Hocus Pocus 2 is everything you want for a sequel of the previous cult classic, it may be subpar in story, but it excels in its acting and heart!!!

Real Rating:

3.5 Rhuumbas

What I Like:

-If you are a fan of the first movie, you will enjoy this one as well, it is a lot of campy fun, and the comedy will make you chuckle, and some moments that makes you feel good
-One of the reasons why this is so enjoyable is because the three leads of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker all really enjoy playing the characters of the Sanderson sisters, and if they are having fun with it, you should too

The So So:

-It is campy, but a good kind of campy, like there are scenes where it is just plain old dumb, but it is a funny good kind of dumb that you just have to sit back and enjoy for what it is

What I Didn’t Like:

-The story is a cliched Halloween family type of movie, if you’re expecting something more, you will be deeply disappointed

Overall:

The first film is a cult Halloween family movie classic. This sequel just adds to the fun of what you loved from the first film. The ladies playing the Sanderson Sisters did add some passion and fun to their roles, and that is all you can ever ask of them. Add the new cast into the mix, it does give you some freshness into a film that came out in the early 90’s. It’s on Disney+, it is Halloween time, get your family and enjoy a good old campy film!!!

Real Rating:

3.5 Rhuumbas

The Greatest Beer Run Ever had good intentions, but overall it really wasn’t that exciting to watch!!!

Real Rating:

3 Beer Cans

What I Like:

-The acting was fine, Zac Efron was fine, Bill Murray was fine, Russell Crowe was fine, everything was fine

The So So:

-It does have a decent storyline about how the US was handling the Vietnam War where you have some people saying these soldiers are dying for nothing, while some say these soldiers are great heroes, and the Vietnam War treaded a thin line between that, with that said making the character, Chickie played by Zac Efron, realizing that was just a cliche way of seeing that instead of a true transformation

What I Didn’t Like:

-In the end, the storyline wasn’t effective enough, it was just about a guy going to Vietnam during the war and giving beer to his friends who are fighting in it, it wasn’t heroic, it wasn’t even impactful in ay way, it was just a quick youtube video about a feel good story

Overall:

The thought was good about the politics of the Vietnam War, but the overall emphasis is really nothing for us to care about. There are a lot more effective films about the Vietnam War with more emotion than seeing Zac Efron weasel his way around situations and giving beer to his friends. At best, it is just a feel good movie, maybe!!!

Real Rating:

3 Beer Cans

In Blonde, you can’t knock on Ana de Armas portrayal of her, but you can knock on the rest of the film!!!

Real Rating:

2.5 Old Big Cameras with the Really Bright Flash

What I Like:

-It’s all about Ana de Armas, it was controversial when she was casted to play Marilyn Monroe, but she stood up to the challenge and killed this role, I didn’t hear any accent that other people try to say, I felt I was seeing a biopic of the late famous actress, she did well with what she got and then some

The So So:

-Director, Andrew Dominik, took some chances in making this film very artsy, most notably the changing between color and black and white in the picture which is something I did enjoy, but the other things he took chances on just seem straight up weird or too much, I wanted to see a story but it almost fell to the status of a Terrence Malick film which I don’t like

What I Didn’t Like:

-I wanted to see a biopic of the Marilyn Monroe, however, the focus in this film about her life just showed all the negative things that Monroe experienced in her life, I felt it showed too much trauma and not enough of the good things she has done in her life, it just became all too depressing for me to watch

Overall:

I felt this biopic could’ve been a lot better. It’s focus on Marilyn Monroe’s life was the wrong focus. Too much traumatic experiences, and not enough good things she did. I felt the focus should of been the reverse, and give a better appreciation to her art. Instead, it was once big sad movie that was artful. The artfulness I sort of give, but at least the real good thing is that Ana de Armas killed in every scene she’s in. She is the only reason why it is worth a watch on Netflix. Other than that, watch at your own risk!!!

Real Rating:

2.5 Old Big Cameras with the Really Bright Flash

Don’t Worry Darling may have an interesting mysterious premise, but the climax was very unsatisfactory!!!

