johnfanning-53228

IMDb member since August 2021
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    3 years, 1 month

Reviews

The Menu
(2022)

Intriguing Film
The Menu was a unique film with an original plot. So may movies today lack originality, but this film is a delight for those weary of the never-ending comic book films and special effects features.

The ensemble was put together well, and Anna Taylor Joy is undoubtedly one of the, if not THE, best actresses in Hollywood today. Some movies seem like they would be interesting just because of the story, but she is proving to be the type of actress through her performances that make the movie worth seeing, regardless of plot. Very few actors can make any film worthwhile with their performance alone, such as Jack Nicholson. Anna Taylor Joy is rapidly approaching that level of entertainer.

Ralph Fiennes does a great job as the antagonist as well. He does outstanding in playing the role of a gourmet chef with a cult-like following hungry for his creations. The trailer easily leads one to assume that this film is going to be a film about cannibalism (fortunately, it is not) but instead it goes in a completely different direction weaving suspense and curiosity as to what exactly it is this chef trying to accomplish.

Original, well acted, and enjoyable, I would recommend this movie to any cinema buff.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
(2015)

Each Sequel Better than its Predecessor!
Usually, sequels pale in comparison to the ones that came before it. Sometimes, a sequel can be even better (think Terminator 2 compared to the first one). Rarely does a movie franchise continue to get better with a bunch of sequels (although in my opinion the Fast and Furious has been somewhat successful in pulling this off).

Well, Mission Impossible has made it possible that sequels can be not only good, but great.

Tom Cruise may appear to some as having a death wish with the level of stunts he is doing. That maybe the case, but the only thing Tom Cruise does not seem to be able to do is hold down a relationship. The guy is virtually unstoppable and makes James Bond seem "meh" compared to Ethan Hunt. Awesome movie!

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
(2011)

Much better than the previous installments.
I was not a fan of the first few installments of this series. I was ready to write them off with no concern about watching any of the other ones. Man I am glad I gave it one more shot!

This movie was great! The action and the stunts are superb, the storyline is solid, and I am now ready to embrace this franchise.

For a long time I thought Tom Cruise was just some weirdo partaking in a cult you have to pay money to be a part of. Well, that level of insanity may be exactly what is needed to pull off the stunts in this movie, because they are completely wild!

I think this movie certainly solidifies Tom Cruise as a reputable, legit action star. He may lack the muscles of Arnold and Sylvester, but he has intensity in abundance and balls the size or Arnold and Sly put together. Great film!

Mission: Impossible - Fallout
(2018)

There Is No Stopping Tom Cruise!!!
Wow! Where does one start? This movie is an exhilarating thrill ride form start to finish! The stunts are insane, but knowing Tom Cruise does them himself makes the insanity palpable.

Henry Cavil does a fine job in this film as well. The guy is a tremendous actor who holds his own in scenes with Cruise. Ving Rhames is also back in a bigger role than the last couple installments which was also refreshing.

The cast is well rounded, although I missed Jeremy Renner in this one. He's such an underrated actor who also delivers in his performances, and needless to say he was missed in this one.

Still a great film, and I am looking forward to the next.

M3GAN
(2022)

Fun Film!
M3GAN was an enjoyable movie. It was not overly gory and very suspenseful. It serves as an intelligent commentary on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence as well as the side effects from allowing children too much time with technology.

The film has humor spread throughout and is not overly complex. It is relatively straight forward and puts forward an interesting plot.

The performances were solid, and it is easy to forget that M3GAN is supposed to be more of a toy/doll/robot opposed to an actual little girl.

M3GAN seemingly is the type of toy that every loving parent would want their child to have, until it decides it can be a better parent.

Prisoners
(2013)

Not bad, but not realistic
Prisoners is a story about one man's determination to find his missing daughter at all costs. He goes to great lengths to find her, including administering vigilante justice.

Hugh Jackman plays this role with great emotion and any caring father would be sympathetic to his plight. But it is not here with the performances that was the problem.

The issue I had with this movie was not Jake Gylenhall, but the illogical way he operated as a detective. I do not fault him, as he too turned in a solid performance. But the constant searches of homes with no search warrant obtained, calling for no backup, transporting victims in his own cruiser without first notifying EMS or, again, backup, was unbelievable.

Nothing detracts from a movie more than it's failure to detail, and this movie displayed that in abundance. It seems every movie I have seen with Gylenhall playing a cop disregards common sense and a believable approach to police procedure.

