The Suicide Squad

By: Ted Trafton & Andrew Wing, Contributing Writer

The Suicide Squad is a 2021 superhero film based on the DC Comics team Suicide Squad. It serves as a standalone sequel Suicide Squad (2016) and is also the tenth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The Suicide Squad was written and directed by the always entertaining James Gunn who is most known for directing Marvel Studios’ The Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).

The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Idris Elba as Robert DuBois / Bloodsport, John Cena as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, Joel Kinnaman as Colonel Rick Flag, Sylvester Stallone as the voice of Nanaue / King Shark, David Dastmalchian as Abner Krill / Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher 2, and the award winning Viola Davis reprises her role as Amanda Waller, the director of the government organization in charge of the Suicide Squad.

David Ayer, director of Suicide Squad (2016) was set to return as director for a sequel, but decided to take on another project instead. Warner Bros. considered several replacement directors before ultimately landing on James Gunn, who at the time had recently been temporarily fired by The Walt Disney Company and Marvel Studios. As writer and director, Gunn drew inspiration from war films and the original comics which resulted in a very interesting and action-packed plot. In the film, a task force of convicts (The Suicide Squad) are sent to destroy a Nazi-era laboratory, but to do so, they must encounter and defeat the giant alien Starro.

The Suicide Squad hit theaters on August 5th as well as streaming service HBO Max, where it will be available to watch up to a month after its release.

THE GOOD

From Ted’s perspective…

I have been pumped for The Suicide Squad for quite some time. I might be in the minority, but I actually enjoyed 2016’s Suicide Squad from director David Ayer. Was it flawed? Absolutely, but I thought it was fun and had that cool comic book feel from start to finish. I also purchased the extended edition Blu-ray which I thought was even better. Jump ahead to present day and we have what seems to be a gem that everyone is raving about, The Suicide Squad, thanks to the decision to bring in the talented and risk-taking James Gunn. So is the hype real?

Long story short, the hype is very, very real. The Suicide Squad is by far the best DC film since 2019’s Joker, and is unquestionably more enjoyable and less depressing, obviously. I had such a great time watching this movie and had a huge smile on my face as I laughed out loud more times than I could count. The cast is absolutely stacked, the R-rating is front and center, the action is non-stop, and more than anything else the fun factor is always the priority. The film has Gunn’s much needed “I don’t give a fu**” feel and attitude, and allows the cast the opportunity to play to their strengths without any limitations. As with any Gunn film, the dialogue is epic. A few minutes into the movie I was already looking forward to watching it again just to fully appreciate the hilarious back and forth banter.

It was clear right away The Suicide Squad had a healthy budget, treating viewers to some top-tier CGI and just incredible visuals. I loved the soundtrack and the score, and felt like everything helped to keep the mood surprisingly upbeat and fun considering all of the blood and guts. I really enjoyed the creative camera work which in my mind was a big part of why the movie worked so well. I really liked the special effects, and absolutely loved what they did with David Dastmalchian’s character, Polka-Dot Man. I won’t spoil anything, but his motivation to kill and how it is used throughout the movie is just too damn good.

As I touched on briefly, the cast is next level. Idris Elba delivers a perfect performance as expected in his leading role as Bloodsport. Joel Kinneman is great once again reprising his role as Rick Flagg, even though he is slightly less angry this time around. John Cena is easily my favorite as he takes on the role of Peacemaker, an anti-hero who clearly struggles with his sense of morals and values. Man or woman, if he doesn’t win you over in his whitey tighties, you are definitely doing it wrong. Not weird at all I promise. I am a huge Cena guy and think he is hilarious, and he is easily my favorite character. I cant wait for his HBO Max spinoff series Peacemaker which was recently announced, coming in 2022.

Margot Robbie once again owns the role of the beautiful yet severely troubled Harley Quinn, who has just a few thousand daddy issues. She remains one of my favorites, and I actually really enjoyed Birds of Prey. For me the dark horse character who I really liked was Ratcatcher 2, played by the gorgeous Daniela Melchior. Not only does she have the best daddy cameo ever, she has fantastic chemistry with the rest of the cast and brings some much needed raw emotion to her character. The decision to bring her in was huge. King Shark, voiced by the legendary Sylvester Stallone, is a crowd-pleaser and will steal the show for most viewers. He is a man of, I mean a shark of, few words but you will definitely have a soft spot for him. Just be sure to establish basic friends ground rules so you know, he doesn’t eat you.

From Andrew’s perspective…

Where do I even begin? This was easily one of the most enjoyable movies I have ever seen. I watched it with my younger brother and we were experiencing just about every emotion during the 132 minute runtime. We were hollering, we were gasping, we were cheering, and we were laughing, like a lot. I knew going into the movie that there was going to be a solid amount of humor involved because of Gunn’s writing in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but this movie had one thing that those films didn’t and that would be the one and only John Cena. 

