Lexy Cross (Alyvia Alyn Lind). Her mother is the mayor. Chunky kills Jake's father and he is forced to live with his uncle Logan Wheeler. Fellow classmate Devon Evans (Bjorgvin Arnarson) has been researching Charles Lee Ray.
It's a Syfy show that lasted three seasons. This starts with teen high schoolers and it slowly injects the various Chucky characters from the franchise over the years. It's a lot of familiar faces which gives this a sense of a Chucky family affair. It is a lot of bonkers, but that's what the franchise has turned into over the years. It is only fitting that this show goes there. The three kids are solid and they are not simple fair weather friends. This is full on Chucky fun.
Beacon 23 (2023)
sci-fi space lighthouse
In the 23rd century, humanity has colonized the galaxy. Beacons are space lighthouses warning the presence of dangerous dark matter. Beacon 23 is malfunctioning and a passing spaceship is destroyed. Aster Calyx (Lena Headey) is the sole surivor and Harmony (Natasha Mumba) is her personal AI. She finds a lone lighthouse keeper, but he's actually military soldier Halan (Stephan James) with lots of issues. Nobody is who they claim to be.
It's a lighthouse in space. That's the concept. It has the spooky atmosphere of an old horror with a lot of techno babble. The characters get a bit too mysterious and too complicated. The show keeps piling on layers upon layers. It's a big problem when the show loses its biggest name going into the second season. Lena Headey can put an entire show on her shoulders. Without her, the seams start to fall apart. All the convoluted history and politics become too much to overcome. The show ends after two seasons.
The Red (2024)
small Aussie B-horror
Aka The Red... A remote community in the Australian outback is being hunted by a killer. Young sheriff Maddie struggles to deal with the situation. It gets more shocking when the killer turns out to be a seemingly invincible giant zombie kangaroo.
The premise is dumb. The CGI kangaroo looks dumb. At least, the zombie part has a good ending. This could have been like Cujo or steer fully into camp. There just isn't anything here. None of the characters are that compelling. The sheriff is almost interesting, but I couldn't pay attention to the others. This is a small B-horror that fails to do more.
A Different Man (2024)
different
Edward Lemuel (Sebastian Stan) is a struggling actor with prominent facial disfigurements. Aspiring playwright Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) moves in next door to him. He tries an experimental drug and his facial growths miraculously peels off.
This movie has an unique premise and tackles some edgy issues. I was never sure where this movie was going with this premise. My one main suggestion is to end the movie about ten minutes earlier. The accident should put Edward permanently in a wheelchair and the four people around the table should be the last scene. The last extra bits feel like a run-on sentence.
Saint Monica (2002)
small Canadian indie
Monica (Genevieve Buechner) is a 10 year old Portuguese-Canadian in Toronto. Her mother (Brigitte Bako) is struggling with her ex-husband. Her family lives in a basement apartment. She is desperate to be an angel in the upcoming religious procession. She steals a pair of angel wings from the class. While riding public transit, she loses the wings. She spots them again and finds that they're being worn by troubled homeless lady Mary.
The cute little girl is pretty good. This is a small Canadian indie. The family drama and the immigrant life are slightly interesting. I thought the wings quest would be more compelling with more twists. It has some interesting religious potential ideas. Mostly, the potential could be further developed.
Nightsleeper (2024)
fun little thriller series despite writing issues
Joseph Roag (Joe Cole) is chased onto the Glasgow to London sleeper train. He finds a mysterious circuit rigged into the train control system. They have been hack-jacked. Abby Aysgarth (Alexandra Roach) is the acting Technical Director of the National Cyber Security Centre tasked with fixing the problem.
I have some issues with the writing. The characters are a little slow in many ways. They are always stopping to argue. They are never quite smart enough to get ahead of the audience. This is a frustrating way to watch. Writers do that to artificially jack up the tension. They have a mystery saboteur in the group. That should be the big tension getter on the train. Despite my issues, this is still a fun little thriller.
