NestorTheGreat

Look for the handsome extra at the 46-minute mark when they are in Hong Kong, and at the hour and 21 minute where we're at Twin Towns Casino, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia.

Seriously, it is a story about a loose canon becoming an independent woman when her strained mother-daughter relationship is further wedged when lies, costumes, and make-believe coalesce. Her journey is littered in let downs and undervalued courage. She meets pretenders who know who they are as she pretends to know who she wants to be dressed as her moral guide and idol, Dolly Parton.

When Red, the clumsy Real Estate Agent, burns bridges at a work party and becomes the woman she admires, to standing ovation, an impersonators' manager offers her a path out of her predicament. Out of the pot and into a saucepan as Red juggles her persona, wigs, and lacklustre breasts! Yes! Boob job to top off her transformation.

Knowing the actress also wrote this semiautobiographical comedy, and her bravura during the casino scenes at Tweed, elevates the film in my mind. Although there was a lot of film on the Cutting Room floor, as first hand witness to a bunch of takes that were unused, I can attest, the finished cut did the job in shorthand. It is a shame there is no bonus material to see what could have been.

Seeing her childhood best friend find happiness encourages Red to find hers, in the unlikeliest of places: a bar for trans impersonators! For those who do not understand metaphor, the shedding of her costume represents a new start. A new skin to take on the next project, whatever it may be.

Great performances by Daniel Webber: doing a spot-on Kenny Rogers; Celeste Barber: hilarious throughout, with an unfortunately cringe-worthy nickname, but her face in a Grease-like dream sequence takes the prize; and an Elvis impersonator that takes a few double takes to recognise, if you know the cast list! Even then, Elvis is a mystery in this film as in real life! Thomas Campbell unashamedly camp in his Bowie outfit, and a pleasure throughout. His voice is not heard, as Red drowns it out in her flamboyant fashion. And, finally, Bobby 'Antman's ex's new beau' Cannavale can also sing! His Lou Diamond impersonation deserves a whole outright movie with him headlining. It's that good! And on a personal note, Bobby: Sorry for not smiling and for looking like a dead mullet during your scene at the Hong Kong set. We'd been there since 4 a.m., and I was just sincerely in awe that you were in this small Aussie film being shot in my backyard...so to speak.

The scenes I'm referring occurred very late the night our nation closed its state borders due to the pandemic. I could have walked across the border to my home in Queensland, but I drove through the highway and got locked in as they were putting the barricades up. Took my a good long two hours to cross that invisible line! When I finally reached the officer that was getting a feel for the situation, he apologised that I had been waiting so long when they should have had two lanes, one to let QLD plates through, and the other to check the Blues' papers to cross over. He admitted to that, but it still took a long time to go home. This is why I think the filmmakers listed all of us extras in the credits! Thank you for that! Thank you, Krew, for sharing your story with the world! Well done!

A worldwide intelligence inter-agency cooperation to stop deadly tech getting in the wrong-er hands. A whodunit that keeps you on your toes as which bad guy works for whom gets muddled by which nation's best female agent suspects whom. The CIA, Norwegian Intelligence, MI6, and China's version of a secret service have their best female agents on the hunt. The tech that changes hands as fast as a pack of cards in a magician's palm, has the power to control anything computerised and online: from city lights to airplanes, the gadget can turn them on and off like a child's toy!

It's up to the trained skills of these women to find the device before it gets sold to the worst villain. Double crossing abounds, but Cruz's fish out her league steals each scene she bumbles her way through, distracting this viewer from who stole what, where and how! The intent to have the two cop buddy feel, like Lethal Weapon (among so many others), falls very short, and yet the contrasting characters work fine, too. The black English IT guru and the Chinese undercover spy, although little used, add another texture to the action genre. It's the poise and smarts that other characters lack.

Bucky, Captain America's best friend (Sebastian Stan), Tom from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (Jason Flemying), and Choco, from Domino (Edgar Ramírez) are the cameo-like appearances of the male cast, as this film is purposefully female lead. The title of this film honours a woman's role in a male-dominated industry. I believe she, the agent the title refers, deserves a whole film all to herself! Unfortunately, that is all I am willing to reveal, as the film does a better job at it.

