Movie review: Birds Of Prey And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

 Harley and the Joker are over and if that isn't enough, announcing their breakup publicly puts a target on Harley's head. Teaming up with The Huntress, Black Canary, and others Harley and her crew try to save a young girl from psychotic mobster Black Mask.

Margot Robbie (Harley), Rosie Perez (Renee), Mary Winstead (Helena/Huntress), Jurnee Smollett (Dinah/Canary), Ewan McGregor (Sionis/Black Mask), Ella Basco (Cassandra), Chris Messina (Zsasz).

Birds Of Prey And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn begins with some lead-in to tie this film with the franchise storyline. This film explores Harley's life immediately following her split with Joker as she, in typical Harley style, goes off the rails. With a target on her head, she teams up with The Huntress and Black Canary to battle Black Mask and save a young girl. Unfortunately, all of that sounds much better than it is.

Acting was a bit of a mess in this one. Robbie, who was excellent in Suicide Squad, retained almost none of that luster here. The humor fell flat much of the time, and the physical presence aka hotness was missing as well. Perez and Winstead almost felt like they phoned this one in, whereas Smollett seemed to oversell it to compensate. And she brought the hotness Robbie lost. McGregor fits as a psychotic nemesis of course.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were nicely done and the film retained much of the big screen feel seen in this franchise. CGI and effects, largely centered around action scenes, are nicely done and in keeping with the franchise. Dialogue was mediocre and as mentioned, much of the humor just didn't land. Sound and soundtrack are okay.

Overall, we were anticipating Birds Of Prey And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn and Robbie expanding on her character. Instead this felt like a lethargic attempt to exploit a financial opportunity and little more. The film adds very little to the franchise at the end of the day.

With violence, gore, and foul language, save this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2020
Reviewed: 11.26.20
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Action, Crime, Adventure, Thrillers, Comic Books and Superheroes

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Terminator: Dark Fate

 Sarah may have prevented Judgment Day, but when a new liquid Terminator is sent to eliminate the future resistance leader, her fight continues. Teaming up with an enhanced super soldier and a most unexpected ally, the three set out to once again save humanity from the machines.

Linda Hamilton (Sarah), Arnold Schwarzenegger (T-800/Carl), Mackenzie Davis (Grace), Natalia Reyes (Dani), Gabriel Luna (Gabriel/Rev-9), Diego Boneta (Diego), Tom Hopper (Hadrell), Alicia Borrachero (Alicia).

Terminator: Dark Fate begins as films often do in this franchise, with the immediate introduction of a new Terminator version rolled into a continuing, but very familiar, storyline. Once again, Terminator's sent from the future are here to kill the future resistance leader thereby ending humanity. What could make this more like previous episodes? Bring back Sarah and the first T-800 as key characters. Which also seems to be where the franchise is starting to fail.

Acting was solid as usual in this franchise. Acting is also feeling old in this franchise. Hamilton and Schwarzenegger both delivered as always and added nicely to the film, and both felt a bit out of place for their age. I've been a fan of this franchise since the beginning, but the series simply feels like it needs to move on. The fight can continue, but the cast is needing an update at this point which of course, we are tease with every time.

Technical work here, as usual, was nicely done. The Rev-9 effects were good, but the only bit of originality felt like the splitting ability which, surprisingly, didn't seem to surprise characters in the film much at all. Camera work, sets, backgrounds, costuming, and effects are all managed and delivered well. Dialogue seemed to dwell on previous episodes and an assumption new characters would be both familiar with it and in agreement. Again, it feels like it is time to move on and update things a bit.

Overall Terminator: Dark Fate is another solid entry in the franchise which fans should enjoy. Those newer to Terminator may feel the need for updating, or not completely catch references and dependencies on previous episodes.

With some nudity, plenty of intense violence, some foul language, and adult situations, teens and above should be fine with this one.

Released: 2019
Reviewed: 11.14.20
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Thrillers, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Action

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu

 When Jeff learns he is the last descendent of horror great H.P. Lovecraft is about the same time he learns Lovecraft's monsters are real and working to destroy humanity. Enlisting the help of his friends, Charlie and Paul, the three set out to protect an ancient alien relic and save the world from demons.

Kyle Davis (Jeff), Devin McGinn (Charlie), Barak Hardley (Paul), Ethan Wilde (Starspawn), Gregg Lawrence (Olaf), Edmund Lupinski (Lake), Edward Flores (Sheldon), Marty Fortney (Mike), Leah McKendrick (Chelsea).

The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu is best described as a Hot Mess. The plot is simple; Jeff is the last Lovecraft descendent and as such responsible for protecting humanity from monsters who want to end humanity. The storyline actually moves along at a decent pace, finds a fair amount of depth, and finishes nicely. That is the Hot part.

Now for the Mess part.
Acting was rough all around. The cast felt rough and inexperienced with emotions frequently not matching the scene. Dialogue delivery often felt dry and lacking energy or fit. Strangely, this almost fit with the B-movie vibe of the film.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds appeared low-budget and lacking detail but fit surprisingly well with the CGI and again, the B-movie vibe. Dialogue was mediocre with some bits of humor and mild depth. Sound and soundtrack are somewhat interesting.

Overall The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu is a mix of low-budget homegrown cinema that actually fits well in the B-movie genre. From that perspective the film is pretty good overall, but those looking for a big screen horror flick may be disappointed.

