Category: 3 1/2 Stars

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date November 13, 2022
No Comments on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

It is feasible to believe that no other MCU film to date has had a bigger emotional mountain to climb than Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The first film was such a mammoth success (financially, critically, and even Oscar wise) that a sequel was inevitable from the get go. Then, of course, tragedy struck when the world lost Chadwick Boseman in August of 2020, leaving the sequel in serious jeopardy. Also add in the fact that this would be the final film in Phase 4 of the MCU, and you can see why this film had a lot to accomplish.

Tags 2022, Angela Bassett, Black Panther, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Disney, Dominique Thorne, Leticia Wright, Martin Freeman, Michael B Jordan, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Ryan Coogler, Tenoch Huerta, Wakanda Forever

3 1/2 Stars

The Woman King (2022)

57.

That is the number you should know going into seeing The Woman King, for that is the age of it’s star Viola Davis.

Tags 2022, Cry Macho, Dana Stevens, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, Maria Bello, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Sheila Atim, The Woman King, Thuso Mbedu, Viola Davis, Widows

3 1/2 Stars

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date May 7, 2022
No Comments on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Like many a millennial, I grew associating filmmaker Sam Raimi with the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man Trilogy. While known to be a potent force in the arena of cinematic horror, I sadly have only seen one Sam Raimi horror film as of this writing, The Evil Dead (although one could make the argument Spider-Man 3 was actually a horror in other ways).

Tags Benedict Cumberbatch, Disney, Doctor Strange, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Dr. Strange, Elizabeth Olsen, Michael Stuhlbarg, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rachel McAdams, Rated PG-13, Sam Raimi, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Xochitl Gomez

3 1/2 Stars

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date April 23, 2022
No Comments on The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Before we saw The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (one of the best movie titles in recent memory), my friend Peter asked an interesting question.

“Who would win in a fight: Nicholas Cage or Chuck Norris?”

Tags 2022, Movie Reviews, Nicholas Cage, Nick Cage, R, Rated R, The Unbearable weight of massive talent

3 1/2 Stars

Scream (2022)

Being that I saw the original Scream around the ripe age of 11 or so (it was all the hype in fourth grade), it took me some time to understand the “meta” aspect of the film.

Eventually (after seeing Scream 2, the only sequel I would see until now), I would get the references in the original as I would have seen most of the movies the characters have talked about. Thankfully, one does not need to see any of the other sequels to understand the newest Scream film (technically, “Scream 5”).

Tags 2022, Dylan Minnette, Horror, Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Melissa Barrera, Mikey Madison, Movie Reviews, Psycho, R, Rated R, Scream, Sonia Ben Ammar, Wes Craven

3 1/2 Stars

West Side Story (2021)

Note: If you have not seen the original film, I forbid you to read any further until you have seen it. It is on HULU. Get a free trial. Do whatever you have to. I will wait.

…

Seriously, go see it.

…

Okay, you are back. Now for the review.

Tags 2021, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, George CHakiris, Marni Nixon, Mike Faist, Movie Reviews, Natalie Wood, PG-13, Rachel Ziegler, Rated PG-13, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, Snow White, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

3 1/2 Stars

House of Gucci (2021)

It is a bit poetic that House of Gucci was released on Thanksgiving Weekend.

Like a big meal, House of Gucci will look appealing to many who may end up being surprised at the taste. It has parts that will be an acquired taste, while others will find it takes some time to digest.

Tags 2021, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Gucci, House of Gucci, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Lady Gaga, Movie Reviews, R, Rated R, Ridley Scott, Salma Hayek

3 1/2 Stars Movies

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date September 5, 2021
1 Comment on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

As the second film of the MCU’s Phase 4, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also holds the distinction of being the first true origin story film of the MCU since 2019’s Captain Marvel.

Of course, one could argue that Black Widow was also an origin story, but we have seen Natasha since 2010’s Iron Man 2. Shang-Chi is a character we had no interaction with until now. Like a good amount of the films in the series, it showcases a character that only true comic book fans know something about (I can still remember when non fanboys like myself needed the movies to introduce the likes of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos, Black Panther, and even Iron Man.)

Tags 2021, Awkwafina, Black Widow, Brie Larson, Captain Marvel, Destin Daniel Cretton, Disney, Just Mercy, MCU, Michelle Yeoh, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Simu Liu, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung

3 1/2 Stars

Cruella (2021)

It wasn’t the hair. It wasn’t the look. It wasn’t even the fact that dogs may get killed.

Around the age of five, what got me scared right off the bat of Cruella De Vil was simply that she seemed to always be yelling. Even when she was not upset (which was rare), she was at a high volume.

Tags 101 Dalmatians, Cruella, Disney, Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Mark Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Stanley Tucci

3 1/2 Stars Movies

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Truth be told, my knowledge of “March Madness” is very low (which would surprise no one who knows me). I truly picked Gonzaga to win without knowing until later that they were undefeated, so it should come as no surprise that I have not really watched any games this year.

Why do I say all this? Because the real march madness I have waited for (even more than the “SnyderCut”) since witnessing the ending credit scene of 2017’s Kong: Skull Island has finally arrived, in the ultimate movie monster matchup of Godzilla vs. Kong. In fact, I quickly realized that I have awaited this film since my dad showed me the original (and rather badly dubbed) 1960s version, which has had me on #TEAMKONG ever since.

Tags 2021, Brian Tyree Henry, Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, King Kong, Kong, Kong Skull Island, Millie Bobby Brown, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Rebecca Hall, Team Godzilla, Team Kong