Special features of the BluRay claim the film was made differently to the norm. Instead of writing the script with an actor in mind for the characters, the filmmakers asked the actors for a character, and wrote the script around their proposals. The outcome is a character with a specific set of skills used to the most efficient degree, by each one. So the IT nerd could hack anything, but her field work was rusty. The two Alphas, Mace and Marie, played coyly by Jessica Chastain and Diane Kruger, respectively, do a Tango and Cash waltz throughout the proceedings. Very stereotypical for male alphas, but kind of new in the female lead genre. The only bickering, whinging and whining came from the reluctant tag along: Penelope Cruz, though in a humorous fashion. Bingbing Fan, who played Blink in X-Men: Days of Future Past, plays the strict, serious, and warming personality of the Chinese force with much aplomb. Nobody will laugh at her act! Lupita Nyong'o, the mentioned IT guru Khadijah, renowned now from her magnificent role in Jordan Peele's Us, gives a subdued, quiet and intelligent take on an agent wanting to leave the field behind and concentrate on teaching or marrying or both. Her heart is not in the job at hand until she is forced to pay attention.

Some ruthless decisions by the 'bad guys' leave the ladies with only each other to rely on. With renewed vigor and strength, the rogue team of 5 wreck havoc in pursuit of the technology before catastrophe strikes.

Hopefully, unlike the A-Team, we can see these women work together again fighting crime!

Looking at the forthcoming Flash reset, it pains me to think we may not see Shazam again. From the online gossip, the public didn't like the family unit portrayed. Too disjointed, maybe? I enjoyed the dynamic: especially when they mixed the young characters with their SHAZAM counterparts. When Pedro is saved by the little orphan, Annie in Shazam form was great writing (not her real character name: just drawing a comparison)!

Having just rewatched and reviewed Shazam! The jump in years was evident from the get-go. They've grown and are "growing out of" the system that funds the orphan lifestyle. No matter how important their family is to them, life goes on full steam ahead! Like a runaway train, Billy goes from solo to large-group-management in a flash and doesn't handle the responsibility to the best of his abilities. Case in point: Freddy Freeman's new-found fame as his Shazam persona, played perfectly by Adam Brody, is intefering with Billy's desire to control. Coming from a place of losing loved ones, Billy holds his new family a little too tightly. Cue the mirrored villains!

Atlas, one of the letters of the film's namesake, the sly dog that he was, had three daughters with varying mothers. The Daughters of Atlas, now released into our world, create havoc for the divided team. It's up to Billy Batson to defeat his insecurities and reunite the heroes he knows his siblings to be!

Meanwhile, the Charmed trio themselves, Hespera, Kalypso, and Anthea, are coming to terms with their father's demise and what legacy each wish to leave the mortals. The power struggle is evident, yet Billy fails to see the similarity until it's too late, or is it?

Time after time, when Billy, in either version, is confronted with a question of right or wrong, he always responds like a hero. That's what made him worthy to begin with! The Wizard cast a spell to fetch him a worthy candidate, and in this film, up against murdering demigods, we see how well that magic worked. When I saw Djimon "Amistad" Hounsou in the trailers, I thought it was going to be flashbacks. Boy! Wasn't I pleasantly surprised!? The levitas that he brings to The Wizard just barely balances the might and powerful performances of Atlas' Hesperides: Helen, Lucy, and Rachel. A stellar cast on both sides of the fence!

While the first Shazam dealt with Chosen Family, this second outing focused on individual versus teamwork ideals. As Billy tries leading, he becomes demanding and inconsiderate. Meanwhile, without a guide, the rest of the Shazam team are all doing their own thing. It will take a lot of give and take for them to get it together before it's too late, and the Golden Apple is planted in the wrong dimension! Oh! Nearly forgot to mention the dragon! There's a dragon, too!

My advice: don't let the sparce nod to mythology distract you from the fun, family adventure this film certainly is.