Burke's Law (1994)
for nostalgia and for the guests
Chief Amos Burke (Gene Barry) is a wealthy man. With his police detective son Peter Burke (Peter Barton), they take on high profile and convoluted cases. Henry is their Oriental man-servant. Chef Vinnie Piatte (Dom DeLuise) is their friend.
This feels light and old especially for the 90's. For heaven's sake, they have an Oriental man-servant. If the old Henry actor is already dead, they may as well write off that character. They could put a picture of him in a prominent place to honor the guy. It's an Aaron Spelling production and he's not known for anything hard and gritty. The main draw seems to be nostalgia for the 60's show. I've never seen it. This definitely has a lot of guest stars. Many of them are old-timers, but there are plenty of young newbies. That's probably the show's most appealing aspect. We get to see a lot of familiar faces. Gene Barry is an old-timer in several ways. He's solid but nothing more. Peter Barton is pretty average and rather bland. The father and son banter needs more spice. This lasted two seasons. One of them has to be for the nostalgia.
Lee (2023)
some interesting stuff and Winslet
Before WWII, American former model Lee Miller (Kate Winslet) is in Europe doing fashion photography. She gets involved with artist Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård). During the war, she's hired by British Vogue in London. She and Life magazine photojournalist Davy Scherman (Andy Samberg) go to the front line. They would photograph some devastating concentration camp scenes.
This is a biopic. I really like the final reveal. I find it very touching, but it is all the way to the end. For most of this movie, it struggles to find the drama. She had an interesting life, but it's not that kind of drama. The movie relies on Winslet's acting power to keep it going. Quite frankly, all the drama is back-loaded and it's not that dramatic. This movie requires a bit of patience.
Stars Over Broadway (1935)
don't like
Floundering music producer Al McGillevray (Pat O'Brien) is considering suicide when he hears the beautiful voice of bell boy Jan King/Kiskwski (James Melton). He takes on the amateur. At a competition, they encounter driven singer Nora Wyman (Jean Muir). As Jan gains success, he loses his way.
This is not my kind of music. I don't want that to influence my review, but it does not help. I can do without this Pat O'Brien character and I don't find Melton that good as an actor. He's obviously a better singer. I actually like the comedic side characters. They save little moments within a rather bland movie.
Broadway Hostess (1935)
fine mostly
Small town Ohio girl Winnie Wharton (Wini Shaw) goes into a club to audition. The owner is not impressed but Lucky Lorimer (Lyle Talbot) insists on a second chance. That is her start. In time, she would be performing in high class Park Ave clubs and Lucky would be her manager. She likes him but he keeps it professional. He starts dating steel heiress Iris Marvin (Genevieve Tobin), but she refuses to marry him.
This is nothing great, but I do appreciate the love triangle. That is also not the greatest. Winnie is gone for too long in certain sections. The trio has some chemistry but not a lot. This movie is fine mostly.
Samurai Cowboy (1994)
lots of interesting ideas for comedy
Yutaka Sato (Hiromi Gô) is an obsessed fan of old westerns. He and his best friend dream of riding horses in Montana, but they are only office drones in Tokyo. His friend suddenly dies from overwork and he decides to go for his cowboy dream. He buys a ranch in Running Moose, Montana. When he sees it for the first time, he finds a rundown place with the cattle scattered. Gabe McBride (Robert Conrad) is the old ranch hand. Jessie Collins (Catherine Mary Stewart) is town hottie. Colt Wingate (Matt McCoy) is from the land baron family and he is looking to get Sato's property. Sato rescues Jack Eagle Eye from a bunch of Wingate thugs and hires him. He also hires country rapper C. C. Ryder who gets left behind by his band.
This has a lot of interesting ideas for a comedy. There is Sato's obsession with westerns. I don't know this actor. This seems to be his one attempt at breaking into western movies. Obviously, it didn't take. This movie needs a bigger lead who has more heat with CMS. This is a smaller production in Canada. I like the fish out of water premise. The evil land developer is fine. The cattle drive is fine. A lot of this is fine.
