I.S.S.

I.S.S. is a 2024 science fiction thriller film directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and written by Nick Shafir. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12th, 2023.

Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling from this, the astronauts receive orders from the ground: take control of the station by any means necessary.

The cast includes Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Maria Mashkova, Costa Ronin, and Pilou Asbæk.

I.S.S. made its debut in theaters January 19th, courtesy of Bleecker Street. 

I’m not a huge sci-fi guy as far as the genre in general, so going into I.S.S. I had some fairly moderate expectations. When I first watched the trailer I had a feeling it would be a fairly linear film in terms of where the events take place and that was definitely the case. From my standpoint, that is both good and bad, depending on what style of film you prefer in terms of the overall experience. For me, I prefer a bit more action, or just more actual story to unfold as opposed to relying on built up tension between characters, and a larger event that you really don’t feel connected to. This style of storytelling requires significant investment from viewers otherwise they leave the theater feeling uninspired and honestly a little bit bored. I never felt a real connection to any of the characters which took away from the overall impact of the film.

With I.S.S. I would’ve liked to have seen a bit more focus on character development as far as viewers having the opportunity to get invested in the characters. The film opens with two of the characters on the rocket heading to the international space station, so you never really have a chance to get a feel for who these people were prior to the events unfolding. The film does offer up a bit of backstory as the plot unfolds but we don’t get any flashbacks or anything of that nature. I understand why they took this approach because it did seem intentional in terms of the overall claustrophobic feel of the film, but I personally would’ve preferred having the opportunity to care a little bit more about the characters. I don’t think I.S.S. was ever boring which is a positive of course, but the “keeping things moving” approach of the screenplay took away from the overall impact of the film.

From a technical standpoint I.S.S. is as bare bones as a film can be. Aside from a few exterior shots the film takes place primarily inside the space station, and don’t get me wrong it does look authentic and they did a really nice job with the set design, but as far as powerful shots or great cinematography the film really doesn’t have much to offer. It didn’t take long for me to get bored of seeing the same things over and over, which is how I imagine people aboard the space station begin to feel. I will say that I was bought in enough to appreciate all of the cool parts about adapting to life aboard the space station, like securing yourself to the wall to sleep, or opening a beverage and watching the contents slowly rise out of the bottle.

I thought the cast was solid although I don’t think anyone stood out in terms of a really spectacular performance. As I talked about the tension between the characters is the bread and butter of the film, and for the most part everyone is believable and seem bought into their characters. With that being said, the behaviors of the characters felt a bit predictable which for me really took away from the overall impact of a film like this. Chris Messina stood out to me the most which may simply be because of the fact that he is an actor that I really like, but I was impressed by Ariana DeBose in her role. I liked where things were going with John Gallagher Jr.’s character but that story arch seemed to run out of steam before it really got going which is a shame.

A linear thriller that relies heavily on effectively building tension to keep viewers engaged, I.S.S. is a mostly enjoyable film that lacks emphasis on character development. I commend the film for sticking with its identity for better or for worse, I just feel like it could have been much better with a few tweaks to the screenplay or even perhaps adding 20-minutes or so of character backstory.

TED TAKES RATING - 6.1/10

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

The Beekeeper

The Beekeeper is a 2024 action thriller film directed by David Ayer (Fury, Suicide Squad) and written by Kurt Wimmer. It stars Jason Statham (Snatch, The Meg), Emmy Raver-Lampman (The Umbrella Academy, Blacklight), Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games film series), Bobby Naderi (Argo, Bright), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting), Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show, Creed films), and Jeremy Irons (The Lion King, House of Gucci).

"Mr. Clay" (Statham) is a former operative of a clandestine organization called "Beekeepers". After his friend and neighbor dies by suicide after falling for a phishing scam, Mr. Clay sets out to exact revenge against the company responsible.

The Beekeeper made its debut in theaters January 12th, courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.

THE GOOD

As a red-blooded American man who could easily survive months on buffalo wings and red meat, I am a Jason Statham guy through and through. I first came across his work with the 2002 film The Transporter which was a glimpse into what would become a wild career for one of the most badass actors working today. The England born actor has graced the big-screen with his chiseled jaw and shaved head for over 50 projects to date, some of my favorites being the previously mentioned The Transporter and the follow-up films, Death Race, Crank: High Voltage, The Mechanic, Homefront, his role as Deckard Shaw in the Fast and Furious films, and more recently Guy Ritchie’s heist thriller Wrath of Man (our full review here).

It can be considered a bad thing for an actor to get stuck in that vicious cycle of typecasting, but with Statham it just makes sense. He is destined to play the guy who beats the ass of each and every single person stupid enough to piss him off. Which brings me to the latest Statham project, The Beekeeper, which I have been looking forward to since the first trailer released. Did it live up to my high expectations? Keep reading to find out!

I don’t want to get ahead of myself but we may have yet another dynamic director/actor duo on our hands with David Ayer and Jason Statham because The Beekeeper was absolutely fantastic. This is easily a top 3 Statham movie for me and I dare to say it may even be my favorite which is really saying something. The sheer entertainment value of this film was just an another level. The revenge thriller genre is honestly pretty cut and dry, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is easy to put all of the pieces together to deliver what hardcore fans of the genre crave. You need an engaging story that resonates with viewers, a character that is easy to root for, and some good old fashioned 90’s style action sequences.

Jason Statham is incredible, the story had me rooting so hard for him I had to fight the urge to stand up and cheer, and the action sequences put a permanent ear to ear smile on my face. I also really liked how the film found a way to include a comedic element considering just how brutally violent it is. I don’t care what it says about me that I enjoy this type of content so much, but if you are a big fan of the revenge thriller genre like I am this movie will have you fired up. I’m not exaggerating when I say that The Beekeeper is reference material when it comes to this genre, and it was even better than I could have hoped. This is quality entertainment ladies and gentlemen, simple as that.

As far as the story is concerned, The Beekeeper is short and sweet in the sense that by the time you’ve had your second handful of popcorn Statham’s character has already cracked several skulls and is knee deep in his revenge tour. They don’t waste any time whatsoever with the screenplay, but yet they somehow still manage to set the stage perfectly in terms of building up a character that is easy to root for, and a bunch of people that are the scum of the earth and even easier to root against. Writers don’t always get the glory they deserve so I feel it is worth taking a moment to appreciate Kurt Wimmer because he is a dude, simple as that. Wimmer speaks my love language when it comes to revenge thrillers, as he also co-wrote the script for the 2009 film Law Abiding Citizen, one of my favorite films in this genre and one I have seen easily 20 times.

Watching it with people who are seeing it for the first time is one of my favorite things because of the shock and awe of certain parts of the film. The fact that critics trashed this movie is yet another reason why I despise the stereotypical out-of-touch movie critics who wouldn’t know real entertainment if it bit them right on the ass. The critic consensus for Law Abiding Citizen direct from Rotten Tomatoes is as follows: “Unnecessarily violent and unflinchingly absurd, Law Abiding Citizen is plagued by subpar acting and a story that defies reason”. Huh?! I just can’t. Do yourself a favor and check out Law Abiding Citizen ASAP if you haven’t already because this genre is seriously underappreciated.

Back to the task at hand, The Beekeeper taps into our vulnerability in the age of social media or the digital age in general, particularly those of us who are elderly and easily taken advantage of. As Statham’s character says in the film, stealing from the elderly is like stealing from a child, only worse because oftentimes the elderly are left to fend for themselves with nobody looking after them. I despise people who take advantage of good people for personal gain, and this idea of fighting for the helpless against those hell bent on ruining lives just to make a dollar sure makes for some quality entertainment.

Plus this form of fraud, although exaggerated in terms of the technology used for the purposes of the film, remains a very serious problem today. Phishing scams are as prominent as they have ever been considering the fact that just clicking a link could open the floodgates as far as your personal information. I also appreciated how The Beekeeper still managed to have a comedic element amid the violence and subject matter in general which felt reminiscent of the John Wick films.

I was very impressed by the cast for The Beekeeper, and as I have made fairly clear I thought this was one of Statham’s best movies in terms of how it played to his strengths. He does best work as the brooding man of few words as he takes out the scum of the earth one by one, and he is on another level here. I feel like Statham has built enough of a following at this point to where his name alone can fill a theater as long as the trailer looks like fun. It was cool to see Josh Hutcherson as a bad guy, and I thought he was great in this role. Hutcherson plays this power hungry entitled little a-hole who finds satisfaction in ruining the lives of others. Bottom line, his character is very easy to hate which helps to progress the story. Veteran actor Jeremy Irons is fantastic as always in his role.

I’m not real familiar with singer and actress Emmy Raver-Lampman who plays FBI agent Verona Parker who is also the daughter of the elderly woman Statham’s character is out to avenge. Raver-Lampman ends up on a bit of a collision course with Statham as she teeters on hunting down the man leaving a pile of bodies in his wake, or letting him exact some much-needed vigilante justice. She reminded me of Terrence Howard’s character in The Brave One. I haven’t seen it but apparently she is in the series The Umbrella Academy which seems to be the thing she is best known for according to her filmography. As a seemingly unknown actress I thought she was really good here and I hope this role leads to more opportunities for her. I also really liked Bobby Naderi as Parker’s partner. The two had really good chemistry and he provided a nice balance of a sympathetic character who had an obvious appreciation for the vigilante justice he was witnessing first hand.

From a technical standpoint I have two words, holy shit. The Beekeeper is an hour and 45 minutes of Jason Statham kicking ass in the coolest way possible. I felt every punch and broken bone as it reverberated through the theater speakers, and each one was more satisfying than the last. The fight sequences were great, whether Statham was relying on old fashioned hand-to-hand combat or lighting bad guys up John Wick style with a hail of gunfire. The Beekeeper has some unique and sometimes hilarious kills as well, showing off some impressive creativity. The final fight Statham gets into with Taylor James’ character Lazarus which felt like the boss battle was brutal and so damn satisfying.

Lazarus is this psychotic South African mercenary who feels like he came straight from David Ayers’ The Suicide Squad and he is the first person to even come close to putting a dent in Statham’s seemingly bulletproof character. Speaking of Ayer he deserves a ton of credit for what he was able to accomplish here, further reinforcing the fact that he is more than deserving of big-time opportunities in this business. I also thought the soundtrack was perfect in the way that it matched the intensity of the film, because it is never boring not even for a second. Because The Beekeeper wastes very little time getting the action going it relies heavily on the technical elements and everything was top notch.

THE BAD

I can honestly say that I had very few issues with this film, particularly anything that I would say took away from its overall potential. With that being said, you can certainly pick apart this style of film if you want to nitpick specific details, but at the end of the day similar to the John Wick films, The Beekeeper sort of exists on the edge of reality. As an example as far as the story viewers needed to become invested quickly to allow what happened next to really matter, and that required some expedited storytelling to set the stage for the revenge tour. This of course comes at the expense of what people would deem “unrealistic” but at the end of the day film is escapism so I am more than okay with this approach. If you want to sit back and say “oh that would never happen” or “that person would never do that”, you may want to stick with documentaries or biographical dramas. Just my opinion.

THE VERDICT

An absolute gem of a revenge thriller that will have hardcore genre fans smiling ear to ear and begging for more, The Beekeeper is vintage Jason Statham and a cinematic triumph for director David Ayer. I don’t know how else so say it, I just loved this movie from start to finish, and it is hands down my most enjoyable theater experience so far this year. I get that it is still early, but the bar has been set. Call me old fashioned but when it comes to replay value I simply can’t get enough of watching good guys beat the crap out of bad guys, which is why I can’t wait to see this again.

I really hope the film has enough success to justify a sequel, but if not I will happily watch The Beekeeper on repeat once it hits Blu-ray. Do yourself a favor and see this bad boy in theaters ASAP, you can thank me later.

And just remember, The Beekeeper always protects the hive.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.2/10

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

Night Swim

Night Swim is a 2024 supernatural horror film written and directed by Bryce McGuire, and based on the 2014 short film of the same name by McGuire and Rod Blackhurst. The film stars Wyatt Russell (22 Jump Street, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Kerry Condon (Better Call Saul, The Banshees of Inisherin), Amélie Hoeferle (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), and Gavin Warren (First Man).

Ray Waller (Russell) is a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness. He moves into a new home with his concerned wife Eve (Condon) and their two children (Hoeferle and Warren). Secretly hoping, against the odds, to return to pro ball, Ray persuades Eve that the new home’s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for him. But a dark secret in the home’s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family under, into the depths of inescapable terror.

James Wan and Jason Blum serve as producers under their Atomic Monster and Blumhouse Productions banners, respectively.

Night Swim made its debut in theaters January 5th, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

THE GOOD

I’m a big fan of Blumhouse and will give anything they do a chance, plus the trailers for Night Swim were fantastic in my opinion. Early on I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around how this premise would make for a feature-length film, but I was intrigued nonetheless. Not only did it seem like the production value for the film was top-notch, I really liked the cast which featured Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon who was amazing in last years award-winning drama The Banshees of Inisherin (our full review here).

So as the film neared release I reached out to a buddy of mine asking if he wanted to tag along and his exact words were “I’m not going to see a stupid PG-13 horror movie about a swimming pool”. I tend to take what he says with a grain of salt but he did have a point. Nonetheless, you know damn well I had my ass planted in that comfy movie theater seat with a warm bucket of popcorn hoping I would have the opportunity to tell him he missed out. So, was Night Swim a pleasant surprise or was the seemingly ridiculous premise just too much? Keep reading to find out!

Alright so I didn’t exactly call him up right away and tell him how stupid he was for not coming to see the movie with me, but I did send him a text that was likely much more positive than he expected. Considering the fact that my expectations were in check for the most part Night Swim actually had some good qualities as far as horror films go. Once the title hit the screen at the end right before the credits, I felt okay about it. I had my issues for sure which I will talk more about later, but the overall experience felt polished with great production value and some really good acting from the cast, as well as all of the great technical elements you would want from a horror film including an eerie score and some very creepy and effective visuals. Plus at the end of the day if you are easily scared Night Swim at the very least will surely keep you out of the swimming pool for awhile.

I knew the cast would be a strength for the film going in and that was the case. Although he won’t be mistaken for a A-list actor anytime soon I have become a fan of Wyatt Russell, the son of cinema legends Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Russell has been afford some decent opportunities as of late which he has taken advantage of, including a role in Richard Linklater’s 2016 film Everybody Wants Some!! (full review here), the Marvel series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the new sci-fi series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, also starring his dad. Russell has proven he has legit range as an actor and I really liked him in this role.

Starring alongside Russell is Kerry Condon and I thought she was great. She took on the role of the sympathetic wife and mother who was began to suspect something wasn’t right pretty early on and I thought she was believable throughout the film. The son and daughter are played by Gavin Warren and Amélie Hoeferle and I liked both of their characters. All things considered I thought both delivered very solid performances and helped to keep up the eerie feel of the film. As I said overall the cast was very much a bright spot for the film.

As outlandish as the premise seems on paper, Night Swim actually has some decent material to work with as far as the screenplay. There is definitely more than meets the eye as far as the origin of the story behind this sinister swimming pool, and I was actually impressed with the core of the overall story. In some ways the premise resembles The Amityville Horror in the sense that it is very much a haunted house type film with the element of evil stemming from this swimming pool. Unfortunately they had plenty of missteps in terms of where they decided to take the story which is unfortunate, but I will talk more about that later. Just the fact that I wasn’t just shaking my head for the majority of the film felt like a win.

THE BAD

Night Swim managed to surprise me in many ways but by the end it felt like a missed opportunity. As I mentioned the production value was top notch and the acting was above average, but the screenplay for all of its promise held the film back. Early on it felt to me like the setup was damn near perfect in terms of establishing backstory and getting viewers invested. I found myself genuinely intrigued as the story unfolded and I wanted to know what would happen next, until I didn’t. Unfortunately the story seemed to stumble and run out of steam right around the third act as it struggled to maintain that gritty horror feel. Bottom line, this movie absolutely needed to have an R-rating, simple as that. I just feel like this movie needed to be much darker to realize the vision they were hinting at from the beginning, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

To be honest I get really annoyed when these horror films decide to go PG-13 essentially handcuffing themselves when it comes to the hard-hitting horror films genre fans like myself gravitate towards like The Ring, Sinister, Hereditary, The Dark and the Wicked, or the more recent horror film Smile (our full review here). What these films have in common is a story that sticks with you because of how intense and gut-wrenching the film is by the final act. In order to make a PG-13 horror film really work, you need to be incredibly creative or simply embrace the fact that you aren’t really trying to terrify viewers. I am confident that if Night Swim went with a R-rating it would have been much more effective and another notch in the belt for Jason Blum and Blumhouse.

