She Said

By: Andrew Wing

She Said is a 2022 American biographical drama film directed by Maria Schrader (Unorthodox, I’m Your Man) and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (writer for Ida and Small Axe), based on the 2019 book of the same title by reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. The film stars Carey Mulligan (Drive, Promising Young Woman) and Zoe Kazan (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Big Sick) as Twohey and Kantor, respectively, and follows their New York Times investigation that exposed Harvey Weinstein's history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women. Patricia Clarkson (Shutter Island, The Green Mile), Andre Braugher (The Mist, Primal Fear), Jennifer Ehle (The King’s Speech, Contagion), and Samantha Morton (Synecdoche, New York, Minority Report) co-star, with Ashley Judd (Heat, Divergent) appearing as herself.

The book was optioned in 2018, and the film was announced in 2021 as a co-production between Annapurna Pictures and Plan B Entertainment. Filming took place in New York with cinematographer Natasha Braier (The Neon Demon, Honey Boy). During post-production, editing was completed by Hansjörg Weißbrich and the score was composed by Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk).

She Said had its world premiere at the 60th New York Film Festival on October 13, 2022, and was released in the United States on November 18, 2022, by Universal Pictures. It was also named one of the best films of 2022 by the American Film Institute.

THE GOOD

As a huge fan of the Oscars and all of the awards shows, She Said has been on my radar for a very long time. Anytime there’s a journalism movie like this, it is usually going to be in the awards conversation. And whenever there’s a movie that deals with the movie industry itself, that is usually going to be in the awards conversation as well. That said, She Said checked both of those boxes as it follows the New York Times investigation that exposed former film producer Harvey Weinstein's history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women that worked in the film industry. Needless to say, I was pretty eager to check this one out, but did it live up to the hype? Keep reading to find out!

I certainly think it did! Now I am a huge fan of journalism movies. From the classics like All the President’s Men to recent ones like Spotlight and Bombshell, and I do not think I’m overreacting when I say that this belongs in near the same realm as those other movies. This movie is more like Spotlight as it is straightforward and faithful to how the story unfolded and I loved it! This movie never felt amped up like some of the other movies in this genre like Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 from a few years ago (a movie that I also loved), and I felt that was the right way for the director Maria Schrader to go about this. This movie really just is the reporters slowly doing this story and I just thought that was a good choice because it was important to see how these two incredible women broke this story and it also still managed to build a lot of tension.

Aside from Schrader’s solid direction, I was really impressed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s adapted screenplay. There are so many interesting and great scenes throughout the film, and a lot of those I felt were a credit to the dialogue. For example, there are a number of interviews that take place throughout as the reporters meet different people as they’re in pursuit of writing this piece on Harvey Weinstein and all of the dialogue in all of those scenes is really good and had me absolutely locked in. There are a number of standout moments in the film from the ensemble cast, and I’ll touch on that, but I think these moments worked so well because of Lenkiewicz’s screenplay that is a lock to be nominated for an Oscar and may even win.

But now onto the performances of Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan. I am a fan of both of them, and I really liked both of their performances in this even though they weren’t career-best performances. Kazan played Jodi Kantor and Mulligan played Megan Twohey, and you could tell how immersed they were in these roles. It was really cool seeing the actresses themselves being completely immersed in their work of playing real people who were completely immersed into their work. Does that make sense? Well anyways, I do think Mulligan did have the better performance and I could very well see her getting a Best Supporting Actress nomination that would be well deserved.

As good as the lead performances were from Kazan and Mulligan, the performances that really shined in She Said were the ‘one-sceners’ that played during the interviewees. For starters, Samantha Morton has one scene where she is truly phenomenal, and Jennifer Ehle had a couple of scenes where she really stole the show. Those two were probably my favorite performances here, but I also quite enjoyed Andre Braugher as Dean Baquet, and Peter Friedman as Lanny Davis. All in all, as good as these performances were, part of me wishes we got more of them, but I still really liked the film overall.

In closing, I just wanted to shout out some of the technical elements of She Said. I thought the editing was good which is essential in these journalism movies, the visuals were interesting given all of the different locations we get, and Nicholas Britell’s score was really good. Britell is just great, and he used a lot of cascading pianos and strings in this score and the score as a whole was just super prominent in the film at all the right times.

THE BAD

Now I obviously really enjoyed the film, but I can definitely see some people not liking it as much as I did. As I previously said, this movie is straightforward and it doesn’t fabricate the story, so there aren’t a lot of creative liberties taken to dramatize the story, and I do think that because of that some people will view the movie as being either boring or dry, and I respect that. Also, the two main characters that we follow don’t really get arcs in the film which will be a problem for some people, but at the end of the day, these women are already heroes just for doing their jobs, and despite me knowing how the story ended, I was still emotionally invested in the story and also the characters so I can’t complain too much.

THE VERDICT

Maria Schrader’s She Said is a really good journalism movie that follows the New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey and their investigation that exposed Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women.

Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan both have good performances as Kantor and Twohey respectively, the story is powerful, the writing is really good, and it’s just an easy movie for me to suggest checking out!

TED TAKES RATING - 8.9/10

She Said is now streaming only on Peacock. Check out the latest trailer below.

White Noise

By: Andrew Wing

White Noise is a 2022 absurdist comedy-drama film, written and directed by Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha, Marriage Story), adapted from the 1985 novel with the same title by Don DeLillo. It is Baumbach's first directed feature not to be based on an original story of his own. The film stars Adam Driver (Marriage Story, Star Wars sequel trilogy), Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha, 20th Century Women), Don Cheadle (Ocean’s Eleven, Avengers: Endgame), Raffey Cassidy (The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Dark Shadows), Sam Nivola, and May Nivola.