From religion to witchcraft, relic hunters can tell you about the artefacts said to be imbued with special powers or somebody's spirit. From these tales and the tombraiders' experiences, a tale of an exotic word, when uttered by the chosen vessel, is so powerful it could imbue 'the one' with the ancient powers of 7 Gods... (kind of like the Eternals meets the 10 rings, but not the same). The wisdom of Solomon: son of David in the Hebrew testament, but also a demon master in mythology; the strength of Hercules: the Roman equivalent of the greek Heracles; the courage of Achilles: with or without his heels; the power of Zeus: needs no introduction; the stamina of Atlas: who holds the world on his shoulders; and the speed of Mercury: the trickster with wings on his helmet; all join forces to combat the 7 demons who are named after sins. A mixmatch of religious, mythological, and pagan sources, the resulting hero is a Frankenstein of sorts. Parts from lots of beings held together by the purest heart of the orphaned Billy Baxter.

Pure of heart doesn't mean actions. It means intentions. Billy broke laws, but not with malice. His intentions were honest when disobeying the law in search of his lost mother. Or was it he who was lost in the fair? The dilemma haunts the boy's proceedings but does not impede him from acting in the best ethical manner: defending the weakest from big bullies.

When Billy Batson is taken in by a motley crew of former and current foster children and adults, not only has he to learn how to fit the Shazam suit's responsibility, but more importantly, Billy must learn to love back. His lessons come thick and fast when a super-villian shows up to claim what he was denied as a child. The prologue, in which Thaddeus has an unsuccessful audition with the Wizard, ignites a life-long quest to find the way back to it. When he finally confronts the Wizard and gets his hands on an artefact, he releases the 7 monsters: Pride, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, Wrath and Sloth. Now he has their powers and can direct their actions, or can he? The journey of the villian, as interesting and circumstantial as Billy's own, differs in one major way. One works alone, and the other learns to trust his family. And, yet, children, no matter how many, cannot go up against a powerful adult warlock unless they unite. And so the battle unfolds with lightning and quick-thinking minds.

The side story of the bully brothers, a foreshadowing, maybe, of Billy's character and heart.

The only thought that nagged at me is that now Billy shares his powers and responsibilities with his 5 new siblings, we know very little of their past, and present is brushed over too quick to decide. If any of them were sacrificed in the fight with monsters, would the audience shed a tear? Hopefully, with further chapters, we can learn to love them as much as we do both versions of Billy (the boy and the manchild in tights) and their actors by osmosis (Asher Angel & Zachary Levi)!

Some fun post-credit scenes that today, coming from seeing Fury of the Gods, didn't get their pay-off, fully, yet. The worm and the headless body promised a cameo or more from the DCEU and a great, little, viallian from Venus.

Shazam! Is a very light, fun, action-packed popcorn film that reminds me of a mix of 80's classics: The Greatest American Hero: a hilarious television show; and Tom Hank's film: Big, there's even a nod to the piano scene! It also reminds this old man of a show I watched as a youngster. The cartoon had a couple of teen superheroes and a monkey. The Wonder Twins, Google kindly told me, had some similar situational comedy moments. Let's be honest, it's not as deep and disturbing as The Dark Knight, nor as silly as Batman & Robin: the OTT Schumacher fiasco. Maybe it's DC's response to Ragnarok (2017)? Maybe somewhere along the path of rounding out great stories... after the proposed Flashpoint reset.

Mila Kunis, Glenn Close, and lots of familiar faces doing an independent film about a topic quite painful and ignored. A once loving family is destroyed by the addiction and despair caused by illicit drugs.

Watching Mila's amazing performance, her transformation into a film star, no longer That ditzy 70's Show teen, was truly great! She somehow exudes addiction, the main issue of her character, from her eyes! The look of fear, desperation, and pain in Mila's acting couldn't have been any better! Believable to the extent we suffer her mum's heartbreak! And when the shock of seeing Glenn's facelift up close wears off, you'll be able to focus on the strength it took this character, the mother, to withstand her daughter's addiction. A drama so well done it felt like a documentary about real-life families!

Brilliant black and white film, but very grey subject matters as it's not about wealth, though it prevails throughout, nor is it about privilege, though that resonates, too. It's about orphans and parenting!

The title character is sold during the great depression to a rich industrialist who provided him the best education money could buy. With that advantage, Charles uses one of the businesses left him, a Newspaper, to tell truths that those who raised him would prefer not widely circulated.

Unfetted, unwarranted incontrolable greed, and the injust cretins that manage it do what they please, as Kane's parents learn. Bit like now if you ask me!

Very Finch or Memento in the distorted storytelling and editing style.