THE VERDICT

A serviceable horror thriller with above average production value and a talented cast, Night Swim brings to the surface some effective scares but is ultimately confined to the shallow end by a PG-13 rating. This could have been so much better, but to say it is unwatchable really isn’t fair. Casual horror fans will have plenty to be excited about with Night Swim and will likely avoid the pool for awhile, but unfortunately decisions were made that just left too much meat on the bone. At the very least this is something a little different and if you go in with tempered expectations it is worth a watch.

TED TAKES RATING - 5.6/10

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

Ferrari

Ferrari is a 2023 biographical drama film directed by Michael Mann and written by Troy Kennedy Martin about Enzo Ferrari, the Italian founder of the car manufacturer Ferrari. It is based on the 1991 biography Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine by motorsport journalist Brock Yates.

Set during the summer of 1957, the pic finds ex-Formula 1 racer Enzo Ferrari in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing 10 years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for their one son. Ferrari struggles with the acknowledgment of another. His drivers’ lust to win pushes them out to the edge. He wagers all in a roll of the dice on one race, the treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.

The cast includes Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Gabriel Leone, Patrick Dempsey, Sarah Gadon, and Jack O’Connell.

Ferrari made its debut in theaters on December 25th, courtesy of Neon.

THE GOOD

Actor Adam Driver first landed on my radar with the HBO Original raunchy comedy-drama series Girls when it premiered back in 2012. The series which was created by Lena Dunham who I have mixed opinions on but I won’t get into that here, was fantastic for the most part. It is often described as a raunchier younger-aged version of Sex in the City, and if you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it. Although the series focuses on the female characters hence the name, Driver who appears in 49 of the 62 total episodes plays an incredibly impactful role as the very unique and troubled former boyfriend of the main character played by Dunham.

He was easily a favorite of mine in the series and his character development was a big reason why the series worked so well in my opinion. We would next see Driver in a small role in the underrated Coen brothers drama Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), a big role as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019), one of his best performances in the drama Paterson (2016), and a very impactful role alongside Matt Damon in Ridley Scott’s 2021 film, The Last Duel (our full review here). Bottom line, Driver has risen as one of the more talented and versatile actors so it came as no surprise to me that he would be offered the role of Enzo Ferrari. My appreciation for Driver as well as my interest in the history of the well-known car brand had me very excited to check this film out at release. So, was Ferrari yet another opportunity for Driver to shine as an actor, or was it a misstep in his career? Keep reading to find out!

Adam Driver was phenomenal in what I would say was easily one of his best and most transformative roles, and I personally thoroughly enjoyed Ferrari. The film has its faults and may rub some viewers the wrong way which I will talk about later in the review, but when it comes to all of the important elements that make a great film it delivers. Driver is nearly unrecognizable as the incredibly flawed Enzo Ferrari with his slicked-back gray hair and stylish black sunglasses. He looks much older in the film and carries a certain confidence about him that was a trademark of the Ferrari founder. The cast in general was really good here, but the film also shines when it comes to the incredible setting as we get a look at how absolutely beautiful Italy is.

I had my issues with how the story unfolded at times which I will also talk more about later, but by the end of the film, I felt like everything came together and more than anything else I felt like it offered a clear albeit complex view of Enzo Ferrari. The film is about 70% focused on the personal lives of the characters making the racing element of the film feel like a bit of an afterthought. I was fine with this approach as it felt necessary considering everything that transpired, it just feels worth mentioning so people have a better idea of what to expect when going to see the film. Ferrari is a bit slow-moving in the sense that it is a character-driven film, so viewers looking for more of a thriller to keep them engaged will be disappointed.

I touched on it already but the biggest strength of the film is the cast, primarily the performance from Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari. Fans of Driver will be enthralled by his performance as he truly becomes someone else right before your eyes. Driver was already one of my favorite actors as I mentioned earlier but his performance here just further reinforced my appreciation of his work. This was not an easy role to play as it required a great deal of emotion and just an overall genuine feel of who this man was, and he crushed it. Acting alongside Driver was the beautiful Penélope Cruz as Laura Ferrari. A strong-willed woman who dealt with a great deal of heartbreak in her life, I was very impressed by her performance and thought she had a natural chemistry with Driver. Plus I felt for her character which speaks to how much emotion she was able to display on-screen.

Shailene Woodley stars as the centerpiece of Enzo Ferrari’s double-life, and I enjoyed her performance as well. I did feel like in many ways she was overshadowed by Cruz’s performance, but that was inevitable as she played such a big role in the story from the start. The supporting cast was a bit split as far as screen-time is concerned, but I thought Gabriel Leone was great as Alfonso de Portago, Jack O’Connell delivered as he always does as Peter Collins, and last but not least my guy Patrick Dempsey was fantastic as the handsome silver fox veteran racer, Piero Taruffi.

From a technical standpoint, Ferrari is polished and shining right down to the rims. It was apparent right away that the finer elements of filmmaking would be prioritized, and that had been excited from the jump. I am big on a film that loves to try and tell a story with powerful shots and immersive cinematography, and that was my experience with Ferrari. As a character-driven biographical drama film, it was important for viewers to feel like they could experience things from the perspective of Enzo Ferrari during the summer of 1957, and I felt like they did that. It was evident throughout who would be the focal point of the film, I mean granted the title gives it away, but it all prioritized Ferrari and his relentless fight to preserve his company in the face of an incredibly messy personal life.

Talented cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt did a great job maximizing what he had at his disposal shooting on location in Italy, offering a ton of fabulous shots that helped to tell this important story. I was also very impressed by the score from composer Daniel Pemberton as it helped to fuel the more emotional and tragic moments during the film. I also thought the period details for the late 50s were spot on, from the wardrobes to the cars, right down to the overall filming style. Credit to director Michael Mann for his vision and work behind the camera, and also to Troy Kennedy Martin for a very impactful screenplay.

THE BAD

Ferrari isn’t a perfect film from the standpoint that it may not appeal to a broader audience for a few reasons, but the biggest reason is that it is intended for true film lovers and those with a genuine interest in the subject matter. For example, all of the elements that make a great film are well above average making this a real treat for film enthusiasts, but that does come at a price. Although it was a wide-release film in many ways Ferrari feels like a limited release in the sense that it is very clearly not overly concerned with winning over mainstream audiences with all of the bells and whistles sort of speak. At its core, the film is a deconstruction of Enzo Ferrari with a focus on his messy personal life. The bottom line, those expecting a fast-paced and exciting film about racing will be disappointed. If you need to scratch that itch I suggest checking out Gran Turismo (our full review here) which is now streaming on Netflix.

Ferrari also feels a bit confusing at times in terms of the story to the point where I felt like I was missing important things. Luckily it all comes together in the third act as it was seemingly intentional as far as just trying to leave breadcrumbs for viewers, I just think they could have done a better job of how they approached this method of storytelling. I also found the special effects to be a bit off at times in terms of realism, but that didn’t take too much away from the film. Some people have complained that it was hard to always understand the dialogue because of strong accents, and I did notice this at times as well but not enough to say it was a big concern.

THE VERDICT

A compelling and deeply emotional biographical drama fueled by a monster performance from Adam Driver, Ferrari is a slower-paced character-driven film that requires patience from viewers as the story unfolds. Just be patient though because the final act is next-level intense. As I talked about during the review the film may feel a bit slow for the average moviegoer lacking interest in the subject matter, but there is a ton to appreciate here for those of us who appreciate the finer elements of filmmaking. Just don’t expect an adrenaline-fueled racing film because this is not that type of movie. Driver continues to make his case as one of the more intriguing actors working today, and the rich history behind the Ferrari brand alone makes this film worth your time.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.8/10

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

Migration

Migration is a 2023 computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by Benjamin Renner, co-directed by Guylo Homsy, and written by Mike White (creator of The White Lotus). Produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures, the film features the voices of Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, David Mitchell, Carol Kane, Casper Jennings, Tresi Gazal, and Danny DeVito. The story follows a family of mallards who try to convince their overprotective father to go on a vacation of a lifetime and attempt to migrate from New England, through New York City, and to Jamaica.

Illumination announced Migration in February 2022, with Renner, Homsy, and White attached as director, co-director, and writer, respectively. Renner, who had previously helmed traditionally animated films, was tasked with adapting his simple drawing style for a computer-animated film. In hiring Renner, studio head and producer Chris Meledandri sought to focus on a filmmaker's vision for the project in comparison with Illumination's recent films. John Powell will compose the score, marking his second collaboration with Illumination following The Lorax (2012).

Migration made its debut in theaters on December 22nd, courtesy of Illumination.

THE GOOD

I had been looking forward to Migration for a while now not only because it just looked like it would be a really good animated film, but because it was an opportunity to once again share my love for cinema with my two boys. My little guys are 3 and just turning 5, and they had seen the trailers at least 30 times, watching them on repeat on several occasions. They couldn’t get enough of the part where the pigeon (voiced by the hilarious Awkwafina) gets hit by a bus, laughing uncontrollably at this part every single time. It put a smile on my face seeing how excited they were for this movie, so as soon as it hit theaters we grabbed our Minions: The Rise of Gru (our full review here) popcorn pale and made our way to the theater. So, was our latest movie outing a success or did we have to make an early exit to the arcade? Keep reading to find out!

Great news! We did find ourselves in the arcade eventually, but not until after we enjoyed what turned out to be another great animated comedy from the crew over at Illumination! Migration is hilarious, exciting, and heartwarming, and for me, that is the recipe for success when it comes to a good old-fashioned family film. I was immediately drawn in by the incredible chemistry between the cast of voice actors, as well as the vibrant and expansive animation style of the film. Just as the story is about seeking adventure and allowing yourself the opportunity to experience new things, the film feels like it opens up to this big and exciting new world allowing viewers to experience all of the feelings right along with the characters.

I liked the great underlying message as far as the story, and I felt like they did a fantastic job giving each character their own special moment. My 3-year-old and 5-year-old never took their eyes off the screen during the entire film, and that alone is an achievement. Granted I continued to shovel popcorn into their bowls at a moment’s notice and my 3-year-old had to sit on my lap during one of the “scarier” scenes, but all in all pretty damn good if you ask me. After a very positive experience taking my oldest to see Minions: The Rise of Gru and now with how much we enjoyed Migration, it is safe to say Illumination is winning over my household.

What I felt was unique about Migration was the fact that even though the list of voice actors is on the smaller side in terms of recognizable names, it is still one of the film’s biggest strengths. I feel like these days so many of these animated films try and overwhelm viewers with big names to the point where the poster looks like the end credits with just name after name after name to make you think it is worth watching. Migration instead hones in on a select group of voice talent that brings immense chemistry to the screen making for a very special cinematic experience. I am a big fan of Kumail Nanjiani and have been since he did the hilarious HBO comedy Silicon Valley. He has since blown up quite a bit as an actor, starring in The Big Sick (2017), Stuber (2019), The Lovebirds (2020), and Eternals (2021). Now as a comedian turned actor humor is his biggest strength, but he has proven he does have the ability to be versatile as an actor. In Migration, he is perfect as the protective and very overbearing father with a big heart. I just love how energetic Nanjiani’s voice can be which makes him quite an asset for a film like this.

Starring alongside Nanjiani is the talented Elizabeth Banks, who voices his wife Pam. I feel like Banks is a bit underrated as an actress when it comes to overall talent as well as the fact that she now also directs, including the films Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), Charlie’s Angels (2019), and the recently released ridiculous action comedy Cocaine Bear (our full review here) - now streaming on Prime Video. As far as her part in Migration, her chemistry with Nanjiani was a huge sell for me as their relationship as parents was a big reason why the film worked so well. They played off of each other perfectly, and I just loved how everything came together for them. I mean sure we are talking about animated ducks here, but it all just felt so genuine to me. The rest of the supporting cast was awesome as well, with Tresi Gazal and Casper Jennings voicing the kids Dax and Gwen, Awkwfina as the fast-talking pigeon Chump, and my guy Danny DeVito as Uncle Dan, who as always is incredibly recognizable as far as his voice. Also a well-deserved shoutout to Keegan-Michael Key, who has been on a run lately after also starring in Wonka (our full review here).

On the technical side of things, I thought Migration was damn near flawless as expected. Illumation has a great grasp on their style of animation especially when it comes to appealing to young kids, and once my little guys became obsessed with the trailer I knew it was going to be a winner. Everything just looks so good and feels so immersive, making sure that eyes stay glued to the screen which is always a plus for parents. I feel like most kids’ movies these days rely on the musical element to help keep kids engaged, but Illumination has proven that they can be just as effective with great animation, a good balance of humor, and quality storytelling. So yeah, for my money the film looked fantastic. And as far as the soundtrack is concerned, the talented John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Don’t Worry Darling), crushed it yet again in his second collaboration with Illumiation after 2012’s The Lorax.

THE BAD

Although I won’t sit here and act like this is the next great family film, Migration does everything that matters well. The story is fun and immersive, and viewers will have a blast with the incredibly likable characters, and that is what you hope for with these movies. It just won’t be mentioned when it comes to the conversation of the next great animated film as it doesn’t do anything exceptionally well as they didn’t try to reinvent the wheel sort of speak as far as the style of the animation etc, and honestly that is more than okay.

Illumination successfully delivered a damn good film that I will surely add to my Blu-ray collection. Now with younger children who tend to struggle during the “scarier” scenes in these films, they had a few moments where my 3-year-old wanted to sit in my lap but they were few and far between. Mostly just a chef who looked like he worked in a restaurant in Portland, Maine, trying to turn the cute ducks into an entrée. Nothing like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (our full review here), which may have scarred my kids for life thanks to that damn wolf, although it was a fantastic film and highly recommended. Sure I am exaggerating slightly, but it did keep them from going to the theater for several months.

THE VERDICT

A hilarious and heartwarming story featuring incredible chemistry from the cast of voice actors, Migration soars into the clouds as yet another fantastic family-friendly adventure from the talented team at Illumination. I had a great time with this film, but more importantly, my kids loved it, and having the ability to share my love for cinema with them always melts my heart. Migration quite simply serves up all of the important ingredients that you need for a successful family comedy while dashing in just enough of the grab-the-tissue moments along the way. So do yourself a favor and load the kids up in the old minivan to give momma a break and head to the theater, everyone will thank you later.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.2/10

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

The Iron Claw

The Iron Claw is a 2023 biographical sports drama film written and directed by Sean Durkin, based on the life of professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family.

The story of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers from the 1960s onwards that had enormous success, and popularized the iron claw professional wrestling hold. However, they not only had to battle inside the ring, but fight the "Von Erich curse" outside of it.

The talented cast includes Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany, and Lily James.

The Iron Claw made its debut in theaters on December 22nd, courtesy of A24.

THE GOOD

If you have read any of the reviews that Andrew or myself have put out into the world odds are you are aware of our fanboy-level obsession with all things A24. You can pretty much guarantee that if they attach their name to a project, it will be worth watching. And I remember when they first announced The Iron Claw and teased the cast, Andrew and I were ecstatic. I mean their involvement was enough to get our asses in the seats on opening day, but the cast they put together was noteworthy. I grew up around wrestling to a certain extent mainly because my cousin was obsessed to the point where my uncle would order the big Wrestlemania’s on Pay Per View, and we even played the videogames. Admittedly I enjoyed the spectacle of it all, and the entertainment value was undeniable. The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and many more, these guys earned every dollar and made sure each one of these big events was memorable.

Admittedly I had zero knowledge of the Von Erich family and what they meant to the world of wrestling in the 70’s and the 80’s, but the fact that this film was going to tell their story had me intrigued. Instead of doing research in advance, I decided to hold off and be surprised once the film hit theaters. So, did The Iron Claw meet or exceed my high expectations for the latest film from A24? Keep reading to find out!

Wow, just wow. This movie was seriously so damn good, and from the glorious black and white opening sequence I was basically in awe right up until the end credits, at which time I was a mess by the way which I will talk more about later. As I said I went in blind as far as the story behind the Von Erich family, and to say I was blown away would be an understatement. Just so incredibly powerful and tragic, and to be honest it is hard to even fathom the fact that the events that transpired in the film actually happened.