Set in the 1980s, Jack Gladney (Driver), professor of Hitler studies at The-College-on-the-Hill, husband to Babette (Gerwig), and father to four children/stepchildren, is torn asunder by a chemical spill from a rail car that releases an “Airborne Toxic Event”, forcing Jack to confront his biggest fear – his own mortality.

White Noise had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2022, and was released in select cinemas on November 25, 2022, before its streaming release on December 30, by Netflix.

THE GOOD

Going into 2022, there was not a movie I was more excited about than White Noise. Why? Well because it was Noah Baumbach’s first film since Marriage Story, which is one of my all-time favorites, so there was that. But more than that, it was starring my favorite actor, Adam Driver, as a professor of “Hitler studies”, so needless to say I was interested to see what he was going to bring to the table. All that said because it was one of my most anticipated films of 2022, it of course didn’t come out until the second to last day of the year! Regardless, I watched it the first chance I could, but was it worth the wait? Keep reading to find out!

It was! As previously mentioned, I am a huge fan of Baumbach’s, and I was really impressed by what he did in the director’s chair here. This felt like his most daring and ambitious project yet, and while it wasn’t perfect, I still feel like it was an overall success. A lot of the movie is just exploring this strange, heightened world that Baumbach built, and exploring that was honestly one of my favorite parts of the movie. Now this movie is absolutely absurd and everything just feels off and strange, and a lot of that is because of the writing, but it’s also because of the genre-hopping Baumbach does in the movie. At the end of the day, this movie is a dark comedy through and through that is really funny, but at times it felt like a Spielberg adventure movie, while at other times Baumbach does thriller and also noir. I don’t see him getting a Best Director nomination, but nevertheless, I was really impressed by Baumbach’s direction here.

But now to get to what I really want to talk about, and that’s Adam Driver’s performance. Driver plays a man who, like many of us, fears death, and the film follows how he and the other people around him cope with this fear, and I really thought he carried the film. Driver and Baumbach just need to keep making movies together for the rest of eternity because this now marks their fifth movie together and every time Driver just gives another amazing performance so different from the one before. Driver just never allowed me as an audience member to take his character as seriously as the character does himself and he just killed the dry humor in this.

Driver definitely took home the gold here, but all of the other performances were really good too. Baumbach’s wife, Greta Gerwig, plays Babette and I thought she was perfectly cast in this as Babette is this sort of awkward, upbeat, emotional character. Don Cheadle is given some hilarious moments, and I also really liked all of the performances from the actors who played the children in this. I thought they were all very funny and I look forward to seeing what they do down the line.

Aside from the performances though, this movie’s technical elements are just top-notch. I loved the production design here that was just an immaculate feast of 1980s vibes, and as someone who stocks shelves at a supermarket part-time, I was in awe of all the perfectly stocked shelves. Danny Elfman’s score was certainly one of the highlights of the film, Lol Crawley’s vibrant cinematography was remarkable as it felt slightly heightened from our reality, and LCD Soundsystem’s original song “New Body Rhumba” comes on right at the beginning of the end credits and it was just perfectly used and would honestly win the Oscar for Best Original Song if it was up to me.

THE BAD

As good as Baumbach’s direction, the performances, and the techs were, there are just some problems with the film that I had and that most general audiences will have if they watch this. For starters, it feels weird critiquing Baumbach’s writing because he’s one of the best writers working today, but the screenplay just felt inconsistent. Now a lot of that is due to the novel he is adapting into a film being called ‘unadaptable’, but there is just no consistent plot and there are a number of varying tones at play in the film that greatly affected the viewing experience. Also, I think the movie just could’ve been a good fifteen to thirty minutes shorter.

THE VERDICT

Despite its inconsistent plot and the weirdness of it all, White Noise is Noah Baumbach’s most ambitious film yet and I felt it was a true spectacle and an overall success. It’s an absurdist comedy that is really funny throughout and it’s carried by another great Adam Driver performance, and also some stunning cinematography, a fantastic score, and just an awesome original song from LCD Soundsystem!

Now I just need to order the novel right now and get to reading it, so I can rewatch this film and really determine if Baumbach truly adapted the so-called unadaptable.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.2/10

White Noise is now available only on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

By: Andrew Wing

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (titled onscreen as simply Glass Onion) is a 2022 American mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman. It is the sequel to the 2019 film Knives Out, with Daniel Craig (James Bond film series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) reprising his role as master detective Benoit Blanc as he takes on a new case revolving around tech billionaire Miles Bron, who is played by Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Grand Budapest Hotel), and his closest friends. The ensemble cast also includes Janelle Monáe (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision, Step Brothers), Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, One Night in Miami…), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections, The Gray Man), Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks, Boy Erased), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), and Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Dune).

Johnson had considered the idea of several films featuring the Benoit Blanc character prior to the first film's release. A sequel was greenlit by its original distributor Lionsgate in 2020, but in March 2021 Netflix bought the rights to two Knives Out sequels for $469 million. The cast signed on that May. Filming took place with a $40 million budget on the island of Spetses, Greece in June and July 2021, and continued in Belgrade until September 2021.

Following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, Glass Onion began a one-week limited theatrical release on November 23, 2022, receiving the widest theatrical release ever for a Netflix film and grossing $115 million; Netflix began streaming it on December 23, 2022. It was named one of the top ten films of 2022 by the National Board of Review and received two nominations at the 80th Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Craig.