Most people who have watched any movie or even the news is aware police cannot just force entry into one's home without probable cause and/or a search warrant, and anyone with a shred of knowledge about the legal system knows that evidence found in such an even would not be admissible as evidence.

I get that I am supposed to suspend my disbelief, but the actions his character takes are insulting to a fellow responder, the worst being transporting a victim in his own car while driving recklessly and endangering the lives of others.

Had the director just made half an effort to adhere to some kind of realistic policing procedure, it would have gotten a higher rating, but I will not go more than a 6, and that is based solely on the performances of the actors.

The Mean One
(2022)

Average depending on your tastes
I went into this movie with high expectations. Knowing the Grinch was going to be played by the Terrifier and seeing the trailer had me thinking this movie would be hysterically bloody.

Ironically, it was nowhere near as gory as I anticipated, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. All of the Dr. Suess easter eggs were cute.

This film had a lot of potential to really be a wonderful com-horror parody, but I felt they dropped the ball by not letting the Grinch speak. Given that the Grinch has always spoken and drove the story, to have him non-verbal appeared to be a missed opportunity, especially given how violent he was supposed to be in this movie.

Second thing was the acting was lack-luster and the dialogue not particularly well-written. Obviously this film did not have the budget equivalent of a Marvel film, but the acting just left a lot to be desired. That said, the actor playing the deputy did a serviceable job and of course Mr. Thornton did an outstanding job as the Grinch considering he was limited to body language to convey the character.

All in all not terrible. I have seen better< but also seen much worse.

Black Adam
(2022)

Fun Movie
This movie was a lot of fun. I know The Rock has done a ton of movies and a lot of people are crazy about them, but I have only seen a couple of his films that I really enjoyed, with this being one of them.

The story was simple and fun. It had the Rock playing a relatively subdued (at least verbally) superhero. The action was great, Pierce Brosnan was great, and it was just an overall enjoyable movie.

The villain was mediocre as far as comic book villains go. There was nothing extraordinary about his powers other than the fact he was too strong for the Justice Society. This lead to another small critique in that after they "imprison" Black Adam he is only locked up for a VERY brief time before they have to get him out and ask for his help. This seemed rather dumb, as they are immediately asking for his help after they spend so much time trying to imprison him.

Aside from that, the movie was still a lot of fun, rewatchable, and one of The Rock's better movies.

A Christmas Story Christmas
(2022)

A NEW CHRISTMAS CLASSIS
This film was much better than I anticipated. The first film is arguably the greatest Christmas movie ever, so clearly there were large shoes to fill. However, it does the first film justice by keeping with the spirit of the first and by keeping the original cast in their now grown-up roles was also a plus.

The biggest difference is the first film centers around children. The kids are what carry the first movie and drive the plot. The second one, while still centered around Ralphie, is driven mainly by his ambition to provide a great Christmas for his children.

There is no coveted "BB gun" type gift that drives his excitement around the holiday, but rather a desire to make it as special as the one where he received his BB gun.

This was a fun film and one that I think can be added to any must-watch Christmas movie as long as people remember that this is not a reboot and not necessarily made to compete with its predecessor as much as answer a "whatever happened to Ralphie Parker" question. Rewatchable and fun, I would highly recommend it this holiday season.

Nope
(2022)

Overrated Alien Flick
I have yet to figure out why so many people are dubbing Jordan Peele as some kind of horror mastermind or genius. While I will give credit to the storylines and plots being original, they are far from scary.

Get Out was a mediocre film that several people bizarrely claim is some kind of horror masterpiece, when the reality is it is anything but. Us was a decent film with a solid creepy factor baked into it. And then Nope comes out and you have an obnoxious Keke Palmer distracting from a fine performance by Daniel Kaluuya.

The subplot with Steven Yeun being a child actor with a deranged chimpanzee also did not serve the plot of the film. That entire subplot could be deleted and it would not detract from the plot of the film. It failed to serve the bigger story and did nothing to advance the storyline.

The movie wasn't terrible, but it certainly left a lot to be desired. Much like the overrated Get Out, it lacks that re-watchability factor. See it once and that should be enough.

End of Days
(1999)

Great Movie
In my opinion, this was the last Arnold movie released at the box office that was really good. No offense to those Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines fans or any of the other Arnold movies that have come out since he was a governor. This movie was just a lot of fun, and had a horror-theme to it.