People like to talk about how fake wrestling is but this story is a reminder that there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to the sport of wrestling, and the big and not so big names who put it on the map in its heyday. I thought the screenplay was pretty much flawless. As far as the cast which I was personally extra excited about, man they crushed it. The soundtrack was incredible as it brought viewers back to the late 70’s/early 80’s. I feel like Blue Oyster Cult’s 1976 song (Don’t Fear) The Reaper is in everything in the last 20 years or so, and trust me I am not complaining.

The star of the show for The Iron Claw is without a doubt the story, and boy did it hit me like a freight train. Now as I said I went in with little to no knowledge of what to expect in terms of the history of the Von Erich family, and I am glad I did. At just over 2 hours they barely fit into this film the tragedy that this family experienced over the years, personally and professionally, and I honestly found myself just shaking my head like how is this even possible? The primary theme of the film is this so-called “Von Erich curse”, which was attached to the family early on in the career of Fritz Von Erich (born Jack Barton Adkisson) after they experienced the first of many unimaginable tragedies.

For the film to successfully tell this story in a way that effectively captivates viewers on an emotional level, it was important to tap into the psyche of this family so that as the story unfolded you felt the weight of what was happening, and just the sheer magnitude of it all. It honestly felt suffocating at times, and this speaks to how they told this story in such a raw and intimate way. At times throughout the film, we hear Kevin Von Erich narrating just to add emotional weight to the film, and I thought this was very effective.

I mean I could seriously talk about this film for hours and hours just in terms of what this family endured, and I am honestly still in a state of disbelief. At its core, this story is about the unbreakable bond of family and the idea of the relentless pursuit of the so-called “American Dream”. Just like the trademark wrestling move that inspired the film’s title, The Iron Claw crushed me by the end leaving me reaching for the tissues. I experienced head-to-toe chills a few times as this was without question one of the best screenplays in recent memory.

If there was ever a time Zac Efron was deserving of some serious credit as an actor, that time is now. I was feeling pretty good about absolutely demolishing an entire bucket of delicious warm buttery popcorn until Efron showed up on-screen. I mean seriously, holy shit did he get jacked for this movie. He’s been pretty shredded as of late anyway but I swear he doubled his muscle. As a straight man who is very comfortable with his sexuality, his physique is a damn distraction, and I don’t even feel weird admitting that. Like, his muscles had muscles. His co-stars described him as a maniac because of his transformation as he prepared for his latest endeavor. Now physical prowess aside, Efron crushes this role. This is easily his best performance to date, and the emotion he was able to bring to his character simply blew me away.

As a member of the family tragedy brigade, a group I would not wish on anyone but a close-knit group nonetheless, his character resonated with me on a very personal level. From a big family myself with four boys that has always lacked the emotional maturity to navigate significant tragedy, many times throughout the film I felt the emotions Efron’s character was feeling in such a way that it almost felt surreal. I could go on all day talking about how my life felt connected to that of Kevin Von Erich, but I will tone it back for this review. The final act of the film was just a masterclass from Efron, and if he doesn’t get consideration come awards time I will be rioting, simple as that. I didn’t think it was possible to like him more as an actor than I already did.

I had to start with Efron because he is the focal point of the film, but The Iron Claw includes a ton of amazing performances which I will try to touch on without turning this review into a novel. Holt McCallany, who I have been a fan of since the amazing Netflix series Mindhunter, takes on the role of family patriarch Fritz Von Erlich. I’m going to refer to him as Holt mainly because I am too lazy to ensure I spell his last name correctly each time, but as an actor, he just has a certain presence about him that was perfect for this role. The Von Erich family is old school in the sense that they lived by a certain code that Fritz instilled in them from a very young age, and where they could not effectively communicate emotion they made up for it with hard work and perseverance. I thought Holt brought the right amount of charisma and stoic energy to the role to ensure that the entire family dynamic came together.

Alongside Holt is Maura Tierney as the family matriarch, Doris Von Erich. I thought Tierney was great in this role as you could see the pain in her face as she suffered tragedy no mother should ever have to experience. I loved each actor’s portrayal of the brothers, but my favorite performances aside from Efron were Harris Dickinson as David Van Erich, and Shameless and The Bear star Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Van Erich. Dickinson has been making a name for himself as of late starring in The King’s Man (2021), Triangle of Sadness (2022), and Where the Crawdads Sing (2022). He plays an important role as David Von Erich who although he is the 3rd born in the family, is still one of the siblings that is integral to the personal and professional success of the family, and Dickinson nailed it.

Speaking of actors being on a hot streak, Jeremy Allen White seems to have become a household name overnight after the success of the Hulu comedy-drama series The Bear. White plays Kerry Von Erich, formerly an accomplished Olympic athlete, who ended up having one of the most notable wrestling careers in the Von Erich family. I knew I would enjoy his role in the film and he delivered. White is proving himself as one of the most capable dramatic actors working today, and this role serves as yet another notch in his belt.

I was very impressed by Stanley Simons, a relatively unknown actor, as he took on the role of Mike Von Erich. In many ways, Mike seemed to be the black sheep of the family in the earlier years, and Simons did a great job becoming his character. I liked Lily James in her role as the wife of Kevin due to the strong chemistry she shared with Efron. Like I said I could go on and on talking about the performances, but the entire cast was incredible, and the physical transformations for Efron and White in particular put the performances over the top for me.

From a technical standpoint, where do I even start?! I mean seriously, The Iron Claw transports viewers back to the late 70’s/early 80’s in such a way that at one point I thought I would walk out of the theater and people would be rocking crop tops and tracksuits. Writer/director Sean Durkin deserves a ton of credit for all that he achieved with this film. The costume and set design was just incredible as it brought this world to life and made sure that these actors transcended their actual identities and became the Von Erich family. From the outfits to the hair, the the cars used in the film, the vintage feel was evident throughout.

The camera work was fantastic as well, adding a great in-your-face feel to some of the more dramatic sequences. And last but not least, I loved, loved, loved the score and soundtrack for The Iron Claw. I am a sucker for late 70’s/early 80’s rock, and the film included some classics from bands like Blue Oyster Cult and Rush, as well as present-day artists like Doja Cat and Jack Harlow. Just a great overall mix of tracks, brought together seamlessly by a hard-hitting score from composer Richard Reed Parry.

THE BAD

This is top-notch filmmaking from top to bottom, simple as that. But with that being said, the subject matter of the film could easily prove to be too much for some viewers. Most notably the film portrays the incredibly difficult subject of suicide, and it is a focal point for a good portion of the film. So if that is a subject you are especially sensitive to I would proceed with caution, but otherwise I can’t think of any other issues I had with the film.

THE VERDICT

An incredibly tragic and powerful true story about the unbreakable bond of family anchored by a captivating masterclass of performance from actor Zac Efron, The Iron Claw is one of those rare cinematic experiences that culminate in a heartbreaking and transcendent final act. I honestly can’t stop thinking about this movie, and I am still having a difficult time wrapping my brain around what this family went through. Although it deals with a very difficult subject matter, The Iron Claw is an exceptional film that needs to be experienced in theaters.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.5/10

The Iron Claw is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Wonka

Wonka is a 2023 musical fantasy film directed by Paul King (Paddington, Paddington 2), who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby. It tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character in Roald Dahl's 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

With dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, a young and poor Willy Wonka discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers.

The film stars Timothée Chalamet taking on the lead role of Willy Wonka, featuring his early days as an eccentric chocolatier. The cast also includes newcomer Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant.

Wonka made its debut in theaters on December 15th, 2023, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

THE GOOD

I’ll start by saying I’m not a big fan of musicals, and to be honest I tend to avoid them when possible. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I still have yet to see La La Land, and I LOVE me some Ryan Gosling. Sure I have been taken by surprise and I have enjoyed my fair share of musicals, like The Greatest Showman or Dear Evan Hansen, but in general to say that I don’t seek them out would be an understatement. Now I am always willing to give a musical a chance if it has enough redeeming qualities that interest me, and as a big fan of the original 1971 film Wonka deserved a shot. So, was it worth my time or was I in for a long and painful two hours? Keep reading to find out!

I will get to the point right away, Wonka won me over right from the start. I thought the cast was just fantastic, the story was simple yet immersive and full of life, and the film captured that feeling of unrelenting optimism and positivity in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. In many ways, this is the type of film people need right now, as Willy Wonka reminds us that sometimes we just need to stay the course and believe things will work out in the end. I found myself rooting for him from the start, and the backstory involving his mother hit me pretty hard as well. Trust me when I say that the film does include a strong emotional element, and may even require a few tissues.

I was impressed with how well each character was able to develop and become an important part of the overall story, and I also thought they did a great job balancing the “Willy Wonka Magic” in a way that never really felt too silly or over-the-top. I was genuinely intrigued by Wonka’s creations and was tempted on several occasions to make my way to concessions for some chocolate. Most importantly I thought the film offered the perfect balance of musical and feel-good comedy, making it so people who are fans of both genres have more than enough to sink their teeth into. The film is also very funny without trying too hard which speaks to the talent of the cast.

I enjoyed so many things about Wonka, but star Timothée Chalamet stole the show. I read an interview with director Paul King where he said that Chalamet was his choice for the role right from the start to the point where he didn’t even require him to audition. King said he watched some videos of Chalamet during his high school days and knew he had the singing and dancing talent. Bottom line, this director’s intuition made this movie in my opinion. Similar to how Tom Holland was able to capture the essence of the character of Peter Parker in Spider-Man, Chalamet brings that feel of boyhood wonder needed for the early years of an optimistic and kind-to-a-fault Willy Wonka. I already knew that Chalamet was leading the way for the next generation of Hollywood stars before Wonka, I would dare to say he is the next DiCaprio in terms of his talent and versatility as an actor, but this performance undoubtedly paves the way for a resurgence of this film franchise.

The supporting cast was fantastic as well and I loved my guy Keegan-Michael Key as the Chief of Police. Key is the perfect well-intentioned bumbling police chief who is driven by his love for chocolate, which lands him on the wrong side of justice with quite the waistline. I was impressed with actress Calah Lane as she took on the role of Noodle, the orphaned girl who sticks her neck out for Chalamet’s Wonka creating what becomes an unbreakable bond. Her story is equally heartbreaking and amazing, and I just loved everything about her character. Lane is fairly unknown as an actress but something tells me that after her performance here and proving that she can act alongside the talent of Chalamet, we will be hearing her name again sooner than later. English actor and comedian Tom Davis was fantastic in his role as Bleacher, and Olivia Colman was equally as enjoyable alongside him as the scheming and untrustworthy Mrs. Scrubitt. Big shoutout to Jim Carter, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, and Natasha Rothwell as the tremendous crew trapped in Mrs. Scrubitt’s laundry who welcomes Wonka with open arms. I loved all four characters and looked forward to each time they were on-screen. Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph, and Mathew Baynton are also really good as the film’s primary antagonists. Oh and don’t even get me going on Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, so good.

From a technical standpoint, Wonka is just fantastic. From the costumes, set design, and special effects, it all just felt true to the world they were attempting to create with this film. Viewers needed to buy into the idea of a young Willy Wonka and how his adventure began at a young age, and in my opinion, they accomplished that, and then some. This world felt full of life and more importantly, it never felt too far from reality, even with all of the wild tricks Wonka had up his sleeve. The original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is a wacky film, and honestly a bit creepy at times, so I was curious as to how they would incorporate the “magic” of Willy Wonka without going too far. Wonka still manages to be plenty wacky, but I felt like it managed to have a great buffer between Willy Wonka’s limitless imagination and the real-world element the film was attempting to convey. Bottom line, as a prequel to a film that is an absolute classic, I’m not sure they could have done a better job.

THE BAD

I didn’t have many issues with Wonka, to be honest. It was an enjoyable film from start to finish, and considering I’m not a big fan of musicals it easily could have rubbed me the wrong way. But as far as musicals go I will say that I didn’t find the soundtrack to be as catchy as I thought it would be. I figured I would be hearing the original songs in my head for the next few days at least, and that wasn’t the case. When I saw The Greatest Showman or Dear Evan Hansen, I played the soundtracks at home several times after seeing the movies. Maybe part of the reason was the fact that Wonka balanced the musical element with that of a great coming-of-age story, never relying too much on the music. As I made pretty clear in my review I found this to be a positive, but fans of musicals may expect a bit more so I figured it was worth pointing out.

THE VERDICT

Delightfully comforting as it offers a decadent and satisfying balance of feel-good comedy and the upbeat feel of a classic musical, Wonka is genuinely a pleasure to experience and further reinforces star Timothée Chalamet as one of the best young actors working today. Director Paul King deserves a ton of credit for bringing together the perfect team of people to bring this unique chapter of the Willy Wonka story to the big screen. For me this film just provided one of those special cinematic experiences that offers up an escape to another world, and in this day and age what more can you ask for?

Wonka will surely provide smiles and laughter for longtime fans and newcomers getting their first taste of the famed chocolatier. Plus, a miniature orange Hugh Grant with green hair may be worth the price of admission alone. Interest in continuing to build on the franchise has been expressed but nothing is set in stone yet as far as a follow-up to Wonka, but I will surely keep my fingers crossed.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.2/10

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

Silent Night

Silent Night is a 2023 action thriller film directed by John Woo, from a screenplay by Robert Archer Lynn. The concept of the film is unique as it includes no dialogue whatsoever with the story being driven solely by sight and sound. Principal photography began in April 2022 in Mexico City but was delayed due to an on-set injury involving a crew member. The film is Woo's first American feature film since Paycheck (2003).

A gritty revenge tale of a tormented father who witnesses his young son die when caught in a gang’s crossfire on Christmas Eve. While recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, he makes vengeance his life’s mission and embarks on a punishing training regimen to avenge his son’s death.

The cast includes Joel Kinnaman, Scott Mescudi, Harold Torres, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Silent Night made its debut in theaters on December 1st, courtesy of Lionsgate. 

THE GOOD

I love me a good revenge thriller, which has been proven time and time again by my obsession with the John Wick franchise, as well as my willingness to go down the rabbit hole of watching some of my favorites over and over again. Now I have gone as far as to dabble in the I Spit on Your Grave franchise, but those are a VERY tough watch and not movies I would recommend watching more than once. But when we are talking about the Gerard Butler film Law Abiding Citizen or the Jodie Foster film The Brave One, I am more than happy to watch those whenever I am in the mood. I think it is natural to enjoy seeing bad people get what they deserve, and the only way to avoid the bureaucracy of it all is good old-fashioned vigilante justice. Am I wrong?!

But a common theme of these films is some dark and downright depressing subject matter, like Gerard Butler’s character watching his wife and child murdered in front of him as he lay there helpless, or Jodie Foster and her fiancé falling victim to a random attack that costs him his life. For a revenge tale to get viewers invested, the reason for seeking revenge needs to be good and that is what all of these films have in common. Now I know that Silent Night has the backstory a great revenge flick needs, but is the unique element of no dialogue a bit too much? Keep reading to find out!

Silent Night is a unique film, and boy is it dark and pretty damn depressing for the most part, but all things considered I enjoyed it. From the opening sequence it felt like a John Woo film, and that alone is something to get excited about. The film opens in the midst of the action and starts to backtrack a bit after this with flashbacks, a storytelling technique that I have a bit of a love and hate relationship with mainly because it can be a bit of a distraction when it comes to viewers getting invested in the story, but I will talk more about that later. In the end the approach worked for this film, and that is all that matters.

For the most part I thought Woo stuck with his style and it paid off in the end, as he refuses to skimp on the action and provides some badass action sequences and fight scenes. Silent Night is a stylish action thriller that in many ways feels like a blend of John Wick and the Max Payne videogame franchise. And yes I am referring to the same franchise that churned out the 2008 Mark Wahlberg movie, which was enjoyable but a letdown in terms of the subject matter.

Silent Night is the ultimate story of revenge by any means necessary, and it also delves into a real problem plaguing many big cities, which is gang violence. The heart of the story is this seemingly normal suburban family that encounters unimaginable tragedy as their little boy is struck and killed by a stray bullet from a gunfight between rival gangs while riding his bike in his front yard. Just brutal. I saw the trailer before seeing the movie of course so I knew what to expect in terms of what brought on this revenge mission, but I liked how they pieced together the sequence of events bit by bit before giving viewers the full picture. At the beginning of the film the main character is in an operating room with blood just gushing from his throat as “Silent Night” plays in the background, and let me just say that is a pretty good indication of what to expect going forward. I was invested in the characters and I felt the pain they were feeling. It was clear from the start that healing was not an option for this family who lost their son, and although revenge on those wouldn’t bring him back, it was the only option. I will say that as dark as the story was, I was genuinely impressed by the fact that it still found a way to tug at the heartstrings during the film’s final act.