THE GOOD

The time has finally come! Once I heard that there would be a sequel to the smash hit from 2019, Knives Out, I have been so excited! Knives Out was a top ten movie from 2019 for me, which was just a stacked year when it came to movies, and it is one of my personal favorites. More than that, once I saw the ensemble cast that was headlining the sequel, I knew this movie was just going to be amazing. It finally hit Netflix a couple of weeks ago, but before I could watch it, I just felt like I had to rewatch the original and let’s just say it holds up on a rewatch. That said, I finally got around to checking out Glass Onion, but did it live up to my crazy high expectations? Keep reading to find out!

It most certainly did! I loved Glass Onion! Just like the first one is already considered a murder mystery classic, I really think Glass Onion lives up to the first one in every which way and will likely also become a classic of the murder mystery genre. I know that’s kind of crazy to say, but I really believe that, and a big reason I do is because of Rian Johnson’s abilities as a writer/director which he absolutely put on full display here! I am such a huge fan of Johnson. His sci-fi film Looper from 2012, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis is very underrated and I don’t care what all the psychotic Star Wars fans say, Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a freaking awesome movie. I hate that he got a lot of online hate for what he did in that movie, but I’m glad that he has a chance to shut the haters up soon as he is reportedly going to get to write his own trilogy of Star Wars films down the line and get to direct the first installment which just puts me over the moon!

As for what Rian Johnson does in Glass Onion, he just crushed it in every aspect! I felt like he leveled up as a director honesty with some of the framing in some of the shots we got in Glass Onion. There was truthfully purpose behind every single shot. As for the story, he certainly had a challenge here following up on such a great film, but he freaking did it! The script and the movie itself felt less like a sequel and more like an anthology in my opinion as it felt like a separate movie if that makes sense. That said, Johnson still provided us as an audience with those same delicious pleasures with the comedy and the fun we have unraveling this mystery! It’s truly remarkable to me how he can come up with these stories. I can’t even imagine trying to come up with a murder mystery but he makes it look so easy and you can feel while watching the film the giddiness and enjoyment he got from writing this screenplay. The script is just so masterful as it is filled with so much great dialogue from quirky characters, and also a ton of great social commentary. All in all, I’d say Johnson and Ram Bergman, the man he co-wrote the screenplay with, are locks to get nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

I won’t lie, Chris Evans’ performance as Ransom was my favorite performance from Knives Out, but Daniel Craig’s character of Benoit Blanc was certainly my favorite from that film. And as much as I loved Blanc in the first film, I really think I came to love him more in this film because he represents the audience in a sense as he is desiring to have a good mystery just like we are as we watch. His character is just so funny and he brings so much joy, unlike any other character I watched on screen this year! As for Craig’s performance as the character in this sequel, he, like Rian Johnson, just did it again! I love Craig as an actor obviously being a huge fan of the James Bond films, but I just can’t get enough of his thick southern accent here. Sure, some will say he is overacting and is cartoonish, but I was just such a huge fan of everything he did here and I wouldn’t mind seeing him get an Oscar nomination for his performance here because it’s unforgettable!

As I previously mentioned, once I heard the ensemble cast that would be alongside Daniel Craig in this one, I almost passed out. Seriously though, the cast is stacked and I just loved getting a whole new colorful cast of characters. And let’s just say, the ensemble cast did not disappoint because they were extremely fun! I won’t touch on all of the members of the ensemble cast, but Janelle Monáe definitely got the largest role and this was just a showcase for her because she is fantastic and more than worthy of a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Kate Hudson is very funny as she gives a very big performance in this and I thought Edward Norton was a huge standout for me as he had one of the best performances as the tech billionaire Miles Bron.

As for some of the technical elements, let’s discuss the cinematography. The cinematography in the original was great and Steve Yedlin beautifully captured the New England region. But with Glass Onion, we get an entirely new location in Greece that was beautifully shot once again by Steve Yedlin. As a whole, the movie is just so stunning to look at. The costumes are awesome and the production design is on another level. The mansion in this film looks incredible and all the props in the mansion felt thematically significant to the film and I really think they deserve an Oscar nomination as well! And last but not least, I really liked the score from Nathan Johnson here as it is definitely one of the best of his career!

THE BAD

I’ll say it again, I loved Glass Onion! That said, I just have to put it a tick below the first. I could maybe even be convinced that it is as good on a second watch, but I just can’t say it’s better. One reason for that is because the story we get in Glass Onion, as much as I enjoyed it, is a far more complicated story than Knives Out. I have seen some critics call the movie an “explainathon” because, for a majority of the movie, you are getting explained what is going on. And sure, it takes a lot of time and maybe that time could have been better spent exploring the characters, but in my opinion, all the explaining was so fun and the big conclusion did not let us down so who cares about how we got there!

THE VERDICT

Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is such a fun movie full of amazing performances from the entire ensemble cast that is once again led by Daniel Craig as the hilarious private detective, Benoit Blanc. The writing is amazing and so fresh, the production design is outstanding, and Nathan Johnson’s score is arguably the best of his career!

As I said earlier in the review, I have this just a tick below Knives Out, but I couldn’t recommend this movie more, so watch it ASAP with family and friends because I guarantee you will have a good time with it!

TED TAKES RATING - 9.3/10

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is now on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

By: Andrew Wing

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Spanish: BARDO, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades), or known simply as Bardo, is a 2022 Mexican drama film co-written, co-composed, edited, produced, and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), The Revenant).

The film stars Daniel Giménez Cacho (Y Tu Mamá También, Cronos) alongside Griselda Siciliani, and follows Silverio (Cacho), a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker who returns to his native country of Mexico and begins having an existential crisis in the form of dreamlike visions. It is Iñárritu's first film to be fully filmed in Mexico since Amores perros in 2000.

