Author: Mark A. Lester

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date March 13, 2021
3 Comments on Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

In September of 2020, most people, including myself, were upset that the live action Mulan cost $29.99 on Disney Plus, only to be free to the masses the following December. Disney has done the same again with their newest film, Raya and the Last Dragon, which is, as of this writing, both on Disney Plus for $29.99 as well as in theaters. It will become free on the streaming service on June 4th.

While I was fortunate enough to see the film in theaters at a much more reasonable price of $7.79, I would say the film is such a treat that it is worth the thirty bucks. I will not say it is worth going to a theater if you do not feel safe: no movie should compromise your health. This is the best animated film I have seen since Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Tags 2021, Avatar, Awkwafina, Benedict Wong, Daniel Dae Kim, Disney, Disney Plus, Gemma Chan, Izaac Wang, Kelly Marie Tran, Kubo and the Two Strings, Princess Mononoke, Raya and the Last Dragon, Sandra Oh, The Last Airbender, The Last Jedi

1 Star Movies

Tom and Jerry (2021)

Since the 1940s, Tom and Jerry have been “frenemies” before the term was even invented.

Although I was not a huge fan of them growing up (I was more a “Wile E Coyote/Road Runner” fan), they are still the first thing that comes to mind when I hear “cat and mouse”. Although I am not a parent (and have not been in contact with kids such as my nephews for sometime due to the pandemic), I am hesitant to say that kids today are still fans of the original T&J shorts as their parents or grandparents were. This brings us to the live action Tom and Jerry film, which left me (and I assume many others) with more than a few questions: the biggest being, “Who is this film made for?!?!” (An honorable second place goes to “Why was this made?”)

Tags 2021, Chloe Grace-Moretz, Colin Jost, Ken Jeong, Kids movie, Michael Pena, Tom and Jerry

"Top Tens", and others Movies

The Top 20 of 2020

Top 20 films of 2020

Escapism was essential for everyone in 2020, which would explain why I saw over 50 releases from the past year (not to mention catching up on older flicks I had yet to see).

Regardless of whether I saw them in theaters or on streaming services (like most others did), it was nice to have certain hours of my life to keep me away from the outside world. Of course, the better films made me look at the world in a different way. That sounds like a lesson from Film School 101, but it is true.

4 1/2 Stars Movies

Nomadland (2020)

When it comes to name recognition, it seems like the third time is definitely the charm for director Chloe Zhao.

While I have yet to see her debut film (2015’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me), I did manage to see her second film, The Rider (2017), the story of a young cowboy recovering from a near fatal accident and needing to find a new path in life. It takes more than one movie or so to discover a director’s true voice, but Zhao certainly is going down the path of intimate film making (it also helps that her first two movies were written by Zhao), which is more than evident in her third feature Nomadland.

Tags 2020, Chloe Zhao, David Strathairn, Frances McDormand, Nomadland, R, Rated R, Three Billboards, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

4 Stars Movies

The Way Back (2020)

To describe the career of Ben Affleck as “varied” would almost be an understatement.

After making it in the spotlight by winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (with his good friend Matt Damon) for 1997’s Good Will Hunting, he stretched into the “Razzie” territory with films like 1998’s Armageddon (which Affleck has comically given his own thoughts on), Pearl Harbor (2001), and 2003’s mega dud Gigli.

Tags 2020, alcoholism, Basketball, Ben Affleck, R, Rated R, The Way Back

2 Stars Movies

The Little Things (2021)

“It’s the little things that are important, Jimmy.”

Says the veteran cop to the hotshot rookie detective, and is something heard before in other films. Sadly, the reason The Little Things turns out very subpar and forgettable is, to be honest, the little things.

Tags 2021, Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, R, Rami Malek, Rated R, The Little Things

3 1/2 Stars 4 1/2 Stars 4 Stars Movies

The Small Axe Films (2020)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date January 25, 2021
2 Comments on The Small Axe Films (2020)

Since the mid-2010s, “binge watching” has become a thing of human nature.

TV series and mini-series have been gulped up faster than pizza at a teen sleep over, which has happened even more so in the last year with people spending more time at home due to COVID-19. While most binging seems to be associated with TV series (most notably reruns of “The Office”), some series undoubtedly have taken a more cinematic approach (this was what started with “The Sopranos” and one of the main reasons why it was so revolutionary.) While I have more than enough TV/mini series I have yet to catch up on (since I watch too many movies), I have yet to see the line get more blurred between mini-series and movies as I have after watching the five “episodes” of Small Axe.

Tags Black Panther, John Boyega, Letitia Wright, MCU, Small Axe, Steve McQueen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

4 Stars Movies

One Night in Miami (2020)

Pulling off a directorial debut is something I imagine is far from easy for most people.

You need a cast and crew that not only trusts you, but is also talented in their line of work. True, actors who turn directors more than likely pick up some tricks from others they have worked for in the past, though the great teacher known as experience is something yet to be obtained. Perhaps most important, the story they want to tell has to be not only possible to film, but personal to them.

Tags 2020, 4 Stars, Four Stars, One Night in MIami, Regina King

"Top Tens", and others Movies

The Disappointments of 2020

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date January 15, 2021
No Comments on The Disappointments of 2020

In the past years of movie going (when it was safe to actually go to the movies), I would sometimes actually manage to see so many that I would be able to make up a list of the year’s ten worst films. During the pandemic, I (like many) spent some time watching past movies I have missed out on while trying to watch the new releases. Still, there were some films that stood out to me not as the worst per say so much as they were, in some way shape or form, just did not live up to expectations (though a few were so bad I had little expectations to begin with.)

Here are the six most disappointing films of 2020

Tags Disney, Disney/Pixar, Onward, Worst of the year

2 Stars Movies

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

J.D. Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis was released in the politically intense year of 2016 (though not nearly as much it would seem as 2020 has been). Admittedly, I knew nothing about that until about half way through the film (which I will take all the blame; I suppose I need to get out more.)

From what I have heard, the book talks more about the tales of a young man who grew up in Middleton, Ohio, under the values of his family’s past when they lived in the Appalachia Mountains of Kentucky. From what I have heard, the book also manages to deal with the political climate of the country at large, which may explain some of why the book was a bestseller. I can say for certain that the film adaptation, Hillbilly Elegy, has nothing in it about the political outlook of any kind. In fact, there was more than political commentary that was lost in translation from page to screen.