Robin Tunney and Kevin Pollock did well in their supporting roles, and Gabriel Byrne was entertaining as Satan. The plot, ultimately, is good versus evil. Arnold being the reluctant good guy going toe-to-toe with the devil was interesting, and perhaps my favorite thing about Arnold's role as Jehrico is that when he finally realizes exactly who he is up against, he still refuses to give in.

I love it when he tells Satan "You think you know bad? You're a choir boy compared to me!" Seeing that line I was just like OMG he just told Satan he was a choir boy compared to himself. And, needless to say, Arnold takes the fight to him.

Filled with action, small moments of humor, as well as being religious-themed, I thought the movie was a blast. And to this date, I still think this was the final Arnold movie that was worth the cost of a ticket. It's definitely one of the many Arnold movies that has the re-watchability factor.

Barbarian
(2022)

Throws an Interesting Curve Ball
This movie was well acted and had a fun storyline. You spend the first half of the movie thinking one thing is inevitably going to happen, only for it to to go in a COMPLETELY different direction. The casting of Bill Skaarsgard, if you have seen him in IT, was definitely a good way to throw people for a loop. I don't want to give any spoilers away. Viewers will just have to watch and see.

The film was creative and you almost think you are watching a second movie in the second half. Justin Long becomes the focus somewhat in the second half, and he nails the douche-type actor role down to a tee.

Terrifier
(2016)

Better Than I Anticipated
After reading the reviews of the sequel, I figured I would try and watch the first movie. I am not a fan of extreme gore movies and have never really thought the killer clown genre was all that scary. But, the reviews to the second film made me want to see how extreme this movie is supposed to be. Not many movies have scenes that make me drop my jaw, but this one had them in abundance.

The plot is relatively straight forward and there is no depth to any of the characters, it takes the dread factor and cranks it up to a ten. The villain is creepy as hell (if you like Pennywise then you should really like this clown) and the abundance of gore does serve a purpose to explain how truly sadistic and evil this clown is.

While I have never been a fan of the Saw and Hostel movies because of their gore, the violent scenes in this movie I felt were necessary to the story opposed to just solely being used to shock the viewer as in the above mentioned films. Not saying the gore in this film wasn't intended to shock the viewer as well, but given the depravity of the killer it seemed warranted.

Not the best horror movie, but it did stir feelings of dread and and surprise that I do not feel much anymore when watching horror movies. On those merits alone, I felt it was enjoyable.

Halloween Ends
(2022)

HOW NOT TO END A FRANCHISE
Where to begin? In a movie that should have been frightening, suspenseful, and aggressive, the director decided to go with a character-driven drama-suspense movie, because that's what everyone who enjoys Michael Myers has always craved...a horror movie about a well established serial killer barely appearing on screen and being nothing more than a sub-plot.

This plot would have been fine if it was a stand-alone feature that was not tied into this franchise at all. You could take Michael Myers out of the equation of this movie and still have a story that would make for an interesting drama. The acting was fine as far as I am concerned. But what was done as the plot to this film undermines fan expectations and leaves the viewer unsatisfied.

The Halloween movies (excluding Season of the Witch) are at their best when they center around Michael Myers being creepy, violent, and creating an atmosphere of suspense and dread. Halloween Ends does none of that and attempted to give viewers a Halloween movie they did not ask for. As absurd as it sounds, I almost believe the director approached this movie like he was trying to produce an Oscar contender.

I actually enjoyed Halloween: Resurrection and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (two of the most disappointing films in the franchise) more than this film. Arguably, it is just barely better than Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, and I say that because I have talked to people that hated that one and thought it was better than this most recent outing. So glad I watched it on Peacock and did not spend money on a ticket...so glad!

Transporter 3
(2008)

Better than the Second
Like some of the other reviews state, this movie was much better than the second one. The fight scenes were still enjoyable, the stunts, while wild, were a little more believable than the 2nd movie. The protagonist was a layered character and was well acted.

This film was refreshingly better than the second one. I was nervous going into it because I was afraid it was going to go over the top with its car driving scenes, but fortunately it remained a little more grounded and was an enjoyable movie.

Transporter 2
(2005)

Not As Good As the First, but Not Bad
The fight scenes were enjoyable, and the story was decent. It featured a smoking hot femme fatale, but the one thing I didn't like was the absurdity of the stunts. They were just absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable. They were so outlandish it actually took away from the movie. The subplot with Matthew Modine and his wife were annoying as well. Divorce or go to marital counseling, for God's sake!