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in competition for the Golden Lion on September 1, 2022, and was released in theaters on November 18, 2022, then streamed on Netflix on December 16, 2022.

THE GOOD

Going into 2022, Bardo was without a doubt one of my most anticipated movies. I love Iñárritu as a director and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a perfect film in my opinion that is easily one of my favorites. The movie was getting a lot of awards buzz in early 2022, but after it premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, it got very mixed reviews and all the buzz around awards pretty much disappeared. To be completely honest, that only made me more excited to finally check this out once it hit Netflix, and I finally got around to it! So was this another great film in Iñárritu’s catalog, or was it what some are calling his worst film yet? Keep reading to find out!

While I don’t think it was as great as his masterpieces like Birdman or other amazing films of his like Amores perros and Babel, Bardo is still a really good movie in my opinion. It certainly won’t be for everybody and I will touch on that later in the review, but I am always so amazed by what Iñárritu does in the director’s chair. This movie was daring and ambitious and some people will fault the movie and him for that, but I really admired what he did here. He tackled a lot of big ideas here and while he didn’t do it perfectly, I still think he is worthy of a lot of praise. His framing and blocking in every scene were top notch and I am obsessed with the way he uses camera movement in his films. And lastly, I loved all of the comedy in this movie, and it really just makes me want to watch Iñárritu do a dark comedy movie because I think he would crush it.

Aside from Iñárritu’s direction, this movie is carried by a great lead performance from Daniel Giménez Cacho. I have seen Cronos, the 1993 Guillermo del Toro movie he had a supporting role in, but this was only the second performance of his and I was really impressed. He absolutely carries this film on his back as the main character Silverio, who is a stand-in for Iñárritu himself. Cacho conveys a lot of his character’s emotions in the film through his facial expressions, but he has some scenes that are heavy with dialogue too that I thought he crushed. Also, he has a great couple of minutes of dancing too in what was one of my favorite scenes of the film. Aside from Cacho’s lead performance, I do want to give a shout-out to Griselda Siciliani, the beautiful Argentine actress who played Silverio’s wife, Lucía, who I hope following this gets in more stuff!

As good as Iñarritu's direction and the performances were, the best part of Bardo is without a doubt Darius Khondji's cinematography. Khondji has shot some pretty great films in the past like David Fincher’s Se7en, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems, and also earlier this year, James Gray’s Armageddon Time (see my full review here). That said, what Khondji does here is remarkable and it is right up there with some of his best work. There are just so many shots throughout the film that I was in awe of and I put it right up there with Nope (see my full review here) as the film with the best cinematography of 2022. It’ll be a true shame if Khondji doesn’t get nominated for Best Cinematography at this year’s Academy Awards, but I’ll hold out hope that he can get a nom for the next movie he is shooting, Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming sci-fi film Mickey 17 that I just cannot wait for!

THE BAD

As previously mentioned, I thought Bardo was a really good movie, but I totally can see why the movie has gotten such mixed reviews. The writing, and the movie in general, has gotten a lot of flack for being a little too self-indulgent, and I get that. That said, this movie is a deeply personal one from Iñárritu that tackled his identity and his life, and I was just fine with it. That said, and I am not one to complain about long movies, but this movie could’ve lost a whole hour off the final cut, which is crazy to say considering that this cut was 22 minutes shorter than the one screened at Venice and Telluride for critics. The film clocks in at 160 minutes which along with the fact that it is completely in the Spanish language just makes it hard to recommend because that is certainly a commitment.

THE VERDICT

Despite the long runtime, BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is still a really good, deeply personal drama film from one of my personal favorites, Alejandro González Iñárritu. It is backed by great direction from Iñárritu, good performances from Daniel Giménez Cacho and Griselda Siciliani, and some of the best cinematography of 2022 from Darius Khondji!

TED TAKES RATING - 7.7/10

Bardo is now streaming only on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.

Ticket to Paradise

By: Andrew Wing

Ticket to Paradise is a 2022 romantic comedy film starring George Clooney (Gravity, Ocean’s Eleven) and Julia Roberts (Notting Hill, Pretty Woman) as a divorced couple who team up to sabotage the impending wedding of their daughter in Bali.

The film is directed by Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) and written by Parker and Daniel Pipski, while Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Dear Evan Hansen), Billie Lourd (Star Wars sequel trilogy, Booksmart), Maxime Bouttier, and Lucas Bravo (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) also star.

Ticket to Paradise had its world premiere in Barcelona on September 8, 2022, and was released in the United Kingdom on September 20 and in the United States on October 21, by Universal Pictures and Working Title Films. It has grossed $171 million worldwide.

THE GOOD

Ticket to Paradise was nowhere on my radar going into 2022, but once I saw that first initial trailer I knew I had to check this one out. I mean it’s two of the biggest Hollywood stars that are still working today in Julia Roberts and George Clooney in a romantic comedy, and as much as I claim to be a man’s man, I just couldn’t resist. But were these two megastars coming together enough to make for a great romantic comedy? Keep reading to find out!

As much as I enjoyed this movie, I just don’t think I can call it a great romantic comedy, but I’ll dive into why a little later on in the review. But for now, I am going to discuss what I did like about Ticket to Paradise, and what I did like were the performances from the two stars. I mean these two are two of the best to ever do it, so I shouldn’t be surprised, but it was just crazy to see how easy it comes to the two of them. As good as dramatic actors as they are, I was really blown away by their comedic chemistry. I just couldn’t get enough of the bantering and bickering between the two of them, and I hope this isn’t the last time the two of them share the screen together.

As for the other things I liked about Ticket to Paradise, I do want to give some praise to the director Ol Parker who also co-wrote the screenplay with Daniel Pipski. This film isn’t some groundbreaking achievement in direction, but I did think that the film was nicely edited, especially during the comedic scenes and continuing with the comedy, I thought all of the jokes were fantastic and I laughed at every single one of them. Aside from that, the only other thing with Ticket to Paradise that I wanted to shout out was the cinematography that was done by Ole Birkeland, which showed the viewer just how beautiful Bali truly is, and also the score that was composed by one of the best, Lorne Balfe.

THE BAD

Now I know I said how much I enjoyed Ticket to Paradise, and I hate to be a party pooper, but this film was just so generic. I mean at the end of the day, the film is selling Julia Roberts and George Clooney, and they are both great, but I just had some problems with the film. For starters, you just know how the film is going to end from the time you watch the trailer, but if not that, then the first act of the movie. More than that, and this isn’t something I was expecting to complain about with this movie being a romantic comedy, but I did not buy a single second of the film’s romance, whether it was between Roberts and Clooney’s characters, or their daughter and her fiancé and that was really disappointing.

THE VERDICT

Despite being pretty generic and having lackluster romance, Ticket to Paradise is still an enjoyable, easy-to-recommend movie that features good performances from the two megastars, Julia Roberts and George Clooney, whose bickering and bantering alone is worth giving this a watch.

TED TAKES RATING - 6.1/10

Ticket to Paradise is now streaming on Peacock. Check out the latest trailer below.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Avatar: The Way of Water is a 2022 epic science fiction action film from legendary director James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and Josh Friedman, and produced by 20th Century Studios. It is the second film in Cameron's Avatar franchise, following Avatar (2009), and is set more than a decade after the events of the first film. Similar to the trendsetting first film, Cameron, going all out as usual, decided it necessary to develop new technology in order to film performance capture scenes underwater, something never accomplished before, leading to significant delays to allow the crew more time to work on the writing, preproduction, and visual effects.

Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.

Starring Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Kate Winslet.

Avatar: The Way of Water made its debut in theaters and IMAX 3D on December 16th.

THE GOOD

It really is hard to believe that the last time I found myself in an IMAX 3D theater for a Avatar movie was way back in 2009, and to say it was a historic day would be an understatement. I actually drove nearly an hour to a bigger IMAX theater only to be turned away after being told all of the showings were completely sold out. Now this was before the days of reserved seating, so my buddy and I purchased our tickets in advance and planned to show up crazy early the next day to ensure we had good seats. The theater was in a building that also housed a Fudruckers restaurant and a full candy store, so needless to say we had everything we needed. Once the IMAX screen came and went, how I watched movies would never be the same. It was amazing.

Once it was all said and done I saw Avatar in IMAX 3D about 5 times, and I also made sure to purchase a 3D TV before the movie’s Blu-ray release. I bought the 3D Blu-ray the day it released, and was able to relive the joy of Avatar in my home theater complete with a 10” downfiring Klipsche subwoofer (it was a beast) that shook my entire house. It was epic. In many ways this movie was sort of a coming-of-age experience for me as a fan of movies, mainly because it changed the way I viewed the overall theater experience. Jump ahead damn near 15 years and we have our sequel to this groundbreaking film, and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t nearly given up hope that this day would ever come. So here we are, and the big question is was James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water worth the wait?! Keep reading to find out!

Wow, just wow. James Cameron has done it again ladies and gentleman. Avatar: The Way of Water is yet another masterclass of filmmaking when it comes to the overall theater experience, and what I can only describe as something that needs to be seen and heard to be truly appreciated. The visuals are on another level, the story was nothing short of fantastic, and trust me when I say there wasn’t a dry eye in the theater at the end of the film which certainly caught me by surprise. Avatar: The Way of Water builds on the foundation established by the original film, and in my personal opinion the story was a perfect continuation. Nothing about the film felt gimmicky or forced, and if anything I was reminded that you should never doubt the talent of the man, the myth, the legend, James Cameron.

Now we can talk about the bread and butter of the film, the technical elements. Keep in mind that I did see the film in IMAX 3D for my second viewing, so this section of the review will be reflective of both the 2D experience but will of course focus quite a bit on the 3D side for obvious reasons. So, where do I start?! Seriously, Avatar: The Way of Water is just a marvel of filmmaking technology at every turn. Pandora looks incredible once again, but once they make their way to the islands and learn the way of the water, that is when the excitement gets kicked up a notch. Everything is just so vibrant and full of life, I honestly felt like I was there. In typical James Cameron fashion, he went as far as to develop ways to pioneer filming techniques as part of maximizing what he could do with his new film.

Cameron and his crew constructed a new camera system which consists of multiple high-end cameras bolted together, more specifically the Sony Venice cameras, creating a stereoscopic 3D system. He also went as far as finding a way to shoot and do motion capture simultaneously above and below water, which was a massive leap for what he was able to do with Avatar: The Way of Water. I mean, this dude really is something else. I won’t bore you with technical jargon, but the complex process that takes place when Cameron is bringing his visons to life for his Avatar films is nothing short of astonishing. Bottom line, the visuals speak for themselves and nothing can prepare you for the eye candy in this film.

Now moving over to more of the directorial side of Cameron’s job which requires a focus on the camera work and shooting style, similar to the original film it is once again incredible. Avatar: The Way of Water will leave you speechless from the opening scene to the end credits, but each time you start to think you may have seen the coolest or most immersive scene in the film, it is often outdone within minutes. I feel like it is nearly impossible for me to even try to pinpoint my favorite shots or action scenes in the film because it is all so beautiful and the cinematography compliments of Russell Carpenter is amazing, but a few specific scenes really stood out to me in terms of how immersive they were as a viewer.

Right around the third act of the film the humans are hammering around in what I guess you would call mini two-person submarines, and at times they have the camera angle from the view of the pilots and I felt like I was on a ride at Disney. Like seriously, with the 3D effect and the feel of being underwater, this was such a surreal feeling and to be honest a bit terrifying considering we were on the wrong side of the action if you know what I mean. The action scenes throughout the film are unmatched, and so much of that is thanks to a pioneering director like James Cameron who demands perfection at every turn.

The story takes place more than 10 years after the events of the first film, making it feel like the sequel was somehow in real-time which is pretty crazy when you think about it. Jake Sully has made Pandora his home, and now has taken on newfound responsibility with a family of his own. The story kicks off by establishing the importance of family which absolutely resonated for me, and also helped to get viewers once again invested in the characters and their well-being. Similar to the original film the people of Pandora are under attack by the human race hell bent on taking possession of their resources, but now they are more prepared than ever to fight back.

I really enjoyed the story of the original film even though it was fairly straight forward, and Avatar: The Way of Water builds on that premise while raising the stakes as Sully now has his loved ones to protect, something that he makes very clear defines him and his mission in life. One thing that is readily apparent from the very beginning in Avatar: The Way of Water is that the value of human life is paramount, and you are programmed to do whatever it takes to preserve your way of life and protect those you love. The ability to add such a relatable and humanistic feel to the film made a huge difference in my opinion in terms of how much of an impact the story had on me. I won’t go too much into detail as I don’t want to spoil anything, but I loved how they reintroduced a familiar threat and I felt like the overall story arch was absolutely genius and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

The cast for Avatar: The Way of Water is stacked, and everyone does such an incredible job. The hard thing about a film like this even more so than voice actors for animated films, is so much of what goes into it takes a back seat to the visual spectacle. Even though I know for a fact stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang, Jermaine Clement, and Brendan Cowell, just to name a few, were absolutely incredible in their respective roles, it is nearly impossible to see them as anything other than these characters. Even looking at pictures of the actual actors now I am still having a hard time connecting them.

That is of course a testament to the film and how immersive it is, but the CGI really takes on a life of its own and these characters become separate from the actors playing them, if that makes sense at all. For that reason, the cast will likely be overlooked when it comes time to hand out the awards Avatar: The Way of Water will undoubtedly receive, but trust me when I saw they put it all out there to make sure this film became the incredible experience that it is. Additional shoutouts to Jack Champion as Spider, Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, Jamie Flatters as Neteyam, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Tuk, and Bailey Bass as Tsireya. Take a minute to look over the entire cast list because they all deserve a great deal of recognition.

Admittedly I am a bit late to the game getting this review posted, but I wanted to make sure I watched Avatar: The Way of Water in standard 2D and also in IMAX 3D before writing a review for the sake of a fair comparison. I watched it in standard 2D first, and I loved it. I thought the visuals were amazing, and the sound still blew me away. But, considering the fact that my experience with the original film was entirely in 3D IMAX as far as theater viewings, I had to get the full effect, and boy oh boy was it worth it. Avatar: The Way of Water is night and day better in IMAX 3D, which should come as no surprise considering that is by design. I understand the overall fad of 3D has sort of run its course, but it is just different with the Avatar movies.

James Cameron is an absolute legend in the world of filmmaking, and more than anything else I felt completely immersed in the film when watching in IMAX 3D. While watching in 2D certain parts throughout the film made me think wow that would look really awesome in 3D, which sort of left me wanting more. I was often distracted by the fact that my jaw was basically on the floor as I attempted to take in the 3 hours of beauty that was on the giant screen in front of me. As I said Avatar: The Way of Water is still fantastic in standard 2D and well worth the trip to the theater, but if you have the ability to see it in IMAX 3D, do yourself a favor and leave no stone unturned. It is well worth it.

THE BAD

Avatar: The Way of Water is an incredible film, simple as that. But, it is not for everyone. As I touched on in my 2D vs 3D comparison, the film truly shines when watched in 3D, IMAX 3D to be more specific, and the reality is not everyone likes 3D movies especially when they are 3 hours long. If you have an issue with 3D or simply don’t enjoy it, this movie clearly is not for you. I will however say that if that is in fact the case, be sure to still see it in standard 2D because you will be amazed. As far as any other issues I had with the film I got nothing, I saw it twice and liked it even better the second time. I guess I could say that you need to see it in theaters, because even though it will be fantastic at home, you need to experience it for the first time on the big screen otherwise it will pale in comparison. Don’t be that person a year down the road that says Avatar: The Way of Water was just okay, after clarifying you didn’t actually see it in theaters. That’s how you get unfollowed on social media.

THE VERDICT

A truly mesmerizing and triumphant sequel to one of the most groundbreaking films ever made, Avatar: The Way of Water will leave you in awe with its jaw-dropping visuals while offering an engaging and emotional story perfectly setting the stage for the next film. This movie blew me away, simple as that. Even at 3 hours long I can’t wait to see it for a 3rd time, which is really saying something. How do you follow-up the highest grossing film of all time? This is how. Not a minute is wasted in terms of action or story, and they even could have made it longer and I wouldn’t have complained, it is just that good.

After the first viewing in standard 2D I wasn’t quite prepared to say this was better than the original, but after seeing it in 3D IMAX I can comfortably say it was. And that isn’t taking anything away from the original film because Avatar: The Way of Water builds on what made that film so great, and just ups the ante in every way. The film will break records for good reason, so don’t be left in the dark and be sure to see it in theaters as soon as possible. Now I just need to dig out my 3D glasses so I can watch the original again in all of its 3D glory.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.5/10

Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a 2022 computer-animated adventure directed by Joel Crawford, and co-directed by Januel Mercado. It is a sequel to Puss in Boots (2011), and a spin-off of the Shrek franchise. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures, from a screenplay by Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow, based on a story by Swerdlow and the first film's writer Tom Wheeler, with additional screenplay material provided by Etan Cohen.

The voice cast includes Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, as well as Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Anthony Mendez who voice new characters introduced in the film.

Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burned through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish made its debut in theaters on December 21st.

THE GOOD

I remember watching the original Puss in Boots back in 2011 and I really enjoyed it, but because it has been so long I honestly more or less forgot about it. When they began advertising for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish I had that classic what the heck is going on here reaction and was genuinely curious why they would wait so long for a sequel especially considering the success of the original film. As a spin-off of the Shrek franchise, it seems a reboot of that franchise/universe in some form or fashion is the overall goal here. The fact that the franchise centers around a ridiculous cast of voice actors led by Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, I knew I would give this a chance no matter what. So, was Puss in Boots: The Last Wish a simple cash grab or something that will more than likely lead to a Puss in Boots/Shred franchise resurgence? Keep reading to find out!

Wow, just wow. This is such a good movie! From the overall message of the film to the humor, the action, and the visuals, it was all just so damn good. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish feels so genuine from start to finish, and at times I honestly forgot that my primary goal was to keep my kids entertained for an hour and a half. My wife and I take any opportunity we have to bring our two toddlers to the theater when an animated movie is playing, and this seemed like as good an opportunity as any. But this time was different. Usually, I am sort of half-focused on the movie and half-focused on making sure my kids aren’t streaking through the aisles like Frank the Tank in Old School, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. At one point both kids were in my wife’s lap and I had two empty chairs in between them and myself, and even though I knew I would pay dearly for this later, I simply did not care. The movie had my complete attention, and I desperately needed to make sure I was able to get the full experience. And yeah, it was worth each and every death stare I received from her.

As simple as it was, the story is what first hooked me. Assuming you saw the original film, Puss in Boots has a great origin story but in the end, he became someone obsessed with the legend that he became. But with that being said, it was always clear that under that tough (or I suppose fairly soft and hairy) exterior was a big heart and a genuine fear of failure. Puss in Boots wanted to be loved, and he felt that his self-worth was wrapped up in this larger-than-life persona he created over the years. Plus, Puss was always naïve in the fact that he overestimated his own mortality, which is the center of the story of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Puss has finally exhausted 8 of his 9 lives, and for this reason, he can no longer live the way a fearless legend needs to live. Puss stumbles upon an opportunity to regain his sense of immortality and embarks on a journey to regain his identity. Along the way, he crosses paths with an old friend while making a few new ones, and what I loved most about the story was how it focused on what it means to be selfless, and how even though we feel like we have been shorted in life and feel resentful because of it, others out there have truly struggled and somehow still find a way to experience real happiness. It really is a powerful and heartfelt story that really resonated with me.

Okay so on to what else really stood out for me, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish looks incredible. The animation in the film is really on another level, and more often than not my jaw was literally on the floor. It looked great from start to finish, and the action shots were just so unique and eye-catching that I couldn’t help but admire the creativity involved in the film. The animation style reminded me of the animated action comedy The Bad Guys (our full review here), just that much better. The action sequences felt genuinely intense, and the primary antagonist The Big Bad Wolf was just next level each and every time he was on screen even though he did scare the crap out of my kids. Bottom line, the animation style felt so unique and it without a doubt is a big reason why Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was so damn good, but don’t take my word for it, you need to experience it for yourself.

Similar to the original film, the cast of voice actors is stacked yet again with a few very impressive additions. Similar to the first film, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is built on the back of the great Antonio Banderas, who voices the legend himself. I have been a Banderas fan ever since my dad had me watch his 1995 film, Desperado. I would never look at a guitar case the same way again, what a true badass. Returning after a pivotal role in the original film is the ageless and gorgeous Salma Hayek, who plays the role of Kitty Softpaws. I love Hayek in literally anything she does, and the only issue I can honestly say I had with her here was the fact that I couldn’t see her in real life.

The best addition to the film in my mind was Florence Pugh, who has been on quite a tear with Midsommar (2019), Black Widow, and more recently Don’t Worry Darling (our full review here). Pugh, an extremely talented actress, absolutely crushes the role of Goldilocks as the film continues with an amazing focus on classic children’s stories. I loved Harvey Guillén as the adorable and hilarious dog pretending to be a cat Perrito, who was surely a runner-up as my overall favorite character. Guillén is best known, by me anyway, for his role as Guillermo in the FX comedy series What We Do in the Shadows. Other notable supporting cast members include Wagner Moura as the aforementioned The Big Bad Wolf, John Mulaney as Big Jack Horner, Ray Winstone as Papa Bear, Samson Kayo as Baby Bear, Olivia Colman as Mama Bear, Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mama Luna, and last but not least. Anthony Mendez as the Doctor/Barber.

THE BAD

First and foremost, I had zero issues with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It really was that good in my eyes. But, you can call me crazy which would be fair and very much warranted but as I touched on briefly my wife and I did bring our 2-year-old and almost 4-year-old to see it. With that being said, some of what I loved most about the movie was no bueno for them, which was the primary antagonists and most notably The Big Bad Wolf voiced by Wagner Moura who honestly scared the crap out of my kids. They did such a nice job with the scenes he was involved in, and he was a genuinely terrifying character who I thought added some extremely valuable depth to the story and the Puss in Boots character arc. So yeah, I guess I am pointing this out more as a warning as we did have to reassure our boys that the good guys would prosper in the end, and they did say that they loved the movie once it was all said and done which is all that matters if you ask me.