If you weren’t yet convinced that the former WWE wrestler is one of the funniest actors we have today by his performances in both Trainwreck (2015) and Blockers (2018), his role in this will have you convinced in his first scene. Just seeing him in the Peacemaker uniform made me laugh and I will assume I am not alone when I say I want to see more of his character, because Warner Bros. has already announced a spin-off television series, Peacemaker, starring Cena that is set to debut on HBO Max in January 2022 and you already know that I’ll be tuning in for that.

Not only did Gunn excel when it came to the humor elements of this film, but his direction as a whole for this was just flawless in my opinion. I am so happy Warner Bros. let him have full control and freedom when it came to making The Suicide Squad, because it is definitely out of the ordinary for a superhero movie to be this off the rails. For starters, I loved the fact that this movie got an R rating, and lets just say that it earns it. First we had the Deadpool movies being rated R, and now this, and while I’m not campaigning for all superhero movies to be rated R obviously, it does allow them to showcase what can happen when a superhero movie is allowed to just be self-aware and energetic while also indulging in the violence, gore, and language. 

Yes, the movie is violent and hilarious, but at the same time it sneaks in a bit of heart too which is just another reason why James Gunn is one of the best when it comes to the superhero genre. I also loved his great new character additions that we didn’t get to see in Suicide Squad (2016), specifically Bloodsport, Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man, and my personal favorite, King Shark who is voiced by Sylvester FREAKING Stallone!

Other quick things I want to highlight with The Suicide Squad include: the soundtrack is great, the visual style throughout is perfect, it is a SIGNIFICANT improvement over its predecessor, it is certainly rewatchable, and lastly, nobody will ever be able to play Harley Quinn the way Margot Robbie can, she is the character and the character is her.

THE BAD

When you have a movie like The Suicide Squad which is literally leaps and bounds better than it’s predecessor, it is really hard to pick it apart. From top to bottom this is just a really, really good movie that includes a little something for everyone. So yeah, there really is nothing “bad” about The Suicide Squad, but there are just two quick things I must warn you about if you decide to go ahead and check this out, which you should:

1. The movie is rated R. There is a lot and I mean a lot of violence, gore, and language throughout so just keep that in mind.

2. I’m not going to consider this a spoiler because the director himself, James Gunn, said it in an interview months ago before the film released, but there are a lot of casualties from beginning to end so take my hard advice and don’t get emotionally attached to any of the players involved.

THE VERDICT

From Ted’s perspective…

Brutally violent and unapologetically hilarious, the great James Gunn takes full advantage of the R-rating and a stacked cast to ensure The Suicide Squad is one of the best movies to come from the DC universe. This is good old fashioned R-rated fun for people who enjoy a few good casual murders superhero, or antihero, style. Marvel surely isn’t hurting for quality cinema, but a few more movies of this caliber and they will surely be put on notice. I’ve said it several times and I will say it again, the decision by Disney and Marvel to fire Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy was a huge mistake. They of course have since groveled and begged him to come back, which he did.

Now I won’t get into the political BS or any of that of course, but to think you can have a guy like Gunn who everyone loves working with specifically because of his willingness to push the envelope creatively especially when it comes to violence and dialogue, but not expect him to have a few “unfavorable” tweets over the years? I mean, is that ignorant or what? Perhaps James Gunn should follow the path of my man Nicolas Cage (shout out to Andrew’s recent review for Pig which you can find here) and just rid himself of social media altogether. Seems to be the smart play career wise, especially when the world is full of computer nerds who spend all day digging through peoples past while living in their mom’s basement.

From Andrew’s perspective…

From the horribly beautiful mind of writer/director James Gunn comes The Suicide Squad, the perfect summer blockbuster that is a masterpiece of the superhero genre. It is an absolutely insane, crazy, wild ride that is endlessly fun and will have you on the edge of your seats until the screen cuts to black.

The Suicide Squad is a must-see movie, and one that we absolutely suggest checking out sooner than later. A movie like this is meant to be seen in theaters if possible, and the IMAX treatment would be even better. At the end of the day, there is nothing quite like the big screen. We will likely watch it at least five more times on HBO Max, and can’t wait for the inevitable Director’s Cut 4K Blu-ray.

TED TAKES RATING - 9/10

The Suicide Squad is now playing in theaters and streaming for 31 days from release on HBO Max. Check out the latest trailer below.

Pig

By: Andrew Wing, Contributing Writer

Pig is a 2021 American thriller drama film co-written and directed by Michael Sarnoski in his directorial debut. It stars Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, and Adam Arkin. The film follows Robin “Rob” Feld (played by Cage), a former Portland-based chef turned reclusive truffle forager, who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness with his beloved truffle-finding pig. But when his pig is stolen, Rob must face his demons of the past and go on a cat-and-mouse run through Portland with the help of Amir (played by Wolff), his primary truffle customer.

Principal photography for the film began in September of 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Months later in March of 2020, film production and distribution company Neon (whose most notable films include I, Tonya, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Palm Springs, and my favorite film of all-time, the 2019 South Korean film, Parasite. Pig had a theatrical release in the United States on July 16, 2021, and the film has received widespread acclaim from critics since its release.