Agnes Moorehead, the mean witch slash mother-in-law in Bewitched, is the equally selfish mother that sold her son. But was Mary really selfish, or was she looking out for his well-being? The mortality rate in that time was low but much lower for people in Mary's situation. Putting the film in the time it was made gives its meaning much more power. That a real rich person thought the movie was about him gave the film the publicity it needed! William Randolph Hearst's castle, long-running newspaper, political ambition, and wives are the similarities. Hearst inherited his fortune from his father, unlike the story in the film.

In today's view, it's all been done. But Citizen Kane was first in so many categories it's difficult to list all. Storytelling is its best feature, then cinematography, make-up and editing! A film that, unfortunately, is recommended among cinephiles, ignored unnecessarily, otherwise!

Close encounters of the first, third, and fifth kind, if there are as many! Does under the skin count as an encounter?

Another Jordan Peele film that allows as many interpretations as its viewers. But this time, it's not black versus white but human versus alien.

Even the alien entity is an original idea on film. What if the Alien were carnivorous and enjoyed the taste of human meat? This film answers that and many more bizarre questions you could have!

A Hollywood animal training business run by the Haywood family is in financial distress. Since CGI and a horrific event on a set involving a chimpanzee, the demand for live animals has decreased dramatically. To survive the recession, the faithful son, OJ, sells their stock with the intention of buying them back at some stage. The Alien has other intentions.

Researching online, I found many pondering the meaning of this film. Does it have to have a deep, powerful message to be a good film? I thought it was a very entertaining, edge-of-your-seat, weird, and interesting film without much meaning other than the obvious. And the obvious is the mentality that if it's not caught on camera, it didn't happen: the selfie and film everything age we're in! It's a huge conversation starter!

A not very funny 'Clerks' with older gents and a bunch of social issues too long to list. The dramas come thick and fast in the day of the life of a fast food worker as his life and plans come crashing down around him, with a little nudge from the replacement he's training. Having done the same menial tasks for way too long, Stanley has grown attached to the minimum wage job. Heads butt when Jevon stirs thoughts and memories in Stan that leads to a series of unfortunate events.

A good format of skipping from one character's background to another's while also following the main, my man Stan. It provides a sense of comprehension when jarring opinions come unexpectedly from one or the other. The filmmakers don't force us to choose a side, but instead to just mellow in the blurr of beliefs and ideals this film stirs up.

It also brings up a number of moral questions. And as with any dilemma in life, one's choice in that exact moment is unique: somebody else or at another time in your own life, and that choice and its outcomes will differ. This film does not ask "what would you have done?" in those circumstances, but asks you to empathise with their good or bad choices.

Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno representing the "mighty and raging fury" that hides in everybody, for the first time on TV as the first episode of the series of the same name. The movie-length origin story (Episode 1) is mostly faithful to its source material, with a few liberties taken by producers to make it less 'Superman' superhero and more everyday battler trying to control his rage. This film is the catalyst to my favourite after-school program when the adventures of David Banner and his alter ego: Hulk would be broadcast at 4 pm. And, yes, ending the alliterations of superhero names like Clark Kent, Peter Parker, and Bruce Banner by changing it to David are small liberties, but powerful statements all the same! An interesting choice in adding Dr. Banner's first, second and last names towards the ending, bringing the story back to Marvel's choices.

Using his wife's passing combined with his inability to save her as a springboard to his research later in the film, would have made the comic book writers kicking themselves for not thinking of it first! As I remember it from my comic book days, his wife died of radiation poisoning, as the Nuclear Bomb fear was at its peak.

A nice walk down memory lane, though the special effects in today's standards will fall short and may cause some cringing! The transformation alone deserves a mention. Worse than the puppet in American Werewolf in London transformation, the stop motion effects and the soundtrack that accompanies it are so bad they're great! That sound and the music that played at the end of every episode are etched in my mind!

Great acting for an experimental genre that was made specifically for television. The 70's costumes alone seem ahead of its time viewing it with today's enhanced technology!

Greed takes as many shapes as Satan supposedly does, and looking at political ideologies through the dollar lens reduces everything to a simple devilish financial scam! When a Spanish entrepreneur is recruited into an anarchist 'organisation', combined with his hatred of banks, he concocts a plan to destabilise the American dollar. Even Che Guevarra said that that was too hard!