The Transporter
(2002)

Fun Movie
I just watched this movie in full for the first time and really enjoyed it. The action scenes were crisp, the stunts were enjoyable, and the story was decent. Simple, but decent.

The Requin
(2022)

Not Very Good
As mentioned by some of the other reviews, one of the worst things about this movie is Alicia Silverstone's performance. It was so annoying, like she was overacting and was so bad I almost didn't finish the movie. Not sure what the deal was with this, but I know she can do better.

Even in high stress situations, her freaking out and voice was so shrill and it happened so much. And some of the decisions the characters make in the movie defy logic and common sense.

What could have been a halfway decent story was totally undone by bad CGI, plot holes, and terrible acting by the lead star.

Top Gun: Maverick
(2022)

Awesome!
This is one of the few sequels that exceeds the original. Not taking anything away from the first one, but this one reaches heights no other movie has in recent memory. Better still it is not a comic book movie. Tom Cruise delivers an outstanding performance, Miles Teller looks just like a young Anthony Edwards, and Jennifer Connelly is still smoking hot. If you like the first Top Gun, you will love this one.

The Mule
(2018)

Pretty Good Film
Clint Eastwood shines again as an elderly man piddling around and getting into trouble. The fact he is still capable of delivering strong performances is a testament to his durability as an actor. He performance is not as cantankerous as his role in Gran Tarino but is every bit as enjoyable. Rather he is in the director's chair or on the silver screen, he still gives 100%. Great film, well acted, and another notch on Eastwood's durable belt.

Serbuan maut
(2011)

As Close to Perfect an Action Film There Is
The Raid: Redemption is an outstanding piece of martial arts cinema. Iko Uwais has some incredible fight sequences and the action is nonstop. As far as intense fight scenes go, this movie has them in spades. The Raid redefines that a gritty action film is supposed to be. This is the type of film that fans of the John Wick franchise should easily embrace. Absolutely incredible film.

Jeepers Creepers
(2001)

Original Horror Movie
What really makes Jeepers Creepers stand out is that it is a unique story. Yes, it is gory. Yes, the antagonist is a ruthless killing machine. But it's not like Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, and so forth.

This film is not as much a slasher film as it is just a brutal horror flick. Every 23 years, the Creeper gets 23 days to hunt and feast. This itself leads one to believe that this creature is more animal than man. However, he can drive a car too, so who knows?

The Creeper stalks his prey throughout the film, and seeing where he disposes of his victims, as well as their remains, tells one that his intentions for his prey is nothing pleasant. Kudos to this movie for developing an original concept and creating an entirely new villain to terrify audiences.

The Hills Have Eyes II
(2007)

Better Than What You Think
I do not necessarily agree with the negative reviews of this movie. I thought it was entertaining and just as uncomfortably brutal as the first movie. Some of the characters are unlikable, but the movie itself is still pretty enjoyable.

Poorly trained soldiers go to the desert in New Mexico to bring equipment, but they are not aware of the details behind the special operation being conducted there. This leads to them getting ambushed and fighting for their lives.

The sheer brutality of this movie is evident in the first few minutes of this movie. The underlying plot is these mutants are eager to procreate, leading to some uncomfortable scenes. Fortunately this movie keeps some of the same vein as the first one and ends well. In this reviewer's opinion, it's an entertaining film.

The Hills Have Eyes
(2006)

Good for a Remake
The Hills Have Eyes remake is equal parts brutal, uncomfortable, gory, and well acted. There is no silver lining and tons of empathy for this family put through hell in the desert.

Without giving too much away, I appreciated how the film details the courage and determination a man will go through to save his family. This movie is only about an hour and a half or so, but the last 30 minutes is incredibly gritty.

One could surmise that, when under extreme duress and impossible circumstances, when it comes to rescuing one's family, there is nothing too harsh to endure.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(2022)

Wasn't That Bad
This movie was enjoyable for no more than what it was. I am glad it streamed on Netflix because it certainly would not have been worth the cost of admission, but the pacing wasn't too bad and as long as you keep your expectations reasonably low, it can be a a fun way to spend an hour and a half. This movie easily could have been produced and made for Sy-FY and it would not have made much of a difference. The plot is sub-par, but again, keeping expectations low, this film will deliver.

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