Tag: Rated PG-13

Morbius (2022)

Approximately six hours prior to seeing Morbius, I (perhaps prophetically) had a dentist appointment to have a filling replaced.

If you know me, you know the dentist (despite how nice they are to me) are among my least favorite places to go. On the Brightside, there was a slight miscommunication, as I only had a cleaning done. The experience was rather paralleled in that to my going into seeing Morbius, knowing that word of mouth said it was not going to be good. Seeing Morbius is indeed like going to the dentist to get a cavity filled (or a root canal), only to find out it is something as minor as a cleaning: While it is not all that bad, it is not an experience you want to go back on.

Tags Jared Harris, Jared Leto, Marvel, Matt Smith, Morbius, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Sony, Tyrese Gibson

4 Stars

The Batman (2022)

We are coming up on nearly a full eight decades since the caped crusader first appeared on big screens (thanks in part to serials of the 1940s).

Since then, we have had a ton of contributions to the character over the years. From grappling hooks to gravely voices to batarangs to shark repellant to bat nipples, Batman is a character that is as full of depth as any fictional being out there. Adding the grammatical article making the newest installment The Batman just scratches the surface of what the new installment adds to the lore.

Tags 2022, Andy Serkis, Batman, Colin Farrell, Comic Book Movie, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Movie Reviews, Noir, Paul Dano, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Robert Pattinson, Superhero, Tenet, The Batman, The Lighthouse, Zoe Kravitz

2 1/2 Stars

Uncharted (2022)

The undisputed magic of the Uncharted video game series was that it was the closest thing one could do to feel like they were Indiana Jones (outside of the original Tomb Raider games or being Harrison Ford).

The individual plots of the games were not entirely as memorable to me as the gameplay. Like the Indy films, the physics behind the action was ludicrous, yet still seemed plausible at the same time. I can’t speak for many video games in the present day (I watch too many movies to have time to play them), but some games like Uncharted seem so well suited to the video game world that they are cinematic on their own terms, and don’t require a film adaptation.

Tags 2022, Antonio Banderas, Mark Wahlberg, movies based off of video games, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Ruben Fleischer, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Tom Holland, Uncharted

"Top Tens", and others Movies

The Top 20 of 2021

From The Little Things to The Tragedy of Macbeth (Denzel bookends), I rounded out my amount of movies seen at seventy.

Even with that amount of movies, there was a fair amount of films I did not get to in time (especially, sadly, Foreign Language films). These include The Last Duel, The Green Knight, The Card Counter, Drive my Car, The Worst Person in the World, Stillwater, and The Tender Bar.

4 1/2 Stars Movies

Mass (2021)

We are getting to the point in our country where everyone will have either been a witness to a mass shooting or will know someone who has (or worse, known a victim).

If you don’t believe me, well you will, because I was at NIU on Valentine’s Day in 2008 when a shooter killed five students before taking his own life.

Tags 2021, Amazon Prime, Ann Dowd, Fran Kranz, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, mass, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Reed Birney

4 Stars

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date December 17, 2021
4 Comments on Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Part of me wants to go the coward’s way, and not even review Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Easily the most anticipated movie since Avengers: Endgame, I will do all I can to be sure not to spoil anything for anyone, provided they have at least seen the two trailers for the film (and while this may be too little too late, stay away from the movies IMDB page).

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

4 Stars

tick, tick… BOOM! (2021)

After seeing tick, tick,…BOOM!, you may be wanting to ask me a simple question.

I have the answer: No, I had no idea that Andrew Garfield was able to sing.

Tags 2021, Alexandra Shipp, Andrew Garfield, Bradley Whitford, Hamilton, In the Heights, Lin Manuel Miranda, Netflix, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Rent, Robin de Jesús, Superbia, tick tick boom!, Vanessa Hudgens

4 Stars

King Richard (2021)

A month or so ago, a question was asked on one of the (far too many) groups I am a part of on facebook: What is Will Smith’s best performance (or what was his best movie, I can’t remember which). My answer was simple: We need to wait until King Richard comes out.

In short, it is a good thing I did wait, because this is easily his best performance since The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).

Tags 2021, Aunjanue Ellis, Demi Singleton, Feel Good, Jon Bernthal, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Saniyya Sidney, Sports, The Punisher, The Walking Dead, Will Smith

3 Stars

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date November 21, 2021
2 Comments on Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Being born in the late 80s, the only real chance I had at watching a Ghostbusters film was the female remake back in 2016. Since I missed out on that one, Ghostbusters: Afterlife ended up being the first of the franchise that I’ve seen on the big screen.

Another reality set in as I was watching the franchise’s latest entry: we may be in a world now where audiences care more for fan service than plot. That is not to say the story of this film is not intriguing or confusing, but that telling a story is taking a back seat to fan service.

Tags 2021, Carrie Coon, Celeste O' Connor, Finn Wolfhard, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ivan Reitman, J.K. Simmons, Jason Reitman, Mckenna Grace, Movie Reviews, Olivia Wilde, Paul Rudd, PG-13, Rated PG-13