As far as the cast is concerned, it is hard to dig too deep for a film without any dialogue, but I was honestly blown away by the performance from Joel Kinnaman. To say this was a difficult role to take on would be an understatement, and I thought he crushed it. His character had no dialogue whatsoever during the entire film, meaning that he had to make his mark with raw emotion and body language and boy did he ever. I was first exposed to Kinnaman when he did the crime drama series The Killing, and in my opinion, he has more than proven the fact that he has a ton to offer as an actor. Silent Night is quite the notch in his belt, and I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see him working with John Woo again in the near future. I thought Catalina Sandino Moreno was great as Kinnaman’s wife, and I barely recognized Kid Cudi in his supporting role as a detective more or less along for the ride during this inevitable mission for revenge. The supporting cast in general was fantastic, but again this was the Joel Kinnaman show, and a show it was.

From a technical perspective, Silent Night was fantastic, which should come as no surprise considering John Woo’s involvement. One thing about Woo is his films tend to hit harder than other films, and the action scenes primarily the fight sequences were next-level good. Similar to the John Wick films, Silent Night is more interested in showing viewers that although this man on a revenge mission is mortal and can be hurt, nothing aside from death will slow him down. I know people tend to get annoyed by these revenge thrillers that take this nerd office worker who has a 5-minute training montage and all of a sudden he is a straight badass, but that is not the case here. Kinnaman’s character nearly dies, and while recovering physically he also deals with the emotional pain of losing his son.

The pain he experiences is so severe that he makes his mind up pretty quickly, and he will either get revenge on the people who took his son from him or die trying. Nothing more, and nothing less. I thought they did a fantastic job of making his transition to badass as realistic as possible, to the point that he was bleeding the entire movie. The fight scenes were crazy intense, and I liked the focus on hand-to-hand combat. Now his character does get familiar with firearms including some great work with a shotgun, but he doesn’t’ just magically become legendary hitman John Wick overnight which helped to reinforce the believability of the story. So kudos to the stunt team for kicking ass and taking names, and also shoutout to composer Marco Beltrami for a great score, cinematographer Sharone Meir for creating this authentic feeling of criminal underworld, and Zach Staenberg for doing his thing in the editing room.

THE BAD

The bottom line, this movie is not for everyone. As I talked about during my review not only is the lack of dialogue something certain viewers will have a problem with, but the subject matter is difficult, to say the least. Now not only does this father and mother tragically lose their son, but the father is so brutally tormented by the loss that he can focus on nothing more than revenge with little concern for his well-being or his marriage.

Also, this movie is dark and depressing from the start and that never really changes. Now getting back to the lack of dialogue, the fact that viewers are essentially forced to marinate in the pain of the main character just adds another level to what is already a difficult watch. Now make no mistake I am of course referring to your average moviegoer, and not the hardcore genre fans like myself who will happily relish in the pain knowing that sweet revenge is right around the corner. I will say though as a father the movie does hit hard, which again speaks to how effective the story was. I will also point out that Silent Night does feel a bit slow at times so you will need to be a bit patient to enjoy the inevitable payoff.

THE VERDICT

An intensely dark revenge thriller featuring a gut-wrenching performance from Joel Kinnaman, Silent Night is a pleasant surprise for genre fans and serves as a return to form for director John Woo. This movie will hit you like a freight train, and if you aren’t prepared it could be a little much as far as the subject matter as I touched on during the review. The lack of dialogue takes a bit to get used to as well, but in my opinion, the story is so powerful and Kinnaman just embodies the main character in such a way that I was still bought in pretty quickly.

Instead of trying to appeal to a broader audience Silent Night goes all in on the genre, and for that I am thankful. Also by the end of the movie, I felt satisfied with how everything came together in terms of the story, and for me, that says a lot especially considering the unique approach Woo took with this film. Give it a chance and go in knowing what to expect and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

TED TAKES RATING - 7.1/10

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

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a 2023 horror slasher film directed by Eli Roth (Hostel, Death Wish) and produced by Roger Birnbaum, from a screenplay written by Roth and Jeff Rendell (Cabin Fever). It is based on Roth's mock trailer of the same name from his film Grindhouse (2007), for which Rendell was also a co-writer.

A mysterious serial killer, known only as "John Carver", comes to a small town in Massachusetts intending to create a Thanksgiving carving board out of the town's inhabitants.

The film stars Addison Rae, Patrick Dempsey, Milo Manheim, Gina Gershon, and Rick Hoffman.

Thanksgiving made its debut in theaters on November 17th, courtesy of TriStar Pictures.

THE GOOD

As a longtime and devoted fan of the Friday the 13th franchise, slasher films are like comfort food to me so needless to say I was pumped for Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving (pun intended, of course). When it comes to a good slasher I want all the fixings, and I have seen enough from Roth to know that he is more than capable of delivering the goods. Once the first trailer dropped I was honestly next-level excited, this just looked really good from top to bottom in terms of what you want to see from this genre. So as the holiday known as Turkey Day neared, I couldn’t wait to plant my ass in a comfy movie theater seat. So, was the latest film from Eli Roth moist and tasty, or was it more like just holding your breath until the relatives you can’t stand finally leave? Keep reading to find out!

Thanksgiving is everything I want in the aforementioned holiday, a filling and very tasty meal topped off with decadent desserts followed by a nap on the couch with a big smile on my face. I really liked the story for the film which was simple but extremely effective, giving audiences plenty to keep them engaged as well as a great twist that I did not see coming. I thought the characters were great as well, and even though they were formulaic as far as slasher films go, they were properly utilized, and each added value. A big-time shining star for the film was the technical elements, bringing to the table a ton of creativity and lots to be excited about. I also thought the tone was absolutely perfect, balancing comedy and brutality with ease in typical Eli Roth fashion. Plus as a native of the “go fuck yourself” state of Massachusetts, Roth does a hilarious job paying homage to the “Massholes”. Bottom line, Thanksgiving is a horror slasher that delivers the goods.

Filmmaking is meant to be an escape for viewers, and when a film is able to provide a certain level of immersion it is already ahead of the game. Thanksgiving has a very clear identity from the start, and after the 17th “go fuck yourself” I felt like I was spending the weekend in the Commonwealth. Seriously, stand outside of Fenway before a Sox game for two minutes and you’ll likely be told to fuck off at least six times. This state was the perfect setting for a Black Friday sale that quickly went from bad to worse, and although much of the film is very over-the-top it still somehow feels grounded in this troubling but still hilarious reality. The stage was set perfectly giving this mysterious killer the perfect reason to create his guest list of deserving victims, and I loved how they made sure to include the social media element as well. No matter how depraved, if someone posts a video online people will watch it because people are messed up, simple as that. The mystery surrounding the killer felt reminiscent of the Scream films which is a positive. I enjoyed the story from start to finish and felt like the pacing really couldn’t have been better.

Now I won’t sugarcoat it, Thanksgiving is brutally violent and several scenes are difficult to stomach, but that is part of the allure. I mean, let’s be honest, would it even be an Eli Roth film without some reference to cannibalism? The guy clearly has some demons and a few therapists on call, but his talent as a filmmaker is undeniable. I laughed out loud a ton and made the “oh shit” face quite a few times, and I am a sick individual when it comes to my tolerance who also happens to need therapy. From a technical standpoint as far as slashers go this is crazy good as it includes some really creative and brutal kills. At times the film gave me a Final Destination vibe just in terms of how a few of the victims met their end. I also thought the way the killer moved and went about his business was pretty much flawless.

The cast was as good as you can hope for when it comes to a horror slasher film. The headliner for Thanksgiving is Maine native Patrick Dempsey, who plays the well-intentioned Sheriff Eric Newlon. Dempsey’s character finds himself at the heart of the incident that leads to the killings and is also tasked with leading the investigation into who is responsible before more victims meet their demise. Like most people, I love me some Patrick Dempsey, and I thought he was fantastic in Thanksgiving and was easily my favorite character.

My second favorite is one of the film’s primary antagonists, White Collar star Rick Hoffman. If you haven’t seen the show you are missing out for sure, but if you have you are familiar with Hoffman’s ability as an actor to be very easy to dislike. Hoffman plays Thomas Wright, the greedy owner of the retail store where the Black Friday tragedy took place. I just thought his character was fantastic and added a lot of value to the story. Honestly, I enjoyed the cast from top to bottom and thought everyone came together to create a top-notch theater experience. Well-deserved shout-outs to Gina Gershon who I will always remember from Showgirls, Addison Rae, Tomaso Sanelli, Gabriel Davenport, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Amanda Barker, Tomaso Sanelli, Jenna Warren, and Tim Dillon.

THE BAD

I honestly have very few issues with this film, I mean it is easily one of the better entries in the slasher genre in recent memory. Plus it’s a holiday-themed film which is just a bonus, in my opinion. But as an Eli Roth film, it goes without saying it may not be for everyone. If you are a fan of the slasher genre in general odds are you have seen it all, but Roth is known for pushing the envelope in terms of the gore factor and he certainly does that here. So if you consider yourself to be a bit squeamish this may be a tough watch. Also, some of the Mass accents were a bit much at times, but this just added to the comedic element in my opinion so I wouldn’t necessarily consider it to be a flaw.

Also, and this is not really a gripe about the film, but what was up with the football jersey numbers?! Around the third act, we see a few of the characters in uniform as they prepare to play a game but for some reason, the jersey numbers are super small, like what you would usually see on a child-size jersey. I just found it strange and would love to know the reasoning behind it.

THE VERDICT

A crafty horror slasher that often feels inspired by a mix of the Scream and Final Destination franchises, Thanksgiving will have you laughing and cringing simultaneously which is a testament to the vision of the talented Eli Roth. By the end of this movie, you will be stuffed with sheer enjoyment and as the tagline says, there will be no leftovers. But lucky for us this film will likely get even better with each viewing and is sure to become a classic for the genre as Roth himself already confirmed that a sequel is in the works aiming for a theatrical release in 2025. Do yourself a favor and see Thanksgiving in theaters sooner than later.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.5/10

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

Next Goal Wins

Next Goal Wins is a 2023 biographical sports comedy-drama directed and co-written by the uber-talented Academy Award Winner Taika Waititi (known for Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok), who co-wrote the screenplay with Iain Morris (Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows). Filming took place in Honolulu.

The film recounts the true story of the American Samoa soccer team, notorious for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup Qualifiers looming, the team hires down-on-his-luck maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), hoping he can turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this heartfelt underdog comedy.

The cast includes Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, Oscar Kightley, Uli Latukefu, Rachel House, Kaimana, David Fane, Beulah Koale, Chris Alosio, Taika Waititi, Will Arnett, and Rhys Darby.

Next Goal Wins made its debut in theaters on November 17th, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.

THE GOOD

I’m a Taika Waititi fan through and through, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I first became familiar with Waititi’s work with Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a coming-of-age comedy-drama that I absolutely loved. What stood out to me most was the fact that this guy clearly had a signature style, and I was here for it. Waititi just gets it, and his films tend to be escapism in its finest form. When I watched the first trailer for Next Goal Wins I was intrigued, to say the least, and I knew I would be seeing this in theaters right away. So, did it hold up to what I have come to expect? Keep reading to find out!

I genuinely enjoyed Next Goal Wins for several reasons, but it is not without its flaws which I will talk about later in the review. To focus on the positive this is what I would consider to be a genuinely heartwarming underdog story with several great characters that are easy to root for. The setting is fantastic and offers up some spectacular shots, and it was clear the entire cast had a blast making this movie. The Taika Waititi touch was evident throughout, and let me just say I am ALWAYS here for that.

I would have to say the primary draw for Next Goal Wins aside from Waititi would be the story, which on its surface is pretty straightforward as it tells the story of a disgraced soccer team looking to do one thing, score a single goal. The first goal in the team’s history, as a matter of fact. Now this isn’t your typical underdog sports comedy-drama as the film rarely takes itself too seriously, but it does have a few unexpected dramatic elements that add another level of depth to the story. I felt immersed from the start in the overall feel of the film and the story was a big reason why.

From the jump the cast had me fired up, particularly the fact that Michael Fassbender would be taking on the primary role in the film. Fassbender is a very talented actor, and his involvement had me leaning toward the obvious fact that this film would be very good. Now although I did enjoy his role, it left something to be desired which I will talk about later on in the review.

My favorite performance in the film is easily my guy Oscar Kightley who delivers as always. Now this dude is not a household name by any means, but the Samoan-New Zealand actor is a Taika Waititi favorite and even starred in Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople. He is absolutely hilarious in this, and to be honest, this movie isn’t nearly as good as it was without him. He just brings so much positive energy to his roles and is just a great on-screen presence. I also really enjoyed Rachel House in her role, who also played a part in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. House has a strong on-screen presence as well and always demands the attention of the audience. I also thought Kaimana was great in her role as Jaiyah. The supporting cast was solid from top to bottom, even including a few very recognizable names in small roles like Elisabeth Moss and Will Arnett, and I always enjoy the hilarious New Zealand actor Rhys Darby no matter what role he plays.

Director Taika Waititi is my guy, and I would literally follow him to the ends of the Earth. This dude just has something about him that always translates to his films, a certain feel that I have always gravitated to. Sure his accent is hilarious, but even more than that he is not concerned with the stereotypical idea of success. Waititi doesn’t even consider himself to be a director necessarily, he says he is an artist who just happens to be directing movies and I believe him. Waititi isn’t concerned with what type of movies he is “supposed” to be making, he makes films that mean something to him and provide viewers with an escape from reality. He can’t quite figure out why people want him to make his movies more serious or I guess more depressing because at the end of the day, we go to the movie theater to get away and he understands that. So yeah, my favorite thing about this movie is the fact that it is Taika Waititi through and through.

I was pleased with Next Goal Wins from a technical perspective, but it’s not going to blow you away by any means. The film has a fantastic setting as it was filmed in Honolulu, Hawaii, a place that many have considered a vacation destination ever since they were kids. The fact that it is a gorgeous place is undeniable, and I loved that they took full advantage of the filming location as far as the cinematography and just the overall feel.

When Fassbender’s character gets settled into his new “home” as coach of the team he sort of has this attitude like this place is a real dump, but then he walks outside and is literally on the beach. I mean, if I’m renting this place on Airbnb I’m walking around taking videos talking about how amazing it is. The other primary thing that stands out for Next Goal Wins is the soundtrack which I really enjoyed and thought added some nice overall value to the film. Plus as usual, Taika Waititi was a master behind the camera taking full advantage of his opportunities.

THE BAD

As I made pretty clear in the review I enjoyed Next Goal Wins but it could have and should have been so much better which is honestly a bit frustrating. The root of the issues I had with the film are with the screenplay, more specifically character development, or lack thereof. The film is an underdog story about a soccer team trying to erase the memory of a demoralizing and embarrassing defeat, but another driving force for the story is the story of redemption for disgraced soccer coach Thomas Rongen, played by Michael Fassbender.

In order for the story to really flourish audiences needed to buy into Fassbender’s character and the progress he makes as a coach and as a person. The film is mostly a comedy for sure, but Rongen’s personal life is a mess, and one particular life-changing event has led to his ultimate downfall as a soccer coach. Now I know Fassbender is a talented actor, I mean look no further than the recently released Netflix film The Killer, but for me, his character ultimately left a lot to be desired. I just thought his character development felt very messy and inconsistent, which for me just took away from what I thought was another powerful element of the story.

THE VERDICT

A feel-good quirky comedy-drama with an inspirational message and lots of quality laughs, Next Goal Wins is held back by poor character development but ultimately makes for a uniquely wholesome experience only Taika Waititi can provide. I’m glad to see Waititi back to making movies that really have his signature feel, and although he can still make his mark with some of these bigger franchise films I do hope he continues to make films like this. I do wish the screenplay was able to flesh out the characters a bit better, but for my money, Next Goal Wins is still a quality film with plenty to offer.

TED TAKES RATING - 6.8/10

Next Goal Wins is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Freelance

Freelance is a 2023 action comedy directed by Pierre Morel (Taken, Peppermint), from a screenplay by Jacob Lentz.