Real Rating:

3 Cars from the 50’s

What I Like:

-I thought Olivia Wilde’s style of directing was pretty good, the camera angles, the facial expressions, and the creepy buildups were pretty good and added good visual depth to it
-The acting was great for the most part, I thought they got the pure emotions right and executed it very well

The So So:

-The story does start off interesting with a mysterious premise that keeps you engaged, but once the pay off happens, it gave me more questions than a satisfactory conclusion, it just leaves you hanging with question marks all over your head

What I Didn’t Like:

-Once the ending happened, there were a lot of things that happened during the movie that really wasn’t explained, the actual explanation left with more questions than answers

Overall:

The premise really had me engaged, and wondering how this will go down. Once it went down, I was so confused that I though M. Night Shyamalan wrote this, produced by J. J. Abrams. It left me underwhelmed and unsatisfied. If there was a point to this, I completely missed it. The stories while filming this film is more satisfying than watching this film!!!

Real Rating:

3 Cars from the 50’s

The Woman King is a good story, with great acting and battle scenes to enjoy!!!

Real Rating: 4 Agojie Warriors

What I Like:

-The fighting scenes are very grounded and epic, I enjoyed the tense moments while the Agojie Warriors are fighting their hearts out
-The acting was tremendous and authentic, especially Viola Davis as General Nanisca, her leadership and influence was intense, seeing how respected she was in the Dahomey Kingdom is great, plus her character development added some good depth to why she is this way, and why she makes a good leader not only for her army, but her kingdom

The So So:

-At first it may be heavy handed about woman empowerment, but once the story starts to unravel, it all makes sense, and added to the high stakes in this story
-It is historically inaccurate, but who cares, this story was really good to care about what is accurate or not

What I Didn’t Like:

-Being nitpicky, but I wish this was an R-rated film, I believe this should’ve been more bloodier and grittier, and it would’ve made this story a lot more epic

Overall:

This is a good watch. Not only for the good message it brings, but just to watch the battles with high tense emotion is something to marvel at. The acting maes this film really good, especially Viola Davis. When you know what is at stakes, it can be something fulfilling emotionally as it starts to unravel. I said it once, and I will say it again, it is a good watch!!!

Real Rating:

4 Agojie Warriors

See How They Run is like any old “Who Done It?” type of film, but the dialogue is witty and quirky enough to be entertaining!!!

Real Rating: 3.5 Stage Theaters

What I Like:

-The dialogue is what makes this type of story interesting, the comedy and quirkiness keeps you afloat with what is going on, and the cast utilizing that dialogue was perfect for their roles and this story, especially Saoirse Ronan, who knew she can be a witty and funny actress

The So So:

-If you seen one “Who Done It?” type of films, you practically seen them all, it is not as unique as Knives Out, but it is still mysterious enough to keep you guessing, and really that is the point of it all, keep you guessing until the big reveal

What I Didn’t Like:

-Sam Rockwell played the Inspector on the case, but it is set in London, and I couldn’t figure out if he is supposed to be British or American, couldn’t quite figure that out, and it distracting

Overall:

As I said before, it is a typical “Who Done It?” type of film. With its witty and quirky dialogue executed by their talented cast, it was entertaining enough. It still has a mystery that can keep you guessing until the big reveal. It does pay homage to Agatha Christie as well, so if you a fan of her books, check it out. As for me, I saw, I questioned, I learned, and I went off to enjoy the rest of my night. Nothing more nothing less!!!

Real Rating:

3.5 Stage Theaters

This live action remake of the classic Pinocchio may look a lot better, but some of the “major” changes really didn’t work for me!!!

Real Rating:

3 Puppets

What I Like:

-The CGI works very well, from the design of Pinocchio and other characters, Pleasure Island, and the Monstro scene really was eye pleasing, add to the great cinematography it blends really well
-Tom Hanks as Geppetto and Cynthia Erivo were great, and the voice cast was good to like Joseph Gordon-Levitt who actually sounds like Jiminy Cricket, and Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John was great as well
-The classic music is always a joy to hear, especially “When You Wish Upon a Star”

The So So:

-I like how they tie up some plot holes from the original movie, like why Geppetto wanted a boy, and things of that nature, but some of the things added created more plot holes or it just doesn’t make sense, like the ending for example, without spoiling it, I didn’t like it whatsoever, but in the end, it is the same old movie, the real problem with these live action remakes
-Luke Evans plays The Coachman, I like how they really made him a likable character at the beginning, but I didn’t think he was sinister enough in the end with his intentions, you see his manipulations, but in the original he was a very creepy and evil guy, here he was just a villain and that’s that

What I Didn’t Like:

-The way they try to make it funnier for this version, but I thought the comedy was either forced or unintentional comedy, meaning I was laughing with how dumb some things went
-The heavy handedness that it was a Disney movie like we really needed to know that

Overall:

I enjoyed it for what it is, a recent version of a classic Disney tale, that looks a lot better, but it is the same old story. Maybe the kids of today will enjoy it, and it is not as creepy as the original version at the very least. However, for us who know this story very well may be not as impressed. Regardless, it is still an enjoyable watch for the family on Disney Plus. It is not perfect, but my expectations were lowered to begin with to make it enjoyable at the very least!!!