THE GOOD

The career of actor Nicolas Cage is a truly fascinating one. Cage’s first film role was a minor one and it came in the 1982 coming-of-age comedy-drama film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Years later he starred in the Coen brothers 1987 classic Raising Arizona, and following the success of that he really took off in the 90s with hits such as Leaving Las Vegas (1995), The Rock (1996), and Face/Off (1997). However, the 21st century for Cage wasn’t as friendly until as of late as he had his fair share of stinkers with The Wicker Man (2006), Bangkok Dangerous (2008), Knowing (2009), Season of the Witch (2011), Stolen (2012), and Left Behind (2014) just to name a few. Despite going through that rough patch, Cage has slowly been working his way back up to the top of the industry since 2017 with successful films like Mom and Dad (2017), Mandy (2018), Color Out of Space (2019), and Pig is truly in my opinion a PSA to all movie-lovers like myself that Cage is BACK!

There is no debating that this is one of Cage’s best performances of his illustrious career and it just might be his best. It really is a revelation. In every scene of this movie, Cage showcases his brilliance as an actor with an affectingly raw performance. You would never think that a movie dealing with one’s love for companionship with their pet pig would hit you in the feels, but it really does and I don’t think that happens without Cage. I just have so much respect for him as an actor because obviously he is as entertaining as they come, but you can tell that he just loves what he does by how he just gives his all into every performance and that is just the case with Pig. With that said, Cage has only been nominated for the Best Actor award twice, winning for his role in Leaving Las Vegas (1995), and I really hope that with his performance in Pig, that he could get that long-awaited third nomination.

Enough with me fanboying about Nicolas Cage though because there are so many other aspects that make Pig my favorite movie of the year. For starters, it is pretty impressive that this is director Michael Sarnoski’s directorial debut. I mean damn, talk about starting your career off with a bang. Let’s just say I will be eagerly awaiting to see what he follows this up with and he has quickly made a fan out of me. Also, it is pretty remarkable that at the young age of 23, Alex Wolff has already been in some pretty big movies such as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Hereditary (2018), Bad Education (2019), Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), and his most recent film Old (2021), which Ted recently reviewed. I am a big fan of his as well, and he is already making a name for himself as a solid supporting actor in the industry. Lastly with this film, there were some beautiful shots of the Oregon nature throughout the film and the score does such a great job at setting each and every scene.

THE BAD

As you will soon be able to tell by my score for the film, there was nothing I found particularly bad about it.

The only thing that I will say is that the film itself is definitely very different from what we are accustomed to seeing and you could say that it is weird for sure. I mean in simplest terms, it is a movie where Nic Cage plays a truffle forager who goes on a 90-minute revenge tour when his pig is stolen. For me though, the film’s uniqueness and wholly original story is the thing I love most about Pig and a big reason why it is one of the best films of the year in my opinion.

THE VERDICT

With what just might be a career-defining performance from the legendary Nicolas Cage, Michael Sarnoski’s Pig is one of the best films of the year. It is a beautiful tale of love and loss and is one of the most captivating movies I have ever watched.

DO NOT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. As crazy and outlandish as the film’s presence may be, Pig takes you somewhere and as time goes by you soon realize that you are fully invested in the delightful companionship that is a man and his pig.

This is absolutely not a film you want to miss, so check it out, you will not regret it. Now available for rent or purchase on video on demand.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.4/10

Check out the latest trailer for Pig below.

Stillwater

By: Andrew Wing, Contributing Writer

Stillwater is a 2021 crime drama film directed by Academy Award-Winner Tom McCarthy, based on a script he co-wrote with Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain, and Noé Debré, The film stars Matt Damon as Bill Baker, an unemployed oil rig worker from Stillwater, Oklahoma, who travels to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin), who is in prison for a murder she claims she did not commit. With the help of a French woman, Virginie (Camille Cottin), Bill must overcome the language barriers, cultural differences, and complicated legal system to prove his convicted daughter’s innocence.

Stillwater had its world premiere at the famous Cannes Film Festival on July 8, 2021, and recently hit theaters this week on July 30th. The film is also loosely based on the story of Amanda Knox.

THE GOOD

I remember being really excited when I saw the trailer for Stillwater for the first time a few months ago. I mean how could I not be? It is a movie starring Matt Damon in a lead role as a true Southerner with one hell of a goatee. Also, being someone who as recently as this year watched Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight, the 2015 drama film that won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 88th Academy Awards, for the very first time, I knew I had to check out Stillwater as soon as it hit theaters and I’m glad I did.

I might as well go ahead and state the obvious but the best part of this movie was hands down the performance of Matt Damon as Bill Baker. Out of the 140 minutes of the film’s run time, Damon is probably on screen for about 130 of them and in every scene he just shows us why he is one of the best in the business today. His performance just feels so real from the beginning to the end and his chemistry with all of the other major characters only adds to that feeling of realness you get when you watch.

You will find yourself feeling like you are experiencing everything with his character through the ups and downs and all you will want to do is hope he gets his daughter back and ultimately finds the happiness he has been searching for his whole life. It might not be his best work which would probably be either Good Will Hunting (1997) or The Martian (2015) in my opinion, but it is right up there in terms of his individual performances and I wouldn’t be surprised if he collected his third Best Actor nomination with this one.