An ex-special forces operative stuck in a dead-end desk job (John Cena) reluctantly takes on a gig to provide private security for a washed-up journalist (Alison Brie) as she interviews a ruthless—but impeccably dressed—dictator (Juan Pablo Raba). When a military coup breaks out just as she's about to get the scoop of a lifetime, the unlikely trio must figure out how to survive the jungle, the assassins, and each other in order to make it out alive.

Freelance made its debut in theaters on October 27th, courtesy of Relativity Media.

THE GOOD

To be honest when the trailer for Freelance was first released it felt like a straight-to-streaming release to me in the sense that it sort of came out of nowhere and seemed to lack substance. Now I’m not going to sit here and act like I wasn’t interested because I enjoy John Cena as an actor, and I also like Alison Brie as well. I watched the trailer and it seemed like something I would enjoy as long as I kept my expectations in check. Now Freelance did turn out to be a theater release and did not debut on a streaming platform, so I made sure to check it out on the big screen to see if it was worth the extra gas money.

Alright so I did manage to keep my expectations in check and I’m glad I did, because Freelance is a fun movie if you can appreciate action comedies that aren’t overly concerned with story or lasting appeal. Now it may not be worth the price of admission for the majority of people, or the gas money for that matter, but I didn’t hate this movie. Again, all about expectations.

I thought the cast was fun and it was clear they enjoyed working together, Pierre Morel is a solid director and overall he seemed to make the most of what he had at his disposal, and I thought the film took advantage of some beautiful filming locations in Columbia thanks to cinematographer Thierry Arbogast. Freelance also has a decent comedic element thanks to what I felt was natural chemistry between the cast and a tone that was mostly light throughout. The screenplay was admittedly brutal, but more on that later.

The primary draw for Freelance is the cast obviously, and all things considered, I thought they had fun with this movie. This movie is far from gritty and is much more goofy if anything, but the cast seemed to gravitate to that and kept things fairly light throughout. Although this is far from one of Cena’s better films, I thought he was still good here. As expected he contributed to the majority of the film’s comedic element and he got a few solid laughs out of me.

Personally, I like Alison Brie as an actress, and I felt like she took advantage of her opportunity here. She plays a disgraced journalist willing to do anything to get her career back on track and she fits this role well. She also shined in a scene where she did her best to get Cena into bed and full disclosure it did feel like the temp in the theater went up a few degrees during this particular scene, just saying. I also had fun with actor Juan Pablo Raba, a native of Colombia where the movie was filmed. Raba played the film’s misunderstood primary antagonist, and as silly as he was for the majority of the film I really liked his performance. Raba helped to round out the dynamic for the primary cast and kept things light and fun.

THE BAD

Alright, so where do I start? Freelance is incredibly flawed, but in all seriousness what were we expecting? At the end of the day, this is an action comedy starring John Cena, so I don’t think at any point we expected it to win any awards. Now does that mean it was okay to just coast with a bland story relying entirely on the cast? Of course not, but clearly the people making the important decisions disagreed. Freelance is the first screenplay from writer Jacob Lentz, and his inexperience was one of the most glaring issues for the film. With that being said, it would not surprise me for a second if he was specifically told to keep things as simple as possible ensuring that the primary focus for the film is the cast, and simple it was.

Now the story is okay in the sense that it isn’t brutally slow or obnoxious by trying to be clever when it had no chance to be, it just has zero substance. This screenplay was all about playing it safe allowing the cast to steer the ship, but the refusal to put more value on the comedic element with a cast like this felt like a waste. It had funny parts but they were really few and far between in my opinion. It was almost like they thought the story would resonate more with viewers and they didn’t want to overshadow that with too much humor, but that is just a silly notion considering the final product.

I talked about how the cast had a certain chemistry that really helped the film, but the tone was massively inconsistent. As an action comedy Freelance lacks the laugh-out-loud moments you would maybe expect it to have, and to say it was predictable would be an understatement. At the end of the day this movie is what it is, and keeping your expectations in check will serve you well.

THE VERDICT

A bare-bones action comedy lacking substance or really any lasting appeal for that matter, Freelance is a movie that can still be enjoyable as long as you keep your expectations in check. The fact that critics have slapped this with a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is funny to me because it really isn’t that bad, and it makes me wonder what the heck they were expecting. Now it is incredibly flawed which I touched on during the review, but to say it is unwatchable or just a horrible movie is a bit ridiculous. Now with that being said I’m not going to tell you this is worth a trip to the theater, but I also don’t think you will regret spending just shy of 2-hours watching it once it is available to watch at home.

TED TAKES RATING - 5.2/10

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

Five Nights at Freddy's

Five Nights at Freddy's is a 2023 supernatural horror film directed by Emma Tammi from a screenplay she co-wrote with Scott Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback, based on the video game franchise of the same name created and developed by Cawthon.

The film was first announced in April 2015 with the involvement of Warner Bros. Pictures, and Gil Kenan made a deal to direct and co-write it. After several delays to begin production, Warner Bros. eventually put the project into turnaround and Kenan was no longer involved. In March 2017, it was announced that Blumhouse Productions would produce the film.

Mike Schmidt, a troubled security guard, starts a night-time job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a once-successful, but now generally abandoned family entertainment center, where he discovers its four animatronic mascots — Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie the Bunny, Chica the Chicken, and Foxy the Pirate Fox — move and kill anyone that is still there after midnight.

The cast includes Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Kat Conner Sterling, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard.

Five Nights at Freddy's made its debut in theaters and streaming on Peacock on October 27th, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

THE GOOD

I should probably preface this review by pointing out the fact that prior to the announcement of this movie, I had little to no knowledge of the videogame franchise it was based on aside from hearing about it or maybe seeing an image at one point or another. I really had no clue what it was about aside from the fact that it included animatronic robots that to to be honest reminded me of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise that was part of my own personal childhood.

Either way, even with my lack of familiarity I still knew how much of a cult following the franchise had and was certain the film would rake in the money for that reason alone. As the release neared anticipation continued to build, and the the involvement of Blumhouse had me intrigued from the start either way so I was pretty excited for the opportunity to see how this latest video-game-to-film adaptation turned out. So, was Five Nights at Freddy’s a pleasant surprise or a corny mess disguising itself as a horror movie? Keep reading to find out!

I wouldn’t say that my expectations were high necessarily, but full disclosure I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It was honestly pretty good. Now it has lots of flaws which I will touch on later in the review, but above all else, it was entertaining, pretty creepy all things considered, and featured solid production value all things considered. They certainly could have gotten away with a no-name cast but starring Josh Hutcherson in the lead role was a smart move, and the supporting cast was fine as well. I really enjoyed the feel of the film and thought the technical elements were very solid, including some creepy visuals and a great score. I also felt like the cinematography was on point bringing Five Nights at Freddy’s to life.

As I said I have no real knowledge of the videogames so I was basically coming in from scratch as far as the story is concerned, aside from the obvious fact that I knew the film was centered around animatronics. I liked how the film opened and how they set the stage for the story. I felt invested from the start and quickly came to care for Hutcherson’s character and the trauma he suffered as a child. To be honest I didn’t expect as much depth to the story as the film had so that was a big plus for me.

I was also very impressed with how everything sort of came full circle, including a few big-time twists that I did not see coming. By the end of the film, I felt very satisfied, and I definitely got that fan service feel in terms of doing right by the fanbase and setting up more films. The story for Five Nights at Freddy’s was without a doubt a highlight for me.

Now I will touch on the cast which I thought was pretty good overall. I mentioned Josh Hutcherson in the lead role of Mike and I really liked him here. Hutcherson is a talented actor so they had a lot to work with having him as the focal point for the film. Plus considering his character is dealing with significant childhood trauma that he has carried with him throughout his life, it was important that his character was believable and I think he did the job. I liked Elizabeth Lail in her role as Vanessa, and not just because she is a beautiful blonde which is admittedly a weakness for me. I thought Lail was very solid in her role and turned out to be a very important character in the story.

Piper Rubio was far from perfect as Mike’s little sister Abby but the good outweighed the bad. She had a few missteps with forced dialogue but was never enough to really negatively impact the film, and she showed up when it mattered most. I always like seeing Matthew Lillard get a chance to play a decent role, and although he has a small part I definitely enjoyed him here. Overall I thought the cast was solid.

As far as the technical elements are concerned Five Nights at Freddy’s impressed me. First of all the film had a very clear identity and tone which I personally gravitated to, and I liked that it stuck with the same feel throughout. I can’t speak to how much the music and the overall score stayed true to the games, but I thought the composers, The Newton Brothers, did a fantastic job. Talk about a couple of guys who are red hot right now, they just worked on two brand new horror series including Goosebumps and The Fall of the House of Usher. Five Nights at Freddy’s maintained a creepy and dark feel throughout thanks to their hard work, and it was easily one of my favorite elements of the film.

I also thought cinematographer Lyn Moncrief did really well here and helped to keep that same feel and create an immersive film. I also thought the visuals and the effects with the animatronics were fantastic. I may sound like a little pansy ass saying this but for the most part, I thought they were pretty creepy as far as their moments and just how they interacted with the characters. Plus as I said I grew up with Chuck E. Cheese and full disclosure I never trusted that damn mouse and his ragtag band of misfits. I always knew they were up to something behind closed doors.

THE BAD

Five Nights at Freddy’s is far from perfect, but that doesn’t keep it from being a really entertaining movie. Now I think we can all agree that nobody really expected critics to love this movie, because at the end of the day, it wasn’t for them, it was for the fans. They were clearly more concerned with satisfying their fanbase than they were with making a great movie, and that is how it should be. It honestly reminds me of the 2009 film, Friday the 13th, which as a fan of the franchise I loved, and critics widely despised. Now I can’t go into detail considering as I have already said I’m not super familiar with the games, but Five Nights at Freddy’s just felt like a film that was intentionally crafting a fan-friendly experience, and I am glad they did.

Now I will point out that the story had quite a few annoying inconsistencies and at times the dialogue was just plain bad, but at the end of the day it didn’t really impact the final product and for me, that is what matters most. Plus I definitely wouldn’t say this movie is scary which is a bummer for a hardcore horror fan like myself, but it is creepy and creative enough to where it didn’t bother me as much as it probably could have. I’ve seen people talk about how this movie is geared more towards kids which I personally found interesting because when I read that I figured it would be corny, but let me just say Five Nights at Freddy’s is pretty messed up and I probably wouldn’t have my kids watching it unless they enjoy having nightmares.

THE VERDICT

Although plagued by inconsistent story and bad dialogue at times and surely traumatizing to those who grew up fans of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Five Nights at Freddy’s is a creepy and overall enjoyable experience that wisely caters to a diehard fanbase. I was pleasantly impressed is really all I can say and I may even go as far as checking out the videogames, but I will definitely be watching the next of what I would say is an inevitable film franchise in the making. So yeah, if you have any interest in seeing this movie ignore all of the hate from critics and check it out for yourself.

TED TAKES RATING - 6.5/10

Five Night’s at Freddy’s is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock. Check out the latest trailer below.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon is a 2023 historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, from a screenplay by Scorsese and Eric Roth. The film is based on author David Grann’s best-selling book of the same name, which chronicles the unlikely powderkeg romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone).

At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder.

The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, and Jillian Dion.

Killers of the Flower Moon made its debut in theaters on October 20th, courtesy of Apple Studios.

THE GOOD

When Killers of the Flower Moon was first announced I was pumped, to say the least. First, I will see literally anything Martin Scorsese is willing to be involved with, and the fact that all of his films always have the best actors is just icing on the cake for me. Leonardo DiCaprio is my guy, so his involvement solidified the fact that I would be reserving my seat for opening day. Once the film was announced I did my research and learned that it was of course based on true events, so I looked into the David Grann book that the story was pulled from and decided to grab it from the library.

I enjoy myself a good crime thriller book, but they are usually fiction aside from a few exceptions, and I decided I would give this one a chance and wow was it an edge-of-your-seat read. I often read before bed and I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next often pushing me to stay up a little later most nights. Needless to say, my expectations for Killers of the Flower Moon were pretty high. So did it deliver or was this one of those epic disappointments? Keep reading to find out!

Killers of the Flower absolutely blew me away. This movie is a great example of how you effectively take a book to the big screen, which in my opinion is that much more difficult when the source material is based on a dark period in our history. Martin Scorsese found a way to craft a three-and-a-half-hour cinematic experience that told a raw and important story that needed to be told. The story of the Osage has been buried deep in the history books, and Killers of the Flower Moon brings it to the forefront in a big way.

It is no secret that Scorsese is one of the best directors to ever stand behind a video camera, but he reminds everyone that he is still at the top of his game as a director who prioritizes the finer elements of filmmaking. I thought the cast was phenomenal led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, and a stellar supporting cast, and the technical elements helped to create a memorable theater experience. I have seen the movie twice so far in theaters, and it was even better the 2nd time around.

The driving force of Killers of the Flower Moon is without a doubt the story. As I said in the opening I read David Grann’s book and I was honestly blown away by it. The story of the Osage is that of incredible tragedy, and at the heart of it all lies pure evil motivated by unwavering greed. One thing Killers of the Flower Moon and the recently released Dumb Money (our full review here) have in common is the simple fact that people will do anything to get rich or stay rich, simple as that. As the great Notorious B.I.G once famously said, Mo Money Mo Problems, and when it comes to the 1920s and the riches the Osage tribe stumbled upon with the oil below their land, that sentiment could not ring more true.

Throughout history, Native Americans have gotten the short end of the stick in one way or another, and the story of the Osage was supposed to be different. But as expected, the big bad wolf aka the white man refused to allow this good fortune to be. The Osage were viewed as savages, people who were lesser than and therefore undeserving, so it quickly became a story of what was viewed as a justified series of atrocities. The Osage were systematically murdered for financial gain amid a web of violence and corruption, and Killers of the Flower Moon tells this story in epic fashion. Whether or not you read the book, know the history, or just go into the theater completely blind, you will be shaken by the story that is told.

The cast in Killers of the Flower Moon is really nothing short of phenomenal in my opinion. As I said I have seen the movie twice, and the performances just seemed to get better the second time around. The film includes two particularly memorable performances delivered by Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone. I will begin by talking about Leo just because he gets the vast majority of the screen time and the story essentially runs through his character, and really loved him in this. After the movie my dad made a comment that this was a pretty unique role for him and I would agree with that, definitely not how we are used to seeing him.

The unique thing about DiCaprio’s Earnest Burkhart character is just how complex of a person he is, and for that reason, I feel like most people will have mixed emotions when it comes to how you feel about him and I felt the same way when I read the book. Burkhart is a flawed and impressionable man who is also very personable and opportunistic which more often than not lands him in hot water. The bottom line, you really needed an actor with top-tier talent taking on this role to make sure his character really resonates with viewers and I thought DiCaprio crushed it.

Lily Gladstone isn’t a household name by any means especially not up against someone like DiCaprio, but she is an incredibly talented actress who takes full advantage of their opportunity with their character Mollie Kyle. Kyle is a strong no-nonsense woman who prides themselves on speaking their mind and will do anything to protect their family. Tragedy strikes Kyle at nearly every turn and slowly turns this once confident and almost stoic Osage woman into a defeated shell of themself. Viewers will feel Kyle’s pain thanks to a powerful performance from Gladstone. I thought she was believable right from the start, and similar to Dicaprio’s character this film does not work without near-flawless execution from Gladstone and she absolutely delivered.

It will surprise nobody that Robert De Niro was crazy good as Burkhart’s uncle, William Hale. As far as character progression goes you won’t do much better than Hale, and trust me when I say that your opinion of him will change 50 times at least and that speaks to how well De Niro played this character. Hale is at the center of the spider web of tragedy surrounding the Osage, but you will have to see the movie to figure out which side he is on. Plus I really enjoyed the chemistry between all three actors and some of the scenes and interactions I could happily watch over and over again.

Although he had a fairly small amount of screen time compared to the other main characters, I loved the casting of Jesse Plemons as by-the-book Federal Agent Tom White. I gravitated toward White’s character when I read the book, and I thought Plemons did a great job capturing the energy and perseverance White brought to the investigation of the Osage murders. I won’t go too in-depth on the rest of the cast but a shout-out is deserved for Tantoo Cardinal as Kyle’s mother Lizzie Q, Cara Jade Myers as Kyle’s wild sister Anna, JaNae Collins as Kyle’s sister Rita, Jillian Dion as Kyle’s other sister Minnie, Louis Cancelmi as Kelsie Morrison, Tatanka Means as John Wren, Pete Yorn as Acie Kirby, and Tommy Schultz as the likable but not very bright bad-gun-for-hire Blackie Thompson.

