Category: 3 Stars

Mortal Kombat II (2026)

In today’s world of IP expectation overload (as of this writing, the trailer for Avengers: Doomsday is still not public), the reboot of Mortal Kombat has definitely gotten less fanfare in comparison, and I am glad for it.

While not as popular as the aforementioned MCU or the Star Wars universe, there are still plenty of fans for the MK verse (not sure if that is the proper term), including myself. Promise was shown after the 2021 reboot, leading to this sequel, which is everything a fan could truly hope for.

Tags 2026, Adeline Rudolph, Karl Urban, Lewis Tan, Ludi Lin, Martyn Ford, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, R, Rated R

3 Stars

GOAT (2026)

It has been three decades since the original Space Jam made a splash in my young life (and even more so in my little brother Jeff’s life).

Nostalgia has blinded me from finding out if that film truly holds up or not (sorry to my nephews, but the same could not be said for the 2021 sequel), but it was, at the very least, a childhood milestone. Naturally, it made me interested in practicing basketball for a bit, yet my short height was holding me back (along with a childhood friend who, while talented, loved to showboat and win over me). Perhaps had GOAT come out in my childhood, things would be different.

Tags 2026, Family Film, Goat, Jesse Jackson, PG, Rated PG, Stranger Things

3 Stars

Wicked: For Good (2025)

At the end of my review of the first Wicked film, I mentioned how I worried about the fact that, as someone who grew up a fan of the musical, the best songs were always in the first half. That is not to say that the second half hasn’t got its share of good tunes, but it is hard to compete against the likes of “Defying Gravity”, “Dancing through Life”, and “Popular” (which I did a spot on lip sync version to as a camp counselor this past summer. Just saying.)

Now, after a yearlong intermission, we are back in Oz with Wicked: For Good, and I regret to say that my fears were realized: It was not just the songs that did not live up to the first half, but the second half as a whole.

Tags Ariana Grande, Ariana Grande-Butera, Colman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Rated PG-13, Wicked, Wicked for Good, Wicked: For Good

3 1/2 Stars 3 Stars Movies

Silk/The Girl in the Street (2025)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date October 19, 2025
No Comments on Silk/The Girl in the Street (2025)

Perhaps I am late to this realization, but with short films, it is much easier to find out the intent of the filmmaker(s) since there is not too much to worry about plot wise.

Such was the case with two new short films I saw by Chris Paicely and Miles August (“Chris and Miles”): Silk (directed by August) and The Girl in the Street (directed by Paicely), both of which each of them wrote.

Tags 2025, Chris and Miles, Chris Paicely, Horror, Miles August, Short Films, Silk, The Girl in the Street

3 Stars

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (2025)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date May 24, 2025
No Comments on Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (2025)

Recently, the married couple of my church went on a (much deserved) sabbatical. I also learned that their three sons (who are amazing) are fans of sorts of the Mission Impossible movies.

Well, by the time they come back from their sabbatical, I may finally be able to explain the plot of Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning.

Tags 2025, Action, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Esai Morales, film, Greg Tarzan Davis, Harold Lloyd, Hayley Atwell, Mission Impossible, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Mission: Impossible, Movies, PG-13, Pom Klementieff, Rated PG-13, Simon Pegg, Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames

3 Stars Movies

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date July 27, 2024
No Comments on Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

It is weird timing for a film like Deadpool & Wolverine.

Ever since the end of Thanos in Endgame, a majority of the shows and films have been, at best, just good (I exempt No Way Home). A lot of super hero fatigue can play into this, along with the termination of Jonathon Majors as Kang and both a writers and actors strike. The film also needs to live up to being not only the MCU debut of both it’s title characters, but the first MCU film to be rated R (more on that later).

Tags 2024, Deadpool, Deadpool & Wolverine, Emma Corrin, Hugh Jackman, Matthew Macfadyen, MCU, Movie Reviews, R, Rated R, Ryan Reynolds, Wolverine

3 Stars

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date March 25, 2024
No Comments on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

I was very wary about this movie, perhaps mainly because I was wary about the franchise as a whole.

The original Ghostbusters from 1984 is an undoubtable bona fide comedy classic. The sequel,…I saw it once and don’t remember much from it. While I have yet to see the 2016 female reboot, the 2021 sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife showed that, with adding some new characters, the franchise still had a little bit of,…well, life. Still, with the film being pushed back from it’s original December release (albeit due to the SAG strike) still had me less than eager to see this. Thankfully, this franchise still has not yet frozen over.

Tags Bill Murray, Carrie Coon, Celeste O' Connor, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, Finn Wolfhard, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Grace Mckenna, Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, Paul Rudd, PG-13, Rated PG-13, William Atherton

3 Stars Movies

Napoleon (2023)

Try as I might, my prior knowledge of Napoleon Bonaparte heading into the latest movie based on him is considerably less than normal (I was going to make a height joke here, but couldn’t think of one).

Aside from knowing him as one of the greatest generals in history, being considered short, and having a complex named after him, I knew nothing more (unless you count him being a fan of water slides thanks to Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure). Even still, it seems to make sense that director Ridley Scott, equally as fearless as Bonaparte (and in his mid 80s, no less) would make a film about the historical figure, which results in the film Napoleon.

Tags 2023, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon, R, Rated R, Ridley Scott, Vanessa Kirby

3 Stars

Dumb Money (2023)

As someone on the autism spectrum, I sometimes think what life would be like if my intense interest in cinema was instead in wall street.

I am not saying I wish that to be the case, but if it were, perhaps I may have had a chance at the whole GameStop issue from the start of 2021, and then clearly understand what is happening in the film based off of these events, Dumb Money.

3 Stars

Gran Turismo (2023)

As a kid, my interest in the Gran Turismo games reflected that of my interest in motor racing in general, which is to say there was very little interest at all (unless said races featured a mascot plumber and his friends shooting turtle shells).

It seems as though director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) and the others behind the film Gran Turismo knew that there would be a good junk of us that know virtually little about the sport of motor racing, so they put together the old formula of a “feel good sports film” together. Anyone who has seen the trailer will be laps ahead of the cliches.

Tags 2023, Archie Madekwe, Based on a True Story, David Harbour, Djimon Hounsou, Gran Turismo, Neill Blomkamp, Orlando Bloom, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Video Games