THE VERDICT

An action-packed, hilarious, and genuinely heartwarming adventure showcasing incredible visuals and an engaging story, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a treat for kids and adults alike and easily one of my favorite animated films in recent memory. This movie was so much fun, and I can’t remember the last time an animated film just hooked me in such a way. The story tugged at my heartstrings, the animation blew me away, and the humor had me laughing out loud an uncomfortable amount considering at the end of the day, it is a movie meant for kids. Bottom line, I really can’t recommend Puss in Boots: The Last Wish enough because this is top-tier cinema, simple as that. So get out there and show your support because I need a 3rd movie.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.4/10

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Prey

By: Andrew Wing

Prey is a 2022 American science fiction action film in the Predator franchise. It is the fifth installment and is a prequel to the first four films. The film is directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and written by Patrick Aison. It stars Amber Midthunder (Hell or High Water, The Ice Road), Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Michelle Thrush (Dead Man, Pathfinder), Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, and Bennett Taylor.

The story, being set in the Northern Great Plains in 1719, revolves around Naru (Midthunder), a skilled Comanche warrior, who is striving to prove herself as a hunter. She finds herself having to protect her people from a vicious, humanoid alien that hunts humans for sport, as well as from French fur traders who are destroying the buffalo they rely on for survival.

Development of the film began during the production of The Predator (2018), when producer John Davis was approached by Trachtenberg and Aison, with a concept that they had been developing since 2016. In late 2020, the film's title was revealed to be the codename for the fifth installment in the franchise. Filming took place around Calgary during the summer of 2021, with the entire film shot in English and some sequences shot in Comanche as well. The remaining sequences were dubbed into Comanche by the cast, reprising their roles. The film is the first feature film to have a full Comanche language dub.

Prey premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 21, 2022, and was released by 20th Century Studios as a Hulu original film in the United States and on Disney+ Star internationally on August 5.

THE GOOD

Did somebody say finally? Seriously though, I cannot believe it took me so long to finally check out Prey. Once it hit Hulu in August, the initial buzz for the movie was insane and I immediately added it to my watchlist, but one thing led to another and I wasn’t checking it out until a couple of days before 2023. Needless to say though, I, like most other adult males, am a huge fan of the Predator franchise, and despite the up-and-down nature of the films in the franchise, I was still pumped to check this bad boy out. I mean some people were saying it was the best Predator installment since the first film, so that got pretty stoked. But was it true? Or was it just another junky Predator movie? Keep reading to find out!

Damn right it was true! This movie is without a doubt in my mind the best film in the Predator franchise since the original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. That said, as big of a fan as I am of the Predator franchise, my favorite part of this film was truly that it felt like you didn’t even need to see those films to enjoy this one. This was a very interesting idea for a franchise film and I respect those in charge for thinking out of the box and doing something different than just putting out the same slop like they did in 2018 with The Predator. A big reason this film worked was mainly because of Dan Trachtenberg’s direction. Funny enough, this wasn’t Trachtenberg’s first time jumping into directing a franchise film because before this he directed the great sci-fi thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane. Seriously though, the similarities between that movie and Prey are plenty, and I am just a huge fan of Trachtenberg’s direction. Everything he did in Prey just felt so grounded and it was nice to be in this completely new world, but at the same time the movie was full of fantastic suspense and a lot of violence.

As for Trachtenberg's visual direction here, I thought he absolutely knocked it out of the park. The action scenes in this movie are simply great. The action was flawlessly paced and it never felt like it repeated itself too much. Continuing with the visuals though, the cinematography in Prey is truly beautiful. It really made me wonder why more action movies don’t look this good. The camera work did a great job of capturing the beauty of the environments, it used natural lighting perfectly, and it changed color palettes from scene to scene in a way that was really compelling. All that said, shout-out to the cinematographer Jeff Cutter.

Now onto the performances from the amazing indigenous cast that was led by Amber Midthunder. Midthunder absolutely crushed it here as she played the main character, Naru, a young Comanche warrior who was really easy to cheer for because of Midthunder’s performance. This wasn’t the first I had seen of Midthunder because she had a cameo in one of my favorite shows right now, Reservation Dogs, but after watching her in this, you can tell she is on the come up. It wasn’t anything that is going to get an Oscar nomination but she really carried this film. Aside from her though, I also quite enjoyed the performances of Dakota Beavers as Taabe, Naru's brother and a skilled hunter, and also Dane DiLiegro who played the actual Predator. All in all, though, the entire indigenous cast was great and I think it’s really cool that this film is the first feature film to have a full Comanche language dub.

THE BAD

Alright, there is no denying that I was a big fan of Prey, but there was just something missing here for me. Maybe it’s because I simply watch too many movies, but I just knew how this movie was going to play out from the very start once I was given the setup of the movie. I don’t know, maybe I’m being harsh, but I just wanted it to go further at some points, but at the end of the day it was a Hulu original film that ultimately delivered on what I came for. Oh and last but not least, and this doesn’t deduct any points from my rating of the film, but why the f**k wasn’t this movie released in theaters! WTF!

THE VERDICT

Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey is without a doubt one of the biggest surprises of 2022. It’s a really compelling action movie with a fresh Comanche perspective that looks and sounds great, and is 100% the best Predator installment since the first film. More than that, it’s thrilling, straightforward, and is carried by an awesome Amber Midthunder performance that is hopefully the first of many for the young actress.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.8/10

Prey is now streaming exclusively on Hulu. Check out the latest trailer below.