With some mild sexuality, unrealistic violence and gore, and some foul language, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2011
Reviewed: 11.14.20
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi Horror, Adventure, Comedy, B-movies

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Overlord (2018)

 On the eve of D-Day, American paratroopers behind enemy lines on a mission to destroy a radio tower and help secure the invasion of Normandy instead find themselves battling supernatural Nazi soldiers.

Jovan Adepo (Boyce), Wyatt Russell (Ford), Mathilde Ollivier (Chloe), Pilou Asbaek (Wafner), John Magaro (Tibbet), Ian De Caestecker (Chase), Jacob Anderson (Dawson), Dominic Applewhite (Rosenfeld).

Overlord begins with some character introductions and setup, looking at first like a military drama with a solid plot. Charged with downing a radio tower to secure the invasion of Normandy, a group of American paratroopers quickly realize there is much more at stake. It is at this point the film smoothly shifts into the horror genre and things get much more interesting with the Americans now battling supernatural Nazi soldiers. The film maintains a good pace and holds attention well through a nicely done ending.

Acting was decent with Adepo and Russell sharing the lead and both delivering fairly well. Asbaek was well cast, fit his role perfectly and managed it nicely. Ollivier, Magaro, Applewhite and the remainder of the supporting cast were okay and seemed to work well together.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were solid with a realistic feel and what appeared to be good use of natural scenery. CGI and effects fit the film well and added nicely. Physical effects were also good throughout. Dialogue added a bit of depth and moved things along at a decent pace. Sound and soundtrack are somewhat bland.

Overlord was a bit of a surprise. Expecting a darker, military film Overlord is actually a decent horror flick with solid emotional buildup rather than simply blood and gore or scary monsters. Yet, there is also a fair amount of violence and gore so, win-win! Those who enjoy unusual horror films should enjoy this one.

With plenty of violence and gore, foul language, more disturbing images with violence and gore, and adult situations, save this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2018
Reviewed: 11.14.20
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Action, Military, Horror, Supernatural Horror

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

 In this conclusion of the Skywalker saga, the remaining members of the resistance come together against the First Order. With familiar faces from the past, the Jedi and Sith finally settle their legendary differences once and for all.

Carrie Fisher (Leia), Mark Hamill (Luke/Boolio), Adam Driver (Ren), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Naomi Ackie (Jannah), Domhnall Gleeson (Hux), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca).

Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker begins as usual with a brief backstory intro scrolling into the stars of space. Jumping right to the story, with some character introductions along the way, we are brought back to plot points in previous films and reminded of the depth in the Star Wars franchise. This episode rolls together so much of the story, bringing back familiar faces, binging the series starts to feel necessary. The conclusion of the Skywalker saga is long awaited and fairly well done in the end.

If anything, acting was the detractor here. Ridley was disappointing in her lead role with limited variety of delivery and expressionless emotion, leaving us to care not of her fate. While it was nice to see Fisher, Hamill, and Ford, all three felt a bit stiff. Driver was okay and seemed to fit his role fairly well. Boyega was enjoyable, as was Isaac, Daniels and most of the supporting cast.

Camera work, sets, backgrounds and costuming are all nicely done. Of course, the larger-than-life CGI and effects well known in this franchise are present and as usual, very well done. Physical action is also managed well. Dialogue was good and seemed to have a bit more humor than usual. Sound and soundtrack are solid.

As with any long running franchise, there seem to be some consistency issues with the storyline here that will turn off some die hard Star Wars fans. Less specific viewers should enjoy this however, many plot points may be lost on those not familiar with the story.

With some violence and gore, mild foul language, and potentially disturbing images, this one should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2019
Reviewed: 11.13.20
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Sci-Fi Adventure

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Little Women (2019)

 This adaptation of the well known Louisa May Alcott story follows the March sisters as they make their way in the world on their own terms. Told from the perspective of Jo March, the sisters find love, heartache, and more in a post-Civil War world.

Saoirse Ronan (Jo), Emma Watson (Meg), Florence Pugh (Amy), Eliza Scanlen (Beth), Laura Dern (Marmee), Timothee Chalamet (Laurie), Tracy Letts (Mr. Dashwood), Bob Odenkirk (Father March), James Norton (John).

Little Women launches well with seamless character introductions and storyline rollout. The film quickly develops depth and engagement as the March sisters grow and mature into independent adults. The drama is strong and well done as the sisters find love, loss, and heartache in a world run by men. At the same time the story is somewhat difficult to parse with frequent time jumps leaving the audience to put the pieces together.

Acting was solid from a fairly well known cast. Ronan fit her role well and delivered nicely. Watson brought the smiles and light and was enjoyable as always. Pugh was very enjoyable with good delivery and emotion. Scanlen, Dern, Odenkirk all did nicely. Chalamet was enjoyable throughout with solid emotion.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were nicely done with an authentic, realistic feel unlike many period pieces looking dark and washed out. Costuming was very well done with a quality appearance and plenty of variety. Physical action scenes were mild but good. Dialogue was well done with depth, fit, and good movement. Sound and soundtrack fit well and were nicely done.

Overall this 2019 adaptation of Little Women may not be the best, but the film remains enjoyable and engaging. Those who enjoy updated storytelling should enjoy this one while those comparing it to previous films or the original story may be slightly disappointed.

Nothing here to limit audience age. This should be fine for preens and above, though I'd doubt younger viewers will have much interest.

Released: 2019
Reviewed: 11.4.20
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Romance, Drama, Period Pieces, Films based on the book

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel