Movie review: The Old Guard

 Fighting for good, a covert group of immortal mercenaries must now fight for their lives after being exposed. Targeted for experimentation, the group struggles to remain hidden just as an unexpected new member is revealed.

Charlize Theron (Andy), KiKi Layne (Nile), Matthias Schoenaerts (Booker), Marwan Kenzari (Joe), Luca Marinelli (Nicky), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Copley), Harry Melling (Merrick), Veronica Ngo (Quynh), Natacha Karam (Dizzy).

The Old Guard begins nicely jumping straight to a scene that brings us up to speed on Andy and her team. From there the story dives deeper into each character while bringing in a nemesis and a surprise character just to keep things interesting. The story evolves well on a couple of fronts, and develops nice depth. There is a good mix of drama and action that keeps things moving with variety up through the obviously-a-sequel-setup ending.

Acting was good with Theron almost delivering more emotion than usual, which isn't much. Layne was enjoyable and quite solid with her delivery. Schoenaerts, Kenzari, and Marinelli all did well and seemed to work well together. Ejiofor was good in a smaller role while Melling was a fitting antagonist.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are pretty good with a realistic feel. Action was good and also felt fairly realistic. CGI was well done and fit the film very well. Dialogue was a bit dry but not what the film was about anyway. Sound and soundtrack are enjoyable.

Overall The Old Guard is a well done action adventure flick with a solid sci-fi base. The characters and story are enjoyable, as is acting and technical work. Fans of well rounded action films should enjoy this one.

With some mild sexuality, plenty of violence, gore, and foul language, reserve this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2020
Reviewed: 12.29.20
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Community

 

Suspended lawyer, Jeff Winger, is forced to return to school when the legitimacy of his law degree is challenged. There he meets and eventually befriends a group of outcast misfit students leading to surprising adventures.

Joel McHale (Jeff), Gillian Jacobs (Britta), Danny Pudi (Abed), Alison Brie (Annie), Ken Jeong (Chang), Yvette Brown (Shirley), Jim Rash (Dean), Donald Glover (Troy), Chevy Chase (Pierce), John Oliver (Duncan), Jonathan Banks (Hickey).

Though a bit dated, Community is a fun and fairly fast moving sitcom that doesn't bog itself down with long-term plots. Running 6 seasons from 2009 to 2015, the show focuses on suspended lawyer, Jeff, who has enrolled in community college to maintain his law degree. He joins a study group where he meets ditzy Britta, robotic Abed, megalomaniac Troy, and many other interesting characters. From there the series is a series of interesting escapades and entertaining drama.

Acting in this one was top notch all around. McHale, Jacobs, Pudi, Brie, and Brown were good on their own but add in Jeong, Chase, Oliver and Banks and things got even better with some experience at the table. Even small slips actually fit the series well. The only disappointments were Glover and Chase leaving the series.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were all good with solid feel and fit. Physical stunt work however was very good for a sitcom. Mild CGI was silly and enjoyable. Dialogue was very well done with plenty of subtle sarcasm, political and social satire. Sound and soundtrack are good.

Overall Community should leave you with a smile and a few chuckles if you enjoy a nice sitcom. I call this brain candy as it diverts your attention with humor and does little else.

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

Released: 2015
Reviewed: 12.29.20
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Sitcom, Comedy, TV Comedy

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: The Nun

 The death of a young nun in Romania prompts the Vatican to investigate. Sending a troubled priest and a young nun preparing to take her vows, the two uncover secrets and the same demonic nun that first terrified audiences in "The Conjuring 2".

Demian Bichir (Father Burke), Taissa Farmiga (Sister Irene), Jonas Bloquet (Frenchie), Bonnie Aarons (Nun), Ingrid Bisu (Sister Oana), Patrick Wilson (Ed), Vera Farmiga (Lorraine), Charlotte Hope (Sister Victoria).

The Nun begins with a brief flashback to remind us of what happened previously with this storyline. Shifting quickly to character introductions, setup for the main plot begins as well, and the film is off and running. When a young nun dies of apparent suicide in Romania, the Vatican sends troubled priest Father Burke, and young Irene who is preparing to take her vows as a nun. From there the film is a blend of horror and mystery as the two try and unravel strange happenings at the convent. What they find is the same demonic nun from The Conjuring 2 who is strangely focused on Irene.

Acting was decent with Bichir and Farmiga both delivering well and appearing to work well together. Taissa Farmiga, being the younger sister of Vera Farmiga, did well and fit the film perfectly. Bloquet brought some depth and was entertaining, as was Bisu and the remainder of the supporting cast.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were all fairly well done in this one though the film was frustratingly dark at times. Effects were good for the most part, though the blank faced nuns scene was ridiculous. Dialogue was decent and moved things along. A bit more connection to previous films would be nice. Sound and soundtrack are both good.

Overall The Nun is a solid entry in The Conjuring franchise while also a decent stand-alone story. Those new to the franchise will not be lost, but may find more depth if previous films are viewed. The film moves along well, has a decent storyline, and some nice scares.

With plenty of violence, mild foul language, and plenty of scares, you may want to save this one for older teens to save younger viewers nightmares.

Released: 2018
Reviewed: 12.7.20
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Franchise Films

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel