Tag: Rated PG-13

No Time to Die (2021)

There was a lot to try to digest while walking into No Time to Die, despite having an extra amount of time to prepare for the film (it was one of the first to delay its release at the beginning of the COVID pandemic). It would be the end of the Daniel Craig era, the only actor who truly could threaten Connery as the best Bond (as of this writing, I have seen just under half of the films in the franchise).

Well, by the end of the 2 ½ plus hour film (the longest 007 film to date), there was even more to digest.

Tags 2021, Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Movie Reviews, No time to die, PG-13, Pierce Brosnan, Rami Malek, Rated PG-13, Sean Connery

2 1/2 Stars Movies

Venom: Let there be Carnage (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date October 4, 2021
No Comments on Venom: Let there be Carnage (2021)

Despite my qualms I had with the first Venom film, I did have some high hopes with the upcoming sequel when I saw the first film’s post-credit scene.

While I have stated I am not an expert in comic book lore, I feel I know enough to know that Woody Harrelson would be the perfect actor to play the villainous Cletus Kasady/Carnage. Even with him added on to this universe, the result is still a basic run of the mill action packed CGI fest. It is a shame, since there are a decent amount of moments in Venom: Let there be Carnage that had me smiling almost like a symbiote invested entity would.

Tags 2018, Andy Serkis, Carnage, Comic Book, Marvel, MCU, Michelle Williams, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Tom Hardy, Venom, Venom Let there be Carnage, Woody Harrelson

4 Stars Movies

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date September 30, 2021
2 Comments on The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

It seems worth mentioning that anyone’s opinion of a biopic will definitely depend a lot on how well that person knows the source material. The more one knows, the higher the expectations.

To put it candidly, I knew virtually nothing of Tammy Faye Baker, other that she, along with her husband, was one of the more popular televangelists of the 1970s and 1980s (just before my time). At many points of The Eyes of Tammy Faye (based off of a documentary from 2000 of the same name), I realized they were the reason I would see other televangelists as a kid when I would be flipping through channels early Sunday mornings (paving the way for the likes of Joel Osteen).

Tags 2021, Andrew Garfield, Biopic, Cherry Jones, Jay Huguley, Jessica Chastain, Michael Showalter, PG-13, Rated PG-13, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Vincent D'Onofrio

1 1/2 Stars Movies

Dear Evan Hansen (2021)

(Not long into Dear Evan Hansen, I realized the best audience I could write to would be myself as a High School Senior.)

Dear Mark A. Lester (circa 2005),

Tags 2021, Amandla Stenberg, Amy Adams, Dear Evan Hansen, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Wonder

3 Stars Movies

Cry Macho (2021)

This truly seems like uncharted territory. I mean, when was the last time you saw a movie where a nonagenarian directs themselves in the lead role?

While I admit to not seeing all of his films (both in front of and behind the camera), I have seen more than enough to know that Clint Eastwood has long since made his mark not only as cinematic legend, but an American relic. Regardless of what age he is in the movies, he still plays the no-nonsense, hard lined tough guy as good as anyone ever has. No one else ever looked more terrifying when holding a gun.

Tags 2021, Clint Eastwood, Cry Macho, Dwight Yoakam, Eduardo Minett, Fernanda Urrejola, John Ford, Natalia Traven, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Westerns

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

5 Stars Movies

CODA (2021)

The story has been told many times, in many movies.

A teenager/young adult is the odd one out of their family as he/she tries to follow their passion that will be in direct conflict with their family, despite the family being a loving one. These are movies such as October Sky (1998), Billy Elliot (2000), Bend it Like Beckham (2002), Sing Street (2016), and Blinded by the Light (2019). Even if the movies were good to some degree (as are the previously named films, in my opinion), we know the formula so well that it is near impossible not to predict what will happen.

Tags 2021, Amy Forsyth, Apple TV, Bend it like beckham, Billy Elliot, Blinded by the Light, CODA, Daniel Durant, Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Marlee Matlin, Movie Reviews, October Sky, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Sing Street, Troy Kotsur

3 Stars

Respect (2021)

Toward the end of 2010, Rolling Stone released a list of the top 100 vocalists of all time. I remember at the time being a bit shocked that Elvis was not at the top of the list (he was 3). When I saw that #1 was Aretha Franklin, I thought to myself “Oh, well, okay. That makes sense.”

People who think Aretha was not a good singer are people who most likely do not exist, or at least people I have not met or heard of. Right from the beginning of Respect, we know she is being told at a young age that her voice is a gift from God. The movie is clear in telling us this, but not entirely in giving us much more.

Tags Biography, Biopic, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Movie Reviews, Musical, Musical Biopic, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Respect

3 Stars Movies

Black Widow (2021)

Even with the COVID pandemic pushing back the release date of Black Widow (and a host of other films), the newest Marvel film indeed seems to be arriving rather late.

Perhaps those who have never seen a film from the MCU won’t feel that way, but for the rest of us, it is inevitable (pardon my Thanos plug there) to feel this film should have come out before the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), where Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johanson) dies. That fact still hovers over the second female lead film of the MCU (after 2019’s Captain Marvel), leading us to feel like those behind the scenes may have screwed up.

Tags 2021, Black Widow, David Harbour, Disney, Florence Pugh, Marvel, MCU, PG-13, Rachel Weisz, Rated PG-13, Scarlett Johansson

5 Stars Movies

Summer of Soul…(or, when the revolution could not be televised) (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date July 10, 2021
3 Comments on Summer of Soul…(or, when the revolution could not be televised) (2021)

Why?

That is the question that was on my mind not long into the documentary Summer of Soul. It continued to grow more and more until the credits began to role. Most of the time, when this one word question is in our heads during a film, it is the beginning of the question “Why was this movie made? It is so bad!”

Tags Documentary, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Summer of Soul