You Might Be the Killer (2018)
interesting opening
Sam (Fran Kranz) is opening Camp Clear Vista and welcoming the camp counselors. Soon, there are lots of dead counselors. Sam is covered with blood and on the run. He calls up his friend Chuck (Alyson Hannigan) who is working at her store. After some discussion, she proposes that he may be the killer.
This has an interesting start. Up to that point, the premise is looking good and it's doing something completely different. After that, the movie struggles to be inventive. It has some funny moments and sarcastic takes on horror. Mostly, it draws a straight line and isn't quite as interesting as its opening premise. I wouldn't mind it going crazier. Hannigan is out there by herself. She probably did all that in a couple of days.
We Are Zombies (2023)
zombie comedy
The dead are back and it's not that dangerous. They are more an annoyance and are referred to as "Living impaired". They are second class citizens used for manual labor. Karl Neard and Freddy Mercks are best friends and bumbling petty criminals. Karl's sister Maggie Neard directs them to sell captured zombies. Meanwhile, Corporate hunters are losing money to these three thieves.
This is a French Canadian zombie comedy. I love the world. I don't know these actors and that's probably a lot of my problem. They're fine but not too deep. The movie is not quite at its best, but the potential is there for some gonzo fun.
Champion (1949)
gritty boxing movie
Michael "Midge" Kelly (Kirk Douglas) is a struggling boxer willing to do anything or step on anybody to get ahead. He and his gimpy brother Connie (Arthur Kennedy) are hitchhiking and jumping rail cars to get to California. They supposedly own a part of a diner, but it is a con. It's a long winding road for Midge to climb the boxing ladder.
This was nominated for several Oscars and won one for editing. Midge is not an appealing character, but Kirk Douglas is an appealing actor. This is a compelling gritty story. It may be too much to ask for the Oscars to reward such an unappealing character.
Justice (2006)
solid courtroom drama
It's the law firm of TNT&G in Los Angeles. Ron Trott (Victor Garber) is the face of the firm especially in front of the media. Tom Nicholson (Kerr Smith) is the young gun trial lawyer. Alden Tuller (Rebecca Mader) works the physical evidence. Luther Graves (Eamonn Walker) is a former DA. The four partners bring in others as needed. The show reveals the truth of the cases at the end of each episode.
This is a solid legal courtroom procedural on Fox. The structure of the show is a bit unique due to the closing segment where the true guilt or innocence is decided. In that way, the cases are the primary focus. I love all four actors. Victor Garber has the juiciest role. The characters don't get too much personal time on the show. As with many of these shows, I would like for them to defend more guilty people. That would be realistic. Not every client can be wrongly accused. They aired 12 out of 13 episodes and canceled after only one season. It never gained any traction.
Starlift (1951)
pro-military dribble
Rick Williams and Mike Nolan are Air Force buddies organizing performances for the troops. They are looking for movie star Nell Wayne. There are a number of top stars playing themselves in short cameos. Ruth Roman and Doris Day befriend the guys for a stretch.
This is a bit of pro-military dribble as the Cold War heats up. The stories are nothing interesting and I don't care. The cooking demonstration is not that funny. He should have brought up one of the soldiers. The song and dance performances are what they are. I like them to some extend. I just wouldn't care that much. The rest is nothing.
Long Distance (2024)
simple little sci-fi
A mining spaceship gets hit by a meteorite and crashes onto an uncharted hostile planet. Lower level crew member Andy Ramirez (Anthony Ramos) and Naomi Calloway (Naomi Scott) are two survivors.
There is some action and some thrills. It's a creature feature. The creatures are good solid CGI creations. My biggest problem is that I don't really like Andy. He's a scared idiot for most of the movie. He gets a gun-like device, but nobody ever uses it for some reason. He's just not the brightest light in the room and that gets frustrating. It's a simple little sci-fi with creatures. It would be fine but Andy annoys me.