Other than the all-star performance from Matt Damon, this was just another great drama brought to us from the mind of Tom McCarthy. The one thing you know you are going to get with any McCarthy film is an intelligent story with many themes throughout that tackle real-world problems and that is just the case with Stillwater. Also with McCarthy films, you know you are going to get solid performances from the supporting characters and in this movie that was Abigail Breslin and Camille Cottin. Breslin’s performance as Baker’s daughter Allison is superb as she is able to showcase her wide range of emotions with the character, and Cottin’s performance was really impressive as it was the first film I had ever seen her in, but it won’t be the last with her as she is starring in Ridley Scott’s biographical crime film House of Gucci coming later this year so I look forward to seeing her in that.

THE BAD

I think you would be hard pressed to find anybody who will say they straight up did not like this film. It is just a well-done film that I really enjoyed, but I won’t lie, there were a couple things that I wish would have been different.

First, with more than 90% of this movie taking place in Marseille, there are many scenes where the language being spoken is French, and while there are obviously subtitles that tell you what is being said, it makes you really have to pay attention and I couldn’t help but feel that there was just something missing in the important scenes because rather than the hearing what was being said, I was reading it. I also understand that McCarthy did this to try and make us feel what Damon’s character needed to overcome with the language barrier to get his daughter back but that is just my opinion.

Second, and I’ll be curious to know your thoughts if you go ahead and take my suggestion and check this movie out, but I did not love the ending to this. With this movie being as long as it is (140 minutes = not a bad thing), it felt like throughout the movie they were building up to this big epic finale and in my opinion, what I got just wasn’t what I was expecting. Overall, I was fine with the ending and it doesn’t take away from it being a really good movie, but without giving too much away, it almost felt unfinished to me in a sense.

THE VERDICT

With another hard-hitting dramatic tale from the great Tom McCarthy and another outstanding performance from the one and only Matt Damon, Stillwater tells the emotional journey of Bill Baker, a simple man from the southern United States who must overcome numerous obstacles to prove his daughter’s innocence as she is in a French prison for a crime she claims she did not commit. It is now playing in theaters and I highly recommend checking it out.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.3/10

Stillwater is now playing in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Jungle Cruise

From director Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop, Run All Night), Jungle Cruise is a 2021 fantasy adventure film written by Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa, and is based on Disneyland's theme park ride. Dr. Lily Houghton enlists the aid of wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff to take her down the Amazon in his ramshackle boat. Together, they search for an ancient tree that holds the power to heal -- a discovery that will change the future of medicine.

Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti.

Jungle Cruise hit theaters on July 30th, and is also available to stream on Disney+ with Premier Access.

THE GOOD

I walked into the theater aka my happy place and sat down in my comfortable reclining chair with my popcorn and soda, expecting a fun but mostly watered-down adventure comedy. This assumption was reinforced by the packed theater with quite a few kids in attendance. I figured it was going to be a long two hours. But I am happy to report that the saying is true, you really can’t judge a book by it’s cover. 

Jungle Cruise is two hours of pure entertainment, which kicked into gear well before we even reached the very cool title graphic. I mean sure the young kids kept asking their parents random questions throughout the movie as kids often do, but thanks to the non-stop action and awesome soundtrack, I had no idea what they were saying. My eyes were literally glued to the screen from start to finish. I laughed out loud more times than I could count, the acting was exceptional top to bottom, and I found the story to be extremely interesting with a twist I actually did not expect. 

Jungle Cruise is promoted as a fun adventure comedy for the entire family, which it absolutely is don’t get me wrong, but it really is much more than that. It’s easy for a movie like this to go through the motions with average to below average acting, a few corny jokes, and relying almost entirely on the incredible visuals that will surely keep the audience satisfied. But thankfully for me and the other adults visiting the theater kid free (shout out to my wife for taking care of our little ones), this movie exceeded my expectations. This is quite literally what going to the movie theater is all about. From the great writing, incredible visuals, infectious acting, and immersive feel, Jungle Cruise brings it.

I already touched on the acting briefly but it is a huge part of why this movie is so good. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are perfection as always, and I was actually impressed with the chemistry they shared. You could tell they enjoyed working together and had a ton of fun making this movie. I really enjoyed Jack Whitehall’s character as he was a big part of the comedic element of the film along with Johnson’s character. Édgar Ramírez is great as one of the films primary villains, and remains in my mind a very underrated actor.

Jesse Plemons, who plays the films primary villain, is easily one of my favorite characters. It still blows my mind how far he has gone in his career, from pimply faced teenager Landry Clarke in Friday Night Lights, to one of the best and most versatile actors working right now. He actually played a small role in the 1999 classic Varsity Blues, in only his second movie. If you want a taste of what he is capable of watch season 2 of Fargo which is incredible, or even the hilarious comedy Game Night (review and trailer here) to get an idea of his acting talent. Paul Giamatti remains one of the best supporting actors working today, and his character really helps to set the tone for the film.

As expected, the technical side of things for Jungle Cruise is firing on all cylinders. The CGI is fantastic with a Pirates of the Caribbean feel at times throughout the film which is definitely a compliment. Disney has no shortage of funds, and for that reason all of the animals in the film jump right off the screen and really help to pull audiences in. I also really enjoyed Johnson’s pet “cat” Proxima. I absolutely loved the camera work, taking full advantage of the incredible scenery and putting the audience right in the middle of the action. It really felt like a theme park ride from the comfort of the movie theater. The soundtrack is just awesome, and even includes an amazing track from Metallica during one of the best moments of the film. Yes, you heard that right. The same rock band that made it’s debut in 1981, and they still got it!

THE BAD

So, what annoyed me about Jungle Cruise? As I mentioned earlier, I expected to come face to face with plenty of corny moments during the film but that wasn’t really the case. I mean, we all know that Dwayne Johnson is arguably the hardest working actor in Hollywood - the guy is crazy busy and somehow finds time to still be in freakish shape as well. The film lives and dies by how his character comes across to viewers, and I think that is precisely why I am having a hard time finding much negative to say about the film. As always he exudes personality, is hilarious, and finds a way to make everyone else that much better. Plus, are you really expecting me to find something negative to say about the technical side of a Disney film? I mean seriously, these guys know what they are doing. So yeah, not much to report.

THE VERDICT

An exciting and uniquely immersive adventure with an exceptional cast lead by the undeniable chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, Disney’s Jungle Cruise is a theme park ride you’ll happily wait in line for. This movie was a blast, and never once felt forced or like it was trying too hard. I felt like I was out on the boat experiencing the adventure right along with the cast, and that is quite an accomplishment if you ask me. 

But I mean let’s be honest, put Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in a movie together and I’ll be first in line opening day every single time. I know the summer movie season officially kicked off with Black Widow for most people, but Jungle Cruise adds the exclamation mark with a movie literally everyone can enjoy and appreciate. So go ahead and grab the family and head to the theater sooner than later. I will be adding this to my 4K Blu-ray collection, and can’t wait to watch it again.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.5/10

Jungle Cruise is now playing in theaters and available on Disney+ as a $29.99 Premium Access. Check out the latest trailer below.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, also known simply as Snake Eyes, is a 2021 superhero action film directed by Robert Schwentke from a screenplay by Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel, and Anna Waterhouse. Based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy, comic, and media franchise, the film is a reboot, and the third installment in the G.I. Joe film series and serves as an origin story for the title character Snake Eyes. Henry Golding stars as the title role, replacing Ray Park who portrayed him in the previous films.

Snake Eyes is a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage after saving the life of their heir apparent. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach Snake Eyes the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing something he’s been longing for: a home. But, when secrets from his past are revealed, Snake Eyes’ honor and allegiance will be tested – even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him. The cast also includes Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Úrsula Corberó as The Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Haruka Abe as Akiko, Tahehiro Hira as Kenta, and Iko Uwais as Hard Master.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins released in theaters on July 23rd, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

THE GOOD

I should probably preface this review by pointing out the fact that I have zero knowledge of the comics, or what is considered to be the “true origin story” of Snake Eyes. Comics just aren’t my thing, I mean sure someone loaned me a Deadpool comic once and I thought it was hilarious, but I just can’t sit around and read comics I will just get sidetracked every time. Okay so now that we got that out of the way, what did I think about the latest film to come from the G.I. Joe Universe, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins?

Well to just jump right into it, I really enjoyed this movie. The story was interesting, the fight scenes were an absolute joy to experience, and it was just a good old fashioned action flick meant to be seen on the big screen. I went in with little to no knowledge of the actual origin story which probably helped my case. The fight scenes were up there with some of the better martial arts films of recent memory, proving they put a premium on the stunt work for the film. One scene in particular includes an epic fight on a moving vehicle, and that had the adrenaline pumping for sure. I enjoyed the characters and felt like the film had the perfect balance of characters to root for and characters to root against. The story had plenty of depth but was still fairly straight forward, sort of the classic revenge above all else story.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say the acting was one of the primary strengths of the film, but I was very pleased with the performance of Henry Golding. I thought he epitomized the Snake Eyes character, and definitely won audiences over. I also have to give credit to Úrsula Corberó and Samara Weaving, in their respective roles as The Baroness and Scarlett. I mean, sure they are both absolutely gorgeous, but these two know their way around an automatic weapon that’s for sure. These two proved to be quite a dynamic duo. I also really enjoyed Haruka Abe in her role as Akiko. Iko Uwais was an absolute badass in his role as Hard Master, and easily one of my favorite characters. I look forward to seeing more of him in future films.

As expected, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins was very sound on the technical side of things. The smooth and creative camera work helped to make sure the action scenes felt as exciting as possible. As I touched on already, the choreography and stunt work for the fight scenes were top notch. The soundtrack was upbeat and exciting throughout which is always important. Bottom line, you can sit back and enjoy watching a crowd of overconfident bad guys getting manhandled by 2 or 3 people over and over again. It never gets old.

THE BAD

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is not free from it’s fair share of issues. At times I felt like key points of the story were rushed, or just lacking the necessary weight you’d want for some of the more pivotal moments. This impacted believability for certain elements of the story arc, at least for me anyway. I think this was partly caused by some weak acting from the supporting cast periodically. Some of the writing probably could have been better as well.

I also have to point out the fact that pretty much every motorcycle or car was electric in the movie, and I don’t think I’m alone in saying that crotch rockets, if you can even call them that, are far less cool when they sound like a Dyson vacuum. Some of the fight scenes, although fun, certainly felt extremely far fetched as well. But hey, it’s the movies right?

THE VERDICT

An action-packed origin story showcasing star Henry Golding’s acting abilities, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is a fun movie well worth a trip to the theater. When a well-known franchise is trying to reinvent itself, it is usually best to forget what you know and appreciate the new direction they decide to take things. Similar to the Marvel films, it is impossible to stay true to the comics and creative freedom is a good thing if you ask me. It’s far from perfect sure, but it gets plenty right. I enjoyed Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins and I hope the franchise has a chance to continue building on what seems to be a solid foundation.

TED TAKES RATING - 7/10

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is now playing only in theaters. Check out the trailer below.

Old

From visionary director M. Night Shyamalan, Old is a 2021 drama thriller loosely based on the graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters. It tells the story of a family on a tropical vacation who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly - reducing their entire lives into a single day.

The film stars Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Alex Wolff, Abbey Lee, Aaron Pierre, Rufus Sewell, Ken Leung, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Embeth Davidtz, Emun Elliott, and Kathleen Chalfant.

Old released in theaters on July 23rd, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

THE GOOD

As with most theatrical releases since the pandemic brought on uncertainty for movie theaters, we are often greeted with a quick intro from either a star or the director just before the movie starts. This time M. Night Shyamalan himself pops on screen to thank everyone for coming to the theater to see his movie, and you can see in his eyes how excited he is to share this with everyone - and that is what it’s all about. The opening day crowd in the theater was absolutely buzzing with excitement.

When Shyamalan’s name is attached to a project, I’m immediately intrigued. From his debut horror/ thriller The Sixth Sense back in 1999, which was actually his 3rd film after Praying with Anger (1992) and Wide Awake (1998), he has cemented himself as one of the best writer/directors in the last 20 years+. One thing that resonated with me after seeing The Sixth Sense, which is still amazing to this day by the way, is his ability to tell a uniquely engaging story while somehow still finding a way to surprise viewers with a plot twist at the end that they could have never seen coming. It also leaves you with that, "“ohh yeah now this makes sense!” feeling, and that is exactly the case with his latest film, Old.

I really enjoyed this movie, and my eyes were glued to the screen from start to finish. You just really never know what you are going to get with a Shyamalan film, and the journey is always worth it. This time around the premise is loosely based on a graphic novel as I mentioned in the intro, but I have yet to read it to make sure I went in to the movie with no understanding of what was to come aside from what I saw in the trailers. I mean sure some of the scenes you will recognize from the trailers, but rest assured they don’t ruin any of the bigger moments. A feeling of unease grabs ahold of you in the beginning, and never lets go. The story includes a diverse group of characters at various chapters in their lives to ensure every viewer is able to relate to them to some degree. It doesn’t waste anytime setting the groundwork for the story, and carefully leaves bread crumbs as to what is really going on. I was extremely pleased and caught off guard by the ending which I would love to go into detail on with you, but that would be a spoiler of course. Feel free to message me directly if you’d like to unpack everything once you have seen the movie.

Old isn’t your typical shock and awe horror thriller, mainly because the premise centers around something we all fear in some form or fashion, which is getting old. Now aging rapidly in the span of just hours, yeah this is definitely classic M. Night Shyamalan territory. This intriguing premise is brought to life by including the perfect balance of unique camera work making it feel like you are actually on the beach with the characters, along with an ominous tone and score. The film never feels slow or boring which is huge for me, with each and every scene feeling necessary to push the story along. You can’t wait to see what is going to happen next

I thought the casting was great as the characters felt real and authentic, each with true own complex yet relatable backstory. I never once questioned the quality of the acting, and felt it was undoubtedly a great strength of the film. I’m a big fan of Alex Wolff who was incredible in Hereditary, and he brings it here as well. I also really enjoyed the roles played by Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps, and felt like their chemistry was genuine. Rufus Sewell takes on the role of the films “wildcard” character, and I thought he did extremely well with a pivotal role. M. Night Shyamalan is known for his smaller supporting roles in his films, and has another good one here.

THE BAD

I really enjoyed Old and can honestly say I don’t have any considerable issues to bring up. Although it’s not really a knock on the film itself, it wasn’t as much of a true horror as I was expecting, and felt more of a true thriller instead. As I mentioned before I did not read the book so that did not come into play for me whatsoever, but it has also been made very clear that it is loosely based and not a true adaptation. I personally liked the way the camera would often pan around the characters to try and make what was happening feel more intimate/up close and personal, but I could see some people having an issue with it.

Although this isn’t my all-time favorite from M. Night Shyamalan (that is a high bar, of course), the good far outweighs the bad.

THE VERDICT

Intense, thoroughly engaging, and terrifyingly relevant, Old is one of M. Night Shyamalan’s more grounded films while still leaving a considerable mark on viewers. The premise deals with something that scares us each and every day because we have no control over it, and that is why it will stay with viewers long after they leave the theater. Aging is a part of life, and we all take that journey with varying stops along the way, but fingers crossed none of us end up on this beach.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.5/10

Old is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is a 2021 psychological horror film directed by Adam Robitel, and written by Will Honley, Maria Melnik, Daniel Tuch, and Oren Uziel. It is the sequel to the box office hit Escape Room that terrified and thrilled audiences around the world back in early 2019. I was among the crowd who saw the original in theaters on day one, and I will say I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. The film had sort of a Saw feel to it but still managed to be unique, and also included a very solid up-and-coming cast which consisted of Tyler Labine, True Blood’s Deborah Ann Woll, Love Simon’s Logan Miller, and Atypical’s Nik Dodani, which was huge for me.

In the sequel, six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive…and discovering they’ve all played the game before. The cast includes Taylor Russell and Logan Miller reprising their roles from the first film, alongside new cast members Indya Moore, Holland Roden, Thomas Cocquerel, and Carlito Olivero.

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions hits theaters on July 16th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

THE GOOD

I remember seeing the original Escape Room in theaters on opening night. It was a painfully cold January night, and my buddy and I had dinner before the movie, figuring we could show up and buy our tickets last minute since the movie seemed fairly under-the-radar. As we were choosing our seats we couldn’t believe that the theater was almost completely full! Luckily we were still able to grab decent seats, and it was well worth it. The low-budget thriller far exceeded expectations, which is why I am here now talking to you about a sequel.

Fast forward a few years and we have the follow-up film, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. As soon as the sequel was announced I was looking forward to it, mainly because it is just something a little bit unique compared to everything else out there as of late. And I am happy to report it did not let me down. The film picks up right where the original leaves off, and even treats viewers to a sort of “previously on” montage from the first movie which I thought was a nice touch. That way we felt like we just watched the original, and couldn’t wait to see what they had in store.

First and foremast, I really enjoyed Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. It is very well-written, and I would say that might be the primary strength of these films, and it keeps you guessing. The thrill factor is front and center from the start, and you start to get a good feel for the true scale of what is going on behind the scenes. Nothing is as it seems, forcing the characters to look beyond what they initially perceive as a sensible escape route. The “escape rooms” are elaborate to say the least, and during the entire movie all I could think about was how screwed I would be in any of these situations. I would be dead in the first 30 seconds, and it would likely be self-induced thanks to an anxiety overload and propensity for bad decision making. So yeah, I envy anyone who can keep their bearings in what they know to be a life or death game for someone else’s enjoyment. I’ll just stick to what I know, which is basically Candyland or a good old fashioned game of Go Fish.

The sequel picks up with the two main characters from the original film, Zoey played by Taylor Russell, and Ben played by Logan Miller. Russell was amazing in the 2020 coming-of-age drama Words on Bathroom Walls, which I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it. It is currently streaming on Prime Video, and you can check out our review and the trailer here. As it turns out, Miller also plays a significant role in another fantastic coming-of-age film, 2018’s Love, Simon, which I also highly recommend. You can watch that on FX Now or as a VOD rental or purchase, and the trailer and review can be found here. Both were very good in the original Escape Room, and continue to have the same genuine on-screen chemistry here. The supporting cast is fine, but these two are surely the benchmark for the film and what help to keep the audience invested.

Similar to the original, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions knows it’s way around a quality cliffhanger. The ending is quite a surprise (don’t worry, no spoilers!), and finds a way to come full circle. If the box office numbers look good enough, we are in for a 3rd movie that is a foregone conclusion. Some may be annoyed by the lack of a true “ending”, but I personally love the old shock and awe approach as long as we get the sequel.

THE BAD

Okay so what are my issues with Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. Well for starters, the acting can be a bit of an Achilles’ heel this time around. Now it’s not horrible by any means, but at times some of the more intense moments feel a little less intense because of what feels likes cheesy or forced acting. Luckily it is only in spurts, supporting cast mostly, and never proves detrimental.

One of my other issues is sort of two-fold, mainly because it is really more of preference. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is rated PG-13, so although some characters will surely meet their demise, you won’t get those gory Saw style deaths, or anything close to it really. And to be perfectly honest I am glad that is the case because it allows the film to feel more unique, I just wish they would have included a few more “oh wow that just happened” deaths, but maybe I just need therapy.

THE VERDICT

Smarter and more ambitious this time around, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions packs plenty of thrills, and yet again reminds me why I prefer to avoid escape rooms at all costs. You will appreciate the creativity surrounding the new escape rooms, which will keep you on the edge of your seat as each player fights for their lives. It may not be the best movie you see this year, but it will surely satisfy fans of the original as well as newcomers. Oh and as long as numbers are good, a 3rd movie is absolutely happening.

TED TAKES RATING - 7/10

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Preview and trailer for the original 2019 film Escape Room here.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

By: Andrew Wing, Contributing Writer

Space Jam: A New Legacy is a 2021 live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film serves as a standalone sequel based on the 1996 blockbuster Space Jam, featuring Michael Jordan. It is also the first theatrically-released film to feature the famous Looney Tunes characters since the 2003 movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action. The film stars NBA basketball player LeBron James as a fictionalized version of himself, along with Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Khris Davis, Ceyair J. Wright, and Harper Leigh Alexander in live-action roles, while Jeff Bergman (voice of Bugs Bunny), Eric Bauza (voice of Daffy Duck), and Zendaya (voice of Lola Bunny) headline the Looney Tunes voice cast.

Set in a shared Warner Bros. virtual space multiverse, the film follows LeBron James teaming up with the Looney Tunes to win a basketball game against digitized champions (Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Nneka Ogwumike, Diana Taurasi, and Klay Thompson) to rescue his son from a rogue AI.

Plans for a Space Jam successor have been going on since the release of the original film, which Joe Pytka would have returned to direct. After Michael Jordan’s refusal to return in a sequel, several possible spin-offs were discussed focusing on other premier athletes in other sports including Jeff Gordon, Tony Hawk, and Tiger Woods. However, those plans never came to fruition and after several more years of languishing, a LeBron James-led sequel was officially announced in 2014. Space Jam: A New Legacy was filmed in 2019 and was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the U.S. on July 16th, 2021, both in theaters and on HBO Max for a month after its theatrical release.

THE GOOD

First off, it is just crazy to say that I am reviewing the sequel to Space Jam. For years, there have been so many rumors that it was never going to happen and then when LeBron James’ name was attached to the project, I thought it was a joke. It wasn’t until they actually started filming that I was like “WOW, this is actually happening!”. And even though LeBron’s performance was not the best, and I’ll get to that later in the review, it is still cool to see an athlete of his caliber that I’ve grown up watching on the big screen.

Without a doubt, the best thing about this movie is the animation. It is an extremely appealing movie to the eyes. The character designs for the Goon Squad team were off the charts with my personal favorite being Klay Thompson’s character, Wet-Fire. But for real, every part of the movie that takes place in what they call “The Serververse” is just full of amazing animated visuals. The great visuals throughout definitely made the film entertaining as a whole.

Another part I really liked about this film was the inclusion of the shared Warner Bros. properties in the virtual space multiverse. It was surprising to me reading other reviews on this film because the majority of them critiqued the inclusion of the intellectual properties and found them to be a “spoilage of product placement”. I just didn’t agree with that. I found it really interesting and exciting to see LeBron James travel through different worlds based on Warner Bros. properties such as DC Comics (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.), Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones. Also, if you do go ahead and watch this film, I’d be curious to see how many characters from famous Warner Bros. movies you can name at the big game between the Tune Squad and the Goon Squad, because there are a flurry of them on the sidelines, which I just thought was a great addition to the movie.

Lastly, the voice cast of the Looney Tunes was great as you’d expect with any movie in the Looney Tunes franchise, especially Zendaya as Lola Bunny.

THE BAD

Alright so just to get this out of the way, this movie was nowhere near as good as the original film. I hate to break that to you as someone who had high hopes going into this, but it just isn’t. The main reason for that is really just the acting. In the original you obviously had Michael Jordan, who I thought was as good an actor as an athlete can be (besides John Cena and The Rock of course) in their first film role, but you also had the legendary Bill Murray who was his funny self, and you had Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld) who made you laugh in every scene he was in. In this one, you have LeBron James and a lot of actors who try to be funny, but they just aren’t.

Trust me, I know this is a movie meant for kids and I do think kids overall will enjoy it, but being a critic I have to therefore critique. To continue with the bad acting, all of LeBron’s lines in the film just felt so scripted and robotic in a sense, and for as much as I loved him in the 2015 rom-com Trainwreck directed by Judd Apatow, his performance in this was a large step down from that, and I’d prefer just seeing him stick to basketball from here on out. I also just didn’t like the performances of the actors portraying his actual family. I understand that it is a weird dynamic for Cedric Joe to be playing LeBron’s kid, but him and LeBron just had no chemistry throughout the entire movie, and it really showed up in the moments that were supposed to be sentimental and heart-warming towards the end.

THE VERDICT

While it is nowhere near as good as the original, Space Jam: A New Legacy is the standalone sequel to the 1996 blockbuster Space Jam that we have been waiting on for 25 years starring LeBron James, and for that reason and that reason alone, it is worth checking out. While it lacks the original film’s humor, it still provides stunning animated visuals, some good laughs from the Looney Tunes, and a unique twist with the inclusion of other famous Warner Bros. properties.

TED TAKES RATING - 5/10

Space Jam: A New Legacy is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max. Check out the latest trailer below.