As it's all based on a true story type film, the ridiculousness of the escapades feel more real than they should! Clumsy, near-sighted, or just plain incompetent, the government forces trying to catch the criminals are constantly outwitted and ridiculed at every turn. The French setting aside, the comparison to Pink Panther's bumbling detective is undeniable.

The anti-imperial-Americana that Spain's Francoist education imparted on these Spaniards living in France imbues the story with a sense of David vs. Goliath. The one-eyed giant, in this case, is a multinational bank trying to make Traveller's Cheques popular at all costs. By clever cooperation and Robin Hood-ish intentions, the small group of people (whom do not like being told what to do) follow the bricklaying Spaniard's every plan, until the bank in question gets wind of the operation.

The battle of wits is minimal as both parties are treading uncharted waters. One is creating a system to benefit the peak of the pyramid while the other does not want to be a brick in its slanted walls, although both think more about themselves than 'the masses'!

Are we just beasts of burden for those that demand everybody do what they did as men (or women or whatever) of action? It seemed the banks needed to be robbed by the poor, foreign bricklayer to support the poorer workers, and the curious French detective had to succumb to the Bank's influence, as if they all had a part to play to unburden the masses of any heavy lifting, in the thinking department! Anarchy, as depicted in this film, never looked so organised and effective in creating wealth for its leaders! If I wasn't aware of the history, it would seem the criminals in this film had more capitalist ideals than trying to put a wrench in the big cog of American progress.

Not sure what to say about this barely romantic and forced situational comedy hodge-podge. The backstories that surround the surreal comedy are as interesting or more than the main thread.

Mr Nice Guy with 1-thing-at-time syndrome where he concentrates on one area of his life at a time, so girlfriend, check, job, check, etc. But when he has to choose his best man and bridal party, the shyest real estate agent in the world realises his choices are limited. Queue the awkward "man-dates" where the sit-com happens!

Highlight for the boys is having Happy pre-Iron Man and the goofy Ant-Man together with the original TV Hulk in the same film way before Marvel exploded! Also, the whole man-cave and setting it exactly where GTA is based are nice touches!

This bromance is surrounded by an eclectic cast of characters, including, but not limited to, the gay personal trainer using married men's insecurities against them; a B&M couple where the male is Alpha in public, but submissive behind leather and closed doors; the orphan bride having nobody to walk her down the aisle nor funds for her dream wedding; and the backstabbing workmate in a cutthroat business. Although they do not overshadow the main story, it's annoying to have all those loose routines...I mean, threads without any other purpose than highlight comedians and their skits! Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk!

Redemption is the name of the game here, folks! How do you redeem your reputation when the stakes are beyond your capabilities? A small town that embraces a young entrepreneur in his endeavour to solve the pettiest cases presented him. From the police to the school and ice cream shop, grown adults fed his growing delusion. But when a close friend goes missing, the trail goes cold before the Kid Detective could find a single clue.

Fast forward many years, and the kid is still trying to make a living, putting 2 and 2s together, poorly. Only looking at his past with adult eyes can he finally redeem himself.

But as he firmly states before embarking on any case: what is found out may shock us, and usually does! A quirky tale told effortlessly with Adam Brody's "couldn't care less" attitude. A surprise treat that gave more than its given credit for: especially the awkward parenting!

Parks and Recreation's cute and kind of creepy admin person, April, AKA Aubrey Plaza, redefines her persona in this fun, realistic, and brutal crime caper. Her portrayal of an angry young adult jumping hoops to get ahead in a discriminatory system designed to make you fail to fill the factory-work positions. Hence, the high interest rate on her student loan, her past misdemeanour, and her pathetic delivery job push her into the embrace of criminals.

With a taste of 'easy' money and a solid brain on her shoulders, Emily turns to scamming to beat the system that put her where she finds herself. When forces beyond their control sabotage and rob their gains, the going gets tough, and she gets going! From being interviewed about her past crimes to becoming a criminal mastermind, was just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Emily's friend and her art passion are the feathers that broke the camel's back and turned a quiet, submissive, and discouraged mouse into a raging lion.