Real Rating:

3 Puppets

(Sidenote: Men – Add this to the weirdest movies of this year. It is a horror film about a woman on vacation being haunted by men who are different but looks exactly the same. It started to be creepily intriguing, but then it took a turn for the weirdness very quickly. The fact of this all is that I didn’t quite get the point of this film, and because of that it just all fell flat for me. I didn’t enjoy it at all, and it wasn’t horrific for me. Just gross!!!
Real Rating: 2 Creepy Men)

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. may seem very heavy handed at first, but there are some layers in this that makes you think!!!

Real Rating:

4 Bell Chimes

What I Like:

-The acting by both Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown is what made this a fascinating film, they really put their hearts out into their roles, and I was really convinced in what they were trying to sell in this movie
-Without spoiling it, there were some moments that were very deep and thought provoking

The So So:

-It started off very heavy handed, they made their main characters very unlikable that it was funny to watch, but once their characters start developing, it was a good character study about a church pastor and his wife dealing with major issues and really humanizing them

What I Didn’t Like:

-This is pretty much a mockumentary showing all the bad things about religion, and especially mega churches, but I wish they showed a positive side to it instead of being all negative

Overall:

It started off very heavy handed with their main theme for this film, but once it all starts to unravel, it is something interesting. There is a lot of substance here for us to think about the whole thing they are trying to say. It is very thought provoking, and I do hope people of any Christian religious affiliation should check out, and maybe learn a thing or two!!!

Real Rating:

4 Bell Chimes

Breaking is thrilling and well acted, but the pay off wasn’t quite effective!!!

Real Rating:

4 Banks

What I Like:

-What really made this film good was the acting of John Boyega as the titular character of a desperate man who holds a bank hostage with a bomb to get what he needs, you can sense how troubled and desperate he is, and doing what it takes to get what is rightfully right for him, the rest of the cast was stellar, especially Michael K. Williams as the Negotiator
-The whole film was thrilling, and gives you that sense of wonder of what is going to happen next

The So So:

-Here and there it did slow down for some moments, but some of the slow moments were great for character development, while other slow moments didn’t pertain to the big picture of the story.

What I Didn’t Like:

-Without spoiling it, I found the conclusion of this film very unsatisfying, there was no merit, it wasn’t effective, very anticlimactic, it just ended, and I wanted some kind of good pay off, I felt I was robbed in the end

Overall:

It was a very thrilling movie, with some good characterization, especially for John Boyega’s character. I liked how things went down, but the abrupt ending just didn’t really do it for me. I felt like it needed more substance to be even more impactful than how it really ended. Regardless, it is a good watch for anybody that is interested!!!

Real Rating:

4 Banks

Three Thousand Years of Longing has a love hate relationship with me, and my longing to see the main point of this film!!!

Real Rating:

3 Djinns

What I Like:

-The interesting part of this story were the stories from the Djinn, I like how it mixes history and fantasy to make for an interesting narrative
-This is George Miller’s next film since Mad Max: Fury Road, and the cinematography and graphics were pretty spot on a neat to see, definitely gives you some eye candy while watching the stories unravel
-The acting from Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba is pretty good, I know playing their certain roles is not easy

The So So:

-The bigger picture of this story is what I don’t get, I can understand the goal of the Djinn and his longing, but I don’t quite understand Alithea’s true desires, and her true intentions are, she is a complicated character that’s for sure

What I Didn’t Like:

-My beef with this film is the beginning where there is a lot of random things happening, but no real explanations, and the ending just kept going and going that I was longing for it to end, the way this all ended really left my head scratching for a bit
-Without specifics, there are some scenes that did have me cringe for sure

Overall:

It was like this for me, confused at the beginning, started to enjoy it in the middle of it, didn’t really like how it all ended. It is like a dislike sandwich with the good parts in the middle. Regardless, the direction of George Miller, and the acting by Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba does keep it afloat. As far as the comparison to an adult version of Aladdin? I don’t see that. Instead it is a story about genies or djinns that comes on its own!!!

Real Rating:

3 Djinns