Although this isn’t a film that will wow you with spectacle, Killers of the Flower Moon still brings it on the technical side of things. First I thought the score was absolutely amazing in the way that it helped to really tell the story just with tone and feel which made a huge difference in terms of how the more emotional scenes would resonate with viewers. Oftentimes heart-wrenching cries are slightly muted in favor of the score and I just loved how these scenes just seemed to hit that much harder. The late great composer Robbie Robertson, who worked with Scorsese on the 1986 film The Color of Money and The Irishman (2019), did a masterful job here.

I also have to talk about talented cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto who was fantastic as well. So much of Killers of the Flower Moon relied on really transporting viewers back to 1920s Oklahoma, and I thought Prieto was able to do that with some great shots right from the opening sequence. The film feels immersive and authentic from start to finish, and to me, the cinematography was a big reason why.

THE BAD

If you haven’t figured it out by now I loved this movie and to say I have very few issues with it would be an understatement as it is quite an achievement in filmmaking. Now interestingly enough the only thing I would even dare point a finger at is the same thing people seem to be complaining about, which is the film’s runtime. Now I understand it is already three and a half hours long but the reality is it could have been longer, and I would have welcomed that. David Grann’s book is nothing short of fantastic, and the story of the Osage is as captivating as it is heartbreaking. The story has so many layers, and I would say you needed at least five hours to tell the story from beginning to end.

Scorsese and Eric Roth do a great job summarizing the story and telling the parts that needed to be told, but I would have loved to get more of Tom White’s story, played by Jesse Plemons. White is the centerpiece of the story in the book once he is introduced, and I was fascinated by him and where his story goes well beyond the events depicted in the film. Now granted this is not a knock on an already lengthy film, but I highly recommend reading the book after seeing the movie to get the full story.

THE VERDICT

A deeply personal cinematic journey told through the legendary lens of the great Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon is a tragic and powerful story told with the utmost care and brought to life by incredible performances from a talented cast. This movie is vintage Scorsese as it executes all of the elements of great filmmaking that matter flawlessly. The vision of Scorsese, the intimate and immersive screenplay, an amazing score, glorious technical elements from the cinematography, set design, and costumes, it all came together to create one of the best films I have seen in a long time. Support filmmaking in its finest form and see Killers of the Flower Moon in theaters as soon as possible.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.7/10

Killers of the Flower Moon is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

The Creator

The Creator is a 2023 science fiction action thriller film directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) from a screenplay written by Edwards and Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy), and a story from Edwards. The film stars John David Washington (Tenet, BlacKkKlansman), Gemma Chan (Eternals, Don’t Worry Darling), Ken Watanabe (Inception, Batman Begins), Sturgill Simpson (The Dead Don’t Die, The Hunt), Madeleine Yuna Voyles, and Allison Janney (10 Things I Hate About You, I, Tonya).

Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war—and humankind itself.

The Creator made its debut in theaters on September 29th, courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

THE GOOD

I’m not necessarily a sci-fi guy when it comes to movies, at least its not my favorite genre, but I am always intrigued by the films that take a more creative approach in terms of the story and the feel to try and appeal to viewers who may not always be drawn to the genre. When the first trailer for The Creator dropped I was intrigued as it looked like something that seemed to add that little extra, and it actually gave me vibes reminiscent of Neil Blomkamp’s underrated 2009 sci-fi action thriller District 9, and that alone had me intrigued. The trailer was immersive, I loved the overall feel, and I’m not gonna lie I am a fan of John David Washington, the son of one of the greatest actors to ever do it, Denzel Washington. So, was my excitement for The Creator warranted or was it just another letdown for the sci-fi genre? Keep reading to find out!

I had high expectations coming in and this movie did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the visuals and the overall feel of The Creator, and I thought they nailed it in terms of what they were going for. A film like this needs to suck viewers in and I was locked in from the start because of the lived-in and immersive world they were able to create. This is very much a post-apocalyptic style film in terms of the presence of artificial intelligence and just how different things have become. I won’t spoil anything but the film does a great job of setting the stage for the focal point of the films story and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. With a film like The Creator you expect the score and soundtrack to play a big part and it does.

A big selling point for The Creator is the story and overall I was impressed with it. I really liked how they handled the flashbacks, and I felt like I continued to learn more about the story as the film progressed without anything feeling rushed or forced. Even though the film is science fiction it feels very much rooted in reality when it comes to heart of the story for the film. I liked how certain events more or less force you to make assumptions which are later questioned which adds to the intrigue of the overall story. I was never bored and and for me that alone speaks volumes.

John David Washington delivers what I felt like was one of his best performances so far. I have been a fan of his for quite some time and it is great to see him getting opportunities with starring roles. I felt like he took full advantage and made his mark with this role. As his career continues to progress I could see JDW duplicating some level of his fathers success even though they do have a different skillset as performers. I thought Gemma Chan was fantastic as Maya, and really helped to bring the necessary intrigue to the film alongside Washington’s character. I also really liked young actress Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie. Her character was such a big part of the story and if she didn’t deliver things would have fallen apart fast, so a well deserved kudos to her. Allison Janney is a star, no question about that, and one of my favorite things about her as an actress is her impressive versatility. She can play a sympathetic character perfectly, and the next thing you know she is the primary protagonist for a film. She is just such a great actress and deserves each and every role she is given. I won’t go too much more in depth on the cast but I thought everyone was fantastic.

On the technical side The Creator is an impressive film, and for that reason it really needs to be seen in theaters to be fully appreciated. One of the reasons why is just the sheer scale of the film as it feels pretty massive from the start. This genre really needs to sell the element of spectacle and I felt like they succeeded here. I also really enjoyed the score and soundtrack for the film as I felt like it added that additional element of immersion for viewers. My favorite thing about The Creator on the technical side is without a doubt the visuals and overall feel of the film as it reminded me of one of my favorite sci-fi dramas in Neil Blomkamp’s District 9. The AI and “robots” had a unique humanity to them which helped to create this unique tug-of-war for the us vs. them element of the story. Although it does borrow elements from other great sci-fi films, The Creator still maintains a unique identity because of the half human/half AI population and I thought they looked so damn cool.

THE BAD

I really didn’t have many issues with The Creator as a whole, but I do think that it had a chance to be epic but never quite took that leap. I can think of a few points in the film towards the final act where it had a chance to really blow viewers away, but it was almost like it held back to an extent or maybe chose to stay a bit more grounded for one reason or another. I guess I was just expecting that “wow moment” that never really came, or maybe even the mind-blowing finale like we got from Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 sci-fi drama Arrival (our full review here), but admittedly that is a high bar. If you have yet to see it I couldn’t recommend it more, and it is now streaming on Paramount Plus. Either way, the good surely outweighs the bad with The Creator no question about that.

THE VERDICT

A powerful story with top-tier visuals reminiscent of Neil Blomkamp’s District 9, The Creator is a large-scale sci-fi thriller that needs to be experienced in theaters. I am always excited when I have the opportunity to experience this genre in theaters and it did not disappoint. Between John David Washington’s performance and the overall immersive experience the film provides, The Creator is well worth the price of admission.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.1/10

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

Dumb Money

Dumb Money is a 2023 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Cruella), from a script by Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo, based on the book The Antisocial Network: The GameStop Short Squeeze and the Ragtag Group of Amateur Traders That Brought Wall Street to Its Knees by Ben Mezrich. The film chronicles the GameStop short squeeze from January 2021. Teddy Schwarzman, Aaron Ryder, and Gillespie served as producers for the project.

The talented cast includes Paul Dano (The Batman, Little Miss Sunshine), Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Infinity War), Seth Rogen (Superbad, This Is the End), and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island, Bodies Bodies Bodies).

Dumb Money made its debut in limited theaters on September 22nd, before its wide release on September 29th courtesy of Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Releasing.

THE GOOD

It feels like the GameStop stock fiasco just happened yesterday, and to say they got this movie made crazy fast would be an understatement considering it took just over two years after everything transpired back in late 2020, early 2021. Admittedly I didn’t have my ear to the ground as far as the world of Reddit when this all happened, but when things began to ramp up a buddy of mine reached out and I was instantly intrigued for obvious reasons. I didn’t have the balls to invest, still kicking myself for that to be honest, but the entire situation was nuts and I remember thinking they will no doubt make a movie about this.

As I mentioned in the intro the film is based on the book by Ben Mezrich which was published in September 2021, where he does a fantastic job chronicling the roller coaster ride of events. My initial impression was that Dumb Money felt very similar to 2015’s The Big Short, which told the story of the 2008 housing crisis. I knew for some time that the film was in the works, and when I saw the first trailer my excitement level was at a 10 considering the cast and feel of the film. So, was Dumb Money as good as I hoped it would be or just another attempt to cash in on a crazy story? Keep reading to find out!

I absolutely loved this movie! Dumb Money is just so much fun as it tells this wild story with a ridiculously talented cast playing genuinely relatable characters. They crushed it with the casting decisions, and I personally thoroughly enjoyed each and every character. The film carries a comedic tone pretty much throughout and I loved how upbeat it was for the majority of the film. I really liked how they told the story through humor and even added in a few heartfelt moments, but more than anything it all felt authentic. Whether you know the story or go in blind, you will be entertained that I can guarantee. Dumb Money opens with Seth Rogen’s character, hedge fund manager Gabe Plotkin, panicking after he receives a call from a business partner as Cardi B’s WAP starts blaring through the theaters speakers, and I was smiling ear to ear from there on out.

With a story this crazy the screenplay basically writes itself in my opinion, but what needs to be handled properly is the characters the writers chose to focus on as well as the overall tone, both of which I thought they executed perfectly. The film focuses on all of the major players that were involved in this crazy story, and also gives viewers insight into the lives of the regular people most impacted by the financial implications. From the GameStop employee working at “ground zero”, to the single mother doing her best to finally catch a break in life, viewers will be able to relate to these people.

Investing in stock is not for the faint of heart because of the inherent risk as it is a form of gambling at the end of the day, but to put faith in this guy who was willing to take on Wall Street took some serious guts so I say kudos to them and I hope things worked out in the end. With that being said, the tone of the film was amazing. The GameStop situation pissed off a great deal of people rightfully so, but they kept the tone pretty light all things considered and still managed to effectively tell this story. The movie is hilarious and the tone and the screenplay is a big reason why. You can’t deny the influence social media has on our society as a whole, but it was pretty cool to see people use it as a way to band together and “stick it to the man” for a change. Plus if you do some research on the story you will learn that the majority of what happens in the film is 100% true, which is pretty awesome if you ask me.

In my opinion the cast could not have been better for this Dumb Money, I mean if I was given the responsibility of casting director and I could have my choice of anyone I wouldn’t change a thing. I am a huge Seth Rogen guy, and I thought he was incredible as hedge fund manager Gabe Plotkin, one of the primary antagonists in the story. As a native of the great state of Maine myself and someone who has lived and spends a great deal of time in Portland, it was cool to know that Plotkin is actually from the city. Plotkin is at the center of the GameStop short squeeze and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job than Rogen in this role.

The other primary character in the story is Keith Gill, aka Roaring Kitty, the man that single-handedly brought Plotkin and the rest of Wall Street to its knees in late 2020/early 2021. A financial advisor for Mass Mutual by day and a YouTube stock investment personality in his basement by night, Gill is the regular guy just trying to support his family and for that reason he could not be more relatable. Gill is played by Swiss Army Man and The Batman (our full review here) star Paul Dano who was amazing in this role.

In order for viewers to really get invested in the story Gill’s character had to really resonate and Dano’s unique versatility as an actor made all the difference. During the film you will be rooting for Gill to succeed, and although he hits his fair share of bumps in the road along the way, his portrayal as a man with unwavering integrity, loyalty to his followers, a strong moral compass, and lets be honest balls of steel, are the backbone of this story. Bottom line, Keith Gill is the man.

I could honestly go on and on talking about this fantastic cast because it really is that good, but I will do my best to sum it up. The exceptional supporting cast includes one of my favorite actors, Nick Offerman, who plays filthy rich hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, Pete Davidson as Gill’s all-over-the-place brother, Anthony Ramos (Transfortmers: Rise of the Beasts) as GameStop employee Marcus Barcia who reminded me of my Best Buy days and had the best TikTok dance to the Megan Thee Stallion hit song Savage, Sebastian Stan as Robin Hood co-founder Vlad Tenev, Shailene Woodley as Gill’s supportive wife Caroline, Clancy Brown as Gill’s father, Vincent D’Onofrio as billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, and America Ferrera who recently starred in Barbie (our full review here) as Jenny, the single mom who is just looking for a break in life. As I said the entire cast was truly amazing, including the supporting roles I left out, so kudos to everyone who had the opportunity to be involved with this project.

On the technical side of things I have to talk about the amazing soundtrack, the incredible editing, and the unique camera work from director Craig Gillespie. The soundtrack was front and center from the opening of the film right up until the end credits popped up on the screen, and I loved every second of it. As I mentioned earlier in the review things get rolling with Cardi B’s WAP right out of the gate but that is just the tip of the iceberg as Dumb Money packs a profanity-laden and energetic soundtrack that fit the film perfectly. I also felt like the featured music and the score were helped to tell this powerful underdog story. Big time props to Will Bates who handled the score for the film, and music supervisor Susan Jacobs who Gillespie tasked with creating a track list of COVID-era hip hop and she did not disappoint.

Editing is incredibly important for a film like Dumb Money as it needs to balance the story in such a way that all of the parts that matter are told but the entertainment value still remains high throughout, and editor Kirk Baxter knocked it out of the park in my opinion. The film also takes the approach where it tells the story from the perspectives of all involved and I felt like they handled it perfectly. From the decision to open during the films culminating moments before flashing back to the beginning of the story, I don’t think they could have handled it better. I do hope they include bonus content and deleted scenes once they release the Blu-ray for the film because I know they had to cut a ton of great content including an extension of the awesome Savage TikTok dance from Ramos’ that was originally set to play during the end-credits before they made the difficult decision to cut it for the purposes of continuity.

I really like Gillespie as a director, and he has proven his worth when it comes to directing these based on true events films that include a hard to believe overall story, like his 2007 film I, Tonya. As a director he understands how to maximize the polarizing element of a story like this and he gets the job done once again. One of the biggest trademarks of his work seems to be how well he balances the tone of his films and I can’t wait to see what he decides to tackle next.

THE BAD

I didn’t actually read the book so I can’t speak to whether or not they took too many liberties in terms of the events that transpired, but based on my knowledge the film and the research I did it seemed to be pretty spot on so no issues there. I also really liked the tone of the film which I talked about during the review so I would keep that in the positive column, although I also wouldn’t argue with someone who may have preferred more of a serious tone for the film. It is preference at the end of the day, but we also need to keep in mind the fact that the film centers around a guy who wears cat sweatshirts as he goes to battle with Wall Street in his basement. Plus as I mentioned Gillespie has a certain tone he thrives for and he stays true to that. Telling the story while making sure the film was entertaining was the obvious focus for Dumb Money, and in my mind they couldn’t have executed it better, so for that reason I really don’t have any issues with this movie. It really is that good and I honestly can’t wait to see it again.

THE VERDICT

A wildly entertaining and ridiculously hilarious David vs Goliath tale with a star-studded cast and a fire soundtrack that will have you choreographing your next TikTok dance, Dumb Money is an exceptional film and the most fun I have had at the theater this year. Whether you know the story of the infamous GameStop short squeeze or not it really doesn’t matter because of the simple fact that director Craig Gillespie and everyone involved with this project put together an experience that is more than worth the price of admission. I honestly could have gone on and on talking about how much I enjoyed this movie, and I really can’t recommend Dumb Money enough. Do yourself a favor and see it in theaters sooner than later, because I know I will be seeing it again very soon.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.4/10

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

Expend4bles

Expend4bles (also known as The Expendables 4) is a 2023 action film directed by Scott Waugh, with a script co-written by Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart and Max Adams, from an original story by Spenser Cohen, Wimmer and Daggerhart. It is the fourth installment in The Expendables franchise and the sequel to The Expendables (2010), The Expendables 2 (2012) and The Expendables 3 (2014).

Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world's last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give "new blood" a whole new meaning.

Starring Jason Statham, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Randy Couture, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, with Andy Garcia, and Sylvester Stallone.

Expend4bles made its debut in theaters September 22nd, courtesy of Lionsgate.

THE GOOD

Way back in 2010 which feels like a million years ago, The Expendables released in theaters with a cast that had everyone who grew up watching 80’s and 90’s action films salivating. The cast was stacked, consisting of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, and Mickey Rourke. I’m pretty sure the casting team just brought on the actors who reported the highest levels of testosterone.

But in all seriousness, I was pumped when the trailer dropped because I am a sucker for throwback shoot-em-up style action films, and this was that and then some. It was more about the action and the cast than it was the story, but that was the point. So am I surprised that now 13-years later we have the 4th film in the franchise making its debut in theaters? Nope, not at all. I always felt like these films have a market, and as long as they keep making them I will keep showing up to the theater. So, was the latest entry in the franchise a lazy and unnecessary addition or a worthy sendoff for a fun all around action franchise? Keep reading to find out!

I admittedly showed up with tempered expectations, but ultimately I was pleased with Expend4bles. It was violent, action-packed, simple and effective, and actually had a few twists and turns that although I sort of saw them coming I still enjoyed. The story was fairly straight forward which was fine because it didn’t take away from the fun of the film which often goes back and forth between action thriller and action comedy.

Overall the cast was great yet again, and it was clear that all involved had a blast with this film. The action sequences were a bit much at times which I will talk about later in the review, but Expend4bles never overstays its welcome and kept me entertained from start to finish. Also as I talked about in the intro the film does welcome some new faces and I thought everyone fit in pretty well. Whether you fancy yourself a hefty dose of excessive violence or a ride or die chick who looks the part, this film has a little something for everyone.

A big reason why people go see these films is the cast, and although the 4th entry may not have the star power the previous entries offered, it still has plenty. The strength of the cast is undoubtedly Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham. Stallone is the ultimate 80’s/90’s action star who seemingly doesn’t age, and if you haven’t seen him in the Paramount Plus original series Tulsa King, you’re missing out. He does his thing here yet again as he proves that without him, you likely wouldn’t have this franchise at all.

Leading the way with the most screen time among the cast is my guy Jason Statham, who I have been a big fan of since the Transporter films. You can argue that Statham isn’t the best actor, but as someone who offers a unique element of versatility in terms of the types of roles he plays, he is one of the best. I talked about how he was severely underutilized in Meg 2: The Trench (our full review here), so it was refreshing to see him back doing what he does best. Statham is best served playing the badass that always gets the girl even though he is usually to busy beating the crap out of people to actually pay her any attention. I thought he was great here and one of the primary bright spots of the film.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Megan Fox, and I have since she starred alongside Shia LaBeouf in the earlier Michael Bay Transformers films. Back in those days she was easily on my top 5 list in terms of “talented” actresses (thats not masogonistic by the way), but for one reason or another she fell from grace. And I’m not just talking about getting blacklisted from my childish hot list, she wasn’t really getting a ton of good movie roles either.

Now I’m not going to sit here and act like Megan Fox is an actress that is on the cusp of winning an Oscar, because if I were to say that I would have a straight jacket and a padded room in my future, but I’ll be damned if Expendables Megan Fox didn’t find her way back into my good graces. I don’t know if it was just the fact that she was working that sexy badass role hard, or maybe it was because something seemed to click as she teamed up with my guy Jason Statham, but either way I was really feeling her in this movie and loved the addition.

The supporting cast was solid and all served their purpose, from Mr. MMA himself Randy Couture who loves talking about his cauliflower ear, Levy Tran who was mirroring that sexy badass look along with Fox, Dolph Lundgren who is always a treat, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson who I have come to enjoy as an actor and liked him here as well, veteran actor Andy Garcia who is always great although he’s no Bruce Willis, and solid performances all around from Tony Jaa and Jacob Scipio, as well as Iko Uwais as one of the primary protagonists in the film.

All things considered I was pleased with the story. Similar to the most recent Fast and Furious films, the storyline in this franchise is often just place setter for the action sequences. I was expecting straight forward and to the point which it was, but the story actually added a few wrinkles that caught me by surprise. It added an emotional element which I thought helped to drive the story and added enough meat on the bone to keep viewers invested. Although the final act was mostly about the explosions and bodies dropping, the story coming full circle the way it did was satisfying.

The technical elements shine as expected in Expend4bles. I mean, this film wouldn’t even exist if not for the necessary and ultra-violent demise of several bad guys, as well as enough explosions to rival any Michael Bay film. We were promised more blood and that is exactly what we got, with several heads and often entire bodies exploding thanks to a .50 Cal machine gun, or just old fashioned knives.

I can’t even count how many people died in this film at the hands of a razor sharp blade. The hand-to-hand combat sequences were amazing throughout the film, with some real edge of your seat moments during the final act. Although surely not on the level of the John Wick films, I thought the shooting sequences were very well done and felt in your face and exciting. Plus I thought the final act, which played out like a live-action game of Call of Duty, was extremely entertaining.

THE BAD

Expend4bles is not a perfect film but at the end of the day it does what it sets out to do, and for that reason I won’t spend too much time picking it apart. If it was meant to be this nuanced experience with groundbreaking visuals and exceptional acting that would be one thing, but clearly that is not the case here. I’m a firm believer in trying to look at a film objectively but also fairly in terms of its objective and target audience, and for that reason Expend4bles delivers, simple as that. With that being said I will still touch on the faults that you can expect to encounter when you see the movie.

First and foremost, the film is littered with corny dialogue whether it be character interactions or the usual “rah rah” moments we have come to expect from these movies. I wouldn’t say that the cast was mailing it in or anything like that, but the tone of the film seemed to feel a bit more reserved compared to prior entries, or maybe the cast is just finally starting to show their age. I do wish it was a bit more gritty at times and the tone was definitely inconsistent.

In general I enjoyed the special effects mainly because I knew what to expect for the most part, which was more often than not over-the-top and incredibly unrealistic. Expend4bles has several head scratching moments where a small explosion causes a car to fly miles into the air, but because the movie is often ridiculous it becomes pretty easy to ignore these moments. Now I did like the story and the plot twists, but I will say that they were pretty predictable at least for me.

THE VERDICT

A bloody and action-packed return for the franchise after a lengthy hiatus, Expend4bles plays to its strengths with a flawed but fun turn your brain off 90’s era action thriller that is almost entirely style over substance. It would be easy to pick this film apart, but I enjoyed it just as I enjoyed all of the films before it. As I mentioned during the review, I go in to a film like Expend4bles knowing what to expect which tends to work out more often than not.

If you can appreciate the film for what it is I say go check it out, but if you are expecting more than the franchise has been serving up since 2010 you will be disappointed. I’m a movie fan first and a film critic second, and when the critic and audience score is incredibly lopsided for a movie like it is for Expend4bles, that is usually a sign to give it a chance and form your own opinion, especially if you enjoy the genre.

TED TAKES RATING - 6.4/10

Expend4bles is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

The Nun II

The Nun II is a 2023 horror thriller from director Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It), from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (M3GAN), Ian Goldberg, and Richard Naing, who worked on Fear the Walking Dead together. It is the 9th film in the Conjuring universe, and is the follow-up to the 2018 film The Nun.

In 1956 France, a priest is murdered, and it seems an evil is spreading. Sister Irene once again comes face to face with a demonic force.

Taissa Famiga returns alongside Bonnie Aarons and Jonas Bloquet, who all starred in the previous film. New additions to the film and to the franchise include Katelyn Rose Downey, Anna Popplewell, and Storm Reid.

The Nun II made its debut in theaters September 8th, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

THE GOOD

I’ve been a big fan of The Conjuring films from the beginning, so naturally I was looking forward to the latest entry in the franchise. Back in 2018 I had high hopes for The Nun considering the cast and the connection to The Conjuring films, but I was admittedly disappointed. I remember walking out of the theater and talking with my buddy about how ridiculous certain elements of the story were. Just so many of those “why would they do that?!” sort of moments which took away from the overall feel of the film, but I digress. Once the trailer dropped for The Nun II I was admittedly excited. It felt like they found a way to regain momentum for this spin-off story and I was excited for what they had in store. So, was The Nun II yet another talking point for a failed attempt at a horror film or did I leave the theater satisfied? Keep reading to find out!

The Nun II was a satisfying horror film that for the most part met my expectations. It wasn’t as scary as I would have preferred which I will talk about later, but it did some really good things and made for a theater experience well worth the price of admission. The Conjuring franchise has become synonymous with horror in the last several years, and much of the continued success hinges on these spin-off films. With that in mind I felt like The Nun II did a great job building on the story, and it also found a way to surpass the original film as a much more well-rounded horror film that had a clear identity and stuck with it. The story is immersive and the jump scares are aplenty ensuring that the vast majority of horror fans will be very satisfied. I also thought they did a really nice job with the soundtrack and score which helped to add to the uneasy feel of the film.

Two of the primary bright spots for The Nun II are the story and the cast, both of which largely contributed to the overall experience. The story was great in my opinion, building on the stage that was set by the original while creating a more immersive experience. I felt like this was a great addition to the Conjuring films as it was able to add value to the this particular story and how it all fit in within that universe. I expected the cast to be pretty good overall and I was once again impressed by Taissa Farmiga.

The little sister of star Vera Farmiga who plays Lorraine Warren in the films, Taissa has proven herself as a solid actress who is more than willing to embrace the horror genre. I thought Jonas Bloquet was really good as Maurice, and his character was very important to the effectiveness of the story. Actress Storm Reid who is quickly making a name for herself did a very nice job here as well and is a welcomed addition. I also really liked Anna Popplewell as Kate. The supporting cast was all solid as well without any major blemishes to speak of.

On the technical side of things The Nun II impressed me at pretty much every turn. The production value in general was evident from the start, once again reinforcing the fact that The Conjuring films tend to come backed with a legit budget. The film featured some fantastic visuals and some really cool sequences that added another layer of creativity. As I already touched on briefly I thought the soundtrack and score from Marco Beltrami was perfect and helped to give the film the identity it needed. Director Michael Chaves did a really nice job utilizing some creative camera work helping to get and keep viewers invested. I was really impressed with cinematographer Tristan Nyby as he provided some beautiful shots of historic France. I also have to shoutout the costume design from Agnes Beziers, the production design from Stéphane Cressend, and last but not least the set decoration from Emmanuel Delis. The trio helped to recreate 1950’s France and I thought they did a fantastic job.

THE BAD

The Nun II does a lot of really good things as I talked about earlier in the review but I just felt like it struggled to get over the hump on terms of fear factor. Now as a horror fanatic I’m not as interested in jump scares, I want to feel chills that you only get from some of the more terrifying horror films. For me it is a balance of story and feel, and as of late the best horror films serve up 99% dread, leaving little space for positivity during the majority of the film. Sure that may sound depressing but I find it to be the recipe for success when it comes to modern day horror films.

Examples I would use just off the top of my head would be Ari Aster’s Hereditary, or even the more recent horror film The Night House. Both films fixate on the horrors of real-life with an underlying evil that threatens to rear its head at any moment. The interesting thing about The Nun II is that the good sometimes bled over into the bad, meaning that what I felt was a well-written screenplay made the film a bit less scary at times if that makes any sense at all.

THE VERDICT

Featuring an immersive story and the top-tier production value we have come to expect, The Nun II may not terrify hardcore genre fans but is still a solid entry in one of the more successful horror franchises in recent memory. I really wanted it to be scarier beyond some great jump scares, but I can’t deny that this movie serves up more good than bad, and for that reason is still easy to recommend for horror fans.

TED TAKES RATING - 6.7/10

The Nun II is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Retribution

Retribution is a 2023 action thriller directed by Nimród Antal, based on a screenplay by Christopher Salmanpour and Andrew Baldwin. Jaume Collet-Serra, known for films like The Commuter, The Shallows, Run All Night, and Non-Stop, serves as a producer on the film.

When a mysterious caller puts a bomb under his car seat, Matt Turner (Liam Neeson) begins a high-speed chase across the city to complete a specific series of tasks. With his kids trapped in the back seat and a bomb that will explode if they get out of the car, a normal commute becomes a twisted game of life or death as Matt follows the stranger's increasingly dangerous instructions in a race against time to save his family.

The cast includes Liam Neeson, Jack Champion, Embeth Davidtz, Arian Moayed, Matthew Modine, Noma Dumezweni, and Emily Kusche.

Retribution made its debut in theaters on August 25th, courtesy of Lionsgate.

THE GOOD

I know what you’re thinking, another damn Liam Neeson movie, right? To be honest, I was thinking the same thing, but Neeson is my guy and I respect his hustle. The 71-year-old actor hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down, continuing to churn out his trademark action thrillers. I last reviewed his film Memory (our full review here) from last April where he starred alongside Guy Pearce, and it was actually pretty good. Much better than the majority of critics wanted to lead you to believe. Neeson’s movies all seem to be relatively similar, which is fine as long as they find a way to entertain viewers and utilize his “particular set of skills”. That said, is his latest film Retribution better than expected or just a dud trying to bank on the name of its lead actor? Keep reading to find out!

It wasn’t a complete dud, but Retribution is just not that good of a movie. I wouldn’t deter people from watching it, but the only way I would say it is worth the theater experience is if you are a diehard Liam Neeson fan because he is the saving grace for this film. On the flip side of that, I do think his talent as an actor was wasted, but I will talk more about that later. As far as the positives, I felt like the technical elements of the film were pretty good overall utilizing some creative camera work.

I also thought the score and soundtrack were very much a bright spot. I thought the story had a chance to offer up enough to keep viewers entertained, but I felt like instead of building on the events that transpired in the first act it went off the rails a bit which caused me to lose interest. I did enjoy the ending for the most part, although the special effects were just okay and it was one of those movies that just sort of ends once the dust settles. I suppose the fact that it was only an hour and 30 minutes was a pro as well, and I will say I’m not quite sure why the film was rated R, unless perhaps exploding cars is all it takes these days.

THE BAD

Retribution is certainly one of Liam Neeson’s lesser-quality films as of late. I really didn’t expect too much going in, but I was fairly bored during the majority of the movie. The film is incredibly linear as 95% of it is Neeson driving around and talking on the phone, but other films have taken a similar approach and found a way to build anticipation. Unfortunately, Retribution has a paper-thin storyline, and even more than that it never really gets off the ground in terms of the suspense that you need for a film that falls within the action thriller genre.

It starts out strong for the most part and just sort of becomes stagnant instead of building on the story and finding ways to create suspense. The character development is basically nonexistent, and even more than that the writers try to add unnecessary layers to the story when they can’t even seem to execute the basics. The cast in general was meh, but Jack Champion was okay overall as one of Neeson’s kids, but just a strange and very limiting role for him. Also, I like me some Matthew Modine, who by the way has the most ridiculous all-over-the-place filmography dating back to 1982, but he just seemed like he was bored in his role.

Plus for some reason, they decided it was a good idea for 71-year-old Neeson to have a daughter who seemed to be around 12 and that just made zero sense to me. Right away I was shaking my head, and if anything that surely distracted me from getting immersed in the story. The cast in general was bland, and although Neeson was solid in the lead role as he always is, he was severely underutilized here and the film suffered for it.

Let’s just take one of the better action stars working today and turn him into a boring suburban dad with marital issues, I mean come on. I talked about the plot twist being a positive for the film, and it was, but that is mainly because it caught me off guard. I am still trying to make sense of what the point of the twist was as it relates to the story, but I guess I will never know.

THE VERDICT

A pretty lackluster Liam Neeson film that veers away from his skillset and finds itself stuck in cruise control as a result, Retribution suffers from an overall bland story and a considerable lack of energy and enthusiasm from all involved.

If there is a lesson to be learned here, people want to see Liam Neeson as the badass, not the dad with two bickering kids who just want to annoy him during business calls. I mean, that is basically my actual real life so I don’t need to see it during my time away from the kids. I understand that actors often hate to be typecast, but as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I’m not giving up on my guy, I just hope he follows this up with something much better in the very near future.

TED TAKES RATING - 5.3/10

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

Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo is a 2023 biographical coming-of-age sports-drama film directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9) from a screenplay by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. The film is based on the video game series of the same name developed by Polyphony Digital, while also being based on a true story. Development of the film originally began in 2013 but changed directions several times as far as the director and the writing team went.

The true story of the ultimate wish fulfilment tale of teenage Gran Turismo player Jann Mardenborough whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver.

The film stars Archie Madekwe as Jann Mardenborough, with David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Geri Halliwell Horner, and Djimon Hounsou in supporting roles.

Gran Turismo made its debut in theaters on August 25th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing.

THE GOOD

I grew up playing videogames, from my earliest memories dabbling in the Atari, the original Nintendo, and the first PlayStation, to the PS5 I now have that admittedly mostly collects dust thanks to the fact that I have two unrelenting toddlers these days. My almost 5-year-old gets more use out of my PS4 playing Rocket League, which he refers to as the “soccer game”. Nonetheless, because I was a hardcore Sony and PlayStation guy I was right there playing the Gran Turismo games dating back to the debut of the original back in 1997.

I thought the games were awesome, they played great, and more than anything else they looked fantastic. But the funny thing is the appeal of the games wore off for me for the same reason all of the people in the movie loved them so much. And that was because they were just too damn realistic and I sucked at them. I wanted to play racing games like the Need for Speed franchise, where realism was put on the back burner.

But Gran Turismo was marketed as a “Racing “Simulator” for a reason, and you quite simply had to understand racing to be good at it. Or at the very least had a willingness to learn. It took practice, but if you could get better, the results were very much worth it, as you could unlock and use the coolest cars and race the best tracks. But interestingly enough, when the Gran Turismo film was announced and touting the fact that it was based on true events, I had a quick WTF really?! moment.

I had never heard of Jann Mardenborough or anything to do with his attachment to the games. The trailer looked pretty awesome to me, and ever since the epic 2009 sci-fi drama District 9 I have been a fan of director Neill Blomkamp, so I was looking forward to this. So with all that said, did Gran Turismo bring the excitement I hoped it would and help me to re-live my childhood golden years?! Keep reading to find out!

Wow, this movie was such an awesome and well-rounded theater experience. A feel-good story with an emotional element that seriously caught me by surprise; the perfect balance of relatable and genuinely likable characters, and all of the white-knuckle racing sequences you could want mixed with top-notch visual effects, Gran Turismo really has it all. I touched briefly on my background as it relates to the release of this movie in the intro, but I am not a racing guy at all when it comes to the actual sport of racing. I think it’s cool and certainly has its place, but it never appealed to me enough to really follow along.

But I am not exaggerating whatsoever when I say this, this movie has me considering giving the sport a try, and at the very least trying to hone in on the career of the real Jann Mardenborough. I understand this film is based on a true story and all that (with some liberties for the sake of Hollywood of course), but I don’t want to give too much away so that the film is more of a surprise for y’all like it was for me. I will say I did do a bit of research after the fact and this dude is still racing professionally, and he is still an absolute beast. At the end of the day, it is just such a cool story and is one that you really need to experience in theaters to appreciate.

As I already touched on, this is such a crazy story, and even though it is based on true events I definitely recommend trying to go in as blind as possible so that you can be surprised by just how wild it really is. That is usually my approach when a film is released based on actual events unless I decide to read the book prior to the film’s release. I don’t know, I just always found that it was fun to do that research after you had seen the movie just to determine what really happened and what was exaggerated for the sake of entertainment. Without going into detail I was honestly a bit blown away by how much of the film was spot on, particularly some of the heavier parts of the story.

Most people can relate to the origin of Mardenborough’s story, a young man who wants to forge his own path as opposed to follow in his father’s footsteps like his brother. Now he is far from this rebellious kid, but is actually trying to make his father proud in his own unique way. This is a story about daring to be different, dreaming big, and never giving up until those dreams become a reality. As it relates to Gran Turismo as a film, I thought the story was incredibly immersive, I loved how each part of his story felt like a separate chapter of the film, that way viewers had time to get to know him as a person before his life changed forever. Plus it was great that the film also made it a point to focus on his professional career in the final act. The writing team deserves a ton of credit for translating this story to the big screen in such epic fashion.

As far as the technical elements for the film, I was no joke on the edge of my seat damn near the entire time. The racing sequences were just wild and so much fun to watch, and the creativity that went into this film was on another level in terms of how they mixed real racing with the feel of a videogame to really put an exclamation mark on how much of a wild ride it was for Mardenborough. As I said I played some of the Gran Turismo games during my earlier years, and at times I felt like I was playing one of the games with life-like graphics on a massive screen. It was seriously incredible and terrifying too because to say these cars go fast would be an understatement. Like take a turn wrong without giving enough to the brakes and you will flip 50 times fast, no joke.

Gran Turismo features some incredible work on the racing front in general, and I did confirm it was a mix of real racing and CGI. Although most video game-to-film adaptations rely heavily on the CGI element, this film takes a page straight from the game itself and focuses more on authenticity than just trying to maximize the visual effects, and I personally thought they achieved a fantastic balance. The film utilizes real race cars and real tracks to sell the “realness” of the experience while also mixing in the CGI when needed. This means that the crew relied heavily on stunt drivers stepping in for the cast, and even brought the real Jann Mardenborough on board as a stunt driver for Archie Madekwe, the actor playing him. Oh and boy were these cars super badass, I can’t even imagine how cool it must be to be up close and personal with one of these beauties.

Director Neill Blomkamp pulls out all of the stops as usual by utilizing some fantastic camera techniques, including the use of helicopters, drones, and cameras rigged to pretty much every part of these vehicles imaginable to really immerse viewers. I feel like I could talk about this movie all day, but I have to be sure and shout out one of the absolute GOATs of composers, Lorne Balfe, who collaborated on the film with the super-talented Andrew Kawczynski, who recently worked on films like Dune (2021), and last years blockbuster hit Top Gun: Maverick. Last but not least, a shoutout to cinematographer Jacques Jouffret for helping to create one of the most immersive films I have seen in a while.

I honestly loved the cast for this film, and I felt like the main cast was perfect for each of their respective roles. I will start with Archie Madekwe who some may remember for his supporting role in Ari Aster’s horror gem Midsommar, as well as a small role in the 2021 sci-fi thriller Voyagers. He does have a role in writer/director Emerald Fennell’s highly anticipated comedy-drama Saltburn, slated for later this year. Madekwe plays the lead role of Jann Mardenborough, and I really liked him here. As a fairly unknown actor, I thought he displayed legit star power and was able to effectively portray all of the emotions needed for this role. I think this kid has talent and I look forward to watching his career continue to flourish.

Everyone loves Orlando Bloom, I mean the dude has been around forever and always delivers. Bloom plays the role of Danny Moore and is very much a love him or hate him character throughout the film, and he crushed the role. I also really liked Djimon Hounsou as Jann’s father, and thought he had genuine chemistry with Madekwe which was a big factor in terms of building on the story. Hounsou has been around forever and really is the ultimate supporting actor. If I had to pick I would say my most memorable role for him was the underrated 2008 sports drama Never Back Down. If you fancy yourself a good fighting/MMA film with a great story, check that out on Prime Video.

My favorite actor was without a doubt my guy David Harbour, who crushed it as good old Saint Nick in last year’s dark comedy action film Violent Night (our full review here). In Gran Turismo Harbour plays Jack Salter, a once-upon-a-time incredibly talented former racer who now works as a severely underappreciated and often ridiculed mechanic on a racing team. I fell in love with his character right away (not in a weird way of course), and just gravitated towards his backstory and quest for redemption.

Although this film is primarily focused on the rise of Jann Mardenborough from gamer to professional racer, the story of Jack Salter was just as captivating and honestly helped to add the crucial feel-good element to the film. Harbour is easily one of the more versatile actors in the industry today, and it was great to see him take on a role like this. I honestly really liked the rest of the supporting cast as well and have no negatives to speak of, with an extra appreciation for Darren Barnet as Matty Davis who is a rival racer for the majority of the film, as well as Geri Horner who plays Jann’s mother Lesley.

THE BAD

Gran Turismo may not be a perfect film, but I am honestly having a hard time really picking it apart. I mean I suppose some of the more dramatic interactions between characters could have felt a bit more authentic, but as I talked about earlier, you are blending top-tier acting talent with some actors still trying to make a name for themselves, and all things considered, I was nothing short of impressed.

I’m sure some people who know the true story inside and out have an issue with some of the liberties taken by the writing team, but that is the case with pretty much any film based on true events. For that reason, I’m not going to sit here and research the true story to the point where I start picking the film apart, because at the end of the day my primary concern, especially for the purposes of this review, was entertainment value. You simply have to spice things up and add a few new wrinkles to the story to ensure viewers are invested, and I personally thought they did a fantastic job.

I did find it funny that Harbour’s character was constantly making fun of the “gamers” who were going through the physically demanding portion of the training as they tried to become real racers, saying that most of them probably barely got off the couch, yet pretty much the entire cast was in damn good shape. I mean it probably would have taken away from the overall tone of the film to bring in a few gamers who clearly spent most of their days crushing Cheetos and pounding Mountain Dew, which sounds like the life don’t get me wrong, but I just thought that was sort of a comical takeaway. Plus to be honest I never really considered the fact that these professional racers need to be in ridiculously good shape and are legitimate athletes.

THE VERDICT

An exhilarating coming-of-age underdog story that will undoubtedly appeal to gamers and race enthusiasts alike, Gran Turismo is an edge-of-your-seat theater experience that had me bought in from the first green light. I thought this was a powerful retelling of one heck of a wild journey for British professional race car driver Jann Mardenborough. I mean let’s be honest, although embellished at times this is still for sure one of the craziest stories in quite some time if you really stop and think about it.

But more than anything else, everyone involved with this film found a way to entertain viewers with a great balance of spectacle, excitement, and storytelling, while taking their fair share of liberties for the sake of entertainment. I was never bored, and to be honest I can’t quite figure out why so many critics have been so hard on this film. To call it boring is not only wrong, it is downright ignorant and speaks to the fact that so many of these so-called critics are simply out of touch in terms of the foundation of these films. Gran Turismo is absolutely worth seeing in theaters, simple as that.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.3/10

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

Strays

Strays is a 2023 R-rated live-action comedy directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar), and written by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal). The film is produced by Picturestart founder and CEO Erik Feig (Luckiest Girl Alive, Cha Cha Real Smooth), Louis Leterrier (director Fast X, The Clash of the Titans), Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal), and Lord Miller partners Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) and Lord Miller President of Film Aditya Sood (The Martian, Cocaine Bear).

Abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug, a naive but lovable dog named Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell) falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier (voiced by Jamie Foxx) and his gang of strays. Determined to seek revenge, Reggie and his new canine pals embark on an epic adventure to get him home and make Doug pay for his dirty deed.

The talented comedic cast includes Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Josh Gad (Beauty and the Beast), Harvey Guillén (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), Emmy nominee Rob Riggle (The Hangover), Brett Gelman (Stranger Things), Jamie Demetriou (The Afterparty), and Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara (Modern Family).

Strays debuted in theaters on June 9th, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

THE GOOD

It honestly feels like the marketing team for Strays switched up their approach 17 times prior to the film’s release. It’s interesting because you really only see the trailers for R-rated films during other R-rated movies, but apparently, the trailer for Strays fell through the cracks during a few kid’s movies and that was not received well by the parents who were seeing said movies with their kids. Now surely that was a misstep somewhere along the line, but I don’t think it was a surprise that soon after that all of the trailers and images marketing the film had “NOT a kids movie” plastered all over it. Nonetheless, I was intrigued by a rare R-rated live-action comedy and had fairly high hopes as the release date neared. I wasn’t expecting anything that was going to blow me away, I just wanted some good laughs and an overall enjoyable experience. So, is Strays worth your hard-earned money, or is this one that is best to wait on the streaming release? Keep reading to find out!

I went into the theater more or less knowing what to expect, and all things considered, I was very pleased with the film. Strays is a reminder that I have the sense of humor of a depraved teenager, and that is honestly more than okay with me. Whether you want to call it the R-rated Homeward Bound or just another excuse for a group of dudes to get together say a bunch of messed up shit, the film had a goal in mind from the start and they stuck with it. I can appreciate raunchy and fairly crude humor so I laughed out loud quite a few times even though not all of the jokes landed. It feels a little strange to say that I was pleased with the ending considering the plot was a dog on a revenge mission to bite his douchebag owner’s dick off. But, here we are.

I was also impressed that the story did have a few wrinkles that I didn’t expect which added a nice feel-good element to all of the craziness. I was very impressed with the visual effects as everything looked great making it so you can focus on the other elements of the film instead of being distracted by bad CGI. Plus just the collaboration between the director, the dogs and their trainers, the voice actors, and everyone else involved, I thought this was a pretty damn impressive joint effort in terms of the final product.

For me, Strays really shines in terms of its ability to immerse viewers in this wacky world of talking dogs who enjoy humping garden gnomes and pooping on people’s faces. I don’t know what it says about me, but the running joke of Will Ferrell’s Reggie meeting and subsequently humping “his son” the garden gnome made me laugh every single time. That scene in particular was so damn funny. The story itself is pretty ridiculous and paper-thin of course aside from a few subplots, but they squeeze enough juice out of it to make for sort of a redemption story which I thought was pretty cool. Strays also manages to add just enough of a feel-good element by the end of the film to leave viewers with a little more than just raunchy humor. I won’t talk too much more about the story at the risk of spoiling anything, but let me just say that when “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus cranks at full volume during the film’s grand finale, I was laughing my ass off at what was unfolding on screen. So good.

The voice cast is fantastic and without a doubt the highlight of the film. I know some people dislike Will Ferrell, but I think the guy is a damn godsend in the comedy genre and he was perfect as Reggie. The character fits his usual soft-spoken and naïve demeanor in terms of the sort of characters he usually plays. Jamie Foxx dominates in his role as the street-smart dog Bug, small in stature but big in personality. The chemistry Ferrell has with Foxx was very important to the success of the film. Will Forte was great as expected in the role of the a-hole loser dog owner, while Isla Fisher and Randall Park were both fantastic as the voices of Maggie and Hunter too! Also, Josh Gad did a really nice job as Gus, and as always, I enjoyed my guy Rob Riggle as the voice of Rolf. Nevertheless, the voice cast was just excellent from top to bottom.

All things considered, I thought Strays looked great. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the advancements in technology and how far CGI has come that live-action talking dogs look pretty damn spot on, but it was still great to see. I was never once distracted by the talking dog element because it looked so natural, allowing me the ability to focus on what mattered. From what I have read the post-production VFX work took the longest in terms of the overall project which makes perfect sense to me. I also loved the score and the soundtrack for the film which always felt fun and high-energy. Plus I don’t know if this would be considered a “technical” achievement or not, but the trainers deserve a TON of credit for sharing these beautiful animals with the world and helping to create a fun hour and a half at the movie theater.

THE BAD

I know this will come as a surprise, but unless they introduce a Best Garden Gnome Humping Sequence category we likely won’t hear about Strays at next year’s Academy Awards. This movie is far from perfect and is what it is really, but some of the more glaring issues were more or less expected. With an hour and 30-minute film, it is easy to give away a bunch of the good parts in the trailer, especially with a comedy and unfortunately, that is the case with Strays. Now I wouldn’t go as far as to say it ruined the experience entirely, I just knew what was coming more often than I would have preferred but I still laughed so all was not lost.

It does still include a few great parts that the trailer doesn’t give away, which does include the epic finale that I referenced earlier in the review. It took me a bit longer than I had hoped to get immersed in the film which was a problem, at least at first. Strays targets a certain demographic for sure which is fine, but if you see the movie and don’t buy into the overall tone and feel it will likely rub you the wrong way more often than not. Plus it includes lots of crude sexual humor involving dogs, dog poop for days, also a dog throwing up and another dog eating it. But I mean if you have dogs, you have likely encountered several of these examples at home.

THE VERDICT

A rare R-rated live-action dog comedy featuring a talented cast of voice actors and a revenge mission not for the faint of heart, Strays is far from perfect but doesn’t hold back and isn’t afraid to push the envelope. Soon after seeing the movie someone told me they were going to see it later that day and asked me my thoughts, so I basically said go in knowing what to expect, and you will have a great time with this movie assuming you appreciate the genre. See it with a few friends and be sure to enjoy a few adult beverages during it, that is the best advice I can give. Just going through images for the film for the purposes of this review I caught myself laughing out loud. I tried to tell my wife about the funny parts but she just sort of gave me a blank stare, which was just further proof that this movie is not for everyone. If you pride yourself on having a great sense of humor, can appreciate raunchy comedy, and love dogs, Strays is absolutely the movie for you.

TED TAKES RATING - 6.9/10

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