Paula Patton, best known from films like 2 Guns, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, Déjâ Vu, and Traffik, stars alongside Vikings lead Travis Fimmel and the acclaimed Ben Foster in another perfectly encapsulated story arc from a video game, and then some. As 'fel'-infected orcs, led by an evil orc warlock, invade the human realm, a faction of rebels helps the king and his wizard defeat the evil magic.

Based on the popular multiplayer fantasy war game, but rewritten to include a touching father and son story to contrast all the war and magic. Paula's Garona also shows some depth of character in an otherwise obvious casting and acting. The unnecessary Shakespearean contemplations by the King's wizard, the basic soldier concept, and the Camelot king acts are shallow at best.

While secondary actors let it down, the sets, CGI, and LOTR-type vistas propped it up... a bit.

Not the worst nor the best. A good entry, and hopefully, they can build from there unless the upcoming D&D film overshadows it!

Marvel hunkers down with its Multiverse theme and begins its Phase Five chapter of the MCU with a complex story of time. As the title suggests, the majority of the film involves the quantum realm where time and space are diluted and distorted the further "down"you go. It's 1989's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids with much more magnification, so a dust particle in that version is a floating Everest in the, umm, quantumverse. How human-like entities live and have built a bustling city there is a whole other movie! How Kang and Janet knew each other for most of her time there, and how Kang ended up there is what this film elaborates, in bright, flashy colour!

But, if you take away all the gorgeous green screen, ignore the setting and background, the marvelous suprise actors that appear, and the mesmorizing portrayal of Kang, you are left with a story about a daughter and her father. Cassie Lang is all grown up now, trying to make up for all those (5) years her dad and the Pym's went missing, either from the blip or lost in the quantum realm or in jail. Her father, Antman, is her hero above all other Avengers. And a lesson he taught her in the very first Ant-Man appears in action in this film. But the fame has gone to her dad's head, and he fails to see her achievements.

All the while, Janet and Kang's backstory is revealed in flashes while our heroes, separated in the universe inside our world, face one danger after another. As Janet races to save her granddaughter, who is on the run with Scott, Dr. Hank begins to see his wife in a new light as her past catches up with them.

A great entry into the majestic storytelling arc of comic books to film transition. I never forget the first Comic Books that caught my attention as a child were the ones based on mythologies - which we were learning at the time in school. So the Viking myths of Thor, the monsters and trails of the Odyssey, Hercules' strength and valor, and the power of morals all told in coloured boxes and speech bubbles are now portrayed by great actors and production crews, and yet the ideas, emotions and beliefs are still there under the bright lights and big bangs! That's what elevates Marvel movies, in my opinion.

The filmmakers behind these 31 superhero films have solved the puzzle of keeping seats in butts, or vice versa, as the longer these films become, the longer we can sit through them without a break- toilet or distractions of any kind (smart phones)! I found the balance between dialogue/exposition, action sequences, and comedic breaks perfectly balanced to draw my attention back to the story just as I was phasing out. Maybe I was having a good attention day, too! For a minute or two I was trying to figure out where Cassie's Kathryn Newton was recognisable from, and it was two series I'd seen: Big Little Lies and, the lacklastre Netflix 'Lord of the Flies'-type show: The Society.

The soundtrack was another surprising quality that at first I thought a let down, but rejoiced at the decision to keep it less Guardians and more original soundscapes by the end of the film. It balanced the here and there elements by using the trailer's Elton John anthem during the normal "here", and funky or jazzy sounds in the quantum "there". And even in the quantum realm, it seems, bands are formed and positions taken, like a Mad Max film, and not just the costumes!

A nod to AntZ and Avatar, I'm sure, were made throughout the telling of this tall tale by the Yes Man & New Girl director Peyton Reed, his now-known style seeping through the screen. As the second trailer showed, when a good dad is worth fighting for, the good daughter steps up. The man being swallowed by the ant vortex mountain and saved by his loving daughter's outreached hand says more than a million novels could express, in whichever universe you can imagine!

And this brings me to what I like to call: Multiverse for Dummies. Scientifically speaking, we are vibrating, humming, and energy-filled atoms that create a type of force field around each molecule, so in essence, around our whole being. By creating energy, we are simultaneously creating our own unique snail trail and projecting our "future" path. As time is irrelevant, because we only count the girations of the Earth around the Sun: this sun, our sun, not another; then by scientific standards, it could very well be possible to create two diverse paths when, for example, one is faced by a dilemma. One path is created to represent option one, and another to represent option two. This theory exponentionally creates infinite probabilities and/or paths. Is the thought or the intention the creators of this energy trail? So, a multiverse for one person could be every decision and branch thereof they've ever had, from what cereal to eat to whether they should marry or not. Each branch then has branches of its own, and each one to the tiniest twig has a different version of you. And by this theory of mind creating matter, there may even be a spaghetti fingers universe or a jelly pudding one, like other films have suggested. Kang has many versions of himself spread out through infinite branches, and some of them jailed this film's version in the tiny, microscopic quantum realm. The Disney series, Loki, may shed more light on this matter.

As a stepping stone towards a great many more multiverse-opening films, this feels safe. A comfortable place to begin considering the possibilities that by deleting and pasting timelines into the already complex Cinematic and Disney Series Universe, we may see a new X-men, Deadpool, Thunderbolts, Blade and, even, the Fantastic Four back for more great stories. And as we know, as one story ends, another is about to begin.

Nothing new or exciting in the ghost lore encyclopaedia, but an interesting interpretation of the moaning trope. This film feels like a reimagining of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice. Unfortunately, 11's foster dad, Jim Hopper (David Harbour), is no Michael Keaton! That and replacing Winona's Goth teen with an autistic non-gender-specific brat and his big-brawn, little-brains brother are choices the production made that I question!

Although, I have to say, the quest element was inspired. And, the one-minded father was a great choice. The film felt it lacked something, and yet the time flew by with its quick paced storytelling.

The coldness of the characters, and not the icy breath of death, let this film down. The cliches, like Korean manga girl likes nerdy black boy, in this time and age, were cringe-worthy! Other than nit-picking comparisons with the 1988 comedy, this ghost story is a great addition to the genre.

The hunt for a missing child leads two women to face truths well hidden by the irregular narrator, the intrusive ex, and the titular character: ex "Mom" (2013) mother, who outshone her daughter to overtake Farris' show: Allison Janney. That theme carries over into Lou's tenacious endeavour to outwit the terrible kidnapper, by hook or by crook!

As the story develops and characters get drowned out by Janney's bare, rough, and fearsome portrayal of a woman seeking redemption, the revelations that are uncovered lose their power. Especially when they are attached to political commentary on wars, as events alluded to in the film were tied to the leads.

A concise action thrill ride sure to entertain, with Allison's fearlessness, the piece de resistance!

Pick any film about an absent father, set it in Jupiter, get two amazing actors, and you'll be pretty close to this film. A lot of inner voice exposition and slow, gentle reflections by the lead, Pitt in Astronaut gear. Interspersed with inaccurate space disasters, the film is not a philosophical look at deep space exploration and intelligent life, but a character development of a boy searching for his father, his place, and his future whilst emotionally lost in space. But without a talking robot!

The balance between a space Oddessey and a heartfelt emotional drama is a little off, in my opinion. Unless the character has an autistic trait like not showing emotions, the film skews on the side of unrelatable action rather than delving into the psyche that makes this great space pilot so cool, calm, and cardiologically amazing!

And unfortunately, so is ignorant hate, as this film so crudely develops in a variety of "inappropriate" ways. And what's inappropriate for one set of people is more so for another set of people. But dividing people by their skewed, media-molded, and simple opinions, like this film clearly does, is a disaster with very minimal comedic relief. And that's a shameful waste of great talent. Painting body art to make a cremation joke was the lowest point!

The love story as old as Romeo & Juliet is well compressed and told. But I could see the actors' discomfort in the intimate scenes.

Nothing new nor enlightening, although I understood the message for the target audience, the rest of the educated world let out a number of deep sighs and a few eye rolls.

Talk about hammering an idea through the thickest recepters... the theme of interracial relationships was thoroughly attacked. The resolution resonated on a different frequency from the initial premise and could have been developed a bit more.

What did the two antagonists learn from the experience? Without it, this film is just a black and white version of Steve Martin's Father of the Bride!

Hopefully, it accomplishes its purpose!

Just like the title has no bearing on this film, the title of this review hides my fancy of this tale. Now, the way it was told is a whole other set piece, which we were introduced to before the wretched characters! With that panning shot of the warehouse with the wooden-panelled exteriors of the interior set, it reminded me of the other mouthful movie, Dogville (Nicole Kidman)...in that it's more about words than actual locations. But I was pleasantly surprised.

A tale about an English nurse employed to watch a girl starve herself...in the middle of nowhere, rock Island, Ireland. The culture shock alone deserved a whole movie, and add that it was set pre-vehicle. And it seems all the horse and carriages were reserved to pick the corpses of the potato famine massacre, and just the rich folk could afford a horse. The doctor, nurse, and nun had to walk hours, multiple times a day, to sit for eight hours supervising a young girl to see if she eats! A tale as old and sad as time is hidden behind faith and gospel in a poor Irish Christian family struggling to survive. Cunning her way to fame, fortune, or fate is what we're left to see. And what a view!

Well done to all!

There were a lot of casino robbery films in 2001, it seems. Two at least! The differences between 3000... and ...11's is huge, non-mathematically speaking. Although they both have a great cast, Slater's role was uninspiring and flat, so the film loses points there.

Instead of the setup montage in Ocean's, with the catchy remixed Little Less Conversation, in 3000 we get an Elvis impersonators slideshow (powerpoint) with a forgettable soundtrack. After viewing the credits and seeing the thanks to the Presley Estate, I am left wondering why they didn't use more, and better, tracks. Instead they took The Matrix's punk/underground/grunge metal route, without the fantastic bullet-time, and the film suffers from it.

A very simple story, with a fresh-faced, millionaire-to-be Monica Geller and her real life future ex-husband Arquette, and an insanely electic cast backing the main sad heroes of the tale. Seeing Costner's dark side was surely a treat worth remembering!

Imagine if you were the subject of a David Attenborough documentary for alien visitors! Your mundane activities, described in details you've never really noticed before, or hadn't heard it expressed in that manner, narrated in ones head. Like a mental illness, but much more fictitious.

A role that puts the goofy comedy styling of Will Farrell in a secured safe while he brings his best performance, in my opinion. A nuanced and subdued representation of an everyday, shy accountant haunted by a future he both desires and fears: a tense battle to stop the inevitable passing of time. And more.

It's a film that you should see with as little information as possible. Just know it was good enough for Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

A tongue-tied, uptight, proper English guy gets wooed by a movie superstar but an alien-looking roommate, his friends and sister, and a misunderstanding involving the star's boyfriend collide in an explosion of comedy! A romantic comedy where it's the other way around: the female is saying all the right things!

It's reverse Pretty Woman, but her same infectious smile and laughter. He is the struggling bookshop owner and she an internationally renown artist. After a funny cute-meet, one thing leads to her needing a place to lay low from negative press, so stays at his, slumming it. A big difference from the luxurious Savoy where she stays under cartoon character names.

It seems a Romeo and Juliet retelling for the shy, women fearing and respecting millennial man. He waits patiently for her to make the first move, define the relationship, and be told where he stands. Very modern!

3 hours!! Had to leave with 26 minutes left. But any more debauchery and things would've gotten uncomfortable. Like that couple up the back with their staggered depature so that the guy could carry her bag over his enlarged pants! No judgement- I'd have been same or worse off at his age!

If this film were a dart board, and it's the director's 3 shots: one hits the wall, the other rebounds off the wire divider, and the third hits a double 2. Like 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood', the point of the films aren't its subjects, but more its setting: time, place, and peripheral markers. The invention of "talkies" films is this film's focus and triumph of delivery. The bells and whistles that came with it are questionable!

A conundrum of majestic proportions! Michelle Pfeiffer greatly demonstrates, in her portrayal of a lost woman, the agony of losing a child, but also of reuniting with him years later. Having been raised by a doting parent, instead of evil kidnappers as everybody thought, turns the film on its head. What do you do?

These events actually happened when the stolen children of Argentina were found living normal lives in Europe. They had no idea they were lost! The film exposes the pain, confusion and guilt both families went through. The how and why of the child's abduction is irrelevant, as the film so rightly brushes over them and focuses all our attention on the upsetting nature of this reunion.

Fine acting by Michelle and the boys, though I found the father figure ingrating, though it may have been a reflection of the times in which the film was set. The thrill, anxiety and desperation as you feel through the film is exhilarating.